Well, here's another fine installment of this story. Really, I believe it may be closed to finished. Which translates to one more chapter, an epilogue, and then on to story number two. As I mentioned before, this series will stretch to about seven stories, some dinky, some medium like this one, and some REALLY long. All right, first off, I'd like to give praise to people. Thank you to all of you who wrote feedback (jkc1984@niia.net) to me; I truly was surprised and appreciate all the positive responses. This whole series thing is new to me, and I'm doing my best; hope it only gets better. DISCLAIMERS: All the old ones apply. But would this be a Ninx story without a new one? Extreme sappiness here--I wrote most of the end REALLY LATE at night. A style switch occurs a couple of times, when I wrote from a previouosly written copy. And lastly, if you're a non-blood and guts person, you may want to sort of just skim over the last section, because it gets a little messy.All flames/comments/praise to the address above. This story and hopefully the other part of H&H have to be dedicated to Tim Nolan again. He rocks, he rules, go read his stuff, it's right under mine. Also, Lianne, who mentioned me (AGAIN) and whose "Blossomings" is an exceptional piece of literature (MORE!!). Finally, Bunny Annla, whose stories are wonderfully written and romantic too. Lastly, to our archivists, who are just wonderful about all of this. ONTO TO IT THEN!! The Four Lovers: Stranded CHAPTER SIX AWAKENING THE ROSE "Are you ready, Jupiter?" Kunzite asked patiently. She fiddled with her straps a little more, then said, "Yes SIR!" and swung the pack on her shoulders. Behind her, Nephrite covered his mouth with a gloved hand; Kunzite never was addressed in such a military fashion outside of battle. Apparently, the Leader got the joke as well, for his lips quivered into a small smile. Venus, beside and slightly behind him, shot her a killer look and said, exasperated, "Since when did he start getting more respect than me, Jute?" "Since he has sterner eyes," she responded, giggling a little. Kunzite rolled his eyes, then turned to Venus and asked, "Shall we take Point or let them have it?" "Them, definitely," she replied. A small, cozy smile appeared as she added, "He looks like the type to want to sneak off into dark corners. We'd find the Princess and have to go looking for them!" Nephrite laughed out loud; Jupiter joined in, but a blush still bloomed on her cheeks. With a hasty, "Let's get going, we're wasting daylight," she started past them, shooting Venus a deadly look. She just smiled, and her and Kunzite followed. The sun had barely risen above the plain. The forest swept up around them, swallowing them quickly; soon not even Venus could see camp. Nephrite and Jupiter kept a steady six yards, give or take a foot, between the two groups, allowing both to carry on a nearly private conversation. "It's good to see Mars getting some sleep," Kunzite commented. "Yes, it is," Venus echoed. "I hope Zoicite doesn't mind us leaving him behind." "Not at all," Kunzite assured her. "He'd rather be with a patient than out in the woods--and with Mercury." She nodded. "Noticing a pattern here, Kunzite?" she asked dryly. "You'd have to be blind not to. I just wonder how they're going to take being separated when we get back to Earth and you return to the Moon," he replied, his voice filling in the spaces between the sounds of crackling beneath their feet. Venus looked ahead to Jupiter and Nephrite, holding hands and talking sweetly back and forth. She wondered if, while they searched, they were in their own private world together, isolated by the same feelings in their hearts. "I'm guessing they'll take it hard," she said, voice drooping. "I'm sure, though, if we find Serenity and--as you insist--Endymion, Queen Selenity will grant them the right to come visit." She smiled. "The people may be opposed, but no one trifles with the Queen's permission." "That would be wonderful of the Queen." "Yes, it would." She sighed then, and a drop of ice trickled into Kunzite's soul. He'd spent so much time with her, trying to shows combined leadership, that he'd formed an affinity for her, a friendship. It was a refreshing change; no questions about harsh orders, no asides about dirty looks and sneers, nothing but companionship. He knew her as a happy, witty blond with a knack for an insult; this sigh, however, was droopy and melancholy--not like Venus at all. So his "Is something the matter, Venus?" came out of worry his wonder for a friend--not duty. "We all keep talking about the Princess and the Prince as if they're alive and well," she began quietly. "We've never even speculated if one or both died in the crash, or if one of those creatures who attacked Jade got to them, or something else awful. I know what Zoicite said to Mars--unpredictable things happen on the moons of Saturn." A slight pause before she said in a voice a shade above a whisper, "If she's dead or even injured, Kunzite, I will pay the price." He didn't try immediately to console her; that wasn't his way. Instead, he took about thirty seconds to digest her words and process the information before calmly saying, "Venus, I believe I understand. Technically, because we are the Head of our respective groups, we are in complete charge of our charges. That also means we take full responsibility for what happens to them." His voice unconsciously lowered as he said, "Endymion has been my best friend ever since we started to work and train with him. Among the palace or even the Generals, there is no one closer to me. I would consider it the ultimate failure if he was so much as scratched on this trip. I, too, Lady Venus, would pay the price." she thought. She glanced at him sideways, taking in the brief exposure of soul that flickered over his face. "I truly hope that your Prince is all right, Kunzite. Your loss to the System would be a great one," she said, words as careful and formal as the true royalty she was. His hand squeezed her shoulder, a vast amount of physical affection to him. "I hope as well that your Princess is in perfect condition. A skilled warrior and diplomat, not to mention a beautiful lady like yourself, would be an equally great loss." She nodded, and smiled, and within seconds they'd moved on to lighter things. Venus, though, could still feel his hand on her shoulder; he secretly stowed the few stands of hair from her shoulder away, as a momento of him. "NITY! WAKE UP!" "No, no, no," she murmured back. "At least today you'd be KIND and PRINCELY and--just maybe--CHARMING and let me sleep in!" "No, not today. Tomorrow." "WHY?" she asked, whining a little and trying to hide bury herself at the same time. "Because we have to get going if we want to find a new place by sundown," he said. "Also, if you don't get up soon, I'm going to dunk in you in the mud." A groggy groan escaped her lips, and she responded, "I'm up, I'm up." Slowly, she lifted her head from the nearly destroyed pillow of moss, leaves, and something that resembled heather; at that moment, a ray of sunshine managed to poke in through a natural sunroof. It fell down into her hair, seeped down her forehead, and struck her eyes, nearly blinding her as spindles of golden light radiated from her. Endymion thought, standing back as she vainly scrambled to her knees, still glowing and still nearly blinded. Serenity took a less ethereal approach to it; she gritted her teeth and vainly scooted away from the sunny patch. In the process, she had one of her less graceful moments, tripping into the wall. "This day," she mumbled as she pushed herself off the wall, "is going to be bad. I can just feel it." Endymion smiled. "Actually, on Earth, sunlight shining on you is supposed to bring you good luck." "Really? On the moon, it's also a portent of good news. Overpowering news, but good news," she recited, then smiled. "Morning Ion." "The morning's nearly over, Nity," he replied, a rakish grin spreading over his face. "Breakfast is ready, though." "Be right there," she replied, grinning inside. she thought happily as she untied her dress from the rope it hung on. Shucking the smooth, comfortable robe of skin----she slipped into the cool, nearly clean clothing. They had washed everything in preparation for today, including themselves, and she felt suddenly refreshed. Carefully she pulled her hair into it's normal ball-with- hanging-strands shape, then pulled out the locket she wore. "Silver Crystal cousin, tiny locket, help me protect the ends of my hair," she whispered, repeating the same tiny charm she said everyday. Abruptly, she felt her hair stiffen, and suddenly the ends pulled into a tight spiral. She then added, as she had started to a few days past, "Locket cousin, heed my plea, protect the man, who protects me." She'd been pleased at the rhyme--charms always worked better in rhymes--as well as the thought to protect Ion. He was such a help to her; she wanted to help him. Twirling into the sunlight, she scooped up the robe and the bedding, then headed toward the small opening. Learning their lesson from those first nights, they'd abandoned the opening and taken up in a smaller recess of the cave, away from the winds. Still, they slept under the same blanket, though not curled around each other as they had. Somehow, the same comfort was always there, whether he was an inch or a foot from her. He looked up from breakfast--blue fruit and dried meat--to watch her glide in, carrying the bedding. She quickly sat opposite him, and went through her usual ritual of folding and eating at the same time. he thought for the 211 time, "Do you have any idea where we're going, Ion?" she asked when she'd finished her third slice of fruit. "East," he replied. "It's the only direction that LEADS somewhere." She nodded, setting the folding aside, then asked, "What packing is left?" "Just those folded items." "ION!" "NITY! She scowled at him; he shrugged. "I know how much energy it takes to get you to pack," he said. "It wasn't worth wasting." "You still didn't have to go and do ALL of it," she replied, slightly hurt. "You probably packed it all wrong, anyway." He reached over, opened a kit, and showed her a lovely example of how one should pack an emergency kit. "Humph," she replied. "Beautiful." A genuine smile appeared on her face as she pictured him cramming things into the box, and she added, "You're worth more than you look, Ion." he replied internally. The pet names-- shortened forms of their real names--came from the fact that both words were over three syllables, and a chunk to say all the time. Quickly they'd become their principal way of addressing each other, all formality now formally banished. Externally, though, he just smiled back, and rose. "Are you finished?" "Yes," she said definitively. "Except for packing up these, anyway." A quirky smile appeared on his lips, one of the expressions she most liked on his face. she thought. The reminder of her intended shook her from looking at him, and she turned and gathered up the folded stuff. "Serenity?" "Yes?" "I saved you some room in the blue one," he said. "I appreciate it, Prince of Earth," she said with a sigh signaling exasperation. In a mock fit, she went in search of the blue box, and he never got to see the expression of sheer thanks in her eyes. * * * * "How's his temperature?" Mercury checked the small readout, and her face subtly frowned. "Still high, but lower than yesterday," she reported. He nodded at her less than quantitative observation; she deserved a break from the specific rigors of science. Well, they both did; they'd taken bare amounts of rest ever since they'd found out Jade was wounded. His eyes wandered to the dull sheen of purple in the corner, illuminated in the rising sunlight; Lady Mars, asleep in one corner. Not able to convince her to go to sleep or even leave his side, it'd taken a dose of a tranquilizer to make sure they didn't have a second patient on their hands. Though she'd probably be madder than a slapped hornet when she woke up, it was for her own good. Mercury, unaware of his gentle thoughts, wondered at the stony expression on his face. Tired as she was, her emotional guards were slipping; still, she pressed on, determined to help Jade for Mars's sake. Her counterpart, though, seemed tireless, and almost heartless. He hadn't once shown the least bit of concern, or grief, or any sign of what he felt inside. Normally, it would've had made sense to her and she would've ignored it; now, though, it irked her. However, her irk was much less dangerous than Jupiter's or Mars's, and it was next to nothing for quite some time. "Do you think we should change the bandages soon?" he wondered aloud. "Hmmm...perhaps. I think all the major bleeding has stopped, though," she replied, using her computer to once again scan him. His condition had improved since coming in; not enough to be hopeful about, but it had improved. "Maybe we should just do it now. It would let give us a good look at the extent of the damage." Normal words to Zoicite. The end of her patience for Mercury. "How can you say that?" The question caught him completely off guard, being completely unrelated to anything they were talking about. "What?" "How can you sit there and dissect him for this long without feeling anything? You haven't once--once!--shown that this bothers you. It seems as if it doesn't matter if he lives or dies to you!" she cried out, her voice ascending in pitch as she neared the end of her argument. Silence, and shock upon his face. he thought, turning cross. So he turned around, preparing to go and sit and work on trying to get the ship's power up--when all of a sudden she let out of soft gasp. Her hand had covered her mouth. A wave of guilt hammered on her exposed heart, and she wistfully wished to be Sailor Pluto now, with the Time abilities, instead of Ice and Fog abilities of Mercury. Actually, anybody but the cruel wretch who just uttered those un thought out words. Unlike the other Senshi, though, she remained calm and near tranquil, mind zipping skillfully to the only solution to this problem: Apologize. So, uncovering her mouth and drawing a breath, she quietly said, "Zoicite, I'm sorry. Really, that outburst was uncalled for, and it was rude of me. I'm think it's because I'm tired. Please forgive my impropriety." His back still remained turned; realizing that her voice had been soft, she hoped he'd heard her. Her mind sighed in dismay when a near minute ticked off the clock, and he still hadn't said anything. She raised her computer and touched a few buttons, shutting it down; it was probably best to leave him alone to ponder her words, search for the truth in him. And she wanted to sulk by herself. She'd really started to like Zoicite and his calm, quiet and pleasant manner. Also, he was handsome, knowledgeable, shared interests with her, and most of all, had MANNERS. This was a quality a lot of nobles in the Moon Court put on with a superficial air, but really were despicable once you got to know the REAL them. This man, this General, this EARTHLING, though, had been more genteel than anyone she knew on the moon--excepting the Senshi and the Royal Guard. She felt a tug on her heart unlike anything she'd felt before, and sorrow rushed through her brain, preventing her from analyzing it. She pocketed the computer, and took a few humble steps away from Jaedite. "Lady Mercury." It stopped her in her tracks, and fear and joy came over her in the same instant. "Yes?" she replied hesitantly. "I accept." She sighed, relief rushing out of her in a burst of air. "Thank you, General Zoicite. What I said...was uncalled for." "You were right, though." It stopped her. "What?" "I have been cold about Jade." His back remained turned, but the stoop of his shoulders suggested a release...of something. "Even in the few minutes of private I've had, I never tried to...make my amends. Say anything to him. Try and comfort him. I've just bottled everything up and went on, the same old Zoicite, cold as his crystals." He let loose a sigh, as melancholy as the words he spoke, and he seemed to slump. Mercury, for a second, was satisfied with his words. Then something rose within her, transforming the thoughts after she'd spoken those evil words into words of comfort. Quietly, as if respecting the sleeping Mars and awakening Jade, she began. "No, Zoicite, I was wrong. I should've understood what you were going through. After all, it's easier to lock away our emotions under heavy guard than weep and cry and make fools of ourselves in the open." She gave a heavy sigh, and looked at Jade, nearly angelic in his rest. "It is what I've been accused of for years at court, of being cold and uncaring, a female iceberg, like my powers. I shouldn't have said what I did, but I just feel so FRUSTRATED. If only we had all the equipment working, we could help Jaedite. And poor Mars....I just can't help but feel responsible for her condition, not being able to help Jade as I want to." It was silent for a moment, then came the rustle of Zoicite turning around. His eyes were dulled and unfocused as he looked at....no, beyond her, to Mars, still curled and sleeping. "I wish I could know love like that," he said quietly. "But I'm afraid I'm not capable of the Jade's passion, or Mars's fire." "Whoever you love will be a lucky girl, Zoicite. You're almost the perfect guy," Mercury said sincerely, and his eyes touched hers in surprise. For a long moment, he studied her with his gaze, until she broke it off to remove her computer. Maybe she wouldn't go sulk; his mood seemed to have changed. She moved around to his side, and studied the reading there; about to say something, she was suddenly interrupted by a feathery whisper of "Same for you, Lady Mercury. You're smart, pretty, and a great friend. The man who is yours will be VERY lucky." A little shocked, and slightly off balance, she couldn't think of anyway to respond...except with, "Uh, Zoicite, could you...check this reading?" She turned to hand the computer to him, and was startled to find him nearly pressing against her. His whisper had put him unintentionally closer to her than he guessed, and his hand froze over hers and the computer. Their eyes met, and their voices echoed in each other's heads. <...a lucky girl, Zoicite...> <....yours will be VERY lucky...> "Lucky," she said softly. "Incredibly so," he replied, hand gently pressing her chin upward. Leaning down, he prepared himself to kiss the women who, somehow, in her curious way, had captured his heart. Mercury's eyes fluttered shut, lashes brushing his cheeks, in preparations for the kiss she was to receive. Her heart was doing turns in her chest, and yet she felt comfortable here, as if this was supposed to happen... "Uoahgh." Zoi stopped instantly, and their eyes sprung open. Quickly, Mercury was on the other side of the cot, computer in hand and typing furiously. "Zoi, I don't believe this...he's coming around!!" she gasped out. "What?" he asked, and she handed the computer to him, hand lingering for a moment. Looking at it, though, he saw she was right. "He is coming around!" "Thanks the Heavens!" Mercury said, red coming to her face in excitement. Zoicite smiled from happiness and relief, and handed her back her computer. "We did it," he said quietly. "Yes, we did," she replied, slightly louder. Suddenly, without any warning, Jaedite's eyes flew open. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in his chest convinced him it was better not to. The movements alerted his doctors, and Zoicite quickly asked, "Jade, can you hear me? Do you know who I am? How do you feel?" "Zoi, Zoi!" Jade murmured back, face constricted not in pain, but desperate worry. "I hurt, but that's not the point! The Princess, the Prince!" "What, Jaedite? What about the Princess and Prince?" "They're in deadly danger! And if no one gets to them soon, one of them will die!" * * * * "Certainly feels better to walk along without that rope, eh Ion?" Serenity remarked. "Free to move, to dance, to twirl" she demonstrated with remarkable grace, "and, best of all, to walk in front of you." Another demonstration, with her quickening her pace to walk a step or two in front of him. "Not TOO far ahead, Princess," he warned her. "You never know what's out there." "True, Ion," she said, "but how many creepy crawlies and beasties have we encountered since we've been here? Almost none, besides those furred beasts you killed. I think it's safe to say we shouldn't worry too much." "I don't know, Nity. I have a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. I think you should stay close." "Don't trust me not to run off?" "No, I'd just prefer to keep you in my sight. I did make an oath to protect you, after all, and it's better to do that if my eyes are on you," he replied. "Of course, Endymion," she replied, giving him a golden smile before returning to his side. "After all, if you hadn't trusted me, I'd still be wearing the rope, right?" "Right," he answered, smiling. After a moment, "You really did hate that red rope, didn't you?" "Being connected to you by it? Nah. The fact that it itched and chafed? Definitely," she explained, voice swinging from matter-of-fact to slangish. He chuckled. "I'll bring a softer rope next time we get stranded, all right?" "All right," she said playfully, then looked ahead--and stopped. He caught her movement and stopped as well, hand automatically going to his sword. "What is it?" he asked, tersely. "A...a...garden?" "What?" he asked, and she pointed. The portion of the forest they traveled in was darker and thicker to their right, and flowed into savanna on their left. However, here, were the landscape crept slowly downward, three straight rows of bushy, green trees were planted. "I think so," he said, moving forward and motioning to stay while he examined the fruit. Breaking off a piece, he looked around it's outside; then, quickly, he tore off the brown peel to reveal blue fruit inside. "It's the fruit from this morning!" he exclaimed, turning back to look for Serenity--and finding empty space. If it hadn't been for a flash of sun on her odangos, the first traces of panic would've overtaken him, and perhaps things would have been different. However, his keen eyes could make out her movements further toward the trees, and his sharp ears easily distinguished the rustle of her among the plants from anything else. He resumed looking through the fruit trees. What had caught Serenity's was a bush she thought familiar--a rose bush. However, the flowers on it were all shades of dark colors in rose shapes, and might have remained that way in her mind had not a breeze brushed the petals. Her eyes widened, and as she searched among the flowers, a germ of an idea sprouted in her head. "Ion, come here," she called, smiling. He appeared from under the tree near her, a soft, wondering look on his face. She smiled at him and turned from the bush as he said, "Yes, Nity?" "Come here! I have something to show you," she said. "Fine," he said in mock protest, coming to her. "What is it?" "This," she replied, producing the flower she'd plucked seconds before. "This is for you." He stared at the bloom in her thin hand before reaching out to clasp it (and her hand). It looked just like a rose on Earth, only the outer petals were deepest black; staring further, he saw that the petals slowly lightened to a deep blue over the center. A breeze shifted the petals away, and the center was revealed, a sharp, dark blue he immediately recognized as the color that stared back at him everytime he looked in the mirror. It was then that he felt the warm pressure in his hand, and remembered exactly whose hand he now held. Quickly he pulled the bloom free from her thin fingers and studied it more thoroughly, twirling it slowly in his fingers to observe the spiral of colors from black to that deep, dark blue. He inhaled its scent, but found not the usual sweet, surgary flavor of a normal rose; this flower had a musky, slightly damp smell, more animal-like that any plant had a right to be. Serenity felt herself blushing despite best attempts not to as he carefully sniffed the flower. She could still feel the warmth of his hand on hers, and the tingles inside her refused to cease. she chided herself, but then he looked up, and she had to curb a gasp. His face was slightly flushed, and his eyes radiated in their sockets, threatening to suck her in. "Thank you, Princess," he whispered lowly, softly. The formal title took her aback, but she realized it wasn't him thanking her station. "You deserved it, my Prince," she replied quietly. He slipped the rose away, and mutually they walked on, the Prince's mind and thoughts carefully censored, but his heart whispering, "If only it were so, dear Princess. If only so." For Serenity had not caught her slip of the tongue, but it impressed itself deeply on Endymion. Absently, he tried to squelch this, but his heart rebelled harshly, spitting at him, "You CANNOT deny your feelings and you NEVER will--even when she's your cousin's wife!!" Endymion paused then, the beat of his footsteps faltering an eighth note, shocked at the demanding voice in his head; he felt a pang in his chest, and a sigh of despair in his mind as he agreed with it. It was hardly believable to him, and if anyone who knew him well could have seen inside his mind, they doubtless would have questioned it as well. He was in love with her, or at least beginning to fall in love with her, and there was nothing he could do about it. She was nothing like the women of Earth--those hard-hearted, soft skinned teases of his father's court, always trying to bed someone new. Nor was she like the women of any other planet; she was purely Moon, pure of heart, pure of mind, pure of action, pure of soul. She didn't play games, or tease him, or try to be anything but his friend and travel companion. he thought quietly. So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice how she strayed ahead of him. No did he see the shadow appear in the trees above them. A tiny prickle touched his neck, and at last he looked up...and felt a flash of apprehension to see her ahead of him. "Serenity," he called, pulling his sword from his sheath, "please get back here." A feeling tickled through him, a queasiness that made him acutely uncomfortable. She stopped five feet in front of him----and began a half turn. Then, like a black lightning strike, a black beast rippling to the green of the ground and tan of the sky, appeared with claws extended and tearing, tearing, tearing... He yelled something; whatever it was, it was intelligible to human and animal alike. Time became normal again, and both Serenity and the monster fell to the ground. Distantly he realized that she hadn't screamed, and that the bright red blood on the ground had to be hers. The sword in his hand flashed forward as he did, biting the shoulder of this yowling creature. He jerked it out as the beast screamed in agony; as he swung around, it jumped to the trees above. Spinning, he jumped at it and hacked into its retreating tail. Dropping to the ground, he sheathed his sword, turned...and gave a cry of despair. Blood was everywhere it seemed; on the ground, on her back, running into her hair. He rushed over, and turned her, cradling her like a child. "Ion," she whispered hoarsely. "Ion, what happened?" "Shush, shush, Nity," he whispered back. "You were..." a small gulp "attacked, but everything is going to be okay. Just..just be quiet now." "My back...my head," she whispered as he stood, knowing they had to get out of there before the beastie decided it wanted her more than it was scared of his sword. he thought. And if they escaped, what of the Princess? His arms were already sticky with oozing blood, and there was a bump on her head from hitting the hard turf. He gritted his teeth as he made his way through the brush, his hunter's mind reminding him that the animal could track the scent of her blood right to them. "Ion," she groaned again. "Everything's going to be all right, Nity," he repeated again, voice slightly lower. "I just need to find someplace safe for us, to see your wounds." "I'm so tired," she said softly. "You cannot go to sleep," he replied, voice dark. "Do you hear me, Princess? You CANNOT go to sleep!" "Sure, Prince. No sleep," she murmured. "Can I just rest my eyes? I'm so tired." He forced a chuckle as he ducked them down into a small copse of trees. It soon ended, and he kneeled down with her, feeling safer with three sides covered. He set her down and replied, "No, Nity. You must stay awake." Slowly her eyes, crystalline blue, turned to him; again, some detached part of him admired their color, the calm blue of the sky at sunrise. "So," she choked out, "like the rose?" "Yes," he replied. "It...it was deserved. For all of that..(cough)..packing." Her voice was innocent as she added, "It reminded me...of your hair, your eyes. Even your smell, almost." She smiled a little, fondly remembering, then shuddered. "I'm cold." His cape was off his shoulders, and around her; after that, he picked her up, cradling close to him. She sighed, breathing in deeply, the scent of him filling her nostrils, compounded by an unfamiliar salty tang that weighed heavy on the air. His hair, deep black in the shadow, stuck to his head except for that stubborn lock that shook over his forehead. His arms were strong yet so gentle as he brought her near, trying to warm her. His eyes were as gentle as the arms that held her, yet trembling in their concern and...pain? And somewhere in them, she saw the rose again, felt the emotions fill her--and a part of her understood. Weakness struck her like a wave, then, and he saw her eyes flutter. "No, Serenity," he said, voice trembling. "No, you can't. You can't." "Endymion..." Her voice was like a fluttering leaf now, quivering slightly on a fluted note. Her hand stirred; reaching up, touching his face with contact lighter than a falling snowflake. "Endymion, I'm..." she shivered. "Everything will be okay," he tried again. "Just hold on, Princess. Hold on..please!" "Endymion, I'm sorry," she rasped out. "So...sorry. So tired." And her eyes fluttered shut. "Serenity?" he tried. She didn't stir. "Serenity, no. No...no! You can't leave! You CAN'T leave!" he said, voice ascending as she did not respond. "Serenity, please, you can't go. They--your SENSHI--they NEED YOU!" He felt his emotions shake from his stoic hold, and tears squeezed themselves from his eyes. "Serenity....oh, Serenity, I failed. I failed you..." he moaned. "You can't die...come on! You're stronger than this! You can't die! I...I...I.." he stopped, caught between his grief and a sudden balking fear, one that cautioned him to keep quiet. After all, how many final words had he heard of being used against their utterers? Fortunately for Endymion, his conundrum of thoughts were broken by a familiar, yowling sound. Rage scrambled his brain as he set Serenity down, blood stained arms illuminated by a scrap of sunlight. Standing, turning, his sword drawn, he met the eyes of the beast who'd ki..ki..injured the Princess. "Your turn to die," he snarled. "ENDYMION, get DOWN!" he thought grimly as he dived away. The beast, confused by his prey's movements, stopped and gazed at him. And then it was awash with electricity, fire, blue and silver light. When it fell, it's body still trembled and its skin flaked ash. Undeterred by the fact that the beast was dying, he leaped to his feet and stabbed his sword through its head. The shaking stopped, and he tore his sword from it and began to clean if off on the hard turf. "Are you all right?" Nephrite asked as he and a brown haired women appeared, along with Kunzite and the blond Venus, the only one of the Senshi he could place. "All too fine," he whispered as he smoothed his blade over the grass. "PRINCESS!" He didn't know who the gasp came from, nor the accusatory "What HAPPENED?" He just kept cleaning his sword and choking on his tears, barely there as people talked around him--"Oh my..." "She's alive!" "Unconscious" "Look at all this BLOOD.." "How..?" "Oh Serenity, I'm so sorry," he whispered once again. ------------------------------ PREVIEW OF: Chapter Seven: Resolution Well, things get resolved. Find out what happens to Serenity, and how Endymion and Zoicite somehow play apart. Watch Venus and Kunzite grow closer over a knife. And keep your eyes out for possible spoilers for future stories. This is almost the finale!!