A/N: Yay I finally have a new chapter out! I've had it done for a couple days, but now it is here in spankin-new goodness for you to enjoy. Please give me feedback :) I'm needy for such things. You should see me mope around when no one reviews XD

Disclaimer: I don't own SM or KH. (runs off to cry to her mommy)

Ch. 3: Journeying

Sora began his story by telling of how he first got into the business of killing Heartless and saving princesses. Apparently he had never asked for the damsel-in-distress bit, but it had been given to him, since he had apparently been chosen by the Keyblade to save everyone.

The Keyblade. That was an interesting piece of weaponry. It looked like a combination of the key to the gate of Time and Space and Uranus's sword. Sora called the one that he showed them "Oathkeeper." It was sort of long, with two bars running down to what looked like a blue and yellow star. Its hand guards were shaped like two downswept white wings, which looked like the wings of angels. Supposedly it held the power to vanquish the so-called "Heartless," these beings that were now infesting Crystal Tokyo with their darkness. Serenity was astonished to hear his tales of Heartless attacking innocent people, stealing their hearts and making them into Heartless that in turn went out to steal away the hearts of others. They were after the heart of the world, and the heart of the princesses. One princess above all was sought by them: the Princess of Heart.

Sora told them his tales of traveling first throughout the worlds in the system that Donald and Goofy were from, and later to other circles of planets. Every time he would seal all of the worlds in a system, save the princesses, and run the Heartless off, he would return home. After being home for awhile, a new warp hole would open up, and duty would force him to go off and save everyone all over again. It seemed like the princesses would never be safe; he had been doing this for five years.

The nineteen-year-old had been forced through many things that had caused him to grow up quickly, and Serenity could see this. His companions were ever-loyal. She knew that she could depend on him if she needed to, and knew that he only told her the truth. She smiled a little, thinking that in another time when she was younger, she might have fancied his attentions. She knew that Kairi, his true princess, could only love him unconditionally. Fond memories of her own past came back to her when he spoke of Kairi, and it warmed her in these times.

What really concerned her wasn't the Heartless, or her world being threatened. She was rather used to the whole "apocalypse" idea by now, and she knew that her friends were also. What worried her was the safety of her daughter and the preservation of the future. The slightest change could result in the eradication of all that they had worked for, and she wouldn't stand for that in the least. Chibi-Usagi had to be kept as far from this as possible. Nobody knew what could happen.

The real confusion came when Sora mentioned the Princess of Heart.

"We have to protect the Princess at all costs." Sora was standing now, his tales concluded and the important part just begun. "If she is harmed, the Heartless can steal her heart, and use her. What we have found is that rather than single gateways, every gateway opened is leading to something bigger. All worlds must be sealed to prevent any more damage." While he was talking the senshi had been exchanging looks. "Is there a problem? We have to protect the Princess, so I can seal this world and return you guys to some state of normalcy."

"Actually, there might be a problem," Venus spoke up. Sora looked at her, confused. "Do you know who this Princess is supposed to be?" Sora stared in disbelief.

"You mean you don't know who your princess is?" Serenity smiled at him warmly. She motioned for him to sit before he fell over.

"Sora, what she is getting at is that all of my guardians are princesses. The four you see before you, as well as four others who are not present." Sora's eyes grew wider, and his jaw hung open a little. Donald reached over without a hint of subtlety and pushed his jaw shut. Serenity tried her best not to laugh, even with such a serious matter on the table. Her smile faded when her thoughts returned to the present. "I suppose the princess you are looking for is my daughter, the future Princess Serenity." Sora seemed to slip deeper into confusion.

"The future Princess Serenity? How old is she?"

"Well, she is technically only a few months old. However, as of a few nights ago, she is now eight years old." Sora looked like he was about to pass out. His companions weren't doing any better. Goofy kept scratching his head, and Donald was looking at Sora like he was hiding the answers.

Serenity allowed Jupiter to recount the events of the past few days. She sat down to listen, turning the problem over in her mind. She was lost in her own thoughts and feelings, wondering what to do. It was still so confusing, even more so with these newcomers. Could Chibi-Usa be the princess they were looking for? By the Goddess I hope not…I can't bear to see her go through that, and if she did, it could cause serious problems. I need to talk to Pluto. She'll know what to do. She is ever my guide, as I was once hers. After a moment, she realized that Jupiter was seated and Sora was talking again.

"-esting story." She realized she had missed only the very first part of what he had said. Sora stood, leaning on the table. "It seems to me that in all probability, this Usagi is the one that we're looking for. The fact that she suddenly grew up over night when the Heartless attacked…I think it's safe to say that she probably reacted to their presence. We should do our best to protect her."

"Wait a minute!" Mercury jumped up form her place at the table, where she had been quiet throughout most of the meeting. "Chibi-Usa can't be the Princess of Heart. She's not even grown into her powers as the new Princess Serenity yet." Sora blinked. Mercury shook her head. "Look, Sora, I know you don't know a whole lot about our world, but I will try to explain this.

"There has always been a Sailor Moon during a time of need. In the Silver Millennium, there was no Sailor Moon because there was no need. By the time the enemy had come, it was over. So the Princess was sent into the future to be reborn. When the enemy showed up, Sailor Moon did too, as the leader of the sailor senshi. It was not long before her powers completely manifested themselves because of the Silver Crystal. This made Usagi both the legendary soldier as well as the heiress to the Moon Kingdom. She was only able to be either because she could then use the Silver Crystal."

Sora looked confused. Serenity felt sorry for him – it had to be hard to go around saving all these princesses, especially when some were sure to have complex histories, like their world had. Poor Sora had to deal with so much. He seems so young, and so old. Mercury smiled at him patiently.

"I know that this must be a lot to take in, but try to follow me. Our Queen Serenity was once Sailor Moon. Now that the time of peace has come, she has transcended that form; she can no longer become Sailor Moon, though she can and does use the Silver Crystal. She has just progressed past it. The only other person in this world who has the ability to someday become Sailor Moon is Chibi-Usa. Right now, she is not capable of becoming Sailor Moon, nor can she use the Silver Crystal, she her powers as the new Princess have not manifested yet. Until there is a great need for Sailor Moon, Usagi will remain as a child, incapable of using her powers. One day she will be able to, but for right now she can't and isn't supposed to for almost a century." Sora looked like he was about to faint now. Mercury raised a hand before he asked the obvious question. "The Silver Crystal gives us a very extended lifespan. Chibi-Usa is supposed to stay as a child of about 8 for 100 years, when some leaders of a rebellion will come back to attempt to destroy us. Chibi-Usa will steal the Silver Crystal, we will all be nearly killed, and she will go back into the past to enlist the help of Sailor Moon. In turn, she will come into her own powers, and we will all be saved." Goofy now spoke up, after being mostly silent throughout the meeting.

"Well if they was gonna come to destroy you, why not stop 'em before they get here?" Donald rolled his eyes.

"Because they can't stop it or it will destroy time and space, Goofy." Mercury nodded at Donald.

"If we prevent these things from happening, Chibi-Usagi will not go back, we will not meet her, and our lives will forever be changed at the least. At the most, it could rip apart time and space, killing us all. That includes you, even though you are outside our particular area of space." Sora and Donald nodded, seeming to understand. Goofy continued to scratch his head. Sora spoke up next.

"Ok, so I understand how Chibi-Usa can't be who we're looking for. But if it's not her, then who is it?" The senshi looked at each other.

"Well," Jupiter said, "I would think that it's probably Serenity. She used to be Sailor Moon, after all. It would make sense for her to be the Princess." They all paused, considering. After a moment, Sora and Serenity both nodded.

"It is settled then. We will protect the Queen as if she were the Princess, until we discover otherwise. We will also protect the child in the interests of this kingdom, and with the possibility that she is or might become the Princess we're looking for." Serenity nodded, thinking about the problems with all of this. She could be forced into her powers too early, if she's put into too much danger. We'll have to keep her far from everything.

They all headed off for the evening, all of them exhausted. All of them sensed a very long ordeal stretching out before them. These sorts of things seldom went quickly.

A/N: Did you like this chapter? In all honesty, I wasn't too fond of it, but it needs to be here to lay the groundwork for the rest of the story, and give some much-needed history. The next chapter is almost done, with much plot-thickening. Oh, and you can find a picture of the Oathkeeper online by googling it. Google is the all-powerful god of the find. Squee!