Rain pounded against the windows, which all of a sudden seemed very fragile to Serenity. She lay in bed long after Endymion had gotten up, recalling the horrible nightmare she dreamt the night before. But it wasn't the first time she'd had it. She shook her head to clear all thoughts of her nightmares and focused on getting dressed. She walked over to her walk-in wardrobe and pulled off her nighty, standing briefly nude in her vast room. She pulled out a satin pink and white dress and slipped it on over her head. Her hair was ruffled but the golden in it still shone. Next came her vanity mirror. She brushed her hair, put on some make up, until she was satisfied she looked the same as she did every other day. She didn't want to upset Rini.
"Mommy?" A small voice called to her. Serenity turned around and once she saw the figure in her doorway she smiled.
"Good morning, sweetie. Had your breakfast?" She greeted her daughter. Rini nodded.
"Mommy...!" Rini's eyes filled up with tears, as she ran into her mothers arms.
"My princess, what is it?!" Serenity exclaimed, full of shock. She stoked the little girl's hair. Something sticky reached Serenity's finger tips and she pulled her hand away from Chibi Usa's hair. Serenity grimaced but then looked her daughter in the eye.
"I have to tell you something.." She child said, her eyes wide and sad.
"Go on, honey."
"You can't get mad because I'm not making this up."
"You know I wouldn't!"
Rini looked down at her blue shoes. Then up again.
"But you have to promi-"
"Rini.." Her mother gave her a gentle, but impatient smile telling her to get on with what she had to say.
"I heard a ..mean voice talking to me...in my bed last night.." Rini whispered. "He said I would soon have no family, and that nobody will love me." A tiny tear trickled down her cheek. A cold chill went up Serenity's spine and a far away look glazed over her eyes.
[Flashback of dream]
"No love!" The voice said all over again. There she was running, as fast as she could, away from this voice. She was in her dream...in the rotting flower field. Leaving the bubbling black tar liquid behind and the laughter escaping from the darkness. And she fell...
[End Flashback of dream]
"Mommy!" A shrill voice interrupted and she came back to her senses.
"It was nothing, Rini, really you're old enough to know that." She said coldly. "Now go play outside." She brushed past her daughter and walked back into her wardrobe. She pulled off her dress she had planned to show off that day. She pulled on some bunny PJ bottoms and walked out again, without the top.
"Go tell Daddy that Mommy's not feeling well, and to bring in Hino Rei into my room as soon as she can get here." Her daughter stood staring at her with wide eyes, then looked aviodingly out the window at the rain, which was still coming down hard.
"Now scoot, please. Mommy has a...tempterature." Serenity imformed her tightly. She walked back ino her wardrobe and pulled on her comfy, warm bunnny PJ shirt and climbed into bed, pulling the blankets all around her for warmth. Small Lady left the room with the message and soon after Sailor Mars emerged through the door.
"My queen, may I be of your service?"
"Oh, yes please Setsuna...see, I have this dream..."She replied hurriedly. Rei sighed.
"I don't mean to interrupt, Serenity, but Endymion warned me about your nightmares."
:"Yes, Rei...see, I need your help. Can you read the fires for me? Tell me what my dreams mean and whats to become of Crytal Tokyo?"
Mars gave a slight nod and walked to the door way, but paused.
"You wish for me to read now?" She enquired.
"If it's possible, Rei...please, I really have to know. I don't want anything to happen to my family or the guardians. I must fight for their safety. I'd rather die than have them killed." Her eyes grew wide and she realized what she had just said.
My dream...the voice says that in my dream!' She thought, stunned. Rei left the room and Serenity slowly set herself down on a pillow. Time seemed to go so slow for her that day. Endymion came in with a tray of hot chocolate, medicine and a couple of cookies. She accepted the drink and food but refused the medicine, Endymion understanding why she didn't want it...or need it for that matter.
But finally the time came which she was waiting for. Sailor Mars walked slowly into Serenity and Endymion's bedroom and perched on the end of Serenity's bed. She was not asleep so she waited for Rei to speak.
"I saw your voice, Bunny, the one in your dream." She started off. NQS's eyes looked hopeful and eager. "I could not see them fully though. Yes, it was a man. He seemed to have people standing behind him. He didn't speak, though."
"Was he laughing?" Serenity asked.
"No, just standing there. He was in shadows." Mars said carefully. "And I saw you..."She practically whispered. "You were sitting on the front courtyard stairs leading up to the main hall. You were weeping. I just can't make sense of it. There was shadows all around, though, and then it all faded out. That was all I could get, I'm sorry."
Serenity waited a minute before she spoke, lapping up all this information. "I cried..that can't be good..."
"But for a minute while you were crying you stopped and looked at the sky. And smiled, Serenity, you smiled. It doesn't mean that you'll loose us my queen..we're very strong and we can fight it off together, if anything even did become of this dream. It could just be that. A dream."
Serenity nodded and said, "Thank you Mars, please could you leave now. I need my rest." Rei nodded and slipped out of the room, deep in her own thoughts. She tip toed down the hall, the only noise was the rain beating against the windows.
"Ednymion...she's still talking about the dream, I went to tell her about what I read in th-"
"You told her?!" He exclaimed, "Oh, Rei, that won't hlep her snap out of it!"
Rei sullenly looked down at her shoes, feeling ashamed for stirring the matter up.
"Oh, Rei, I'm sorry you-"
Before he could finish his sentence, a enormously loud boom sounded from somewhere in the palace. Both Endymion's and Mars' eyes wided as they ran out of the room. They glanced left and right and charred bits of crystal to their right told them the explosion had come from over there.
"Usagi.." a whisper escaped from King Endymion's lips as he realized that the bang was near their room...if not in it. And Usagi was in it...
He sprinted at full speed and the surroundings became blacker and more charred. He skidded to a stop, Rei close behind and pushed open the solid, sturdy door. Inside was nothing. Except some rubbish and remains of what had been in their room. Rei burst out into tears and suk to the floor, unable to stand up.
"My love..." Endymion choked out. The patter of the other guardians feet reached him and Rei but it went un noticed. Jupiter ran into the "room" to inspect straight away. Venus' eyes went huge and watery and she couldn't find her voice. Mercury cried while tapping into her computer for any information, but her vision was too blurry so she hid her face in Venus' shoulder while she sobbed.
Ednymion slowly stepped over the rubble over to where their bed used to be. He sat on the floor and refused to be moved for the next two hours.