Ghost Whisper: Ahhh... the first chapter of a story that has been in it's baby stages for almost two years. I feel so proud! -huggles story and sniffles- Anyways, because this story has been in the works for almost that long, I've decided to release the first chapter as part of a celebration of my two year anniversary of being registered with The second chapter is currently in the works, and about 20 percentdone.

So, without further ado, I present to you…

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Eden Lost

Chapter 1: With Silent Echoes

The crystal pillar in front of her pulsed rhythmically in time with her heartbeat, it's pink glow casting odd-looking shadows that swayed and flickered hypnotically across her face.

Thud.

A twisting line of pale pink darted across her cheeks, and then danced backwards to sway over the bridge of her nose and upwards, streaking through the creamy skin of her forehead where it crept into her hairline and merged with cotton candy colored strands of the same shade.

Thud.

A deep magenta circle spun around a couple of times, slowly creating it's own tail so that it became a teardrop shape, which rested underneath one ruby eye until it faded out of view.

Thud.

"Oh mother…" the teenager sighed. "Why did it ever have to come to this? You were always so strong. I was the one who messed up… you shouldn't have had to pay the price – not for something so trivial." A few tears filled her eyes, and then over-flowed, slipping silently down her cheeks to drop onto the neckline of her ivory dress.

"I tried to make things work you know. The new colonies… I was trying to resurrect what you lost at such a young age. It was your lifelong dream, I know, and you were always so sad that you could only accomplish so much – that you had to die before it was all complete." The young woman broke down, falling to her knees in front of the pillar and sobbing. Slender hands reached up and entwined themselves in the heart shaped pinks bangs hard enough to pull, as if by causing herself physical pain, she could somehow ease the ache in her heart.

"Did you feel this way too Mother?" she asked the crystal pillar. "Was it like this when you died, knowing that all you had tried to do was for nothing? That no one, anywhere, could understand what needed to be rebuilt? I thought that maybe I could make you happy, wherever you are, if I could do it. Was this what you meant when you said it couldn't be done? Why couldn't you have just told me that the power was too much?!"

Her voice rose to an almost hysterical pitch as she cried harder in front of the odd pillar. "I drained them all Mom. They wanted to help. They knew what you had wanted when you were alive. All my scouts… They weren't really my scouts. They were always yours. Even after your death, they couldn't let you go. They were willing to risk their souls to fulfill your dream! But… did you ever tell them mother? Surely you told them the risks of such a task, even if you didn't have the time to tell me! After your death… Nothing was the same. I think Uranus wanted to die. If there was such a thing, then she was too dedicated to you. Her eyes – all of their eyes! – Looked so hollow after you died. They must have known. I think… I think they wanted to be with you. And so do I!"

With a small moan, she released her hands from her hair, pounding her fists into the marble floor, and ignoring the pain of scraped knuckles as they the edge of a slightly broken piece. It had been perfect once. Even now there was little to show the true extent of the problem. The stale air perhaps, and those few small things such as cracks in the walls and floor. The energy loss hadn't lasted long enough yet to progress any further. But it would… Oh yes… and she would be the only one left. She would be the only one at all who would be there to witness the crystal palace, which had once been the centre of a thriving glorious civilization, fall to ruin and collapse.

"I should have known Mother. I should have been able to understand the warning you were able to give. I tried to bring back something that wasn't possible to bring back. All those stories you and papa told me… and when I saw how hard you tried to resurrect the old kingdoms of the Silver Millennium… how could I not try?!"

The young woman pushed herself to her feet. "It wasn't enough. There was never enough power in the crystal – in me – even supported by all of the Senshi and myself. People, whether human or Lunarian should never try to reach so far beyond their grasp."

Her footsteps thudded flatly against the floor as she began to walk away. She paused one last time as she reached the door, and turned back to look one last time at the pink pillar with a wistful look in her eyes. "It was a wonderful civilization that you built – but perhaps the world wasn't ready for it. Perhaps I wasn't ready for it. I'm not you, and I never will be. I tried to bring back the splendour of the past, and destroyed the beauty of the present."

Facing away once more, Neo Queen Serenity II, ruler of the Crystal Kingdom walked silently out of the room. The crystal pillar slowly stopped pulsing in her absence, and the pink glow faded without the supporting power of the last bit of magic the girl queen carried within her, leaving the room in shadows and silence.

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The forest had been lovely once. Trees in every shade of green had reached of from the earth to sky, their branches covering the sun and stars alike and enfolding the entire place in an eternal night filled with peace. Flowers that existed only in a human's fantasy bloomed everywhere, lending the deep blues, purples, reds, and every other shade imaginable or otherwise to the landscape. Will o' Wisp-like creatures had haunted the place giving it its own special set of stars living near to any creatures which might live there…

And Helios had been the guardian of it all.

Now, more and more of the flowers died every minute, wilting away into browns which dried out and fell onto the ground where they crumbled into nothing. Trees exploded with titanic cracks as their trunks split up the middle, and branches crashed onto the ground breaking others off as they fell. One by one, the Will o' Wisps blinked out of existence, the disappearance of each light accompanying a pained shriek, as though the lights were sentient, and each were giving off its dying scream.

And Helios continued to be the guardian of it all, now helpless to do nothing but watch as his world crumbled in front of his very eyes; the place he had been born, and lived to tend, dying horrifically.

It was the dreams that kept Elysion alive; the dreams of humans, which gave life to the plants and animals, and made the tiny Will o' Wisps which drifted around. Once, a thousand years ago, those dreams had been in danger, when he himself had been forced from his land and into hiding, and the dreams of humans had been stolen.

The silver-haired guardian had thought that those times were over. He had believed, now that the Crystal Kingdom had risen, that the peace of Earth would carry over, and allow this special sanctuary to blossom even greater than it had before. And now, all of Elysion's wonder was in ruins, each part of it being slowly corrupted as Chaos took over and the pure magic of people's dreams seeped away.

"What is happening to my world…the dreams of the people…?"

A strangled moan issued from gently parted lips as the slender figure staggered to a halt amidst the dying vegetation. The golden horn on his head pulsed weakly in time with the fading will o' wisps that surrounded the elegantly designed temple in the middle of a clearing. Fragile seeming spires arched up toward the sky in swirls of opalescent color, and faded from view when they reached heights beyond the eye's vision.

Moss was growing up one side of the structure, and it seemed as though decay had set upon it. Every few seconds, a large piece of marble fell from the sky, and pieces of mortar crumbled from its walls. Much of it was washed in a sickly grey color.

"The temple," he breathed. It was the heart of Elysion, the place where he had met with Prince Endymion during the Silver Millennium It was, in essence, Elysion itself – the place where dreams came from, and place where they returned upon a person's death. It was as though, an infectious disease was draining the energy of the temple, preventing the energy from being distributed to the land of dreams.

"What has happened here?" A harsh choking laugh caught his attention, and he turned to face the one who had broken the silence.

"Should have know it was to good to be true," the man said bitterly. "Even dreams can only last so long Helios – and that's all that we are now that we've become a part of Elysion – living in this place so long, you can't help but merge with it."

"Tiger's Eye."

"Don't look at me like that Helios. I know I look awful – I don't really need your face advertising that fact." It was true, the guardian noted. The man's face was pale and washed out, his amber hair taking on a dull grimy look. A slight tremble could be noted in his limbs as he stepped stiffly forwards. "Besides, you don't look that great yourself – you're even more a part of Elysion then we are."

"I know," he admitted quietly, imagining the dark circles that must ring his eyes, and the scraggly greasy appearance that he could feel in his hair. "But why are you here?"

"Fish and Hawk are affected nearly as much as I was – Fish probably even worse. She's more fragile than Hawk and I, though she'd hate to admit it. We knew that something had to be up – sixth sense you know – so I came here to find you." One hand reached up to run through his long hair, pulling on several tangles, and the man winced.

The silver haired young man took a shuddering breath, feeling the air stick in his throat. "I don't know what's wrong. It's as though – everyone in the world has died, and Elysion has nothing to support it. I don't know what to do!" One fist lashed out at the wall of the temple, and rock cracked under the blow. "Do you see? Everything's falling apart! Elysion is dying, and there's nothing I can do! I'm dying, and so are you! There will be no more dreams!"

"Helios! Stop!" Strong hands held his arms to his sides and shook him. Dazed, Helios looked up at Tiger's Eye, who was glaring at him. "If Elysion disappears we'll die, I know – but you can't let it get to you like this! It will do none of us any good if you fall apart! You know this world better than we do. You're our intermediary! Find a way into the outer world, and see what's going on. If this is something like what Nehelenia tried, then maybe there'll be something we can do."

The guardian took a deep breath. "You're right Tiger. Perhaps there is something I can do after all – but I must warn you, I was trapped the last time I left Elysion – It could happen again."

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'The crystal draws its strength from those around it Rini…Their love, their emotions…all of them fuel the crystal…that is why it will always be the strongest in the hands of the light…people like Queen Beryl, have pushed out their emotions, counting it as a weakness…the Silver Crystal makes it ones' greatest strength…but it can only do what is in the hearts of the people Rini…If the possibility – the idea or memory does not exist within them, it is only empty power. Do not forget…'

She was crying again, an echoing wind sweeping around her and tossing pink hair into her face. "I forgot…" she whispered. "It was my fault mother. You warned me, the best way you could, and I forgot. I didn't hold the memory, but I tried to bring it to life anyway."

The earth beneath her trembled, and then shook more forcefully. Rini staggered, trying to keep her feet in spite of the earthquake, but was soon thrown hard to the ground. She cried out as her arm scraped hard against bits of broken rock that were ground into her skin.

When the quake had stopped, she made no move to stand up, choosing instead, to lie on the ground, tears trickling down the side of her face to drip silently into the dust. Rini stared straight ahead. "I should never have been made queen," she mumbled. "I should never have been born." In the back of her mind, memories whispered at her from a time when happiness still cradled her.

'Rini! Come on! Lita made a cake for you! Hurry up so we can have ice cream with it before it melts!' her mom grinned at her, dragging the small version of Rini though the hallways.

'Michelle! Do you like the painting I made? I'm giving it to Mommy for her Birthday!' She held up a messily painted picture of Luna for the Aqua haired scout to examine.

'And then, just as your mother was running to give me her burned cookies, she tripped in a crack in the sidewalk and spilled them all over the place, so I ended up taking her out for ice cream to make her feel better.' 'Can I have ice cream too Daddy?'

Her Dad's voice, and then her own, as they sat together on her bed.

Rini choked, trying to hold back the desperate sobs lodged in her throat. "It's all my fault Mommy. I killed them. I killed them. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been Queen. I shouldn't have been born. I killed them!" She pulled her knees in towards her body and turned over, so that she was curled up on her side.

A shudder ran through her body. As if in a distant dream, she felt the Silver Crystal glitter weakly from its place on the chain hanging from her neck. She reached up to absently rub it, feeling the tiny spark of power left in it prickle through her skin. "All my fault…I don't want to be born…"

The Crystal flashed underneath her cold fumbling hands, and she felt her mind go blank as the power flared momentarily under the onslaught of her emotions. "I shouldn't be born…"

And then. . . It was as though she hadn't been.

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"If I'm going to go, I'd better leave now," Helios announced. "Elysion is getting more unstable by the minute, and the power fluxes are happening more frequently, and with worse effects. The longer I wait, the less likely it is that I'll be able to leave, and the more likely it is that I'll be trapped in the web of energy, or ripped apart by it if I leave in the middle of a surge."

Fish nodded, her pale face grim as she gazed around their surroundings once more. "Hopefully, this will all still be here when you get back. I really don't look forward to the idea of rotting away the way this place seems to be." She ignored the wince that her words caused in Helios.

"You said it Fish," Hawk muttered quietly. He stepped forwards. "Here Helios. I know you've got the crystal and all, and that protects you, but we thought you could use this." He handed the silver haired youth a gold colored feather with red, blue, and amber beads on it.

"It's . . . kind of a summoning object – sort of like how we used to use our shadows, only this time it'll call us." Tiger explained. "We're not sure, but if you need help, it just might be enough to draw us out of Elysion, since we don't have the power of the golden crystal to draw on like you do."

Helios smiled. "Thank you for the thought." His eyes turned grim. "Hopefully, things aren't as desperate as I imagine they might be." He stepped back a few paces from the trio, and began concentrating his power.

His muscles relaxed, and he fell into a light trance-like state, as he felt the spirit of the Earth, and the energy of Elysion begin to flow echo within him. With his eyes closed, he didn't see the aura of gold which had enveloped him, but he could feel a faint warm wash of power against his face.

The silver haired youth frowned; as he felt a faint trace of . . . grey? . . . hidden amongst the gold. 'Is that the decay that has been affecting Elysion?' he wondered. 'It's so small…' He shifted his mental point of view, and point that the monochrome pinprick, was in fact, a long slender thread. As he watched, the thread began to vibrate.

With a hard push, he attempted to free himself from the web of power, so that he wouldn't be stuck in the overload when it swelled and faded again. He felt the grey line vibrate again, this time seeming to trap him.

'Oh no…'

His eyes snapped open in panic, to reveal molten gold orbs to the shocked Amazon Trio watching him. "The power is in flux again!" he shouted to them. He voice echoed and reverberated against the backdrop of the dark forest they stood in. 'Stand back! You must get back! I'm linked to the energy, and it's about to swell! If you're here-"

The rest of his words were lost in the roar of power that burst forward, causing his slender form to blaze up in a glory of energy that made him shout in an ecstasy of pain and wonder from its force.

The light seemed to set him on fire, flooding outwards to fill the entire forest and wash over Tiger, Hawk, and Fish, who fell to their knees with surprised cries at the amount of energy.

For a moment, the world shuddered, the lines that held its existence together being stretched taught. Every color blurred, and frizzed like static on a television screen.

For a moment the world howled in pain at the overload of energy and lack of energy that existed as it was ripped from the fabric of the realm it had been connected to.

For a moment the world stopped, all sound desisting, all particles freezing in place, every spark of light holding still in a moment of timeless waiting.

And then…

The moment ended…

And with a wrenching force…

And a last aching cry…

And a moment of nothingness…

…

… …

Everything fell into place…

And the world existed once more.

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Ghost Whisper: In keeping with the grand old tradition of Sailor Moon… Things will probably start out confusing, as I introduce the characters, etc. Some of the details behind the backstory (eg: What did Rini actually do?) May not be fully filled in until later in the story.

Note on Character Names: Yes, I know many of my readers prefer the original Japanese names. The truth is though, that outside of fanfiction, my experience is limited almost solely to the dub. I'm a heathen, I know. Given that, I would rather use the dubs names I'm used to, then the originals where I'd risk typos using both. You're entitled to your preferences, but I feel this will make things easier for me, and more understandable for you.