A/N: Hi everyone! This is the fourth chapter in my KH/SM crossover. I hope you like it. I know it took me awhile to get out, but I've been having a lot of problems lately. Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon. Enjoy, and please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own KH or SM. But if you'd like to sell them to me, I have $5.

Chapter 4: Nightmares

"Kairi," he half-whispered. His heart ached for her, but he knew that some things were inevitable. Knowing it didn't stop it form hurting, though. "Kairi, I wish you could come with me. I don't want to leave you."

The girls smiled her youthful, innocent smile. How Kairi could still seem so innocent, so untouched after all these years was a mystery to him, but he didn't care. He loved her, and that was what really mattered. And now, to protect her, he had to leave her. It was tearing him apart inside, but if he neglected this now, her life could be in danger all over again. Duty bound his hands more tightly than any rope could.

"Don't worry Sora." Her smile was more comforting than she could have known. "I'll still be here for you to come home to. You have other princesses to be loyal to, to protect. I know you won't forget about me." She reached up to him on her tip-toes and gave him a firm kiss on the mouth. His body stiffened and a very bright shade of red decorated his cheeks, but he gave into it slowly. It was so right.

As the evening faded into purple twilight, the time came for him to leave. They both knew that delaying any further was pointless. He was dressed for battle, his Keyblades ready for him to call at any time. He pulled his cloak close around him, noting his two friends off in the distance. It had been their idea to try to hide what they could of their identities for safer travel. He personally thought it was rather ridiculous.

He focused on Kairi, on her warming smile, and he couldn't help but pull her close to him and hug her. "I promise that I'll come back to you. I don't know when it'll be possible, but I will." She pulled away and nodded at him, still smiling.

"Find Riku; bring him home. And most of all stay safe, Sora." She kissed him again, and the world reeled around him.

Darkness swirled up around him, covering him and jerking him away. He gasped for air, swimming upwards through a black sea that was smothering him. He tried to scream, but the bands around his chest prevented him from making any noise as the black water poured into his mouth. He was a stone sinking in the darkness, incapable of movement. He fought against his restraints, thrashing about until a horrible pounding shattered all thought. The awful pounding came again and he howled, jerking away from the darkness.

Sora bolted upright, looking around through the piercing darkness. Sweat trickled down his face and his body. He was sitting in his room in the palace, and early-morning light was peeping around the curtains. He realized that someone was pounding on his door. He grumbled to himself as he got out of the bed, reaching for his shirt. He shuffled over to the door, wincing as the light struck his eyes when he opened it.

One of the Queen's guardians stood at the door. Jupiter, he thought. Yeah, she's the one with all the green. Whoever heard of color-coded guardians anyways? She beckoned for him to follow, and he silently admonished himself for being hard on them. They were extremely loyal to their Queen; they would give their lives for her, and that was what made a true soldier. With a start he realized that Jupiter was already on her way down the hall, and he ran after her.

"Don't worry Serenity…er…Usagi…er…I mean…uh-"

"Venus! Shut your trap. Can't you see you're upsetting her?"

"Well you're not really helping miss 'maybe-it's-a-stage-you'll-grow-out-of' Mars!"

"Girls please stop, you're making things worse. I'm trying to figure this out."

"You stay out of it Mercury. This is between me and miss bossy-britches here."

"Miss what??"

"Will you two please shut up!" Venus and Mars looked stricken. They both slipped into a sulkiness that only angered Serenity more. There was a big problem here, and listening to the two of them argue only made her head hurt worse. At least Mercury was trying to be helpful. She sat down, holding her head on her hands. What was she going to do now? Her head jerked up as she heard a knock on the door.

Jupiter opened the door to the Queen's chambers, sticking her head inside and saying something that Sora couldn't hear. He sighed. She pulled back and pushed the door open, motioning him to go in ahead of her. He nodded at her, and walked inside. The three other senshi stood in a group immediately in front of him, whispering. Looking around them, he saw another senshi he hadn't met before.

She had long hair of the prettiest shade of green. Her colors were predominantly black with brown bows, and she held in her hands a long staff that was shaped somewhat like a key with a large stone set near the top. He took in a sharp breath when he turned to look at her – she was amazingly beautiful, and her age was a mystery to him. He suddenly realized that everyone was staring at him as he stared at this mysterious woman. He jerked his gaze away, and what his eyes landed on made little sense to him.

The Queen sat on her bed, her face and stance seeming somehow less regal. She wasn't wearing her traditional flowing white gown and her golden crown. Instead, she wore a strange version of the senshi uniform. It had three skirts instead of one, each a different color, and puffy pink sleeves. The wildest white wings sprouted from her back. The green-haired senshi stepped toward him.

"Sora, I am Pluto, guardian of the gate of Space and Time. As I'm sure you've noticed we have a bit of a crisis here." Sora scratched his head. Mercury stepped forward.

"I'm sure you must have no idea what we're talking about, but I'll try to explain. As you know, before she became the Queen of Crystal Tokyo, Serenity was Sailor Moon. We talked about this last night in the meeting hall. She progressed through various forms through the years, and this was her final form before ascending." Sora nodded, trying to keep up. "Since she can no longer become Sailor Moon, the fact that she has and cannot transform back into the Queen is causing some…difficulties." Sora's eyes suddenly grew very wide.

"You see Sora, what we are dealing with," Pluto said. "Your presence here is causing disturbances in the flow of time. With Small Lady growing up too quickly, the threat of her coming into her powers too early is causing our Queen to fluctuate between various stages of her life before Crystal Tokyo. When I arrived, she was in an earlier form. We must decide how to deal with this swiftly, or I will be forced by any means to stop the disturbances." Pluto's beauty suddenly seemed very distant to Sora. He knew what she was implying. "As the guardian of time, I cannot let you destroy everything."

"Stop for just a minute Pluto." Serenity, or Sailor Moon, or whoever she was stood up from the bed. "I won't let you do anything rash. Sora is here to protect our Kingdom and your Queen if you remember correctly. I taught you much better than that."

"But Queen Serenity, he could destroy us all!"

"That is enough." Serenity was quiet, but firm. She looked at all of her guardians in turn. "No one will be harming anyone. In fact, I want all of you to stand with Sora and protect him as you would protect me or my daughter. He is my guest, and I will let no harm come to him." She turned back to face Pluto. "And you should know more than anyone that a single person's life is as valuable to me as the lives of all the people I love. I would sooner give my own life than see the life of someone else be taken." Pluto nodded and bowed.

"By your leave my Queen, I will return to my post unless I am called to your side again. Forgive my moment of misguided judgment." She turned and walked out the door. The other senshi shared a look and also bowed to Serenity. They withdrew into the hallway, leaving Sora alone with the Queen. She motioned for him to sit on the bed next to her, and he tentatively did so.

"Look Sora, I understand that you're very confused right now. I want you to know that I don't blame you at all. Pluto doesn't seem to understand that. It isn't you; it's the heartless that are causing all of this. Even though we've taken measures to keep them out of here and away form my child, it's still affecting her, and in turn affecting all of us. I need your help to get rid of them before they destroy us all."

Sora nodded. The Queen seemed distraught, and he could understand why. Everything was changing, and even for a woman who had faced the destruction of earth, the possibility of reality itself being destroyed was a difficult task. He felt sorry for her; she seemed so alone. A thought occurred to him suddenly.

"Queen Serenity, where is your husband? I haven't seen him since we got here." She smiled.

"He had very urgent business to attend to in another part of my kingdom that has kept him away. I'm sure he will return any time now – what is happening to me is most certainly happening to him, and he will be concerned." Sora nodded. Endymion seemed like a kind, loving husband. It had somewhat surprised him not to see him there already. Serenity sighed. "Sora, my suggestion to you is to go back to bed and try to rest, and I'll do the same. Just try to ignore the girls for right now; they're just worried about me and they're lashing out at anything they can find. I trust you. We will face this together."

Sora nodded. He slowly stood up, and form there went down on one knee. He bowed his head and raised his palms up towards her. He stayed that way a moment, before looking up at her surprised expression. She motioned for him to stand.

"You need not pledge yourself to me, Sora. I know your heart is pure, just as your intentions are. I will protect you as much as I can, and will work with you to save my people and get rid of this threat." Sora nodded, stood, and walked out the door.

When he reached the hallway, the Queen's four guardians were standing outside the door, watching him. He walked past them with his head high and went all the way to his room without looking back.