*...* designates thoughts.

long passages in italics should be noted as occurring within Mina's head. Or at least, not with in our timeline...

Disclaimer: chapter title taken from a line by William Shakespeare's "Hamlet"

Age Of Pices, Time Of Love

by Lost Book

Chapter 2: To Sleep? Perchance To Dream...

~*~

But she was dead. She couldn't wake up...

~*~

Mina awoke to the sun shining brightly in her eyes. She shook her head to clear the feeling of cobwebs from her mind.

"Artemis?" She asked aloud. For some reason she couldn't seem to remember much of what had happened recently. She seemed to have some recollection that she had been talking to Artemis.

Getting out of the large, fluffy bed that she had been sleeping in, Mina peered around at her surroundings. Confusion continued to control her mind as she wondered why it was that she didn't seem to remember any of it, and yet it didn't seem new... In fact, it was almost like de ja vu.

Looking into a closet, she found clothes in her size. *But what strange clothes they are!* There was a multitude of beautiful dresses, but they were fancy as if made for a queen. Beside these there were also many articles that looked as if they were some sort of training clothes for a fighter.

Mina laughed to herself. *A warrior Queen?*

Continuing to explore the sun-filled room she finally came across something that she could recognize. It was a picture, of her and Artemis. And yet, she couldn't remember such a photograph ever being taken. In the picture, Mina was wearing one of the beautiful dresses from the closet. She held Artemis on her lap, and around her were four other girls. The other girls also wore dresses like the one on the Mina in the picture. One of the girls, a blond who looked rather a lot like Mina, held a black cat.

Frustrated Mina frowned at the picture. *Why can I remember Artemis and not the others? Selective amnesia?* There was the same sense of not knowing, and yet at the same time... remembering. *Hmmm...* And now she was getting an odd, fuzzy sort of feeling. Looking at herself with those four and Artemis made her happy. She shook her head and moved on.

Where ever she was it certainly was peaceful. The sun played against the walls, shining through several large windows. A light breeze drifted through an open one, ruffling the soft floaty curtains. She had a strange feeling though, that life hadn't always been this peaceful. That life hadn't always been this way for that matter.

Walking around a corner, she came to a large mirror. *Oh for--, what am I wearing?* The prospect of investigating her surroundings had distracted her from noticing that she was wearing * a nightgown with jewels?* Mina smirked at her reflection. It appeared that she was some sort of Queen after all.

Continuing on, now looking for an exit so as to find a person to explain all this to her, Mina rounded another corner and spotted a painting. It depicted her, and... someone she didn't recognize. But the frustrating sense of de ja vu lingered on him as well.

He had a crescent mark upon his forehead. His hair was long, and white blond. And...and his eyes..

*His eyes... they look...they look like Artemis's eyes!*

~*~

But she was dead. She couldn't wake up...

~*~

Snapping out of her reverie, Mina quickly leaped to the side as a sizzling stream of energy blasts followed her. Dodging them she dashed down an alley way, knowing that she didn't have enough energy to come out of a fight alive. But she might, she just might have enough energy to get away.

The alley was a dead end. Cursing, Mina gathered some of her energy and pushed it off the ground, sending her into the air. But she wasn't quick enough. Deadly energy bolts lanced through her body, killing her before the thought that she was dying even registered in her brain.

Truly being out-of-body, Mina watched as her dead corpse fell to the earth below, and the enemy swarmed around. She had failed. Failed Artemis and her planet. Failed herself.

Her killers, now sure she was dead took off. Somehow having the ability to fly in this odd form, Mina followed her enemy. She watched as they destroyed the entire city. With no one to stop them, they continued on their path of destruction. Mina's home was destroyed. City after city fell. Most people were killed, or drained of energy and then destroyed.

There was no one to stop them. Mina had been the last warrior. Mina and Artemis...

Artemis confronted the enemy. As a cat, he could do nothing. But he wouldn't die without trying. He had ran from where he had been investigating and managed to not get destroyed with the city. Finally catching up with the legion of evil he darted amongst them and leaped at one of the generals, clawing at his face and throat.

Sneering at him, the general grabbed Artemis by the throat and snapped his neck. He was dead almost as immediately as Mina had been.

They had killed Artemis.

Mina howled with anger and frustration. *DAMMIT! It can't end this way! It doesn't end this way! ARTEMIS!*

~*~

"Wake up!!"

Artemis's cry sounded desperate, even to him. He knew Mina was alive. Knew it. The possibility that she was stuck in some sort of coma was distressing. He had to get her out of here or the enemy would return and kill her again, this time for sure.

"Grrrr." Artemis growled, pacing next to the unawake Mina.

~*~

But she was dead. She couldn't wake up... she was dead.... dead.... she couldn't wake up.... couldn't wake up... wake up....she was dead, she couldn't wake up...

The thoughts echoed throughout her head, pounding until she could stand it no more. "STOP IT!" Mina screamed. All was suddenly silent again. She was back in the black place, the place of nothing.

She had thought she was dead. And then.. then she had been taken to two very different places. One was peaceful and happy and she had been some sort of Queen. The other... well, she had died in the other. As had Artemis. The memories of both intertwined with the events that had actually happened, confusing her as to what was real and what was not.

*Were they really even different places? Or could it have been simply different times...* But she had never been a Queen. And... she had thought that she had died... but not like that.

Mina felt now the wish that she was alive. Not that she had wanted to die before...but... before something in the darkness had oppressed her. Kept her from awakening. And then she had accepted it and... And she had those visions. *Yes. Visions must be the right word for what happened.*

How to wake up. She almost laughed. *I thought I was dead, but I decided to wake up.* She tried reaching out, both actually and with her energy but she could still feel nothing.

No that wasn't entirely true. She felt some of Artemis's energy inside of her. He must have tried to save her by doing an energy transfer. *Huh. I didn't know it was possible to do that without the recipient helping.* But in any case what she had to do now was figure a way out of here so she could get back.

*Maybe if I transform into Sailor Venus, the power of the transformation will be enough to break me out of wherever this is.* After all, with her own semi-renewed strength, and with what Artemis had given her, she should be able to do it.

*But first...* Mina pinched herself. *Ow!* She looked around and then sighed. *Not that I actually expected that to work.*

*Alright here goes...*

"VENUS POWER, MAKE UP!"

Mina felt the hot power of the transformation coursing through her. A bright light filled the darkness, changing it from the endless black to a brilliant blinding white. She became Sailor Venus, and stood now, blinking in the brilliance.

*Well, that almost did it I think. This should break it all the way!*

"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!" Mina's attack snapped against the whiteness, and with a final burst of light she was thrown suddenly back into the real world.

~*~

A blinding flash of white light startled Artemis. He leaped backwards as from the light came, "Mina?!" It was Mina, transformed as Sailor Venus. But.. Artemis looked at the ground. She still lay upon the ground as well.

*There are two Minas?*

He promptly fainted.

~*~

"I'm back!" Mina cried for joy. She was on earth! And Artemis he was alive as well! Mina sweatdropped as Artemis fainted. *I guess he's glad to see me to.*

Suddenly her attention was called to who was laying next to Artemis.

*It... It's me?!* How could there be two of her? Unless... Mina looked at her hands. They were oddly transparent. She could clearly see that they were there, and yet she could see through them.

Almost drawn to do so, she kneeled down next to her body. The spirit of Mina put her hands on her counterparts face. A faint yellow/orange glow surrounded them both and then with a small flash she was absorbed.

~*~

Lost: *weep* Sorry for taking so long to get this out! Think of it this way: If I'd gotten it out sooner it would have been crap. ^_^ You got this way later than it should have been, but (in my opinion) it's better work. Also, I meant for more action and plot development to take place in this chapter (after Mina wakes up) but I'd really like to get this posted now and I don't want to rush the story to much. So next time the real action starts! I hope you liked this chapter though. What'd you think about Mina's 'Visions/Dreams/who knows what (besides me ;P) yet?

On that note, (and don't we always seem to end like this??) your reviews are much appreciated! Oh! Which reminds me,

Review Thanks:

Wingnut: Thanks! For a while you were the only one to review chapter 2 (why didn't the rest of you huh? huh?)! I will continue, it just took me a while ^_^

Lady Xaverri: A heh... Yes, cliffies and then taking to long to update... bad combination. ;) Sorry! Can't promise no more cliffs, but well, my updating habits will hopefully be better.

Story Advertising(it's actually a Sailor Moon one today!):

The Odd Adventures Of Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna

by Lady Grizabella

A very cute fic! Funny, and the chapters are each their own story. The daily life of the outer senshi. Ummm, I really am not

going to try to summarize some one else's fic, but it is really good. So go read it! :)

~*~

And in case you forgot (yeah right -_-...) please review!

Oh! And please tell me if all the italics was annoying or not… (I still don't have a beta to answer such questions *weep*)