Fuzzy- Um, you might want to let go of her, she's turning blue. (Blinks.) I doubt you want to be prosecuted because of Her. Besides, if you kill Selenity now, how am I to have my fun? (Simpers.) Oh, ho, she will get what's coming to her of that you can count on.
Clueless97-Maybe Selenity did and maybe Selenity didn't. Awe, Diamond, well hmm, how about I do a story specifically for him and Usagi later okay? Trials are never easy that's for sure.
Hikari Tsuki Chi-(Bows.) Thank you. Ch.12 wow! (Glances over at her YGO/SM crosses, and sighs.) So many ideas so little time.
Cosmos270-(Waves) Well then this will answer your question about the trial.
Daisy-(Big wave.) Hey, it's someone new, welcome. Upset? I think upset is going to be an understatement. Forgive? She might, but Never forget, I don't know I haven't fully written out that chapter of the story in my head. Yup, the pairing is Riven/Serena. Senshi? They might, I do have something plan for them.
Thank everyone for your reviews, the smile on my face could crack it. Oh. I do not remember who asked, but my messaging ID is Yahoo, and my tag line is darkwolfstarblazingblader. (Don't ask.)
No ownership claim.
The world of light blue light died down, and Serena found herself facing a mirror. Out stepped, a shadow of Senshi Mercury's first form, her hand was raised in attack position. "In order to wield the ice, you must be able to stand the cold." The shadow told her, and brought her gloved hands above her. A ball of ice began to grow from her up facing palms, and Serena braced for impact. Mercury's freezing orbs locked on the sapphire ones of Serena, and she smirked coldly. "Cosmos, cannot help you here, hime-sama."She informed her, and the power of ice branched out. The ball of ice was quickly building into a Epcot dome of size. Serena opened her arms wide, and the Mercurian Senshi hurled the ice into her chest. Serena let one small whimper escape her lips before focusing on taming her will.
After the impact of the orb, all Serena could see is the colors of frosted white, and light blue. Then, she began to feel the effects of the ice, first it was only a tingle. As if her body had gone into shock by the mere impact of the ice. Yet, it did not stay that way, the tingle which originated from her toes climbed her skeleton and wrapped around each individual bone. Still, it was an only a mere whisper of cold, it's icy fingers dove deeper, searching out her core. Outside her body, her lips were purple, her pupils dilated, her skin tinged blue, and her extension of limbs were bleeding.
The shadow of the Mercurian Senshi stood silently observing, a small stream of ice outreaching from her hand powering the roving cold. Serena felt the ice creeping to her beating heart and the nerves below her cranium. Without the ability to move she would surely freeze, grasping her will she ordered her fingers to twitch. Precious seconds ticked by before she felt the response of her fingers, next she forced for her feet to slide forward. Serena kept her breath even, trying not to overwork her pumping heart, small shuffle steps brought her closer to the shadow. An arm length away she shoved her hand up, and touched the stream of ice from the Mercurian Shadow. The shadow relented and the beam died away, taking the bone-stealing cold back into her icy realm. She nodded in acquiesce, and allowed the willful Serena to past into the next room of a trial.
Serena rubbed her hands over her arms to make her heart beat faster and warm her cold core. Feeling the steady beat of her heart she marched into door encrypted with her friend's name, Ami. Pushing in open she was enveloped into the ice blue colored light that normally surrounded her intelligent friend. Her empathy alerted her to the sense of the cold distance of her friend, and the slow warmth that Ami was noted for. It reached for her, and Serena felt her physical self reaching toward it. "Why betray the gift I gave you, my hime?" Ami's bodiless voice asked her, and Serena felt her throat ice over. "I believed in you to carry my planet's line with honor, and integrity." Ami's voice continued. Serena massaged her throat and shook her head.
"Fiend of ice, know that I will not be dissuaded, you are not my friend, and I will not defend my integrity for you." Serena softly voiced out, but it carried the tone of royalty. "Step forward, fiend of ice, and present your trial or grant me passage." Serena ordered, and a shadow began to form. Once formed the light reflecting off the icicles fell on it to reveal a woman of ice blue. In her hands she held the Sapphire of Mercury. The blue woman glanced into the orbs of Serena and she raised the Sapphire.
"You will be weighed, light hime, and the Mercurian Sapphire shall reveal if your integrity is true." The woman whispered, a beam speared forth from the Sapphire and connected to the forehead of Serena. Serena gasped as she saw the images of Ami as Mercury fighting for her. She felt the beam pulse and push harder against her memories. Reliving every time Mercury took a hit for her, all the wounds she gathered when she fought monsters for Serena to finish off. The most pressing memories were of Mercury dying for Serena in belief of her heart, and the faint dreams Mercury once had. She felt herself slipping into guilt, and felt the Sapphire start growing cold. Serena shook her head, pulled her thoughts of their treasured friendship and pushed against the invading images.
"I will not surrender Ami's faith to you, ice fiend!" Serena cried out defiantly. "Ami trusted me to carry on her planet's heart of power, your interference of her trust will not sway me." Serena called to the woman and Sapphire. "Be gone of your trickery." Serena yelled, her crescent birthmark ascend from her soul and connected with the Mercurian Sapphire. The overwhelming power of the friendship she carried warmed the Sapphire, and the woman dropped the royal jewel. It floated in mid-air and Serena stepped forward grasping the jewel. The sapphire flashed and shot toward the broach Serena always wore. "I believed in Ami's faith in me, and I will continue on." Serena declared. The woman of blue ice, nodded, and a small smiled frosted her lips.
"You have been weighed hime-sama, you have been found true in yourself and the senshi of Mercury's faith." She told Serena. "Go forth, hime-sama, with the faith of the last Mercurian hime shielding your heart." The ice fiend spoke, and the large dark blue door open from behind the fiend. Serena bowed, and nodded in understanding of the trial. Serena brushed her hand over the pulsing Sapphire in her broach and stepped through the open doors.
This room was ice blue in decoration, stalactites and stalagmites grew from each corner. What caught the eyes of the fighting hime, was the glowing ice harp in the middle of the room. It sat upon a crested iceberg of the royal family, its blue strings frozen, and glowing. The first Mercurian Senshi appeared before her and bowed. "Hime-sama, one last trial, approach the harp." She instructed Serena, Serena nodded and stepped forward. Serena laid a careful hand on the strings and turned to the Mercurian Senshi. "Play the royal family's heart song, to fully eclipse the doubt." She informed her and Serena felt her heart clench. She stroke the strings without plucking one, her other hand resting on the small sapphire in her broach. 'Ami, help me once more my friend.' Serena silently prayed. Serena felt her eyes fall closed, and drifted into a soft memory of her Mercurian friend.
"Usagi, pay attention, you asked me to teach me of my race." A navy blue short hair teenager instructed Usagi. Usagi blushed, and bowed her head. "Oh, Usagi." The blue haired one sighed, her ice blue eyes filling with hopeless laughter.
"Sorry Ami, I just am mesmerized by your playing." Usagi intoned. Ami sighed again and placed her hands back on her senshi harp. Her agile fingers dancing on the strings, plucking a repeat five stanza. "Ami?" Usagi called out, and got a hum in response. "What is this called?" She asked. Ami closed her eyes, and her princess dress formed over her body.
"The Crystal Aqua Rhapsody Serenade." Ami intoned, her fingers plucking elegantly over the harp. "Our royal heart song." Ami whispered. "Now, hime, come closer and learn our Serenade of heritage." Ami instructed, and Usagi came over, kneeling beside Ami. Ami reached down with one hand and grasped one of Usagi's, she brought it up placing it on the harp. "Together, we shall play." Ami said, wrapping her hands around Usagi's she thought the blond hime to play her line's royal song.
Serena shook herself from the buried memory, and smiled softly. "Thank you, Ami." Serena whispered, and she felt the Sapphire warm in response. Wrapping her delicate fingers around the ice string she picked out the A string. Sliding her finger up toward the bow of the harp, she plucked it. It hummed through the room and the ice string melted to show the blue of the string. Her fingers found the c-string, and she sighed. Low c, two normal c's, and a high c ended the stanza. Playing it slowly she continued the stanza. All the while she hummed the notes to keep herself in tune. 'Do, Mi, Re, Re, Ti, the notes of the Serenade.' Serena thought, and watched as the Mercurian Senshi approached. Her icy eyes were filled with tears, the song well played and brimming with the intellectual pride of their race. She laid a gloved hand on Serena's dancing fingers.
"You play our song as if you were one of our own." The Mercurian Senshi whispered, her throat choking with her held-back tears. "It has been ages since I last heard the Crystal Aqua Rhapsody Serenade." She said, and two tinged ice blue tears slipped down her porcelain cheeks. "We surrender our power to you once more, the choice solid in our intellectual faith." She claimed, and the soft ice blue light shot from the Mercurian senshi. It circled Serena, and draped over her shoulders like an ice cloak. Gently the power of ice slid into her core of powers, and reinstated its place among them. The Mercurian Senshi grasped the ice harp and lifted it from its perch. Handing it to Serena she bowed, her ice blue eyes holding Serena's sapphire blues. "Please watch over the Mercurian Harp, when your kingdom rises, please return this to the last hime of Mercury." She pleaded, and Serena nodded. As their hands made contact, the Mercurian Senshi stopped her. "According to our technical computer, Mars's power is close, but causing major havoc, hurry and retrieve our sister power." She instructed and then melted from view.
Serena observed as the ice realm vanished from her sight, she stood in the yard where the fairies had tried to recess the Mercurian Ice. Held tightly in her hands was the last link to the Mercurial's and Serena looked tenderly at it. She stroked the strings once and then slipped the harp carefully into her space pocket. The ice slid from the Alfea castle, and the principal she had frozen by accident appeared in the front doorway. "You!" She called out to Serena. Serena turned to her sorrow written upon her face. "Judging by your lose control on your powers, they should be sealed." Feragonda ordered, and raised a threatening finger in Serena's direction. Serena's orbs flashed, and a ball of ice floated upon her palm.
"Have you learned nothing from your prior actions?" Serena questioned, ice coating her voice. "Your seal, made my powers fight to the surface and escape into the world." Serena told her. "Know this, only Mercury was released in your vision, by your actions." Serena informed her. "However, Mars's power is freed and..." She stopped when she saw Selenity approached. "The second most powerful force I contain, Saturn's." Serena alerted them, her tone turning dark. "If you wish not to be frozen once more, do not approach." Serena warned them. "In fact, I cannot count on you not interfering, so I must place a wall of ice around the castle." Serena spoke and raised her hand. "Once again, I must ask you to forgive me for my actions." Serena finished and the ice filled hand was brought eye level. "Mercury Aqua Mirage, Freeze!" Serena summoned from her Mercurian powers. The ice rapidly built a tower of ice around the castle, sealing off the principal and her mother.
Drained, but satisfied she turned to the entourage that was still standing in the field. She saw the shocked, but approving faces of the star group and Diamond. Seiya stepped forward with a large smirk on his face. "Remind me never to get you mad, Odango-chan." He said, and laughed in relief at seeing his crush alright. The others, the ones from Altheria's plane were shocked silent, and observed the blond warrior. Serena smiled softly at Seiya's teasing, and felt a wave of dizziness. The strain of the trial and the freezing of the castle caught up to her, and she fell into unconsciousness. Her last sight was of her sister, wide awake, and staring at her horrified. She grimaced in despair, her world bleeding black, her last sense of falling into something warm.
Okay, sorry it took so long. Well, the Mercurian Trial. Hmm, the song is actually a real one, but the title is different. Um, yeah, the music refers to the intellectual part of Mercurians. After all music is a form of learning as well. Also, I just like music, so there. Alright, Mars's is next, and what of Stella's horrified reaction? Not to mention Saturn's power draws close to a dark source. Will that wall of ice actually stop Selenity's interference? Please review.
Best Wishes,
WolfchildBlazer