The Guardians of Selene: seven
Tux stared down at the enemies at growled in disgust. If, like the scouts still in Japan, he had any tendencies towards making dramatic declarations of his intent then this would have brought them out. They were clowns. They had the fuzzy hair. They had the red noses. They had the white faces and huge grins. They had big shoes and floppy clothes. They also had evil red eyes and huge sharp teeth but they were still clowns.
"Oh gods, who thought this one up?" he mumbled to himself.
"I don't know," Nephrite replied, overhearing. "But they ought to be shot."
A ball of energy and a few roses shot at the group of fools and stunned them.
Zoisite looked up from near the clown he was disabling. "It supports your lady's dream theory though. I can't count how many people in my psychology class have said that they have nightmares about clowns."
"I hate them," Sailor Neptune agreed with quiet loathing. Tux saw Uranus look at her partner in surprise and he couldn't blame her. Neptune was the last person that he would have thought to have a phobia of clowns. The aqua-haired scout saw their disbelief and pouted defensively. "I can't help it okay? They're creepy…"
At that moment the unimpaired clowns all focused on Neptune. If it had been Jadeite or Uranus in the same situation Tux had no doubt he would have found it funny. It was impossible for him to think of the clowns as dangerous but the sight of Sailor Neptune suddenly turn into a frothing maniac as clowns of various sizes and colours surrounded her was disturbing.
Uranus jumped to her partner's aid immediately but the three generals just stared in astonishment. The clown that Zoisite had restrained used the young general's distraction to sweep him of his feet and pounce upon him.
"Speaker bless, Jade, Neph, give them a hand. Zoi concentrate!" Tux was slightly surprised at his choice in oath but decided wryly that in the current circumstances it was more likely to help him than some of the less respectable phrases in his repertoire.
He watched for a moment longer until he was certain that he would not be needed and then he slipped into a trance. It was only a light one that would allow him to react quickly to outside stimuli, yet it was enough for him to summon powers that were unpredictable at best. At worst they were dangerous and he was determined that this would not be such an occasion. Deep within him was a place of power and magic that he hadn't fully explored, a place he suspected that without Serena's interference several years before he would never have discovered. With the greatest care he gradually roused the particular talent he needed from that place.
The ability to know writhed in his mental grip and, even as he powered it with crimson magic, the world started to twist and fold strangely around him. As always it was disorientating, far more so than Andrew would have guessed from Darien's demonstration the previous day. Tuxedo Mask clenched his consciousness to him with the same iron will that earned him the respect of all Selene's guardians and fought to make order of what his mind sensed.
The clowns flickered in and out of reality to his augmented mind's eye. Wherever they came from it was not Earth, not even this plane of existence. There were holes in the fabric of reality. He could feel them in the same way that he could perceive the energy fields around Earth. It was not his power as an ecopath and yet it was. Stretched and manipulated in a way that he would never have thought to try, his earth-sense showed him the strangeness in the patterns of reality and he was able to look through the gaps that he found to see a world that he would never have imagine in a million years.
In the split second he glimpsed the strange otherworld he saw a changing realm of wonder. Absolute and complete wonder. Then a dark shape interposed itself in his line of sight and two pools of velvet darkness drew him in. A spark of gold splendour grew in each of those pools to dazzle him and his grip on his power faltered. Gold swamped him and despite the darkness that seemed prevalent it was the gold that remained to haunt him when he woke several minutes later.
"Tux? Tux!"
"Coz, are you alright?"
He blinked his eyes in a vain attempt to focus on the dark blobs in front of him. "Whaa…?" he managed to grunt. Slowly his vision returned to normal and he was able to meet the anxious gazes of Zoisite and Uranus with reasonable calm. Behind them Jadeite, Nephrite and Neptune, with a satisfied look to her, stood quietly with nary a clown in sight. He cleared his throat and attempted to speak again. "What happened?"
"You just fell," the young man answered, looking perplexed. "One minute you were in the air, the next you were lying on the cement."
Well that would explain why his back was killing him. "I…" he trailed off, unwilling to say it.
Uranus nodded, her bravado returning now that she no longer had to worry about him. "You fainted Coz. Went out like a light."
"I fainted," he repeated in disgust at himself. What on Earth did he think he was doing to allow himself to be distracted like that? True the gold that even now haunted him was disturbing but why should it get to him so… Gold. Was it possible? Memories of the strange voice in his dream the night before returned to him and he came to the only conclusion that fit with everything he had learned. It appeared that his affections for Selene's Guardian were even less productive than he had believed. He swallowed, not in dread but in weariness. If Serena's soulmate was the one who intended to kill him Tuxedo Mask was not sure if he would stop him. Death might be favourable to a life without her.
"Tuxedo Mask?" Neptune's voice was concerned.
Tux dismissed his dark thoughts for another time and returned to the present. "I'm fine," he assured his allies and lurched to his feet unaided. "I'm perfectly fine," he repeated, trying to convince himself. "I was unprepared for what I'd find." His voice was its normal steady baritone and he gave them his normal slight quirk of the lips that passed for a smile. He was absolutely normal. In no way did he feel like the universe had just sucker punched him.
"What did you see?" Nephrite enquired, "The stars are still silent on the entire subject."
"I saw…" Tux trailed off and frowned in thought. "I'm not sure what I saw. I think…" he trailed off again but for a different reason. "I don't know what I saw then but now I think I see a strange dragon… turtle thing…" They blinked in surprise and the black haired warrior pointed.
His friends turned to look in the direction that he indicated and more than a few blinks demonstrated the shock they felt. Uranus stared for a moment and then began to shake her head while Neptune just stared, her mouth slightly agape. Jadeite frowned perplexity while both Nephrite and Zoisite watched the creature with wide eyes.
"I've seen something like that before," Jadeite mused slowly, "I'm sure I have…"
Both Nephrite and Zoisite looked at the blonde man as if he were crazy. There was a rush of air and a loud whoosh and then a metal lamppost started to burn merrily with green flames.
"That's a koopa," Zoisite exclaimed to Jadeite in exasperation and Tux wondered why. He had no idea what a koopa was or why the younger man should get so worked up because Jadeite didn't recognise one.
"Out of Super Mario Brothers?" Nephrite prodded impatiently when Jadeite still watched with incomprehension. "You only played the game every waking minute for six months!"
Enlightenment crossed the blonde general's features and he smiled. "Oh a koopa!" He tilted his head and looked askance at his fellow generals. "Where did that game go by the way? I lent it to one of you-"
BAMM!
The general's question was cut off. Tux looked back to the so-called koopa to find it throwing some sort of weird spiky shells around. It seemed to have a never-ending supply and Tux was forced to duck as several were hurled in his direction.
"Okay," Tux said with what he thought was remarkable calm, "It's a character in a video game so how do you beat it?"
Jadeite shuffled slightly and refused to meet anyone's eyes. "Umm, you see… I never…"
"He couldn't finish the game," Nephrite interrupted.
Zoisite smiled eagerly at Tux. "I did though. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll have it out of commission."
"Yeah sure kid," Nephrite jumped in, "Like it'd be that easy. That's a king koopa and you always took a half a dozen lives to beat one."
"And you could do any better?" the younger man snarled.
Nephrite grinned mockingly. "Yes," he responded simply, "Shall I prove it?"
Before Tux could blink the brunette general sprinted towards the koopa, dodging shells, and took a running leap at the thing. With a thump that was audible even from such a distance the tall man landed on the koopa's shelled back and jumped off an instant later. For good reason, as the general landed several metres distant the koopa retreated into its shell and started spinning. For several seconds the spiky green sphere, nearly two metres in diameter, spun around the street like an insane toy top before it stopped and the koopa poked its head back out to begin its destruction anew.
Nephrite gathered himself to repeat the move but before he could Zoisite stole the opportunity and mimicked the older general's manoeuvre. Not to be left out, the next time the koopa calmed down it was Jadeite who sent it in to a spin.
For several minutes Tuxedo Mask and the two scouts watched the antics of their friends incredulously. It looked as though the three males had started to regard the entire situation as a game.
"You know that actually looks like fun," Uranus commented wistfully but said no more when both Tux and Neptune glared at her. If a mumble that sounded like, 'well it does,' seemed to come from her direction then it was ignored.
A not-too-distant shift in the energy fields caught Tux's notice and he grimaced. His senses were still slightly hyperaware and it took him only a moment to discern that several somethings that he couldn't sense were doing a great deal of damage that he could.
"Something's causing a disturbance in Madison Square. You two might want to check it out." He sighed and scowled at the generals. "I'd better stay with those three."
Uranus smirked. "Have fun Coz."
Tux rolled his eyes as an answer and the two women disappeared, leaving Neptune's irritated, "It better not be clowns," to echo along the empty street. Tux sighed again and shook off the sense of unreality that had pervaded him since he had seen the stranger. He looked back at where the now triumphant generals stood together arguing with no sign of the koopa in sight. It was time to start being the leader.
***
"… French-English relations have taken a further turn for the worse this afternoon when the English ambassador, William Blake-Sinclair stormed from his meeting with French leader, Louis Depardieu, after a joke had been taken too far. Until today those who knew them considered Sir William and representative Depardieu as close friends. Their relationship included much humour on both sides and so it was a surprise to all concerned when Blake-Sinclair took offence at a derogatory comment that Depardieu made about the English over their lunch meeting. Witnesses report that Blake-Sinclair overreacted to the statement and responded with words that angered not only Depardieu but also all of his countrymen within hearing distance.
"This is the latest in a series of incidents over the last week involving the two nations that has seen positive communications fail. Earlier this week, Her Majesty the Queen asked her son, the Prince of Wales, to visit the English Embassy while on his two week vacation in French Alps. The Prince's report to the Queen was quoted to have said, '…the outrage that they should impinge our honour in such a manner should not be borne…' and '…who do those arrogant frogs think they are…'
"When news of this leaked to the French media the British government called for the Prince to publicly apologise, a demand with which the Prince still refuses to obey. Ill feeling is rising on both sides of the channel as national pride in both countries is dealt further blows. Neighbouring governments watch incredulously as the situation deteriorates. A week ago it would have seemed impossible that the French and English would ever raise arms against each other again but with every passing moment the notion seems less and less outrageous.
"This is Robert Gordon for CNN…"
Luna could here Kian talking to her princess quietly in the kitchen but she couldn't gather the will to do more than stare at the television blankly. There was no doubt in her mind as to the cause of the rising tensions in Europe. Pride. The only mystery to her was how it could have taken her so long to see it. She was a seeker for crying out loud. She should have seen where the patterns were heading before now.
*Beloved?*
*Luna?! What has happened?* Artemis' voice in her mind was alarmed and she instantly worked to calm him.
*Usagi is fine, she is in the kitchen being fed again.*
*Is Mamoru doting on her again? I wonder if our princess is the only one we should worry about when the time for them to part comes.*
*A part of Mamoru will die without her but it is not he who is feeding her. The reincarnate Kian is with her now. Mamoru was called away to attend to his own duties and Kian volunteered to remain with the princess.*
*Oh?* Luna sent a wordless burst of data that informed Artemis of all the events since their meeting in the clouds several hours before. Artemis assimilated it with ease and his mind became pensive. *Oh… Is it possible? Could the spears truly be weakening the barrier between the planes?*
*Only if the Lord of Dream has finally relented against Earth.*
*That would mean…*
*That Elysion has returned. Aye. Queen Serenity cannot be sure and neither can Lord Saetan, though he has once again bid Hotaru to search for Elysion's soul.*
*It will be fruitless,* Artemis decided after a moment's thought, *If the Lady Messiah could not locate it in the past she will not be able to now. I am sure that the future Star in question will find himself the subject of many interrogations as to where he went after his mortal body was killed.*
*Maybe but it may be more rewarding to seek out and question Morpheus. The Lord of Dream may be more receptive now that his heir has returned. There are many mysteries I would like to put to him, not least is why Elysion had not been his official Guardian at the time of the Fall.*
*Hmmm, so you are sure that Elysion has returned?*
Luna paused for a moment to consider and was surprised to realise that she did. *Aye. I think that he is the golden power that saved the princess during the Darkmoon Crisis.*
*I had wondered… Does he know who she is? What she is to him? If so why has he waited so long? I expected his return centuries ago.*
*As did I but for explanations we must wait for him. Still, this is not why I have bethought you.*
*Oh?* She felt him cast about in the memories she had shared with him. *Oh! The news broadcast! Selene help us!*
*Aye… I do not know what you can do but I would not advise risking Tranquillity again. Alone I cannot contain our princess safely and Mamoru is not here to aid me.*
*I would agree… Mamoru!* His thought was triumphant and Luna was bewildered.
*Artemis?!*
*Mamoru made a suggestion to you-*
*Aye, that we cause people to be humble instead of proud but what…* What could the Lunarians do that would make enough creatures, not just humans, humble? Luna trailed off as she saw what was in her mate's mind and then gave fervent thanks that Serena's powers were so weak. If the princess had caught even the barest hint of what Artemis was considering there would have been nothing that Luna or Darien could have done to stop her from interfering. After a moment she asked, *Are you sure that it would work?*
*It might and that is better than anything else we have thought of.*
*And the Law?*
*I believe Selene would forgive us a small trespass.*
*Small?!*
*Very well, a rather large trespass. Still with the stakes what they are, I do not think our Lady will object.*
Luna sighed aloud and glanced towards the kitchen. If Serena should discover what was planned…* Speaker bless, my heart. I devoutly hope that all goes well.*
*Honestly Lisaen, I think that we will have the easier task. Keeping the princess under control, should she sense what we are about, will be a thousand times more difficult to my mind.*
The two soulmates spent and instant more just savouring the sense of the other before each returned their attention to the outside world. Only when she could no longer feel her mate's proximity did Luna allow herself a rare moment of self-pity. Honestly she would rather face Pride than face the Guardian Serenity in a rage.
***
"And…" Serena paused as she absently swallowed another mouthful of peanuts. Kian watched her with a faint air of amusement that she studiously ignored. It wasn't like she could help the fact that she needed so much energy to recover. If she had the choice she would have preferred to spend her recovery time in the heart of the sun. It would have revitalised her more fully than any physical food and, besides, it would have been faster.
She dismissed her reflections. "What happened next?" she continued inexorably.
The pale man shrugged dismissively. "Nothing much. Beryl didn't come back and eventually we dragged ourselves away from her fortress. Later we learned that Darien and the scouts had killed her and that we were reincarnates like them but for then we just wanted to go home."
Serena scrutinized him carefully. She would have to be an idiot or completely oblivious to human feelings to miss the maelstrom of emotions going on in the man's head and she was neither. In fact it took much of her considerable self-control to not reveal her awareness of Kian's mental state as it cluttered the atmosphere in the small kitchen. No, her examination was to help her determine the best way to proceed with something that would undoubtedly rouse old nightmares even further. If Kian were ever to be able to put his past behind him then he would need to confront it first.
A slow tune started to play softly on the radio and Serena jumped up from her chair. With a rush she jumped to the radio and turned the volume up. Then, before Kian had realised what she was about, she hauled him onto his feet and started to lead him about the kitchen in a waltz. It was her first attempt at the Terran dance and, for someone whose mind was not concentrating, not to mention someone who had only seen the dance once, she made a very elegant figure. Her hapless partner was ignorant of that and, even if he hadn't been, she thought that the confusion she could sense through the contact between their hands would have eclipsed such minor considerations.
She faintly sensed the patterns of his thoughts, her tactile telepathy weak but still active. Foremost in his head was, 'what on Earth is she doing?' Quite close after was, 'why am I letting her?' and, 'what is Darien going to think?' She laughed gaily and winked at him.
"I love this song," she confided to him and that was true but not everything. She had just needed a way to put him at ease and, as strange as it was, spinning around the kitchen with her seemed to be doing that.
He smiled, relaxing as she'd hoped and she waited for a few more moments before she pushed again. "So do you want to tell me the rest of it?"
He almost stopped dancing but she pulled him with her and after a second he began to move of his own accord once more. He stared at her for several, silent minutes and the song ended before he decided to speak. Serena felt no impatience, she would wait as long as it took and she let the smallest hint of the futility of arguing with her show on her face. Eventually, two songs later and almost against his will, he finally opened up a little to her.
"What more can I say?" he asked but it was a rhetorical question. "We each went our separate ways, Zack, Nick and Jyp remembering very little of what had happened to them. They had been in Beryl's power for only a little time and their minds were still able to block out the horrors that they saw."
"But you couldn't." It wasn't a question and Kian knew it. In her mind she could see the sharp and jagged memories that raced through his thoughts and she was forced to stifle a cry of horror. The atrocities that Beryl had committed at Metallia's command were truly sickening and the man who spun her around to the sound of a radio had survived it with mind damaged but intact. The human race truly did spawn some remarkable individuals.
"No," he answered simply. They took a few more steps in silence.
"Tell me," she commanded.
His eyes were ice. "No."
Her eyes were sapphire infernos. "Tell me."
And he did. He told her about the day he left for work and was kidnapped by monsters. He told her about the torture, about enduring it himself, about watching it happen to others and about being forced to administer it. He told her about magical coercions and being mentally and physically raped by Beryl and both her male and female servants. He told her of feeling the corruption of Metallia take root, little by little, in his soul. He told her about the capture of the three other men and feeling only a sense of relief that he was no longer the focus of Beryl's attention. He told her about waking up one day to realise that it had been a week since the fortress had shuddered with battle magic and that Beryl had not been to see him or her other prisoners since then. He told her about shattering the magical bindings that held him and leading his fellow prisoners to freedom.
They were holding each other closely when his hoarse voice finally died away, rocking in time to some internal dirge. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and his hands pressed her head close to his chest as he buried his face in her golden hair. He was not crying, would never cry, but a frame far too lean was wracked by shudders as it swayed against hers. His touch conveyed his endless horror but her arms around his torso transmitted only comfort. She offered him the infinite supply of her strength and support and she told him what victims throughout eternity had either never known or known and never believed.
"It was not your fault. You are not to blame."
He believed her.
***
Tux ducked under a green feeler that a razor sharp shard of crystal then severed. The dark haired man could not spare the time to thank Zoisite but he made a resolution to do so when he could. Then he turned his mind back to the squirming mass of writhing green tentacles and discarded the wooden sheath for his sword. The silver ribbon of a blade slipped clear with a bell-like peal. The clear note hung in the air and froze the nightmarish creature for an instant. It was only an instant but that was more than long enough for silver death to arrive. Faster than the eye could follow the sword cut through green substance and the monster collapsed.
Tuxedo Mask dismissed the dead creature, prior experience having told him that even the corpse would fade after a moment. He straightened and scanned the scene quickly. Even as he looked, the last monster, or nightmare as he had come to think of them, was dissolving into nothingness near Nephrite.
"Is it just me or are aliens always green?" Jadeite asked of the world in general as he attempted to wipe some green spit off his shoulder. The nightmares themselves might vanish but the… secretions they made did not.
Zoisite shrugged. "Mine was black. So it's got to be you."
"Yours was straight out of a Sigourney Weaver movie Kid and they're always black." Nephrite imitated the youth's shrug before he continued, "I think it's obvious. People expect aliens to be green and so any dreams or nightmares with them will be."
Tuxedo Mask resolutely turned away from the three generals. Ostensibly to check the immediate area for further threats but in reality to give himself time to get his face under control. The thought of a couple aliens of his acquaintance being green made him break out in a grin for some reason.
"Again I say that mine was black," Zoisite repeated sharply, irritated by Nephrite's persistent use of the word 'kid'.
Nephrite rolled his before explaining in a very condescending manner. "As I said, Kid." Zoisite's teeth started to grind but the older man ignored the grating noise. "Your drooling friend was out of a horror flick. No one has to stretch their imaginations when they dream of it because they already know what it looks like. I imagine quite a few people couldn't get the images out of their head after seeing it. No wonder that it would be one of the things that we encountered. It's more than obvious that Tux's lady was right and we're facing dreams."
"If that's so then we are the unicorns and fluffy pink rabbits?" Jadeite retorted sarcastically. The alien saliva had refused to come off his jacket and his face was utterly disgusted. "Should we be coming across some friendly things?"
Tuxedo Mask decided to rejoin the conversation at this point. "We have, didn't you notice the little lights in the parks. They were buzzing around the flowerbeds."
"Fireflies?" Zoisite responded blankly.
"Fairies," Tux corrected and sighed. He could feel two more disturbances growing. One was on the opposite side of the city and the other was only a couple of blocks from him. What had started out as a simple excursion was becoming more and more involved by the minute. It didn't help that the holes he had sensed were growing larger and more frequent. He sighed again. "Jade with me, Neph, you and Zoi head off west about a kilometre. Deal with what you find and meet us on Broadway. If you can't handle whatever it is call Uranus and Neptune in to help. Don't muck about, we don't have time."
"What's up?" Jadeite asked, his bad mood forgotten.
"What isn't?" Zoisite retorted and Tux shook his head to forestall the inevitable argument.
"We don't have time," he repeated, "Things are getting worse and we need to by some time to do some planning."
Nephrite frowned. "Call in Kunzite?"
"Not if it can be helped." His three companions looked as if they wished to disagree but Tux donned the aura of authority that was once again becoming second nature. "Do not argue with me, now go."
Without another word he took Jade's arm and raised them both into the air. He did not look back and gave no indication to either the man with him or the pair on the ground below that he in any way doubted that they would obey him. In response to that certainty they did obey. None of them had ever fully understood the scope of his abilities in the past, let alone now when they were once more growing. So only the warrior himself knew that he looked confident because his magic allowed him to perceive more than they could ever imagine. Of course the fact that his old mannerisms from his days as a prince were returning also made leadership simpler for him.
"So are fairies the only good dreams that have been around?" the blonde man asked after they had flown for a few moments in silence.
"No," Tux replied shortly, "There have been others but since they don't endanger anyone we've ignored them in favour of the nightmares.
"Oh. I wish I could have seen a unicorn though."
"Be careful what you wish for," Tux warned, "With the way things have been going any unicorn we meet up with will be pitch black with glowing red eyes and a homicidal urge towards mass destruction… and with the way reality's been damaged I wouldn't be too surprised if it happened."
"Oh. I wish I hadn't made that wish then."
"Me too."
***
Her head began to nod and Serena valiantly fought to stay awake. She and Kian had talked for over a straight hour and Serena was reluctant to end the intimacy between them but once more the after effects of the damage that had been done to her made themselves known. She yawned prodigiously and heard Kian chuckle as she almost dislocated her jaw.
"Darien wasn't exaggerating when he said that you had been seriously hurt was he? You're still getting over it aren't you?" the man murmured and Serena attempted to scowl at him. Her energy was failing her fast though and she managed nothing more than another yawn.
"I'll be fine," she tried to mutter but the darkness the rapidly encroached upon her vision contradicted her stubborn words. Even as the sight of a vastly entertained Luna faded from her sight, Serena felt a strong pair of arms lift her from the kitchen chair.
A moment later Luna watched as Kian gently placed Serena on the couch but by then the blonde Lunarian was well and truly asleep.
***
Her companion was strong and lean. His skin was pale and his mop of hair was ebon black yet it was not her lover who stood at her side. The male with her now had eyes that were darker than his hair. In those shadowy depths shone the light of distant stars and that light only emphasised the darkness around them. Within their depths she saw age upon age, an endless procession of time that bowed her shoulders in sympathy. Yet despite the horrific burden of time his presence was not dimmed.
"Thy attackers have damaged the barrier that I placed between Earth and my realm," he told her with no warning. "I wished there to be no contact with Earth until a debt that was incurred has been repaid and have instituted an interdiction similar to thy mother's." His voice became harder than any substance known on Earth and she trembled at the power within it. "There will be no intercourse between my realm and that which you inhabit. Those that defy my decree will die. Whether by my hand or another's, it matters not, but their life essence will be snuffed as if it had never been. Such is my will."
With that proclamation he disappeared and she was engulfed in light.
***
Luna started in astonishment and quickly blinked her eyes to recover from the flash. Under her Serena stirred and Luna hurriedly soothed the weary Guardian back into deep slumber. When she was certain that her charge would not wake she returned her attention to the white haired man who had just pointed a small black box at them and caused it to emit a bright light.
Kian seemed to be engrossed by the small object, whatever it was, but Luna smugly noted that not even such a heedless man could ignore the weight of her stare for long. He looked at her in surprise and found that, for some reason, he was unable to look away from her. Without words or even telepathy Luna conveyed her demand for an explanation, leaving the bewildered Kian looking as if he were being targeted by a panther rather than what looked to be a normal housecat. Luna kept his gaze pinned and gradually the ice blue eyes of the human darkened in embarrassment.
"Ummm, it's just Jyp's camera," he explained, obviously feeling more than a little foolish for talking to a cat. "He probably left it here a while back and then I thought that since Darien's so enamoured of your mistress he would like a picture of her. He'd never think to do something like that himself so I took a photo. Nothing bad and she looks, well, adorable all curled up like that with hair everywhere."
Luna smiled mentally. It was obvious that Mamoru was not the only one who had fallen under her princess' spell. The only difference was that she didn't have to worry about Kian seducing Serena… or vice versa. Content, she relaxed again and released Kian from her power. She could hear the man swallow in relief from across the room. It took no magic on her part to tell her that the reincarnate was not only relieved but also thoroughly confused. She let some of her amusement show on her face, not that the human could read feline facial expressions. She did not need to be a telepath to know that the thought currently running through Kian's mind was, 'why on Earth was I intimidated by a cat?!'
***
The flying buttresses and stained glass windows of the Notre-Dame cathedral were awe-inspiring, even to the experienced eyes of three Lunarian guardians. Tranquillity flexed his recently healed arm and grimaced at a particularly repulsive gargoyle. Its wings were outstretched in a manner that the prince still found uncomfortable and even looking at it made Tranquillity's back hurt.
*I hope this works better than the last time…* he murmured to his companions mentally.
Reika looked up at him from her position on a ledge and nodded in complete agreement. *Gods yes, I do not want to see you falling or covered in your own blood again.*
*That would certainly not be a good thing* Artemis added. The ivory haired man landed soundlessly next to his prince and the iridescent dragonfly wings of a true Lunarian disappeared once they were no longer in use. He gazed at the vista their position high on the old cathedral offered and shook his fine mane grimly. *If this does not succeed then the princess truly will be impossible to subdue and Earth is beset by more than enough troubles without adding an inflamed Guardian Star to the equation.*
*She is still powerless though,* Tranquillity objected, knowing in his heart of hearts that it would make no difference. Artemis didn't bother to grace the objection with a comment, informing Tranquillity just how foolish the elder male believed it to be. Privately Tranquillity conceded the point. After being informed of his twin's actions when she had sensed his danger a few hours before the prince had no doubt that her weakness would not matter should she forget herself. Of course that was unlikely, his sister was stubborn but she was not stupid and, from everything that Artemis had passed on, Tranquillity believed that Darien had finally managed to impress upon Serena her importance. Her sense of duty should overrule her love for him… should.
*We had better begin,* Reika sent reluctantly.
Tranquillity and Artemis exchanged a brief glance loaded with determination and nodded. One way or another Serena would be safe, now they were attending to their duties as Selene's guardians. Earth would be protected, even from itself.
Without words powers of silver, peach and ivory hues were summoned. Silver and peach twined and then merged and began to spread along the stones that formed one of France's greatest landmarks. The ivory power, unable to merge without the common ground of a soulbond, danced in complement to the joined essence of the two Lunarians and the ancient building was slowly infused with magic. Time passed and one of the most magnificent houses of the Christian god began to hum with Mystery as, for the first time since man had wrenched them from the Earth, the ancient rocks awoke.