Author's Note:

I just finished chapter 15... so I thought I would be nice and give you a little something extra this week! I love to hear what you think!

p.s. Ffmoonie, I know I think its funny but you know he's got to be that confused:D

Starlight Apartments 7:00 P.M. Friday

"Fuck!" Serenity poured hydrogen peroxide on her hands and wrists. The sting of peroxide stung her burned and blistered hands, but it was nothing compared to having burnt her hands in the first place. She heard the front door open, and she stepped out of the bathroom and followed the hallway down and peered around the corner seeing Setsuna and all four gerneals. "You all came. Excellent. Were there any problems?"

Kunzite shook his head, "No my liege. Everything went smoothly. Nephrite and Jedite are here if you'd like to speak with them yourself."

She stepped into full view, keeping her hands behind her back. "Welcome gentle men. I'm sure that the others made the offer, but I would like to make it clear that there is nothing holding you to this 10,000 year old pact. If you would like to return to your normal life, say the word and you won't remember any of this."

Nephrite smiled, "That is very kind, M' lady. We wouldn't dream of leaving our prince."

"Or our lady loves!" Jedite winked, and laughed. "So what are we doing tonight? Pizza and catching up?"

She smiled nervously. "Thats fine. Setsuna knows the account to charge it too." She took a step backwards, and her wrist bumped the wall. Tears welled in her eyes, and she shut them tight trying to keep the tears form spilling over.

The five by the doorway narrowed their eyes and began to watch her carefully. "Sere are you alright?"

"Yeah, Sets. Fine. Actually I was just in the middle of something. If you would exuse-" She took another step and tripped on a rug falling back onto her hands and it caused her to scream in pain.

The five gasped and Zoicite rushed forward and began to examine her now exposed hands. "What the hell did you do?"

"It's nothing."

"These are serious burns, Lady."

"Zoicite, I said it was nothing."

"You suffer wounds like this often?" Kunzite's voice was dark. 'If the prince knew...'

"Its- not- its just-"

"Serenity."

"Setsuna, I said it was nothing. I had a battle, and I have wounds. This is nothing new to me."

"Serenity this is new. These wounds aren't healed. You've never had wounds that looked anything like this. That didn't heal when you powered down."

"The princess fights in this time? Do your warrior's know? Does Mars know?"

"Yes Jedite, your love knows. In fact, when I still associated with her she did nothing but insult me. Tell me I was weak, an imbecile, and a fool. She didn't feel I belonged on the battle field, and she felt that if she could she would take my stead and steal my throne."

Setsuna took a sideways glance at Jedite as she began to head for the bathroom, "The better question is does Mars know she's the princess."

"No, they don't know. Before they could discover this, I removed them from the field, and I now battle on my own."

Kunzite's eyes were dark as he watched Zoicite examine her wounds, "I remember in Sailor form Venus could sustains the worst of cuts and upon powering down she barely had a scratch. So I must wonder if you are a Senshi in this time, how did you get those injuries? Why didn't they heal?"

Setsuna had reentered the room and handed the first aid kit to Zoicite. Zoicite began to apply topical ointment.

Serenity closed her eyes and let the tears fall as Zoicite poked and prodded, "Fire Soul."

Everyone became quiet. Zoicite dropped the oinment in his hand. Setsuna dropped the roll of bandages she'd been holding for him. Kunzite eyes widened in shock while Jedite dropped his jaw and Nephrite seemed to pale. Setsuna was the first to recover, "So you truly stripped them!"

Serenity nodded.

(The four generals began to weep because they had missed the display of nakedness in the form of their previous loves.)

Jedite was the next to recover, "You used the power of Mars! The sacred fire! But only Martians are capable of wielding those intense destructive flames."

Nephrite smirked, "Jedite would know, Mars used them on him frequently." He received a glare from Jedite and a chuckle from his other comrades.

Serenity ignored his statement, "Martians are the only ones capable of wielding those flames and remaining unscathed."

A look of sadness entered the eyes of each of the generals. Zoicite looked up from his work to look her in the eye. "You mar your flesh and suffer unconceivable amounts of pain so they would not fight." Serenity looked away from his eyes. "They will be angry with you. You may not face them now, but you will have to tell them once the Dread Queen has been destroyed and this ancient war over." She turned her head further away, staring entirely at the wall. "You don't plan on facing them, do you." She didn't respond to the obvious statement. "You are going to fight alone and die alone." She nodded, "How would your sisters live without you?"

"I've angered them. The anger will keep them away and when the time comes it will console them throughout their grief."

Nephrite glared at her, "You can't be serious. What of your Prince?"

"He does not care for me in this time."

Jedite scoffed, "I do not care what has changed through out the millenniums that man would have us tarred, feathered, and stripped of our skin for allowing you to die. And your sisters would help him no matter how angry."

"It doesn't matter. You can't understand and neither can they, I know that much. What you must understand is that I will not let them fight. They will not regain their memories until the final fight is done and I am long gone. I will not watch them fight. I will not see the fall of the kingdom again."

Zoicite looked at her shocked, remembering the relationship the girls had shared. "I know your sisters. You would leave them out of battle, so what? The can be destroyed by your death? You know they won't survive it. Without you they do not have the strength." His shock became a glare, "Its strange you keep them from battle so they can live, but you will kill them with the grief of your death."

Serenity slapped Zoicte across the face, ignoring the burning sting and unbearable pain emanating from her hand. "Enough. You know nothing of this. You have spent all this time in ignorance. I will not listen to you be so harsh with so little understanding."

"Then explain."

Tears fell from her eyes once more but her voice became cold and distant, "I have spent the last 10,000 years looking for them. Every time I find my prince, my sisters I live with them for a brief moment before they are gone once more. I have held them every single time they have died. Each time praying that the next time they came to me, their soul would have the power to hang on to its immortality. Endymion had the strength in the last life we shared. I celebrated, my prayers had been answered. But before his body could reach its rightful age, he was taken from me. I watched the last breath escape his body as the fire from the crash consumed his flesh. I will not see his death again. I will not see any of them die again."

"So you would have them suffer your fate?" It was Jedite who spoke this time.

"I would rather they lived in grief, yes. They could survive it. They have each other."

Nephrite looked her in the eye."Even my lady as their strongest pulls all her strength from you. None of them could bear it. You are truly selfish is you wish them to suffer your pain."

As she stood herself up and took the time to glare each of them in the eye she spoke. "It has been 10,000 years of loneliness. 10,000 years of death. 10,000 years of tears. 10,000 years of pain. 10,000 years of solitary wondering.-"

"So-"

"After 10,000 years of torment I will be selfish and allow them to survive together. If it means they live, then I must rest." She turned and stormed into a back room and slammed the door shut.

The four generals looked to Setsuna as her voice filled the silence, "She has truly been alone. She would speak to me sporadically

throughout the ages, but I did not come to her side until after Endymion died the last time. She risked everything to help him hang on to the little bit of immortality he had gained. Now that her sisters have awoken with the chance to share in that. She would not risk them. I have tried to convince her a million time's but she will not budge."

"Then we tell Endymion without her consent."

"Its not that easy, Jedite. Or don't you think I was smart enough to think of that myself?" Setsuna's smile showed her age old wisdom, but after a moment it was lost in her frown. "No the princess has terminated his half of their link. But hers is as strong as ever. She as been watching his thoughts for any sign of remembering since the beginning of this. The moment he saw us, she'd know."

Nephrite's brow creased in thought, "But if she were sleeping the sign would work itself into her dream."

Setsuna shook her head, "She doesn't sleep often or much. After all this time she's learned how to do without."

Kunzite looked to the ancient scout, "We must try. Our window maybe short, but its the only chance we have. We must inform our prince or he will have our hyde. Do you know where to find him?"

Setsuna smiled, "One floor below."