Welcome to Book 2 of The Radiant Sailor Moon! For the continuing readers, this story picks up exactly where we just left off, so enjoy! For the newbies, welcome! To help you out, the end notes of each chapter will have references to Book 1 that will help you to understand what's going on. So don't worry about having to read all of Book 1 to catch up! These chapters will depart from the Sailor Moon story that dedicated Moonies know, but I'm hoping that the spirit of the franchise will shine through!

Feel free to comment and give feedback or just follow along quietly! I hope that you enjoy my take on the Sailor Moon story!

~kVc

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is property of Naoko Takeuchi, Viz Media, Toei Animation. I'm just a fan.

GOLDEN KINGDOM - 4yrs before Fall of Silver Millennium

His attentive eyes surveyed every detail of the scene: the sunlight streaming into the great hall glistening as it reflected off of the gold decor of the walls, floors, and ceiling; the attendees, dressed in their ceremonial finery, staring in hushed anticipation of his next move; the four men directly in front of him, kneeling, ready to serve. For a split second, his attention was drawn to a figure off to the side: a slender young woman with twin blonde ponytails...who seemed to blush when he looked in her direction.

While trying to conceal a grin, he looked into the eyes of each young man before him. The time had arrived. He gave a nod. The youth furthest to his left began:

"From the green islands of the great ocean to the world's mightiest peaks, I, representing the southeast quadrant, accept my title: Jadeite, Knight of Harmony."

"From the vast, frozen tundra to the blue, interior seas, I, representing the northeast quadrant, accept my title: Nephrite, Knight of Comfort."

His eyes trailed over the open spot in front of him. He gave a slight, inaudible sigh, and nodded to the next man.

"From the green swamps and clear lakes of the east to the white desert and purple mountains of the west, I, representing the northwest quadrant, accept my title: Zoisite, Knight of Healing."

The man directly in front of him, positioned slightly ahead of the other three, took a deep breath. "From the burning sands to the salty sea, I, representing the road of the sun, accept my title: Kunzite, Knight of Purity."

He turned to the official beside him, taking a ceremonial sword into his grasp. Holding it carefully by the blade, he offered the hilt to Kunzite. "This is a demanding position: leader of the Four Knights in peacetime, and head of the Four Generals in war. Do you accept this burden? Do you commit yourself to this task: servant of the Golden Kingdom?"

Kunzite looked him dead in the eye. "Prince Endymion: I swear my undying fealty to you! I accept this responsibility with humility!"

Prince Endymion chuckled under his breath. Kunzite was so...serious all of the time! He refocused: "Then take this sword, and lead my Knights!" With that order, Kunzite rose and accepted the sword. He then turned to the other three behind him and bade them to stand. As they all turned to the audience, Kunzite thrust the sword in the air, eliciting a large cheer from the crowd.

As the coronation of the knights began to empty out, Prince Endymion and his newly minted knights strode behind the head priest and his son on their way to the next ceremony. He looked back over his shoulder at Kunzite. The Knight of Purity's cape shimmered in the bright sunlight, attached to his uniform by a crescent moon pin. Endymion pointed to it. "Where did you get that?"

"From a woman when I was a child," Kunzite answered. "She said that there was something special in my spirit and that this symbol was reserved for those who shared that gift."

Endymion nodded. "And...what gift was that?"

"Fighting evil!" Before Kunzite could even open his mouth, the three knights behind him had answered in unison. Kunzite shot an annoyed look at the trio.

"C'mon! It's all you ever talk about!" Nephrite said with a laugh.

"'Never be overcome by the evil of this world.' That's your favorite saying!" Jadeite added.

Smirking, Zoisite nodded to the head knight. "I admire your commitment!"

"As do I," Endymion added. "I've never met a man like you before." He turned his attention to the rest of the knights. "That goes for all three of you as well. Zoisite's brilliance, Nephrite's physical prowess, Jadeites spiritual strength. You are the greatest quartet walking the face of the Earth!"

"Shitennou," a warm, motherly voice called. Endymion and the knights looked to the side. Approaching was a beautiful, lithe woman in a silver gown. Two silver ponytails adorned her head, and a golden crescent moon symbol gleamed on her forehead. However, the queen of the Moon Kingdom couldn't keep Endymion's attention for long...not when her daughter was right by her side! Still, he couldn't show poor decorum.

"Queen Serenity! Thank you for coming. And...what was that word? 'Shi…'"

"Shitennou. It's a word from one of the far east lands. It translates roughly to 'Four Heavenly Kings.' I find it a fitting title to these wonderful young men!"

As the queen and princess began to walk with the group, Queen Serenity strategically placed her daughter in between herself and Prince Endymion. The nervous princess avoided eye contact, until her mother elbowed her in the ribs. Cautiously, she looked over at him. He was already looking at her...with that little smirk on his face! "And, how are you today, Princess Serenity?" he asked.

The smooth tenor of his voice made Princess Serenity's face hot. Embarrassed (and not helped by her mother's childish giggling), she tried to get on any other subject. "So...what's this new ceremony that you guys are going to?"

"A ritual," he replied. "One that will bond me with my knights."

"Yeah," Nephrite began, rubbing his wrist. "What all does this entail?"

"A merging of the physical and the spiritual," Jadeite answered. "After today, we'll be forever changed!"

Zoisite had a serious look on his face. "Is it safe?"

"Stop worrying," Kunzite said. "Trust our Master. We are in good hands with the priest. Soon, we will be forever united as brothers!" He looked off into the distance. "I may want to do this with my troops in the future."

"Wow," Princess Serenity said. "That sounds...intense!"

"Quite. But, think of it this way: I searched every corner of the planet for the right ones to stand beside me. In the end, only these men remain standing. They are committing to a huge job!" Endymion looked back over his shoulder again. "But...when you get them doing the things they enjoy, you see who they really are!"

While his knights gave half-amused looks, the princess jumped back in. "Oh, I get it! I have friends like that too! So serious when they have to train, but totally crazy when it's just us!" She sighed. "Maybe someday we'll all get together."

Without thinking, Endymion placed his arm around Princess Serenity slender shoulders. "I think that can be arranged, in the near future. We just have some things here on Earth to take c-" He stopped in the middle of his sentence and looked into the princesses wide-open eyes. Was she breathing? His gaze then continued to his own hand. Quickly he removed it. With an uncharacteristic stammer, he apologized.

Regaining her breath, with a shy look on her face, Princess Serenity waved it off. "It's...it's ok!" As they continued to walk, the Princess thought to herself: "That was kind of cute! I've never seen him flustered before!"

Endymion shot a nervous look backwards. He was met with four knowing smirks.

Grinding her teeth in anger, she peered at the scene. It absolutely sickened her to see that annoying, immature child walking side-by-side with the Prince of the Golden Kingdom. Not to be outdone was her mother, that sanctimonious, silver-haired serpent who had successfully slithered her way into the good graces of the ruling class. Her frustration grew. Didn't they know how dangerous she was?

Moving her hand over her self-created crystal ball, the point-of-view shifted to the four men walking behind the prince. She shook her head. Yes, these four had some...useful...skills, but they paled in comparison to her. She took a deep breath to calm the rising tremble in her hands. How could the prince have...insulted her by asking her to be a knight? "From the lush rainforests to the tip of the known world," she said in a mocking tone. "Did you really expect me to 'accept' my title?"

Her hands moved gracefully over the ball again, bringing Prince Endymion's face into focus. Her fingers longingly outlined his features: the strong jawline...the full lips...the enchanting eyes… The image became blurry as tears filled her vision, her resolve straining. While her youthful beauty, long red hair, subtle curves, and kind eyes easily garnered attention, her keen intellect, genius in warfare, and extraordinary magical ability effortlessly intimidated all would be suitors. Not that she cared about them, for any man who was terrified by her gifts was not worthy of her time.

But...the one who sailed the world...who came to see her because of her strengths...who expressed his admiration and attraction...who took her by the hand...so gently…

...was asking her to take a supporting role?

While this...weak...clumsy...little...bun-headed...whore...stood by his side?

Her emotions building to a crescendo, the young woman placed her forehead on the crystal ball and wept bitterly. She wanted to scream...but she refused to give those moon women the satisfaction. Endymion...the Golden Kingdom...the world...why? Why didn't they see the danger of a technologically superior race forever floating above them? Why didn't they trust in her - her power, her knowledge - to keep the planet safe? Her grip on the ball tightened. Why...why did Endymion reject her...for…

"...that BITCH!"

"Patience…"

The young woman's head snapped up. Frantically she looked around. This room was her sanctuary...no one had the ability to enter. "Who's there?"

"I can taste your desire…"

Her eyes continued to dart around the area, but there was nothing moving in the shadows. She finally looked back down to her crystal...and gasped. The scene of Endymion, the moon invaders, and the generals had disappeared. The ball now featured a swirling dark-red cloud. The young woman could feel the power radiating through. "Wh-what are you?"

"Revenge," the multi-pitched echo rang out. "You seek retribution…"

Unsure of what to do, the woman simply answered honestly. "Yes. Yes I do."

The entity laughed softly. "Why?"

"Because the Moon Kingdom is dangerous! And...the prince can't be so foolish to do the same thing that his parents did and form an alliance! I have to protect the world from-"

Her diatribe was cut off by roaring, cruel laughter. "Spare me your trivial squabbles over alliances! No...your true power lies in your desire to make someone pay...to hurt them...to make them suffer…"

The woman paused before asking: "You're saying that...you'll...you'll help me to punish her?"

"Patience," the evil voice purred. "The best revenge is slow and thorough. You must slowly destroy everything that your target holds dear. Then...when they are at their lowest...crush the life from their body!" The glow from the crystal brightened. A chill ran down the young woman's spine as two green slits appeared along with a bright red streak. Above this rough facsimile of a smiling face, a four-pointed star began to shine. "I have secrets of the Moon Kingdom that will help you achieve your victories, both small and great. Bring me your instruments and I will teach you!"

"In-instruments?" She looked at her hands. "My skills are in my brain...my expertise…"

"If you truly want to destroy the will of your enemy, you must use what is theirs against them." Out of the corner of her eye, the young woman saw a glowing object begin to levitate and fly towards her. The color of the energy field guiding the object was the same as the color of the astroid above the entity's eyes. Once the object got close to her, the glow vanished and the object dropped into the woman's hand. "This stone inflames those beautiful feelings within you. What is it called?"

Sneering at the burgundy and white mineral chunk, she answered: "Berylite."

"This will be the instrument of their downfall...of your victory and final revenge!" The glow in the ball began to fade. "Come...find me...pledge to serve me and all will be yours!"

The young woman's pulse quickened. A mystery cloud appearing from nowhere? And offering to help her? But also saying that her hatred of the earth-moon alliance was insignificant? But her desire for revenge was the real power? And asking for a pledge of loyalty? Didn't she just reject making a similar pledge? How did the stone figure into this? And how would this destroy the whore? And what secrets did this...thing have? How did it acquire them? There were too many questions, and not enough time! She had to find this thing...but…

"Where? How will I find you?"

Another soft laugh. "Follow your desire."

The vague words only furthered her confusion. How can an emotion track a...magical...thing? And did she even want to trust in...it? With time seemingly running out, the young woman took a deep breath. What was her main desire? Out of everything that she wanted right now, what was number one? What was the most im-

She gasped. The image in her mind was crystal clear. When it appeared, she could...feel...the entity within the ball. "Yes…" it growled. The young woman shook herself and re-focused. With the glow almost gone, and her next steps in mind, one last question popped into her head:

"Who are you?"

As the light disappeared, the entity answered with a low hiss…

"...Metalia…"

Hey guys! Welcome back! But...I wish that things were going better! Queen Beryl has blacked-out Juban and led me and my friends to Tokyo Tower for a fight! And even though we freed them, she has the Four Kings back on her side! But...how...how did she get...Tuxedo Mask?! We're gonna have to fight...but...I'm not sure that I can! What's going to happen when the Senshi and the Shitennou meet? We need someone to step up and lead! Who's ready for that job? Find out next time with Fragile as Book 2 of The Radiant Sailor Moon kicks off!

References:

Elements of this ceremony were seen in Memory Lane - Part 1 (Book 1, Chapter 34) and New Moon Ni Koishite (Book 1, Chapter 36)

Beryl's first appearance came in Soldier of Love - Part 1 (Book 1, Chapter 23), where she became a recurring character.

Metalia's first (full) appearance was in New Moon Ni Koishite (Book 1, Chapter 36), though there were previous allusions.

The stone that the young woman uses is related to the stones first mentioned in Child of the Moon - Part 2 (Book 1, Chapter 3) and expanded on in Flash - Part 2 (Book 1, Chapter 19). The stones then become a recurring element.

Beryl's final revenge is shown in the very first entry of Book 1: SILVER MILLENNIUM - ? Years Ago (Book 1, Chapter 1)

If there are any more elements of the story that need an explanation, please send a comment and I will answer. Thanks for reading!