AN: I do not own the characters.

Chapter 11: The Die is Cast

Nick rushed back to headquarters with the plans. He found his comrades still thoroughly confused about the Jadeite situation. He coughed to interrupt them and handed Zach the plans, "Jake said he thinks these might be a weapon. So…do your thing."

Darien stood up straight and announced, "I'm going to go get Art and Luna. For the next three days we will place Jadeite under house arrest and those two will be responsible for his safety. That way, they can remove his mask and we can make him as comfortable as possible."

"And the Crystal," Zach added, "I would like to start testing it."

Inside the Palace, Jake was on edge. He had been in some extreme situations as a soldier, but always had the support of the team to rely on. Now, more than ever, he realized what that strength meant. Sleep was a long time coming to him that evening, as he recalled the past battles - from this life and the last. All the times his brothers had been there for him.

***

The next morning, Jake walked cautiously into a meeting with the other leadership, determined to keep the facade going.

General Steig obviously presided over the meetings, and began gruffly, "Gefahr, well met. New orders from Berlin. Apparently, we are to leave here and depart for a secret testing facility. The Princess will be arriving shortly. We'll be part of a special 'welcoming' committee. Pack what you can. We leave in two days.

Furthermore, there was a strange occurance reported at one of the buildings in town. I want someone to check it out and report back to me before we leave."

For the next twenty-four hours, Zach was like a virtual machine. Reviewing the plans, he concluded the Germans wanted to somehow harness the energy of the Silver Imperium Crystal for a super weapon. He was no closer to getting any secrets out of the Golden Crystal. The only absolute fact he was able to determine was that it was only responsive to Darien, which did not surprise anyone.

Over a cup of bitter coffee, Zach hypothesized, "We know the Golden Crystal works only for you. If it was responsible for reawakening the memories of Jadeite…perhaps it can do the same for others."

Darien looked at him curiously and asked, "Who do you propose we try this on? There's no way we're endangering another one of you…"

Zach sighed deeply, then responded, "Art."

Darien thought a moment; they had discussed the obvious possibility that both Art and Luna had to be involved in some way with the Silver Millennium. Clenching his jaw tightly, he questioned, "So, you're saying, if they were involved, you think this Crystal will somehow unlock the past?"

"Yes…"

"And if they weren't?"

"Honestly, I think the worst that can happen is nothing. Like Seren has connection with the Silver Impreium Crystal, I think yours is perhaps just as powerful, but not malevolent. You guide it - whether conciously or subconciously as Endymion, Prince of the Earth."

Darien was silent for a long minute, not agreeing or disagreeing with the statement, before he asked, "Do you remember them? On the Moon, I mean?"

Zach shook his head, "No, I don't. But that doesn't mean they weren't there."

"I'm worrried. What if what happens to that soldier happens...what if they are only half awoken," Darien sighed heavily.

The response was serious, "Sir, Prince... I'm not going to lie to you. The plans I've seen, even if preliminary, could be catastrophic. If someone could wield the power, then hope could be lost. I think we need all the help we can get."

They both were quiet and watched the glowing energy of the crystal - like it had a fire within it.

"Why do you think it glows?" asked Zach, "I tested it for organic compounds that could provide the glow, but haven't come up with anything."

Darien hesitated before saying, "I think...I think it's from me. I think I'm somehow sending energy to Serena. We're...connected somehow."

Zach eyed the object and said softly, "Simply amazing."

After hours of trying to remain calm, and fighting the urge to return to the safe house, Jake waited impatiently for Nick to arrive. When his tall friend finally showed up, Nick instantly knew something was off. They had been through too much to hide things from each other easily.

"What's wrong?"

"We're leaving."

"Where?"

"Not sure, but the rendezvous point is where they are taking Serena. We leave in less than two days. Get to Darien and get me instruction. Oh, and before I forget, did anything happen recently?"

Nick asked warily, "Why do you ask?"

"Apparently, there was a disturbance recently - I think the safe house may be compromised. Is there something I should know about?"

Nick hesitated before he finally answered, "No. We'll keep things locked down until you leave."

"See that you do - we've come this far, there's no reason to complicate things now."

Later in the afternoon, Art and Luna had joined Zach and Darien. Malcolm remained on watch, and Nick was expected any minute to return from the Palace. Art looked at the soldiers, then asked, "Why do I get the feeling this is not going to be an exchange of pleasantries?"

Zach smiled and answered, "You have an excellent attention to detail, Art."

"Thank you."

Luna asked, "So, what is this about?"

Darien began pacing the room, "From what Mia told you about our past lives…do you believe any of it?"

The pair nodded their heads.

"Do remember any of it?"

Luna and Art exchanged a glance, before Luna said seriously, "No, but we do feel a connection with all of you."

Zach said plainly, "There's no reason to put this off. Darien has recently come into possession of a crystal, which we believe has a number of special powers, one of which is unlocking past memories."

Art considered what they were asking, and questioned, "Will it hurt?"

Darien shook his head, "I don't believe so."

Luna asked sadly, "What if we don't have memories from the past? What if we're not connected in any way?"

Zach looked at Darien, who nodded imperceptibly, and replied honestly, "Then it shouldn't affect you either way, but your actions have shown us no matter what happened previously, we are connected in this life."

Art took Luna's hand in his own, "We're ready."

Making eye contact with both Luna and Art, Darien nodded and closed his eyes and began to calm his breathing. He called up his meditative techniques and concentrated his energy on the Crystal in his palm. Everyone in the room watched silently as it floated and was suspended between his two open palms.

Please let this work...please let them remember everything...please let them help us.

"AWAKE!"

Identical crescent moons appeared in the middle of Luna and Art's foreheads. Suddenly the lights from their foreheads flared and their clothes changed as well. Luna's hair was the same, but she was wearing a strange yellow dress. Art looked very different, his platinum hair had grown quickly and his white suit looked anything but normal.

Darien waved his hand and the crystal stopped glowing, as it did, everyone's outfits returned to normal. Luna and Art looked at each other…

Zach asked tentatively, "What do you remember?"

Luna already had tears streaming down her face, "The Queen…"

Art put his arms around her, "There was so much pain."

Darien looked at Zach and walked towards the door, "Let's give them a few minutes to remember."

As the door closed quietly behind them, Art gazed at Luna, "We found each other."

Luna replied softly, "The Queen works in mysterious ways."

Art looked at his strange attire; "And the girls, to think they've all been reborn, that they've all found each other – it's truly a miracle."

Luna had tears creeping silently down her face, "More importantly, they were given a chance with their shitennou again."

Art gathered up Luna and silently stroked her raven hair. The severity of the situation began to hit them. Art was still in a semi-state of shock; "I haven't been in this form…in such a long time."

Luna gripped his hand forcefully and said, "We've been given another chance to make things right. We have to do what we can to help."

Processing this information, Jonathan was suddenly very tired and felt every one of his fifty years, "So what do we do now? What can we do?"

Eleanor nodded, "I have to agree. I feel a little helpless."

Seiya gave them a genuine smile, "You don't need to do anything."

Taiki nodded, "All you have to do is support them and love them as you have been."

Eleanor sighed, "I guess I don't understand."

Yaten smiled and said gently, "We believe there will come a time, when Darien and Serena will be far from here and they will need all the support and energy they can. When you hear that small voice inside ask, we hope you will answer 'yes.'"

Jonathan sat up boldly, "If you're asking, would I give my life for my son? Of course, the answer is yes!"

Eleanor nodded. Since the moment Darien was born, she somehow knew he was destined for greatness. Seiya took both of their hands, "I can see where Darien gets his strength and bravery from. Although you see it as a minor contribution, it is much more than that. The power you can give them could make all the difference in the world."

Yaten added, "Now, the true reason behind our visit is to give you instruction. It is absolutely pivotal you both remain safe. As we suspected you were being followed, we have taken it upon ourselves to hire personal bodyguards to be with you at all times."

Jonathan was about to argue, before Eleanor interjected, "If it means the safety of our son, we will be happy to do whatever it is you request."

Taiki looked outside and called, "Come on in, girls."

Eleanor and Jonathan were surprised to see four young women enter their penthouse. Seiya winked at them and began introductions, "Jonathan and Eleanor Shields? Please meet Agents Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta."

Reviewing the quartet of interestingly coiffed women, Eleanor whispered to her husband, "They're so young."

Yaten saw the astonished expressions on the elder Shield's faces and said, "Please do not be alarmed by their appearance. I assure you these girls are entirely lethal."

The trio picked up their hats and prepared to leave. Still a bit awestruck, Jonathan asked, "Will we see you again?"

Seiya, Yaten and Taiki looked at each other before Seiya replied, "It is not likely."

Jonathan took the answer in stride and said, getting surprisingly choked up, "Tell my son, tell him, that we're very proud of him."

Seiya nodded, then the three swept out onto the patio and jumped out into the night. Eleanor and her husband were left with four exceedingly beautiful young women. Mrs. Shields and said smiling, "Come along then. Let's get you all settled."

Depsite the late hour, Eleanor and Jonathan quickly found two bedrooms to house their new guests. Ceres addressed the group, "First thing in the morning we will begin by questioning your staff."

As they were already falling asleep, Eleanor couldn't put up much of an argument.

Vesta continued, "I'll take first watch."

Pallas said, "I'll finish securing the house and make sure all rooms are clean."

In the bowels of the ship, Serena was instantly awake. Suddenly, the door to her "room" was swung open and she was roughly hauled up to a sitting position and was rushed out of the room. The men who brought her there left and as Serena looked around, she could only see one person sharing the room with her. She could feel the Crystal close by.

If I can just get my hands free…

A woman appeared in front of her, and said bitterly, "So we meet again, little Princess."

Serena looked up and gazed fearlessly in her eye, "That's Queen."

"Are you so sure about that, Princess Serenity?"

Serena's eyes instantly widened, but she recovered quickly, and scoffed, "What are you talking about?"

The woman laughed harshly, "Don't you recognize? I was there on the moon, so many years ago. I know the power of this Crystal. Of course, you were a baby when I came to visit. Didn't your beloved senshi tell you about me?"

The blood drained out of Serena's face.

The woman with long jet black hair continued, "I told your mother that you would not live to see the throne and I was correct. Today, I hold the Silver Imperium Crystal. All I need to complete my rule is the Golden Cyrstal. The prophecy is coming to life! Only I will be the winner of the great war, and not this pathetic excuse of a ruler in front of me."

Prophecy…?

Serena gathered her strength and stood up, "You will never be able to wield my mother's Crystal. It won't work for you!"

"Tell me where the Golden Crystal is!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

The Imperium Silver Crystal began to hum and glow on the nearby table.

"I think you do."

Serena stood as tall and proud as her bindings would allow, "As the Princess of the Silver Millennium and my mother's daughter, I am the rightful of the owner of the crystal and protector of this planet."

The Crystal flared silver, Serena felt a warm glow over her entire body and looked down to find herself wearing a dress from her days as Princess Serenity. Serena locked her eyes on the woman in front of her and had a flash of recognition. She spat, "Nephrenia. What are you doing here? My mother banished you!"

Nephrenia replied, "Oh, bad weeds like me always turn up. Becoming a Nazi was the easiest and most legit way to get to you. You don't even want to know what you're in for when we reach land."

The tone of voice she used made Serena shudder. The thought of her unborn daughter struck her. Serena willed the tears back, but a few managed to sneak out.

Nephrenia snapped her fingers, "Pathetic. Guards, please see our guest back to her quarters."

Serena looked once more, longingly at the Crystal as she was roughly pushed out of the room.

Thousands of miles away, in a private house near the city, the Three Lights felt a similar warm glow and their suits were replaced by strange looking costumes. Seiya looked down with a deep sigh, "The time is near."

Yaten nodded, "We must join the other senshi."

Taiki flapped his wings and said, "We've got a long way to go…we'd better get started."

Darien and Zach had just closed the door, when Nick came tearing into the hall. Breathing heavily, he gasped "They - the clones are apparently going to meet Serena at a secret destination. They leave in a day. Also there's a strong possiblity the location of the safe house has been compromised. It seems a few other people saw a number of strange lights coming from the building."

Darien cursed inwardly. The first time, they had not known the outcome out the crystal. He wished there was a way he could switch places with his friend. He hated putting people in danger when it was not necessary. Zach and Nick could see the war waging in Darien's mind and were glad, for more than once, that they were not leading the group. Darien sighed and finally answered, "We have no choice. Tell Jake to go with the group, try and leave clues. With the Crystal, we won't lose him and it may be our best chance at finding Serena before they do something drastic."

Zach put a hand on Darien's shoulder, "We'll find her. Jake won't let anything happen to her."

The remaining hours it took for the girls to return were the longest in Darien's memory. He was desperate to look into Neptune's mirror and catch a glimpse of Serena. While Jadeite slept peacefully, Malcolm kept watch on the window, knowing the girls could appear at any second. Finally, in the distance, he glimpsed the wagon slowly making its way up the hill. They had already agreed that the wagon would be left in a nearby park, the senshi would disperse and each would find their way back to the headquarters. Malcolm alerted the rest of the house, "They're here!"

Like a good leader, Venus made sure all of the other senshi had returned before she walked in the building. In the now crowded house, Malcolm locked eyes with her and without pausing strode across the room, gathered the Venusian senshi in his arms and kissed her soundly.

When he finally broke the embrace, he promised firmly, "That is the last time we are ever going to be apart."

Darien looked around the now very crowded house. The reunions were going well, with the exception of one very distraught Martian senshi. Darien passed Zach and ordered, "I need you to round up the following people for debriefing. First, Venus, next I'll see Art and Luna, then Pluto, then if that goes well, I'll need Jaedite. Got it?"

Zach nodded. Darien called over his shoulder, "But first, I need to talk to Mars."

Mars looked up as the tall regent approached her, he said softly, "This way."

Noting the dark circles under his eyes, she followed him up to the attic and asked, "This isn't going to be good, is it?"

"No."

"He's in danger, isn't he?"

Darien nodded. Mars clenched a fist and was about to speak when she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Venus and Malcolm peeked around the corner. Malcolm stated, "No, Zach said you needed Venus."

Darien smiled at how quickly Zach had organized things, "Well, okay, I guess you can be in here. A report from your week, senshi."

The blonde snapped to attention, "Things are progressing nicely, sir. With the exception of Saturn, all of the senshi's former attacks have been recalled and will be very helpful in aiding the rescue of Serena. Against the eight of us, they won't stand a chance."

Darien added, "Make that the fifteen of us. We have quite an army collected."

Venus asked, "Permission to speak freely?"

Darien nodded.

Venus stated, "I'm wondering if there's any need for additional casualties. With our combined and various strengths, I think maybe we should go on the offensive and rid the world of the Hitler. I'm beginning to think our awakening was for more than just the rescue of one person."

Mars looked out the window and commented, "Maybe this is the Silver Millennium reborn."

Darien didn't say anything for a moment, then replied, "After we rescue Serena, anything is possible."

Mars wrapped her arms around herself and said, "What about Jake?"

"After you left, we thought it would be best if we switched Jake with his 'twin.' It was supposed to be for just a few hours but then…something happened and he had to continue the charade. Since his arrival at the Palace, Jake has learned that the soldiers are to go to a secret location and meet Serena, whenever she arrives in the country."

"What is this 'something happened'? Is everything okay?"

Darien and Malcolm looked at each other. Malcolm decided his commanding officer had gotten himself in enough trouble for the moment. He told Mars, "When Darien was 'questioning' the German Jadeite, he changed. Well, they both did."

Mars could barely contain herself, "How do you mean, changed?"

Darien opened his palm and revealed a golden crystal, "This."

Malcolm leaned down and told Mars, "When this crystal appeared, Jadeite…the Jadeite of the Silver Millennium appeared."

Mars said, "But I don't understand…"

Darien shook his head, "Neither do we. All we know is that his last memories appear to be right before Beryl took over his mind."

Venus asked, "What are you going to do with him?"

Zach had entered the room, followed by Mercury, "Send him back to the past."

Mars and Venus shared a look, the blonde said, "Pluto?"

Darien nodded. Mars scoffed, "She'll never go for it."

Zach said, "I think the fate of the world depends on it."

Luna and Art had been hovering near the door and came forward. Luna looked at Darien, "We have something to ask you."

Darien saw the seriousness in their eyes, "Yes?"

Art continued, "In our past lives, we were citizens of the planet Mau. Citizens of this planet had the ability to—"

Venus exclaimed, "Turn into cats! I remember!"

She leapt up and hugged her former advisor. Art looked at her, "You remember?"

"Not until you said it. What happened? How do you remember?"

Art smiled and pointed to the Crystal, "The Crystal's powers are incredible, and Darien was able to reawaken our former memories. Smiling at Mia, he said, "We do belong here."

She return the gesture, and replied, "I never doubted it."

Luna addressed Darien, "And since we have the ability to turn into cats, we'd like to ask that you try and change us now."

Venus looked at both of the former advisors, "Why?"

Darien paced the now crowded room, "They are transporting Serena to a secret location. With Jake in place as a 'soldier' we're going to have him go along and leave a trail for us." He glared at Art and Luna, "I do not want to risk any more lives! We are soldiers, you are civilians. We've already asked more than enough from all of you."

Art slammed his hand in his fist, "This is Queen Serena we are speaking of! It's my life to give!"

Luna and Venus looked at the platinum haired man and smiled proudly.

Darien had been pushed nearly to his breaking point. Ever since Serena's capture he had not slept well and the events that had been unfolding in front of him only served to stress him further. He wanted nothing more than to go off on his own and see his love to safety.

Suddenly, it was if things were in slow motion…everyone in the room was arguing the next thing to do…but their voices faded away and Darien heard a very loud, very deep voice resonate in his mind.

A leader is a dealer in hope.

Who said that?

Originally? Napoleon Bonaparte.

Who's saying it now? His own voice sounded small and tiny in his mind.

In your hand. Change the Mauians to their other form. You're not going to have a lot of time once you find her.

But...?

Everyone was reborn for a reason. You're being selfish and egotistical if you think you can do this on your own! Show them you have the power. Give them confidence in the Crystal.

Darien whistled loudly, and everyone stopped talking, "I will change you both and Nick will sneak you both into the castle."

Everyone's eyes were on the former Prince as he placed his hands on either side of the crystal and it began to glow. Concentrating fiercely, two identical beams, similar to the ones that originally woke Luna and Artemis, now shot again into the crescents in their foreheads. Slowly at first, but picking up in intensity, the pair began to shrink…fur popped out, then ears and suddenly there were two cats sitting in the room.

Luna, in her cat form had inky indigo fur and large intelligent eyes. Artemis was the same color as his hair and blinked bright blue eyes. Both cats had retained their crescents.

Venus was already at Artemis's side, "Are you okay?"

The cat began speaking and surprsingly, his same voice came out, "I feel fine. Did it work?"

Venus scooped up the cat, "I think so, see for yourself."

The blonde senshi walked over to a mirror and held the cat up, who peered in the mirror, before he replied in a surprised tone, "It worked."

Mercury carefully picked up Luna, "Do want to see yourself?"

"Yes, please."

With the show over, everyone began filing out of the room, and Darien grabbed Nick, "I have a quick mission for you."

"Yes, sir?"

Nick looked down to see two cats rubbing his legs.

"I give you Agents Artemis and Luna. Please see them safely to the Palace."

Nick looked at his commanding officer as it he had actually lost his mind. Artemis said stiffly, "Come on then, time's wasting."

Nick said wistfully, "Nothing will ever be the same again, will it?"

After Nick took his leave, Darien remained in the room, trying his best to collect his scattered thoughts. Trying to determine what the final outcome of all this would be, he heard a soft knock on the door. He ran a hand through his black hair and said, "Enter."

The girl with shoulder length greenish hair walked in, hand in hand with the woman with short blonde hair. Noting the black smudges under his eyes, Neptune held out her mirror and said gently, "I thought you might want a look, Prince."

In all the confusion and chaos, Darien had forgotten of the mysterious mirror and its magical capabilities. He asked tentatively, "May I?"

Neptune nodded and gently handed him the object. Darien looked over its smooth surface and said, "Show me Serena."

Serena's image appeared. She was pale, beautiful and ethereal in her Princess of the Moon dress. For someone who was intimately acquainted with her, Darien realized she looked exhausted and scared, but at the same time - incredibly brave. Still, just a glimpse that she was alive was enough to give Darien the peace of mind for one night's rest.

"Thank you..."

Across the capital city in the lavish quarters of the palace, General Steig reviewed his notes, and found he was still concerned the blonde, Venus, had not been recovered, nor had any information been found about her. Furthermore, he could not understand why this was so important to him. She was just a girl, so why was he acting this way? He would have to find out later. He swept his cape and walked out to the former gardens where the soldiers had collected. He climbed into his jeep and waved his hand, the team was moving out.

Jake was doing his final pack for the upcoming trip. The details of the location were so secret that only Steig had the directions. He was zipping his bag when he heard a soft scratching at the door. He shook his head, but the sound didn't go away.

He walked over to the door and opened it; not seeing anything, sighed and closed the door. When he turned around, two cats were sitting on his bed. He looked closely at them, noting their unique and seemingly identical markings.

"Ok, you two, no cats in the Palace. It's not safe here for anyone."

"Hello, Jake," the white cat said, in a voice that was too similiar to Art's to be a coincidence.

Jake sunk down heavily in a chair.

Early the next morning after Darien had explained his argument and request, Pluto put her heeled foot firmly down, "Absolutely not!"

Darien crossed his arms, "Why not?"

Pluto tossed her long black hair, "Of all people, Prince Endymion, I think you should understand and not request this of me."

Darien paced the room, "If Jake and Jadeite get close to each other…"

Pluto had her arms crossed, a determined look on her face, and one hand on the keys that lay on the chain the encircled her waist, "I told you. There are specific rules that govern the universe. Rules that I cannot break."

Darien threw up his hands, "Then what do you propose we do with him? We certainly can't keep him."

"I have the blood of Chronos in my veins. Do not question me!"

The air crackled with energy as Darien and Pluto faced off against each other. The new regent could understand where the senshi was coming from, but he wasn't used to anyone denying his orders. All at once, gripping his hand once again around the stones, he knew what he had to do.

"I don't need your help." With that, long legs carried Darien down the hall to the small room where Jadeite was sitting, bound and blindfolded.

"Your highness..."

"Please forgive me, brave General of the Earth Kingdom..." It came out as a whisper.

The Wiseman read over the transmission, sent in code from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He smiled wickedly and looked out at the dock, where in just a matter of hours, he would be receiving royalty.

Ever since landing in Ginzuberg, Jake should have figured that his life would never be the same. Actually, as he watched the Ginzu countryside go by his window, he could pinpoint the exact moment that things changed forever. In the dirty stable, when those purple eyes had opened and locked on his blue ones. Since then, even though the world had been turned upside down and now he was going on some crazy mission as a Nazi soldier with two talking cats to save the world... Since he had Rae in his life, it somehow made all the craziness bearable.

Truthfully, the talking cats had initially thrown him, but after reading the note that accompanied the former guardians, Jake accepted them for who they were. Luna and Artemis were tucked in his rucksack, and he was glad for their warm weight across his lap. Somehow, having two talking cats made him feel much less alone in this ruthless Nazi army. They were just as eager to help the Queen as he was.

Down the hall, Zach and Mercury were going over the plans that Jake had lifted from the Palace.

Mercury ran a delicate hand through her blue hair, "But who is capable of actually using the Crystal? Certainly the Nazi's can't realize its awesome power."

They looked at the plans for what seemed like the thousandth time. There was a marking that didn't look familiar that was near the image of the Crystal. Mercury chewed her lips nervously. She said, "Mars."

Mercury pulled Mars out of the Time proceedings, "I need your abilities."

In the study, Mercury motioned to Mars, "A small flame please…I think there may be a hidden image on the map."

"Certainly." Mars concentrated and was soon holding a small ball of flame under the plans. Ever so slowly, another image was revealed, along with two names.

Zach whispered, "Wiseman. Nephrenia."

Mercury and Mars looked at each other, devastation in their eyes.

Mercury flipped up her visor, "This changes everything."

Jake was sitting in the jeep and his world went black…

Opening his eyes he though how odd, he was looking at himself. There was nothing around except he and this past version of his existence…and a glowing light far in the distance.

He whispered his name, "Jadeite…"

Jadeite looked lost and was heading towards a bright light. The General straightened his shoulders, and called behind him, "Make her happy."

Jake watched, helplessly as the vision in front of him disappeared.

He was awake instantly.

With a nearly full moon in the sky, Venus turned and surveyed the building that had housed them for the past weeks, not realizing that it would one day be a historic building, a place where people would wonder at the conversations that had happened there. The building that had housed the saviors of the world.

With the main Nazi presence in the Palace, the group covered their outfits as best they could and started out into the night. Each with a similar goal on their mind. They were going to find their Queen, even if it meant their lives.

Darien spoke in hushed tones with Mercury and Venus, "Tell me about Nephrenia."

Venus spoke, "We were very young when she visited the Queen and Princess Serenity. In fact, we had just been given our duties as senshi…the Princess's Four Guardian Goddesses."

Mercury nodded, "We were all four, nearly five years old."

Venus said wistfully, "Serena was a little more than a year old. An evil woman, Nephrenia came to the kingdom for the celebration, uninvited. The Queen handed me little Serenity and banished her away, but not before uttering this evil curse 'The Princess will die before she sees her throne.'"

Mercury said, "The curse was realized, but I didn't think we'd ever see her, or hear that name again."

Venus's hand once again tightened around the Sword and said, deadly serious, "I don't think she's going to be happy to see us all grown up. We were mere children for our last meeting. This time will be different."

Minutes…hours…days…later, Serena was roused and moved off the boat. On the dock she saw a man, or something she assumed was a man. A large black cloak was over his face in the cool dawn air. Serena shuddered as she peered and couldn't glimpse any eyes on his face.

Just then, the sun rose over the hill, although she was barely clinging to consciousness, Serena was suddenly aware of three gargoyles (?) in the trees. Barely awake, she shivered as she was pushed into a waiting truck.

The "gargoyles" had been in place since the previous evening and had been tracking Serena's ship across the Ocean. Seiya commented, "She doesn't have much longer."

Yaten nodded, and stretching his wings, he informed the others, "I'm going to escort the other scouts. I'll see you in a few days."

Seiya caught the fellow scout's hand and said quietly, "Two days. Maximum. She's faltering."

Taiki commented, "We'll do our best to reunite her with the Crystal."

As if drawn by an imaginary compass, the collected senshi, shittenou and Darien kept up a killer pace in pursuit of Jake and Serena. It was near midday, when Pluto, in the lead, was suddenly brandishing her scepter, throwing back her cloak and demanding, "Who's there?"

A woman in patent leather, matching thigh high boots, and hair similar in color to Malcolm's, dropped out of the tree Pluto had stopped in front, "Sailor Star Healer, at your service."

The senshi were incredibly surprised, but quickly sprang into action.

Venus and Saturn were already brandishing their swords. Venus shouted to Mercury, "Get a reading!"

The woman stood patiently, "I have seen Serena."

Darien held up his hand, "Let's hear her out."

The woman knelt in front of Darien, "Prince Endymion, your Princess is faltering. She needs the help of the legendary holy grail."

Darien shook his head, "Holy grail?"