I wasn't going to post something up this quickly, but I'm in a really goooood mood on the account that it's my birthday! Or rather…my birth week haha! Yay! Does anyone else see that Nickelodeon show, Victorious? Birth week hehe they really have something there.

To Jasmine Indigo Sappihhra: I'm thinking about breaking it down and adding more (Which is what I'm doing right now). There isn't much chance this story will have a sequel, but I will consider writing an epilogue for you ^^

Thank you for those that reviewed. It's always welcome and much appreciated ^^!

*Standard disclaimer applies*

*ooo*

Selenity paced tirelessly, throwing small desperate glances at the viewing orb. 'My darling daughter…please be strong…'

Her arms wrapped around her frail body, not from cold, but from fear. Fear from the sheer uncertainty of the situation. Her eyes shimmered lightly against the reflection of the images she saw. Serenity and the senshi had always been facing uncertainty since the moment of her birth. They were born into a time of royalty and prestige, of alliances and obligations, of sacrifice and responsibility. As a princess, Serenity was expected to live for her people, for her kingdom, and in eventuality for her king. Destruction came first, however, seeing to the death of her love and her most loyal friends. The truth of their death swarmed around, becoming too much for her, leading to her own death. Serenity's love for her friends drove her to commit suicide. The image of that darn sword piercing her daughter's small and beautiful body still haunts her today. 'Like mother like daughter' she mused. Just as Serenity was eager for death upon the murder of her friends, Selenity herself also begged for death the moment her kingdom and daughter were gone. She had nothing left to live for other than to secure a future for her daughter.

'I sent them away from this…from these horrors so that they could all live in peace. For what? For them to find other horrors!' she thought. Her own sacrifice was in vain. Giving her life so that her girls could find some semblance of a normal and happy life was just a joke. That's the reason she did not wish for them to be reborn in that time. She knew that if she brought them right back, they would simply suffer more and then perish. Selenity knew she would no longer be there to watch over her precious Serenity and her court. She had to make sure to send them to a time far into the future, to allow herself time to find a way to come back and establish herself in a semi solid body…to watch over them again. So that she may step in whenever she was really needed again. Let just say it's not an easy process, creating a false body to support her soul. Regardless, her anguished soul could never truly rest in peace if she knew Serenity continued to face hardships because she had the misfortune of being born into lunar royalty.

Serenity was damned because of her lineage.

As much as Selenity wanted to fight it, to scream and yell, and deny it she knew deep down that it was HER fault that Serenity suffered. She wasn't the Queen she should have been. If she had been stronger, smarter, more a like a leader…then the crystal would have bonded with her for eternity. Not with her daughter. Selenity should suffer. She brought this upon herself. Selene knows this to be true. Her mother always told her the legends of the crystal having some sort of conscious, of being able to read its wielder and decide if they were a pure and strong enough to be in possession of the crystal for eternity. She knew that the legends were true the moment the crystal was entrusted to her when her mother passed away. Selenity could feel that the crystal breathed and hummed within her. It felt incredible. The sensation of it was overwhelming, a warm bright feeling that reminded her who she was and what she was supposed to stand for. The bond Serenity shares with the crystal cannot compare to the one she herself had…the bond that Selenity shared was one of a mother and her baby. Selenity was the vessel, and the crystal was the baby that would eventually leave her body. The crystal would always remember her and in some way be a part of her but would eventually find another. Serenity and the crystal were one. Serenity was as much a part of the crystal as the crystal was a part of her. It was supposed to be a beneficial symbiotic relationship. All this was simply evidence that Serenity had something that she didn't.

It's not that Selenity was jealous. Sure, when she had been younger and her mother would brush out her hair while telling her stories of the awe inspiring crystal, Selenity would pray and wish that the crystal would choose her. 'What an honor!' she used to say, an honor to be picked by the crystal. Now she wished her mother had told her the dark side of wielding the crystal, all the sacrifices that came with being the cosmos chosen. It was the fine print that no one had thought to write down. Selenity wasn't jealous that her daughter had been chosen for such an arduous task. She simply wanted to alleviate the pain that Serenity was going through, the pain she was destined to go through for the rest of her life.

Selenity was neither pure, nor strong enough. She wanted to cry in anguish. What she wouldn't give to relieve Serenity of this burden! 'Why not me!'

She couldn't forget about the scouts or the prince of the Earth. She was also responsible for their demise as well. If it weren't for her failure as the protector of the crystal, then the people protecting and loving Serenity would not have been placed within harm's way. Serenity couldn't be blamed. Everyone surrounded her and their love for her was instantaneous. Serenity was a beacon of light that shone against the darkness of the world, attracting everyone who witnessed that light, like moths to a flame. Unfortunately Selenity's light never shined as brightly.

Serenity was never to be blamed that she was the only lunarian strong enough to bare this burden. She did so without complaining. Never has her Serenity blamed her origins, her people, and her mother for the 'gift' she inherited. Serenity accepted it with such a grace that it confounded her. Any other person would have rejected that destiny, given the crystal to the nearest evil doer whom confronted them, and washed their hands of it all. Serenity fought and persisted. All for the sake of others…which is probably the reason the crystal had chosen her.

Selenity wasn't sure that if given the opportunity, she would do as Serenity had done. Sure, she had given her life in an attempt to destroy the one that ruined her kingdom and save the souls of her daughter and her friends but it seemed selfish compared to the sacrifices that Serenity made. Selenity attempted to vanquish the evil in order to secure her daughter with a future. She also sent her daughters' soul to the future to guarantee her another life. All Selenity's sacrifices surrounded her daughter…not the welfare of others. Selenity didn't stop to think about send other souls in the future so that they too could find a happier life. No. Only her princess and her friends got that honor…Was she selfish?

Selfish was right.

Completely right.

Selenity wasn't fit to rule the kingdom, so it was destroyed. Selenity wasn't fit to be the mother of such a pure daughter, so she sought death. Selenity wasn't fit to be granted peace, so she must exist to be witness to her daughters eternal suffering. 'Thinking this way will not help anyone' she thought, 'as Serenity is strong…I shall be too'

'My strong little warrior…she reminds me so much of her father. That fighting spirit was one in the same' a small chuckle escaped her lips. She frowned almost as soon as the chuckle came out. This was not a time to be laughing. 'Much less as Serenity's expense', she rebuked herself.

Her thoughts wandered to her husband. May he rest in peace. She was glad that he didn't live to witness the demise of their kingdom and of their beloved daughter. He loved Serenity above all else. He always called her his little miracle.

'Now I need to be her miracle'

*ooo*

"What are we supposed to do?"

Mamoru shook his head in frustration. They had been asking him that since Sapphire left. Rush in? Save her? What was he supposed to say? He sneered at the door…at what was behind the door. He brought his hand up, running it through his hair. "We go in. It's that simple" he finally answered

"And then?" Minako pressed. Going in would make sense. He should give her more credit. She wasn't THAT stupid. Her question arose from not knowing how to save Usagi. Her soul was being taken away from her body, into Diamonds, and then…she would disappear. She would be evil. Isn't that what Diamond counting on? How were they supposed to save her from that?

"AND THEN? SERIOUSLY MINAKO?!" Rei roared. Her hands clamped onto Mina's arm, tightening her hands in anger, fingers digging into Minako's pale arm. Minako didn't move. Her arm turning blue from lack of blood circulation, she winced slightly, but the pain wasn't anything compared to the anger she knew Rei had growing inside her. Not from her comment…but from the same fear they all had. How would they save Usagi from something that had been happening under all their noses?

"This isn't the time to lose it Rei" Hotaru peeped from behind Michiru. Hotaru raised her hand and placed it on top Minako's shoulder. As her arm glided down Minako's arm, Hotaru managed to get Rei to loosen her hold and then eventually drop her arm down in defeat.

"Mina I…I-"Rei stammered. Minako rubbed her arm lightly and threw Rei a small smile to indicate that forgives was already given.

"When we go in there…I am unsure of what we will face. I cannot see anymore than you all can. The princess may no longer be herself. We must not despair" Setsuna stepped forward. Her garnet eyes betrayed the words she had just said. They reflected much fear and despair, but she refused to look at anyone.

Her fears weren't only for Usagi. If her princess had turned to the other side, then may Selene help them. Their combined power is only a fraction of what Serenity possessed. There wouldn't be much that would be able to stop her. Their power was also at risk. Originally their powers were granted to them by the royalty of each respective planet. They were the only ones who were able to harness the raw power of the planet through their private planetary crystals. It was channeled to the Moon's crystal and then given to the Senshi through Selenity and then Serenity. It was a way to ensure loyalty to the lunarian royalty. Each channel could be disconnected at any time with the permission of royal lunarian blood. After the kingdoms fell on every planet save for Earth, the planetary powers were channeled by Serenity directly and then she granted them to the Senshi. If Serenity wanted to, the Senshi's powers could be called back and their channel would be blocked. Despite them being the princess in their own right, they spent very little time on their planet to cultivate the complex knowledge of converting planetary power into something tangible for themselves. Serenity was able to because of the crystal.

If their power as Senshi was to be taken away…there would be no way of bringing the princess back and they would be sitting ducks. Chances are, they'd be the first targets.

"Setsuna?" Ami had been asking her questions for the past minutes, but they did not reach Setsuna's ears. They drowned out behind the clatter in her head.

"Sorry. I was trying to see" She straightened her dark green hair. Her eyes hardened back to their usual reserve. The Senshi did not need to know of her fears. It would not help at all.

Mamoru couldn't wait any longer. He pushed past Setsuna, as she knew he would, and pushed against the doors, "Let's go" he commanded.

*ooo*

"That's it Serenity. Transform for me, my love!" Diamond shouted in near ecstasy. He could feel her soul within him, it was damn near destructive to his cool demeanor. He couldn't hide it anymore. He was positively giddy with anticipation. Years of calculation finally paying off. She would be his. Made from him. In every single way. He was no longer sitting on his thrown, how could he just sit there? He stood, with one of his arms stretched out towards Serenity and the other clutching onto the top of the chair. His gripped tightened, along with his loins, as her stared at her.

Usagi stood brightly in all her glory. Her arms were stretched out above her as she called forth the power of the crystal to aid her in her transformation. Not to her Senshi form…but that of Serenity. Her form glowed brightly within the confines of the dark eerie thrown room. Her eyes remained closed. She feared that if she opened them, her concentration would break and her power would be depleted. Any hope of saving her friends would be gone. Her resolve could not break! This was taking so much more time than it ever had before. Her arms began to falter, and the glow around her began to dim.

"No! I can do this!" she yelled out in determination. "Please Selene. Hear my plea…Give me the power" Usagi's face contorted in pain. This was too much.

Despite the pain, she refused to lower her arms. She refused to call off the power of the crystal. They had always succeeded. Why should this be any different?

She felt so…weak. "Diamond…stop this. Stop this game!" Usagi demanded

Diamond simply grinned. "No. Never. It's already set in motion. Now it's time to finish it!" He raised his hand in the direction of where the Senshi were supposed to be without glancing over, his eyes completely focused on Usagi. "Say goodbye to your friends" within a second, he shot in their direction. A huge explosion broke Usagi out of her trance.

"NOOOO!" she screamed in agony, finally opening her cerulean eyes. As the smoke cleared, nothing was left. Not a trace of her friends…nothing. With rage in her heart, she threw out her arms in front her chest, preparing the crystal to materialize. Rapidly, the crystal began to shimmer into existence and take the form of a rose…Mamoru's rose. "YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID! ALL THE PAIN THAT YOU HAVE CAUSED!" she yelled out. In one fluid motion, her hair turned into a mass of silver and a heavenly white dress replaced the soiled one on her body.

"Serenity…" he whispered. He waited so long for this…

Serenity's insignia flared to life. The official mark of her heritage. Serenity opened her eyes; her once cool cerulean eyes now were a pool of gray with flecks of silver. As she began to collect the magic around her, she felt the crystal crack slightly. 'Please don't do this…not yet' she begged. She needed to finish this, no matter what. For her Senshi. For Mamoru.

"Serenity. Is this all? The revenge of your friends? I expected more from you princess" Diamond taunted. His grin grew even more infuriated to Serenity. All she wanted to do was burn it off of his face!

"STOP IT!" she gritted out. The vain on her forehead slightly protruded out with the strain she was going through to control her power. She knew Diamond was openly taunting her so that she would let out her power, and even though she knew…and was aware that if she let her power run freely…she would exhaust herself beyond the point of recovery.

Even knowing all of this…she couldn't help herself. Her friends died because of her. Her father was murdered, as well as Shingo. She welcomed the chance to let her magic branch out on its own. It sought retribution for the death of her loved ones. With a loud yell, she pushed her magic forth, summoning it and finally letting it lose towards Diamond. 'Let it end' she thought as she held her arms in front of her.

Diamond smiled. He approached Serenity calmly, wanting to savor this moment. He spread his arms out to his sides, as a welcome to the attack, slightly bracing himself for the impact. As the bright white light neared him; he felt such a hot sensation from the middle of his chest so unfamiliar to him that it shocked him beyond words. A tear almost escaped his eye. Almost. Even though this light was meant to destroy him, Serenity's light was so pure that it emitted such a warm and calming feeling, even he could distinguish what it was.

At once, the light engulfed him. Serenity finally dropped her hands and her knees buckled in exhaustion. The crystal hovered above her head, glowing faintly. She was about to recall back into her body when her head shot up at the sound of a chuckle. In front of her, stood Diamond in all his glory, unscathed.

"How…" Serenity whispered. Her eyes widened in dread. Slowly she began to lift herself off the cold marble floor, her legs shaking, reminding her of her weak state. The pure light from the crystal was meant to destroy anything corrupt…no one could handle it except…

Herself…

"Don't look so surprised Serenity. Your crystal now reads your soul within me…it will not kill me anymore. Doing so would only destroy you, and the crystal would not willingly do so" He stepped towards Serenity. "And now…To finish this" he smirked. He placed his arms out and called forth the crystal. Serenity gasped. What was he doing? She quickly shot her hand up to take hold of the crystal but it answered Diamonds call first. It zoomed across the room and settled in front of Diamonds hands

"No…..this can't….it can't be" Serenity's tears clouded her vision. The crystal…Diamond…She shook her head violently. She called forth for the crystal. The crystal glowed slightly, acknowledging the request, but it refused to move any closer to her. Her tears began to pour out of her eyes.

All of a sudden, she felt a horrible pain in the middle of her chest. It gripped her heart and would not let go. Placing her hand on her chest, she fell to the ground. Her gaze landed on the door that she had entered from. It was all lost…

Slowly, her silvery silken locks turned gold, and she felt her insignia disappear. Serenity was gone. She didn't have enough power to maintain that transformation. And without the crystal, Serenity no longer existed. Usagi withered in pain on the floor, screaming out in agony. As she tried to stand up for a second time, she noticed that she could see through her hands. She shot a gaze to Diamond and managed to narrow her eyes at him despite the horrible pain. Diamond comfortably settled himself on his throne and decided to wait patiently.

As Usagi finally peeled herself off the floor, her body was shimmering in and out, fading away completely. Her power was gone. She exhausted everything she had within her…

"Usagi!"

Usagi gasped and turned to face to the door behind her. "Mamoru…?" she whispered weakly. Her friends…how was this possible? She took one step towards him, her hand stretched out. She needed to touch him…to make sure he was real…to make sure that he was alright. Mamoru ran up to her, noticing her body was fading away. "USAGI!" he cried out again in desperation. As soon as their fingers were about to touch, her body faded away into a flurry of white mist. "NO!"

Diamond stood up holding the crystal out, and called the mist to him. His eyes opened in pleasure, as he felt Serenity within him, whole. As soon as he absorbed her completely, the crystal slowly faded away as well. He felt alive…now than ever.

"What did you do to her?! Bring her back!" Mamoru growled out. He began to run towards Diamond when suddenly a bright light erupted from Diamond, slowing Mamoru down to shield his eyes. The Senshi also crouched down and covered their faces. As the light began to dissipate, Mamoru uncovered his eyes and looked up at Diamond.

A loud gasp escaped his lips, in front of him stood Usagi, and dressed in a long tight, sleeveless black dress. Her hair was pulled into a long pony tail, exposing a black upside moon. Her arm was draped around Diamond and her lip was curled in distaste as she eyed Mamoru and Senshi in front of her. Diamond glowed. His arm wrapped around her waist and brought her even closer to his body. He gripped her waist and planted a kiss on her full lips. She growled and pressed herself hungrily against him, kissing him harder with each passing second. As he pulled away from her, lust was heavily evident in his eyes, she pouted. She casually laid her head against his chest and wriggled her fingers towards the Senshi.

"Miss me?" she laughed haughtily.

*ooo*

Okay. So now it really is one more chapter haha. The ending is near mwuahaha

Don't forget to Review! Would love to end this story with 300 reviews ^^ but no pressure. It was my birthday after all! *wink* *wink*

Much love!

Elle Nim 'Loki