Chapter Three: Somewhere over the Rainbow "So, what do you want to do?" Adam asked the weeping Serena. "Do you want to give up the life you've lived and worked for to allow a universe that wasn't even supposed to exist survive? Who exactly would you be doing that for, huh? Do you really think they're happier there, in that world?" Serena didn't answer, only shook harder in his embrace. "Oh my God, that's it, isn't it? That's how they tricked you into falling. You had to let them control you and they did it through your friends. What did they tell you Serena? What did they show you? Did they say I would live in that world? Did they say Darien would be better off with someone else?" "YES!" Serena sobbed. "YES! Are you satisfied? That's how they duped poor, stupid Serena! They showed her a world where Darien was married to Raye, and no one died for her, and the streets were safe. You were alive, and no one ever was attacked by Negamosters, and nothing ever happened in that world because the bait, the magnet, ME, was out of commission." She shivered and pulled away, her large eyes brimming with tears. "They said the only reason the world got attacked so often was because I was a tempting target." She sniffled and wiped away a tear. "Are you happy now?" Adam stared at her. How could he have been so stupid? The only reason Serena was dead was because her love for her friends overrode everything else. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "but now we know. Now we have to find some way to get you home again. You're not supposed to be here, and if we can...get you home, maybe everything will be okay." "Nothing will be okay again," she murmured brokenly, staring at the floor. "We lost. For the first time, we lost." "Now Serena," laughed a voice, "I didn't teach you to think like that, now did I?" Serena looked up and gasped. A small orb of light had appeared out of nowhere and was settling itself down at their feet. She sank to the ground in front of the orb and quickly dried her tears. "Mother? Queen Serenity?" The glowing ball twinkled with what Adam could only call mirth. "Of course dear. Who else would I be, the Wicked Witch of the West?" "But," Serena glanced to the walls, now blank, "we just saw you..." The light dimmed with sadness and Adam found himself walking forward with the desire to pat the glowing thing gently and reassure it. "I know dear. But it was a decision that had to be made. Don't worry Serena, just because everything doesn't work out orderly, does not mean it doesn't work out. Hello Adam." "Hello, my Queen," he whispered. "You have done well in protecting her. I offer my sincerest thanks to you, Venus Knight." Adam shook his head. "Oh no, Queen Serenity. It was my pleasure. Serena and I have become friends during this venture...and I was lonely here by myself." The ball pulsed and Adam found himself staring in to the deepest pair of blue eyes he had ever seen. The Queen stood before him in the chamber and hugged him lightly. "Do not fret, dear boy. I have seen the future, and you shall prevail if you remain close and hold on to your hopes. Now," she turned to Serena, "I have a mission for the two of you. Serena desires to go home, but she is in need of companionship on the road. You, Adam, wish nothing more than Mina's happiness, but you think there is no sure way to guarantee that. Would you do me a favor and guide my daughter if I swore to you that by the time this entire mess is over she will be content and happy for the rest of her life?" "You would not even have to offer that tempting promise, my Queen. You know I would do anything for the Princess Serenity," he replied. Serenity laughed again. "Gentle Knight, you are too humble. Of course I will reward you for a job well done. Listen close my dears, and remember what I am about to tell you, for in it lies the key to destiny: "First you must take the items I soon shall give you and follow the golden path on the other side of these mountains until you reach a rushing river. Near this river is a cave where you must spend the night. Your dreams shall be terrible, for this is the cave of nightmares, but here is where your first task is set. Ever since your death, Serena, Darien dreams of you drowning. These dreams are not of his mind, but sent to him from an evil source. If left to his own devices, he would surely harm himself in his sleep trying to rescue you. For the past few weeks I have been enlisting the aid of two of the Outer Scouts to protect him, but their patience grows thin and taut. Besides, they have other tasks set before them in the name of the Moon Kingdom. All you need to do here is cross the three rivers and free his feet from the sand of time enslaving him." "Go on," Adam urged. Serenity smiled, and patted his shoulder wisely. "Ah, a taste of danger was all you needed to perk up, eh Adam?" He blushed and she continued. "Second, when the morning sun tops the sky you must continue on your journey down the golden road. There will be a crossroads, and here is where you must make a decision, my daughter. One road is correct, the other is not. I will not tell you which is which, that you must discover for yourself. I will tell you that one road leads you to the Kingdom of Dreams, where Helios lives, and the other will lead you to the Gates of Time. Neither Pluto nor Helios will be of much help, but I promise you they shall offer all the help they can." "What is our task there my mother?" Serena whispered. The Queen shook her head. "No task my love. It is there that Adam must part with you and remain with one of the sacred guardians, for the rest of the journey you make on his behalf as well as your own. Should you choose the correct road, three chosen ones will await you to begin a journey of their own, and to accompany you on yours. But take heart child, you shall be as much a surprise to them as they are to you." "Why can't I stay with her?" Adam demanded roughly, his arms winding protectively around Serena. "We work well together." Again, the Queen shook her head. "You know better than that Adam. This is Serena's journey, not yours. You have already taken your journey, though it wasn't as difficult as the one Serena is about to embark on, and it is nearing its end. The moment you deliver her safely to her guardian, your part will be done. So far you are doing well." "After I leave Adam, what then?" Serena urged. Serenity waved her hand and the globe that brought her rose from the floor. It began to spin, and deep within its depths a silver light began to shine. "From there you shall travel the golden rainbow road until you come to the city of Eclipse, the last of Darien's territories from the Silver Millennium. When the capitol city of Atlantis fell at the news of Darien's death, the citizens of Eclipse gathered their powers together and collectively moved the city to a safe location should he mysteriously return. Sadly, they waited a millennia and their prince did not come. Now it is a ghost city, save for it's three caretakers. The leader of the three will be the one you shall seek out, he is the most powerful and shall be the one to send you home where you belong." Adam stepped forward. "Is that all, my Queen?" "So eager to begin, Sir Knight?" Serenity smiled and touched the glowing ball. "You shall need talismans to go on such a trip." The ball expanded in a bright flash of light and Serena, Adam, and the Queen were standing among a pile of rubble. All around them was silence of long decay. "Welcome back to the Moon Kingdom, Princess. It missed you." The fallen columns of stone and marble pulsed faintly with her words and a silvery light began shining from a small altar in front of the Queen. It intensified until a brilliant beam of silver power shot straight in to the evening sky. Adam shivered and stepped forward. Somehow he knew that this talisman was for his safekeeping. "Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a King named Arthur. He was the last of the Royal Family of Atlantis, though he himself was unaware of that. Ever since Darien's death, the Earth had been in turmoil and only one of Darien's blood could tame the wild earth. Now this King had an attendant who was wise and kind and, ironically enough, born of one of the last strains of the Moon Royalty's blood. On Arthur's death his attendant reclaimed from him a sacred sword that once belonged to the Moon Kingdom and returned it to it's rightful owners. Granted, Arthur had earned the sword, he released it from it's prison in his early years. The sword, you see, had been thrust in to a pillar of stone much like the one you see before you, he merely set it free. Later once he had attained true worth, he was gifted with the same sword in it's true form, by the last remaining child of born of both Mercury and Neptune. The poor fool had no clue." Sighing, Queen Serenity shook her head. "But I digress. To get to the point of the tale, his attendant returned the sword to it's true home, to await a true Knight of power, such as yourself Adam. Only a true Knight of any of the planets is strong enough to pull the sword from the stone. Would you care to try?" She stepped back and the bright beam of silver light toned down enough for Adam to see a truly beautiful sword sunk deep in to the earth of the altar. He nodded and stepped forward, his palms sweating. * * * * * * * * * * Mina felt her world go gray around her as she kicked and choked. Her reflection was shifting before her very eyes, the image was no longer herself, but of someone very close to her. "Ser..Sere...Serena! Stop...(gasp)...please...I'm sorry!" The woman stepped out of the mirror, her death grip on Mina's throat not lessening. "Did you ever hear the tale of the sleeping princess, Princess Venus? An evil curse cast by a wicked fairy put the princess to sleep for a hundred years until her true love could come and hack away at all the rose bushes covering the castle walls and slip inside to kiss his fairy princess awake. I always thought it touching..." Mina stared at the thing's eyes and shivered despite the lack of oxygen going to her brain. The thing that resembled Serena was insane. There was nothing behind those eyes; the creature didn't have a soul. "Pl...please...just...don't...don't..." The thing gave Mina a shake and chuckled. "Oh don't worry, little princess. You won't sleep for a hundred years. You're never going to wake up because your prince is dead." Though the world swam before her, Mina felt a welcome rage at the thought. "You...you're right...(gasp)...both my princes are dead...but...you...still...won't...wi...win..." The world exploded in pain around her and Mina sunk to the floor. "Stupid girl," sang the Serena-thing, "faith is only in the hands of your friends. Melvin, come!" A figure stepped out from the mirror after her. "Yes, Serena?" the being that had once been Melvin, asked. "What is your wish?" She pointed to Mina. "Take her dream mirror to my world. I will have need of her later." He nodded, and with a wave of his hand, her mirror appeared. He took the shimmering thing and faded back through Mina's bathroom mirror, the edges of it sucking at his body like jello as he slipped through. Ten minutes later Mina's front door crashed open. Malachite raced to the bathroom followed by the rest of the Sailor team. Prepared to find the struggle still going on, they were surprised to find only Mina, unconscious on the bathroom floor, and Serena's Crescent Moon Wand minus the Silver Crystal, lying on the floor. "What the hell?" They quickly searched the house as Ami knelt beside Mina and felt for her pulse. Greg watched as his love quietly began shaking with fear and he dropped to his knees beside her. "Ami, what is it?" Ami turned to him and brushed fine wisps of her blue hair out of her eyes. "Call an ambulance Greg, Mina's slipping in to a coma." * * * * * * * * * * * Rini woke in the middle of the night with a terrible thirst. She silently slipped from her bed and snuck down the stairs to get a glass of water and go to the only bathroom in the house. The water was cold and clear, but the bathroom toilet was noisy beyond belief when she flushed. "Shhh," she told it as she stood in front of the sink washing her hands, "We don't want to wake Daddy." "No," answered her reflection, "we don't." * * * * * * * * * * * Aurora shook Auriel awake. Solan snorted and turned over, but he wasn't easily roused. "What?" Auriel whispered sleepily. "I was having the nicest dream." "Just get up and follow me," came her twin's reply. Following her silent twin through the house, Auriel wondered what had happened now. "Why does this always happen in the middle of the night?" she muttered. "Why can't things happen during the day, like normal people?" "Shhh," hissed Aurora. "Get in here! Geez, you are so loud!" Auriel glanced around the kitchen. "What? You wanna cook an omelet at four in the morning?" Her only reply was a sharp glare from her sister. "Okay, I get the point. Top Secret, mucho silencio, hush hush, no duh. How long do I have to stay quiet?" "Just shut up!" Auriel winced at Aurora's tone. The quiet Solar Goddess never used that tone unless she was either very upset or very angry. Neither was a good thing. A few moments passed and Aurora turned back to Auriel. "Look, I had a dream..." "No kidding? Really? At four in the morning, you were asleep, I never would have guessed..." "Cut the crap, Auri. This is serious." Auriel blushed and glanced at her feet. She hoisted herself up on the counter top and laid her head on her knees that she pulled closely to her body. "I'm sorry. You know how I am when I'm cranky. Go on." "I had a dream about Serena. When I woke up, I checked the Wheel of Fate and Destiny. Auriel, the thing is spinning out of control." Eyes widening, Auriel dropped neatly off the countertop. "You're kidding me! What's happening?" Aurora shrugged. "I'm not sure. All I know is that we had better hurry and slow the thing down or things that are destined to happen years from now could begin happening tomorrow. Can you imagine a world where everyone who was destined to win the lotto came up with the winning ticket next week? Or if every single person meant to be with a particular someone bumps in to him or her in the street way before they are supposed to and then they never meet again? The entire world's population would go ballistic if their pets all died at once, or all accidental deaths for the next twelve years occurred on the same day. Are you following me here?" "What are we going to do?" Auriel stared out the window. The sun would be up in an hour or two, and with it brought an entire day of problems. "I'm not sure, but you go wake Solan. I'll get some ice water for Apollo. He still jumps like a cat if you sprinkle him with it when he's not prepared." * * * * * * * * * * * Malachite crushed his fist repeatedly in to the tree. The morning mist swirled around him, obscuring him from the curious gazes of the morning joggers. A low familiar tread behind him caught his attention. "That's not going to help Mina you know," commented a cool voice behind him. "Go away, Prisma," he growled. "I don't need anyone in my face right now." Though she was the closest thing he had to a friend who was not of the Silver Millennium, it didn't give her the right to butt in to his life and help him when he didn't want it. There was a sigh, then, "No. You are being so stubborn Malachite. Do you honestly thing if you had gotten there sooner, you could have saved her? What ever took Mina also did that coma-thing to Serena. They are more powerful than you know if they could capture the Moon Princess so easily. They left her wand for goodness sakes, they were gloating!" "Mina can't die," he whispered. "I can't lose her again. If she doesn't want to love me that's fine, I don't think we can be that passionate in this life anyway, but...I need her in my life somewhere Prisma. In the Silver Millennium she was the only one who ever dared challenge me off the battlefield. I mean, the other Scouts would fight me if they had to for training, but I'm talking on an emotional level. She was my lover...and now she is one of my only true friends." Her tender arms grasped his shoulders and Malachite winced at the gentle touch. "I lost a loved one too," she whispered. "His name...isn't important, but what he did...he died to protect his brother...I've seen you Malachite. You would do the same for your friends and they would do the same for you. Even despite the hardships you put them through before you were healed, the Scouts and Knights treat you as family now. You have more than just them though, you have the Generals, you have us sisters...you have me." He leaned against the tree and took solace in her sweet words. "I love Mina, Prisma," he choked out, "but...one day...perhaps..." She laughed softly and he felt her arms tighten around him momentarily before she drew away. "Perhaps..." * * * * * * * * * * * "Now," The Queen whispered. "Pull with all your strength, Adam." Adam gripped the sword with both hands and felt it throb beneath his palms. "Venus!" he cried, "Help your child in this fight!" Then straining with everything within him, he wrested the sword from the stone. There was a mighty squeal of metal against rock, and he hefted the dreadfully heavy thing high in to the air. "Venus Power!" There was a clap of hands behind him and Adam turned to face Serena and the glowing apparition of her mother calmly watching his display of macho power. "Well said, Adam." "Sorry," he grinned. Serena turned to her mother. "You said three talismans, Mother. What is the next one?" Serenity chuckled. "You were always curious as a kitten, and still are." She shook her head, her long white hair shimmering. "You have never been without it, my daughter. The second talisman was hidden from your sight, but not your heart. Observe." The Queen lifted her hand to the sky and a small locket appeared in her hand. "Your locket." Serena took the proffered item and gasped. "My Silver Crystal!" Queen Serenity nodded. "You hid it again, Serena. When the evil one tried to kill you, she failed due to the Silver Crystal, and it spirited you away to where it knew you would be protected, with Adam. You hid it inside you, and they duped you in to believing they stole it from you." "And the third?" Adam tightened his hold on Serena's hand. Her mother merely smiled and glanced at the sky. "A mirror, a special gift from a special person." She lifted her globe in to the air and in its place floated a brilliantly carved mirror. Queen Serenity leaned forward as if to share a secret. "It belongs to someone very important. Please don't lose it." "We won't Mother," Serena soothed. "So...I guess this is it?" "Not quite," suddenly replied a sweet, silvery voice from beside Adam. He jerked to find a familiar face staring in to his own. "Hello again," Sailor Cosmos greeted. "I told you I'd bring her home to you safely." With a sweeping movement, she lifted the edge of her long white gown and Chibi Chibi peered around the edge. "ADAM!" the tiny girl giggled, running in to his arms. "Well," sighed the Queen. "I'm glad you could make it. I was beginning to worry." "Never worry about me," replied Cosmos. "I always keep my word." "And with that, they are late. Grasp hands children, for I am going to send you on your way. Think of it as a magic carpet ride in to a land of fairy tales or a story that lasts a thousand and one nights. You have a long journey ahead of you, my precious ones, take care. Moon Cosmic Power!" The world whirled for a moment or two and then Adam and Serena found themselves staring at the rapidly retreating ground. They seemed to be floating in a whirlwind of sparkling dust, for they floated higher and higher, finally peaking a great distance above the mountain. They remained suspended several miles above the earth for a few moments before they descended rapidly to the other side. With a loud pop the whirlwind ceased and Serena found herself clutching Chibi tightly to her body as they stood at the beginning of a golden road that led straight in to the stone mountain behind them. "Well," she murmured, "we're off to see the guardian." Adam bit back a chuckle. "The wonderful guardian of Eclipse." She looked at him quizzically and he could only chuckle again. As they began trudging down the road he had to check behind them to see if by some twisted miracle, a set of stockinged feet were poking out the side of the mountain. There were none. "Thank God for small favors," he whispered to himself, and quickly caught up. * * * * * * * * * "Well, Seiya," came a voice from behind the kitchen door, "have you made your decision?" Seiya swallowed the last of his dregs of his bitter coffee and sighed. The rising sun was the loveliest thing he had seen in a long time. The sky was painted innumerable shades of gold and red, but what he loved most were the faint tinges of blue the exact color of Serena's eyes. "I sent the children to Mrs. Yakobe's this morning. She doesn't mind watching them until I come back from this "surprise convention" my boss sent me on." He paused, still not turning to greet his two guests; "Did she leave?" Yaten moved beside him. "She left last night. And our directive has changed. In order for us to discover whom the Sailor Scouts of this world are, we must first gain permission from their leader." "Did we miss her in our first search?" "Apparently. Fireball gave us directions on how to get there. We wait until tonight, then pick the second star to the right of the full move and walk straight on till morning." Taiki snorted from behind Seiya. "Some directions, huh?" Seiya watched as the last star faded from the sky. "Yeah. Some directions." * * * * * * * * * * * Darien was in a panic. He had searched the house from top to bottom and couldn't find Rini anywhere. "RINI! RINI!!" Please let her be playing some childish prank on me, please! "Rini! Come on honey, where are you?!" Suddenly, inspiration hit. Rini had been up on the roof the night before, wishing on the stars. Maybe she was up there last night again and fell asleep! Darien took the steps two at a time to get to the top of the staircase. "RINI!" He burst in her room and ran at the window like a man possessed. He angled his body to fit through the tiny slot, and sure enough, one small hand lay over the side of the roof, just with in his reach. Darien hoisted his body through the crack the window provided and gingerly stood on the edge. Rini was peacefully dreaming on the roof, her hands tightly wrapped around something very compact. Taking care not to wake her, Darien scooped her up and slid their two bodies back through the window. He lay he on the bed, and waited for Rini to wake up. And waited and waited and waited. Slowly, his dream of the night before crashed through his mind. He placed one tentative hand on her shoulder and shook gently. "Rini? Come on honey, time to wake up! Darien'll make pancakes for breakfast! Rini? Rini?!" As he shook harder, one of Rini's hands loosened enough for the object she was clinging tightly to to slip. It clanked to the floor and popped open. A soft song began playing, bringing tears to Darien's eyes as he listened to the song he hadn't heard since Serena's death, the song they had shared in the Moon Kingdom. "Moonlight..." he whispered. "Our song. No, NO RINI!! SERENA!" * * * * * * * * * * * Raye shivered. Darien had called from the hospital that morning. Rini, like Mina, had slipped in to a coma sometime during the night. Their only clue was Serena's Crescent Wand and the locket she and Darien had shared in the Silver Millennium. "Oh Great Fire Spirit," she chanted, "Please help us. Who keeps attacking us and why? Who are they and how did they get a hold of Serena's talismans of power? Do they have the Silver Crystal? The fire simmered and crackled. Patiently, Raye sat, and all at once images flared through her mind. Serena was staring at a mirror. Her reflection twirled along with her, but suddenly it reached forward, out of the mirror, and grabbed Serena, drawing her in. Moments later a new Serena stepped out. Her eyes were wild, and dark fluid ran from her lips. Raye gasped and broke the vision. She had to tell the Scouts! She turned to the phone, but paused. "Oh no, they're all at the hospital with Darien and Mina." Raye quickly ran to her bedroom and grabbed a change of clothing. She paused for a moment to drink a glass of water, then ran in to the bathroom to change. "Oh, what am I going to tell them, huh?" she whispered aloud as she glanced at the multiple reflections in her bathroom mirrors to check her appearance. "That the Great Fire said that a mirror image of Serena is running around?" Her reflections nodded and for the first time in her life, the Shinto priestess had nothing to say, not even time to scream. * * * * * * * * * * * Auriel gasped and smacked Solan. "Oh no! Solan look!" He sighed and gazed at the madly spinning wheel Auriel was directing his attention towards. "She got Raye." It was a statement, blandly put. "Well, I didn't see that one coming," muttered Apollo. "The thing is taking out the more powerful ones one by one. The only reason it hasn't gotten around to us, is we're not a part of the original team." "What about Lita?" queried Aurora. "It still...wait." Auriel stopped her mad calculations long enough to stare at her sister. "What?" Tapping the side of her head, Aurora glanced at Solan. "Did Lita remember her Silver Millennium power? Did she attack with it, I mean?" Auriel and Solan shook their heads. "No," Solan offered, "She was still passed out when the original Inners began their new attacks. And when she fought later she used Oak Evolution, if I remember right." Suddenly catching on to her twin's thoughts, Auriel gasped. "You don't think...?" Apollo rose to his feet. "I'll call Ami!" * * * * * * * * * * * "Ami," Lita whispered self-consciously, "you know this hospital way better than I do. Can you show me where the bathroom is? I'm so nervous about the whole coma thing, I don't want to go alone and get captured." Ami smiled and handed Greg her mini-computer. "Sure, Lita. That's actually a great idea. They can't trap us if we stick together!" They walked down the hall and Ami was quiet. Lita had been acting strangely towards Ken ever since the attack in the graveyard. While they were waiting, he had put one arm around her as usual. Instead of leaning in and enjoying the comfort he provided, she shied away and kept to herself. Oh well, Ami thought, I guess their problems are none of my business. The heavy metal door swung shut behind them, and Ami moved to the sink to wash her hands while she waited for Lita. There was a quiet sound behind her, but Ami kept her eyes on her hands, moving the suds briskly under her nails. "Lita," she called after a moment of nothing, "are you okay? You didn't fall in did you?" "No," answered Lita, "I didn't fall in. I woke up." "Huh?" Ami raised her eyes to meet Lita's in the mirror in front of her. Instead of Lita, there stood a man who could have been identical to Darien. A soft thump against her foot caused Ami to glance down. Lita was passed out on the floor; Serena's Cutie Moon Rod clenched in one hand, the other lying on Ami's foot. The man gripped Ami's shoulders tightly and shoved her against the sink until her face was touching the mirror. She squeaked in pain and tried to wrestle away or scream, but the pressure of her face against the glass was unbearable. Suddenly, she was moving through the glass and two glowing blue eyes appeared from the darkness to match her own. "Hello Mercury," Serena hissed, "Ami, Ami, quite the brainy, how does your computer grow? With packard bells and brand new dells, and little plug-ins all in a row..." "Darien" pressed Serena's Moon Tiara in to her twitching hands, and let go. She thumped to the ground and he stepped over her limp body, easing in to the mirror slowly, until only the tips of his shoes remained. And then he was gone. * * * * * * * * * * * The day wore on slowly. Apollo and Aurora struggled to keep the whirling Wheel of Destiny under some kind of control as Auriel and Solan took to the streets to repair small damages when they could. "There he is," Solan gasped pointing to a tall blond man, "what do I do?" Auriel watched carefully, the man stepped out in to the street without glancing both ways. "Protect him!" A car hurtled around the corner, heading straight for the man. Solan closed his eyes and gathered the energy around him. A moment later he stood across the street with the man clutched safely in his arms. "What...Who in the hell are you?" gasped the man in an outrage. Behind them there was a loud boom as the car impacted with a light pole and exploded. The frightened man turned to thank Solan, but the mysterious boy was gone. Down the street Auriel awarded her reluctant hero with a sweet kiss. "Not even Apollo can run at the speed of light, Solan. I'm impressed." He shrugged and blushed; he hadn't even broken a sweat. "I thought all of us could. You can can't you?" She nodded and sighed. "I can, but it takes me almost five minutes to power up enough to actually achieve the speed of light. You can just do it." "So where to next?" Auriel smiled at his reluctant question. She hugged him lightly and pointed to a woman striding towards them from the far end of the street. "She can't meet her future husband for two more years, he is coming from the other direction. I'll deter her, you run interference with..." she pointed to a man far down the street, "...him." As the two set out, Auriel's communicator bleeped. She pressed the answer button and bumped in to the woman as hard as she could, causing all her packages to go flying. "OH. I am so sorry! Let me help you with those!" She dropped to her knees and helped the woman gather the packages. She could mentally feel Solan begging incompetent directions to a place across town from the man. Suddenly she knew that they had saved the two and she sent a mental shock to Solan who backed off and thanked the man for his help. They met in an alley halfway between the man and woman. "So what's the deal?" Solan queried at Aurora's shivering image on the communicator. Her voice was broken occasionally by static, but the urgency was there nevertheless. "They just found Raye, Lita, and Ami. They are all affected and all are in stasis at the moment with Rini and Mina at the hospital. Ami had Serena's Moon Tiara, Lita was holding the Cutie Moon Rod, and Raye had her Eternal Tier. Greg thinks there's a pattern to the whole thing. All we know is now every Inner Scout is down. What ever that is doing this is going after either the Outer Scouts or the Inner Knights next. We must be on our guard to figure out which is next. Aurora out." Auriel nodded and shut off the communicator. "Now that's odd. Do you think there's a pattern?" Shrugging, Solan tested the area for breaks in the lines of Fate. "Ami was Serena's first Scout so maybe the barely used attack has something to do with the fact that they learned together and grew together." Auriel tested that and liked the idea. "Okay," she replied, "going on that hypothesis, Rini was the product of Serena's love for Darien as the locket was the symbol for their love time and again, right?" Solan nodded and linked his arm with hers. They began walking down the street. "So that leaves Mina with her Crescent Moon Want, Lita with the Cutie Moon Rod, and Raye with the Eternal Tier." "Wasn't Mina the decoy for the Moon Princess?" Auriel questioned as they nonchalantly scanned the street. Solan, picking up on her thoughts, nodded. "Yeah, she was. She even had the whole crescent moon on her forehead to throw them off. That would explain the Crescent Moon Wand. But what about the others?" Auriel shrugged, then caught a wicked smile trembling on the corners of Solan's mouth. "What are you thinking?" He grinned and laughed. "Lita could have the Cutie Moon Rod because she's awful cute and Raye has always been the eternal pain in Serena's..." He broke off as a bright light flashed in the sky above them. "What was that?!" * * * * * * * * * * * Serena groaned as she shifted the tender weight of Chibi against her hip. "Adam, could you hold her awhile? I don't want to wake her up." He nodded and adjusted the shoulder strap of the Moon sword to a more comfortable position before accepting the tiny girl. "She's so little," he whispered, inhaling the fine scent of baby powder and the sweet smells that only small children possess. "It's hard for me to rationalize that she can be so powerful with such a tiny little frame." They walked on; following the trail until the sun shimmered and set over the mountaintop. "Oh, Serena! Look over there!" She turned and looked in the direction Adam indicated. "It's a river. Do you think it was the one Queen Serenity was referring to?" Adam shrugged and Chibi opened one wide bright eye. "Cave!" Glancing at the tiny girl, Adam set her gently on her feet. She grasped Serena's hand and tugged gently. "Cave!" Serena allowed the tiny girl to lead her down the slope until they reached a small mouth in the side of the hill. Serena shivered with trepidation, this was not going to be fun, to say the least. Gathering the giggling Chibi in his arms, Adam stepped forward and entered the cave first. "Careful, my princess. The Queen did say this was a place of nightmares..." * * * * * * * * * * * "Well," commented a voice, "we have the stone Fireball gave us, we have our orders, and we have the sunset. Are you prepared, Seiya?" Seiya turned to Taiki and smiled softly. Though he hated to admit it, this was what he had been missing ever since he married Serena. Granted he had loved Serena with everything within him, but only the thrill of danger could elicit such a powerful rush of emotion from deep within his soul. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Second star to the right and straight on till morning. Let's move!"