If there is anyone who reads this still, I am sorry I never update. For anyone reading this for the first time, I am sorry I never update. I fly out of the country tomorrow for six weeks. I can't ever get this story to completely die, so perhaps one day I will finish it. Reviews are appreciated, and are the best encouragement to continue writing. I hope you enjoy.
Title: Crystal Power
Author: AriallaZarinth
Chapter 10: Moving On
Email: lilyelayne at gmail dot com
"It is said that you depart tomorrow, dear General." Her voice filled the room warmly, sounding of a smile. Kunzite wished only to ignore it, keeping his eyes on his book and pretending he had not noticed the other person in the solar. He heard the smile in her voice, though, and couldn't help but stand and turn towards her. Ah, Princess Minako, this day clad in a gown of misty grey silk. A collar of gold hugged her neck, balanced with her blonde hair falling loose around her shoulders and down her back. Kunzite bowed.
"Yes, my Lady, we return to Earth on the morrow. Duty calls us home."
"If it is duty, then mayhaps I can't hold offense that you have not yet taken my offer for tea, or lunch, or dinner."
"I have been overly busy, my Lady, serving my planet and my Prince."
"Not too busy to meet with Ami, General Kunzite." She was much closer to him now, when had she walked across the room? Kunzite had only been watching her blue eyes. She glanced down at the book in his hand. "Not too busy to read the records by one of the first Representatives in the Alliance."
"Serving my planet and my Prince, my Lady." She arched an eyebrow. Kunzite's face didn't change, though his mouth went dry.
"I would think that would include any chance you got to spend some time with the heir to one of the planets in your very own Solar System. Or perchance one of the members of Princess Serenity's court? The general of the Inner Planetary Sailor Senshi, those Crystal warriors?"
"You have been named a General?" Minako smiled, lips curving into a satisfied smile at the emotion betrayed in his voice. "You are surprised. Every group must have a leader."
"And would that not be Princess Serenity?"
"Is Prince Endymion your lead general? He does not wear the white cloak of authority, I have noticed." Her smile was still there, small and understanding. "I do not see why you run from me. We are not so different. You know very well that Serena would not be the senshi leader. Our liege lords have other responsibilities, bigger things to concentrate on. It is our duty to keep them safe, no matter what the circumstance." Kunzite turned away, walking briskly to the other side of the room.
"I have heard stories about people from your planet, my Lady. Are they true?"
"Dear General, I am no telepath. What stories have you heard?"
"They say that Venusians have strange powers of charm and seduction, leading men and women to their beds to steal their secrets and drink their blood." His matter-of-fact tone made the story hurt that much more. If Kunzite had been facing the princess, he would have seen the unmasked shock in her wide blue eyes.
"Excuse me?"
"Are they true?"
"If you'll pardon me, General Kunzite, if I seem a little perturbed but I haven't had my fill of human blood today. What kind of story is that? Could you really believe that? Venus is a civilized planet of the Alliance!" Anger was replacing the sheer shock she'd felt. She had expected a little more intelligence at least from this man.
"Yes, a member of the Alliance, but everyone knows that doesn't make you normal. Even the Lunarians aren't normal." He had responded in anger to her anger, and he expected a terrible backlash. Kunzite mentally cursed himself for letting his emotions get the better of him, especially in the presence of this princess. He had to remember that she was a princess, a huge position in politics, not just a beautiful woman who had been driving him out of his skull.
"If everyone in the universe were so concerned with everyone else being 'normal,' what a terrible place it would be." Her calm, cold voice made him face her once more. She was holding herself with an angry self-confidence he had not seen before. "'Normal' is quite possibly the most small-minded word I have ever heard you utter, General Kunzite. It might in fact be the most small-minded word in any language. Enjoy your reading." She left with the icy unthoughtful rudeness of someone of significantly higher rank.
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Sailor Pluto smiled gently, sitting in front of the Gates of Time. The enormous stone frame held a picture of a pink-haired girl, no more than the age of five, cuddling a tiny purple kitten in her arms. As the little girl tried out different names for the kitten, the first of Sailor Pluto's alarms went off.
The image turned translucent, and then disappeared, revealing the ornately carved doors. Pluto stood, Time Key in hand. It could be just a lost soul; sometimes they touched the edges of the Mists. The first couple times she had gone angrily to the site of the alarm only to find nothing, or something that was worth nothing, could cause her no harm.
The second of the alarms went off. The intruder was obviously making his way into the Mists. Pluto obscured the Gates from view, hiding herself in the swirling fog. They were deep enough in now that she could feel them, feel exactly where they were, feel their every movement. Each breath taken disturbed the mists, and Pluto could feel it.
The creature paused, sniffing the air. Its head turned slowly, neck moving creakily. It let out a clack of joy when it turned towards Pluto's hiding place. Then the Mists cleared, and a shockwave of power knocked the creature off balance. Pluto was behind it, then, and she locked her arms around its neck.
"Your masters should not send such small beings to deal with--" Her sentence ended in a strangled scream as the creature released a torrent of electricity that coursed through her body. It wrenched its way out of her grip, making the strange clacking sound it seemed to have in place of a voice. It pulled out a chain necklace that glowed darkly. Its clacking became rhythmic, as if it were chanting something, and it advanced towards Pluto with its arm outstretched. As it raised the necklace above her head, Pluto jerked away clumsily. The creature pursued her doggedly, its rough-hewn movements smoother than Pluto's spasms. She scrabbled away through the mists frantically, though she could feel the electric shock leaving her muscles. Just a little longer... The creature lurched forward, the necklace coming over Pluto's head. In the split second before it settled down past her hair around her neck, Pluto ended everything.
The creature flew backwards, the necklace shattered. The look in its glassy black eyes was not one of terror, just confusion. Pluto quickstepped over to it and crushed its throat under her boot with disdain. When it was through dying, she hefted its corpse over her shoulder and went to the Gates.
It took no effort at all to find the moment in which the creature had been sent to attack her. She watched the scene play out, and after the creature had been sent through a dimension rift into the Mists, Pluto entered their time flow: corpse over one shoulder, Time Key against the other.
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"It's not that I wish to leave, Serena, far from it, but with Aories ill my duties on Mars would remain unattended. It may be that I must return home, but only until he is well."
"Of course, Rei, I am just concerned for our training as senshi. With the new facility Artemis showed us this morning, it seems as if we finally have a way of training our Crystal powers." The two women were making their way through the palace to their daily meeting with the governess. So intent on their conversation they didn't notice Endymion until they heard his words of greeting. As they replied in turn, he asked,
"Where are you ladies heading that makes you so unaware of your surroundings?"
"Lessons, Endymion, about the customs of Alliance member planets. Would you care to join us?" Serena smiled easily, though she hoped he would refuse. Anyone could feel the tension between him and the Martian princess, and that certainly would not be beneficial to their studies. His blue eyes had barely touched on the raven-headed woman, though, concentrating solely on Serena.
"I'm afraid there is still much to prepare before our departure in the morning, so I must decline. But perhaps if you and Lady Mars would dine with me tonight"
"I had been pondering a small farewell supper -- I know you do not wish for an entire celebration, but I was thinking perhaps you and your Generals could sup with my court and I? My mother it seems could not clear her schedule, but there is still a chance she could join us"
"I shall see to it that my generals are not otherwise occupied this evening. Until then, Princesses." He bowed and continued down the hallway. Serena stepped closer to Rei, tucking her arm through the other girl's. They continued towards their lessons.
"Have you spoken to him?"
"No. I-- I've just been ignoring him. They are leaving tomorrow anyway. That should fix the problem."
"Let us hope so." Serena followed her ominous comment with a reassuring smile. "Don't fret, Rei. The only way it wouldn't is if Terra joins the Alliance -- and if this makes them join us, then perhaps it wasn't as idiotic after all."
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Kunzite was still trying to concentrate on his book. It had been hours since the Venusian's less-than-amicable departure, but he had yet to leave the room, and yet to succeed at reading for any length of time.
"Kunzite!" "Yes, sire?" The general stood, smoothly bowing to the prince that stood in the doorway.
"Dinner tonight is with Serenity and her court. Find the others and tell them to look their best"
"Princess Serenity... and her court? Endymion, you had made it clear you did not want a farewell celebration." The tremor in Kunzite's voice made Endymion pause in surprise.
"I hardly think that ten people make a ball, Kunzite."
"Of course, my Prince. And where are you going so urgently?"
"To try that training facility Artemis showed us this morning. He said we were free to, and I intended on seeing what it can do before we depart tomorrow"
"Yes, sire." Endymion didn't wait for Kunzite's practiced bow before leaving the room. At the end of their usual martial arts sparring that morning, Artemis had led the band of trainees to a different part of the palace. He had taught them the code necessary to access the wing of the building, and then another code to access the facility itself. The room he had stopped in was perfectly square: large, with high ceilings, all very white. Then Artemis had explained it all in his instructor's voice: even, clear, words spoken in a way that seemed to ease their comprehension. This room was programmed to imitate reality. They could see, feel, experience things that weren't real.
It had been Jadeite who first asked why this elaborate mirage was to be part of their training. He asked what purpose it had at all. Artemis had responded: "For you, none." It was the first time that Artemis had dismissed any of them, had treated any of them as inferior, but in this room he had no business with Endymion's generals. He had addressed only the Crystalbearers.
"You have powers that need training. Obviously you cannot do so in sparring with each other, as we have shown." Endymion had clenched his fists reflexively. "So you will do so here. Feel free to use this facility whenever you wish; we will begin incorporating it into our daily training upon the departure of Prince Endymion and his guards. Please follow me into the control room."
Endymion halted his mental replay of the morning's events to key in the first required code. The door slid away soundlessly, revealing the long sterile hallway leading to the facility. It was not empty: the woman was yards ahead of him, but she pivoted at the sound of his boots against the floor. He bowed curtly.
"Lady Jupiter."
"Prince Endymion." She ducked a bow as well, even dressed in skirts. "Coming to test out Artemis' room of wonders"
"Do you think it will really be full of wonders?" Endymion had caught up to her now, and together they continued down the hall. "Even if they began construction the first day of our training, something already finished could not truly be as complex as he described. Real enough to make us forget it's not?"
"I would not doubt it is just as Artemis said. He is not a man for ill using words."
"Would it be the great scholars of Mercury who built the facility? Or is there another planet whose specialty is mechanical creation?"
"If it is truly as close to creating new reality as we are told, I would not be surprised if the Queen herself helped to fashion it. Creation is, after all, one of her Powers." Makoto entered the second code. Endymion remained silent, confused by her suggestion. They crossed the cube of a room into the control room. A man stood from the main control chair, bowing deeply.
"Lady Jupiter, Prince Endymion. Welcome. I am Tobias. Lord Artemis has granted me the privilege of manning the controls for the Crystal Reality Facility. What is your request for training?"
"Show us what it can do." Endymion said simply. Makoto nodded in agreement.
"As Your Majesties request." The man bowed deeply again and then sank into the chair in front of the alien controls. Endymion hadn't understood what Artemis had shown them that morning, and he guessed he never would. The two retreated again to the main room. Tobias' disembodied voice said succinctly: "Best of luck in your fighting, Crystal Warriors. Reality change in five, four, three, two, one."
Endymion and Makoto looked around in alarm. "This is like no reality I have ever seen." Endymion barked sharply. The ground was cracked red clay, or something like clay, and he could feel the sweat begin ooze from his skin from the intense sun.
"It is the desert of Mars. A third of Mars is desert, a third icy ocean, and a third is actually habitable." Makoto looked irritably down at her dress. "Nature Power, Make-UP!" Endymion followed suit.
"Golden Power, Make-UP!"
As the green and gold light faded, the two looked around at the empty landscape curiously.
"So what exactly are we supposed to be doing?" The Earth Knight asked irritably.
"I wonder how far we can walk. I wonder if a step in this reality is a same as in the room?" To test her point, Sailor Jupiter took a step. As she did the landscape shifted rapidly. Now there were trees all around: fallen leaves thickly carpeted the floor.
"We're on Earth!" Endymion shouted with a smile. His jubilant cry was echoed by a roar of fury as a monster crashed out of the foliage towards them. It had to be six feet tall, and looked to be made of wood itself, with two eyes that glowed red and a black gash of a mouth uttering its roar. Automatically Endymion and Sailor Jupiter shifted into fighting crouches, dancing the monster back and forth between them.
Tobias sat in the control room. Two giants screens were on the wall in front of him: one showed the warriors in the starkly white room, the other showed them in the reality they were perceiving. He replaced the image of the room with power meters. They were strong, these two, and well skilled in physical combat. Tobias had listened carefully to Artemis' clinically cold and precise account of the incident between Lady Jupiter, Prince Endymion, and Princess Serenity, the tale of their incredible powers. The monster he had conjured for these two was taking quite a beating, but that was surely not why they were there.
"Show you what the Facility can do? Surely, Prince. Now show me what you can do." Tobias murmured.
Endymion and Jupiter had managed to hack the monster into several pieces. They grinned at each other in triumph.
"Wasn't that much more difficult than besting you, Earth Knight." Jupiter teased. Endymion opened his mouth to reply, but several roars overrode any words he might have said. Six of the monsters were charging them now, it seemed from every direction possible. Jupiter's mind boggled with fear -- could the perception of death be so strong that one actually died? How safe was this facility? And then her anger took over. How dare she cower in the face of these wooden creatures. She was more than a foot soldier. Inwardly she prayed to Jove and her Crystal. She felt her Power growing in her, and opened her mouth to cry her Planet's name. The rest of the words she would later have no idea why she had shouted them.
"Jupiter, Sparkling Wide Pressure!" The electricity ran down her arms, growing between her hands into a discus that she spun away from herself. It sliced through two of the monsters before dissipating. A raw scream of elated victory tore out of her throat. One of the monsters darted forward and seized her by the forearms, lifting her off the ground and towards its mouth. Part of her mind wondered incredulously if it were really going to eat her and she twisted in its grasp. Large splinters worked their way into her skin.
"Golden Sword Attack!" Jupiter heard the Earth Knight's cry, then a blade made of glowing energy severed the creature's arms from its body, and the senshi fell to the floor. As the Earth Knight finished that monster, she turned to the other three, summoning the electric power from within with the ready cry "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" She finished the remaining monsters effortlessly. She turned to the prince warily. His energy sword had disappeared. They stood facing each other in silence for several moments, until Jupiter said softly, "I guess that's what Artemis meant about other powers that needed training"
"I believe that's accurate," Endymion responded ruefully. "Do you know how we get out of here"
"If you wish to end your session, Earth Knight, you need only say so." Tobias' voice echoed detachedly, out of place in the wooded landscape.
"Creepy." Endymion muttered to himself, then raising his voice, "I think we've had enough for now." The Terran landscape became translucent and faded completely, leaving the two senshi in the clean white room. They detransformed and went to the control room to look again at the controls, amazed at how real everything had been.
When they were walking through the hallway back towards the main area of the palace, Makoto said, "It's a shame that you cannot stay to participate in more training. It has certainly been fortunate to have you and your generals here with us."
"Duty calls and all of that. We did not arrange for such an extended stay."
"I must admit, I was initially surprised to see you at the ball in the first place."
"Well, we never had such a compelling reason to come. So few Crystalbearers, and we are all so young; it only makes sense to find out what we can from each other."
"Then I take it you will return? Perhaps there will be regular visits?" At this, Endymion shot a suspicious look at the woman. Her face was unconcerned, but he doubted her calm chattiness. He recognized fishing for information when he heard it.
"I do whatever is most beneficial to my planet, as all monarchs should. I am sure you understand that sentiment, Princess."
"Of course." They had entered the palace proper, and Makoto swept a small curtsey. "Until later, Prince Endymion."
"Pleasure training with you, Lady Jupiter." He bowed slightly.
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"Wow, Minako, you are breathtaking." Makoto eyed the girl appreciatively as they met in the hall before dinner. "Still trying to catch Kunzite's attention?"
"That low-born pig?" Minako scoffed, though her disdain didn't quite hide the irritation in her voice.
"Mina, you can't insult our guests at their farewell dinner," Serena admonished. "What did he do to upset you so?"
"If I told you now, Princess, you would be so infuriated that you could not refrain from insulting them yourself. I understand that your queen mother wishes for Earth to join the Alliance, but if the leader of their armies is any indication they still have quite a lot of civilizing to do."
"Prince Endymion doesn't seem that bad," Makoto interjected. Only Serena noticed how pale Rei got at the mention of the prince.
"Any planet that wishes to join the Alliance and takes the necessary steps to do so is welcome. All of you know that. You can vent to us after supper, Mina, or after our guests depart. As for now, we mustn't be late." Serena's voice was regal, and she did not wait for a response before sweeping off down the corridor. The other princesses followed, Minako falling into step with the Lunarian.
"Forgive me for my anger, my lady. I will explain myself fully when the time is more appropriate."
"I know you've got a reason, Mina, don't worry yourself." Serena flashed the other blonde a bright smile. But as they continued down the hall, she leaned in and lowered her voice: "I don't mean to be so short with you either, but not only have the Terrans been visiting for so long, but without either the king or queen present. With only an heir to a nearly unrecognized planet, no questions can be prudently raised, questions that are important. Questions like is this the end of Terra's refusal to have anything to do with the Alliance? Does this set a precedence for more interplanetary travel for the Terran monarchs? Why did they come here? What was their purpose? Are they coming back?" Serena shook her head. "There are too many questions we just can't ask. Questions we need the answers to. So we have one last dinner, one more time to find out anything we can -- and none of that will happen if we are all with our noses in the air because they do not adhere to Alliance codes of behavior."
"Of course," Minako did not hide her surprise at sweet Serena talking such serious politics. Certainly they all knew their new friend was heir to galaxies, but rarely did she speak of it. "But you really must hear what I have to say, when the time comes."
"You're one of my best friends, a member of my court, the leader of my senshi. I will always hear your voice." And there was Serena's smile again, blending indeterminately the girl and the politician.
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Kunzite's palms were sweaty from the moment he walked into the banquet room, even when he realized the princesses had not arrived. But when the Venusian princess walked into the room, he forgot to breathe. She was perfect: beauty incarnate, wearing a dress in a shade of orange so lovely he was sure he had never seen it before. He watched numbly as Nephlite pulled out a chair for her and somewhere inside he cursed himself for a fool. When he noticed Endymion's questioning look, he cleared his throat and went to take the nearest seat, noticing just in time that his liege was not yet seated. He looked to his left and, finding Lady Mercury, pulled out her chair. When she was settled, Endymion took his place to Princess Serenity's left and Lady Mars's right. Kunzite sat between Lady Mercury and Zoicite. Again, his brain seemed working too slow, because he realized only then that he was directly across from Minako. When their gaze happened to meet she gave him a small, polite smile, and the complete lack of her usual flirting hurt him more than he expected.
Endymion was not sure how Rei ended up to his left, but he was absolutely sure that having her there detracted from the evening. She attempted polite conversation once or twice, but after a couple exchanges an awkward silence would fall, invariably broken by a perfectly placed comment or question by Princess Serenity. Endymion found himself turning to the Lunarian more and more as the evening went on. When the servant finished pouring the dessert wine, he rose with a smile. Kunzite went to rise as well, but he motioned the general back to his seat. Endymion raised his glass.
"I would like to make a toast." He looked around the table slowly. "To hospitality. To friendship. To the future." Serena rose, turning to him with a smile that he would still dream about weeks later.
"To guests, friendship, and our future." They tapped their crystal glasses together and drank deeply, imitated by the rest of the dinner party.
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Rei hated showing this much emotion, but even when she thought she was hiding it, Serena knew.
"It's just how he shrugged me off so easily. He was so insistent and persuasive at first, but when I changed my mind, it's like nothing ever happened"
"Playboy princes have a lot of practice being fickle. You'll forget about him soon. It's the right thing to do." Serena embraced her friend. "They've been off-world for hours now, and who knows if they'll ever return? Terra is not noted for her treating with the Alliance, especially with the Moon."
"Earth, Serena, you really need to learn to call it Earth."
"Right, I know, but the planet is so lovely, it deserves a lovely name." Serena shook her head. "Time for you to go, Rei. I wish your brother a speedy recovery, and you a speedy return to us. Keep up your training, if you can."
"Yes, Serena." Rei curtseyed, hugged her friend again, and then went to the shimmering column of light that provided intra-solar-system transport. Serena went to the control panel and entered in the code for transport to Mars. Rei waved as she disappeared, and Serena was left alone in the transport room. Two leave-takings in one day, and something inside her felt hollow. Today she wore the Silver Crystal on a chain around her neck, and she cupped it between her hands, as if it could generate warmth and companionship.
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"I can't believe you would stay on the Moon without permission for so long!"
"Father,"
"Do not speak, boy!" Dymion shouted, facing his son in an otherwise empty room. "And your generals -- how could they allow you to remain in such a perilous place?"
"Father, they were under my orders not to arrange for departure without my permission. And it was not perilous,"
"Didn't I tell you not to speak? Not perilous! This is the Moon we're talking about, Earth's sake! In case you'd forgotten, we have never joined their precious Alliance that gives them reign over practically the rest of the known world. What must it do to their reputation, to have the very planet theirs orbits be defiant? Why wouldn't they hold you hostage until we pledged fealty?"
"You have obviously never met Queen Serenity," Endymion muttered wryly.
"What did you say?" Dymion was no longer shouting. He froze his son with a coldly angry glare. "What did you say?"
"I said you have obviously never met Queen Serenity, to think that she would try such manipulative tricks."
"Oh I've met her. Just because she's a little woman does not mean she is not powerful or dangerous. Involved with magic like she is, and it's like she has no husband--"
"I met King Solaris."
"You insolent--!" Dymion sighed and bowed his head. "I was afraid for you, son. I was afraid for you, and I was afraid for our kingdom. Your mother didn't know what she was doing, she didn't think about it long enough obviously."
"Father, you haven't even asked what I did while I was there. Who I met, how things are, what I learned to do."
"Learned to do?"
"We were there for training with our Crystals, just like Mother thought."
"What kind of training?"
"Ways to access the power contained in them. I'm not sure I can put it into words."
"And Queen Serenity taught you these things? Magic is not our way."
"She was hardly there. Mostly we figured them out ourselves; there aren't any older Crystalbearers to learn from."
"This will not happen again, Endymion. You must learn to think of your kingdom before yourself. We are striving to maintain our autonomy. Get too close to the Moon, and the Alliance will swallow us."
"I won't allow that, Father. Earth is independent, and we will remain that way always. The only true planet."
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"You made a grave mistake," Sailor Pluto spoke quietly, letting the corpse she held slide to the floor as she faced the throne. "A very grave mistake."