Hey guys sorry for the wait but I've been busy. I'm working on my first
Inuyasha fic and trying to get my Sailormoon sight up and running and I
haven't had much time for this fic. But now here it is. For those of you
who read She Who Must Stand Alone I'll have a new chapter out soon I
promise Since this fic gets the most reviews it took top priority.
...
Chapter Thirty
"Nephlite? Nephlite what is it?" Malachite demanded anxiously as he watched his friend fall to his knees.
Nephlite looked up at him with blank unseeing eyes. "Something's wrong." He said harshly "Something's very wrong. I can't explain it."
"Allow me."
Malachite's eyes narrowed as the owner of that voice appeared before them. Jedite. "What's happening Jedite?"
"It's simple really. The Dark Prince has betrayed Beryl, as I knew he would. And now she wants to clean house. All those who are deemed untrustworthy will be destroyed."
Nephlite gave a bitter laugh. Beryl would never change. And now she was running scared. But what had caused such a reaction? It couldn't have been the Dark Princes defection alone. No, something else was going on. Something besides his defection that was causing this outright panic. "What's really going on Jedite? What is Beryl so afraid of?" he gave Jedite a condescending smile "Or didn't she tell you?"
Jedite glared at him angrily. It would be so easy for him to kill him now. He was just sitting there on the floor trembling like a newborn baby. He always was sensitive. And it looked like he finally caught a taste of something he wasn't quite prepared to handle. Which gave him reason to pause. What could he have sensed that would have made him react to this extreme? He was right about one thing Beryl was in a strange mood. And if he hadn't known better he too would have sworn that she was afraid of something. But that was preposterous wasn't it? After all she's the Queen of the Negaverse what did she have to be afraid of?
.....
Beryl fought back her rising panic and refused to show even the hint of fear. And yet she couldn't quite manage to stop her hands from trembling. And for that she cursed them. She wasn't beaten yet. She refused to all them this victory. Even now she hears the whispers of those who think to abandon her and join the Dark Prince. And that was something she couldn't allow to continue. She'd destroy them all before she permitted that to happen.
"You called for me my Queen?"
Beryl instinctively tensed. And as she did so her rage grew to new bounds. Even when she identified that there was no threat she refused to allow her body to relax. Because to do so would be admitting that for a brief moment she had feared that they had returned. It was degrading.
How could she have stumped to this? It was demeaning to realize that she the great Queen Beryl was afraid. And she was afraid. She could no longer deny it even to herself. But it wasn't simply the Dark Prince's power that she feared. Even though he had allowed her a glimpse of his true power it wasn't that which caused her the most concern. It was the power that Princess Serena exhibited earlier that caused her the most anxiety. It had been a raw intense power and just as dark as her own.
She could have dealt with the Dark Prince. Even as she reluctantly admitted she could never have survived a head on battle she would have still found away to destroy him. But the two of them joined together? That was what caused her stomach to knot and why her hands refused to stop their trembling. For together they would be unstoppable.
"Zosite" she snapped "The Dark Prince has fled taking Princess Serena with him. I wont stand for this. I want him and all those who show loyalty to him found and destroyed."
Zosite fought to keep her expression blank. The Dark Prince had finally made his move. The only question now was what her next move would be. Should she stand against him with Beryl? Or join him?
"Malachite is already being dealt with.."
What? Zosite gasped just catching the end of what Beryl was saying. Malachite was being dealt with. Oh no that could only mean..
"My Queen surely you can spare him. I'm sure that whatever Sailormoon has done to him you can reverse."
"Did Sailormoon also make him defy me and bring you to her so that she could release you from your captivity? No." She hissed "So there will be no mercy for him. He will die and all those who even think to betray me will perish with him." She looked down at Zosite with a strange gleam in her eye. "If you value your own life Zosite I would advise you to forget about Malachite." She dismissed her with a wave of the hand "Now go. Carry out my orders and report back to me when you're done."
"Yes my Queen" she stated quietly before disappearing
What an ungrateful brat. Beryl thought angrily. How dare she plead for the life of that traitor? She sat back and stroked her staff thoughtfully. Perhaps very soon her services will no longer be needed as well.
.....
Serenity rubbed her arms as a sudden chill settled over her. She made a move to stand and found that she lacked the strength to do so. She gasped fear clutching at her throat. What was happening? Why was she so weak? Was something happening to Serena? All these thoughts rushed through and mind and then suddenly she knew. And with this knowledge the feeling only grew stronger until there was no doubt in her mind of what was occurring.
Don't panic Serenity. She cautioned herself even as her fear reached new heights. You have to relax. Endymion will feel your fear. The thought of Endymion feeling her fear and realizing what was happening was the incentive she needed. Taking deep breaths she managed to calm the wild beating of her heart. She couldn't allow for Endymion to find out what was happening. Not yet. Not before she made one last effort to stop it all from happening. She had to try this. She had no other choice. Forgive me Endymion. But this is something that I just have to do. And with that final thought she vanished.
.....
Sammy found his legs giving out from under him and he slid unceremoniously down to the floor. He had been unashamedly ease dropping on the conversation that the Scout were having with the man who looked liked Darien but called himself Endymion. But he couldn't accept what he had just overheard. How could they believe that Serena could ever become evil? It was unconceivable. His sister evil? It wasn't possible. He wanted to barge in there and tell them that they were wrong. That his sister could never be evil when he heard Mars shouting.
"You could have gone back to stop it. If you could go back to the silver millennium why couldn't you go back to the day she was attacked and prevent this all from happening?"
Sammy resumed his position by the door. He needed to hear the answer to this question himself. Had their really been away to stop this all from happening?
....
"I did." Endymion stated quietly affectively silencing them all. "I did go back and by doing so I almost killed her myself."
"What are you saying?" Neptune asked. What could have happened?
Endymion closed his eyes and tried to fight back the images that were flooding his head. But it wasn't meant to be. It wasn't something he could ever forget. It felt like it happened only yesterday. "I went back" he continued "I went back while the rest of you stayed behind to protect Serena in case Jedite attacked again. My mind was in turmoil. It was hard to concentrate on anything but Serena and what had happened. And when traveling through time and space it's imperative that you focus on the time and place you want to be or you could be lost forever. But despite some close calls I managed to arrive in the past in time.
He opened his eyes to look at them "Finding him was easy. He was hiding out on the roof. Just bidding his time. To say he wasn't expecting me would be an understatement. We fought but he was no match for me. I easily overpowered him." He found his hands clenching as he struggled to fight back his anger. He had come so close to preventing this all from happening. So close.
"Go on." Venus encouraged. She wondered what could have happened when it sounded as if Darien had obviously had the upper hand.
"I was about to strike the finishing blow when.." he paused lost in his memories. He could still feel the pain that had hit him in that instant. A numbing pain that he had experienced before not so long ago.
Uranus walked over to place a hand on his arm "What happened?" she asked softly while the others looked on in shock. She ignored them and instead concentrated on him. She couldn't explain it but his obvious pain was affecting her in a way that she couldn't explain. She only knew that she wanted to comfort him and to take away the source of his pain. She didn't understand this need. But perhaps it was just further proof his identity and something that linked her to this man who claimed to be her Prince and further King.
"Serena happened." he sighed roughly "It was Serena who stopped me."
"How is that possible?" Mars gasped. "How could Serena stop you? Why would she?"
"You have to understand," he stated with difficultly as he tried to work through the pain he was feeling and remain focused. "That at that time we were unaware that Serena's body would only accept my energy.
"So while you were in the past fighting Jedite.?" Neptune trailed off
"Serena was dying." he finished for her. He ran a hand through his hair "I panicked. My only thought was to get back to her. Jedite took advantage of my distraction and attacked. Now I was the one on the defensive. Even as I dodged his attacks my only thought was to get back to her. I was so preoccupied that I failed to notice how late it was and before I knew it Jedite was laughing at me smugly telling me that I was too late." He sighed. "It was then that I realized that I failed to stop the one thing that I came back here to do."
"What happened next?"
He shook his head "I literally felt Serena slipping away from me. And I could hear the anguished cries of my Scouts calling for me."
Venus sniffled tearfully before going up to put her arms around him. Endymion's shoulders shook as he fought to keep his emotions in check. He wanted this over with but they had to know everything. "Serena was running out of time." He patted Venus's arm gratefully but then stepped out of her embrace. He called upon his icy resolve to help him through this "So many feeling and thoughts raced through my mind. The most important thing to me was getting back to Serena but then something Jedite said jerked me out of the haze I had been functioning in ever since I felt Serena's life slipping away."
"Your precious Serena's energy belongs to me now. With it I will revive Beryl and together we will hunt down you and the rest of those pathetic Sailor scouts. You mind as well start running now. But there isn't a place on Earth in which for you to hide."
"It hit me as he said those words that we were all exposed. And even if I saved Serena she still wouldn't be safe. Not as long as he knew who we all were. As long as held that knowledge none of us were safe. But with so little time there wasn't much I could do. Using a technique that I had learned from my daughter I made him forget certain things. And so that he wouldn't suspect anything I replaced the memories I took with different ones. Its not an easy process and I wasn't completely sure it would work considering how little time I had to do it. But I had to try." He responded to their obvious surprise with his own. "Didn't any of you wonder why if he had the knowledge of your identities he never used it?"
The Scouts were silent. No it hadn't occurred to them yet. But it did now. And they realized how worse off things would have been if Jedite had been allowed to pass that information on to Beryl. None of them would have been safe. And that included their family and friends. They looked at Endymion with new eyes as they realized how much they owed him.
.....
The Dark Prince stood out on the balcony and let the cool breeze wash over him. He didn't understand his sullen mood. Serena was his now. Nothing could come between them. The transformation had gone off perfectly. And had been easier than he thought it would. She hadn't even realized what was happening to her. He felt his muscles tense and became aware of the tight grip he had on the banister. Was that it? Was the fact that he hadn't given her any choice in the matter what was bothering? Could he actually be feeling guilty? It didn't make sense. He would have thought that he was beyond feeling an emotion such as guilt.
Dammit. How much longer will he be cursed with these weaknesses? He did what he had to do to keep her. Once he saw her use the dark energy of the Negaverse he knew that he had found away for them to be together.
But why couldn't you give up the darkness inside you and join her in the light? A voice inside him asked
Join her in the light that was ridiculous he was the Dark Prince of the Negaverse.
Is that who you are? The Dark Prince snarled angrily he was no longer that weakling Prince Darien. He would have never allowed anything to take Serena from him.
Darien? A voice sighed only this time it wasn't coming from his subconscious
Startled he swung around and for a brief moment he thought that she had finally awoken. And in that one instant he felt both satisfaction and immense grief. But soon all he felt was confusion as he noticed that she still slept. It wasn't enough that he was arguing with himself he had to hear other voices as well. What was he being reduced too?"
"Darien."
Darien tensed. Now that was not his imagination. He wasn't alone. He let out a startled hiss as she suddenly appeared before him out of nowhere. Dressed in white. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Beautiful and serene.
"Serena." He looked from her back to the figure on the bed and all the rest of pieces to the puzzle started coming together. "It was you." he stated softly "All this time I believed it was her and it was you."
"Darien you have to stop what your doing."
The Dark Prince eyes narrowed. He knew what she was referring to and he didn't like it "She belongs to me." He reached out and caught her by the wrist "As do you."
Serenity gasped as she was suddenly jerked into his arms. She let out a whimper as her body came in contact with his. She could feel the darkness inside him and it scared her. But she could also feel the good inside him. It was faint but it was there and it gave her the courage to face him.
"Is this really what you want?" She demanded
He gave a dark chuckle. "What more is there? I have you. And soon we'll both have the world at our feet." He grasped her chin and tipped her head up so that he could look into her eyes. Yes he had everything he wanted. "And before you return to your body" his smiled widened as he felt her shiver. Yes I know your little secret. "Lets celebrate our new future together with a kiss."
Serenity didn't try to struggle or try to avoid his kiss in fact she accepted it eagerly. And in that kiss she poured all of herself into it. All her love, all her hopes and desires and the purity that came from with them.
The Dark Prince balked and attempted to break the kiss but something inside of him wouldn't allow it. It was then that the Dark Prince realized that he was fighting a battle within himself and losing. As much as he wanted to pull away another part of him wanted to hold on. And it was that part of him that wrapped their arms around her and who deepened the kiss.
Darien groaned as he was instantly filled with her warmth. He grabbed onto it greedily and refused to let it go. He had been cold for so long.
.....
Jedite shook off his misgivings. Yes Beryl was in a strange even dangerous mood but that didn't mean that she was no longer in control. He wasn't about to let Nephlite place doubts in his mind and dampen his resolve to be the one to rule by her side. "As you know." he continued. "I captured the Moon princess." Their startled gasped had him pausing. And he felt his anger rising. He had accomplished the one thing that they had both failed to accomplish and they didn't even know about it.
"Where is she?" Malachite demanded suddenly his eyes blazing with anger "If you've hurt her in anyway."he let the unspoken threat hang in the air. At that moment it didn't matter to him that he was chained up he felt quite capable of fulfilling that threat.
Jedite laughed and rubbed his hands in glee. "Such concern" he cooed "and just what I needed to hear. For you see Malachite Beryl is through playing with you. Now that the Dark Prince has betrayed her and taken the Moon Princess she's determined to eliminate anyone who dares to side against her or nor longer wishes to obey her orders. And that my friend means.."he trailed off when he noticed that Malachite didn't appear to be listening to a word he was saying. And he sighed in disgust. What good would it do to tell him he was about to die when it was obvious that he wasn't even listening? Where was the fun in that?
Malachite was too busy trying to explain the weird things running around inside his head to pay any attention to what Jedite was saying. Prince Darien has turned his back on Beryl and he's taken Princess Serena with him. Does this mean that they have their memories back? Was it possible that this nightmare was almost over? And that soon he will be back where he belonged. He shook his head in confusion. Where he belonged? Where did he belong? He closed his eyes, as mind was flooded with images and emotions.
He could hear the slight whimpering even through the heavy doors. He pushed them open and hurried inside heading straight for the bed and the occupant inside it.
The figure in the bed heard his approach. Already afraid and unable to identify him in the dark he jerked up in the bed a cry ready to fall from his lips.
"Shhh" he whispered before swooping down to take him in his arms. "It's alright. It's only me."
"Malachite." he sighed and his young body slumped against his in relief.
Malachite looked down at him but his features were masked by the darkness.
"Tell me what troubles you." Malachite demanded softly
"I had a bad dream." He admitted his young voice ringing with embarrassment
Malachite sighed glad that it was nothing more serious. Letting him go he stretched out on the bed. And smiled when he felt the small body lie beside him and curl into his own. He slipped an arm around him and whispered. "Go back to sleep. I wont let anything harm you."
"I love you Malachite" he yawned sleepily
Malachite's arm tightened around him in a brief hug. "I love you too"
Malachite felt the small body settle down and knew the exact moment when he fell back to sleep. Yet he made no attempt to leave. He lay there for a while undecided. He knew that he couldn't stay. Even though he was tempted to. He wanted to be here in case he had another dream and needed him. But he also knew that it would only embarrass his young charge if word got out about it. So after awhile he quietly got up and left.
As he closed the doors behind him he heard a sound off to his left. Startled he swung around to face whatever it was. He sighed when his eyes met with a pair of familiar dark fathomless ones.
Before he could ask what he was doing up and about this time of night he stated simply.
"I felt his fear."
Malachite just nodded his head not even questioning it. "He had a nightmare." He explained. "He's resting peacefully now." He then watched as a rare smile graced his friends face.
"It's amazing how much we've all come to love him in such a short time."
Malachite nodded his head in agreement. He was there brother. Not of blood but of the heart. They would do anything for him. And even though they themselves were merely boys of eight they would all give their lives to ensure his.
"It's late. And we both need to find our own beds." He turned to head back to his own room. "Goodnight Malachite." He called over his shoulder
Malachite smiled and turned in the opposite direction. "Goodnight Nephlite.
Malachite was startled out of his thoughts by a loud cry. He had to blink rapidly for his eyes to focus. And when they finally did he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Nephlite was once again on his feet and this time it was Jedite who was on the floor. Only he appeared to be unconscious. He shook his head still a little confused. Was that actually a memory of him and Nephlite as children? Was that even possible? Or was he really losing his mind?
"Are you alright?" Nephlite asked seeing his friends pale complexion.
Malachite didn't answer him. How could he explain what he didn't understand himself? Instead he looked down at Jedite. "What did you do that for?"
Nephlite shot him a bemused look. "You would have preferred for me to let him kill you?"
Malachite's eyes narrowed. Had he been so lost in thought that he had failed to recognize the danger. He looked from Jedite to Nephlite. Apparently. "I had a strange vision." he finally admitted. After all this time Nephlite had been apart of it.
"Really?" He questioned as he began to release the shackle on Malachite's arm. "Was it about that girl again?"
Malachite took a second before answering as his arm was released and it flopped lifelessly to his side. It felt like dead weight. "No"
"Well you can tell me all about it later. But right now I have to get you out of here. He tilted his head in Jedite's direction. "He'll come to soon. And it wont be long before Beryl sends someone after us. Finding the Scouts wont be much of a problem but getting them to trust me will be."
"Wha." Malachite's surprised gasped ended in a moan as his leg was unshackled. "You know where they are?" He finally managed to ask
"It wont be too hard." he assured him "I known their identities for awhile now" he admitted.
Malachite could only gawk at him. And when he finally found his voice Nephlite cut him off.
"I'll explain later. If I'm right there's not much time. We might already be too late. Either way the Scouts are going to need our help." He could only hope that they were in time. He still couldn't believe how stupid he was not have seen it. He knew that the Dark prince would bring about the storm that would destroy everything good and pure in this world but how could he have not seen that Princess Serena was the key? The key to saving the world. And the key to plunging it into forever darkness.
Malachite's response was lost as the last of his chains were removed and his legs literally gave out from under him.
"Whoa" Nephlite cried managing to catch him beneath the arms before he hit the ground "Well I guess that answers my next question. You can't walk."
"What's going on?" a voice cried from behind them startling them both.
"Damn" Nephlite hissed
"Zosite?" Malachite murmured and struggled to stand but Nephlite's hold on him tightened.
Nephlite glanced down at him briefly. Sorry my friend. But they needed to be cautious. Zosite was too much of an unknown. He didn't know where she stood in all this. And he couldn't risk trusting her at this point. He turned his head and met her eyes. "Sorry but we really can't stay.
She gawked at him for a second before his words finally sunk in and she realized his intention. "No wait" she cried and leaped across the room. She had just reached them when they both disappeared. ""No! Malachite!"
...
Chapter Thirty
"Nephlite? Nephlite what is it?" Malachite demanded anxiously as he watched his friend fall to his knees.
Nephlite looked up at him with blank unseeing eyes. "Something's wrong." He said harshly "Something's very wrong. I can't explain it."
"Allow me."
Malachite's eyes narrowed as the owner of that voice appeared before them. Jedite. "What's happening Jedite?"
"It's simple really. The Dark Prince has betrayed Beryl, as I knew he would. And now she wants to clean house. All those who are deemed untrustworthy will be destroyed."
Nephlite gave a bitter laugh. Beryl would never change. And now she was running scared. But what had caused such a reaction? It couldn't have been the Dark Princes defection alone. No, something else was going on. Something besides his defection that was causing this outright panic. "What's really going on Jedite? What is Beryl so afraid of?" he gave Jedite a condescending smile "Or didn't she tell you?"
Jedite glared at him angrily. It would be so easy for him to kill him now. He was just sitting there on the floor trembling like a newborn baby. He always was sensitive. And it looked like he finally caught a taste of something he wasn't quite prepared to handle. Which gave him reason to pause. What could he have sensed that would have made him react to this extreme? He was right about one thing Beryl was in a strange mood. And if he hadn't known better he too would have sworn that she was afraid of something. But that was preposterous wasn't it? After all she's the Queen of the Negaverse what did she have to be afraid of?
.....
Beryl fought back her rising panic and refused to show even the hint of fear. And yet she couldn't quite manage to stop her hands from trembling. And for that she cursed them. She wasn't beaten yet. She refused to all them this victory. Even now she hears the whispers of those who think to abandon her and join the Dark Prince. And that was something she couldn't allow to continue. She'd destroy them all before she permitted that to happen.
"You called for me my Queen?"
Beryl instinctively tensed. And as she did so her rage grew to new bounds. Even when she identified that there was no threat she refused to allow her body to relax. Because to do so would be admitting that for a brief moment she had feared that they had returned. It was degrading.
How could she have stumped to this? It was demeaning to realize that she the great Queen Beryl was afraid. And she was afraid. She could no longer deny it even to herself. But it wasn't simply the Dark Prince's power that she feared. Even though he had allowed her a glimpse of his true power it wasn't that which caused her the most concern. It was the power that Princess Serena exhibited earlier that caused her the most anxiety. It had been a raw intense power and just as dark as her own.
She could have dealt with the Dark Prince. Even as she reluctantly admitted she could never have survived a head on battle she would have still found away to destroy him. But the two of them joined together? That was what caused her stomach to knot and why her hands refused to stop their trembling. For together they would be unstoppable.
"Zosite" she snapped "The Dark Prince has fled taking Princess Serena with him. I wont stand for this. I want him and all those who show loyalty to him found and destroyed."
Zosite fought to keep her expression blank. The Dark Prince had finally made his move. The only question now was what her next move would be. Should she stand against him with Beryl? Or join him?
"Malachite is already being dealt with.."
What? Zosite gasped just catching the end of what Beryl was saying. Malachite was being dealt with. Oh no that could only mean..
"My Queen surely you can spare him. I'm sure that whatever Sailormoon has done to him you can reverse."
"Did Sailormoon also make him defy me and bring you to her so that she could release you from your captivity? No." She hissed "So there will be no mercy for him. He will die and all those who even think to betray me will perish with him." She looked down at Zosite with a strange gleam in her eye. "If you value your own life Zosite I would advise you to forget about Malachite." She dismissed her with a wave of the hand "Now go. Carry out my orders and report back to me when you're done."
"Yes my Queen" she stated quietly before disappearing
What an ungrateful brat. Beryl thought angrily. How dare she plead for the life of that traitor? She sat back and stroked her staff thoughtfully. Perhaps very soon her services will no longer be needed as well.
.....
Serenity rubbed her arms as a sudden chill settled over her. She made a move to stand and found that she lacked the strength to do so. She gasped fear clutching at her throat. What was happening? Why was she so weak? Was something happening to Serena? All these thoughts rushed through and mind and then suddenly she knew. And with this knowledge the feeling only grew stronger until there was no doubt in her mind of what was occurring.
Don't panic Serenity. She cautioned herself even as her fear reached new heights. You have to relax. Endymion will feel your fear. The thought of Endymion feeling her fear and realizing what was happening was the incentive she needed. Taking deep breaths she managed to calm the wild beating of her heart. She couldn't allow for Endymion to find out what was happening. Not yet. Not before she made one last effort to stop it all from happening. She had to try this. She had no other choice. Forgive me Endymion. But this is something that I just have to do. And with that final thought she vanished.
.....
Sammy found his legs giving out from under him and he slid unceremoniously down to the floor. He had been unashamedly ease dropping on the conversation that the Scout were having with the man who looked liked Darien but called himself Endymion. But he couldn't accept what he had just overheard. How could they believe that Serena could ever become evil? It was unconceivable. His sister evil? It wasn't possible. He wanted to barge in there and tell them that they were wrong. That his sister could never be evil when he heard Mars shouting.
"You could have gone back to stop it. If you could go back to the silver millennium why couldn't you go back to the day she was attacked and prevent this all from happening?"
Sammy resumed his position by the door. He needed to hear the answer to this question himself. Had their really been away to stop this all from happening?
....
"I did." Endymion stated quietly affectively silencing them all. "I did go back and by doing so I almost killed her myself."
"What are you saying?" Neptune asked. What could have happened?
Endymion closed his eyes and tried to fight back the images that were flooding his head. But it wasn't meant to be. It wasn't something he could ever forget. It felt like it happened only yesterday. "I went back" he continued "I went back while the rest of you stayed behind to protect Serena in case Jedite attacked again. My mind was in turmoil. It was hard to concentrate on anything but Serena and what had happened. And when traveling through time and space it's imperative that you focus on the time and place you want to be or you could be lost forever. But despite some close calls I managed to arrive in the past in time.
He opened his eyes to look at them "Finding him was easy. He was hiding out on the roof. Just bidding his time. To say he wasn't expecting me would be an understatement. We fought but he was no match for me. I easily overpowered him." He found his hands clenching as he struggled to fight back his anger. He had come so close to preventing this all from happening. So close.
"Go on." Venus encouraged. She wondered what could have happened when it sounded as if Darien had obviously had the upper hand.
"I was about to strike the finishing blow when.." he paused lost in his memories. He could still feel the pain that had hit him in that instant. A numbing pain that he had experienced before not so long ago.
Uranus walked over to place a hand on his arm "What happened?" she asked softly while the others looked on in shock. She ignored them and instead concentrated on him. She couldn't explain it but his obvious pain was affecting her in a way that she couldn't explain. She only knew that she wanted to comfort him and to take away the source of his pain. She didn't understand this need. But perhaps it was just further proof his identity and something that linked her to this man who claimed to be her Prince and further King.
"Serena happened." he sighed roughly "It was Serena who stopped me."
"How is that possible?" Mars gasped. "How could Serena stop you? Why would she?"
"You have to understand," he stated with difficultly as he tried to work through the pain he was feeling and remain focused. "That at that time we were unaware that Serena's body would only accept my energy.
"So while you were in the past fighting Jedite.?" Neptune trailed off
"Serena was dying." he finished for her. He ran a hand through his hair "I panicked. My only thought was to get back to her. Jedite took advantage of my distraction and attacked. Now I was the one on the defensive. Even as I dodged his attacks my only thought was to get back to her. I was so preoccupied that I failed to notice how late it was and before I knew it Jedite was laughing at me smugly telling me that I was too late." He sighed. "It was then that I realized that I failed to stop the one thing that I came back here to do."
"What happened next?"
He shook his head "I literally felt Serena slipping away from me. And I could hear the anguished cries of my Scouts calling for me."
Venus sniffled tearfully before going up to put her arms around him. Endymion's shoulders shook as he fought to keep his emotions in check. He wanted this over with but they had to know everything. "Serena was running out of time." He patted Venus's arm gratefully but then stepped out of her embrace. He called upon his icy resolve to help him through this "So many feeling and thoughts raced through my mind. The most important thing to me was getting back to Serena but then something Jedite said jerked me out of the haze I had been functioning in ever since I felt Serena's life slipping away."
"Your precious Serena's energy belongs to me now. With it I will revive Beryl and together we will hunt down you and the rest of those pathetic Sailor scouts. You mind as well start running now. But there isn't a place on Earth in which for you to hide."
"It hit me as he said those words that we were all exposed. And even if I saved Serena she still wouldn't be safe. Not as long as he knew who we all were. As long as held that knowledge none of us were safe. But with so little time there wasn't much I could do. Using a technique that I had learned from my daughter I made him forget certain things. And so that he wouldn't suspect anything I replaced the memories I took with different ones. Its not an easy process and I wasn't completely sure it would work considering how little time I had to do it. But I had to try." He responded to their obvious surprise with his own. "Didn't any of you wonder why if he had the knowledge of your identities he never used it?"
The Scouts were silent. No it hadn't occurred to them yet. But it did now. And they realized how worse off things would have been if Jedite had been allowed to pass that information on to Beryl. None of them would have been safe. And that included their family and friends. They looked at Endymion with new eyes as they realized how much they owed him.
.....
The Dark Prince stood out on the balcony and let the cool breeze wash over him. He didn't understand his sullen mood. Serena was his now. Nothing could come between them. The transformation had gone off perfectly. And had been easier than he thought it would. She hadn't even realized what was happening to her. He felt his muscles tense and became aware of the tight grip he had on the banister. Was that it? Was the fact that he hadn't given her any choice in the matter what was bothering? Could he actually be feeling guilty? It didn't make sense. He would have thought that he was beyond feeling an emotion such as guilt.
Dammit. How much longer will he be cursed with these weaknesses? He did what he had to do to keep her. Once he saw her use the dark energy of the Negaverse he knew that he had found away for them to be together.
But why couldn't you give up the darkness inside you and join her in the light? A voice inside him asked
Join her in the light that was ridiculous he was the Dark Prince of the Negaverse.
Is that who you are? The Dark Prince snarled angrily he was no longer that weakling Prince Darien. He would have never allowed anything to take Serena from him.
Darien? A voice sighed only this time it wasn't coming from his subconscious
Startled he swung around and for a brief moment he thought that she had finally awoken. And in that one instant he felt both satisfaction and immense grief. But soon all he felt was confusion as he noticed that she still slept. It wasn't enough that he was arguing with himself he had to hear other voices as well. What was he being reduced too?"
"Darien."
Darien tensed. Now that was not his imagination. He wasn't alone. He let out a startled hiss as she suddenly appeared before him out of nowhere. Dressed in white. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Beautiful and serene.
"Serena." He looked from her back to the figure on the bed and all the rest of pieces to the puzzle started coming together. "It was you." he stated softly "All this time I believed it was her and it was you."
"Darien you have to stop what your doing."
The Dark Prince eyes narrowed. He knew what she was referring to and he didn't like it "She belongs to me." He reached out and caught her by the wrist "As do you."
Serenity gasped as she was suddenly jerked into his arms. She let out a whimper as her body came in contact with his. She could feel the darkness inside him and it scared her. But she could also feel the good inside him. It was faint but it was there and it gave her the courage to face him.
"Is this really what you want?" She demanded
He gave a dark chuckle. "What more is there? I have you. And soon we'll both have the world at our feet." He grasped her chin and tipped her head up so that he could look into her eyes. Yes he had everything he wanted. "And before you return to your body" his smiled widened as he felt her shiver. Yes I know your little secret. "Lets celebrate our new future together with a kiss."
Serenity didn't try to struggle or try to avoid his kiss in fact she accepted it eagerly. And in that kiss she poured all of herself into it. All her love, all her hopes and desires and the purity that came from with them.
The Dark Prince balked and attempted to break the kiss but something inside of him wouldn't allow it. It was then that the Dark Prince realized that he was fighting a battle within himself and losing. As much as he wanted to pull away another part of him wanted to hold on. And it was that part of him that wrapped their arms around her and who deepened the kiss.
Darien groaned as he was instantly filled with her warmth. He grabbed onto it greedily and refused to let it go. He had been cold for so long.
.....
Jedite shook off his misgivings. Yes Beryl was in a strange even dangerous mood but that didn't mean that she was no longer in control. He wasn't about to let Nephlite place doubts in his mind and dampen his resolve to be the one to rule by her side. "As you know." he continued. "I captured the Moon princess." Their startled gasped had him pausing. And he felt his anger rising. He had accomplished the one thing that they had both failed to accomplish and they didn't even know about it.
"Where is she?" Malachite demanded suddenly his eyes blazing with anger "If you've hurt her in anyway."he let the unspoken threat hang in the air. At that moment it didn't matter to him that he was chained up he felt quite capable of fulfilling that threat.
Jedite laughed and rubbed his hands in glee. "Such concern" he cooed "and just what I needed to hear. For you see Malachite Beryl is through playing with you. Now that the Dark Prince has betrayed her and taken the Moon Princess she's determined to eliminate anyone who dares to side against her or nor longer wishes to obey her orders. And that my friend means.."he trailed off when he noticed that Malachite didn't appear to be listening to a word he was saying. And he sighed in disgust. What good would it do to tell him he was about to die when it was obvious that he wasn't even listening? Where was the fun in that?
Malachite was too busy trying to explain the weird things running around inside his head to pay any attention to what Jedite was saying. Prince Darien has turned his back on Beryl and he's taken Princess Serena with him. Does this mean that they have their memories back? Was it possible that this nightmare was almost over? And that soon he will be back where he belonged. He shook his head in confusion. Where he belonged? Where did he belong? He closed his eyes, as mind was flooded with images and emotions.
He could hear the slight whimpering even through the heavy doors. He pushed them open and hurried inside heading straight for the bed and the occupant inside it.
The figure in the bed heard his approach. Already afraid and unable to identify him in the dark he jerked up in the bed a cry ready to fall from his lips.
"Shhh" he whispered before swooping down to take him in his arms. "It's alright. It's only me."
"Malachite." he sighed and his young body slumped against his in relief.
Malachite looked down at him but his features were masked by the darkness.
"Tell me what troubles you." Malachite demanded softly
"I had a bad dream." He admitted his young voice ringing with embarrassment
Malachite sighed glad that it was nothing more serious. Letting him go he stretched out on the bed. And smiled when he felt the small body lie beside him and curl into his own. He slipped an arm around him and whispered. "Go back to sleep. I wont let anything harm you."
"I love you Malachite" he yawned sleepily
Malachite's arm tightened around him in a brief hug. "I love you too"
Malachite felt the small body settle down and knew the exact moment when he fell back to sleep. Yet he made no attempt to leave. He lay there for a while undecided. He knew that he couldn't stay. Even though he was tempted to. He wanted to be here in case he had another dream and needed him. But he also knew that it would only embarrass his young charge if word got out about it. So after awhile he quietly got up and left.
As he closed the doors behind him he heard a sound off to his left. Startled he swung around to face whatever it was. He sighed when his eyes met with a pair of familiar dark fathomless ones.
Before he could ask what he was doing up and about this time of night he stated simply.
"I felt his fear."
Malachite just nodded his head not even questioning it. "He had a nightmare." He explained. "He's resting peacefully now." He then watched as a rare smile graced his friends face.
"It's amazing how much we've all come to love him in such a short time."
Malachite nodded his head in agreement. He was there brother. Not of blood but of the heart. They would do anything for him. And even though they themselves were merely boys of eight they would all give their lives to ensure his.
"It's late. And we both need to find our own beds." He turned to head back to his own room. "Goodnight Malachite." He called over his shoulder
Malachite smiled and turned in the opposite direction. "Goodnight Nephlite.
Malachite was startled out of his thoughts by a loud cry. He had to blink rapidly for his eyes to focus. And when they finally did he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Nephlite was once again on his feet and this time it was Jedite who was on the floor. Only he appeared to be unconscious. He shook his head still a little confused. Was that actually a memory of him and Nephlite as children? Was that even possible? Or was he really losing his mind?
"Are you alright?" Nephlite asked seeing his friends pale complexion.
Malachite didn't answer him. How could he explain what he didn't understand himself? Instead he looked down at Jedite. "What did you do that for?"
Nephlite shot him a bemused look. "You would have preferred for me to let him kill you?"
Malachite's eyes narrowed. Had he been so lost in thought that he had failed to recognize the danger. He looked from Jedite to Nephlite. Apparently. "I had a strange vision." he finally admitted. After all this time Nephlite had been apart of it.
"Really?" He questioned as he began to release the shackle on Malachite's arm. "Was it about that girl again?"
Malachite took a second before answering as his arm was released and it flopped lifelessly to his side. It felt like dead weight. "No"
"Well you can tell me all about it later. But right now I have to get you out of here. He tilted his head in Jedite's direction. "He'll come to soon. And it wont be long before Beryl sends someone after us. Finding the Scouts wont be much of a problem but getting them to trust me will be."
"Wha." Malachite's surprised gasped ended in a moan as his leg was unshackled. "You know where they are?" He finally managed to ask
"It wont be too hard." he assured him "I known their identities for awhile now" he admitted.
Malachite could only gawk at him. And when he finally found his voice Nephlite cut him off.
"I'll explain later. If I'm right there's not much time. We might already be too late. Either way the Scouts are going to need our help." He could only hope that they were in time. He still couldn't believe how stupid he was not have seen it. He knew that the Dark prince would bring about the storm that would destroy everything good and pure in this world but how could he have not seen that Princess Serena was the key? The key to saving the world. And the key to plunging it into forever darkness.
Malachite's response was lost as the last of his chains were removed and his legs literally gave out from under him.
"Whoa" Nephlite cried managing to catch him beneath the arms before he hit the ground "Well I guess that answers my next question. You can't walk."
"What's going on?" a voice cried from behind them startling them both.
"Damn" Nephlite hissed
"Zosite?" Malachite murmured and struggled to stand but Nephlite's hold on him tightened.
Nephlite glanced down at him briefly. Sorry my friend. But they needed to be cautious. Zosite was too much of an unknown. He didn't know where she stood in all this. And he couldn't risk trusting her at this point. He turned his head and met her eyes. "Sorry but we really can't stay.
She gawked at him for a second before his words finally sunk in and she realized his intention. "No wait" she cried and leaped across the room. She had just reached them when they both disappeared. ""No! Malachite!"