The Will of the Ring

Chapter Seventeen

by Makura Koneko

Big Thanks to:

palkitty (wonderful idea, but I've got something else in mind. *wink*)

Silver^Pegasus

PrincessLolly (hee hee, I agree, let romance rule!)

eyes

depth (yes, I know, my version of Middle-Earth's history is about as inaccurate as you can get. ^^ But, as I've been saying this is AU, and if I were to stay pinstraight with Tolkien, it would be rather…bland, since you would already know basically what was going to happen. Thanks for not flaming! Glad you enjoyed!)

PrincessLesse (Again, wonderful ideas, but as I told palkitty, I've got something else planned. *smiles mysteriously*)

The Informer (hee hee…)

Callisto Star (*sigh* Yes, I know it's silver is 'celeb' but 'celenithil' to me sounded oh so much better than 'celebithil' soooo… *sweatdrop* I cheated. -.-')

sapphireskies (*grins* That's my fav part too.)

Kakyuu2000

LaraCroft2004

lyndzi (*grins* I know what you mean. There sure are a lot more LotR/SM crossovers now than when I first posted mine. ^^)

solarmistress17

Taria

AngelQueen

Missie DuCaine (*hugglezhugglezhugglez* You're the best!!!!!!! It beautiful!!!! I sent you an e-mail asking this, but I'll ask again here; can I put the pic on my website???)

Hikari no Tenshi

Sakura-Star-Magick (^^ I can honestly say that's one of the greatest reviews I've gotten to date. *blush*)

Empress

I tyn anjel I

Lilaclight (*bows* Your praise honors me, seriously. It's wonderful to know for sure of someone that will be interested in keeping tabs on my work. ^^)

Authoress*Crest

Cheska   (*looks sheepish* Sorry…didn't mean to get your hopes up… I really must find a way to fix my own bloopers without getting people all excited about a nonexistent new chapter… *sigh*)

little lost girl (*grins* Glad to help!)

CrazyJ Girl

Saniel   (*bows to standing ovation* You're too kind!)

Adyen   (heh heh… Sauron started it, but I can guarantee Celenithil will finish it. *wink*)

Silver Dragonfly

Spooky Fyre (*hugglez* Yay! You're back! I missed your reviews!)

Cassie-bear01 (*blush* As a matter of fact, I do have several novels I'm working on… It's my dream to be published. ^^)

Samantha

Meio-chan

Reiko

Ray of Hope (*laugh* Here's your chapter! ^^)

Tabbes

Sunshine Fia

Chibi Arwen

Uranus Knight

Evil began the battle, but light will finish the war…

Gandalf was sure that some other work was at hand, helping him speed his way to Isengarde. There was no other explanation for the quickness in which he reached his destination. He did not tire, nor did his mount. He did not hunger, nor did he thirst. He had but one goal, and one goal alone.

Saruman.

His time on Earth was at an end…

Gandalf was not blood-thirsty, it was simply matter of necessity. Of course, there was also the matter of daring to harm so pure a being as Serenity to address, as well…

It was at the crumbling gates of Isengarde that Gandalf left Shadowfax, and marched onto the grounds of Isengarde. Halfway there he threw out a fleeting summons, and a small, moth-like creature fluttered to him and landed on his shoulder. Still staring with rolling fury in his eyes at the doors to the tower itself ahead of him, not breaking stride, Gandalf murmured to it softly, not even looking at it.

It fluttered off, when he was done, to deliver his message, his request to an old friend.

The doors bashed open before the Gray Wizard even reached them. His solid footsteps climbing up the steps to the door resounded loudly, as did his footfalls on the black marble floor inside. He knew exactly where he was going. He knew exactly where the traitor was.

Saruman was waiting for him, when Gandalf reached the very top of Isengarde, the platform where the White Wizard had tried a final time to persuade Gandalf to join forces with him with Sauron.

"You should have joined with me when you had the chance, old friend," Saruman's voice dripped putrid nastiness.

"And be pulled into the same madness you have?" Gandalf replied. "I think not, 'old friend.'"

"You always did hold your morals too high for your own good, Stormcrow." Saruman sneered.

"And you always held them too low." Gandalf adjusted his grip on his staff. "For if one holds dear the same things a snake does, then one becomes a snake- a bellycrawler, a vermin who deserves to have their head crushed!"

At the word 'crushed' Gandalf thrust his staff outward, towards Saruman. The white-clad wizard was thrown back, his head smashed against one of the 'walls' that rose up past the platform.

Saruman retaliated almost immediately, and Gandalf felt his feet yanked out from under him by an invisible hand. On his way down, though, he swiped his staff in a half arch. An invisible cord lashed out from the top of it, swiping Saruman's feet out from under him much the same way Saruman had with Gandalf. Both wizards got to their feet, but Saruman was slightly quicker, and he raised his staff, his eyes wild. He shouted something incomprehensible, and a lightning bolt danced down from the sky to strike Gandalf.

With a grunt, he felt to his knees once more, the electricity coursing through his veins, killing him as it circled around in his body, wearing down his flesh… To remedy this problem, he pointed his staff at Saruman, and directed the electric power through the staff and out of his own body to lance across the platform and strike Saruman. The wizard was thrown back against another one of the walls, barely missing going over the edge.

The lightning bolt flashed out of existence, and Gandalf stood as Saruman regained his senses, his hair a mass of frizzled and burnt, crisp threads, chunks of his skin burnt to black and yellow, oozing puss and blood; the stench was awful.

Gandalf's hair and skin, however, remained unscathed; when one's hobby was working with fire and electricity and fireworks, one learned to put certain permanent safeguards on one's body. Those safeguards did nothing for his taxed strength, though.

Gandalf felt someone's eye watching him… But not Sauron's. With a flash of insight he saw Serenity, yet she was different, in a different form. Her name wafted to him like a cool breeze in the summer; Silver Moon. Celenithil. He felt her retreat, and knew she would not interfere.

"I wish you luck, butterfly," he let the thought flow to her. If she got it, he didn't bother to find out; Saruman leaped forward, bringing his staff downward harshly across Gandalf's, which the other wizard rose just in time. Was he out of magic, that he resorted to physical fighting? No, he was up to something, Gandalf knew as he threw the other man's weight off him and shoved him away with a burst of power. Saruman went sprawling.

"He's gotten stronger," Saruman realized. "And he hasn't even realized it…" Maybe he could use that, Saruman thought. Gandalf, Saruman believed, still 'knew' that he, Gandalf, wasn't as powerful as Saruman.

Saurman had always thought the final blow came best when seasoned with intimidation…

And so, Saruman rose slowly to his feet, his eyes wild and snake-like, his face bloodied, a result of the gaping wound on the right side of his forehead. Most of his hair was gone, the hair that had remained after his 'frying' had been so crisp it had all snapped away with the force of the wind that had begun to sweep around them.

Gandalf felt the power rising around Saruman as the man drew himself up, staff held in both hands. The white stone atop the staff began to glow, as the Wizard who bore it began to call out in a deep, rolling voice words that Gandalf sensed had not been spoken in thousands of years. Before Gandalf could piece together what exact spell his former friend was about to throw at him, it was too late.

Time seemed to slow around him, but his thoughts retained their normal speed, somehow. Gandalf knew what was to come, and as the swirling mass of bitter green energy was launched from the top of Saruman's staff to arch upwards and then down towards him, hungering to strike him much like the lightning had, an idea came to the old man who was not a man.

He latched onto the idea, and even though he knew it would kill him, he also knew it would kill Saruman as well. And that would make it worth the price. Saruman could not live. But he was expendable, Gandalf thought of himself. He had done his part. He was content to go out having taken one of the world's greatest evils with him.

The sour, bitterly bright green energy fell on him as if it had been a suspended mass of boiling water. It rushed all around him, only to splash back up and strike him again. He cried out in agony, barely keeping his own mind, the pain was so great. The power shoved through his veins and brain and body, bursting blood vessels, destroying nerve endings, slashing through his body.

With great strength, as time resumed its normal flow, Gandalf raised his staff, and with a wordless cry of power, rage, and farewell all rolled into one, he pointed it to the evil white wizard. The Shard of the Moon Pillar, the little Flame of Anor, flared brighter than the sun. Gandalf felt the green energy sucked out of his body, briefly contained within the shard alone before he pushed it out with his mind, and shoved it at Saruman.

Saruman screamed as his own great spell consumed him. Weak from casting the very incantation that was now eating him alive, he could not fight it, and with a final curse to the man who now lay, dying, a few feet away, he was no more than a pile of dust that was quickly swept away to the winds of forgetful time.

The sound of Gandalf's own heartbeat echoing in his ears was deafening to him, without any other sound to focus on; he was too high up. Then he heard something…like the creaking of old wood about to give way…

Then there was a massive roar that Gandalf slowly, as his mind began to give way to the darkness that nipped at the edge of his consciousness, realized that it was the sound of a thousand rushing rivers; the great dam that held back the water that had once made the lands of Isengarde into a great lake had been unleashed. Gandalf smiled as he heard the triumphant howls of the Ents; they had come, had attacked in revenge for the trees they had seen murdered, just as he knew they would when they answered his summons to come to the edge of Fangorn.

His smile widened as, very faintly, he heard the stars begin to sing their support for the Silver Moon warrior, as the Battle commenced, far away in Mordor.

"Good luck, butterfly," Gandalf managed to gasp out with his dying breath. "Good luck…keep your promise, little light, keep your promises. Don't fail us now… Goodbye…"

"Oh, no you don't, cousin of mine!" A voice commanded. "Your time is far from over, and I should know!"

A spark…a spark of light against the darkness that surrounded his mind…

"Wake up, cousin Gandalf. Wake up!" The voice was growing in insistence. It was not a voice used to being ignored. "I may not have many powers outside of Time, but one of them happens to be ensuring that people don't die before their time, and so I'm only going to say this one more time, you stubborn old man! WAKE UP!"

Gandalf opened his eyes, and smiled when he saw where he was.

"No need to shout, Setsuna." He told her placidly as she scowled at him. He glanced down at himself, and raised an eyebrow. "Care to tell me why I am naked?"

For the briefest of moments, as the chosen champions of Purity and Evil stood at a face off, Celenithil wondered if perhaps this epic battle was over before it began, for Sauron made not a single move. It was as if he were frozen in time.

Then she felt it…a touch in the back of her mind. But it wasn't offensive. No, it was a notification. Sauron was telling her where he was. He knew that without physical form, Celenithil had a great advantage over him. Plus she had his Ring.

And so, floating high above the pits of the tower of Barad-dur, Celenithil closed her eyes, and kept her promise and dived in after her father, directly into the fabric of space and time, the one place where it did not matter how much physical substance one had, or how much power or magic. The one place in existence where who the winner would be was determined by mere will…

No sooner had Celenithil fully slipped into this higher plane that the force of Sauron's evil slammed into her. With a cry that was mental and spiritual rather than a sound, she shoved back. Alarm filled her soul as she fully felt what Sauron's spirit felt like. It was so maddeningly familiar…she'd seen Sauron in this form, before. She had, she was positive…but where?

She had no more time to dwell on the frightening familiarity as 'sparks flew' so to speak as the two wills collided again, and again, and again, neither giving way in the slightest. Sauron roared his rage, his madness vibrating Celenithil's very soul. Celenithil braced herself, and with all her might thrust a mass of seething starlight his way. He dodged it, letting it pass right through him. He returned the motion in kind, and Celenithil was blown back, unable to dodge in time.

Celenithil, within her heart, wove together a song she'd known since childhood, a melody her mother had hummed to her from the cradle, the melody that the locket that rested over her physical heart played for her now, spilling out its song for all to hear…

Celenithil twined this melody around her soul, and shot it towards her father. The creature's will wavered, convulsed with agony of that love and tender-memory filled melody.

But Sauron used that pain and turned it to strength, whirling around and spewing sickness and evil and despair to coat her soul and drench her spirit in hopelessness and darkness.

Celenithil felt her grip on the spiritual plane slipping… With a growl of determination, she gathered to her every loving memory she could recall under such a perilous circumstance. She gathered them to her, milking every pure emotion from them that she could, drawing on the strength those pure emotions and loving memories fed to her. Her soul flashed, both visually and even to one's mind and spiritual eye. Under the cover of this light that pierced all dimensions, she launched every ounce of that pure emotion at him. Not power or energy, emotion. Specifically love, the sensations of dancing under the sunlight, of eating icecream on a summers day, of laughing with friends at a sleep over, of being held and cared for, of being needed…

Celenithil gasped as she slipped and slid and finally 'plopped' back into her own body rather roughly. Her eyes snapped open in time to see Sauron's form begin to filter back into the physical world, as if an invisible pitcher was pouring fire and ash and shadow into an invisible goblet suspended between the two peeks of the sheared-off half needle eye.

In a flash of insight, Celenithil realized this was her chance; trap her father in the higher plane, then destroy the Ring, thus making him unable to ever return to the physical world.

Celenithil's sword fizzled out of existence in her hand, then back into existence in its sheath at her side. Quicker than an normal eye could follow, she unhooked her bow from her back, snatched a silver and gold fletched arrow, and nocked her bow. Whispering words of a long forgotten language, that of Sylvan, the tongue of the Lunarians, the Moon-Elves, she charged the arrow with threads of white power. With deadly precision she shot, straight into the center of the still forming Sauron, what would have been the heart- if he'd had one.

The fire faded, the shadow lightened, and Sauron hissed and withered, his form, what little he had, wavered, then stabilized. Celenithil, barely batting an eye, nocked another purity, magic-charged arrow. She whispered it to it as she settled it into place, aiming. She murmured sweet memories in a lilting tone. Then she shot.

Again, Sauron wavered, but it was not enough, again, and again Celenithil shot, but still he kept pouring back into the real realm.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Celenithil spied another volley of arrows that were not hers join her in the quest to cause Sauron enough damage so that he would be trapped in the higher plane.

Celenithil glanced down, and gasped. "Legolas?"

They had thought they would come just close enough to the tower to see who went in and out, but not close enough to be spotted; they had teleported right past the Black Gates hours ago. Now all they needed was for Mercury to use her computer to pinpoint Serenity's exact location within Barad-dur, and they could teleport right to her, then right out of Mordor. That had been the plan. At least, that had been the plan before Legolas's Elvin eyes glanced up and, to his shock, had spotted a figure he'd know anywhere emerge from a doorway to the very peek of the tower of Barad-dur.

They'd all watched in horror as the so called father of their Princess tossed her over the side…watched as their princess surpassed the level of a mere mortal princess, and unknowingly ascended to something, much, much more.

Then both entities had frozen, and Sauron's form had faded until he was barely visible. Silence had reigned in Middle-Earth. For hours.

Hours turned into days, and those days droned on. The Companionship had yet to be found, as all of Mordor watched the silent battle taking place above. They were forced to make camp, but then…

Out of nowhere, the transparent form of the Eye of Sauron began to solidify, and the glow around Celenithil had intensified tenfold, and she hadn't even seemed to notice as, with rapid speed, she'd begun firing arrows that were surrounded with a silver light so thick it looked as if she were blasting shooting stars at her father rather than arrows.

This was when The Companionship had made their way into the palace, determined to help. They'd gotten split up, when the tower itself had begun to sway as if made of leaves and paper. The massive room they'd been in had crumbled, and Legolas's shouts had produced no answer.

Forced to look for them later, Legolas had found a balcony from which he had a clear view of both Celenithil and Sauron's quickly solidifying form. Arrow after arrow he shot, before Celenithil noticed him. The look she gave him, of utter shock, was rather amusing, even under the circumstances.

It became apparent after a few more shots from both parties that it wasn't working, least not as quickly as they needed to. For every arrow each of them shot, Sauron took two more steps towards falling completely back into the real realm.

Then the separate cries rang out, and a blinding furry of evil-searing flame flushed over the still forming Eye.

"Raye!" Celenithil cried down to the red clad form standing where she had been standing when Sauron had tossed her over the side. Mars, hands held out before her, feet planted firmly apart, looked up at her hovering Princess, no, Queen- no, even that didn't seem right… Mars winked at her.

"What are you doing here?" Celenithil demanded as she shot another arrow.

"Fighting fire with fire!" Mars quipped. With a grin, she launched another barrage of attacks that blinded all who looked directly at the fire-surrounded beauty. Even then, Boromir, whom had somehow found his way to the same balcony that Legolas stood on, could not look away. Legolas elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a pointed look. The human warrior shook himself, then retrieved the crossbow from his back, and shot. Not as accurate as Legolas or Celenithil, he still held his own as soon razor-sharp, crystal-filled winds joined the arrows and fiery attacks.

Then came the massively huge assault of black ribbons that reeked of potent death and silence gave them another edge.

At last an unimaginable cold mist began to rain down on the Eye, and chunks of the flame and shadow froze and sheared off, only to fade into a smoke that blew away with the crystal-filled winds.

Legolas glanced up at Celenithil. There were tears in her eyes as she glanced at each of her Senshi, Mercury beside and a little below her, borne on misty, watery faerie wings, Uranus held aloft by the winds that were her trademark. Saturn stood on a bridge that led out from the main tower to a smaller watch tower, not all that far below Legolas on the other side of the tower itself.

A raging storm that had whipped up, lashing them all with wind and rain and sleet that slashed at clothing and flesh alike. A rivulet of blood ran down Celenithil's cheek. She grunted as she shot another arrow charged with her power. She was tiring… She shook herself. She had to keep going!

Then….at long last…was it possible? As Celenithil watched closer, her heart soared. At long last, Sauron's form began to fade more than it was solidifying.

"Now, Serena!" Legolas cried. Not Serenity, not Celenithil, not princess, but Serena he called her. Celenithil's eyes met his across the mentionable distance between them, and for a brief moment it was as if there was no distance between them at all. Legolas smiled.

"I love you," he mouthed to her. Celenithil smile a smile filled with joy, her eyes filled with tears that made her silver orbs shine like crystals. She nodded ever so slightly, then she blinked, dispelling the tears to run down her face as a look of serene peacefulness that was sweet enough to grant the entire world a bit of the serenity that was her name.

As Legolas watched, her bow faded out of her grasp only to reappear on her back. She hovered there, her wings flapping ever so gently on occasion. Her eyes closed slowly as, just as slowly, she raised her hands to loosely cup something in front of her, her fingers curled so gently, so delicately around the tiniest pinprick of light that began to sparkle into existence between her cupped hands.

Steadily, the tiny star grew, and solidified into a thousand-faceted, round crystal the size of a newborn's fist. It shone with an unearthly glow and an awe-inspiringly pure silver light.

"Koneko, do it now!" Uranus cried, winds and crystals pouring from her hands to continuously smash into the fading beast.

A burst of power so great, so far beyond mortal comprehension exploded around the slight girl, centering from four places; her crescent moon symbol, her heart, the Crystal, and the Locket; four, the universal number that represented power.

The sphere of light that surrounded Celenithil grew, and grew, and grew… With a final flash, an invisible wind flared upwards around her, Celenithil's head snapped back, her eyes flashing open and her mouth opening wide. Beams of solid silver light shot upwards from her eyes and mouth, and outwards, all around her from her fingertips and bare toes, from the end of every hair, out of every pore her pour flowed out of her. It spread on the air like warm milk, like liquid moonlight. Bigger and bigger the sphere became, spreading and spreading…

The Crystal hovered just in front of the Locket, and somehow the Sword of the Moon found its way into her hands.

The light touched Sauron…

Engulfed him…

Suddenly Celenithil wasn't where she had been. Borne on wings woven of stardust and moonbeams, she flared forward, and thrust the blade of the Moon Sword deep into the heart of the Eye. The silver light that seemed to surround everything all at once brightened with an abruptness too quick to be called even the quickest of flashes, screams were heard…and then…

Then it was over.

The light was just…gone. It didn't fade, it didn't fizzle out of existence, it was simply gone.

As was Sauron along with it.

Not just the eye, but Sauron himself. Everyone could feel it. The air was cleaner, easier to breathe. A shadow seemed to be lifted from the land as the sky cleared, and for the first time in thirty thousand years, pure moonlight and starshine shone down on the land of Mordor. Orcs that had been milling around burst into flame, or into stone, or crumbled on the spot. Others ran for the covers of shadows, but even the shadows were no longer havens for them.

Celenithil groaned, her arms shaking with the effort of merely lowering them. Her wings gave one last feeble flap as she lost her balance in midair, and she was sent plummeting.

"Serena!" Legolas cried.

"Butterfly!" Gimli roared, glaring up at the Senshi. "One of you do something, already!"

But Uranus was already at work. "Hold on, Koneko!" With a thrust of her hand, Uranus sent a whirling windstorm down to swirl around the girl and softly halt her descent. As quickly as she could, Mercury made her way down to where the goddess lay prone in midair. Senshi strength aiding her, she gathered her friend into her arms and bore her up to the balcony where Legolas and Boromir had been joined by Aragorn and the Hobbits.

Upon setting foot on the flagstones, Celenithil was pulled from her arms. Legolas now cradled her, smoothing her hair away from her face, brushing her cheeks, feeling her forehead and checking her for any physical injuries.

"I think she's just extremely exhausted," Mercury told him softly.

"Ami…" Mercury turned, only to find herself engulfed and surrounded by Frodo's arms. Smiling, tears in her eyes, she returned the embrace.

"Next time you go flying off, let me know so I have a chance to knock you unconscious so I can keep you safe," Frodo told her, partially in jest, partially serious. Mercury laughed into his shirt, and just snuggled closer.

"You couldn't have thrown your fireballs from down here, could you?" Boromir growled as he came up to Mars when she fluttered down on fiery dragon wings. "No, you had to go right to the source of the danger and stand right in front of it in order to fight!" She smirked at him, and he scowled.

"Of course," she grinned. He looked at her, saw the thrill in her eyes, saw how she was allowing herself to enjoy a fight well fought, now that everyone was safe. With a growl, he took one large stride forward, dropping his crossbow, and took her into his arms and kissed her fiercely. He pulled away and stared into her surprised eyes.

"You have no idea how much I admire you, dragonfly," he told her softly, his eyes just as fiercely serious as they had been a moment before. Mars' eyes widened. Boromir opened his mouth to say more, but found his speech rather impaired, seeing as Mars was currently crushing them with her own a kiss that was nothing short of possessive.

"Am I the only one that has the urge to say, 'aaaawww…?'" Pippin piped up. Beside him, Merry and Sam grinned as all three exchanged glances.

"Nope," Merry told him. Eyes sparkling, together they chimed, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwww…."


"Shuddup," Mars pulled away long enough to snarl before yanking Boromir's face back down to hers. He stifled a laugh, and held her closer.

Slightly off to the side on the huge balcony, Uranus and Gimli hid laughter and chuckles, their eyes dancing with merry amusement. Then their eyes landed on Celenithil in a kneeling Legolas's arms.

"C'mon, nim'loki," he told her softly, brushing strand of hair off her forehead and pressing a tender kiss to her skin just under her wound. Saturn came up then, and knelt before him. Gently she let the pads of her fingertips dance over the small wound, and they watched as the torn flesh knitted itself back together, without even a hint of a scar remaining.

"She just needs rest," Saturn told the Mirkwood prince. "Sending a demon infused with the power of Chaos to another dimension is not an easy task."

"She sent Sauron to another dimension?" Aragorn asked sharply. Saturn looked up, darkness in her eyes as she rose to face him.

"Sauron was not wise, but he was sly and clever," she said. "He knitted the very fabric of his being to Life itself, so that he literally cannot die. He is more immortal than a god. No power in existence could completely destroy him. He has too much of Chaos in him, and to destroy too much of Chaos is to destroy Chaos itself, and to destroy Chaos is to destroy All. We cannot have Purity without Chaos. Without one, there is no distinguishing the other."

"So you're telling me that Sauron still lives and she just sent him to terrorize another world?" Gimli's eyes blazed.

"No," a voice whispered hoarsely. Within the circle of Legolas's arms, Celenithil stirred and opened her eyes. She looked at Gimli with compassion and friendship in her eyes. "I sent him to the Netherplane."

"The what?" Sam asked.

Uranus chuckled. "Hell, Mr. Gamgee," the blonde woman laughed. "She sent Sauron to hell."

"The one place even my father feared," Celenithil's lips curved into a smile that bordered on cruel. Laughter filled the air in Mordor for what was a long, long time. Even the air that bore the sound seemed shocked to hear it once more.

Everyone gasped suddenly as, on Celenithil's finger, the One Ring flashed, glowed softly. For the briefest of moments, the fiery script in the language of Mordor, eerily similar to the Lunarian written language, flowed into view. Then it faded, replaced with words in true Lunarian script that made Mercury and Celenithil gasp together.

"What is it?" Aragorn asked, looking at the stunned expressions on the Senshi's faces.

"Serena?" Mars breathed. "Is it…?"

"Yeah," Serena choked. "Yeah, it is…"

"Would someone mind explaining?" Gimli asked, slightly annoyed.

Slowly, Mercury knelt beside Serena and took her hand in hers, and examined the script. They looked at each other, their eyes meeting in shock.

Her voice filled with disbelief, Celenithil began to read, translating her native tongue into Common.

"'When this Ring shows its light...

The Moonheart follows the will of she who would become Empress of All.

Take the Moonheart of Gold, Silver Moon,

And release the great power your heart.'"

"Those words…" Uranus gaped. "Those are almost the exact same words inscribed on the Moon Sword!" Her eyes flitted to the aforementioned Sword that, somehow, was now belted to Celenithil's side.

But there was more.

"'Hold true to the service of your promises,

And restore the peace of your kingdom,

Before it was ever even lost.'" Celenithil finished.

"That can't mean what I think it means," Saturn breathed.

"Anything is possible," Mercury said, her mind racing.

Celenithil shook herself. It was unreal…it was so cryptic yet at the same to so blatantly obvious. Even as Celenithil thought this, she could dissipate the feeling of something…more that she seemed to be forgetting. Like when one went on a trip and was frantically going over their mental checklist at the last minute, positive they'd forgotten something.

"Hey," Mars said suddenly. "Does this mean…?"

"What?" Uranus asked as the raven haired woman trailed off. Mars grinned.

"Mercury scan the Ring," Mars told the navy eyed Senshi. "I don't sense any evil in it anymore. Try scanning it," she added in way of explanation.

Then, just as Mercury was pulling out her data computer to comply with Mars' request, Celenithil remembered.

With a gasp, she lurched to her feet. Without a word, her soul filled with panic, Celenithil stumbled to the door and burst through, darting and scrambling down the corridor, ignoring shouts from her friends. As she ran, magic followed in her wake, coating the walls, coating everything she passed and restoring it to what it had intended to look like.

Celenithil gave no notice. Oh, God, how could she not have realized it sooner? Her father had not become the most feared creature in all the world for being careless. She faintly remembered, from the memories her mother had given her, that one of the things Prince Sauron of Middle-Earth had been famed for was always, always having a plan B. Several plan B's, in fact.

Oh, God…

She may very well have condemned all for her carelessness…

Celenithil burst with a flaring swirl of silver power, borne of her wild panic, into the huge round room she had first awoken in, he one with the Seeing Stone in the center of the room, one of the Palantir.

She also saw the four creatures that stood around it, also saw the flaming lidless eye that shone out of the Seeing Stone, murmuring orders to the creatures.

Celenithil's gaze fixed on the creature, the youma farthest to the right, the one that was walking towards a great, swirling portal to its right… Her breath caught in her throat, and all at once the day her life had changed forever came rushing back to her…

"Serena! Look out!"

All Serena remembered was the barest touch of an evil presence in the back of her mind, that was all the warning she got before something heavy and warm slammed into her from behind. She gasped, ready to whirl around and destroy whoever had attacked her- Only to discover it was Darien… she twisted around under him, staring up into his wide eyes.

"D-Darien…" she breathed.

"L-love you," he managed to gasp out before holding her to him with one arm, then rolling over and with the very last of his strength, sending a blast of power at the three-eyed youma with the red star on its forehead. It screamed, and disintegrated…

Serena gasped as she discovered that so was Darien

"No!" She screamed! "NONONONONONO!!!!!!!"

"Keep your promise, Serenity," Darien breathed as the light of life in his eyes faded, as Serena lay him down on the grass. She didn't see or notice her Senshi running up. He touched her cheek. "Be happy. No matter what the cost. The cost may be less than you think. Be happy. Keep your promise to me!"

Then he was gone.

Celenithil's heart froze as she stared at the demon that, at the same time the other two did, spotted her and turned.

Three eyes.

Red star on its forehead.

Ye it was alive…

Celenithil's eye shifted, and she gazed through the portal that the demon was going to go through.

The two of the other three creatures, youmas, rushed at her, but they didn't get any closer to her than the edge of the silver glow that surrounded her; they cried out in agony and burst into dust the moment they touched it.

Celenithil didn't notice, didn't notice the three-eyed demon stare at her in terror, didn't notice her father screaming his rage through the Seeing Stone that was his link from Hell to Earth.

Celenithil only stared…

At Darien…

And herself…

Her sixteen-year-old self, through the portal.

She was looking at her past, the present's future. She was looking at herself and Darien walking through the park, laughing and talking and exchanging glances that betrayed they had been very much in love.

Suddenly she understood. She had caused her first beloved's death, by coming back in time. As a plan B, her father had arranged a way for him to contact his minions and send one of them to the future to kill her… Only Darien would intervene…

With an internal cry of agony, Celenithil tore her gaze away from the portal and stared at the demon. Her fists clenched, power roared in a furious silver storm all around her. She took one purposeful step forward, determined to kill the beast that would come to kill Darien and ruin her life-

She stopped as somehow, someway, she spotted the fourth demon, the fourth youma. Silver eyes clashed with slanted red ones without pupils. The decidedly female formed seemed to be made of jagged shadow…

But those eyes…

Celenithil had been inside those eyes, once, a long time ago. She'd know them anywhere…

Celenithil gasped, and her heart shattered with shock.

"Metallia…"

To Be Continued…

Note Added 1/24/03: It was brought to my attention (or rather, memory) by a review after posting this chapter a few days ago that some of the people reading this story aren't entirely familiar with the manga version of Sailor Moon, and thus would not know who 'Metallia' is. In short, remember that big smoky, bubbly mass that Beryl went to after the final episode in season one? That mass that flooded over her and possessed her and made her grow, really, really big? That's Metallia. They cut her out for the most part out of the NA dub. In the manga, Metallia was the real bad guy, and Beryl was little more than her Generals. The only difference was she was slightly more powerful, bit more of a main character, and was present in the plot throughout the entire first season, wheras the Generals were only present for sometimes as short a time as only a few acts. Also, in the manga, it was Venus who killed Beryl, running her through with the Moon Sword (which, in the anime, doesn't show up till the Stars Season. At least, I liked to think that sword that Chibi Chibi gives Princess Serenity to kill Galaxia is the Tsuki Katana(Moon Sword). But I suppose that is a matter of opinion.)

Hope that clears up some things! -Makura

First off (--- I seem to say that a lot…) I would like people to note that…

I MADE MY GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*points up to 'chapter sixteen' and then to number of reviews* *beams* 694!!! *does backflips* WAHOOOOOOOOIEEEE!!!!!! I'm sooooo happy!!!!!!! *tears in eyes* *sniffles* I feel so loved… And not a single flame! Well, not really. Only one that I would count as a flame but I don't count it because it had some valid points, rather than just 'THIS STORY STINKS' get my drift? ^^ But that's off subject…

*tears* I can't believe this story is coming to an end… Readers, I'm sorry, and yet the same time proud, to announce that Chapter Eighteen will be the end, people. I'm actually rather surprised. I had expected this story to last quite a bit longer, well into twenty chapters at least. But alas, stories often take on a mind of their own, ne?

As for the ending itself, I don't think it's anything any of you will be expecting. All I will say is yes, ALL the senshi do end up together. I'd never split up the Senshi!!!! Just remember what I said a few chapters back… 'I believe the Senshi are there to ultimate protect and follow their Princess, and I plan to uphold that belief in my story.'

Ai! I watched the Appendixes that come with the extended version of the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring DVD and…and…and… *wails* I wish I could have been a part of it all!!! They all got to be such great friends, and they had so much fun, and…*sniffles* They're all so funny! Always playing jokes on each other…heh heh…  *pouts* I wish I coulda been there… *sigh* At least I can dream…

Well, I hope you've all enjoyed the story thus far (even tho we're not quite done… ^^). Until next time, all! Ja ne! Don't forget to look out for an epilogue!

Hope Makes the Universe Shine,

Makura Koneko

*ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY*