Hiya everyone! I really *really* wish I could
contribute more to the list, but these days... *looks
forlorn* I'm thinking that's not going to happen
anytime soon. I miss talking to you all! STEEEEFF!!!
*whaps Stef lightly* I hope you're doing okay, chica.
To make ya feel better, how's about I let you whap me
as maaany times as you want? You can kick me off a
cliff too although, that's more Mehg's style. ^.~

This won't be anything long, but it juuuust might be
mushy. You have been warned. A BIG hug and
thank you goes out to everyone who's encouraged me
on this and told me the story isn't dragging. It meant

a lot and I was happy to see that people are still
with
me on this teeny weeny EPIC I have going on here.
So.... THANK YOU!
Patch:-)(-:


Healer 17
Author: Patch
E-mail: patchkhan1@hotmail.com
Editor: Rei Kinneas *aka* Kaitou Comma
Rated: PG

Insert standard disclaimer here.

	"So, explain to me again, what exactly is a circus?"
	Kunzite patted the neck of his horse before turning
to Minako. "I don't know how to better explain it to
you. It's
basically a place where they have all types of people
and
animals from all over this planet."
	"And people pay to see these animals and humans
do tricks?"
	"Yes," Kunzite replied, exasperated. "I'm
surprised you've never heard of it."
	"We don't put animals or deformed people on for
show for others to gawk at," Minako replied coolly.
"You
Terrans have strange customs."
	"And that's why you love one of them," Rei
whispered teasingly, as she walked past.
	"Rei!" Minako whirled around and glared at the
back of her friend who was rapidly walking away.
	"What did she say?" Kunzite asked curiously.
	"Nothing. Nothing at all. Shouldn't we get going?
I'd like to reach this circus as quickly as possible.
The
sooner we get answers, the sooner we find Serenity."
	"Well then," Endymion said, riding up on a large,
black horse, "saddle up because we're ready to leave.
I
want to leave as soon as possible."
	Minako nodded and, putting her foot in the
stirrup, lifted herself up and then turned the horse
around
towards her friends.
	The group of nine took a small guard of soldiers
with them in case they met trouble on the road. They
rode
hard and fast through the day, not wanting to lose out
on
any precious time. When they were well away from the
palace, Endymion ordered one of the soldiers to ride
ahead to scout and another to look for a place to rest
for
the night.
	Afterwards, he fell silent and stayed that way
for most of the ride. With every mile they covered, he
became more confident that this trip would not be in
vain.
They would question Potikin and find the answers he
was sure the man had. And once they found Serenity,
alive… it was there that his train of thought stopped.
	What would he say? What would he do?
What would she say? He was sure she hated him for
all it was worth. But he had to convince her that all
he
had said to her had been a lie. He had shied away
rom the emotion of love and had thus rejected her. It
had been out of a fear he had denied. But now he
eeded her. He loved her.
	When the full moon was the only light in
the sky, the group veered off the main road and into
the woody forest where the second soldier had found
a clear, grassy area near a small lake. They tied the
horses nearby and bedded down for the night.
Endymion, after laying out his blankets, walked away
and sat near the edge of the lake. Kunzite, who had
noticed his unusual silence, followed him and sat
down beside him.
	There was only the sound of crickets and
the breeze rustling through the grass until Endymion
broke the quiet.
	"What am I going to do Kunzite? My heart
cannot stop its rapid pace and every time I think
about
her, I find myself short of breath."
	"You are afraid of losing her," Kunzite
stated calmly. Endymion did not reply and both knew
it was the truth. The General sighed and got up. "I
can't offer you any words of comfort and I can't
reassure you of anything. Remain optimistic and," a
smile split his face, "don't make a fool out of
yourself
like last time."
	Endymion chuckled. "If I do, I give you
full permission to knock me out with the flat of your
sword."
	"I'll remember," Kunzite replied, and
walked away.
	The Senshi, who had been watching the
exchange between the two men from a distance,
turned to each other when they saw Kunzite walk
away.
	"Do you think Endymion is having
doubts?" Rei asked, concern lacing her voice.
	 "May the Fates help him if I hear he does.
We didn't come all the way out here for nothing,"
Makoto said vehemently. "He can't give up now. We
won't let him."
	"I don't think it is doubt that is plaguing
him," Minako said quietly, her eyes still on the
Prince.
She turned away and sighed. "I think he's feeling a
good amount of fear."
	"Fear?" the other girls echoed.
	Minako nodded. "Just place yourself in
his position and think about it. He's carrying an
enormous burden of guilt on his shoulders after
rejecting our Princess. I think he blames himself for
her kidnapping and now, if we do find her-"
	"You mean, once we find her," Ami
interrupted, smiling.
	Minako nodded. "Once we find
Serenity, what will the meeting between the two be
like? I think that is what is going through the
Prince's mind this very moment. Anything that has
happened to her he will take the blame for but at
the same time, he doesn't know how he'll react to
seeing her and he doesn't know how she'll react.
The uncertainty is giving way to fear."
	They all turned to look at him again.
He was still sitting there at the water's edge,
staring straight out, hardly moving. He looked so
completely alone at that moment that a wave of
compassion washed over all of the girls.
	"You know," Rei said finally, "I
really do hope the two find a way to be together.
Happy. They deserve it after all they've been
through."
	"They will find a way," Ami said firmly.
"And so will we."
	"Do you think so?" Makoto asked,
her eyes unconsciously searching for Nephrite.
Minako noticed and smiling, she leaned over and
pointed to the General. Makoto blushed at having
been caught, and the other girls giggled quietly.
	"Who would have ever thought that
we would all fall for Terrans?" Rei asked to no
one in particular. "At nearly the same time, no
less."
	"We, who were against a union
between Serenity and Endymion…" Minako trailed
off, her eyes focused on Kunzite. As if he knew
she was watching him, he looked up from the
conversation he was having with Nephrite and
locked gazes with her. Her breath caught in her
throat and she was unable to look away for a
long moment. It was only when Endymion walk
by, did they finally look away.
	"We'd better get our rest now
rather than later. The sun will be rising before we
know it," Ami said, lying down. The rest
followed suit as the men took turns watching
over the campsite. When morning came, they
were up and ready to go in a short amount of
time. A cloud of dust was all that was left behind
as their horses galloped off towards the Tarnum
and Tailey traveling circus.

	Today was the day. Maiden had it all
planned. She and Judy would escape tonight,
when she was sure everyone was asleep. They
would find a way to be rid of this place one way
or the other. It was these thoughts that were
running through her mind as she walked towards
her 'cage'. She kept her head bent as she
formulated a plan that would be the quickest and
safest for the two of them. Maiden noticed a bit
too late the large figure in front of her that she
bumped into.
	"I'm so sorry!" she began to apologize
profusely, realizing just whom she had walked into.
	"You better be, witch!" the Head
Master snarled at her. "What are you doing out
here? Why aren't you performing?"
	"I... I was on my way there," she
stammered in reply.
	Odin stared down at the girl in front of
him, relishing the idea of seeing her this way. She
was afraid him, and he enjoyed that fact
tremendously. It was a great change from that
haughty Princess attitude she gave him at the battle
campsite. This time it was he who held superiority
over her. He could order her to do anything and
she would have to obey. She was completely under
his control and there was not a thing she could do
otherwise. And with the way things were working,
she would continue to bring him profits from her
powers and she would never know her true identity.
It could not get any easier for him.
	"Master!" he turned to see one of the
caretakers of the animals and forgot about the girl
behind him for the moment. "There's rumor that the
Prince is heading this way! He brings a small
entourage with him."
	Odin growled menacingly. Maybe he
had thought too soon. He would not lose out so
quickly. There had to be a way to keep the Prince
from his Princess.
	"Prince?" Maiden asked curiously.
	"Yes!" the boy replied. "Prince
Endymion is coming! This will be so exciting! We
will perform for royalty!" The boy ran off to tell
others before Odin could stop him.
	Drat, he thought. It was just a rumor
wasn't it? The Prince could have changed direction
by now. However, Odin knew he couldn't rely on
that. He had to think of something quickly.
	"Endymion…. I think I know that name…."
	He smiled evilly at the sound of the
Princess' voice. No one would take away his Moon
Maiden, certainly not that pompous Prince. He
whirled around and slapped the girl. "Stop lagging
and get yourself where you have to be!"
	Maiden held her red cheek and walked
away, feeling confused and completely lost. The
name had struck a chord within her and not even
the stinging pain of that slap could distract her from
her thoughts. Her mind worked furiously to find
some sort of connection but to her disappointment,
she came up blank. There were only gray shadows
in the recesses of her mind and she could only
wonder if there would be a time when her
memories would resurface.
	Her cage loomed up ahead and
unconsciously she felt the tug of exhaustion pull at
her. It was an automatic reaction of what her
body knew what was to come, but still this feeling
was nothing compared to the utter weariness she
felt at the end of the day.
	Maiden slowly climbed the few,
rickety steps that led to the small, brown door that
opened to her 'workplace'. She closed the door
behind her and sat down, trying to make herself
comfortable even as she tried to fight the
claustrophobia that was slowly building within her.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes
when the curtains in front of the bars were swung
back and the crowd of onlookers gasped at the
sight of her. A few minutes later, the door opened
and a rickety old man stumbled in. He leered at
her and fell in front of her.
"Heal me, witch and do a good job of it."
How she hated this place.


	"There it is! See that large tent, with the
bright yellow flag? That's it!"
	The group of riders gathered at the top
of the hill, quieting their horses as they stared at
the
large, colorful tents in the distance.
	"Alright then, let's go. But don't do
anything untoward. We're here for a little fun and
that is all," Endymion said. He led his horse down the
hill and the others followed, hope and determination
surging through their veins.


	"He's here! He's here!"
	Potikin stopped his loud rambling and
scowled down at the boy who was tugging at his
pant leg. He kicked the boy away. "Who's here,
you rat?"
	"The Prince!"
	Potikin blanched. This was most
unexpected. Odin would have his head and Beryl
would have his soul if something wasn't done
quickly. From his viewpoint atop the high platform
he could see the magnificent horses of the Prince
and his group. He realized they were slowly making
their way towards his area and he panicked. There
had to be a way to keep them from coming this
way!
	He jumped down from his platform and
accidentally pushed a burly looking man as he
landed. The man turned with a growl, his fist
swinging. Potikin ducked and pushed the man
deliberately this time.
	"Get out of my way you fool!" he hissed.
But the other man wouldn't relent and came at him
again with both fists flying. Potikin ducked once
more but the other man did end up hitting someone
else. That person turned with a look of anger and
before anyone could blink, a large fight had
ensued.
	Potikin groaned. He couldn't tell if the
fight was a blessing or disaster. On the one hand,
this would most definitely slow the Prince down as
he would try to dispel the fight. But on the other
hand, it would most definitely bring him this way.
He saw one of the larger workers of the circus
off to the side and called him over.
	"Thomas! Pull the wagon away from
this place," he yelled over the noise.
	"Why?" the other man asked dumbly.
	Potikin gritted his teeth. "So that the
Moon Maiden won't get hurt in this fight. You don't
want your Maiden to get hurt, do you?"
	Thomas grinned goofily. "Of course not!
I'll do it!"
	Potikin sighed and began to look for
Odin. Together, the two of them would think of
something. He did not have to go far when he
bumped into him. "What are we going to do?" he
asked.
	Odin's gaze fell upon the Prince and
he cursed fluently. "You are going to help me,
Potikin."
	"How?"
	"Like this," and with that said, Odin
shoved his dagger into the other man's stomach.
Potikin's eyes went wide with shock, before he
fell forward. Odin caught him and took him over
to the Moon Maiden's wagon. He stopped
Thomas and climbed the steps and went inside.
She made no move to acknowledge his
presence.
	Good, he thought. Potikin had
worn her out so much she was nearly dead on her
feet. The stupid man had done his job well. He
dropped the limp body in front of her and
shook the young woman roughly.
	"Heal him, you understand, witch?
Do it right now!"
	She nodded slowly, her eyes dilated
with pain. But her expression was blank and he
knew that she was hardly with him. He guided
her hands onto the wound and gripped her wrists
tightly. "Heal him!" he shouted.
	She nodded again and a small light
emitted from beneath her palms. He moved
back towards the door, barely able to contain his
sinister smile. Potikin was dead but she didn't
even know it; she was that much out of it. She
would continue to use the power of her Crystal
until Potikin woke up or the usage killed her. He
was counting on the latter.
	The smile did appear as he saw
Serenity begin to slump over. She was killing
herself and she had no hint of it. Beryl had always
wanted the Princess dead but Odin had delayed
her death by using her for his means. And now
that time was over and there was nothing left to
do but to fulfill Beryl's demands.

	"How the heck did this happen?" Jaedite
yelled as he maneuvered his horse through the
violent crowd.
	"I don't know! But we have to find
Potikin! He might have heard of us and will
probably try to escape!" Endymion yelled back.
The soldiers he had brought with him were busy
stopping the fight. He didn't allow his Generals or
the Senshi use any of their special attacks. It
would only cause panic and he wanted to avoid
any sort of calamity.
	Suddenly, a bright light caught his eye
and he looked in the direction it was coming from.
He found himself frozen as he stared at that light,
unable to move or speak.
	"Serenity! It's the power of the Crystal!"
Minako's voice snapped him back to reality and
he turned his head to see the girls pointing, trying
to urge their horses forward.
	He snapped the reins of his own
stallion and dug his heels into the horse's flanks.
The animal jumped forward, causing people to
move out of the way. His heart pounded in his
ears as he neared the wagon and as the light
became brighter, his joy increased until he finally
reached his Princess.
	But then his happiness was replaced
by something else when his eyes fell upon her.
Her eyes were sightless; they were seeing nothing.
Her figure was thin and gaunt, her skin pale and
ghost-like. And her hair! He had never imagined
it could turn such an incredible shade of silver.
His gaze went downwards to see what he was
doing and it was then that he realized she was
trying to heal a dead man.
	"No! Serenity, no!" He jumped off of
 his horse and his hands gripped the bars of this
'cage' she was in. He pulled and pushed at the
iron but they moved not a bit. Out of the corner
of his eye, he saw a man in the corner and
realized it was Odin. Rage quickly filled him as
well as fear and panic. Serenity would kill
herself if she didn't stop. He stepped back,
pulling his sword from its sheath. It swung in an
arc towards the bars once, twice. Amazingly,
the pieces fell to the ground with a clatter and
he jumped through the opening. He pushed
Serenity away from the dead man and
immediately the light disappeared. He pulled
her to him, holding her close and turned to see
the person who had lain in front of her.
	"Potikin," he breathed. Endymion
shuddered once and then turned back to
Serenity. He pulled away from her and saw that
 the blank look in her eyes hadn't gone away.
"Serenity," he whispered, shaking her lightly.
	"Endymion! Is she okay?"
	The Senshi stood in front of the
wagon, their expressions scared and worried.
	"I… I don't know," he replied "She's
alive but…" He shook her again and said her
name once more. She didn't respond, only stared
at some point behind his shoulders. He closed
his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat. She
was right here; he was holding her, yet she was
still so far away from him.
	"Do not touch me."
	His head snapped up at her whispered
words. He searched her eyes, hoping to see
some sort of recognition. "Serenity?"
	The moment he said her name she
suddenly began to struggle violently. She tried
twisting out of his grip and flailing her arms but
Endymion wouldn't let her go. She shook her head
from side to side like a child throwing a temper
tantrum.
	Endymion spoke to her in a soft, calm
voice although, inside, he was a tempest of emotions.
Someone would pay dearly for this. She began to
whimper and he couldn't take it anymore.
	"Princess, I love you!"
	She suddenly stilled, as if someone had
pulled a plug.
	He shook her roughly then when she did
not respond. She only looked at him through those
dull, lifeless eyes.
	"Endymion, we have to go," Ami's quiet
voice reached his ears. He turned to look at her and
nodded. He got up and then lifted Serenity into his
arms. He walked out using the small door and when
he stood on solid ground many steps away, he turned
halfway to look back and bent his head toward
Serenity's,
his chin buried in her silver hair.
	"That was the last time you left through that
door, my love."

*~*
	The fire cracked and popped in the quiet
night, the only other sound except for the chirps of
the
crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl. Endymion
stared at the heart of those mesmerizing flames, his
dark
blue eyes reflecting the orange light perfectly.
	He was unconsciously stroking the hair of
Serenity, who slept in his lap. Ami had assured him
that
she was only sleeping and nothing else. She would wake
up when the Crystal had restored her all of her bodily

energies and then they would see what had to be done
next. In the meantime, they would let the Princess get
as
much rest as she needed. Who knew how much she
was lacking.
	"They called her Moon Maiden…" Endymion
mumbled, still looking into the fire. "Damn Odin. Damn
Potikin. Damn them both to eternal suffering."
	"The soldiers are still looking for Odin but
it's like he's disappeared without a trace," Jaedite
said,
stirring the fire. He looked at his friend and then at
the
others who all had the same emotions reflecting in
each
of their eyes.
	"That line sounds vaguely familiar," Makoto
replied wryly.
	"That's because we're dealing with evil. Isn't
that right, Endymion?" Nephrite asked.
	The Prince nodded and closed his eyes.
"Beryl has been involved in this mess from the very
beginning. I'm sure Odin has slithered back to his
Queen, ready to do whatever she bids next. I just
wish I knew what could kill her."
	"Don't worry, Endymion. We will defeat
Beryl and a time will come when she won't be a
threat to us anymore."
	"At what price though?"
	No one had an answer to that and silence
fell over the group. One by one they began to turn in
for the night until finally Endymion was left awake
with the still sleeping Serenity. He slowly lay back
on the makeshift bed, holding Serenity close to him.
He smiled as he remembered a similar time, when he
had to sleep next to this beautiful woman, his duty
to protect her from any sort of harm. She had been a
spitfire, filled with a spirit that she didn't hide.
It was
also a spirit he would never want to break, yet as he
looked down at the pale face of Serenity, his soul
mourned for something lost.
	As he turned onto his side, facing her, the
tears that had pricked at his eyes for so long now
fell
one by one down his cheeks. They fell on Serenity's
face and he gently brushed them away with the pad
of his thumb.
	"You have to come back to me, Serenity,"
he whispered fiercely. "Don't leave me a second time
now that I have you right here with me. I'll do
anything! Anything to bring you back."
	"Are you prepared to pay the price?"
	He inhaled sharply at the sound of the
voice and sat up quickly. His gaze fell first on the
dying
fire. The wisps of smoke that had been rising from it
were now frozen. There was a certain stillness in the
atmosphere and he realized at once that time had
been stopped.
	He then noticed Serenity, rather, the spirit
of Serenity.
	"You…"
	She smiled and sat down on her knees
facing him. "Are you prepared to pay the price?" she
repeated.
	"For what?"
	She cocked her head sideways. "To have
Serenity back, of course! Isn't that what you want?"
The spirit looked at the sleeping figure of herself.
"Poor
thing, she's so far gone. The powers of darkness have
been used on her. I can tell you right now that she
will
never be the same again."
	It was a blow and he felt the crushing guilt
that had been with him for so long, double. However,
she had left something unspoken in the air and
Endymion caught on to it. "Unless?"
	"Unless you have me restore her back to
full health. She went through so much and it's
affected
her quite deeply… in a negative way. But I can change
all that so that it won't be so bad when she wakes up.
She'll remember, however, her mind will not be
troubled by her past. The time when she was Moon
Maiden will be just a memory, and nothing more."
	"What are the consequences?" The spirit
was offering him exactly what he wanted yet, he wasn't

sure if it was the right step. There was a catch but
he
wasn't seeing it and that made him very uncertain.
	"I can't tell you that. I only have the option
of giving you this choice and that's it. As they say
in
America, 'take it, or leave it'."
	He had no idea what this America was or
what it had to do with anything and frankly, he didn't

care. What did matter to him though, was this
decision.
If he made the wrong one, it would cost him dearly.
But what was wrong and what was right? Should he
forgo this 'gift' the spirit was offering him and let
Serenity wake up in due time? But then, after all the
suffering she had been through, would her mind be
as it was, sharp and intelligent? Or would it be
forever
altered, dull and having forgotten everything? The
spirit made it seems as though it would be the latter.
	However, if he let the spirit work her
'magic' Serenity would wake up immediately and be
changed… supposedly for the better. She would
remember everything but the pain of circus life would
be a dim memory. And then they would be in the
same spot as they had been before she had been
kidnapped. She would probably remember his
rejection and then? Would he have a chance at
repentance? Or would she leave him, without looking
back?
	He looked down at the real Serenity.
She was now on her back, her chest moving up and
down with her breathing. Her head was slightly
turned towards his and he tenderly brushed back the
few tendrils of hair surrounding her face. No matter
what choice he made, no matter how Serenity
would be after she woke up, he would always love
her for who she was. She had brought him to a new
level of understanding without even trying and he
would spend the rest of his life in making sure she
knew just how grateful he was to have her in his
life.
	He bent over and kissed her cool
forehead. Then looking at the spirit, he nodded.
She smiled as she listened to his decision. And
then she disappeared.
	Endymion closed his eyes and truly
wondered if he had made the right choice.

^*^End^*^
And what was his decision?
Muuuuuuuhahahaha!