Into The Vortex
by Mikazuki
Rated PG-13 - Adult situations, violence and language
Copyright & disclaimer:
As much as it pains me, I do not own Sailormoon nor its characters. SAILOR V, SAILOR MOON & all related material are © 1992 - 2000 NAOKO TAKEUCHI, KODANSHA LTD, TOEI ANIMATION, DiC ENTERTAINMENT, PIONEER ANIMATION & CLOVERWAY. SAILOR MOON, the SAILOR MOON characters & their respective names & likeness are trademarks of TOEI ANIMATION. All rights reserved.
This story was written by Mikazuki Naishinnou and is the property of Mikazuki Naishinnou. You may not distribute this story without permission. Published A Sailormoon Romance & Aria's Ink.
Chapter Three: Dreams In Crystal
"How is this possible?" Lita said as she and Mina walked up to the girls.
"About time you two got here."
"Hey I had home ec," Lita replied to Serena.
"Sorry, I was in the middle of a test," Mina said.
"So how it is possible for Darien and this Endymion to share the same soul?" Lita asked again.
"Is he cute?" Mina asked as she looked around for the mystery man.
"Very," Serena said with hearts in her eyes.
"Is he single?" Mina asked with hearts in her eyes.
Amy coughed, "As I was saying. They share the same soul."
"So how is that possible?"
"Well since Prince Endymion is looking for help from Queen Serenity..."
"What? But she's dead!" Mina and Lita exclaimed at the same time.
"Let me finish," Amy said. "And Beryl isn't Queen Beryl yet then it must mean Endymion is from the past, specifically the Silver Millennium past. He also made mention of Princess Serenity."
Lita and Mina's eyes went wide as saucers and looked at Amy with disbelief.
"Darien is Prince Endymion reborn?" Lita said still in shock.
"Yes."
"No way! I refuse to believe that. Just because they look alike doesn't mean they're the same person!" Serena cried out.
"Serena? What do you mean?" Endymion said as he walked up to her and the girls.
"Oh my god," Mina and Lita said in unison.
"He looks like my old boyfriend," Lita said.
Mina elbowed her. "No, you goose, he looks like Darien!"
Serena walked up to Endymion and took him by his elbow. "Come on, let me give you that tour." She said as she glared at the girls who remained behind, dumb struck. They watched the two leave.
"So tell me about yourself?" Serena said as they walked down the steps of the Cherry Hill Shrine.
"Well," Endymion began. "There's not really that much to tell. What I've told you already sums up my life. Tell me more about your life Serena and this wonderful world of yours." He said as he looked down at the petite blonde.
"Well, that was the Cherry Hill Shrine. It's a Shinto shrine and is taken care of by Raye's grandfather and by Raye. Um... I know how about it I take you to the Crown Arcade!"
"Arcade?"
"A place to play games."
"Oh. Sounds interesting. So Serena, tell me about yourself."
"Uh ok..." She said hesitantly. "Well, I'm 14-years-old..."
"Are you betrothed?"
"Betrothed? What's that?" She asked confused.
"Have your parents arranged a partner for marriage?"
"MARRIAGE? I'M TOO YOUNG FOR THAT!" She screamed. "I mean, I know I'd like to get married someday but I'm much too young for that."
"I see. The reason why I asked is that women in my land are married by age 16. Their parents arrange the marriage at birth. Have your parents done that?"
She shook her head. "No, here women are allowed to choose who they want to marry."
He nodded his head. "For love then."
She nodded. "Yes, for love. I don't know how anyone can marry someone they don't love. What about you are you be... betrothed?"
He shook his head. "I was once, it was an arranged marriage and I never met her. She was killed by Beryl."
"I'm so sorry," Serena said with genuine sympathy. "That must suck."
"Suck?" He laughed. "I'm sorry Serena but your words are simply entertaining. Suck." He said as he laughed. "So what do women your age do then?"
"We go to school. We play games. We hang out. We go guy hunting and we go SHOPPING!"
"Such an unusual life you have Serena," he said as he laughed.
"Darien," said a tall shapely redhead. "Here are the reports for Mr. Hitoshi," she handed Darien the reports.
"Thanks Peg," he said with a smile.
"So when are you going to ask me out, Darien? Here I am wearing these cute little outfits just for you and you haven't even looked me," She asked as she pouted.
"I've looked at you Peg."
"No, I mean REALLY look at me," she said as she bent over flashing her ample breast.
"Sorry Peg, I like you but not that way. There is someone waiting for me. Excuse me, I have to take these to Mr. Hitoshi."
"Find the Imperium Silver Crystal," a voice whispered to him. "Find the Imperium Silver Crystal."
"Did you say something Peg," Darien said as he turned around to see that Peg was gone. "Must be my imagination."
"Find the Imperium Silver Crystal," a voice whispered to him. "Find the Imperium Silver Crystal."
Darien looked around the hallway that he was standing in. No one was in the hallway and for some reason the air in his surroundings felt different. Thicker, heavier, something wasn't right. The lights in the hallway flickered and what appeared to be fog began to permeate the hallway.
"Who is there?" He demanded.
"Find the Imperium Silver Crystal," the voice whispered as the silhouette of a woman in a long flowing white dress emerged in the "fog."
"Who are you?" He demanded of the silhouette.
"I am who I was my love," the silhouette replied. "Find the Imperium Silver Crystal and you will release me from my prison!"
"But where can I find the Imperium Silver Crystal?" He asked as he reached out to the retreating silhouette.
"Find the Imperium Silver Crystal!" She said as she and the fog disappeared.
"Wait!" He said to the apparition disappeared. "How am I to find it? And who are you?"
The doors to the Crown Arcade chimed opened while Endymion stood outside the doors with Serena tugging on his shirt.
"Amazing!" He said as he stood in awe of self-opening doors. "Doors that magically open on their own."
"No silly, it's not magic," Serena said as she smiled at the prince. "It's electricity!"
"Electricity? What is that?"
"It's science and I'm terrible at science. Next time you see Amy, ask her." Serena said as she dragged Endymion into the arcade.
The lights and noises of the games filled the arcade. Endymion stood in awe of it all not really sure if this was a good idea or not. While he was a warrior there were even things warriors feared doing. Being in a place completely foreign of everything he knew or could imagine was one of them. At that moment he wished he were battling a dozen youma then to be in a room filled with such noise.
"Endy, there is a guy that works here he's my friend and his name is Andrew. He's really good friends with Darien so when he sees you he's gonna mistake you for him. Just go along with it. Ok? If he asks you how you are say fine. Pretty much say fine to anything he asks and if he starts asking for stuff only Darien knows then fake it. Ok?"
"I don't think that would be a wise course Serena. Your friend is bound to know I am not Darien. How about if I pretend to be a relative?"
Serena nodded. "Sounds like a plan! Come on there is a Sailor V game I want you to try!" She said as she dragged him by the hand to the video game.
The area was dark and evil, a place where no mortal would dare to be. It was cold, terribly cold that no mere human would be able to tolerate. It was a cold that came not only from the harsh weather outside but also from the evil that permeated the surrounding.
"The Diamond Monarchy's unrevealed treasure... the Silver Crystal... it might be the legendary Imperium Silver Crystal," the woman said as she stroked the orb in front of her, seeing the world above her. "You, Jadeite will retrieve it for me."
"No! I will retrieve it for you my Queen," a man with long wavy hair said as he materialized into the throne room.
"Nephrite! Don't interfere with my mission!" Yelled the other man. His hair was tied back into a simple ponytail. "Finding the Crystal is my task!"
Nephrite paid no attention to his rival. "My Queen," the other man said as he walked towards the woman sitting on an obsidian throne. "The Earth is my domain! I will deal with this matter now. Allow me my Queen to retrieve the Crystal for you."
"No, my Queen! Allow me! Nephrite has failed all of his missions, this one will be no exception!"
The woman looked at the two men in front of her, amused by their arguments. "Nephrite," she said as she looked at him. Her cold red eyes filled with an evil glee. "If the Diamond Monarchy's legendary gemstone is the Imperium Silver Crystal I will be most pleased." She smiled at him, it like her throne room was cold and hard. "With the power of the Crystal, we will then be able to resurrect our great leader, Queen Metallia! And then we will be able to take over this pathetic world and then the universe!" She laughed which sent chills down the spines of her subjects.
"My Queen! No! Do not send him!" Jadeite yelled.
"Silence!" She screamed at him. "Do you dare question my orders, Jadeite?"
"No my Queen," he said as he bowed to her.
"Nephrite, how will you proceed?" She asked her most favorite of the four generals.
"I have my methods that do not need to concern you," he said as he disappeared from the throne room.
He stepped forward. "How can you allow him to speak to you in that fashion? He has made too many mistakes as it is! Why do you allow him to live?"
"Silence! I do not have to explain myself to you, Jadeite. Nephrite knows he cannot continue to fail me. He is desperate and thus it may push him to accomplish his mission correctly for once. Now leave me!"
Jadeite bowed to the woman on the cold black throne before teleporting out.
"Why does Queen Beryl allow Nephrite to fail and not allow me to show her my potential?" Jadeite said as he teleported to another part of the underground lair. The sound of a piano playing a slow, sad song permeated the air.
"Patience, Jadeite," a man with long flowing blonde hair said as he continued to play the piano. "I have told you many times that you need to learn patience. Let Nephrite retrieve the Crystal from the Diamond Monarchy. We will then take it from him and be rid of ourselves of him once and for all."
"But what if he fails? Then what?" He said as slammed his fist onto the piano much to the annoyance of his mentor.
"Then he loses the favor of the Queen. One way or another Nephrite will die," he said as the tempo of the song picked up.
"Hey Serena!" Molly said as she ran up to her friend. "Hi Darien!" She looked at Serena then at Darien. "When did you two become such good friends?"
"This isn't Darien, Molly." Serena said as she smiled at the redhead. "This is Endymion. He's Darien's cousin from America."
"Oh hi! I'm Molly. I'm Serena's friend."
"Charmed," he said as he took her hand and kissed the back of it.
Molly blushed a beet red color. "Oh you're definitely not Darien!" She said as she giggled. "Did you hear the news?"
Serena shook her head. "No. What news?"
Molly squealed with delight. "Oh, it's simply the best! The Crowned Princess of the Diamond Monarchy is visiting Japan! Right now she's touring Tokyo before she meets up with the Emperor and Empress!"
"Uh huh, and?" She replied not impressed with the news.
"And, Melvin says that their country is the number one producer of diamonds in the world! There's going to be a banquet in her honor at the Diamond Embassy and she will reveal to the world the legendary Silver Crystal!"
Endymion reached out and grabbed Molly by the arm. "Did you say, Silver Crystal? Is it the Imperium Silver Crystal?"
Molly was stunned. "Uh, I don't know. All I know is that mama called it the Silver Crystal and it's supposed to be worth a fortune! Princess Selena will be revealing it tonight and I get to go with my mom to the banquet!"
Serena's jaw dropped. Could it be? She wondered to herself. That Princess Selena is actually the Moon Princess reborn? "Oh! I want to go!" Serena said as she jumped up from her stool.
"Sorry Serena, it's by invitation only. Mom and I get to go only because we own a jewelry store. At any rate, I gotta go get ready! The banquet is only in a couple of hours. Bye!" Molly ran out of the arcade.
"Serena, we simply must see this Princes Selena. If her crystal is the Imperium Silver Crystal maybe she can help me get back to my kingdom and stop Beryl before she takes over the world. Maybe she's the Moon Princess the Senshi have been looking for," Endymion said as he grabbed her wrist and began to drag her out of the arcade.
"Hey! Wait! Don't be so rushed. It's by invitation only. Let's go back to Raye's and come up with some kind of plan. Ok?"
A frustrated Endymion looked down at the petite blonde. "She's so beautiful. It's a shame that we're from different worlds." He smiled. "You're right, Serena. Let's go. I've got to come up with some kind of plan to find out if she's the Moon Princess."
"The Princess?" Mina said as they sat outside of the shrine. Artemis and Luna had joined them and sat at her feet but didn't speak in the presence of Endymion.
"I wonder if this princess is the same princess the Senshi are looking for," Amy said.
"She could be and her crystal maybe the Imperium Silver Crystal. My only hope," Endymion replied. "The question is how will I be able to get to her."
"No Endy, the question is how will WE be able to get to her. After all, we're going to help you."
The raven hair man shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that. After all, if Beryl is in this place too then it will be too dangerous for you girls to get involved. You're simply, normal human beings. I've fought against magical creatures before, never against Beryl's youma, but magical creatures nevertheless. I was trained for this, you weren't." He said as he stood and began to walk away. "Look, what ever happens I want you to know that I appreciate your help and your kindness. I won't be any more trouble," he said as he kissed her hand before running off.
Serena stood and ran after him. "No! Wait!" He stopped and turned to face her. "Look, we maybe normal girls but this is our world. We can help you. There's lots of security around her and it's gonna be hard for you to get in! Please let us help!" She looked up into his face, her eyes pleaded with him.
He looked down at her, the urge to kiss her overcame him. "She's so very beautiful and she has a kind aura around her. If only there were more time..." He shook his head. "No. I will do this on my own," he said as he ran from the shrine's grounds and from her.
"Oh Luna! He's going to get into trouble!" She cried out to her the black cat. "I don't think this Princess Selena is the Moon Princess. I'm sure of it!"
"Serena, the girls have filled Artemis and I in and we think you're allowing yourself to get carried away by your emotions. I remember that contact between the Moon Kingdom and Earth was forbidden in those times because of Beryl. If I remember correctly, Endymion was the Prince of Earth and fell in love with Serenity."
Artemis nodded his head. "And if this Endymion hasn't met Serenity yet, it means that you all have to be careful and not influence him. If he is the Endymion of the past then he needs to be sent back, somehow. We cannot change the past no matter how much we want too."
"Well, with all that security we won't even be able to get into the banquet!" Serena said as she sat down on the steps.
"We know that already, Meatball Head!" Raye said as she balled up her fist and yelled at the blonde. "It's our job to protect the princess and find a way to get to her."
"Raye, you don't have to be so mean!" Mina yelled at the other girl.
"Look, let's just be in that area tonight in case of trouble with Beryl's minions," Lita said as Serena began to wail. "If this Selena is our princess then we can simply transform into the Senshi and get to her. If she's not, well, we'll keep looking for Princess Serenity one way or another."
"Good idea, Lita!" Amy said. "And Serena, you still have the Luna Pen right?"
The blond wiped the tears from her face as she nodded. "Yea, I still have it. Why?"
"Well, you can use it to transform yourself into someone important and get in. If Selena is Princess Serenity you can then reveal yourself to her as Sailor Moon and then contact us on the communication pads."
"Oh yea! Why didn't I think of that!" Serena said as she laughed and put a hand behind her head and scratched it.
The girls' faces faltered when Serena said that and they all began to laugh.
"Alright! Let's meet up tonight then. Serena, you better get home first or your mom is going to kill you!" Amy said.
"Oh my gosh! That's right! I missed school today. Mom and dad are going to have a fit! Hopefully I won't get grounded! See ya tonight!" Serena said as she ran off towards her home.
"She'll never change," Raye said to the others. "So we better plan this better..."
"Serena, you need to get a better sense of duty," Luna said as she ran next to the girl.
"Yea, yea, yea." Serena stood in front of the door. "Mom is going to kill me! I just know it!" She opened the door and walked into the house. "I'm home!"
"Welcome home!" Kenji said as he continued to comb his hair.
"Hi dad! Why are you all dressed up?" Serena said as she shut the door. "So far so good."
"Your mother and I are going out tonight. Sammy is staying with friends," he replied as he looked at himself in the hallway mirror.
"Out? Where?" Serena asked.
"Oh hi, honey!" Ikkuko said as she came downstairs dressed in an elegant black dress. He long hair was swept up and pinned with several small clips with butterflies. Ringlets framed her face and she wore a long gold chain that was so thin it looked as it were made of a gold spider's thread. On the chain was an opal in the shape of butterfly. She looked elegant and beautiful.
"Wow mom! You look great!" Serena said as she rarely saw her mother so dressed up. "So where are you guys going?"
"Well dear, your father was invited to the Diamond Monarchy Embassy as part of his job and can take a guest. So I'm going to! Isn't that exciting?" She said, her voice full of excitement.
"Can I come! Please! Can I?" Serena begged. "No fair! I want to go too!"
"Sorry, Serena," Kenji replied. "I'm going as a magazine reporter. It's my job assignment. Luckily I can take your mother with me but I can't take you. Sorry, dear," he said as he kissed his daughter on the forehead. "Maybe next time."
"See you later dear," Ikkuko said as she walked over to her daughter. "Be good ok. I left dinner for you in the over, you just need to heat it up." She said as she and Kenji walked out the door.
Serena watched as her parents left. "Not fair! Why can everyone else go but me?"
"Well if you remember Serena, the Senshi can't go in either but we'll be there ourselves."
"Oh yea! I forgot!" Serena said. "Well at least I'm not in trouble for missing school today."
"Come on! Let's get to the Embassy," Luna said. "Transform yourself into someone important!"
"Moon Power! Turn me into an important person to get into this party!" She said as she raised the Luna Pen. Ribbons of light surrounded Serena. When lights faded away, Serena stood in the middle of the hallway dressed in a long silvery white gown. Her long hair was still in the customary style. A small white gold tiara studded with diamonds and pearls rest gently on her head. "Well? How do I look?"
"Very much like a princess. Let's just hope you don't klutz out!" Luna said as she jumped off the hallway table.
Tuxedo Mask stood at the gates of a large building. He could see the outline it wondered was it a castle? Where was he?
"The Crystal!" A voice whispered to him. The fog surrounded him but he began to run towards the voice.
He looked up at a balcony partially hidden by the fog and could see her outline. Silver sparkles of light surrounded the hidden woman. He could see her hairstyle, a unique one he had seen before yet could not place. Her face was once again hidden by the mists. "You! I know you! Who are you? What do you want from me?"
"The Imperium Silver Crystal. Please find it!"
"What is that? Where can I find it?"
"Find it for me," she said as she disappeared into the moonlight and the fog. "Find it and you will find me! Please my love! There isn't much time left!"
The wind blew his curtains and the window slammed shut. Darien sat up from his sofa. "Was it just a dream?" He said as he grabbed the clock from the side table. "Eight o'clock. It's early. Damn, I shouldn't have taken that nap," he said as he stretched. It had been a long weird day since his double showed up on his doorstep along with Serena.
To be continued...
As you may have noticed for this last chapter, I tried to incorporate the episode "Worth A Princess' Ransom" (English dub title) & "Romance Under The Moon! Usagi's First Kiss!" (Japanese title) and I mixed in a bit of the live action series. Yes I broke "the rule" about mixing the different series but I think it made this chapter pretty decent and true. This chapter was originally written and published before the live action series aired in 2003-2004 but I decided to rewrite it a bit so it mirrors a little more of the PGSM series.
Also note that in the original Japanese anime version Princess Selena was named Diaya and in the DiC version she named Princess Diamond. Well if DiC can change the name so can I:)
I know that Mina and Lita do not show up in the SM series until a few episodes after that one (Jupiter shows up like three episodes later and Venus about eight episodes after Jupiter) so indulge me. ;) In my story the embassy banquet takes place after they show up.