A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed once again! You guys make all of the fighting over typos and my dyslexia worthwhile. I have been really looking forward to this chapter so I hope you guys like it and if you do (or don't) please review!
"Selenity, you have interfered with her destiny once again. When will you accept her fate?" A shadowed figure came up behind the Queen who was leaning over a clear pool. In the pool was the image of her daughter and the Senshi standing before the ruined castle.
"You cannot ask me to watch my daughter die before her time!" Selenity cried out at the man behind her.
"It is her time! Have you not noticed she is the same age she was the last time she was killed? You sent her a thousand years in time to be reborn, but that does not change her fate Selenity! She is destined to die at Malachite's hand. In two nights the anniversary of the attack on the moon kingdom and the death of your daughter will come to pass, and on that night she will die again as she was destined!" Selenity looked with horror at the glass before her. What if he is right? But how can I stand by and watch my only daughter die?
"She's your daughter too," she said softly, deliberately. "How can you stand idly by while she suffers? How can you calmly accept her dying so young, before she has had time to accomplish any of her dreams?" Selenity's voice rose as she spoke and for a few moments she wondered how she could ever love such a heartless man.
"I will not have you thinking me heartless Selenity! I love her just as much as you do, but I know her destiny cannot be stopped, we both know her future!" The man shouted back at his wife.
"Ask Sailor Pluto just how often and how easily the future can change. I will never stop fighting for my daughter's right to live long enough to accomplish her dreams!" Selenity cried out desperation choking her.
"What are you going to do Selenity? Just keep sending her forward in time to relive the same 17 years and then die and leave all those she loves? She already has to live with the memory of her death once how could she live with knowing that she will always die before she turns 18? Who are you doing this for? You or Her?" Selenity stared down into the pool and broke down crying. The man instantly regretted his words. After all what mother didn't want to see her daughter live her life, get married, have children…But at least Serenity had found love, before death had found her.
"Well we can't go over it, we can't go around it, I guess we'll just have to go through it." Sailor Mercury said noticing how far the large walls spanned on either side.
"Who would like to do the honors?" Mercury asked looking around.
"I will." Uranus spoke up. She needed to destroy something right now.
WORLD SHAKING!
The ball of energy went straight for the wall and accomplished it's task with ease.
"Amazing my home is destroyed and you guys still find reason to destroy something." Serenity said weakly, watching from the firm hold of Endymion.
"Shhh Serenity you must keep your strength, don't talk." Endymion whispered close to her ear, but he knew if she wanted to speak she would anyway, but he hoped that just this once she would heed his plea.
The group made their way through the rubble of the wall, Mercury and Uranus sheepishly avoiding Serenity's glare. They found themselves face to face with what used to be the palace gardens.
Looking around Serenity uttered such a mournful cry that all of the senshi were instantly by her side.
"What's wrong Serenity? Are you in pain? Is there anything we can do?" Venus asked looking closely at her dear friend.
"The gardens," she spoke softly tears welling up in her eyes. "I spent so many days and nights here. Mother and I would have picnics, it was where you and I first danced Endymion…" She broke off no longer able to recount so many happy memories in a place that had once been full of colors and life. Now there was hardly anything but overgrown vines and weeds to show for the garden she once loved.
"I remember it too, it was where Nephrite first told me he loved me." Jupiter said quietly her heart aching with the newly found memory.
The rest looked over to her in surprise, but then Neptune smiled. "Your memories are returning quicker than we thought. Come let us continue on through the palace. Serenity doesn't have a lot of time." The Senshi stole a glance over at Serenity who waved them off.
They entered through the back of the palace, rubble forced them to go up the steps in the hopes of getting down on the other side. As they climbed up, each of the Inner Senshi were drawn to certain rooms to discover their symbol engraved into each door.
"Our rooms." Mars whispered softly remembering how they had all lived in the palace with Serenity. They had all practically grown up together, training, learning playing.
At the end of the hallway was Serenity's room. They had all spent so much time there and the happy memories were painful to recollect. Visions of late night snack fests, playing pranks on the palace guards…
Suddenly Venus burst out into laughter and they all turned to look at her as if she were mad. She tried to control her laughter long enough to explain.
"I remember once when Mercury's mother and father had come to visit, at the same time when Zoicite had…" Venus began. Mercury's eyes grew round as she began to remember just what Venus was talking about. She motioned for her to stop but the giggling blonde continued. "We all greeted the King and Queen but Mercury was not to be found so we led the King and Queen to her room, along with their court, Queen Selenity and all of us. When we opened the door to her room, there she was quiet, meek little Mercury making out with Zoicite for all she was worth." The others joined her laughter as she finished, causing Mercury to turn bright red and Serenity to have a coughing fit. She tried to cover her mouth with her hand but Endymion and the Senshi couldn't help but notice the crimson blood that coated her hand.
The laughter stopped and the group turned around to try and find the steps on the other side. Serenity urged the Senshi to keep talking about their memories, the more they talked the more they would be able to remember. The other Senshi were reluctant and it was no surprise to Serenity when Uranus stepped up to recall a memory.
"There was a day when we all went ice skating in what had become our usual pairs by then, Serenity and Endymion, Mars and Jedeite, Mercury and Zoicite, Venus and Kunzite, Jupiter and Nephrite and Neptune and myself. We had all decided to have a race, though we all knew the only competition would be between Endymion and Serenity. Jedeite had the bright idea to have Mars heat his skates so that he would glide easier upon the ice. So we all line up to take off, and everyone but Jedeite races to the other side of the pond. The poor fools' skates melted through the ice. The metal of skates had sunk deep into the ice and he was unable to move, and the poor fellow's balance was so off that he couldn't reach down to take off his skates. Needless to say we all left him there to watch while we finished skating…" Uranus broke into uncontrolled laughter as she thought of that day, the other Senshi soon remembered themselves and found themselves lighter and happier. This time Serenity made sure not to laugh so hard and therefore saved herself a coughing fit.
Enydmion was constantly looking down at her with worry. What would he do without her? How could he imagine his life without her crazy smile? Her loving nature, those caring eyes, and that heart that through everything loved him, and everything else. He knew he could never imagine a life without her, and he realized the life he had led on Earth before he met her was just a shell, a meaningless existence. It was her that gave him life and meaning…he could never be without her again.
The group trudged on, now sharing memories freely, and their laughter was almost constant…brought to a stop only by a cry of pain from Serenity. They all looked up, in front of them was a balcony…one that Serenity knew all too well. Looking at it Uranus, Neptune and Endymion remembered it with a painful grimace. Serenity beckoned Endymion forward, to the balcony.
"Are you sure you want to do that Serenity?" Endymion asked softly, unsure if he would even be able to face the scene of his death, and hers. She nodded, and with a sigh Endymion led her out to the balcony.
There on the ground were two bloodstains that had somehow withstood the test of time. The two stains were formed together at such an angle that they appeared as a morbid heart.
"Please tell me that's paint." Mercury said softly, her mind slowly beginning to reveal what she didn't want to remember.
"Beryl and Malachite found us on this balcony, cornered us. We threw everything we had at them, but at the time the crystal was still bonded with my mother and I didn't have it's power…we were no use. Enydmion tried to protect me, but he could not guard both of us against Malachite's sword and Beryl's magic. While covering me with his cape against a beam of dark energy from Beryl, Malachite ran him through with his sword…" Serenity's voice broke and Enydmion stiffened both at the recount of his own gruesome death and the knowledge of what happened after.
"I watched him fall, I knew within my heart he was dead. Malachite loomed above us laughing. He asked me then what I would do without my precious prince. I never answered him, I simply took the sword from within Endymion and rammed in through my own chest…" again Serenity's voice broke and the other senshi looked at her with sadness and shock. They all looked down at the bloody heart, tears began to slowly fall from their eyes. Here they were the spot where Serenity had died over a thousand years ago, and Serenity wasn't faring much better.
"I won't lose you again my love." Endymion said softly in her ear , but she could hear and feel the fear within his voice.