A/N: Thank you everyone for your reviews! This chapter is dedicated to EightofSwords, who I love worship, and Wren Truesong, whom I love dearly. No one got the quote from last time? The title's another quote, and they're both written by the same person. /grins/ Can anyone tell me who it is? Yes, it's supposed to be 'glisters', not 'glistens'.

Anyway, thanks for your tolerance, and I'm sorry it took me so long to write this much. Please review!

Soul of Fire, Heart of Ice

Chapter Two

'All that Glisters is not Gold'

Usagi checked her watch, frowning in consternation. "It's nearly four, and I have to be home by five. Do you mind if we took the shortcut through the park?"

Her companion's eyes lit up. "Oh yes! I hear the gardens there are lovely."

Usagi grinned cheerfully, steering her new friend to the left. "Hai, the rose ones are the prettiest."

Ginny laughed softly. "I'm more of a lily, lavender and lilac person, myself," she commented. "Scents and beauty –"

"But nothing beats the rose," Usagi protested. "They are, after all, the symbol of love."

Her companion smiled bitterly. "Love," Ginny said with a cynical twist of her red mouth, "is an illusion," the older girl sighed, "but oh, such a beautiful one," she murmured.

"Ginevra-san, how could you say such a thing?" Usagi was genuinely concerned. "Love sustains and nurtures. It makes –"

"– and breaks," Ginny finished with a snort. Her eyes gentled when they met the blonde's sad ones. "Your soul is beautiful, and your admirable ability to open your heart to those around you is nothing short of incredible." A white-gloved hand reached up to push a few errant red locks away from a suddenly drawn and tired face. "I hope you will never lose that capacity, Usagi."

Not knowing how to reply to that, the blonde merely nodded sombrely and they continued their walk in silence.

Harry was almost frantic. Luna at his heels, he ploughed through the busy sidewalk, keen green eyes searching desperately for either Usagi's unique hairstyle or Ginny's flaming tresses. Cursing fluently and ignoring Luna's reproachful gaze, he stopped abruptly as a wave of…he didn't know what it was, but he was going to find out what had just caused the tingle warning him that all was not as it should be.

Luna clawed at his pant leg. "The park," she hissed, just loud enough for him to hear. "The Dark Kingdom – traces of their energy – it's in the park! The girl can wait, but it's best to eliminate the threat first. That way, everyone will be safe."

Nodding sharply, he scooped the startled cat into his arms. Apparating to the other side of the road, he materialised running. "I was hoping to make contact with the Prince first. Without him, I may not draw on the Earth's power."

"You command lightning, don't you?" She nodded at the black leather and silver gauntlet he wore over his left hand.

He glared, shifting the gauntleted hand so that it was out of sight. "Yes, but Pluto told me that everything here belongs to Prince Endymion – it's not my world, so I have no right to control any of its power." He sighed. "Not without paying a price."

"Prince Endymion…I know that name."

"You should. He was Serenity-hime's betrothed and beloved in the Silver Millennium." He felt the cat stiffen in his arms. "What?"

Luna bared her teeth. "His seduction of her brought about the fall of our Millennium and the death of billions."

Harry sighed: he hated being the reasonable one. "I hear he loved her very much. You admitted that you don't have all your memories, so just keep an open mind for now." He slowed to a brisk walk, looking around carefully. "I have no way of sensing this kind of energy. Magic, I can do, but auras and such, I can't; Ginny was always better at them, provided she had something to track." He shot a wry look at the black feline. "So…a helping hand would be nice."

Luna frowned, the crescent moon on her brow glowing slightly. "I can't say…just try and look around, because I can't elaborate further."

Harry's expression was wry. "Detailed, much?"

Luna swiped a paw at him. "Less talk, more run."

"Of course, Milady," he said sardonically, and he continued to walk for a few more moments, simply for the sake of being contrary.

Usagi inhaled deeply. "This is it: the rose gardens." She smiled slightly at a silent Ginny. "The city's pride and joy."

"It is beautiful," Ginny smiled, looking around. Couples and a few families occupied the benches, and a pond filled with waterfowl boasted a few groups feeding the ducks that swam there. However, it was the roses themselves that caused her to draw her breath in sharply. Roses upon roses of every breed and variety grew there. From wine to white, from hedges to climbers, from bouquet to dwarf: they had them all. She sniffed delicately at the air. "Enchanting aroma," she commented distantly.

Usagi grinned. "Isn't it?" she agreed, sighing. They closed their eyes for a while.

Ginny rose first and it was with regret. "Usagi-chan, you have to be back by five, remember? It's ten after four, so…"

Usagi nodded. "I –"

"KAIJUU!"

Ginny looked about sharply. "What?"

Usagi was equally bewildered. "It was coming from the pond area," she grabbed Ginny's hand and began to drag her away. "Which means we are going in the opposite direction, because I'm not waiting around to find out whether or not there really is a monster, or just a bratty two-year-old."

To Usagi's surprise, Ginny shook her off and sprinted towards the shouts and screams. Biting her lip, the blonde debated on what to do. When the screams stopped, however, a chill ran up her spine. Fear froze her, but her resolve strengthened. How could she ever live with herself if Ginevra-san got hurt and she'd a chance to help?

A defiant shout split the eerie silence. Realising she'd been standing there for Kami knows how long, she ran in its direction, but not before tripping over a displaced flagstone. Getting up, a hot flush warming her cheeks and body, she bit her lip and continued on her way.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Ginny slowed as she neared the pond edge, crouching low to the ground in an effort to make herself a smaller target. Cinnamon-amber eyes flashed, and Ginny raised her gloved hand, calling her power to her. As her mage's staff thudded squarely into the palm of her hand, Ginny prepared to draw upon the energy of her element when the slender redhead was swamped in a rage not her own and a fierce, almost contemptuous emotion as the very magic that was a part of her heritage rejected her.

She was buffeted and bruised and her magic torn forcefully from her, mouth opened in a soundless keen of agony. Ginny suffered in forced silence as she was violated. Her magic, mind and soul cried out as they were raped over and over again.

Thou shalt not command us, the entity whispered into her mind even as her body spasmed uncontrollably. We recognise thy heritage, daughter of Ignus, but our allegiance lies with our Prince and none other. Thou shalt be punished for thy meddling. The voice sounded almost regretful as Ginny regained control of her voice.

She immediately began to scream.

As Ginny lay there, writhing in pain so intense she could barely breathe, she never saw the forgotten demon smirk and attack.

She never saw the black blur that blocked the missile with cold efficiency.

She felt the torture suddenly stop, and its sudden absence sent her spiralling into shock and unconsciousness.

She heard, her heart flipping weakly, Harry's – her Harry's – voice.

"Sleep now, love, and I'll wake you when I've kicked their asses," he murmured.

Smiling painfully, she slipped into darkness.

Feeling Ginny's awareness disappear from their link, but still feeling her, Harry spared a quick moment to check on her wellbeing. He winced at what he found.

"You'll be feeling that tomorrow, lovey," he whispered, clenching his staff tightly as self-loathing filled him to the brim. He was so foolish to think he could have left and have her not follow him. If he had told her from the start, she wouldn't be in this…condition. Not only was her mind suffering from the unwelcome occupation of her 'visitor', the bond between her and her natural fire element had been brutally severed, and her soul was ailing. It would take her months before she could even sit up again, unless he somehow managed to locate Endymion and get him to heal her.

Taking care not to draw on his lightning heritage and elemental magic, he focused his magic on the emerald capping his long ironwood staff and watched as it morphed into a curved blade composed of the same jewel. A quick summoning charm and hasty transfiguration spell had a serviceable wooden shield reinforced with thick iron bands strapped to his arm.

Harry looked around for the – what was it Luna and Pluto had called them again? – youma and blinked in confusion as he spotted what appeared to be tightly-shut giant scallop shells lying scattered on the pathways around the pond, much like the one he had knocked away from Ginny earlier. Scanning the pond itself, he saw that the youma was sitting perched on a little island a couple of metres out.

The youma was in the form of what Muggles imagined merpeople to look like, save for the fact that this one was most definitely female. Its 'endowments' were very obvious. Mermaid-youma waved at him, giggling girlishly as she picked up a large conch. Harry tensed, bringing up the glaive. It was awkward handling it with a shield in the other hand, but he was a master at the staff and he was fighting defensively anyway. He watched semi-apprehensively as the youma brought the shell to her lips and inhaled through it. Silver-grey streams of energy streamed towards it, disappearing into the youma.

Harry blinked again.

'Well…that's something else,' he thought. Transfiguring the shield into a low stone wall that hid Ginny, he took up a defensive stance in front of it. He would probably need both hands for this.

"Harry-oniisan?"

Harry blinked and stared into startled cerulean eyes. His peripheral vision registered a quick movement and he shoved Usagi out of the way with one hand before destroying the open scallop shell with a blast of pure magic using the other.

"Get down behind that wall," he said harshly, not looking at her, "and keep it down. Luna, you might want to give it to her now. It wasn't in the job description for me to win any battles for other people."

He could almost feel the weight of Usagi's hurt gaze as she crawled behind the four-foot-high granite wall, but paid it no heed as he blasted three more shells out of the air and deflected another two with his staff. Leaning on the crosspiece of his weapon, he took on an air of false nonchalance. "Who are you, and who sent you?" he called to the Mermaid-youma.

She was starting to get peeved at his careless attitude, and he could see it. "I am Mistaya, gem of waters. I shall –"

Harry had tuned out. His pupils dilating visibly, he leaned forward and locked gazes with the youma. "Answer me," he snarled.

"Jadeite, the Sun Shitennou," the youma replied automatically. Shaking her head free of the temporary trance Harry's emerald eyes had her in, she renewed her assault with a shriek of rage. "And he will reward me beyond dreams when I bring you, your corpse to him! He has not expected such opposition, and –" it cut off, suddenly looking horrified at itself.

Harry smirked. 'Not expecting such opposition, hmmm? Well, I'm sure Usagi and her senshi will indulge this Jadeite as soon as they wake…'

Harry sighed as he sliced right through one of the shells, disintegrating it. This was getting boring pretty fast. He only hoped that Luna would make her explanations brief, and that Usagi would accept it. He didn't think he could resist the temptation to fry the bloody mermaid's arse and find himself catatonic as well.

Usagi trembled behind the protective stone barrier as she listened to the erratic crashes and sluphoom noises the shells made as they dissolved. One thing she couldn't understand was that Harry, Harry Potter, was here. The Harry who knocked her on her butt when he grilled her in staff work. The Harry who could manipulate lightning and to a lesser extent, fire and air. The Harry who had stepped up to his destiny and met it with a bad joke and a smirk. The Harry who seemed, in daylight and wakefulness, nothing more than the product of an overexcited imagination.

"Kami-sama," she breathed. It was him. He gave off that air of power, hidden thinly behind a laughing, cheerful young man who cracked ecchi jokes and possessed a skull so thick and dense it could be used as an icebreaker. "He's here!"

"Yes, he is," an authoritative female voice said wryly. A small black cat with a golden crescent moon blazoned on its forehead placed its paws on Usagi's right knee, intelligent red eyes gazing into startled blue ones.

Usagi stared.

Closing her eyes, she counted to ten, and back to one, and pictured her bedroom. Obviously, she was still dreaming and the entire day was a mistake. Harry was not here, Ginny was a wistful wish for an older sister and a kindred soul, the youma was her hope that Juuban would wake up and not be so sleepy, and the cat was just…a cat. Cats didn't talk.

"Iie, Usagi-san, you are not dreaming," the same voice seemed to read her mind and a hint of amused exasperation tinted its tone. "Sweet Serenity, why in the name of the Moon do I have to be confronted with this kind of narrow-mindedness on this backward, barbaric planet?" it muttered.

Usagi's eyes snapped open. "Earth is not a 'backward, barbaric planet'!" she bit out before clapping a hand over her mouth. 'Great, not only am I dreaming about talking cats, but I'm dreaming about responding to them and actually taking them seriously! I must have had too much of that lemon pie last night….'

The cat fixed her with a stern look as its tail swayed slowly in the air. "My apologies, Usagi-san," it said. It sounded like it was speaking behind gritted teeth.

Feeling a little guilty for some strange reason she couldn't name, Usagi sighed. "Okay, assuming I'm not dreaming all of this up, what's the deal?"

The feline sat back on her haunches and surveyed the blonde with contemplative eyes. "Usagi-san, I'll have you know first of all that my memory is hardly at its best after a thousand years in stasis."

Usagi's eyes bulged somewhat unattractively. "NANI! ONE THOUSAND YEARS?"

Luna shrugged semi-nonchalantly, although she had jumped a little at Usagi's loud exclamation. "Hai, one thousand years. All I an tell you now is that one thousand years ago, there was a Kingdom on the Moon ruled by a Queen Serenity. She had one daughter, a beautiful girl who was Crown Princess to the entire Solar System. Each planet, save Earth and the Moon, had a representative fighter for the Moon Princess. These were the Sailor Senshi.

"However, there was a horrible attack that decimated the entire system, and by the time Queen Serenity had banished the evil, it was too late. Serenity was dead, the senshi were dead, her Kingdom dead. In a last act of desperation, she used the Ginzuishou, the Imperium Silver Crystal, to send all her court and her daughter's court to the future, where it was presumably safe, to live out ordinary lives where they hadn't a chance before with the evil looming over them.

"My quest is to locate all of the Sailor Senshi and find the nijizuishou, the Rainbow Crystals. When those seven crystals are assembled together, the Ginzuishou will appear, and when the Ginzuishou appears, the Princess will emerge. You see, the evil that Queen Serenity banished has returned, perhaps more powerful than ever, and we are needed to fight it."

Luna lowered her head to the ground, picked something up in her mouth and dropped it delicately on Usagi's lap. The blonde, who had been listening to Luna in somewhat of a daze, let out a startled whimper.

'The brooch!' she thought, heart hammering in her chest. 'How…?' She picked it up and nearly dropped it as an unexplainable warmth flowed through her, warming her numb body. A gem resting between the upturned points of a crescent moon, four coloured stones on the compass points of the broach. It was heavy, and obviously crafted from solid gold. The one she had drawn on her copy of the periodic table.

"What is –" her voice cracked embarrassingly and she let out a nervous giggle before trying again. "What is this?"

Luna regarded her through a strangely sympathetic gaze. "You know the words…say them."

She did. Thrusting her hand in the air, brooch clenched tightly in whitened fingers, she opened her mouth.

Playing a game of tag in rose gardens with four other young ladies, gowns floating ethereally around their slender forms as a small, dark-haired woman wearing a yellow and black dress watched them with a fond smile.

Gasping from the sudden onslaught of images, she felt something ancient and undeniable, though somehow wrong, course through her. "Moon…"

Dancing in the arms of a heartbreakingly handsome young man in black armour beneath the moonlight, his sapphire gaze loving as the Earthlight threw his beautiful features into sharp relief, lips brushing gently against hers.

"Prism…"

Weeping over the corpse of that same young man, his expressive eyes glazed in death, his blood still seeping into the ground before grabbing a heavy broadsword and thrusting its point through her heart, falling into darkness.

"POWER!"

Her clothes dissolved instantly before pink ribbons sprang out of nowhere to cover her modesty, wrapping around her torso to coalesce into a formfitting white bodysuit with a sailor's bib attached to the shoulders. More ribbons wrapped around her arms and legs to solidify into white gloves and shiny, red, high-heeled boots.

A pleated, dark blue skirt sprouted from the bodysuit material low on her hips, large red jewels appeared in her hair and a crescent moon insignia shone briefly golden on her forehead before a golden tiara with a single red stone covered it. A red ribbon not unlike that which was pinned to her school uniform covered her chest region and the brooch was attached securely to the knot of it. A white half-mask concealed her eyes.

She finished her transformation in a rather ridiculous salute-pose and dropped her hands immediately to try yanking the impossibly short skirt down in an effort to make it come a little lower than a few inches past her hips. The bodysuit merely stretched, her bust threatening to spill out of it if she pulled any harder. She stopped immediately, gloved hands covering her blushing face.

"Shimatta!" she groaned in mortification. "It's so short!"

Luna smiled slightly. "Sailor Moon, do you pledge to fight the darkness and defend the princess? Do you promise to use your powers for just reasons and aid us in our quest?"

Usagi looked mournfully at her fuku. "It's not like I have a choice, do I?" she muttered. "I have the power, I should help. Running is for cowards."

She looked up and narrowed her eyes determinedly, leaping the low stone wall easily. "HEY, UGLY!" she yelled, distracting it momentarily. The Mermaid-youma looked quizzically at her, readying yet another salvo of shells. "Yeah, I'm talking to you! I am Sailor Moon, fighter for love and justice. The park is for families and friends to enjoy themselves after a hard day of school and work! For tainting its purpose of fun and relaxation, I will punish you!" She heard Harry snort in amusement and flushed, dropping her pose again. What in the name of ramen and meatballs was she doing?

"Sailor Moon, eh? Never heard of you," the youma giggled girlishly before narrowing its eyes. "But by the time I'm done, there won't be anything left to hear of!" Sailor Moon jumped as several shells rattled past, two deflected by a bored-looking Harry and the rest evaporating harmlessly as they hit nothing but the brick path. Unfortunately, she landed direction in the path of yet another shell.

Yelping as it grazed her hip before she stumbled out of the way, she looked around for some kind of weapon. "I don't have a weapon!" she wailed before clapping her hands over her mouth in horrification. She never did that. Harry shoved her out of the way as yet another shell landed where she had stood.

The Mermaid-youma lifted the conch to her mouth and inhaled again. Streams of grey were vacuumed into the trumpet-shaped shell, and it was coming from the large, closed scallop-shells littering the area.

"Don't get caught by one of those!" Harry bellowed. "They trap you in it and drain your energy for the youma to collect!"

Sailor Moon nodded before tripping over a shell and sprawling to the hard ground. She frowned even as she rolled out of the way of yet another shell. She was never this clumsy, either! But she had to find a weapon now….

Grabbing a low-hanging tree branch, she tore it off completely. Wondering at her strength, she leapt the five feet to the rock and brought the branch down forcefully on the youma's head. A splintery crack was heard.

The branch broke cleanly in two.

'Oh…damn'

"Oh…damn!" Harry gaped. How could he forget? Water was strong against earth, which was exactly what the branch had become when Sailor Moon had torn it from its tree. "Sailor Moon, get away!"

"I'm trying!" Sailor Moon scrabbled desperately at bank mud and pebbles before she staggered to her feet and leapt back towards land. The youma looked stupefied for a moment, feeling its head and obviously finding the huge lump growing on it.

"You, little girl," the youma hissed angrily, "will die!" She clapped her hands and a funnel of water formed. Sailor Moon tripped over as she tried to leap away. Seeing death loom in front of her, she was somewhat surprised to feel herself scooped up in strong arms, a red rose halting the attack.

"Thanks Ha…" she trailed off meekly as her gaze encountered a domino mask like her own and unfairly handsome features. Dark eyes crinkled slightly at her. "…rry" she finished weakly.

"I assume 'Harry' is the bored-looking man with the pigsticker?" the stranger asked wryly. "I assure you, I am not he." He set her down, and she saw that he wore a black tuxedo, a heavy black cape lined in red and a top hat. He cut a rather dashing figure, and Sailor Moon couldn't help but blush. Flashing a heart-melting smile at the star-struck senshi, he smiled slightly. "Nice speech, by the way."

Sailor Moon moaned in mortification as he leapt away from her.

Harry looked incredulously at the crazy tuxedoed wannabe throwing roses at the over-endowed youma. The dark-haired elemental slashed at a shell that got a little too close as he shook his head in disbelief. "Elektra's fire...what the hell is he gonna do? Drown it in cocktail juice? Strangle it with his bowtie? Suffocate it with that hat? Even better: kill it with bad poetry?"

"TUXEDO LA SMOKING BOMBER!" A wave of fizzling energy hurtled towards the youma, wrapping itself around its target in a suffocating black shroud. A few moments later, it exploded, leaving the demon shrieking in pain. Harry looked at the wannabe with new respect.

"Other than the fact that the attack's name was completely gay, that was pretty good."

The wannabe smiled tightly, mockingly tipping his hat in Harry's direction. Harry rolled his eyes back and cheerfully returned it with a rather rude hand gesture before blasting several shells out of existence.

The masked man in the tux threw another rose and it lodged itself securely in the youma's right eye. "Now, Sailor Moon!"

Sailor Moon looked blankly at him.

Luna's voice floated towards her. "…oon…tia…tion …"

In a sudden flash of understanding, Sailor Moon grabbed her tiara, feeding it with a well of power deep inside her. "Moon…Tiara…" As it blazed with destructive energy, she hurled it discus-style at the Mermaid-youma, who was still clawing at the rose and shrieking in pain. "ACTION!"

The youma disintegrated into greyish dust instantly. The scallop shells faded, streams of energy trailing back into the humans that had been trapped in them.

She whirled around to thank the masked man, but he had vanished. Sighing, she walked back towards Harry, who had immediately vaulted back over the stone wall and was tending to Ginny. Suddenly, a thornless rose thudded into the pathway at her feet, startling her. A tiny note was attached to it with a silk ribbon – his white bowtie.

A good throw.

Know that I will always be there for you, in any shape and form, Sailor Moon.

Also, it is running that is cowardly. Retreating is not.

- Tuxedo Kamen.

Letting her transformation fall away in a whirl of ribbons and light, she stared at the note.

Her head dropping forward, she groaned. "Great. I have a stalker."

A/N: Review, please!