August 2002

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm just borrowing them
(though, Charles, Martin, Francis and assorted other originals are
mind...) the story, however, is mine.

Chapter 29


Amy rubbed her eyes as she settled behind her desk. What a
night. They'd been unable to reach Darien, his answering machine
having picked up at least a dozen messages from her and the other
senshi, and they'd fought with Cashrawk again. She grimaced as
the newly healed tear in her shoulder smarted. Cashrawk had hit
her a glancing blow that had almost removed her arm. Thankfully,
her healing factor was high enough she had most of the movement
back this morning.

Fortunately, none of her friends had been seriously hurt in
the attack. They'd managed to drive Cashrawk away, but failed to
track him back to his lair. She felt pressed, like she was
running out of time and didn't know the time limit.

Her phone rang and she looked at if as if it would bite her.
She really didn't want to be at work today. With a sigh, she
picked up the phone. "Dr. Mizuno speaking."

"Amy, it's Darien."

"Darien! Where were you last night, we tried to reach you!"

"I got your messages." His voice was wry, "I was at home, and
Selenity was here."

"Did you...?"

"No, we didn't. Not that it's any of your business. She
needed to talk. Is there somewhere out of the public eye we can
gather everyone today? Selenity saw something last night that
needs to be investigated."

Amy glanced out of her window, seeing her assistant leading
the first of her patients into one of her examining room. "Yeah,
sure. Call Raye, you have her number right? No? Ok, Andrew has
it, call him and get it. She'll tell you where we can meet. I've
got a full day of people to see, I won't be able to get away until
after 9 tonight. See if you can get her to plan it for 10,
alright? I've got to run, talk to you later."

Without waiting for a reply she hung up on him and pushed
herself away from her desk. She had work to do.


Darien hung the phone up, deleting the dozen messages on his
machine and then looked back towards the bedroom. He didn't know
how long Selenity and Luna would sleep, but he had classes to
attend. Shaking his head, he scribbled a note to them and then
scooped up his bag. He'd be home after class. Maybe, exhausted
as they were, they wouldn't even notice he'd been gone. Quietly,
he left his apartment and locked the door behind him, not seeing
the shadow alighting on his balcony, or the lock turning by unseen
hands.

The glass doors slid silently open beyond the curtains and a
human hand, encased in black, came though into view. The curtains
were slowly pulled open, revealing a human of average height,
completely encased in black. The figure stepped into the room
carefully. From the shape of the wide shoulders down to trim
hips, he seemed to be male, and walked silently as a
shadow as he entered the strange apartment.

Black gloved hands skimmed over surfaces, searching for
clues, his silent steps leading him through the immaculate living
room, into the kitchen, where dishes lay drying in the dish rack,
and out into the main hall. The locks on the door were secure.
He slid through the hall, looking into the bathroom, opening the
guest room and the linen closet, obviously not finding what he was
looking for.

He paused at the last closed door, gently coaxing it open,
and taking a look inside. He straightened quickly. He'd found
his objective. He pulled a vial and a clean cloth from his belt,
pouring the contents of the vial onto the cloth. Quickly he went
about his business, making sure she would sleep for a long time.
Scooping her up in his arms, he tied her limbs together and
quickly placed her over his shoulder. Escaping the bedroom, he
went back to the living room and stepped back onto the balcony. A
winged creature watched him with intelligent eyes and nodded once.
"She is the one."

The man nodded, tying her quickly to the creatures' back
before climbing on behind her. The creature spread its wings and
pushed off with a great leap into the sky. His wings beating
mightily, the trio quickly disappeared into the morning sky.

Back in Darien's apartment, a slumbering cat was unaware of
the theft that had transpired. Exhausted, she slumbered,
blissfully unaware that the time for unlocking the Terran line's
powers had just been drastically cut.



"What do we do with her now?" the cultured male voice was calm,
the figures features hidden from view by the black mask.

His companion looked at the sleeping Princess, voice low, "We
wait. Cashrawk has one more job for us before this day is done, but
it must be done without his help."

The black clad man crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for
his instructions. His companion offered a piece of paper, which he
took and opened, reading the script on the inside. His eyes behind
the mask narrowed. "Is this address correct?"

A nod. He tore the sheet in half and extended it over the
candle that was on the only source of light in the area. The paper
crackled and caught, destroying the evidence of their plot. "This
will not be a problem, I will do this myself and return when it is
finished. The princess will sleep until the setting of the sun. By
that time, our hostage should ensure her cooperation."

His companion nodded once. "Cashrawk will be pleased. By the
end of this night, I will have the world I wish to rule and you will
no longer have to play the fool. Return swiftly, I will prepare for
our guest's arrival. Before the moon rises this night, we will have
our revenge."

He inclined his upper body in a half bow before turning to
leave and complete his task. Maniacal laughter followed him as he
stepped out of the circle cast by the candle light. He would not
fail. He had never failed. He shielded his eyes as he stepped from
the darkness into the morning light. His face grim, he ducked into
the nearest shadow and made his way across the city. His target
would never know he was coming, and by the time he was suspected, it
would be too late.



Darien returned home after eight hours of classes and two
more of training, after the last few days he'd needed to work off
some frustration. He unlocked the door and frowned. The sun was
beginning to set outside and his apartment was dark. "Selenity?"

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and hit the
light switch. He kicked his shoes off and checked the kitchen.
The dishes he'd used for breakfast were still in the rack. He did
a quick check of his room, finding Luna still sleeping in her
basket, slowly stirring. No Selenity. He frowned, stepping back
into the hall and making his way into the living room. His
curtains rippled softly with a faint breeze and he stepped closer.
Someone, Selenity probably, had left the door open. Thinking she
was on the balcony he called her name again, "Selene? Are you out
there, love?"

He received no answer to his query as he stepped onto his
balcony and froze. His balcony was littered with several large
feathers. He knelt, examining one, his face grim. Selenity
wasn't in his apartment and the feathers were on his balcony.
With how deeply she'd been sleeping, there was a good change she
wouldn't have awakened, regardless of the circumstance. His face
hardened as he collected the feathers. He'd have Amy examine
them, but he was pretty sure who they belonged to. Ancient or
not, he silently vowed he wouldn't let the creature be in control
of his Princess for long. Her very life might depend on it.


Amy closed her office in record time after Darien's phone
call. Lita turned down customers left and right, claiming family
emergency and Mina skipped practice. Raye settled down in front
of the sacred fire after Darien's phone call. She'd been unable to
track Cashrawk through it, or to determine his origins, but
perhaps she could help find Selenity.

The others arrived quickly, all within a half hour of each
other, running up the stairs to burst into the main area of Raye's
shrine. One by one they lined up behind her, Darien arriving last
as she finally opened her eyes and turned to look at them.
"Selenity is alive."

Darien briefly closed his eyes with relief. He'd feared the
worst with her gone. Luna lay across his shoulders, as was her
custom, looking silently at each of the senshi. They'd done very
well without her guidance thus far, and she was loath to interfere
at this late of a stage but knew she had to reveal herself to
them. She uncurled herself and hopped down to the ground, drawing
each eye.

Amy opened her mouth to speak, to ask why Darien had brought
his precious cat to the meeting but the words died unspoken on her
tongue as Luna began to speak.

"Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus and Sailor
Jupiter. I am Luna, one of the advisors to Queen Serenity from
the Moon Kingdom in ages past. I am saddened it has come time for
me to reveal myself in these trying circumstances, but I hope I
can shed some light on your problems."

Raye looked at Darien with disbelief, "You have a talking
cat?"

He shrugged, "I only found out last night. Luna has informed
me that Selenity has, in fact, only three days to discover her
powers and less than three weeks how to use them."

"WHAT?!" Amy was appalled, "How were my predictions so far
off?"

Luna sat on her haunches, "You are estimating by the new
calendar and time, Sailor Mercury, not by the old calendar of the
Moon Kingdom. Time moves much faster there, the days are shorter;
the years are shorter. There is no way you could have known how
to measure the time. Last night I attempted a Lunar meld with the
Princess of the Earth. I believe I was partially successful.
Selenity has a problem dealing with her fears, as do all humans,
but her life has not been easy. She has a problem trusting anyone
but herself. Everyone she has loved has left her. Given time, and
the right motivation," she glanced at Darien, "she could get past
this problem on her own. We do not that the luxury of giving her
that time."

"So what'd you do?"

Luna smiled, as much as a cat can, "I, Sailor Jupiter, simply
reinforced her latest accomplishments. I lent her the strength to
get past them. As the advisor of the Queen I have many powers
that are very obscure. Among them is the power to lend mental
assistance should the situation require it. Unfortunately,
Selenity's mental prowess managed to wear us both over the point
of exhaustion. I have given Selenity the tools to demolish her
innermost fears and to release her powers. I fear, if we cannot
find her, she will have to save herself."

Amy frowned, "Will she be able to access those powers right
away, or does something have to trigger them?"

"I do not know."

"Great," Amy's mutter carried to everyone. "Fine, Darien,
can you trace her with the crystal?"

"Do not."

They all looked at Luna as he made to pull the crystal from
his pocket.

"Use your computer, Sailor Mercury. Darien, give her the
feathers."

Darien nodded, suddenly understanding, and handed Amy several
large eagle-like feathers, "I see where you're going with this.
See if you can find trace elements of anything in particular on
these, Amy, anything at all that might point to where Cashrawk is
hiding."

Amy nodded and ran some scans as the others watched in tense
silence. A smile cracked her tense features after a couple of
minutes and she nodded, "Got it. They're from a location on the
outskirts of town. Just a minute, I'm patching into the GPS
satellites."

"You can do that?"

She glanced at Darien, a half smile playing about her lips,
"I'm just full of surprises. Ok, got it. There's an annual fair
going on outside of town right now, on the northeastern border.
It fits with the popcorn impression you got from the crystal,
Darien. I'm willing to bet, based on this, that Cashrawk's lair
is somewhere in a cave beneath that fair ground."

Darien looked around at the determined faces of the senshi,
"I'd suggest I go alone, but from the looks on your faces you'd
all have me hog-tied if I tried. We'd better get going, the
longer she's in that thing's clutches, the more likely it is he'll
try and kill her."

Amy held up her hand as the others moved to transform, "Wait.
You said something earlier this morning about having something you
needed to tell us. Something that Selenity had discovered?"

"Oh. Sorry, yes, last night she saw Charles and Cashrawk
talking in the grove where she faced down Martin. She thinks
Charles is the mind behind this whole thing."

Amy typed a few more things on her computer as the Senshi and
Darien took the opportunity to change into their uniforms. She
patched into the database on all people surrounding the nobles and
pulled up Charles' profile. She frowned, sliding it to the side
and then running a database check on the possibility of him being
in charge. Finally, she lifted her head, "I don't think so.
Regardless of what Selenity may have seen, I can't see a man who
practically raised her betraying her to this thing so he can kill
her. He doesn't have the mental capacity to do it unless he's got
a hidden personality."

"Then who? The evidence is rather damming, he gave the
creature something."

Amy shrugged, "Whatever he gave to Cashrawk, Lunar, might
have been to ensure her safety. Did you think of that?"

He shrugged, pulling the whip off his belt and unwrapping it,
cracking it once, before wrapping it back up, "I think he's
innocent personally, Selenity jumped to conclusions. I can't see
amiable Charles being the bad guy."

"Transform, Sailor Mercury," Luna told her, nodding, "I will
wait here for you to return with Selenity."

Lunar picked her up, "Oh no you don't, Luna, you're coming
with us. You got us into this, you can get us out."

Amy took the chance to transform as the others laughed at
Luna's resigned expression. Finally, they were all in their
uniforms and Lunar draped his cat around his neck. "Let's get
this over with. I want my fiancée returned within the hour and
Cashrawk..." his eyes flashed dangerously, "Cashrawk will be dealt
with once and for all."

Quickly, they filed out of the temple and began running with
superhuman speed towards the north-eastern end of the city.


The fair grounds were far from quiet at this time of night,
and the lights lit up the darkening sky like the sun. Screams and
laughter echoed through the air from people enjoying the rides,
the games and shows from the tents. The smell of popcorn and
cotton candy drifted to the group perched on a hill above the
grounds.

Sailor Mercury looked at the crowd through her visor,
scanning the crowd below for certain DNA signatures. Coming up
blank, she opened her computer and linked her visor to it. She
tapped into the Geological departments surveys of the area and
called it up. A topographical map came up on her computer screen
and she lifted her head to visually match it.

She matched the dark, cave signatures to where they'd be on
the fair grounds and nodded, "Cashrawk and Charles are not in the
crowd below, but they could be either here, here or here," she
pointed to three points, none of them near each other. "These are
the echoes of pockets underneath the earth. The largest is over
there, beneath the Farris wheel."

"So what's our plan of attack?"

Mercury shrugged, "Full frontal? We have to find a way in
first, and from the echo on this map, there's only one way in to
each of the cave, and none of them connect to each other. The
caves, I mean. We'll either have to split up, or try to find her
another way. My computer can't penetrate the bedrock here; it's
too thick."

"Could I find her using the crystal?"

She shrugged, glancing at Luna, "You could try, but from what
I can see, Luna will advise against it."

Luna frowned, "It's dangerous for him to use it so casually
but, for the sake of speed and the fate of the world, I'll advise
using it. Selenity can't be allowed to perish."

Lunar slipped one hand over his crystal and closed his eyes.
Focusing within himself first, he brought her image to mind, and
slowly began stretching out around him, searching specifically for
the woman he loved. His focus was so intense, he found he had no
trouble directing the crystal with his thoughts. It was like an
extension of himself, twisting through the crowd, searching for an
entrance, searching for his love.

Slowly an image formed, a large tent with a huge arena in the
centre, juggling bears and dressed up elephants paraded around the
ground in carefully choreographed displays. He pushed past that,
down into the earth, stretching out to her mind, searching...
searching and almost crying with relief when he found her alive.
He could feel a sudden sharp, stabbing pain, as if he'd taken a
sword to the gut, and his eyes flew open. "Selenity!"

"Lunar?"

He looked right at the big top tent. "She's below there.
She just got hit by something, and is in a lot of pain. We have
to help her. Now."

Sailor Mercury checked her readout, pointing to the tunnel
that was the only entrance to that cave. "We go in here. Follow
me."

Silently, the senshi, Lunar and his guardian Luna made their
way towards the entrance of the cave. Lunar looked up at the moon
that was beginning to rise, and sent his thoughts skyward. He
prayed he would find her before it was too late.



It was dark when she opened her eyes. No light filtered
through, no breeze. The ground beneath her was hard and she felt
adrenaline rush through her veins with the realization she was no
longer in Darien's apartment. Where am I? She asked silently.
She couldn't even see her hands or feet. She could feel her body,
but couldn't see it. She swallowed hard. She'd never liked the
dark like this, too many awful things had happened in the dark.

The sound of something scratching on stone brought her head
up and she barely avoided biting her tongue as she almost knocked
herself senseless on a low shelf of rock. Where was she?
"Hello?"

"Ah, you're awake."

She blinked. She knew that voice. "Daddy?" it couldn't be,
he never used contractions.

A light flared and she winced as spots formed before her
gaze. They slowly faded, her eyes adjusting. A woman she'd never
seen before stood a few feet away, holding a candle, her father
was seated near her, tied to a straight back chair.

"Daddy!"

Francis' smile was reassuring, "Easy daughter, I am fine.
How do you feel?"

She raised unbound hands to rub her forehead, "I almost
knocked myself on the shelf, but I am fine. Where are we?"

He shrugged, his gaze going to the other woman, "Martin's
assistant Annette. I do not believe you have ever met her before?
Well, Annette some how found out about the Lunarian blood Martin
and Endymion share, putting two and two together, she broke the
encryption files on our system and found out about your
bloodlines. She is trying to lure your fiancée here do she can
deliver him to this strange man."

Selenity craned her head, and froze. The man in the far
corner stood in shadows, dressed all in black. "Charles?"

Francis blinked. "I do not believe it is Charles, my dear."

Selenity crawled from the alcove she'd been in and pushed
herself to her feet, "I saw him exchange something with the
creature Annette wishes to deal with. And the creature is not
looking for Darien, he's looking for me."

Annette clapped her hands slowly, "Bravo, Princess, I'm
impressed you were able to figure it out. Cashrawk has been
watching you for a long time. If your meddlesome boyfriend hadn't
interfered, Martin would have had a dead bride on his wedding
night." The woman glanced at the man dressed in black, "As it
stands now, Cashrawk simply wants to absorb your powers as soon as
possible. We get rewarded with the world if the King is also
killed. No hard feelings, Francis."

"Annette, you never knew when to quit." The King's gaze was
full of distain, "Selenity has no powers, she is simply royalty."

"You're wrong, daddy." Selenity drew every gaze in the room
as the sound of claws scraping on stone could be heard
approaching, "I have powers. I heal faster than any normal human.
I can feel something inside me trying to get out. I do not know
what they are other than healing quickly, but I hope to find out
soon." And, she added silently, that day just might be today.

Annette smiled a cold smile. "Cashrawk will drain your
powers before you ever get to use them."

"And that time is now." They all turned to look at the
creature who stepped into the room, his alien face twisted in a
brilliant smile. "Your father will make a good entrée, Princess,
his powers were never discovered and never unleashed. They were
passed on to you, but each pure blooded Terran has some of that
magic inside them. I will enjoy this."

Selenity's eyes widened, "Daddy! No! Leave him alone, you
monster, it's me you want, take me, kill me!"

Cashrawk's wings were spread slightly to balance him as he
walked towards the king, "All in good time, Princess."

She lunged for him, not caring that Cashrawk was bigger than
she was. She had to save her father.

Annette stepped between them and caught the Princess as the
creature advanced his final step towards the King, his wings
spreading to surround the helpless monarch, blocking his actions
from view. Selenity screamed as a brilliant blue light suddenly
enveloped the cavern for a second, her father's death cry
resounding even above hers. Tears sprang to her eyes as Annette
lashed out with something sharp and dragged it across her belly.
Cashrawk seemed to be almost translucent.

She screamed again, her eyes flashing with grief and rage,
"No! Daddy, no! I'll kill you Cashrawk, I swear, by all the
powers of the earth, you'll not get out of this alive!"

The creature ignored her, feasting first on the essence of
her father's power, and then on his very soul, sucking the body
dry until it was nothing but a shrivelled, headless corpse. He
moved away from the dead thing, feeling the powers of the noble
humming through his system, and threw his head back, barely
missing the ceiling, and let out a victoriously joyful cry. As
she watched, he flashed several colors, seeming to take on a solid
form again.

"Daddy!" Selenity's voice was raw as she looked at the husk
that had been her father. She lashed out, her elbow catching
Annette under the jaw and snapping the other woman's head back,
knocking her unconscious. Scrambling to her feet, she lunged at
Cashrawk, her open palms connecting with one of his wings,
concentrating on nothing but damaging the beast.

Light flared again, this time from beneath her feet, pillars
of rock shooting up from the ground and lancing into the wings of
the creature. His cry turned to one of pain as the spikes tore
through feather and muscle, rendering him flightless.
Disbelieving black eyes turned to the Princess.

She stood straight, her hair flying every-which way from the
currents that were pulled from some unseen power. She looked at
him, her blue orbs almost black, her hands outstretched. "I am
Selenity. Heir to the Terran throne and all the powers my father
yielded. I am heir to the power of the earth and you, Cashrawk,
will pay for your crimes."

The creature felt a sliver of fear creep down its spine at
her words, spoken with a deadly calm and conviction. She meant
what she said. "You may have found one power, Princess, but this
power alone will not save you. In the end I will drain your
essence as I did your father's."

"I don't think so." Her hands flew straight down, pointing at
her feet, the rocks suddenly lancing straight up and around,
encasing her in stone. Light flared briefly before she was lost
from view.

"NO!" Cashrawk lashed out at the stone prison, succeeding
only in damaging his wings further.

A mist suddenly floated through the cavern, blocking
everything from view. The black clad man slipped from the cave
undetected as the creature fought his prey.

Cashrawk hissed, beating his wings to clear the mist. It
hurt, the muscles being torn and stretched by the Princess' sudden
attack, but he persisted. When the mist finally cleared, the
stone prison holding his target stood firm, and he was now
surrounded by four sailor senshi and a man he'd not seen before,
sporting the Lunarian royal crest.

"What have you done with her?"

Cashrawk hissed, putting his back to the pillar of rock.
Thus far it hadn't cracked, and it was the only place he could
keep everyone in his gaze. Hopefully he could dispatch them
quickly before Selenity emerged from her cell.

Lunar stepped forward, whip in one hand his cane in the
other. He snapped the whip once, recoiling it with a smooth move.
"What have you done with the Princess?"

Cashrawk sneered at him, "I will suck her dry when I dispatch
you, Princeling."

Lunar's smile was grim. "You are strong, Cashrawk, stronger
than any enemy I have ever faced. Past or present," he couldn't
be sure, but the thing still lived so he figure it was a save
assumption, "but your strength, relying on the powers you've
absorbed will be your downfall."

Cashrawk lunged at him, beak leading, intending to tear the
outspoken mane's head off. He pulled up short as a wall of flame
appeared between him and the Prince. "What trickery is this?"

The senshi of Mars smiled, "No trickery, you evil creature.
You've escaped us too many times by flight. You are trapped in
this cave, we will not allow you to get away. For all the people
you have killed, we will end your reign of terror this night."

Cashrawk lunged at the fire senshi, his mouth opening.
Sailor Mars leapt clear just as a blast of pure green light shot
from his mouth, slamming into the ground where she'd been standing
with enough force to leave a smoking crater. She smiled grimly,
"Fire wall!" She heard the other senshi attack the creature, but
none of their attacks, save hers, ever seemed to have much of an
effect o him.

A line of fire shot up between her and the creature, burning
the air, catching his feathers and setting them aflame. Cashrawk
shrieked with pain before regaining control of himself and blowing
on the flames. A sheet of thin ice covered his highly flammable
down and he turned hate filled eyes towards Sailor Mars. "You
will be the second I drain this night." He stepped through the
flames, steam erupting from his back as the water boiled off
quickly. Mars dodged to the side, but the cave was to small and
the beast caught her with his beak. Her skirt tore as his small
teeth latched onto her thigh.

Cashrawk let her go in the next instant when a burning
sensation in his back caused him to shriek in surprise. "You will
harm no others this night!"

The man was at his back, his whip wrapped around Cashrawk's
muscular throat, the cane he held slamming into the sensitive
underside of the wing, the crystal atop it flaring briefly with
each attack.

Cashrawk's eyes widened. The Crystal! He hissed, backing
away from the man. Every blow that fell drained him of some
strength, of some power he's accumulated with each kill. He could
feel himself growing less attuned to the powers than enabled him
to function. A loud crack and the sudden shaking of the earth
sent everyone, save Lunar, to their knees. Cashrawk fell into one
wall, looking around for the source.

Green and blue light filled the cavern, tinted with gold, as
the cocoon holding the Princess shattered, sending pieced of stone
in every direction.

Standing in the middle of the brilliant halo was a woman. A
top hat on her head, a tuxedo jacket about her shoulders, a black
leather skirt that fell to mid-thigh and a white body suit encased
her body. Her shapely legs were encased in black high heels,
their straps winding around her ankles and then up her calves,
buckled off right below the knee. Her eyes were closed, her hands
holding a silver-white rose and a red rose crossed over her chest,
a dagger at her belt. Around her throat was a plain black collar,
her ears sporting silver studs. Her hair fell to either side of
her body in golden ribbons as a black half-mask appeared over the
bottom half of her face.

Her azure eyes opened and she held up her hands before the
pieces of her prison went far. They stopped in place before doing
anyone any damage and she closed her hands. Everyone's eyes
widened as the pieces turned to dust, the dust drifting slowly to
the floor. She stepped forward, looking neither right nor left,
her eyes focused on Cashrawk. "I am Terra Nova. Expect no mercy,
I will give no quarter. You, Cashrawk, will die."

The senshi and Lunar watched, jaws on the floor as Selenity,
in her new identity, threw first one rose at the creature, then
the other. She spun, "Lunar, use the opportunity to destroy him
with the crystal!"

Cashrawk roared with pain as the roses sliced into his face and
chest. Unable to concentrate because of the pain, he couldn't
even think of counteracting the energy. Lunar twirled his cane
and pointed the crystal at Cashrawk, "Lunar Flare!"

Brilliant white light erupted from the Crystal, slamming into
the creature. He screamed, feeling the heat smash through his
body, obliterating the energies he couldn't tap. His corporeal
form started to fade out, slowly being eaten away by the intense
energy of the Moon Crystal. He let out a final shriek and faded
to dust.

Lunar gasped for breath. Wow, what a rush! He turned,
looking around. Mercury was tending to Mars' injured leg, Jupiter
holding the senshi of fire upright and Mina was staring with
disbelief at Selenity.

"Wow. Terra Nova, eh? Nice name."

Nova shrugged, "I don't know where it came from." She looked
down at herself as if gauging the suitability of her costume. She
finally nodded, "I like it. Is it finally over?"

Lunar stepped up, into their conversation, "It's over.
Cashrawk is defeated."

Nova closed her eyes briefly, nodding once, before turning on
her heel. Walking across the cave, she knelt by the body of her
father and wept.

Slowly, the others formed a semi circle about her, silent in
respect for her grief. The question of how she'd unleashed her
powers could wait. For now, they had a witness to question and a
King to bury. Sailor Jupiter enlisted Sailor Venus' help and they
quickly bound the unconscious woman in the cavern and carried her
away.

One by one the senshi left until Lunar stood above his
Princess. He knelt, taking one of her hands in his, before
undoing the clasp that held his cape on his shoulders. He lowered
it to the ground and helped her place the body on it. Carefully
wrapping their bundle, they left the cave. A night of triumphs
and heartbreaks, and of questions left unanswered.



Lunar was silent as he nudged the glass balcony door to his
apartment open, the burden in his arms weighing heavily on his
mind. Selenity had lost her father this night. His gaze went to
where Terra Nova stood, watching him, her face streaked with
tears, Luna slung around her neck offering what comfort she could
by her presence. She'd not spoken to him since defeating
Cashrawk, and he didn't blame her. He entered his apartment and
placed the gruesome bundle on the couch, leaving Nova to close the
door behind her.

He left her alone in the room, going to find a clean sheet to
wrap her father's body in. He wouldn't allow her to tend to the
body alone. He returned to find her crouched next to the shrouded
figure, Luna on her lap. Her top hat and mask lay to one side,
her shoes by the door. His smile was faint and fleeting. She was
unsure how to get out of her costume yet. That wasn't surprising.
The look on her face was forlorn, and his heart went out to her.

She'd lost her father this night, a father that had been
slowly coming to accept her for who she was and not what she
represented. A tear slid down her cheek and he wanted to comfort
her. "Selene."

She looked up at him, but said nothing.

He held up the sheet in unspoken question and she nodded.
She adverted her face as he unwrapped the shrivelled form of her
father and quickly transferred him over to the clean bed sheet.
The dark colors, mercifully, shielded his severed head and
tortured expression. Lunar took the opportunity to carefully wrap
the King's head back to its proper place. Having dealt with death
before it shouldn't have been a problem, but he found himself
almost having to force himself to do the job. He'd known this
man, respected him. It didn't help knowing that the man's killer
had been killed. A part of him wanted to bring Cashrawk back and
make him pay even more for pain he'd caused.

Lunar swallowed hard, quickly finishing his job and wrapping
the body of the king in his burial shroud. He promised himself,
and Selene, silently that no one would have to face the horror
that had been his death. "I'm done."

She turned back, tears in her eyes, running down her cheeks,
and marking her white top. His heart twisted. She continued to
look at him the anguish in her eyes drawing him closer, offering
her the comfort of his body if nothing else. Nova slid into his
grasp, her head on his chest, her arms tightly locked about his
waist.

Luna curled up by the window, her large red eyes staring into
the sky. Moonlight bathed the small group in silver-white light,
fading when it hit Nova and encompassing Lunar like a warm, soft
blanket. He held the Princess tightly in his arms until the moonlight
faded beyond the horizon. Without a word, he picked her up and
carried her to his bedroom. Leaving Luna in the living room, he
kicked the door shut behind him and then lay down with Nova on his
bed.

Closing their eyes, they held each other, offering unspoken
comfort while sharing the pain. Slowly, just before dawn, in the
silence of his room, they were bathed in light, Nova in deep blue and
red, Lunar in Silver, their uniforms dissolving back into their street
clothes as they slipped from wakefulness into a deep, healing sleep.



Charles was in front of the mansion when Selenity and Darien
appeared the next morning. The gates opened to the black Porsche and
it stopped in front of the Rolls. Charles stood, wax rag in hand, and
watched them pull to a stop. His smile froze on his face as Selenity
stepped out, her face bleak. Darien Stepped out, but ducked back in
before emerging with a wrapped bundle in his arms.

Charles frowned, stepping towards them, "Miss...?"

Selenity met his gaze, "My father is dead."

Charles' eyes widened, "Pardon me."

Selenity's eyes were desolate as she looked at him, nodding to
the bundle Darien carried. She'd spent the night exhausted, unable to
speak; unable to explain how she'd finally been able to access her
powers. As far as she was concerned, it could wait. Honoring her
father took precedence now. "My father, the King, is dead."

Charles collapsed against the bumper of the Rolls, pale and
shaking. "No. No, it's not possible."

Selenity walked over to him as Darien took the body into the
house. She placed a gentle hand on Charles' shoulder, "Charles. Did
you try and bargain for our lives with a creature of evil yesterday
night?"

He turned guilty eyes to her, "Martin's assistant approached me.
She said if I did not give something you, or both you and your father
would be killed inside the next month. I offered the creature a
selection of gems from your mother's collection. He took only a
golden, heart shaped crystal pendant."

She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around her old guardian,
"Forgive me for ever doubting you. The creature killed my father last
night. It is dead."

Charles returned her surprising hug and forced himself to get to
his feet. He swallowed hard, the sheen of unshed tears making his
eyes glitter, "Your father will be buried in the family plot next to
your mother... Do you wish to attend the ceremony?"

She shook her head, leading him into the house, "We have made our
peace with him. Putting him to rest in a small, private ceremony is
for the best. Attend him, I pray, old friend. He would want a friend
as close as you there for him."

Charles nodded, grasping her hands as they stepped into the
foyer, "He would wish his daughter there as well, but I understand
your reasons for not wishing to come. Excuse me, Selenity, I must
make the arrangements."

She nodded, letting him go. Everyone was leaving her. She
closed her eyes against the pain, willing herself to remember she was
sending Charles away, he was not being taken from her.

"Selenity, are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and met Darien's concerned orbs. She smiled
faintly, "We still have work to do, my love. From what I understand
we have today to learn of our powers and then a few weeks to prepare,
is that correct?"

He enfolded her in a quick hug, dropping a kiss on her forehead,
"That is indeed correct. We also have a prisoner to interrogate."

Selenity's lips tightened. "Much as I want to know everything
she knows, I fear we have more pressing matters, like preparing the
world for a certain sleep."

He nodded, sighing, "I wish we could attend your father's
ceremony."

"As do I. I have made my peace with him, anything further would
be a dishonor to the way he raised me. We have a duty to fulfill,
and, if for no other reason than honouring my father, I will see it
through to completion."

Darien was at her side as they made their way from the house and
back to his car. They had alot to do and little time to do it in.
Hopefully, the senshi and Luna would be able to help them. If not,
the world's very survival might depend on their affinity to their
powers. He smiled grimly. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.


Author's note: One chapter left! Dun dun dun! Alrighty, lemme know
what you guys think. All comments, questions, suggestions, flames (if
you have any) to:

Jademax@hotmail.com

either that, or write me a review!

Thanks for reading
Jade_Max