And at last! Another lovely chapter! I do hope you enjoy, as I spent quite a lot of time on this one. I wanted to get the emotions as close to perfect as I could!

Anyway, disclaimer: as per usual. :)

Enjoy!

Fantastic lights swirled in the air, carrying with them a soft and unfamiliar song. The melody dipped and swayed with the colors in the lights, rising to a crescendo of yellows and reds and dropping again to a softer tune of blue. If Korina listened closely, she could almost make out specific clicks and whirs in the song; ones that sounded more like machines than music.

As the seconds passed the melody seemed to become louder and more obnoxious. Multiple colors blurred her vision at once, deafening her ears with the sounds of machines and voices. Between the colors, Korina could make out faint writing, like the type one would find in a book.

All at once, the songs and colors rushed towards her, swirling more and more until they reached a final high note, jolting Korina's body out of it's fitful rest.

The very next thing she noticed was the awful stiffness in her neck. She let out a low moan as she shook off the rest of her sleep; finally aware of her head nestled in her arms, folded on the desk. With a loud sigh she pulled her head up from the desk, the groggy sense of 'Where am I and when am I?' confusing her for a second.

Korina glanced around at the aging bookshelves of the old library, framed by the multicolored crystal tiers of Diamond's castle. Her eyes rested on an antique cookoo clock, drumming a never-ending metronome. As she tore her gaze away from the alluring sounds of the clock, Korina stared down at the pile on the desk in front of her.

Among the scraps of paper and scribbled notes and pens was a very large and very old book. It was well taken care of – there wasn't a single scuff or torn page to be found – the only indication to it's age was on the inside of the cover, where it was dated to nearly two centuries ago.

It was a medical book: the largest collection of research and facts on drugs and medicines possibly in the world. Korina could see a couple bookmarks sticking out of the top of the book, reminding her of the tireless hours she had spent the night before looking up everything she could about whatever it was the Princess was on.

Of course, very little of what she found was of any use to her.

"Nothing can ever be helpful anymore…" She murmured, staring at the papers upon papers of notes.

Footsteps in the hall just beyond the library door startled Korina into quickly gathering up all of her supplies. She closed them into the book and scooped it up into her arms. One more look at the clock on the wall told her it was nearly four in the morning.

She quietly exited the library, throwing a glance at the retreating form of one palace guard as he rounded the corner. Within a few minutes she was again in her own room, the door closed tightly behind her. After a moment in the darkness, her hand fumbled to find the flat, square pad on the wall near her door. As soon as her fingers made contact, the room lit up like daylight.

A scowl found it's way onto Korina's face. She stood with her back pressed up against the door, the medical book wrapped in her arms. Korina tightened her grip on it until her knuckles turned white at the corners, as if holding it so close to her body would make the answer magically appear before her.

"I'm supposed to know how to do this." She whispered through clenched teeth. "So why can't I figure it out?"

Out of frustration, she abruptly released her hold on the book, letting it fall to the ground. The papers that were once tucked away between the pages scattered in all directions. From where she stood Korina could see almost all of the work she had been immersed in last night, very little of it making sense to her now.

Heavy footsteps caught her attention as they passed by her door. Slow and steady, they could only have belonged to another one of the guards on night duty.

Once they had passed, Korina carefully stepped over the new mess on the floor and sat on the edge of her bed. Across the room she caught a reflection of herself in her mirror. Her usually crimson eyes stared back at her, darkened to a burgundy from the restless sleep. The dark circles underneath them only helped give her a somber look. Lavender strands of hair had fallen loose from the high pigtails and now flopped lazily in her face. A quick sweep of a hand later and the rogue locks were back in place.

With a sigh Korina stood again and sat down next to the pile of papers.

Picking up the pieces of work in no particular order, Korina tried to make any sense of what she had written. Most of the pages consisted of random, scrawled notes in multiple directions, none of which connected to form any sort of cohesive thought.

"And Serenity is the one on drugs…" She muttered under her breath, scanning yet another half-legible sheet of paper. Adding it to the pile in her arm, she reached out for another.

A sudden knock on the door startled Korina nearly out of her skin, causing her to jump to her feet. She stood staring, dumbfounded, at her door until there was a second knock.

Shocked back into motion she quickly pushed the large book under the bed, tossing the gathered papers on top. Taking a breath to compose herself, she opened her door.

Behind it stood yet another one of the night guards clad in the usual leathery uniform that all of the guards wore: some sort of thick material meant to protect against blades. The man towered over Korina, although he wasn't really all that tall. He looked down at her with a slight twinge of anger hidden in his eyes.

Wasting no time for a greeting of any sort, the guard spoke. "I have been instructed to enforce a curfew at midnight, and must ask you to turn off your lights."

Korina blinked back at him. "Curfew? Since when has there been any such thing?" She asked incredulously.

"You have been ordered to turn out your lights and return to bed." The guard repeated, avoiding her question. "If your lights have not been put out when I make my next round, I will have to report you for disturbing your neighbor's rest."

'Now that sounds like a load of bull to me…' Korina thought, her teeth clenching.

The guard in front of her seemed to finally take note of her appearance, still in her now-wrinkled work clothes. "What could you possibly be doing this late anyway?" He scoffed.

"I fell asleep before I could ready myself for bed." The lie rolled easily off of her tongue. "And I just woke up. I was about to change when you knocked." She finished, packing as much irritation in her voice as she could towards the end.

He didn't seem phased at all. "Long day?" Something about his voice sounded almost as though he were mocking Korina.

"Yes, actually." She offered.

There was the smallest of snickers. "From what I hear, you don't have too many days left, little nurse."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Perhaps you're the one whose days are numbered." She seethed.

Even through his tough exterior, Korina could see the flicker of amusement in his eyes. As he turned and left without a word, she couldn't help shaking her fist at his back, wishing she could show him just what she was capable of.

Then again… She wasn't capable of a whole lot just yet.

With her door closed again, Korina could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the anger flushing her cheeks. Panic, no doubt.

People talked. There was no shortage of gossip flying around such a tight working community. People knew about her so-called "incompetence". A few, she feared, suspected more than just that.

Yet still. The whole "curfew" concept was new. No one had said anything about it, no one had told her. And why had the first guard walked by her lit room without a word, but the second guard stopped?

Deep in her gut, some part of her knew why. It had been the same guard both times – if not all three – that had seen her room lit through the crack under her door. He had gone and told Diamond she was awake, and then had been told to come back and 'check up' on her.

If there was any doubt that the Prince had grown suspicious, they had been quickly wiped clean.

Korina's eyes fell on the edge of her bed, where she knew the book was hidden. "Your time is up. You need to go now." A voice bubbled up from inside of her.

Her hand flew to her mouth. 'What… who was that?'

The disturbing thought was pushed to the back of her mind and she jumped into gear. There was no time to figure out such unimportant things.

'Maybe I'm just tired.'

Korina gathered a few of the more promising papers she had written and tapped her pocket, making sure the broach was still there. Now facing the closed door, she stood frozen in fear. Fear, and nervousness.

With a tap on the wall, she was submerged in darkness. Slowly and silently pushing the tall door open, she peered out into the hall to find that she was alone.

'That guard probably just went back to Diamond… this is my best chance at getting to Serenity.' Korina thought, slipping into the hall yet again and pushing the door shut behind her.

Sticking close to the walls Korina quickly made her way through the maze of hallways, holding her breath as much as she could. Never had the path to the Princess's quarters seemed so long.

'Almost there…' Korina peered around a corner to find an empty hallway and gratefully slid to the second door on the right. She gingerly pulled on the handle and stepped inside.

The blue-green glow of the various computers and monitors offered the only light in the room. Princess Serenity, illuminated under the eerie screens, looked unusually pale. She almost looked corpse like.

Fighting the sickening feeling in her stomach Korina searched for the light pad on the wall, finally letting a more natural light into the room. The same tubes and wires greeted her, but suddenly looked different. It was the knowing that they wouldn't be there for much longer that changed them, made them look less inhumane.

"First things first." Korina mumbled to herself, slipping off her black lace gloves and pulling on a pair of medical ones. She turned to face Serenity; acutely aware that she didn't even know where she should start.

"What are you doing?" A voice whispered to her from over her shoulder.

Every muscle in Korina's body tensed at the sudden voice. She whirled to face whoever it was, ready to grab something heavy and knock the person unconscious.

"Helios!" She hissed, a clipboard clutched in her hands. Only partly surprised, but very much relieved, Korina let out her held breath. "Why do you feel the need to startle me like that?"

Helios's eyes glanced up at her raised hands. "Just out of curiosity… were you about to bludgeon me with that?"

Korina felt her cheeks flush as she slowly lowered the clipboard back down to the table. She didn't answer him and instead turned back towards the Princess.

"What are you doing?" Helios asked again.

"It's time to go." She said shortly, making her way to the far side of Serenity. Her hands quickly clipped an IV bag – the one giving her nutrients – and then removed the tube from her elbow. Her crimson eyes flashed back up to meet Helios. "Bandage this." She directed.

Helios, after a moment of confusion, obliged. Grabbing the gauze and medical tape from where Korina was pointing, he did his best to wrap the elbow. "Why are you doing this now?"

She stared at him from across the room, her notes from earlier in hand. "Everyone around here is suspicious of something. I can't keep gambling for more time. There just isn't any left.

"Do you even know what you're doing? Or where to take her after this?"

"I'll figure it out." Korina said burying her face in her notes again. She knew what they all said; she had every page memorized. But she couldn't bear to look up at him, into those intense eyes. She knew he was right.

"Korina." He called her name, closer this time. It sounded as though he were only a foot or two away, yet she still refused to look up.

"Look at me." His voice was soft, pleading.

The backs of Korina's eyes stung. 'Don't cry.' She begged herself. 'Don't give in to those thoughts. They'll only slow you down.'

Helios's hand came into view, between her and her notes. He gently lifted her chin up, leaving her no choice but to look him in the eyes.

"We aren't ready for this yet. There will be a time and a place to get Serenity out of here, but this isn't it." He insisted.

They both stood silent for a moment, inches away from each other. Finally Helios let go of her chin, instead wrapping his arms securely around her. Korina buried her face in his shoulder, and let the papers fall to the ground as she returned the embrace with shaky arms.

For a moment Korina found herself wishing that everything could have been different; that the two of them didn't have to be the only ones fighting a war against Diamond. She just wanted to believe him, wanted to turn around and pick up again another day. But it just couldn't be done. She knew they had to go. And they had to go now.

"I have to be ready now." Her voice was muffled in Helios's shoulder, but she knew he understood. "We're as ready as we'll ever be." She tried to convince herself, pulling away from Helios.

He looked away from her, his eyes a strange mix of fear, of hurt, and of understanding.

Korina took a deep breath, assessing the situation before her again. "There's no reason to dance around it anymore. I just need to pull everything. And it has to be done quickly."

Silently, she and Helios approached the bed. Helios, as directed by the petite nurse, busied himself with removing all of the monitors: the ones that were resting on Serenity's arms, neck and shoulders but weren't actually attached to her.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Korina clipped the two other IVs. As quickly as she could, she removed the tubes from the Princess, abruptly stopping any flow going in to her body. When both spots were bandaged, she and Helios stood to wait.

A minute went by, then two, soon five and then ten. Nothing happened.

The deep, rhythmic rising and falling of the Princess's chest was the only indication that she was still even alive. Had it not been for that, and Helios's hand reassuringly in hers, Korina would have had a meltdown.

What if it didn't work? What if, god forbid, Serenity died because of this? What if they were too late to begin with?

"Oh god…" Korina's voice cracked.

Helios squeezed her hand, calming her down. Yet one glance at his face told Korina that he was just as anxious as she was.

"What should we do?" She asked him. "Just wait?"

Helios opened his mouth to answer when a loud noise, like something falling, caught their attention from the hall behind Serenity's door.

Korina's heart leapt to her throat. It wasn't even five in the morning, surely the morning nurses weren't here already?

It fell silent. Korina turned to Helios again, unsure of what to make of it.

But it didn't matter. What happened next explained everything.

The door flew open, banging against the cabinets behind it, and four armed guards swarmed the room. Behind them stood Prince Diamond, with a less than pleased expression on his face.

The Prince regarded the scene coolly, his stone blue eyes scanning first Korina's and Helios's shocked faces and then moving to where Serenity lay on her bed, the medical equipment gone.

"What do you think you're doing?" He seethed, his voice a deadly calm.

Korina forced the shocked look off of her face and held her glare steady. Neither she nor Helios dared say anything. When her eyes locked with Diamond's, he spoke.

"I was starting to get the feeling that you were a weasel in this castle." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Working against me, all this time? I'm a fool for not seeing it. But you're a fool if you think you're getting away with this. You and your friend here are going to be sorry you ever set foot in my castle." He glanced at Helios, a peculiar expression riddling his face when his eyes rested on the horn.

A spark lit in Helios's golden eyes. "This castle will never be yours. It will always belong to the rightful king and queen!" He spat.

One of the guards closest to him sprung forward at the remark, burying his knee into Helios's stomach before he could blink. Helios doubled over in pain, the wind knocked out of him.

Korina's jaw tightened, her fists clenching at her sides, but refused to break her glare with Diamond. Instead she packed all of her intensity, all of her anger and hatred, into that glare. She was not backing down.

"Know your place, boy." Diamond said, his eyes never leaving Korina's. "I am the rightful king, and Neo Queen Serenity will rule by my side as the rightful queen."

Helios pulled himself to his feet. "In your dreams, Diamond." He wheezed through clenched teeth.

"What was that?" The Prince's steady gaze flashed towards him again.

"He said 'In your dreams'. As in no matter what you tell yourself you will never be the rightful king in the eyes of these people." Korina's voice, low and angry, brought the Prince's attention back to her.

Diamond stared at her a moment longer before the corner of his lips curled up in a sinister smirk. "Is that it, then? A little bit of preaching and you fall before me? I seem to have overestimated you, little Korina." His voice snarled on her name.

She bared her teeth at him. "We aren't going down quietly." She hissed.

The four guards flanking the Prince fell into a fighting stance, but none of them unsheathed their swords.

'I think I'd rather be ribboned to death.' Korina thought with dry humor, eyeing the hilt of one blade.

A moment of anxious silence filled the room, too much like the calm before a storm. Korina could feel that fighting spark only a touch away when she heard the softest, strangest noise behind her.

Prince Diamond and the guards stood, absolutely frozen in shock. Every set of eyes turned towards the center of the room, where Serenity slept.

Or rather, should have been sleeping.

One delicate, pale arm twitched and turned over at the Princess's side. She let out a low groan, and her voice cracked from the disuse.

"She's awakening…" Helios whispered, his voice a mix of horror and relief.

Korina looked up at him, the disbelief apparent on her face, and then she felt it. She wasn't sure what it was exactly, but it was warm. Encouraging. Powerful. The warmth stung at her very core, rising up until Korina's ears were ringing.

"The crystal! The Silver Crystal!" Korina exclaimed, looking back towards her princess. As she awoke more and more, so did the power of the crystal. It was as though they were both coming back to life. Korina could feel the pulsing of the crystal, fueling her as much as it was fueling Serenity.

"Do you feel that?" She asked Helios.

He frowned at her. "No, I don't."

Before she could say anything back, the voice from before interrupted her thoughts. 'Transform.' It commanded.

Korina was suddenly aware of the stinging, fiery warmth coming from her pocket. She pulled out the broach, which held it's own little dark ruby glow, and held it to her chest, shouting the first words that came to mind.

"Charon Star Power, MAKE UP!"

Yay! Now we can really get this ball rolling! Thanks for reading, lovelies! :D