"For Serenity's Sake"
By: Isis @}->--
isis@moonkingdom.com
Rated: G
Disclaimers:  Please do not copy.
AN:  Never give up hope, all is not lost until each of us looses faith 
in ourselves, in each other, and in the purpose to which we were 
called.  Dedicated to those you continue to fight when odds are 
stacked against them.  (There is a saiya-jin in all of us! ;)  *Note 
this is a Dragon Ball joke and not intended for any who have not 
seen at least part of that series.


Chapter 10
@}->--


With a massive sweep of bent reality, both the forms of Endymion 
and Styx were swallowed whole and taken from the scene of the 
attack.

Rei had never trusted the gentile, soft-spoken, red-eyed witch.  She 
had known all along that there was something wrong with her, and 
now it seemed that her instincts had been right.  Though what good 
it would do her now she did not know, although she would wager 
that Serenity had been ripped away likewise.

Unfortunately she did not have the time to put all of the pieces 
together.  Their opponent was visibly weakening, yet with his 
irritating ability to remove himself from their snares he was 
proving more and more illusive to capture, and capture seemed the 
last thing on his mind.

Though weak enough that it appeared he could not transport 
himself far enough out of their reach to escape, he was making it 
difficult to follow as he bound through the gardens.  His powers 
were enough to fry Lita the first time she went up one on one with 
his firry electricity.  Since, they had been attempting double and 
triple teams, aligning themselves with the four Earth generals.

Jadeite was still picking himself out of the bushes behind her as he 
had gotten in too close when she let go of her last barrage.  Mina 
and Kunzite angled in from opposite corners with Ami having laid 
down a cover of a freezing mist that appeared to have quite an 
adverse effect on this enemy's sunny disposition.

But the object of their attack faked again and was gone a second 
before the two hit, leaving them instead to wrap around each other 
and spill onto the rock pathway, attempting to avoid their own 
attacks.

Lady Mercury's fog allowed them the surprise factor, but it also 
left them partially blind as well.  Rei swept her gaze around the 
area in search of the landing point for this poltergeist, yet it was 
not until she was hit from behind and forced to acquaint herself 
with the ground rather intimately, that he showed himself.

A bright blast of snaking orange light filtered over her and 
whatever dead weight had landed upon her back.  She heard Ami's 
cry for her Mercury power of an icy blast and felt the effects 
through the tatters of her gown, which now lay mostly around her 
lower back.  How she wished she could get her comfortable 
practice garments… of course, part of their duty was to be able to 
fight in skirts and heels.

She rose herself and dislodged the lump that had landed on her, but 
was surprised when it groaned.  "What the…?"  She turned to see 
Jadeite lying next to her on the stone of the path, attempting to 
clutch his left shoulder blade area that had apparently gotten 
smoked by that blast that went over them.  Pieces of his jacket had 
fallen away to reveal a tangled mess of his armor.

He levered himself up with is good arm and looked back to were 
Ami's attack had succeeded in knocking their adversary off his feet 
and against a rock wall.  He sighed once and looked back to Rei, 
"Some thanks I get for saving you."

Her jaw worked a bit before she found her, rather indignant, voice.  
"Save me?  You tried to crush me!"

"Yeah, well, I do not see you burnt to a cinder."

"Oh I can show you a cinder," she added, the goddess of fire 
knowing that threat well.

"You already have," he mumbled, attempting to gain his feet.  
"You are supposed to spare the people on your side, not fry the 
whole lot of us."  In his attempt to get up he swatted at the remains 
of her skirt, knotted around her legs improperly, and stumbled a 
bit.

Rei huffed an outraged cry and stood, smoothing what was left of 
her skirt mockingly, and marching after her inexplicably evil ally.  
They walked over to where the others were gathering around the 
fallen prey and Rei caught up easily.  "If you were not in my way, 
you would not have gotten burned," she huffed.  "Maybe next time 
you will attempt to be productive in a fight."

"Productive?" he said sarcastically.  "Humorous coming from 
someone I saved."

"Oh," she stated, stopping and facing him full focus.  "Forgive me, 
your Lordship.  Please, allow me to pat you on the back," she said, 
swatting her hand across his melted metal clad shoulder.

She was rewarded with a holler of pain before turning to see that 
their captive had once more escaped their grasps.  "Oh, by the 
Divine Fire…"


"You are what?"

She laughed at the reference.  "I am what shall be known as the 
guardian of space."

"Space has a guardian?" Serenity asked, still snuggled in 
Endymion's arms.

The woman, or the figure of one anyway, nodded to her gently.  
"Indeed, though I am much different from the identity of the 
planetary guardians."  She paused and turned slightly to Styx still 
behind them.  "Are I not Lady Pluto?"

"Pluto?" they both echoed together.

Styx finally raised her eyes and walked forward, carrying her staff 
in hand.  "Indeed we both are."  Stepping up aside Space she 
bowed a bit.  "I am sorry for having deceived you, Endymion."

Serenity looked up at her husband but could not tell what he must 
have been feeling.

"My guardian planet is not Earth, but Pluto; a planet long dead and 
forgotten by those who had attempted to settle its hostile 
environment.  Yet just as the inner planets have powers so too does 
the icy planet of death, and I am the only one to tap those powers."

"Yet, you controlled a piece of Earth's crystal?" he asked.

"I did so by my abilities to understand the mysteries of my own 
crystal," she said looking up towards the orb that sat atop her staff.  
"Note that I did not control it at all well compared with you and 
Kallisto."

He nodded again and Serenity was getting a headache from all of 
this information, and from having to look up at Endymion.  She 
could not place why, yet she felt no hostility from these two… 
even if she did not understand them.  "How did you become the 
guardian of a dead planet?" she asked instead.

"I do not know," she confessed.

"None of us do," Lady Space added.

"None?"

She nodded, turning slightly she called the orb of light over to her 
and it floated between them at her arm's length.  "There is more 
than one planet that was unable to be habited."

The orb grew to a flat disk within the space between them, and a 
little revolving Solar System showed itself to the group.  The inner 
rocky planets showed up with their solar symbols prominent as 
well as Jupiter's bulk dotted with the floating cloud cities and the 
colonies on its outer moons that allowed habitation.  Yet the other 
outer planets were dark and seemingly lifeless, yet they also 
glowed with symbols.

"Each of the other planets still has a single guardian remaining, 
holding the powers of once sought for livelihood of those that had 
attempted to train these worlds for life.  As they are uncalled on 
now, and unneeded, the others remain asleep, awaiting a day that 
will come when their strength is needed."  She looked towards the 
guardian of Pluto, "And it is then that we will call."

Pluto raised her eyes again.  "This is not my first life, nor shall it 
be my last, I am the keeper of Time, and my duty is eternal 
vigilance and unrest."

"As is mine," Space added.  "Though I myself have no power to 
influence physically the events of these worlds, I am eternal in 
vigilance and undying.  Were I ever human, I know not."

"Yet you control space," Endymion stated.

"I control nothing.  I am not God, nor am I able to fight on one side 
or another, but I shall remain forever committed to seeing the more 
outstanding win.  That is why I was intrigued by your cause," she 
gazed at the two of them.  "The two of you shall begin history 
again and again."

Serenity looked up to see Endymion looking back to her, yet 
neither of them understood.

"This will be the first of many problems that you shall be in need 
of overcoming," she sited as she turned and retreated a ways away.  
"But this is the one that I am helping you with," she smiled and 
seated herself again on the figment of a thrown.

The little model Solar System folded itself up and with a motion of 
her hand it returned to her side and a silver staff materialized that 
held it in much the same style that Pluto's did.

"Then you are apparently not the one that we have been fighting 
against," Endymion ventured.

She smiled, "No."

"No," Serenity interjected very softly, "I know who is."

The other three turned to focus on her as she looked up to the man 
that she had come to know as her whole.  "Your opposer, High 
Council Loki…"

He looked at her insanely, but Space interjected, "You are right, 
and you have come far, Princess.  Loki is not who you think he is.  
He is truly the only living descendent of the former Sun Kingdom 
that was destroyed before your births.  The cause of its power was 
whipped out by the natural power that could never be harvested by 
a crystal.  Yet Loki survived and with a power that intense has 
remained alive and bitter.  His powers are great, but he is old and, I 
am afraid, senile."

The mater-of-fact tone of her voice almost implied a boredom, yet 
Serenity could think of only the fact that she had heard it in his 
voice when he threatened her.  She had known her High Council 
member and, with enough pause to think back on it, she knew for 
sure that he was the one hunting her life, attempting to show the 
Earth as being to blame.

It seemed that she truly did pick the most inappropriate time to 
create a backbone for herself with him…  "Yet, was he also the 
one that attacked us on Earth?"

She nodded, "It was up to 'Lady Styx' to make sure that he did not 
succeed, but he struck before we had anticipated… after all, even 
guardians are fallible."

"Then he is the one that must be brought to justice," Endymion 
said quietly.

"Were that possible, yes.  Yet Loki is too old to care for his life, he 
would rather allow himself death now and do what he seems to feel 
is right."

"And that is to kill me," Serenity murmured.

"The Councilor sees you as a defect to the stability of the System.  
He also believes that you, Endymion, will spread ruin to the 
Moon's rule.  He is paranoid over loosing power as he once did 
with the loss of his kingdom."

Serenity disentangled herself from Endymion and took a brave step 
forward.  "As the over-seer of space…  Do you believe that I am 
fit to rule?" she asked, voice wavering only once.

There was a surprised silence in this void without sound, yet Space 
gazed at her quietly before responding.  "No."

The princess nodded and turned her gaze away from them.

"It is a blessing then, that you were never meant to rule alone."

She looked back up to her as she felt the prince wrap his hands 
around her arms.  Gazing up she caught his eyes and knew that her 
words were true.  Slowly she closed her eyes again and leaned 
back into what had become fully her strength and her help.

"Neither of you were meant to be individual on this path.  I dare 
say that I had the utmost of doubts once this started," she paused 
looking that the two, "but I have come to other conclusions."

Serenity smiled at the reference and she felt Endymion brush a 
slight kiss on her forehead before straightening his height.  "You 
have to return me," he stated.  "There must be a way to defeat 
Loki."

The lady of Night looked up to her companion who nodded back.  
"Very well, but be cautious.  And," she said rising once more, 
"remember."


The blinding light of power shone enough that Endymion did not 
notice the blackness close in on them until he found himself 
standing behind a still raging battle with Serenity no longer by his 
side, which again hurt as the ache in his shoulder and rib cage 
returned to their whining.

One flash of the orange light, of what he had come to know as the 
Sun's descendent power, lit the dark scene, and by now the area 
was crawled over with the palace guards unable to do much but 
watch the eight warriors that were tossed away from the elderly 
figure hiding behind the cloak of black.  The group fell back again, 
unable to gather themselves close enough, though it seemed the 
other was not moving more than he was attempting to forestall 
their on slot.

Endymion pressed forward and came up next to Kunzite, hunched 
down and holding a gash across his right thigh as well.  
"Endymion?" he questioned, seeing his prince alive and with them 
again.

The prince only nodded, not taking the time to explain his state.  
Taking a quick survey around the perimeter group he could see 
that no one, man or woman, had escaped injury.  And their 
opponent was no exception.  Tears and cuts were visible even in 
the shallow light given off by the crackling orange electricity that 
now constantly encircled him.

Growing in strength, the flashes grew more insistent, and their 
adversary took to his feet once more, seemingly hauled there by 
the force of the tide traveling through him.  Endymion had the 
growing sensation of tragedy as he noted how Loki's body was 
merely being subjugated to the whims of his insane mind…  "Loki 
is too old to care for his life, he would rather allow himself death 
now and do what he seems to feel is right."

"He will not stop," he said to himself.

"We noticed," Mina stated sarcastically from her position as she 
hurriedly attempted to bind Kunzite's wound with what had been 
part of her gown, much against his protests.

"No, I mean he will destroy the entire palace, himself with it, if 
allowed."  He continued to gaze at the insane Nobleman as the 
power striding around his battered body concentrated ever more.

A surprise attack hit from opposite sides as Lita and Nephrite both 
crashed into view, rolling as they unleashed their powers to 
remove themselves from danger again.  Yet the attacks deflected 
from the glowing static ball, the body inside of it rocking only 
slightly.

"He is no longer there," Endymion breathed, staring at the body 
held upright only by the river of energy that pulsed around it.  
Loki, with his bi-location was no longer within the shell of his 
existence.  As a man abandoning a dying ship, he was preparing is 
own death pyre and was intent upon taking the rest of them to hell 
with him.

Endymion stood from his place and screamed for his guardians.  
They had to dislodge this power before it was released with its 
purpose.  The others stood to face their threat, invoking no 
response from the apparition other than the growing power of 
nuclear fusion.


Serenity found herself placed into the same row of roses that she 
had been tripped up in.  The swelling of the black of night closed 
quickly behind her as it receded away.  Not a second after she was 
left to her surroundings did an insistent ache at the side of her head 
cause her to fold at the knees and brace herself against the ground 
that she believed should not have been spinning.  She heard a shout 
come from somewhere in the pain-induced reality that she had 
been thrust into, yet before she could rise to see what was 
happening she felt two hands attach themselves to her arms and a 
body fall to the ground beside her.

She snapped her head back in fear and only managed to make her 
mind swim enough that she nearly passed out.  But the arms that 
had wrapped themselves around her carefully laid her back and a 
voice sounded in her ears again.  Insistent, worried, commanding, 
though she did not recognize it.

"Princess Serenity?" it said again once her ears were freed from 
the blocking cotton of pain enough.  Looking up carefully she saw 
a torch barer standing over her and the man crouched beside her 
was her own captain of the guards, her handmaid's husband.

"Balder?" she choked, coughing slightly.  He did not respond but 
instead helped her to a sitting position and gentle lent her a hand in 
keeping her up right.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

"You appeared from no where and seem to be hurt," he stated, 
motioning the torch over farther.  "We feared the worst out here, 
Highness, but we must move you to a safer place."

"Loki," she breathed.

"What, Highness?" he asked peering into her wide eyes with his 
own dark colored ones, attempting to find what injured her.

"High Council Loki, he is the one attacking us," she stated 
frantically, causing her head to hurt just that much more.

"Whoa, whoa," he said attempting to get her to calm down once 
more.  "The Councilor?  Why should he have reason to attack you, 
Highness?"

"He is—"

"Captain!"

The other snapped his attention to the man calling his title and 
motioned the younger recruit over.  In this youngster's hands lay 
the body of a black cat, one that held the symbol of a golden 
crescent moon on the fur of its forehead…

"Luna!" she cried, tearing from the arms of Balder and bitterly 
fighting back the wave of blackness that surrounded her.  "Give 
her to me!" she commanded as she crawled forward to her teacher 
and friend.

The man, after a bit of hesitation, did as he was told and gently laid 
the limp body in her arms.  The tears had already started, yet the 
princess did not notice them as her mind desperately fought the 
thoughts that continued to run through it.

The fur on one side of the feline body was matted, and with a soft 
touch her fingers came away with a dark stain that appeared almost 
black in the dim torchlight…  "Luna?" she questioned the little 
body so softly that the men surrounding her could never have 
heard.

One of her tears dripped down her chin and off again as it landed 
in the fur of the neckline of this squatted soul.  Distantly she heard 
an echo in her mind… "Serenity please, you know how terrible my 
fur looks when it gets wet!"

"Luna!" she cried again, cradling the form in her arms and 
hunching over her.  "No!"

She closed her eyes tightly and kept on whispering, "no, please 
no."  Yet something lit inside of her as the seconds ticked on.  She 
had to do something, there had to be something to be done…

And as she prayed for determination, the others still gathered 
around her would later swear that they saw an aura of silver 
overtake her shape.


"Stand together!" he cried.  "We only have one shot at this," 
Endymion commanded the assembled guardians.  The nine of them 
stood, surrounding their opponent and building their energy for one 
last effort to disrupt the intent of this madman.

The other bad thing about insanity was that it seemed to increase 
power levels.

The scene, had it not been quite so dire, would have been rather 
spectacular with the growing auras of five different colors as the 
guardians pulled power from the crystals of their homes.  His four 
generals stood closer by and a gilded glow lit from the group as 
they concentrated.  Ami stood bathed in the blue light of Mercury, 
Mina likewise was wrapped in the sunshine yellow of Venus, Rei 
was clothed in the red of Mars, and Lita excreted the green of her 
home, Jupiter.

Yet they were running out of time as the orange of their opponent 
flashed once, and then again, and lit itself into a solid ball 
surrounding the mindless body inside.  Flashes showed the 
unstable balance of this makeshift sun, and they were about to be 
the closest spectators to ever stand witness to a supernova.

The group was fully prepared to act not as much as a deterrent, but 
as a defensive line in order to block the wave from the rest of the 
Moon's capital.  Endymion opened his eyes for the last time in 
order to watch their assassin.  This was very possibly their last 
stand, as the energy may not get passed them, yet it could very 
easily burn through their own defenses…

"Space, was this in your little crystal ball?" he asked himself, 
thinking of nothing but Serenity and strengthening himself all he 
could in order to protect her…  To protect his life, should he die 
here.

He closed his eyes again, feeling the swell of power and the 
beating of his heart… along with a small ache.

The moment did not last as the on slot started much before he 
would have wished.  The ball flared out and the connection of the 
powers surrounding it was the only thing that contained it within 
their boundaries.  Yet that was only the final flash.  With the speed 
of light the ball imploded again to a pinpoint as the body that had 
once been Loki dissolved into the fray as the energy collided with 
an ear shattering snap and sprinted out in a shockwave.

Endymion braced himself to hold off this massive attack as long as 
his body was capable… yet it did not come.

Without a split second he opened his eyes to behold the twisting 
ball of flame and nuclear energy stalled into a frozen fixture still 
well within the confines of their circle.  He looked around him to 
the others also in dismay of what was happening only to find that a 
solitary figure shadowed him from the main emphasis of the 
power.  A figure clothed in a scandalously short skirt, long black 
hair shimmering green and a silver staff raised high and emitting a 
multi colored light towards the explosion.

"Guardian of Time…" he muttered, the implications clicking into 
his mind.

"Attack, while it can still be dissipated!"

"Attack now!" he added as the others were prompted into action.  
The powers that had been used to support the front line were 
turned in towards the now jerkily expanding mass.  The others 
began their assault, yet he could not since Pluto's frame was still in 
his line of fire and still attempting to hold this force back.

But the other's attacks seemed to be working as the energy poured 
into the core of this explosion, distorting the balance of its eruption 
and sending the less powerful shockwaves out in more measurable 
busts.  And yet, the woman he had come to call a friend, remained 
in his path until she was no longer able to hold the ball's advances.

The final explosion was diminished enough that once they saw that 
the explosion was emanated, the re-linking of their powers was 
more than sufficient to block the devastating effects of its powers.  
The gradual release of its energy passed mostly into the darkened 
sky above, almost harmlessly, away from them.  This level of the 
gardens would never be the same, but the circular artificial clearing 
was prevented just short of tearing down the balcony of the palace 
proper over thirty meters away.

Yet the effort took its toll on those involved as each member 
slumped to the ground, a few falling unconscious and others 
simply unable to catch their breath that had been taken by the blast.

Endymion had one more thing on his mind before he allowed 
himself to cave in…  The Guardian of Time may have saved their 
lives, and that of possibly a hundred others within the radius that 
this would have wiped off the face of the moon, but she had not 
faired well either.  The final explosion had flung her backwards 
and now her body lay only a meter away from him.

On hands and knees he crept closer to her and a meter or a hundred 
would not have made difference for what he felt like.  Coming 
closer, he could make out in the darkness very little of her in the 
wavering light of the onrushing guards.  Slowly he leaned over her 
and rolled her gently over unto her back.  Styx lay there, dressed 
again in her gown of state tattered as it was, and her hair loosely 
sprayed out about her.

"Styx?" he questioned, his cut lips did not pronounce the word 
well, but she slowly opened her eyes in the torchlight that was now 
beginning to circle around them.  The same red eyes that he had 
believed that he knew so well...

Carefully she turned her head enough to look up at him, and he 
could just see that she managed a smile.  Her lips moved slightly 
and he lowered his ear to hear her.  "Endymion…" she breathed, 
"do not hate me… for what I had to do."  She coughed a few times 
and he knew her injuries were more sever than he had imagined.

He promptly wrapped a hand under her neck and prepared himself 
to concentrate his healing powers on her.  She mumbled again and 
he bent lower once more.  "Do not…" she said.  He looked at her 
and with the look in her eyes he knew that she had other plans.  
"This is my penalty," she said slowly between breaths.

He shook his head, not understanding her.  Yet her only response 
was a slight smile as she closed her eyes again.  Endymion realized 
too late what was happening and moved closer to her, but heard 
her speak again, "Time goes on…"  He only sat with her body 
cradled in his lap and face centimeters from hers, only able to 
watch her slip away.  "Endymion…" she repeated, once, then 
twice, and one final time she mouthed the word before her head 
limply lolled in his embrace.

He sat for a moment, still gazing at her.  "Styx…"

Swallowing hard he gently moved her body to the ground, but 
paused before regaining his feet.  Looking once more at her, he 
closed his eyes, "You are beyond time and space, Guardian Pluto."  
Opening his eyes once more, he looked out instead to the darkness 
of the sky above them, "How could I hate you for what you have 
done for me?"

The others had gathered around him, yet he doubted that any 
would have heard his words.  As he began to stagger up one of the 
palace guards wrapped his arm over his shoulders and helped him 
to stand as others began an examination of the injuries…  And two 
went to care for Lady Styx's body.

"Serenity."

The guard that had attached himself to Endymion's side nodded 
and answered, "She is safe and caring for the feline councilor 
Luna."

Luna, so the little savior cat had survived.  He laughed slightly to 
himself, had all but one of them escaped this with their lives?  
Again he looked up to the sky as they slowly made their way back 
towards the palace entrance…


@}->--_____________
"When two people love each other, they don't look at each other, 
they look in the same direction." - Ginger Rogers

"When women are depressed they either eat or go shopping.  Men 
invade another country." - Elayne Boosler