Alll. . . characters,situations,andconventionshereinareeitherfactualorbasedupontheorig inalworkofTakeuchiNaoko. Married Life Chapter 4: Moon Storm Rising, Part 2 - The Hunt for Moon October By (as always) Mark Berger ". . . I don't have Sean Connery or Alec Baldwin stashed anywhere around here, so we'll just have to make do." Imbrium and Jadeite exchanged a look that clearly said, Whom!? "I'll explain who they are, or rather show you who they are, later on. First order of business: getting the hell out of this dump. None of us can teleport back to Earth under our own power. . ." Sailor Moon waited until the twinned headshakes confirmed her half-question, "so we'll just have to walk until we find a warp hole." At Darien and Serena's house, Younger Moon smacked a small fist into her palm. "The Negaverse will pay." The effect was spoiled by a distinct gurgle from her stomach, breaking the tension. Rei and Darien had tended to the injuries of the people who had been in the room with Serena as best they could. The hospital and a one-hour glass company were called, and the Windowpane replaced. Sailor Mercury transformed back into Amy, but kept her analytical minicomputer out. The device looked like an average palmtop computer, and even ran Windows CE to maintain the illusion, but it had more power than an entire office tower full of Cray supercomputers and a sensor suite equaled by no other on the planet. Most of them were ultraminiaturized versions of conventional sensor gear: radar, sonar, infrared, and ultraviolet scanners, video cameras, and sound recorders and the like, with even a pair of sophisticated electronic countermeasures devices included, but two sensors, the ones she was using now, were unlike any other the Earth had ever seen: a bioenergy flux meter and a manometer. The first tracked changes in bioenergetic flow, and could pinpoint a youma draining human beings over a three kilometer range, the second traced the fields of magical energy flow in Earth's environment. They were trying to find a youma, or failing that, an open Negaverse warp hole. Ikuko remained after having her cuts tended to, but she was clearly worried. Rei asked, "Do you want to go home?" "My daughter's out there, in a hostile universe, and I can't help her one little bit, even though she's in a great deal of danger. Do you have *any* idea how that feels?" Rei answered softly, "Probably about how I felt when the Crystal shattered on Fioret's asteroid." The ghost of that horrible event flashed in her eyes. "I sincerely doubt that, Rei-chan, and I sincerely hope I never understand how that feels. You *don't* mind if I call you that?" "Perfectly all right, Mrs. Tsukino. Perfectly all right." "At least I've never seen her be killed. It scares me to know that my daughter has been *dead* three times before and I haven't even known about it." Rei moved off, and sent her husband and daughter home. She stayed put, determined not to leave Serena's home until her friend returned to it. Lita vacuumed under the couch, getting several cubic inches of glass shards. An hour later, the doorbell rang. Serena and Imbrium entered the living room. The two had stopped briefly at a clothing store for a quick change of outfit for Imbrium, so she wouldn't be instantly recognized and attacked as Quartzite. It wasn't Imbrium who needed to fear about being attacked, as Serena was instantly swept up into a kiss by Darien, seconds before the others crowded around. "Who is this?" asked the Scouts with one voice. Ikuko walked slowly around Imbrium, comparing the girl to her daughter. The two shared virtually the same willowy frame, facial features were nearly identical, but Imbrium's eyes were bright green, and her hair a shade or two lighter than Serena's golden blonde. "How is this possible, that you look so much like my daughter?" "Mom, Guys, this is my twin sister Imbrium, from the Silver Millennium. Do you remember that weekend, so long ago, when we lost her?" Serena, her feet tremendously sore from walking three miles, hung onto Darien for dear life. At the blank stares, Imbrium continued, "The prodigal daughter has finally returned. I only remember bits and pieces of the past ten thousand years, but I certainly remember the Silver Millennium well enough. You two haven't changed one bit. You were totally smitten from the second time you laid eyes on one another." "Second time??" The question left Darien's and Serena's lips a moment before everybody else's. "Well, the first time was when Serenity, the Inner Princesses and I were eight, the Younger Outers were nine and Endymion was twelve. Even then, Mother knew something would happen between the two of you. You played with Endymion practically the whole two days and barely spent any time with the other Princesses. The only way we could get you to play any game was to decide to play hockey, and through a neat trick of maneuvering we got you and Endymion on opposite teams. My, the two of you were competitive. . ." Silver Millennium The eight-year-old Princess Serenity eagerly checked Prince Endymion into the boards to get at the puck, slapped it away to Princess Ami, her teammate, then turned to Endymion to help the boy up. "You don't get out on the ice much do you, Endy?" "Nope, but I learn fast, Serena." He deftly skated around the girl - so much unlike the girls he knew on Earth: smart *and* cute, even if she had the most amazing emotional flip-flops he had ever seen - on land, that is. On the ice, once she was set in the mood for whatever she was doing she was either grace defined or hell on wheels. This time, it was the latter, he thought as he saw her blaze past a triple-team, fake a shot to the lower-right corner and then, as Princess Makoto threw herself for the upper-left, slap the shot into the undefended upper-right corner. Makoto fished the puck out of the net as Serenity zipped past her. Were she not wearing the bulky goalie's mitt, she probably would have good-naturedly flipped her friend a certain hand gesture, which would undoubtedly have been returned. Not something a proper Princess ever did on dry land, but this was a hockey rink, and on The Ice, princesses, princes, and paupers were equals. At halftime (determined when all of the skaters decided they were tired and needed a rest), Serenity noticed a girl a couple years older than Endymion sitting in the stands, watching the little girls play on the ice with Endymion, but especially watching Endymion. The Prince skated over to Serenity and said, "That's Princess Beryl. She's the Crown Princess of Arcadia, one of the biggest kingdoms on Earth after my dad's kingdom." (Author's note: Yes, I do know that ice hockey is divided into three periods, not halves or quarters.) "She doesn't look like she wants to play on the ice with us." "Nope. She doesn't even like the ice much." "So why is she here, Endy?" "`Cause her dad wants to try to get her and me together. No chance of that happening, though. Like your friend, Ami, she's pretty on the outside and has a really sharp brain, but as far as her feelings go. . . Ami's really nice, just a little shy. Beryl's mean. Dad said she's `cold as the Antarctic Kingdom.' And I agree with him." Beryl watched Prince Endymion talking animatedly with that pathetic Princess Serenity on the ice. She hated the ice, hated that physical cold that reminded her all too much of the emotional cold she felt at home. Her parents had been locked into a loveless match by royal decree. Beryl's talent in magic was surpassed within her generation only by that of Princess Serenity, and in her parents' generation by the Inner Senshi and the Moon Princess' mother, Queen Serenity. She hated the massive responsibility of power. Hated everything, except for Endymion. She loved Endymion (or so she thought, in fact she was merely infatuated with his power and good looks), and she couldn't stand the thought of him being with another girl, especially one four years his junior and so obviously immature. Beryl snickered. What creativity, she thought, mother and daughter sharing the same name. Such drips. The Moon people were sentimental weaklings, and that Moon Princess. . . no, Moon *stick* was the worst of the lot. Blinded by her consuming envy for the girl, who so obviously dominated so much of Endymion's time, she didn't notice that she was getting closer to the area where the glass didn't cover. SSSSHHHH!!! Serenity's skates slid to an easy hockey-stop, and she extended a hand, saying, "Come on and play with us!" "No! I won't be reduced to rough-and-tumbling with you little Moon brats, so go away. I am a Princess of Earth. I don't go around like you with your little friends who go and bash each other into the walls like you were some kind of common labor. . ." The tail end of Beryl's speech was cut off by Princess Makoto's energetic stop, which flung shaved ice into Beryl's face. "Shut up, Beryl, she was only trying to be nice," growled Makoto. "Come on, Serenity, everybody's ready to start the second half." Serenity was giggling at Beryl, who looked so *ridiculous* with the water dripping off of her like that, as she seemed about to scream. . . Twentieth Century "I did that? To Beryl!?" Lita snickered at Imbrium's story. "Yep. I heard from some of my friends in the Arcadian Court, several years later, mind you, that for more than a year, not a day went by when Beryl didn't curse, quote, `that irritating little dirt-haired Jovian bitch,' end quote." It felt so good to Imbrium to laugh freely again, after the repression and imprisonment in the Negaverse. Lita's green eyes sparkled with mingled amusement and pique. "Dirt-haired, am I?" She swung her head of glossy russet hair from side to side. "Come to think of it, I did have an awful lot of bad luck and skinned knees that year." "Tell me about it, Lita," Serena said, through the fog of returned memory, as she absently stroked Reenie's hair, "For the first couple of months Queen Serenity and your mother, Queen Juno, wrote it off as growing pains, but after it lasted three months, they took you to a doctor and they figured it was some kind of magical curse, but they couldn't break it for more than a day at a time. Now we know why: Beryl relaid the curse every day." "So what about that second time, Imbri?" Imbrium's green eyes went all shimmery. "You know how long it's been, Sister, since you've called me Imbri? More than ten thousand years. . ." The Silver Millennium The fourteen-year-old Princess Serenity wove her hair into a single ponytail behind her, a six-strand braid woven with Mako-chan's help that went to the middle of her back. Stripping off her Court gown, she picked up the skating leotard and put it on. It was a plain white workout leotard which mimicked the style of the uniforms of the Sailor Senshi. She then put on and laced up her skates, walked to the ice, and removed the blade covers. Stepping on the ice, she cursed the broken ankle that had laid her up for the past three weeks. Tears came to her eyes as she put her full weight on the still-tender ankle. . . and went crashing to the ice. She sat there for a long minute, the heat seeping from her bare thigh and calf into the ice beneath her, until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Thinking it was Imbrium, she looked up. . . And saw the face of a handsome boy: stormy blue eyes over a gentle smile, covered by thick black hair. It took her a few moments to realize who this boy was: Prince Endymion, the boy with whom she had spent a couple of days with on Earth a few years back as her mother and his father had worked out an important trade agreement. "If you want to skate again, Serena, you've got to get up." "It's so hard to get back into things again after so long, Endy." "But that just makes the success that much sweeter, My Lady." Gods, had he just said that!? As Serenity stood up, Endymion looked over her slim, well-proportioned frame. She had grown up so well over the past six years - the little girl so full of promise, now that promise was so close to being fulfilled. Beautiful summer sky eyes framed by golden hair, over a pert little nose and sweet ruby lips formed her perfect face. Endymion decided that she was one of the most beautiful young women he had ever seen. "If you're not so sure of yourself, we could work on pairs today. My partner decided she would rather not skate on the Moon, so I'm plain out of luck unless I can come up with a pairs partner by this time on Friday." "Well, Endymion, let's see what we can do." Serenity allowed Endymion to lead her through a complex ice routine, never once putting too much pressure on her right ankle, which was strong and sure again by the time they were finished. When the routine ended, their faces were inches apart, and they were staring into each other's eyes, mesmerized by what they saw there. Love, written in the clearest language possible. Serenity's lips sought Endymion's. His accepted their feathery touch and responded in kind. As they parted, Serenity asked him, "Endymion. . . did you plan this?" "No. . . but I believe that some of your friends did." Rei and Jadeite skated out onto the ice, followed by Makoto and Nephrite, Malachite and Zoisite, Minako and Ami, and Haruka and Michiru. Rei and Jadeite each tossed their respective royal charge a hockey stick. "Only if Endymion and I get to be on the same team," called out Serenity. * * * After the game, Serenity and Endymion met just off-ice and came together in a long, steamy kiss. From far away, on Earth, Queen Beryl of Arcadia watched, her jealousy growing. "Why that wicked, wicked Moon Brat!" fumed Beryl. `Moon Stick,' her favorite appellation for the younger girl, no longer applied, even Beryl's overinflated ego had to admit. She had to admit that she had given Endymion her best try, and failed. But to see that moonchild, even the Crown Princess win over a Prince of Earth when she, an Earth Princess, couldn't get his attention. . . it was the worst insult that the nineteen-year-old could imagine. She turned to the dark forces, forbidden by the Atlantis Kingdom, that she had first dealt with two years ago, for the assassination of her parents. "Metallia, My Mistress, tell me what I must do to win my Prince. . ." Twentieth Century "Kind of romantic, don't you think?" asked Lita. "Serena and Darien, hockey players. Who'da thunk it?" said Mina. "Well," said Imbrium, "It gets better. You want to hear now how we got out of the Negaverse?" Amy brought a huge bowl of microwave popcorn, constructed from the contents of three bags of popcorn, from the Chibas' kitchen. "Hey, that smells good!" The whole group laughed at Imbrium's madcap assault on the popcorn. "Hey, Imbri, slow down. You've gotta vacuum that up, you know," giggled Serena. "Now we know for sure that she's the Meatball Head's sister. She sure eats like Serena!" "Very funny, Rei," chorused the twins. "You've never changed, you know that, Rei," added Serena, "You've always been really, really stubborn. I guess that's why I always trusted you." * * * The Negaverse Three hours ago Two Moon Princesses and a Guardian snuck through the alternate dimension. Sailor Moon stuck her head briefly out past a corner, then pulled it back in just as quickly. "Shimatta." "What?" "We've got six youma headed this way. Two per person." "Let's take `em," said Jadeite, "I'm good for at least three." The three burst into the corridor. "Moon Tiara Magic!" called Sailor Moon, "Split!" The glowing discus split into a pair of glowing boomerangs, slashed through her pair of youma, and returned to her hands. Imbrium and Jadeite each created crystal swords and attacked the youma. The first two fell quickly, the second pair warily circled the two. Sailor Moon called forth her Moon Scepter and bashed one on the side of the head. It bounced into the wall and went down with the sickening crack-slide of something dying, leaving behind a streak of dark purple blood. Within seconds, its body decomposed into ashes and blew away. Trading scepter for sword, she moved to join Jadeite and Imbrium in taking the last youma. Three-against-one odds are terrible. The last creature fell quickly, two sword-wounds through its torso marking its demise. "Moon-dusted," crowed Sailor Moon and Imbrium simultaneously. The Princesses high-fived each other. "We'd best get out of here," said Jadeite, "or another patrol will be along and we'll get it for sure." The three continued to move toward the warp hole. "I wish Rei was here," said Imbrium. "So do I," chorused Sailor Moon and Jadeite. "Actually," Jadeite corrected himself, I *don't* wish Rei was here - this is really, really dangerous." "You really *do* love her, don't you," asked Serena. "Not a day goes by, Princess, that I don't wish that I had her in my arms." "Myself, I can't imagine what I'd do without her. She's a great advisor, and a wonderful friend. But the reason I really wish she was here is, she can *really* handle herself in a fight." * * * "Lay it on *real* thick, don't you, Serena," groused Rei. "For what it's worth, I'm glad Chad's at home putting Naoko to bed - I don't want him to think that Jadeite's going to be some kind of competition for my attention." Serena popped a handful of popcorn in her mouth and said, "You're not telling the story, Rei, we are, so be quiet." She grinned mischievously and added, "I suppose we could pair him off with Mina-chan for a while." "NO!!!" shouted Rei. She stuck her tongue out and dug in. Serena did the same. Everybody else burst out laughing except Mina, who looked more than a bit put-upon. "Oh, God," laughed Lita, "Do you guys never change?" Serena and Rei nodded to each other, turned to face Lita, and chorused, "Would you want us to?" Lita sobered quickly. "Nope." Then she began laughing again. Tartarus, Hades Queen Beryl skidded across a frozen plain. It was her eternal task to transfer shovelfuls of snow from one pile to another, and in each shovelful, she saw an image of Endymion's happy life with Serenity. With each shovelful, her hot rage continued to grow. Men have said that only the truly repentant can ever leave Tartarus. They are correct. ----- Next Time: The conclusion of Moon Storm Rising! Part Three: Roxix's Revenge.