Chapter Five: Somewhere over That Rainbow Aurora lay her slender hands on Apollo's shoulders and squeezed gently. He lowered his head and moaned in frustration. "What have you two done, Aurora?" "I only followed Destiny's desires, my love," she replied soothingly. "Neither Auriel nor I had any idea that freeing the Generals would bring about a calamity of this nature." "But you still would have done it, even if you had known that this would be the result." He indicated the frenzied rotating Wheel of Fate and Destiny before them, a shimmering mirage of a golden spinning wheel orbiting out of control reflected in the Mirror of Destiny. The real wheel was well hidden in the Palace of the Rising Sun, deep with in Pluto's Time Portal; the mirage was the focus of their energies. Aurora nodded and loosened the pins in her luxurious lavender hair. "Yes. The Generals were undeserving of that Fate, it was not the one meted out to them in the beginning." Apollo sighed in disgust. "Aurora, the fate the Generals deserved was set in the Silver Millennium. They were supposed to throw off the binds of convention and rebel against the long held restrictions that a Scout can marry none but her soul mate. But some small instance altered everything, and the Scouts remained with their one true loves, and all died in the forthcoming battle." "Sadly, Zoisite was not destined or fated until the night of the ball. What happened?" Apollo wracked his mind for the memories. "The Knights returned." Aurora opened her palm and traced a symbol in the air. It lit a moment, before settling down on the ground and spreading. They gazed in to the instant pool of water and watched the events of that evening. Nothing jumped out at them. Apollo groaned. "This is hopeless. Why are we analyzing the past, when the present is so dear?" The water evaporated with another traced rune and Aurora turned back to the wheel. "I do not know. I had to waken them, that is all I know. The slim lines of Fate changed back then, on the night of that fateful ball. Perhaps the unborn love of the Scouts for their new soul mates was too great even for the present love of their Generals. Only love can change the bindings of fate and destiny. Only love can alter the bonds of time." Nodding absently, Apollo repeated the last words. "Only love can alter the bonds of time." There was a pause, then their eyes met. "That's it!" Aurora cried. "That's how we'll break this accursed cycle! Four roads met at midnight! The prophecy will come true and the Solar Circle of old shall be reborn!" * * * * * * * * * * * "Just try not to fall in this one, okay?" joked Adam as they neared the opening to the final grotto. Serena shivered as a light breeze lifted the hem of her pale white gown, lofting the filmy fabric gently before it settled once more to the hard packed earth. Twos steps more and Serena entered a vast cavern filled with bright shimmering lights. All was silence; there was no gush of running water, no hiss of escaping steam, unlike the previous two rivers. Instead they found themselves in a large brilliant cavern, sparkling with millions of glittery lights. Tiny rainbows coated her face and neck, glinting off her golden hair and Adam's drawn sword. Serena gazed at the sword in surprise. "What are you doing?" Hefting it slightly higher, he watched the mesmerizing play of twinkling sparkles on the battle scarred finish of the sword. "Just in case," he murmured. He stepped in front of the princess, noting the change from hard packed soil to a fine grainy sand beneath his feet. He slowly strode down the hill, pausing as his expected "river" seemingly appeared from nowhere, a shiny, still lake instead. Adam stopped dead, transfixed by the utter silence and peace of the place. He wrinkled his nose as a dead smell assaulted his nostrils, a faint combination of rotting fish and copper. It was almost a flat odor, rich in texture but nauseating none the less. Serena and Chibi rushed after him, shaking the dust and sand off their clothing as they reached the motionless Knight. "Just in case of what? There are more of my dead enemies wandering about?" Chibi clung to Adam's leg, one hand delicately closing over her nose. The stench intensified for a moment, before fading completely away. He nodded grimly, ripping his eyes free of the sword and scanning the high cavern for unannounced visitors. "Exactly. First Beryl, then the Black Moon Family. I don't think anyone living in this cavern will be near as friendly." There was a low rippling splash from the lake in front of them. Serena gasped and drew Chibi behind her slender form; the dress hid the tender child quite well. Adam raised his sword a notch higher, preparing for battle. A dark head breached the blank sheet of murky liquid that was the lake and began to effortlessly glide to the edge. There was a moment of silence when the figure dove beneath the skin of the water, but surfaced a moment later at hip level and began striding out of the lake, droplets sheeting off her curvy figure to gather once more in the lake. She spotted the trio and made her way towards them, squeezing excess moisture out of her hip length black hair as she moved. Adam glanced at Serena and was surprised to find the Princess tightly gripping her Crystal as if for dear life. "Serena," he hissed, "who is she?" "Hello," replied the woman. Serena merely shook her head as her fingers turned white gripping the crystal. "Hello, Mistress," she whispered. The woman's exquisite smile faded, she looked confused. "Do you know me?" A light of understanding dawned in Serena's eyes. "Yes. Do you know where you are?" The woman settled herself on the ground before them. "That is the one thing I do know. I am in the Cavern of Forgetfulness. That," she pointed tot he shiny mirror of water before them, "is the Lake of Dreams. I am the guard here." "I am Serena," whispered the Princess, lowering herself beside the woman. "I know you, Mistress." The woman sighed and leaned back on to the sand. "That is nice. It is good to be known by someone. I myself could care less. It is so lovely here. The lake is always warm, the sand is always cool, the night is always perfect." She propped herself up on one elbow and arranged her long dripping black dress over her legs. "I love the night. Don't you?" Serena nodded and Adam slowly lowered his sword. This woman would pose no threat. "We both love the night, Mistress." he answered. "But do you know why we are here? You are the guardian here, will you allow us to be here?" She glanced at him momentarily, then summarily dismissed Adam with her eyes. Addressing Serena, she pointed to the lake once more. "You are here to go to the beyond. I am supposed to stop you, but I find I don't care to. Just don't touch the water and all will be well. If you touch the water..." she held up a hand and stared at it dreamily, "...you become as I am, a creature of light and air. No thought can hold me, for I always forget it." Her brow furrowed and eyes flashed before calming. "At least I think I always do. Oh well," she shrugged, "no matter." Serena rose and gathered Chibi. Adam grabbed the pack with the crystal and mirror as they set out once more. Once they were out of earshot, Adam turned to watch the achingly beautiful woman who simply lay on the sand and smiled. "Who was she, Serena?" Closing her eyes, Serena didn't look back as Adam did. "That woman...her name was Mistress Nine. Her only reason for being was to summon the Master Pharaoh Ninety." "Then she was an enemy after all? I thought the way you spoke, she might have just been an old friend." "But she is an old friend," Serena whispered wryly. "One I miss very much." * * * * * * * * * * * "Hey Greg." Wincing at the frighteningly familiar voice behind him, Greg turned to find himself literally nose to nose with a fierce blue eyed beauty. "Hi, Corrine." Hearing a light step behind him, he didn't turn, preferring to match the tiger rather than tangle with the lady. "Hello, Nerissa." She stepped around him and set her small bag on the ground. She laid one small hand on his arm and squeezed painfully. "We hear you Knights haven't been doing that competent a job protecting the Inner Scouts while we've been absent. It was upsetting enough you let Serena die, now you've lost the Inners as well." He smiled a grim smile at the expected chastisement. "Have any words for me as well, Corrine?" The golden warrior snorted scornfully and pulled away. "You aren't worthy of getting angry at. Darien, on the other hand...well, you'll see." "This should prove to be interesting then," Greg remarked mildly. "Let's get your bags then. They're at the hospital right now. Everyone except the Solar Circle and the Time Gate two, that is. I take it Saturn did make it safely?" "As far as we know," Nerissa replied blandly. "But then again, we rarely worry about a charge who can destroy the world with one swipe and a whim. It is pointless." * * * * * * * * * * * "Adam," complained Chibi sweetly, "hot." He nodded and swallowed around a dry throat. The lake stretched out to their left, the only source of water for miles it seemed, but one touch and you were a vegetable. It was too dangerous to even consider, despite the fact that they had been traveling for what seemed like days, and still no sign that the lake was curving any further to the left than it had been for the last several hours. "I know sweetheart, but we must wait until we free Darien to get water. Then we can drink." "Why don't we bed down and rest for awhile?" Serena suggested, wiping sweaty strands of blond hair off her neck. "At least that way we can hide from the infernal sparkling." He nodded. "I agree. For a place that is supposed to be a cavern of night, it's awfully sparkly and bright. Not to mention still and silent. It kinda gives me the creeps." The three companions settled down on the ground. Chibi immediately curled up and fell asleep, but Serena and Adam remained awake, staring up at the bright sky overhead. "So..." Adam began nervously. Serena wasn't herself at the moment; she simply lay there and focused her azure gaze skyward, or what would have been skyward had they not been deep within the cavern. She didn't respond to his quiet probe and merely continued with her inspection of the bright cavern ceiling. "Serena," he tried again, "I need to know if you think we will encounter any more of your old enemies down here. I know, it's a pain to discuss, but it's necessary in case we have to battle..." he faded away. She was still not paying one whit of attention. "SERENA!" he snapped. She blinked in surprise and turned her head towards him. "Oh. I'm so sorry, Adam. Were you saying something?" Adam groaned at her innocent expression and nodded. He was about to speak again, to continue his previous line of reasoning when Serena broke in. "Adam, something occurs to me." He felt an unfamiliar surge of annoyance, but stood on it and forced a smile. "Yes, Serena? What is it?" She continued on, completely unaware of the strained expression evident on Adam's face. "Well, Mother said that there were going to be three rivers right? Not two rivers and a lake." The ludicrous comment broke through the stress and heat of the moment and Adam couldn't help but let his natural good nature take over enough to release a low snicker. He found himself grinning quite against his will, and decided to lower the stressful time by talking with Serena before rounding the conversation back to the enemy issue. "Well," he laughed, "maybe the Queen thought three rivers sounded more grand than two rivers and a lake." She nodded. "This is quite possible, but I don't think that's it. Mother would have told us right off. Besides, something in this journey is wrong, I can feel it. We were supposed to do something, but I don't know what. We missed a clue somewhere." Considering the possibility of a wrong turn, Adam sighed. "We could turn back. We've been traveling forever anyway, and the lake isn't changing at all." Serena rose to her feet. "What do you think, Neherina?" Suddenly aware of their uninvited visitor, Adam leapt to a protective position in front of Serena. "Don't come a step closer," he warned. The woman smirked and chuckled low in her throat. "My, my, you do have a selection of excellent men hanging about, don't you Serenity?" she purred. Raising a hand in suppliance, she lowered herself to the ground and indicated that they follow her movements. "I can't hurt you here, you should know that already. I'm sure you've met the Mistress by now, or you wouldn't be so on edge. All of us are paying penance, different kinds of course, but a kind of penance none the less." She smiled winningly and patted her ebony ondangoes. Adam watched in utter shock as Serena patted her own in a mimicry of the dark one's motions. Adam swallowed and sheathed his sword, selling to the earth as Serena followed, albeit a tad unwillingly. "What do you want from us, witch?" She tssked, and took a handful of grainy sand in her palm. Clenching her fist, she watched with apparent amusement as the grains slipped from her grip. "I don't remember much, but I do remember I held on too tight. That was my problem. I held on to tightly and everything," she closed her palm as tightly as she could, the last vestiges of the sand slipped through the cracks in her fingers, "slipped through my hands." She glanced at Serena then wiped the remaining traces of sand off her hand. "Remember that when you are Queen, baby Princess. It was a good lesson to learn. They left me here to learn that lesson and the lesson of humility. Be humble and accept your lot in life. To make the lesson stick they removed most of my memories by washing my dream mirror in the waters of the Lake of Dreams. It isn't swimming in the lake that destroys you, if you swim deep enough you come to the ruins of a city, it's drinking the water or washing your dream mirror with the water. Once that is done, everything comes clean." Neherina stood and began to walk away. "Wait," Adam called. "Why did you come here?" She smirked and fluffed her night black tresses. "I needed someone to talk to other than that waste who guards the lake. She hasn't held a decent conversation since the day they destroyed her memories. If I was bad, I shudder to think how evil she must have been." "Can I help you, Aunt?" Serena whispered. Adam's eyes widened at the words. He turned to Serena, his mouth gaping like a fish. The woman paused and met Serena's eyes. "I wish you could," she murmured, "but I must remain here to pay my penance. I don't know when my time will be up, but when it is, I assure you, you'll know." She walked away and Serena picked up Chibi. "Grab the bag," she ordered gently. "Okay, hold on, wait." Adam stared after the woman. "That was your aunt? Who's next on the enemy list, huh? A Sailor turned evil?" Serena chuckled at the accidental irony of the question and gently woke Chibi. "Do you know how to swim, Chibi?" "Swim," the tiny child replied with a nod. "What?" Adam was confused. "Why do you want to know if she knows how to swim...NO. NO! No, Serena, she could have been lying! There is NO WAY I am getting in that lake." "Suit yourself," Serena said, and taking Chibi's hand, began wading in to the lake. "Oh, Venus," Adam muttered before shifting the sword on his back, tightening the straps on the pack, and setting one foot up to the ankle in the icy lake water. "Help us on this wild goose chase." * * * * * * * * * * * "So where is his high and mighty highness?" demanded Corrine as she strode in to the waiting room. "We came from halfway across the globe for Serena's funeral. We aren't going to allow one more slip up make us stay for the Scout's as well." "Hello to you too, Corrine," replied Chad blandly. "I'm sure Darien would be thrilled to see you, but it appears what ever creature attacked Serena got to Darien as well. They admitted him twenty minutes ago. We got worried when he didn't wake up from his nap and called one of his doctor friends here. They discovered he 'mysteriously' slipped in to a coma. The only difference between the Scouts and his coma, is that he wasn't given a article of power belonging to Sailor Moon." Startled by Chad's mild outburst, Corrine sat down on one of the cheap tan waiting room chairs. "Oh," she replied just as blandly, the wind removed from her sails of outrage. "Well then." "So no mirrors and no sleep," Nerissa remarked sarcastically. "This is going to be fun." "Where are the Solar Scouts? And the God and Goddess?" Ken walked in as Corrine began asking the questions. "Umm, I believe Solan and Auriel have a Wheel of Fate and Destiny that has gone berserk, whatever that means. I hadn't even heard of the Wheel before this entire mess started. And Apollo and Aurora are trying to control the rapidly altering lines of fate." "Which means," Greg offered from behind Ken, "that they are going to be absolutely zero help in this. As are the Generals and the Four Sisters." "Why?" Chad sat up with a fixed expression of interest. "What happened?" Greg held up a newspaper he had picked up on entering the hospital. "Read the front page." Nerissa took the paper from his grasp and scanned the front page. "Oh, this is just wonderful. Eight Customers Mysteriously Collapse in Front of Local Temple. Three guesses who that temple belongs to Chad, and the first two don't count." Chad leapt up to snatch the paper from Neptune. "Cherry Hill?! Is Grandpa hurt?" Greg shook his head. "It was a monster attack. Youma aren't exactly smart, but these were trained well enough to know better than go after anyone other than their designated targets. My guess is that they were lured to the temple somehow and attacked. All their energy was drained and without the Scouts there to protect anyone, they got away with it. Grandpa discovered them early this morning." Ken whistled. "Wow, this enemy isn't pulling any punches. Send a ton of evil youma after our only allies, even if they are basically powerless in this lifetime, drain them until they're in a coma, then up and disappear." "Sounds like them, anyway. So that leaves us with everyone in this room, and six others." Corrine smirked and smashed one fist in her open palm. "I don't know about you boys, but I'm itching for a good fight." "Not so fast dear. They use gorilla tactics, remember?" Nerissa place a restraining hand on her love. "Besides, Saturn and Pluto must remain at the Time Gate, and Aurora and Apollo have nothing to fight with unless you want Aurora to destroy the world. Or Auriel. That leaves us with the Solar Knight and Sailor, and the spare few of us in this room." Groaning, Ken laid his head in his hands. "Man, I wish Darien were awake. Or that Adam was here. They'd know what to do." Greg stilled at the mention of his old friend. "You're kinda right," he whispered. "Adam had a plan for everything. He knew when to attack and when to quit. I mean, in life. He only had a day as a Knight, but in the Silver Millennium, he was the best fighter." "I remember him," Nerissa remarked, settling on one of the chairs. Corrine followed suit. "He was more than a good fighter, though he was excellently trained. He was an amazing leader as well. During practice training I was often amused by his improvising style during sparring." Corinne nodded. "I have only been beaten by one Knight other than Darien on the sparring field, and he was it." "I wonder if he would have fared as well in this life?" Chad mused. "He definitely had potential." Greg winced. "Well, we'll never know, now will we? Funny, it's been about a year since he's been gone, but it feels like only yesterday that we hopped in the car to visit you at the temple. He knew of his destiny, though not all of it. I hadn't told him a thing about the Knights already being there, but I did tell him about Mina. He came anyway, even knowing he would die." Corinne snorted. "I'm not sure if that's brave or stupid." "Would you have come anyway, had you known you would meet me?" Nerissa questioned dangerously. Corrine opened her mouth to respond, then snapped it shut. "That's different," she mumbled. "So what now?" Chad queried. "We need to do something. All we've been doing is sitting around as they pick us off one by one." Glancing at one another, a silent message passed between Corrine and Nerissa. "Well," Nerissa began, "we weren't supposed to tell you much..." Corrine continued, "...But since Darien has been taken down, and it was mostly him we were hiding the information we received given by the Solar Scouts..." "...We might as well warn you to prevent more attacks," Nerissa finished. Ken stood, then thought better of it and sat. "Well?" he asked. * * * * * * * * * * * "I'm so tired," Auriel complained as she plunked herself down on the downtown library front steps. "How many people did we save from Destiny so far?" Solan grinned and plopped beside her. "At last count, over two hours ago, we had rescued over ninety-three people from the certain doom of destiny too soon." She chuckled. "We're good. Thank the Gods that more weren't thrown at us at once. I'm still amazed you managed that combination save near the park." He grinned and mocked a deep bow. "I had no idea a pogo stick could be used in such a manner." They chuckled together, when a familiar figure on the sidewalk caught their eye. "Oh my Gods! It's Molly!" "Molly, wait up!" The woman turned and faced them, and Solan skidded to a halt in surprise. Molly looked dreadful, her normally thick shiny light brown hair spilling all over the place in tangled knots, her puffy blue eyes red rimmed, and large blue circles under her eyes proclaiming her sleepless nights. Auriel breathed in shock, "Oh Molly." The woman blushed and hugged her baby tighter to her chest. "Hello Auriel, Solan. It's...been awhile." "Still haven't heard from Melvin?" Auriel bit her lower lip, knowing the answer. Molly's eyes filled with tears. "I couldn't go back, not without him. But it's been so long. His boss thinks...oh, I don't know what his boss thinks, but I'm sure they think he's left me for someone else. I just wish I could remember what happened that night!" "You don't remember anything?" Auriel tenderly traced the baby's thin skull and smiled at the low gurgle of approval from the child. Molly's eyes brightened at her child's gentle cooing and she almost looked normal for a moment. Then she dimmed again. "No, the night Serena was born all I remember was eating dinner at Lita's then going to visit Serena's grave. It was spooky, but nothing out of the ordinary happened...except..." she paused, her brow furrowing. Solan looked interested. "Except what?" She laughed and glanced around guiltily. "Well, I thought maybe it was a hallucination...from the pain of birthing, you know...but...there was this...thing. It kinda looked like Serena, except Serena was dead. I mean, we were standing right on her grave. And this wispy...person...with it. But then the...thing...attacked Melvin. I was in shock, I couldn't stop screaming. I finally passed out from lack of air I think. But I awoke fairly quickly. The...thing...was beside Melvin, licking her lips. Then the man, the ghost or whatever, touched him and was...sucked...in to his body. That is the only way I can think to describe it. He was just...sucked in. Then all these things started rising from the ground, and others stared flying around. Then Sailor Jupiter arrived, but the...thing touched her. Melvin was gone, he just disappeared, and the wispy person went in to Sailor Jupiter. I passed out again for awhile, then the Sailor Scouts were fighting all around me." Solan nodded. "Wow. Did you tell any of the Scouts or the police?" She shook her head. "I have been attacked too many times in my life living here. I just...blocked most of it out." Baby Serena chose that moment to begin sniffling and let out a low wail of hunger. "Oh my. I'm sorry, I must go and see if she needs feeding. It was wonderful to see you again. I really must go." She turned and began to leave, but paused and turned back. "Auriel? Do me a favor please. If you see a Sailor Scout, please tell them my story. I...may have been dreaming, but then again, I might not. I just want Melvin back." Auriel nodded. "Sure thing. If I see one, I'll be sure to mention it, I promise." There was a small smile on Molly's face. She shifted baby Serena in her arms and chuckled. "You know it's kinda funny. Sailor Moon disappeared about the same time Serena died. I used to image they were the same person, you know? It made my life more interesting, pretending my best friend was a super hero. Well, I have to go. See you around." Watching Molly's retreating back, Auriel chuckled. "Sometimes I think our Sailor get ups must be nearly as bad as Clark Kent's glasses." Solan shook his head. "Nah, the short skirt keeps anyone from looking at your face and the dumb tuxedo keeps their eyes filled with tears of laughter. They could never recognize us." * * * * * * * * * * * The water pressed around their bodies, and Adam felt the familiar sensation of his lungs about to erupt from lack of air. He bit back the urge to take a deep inhalation, and fought on, using the last of his depleted reservoir of strength to propel him deeper in to the lake. Moments later he was rewarded by the sight of a glowing dome of light, faintly glimmering a few feet further down. Easily missed in the murky water, he headed for the light, praying that the unseen princess and child were doing the same. What seemed like an eternity later to his bursting lungs, Adam was touching the smooth edge of the dome. He pressed in with one hand, surprised to find it had a slight give. He pressed harder, and to his astonishment, his hand went through the bulge and into the space beyond. Seconds later, Adam was coughing and gasping on what was most probably a throne room floor. He glanced around and was shocked to discover no Serena or Chibi, but instead faded tapestries, cracked and rusty chandeliers, and three chairs set high on a dais at the forefront of the room. "Wow," he gulped as he staggered to his feet. The chairs looked to be made out of pure quartz alone, no nails or wood adorned the simple thrones, only small plush and rotting seats of velvet added comfort to the simple majesty. Glancing around, he saw the same spartan touches to the entire throne room. Everything was simple, yet elegant, including the scratched and dented white marble floor beneath his feet. Following the line of the wall, Adam came to a familiar face and two others on a large portrait across the room. "Darien?" Sure enough, Darien and a handsome couple adorned the wall, dressed in the same simple yet elegant style of the bare room surrounding him. His tousled ebony hair and stormy dark blue eyes were identical to the Darien of today, but there was a smile in his eyes not normally evident unless he was near Serena. The pale column of his throat visible through the open v of a billowy white shirt was unadorned save for a small necklace bearing the earth signet. "Was your life in this incarnation that bad, Darien?" Adam questioned the portrait. Neither Darien, nor the royal couple behind him, his parents Adam assumed, replied. Mildly disturbed that he was talking to himself again, Adam began roving the room, looking for an entrance or exit. "If I can find some way to get to the other domes, maybe Serena and Chibi are in one of them." Finally he found a large door, cleverly hidden under the floor length tapestry across from the thrones. "Ahh, hah," he muttered as he slid the heavy cloth up enough to slip under it. Stumbling out the door, he turned to look at the outside of the throne room. There was an inscription in what appeared to be runes etched high above the doors. Racking his brain for his short time spent as a druid, Adam began to translate, surprised when he could do so with ease. "Wise is the heart of the Earth Mother, Gentle is the touch of Father Sky, Tender is the kiss of our beloved Solar Circle, as the distant Moon slips by. Bear this warning, all that would distress, four roads met at midnight, and all will be for best. Guardians of this tired world, each planet must confess, Sailors each our destiny calls, for them there is never rest. Justice meets not in this court, but in the sky above, our royals strive for balance, the Scouts for only truest love." "Kind of...vague, isn't it?" Adam turned and flashed a grin at Serena. "And very badly written too. At least it looks badly rhymed, but that could just be my translating." "It's your translating," Serena smiled. "But I don't blame you. Runes of the Atlantis people were never meant to be easy to learn. Even Ami, as Princess Mercury, had a hard time of it. It's worse than English or Japanese of today's languages." "Atlantis?" Adam glanced around. "This is Atlantis?" Serena nodded and pointed to another engraving on the wall, again set in runes far beyond Adam's comprehension. "Sorry, Princess, I can't read that." "It says, roughly of course, 'Protect this Island, Atlantis.'" Adam glanced at Serena approvingly. "How do you know that?" She blushed. "The Moon Royal scripture was written in the same runic pattern. Slightly off, but very similar. It made me one of the few Scouts able to decipher Earth's writing at the time. The Solar family could read it as well, as could Ami after many years of trying. She began much later than the rest of us, you see." Adam nodded. "But you were taught it from birth." Serena nodded as she traced a pattern of letters engraved on the wall. "I learned to write in formal runic pattern before learning the more informal variety. It made it easier on me in the long run, I'm certain. It's like learning English, Latin, French, Japanese, German, and Spanish when you're five and continuing to use them all as you grow up. It makes you able to understand almost anything else thrown at you." He chuckled. "And I was always under the impression you weren't intelligent." She sniffed in mock anger for a moment before breaking in to a gentle smile. "I wasn't all that intelligent. I'm just lazy in this life. I wasn't stupid on the Moon Kingdom, and I'm not utterly stupid now, it's just that more was expected of me back then, so I learned it all to make Mother happy or so I would be a good leader. Here...well, I thought I didn't have that worry, but when I began thinking about it, I began to take law classes so I would be a good leader again. I was trying to learn, but..." she paused in distress, "I never got the chance to improve." "Don't worry Serena," Adam soothed, "you will be an excellent leader once we get you home." He stopped and glanced up at the engraving. "Which reminds me, 'Four roads met at midnight' that sounds familiar." Serena nodded absently, still gazing at the runes. "Pluto told me to watch and wait. Maybe this is what she was referring to. If I remember correctly...there was a library around here somewhere." Adam stepped back, surprised. "You want to go to a library? Now? What ever in the world for?" Serena ignored the question and stepped past him, to a small door far down the hallway. "Here it is," she announced. "I knew I would remember it." She strode in to the dusty library, and Adam sneezed before glancing around in annoyance. Many of the books were rotting, save for several carefully sealed beneath glass boxes. He winced as Serena took a nearby chair and smashed one of the boxes open and with a tinkle, glass littered what had once been plush library carpeting. "What are we doing here, and where is Chibi?" Serena gingerly began separating the books from the large glass chunks and examining the titles. "She's playing on the staircase, like all the children do. It's quite fun, more fun that the long hallway of the Moon Palace. Now hush up and help me find books on history or...wait! I think I found it!" Adam couldn't help himself, since Serena hadn't given him an explanation of any nature; he went to check on her discovery. "Philosophy?" he questioned incredulously. "Not just any philosophy, the philosophy of the nature of the planets guardians," Serena rebuked. "Look, this used to be one of Darien's favorite books. It was the only one I couldn't tease him in to putting down easily. He used to love this one chapter; he'd quote it to me over and over again. Crossroads. Do you understand?" Adam merely stared at Serena in disbelief, he couldn't fully accept that the blundering, crying meatball head was going about this in such a logical way. "What did you do with Serena?" he asked in disbelief. She groaned and pushed him in to a nearby chair. He thumped in to it, and a small cloud of dust rose in the air. "Okay, explain the meaning of Crossroads, Princess." She smiled as if to say, finally he's coming to, and continued. "'Four Roads Met,'" is what tipped me off. That is part of a prophecy that the Solar Kingdom and Moon Kingdom had in common. You see, once a really long time ago," Adam smirked at her lofty use of millennia, and resumed listening, "there were four children born of the Sun, like Auriel and the Solar family. Two of them were the Sailor and Knight, and the other two had powers beyond imagining. In fact, their powers were so frightening, that the people of this galaxy begged one of my ancestors to do something about it, fearing some giant evil. Well, she went and spoke to the children, but found them so amicable, she couldn't do anything to them. She tried to appease the people of the galaxy, but since many of them were still war-like and vicious, she could do nothing. In the end, they kidnapped the two powerful children and sent them far away to another galaxy." "That's not very fair," Adam remarked, staring at the page. "The Sailor and Knight were so angered they went on a rampage and destroyed every single one of the kidnappers before anyone could stop it. You see, they just went to the Wheel of Fate and Destiny to discover who did it. Anyway, my ancestor stopped them before they could kill more than the kidnappers. They had one of the younger heirs to Earth's throne in their possession, and in the ensuing battle she was killed. That's when the Earth cut off all ties to the Moon. For quite awhile, it was extremely illegal for a member of the two races to mingle. That all stopped when my mother got her hands on the Silver Crystal and disobeyed Father's dying wish by healing the other worlds." "I thought the Silver Crystal was your mother's in the first place." Serena nodded absently, turning pages to find the correct page. "It is, I mean, was. But Mother loved Father so much; she only wanted to please him. He was from the Moon. I think some distant relative of Darien's that had been born a Knight. Lord only knows how that happened, but there were pirates that abounded on both planets that brought information and valuables from both worlds. One of these captains was my father. When he discovered he had Earth blood in him, naturally when he became the Knight, he was not pleased. He greatly disliked Earth, and though he loved my mother, didn't wish for 'the savages' to take advantage of her goodness. He was wrong. He only dealt with Earth scum, not good men like Darien's father." "So how does this tie in with Crossroads?" Serena picked out the chapter and pointed. "My mother was at a crossroads when she made the decision to heal the worlds. It nearly killed her when she did it, and I, a mere one year old, was nearly made Queen. But Crossroads are sacred to every planet, the moons, even the stars. When you are at a crossroads in life, you usually look to your gods for assistance in making a decision. Once action has been made, you can not turn back, and must accept the road on which you travel. Take for example, you coming to the temple that day. Greg warned you, yet you came anyway. You were at a crossroads and you took what felt like the correct path. You don't regret it, do you?" Adam shook his head. "The only thing I regret, is hurting Mina." She pointed to the book. "When my ancestor spoke with the Solar children, one of them fell suddenly. The Sailor, if I remember correctly. She had felt the death of her sister and her lover. The girl from Earth was already dead, but they gave themselves up once the other two died in their minds. My ancestor didn't have the heart to kill them; they had surrendered so suddenly." Serena took a breath and flipped the page to a heartbreaking illustration of two figures lying on the ground in front of a confused Queen. "She asked them why they had just stopped and the Sailor replied, 'Our Goddess is dead. Our home will explode with unimaginable power if she is not there to control it or temper it. Our people can do so without her, but we will be of no use to the system for many millennia due to the stupid ignorance of those bigoted outlanders. It is your destinies they have shaped, as well as our own. But one day she and he shall be born again, this time indestructible unless by Saturn's power or our own. I have seen it, it shall be done. Until then, our souls shall wait at the Crossroads of Midnight; all four of us shall gain strength and power. Only we have the ability to reunite the noble and the heartbroken. Only children of your children and we have the ability to recite the incantation of Sol and Luna. Now, there was only one planet in this system other than your own moon that did not attack us. Venus shall be rewarded, on this I swear.'" Adam blinked. "Venus shall be rewarded?" Serena nodded and closed the book. "Then they died. They just collapsed in front of her, holding hands. Their children had already been born on the planet, they were somewhere around sixteen at the time, and the Solar line continued. But that's how the prophecy came about. There were four of them, waiting at the road of Midnight. In other words, 'four roads met at midnight'. Do you understand?" He nodded and she continued. "Pluto came to me a while back and told me to keep heart. She also said that four roads etc. would help me in some way. I think that the Solar family has something to do with it. I mean we used to joke around and call them the Solar Circle because when they trained they'd form this circle and protect each other. Well, that and it was easier to say than listing their names." He chuckled. "I'm amazed you haven't run out of breath yet." She blushed. "I have a lot of lung power. Anyway, what I think that inscription was trying to say was that the Solar Circle and the Sailors would protect Atlantis. But with Darien gone..." she trailed off. "Hmm, I wonder if the Venus Palace sank when Mina died," Adam wondered. "Anyway, why don't we get Chibi and look for the river? Something tells me it's down here. Call it a hunch." Together they rose and left the library, Serena carefully closing the book and laying it on Darien's favorite reading chair with a wistful smile and nod. * * * * * * * * * * * "You want us to do what?" Ken sat back, utterly flabbergasted. "Avoid all mirrors and try not to sleep for awhile," repeated Nerissa. "We've just explained the reasoning behind it, why is it so difficult to understand?" "Yeah," Chad replied, "but it's not that simple. An evil Darien and a dark Serena? They pulled the Scouts in to the mirrors? Now they're trapped in their minds, like Darien, like the Generals and Four Sisters? Why didn't they just kill them like Serena?" "I'm under the impression they didn't mean to kill Serena," Greg answered. "Am I correct?" Nerissa nodded and rummaged through her small bag. "Look, I know this won't be easy, but here." She took out a small bottle of pills and handed them to Greg. "These are a mild stimulant, just don't take too many at a time. I had to purchase them when...let's just say 'a friend' came and informed us that we would be needed on a very special mission. Well we've finished part one, but now we must depart for a bit to continue to part two. I'm sorry to say, but you aren't considered enough of a threat at the moment to be under much of an attack. They are most likely going to pursue the Solar Sailor and Knight next. We're under instructions to protect them at all costs. Just stay here and watch after the Scouts. Make sure none of them slip away like Serena." With that harsh speech, the two were up and gone with out even a goodbye. Greg raised his eyebrow and read the contents of the pills. Sighing, he popped open the bottle and took two, resolutely dry swallowing them and passing the bottle around. * * * * * * * * * * * "There's the third river," remarked Serena dryly. "Just make sure not to fall in this one." Adam smiled at her repetition of his earlier warning to her and glanced around. "No enemies in sight, at least that I know of. Anyone we haven't met yet?" Serena smiled before replying. "I'm not bragging, Adam. But I can honestly say we would have to pass about a hundred or more of these rivers if I met up with the spirit of every youma I toasted, or at least twenty or so if you only count major nuisances. It makes you think, it truly does." Adam stared at the river rather than answering. This one was exquisite; clear, swiftly running water, small fish randomly darting among sparkly rocks at the bottom. "It doesn't look evil like the other two." "Looks can be deceiving," spoke a scratchy feminine voice. Serena turned, not at all surprised to find the woman there. "Queen Vadilanne, it's been quite awhile." The woman nodded and grimaced. "It's pure cosmic irony I should be placed as the guard to the river of dreams. I did want to steal all the beautiful dreams of the children, did I not? Unlike your aunt and that blank sheet of paper that was once pure evil, they left me with my memories. And a warning. 'Once you enter that river, there's no going back.' Not very...informative, is it?" Adam began the usual movement of stepping in front of Serena and Chibi for their protection when the woman chuckled and simply faded away. "Wow, that was odd." Serena shook her head. "We're at a crossroads Adam. This is the continuation of the golden road. I can feel it in my bones. I'm supposed to jump in this river, there's no bridge. But it is going to carry us to our destination. Can you handle giving everything up to fate like that?" He nodded. "As your current guardian, I have no choice. Besides, how odd is a river inside a bubble under a lake?" She grinned and tightened her hold on the pack before jumping in feet first. Chibi held her nose and followed suit. Adam glanced around one final time before taking a running leap and diving in. The water closed over his head, and he was tempted to open his mouth from the shock of the icy stream, but refrained. The rapidly moving stream carried him along, and soon the icy ripples numbed all of his body beyond the tingly dead sensation of sleeping digits. Adam felt his mind close down, and struggled against it. The world swirled around him, the walls rushed past, and he found himself staring at the opening sky in front of him. Right before he passed out the dead stench of the lake assaulted his nostrils and he knew a moment of panic. This is water from the Dream Lake! We can't drink any, or we'll end up like Mistress Nine. Serena, don't accidentally drink any! * * * * * * * * * * * Darien had long given up struggling with his numb body. From the first, this dream had been different. This time Serena was no where in sight, nor where the Outers there to taunt him in to calming down. The beach was in the first rays of dawn, rather than the last minutes of dusk, and he had the locket from the Silver Millennium around his neck. It wasn't playing, it lay dead on his chest, something which frightened him more than anything else. Darien had been buried from the shoulders down in the sand for hours now, he could even remember the cooing words of the creature that did it, a being that looked like it might have been Melvin in a past life, if Melvin's hair was spiky with green dye and his face gaunt from under anorexia. Now he was alone on the beach, shivering and scared for this was extremely strange and different from the other dreams. The lack of Serena really had him worried. The last thing he could remember was curling up in the waiting room, which to Darien's logical mind, meant that something had happened and he was still caught in the dreamworld. An unfamiliar noise caught his attention, and Darien craned his neck to see a small figure break the surface of the waves and begin wading to the shore. It was a little girl, from what he could see, with a shock of crimson hair that made him blink twice. "What the..." he began, when a familiar figure soon followed. "ADAM! ADAM!" The man turned and it really was Venus Knight. A wide smile broke Adam's face as he began a slow hurting jog towards Darien. "Hey, Darien. Fall asleep and some brat buried you in sand huh?" he joked as he dropped to his knees and began digging Darien out. When he had gone far enough to get Darien's arms free, he paused and scanned the beach. "Hey, Darien, did anyone other than Chibi and myself get out of the ocean?" Darien, still basically struck speechless at his dead comrade's arrival, mutely shook his head. Adam winced and took out his cane for leverage. Concentrating, he morphed it in to it's staff form and held it out to Darien. "Hang on tight, I think I have enough of you out to pull you free." Nodding, Darien found his tongue in time to laugh. "Still the same old Adam, I see. So do you often go gallivanting around in our dreams, or is this a one shot cameo?" Grunting, Adam found his center of balance and Darien's body began inching out of the quicksand he was apparently buried in. "No...I...I mean, we...were sent...to...free...you." Darien was free up to his hips, using the sword as leverage, he buried it up to its ornately engraved hilt and wrapped his cape around it as a precaution against his own entrapment. He offered Darien his legs, and his old friend complied, pulling himself along until his body was completely free. They paused a moment to catch their breaths, and Darien had to laugh at his ruffled companion. "Man, Adam. I though I looked bad, but you look like you've been through hell." Snickering, Adam glanced down at his horribly soiled orange tuxedo. "Well, if you call looking like a 70's prom reject hell, then yeah, I do. But most of it was for you, I just want you to know that." Darien glanced down the beach, where Chibi was anxiously scanning the open sea before her. "What is she looking for?" Adam sat up as Chibi turned and spotted something just beyond their line of sight, obscured by a high dune. "Follow me, Darien," he grinned, "and you'll find out." Darien bounded to his feet and followed Adam's halting run down the steep beach. As they rounded the curve, his wide grin faded as a look of utter astonishment plastered itself to his features. It would have been comical how quickly his expressions changed, if it weren't for the utter pain and loss mirrored in his eyes. "Adam," he called shakily. Venus Knight slowed his run, and turned to watch the tortured emotions battle on Darien's face. "Yes, Darien. It's Serena, I've been protecting her for you." Darien began to run then, a long loping movement, one that brought him directly in front of the child and woman holding her. He stuttered to a stop, feet away from his love, and ravished her with his famished eyes. Even bedraggled, she was exquisite; long hair tousled, familiar princess gown torn, tattered and dripping, and her naturally wide eyes were even wider as he fell to his knees in front of her and pressed his face in to her soft belly to cry in relief and shock. Adam smiled from a distance; he watched as Serena put Chibi down and allowed Darien to hold her, her hands smoothing sweaty dark hair off his forehead, finger-combing the wilder strands near the back. But something was a little disturbing in the picture. She wasn't embracing him back. Serena wasn't crying or throwing herself at her soul mate. Adam's brow furrowed. "Chibi," he whispered in shock, "I don't care how mature Serena's grown, nothing would keep her from holding him like he's holding her right now, unless..." Adam faded and he gulped audibly. "Serena thirsty," Chibi chirruped, falsely bright. Her eyes were worried. Adam groaned. "You knew. That's why you were looking for her. You thought she might hurt herself." Meanwhile, down on the beach, Darien was starting to realize something wasn't quite right about Serena. "Serena? Honey? Are you okay? Did I scare you? Answer me, please?" The woman gazed blandly past him then gently brushed some hair off his forehead. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't quite all here. Did you say Serena? What a lovely name, how tranquil." Darien pulled away a bit more, but his arms still loosely cradled her shoulders. They were kneeling, facing one another, and he could see his reflection in her guileless eyes. "You...what's my name, Serena? What is my name?" She blinked at him blankly for a moment, then furrowed he forehead in deep thought. "It's on the tip of my tongue...your name...Adam!" She giggled happily and pulled away from Darien to race to the approaching Venus Knight. "He was sad, now he's not," she announced dizzily. He giggling grew, then cut short as she thumped to the ground. "My head," she whispered. "So many thoughts, breaking my head open. Your name...I know I know your name...it was right on the tip of my tongue...but I'm so thirsty and the water is so clear and clean...not like that lake water in the...where?" She stumbled to her feet and began sauntering to the receding waves of water. Adam jumped up and chased after her. "SERENA, NO! It's poison for your mind!" He was too far away, but Darien was not. He leapt up and tackled her as carefully as he could, sending them both sprawling mere feet away from the surf. Up close Darien noticed an odd flat smell permeating the air. "Ugh, that's awful," he muttered as he hoisted the thrashing Serena in to his arms, bride-style. She kicked and moaned and writhed, but he was not about to let her get any closer to the water. "What's the matter with her?" They got her away from the ocean, Darien lay her on the ground next to Chibi, and Adam groaned. "All this time, I am supposed to be protecting her, and now of all times I screw up! I'm so sorry Darien. We had to jump in a river to be brought to you, a polluted river, though we didn't know it at the time. If you drink any of the water, your memory is wiped. Though why she remembered me and not you is beyond me." Chibi soothed Serena, and glanced up. "Recent," she announced cheekily before returning to her patient. Adam looked at the small child. "It saves the recent memories?" The small girl nodded, then opened the pack. She held out the mirror to Darien and giggled. "Pretty Mask." He took the mirror from her grasp and gazed in to it. There was an image of himself as Tuxedo Mask fighting in the center. Then the scene shifted and he was walking down an aisle, holding Serena's hand. There were voices speaking, that he knew, commenting on the beauty of the bride, the handsome couple's certain happiness. Then all was shattered as the familiar scene of several years previous worked its way across the reflective surface. Serena was ripped from him, killed in an explosion of power. He could almost hear the King of the Earth's litany of words in his head. 'Stay away or she will be killed.' Then the image shivered and altered again, Serena stood at the same altar as he watched, being joined with an unfamiliar man as two leather clad women blocked is path to his rightful destiny. "What is this?" "Your dream mirror," answered a voice behind them. Adam leapt to his feet and brandished his sword about. "I AM GETTING SICK OF THIS! QUIT SNEAKING UP ON US AND SHOW YOURSELF!" There was a sigh and with a gentle laugh, Adam found himself face to face with Sailor Pluto. "Oh," he remarked shamefaced, "it's you." Pluto nodded. "Yes. It is." Darien held the now-sleeping Serena's head in his lap. Without looking up he greeted their guest. "Hello Celia. To what do we owe this honor?" She shrugged and took the mirror from his hand. "Show this to her when she awakens. She didn't drink much, and it was purely by accident. As she remembers your dreams, her own divided destiny will come crashing back to her. You have been saved, Darien, but all is not over yet. Your greatest challenge awaits you, surely you know that. You have until the full break of dawn on the shore to stay with her, and then you will awaken in reality. Once there, your choice is clear, you must banish the evil one back in to his world. Serena can handle the darkness, you, on the other hand, must handle your own dark side. Once he has been returned to his rightful world, the Scouts will awaken from their forced slumber, and together, as a mostly reunited team, we shall aid in the Solar Circle's attempt to fix the altered paths of destiny." She smirked slightly, an expression rarely found on Celia's face. "If such a thing can truly be accomplished. There's been much too much meddling, and the time lines show it. But nothing can be changed now." She rose and tapped Adam's sword. "Give that to Fighter when the time comes. You will get to use it once more, that is all. It shall soon be his burden, not yours." Serena's eyes fluttered open, and Darien wordlessly handed her the mirror. She glanced at him curiously a moment before slowly bringing her eyes to the shiny thing. Observing Serena watch the images displayed was a frightening experience. Her face strained with all the memories trying to break free, yet her eyes remained curiously blank. Adam found himself holding his breath, preparing for the worst, when suddenly then the inner turmoil was over. She sank to the ground and shuddering, reached for Darien. Adam glanced at Pluto and she shrugged. "She only lost them for a quarter of an hour at most. Regaining her memories isn't that hard, not with Darien by her side." Tears streamed from Serena's face as she threw the mirror down on the soft sand. Pluto hastily retrieved it, and with a wink to Adam, faded away. He picked up Chibi as Serena and Darien clutched tightly to one another, neither saying a word, just kissing passionately and squeezing one another for all they were worth. Feeling that they were best left alone with their reunion, Adam left. But the time passed too quickly, even for Adam, and he soon found himself watching the final rays of dawn kiss the morning sky. There was a pause and in that pause he heard Serena's wail of denial. Adam stood and began trudging down the dune. Serena crouched on her knees on the beach, her body curled tightly around something. When Adam reached her he couldn't hear a thing, but he saw the faint twinkling outline of what only could be her locket playing. To say Serena was crying was an understatement. Great tears rolled down her face, but no sound issued from her throat. She simply stared blankly at the rising sun and wept freely, silently. Then the silence was broken once more by her keening cry. It wasn't the spoiled whine of her adolescent years; rather it was a low moan which rose to a screaming pitch. It was agony given voice, endless pain given a tongue, a worldly sorrow gifted with the canvass of Serena's face to make it beautiful in a heartrending sort of way. He could do nothing but let her weep, solace would be rejected, comfort would be denied. So, left with nothing more to do than protect, Adam sank to his knees beside the princess, and let her distress wash over him like the incoming tide of the deadly ocean they had both just barely escaped.