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I'm in school at the moment and working, and if I don't continue my stories right away I'm really sorry! I really love reviews for light criticism and support though! When Inspiration and time allow me to add another chap I will! All the same I'm trying to catch up and finish up the stories I have on the go so they will go up!

Thanks! Sorry about the rant! Xoxo

Chapter 23: On the Dark Side of Things

Ixion watched a fist flash just past the side of his cheek towards the dark barrier wall of their hide-out.

"What was that about today?!"

"You know Charon, I don't think I've ever seen you this angry." He caught the fist in his own hand and pushed it back to Charon calmly. "Come to think of it, I've never seen you this emotional. Then again, you did let out a lot of passion with Pluto today. But to be fair… I was just trying to set things in motion… I mean sure you told her some of the stuff, but I mean if you really wanted to get her back, you got to at least try to fill the roll of protector a little. I mean that's all that god forsaken Earth Prince parades in his mask doing… and quite regrettably it does seem to work doesn't it?"

Charon hated how Ixion was trying to parallel their dislike for that man. All the same he wasn't about to cause a huge strife in the group's alliance. He could put his dislike aside for Ixion's meddling as long as he didn't continue butting in. "Just do me a favor and leave my dealings with Pluto, and the Seeds I'm given, to myself. Do what you want with the Moon Princess…but I think we all know you've already lost that one."

"Oh come now Charon. Not all is lost? I mean did you see how easy it was for me to knock the guy a good one? He's not all that ...but, the point is, I couldn't have done it without you! And I mean…he was already affected nearly three times! He's as weak as the Earth people he rules when succumbing to the demons they created on the Moon back in the day during the war…" Ixion remained un-phased by Charon's warning, and seemed overly chipper. Almost mockingly.

"The same war that was pretty much started because the Moon Princess you like was willing to bring everyone along with her to war, so she could be with the Earth Prince… so she wouldn't have to settle with people like you? Didn't they ask you to fight for them? I mean you nearly signed up just to protect their happiness? Or was it to fix the fact that your father couldn't keep his women in a row either, that you were tempted to fight?" Charon couldn't subvert his anger, and let it out in a passive bitter remark.

Ixion suddenly flicked a flame wheel at Charon, too irritated now to even look his way, purposefully aiming for his cape. Charon dodged it expectantly by transporting and reemerging a moment later to the left.

"Boys, can you cut it out? You fight worse than girls do with these cat fights." Sedna came in rolling her eyes. "Look Ixion, our lovely Lady of Discord wants to see you. Also Charon, if you're going to try to get Pluto to actually see things our way, I have to side with Ixion a bit here. You got to sweet talk a girl into trusting you again before you can show her our side of things…if she's willing to hear. I wouldn't mind having a little female company. Eris and I were always a bit of outsiders. I'm not sure why all the other female Senshi were always so soft hearted…"

"I don't expect to get her to our side..." Charon knew Pluto didn't seem to understand his point. At least she hadn't seemed to succumb to his warnings then…or in the present…

"What could I have possibly done that our dear Senshi Leader of Discord wants to see me?" Ixion asked playfully.

"Who knows…I didn't ask." Sedna shrugged and walked off.

"Probably wants to let me take your Seed to use…considering how I was the one who used it to its better potential. Or maybe she's just bored of dear Orcus and needs some more selection..." Ixion smirked to Charon before walking off.

Charon didn't care what Ixion said. He'd deal with Pluto...sooner or later on his own terms…as much as he hated to admit it…seeing Pluto again woke up everything inside him he had been trying to forget since that war on the Moon.

He was stupid to think bringing Pluto back into the picture directly would do any good though.

"Yes?" Ixion said looking up to the woman they'd all agreed to lead them in their fight. He noticed how Dysnomia slithered in and out of the darkness of the room.

"Ah, Ixion." She turned. Her dark mauve black hair, and her dark red eyes smiled. Past her bangs, it sat up in a braid that wrapped around her head and then spilled into a large train of hair down to her calves. Her senshi mark seemed to glow slightly on her forehead, always a deep red. Her dress was burgundy that faded to a dull graphite as it fell …revealing, off the shoulders, just covered just her breasts before meeting in a band that went around her ribs tight, then extending down in loose waves, slitting down the middle just past mid-calf opening up to long pale slender legs. Her deep red jewels sat in a gold necklace, her wrists with almost Grecian looking cuffs. Her ears held two grey-oval earrings, matching the bottom layer of her dress.

She held her staff, with it's encasement of gold and ruby, protecting the estranged apple that seemed to swirl in the dark powers of the seeds it contained; the key to everything. She was to lead them; she was the first to have united them and even Ixion didn't mind allowing her that honor. She was the most powerful of them anyway.

"Rumor has it that our dear Shen Charon …or should I say, you, awoke the memories of our long lost ally Pluto…"

"Well Charon is obsessed still with her. Frankly, I am at least open with my own dealings with who I intend to pursue." Ixion looked bored with it all.

"I agree. While I once never cared much that she took the place before my brother and I in the Senshi line up… I can see that she two has her own validity in that bittersweet placement as the Guardian of Time. I can't say I'd adhere to it myself. It is surprising she denied Charon so roughly…"

Ixion looked at Eris. She was the strongest of them: stronger than Pluto's lineage had been before the current senshi Pluto had taken over as the Guardian of Time. What's more, was that her brother's tragic fate had handed them, or rather her, with an even greater power.

He understood why Orcus had come to fancy her. She had been known as one of the most beautiful and most dangerous of all of the Senshi of the planets. She was a dark horse; a dark and wild beauty fueled by the same fire they had all been submerged in back in the day.

"Frankly she doesn't seem at ease with that decision. Charon couldn't win her back if he tried though with his passive antics. So why did you need me then?" Ixion flashed a smirk.

"Charon's next Demon Seed…Limos…I have a fair Idea of what it will be used for. I told him to use it to bring them…closer to us. As a demon it starves people of what they want the most until they wallow into the self-pity that is loss. That being said, although I can't imagine Charon would appreciate this notion, I want you to intervene." Her arms crossed, her left hand resting over her mouth delicately. Her eyes intense, devious, seductive. "This time, under my orders though...I would really hate for us to all turn on each other after we've gotten so far." Her eyes sparked. A sharpness that made him question how much more powerful she really was.

"But why so interested in Pluto? Isn't she just another Moon washed-" Ixion began to question, wondering how far he could push. He couldn't help but like to play with flames.

"I'm beginning to think it would be useful for at least one of their Guardian Senshi to begin to see things from our standpoint. Pluto is the easiest to draw in. Eventually I intend to make sure they know our whole story…every single one of us will get a chance to inflict our pain onto them…but for the meant time…this favor, dear Aden, Prince Ixion? In return…I guess I can adhere to the idea of destroying our dear enemy's composure in a way that you too could get what you wanted?" She smiled her dark rouge colored lips into a slight smile, her eyes piercing the darkness at him.
She was purely diabolical, and Ixion too had to admit, that Orcus might one day have a run for his money if it came down to it. "A Prince as a ruler, as we all are, does need a docile Princess I suppose…might be fun to put a bird in a cage."

"Anything you want me to do then." Ixion liked it. He could interfere with Charon's situation and he got to find a way to keep a prize for himself after it was all said and done. There was nothing about what Eris offered him that he didn't like.

Eris was their true leader. And there wasn't a moment he didn't disagree with that.

"Darien…I'm worried." Serena said sitting next to Darien in his room.

"What is it Serena?"

"Trista. The way she said what she did today. Charon saved her from the youma…so far they've only had …grudges…."

" I can see that you're worried for her. I also understand it must be tough for her though. I mean think about it; Rei and her moons' guardians are pretty close, and even you and Luna are close…it makes me wonder what kind of relationship she'd once had with Charon."

"What do you mean?"

"The way she said that they were involved… I'm beginning to question myself how involved they were. She seemed really at odds by his appearance."

"You don't think?" Serena's eyes widened. She wondered if that was why Charon had protected her…kind of like how Tuxedo Mask protected her even when he had been on the dark side in the past…well for the most part.

"Well he doesn't seem to appear in an animal form. I'm beginning to think that all of the guardians might have dual forms. I mean according to Artemis they were all people chosen from a lineage that came from the Moon."

Serena recalled when she turned Luna into a human. Could that be true?

"On the other hand, I don't think it's fair for us to speculate. I think she'll let us in when she knows how to handle whatever she needs to handle herself. All of this news of guardians and other Senshi who have powers that come from the planetary heir opens up too many speculations about what exactly happened in the past."

"Mhm…I just hate that we're all getting hurt in the process." She rested her head on his knee.

"We all have something to fight for. We're bound to be put under some kind of pressure when we're standing up for it."

"What are you fighting for?"

"Me?" He coughed. "Well…to make sure you're safe. Lately that Ixion has me worried Serena, the way he was willing to forcefully separate us on various occasions. In order to save the Earth from their threat, I need to stand by you. It's the only reason I'm getting a sense that I have a target on my back…"

"Wait because of me? Are you serious?"

"Don't you see it Serena? Ixion wants you alone. He was willing to jeopardize everyone, so I can't help but having to deal with his blows." He admitted, a little stunned she was so oblivious.

"I'm sorry. I guess I can't help but wonder how many people were alienated from us way back. He seems bitter…and he gets too close…" Serena looked concerned.

Darien sighed. "To be honest, I have gotten a little used to our enemies having somewhat of a crush on you at times…It's just a matter of the fact that I trust you enough that I know the only thing I need to worry about is to make sure they don't hurt you in the process. We all need you Serena." He sighed giving her a loving smile.

She nodded her head. "But, just make sure you stay safe okay…you really scared me today.." She blushed slightly before he took her chin in his hand and kissed her.

Trista looked out her apartment window. Everything was dark.

It was late now.

But that was it. That was the problem. Her dreams were haunting. Charon...

How could they have not remembered all of this? Was this the price of their reincarnation? She knew even as a human the moment the new millennium woke itself, she would become, like the Moon people, a Senshi frozen in time.

She would probably see most of her friends die. Or maybe she wouldn't actually see it. She long knew her post, supporting the portal of time would take up all of her time.

Nothing about it would have been questioned. Nothing until she realized how much those cold pale green eyes hurt her to look at. Knowing what she knew now, as apposed to in her past…she could see that Charon had cared, and she'd done little to even reciprocate that.

She wondered if it was even proper for a Guardian of the Moon to fall for the Planet it protected? Or was she too bold to assume that he actually …fell for her.

Her stomach turned. How could she still care for someone…someone who wanted to cause harm to her and her friends? How come his eyes, his voice, his…everything made her want to sew all the wounds up…to go back into time…

But she couldn't change a thing. She couldn't abandon the Scouts…and she couldn't leave Charon so bitter.

Her dream. That moment back then, when Charon had defended her before she'd banished him from the Gates for his own protection. Charon…with his glowing staff…the silver wolf of her moon. The one who'd set all the teleports of their planetary systems… the one who had a scar down his chest. A scar she'd left on him.

Could she blame him for wanting revenge? For being cold…
No.

Her only decision then, would be to step down from this fight. She could neither do her duty as a Senshi nor fix her old relationship.

She looked at her transformation pen in her hand before setting it down on the inner ledge of her windowsill. Her only option was to leave things out of her hands. Maybe it was cowardly. But for now, it was all she had.