Hi everyone, I'm so sorry that it took me this long, but between work and a short semester that demands a lot of attention, I've just been so exhausted and I'm betting everyone knows how that is. But I wanted to say thank you for all of my wonderful reviews, I can't tell you how much they mean to be. Remember that anything you have to say is welcome as it helps me grow as an author. All my love, Danielle.

Chapter Six

By the Moonlights Grace

Ami watched the friends and family she had come to know over the past two years pour into the large library. Standing by the window, she tried desperately to cover the fact that she was shaking uncontrollably. In her long fingers she held a well worn leather volume of medical secrets from over the ages and across the world. She hated that she had found the answers she was seeking in this particular book, for it held nothing but pain and turmoil in the coming moments.

Walking towards the red couch she squeezed Rei's hand. The fire priestess looked up slightly shocked, but none the less squeezed back. The large group found their places around the room, all obviously worried for the small boy they had come to love in his five short years. Jadeite was the last to enter, and Rei looked up sharply as he did so.

"Who's with Ethan?" Rei asked, concerned for her child.

"Serenity," her husband answered, taking a place next to her. Wrapping an arm around her, he held her tight.

Ami shivered as they all turned their eyes to her, expecting that she had the answers that they were looking for, that she would be able to cure the small boy. Closing her eyes she summoned her courage, she had an answer, but not the one they wanted.

- - - - - - - - -

Serenity tugged Ethan in to a sitting position on his bed; wrapping a blue blanket around him she pulled him into her arms and fled the bedroom for the great hall. Perhaps she shouldn't have lead his parents to believe that she sublimely watching over him, as he died in bed. But if her plan failed, she would not have them heartbroken. They would know what she had done only if she succeeded, if not then the healer, Ami could handle it from there.

In her arms he stirred and thrashed about as the heat burning inside him ran higher. She could hear his small whimpers, and feel his hand tighten on her shirt as she moved quickly through the candle lit hallways. Holding him closer in an attempt to sooth him through the fever she pushed herself faster in an effort to reach her destination. It was ironic she thought that for the first time in nearly a fortnight she was running to something instead of from.

- - - - - -

"I have found the name of the sickness that plagues Ethan," Ami announced, holding up the book she carried in her hands. She tried not to notice that Zocite sent her a startled and hardened expression. However, the fact did not escape Endymion.

Silence.

"It is a poison that was devised nearly a hundred years ago. From what I understand it was designed especially for children and often used to end blood lines of the ruling force in power. The poison is with out taste, color, or odor and can be combined with nearly anything to be a deadly force."

"Someone deliberately poisoned him?" Rei gasped out, fresh tears filling her eyes, "Why? How?"

Ami turned to face her friend and some how managed to swallow the bile that rose in her throat, "It seems that way, and the best I can guess is by mixing the powder in with his food."

"And the cure?" Zocite asked, holding her gaze until she looked away in shame. She had a feeling that he already knew the answer, but wanted and needed her to say it for the rest of them.

"There isn't one," she whispered, and closed her eyes against the reactions that flowed through the room.

Rei howled as if in physical pain and crumpled to the floor sobbing, Jadeite sank down next to her and cradled her in his one good arm, tears streaked down his own face as he listened to her babbled in the mist of pain.

Mina turned to Malachite, and even Lita reached for Nephrite as the pain filled her as well.

"Can't you burn the fever and poison out of him?" Endymion asked, remember that it was a basis procedure for men on the battle field.

Ami shook her head, "He's not strong enough, and he would die if we sped up the process. At the most he only has a couple of days," she dropped the book on the large table, damning that she had found an answer that offered not the least shred of hope.

Endymion nodded and looked towards the window, wanting to move into the moonlight for answers. He closed his own eyes…this would hurt Serenity badly; she had grown so close to the child.

- - - - - -

Serenity settled Ethan into the King's chair in the mist of the throne room. Short of taking him out side this was only room that offered an abundance of light, and was would do as an alter to focus her energy on. Slipping the amulet off her own next she placed it around his, giving her a center point to direct the healing light. Moving quickly she through open each of the balcony door, inviting the moonlight into the marble room.

Usually a ceremony was needed to call on the moon goddess's power, but she had a sinking feeling that in this case it would not be needed. The mother moon valued the boy and loved her…Serenity knew that while the journey may be a difficult one in the end everything would be alright. Praying that she was right in both her beliefs and actions she moved to the center of the room where most of the light connected.

In front of her Ethan drew a ragged breath, and Serenity focused her pale eyes on the amulet in the center of his chest and began to draw the energy into her body.

- - - - - - - - -

Endymion watched in confusion as the moonlight outside the window began to dim and draw back from the palace walls, almost as if it was racing to a destination. Turning sharply in the room he pined Jadeite with a sharp gaze, "Serenity's with Ethan you said?"

Jadeite nodded above his wife's head.

"The little fool!" Endymion snarled and the light completely disappeared and from his sight and shifted in the night. Throwing open the doors of the library he spirited down the hallways, urging his body faster and taking full advantage of the speed of the dead.

Jadeite all but dropped Rei into Mina's waiting arms as he followed after Endymion, concerned at the sudden and what seemed alarmed departure concerning his son and Serenity. Running, he trail behind and could barely hear the other three generals dragging behind him.

Lita looked at the other four women in thinly veiled alarmed and worry. Helping Mina get Rei to her feet the four followed after the men, though at a slightly slower speed. All knowing that something must have been desperately wrong for them to precede this way.

- - - - -

Ethan opened his dark eyes slowly, feeling a strong energy near his body, lifting his head he allowed a small smile to form on the corners of his dry lips. His guardian angel would never know the picture she presented at that moment, but he was certain that he would carry the image the rest of his life. Surrounding her was the moonlight, blowing her long sliver locks around her. Her clothing had picked up, trashing about in the ethereal wind and light. Her pale skin sparkled in the light and her bright eyes glowed in an effort to restrain the power. Ethan closed his eyes out of exhaustion, and the knowledge that he was safe with Serenity. After all she had been his protector for so long and kept him safe.

Serenity struggled to control the amount of power she had taken into her body, as powerful as she was at an young age, she understood through the knowledge of the past that she still had much growing to do. Still she hoped that the power she had gained for the years was enough to safe Ethan. Breathing in slow she forced herself back in to concentration, and eyed the point of entrance of the energy on Ethan's body. With one last breath she pushed the light out of her soul and found instant peace when it connected soundly with the child's young body.

Ethan screamed in shock as the light ripped through his soul and blood, taking with it the poison and the sickness that had infected him, he sank forward on to the floor as it flew from his body and it to Serenity's. He watched in absolute horror, as the light hit her with such force that she slammed into the floor several feet from her original standing point. The light that entered her was dim, and filled with sickness that taken over him. Stumbling forward, he scrambled next to her soft body.

"Serenity! Please wake up!" he cried, tears freely flowing down his face, he reached forward to shake her and instantly retracted his hand at the shock of finding her ivory skin burning with heat.

- - - - -

Endymion urged himself faster as he heard the scream that echoed through the large vaulted hallways. Behind him he could hear the four generals panting to keep up with his pace. He burst through the doors, and skidded to a startled halt in the middle of the room. Approaching slowly he watched Ethan shaking Serenity desperately, crying for her to wake. Crouching next to the two he eased her into this arms, and groaned at the fire that poured from her skin. The heat was burning him, but that the moment he could care less as she was still breathing and the blood was pouring through her veins. Slowly but still at a steady pace.

Grasping the boys face, he turned Ethan to face him, and was shocked at what he saw. Through the boys thick black hair were strands of silver that curled and offered a renewed defiance. His skin was a shade paler, and his ebony eyes were no longer the same. His left eye had maintain the darkness, but the right was so silver that it was nearly white in the moonlight. As the moonbeams danced on the skin, Endymion turned the child's right forearm over, and found a white glowing outline of a intricate sword, at the top of the hilt was a crescent moon. (Like the one of Serena's forehead in the TV. show). As the moonlight left the child, the 'tattoo' was no longer visible to the naked eye. But most surprising of all was that he was healthy as though he had never endured a sickness.

Serenity moaned in his arms, drawing his attention, as the general burst though open doors.

Jadeite swung his son in to his arms and hugged the boy tight, thankful that he was none the worse for the wear.

"Dad, you're squeezing me too tight," Ethan complained, and struggled for some breathing room.

Jadeite loosened his hold and noted the differences in his son's image before fully acknowledging that he was alright. "You alright?" he asked never the less.

"Yes, Serenity made me better," Ethan pointed to the woman that Endymion held protectively in his arms. He nodded at his son, before turning as the women entered the room.

Ami gasped in absolute relief at the sight of a health boy, before moving to Endymion and beginning to inspect the young woman.

"We have to burn the poison out of her," Ami said and lead the prince out to the room. Leaving all to stare a the woman who had risked it all to save Ethan, and who now was in serious danger of dieing herself.

- - - - - -

It took three days to burn the fever out of Serenity, and not once during that time did he leave her side, in the fires of the temple he kept his distance from the flame out of an instinctual fear. He watched in concern and an intense fear as she thrashed and cried out from the heat, and half way through the first day he could smell the poison as the pour out of her body with the sweat. Several times during the day he would lift her head, and urge her to drink from the glass of water he held to her lips. Each time she drank greedily, and looked at him through eyes that were dazed and filled with pain. He wasn't at all certain hat she remember those moments, but he would always remember how she cried his name when the pain became too much and how her fragile finger tugged on his when he sensed she was filled with fear.

During those days, they all came to see her, and Endymion listened with a large lump in his throat as Rei poured her heart out to the sleeping form and cried with such sincerity. Ami help to nurse her back to life and informed him that as soon as the fires had burned the fever out, they would begin to use the cool water to heal her body and bring it back to life.

Life was something she was going to need, in those days he watched her body turn limp, her hair loss its silver shin and turn to deep golden color, her eyes turned as well to a light blue. He had to wonder if she body was reacting out lack of the moonlight, which he had noticed had not been nearly as strong as before Serenity had healed Ethan. Almost as if the light was healing as well, glowing brighter to welcome its daughter back into itssafe embrace.

On the fourth day Endymion moved her from the Temple of Fire to a small cottage at the base of a raging river. By Ami's instructions he laid her on a soft stone slab, which pooled with water, as part of the river brushed by her body, moving a steady and soft pace. For two more days she remained there, her body healing from the force of the fire that had pushed the poison out of her body. At the end of seven days, she was finally moved to their cottage, and place in the bed. That night he opened the windows and doors wide inviting in the moonlight to help heal her. He was far from surprised when it rushed forward and danced upon her body.

It was ironic he thought has he crawled into bed with her at the break of dawn how he thought the cottage to be theirs, and for her to be his. He was in love with her he realized, and the thought gave him pause and intense hope. He wanted to tell her, but something nagged at him to wait, almost a fear that he bliss he had found would not last. Perhaps out of thoughts that he did not deserve her, but more than that he felt that something was coming.

- - - -

Serenity knew that through her sickness Endymion had never left her side, but it wasn't him who she woke to after nearly a week and a half of sickness. No it was Ethan's smiling face whom she saw leaning over her with an intense expression of concern. Offering a small smile she laughed softly as he hugged her with great force and kissed her cheakbefore for calling loudly that she was awake. The next thing she knew was that the four women where standing over her with expressions of relief.

Licking her dry lips she asked, "Where's Endymion?" her voice came out raspy even to her own ears.

Mina smiled, and took her hand to offer comfort and explained what had happened two days prior, "King Erebus received a message two days ago from a frightened land lord, demanding that someone come out and look at the horror that has taken over his land. Since then there has been many whispers of vampire attacks, and many are fearful that they are organizing into a army and many be planning a full scale attack. It seems that Endymion is responsible for the death of several very important undead, including the killing of a brother of a very powerful and now angry one."

"And if that's not bad enough," Lita took over the story, "It seems that while Ethan and you were escaping, you managed to kill his favorite brother and now he has vengeance in mind for the two of you…Though good job on the kill," Lita offered a small smile in praise.

Serenity laughed, and turned to the group, "And whose company should we be expecting?"

"Lord Seiya," said Lita grimly, then asked, "You understand why Endymion is not here then right?"

Serenity nodded, and smiled when they all told her how he never left her side the entire time. She had known that but still it was nice to hear. That night they all stayed with her, and she could sense that each needed company with their significant other's gone, and with the fear of impending war. Ethan curled next to her in the large bed, tugged in between her and his mother. Before he fell asleep that night, he held out his small hand and offered her amulet she had left on his neck almost a fortnight before.

It was nearly the end of the fortnight before the men returned, and Serenity could tell by the look on Endymion's face that it was not good news.

Do you like it? I hope it was worth the wait and that you review and tell me what you like, want to see, and didn't like. Remember I love reviews so fork them over.

Love,

Danielle.