Author's Note: Love to know what you think. Enjoy.. err I hope!
Midnight Serenity's Penthouse
It was late as the lone delicate creature crept through the penthouse full of light sleepers. It was a night of remembering. No one ever slept the night of remembering. Nor much the week after. But they had their lovers for the first time in centuries. They would sleep tonight, if only for a moment before the memories came racing through their minds.
At the door she quietly slipped on her shoes before sneaking down the hall way to the elevator. From there she crept her way through the dark and dangerous streets of Tokyo to an infamous park.
Serenity's Penthouse 1 A.M.
Minako and Ami sat at the kitchen table laughing as Makoto made a quick snack while recanting and embarrassing situation from her previous life. Rei stood stoney faced in the doorway ignoring the conversation at hand.
The laughter and the tale stopped short as they noticed the somber mood of their normally fiery friend. Makoto smiled as she jibbed her friend. "Why are you being such a wet blanket, Rei? Does it have to do anything with a certain blond haired general?"
Rei huffed and rolled her eyes.
"He won't be angry with you. He will understand." Rei's guilty eyes swung unconsciously to the knowing eyes of Minako. Before Rei could open her mouth the protest Minako raised a hand to silence her. "Don't bother with your excuses or protests. This is a matter of the heart. You can't deceive me when it comes to the heart. All those years ago in the heat of battle you couldn't have known. You can't be blamed for hating over the years. We all hated them. It caused us so much pain. Don't worry about the if's we had known, there's nothing we can do now except celebrate the time we have with them. The time our princess returned to us. And most importantly don't feel guilty for having fallen for the double. Even Usa that he was charming and sweet. Even if you didn't remember your heart and soul still longed for that boy. And that clone was created from his blood to be an exact evil copy. Whats important is your desire to be with him once more didn't come in the way of helping the princess. No one can blame you for being attracted to him, least of all your love."
Tears streamed down Rei's cheeks. "But-"
Jedite stepped from the shadows and placed his right hand on her shoulder turning her to face him, embracing her when she did. "No but's love. Just let me hold you. Let me love you. I've missed it so over the years."
A queit silence fell over the room as Rei cried onto Jedite's shoulder.
The silence was broken by a crash from the other room. The occupents of the kitchen jumped. Rei looked up from Jedite's shoulder wipping her tears. "We should go see what that was."
The group made it as far as the living room where two bleary eyed cats, a cranky Setsuna, the three remaining- and disheveled- generals were stopped staring at the hallway.
The sight in the hallway stopped them in fear. A furious Endymion storming down the hallway. "She better be with you!"
Rei was the only one brave enough to step up. "The princess?"
"Yes the bloody princess! She beds me, leaves me, and wakes me with her magic!"
"Uh--"
"Now where the hell is she?!"
The other occupants of the penthouse looked around at each other for an answer. All coming to the same conclusion. The princess was gone. None brave enough to voice this to the volcano that was formerly their Prince.
"Mercury."
"Yes, my liege."
"Find out what the hell she's doing in the park!"
"The park? Which park?"
Endymion growled. "The only bloody park where our damned magic is needed!" Mercury nodded shyly. "The rest of you power up. We've got a battle."
"But you don't-"
Endymion glared at Rei. "If she's not near death, I'll put her there myself! She took off again! And I know exactly why she's there's, I just need Mercury to tell me she's really that stupid."
"What-"
"Its the false Queen." Mercury whispered.
Endymion nodded solemnly.
No one said anything else as they transformed and headed to the park.
1:10 A.M. THE Park
Serenity stood directly beneath the full moon as she surveyed the park. "Dread Queen."
"Twit." Beryl slithered out from the shadow of a tall tree.
"Hows the dimension?"
"Unfortunately for you worse off than the Moon Kingdom. Your little light display destroyed everything. My Lady and I barely escaped."
"And yet here you are? Begging for more?"
"I've come to kill you! Take what is rightfully mine!" Beryl charged.
Serenity transformed while teleporting out of harms way. Cringing as she felt the magic twinge through the link. Wincing as she felt Endymion's anger slamming through. "Looks to me like you're a glutton for punishment."
Beryl straightened. "I'm not as week as I was on the moon."
Serenity laughed mockingly. "Right thats why you've been feeding off the humans."
"To build up my army!"
Serenity glanced around the park using a smirk to hide her fear of Endymion. "Oh, you don't mean the army I obliterated in one fell swoop."
"We absorbed them!"
"Fool! Don't give away our secrets! Destroy her now! Before the others can protect her!"
"Metallia is that you? Hiding in the depths of her blackened soul? I won't be so easy to beat as I was on the moon."
"I'm sure even you child could come up with a few tricks with in 10,000 years. Now enough of this chatter! Beryl strike!"
Beryl rushed Serenity again swiping with her claws. Each slash accented with a burst of energy. Each blow matched by Serenity.
It was this scene that the warriors happened upon. As Endymion's foot landed on the soft grass of the park Serenity felt him. Startled at his close proximity she looked up, missed a beat, and fell. Beryl struck without hesitating. Endymion took the blow to the chest before anyone could blink.
"NNNOOOOO!" Serenity caught Endymion's head in her lap as he fell. As the first drop of blood dripped onto her hands she screamed, and exploded with light. The rainbow crystal bursting from her subspace pocket merging with her fast flowing tears. The Silver Crystal glowed in front of the Princess.
The occupants of the park where frozen in place. Beryl was the first to snap back to reality. She reached out her hand, "No, you fool! With out the proper preparation , it will destroy us!"Metallia's please fell on deaf ears as Beryl's hand reached the crystal. Beryl screamed as she pulled back a blackened hand, tripping, hiding in the shadows.
At the foreign touch the crystal flared to life blinding everyone in the park. Serenity's dead eyes bore into the center of the crystal as she threw back her arms beaconing the crystal to her.
Following the command of its Lady the crystal slammed into her chest. The crystal embedded itself in her heart and began to beat in its place.
The blow pushed Serenity onto her back several feet away from her dying Prince. As if being dragged by the crystal in her chest, Serenity was slowly pulled off the ground to hover slightly above the ground. Her arms hung limply to her sides, her head lulled pathetically to the left. Eyes that glowed with the power of the crystal honed in on the dark queen. Ignoring the other occupants of the park she floated forward, past her prince, forcing Beryl to crawl back seeking the shadow.
Meanwhile Mercury scanned the prince. "Zoi," His head snapped in the direction the sound her quiet whisper. "Feed the prince your power. He's Gia's favorite son, she will heal him if only he has the strength to accept her power." He nodded gaining the attention of the other general's quietly instructing them on their mission.
Slowly the Scouts began to fearfully and quietly head towards their Princess. Mercury whisper once more. "I believe this is the end of her sanity." Venus's panicked eyes flicked to her serious ones. "I believe she's mad with greif. If her power levels start to drop we need to feed her with power until Endymion can soothe her."
Venus glanced to her, "And if he passes?"
Jupiter shuddered, "I believe that will be the end."
Rei shook the dark thoughts from her head. "Its not the end. Our men will do their job. Lets just do ours."
They nodded grabbing hands as they took the last step to stand directly behind their princess.
"You hide in the shadows, but you had come to claim my light." Serenity raised a limp arm forcing light to flow from her drooping hand to the cowering form of the Dread Queen. Beryl screamed as her feet began to burn as her hand had. Serenity smiled. "This is what you claimed for yours. Take it!"
"Girls she needs us now! Give it all you got!" Mercury cried before forgetting her precious computer on the ground.
As the light consumed the last of their flesh removing them from their mortal coil, their final complaints could be heard simultaneously. "You promise me eternal youth! Power! My kingdom! My prince!"
"Those of the white moon have never held this light. The power, the pain, the destruction. It is true power. It is beauty."
The wind began to stir taking the ashes of Beryl's corpse with it into the night.
Serenity's hand dropped from its destruction. Golden eyes surveyed the city. "This world is a bane of life. Pain. Sorrow. Disease. Betrayal. Dishonor. Death. It shall end." Ice began to flow from Serenity's hands covering the Earth, her waters, her animals, her people, and their buildings and inventions.
The world stopped. Frozen in time.