AN: Ohayo minna-chan! Happy lack-of-summer. ::grumbles::

Before we begin, I'd like to declare that I have finalized the pairing of Ami/Legolas. ::many cheers with some groans:: (I'm thinking Makoto and Minako might take the twins, Elladan and Elrohir). Still not sure about Usagi, but I am leaning more and more towards not pairing her and having her linger with the memory of Endymion, maybe bringing him back in the end. Other than that, I'd probably have to be Usa/Glorfindel or something. Hmm... I dunno.

And a note about the senshi and their starseeds. I know I wasn't very clear last time, but basically there are no senshi right now. They died, but their spirits are connected to their starseeds, so sometimes they can take a form. But it is like a ghost form- they can be seen, but can't really do anything expect be seen. Not until they are all together and can draw power from each other will they be able to take an earthly form.

Thank you for reading and please review! Reponses from last time at the bottom. Hennaid! "..." is talking, '...' is thought, [...] is AN or definition, (...) is extra info but part of the fic, ... means trailed off, -- means interrupted. Enjoy.

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Saruman looked down at the two perfect gems in his hand. So beautiful, so perfect, so powerful . . .

They had been a gift from Sauron when he had pledged his allegiance. First, the amber crystal, the one that glittered like sunlight and honey, the one that gave him power over men's hearts and hopes and dreams.

And then, only a few months ago, the blue crystal. Cold and icy and glittering like a mountain stream, it gave him power over the element of water and snow and ice. It was very convenient, with the Misty Mountains so near.

Sauron had never told what the precious gems truly were, but Saruman guessed easily enough. After all, he was a Maia, just like Sauron, and both had been in Valinor in the beginning and had heard of the nine crystals and the power they contained. Saruman never dared dream that he'd possess even one of the mighty crystals and now he held in his hand not one, but two...

Saruman cackled madly as he moved toward the door of his tower. He would use the Seed of the Heart today, convincing the Wild Men to join the White Hand of Isengard. The Seed of Ice would not be used, unless he needed to flee and hide his path, but he dared not leave it in the tower. The crystals had a holder, of course--a velvet-covered bowl near the palantir--but he feared that Wormtongue would return, and he never trusted that fiend. No, better to keep them close . . .

~*~*~*~*~*~

Fire. So much dark fire. The consuming fire of hopelessness and despair. The death of Light. The triumph of Chaos.

Galadriel clutched her heart as short breaths came in rapid succession, but she stared determinedly into the waters of the Mirror to see where this vision would lead.

Chains. Dark vile chains digging into the delicate flesh of the wrists, ankles, and necks of her people. Wails of anguish as they toiled in the depths of the earth, with fair faces blackened by soot, brimstone, and despair.

Herself, imprisoned for eternity with the vile daughter of Ungoliant, the monster-spider that fed off her very being and Light as Galadriel slowly wasted away but was never granted death. A rotting shell, she became, but a shell that was forced to linger for all eternity.

All this and more. The horrible warnings of the future came daily now. And all began with the same scene...

Frodo Baggins, the bearer of the One Ring, standing over the pits of the fiery Mount Doom. His sooty hand, holding out the Ring, but his soul consumed by its dark will. Frodo Baggins, possessed by the Ring and unable to destroy it. Frodo Baggins, nearly killing his loyal servant Samwise in his blindness and lust for the Ring. And the Ring itself, calling to its master, being reclaimed by Sauron, and Sauron using it to enslave and dominate all of Middle Earth, to find the last of the ancient mystical starseeds, and to summon the all-powerful ninth crystal that gave him the power to conquer Valinor and beyond!

Galadriel shut her eyes in horror. Was there nothing she could do? She knew from the beginning that the quest was doomed, but she had always clung to a sliver of hope . . . Should she resign herself and flee Middle Earth for the Blessed Realm?

No. Even there would not be safe for long. She had her duty in Middle Earth, and even in the face of hopelessness, she stay true to her duty and remain strong. She possessed the knowledge of the future, horrible as it seemed, and she must do everything in her power to prevent it.

She watched in her mind's eye as Gwaihir the Windlord (1) bore Gandalf to Lorien from Caradhras where he had laid like death after his battle with the balrog. She resolved herself to speak to the eagle lord to send out scouts to watch Mordor from the air, in order to learn more of Sauron's plans and how much time they had left...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Frodo forced himself to struggle on, one step at a time, though with each step, hope ebbed away.

Days. How many days had they been wandering the this treacherous maze of Emyn Muil? Frodo had lost count, and the greyness of dawn offered no hope for a new beginning. They tried to struggle on in the direction of the fiery sky, but often the rocks blocked their view, and they would spend hours going in the same circles. Rain had come and gone, leaving slippery rocks and many potentially deadly falls. Both he and Sam were bruised and sore, and day by day the weight of the Ring grew heavier.

And they were tired, oh so tired. Frodo wondered how he even thought he could do this himself. Even with the two of them, they were still only two small hobbits, innocent to the realities of the harsh world and only looking forward to another meal. How could they have ever dreamed of taking on this impossible task?

Frodo stopped walking and threw himself onto the ground. His eyes filled with the salty water of despair as Sam came back, wondering what was wrong.

Yet even as Frodo was about to throw in the towel, he raised his eyes to the jagged point of a cliff before him. And there his eyes met a strange sight.

He gasped and sat up, staring intensely at the apex of the rock. There stood a lone girl outlined in the grey light, seemingly clothed in darkness. She was balanced perfectly on the treacherous point of the rock and seemed oblivious to the deadly drop that awaited her if she made one wrong move.

In her hand she held a strange staff, seemingly topped with a sickle like Frodo had seem men use. Her short dark hair and indecently short skirt swayed with a strange wind as she turned towards them.

And she smiled. It was not a smile of joy, nor a smile of jest, but a smile of hope and encouragement. Her strange dark eyes sparkled as she looked at them intently, and Frodo stood slowly as he felt energy returning to him.

She held his gaze for a few more moments, before turning with a smile and hopping to a nearby rock where she waited expectantly. "She means for us to follow her!" cried Frodo as he rushed forward.

"I don't know, Mr. Frodo..." said Sam doubtfully. "She's a strange one alright, and how do you know we can trust her."

"Have we got any choice, Sam? We've been getting nowhere in this maze for days if not weeks, and our food is running low. What choice have we got? And," said Frodo more slowly, "there's something strange I feel from this girl. She seems dark, but... innocent and good. I think we can trust her, Sam."

"I hope you're right, Mr. Frodo," muttered Sam as he followed his master.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Gandalf looked at Galadriel gravely. "So the fabled Seeds of Power are being gathered at last."

Galadriel was slightly surprised by this remark. "You expected this?"

Gandalf shrugged. "Such powerful crystals should not exist in this world. But as it is, they do exist and they have existed since the beginning of our time. We knew it was only a matter of time before the power-hungry Morgoth (2) or his followers searched for them. You may remember, ages ago, when he had gathered many of the crystals-- from the very depths of the sea to the airs of heaven and the fires of earth. But his downfall came before he could summon the ninth, and we were saved. The crystals were scattered once more, protected separately throughout Arda. Now the ages have passed and the Seeds were forgotten by all but the oldest of the Old and the wisest of the Wise. And Sauron has set his sights on them, focusing his energies on finding them all and reclaiming the Ring. And my heart tells me it will not be long now..."

Galadriel looked away, silent for a moment while the strange resignation in Gandalf's voice seemed to echo through the garden of Lorien. "Gwaihir agreed to send scouts to fly over Mordor, watching the movements of the Dark Lord's armies and seeking any hints as to how many Seeds he has gathered."

Gandalf nodded. "That is good, yes. But what will you do after you know?"

Galadriel paused uncertainly. "I suppose we would have to find the guardians of the remaining crystals and reinforce their protection..."

Gandalf was silent, but his eyes seemed to look to the distance, unseeing. "No," he said quietly, "I think we must gather the crystals ourselves."

Galdriel was shocked. "Mithrandir, do you realize what you're saying?! These crystals are deadly! If we gather them, and Sauron reclaims the Ring (as seems likely), he will find us with ease and take all the crystals and be invincible and unstoppable!!"

Gandalf was still silent, seeming to muse over something. "So it would seem," he said softly, "but I think there is something more. I think... I think that in essence, the crystals are good. Alone, their raw power can be manipulated to evil purposes. But together... I think they somehow protect each other, Galadriel. I think that their will to protect the ninth crystal sent it far beyond the reaches of Arda (3), unless all the others are together. There is a strange power there, a power of unity. I think Sauron will have a harder time than he thinks manipulating it to his will. And I think... I think they can help us."

Galadriel was silent with shock, scarcely daring to breath. "What do you propose we do?" she whispered. The idea seemed wild and incredible, but somehow it offered hope.

Gandalf was moving as he talked, hastily heading out of the gardens and towards the borders of Lorien. "Send message to Cirdan. Sauron will be looking towards the Grey Havens with a lustful eye for the Seed of the Seas. Cirdan will surrender to you the crystal that has protected the Havens for so long if he understands the dire need. I will travel to Fangorn and remeet my company and speak to Treebeard." With that, he let forth a strange whistle that abruptly changed to a low pitch as he called for his mighty stead. Shadowfax, looking magnificent like the beasts of old, ran into the clearing, and Gandalf sprang upon his back.

"Vanya Sulie!" called Galadriel as they disappeared. [Fair Winds! (a farewell)]

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(1) For those of you who didn't know or forgot, Gwaihir was an eagle lord.

(2) Morgoth, meaning "Dark Enemy of the World", was originally called Melkor and was Sauron's master.

(3) Middle Earth

AN: Thus it begins. Sorry for the delay in posting. I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner, but now that school is starting, I'm not sure. And now, Review Reponses!

CG Anna Marie- ::blushes:: Thank you so much! I am really flattered by all your comments. And as for Cosmos/Chaos... I just mentioned it as a side note in the beginning, but I highly doubt it will happen. I'd have to give Chaos a body first, even if he's a shape-shifter, and develop his character apart from his evilness... yeah, I don't think its gonna happen

Chibi-Cola- yeah, I'm seriously considering bringing Glorfindel and the twins in. But the more I look at it, the more I think they should be paired with one of the senshi. But I must admit that Glorfindel is leading for the Usagi pairing. We shall see...

Ki no Hana- Lol, you'll have your wish with Ami. ::wink:: But I don't really consider this fic an AU. Yes, Gollum is dead and other matters are changed slightly, but it will lead on to a similar future. But then again, I suppose all cross-overs are really alternate universes... doesn't that almost define a crossover? But as for the starseeds themselves... as mentioned in this chapter, they can draw power from each other. Alone, I'd probably say that they are weaker than the three Rings because they only have strength over one element/area. But they are very powerful in that one area. All together though, with Usagi's crystal, they provide power in every area and are more powerful than the One Ring or really anything I can think of in Middle Earth. And the senshi themselves are merely spirits, attached to their starseeds but unable to take any real form yet.

Aphrodite2- Yeah, unless I get some strange crazy idea for a new subplot, Haruka and Michiru will be together.

Andtauriel Longwood Baggins- Lol! Yeah, Usagi/Sauron would be strange... unlikely that it will happen here though. And as for the AU... I suppose every crossover is an AU, but I don't really consider this what people have come to think as an alternate universe. The future is altered slightly, but in the end it will be similar to the way it was meant to be... call it Fate if you want. I will be writing a fic in the future, a dark SM/LotR AU where Middle Earth does fall to Sauron, but it won't be this one. ;) And good point about other characters outshining the canon... I'll be sure to keep that in mind, thanks!

Loopy Lu- Lol! Actually, the senshi right now are basically spirits or memories, attached to their starseeds but with no true form. And I suppose they would be human... or more correctly, Lunarian, Mercurian, Vesuvian, etc. And many of the senshi will be paired, but I'm not sure about Usagi...

Brightness- Pluto/Leggy would be interesting, but I've got something else in mind. ::wink:: As for Cosmos and Endymion... yeah, I'm not sure. I doubt he'll enter the fic, but I might have her longing for him or something... hmmm....

DragonStar- ::wink:: A Rei fan, huh? Well... I have in mind a little short someone who has been falling into darkness and needs someone to light the way out. ::wink wink:: The only reason this would change is if I decide Hotaru should steal him instead. ;)

solarmistress17- By 'other fic' do you mean Niirer? Cause that was just updated at the end of August and will be updated again soon. Or do you mean Spellbound? Lol, I have too many. ^_^"

Thank you also to:

Serenity Silvermoon

Tkiwi

M.J

Goddess of Wisdom

Moonprincess202

Shaiala Rialle

Skittles the Sugar Fairy

datajana

Jen

Thank you for your continued dedication and please review. Ja minna-chan!

~Calli-chan

P.S. Here's another plea to read my other LotR/SM fic, "Niirer en Ithil'Quessir" (Tears of a Moon Elf; storyid=731451). Yes, it is 13 chapters long, and yes, at first glance it doesn't seem to be as different as this one. But it's the fic that I'm pouring my heart and soul into, my brainchild and, I admit, my favorite. I see it not so much as a fanfic, but as a novel or an epic, and it just... fits. I can't really describe it. But chapter 14 marks one of my favorite chapters when something big happens that changes everything. PLEASE READ!!! (gradually begins as Celebithil(Usagi)/Boromir. Hotaru will also have a big part and a pairing. The other senshi will be there (maybe with pairings), continuing to act like the senshi you love though they were born into a different world). THANK YOU!!!