I am sorry again for the late chapter. I really did try to post yesterday, but life happened. Trying to get all your school work down on top of preparing for a wedding is not easy. Hopefully, this chapter was worth the small delay.
Well enough whining, thanks again for the reviews, hits, and your support. Now, enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 8: The Breakdown
"Small Lady, slow down!" Serenity yelled as she chased after her hyperactive daughter.
Small Lady giggled happily as she ran from her mom down the crowded crystal hallways. The maids and the servants in the areas stepped aside as the young princess ran passed them. Some looked amused by the display of youthful energy, others, however, looked disappointed at the behavior.
The chase continued until Endymion walked into Small Lady's path.
"Endymion, catch her!" Serenity yelled at her husband.
Endymion chuckled in amusement as he cut his daughter off and easily caught her in his arms.
Small Lady laughed loudly as she was lifted high into the air. "No fair, daddy."
"Small Lady, you know better than to run from you mother," Endymion admonished gently.
Small Lady pouted. "I was just having fun. You and mommy haven't been around lately," she said the last part with misty eyes.
Endymion's face softened as he handed his daughter over to his wife.
"I'm sorry Small Lady. We just had other things on our mind," Serenity said in deep regret. "I promise we'll find more time to play with you."
Small Lady beamed happily. "Promise?"
"Of course," Serenity said as she put Small Lady down and took both of her hands into her own. "How about we go on a picnic tomorrow. Just you, me, and your dad?"
Small Lady threw her arms in the air happily. "Wow, you're the best mommy in the whole world."
Serenity chuckled. "Now go into your quarters and play. Daddy and I have some important business."
"Okay. See you later, mommy!" Small Lady yelled as she ran back to her living quarters.
"She's too cute," Endymion said with a small smile. "But we have some important meetings scheduled for tomorrow."
"So, cancel them," Serenity said dismissively. "Tell them that it's family business."
Endymion frowned at her. "Serenity..."
"Endymion, let's just have this one day to ourselves," Serenity said softly. "Small Lady will only be this age for so long. Before we know it, she will grow up to be an independence woman who will want nothing to do with her parents." Her frown got even deeper. "She also have no one her age to play with besides Diane."
Endymion sighed before he smiled at his wife. She was right. Small Lady won't be a child forever. These were the most precious moments in a child's life.
"I will cancel everything for tomorrow afternoon," Endymion said. "But that means double the work the next day."
"I swear, some times you sound like Luna," Serenity said as she rubbed her forehead. "Neither of you know when to loosen up."
He sensed something had change in Serenity. "This picnic isn't just about spending time with Small Lady."
Serenity glanced at Endymion knowing that she had been caught. There was nothing she could hide from him. The link between them had gotten too strong.
"I feel...I feel that something is going to happen soon," Serenity admitted.
Endymion took his wife's hand and led her into one of the empty rooms in the palace. "It's about Nemesis."
Serenity nodded. "Everything has been going wrong there ever since this Wise Man showed up. All our peace effects have been rejected and they've even started to kill their own people who speak of peace between our two worlds."
"Things are bad, but Uranus and Neptune still thinks the situation can be resolved," Endymion attempted to assure. "They say that Saphir can still be reason with and he is the one with the closest ties to Prince Demande. His distrust for the Wise Man is also no secret."
"Even so, something is going to happen soon," Serenity said worriedly.
Endymion's eyes narrowed. "You sense something from the Silver Crystal?"
Serenity was silent for a moment. "The moon is restless."
Endymion was now greatly concerned. The last time Serenity had spoken those words, it was just before the battle that froze the Earth.
"How did things go so wrong?" Serenity asked herself. "When I spoke to Demande that last day I thought we've reached an understanding." She then paused for a moment. "Maybe I should return to Nemesis."
"No," Endymion said bluntly. His voice left no room for argument.
"But..." Serenity started.
"It's too dangerous. Even with your powers, those people could seriously harm or even kill you. Especially since the only way to reach Nemesis is through a spacecraft," Endymion said.
"I know that, but I can't sit here and do nothing," Serenity said as she put her hand to her chest. "What if this Wise Man turned out to be an aspect of chaos? If he is, then everyone is in grave danger."
Endymion turned his head away from her. "I'm aware of that, but as things stand now, there are only a few ways to resolve this situation."
Serenity didn't have to ask what he meant. "I have considered it. If I purify Nemesis not only will I free its people from the negative influence, but I may be able to find the source of the dark power."
Endymion nodded. "Yes, if you take such action the people of Nemesis will be free and whatever evil that inhabits that planet may also be destroyed. You will also destroy, however, any chance you had of making peace with them."
"If I force a purification on them, they will see it as a cleansing. When that happens, that will confirm their ancestors' suspicions of me," Serenity said slowly. "They will continue to hate us and live out their existence on that desolate planet probably for another thousand years."
"It's a tough choice," Endymion whispered as he rain his hand through his hair. "Either one will have long-term consequences that may never be repair."
"Another way is to cleanse the planet completely," Serenity said. "It would get rid of that evil presence and free those people completely of all negative thoughts. With their hatred completely erase, they could return to Earth without the populist rejecting them." She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "It would be a cleansing against their will and would fundamentally change them in both mind and soul."
"Just as those rebels predicted you would do," Endymion finished for her.
"Oh Mamo-chan, what do you think I should do?" Serenity asked desperately.
"I honestly don't know, Usako," Endymion answered as he hugged his wife. "Whatever choice you make, I will support you. Just follow that heart of yours. It has never led you wrong yet."
Serenity leaned against her husband's chest. She wished she had his faith.
"Oh look at all the pretty flowers!" Small Lady exclaimed as she ran ahead of her parents. Ahead of the royal family was a field of flowers. It was a rainbow of colors as butterflies and bees hovered over the flower's tops. Only the queen's garden could match such natural beauty.
Serenity smiled as they reached their private spot on the hill. This was a dear place to the royal family. The top of the hill had a grand view of the entire city of Crystal Tokyo and it was the place where Serenity used her powers to revive the Earth after it was all but dead from centuries of ice and cold. It was also on this hill where Serenity unconsciously created the marvel known as the Crystal Palace. This place symbolized the beginnings of their new lives and hopes for the future.
"Careful, Small Lady. You do not wish to disturb the bees as they collect their nectar," Endymion warned gently.
Small Lady giggled. "I know, daddy." She then began to touch the soft petals of one of the flowers. "What kind of flowers are these, daddy?"
"Most of the flowers here are chrysanthemums," Endymion said as he put down the picnic basket. "These flowers symbolized long life and are use in celebrations."
Small Lady turned towards her dad. "You're so smart, daddy."
"Yes he is," Serenity smiled as she joined them. "The chrysanthemums are especially pretty this time of year. However, my favorite flower that grows here are the pretty blue flowers."
"These?" Small Lady questioned as she pointed to one of the few blue flowers that danced gracefully in the wind.
"Yes," Serenity nodded.
"What are they?" Small Lady asked.
"Those are Morning Glories," Endymion said. "They remind us of how short life is. They also remind us of how beautiful life can be despite how fleeting it is."
Small Lady looked at her father in confusion. "How can life be short? Most people in the world can live well over five-hundred years. Mommy is also immortal."
"Even with a long lifespan, life can still be fleeting. Even though your mother has helped rid most of humanity of sickness and violence, there are still diseases out there that not even your mother can fully cure. There are also some people who still use violence as a means to get their way despite our best effects to create a peaceful society," Endymion explained.
Serenity nodded. "Also, even if I'm an immortal, Small Lady, I can still be killed or become sick. Even immortals must eventually feel the sting of death. It's a fate that no one can escape."
"Your mother's right," Endymion said. "Life must never be taken for granted."
"The Morning Glory also reminds us of life outside our own world," Serenity suddenly added. Her eyes had a far off look as she looked into the sky. "Not everyone is fortunate to live on a world that provides peace and happiness. For those people, everyday is a struggle to survive. It is by looking at their struggles and hardships that we are reminded that life is fragile and must be protected."
Small Lady's eyes widened as she took in her parent's words. She didn't understand everything, but something told her those words were important.
"Now, let's enjoy our picnic," Serenity said, breaking the somber mood.
For the rest of the day, the royal family relaxed and enjoyed the cool breeze of the early afternoon. The lunch was quickly devoured between Serenity and Small Lady, earning several chuckles from Endymion.
Lunch was then followed by a game of tag between father and daughter. Serenity, never being much of runner or into physical activates, chose to sit out and watched the two most important people in her life play. It was these small joys that made life worth living.
They spent the entire day on the hill and didn't return to the palace until the sun was nearly sat. Small Lady walked between her parents as they each held one of her hands. She laughed happily when her parents would now and then lift her off the ground and swing her.
As they got closer to the palace, Endymion's smiled slowly began to fade when he saw Minako standing at the palace's entrance. She wasn't her usual bubbly self. Her face was hardened in a way that only occurred when she was transformed. Something had happened.
"Minako, what's wrong?" Endymion asked once they got closer to the solder of Venus.
Minako glanced at Serenity and Small Lady. "Meet us in the control room once you put Small Lady to bed," she said as she walked inside.
Serenity felt her veins run cold when she heard the seriousness in Minako's voice. Nonetheless, she kept a cheerful front for the sake of her daughter.
"Is there's something wrong, mommy?" Small Lady asked.
"Just some royal business, honey," Serenity answered with a forced smile. "But it can wait. How about some ice cream before your daddy tells you your bedtime story."
Small Lady grinned happily. "Yeah!"
It was over two hours later before Serenity and Endymion stood in the control room along with all the senshi. The tenseness in the room was unbearable as the senshi waited for the cats to break the news.
"We've recently got a message from Sailor Uranus," Artemis started. "Something is happening on Nemesis."
Serenity's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"
Luna sighed. There was no point in delaying it. "It would appear Nemesis is preparing for war."
"What!?" everyone in the room exclaimed.
"It was kept on the down low, but the Outers have confirmed that the Black Moon Clan has been building spaceships. Each of these ships are heavily armed and filled with dark energy. They also have been creating monsters known as droids to act as their main attack force," Artemis stated.
"Droids, you mean robots?" Ami questioned.
Artemis shook his head. "Not those kind of droids. According to Neptune, these droids are made from the sands of Nemesis and powered by the same dark energy as their spaceships. If there is a comparison, they are more like weaker version of a daimon, although they're stronger than the Dark Kingdom's youmas. However, there have been reports from the Outers that they could be droids that are stronger than the Death Busters' daimon."
Ami put her hand on her chin. "The only person I know of on Nemesis who could create monsters like these are Saphir. Even with the limits resources on that planet, Saphir is a technical genius, especially if he is able to create droids out of sand."
"How could they've built an entire attack force for so long without the Outers noticing anything?" Makoto asked in disbelief.
"They hid it well," Luna said. "The Outers may had only learned the truth now because the Dark Moon has become so powerful that they know there's little we can do to stop them."
Serenity shook her head. "Why...why would they attack us? We've done nothing for this to happen."
"It's all the influence of that man, Wise Man," Luna said as she narrowed her eyes. "He has poison the minds of the entire Black Moon Clan and has convince the people of Nemesis that the Earth is their enemy."
"He has that much power?" Endymion questioned, not bothering to hide his fear. He found it hard to believe that anyone could convince Demande that Serenity was his enemy. He was more than certain that man had developed feelings for his wife.
"It isn't just the Wise Man that is causing this. After much investigating, Saturn has concluded that the planet's core is powered by a great and dangerous source," Artemis said slowly. "The planet Nemesis is powered by something called the Black Poison Crystal."
"Black Poison Crystal?" Makoto repeated.
Minako titled her head in thought. "Is it something like the Silver Crystal?"
"We're not completely sure," Luna said honestly. She then began to type something on Endymion's computer. "However, this is a sample Saturn sent us just a couple of hours ago." On the computer scene it showed a picture of what looked like a black earring that was in the shape of a small prism. "According to Saturn, these earrings are worn by everyone within the Dark Moon Clan, saved for Saphir. It apparently allows them to focus not only their own dark energy, but also the energy of the Black Poison Crystal."
"Saphir doesn't wear them?" Rei asked.
Luna shook her head. "The Outer said that he's the only one in the Black Moon clan who doesn't wear these earrings. We can't be sure of the reason, although he appears to have found another method to control his power."
Ami walked over to the computer and began to type several commands into the keyboard. Several different readings began to flash across the scene. "It is definitely similar to the Silver Crystal, but it is also very different at the same time. Instead of having a symbiotic relationship with the user, the Black Poison Crystal is more like a parasite."
"You mean that crystal eats the life force of the user?" Rei asked in horror.
Ami shook her head. "No. It is not a parasite in the sense that it drains the life of an individual, but it is a parasite since it corrupts and alters a person beyond recognition." Several more reading came across the scene.
"Amazing, the crystal itself fundamentally changes a person without the help of an outside force," Endymion said in both awe and horror.
"What does that mean?" Serenity asked. She understood none of this.
"The best way to decide it is that the Black Poison Crystal performs a type of cleansing on anyone who uses its power," Endymion explained. "Unlike the Silver Crystal, however, instead of purging all negative thoughts and feelings, the Black Crystal enhances them while wiping out nearly any positive traits. Even a reasonable individual would turn into a violent monster under the influence of this crystal. I can only imagine what that crystal has done to several generation of people."
"Oh god," Serenity whispered. "How could we've missed such an evil thing?"
"If the Black Poison Crystal is the planet's core, that would explain why I couldn't pinpoint the source of evil when we visited Nemesis," Rei said. "For the lack of better words, that entire planet is evil."
"We have to do something," Serenity said fearfully.
"I'm afraid there is only one real option now," Luna said as she looked at her queen.
Serenity paled. "You mean..."
"A cleansing," Luna finished for her. "The negative energy on the planet is so strong that a simply purification won't be strong enough. You have to cleanse the entire planet in order to neutralized the Black Crystal."
"If I do that, then I would also be cleansing everyone on Nemesis," Serenity said. "I would be forcing them to become different people without their permission."
"Just like what the Black Crystal has done to them," Endymion said humorlessly.
"We may not have a choice," Artemis said morbidly. "If the Dark Moon attacks us, then the entire Earth will be in danger."
Serenity shook her head. "Even if they come to Earth with all their forces, I can repel them with the Silver Crystal. Even if they carry fragments of this Black Poison Crystal, I still should be able to stall any attack."
"That's true," Luna admitted slowly.
"I am afraid that cleansing the Black Crystal will not be as easy as you all think," Ami suddenly said as she typed several more commands into the computer. "As I said before, the Black Poison Crystal acts like a parasite. From all the readings I am getting, the Black Crystal can absorb just about any type of energy. It may even be able to absorb the power of the Silver Crystal."
"Really?" Minako asked in fear.
Ami bit her lips. "No, it can absorb the Silver Crystal's energy. That is why Nemesis can never be sense by Silver Crystal. It also has been absorbing energy from the sun to make itself even stronger. It all makes sense."
"So any light directed at Nemesis is absorbed into the Black Poison Crystal," Endymion summarized.
"Exactly," Ami confirmed.
"So Serenity can't purify that things?" Makoto asked in fear.
"I did not say that. Although the Black Poison Crystal can absorb a great deal of energy, it still has its limits. I theorize it is possible to overload the Black Crystal if enough positive energy is release into it at once," Ami stated.
"How much energy?" Luna asked.
"It is impossible to say just by scanning this one earring," Ami said as she shook her head. "We do not know how big or how fragile the Black Crystal is. However, if we make an assumption that the Black Poison Crystal is about ten times the size of the Silver Crystal since it acts as the planet's core, then it would take just about all of Serenity's energy to cleanse it."
"Are you saying Serenity will have to die in order to cleanse that planet? Rei asked in horror.
Ami put her head down. "It is highly likely."
Minako groaned in frustration. "This just sucks."
"As Ami said, however, we don't know how big the Black Crystal is. Until we know more, we are shooting blindly in the dark," Endymion said.
"So what do we do? Wait for them to attack us?" Rei asked in frustration.
"The first thing we need to do is pull the Outers off of Nemesis," Serenity said firmly.
Minako shook her head. "They won't come. You know how stubborn Uranus and Neptune can be and Saturn won't leave their side. Besides, at the moment, the Outers are the only way we're even getting information. Without them, Nemesis could had easily blind-sided us by now."
Serenity began to shake. "I know, but I can't stand the thought that they could be in danger and I have no means to reach them."
There was a long pause in the room.
"We should all get some rest," Luna advised somberly. "Tire minds will not be able to think straight."
After a few minutes, everyone reluctantly filed out of the room. No one would sleep well tonight.
Small Lady sighed as she absently played with her dolls.
"It's so boring. Why can't mommy and daddy play with me today?" she asked in frustration.
"You already know that the king and queen have much to deal with lately," Diane said patiently. She stretched lazily on the floor. "You know they would spend time with you unless something really important came up."
"I know, but its just so lonely here sometimes," Small Lady said as she put down her doll. "There's no one to play with in the palace and I can't go outside with either mommy, daddy, or the senshi." She then sighed. "I would go see Puu, but mommy said it was too dangerous to visit the Time Gate right now."
Diane smiled sympathetically at her ward. "I'm sure you can find someone in the palace who will play with you."
She knew, however, that wasn't really true. Because of the long lifespan of those in Crystal Tokyo, children were a rarity, especially within the Crystal Palace. Because people rarely had children most people had little tolerates towards kids. Especially a child who would someday become the future queen.
Small Lady, nonetheless, brightened up at the suggesting. "Yeah, I can get one of the maids to play with me!" She then grabbed Luna-P and ran out the bedroom.
Diane decided there was no need to follow her. She couldn't get into too much trouble in the palace and she had Luna-P to protect her. Diane gave a stiffed yawn as she settled down for her afternoon nap.
Small Lady ran down the hallway until she found a room where several maids were working. They were walking around dusty and polishing the furniture.
"Hi, could one of you play with me?" Small Lady asked politely. "At least until my mommy and daddy comes back."
One of the maids glared at her. "Can't you see we're working? Why don't you go study or something?"
Small Lady frowned. "But I did all my school work for today."
"Then do more," the maid said impatiently.
Small Lady began to scuffled her feet. "You won't get in trouble. I just want someone to play with for a little while."
"Didn't you hear her?" another maid asked in annoyance. "I swear, how can you expect to become a lady like your mother by acting like such a brat?"
The question was like a cold slap in Small Lady's face.
The other maid shook her head. "And imagine, that's going to be our future ruler."
"She'll be nothing like her mother, that's for sure," the first maid said.
Small Lady backed out of the room before she ran out. She fought to urge to cry as she kept running until she was alone in one of the hallways. She then slumped down against the wall and began to silently sob.
It wasn't fair. Why couldn't she be a perfect lady like mommy? Yeah, she wanted to run and play, but that's what little kid did. She couldn't help it that she wasn't like her mommy.
Small Lady began to dry her tears and looked into Luna-P's face. "You believe that I will become a lady someday, right Luna-P?"
Luna-P said nothing.
"I mean, I will someday become like mommy," Small Lady's eyes began to water again. "Mommy is so beautiful and perfect. Everyone loves her. I want to be like that Luna-P. I want to be a real lady like mommy."
Luna-P continued to be silent.
Small Lady's frowned at her toy's silences until an idea hit her. "I know, I can ask mommy's crystal to make me a lady! The people in the palace say that the crystal can grant wishes and mommy uses it to perform miracles. I mean, it wouldn't hurt to ask, right?"
Luna-P stood quiet on the matter.
Small Lady, however, nodded as if the toy had spoke to her. "Okay then. Let's go ask the crystal."
She got up and headed towards the room of prayers where the Silver Crystal was kept. With just one wish, she was going to become a lady like her mother.
Serenity tapped her fingers nervously as she watched Endymion and Ami work on the computer. Even with all her powers and acknowledge granted to her by the Silver Crystal she never understood half of the babble that went on between those two. It never really bothered her since she did have people around her that would explain all the facts and theories that went beyond her head. Now, she wished you could understand what Ami and her husband were talking about. She was impatient for any news from Nemesis.
"The planet's energy has become very unstable since yesterday," Ami said worriedly.
"It's like the planet is going to explode with energy at any moment," Endymion added.
"I wish we would get any report from the Outers," Makoto said, getting Serenity's attention. "I mean...I know that they're alright, but I still want to hear from them."
"We need to have faith in them," Minako said, although her face was also laced with concern. "I mean, we dealt with worst than the Black Moon Clan."
"It isn't the Black Moon Clan that worries me," Rei said. "If we're dealing with an aspect of chaos, then the people of the Black Moon are just pawns."
There was a long paused.
"Do you think aspect of chaos is behind this?" Makoto asked.
"Now more than ever," Rei answered.
"Something happening to Nemesis!" Luna suddenly exclaimed.
This got everyone to turn towards the cat. From the monitor she was looking at, Nemesis started to pulse violently. After a moment, an energy wave shot out from the planet.
"A pulse of dark energy is heading straight for us!" Ami exclaimed as she read the sensors.
"Quickly, everyone transformed!" Artemis ordered.
None of the senshi had to be told twice as they all shouted their transformation phase. Within seconds, the Guardian Senshi surrounded their king and queen.
"I can handled this," Serenity said as she summoned the power of the Silver Crystal.
She began to glow with a silver light as she prepared to deflect the wave of negative power. Just before she could create the shield, however, the unexpected happened. Serenity winced as if she was struck in the chest before suddenly collapsing to the floor.
"Serenity!" everyone yelled as they knelt down beside their queen.
Mercury took out her computer and began to quickly scan Serenity, who was slowly regaining consciousness.
"What happened!?" Mars demanded. She noticed that Serenity didn't seem to glow as usual and her skin was much paler. She also seemed to be shaking from exhausting.
Mercury shook her head as she read the readings on her computer. "Her energy levels are very low. It is like a part of her life force has been drained."
Serenity blinked several times. "The Silver Crystal is..."
"The palace's shields are gone!" Artemis suddenly yelled.
"Impossible!" Luna exclaimed as she looked at the computer. True to her mate's words, however, the protective barrier around the palace had disappeared. "How did this happen!? The shields are powered directly by the..." She stopped in mid-sentence as she looked at Serenity in horror.
"The Silver Crystal is gone," Serenity whispered in a tried voice.
"Gone, what do you mean!?" Jupiter exclaimed.
Serenity said nothing for a moment. "I can no longer feel the crystal."
"That's impossible," Minako said as she looked Serenity over. "The Silver Crystal is connected directly to your life. Without the crystal you should be dead."
"She looks close enough to death's door," Mars said as she helped Serenity up. Her queen was extremely unsteady on her feet.
"I...I think I can still sense the crystal somewhat, but it feels far away," Serenity said softly. She could barely keep her eyes opened.
"Did the Dark Moon cause this?" Minako wondered.
Before anyone could think about the question, the entire palace shook violently.
"We got a direct hit by that dark energy," Endymion said as he attempted to keep his cool. As much as he wanted to help his wife, he had to think about his kingdom first. He then looked at the monitor and paled at what he saw. "That energy wave was a portal. The Earth is being surrounded by enemy spacecraft."
"What!?" everyone exclaimed.
Endymion shook his head. "There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of them. At this rate the Earth will be overrun."
Another explosion shook the palace.
"We need to get the people to safety," Serenity said as she attempted to walk. She almost fell over again.
"You're in no condition to do anything," Mars said firmly. "Until the Silver Crystal is found, you have to stay out of sight."
"But...the people of the city..." Serenity started to say.
"Will be fine," Jupiter assured. "Leave it to us."
"Mars, take Serenity to her chambers," Endymion ordered. "The rest of you, head out and engaged the enemy. I will man the palace's defensives from here."
"What of the Outer Senshi?" Minako asked with dread.
"I don't know. I can't get in contact with them," Endymion said solemnly.
"No," Serenity whispered. "They can't be..."
"Get Serenity out of here," Endymion said as he turned back to his computer.
Mars gently led her friend to the royal quarters. It was a long trip as the palace continued to shake with every attack. The fact that Serenity was already extremely unsteady on her knees helped make the trip painfully slowed.
When they reached Serenity's room, Mars gently laid her in bed.
"Just relax here. We can handle things from here," Mars assured as she brushed Serenity's head.
"Mars..." Serenity whispered.
"It will be okay, Usagi," Mars said as she squeezed Serenity's hand. "We'll knock those bastards back to Nemesis. No one invades our world and gets a way with it."
With that, Mars ran out of the room to join her sisters-in-arms.
Serenity slumped helplessly in her bed. "I feel so useless. How I wish I could transform again. At least that way I can be of some help even without the Silver Crystal."
"Serenity-sama, what is happening!?" Diane yelled as she ran into the room.
"Diane, you should be with Small Lady," Serenity said.
"Small Lady isn't in her room, my queen," Diane said as she lowered her head in shame. "She left over two hours ago."
"What!?" Serenity exclaimed as she sat up in bed, her fatigue all but forgotten.
"I...I thought it would be alright if you went out and played with the maids," Diane said near tears. "I didn't think..."
"It isn't your fault," Serenity assured as she picked up the small cat. She then began to gently rub her fur, causing Diane to relax. "I'm certain that Small Lady is safe. But I should find her."
Serenity closed her eyes and focused on finding her daughter's aura. It was hard to concentration without the Silver Crystal, but she still managed the task. After shifted through several powerful auras, she began to realize that you couldn't sense her daughter at all within the palace.
"I can't find her," Serenity said in horror.
"What, how can that be?" Diane asked in disbelief. "I mean, you should be able to sense her as long as she's inside the palace."
All the remaining color drained from Serenity's face. What if Small Lady wasn't in the palace anymore?
She dropped Diane unto the bed and ran out of the room.
"Serenity-sama!" Diane yelled.
As the last of her memories passed through Neo-Queen Serenity, she felt herself lock into her crystal prison. She completely closed her eyes and surrendered to the darkness around her. As she faded, she thought she heard a dark voice laughed at her.
And we are back where we started. What happened to the Outers? What happened to the Silver Crystal? How did the Dark Moon know when to attack? What fate awaits Serenity and Crystal Tokyo? Is this the end of paradise?
I know you must be tired of the fake teasers since you know most of the answers, but I personally find them fun because of the irony. There is still fun to come since we still have some unanswered questions that are not all known.
Until next chapter.