SPIN THE BOTTLE 2 By Princess Destiny [ princessdestiny@hotmail.com ] Chapter Five Shingo backed away from the open doorway as he heard the Senshi mention a battle near the Mall. "They'll be going there soon-and I'm NOT missing it!" he told himself firmly. He hesitated as he turned away to creep away down the hall. Marie and his dad were still down in the kitchen. "Usagi sounded so worried too. I'll keep an eye on the Senshi and Mamoru for her" he decided, heart beginning to beat uncomfortably fast. Mamoru and the other's had rapidly become family to him, even if it had only been a day or so since he had discovered their identities. And he already thought of Mamoru as an older Brother. One day he would marry Usagi. He ran as quietly as possible down the main staircase and into the hall, tip-toeing so that he couldn't be heard from the kitchen or upstairs on the tiles in the main foyer. Shingo slipped out the front door and ran down the long drive to the main gates. Then he paused in chagrin-he didn't KNOW the code! He slapped his forehead. "Idiot!" he grumbled angrily as he cast about the front yard and drive for a solution. Shingo's eyes brightened as he saw the large tree to the left. It would do no good to anyone trying to break in from the OUTSIDE-but was perfect for someone to break OUT! He grinned in glee, easily scaling the tree and jumping onto the top of the wall. Then, holding his breath, he jumped down form the high wall and began to run in the direction of Juuban Mall. Five minutes later, he cursed himself for an idiot as he realised how stupid it had been to RUN all the way to Juuban. The Senshi definitely had an advantage over him, being superheros. "Keep going Shingo!" he told himself, pushing faster. "I hope they're okay" he thought aloud, concern in his eyes. Still, as fast as he ran it took him so long that the battle had already started by the time be arrived and spotted them. He gasped for breath and hid behind a tree half a block down-just in case it got rough. He was pretty sure that no one back at the mansion would miss him-and the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen weren't EXPECTING him to be there...so he should be safe enough... Sailor Mercury glanced down at the mini computer clutched in one gloved hand. "It's just below us," she said in a low voice to the others. She brushed back a lock of her deep blue hair with a distracted movement, then moved to the edge of the rooftop to glance down. Sure enough, below her-eight floors below to the sidewalk-was a hideous Youma AND Zoisite. She reached up to touch the earing of her left ear and her visor slid down. "And she looks really annoyed too" she noted in slight satisfaction. Sailor Mars slid down from Tuxedo Kamen's arms quickly, purple eyes wide with surprise as they rested on Mercury's clearly smug face. ["She's changing personalities on us, Mamoru!"] she complained mentally, rolling her eyes skyward. This new Mercury was astonishing them all. But from what they had learned, this was what the blue-haired girl had been like a thousand years ago. Obviously, modern times had given the girl her shyness-but having been a warrior protecting the Princess of the Moon in the Silver Millennium had given her the confidence and amusement that she was occasionally displaying since their change. ["Oh, I don't know. I kind of like her like this"] Tuxedo Kamen responded, voice amused. He moved next to Mercury and glanced down also, narrowing his blue eyes behind the white mask. He couldn't see as well as the Senshi could-or Mercury with her visor, for that matter-but he could sure SENSE the outrage coming from the General in waves. He grinned. "Yep. She's steaming!" he reported to the others. Sailor Venus reached up to tug at one of her long ponytails in annoyance. "This hairstyle is driving me nuts!" she declared roundly. "Let's go kick Zoisite's' butt and get home for some lunch" "I second that" Sailor Jupiter grinned widely, the tossed her long pink-brown hair back from her shoulder and cracked her knuckles loudly. "And remember, everyone-call Venus 'Sailor Moon'" she reminded them seriously. "Right" Tuxedo Kamen murmured, expression becoming sombre. He wanted to get back to his love quickly. He had faith in her that she had the strength to maintain her appearance as Princess Serenity-otherwise he and Mars would die... ["She can do it. I KNOW that she can. Don't worry, Tuxedo Kamen"] Sailor Mars reached out to hug him tightly, ignoring everyone else's startled expressions at her impulsive movement. Both she and Tuxedo Kamen frowned darkly at the same time, glaring at everyone in annoyance. They knew very well that Mamoru belonged to Usagi and vis- versa...but this affection that they both felt seemed very natural to them. Even if it didn't to the others. "Let's get this show on the road" he growled at them all, startling them again with his obvious anger. He reached out for Sailor Mars and swept her into his arms smoothly, then leapt off the side of the building. "Look out below!" Sailor Venus cried out, taking a short run and leaping from the side of the building. "Geronamo!" Jupiter cried out gleefully, cannon-balling off the side a moment after. Mercury rolled her eyes, jumping onto the ledge of the building. She hesitated a moment, then grinned. "Yah hoo" she whispered, taking a swan dive off the side. They all landed, moments apart on the sidewalk below and fell into defensive positions. The Mall was only half a block away and they all hoped silently that the place wouldn't be destroyed. Sailor Mars looked about as she again quickly slid from Tuxedo Kamen's arms and stood at his side carefully close. The streets were deserted, she noted as she looked about. And the Youma had been busy throwing a temper tantrum-or Zoisite had. The shops around them were looking rather decimated. She winced. ["Oh dear-this isn't going to look good for our record. The city is going to be REALLY angry at us for showing up this late"] "Urk! Umm-maybe we should have gotten here a bit earlier, everyone?" Jupiter noted, wincing also. "Couldn't be helped" Mercury murmured, eyes narrowing on Zoisite. "About time you brats got here!" Zoisite fairly screeched at them all, face going red with rage. She calmed herself, normal colour returning. "And what's with the hair colours? Got bored and dyed your roots huh?" she smirked at them all. "Shut up! My roots are perfectly natural!" Sailor Jupiter yelled at her, hands going defensively to her pink hair. Okay, so it was a strange colour to see in modern day Tokyo-but her roots were NATURAL! She glared at the General. Zoisite smiled smugly at the reaction her words had gotten, then her head turned to talk to the Youma, mouth opening to order it. It was then that she finally stared at the others. She paused in disbelief and rage. "YOU! You're dead!" she shouted, pointing at Sailor Mars accusingly. Mars flushed uncomfortably, then paled as realisation hit her. It hit the others at the same time and she heard multiple groans from around her. She'd been dead the last time Zoisite saw her-and none of them had remembered! ["We are morons! Idiots! Usagi's even!"] she slapped her forehead with a gloved hand, purple eyes darkening. ["Hey!"] Tuxedo Kamen bit out, voice startled. Then he relaxed and threw Mars a slightly sheepish look. He guessed that old habits died hard. ["I totally agree with you. IDIOTS!"] he shouted, making both he and Sailor Mars wince as it echoed around both of their head's painfully. ["Will you quit yelling!"] she bellowed back at him angrily. She turned her attention to Zoisite. "Yeah-well, you were mistaken!" she lied easily to the steaming General. She could have SWORN that she saw green sparks shoot from the woman as she stood there, with her fists clenched. "OH!" she exclaimed, an evil expression entering her purple eyes as it hit her why Zoisite was so enraged. "You told Beryl I was dead!" "Oooh. Bad mistake there" Jupiter noted, wincing. "You-you-! DIE Senshi!" Zoisite screamed at them, raising her hands swiftly. She blasted them all with her dark power, shooting randomly in her rage. The Senshi all dodged easily; Mars tucked under one of Tuxedo Kamen's arms to keep them close. One little false jump and they could both end up dead from bond separation! "That was a little too close" Sailor Venus muttered under her breath. "Tell me about it" Mercury murmured, blowing the bangs from her forehead. She quickly put away her Mercury computer into her sub-space pocket, so that her hands were free to fight. "Reptilia-kill those brats!" Zoisite ordered the Youma, flying away to a safe distance to view the battle. "Ugly" Jupiter said under her breath, eying the newest Youma. She could see why it had been called Reptilia. She was all green and covered with scales, her flickering tongue long and pink like a snake's. Sailor Venus sided up next to Mars and Tuxedo Kamen nervously, eyes flickering over the Youma as Jupiter and Mercury dove into the fight. "Umm-guys? I'm supposed to be Sailor Moon right?" she said to them. "Then er-how do I fight? This is a disguise and I doubt Sailor Moon's usual powers are going to work with this outfit" she finished in a rush, shrugging helplessly. Mars looked at her in chagrin. "Why didn't we think of that earlier?" she groaned. ["Once again-we are MORONS Mamoru!"] she told him scathingly. "I agree with you-never think I don't" Mamoru groaned back at her aloud, rubbing hand over his face in a stressed fashion. "Just try to stay behind us and keep up the masquerade for as long as you can" he ordered, reaching out for her shoulder. He pushed her gently behind him and Mars. "How about a fireball, Sailor Mars?" he asked the purple- haired Senshi, a determined glint in his dark eyes. "Right!" she said, hands coming up. "Mars fire!" Sailor Jupiter was glad when a stream of hot fire passed her and Mercury, hitting the Youma squarely in the chest. It yowled in agony as it flew backwards, body flaming. "Can't you do anything right?" Zoisite shouted at her minion, flying closer to the battle. She sent a barrage of dark fire back at Sailor Mars. She smirked as she saw Tuxedo Kamen's arms wrap around Sailor Mars' waist-Sailor Moon trying to keep up and obviously behind them other two. "Changed girlfriends huh, cape boy?" she taunted him. "Shut up and eat lightning!" Sailor Jupiter yelled back angrily, chucking a lightning ball at the gloating woman. She grimaced as Zoisite easily dodged and laughed annoyingly. "Oooh. Hit a nerve, hmm?" Zoisite said, eyes calculating. Dissension in the Senshi's ranks could work well for her. "Raaaaaaah!" the Youma gave off an enraged bellow and charged at the nearest Senshi-Mercury. She gave a startled gasp as it loomed over her, as if from nowhere, claws extended menacingly. "Mercury!" Sailor Mars screamed, hands flying up to blast the Youma. She heard the others cry out in horror, but it was too late. Sailor Mercury could only give an agonised scream as the poisoned claws shot towards her and slid smoothly into her chest. She gurgled her last breath, hands moving up to clutch at the Youma's wrist futilely. She's buried her claws to the end of her fingers into Mercury's body. "MERCURY!" they all screamed, rushing to her aid. But even as they did, they knew it was far too late. The Youma smiled evil and shook Mercury off of her claws as if she were garbage. She turned to them all. "Who's next-" Tuxedo Kamen's fist shot up viciously into the Youma's face, smashing her nose into her skull. She fell limp at his feet, groaning. "Ta ta, Senshi! Another dead-and this time she's DEFINETLY dead" Zoisite called out in a singsong way. She blew them a kiss, eyed Mercury lying in a pool of her own blood and then vanished in a swirl of pink flowers. Jupiter leapt onto the prone form of the Youma and began pounding it to death, rage in her eyes. It gurgled and struggled and then died as she crushed its face. "Bitch! You bitch!" she screamed, clawing at the dead Youma's chest. "Makoto-it's dead. Leave it" Tuxedo Kamen said soothingly, pulling her off of the body. he pulled her into his arms, as Mars and Venus clung to Mercury's fatally wounded body. "Ami. Don't die please!" Mars cried, tears running freely down her beautiful face. "Oh god! I-I-" Shingo stammered, running up. He paled as he got closer and saw Mercury's body. She was clearly fatally wounded-and there was nothing any of them could not. He cursed himself silently for just watching the battle from a safe distance. He'd come to watch over them for his sister-and had not even been able to help! "Shingo! Where did you come from?" Mars exclaimed, eyes shocked. The boy had appeared from nowhere. And she mansion was a very far distance from Juuban Mall. "I-I followed you all. I was worried" the young boy stuttered, eyes on all the red blood spilling around Sailor Mercury. "Oh god!" he groaned again, sinking to his knees beside the others. "Ami" Mercury opened her blue eyes and gave them all a ghost of a smile. "I'm sorry everyone-but I'm dying" her voice broke off as she choked on her own blood. "It will be okay. Remember, Serenity will know...We'll be bonded soon" even as she was dying, she was comforting them. "I hope so" Venus whispered, gently brushing Mercury's dark blue bangs from her eyes. She bent over and kissed her on the cheek reassuringly- and when she pulled back, Mercury was dead. "OH GOD!" Mars choked, hands pulling back from her friend's silent body and burying in her own lap with fists clenched. "Please sense this, Serenity. She can't be gone" "She'll sense it. She'll sense it" Shingo repeated over and over feverishly, wishing that he could have done more than hide like a coward as he watched them all fight. Tuxedo Kamen titled his head back to the sky, eyes closing. He rocked the inconsolable Jupiter in his arms. ["Serenity! Please have sensed this! Oh god Serenity"] he prayed silently. Could she do anything? Could she possibly bring Mercury back as she had Mars-and all the way from the mansion? They all stayed silent, praying that their Princess knew what had happened and was on her way with the Crystal... The four men stared back at the group of stunned people, not exactly sure where they were or who the strangers were. Seline could do no more than stare in complete horror, having realised exactly who the men were and where they had come from. The ramifications were...staggering! To say the least. "Who ARE these people?" Motoki yelled, gesturing wildly at the four men. His eyes were wide and startled-all though he was sure that he aught to have been used to strange happenings by NOW. He brought his arms up to his chest and crossed them, trying to look somewhat threatening-for the ladies' sakes. "Who are YOU!" one of the strangers yelled back, annoyed. His hair was short and blonde, eyes deep blue. As with the others, his uniform was deep blue with gold trimmings and he bore a sword at his hip. Luna merely sat at Serenity's feet, totally poleaxed and spluttering. Her red eyes were glazed over. "Oh dear. Oh dear" she kept muttering under her breath, for once not able to gather her thoughts and take charge as she did for the Senshi occasionally. "Usagi dear-would you mind explaining who our guests are?" Kenji said in a strangled tone, glaring bloody-murder at the men standing a few feet from his scantily clad daughter. It was bad enough that Motoki and Mamoru had seen her like this-but STRANGERS? Intolerable! He fought an insane urge to throttle the four men. "Umm...I-well-" Princess Serenity responded, unable to form a coherent sentence to save her life. ["They're DEAD! Dead! I SAW-"] ["Calm down Serenity"] Seline's voice in her daughter's mind was meant to be calming, but instead only amplified the panic and horror that she was feeling. ["This isn't happening! Oh no, no, no"] she kept thinking over and over, just staring at the men before her. Where was her commanding presence that she had had over so many millennia? She was like a child again! "Princess Serenity" one of them said politely, averting his eyes from her bare legs as he bowed in a courtly manner. "Could you please explain exactly where we are and what is going ON here?" his words ended in a growl, as he finally lost his patience. "You're NOT in Kansas" Motoki muttered under his breath, snorting in a sarcastic way. Reika watched the proceedings with a lot of interest. The men didn't SEEM to be harmful. And they were dressed so strangely, it was obvious that they were not from around Tokyo. "Oh dear!" Serenity said, fear filling her eyes again as they rested upon two of the men, ignoring the speaker for now. Two men who were DEAD and very familiar to her. "Jadeite? Nephlyte?" she whispered weakly, resting back into Ikuko and her Mother's arms. "But you're dead!" she finished on a rather shrill note. "Dead? I'm not dead, Princess!" Jadeite responded in perplexity and concern. Why was the Princess of the Moon so scantily-clad and proclaiming that he was dead? AND Nephlyte too! He averted his blue eyes from the silver haired girl and stared at the others crowded about her Highness. Rather belatedly, he saw the identical-looking girl with her arms about the Princess. "Good lord-A TWIN?!" he shouted, wild- eyed. "A twin!" Nephlyte and the other two shouted just after, having spotted Seline also. "Not good. Not good. Oh, Pluto will have my head for this-surely she will!" Seline wailed, clinging to Serenity's slender waist like a lifeline. Her silver eyes flitted over the four men and settled on one in particular. "I was RIGHT!" she blurted out, eyes glazing over. She wasn't HAPPY to be right-but there was the proof right in front of her. The one who was meant to be a girl-but was clearly a man. "Right? About what, Mother?" Serenity demanded, turning to look at her 'twin'. "MOTHER?!" the four Generals exclaimed in disbelief. Their eyes flitted over the other occupants of the room and noted their strange clothing. Malachite took charge then, as usual. "Queen Serenity?" he queried, a flicker of incredulity entering his light blue eyes as he looked over the beautiful girl wrapped up in a sheet toga-style. This couldn't be right... "Yes. I am Queen Serenity" Seline said proudly, releasing her hold upon her daughter to stand tall and proud before Endymion's Royal Guard...and try to pretend desperately that she wasn't holding audience wearing a sheet. She faltered as their eyes swept over her from head to toe, clearly disbelieving. "I AM Serenity" she snapped at them, regaining her mature composure. Her silver eyes glinted wrath as the doubt lingered in their eyes clearly. "Serenity-the Crystal, if you please!" she demanded of her daughter. "Yes, Mother" Serenity answered, obediently opening her hand and handing the silver Crystal to her Mother. She held her breath as she did so and knew that her Mother was doing the same. Seline was human now and the Crystal might not recognise her as the former Queen. They were essentially putting Seline's life in danger in order to prove her identity to the Generals. Seline picked up the delicate-seeming Crystal from Serenity's palm and breathed in relief, slumping slightly as a warm power and light enveloped her in a familiar way. It recognised her! ["Thank Selene"] she murmured mentally. She would have been utterly devastated if the Crystal had rejected her-but then again; she would have been dead. Her head thumped uncomfortably in her chest, making her breath deeply. "Recognise this, Gentleman? Do you dare to refute my claim now?" she asked the men coolly, holding the Silver Crystal up clearly before them. Malachite and the other's backed away as the Crystal in the girl's palm became to glow a warm silver light, enveloping her. He sighed as he saw the proof. This was no imposter! He had seen with his own eyes, the Princess Serenity hand the Crystal over to her twin-and now the Crystal itself had shown to truly BE the legendary Silver Crystal that Queen Serenity used to keep peace over the Solar System. As one, the four Generals' went to their knee's, head's bowed in apology. "I apologise most humbly, Queen Serenity" Malachite spoke for them all. "You must admit, your majesty that you don't look as you should" Jadeite raised his head as he spoke and then the four got to their feet smoothly to await her answer. This was as bizarre as it got! Wait till Endymion head about this one! "You're-so YOUNG!" "Much has happened that you may not believe" Seline spoke more calmly, handing the Silver Crystal back to her daughter. She glared at the Generals as their eyes followed her movements and settled again on the indecently clad Princess. She moved her body, so that she was concealing her daughter from their eyes. She felt mollified, as the General's looked sheepish and realised that they had never seen the Princess nor herself ever dressed so indecently. "You can say THAT again!" Motoki spoke finally, breath exploding. "Seline, WHO are these men?" he demanded. "Watch your tone with the Queen, boy!" Jadeite growled at Motoki, reaching down for the hilt of his sword. This-peasant had spoken so disrespectfully to the Queen...even if he had called her by a different name. He halted when Zoisite placed a calming hand on his. "BOY!?" Motoki shouted indignantly, lunging at the arrogant General. "I'll give you-Hey! Reika!" he yelped as his girlfriend grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him to a halt ungracefully. He struggled with her, trying not to hurt her in the process. "But he-he insulted me!" "Don't be stupid Motoki!" she yelled at him, spinning him back around to face her. She grabbed a hold of his shirt with both hands and shook her boyfriend. "Don't mess with a man with a big pointy sword!" Motoki blinked and threw a hasty look over his shoulder, eyes going to the sword in the sheath about Jadeite's waist. He paled and slumped in defeat, muttering uncomplimentary things under his breath about weird guys with swords from other dimensions. "I've decided not to attack you-even though you deserve to be beaten into a bloody pulp!" he announced haughtily to the blonde General, trying to make it sound like it had been his own decision. Jadeite smirked at him and then at Reika. "Whipped, I see" he noted mockingly. "WHAT WAS THAT?!" Reika shouted at him, eyes flaming with wrath. "Now honey! Remember! Pointy sword!" Motoki wrapped his arms tighter about his enraged girlfriend to keep her from clawing Jadeite's eyes out and ripping him into a bloody pulp. "You're REALLY stupid to make Reika angry" he told the blonde General casually. "She's not pretty- especially at that time of the month" the last part was said in a stage whisper in order to lighten the tense mood. Reika rewarded him with a punch in the arm and he winced. He cowered when he looked at everyone else and saw all the women wearing murderous expressions. ["Ooops? I shouldn't have mentioned something so touchy,"] he thought. "Stupid" Kenji muttered, shaking his head. "Real stupid" Artemis nodded in agreement, smirking at Motoki. "Why, I remember when, Luna-" he frowned deeply, as his thoughts trailed off. ["That's strange-I could have sworn I was about to say that Luna was always murderous when she-"] he frowned even deeper, blue eyes glinting with worry and disbelief. He raised his eyes to stare at Luna penetratingly, trying to figure out how he KNEW such an intimate detail. She stared back at him, eyebrows risen in inquiry. "Never mind" he finished lamely, lowering his head to look fixedly at the carpet. Seline smiled at him, knowing that his memories of him and Luna were starting to return. "Well-now we can get down to business," she said commandingly, smoothing her damp palms down over her hips in a soothing, but undignified manner. She grimaced when she realised what she had done. "Please do!" Zoisite said, looking annoyed again. "What IS this?" he gestured about him, encompassing the people, the cats, the room and the world in general. "And why do you look as if you were the Princess' twin sister?" he added as an after-thought, eyes going to the Princess' face over the Queen's shoulder. Princess Serenity blushed brightly in response. "To put it simply-you're in the future, gentleman. My daughter somehow travelled to the past and brought you back with her" Seline said clearly. A startled shriek sounded into her ear from behind and she winced, then turned her head to glare at her daughter. "Princess Serenity!" she reprimanded, silver eyes stern. Serenity swallowed at her Mother's tone, remembering times past when it had been aimed at her. She flushed again, this time in shame. "Sorry Mother-but they're form the PAST!" she exclaimed in disbelief. She looked over her Mother's shoulder to where Zoisite was standing with arms crossed, looking arrogant. "And it explains HIM" she added, casting a look down at Luna. Luna nodded in return, looking flabbergasted. "It certainly DOES," she said emphatically. "Explains WHAT exactly, Princess?" Zoisite said suspiciously, taken- aback by the weird looks that the Royal Adviser and her Princess were giving him. "Well..." Serenity hesitated, not sure how to tell him. "In this time- and don't ask me how-you're a....girl" "I'm a WHAT?!" Zoisite dropped his arms and gaped at the Princess in shock and horror. "A GIRL?!" "A girl?" the other three Generals and the other's echoed, equally stunned. They looked at the Princess, then stared at Zoisite from head to foot. "Huh?" Kenji said intelligently, totally lost. "What do you mean, in this time?" "Yes, DO explain" Malachite's eyes held a look of amusement and curiosity. "And how did the Princess bring us to the future?" "Exactly how FAR into the future are we?" Nephlyte broke in, before the Princess could answer. "Over a thousand years" Seline told them, expecting an explosion. The General's paled, then the air exploded with a multitude of colourful curses. They were so wildly varying that even Kenji and Artemis flushed in embarrassment. "Is this some kind of joke?" Malachite asked finally, not looking amused in the slightest. He cast a frozen look about the room and occupants as if his Prince would leap into the room at any moment and yell 'Got you!'. "Where is Endymion" "There's a battle with Queen Beryl's General's" Serenity said finally, swallowing uncomfortably. Her silver eyes went to Zoisite's stiff form, all the General's telling from her tone that something was being hidden from them. "Beryl?" Nephlyte said with a deceptively quite tone. "The dread Queen? SHE'S here? I sincerely HOPE that my Prince is NOT fighting on his own? I note that the Senshi are all missing" he gritted out from between clenched teeth. "Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars are with-Endymion" Ikuko spoke, trying to stay calm. Her eyes swept over the men. So these men were Mamoru-no ENDYMION'S Generals and his protection? "What of the other Senshi?" Malachite said, sounding surprisingly calm. However, his eyes were as cold as ice. Serenity and the other's started with shock, looking inquiringly at Seline. "More Senshi that I don't remember?" Luna groaned under her breath, not totally surprised. Once again, she was resentful that her memories were in pieces. ["It figures as much"] she thought. ["I have more Senshi?"] Serenity thought in shock and incredulity, keeping the thought from her Mother. If Seline had wanted her to know- then she would have told her already. And she greatly doubted that her Mother WANTED her to know that there were others. For some reason... ["I wonder why I don't remember them?"] "What others?" Marie murmured from behind Ikuko, having said not a word until that moment, not really knowing what was going on. She had only recently joined the others, after all. "I thought that there were only FIVE Senshi?" ["We will talk of this later"] Seline said mentally, focusing on her powers. It drained her and she fell silent after, unable to think another word at them. She was so weak now! ["This is so frustrating!"] ["It's all right, Mother"] Serenity murmured, glad of her link with her Mother. She could sense a huge amount of tension from the silver haired girl before her. "Where is he? WE are his Generals and should be beside him in battle" Jadeite said coldly. Everyone was silent; some of them because they were confused by it all and others because they JUST didn't know HOW to tell the Generals that so much had changed in a thousand years. "Endymion can look after himself. He has my Senshi also," Princess Serenity said, narrowing her silver eyes at the four Generals. Absently, she looked their uniforms over from head to foot. They were wearing deep blue and gold instead of the terrible grey colour she was used to seeing on them in this time. ["So-the Generals were Endymion's protectors in the past. I did not remember that either"] she bit her lip. ["It will not be good when they discover that the General's in this time are our enemy's and Endymion only knows them as such"] "I appreciate that you think so, Princess Serenity" Malachite said formally, clenching his jaw with impatience and trying to be gentle to a girl he knew had no fighting experience. She'd been sheltered in the Moon Palace all her life, he knew. "But he is our Prince and WE must protect him. We have been sworn-" "You will do nothing" Serenity interrupted him icily, every inch a Princess. Her skin crawled with rage as the impertinent General presumed to know her so well. "The Senshi will look after my love and give their own lives if necessary to insure his safety" Malachite's eyes narrowed at her. "You seem terribly determined to keep us from our duty, Princess" he replied coolly, eyes boring into her determined face. "May I remind you that you have no military experience-" "How DARE you!" Kenji bellowed at the General, seeing red. He charged the man so fast; mind filled with rage, that he actually landed a punch. The man staggered back, looking surprised. "Kenji!" Ikuko said, stepping forward in concern as the three other Generals' lay their hands on their swords threateningly. Kenji seethed, pulling himself straight and glaring at the four. "I don't know WHO you think that you are, but NO ONE speaks to MY daughter like that!" he spat out. There was a stunned silence from everyone, especially the General's. "DAUGHTER?" Malachite said in shock and disbelief, looking the man over. "This is your husband in this time, Queen Serenity?" he managed, choking on the words. "Isn't he a little...old for you?" everyone knew that wasn't what he was REALLY thinking, but said nothing. It was obvious that the General's thought Kenji was not King material. Seline almost fainted from shock. "My-my HUSBAND?" she stammered, blinking rapidly. Then she burst into irresistible peels of laughter. "Oh! Oh, that is just TOO much!" she gasped, doubling over with mirth. Kenji looked nonplussed and a little indignant at Seline's response. "Is it THAT ridiculous a thought that I could be married to a Queen?" he demanded of them all, frowning. Marie, Ikuko and Reika sniggered from behind their hands, eyes filling with a similar mirth to Seline's. Serenity bit her lip, fighting the laughter. Luna and Artemis covered their faces with their paws. "YES!" Jadeite and Zoisite answered simultaneously, looking at Kenji as if he were a bug. "Definitely" Nephlyte added. "Good hit" Malachite said to Kenji, rubbing at his jaw. He looked at Princess Serenity. "My apologies Princess. But you really do NOT have any military experience" "You are mistaken" Luna cut in coolly, defending her beloved Princess. "Things are different in this time. Serenity has been a Senshi" The four Generals gaped at her. "A SENSHI? The Princess of the Moon?" Nephlyte gasped out in astonishment. "Impossible! The Senshi are Serenity's protectors! That is their duty" Luna flushed brightly. "Yes well-" she cast a disgruntled look at her former Queen, red eyes resigned. "There was a mix up when the Senshi were reincarn-" "Luna!" Seline snapped, interrupting her adviser. "Do not tell them any more than we have. Serenity has destroyed a lot of the Timeline as it is" she sighed as her daughter flinched. "I AM sorry, Serenity-but it is true. This was never meant to happen. Pluto will be SO angry about this" "The Guardian of Time?" Malachite inquired with interest. "We have heard of her-but never seen her in battle" "Who?" Motoki gasped out. "There's a Guardian of TIME?!" "Oh yes" Seline said absently, wincing as she thought about Pluto's reaction to this mess-whenever she discovered what had happened, that is... "I wonder why she has not come" she said aloud, perplexed. She had been dismayed and upset that Pluto had not responded to her summons...but if Pluto had not even responded to a fracture in the natural Timeline then something was TERRIBLY wrong. "Pluto...Sailor Pluto?" Serenity said, breaking the silence. She remembered...something, but was not sure what it had been. When she had just been remembering having been Princess Serenity in her past and her soul was struggling to be free-she vaguely remembered seeing flashes of other girl's dressed as Senshi. And then into her mind flashed the scene that she had seen before ending up in the past and collecting the Generals. "She is the Guardian of Time?" The General's gave her a strange look. "You do not remember one of your Senshi, Princess? Things really HAVE changed" he noted. "Just how many Senshi are with Endymion?" he demanded. "Four" Seline said absently, looking closely at her daughter's face. She sensed that Serenity was hiding something. "What is it, Serenity?" she asked crisply. Serenity looked startled, then gave a tentative smile. "I was just remembering something" she began, eyes loosing their focus. "As I was going back to the past, I saw so many things. Visions of past-and I THINK the future or perhaps the far past" as she paused, she and the other's saw Seline pale to a deathly white shade, eyes going wild. "Exactly WHAT did you see, Serenity?" she said urgently, reaching out to grasp one of her daughter's slender wrists in a bruising grip. She knew that Serenity could hear some of her thoughts and threw a strong mental shield up before she gave anything away. "Mother" Serenity winced, but didn't pull her arm from the grip. Her Mother looked-PETRIFIED! "I saw-a huge beautiful city and a palace made all of crystal. And there was a woman with long silver hair, done up in the royal style-" "Oh my god! Selene preserve us!" Seline gasped out in horror. "Did you recognise her?" she demanded urgently of her daughter, praying to her god that her daughter had NOT. Or ALL time would be unravelling. Serenity paused, thinking hard. "No. NO, I didn't...who was she?" she demanded back, knowing that her Mother was hiding something big. Seline slumped slightly in relief. Serenity HADN'T recognised her future self. "Oh, thank you!" she whispered fervently. There were thinks that Pluto had showed her after she had died on the Moon Kingdom. Things that no one else was EVER meant to know about. "Mother?" Serenity prompted. "You-you saw something that you were not meant to" Seline said firmly, looking around at them all. "Forget what you heard and saw" "Was it the past or future?" Nephlyte pressed the Queen, eyes staring hard at her. He-more than the others-appreciated that time could not be disturbed. The stars knew all and knew the passing of the ages. But still, the Queen had seemed SO terrified by the Princess' words that he could not help but be curious. "Forget" Queen Serenity almost growled at him, eyes abruptly filling with a silver glow of power. The Crystal in Serenity's hand began to burn and she gasped in surprise, throwing her Mother a look. She was somehow drawing from the Crystal's power without touching it! Awe filled her. "What-" her words broke off in a pained gasp as agony filled her whole body. She fell to her knees, eyes going blank. "Serenity! Princess! Usagi!" everyone cried out, rushing to her aid. Kenji pulled his daughter upright and held her trembling form as she shivered and whimpered. "What's wrong, Usagi?" he asked her, not seeing the General's exchange a bewildered look at the strange name he had called the Princess. "Ami" Serenity groaned, loosing her concentration on her past self. Usagi fought to be loose and combined with the link with Rei and Mamoru was the knowledge that her dead friend was dead. "She's dead!" she screamed out, hands going to her temples and pressing hard. "Mercury is dead!" Seline wrenched her daughter's hands from her face before she could damage herself. "Serenity! Concentrate!" she shouted, trying to get through. There was so much pain she could feel through the link she shared with her daughter. So much! "Hurts. Oh, Mercury! So much pain!" Serenity whimpered, legs giving way. She felt herself lifted into her dad's arms and placed on the bed gently. ["She's DEAD! Mercury is dead, Mother!"] she screamed mentally again, filled with loss and despair. And the Senshi and Endymion were crying out to her for help! Seline straightened from her position bent over her daughter. "You have to get to her," she said, biting her lip. "I don't know what is going on-but we will take her to Mercury" Malachite offered. "Damn right we will! What do you mean Mercury is dead?!" Zoisite roared at the Princess, his heart almost stopping. Vein's in his temple stood out sharply and he had been bereft of all ability to speak when he had heard that his love was dead. ["She must be called Ami here"] he thought irrationally. ["What a strange name..."] "Don't yell at her!" everyone shouted back at him, glaring. "No-you can't go with her," Seline said hastily, knowing that it was true. The General's of the past MUST NOT meet their future selves. Even if two of them from this time were dead from Queen Beryl's displeasure. "Queen Serenity, with all due respect-" Jadeite began heatedly. "NO! I said NO and I mean NO!" Seline shouted at him, infuriated. "I know that Zoisite and Mercury are in love, but things are different here! There is a Timeline to maintain!" Marie gasped, a hand going to her throat. Her daughter was in love with one of the General's of the past? But-they hadn't met...which meant that it was the PAST Senshi that had been in love with him and AMI didn't even know him. "Oh no" she whispered, suddenly understanding Seline's urgency. "She's right. There must be another way" "I'll drive her," Kenji said suddenly, making the decision. "Drive?" Malachite said, perplexed at the strange term. "Damn it!" Zoisite shouted in rage, punching a hole in the wall. Serenity breathed in deeply to calm herself and made the fear recede. Mercury was dead and she would be too late if they drove her. "It will be too long" she murmured under her breath. "Silver Crystal...give me your power" she spoke directly to the Crystal in her palm. It glowed in response and as if sensing her urgently, it suddenly burst into silver flames and rapidly consumed her. She saw the shocked faces of everyone moments before they disappeared and she disappeared from the room. Pluto witnessed the Princess call upon the Silver Crystal's power and saw its immediate response to her agony. Her red eyes widened in incredulity. "The Crystal isn't sentient!" she exclaimed in shock. Queen Serenity had been entirely correct when she had told that fact to the others. The Guardian of Time stared deeply into the Vortex of the Time Portal carefully, seeing the Princess reappearing before the Senshi and her Prince. "It's moving too fast. Much too fast" she said to herself, deeply troubled. Time was altering so much that she could even safely say herself what might happen. None of this had been meant to happen. None. But once it had started to alter, so did the portals about her and she was allowed in some measure to see it's ramifications. But not now. Something else had changed. Her eyes narrowed on the Crystal and the Princess, sensing...something. And then, right before her eyes, something else happened. Something world-shaking. "Oh no-Serenity" she whispered. Irreparable! Her gloved hand reached up to run threw her long dark green hair. There had been a reason earlier when she had not gone to her Queen's summons. And it was not, as the women had thought, because she was no longer Queen. She would ALWAYS be Pluto's Queen...until Serenity took the throne, that was. But now-there was no longer a need to stay hidden. Sailor Pluto closed her eyes for a long pained moment. Her Princess would need her now. More than ever. She summoned the Time Key to her from her sub-space pocket and opened her eyes to stare deeply into the glowing garnet orb. She must leave this place before the Time Gates slammed shut on her and she would be trapped in the Halls of Time. "I am coming, Serenity" she said, then concentrated on her powers and disappeared.