The Second Meeting

By Bashfulglowfly

Chapter Fifteen

Endymion and the Shitennou returned as quickly as possible to Earth. They were delayed a bit because the Healers refused to release General Huna until they felt that she was better. Endymion and Serenity also announced their engagement in front of the entire Court but there was no celebration because of Endymion's need to return to Earth.

It had taken several days to gather soldiers and volunteers and even conscripts to form a new army. Beryl continued her reign of terror throughout the world. But, at last, they were ready to face the witch and her demon army.

Endymion and the Shitennou were readying their horses in the courtyard of the castle. Beryl's army had arrived on Atlantis early that morning. The last Army of Earth was readying themselves to meet her on the battlefield.

Nephrite stared at Endymion for a moment, then turned to Kunzite. In a low voice, he spoke, "I know about the prophecy."

Kunzite stared back. "How?"

"The stars told me." Nephrite said.

Kunzite sighed and looked at Nephrite. "Why haven't you said anything before?"

Nephrite shrugged. "The stars told me there was nothing I could do about it."

"Yet you fell in love with Jupiter."

Nephrite smiled. "And you fell in love with Venus despite the fact as well."

Kunzite leaned his head against his horse's neck. He didn't speak for a moment. "I don't think it will end well. But, we MUST do what we can. We must defend Endymion to the best of our abilities and to the end of our strength."

Nephrite spoke again. "We can't allow him to be captured by Beryl. I don't want to kill him, but we can send him to the Moon. Perhaps he'll be safe there."

"Who knows?" Kunzite shrugged. "But, I agree, if there is no hope, we send Dymion to the Moon."

Beryl had won. General Huna lay a few yards away, torn apart by Beryl's Demons. Endymion and the Shitennou were fighting back to back against their unending foes. All of them were wounded. Endymion was probably hurt the worst; someone had managed to break through his armor and stab him in the side. The Shitennou managed to look at each other; they were in agreement. Nephrite cast a spell that forced the enemy back. Kunzite spun around and used the hilt of his sword to hit Endymion on the back of the head. Endymion started at him, stunned and consciousness beginning to fade. "Why?" he managed to say.

"Because we love you, my prince." Kunzite looked into Endymion's eyes. "Never doubt that we are your faithful guardians and friends." He joined his powers with Jadeite and Zoicite and sent Endymion to the Moon.

Serenity missed Endymion desperately. She wanted to be at his side but knew that she would never be allowed to go to Earth, not with the witch Beryl attacking everywhere. She was glad that they had been able to announce their engagement. It had been difficult for her but she didn't shed any tears during that time or when Endymion said goodbye to her before returning to Earth. She didn't want him going off to fight the witch that murdered his parents with the memory of her in tears.

She spent her days with her tutors or in meetings by her mother's side, listening to reports about what was happening back on Earth. The balls that were constantly held on the Moon occupied her nights. She was beginning to hate the parties she was required to attend. She wanted to scream at her mother and the court about their being able to dance and laugh and drink and eat while the man she loved and the men her guardians loved were fighting for their lives, the lives of their people and their very planet. She would end the night crying in the arms of her Senshi, praying for the safety of those she loved. She also made sure that she prayed for the People of Earth. She knew that Endymion would appreciate that.

It was another unending ball. She had just refused a dance with one of the sons of the Ambassador from Uranus, when she felt something strange.

The air in the middle of the ballroom began to shimmer with magic. People began to notice and point. The guards began moving through the crowd. Serenity gasped and rose from her chair. She recognized the "taste" of that magic! She flung out her hands and lent her own power to the spell.

Endymion spilled out of the air and fell to the floor of the ballroom. He was bleeding profusely. The guards began to lunge at him with swords and pikes.

"ENDYMION!"

"HOLD FAST!" Venus' voice roared right behind Serenity's scream.

Serenity gathered her skirts in her hands and rushed off the dais to Endymion's side. Her Senshi were right behind her and surrounded the royal pair, protecting them from attack.

Serenity flung herself to her knees beside Endymion, picking his head off of the floor. She could dimly hear Mars ordering someone to fetch a Healer. Jupiter had grabbed something from somewhere and pressed it against his side to stop the bleeding. "Dimi! Dimi! What happened?" Serenity smoothed back his hair from his face, trying to keep him conscious.

Endymion's midnight eyes glazed with pain and suffering, met hers. "We…lost."

Venus knelt next to Serenity. "Where are Kunzite and the others?" Her voice was tight with fear and urgency.

"Kun…zite…" Endymion tried to speak but just then the Healer arrived and accidentally jolted him. Endymion moaned with pain and fell unconscious.

Endymion opened his eyes, he was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling but there was a familiar head of golden hair resting on the bed bedside him, her hands holding one of his. "Sere." He coughed and cleared his throat. "Sere." This time it was louder and her head jerked up.

Startled blue eyes met his then began to fill with tears. "Oh, Dimi! I thought that you would never awaken!" She wrapped her arms about him. He could feel her hot tears soaking through the clothing he was wearing.

He patted her back. "Don't cry, Sere. How long have I been here? What's going on back on Earth? Have you heard anything about Kunzite, Nephrite, Jadeite or Zoicite?"

Serenity raised her head, eyes still filled with tears and lips trembling. She shook her head. "We haven't heard anything about the Shitennou. Our spies haven't even returned from Earth."

"How bad is it?" Endymion asked. Serenity stared at him for a minute then pulled back the curtain that was covering a nearby window. There was a strange black orb in the sky. He stared at it for a minute then realized that the black orb was the Earth. "Dear Goddess, what happened?"

"We don't know." Mercury stepped around the curtain. "That occurred the day after you arrived here. It was like watching a black wave. It seemed to cover the Earth in just minutes. We are trying to…" Mercury's voice broke off and her eyes seemed to look at something unseen. She spoke again, her voice barely a whisper "Zoi?" Then she collapsed to the floor.

"MERCURY!" Serenity's scream brought people running.

Cries of "She's not breathing!" "Rescue breaths!" were heard. Endymion grabbed Serenity to keep her out of the Healers' way. She fought him, crying hard. But he held on.

Mercury gasped, the sound was agonizing. She coughed then began to cry, harder than Serenity was crying. "Bring her here." Ordered Endymion. A Healer picked her up and placed her on the bed next to Endymion who had moved over to make room. Serenity crawled over him and lay on the other side of Mercury so that she was between the pair.

Mercury clung to Serenity as the sobs shook her body.

Venus, Jupiter and Mars ran into the room and stood uncertainly at the edge of the bed. "What happened?" asked Venus.

Endymion spoke, his arms wrapped around the two girls in his bed. "Mercury was telling me about the situation on Earth. She whispered 'Zoi' and collapsed, not breathing. The Healers revived her and she's been crying since."

Venus unfocused her eyes and stared at her sister for a moment. Tears ran down her cheeks as she came back to herself.

"What is it, V?" asked Endymion.

Venus could barely get out the words. "The…the Silver Thread is broken." She turned sorrowful eyes to Endymion. "Zoicite is dead."

One by one the Senshi collapsed. After Venus explained about the Silver Thread and how it bound destined lovers together and if it was severed by the death of one of the pair, the other could die. Serenity insisted that they all stay together. Even at night so that if anything else happened, they would be there to help.

Endymion wasn't too happy about sharing a bed with Serenity and her four Senshi. In fact, he had wondered how they would all fit. He had forgotten that magic could do almost anything…including making a bed bigger. Which was a good thing because two nights after Mercury's collapse, they were awakened by Mars' scream of agony.

"JADEITE!"

Mercury, still worn and grieving moved to her sister and began to breathe for her. Mars came back to herself the same way Mercury had…crying. The group spent the rest of the night holding Mars and each other.

Three days later, as they were walking to a meeting with Queen Serenity, Jupiter moaned with pain, grabbing her middle then collapsing. Serenity and the Senshi stared in horror as blood began to pour from between her legs. Endymion scooped her into his arms and transported the two of them to the Healers.

Serenity and the others followed. They arrived in time to see a Healer shove Endymion out and close the curtain. They could hear Jupiter sobbing. "My baby! My baby!"

Serenity grabbed hold of Endymion's hand and held it tight. The other three Senshi held each other's hands. All five prayed for their friend.

Suddenly…"Neph? NEPHRITE!" Jupiter's scream was followed by rapid orders by the lead Healer. Jupiter had stopped breathing just like Mercury and Mars. Serenity yanked back the curtain and glared ferociously at the Healer who had started to reprimand her. They watched as the Healers revived Jupiter, and then went to her side as she began to cry for the loss of her lover and their child.

Endymion looked up as he heard Venus softly say, "I'm next." All he could do was to cup the back of her head with his hand and lean his forehead against hers. Neither said a word.

Two days later, Jupiter was still weak from the blood loss and pain, but was up and moving about.

Venus had not slept that entire time. She couldn't. She was waiting. She knew that it was coming.

At dinner later that evening, it happened. No dramatics. Venus simply slid from her chair to the floor. Her eyes staring at nothing. Not breathing. The Healer that Serenity insisted stay nearby began to treat her. It took longer for him to bring her back than it did the others but she did come back. Tears rolled down her face as she stared mutely into the eyes of her friends.

When she was finally able to speak, it was the last words she would speak for a day.

"The witch is coming."

The witch and her army arrived on the moon, but not before laying waste to the other planets in the solar system. There were few survivors on each planet, the royal families were dead. Queen Serenity's advisors told her that those who survived would probably die in less than one Earth year because the witch and her minions destroyed not only food but also the very land.

The whereabouts of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were unknown. All knew that Sailor Pluto could not leave the Gates of Time. And Sailor Saturn still lay sleeping.

The people on the Moon could only watch as Beryl and her army arrived on the Moon. Mages had tried spells to shield the Moon, but they were of no use. Beryl broke through the shield spells as if they were nothing.

To the great horror of everyone, the Shitennou lead Beryl's army as her chosen generals. Endymion was shaken to his very core at the thought of their betrayal. But it was Mercury, with her keen intellect and her trusted computer, who realized the truth.

"Those…things…are not the Shitennou." She announced. Courtiers made cries of disbelief and derision. She glared at them. "They are NOT the Shitennou. Those are their bodies, yes, but what are inside those bodies are demons. I do not know how the witch did it, but she put demons inside the bodies of the Shitennou."

Serenity, Endymion and her sister Senshi could only stare as they tried to grasp the horrifying idea that the bodies of their friends and lovers had been desecrated in such a manner. Serenity hid her face in Endymion's shoulder while he stared stonily into the distance.

Mars spoke, her violet eyes harder than diamonds. "I will NOT allow some demon to violate my Jadeite's body. I will turn his body to ashes before the Moon makes another rotation around the Earth!" The others nodded their agreement with her.

Venus rose from her chair. "It's time." The others stood with her. They looked at each other but did not speak. They did not hug but merely clasped each other's hands before going to their posts.

The Army of the Moon was losing. Slowly, surely, desperately. The army kept retreating back towards the castle. As they retreated, they left behind more and more people who were dead or dying to the less than tender mercies of Beryl and her army. All who fought for the Moon fought with everything they had and more. But none fought harder than Prince Endymion of Earth and the Sailor Senshi, Guardians of Princess Serenity. Even the Princess fought in her own way. She flung great spells to paralyze the enemy, to shield her own army, her Senshi and her Prince. She cast spells of Healing and of Strength and Energy to bolster them.

If it was humanly possible, it was done to defend the Moon, but it was all for naught.

In droves the soldiers of the Army of the Moon died. Then, one by one the valiant Senshi died as well: Mercury first, Jupiter, Mars and lastly Venus.

The witch Beryl laughed as she strode across the broken body of Sailor Venus. She had spotted the one that she hated the most: Princess Serenity. She could see the tears running down the pale face of that disgusting woman. She raised her staff and sent a spell of Death towards her greatest enemy.

But it was blocked. By Prince Endymion.

Serenity screamed as he crumbled to the ground lifeless.

Beryl cursed vilely. She raged at the unhearing Serenity.

"Queen Beryl." General Kunzite approached her side. "We have won. The Army of the Moon is defeated!"

"Won? The man I wanted is dead and the little bitch that stole him from me is still alive. How could we have won?"

"My Queen. Use the Moon Princess. Use her against the people of this Galaxy to ensure their obedience to you. Once you have it, you can dispose of her however you wish."

Beryl's red eyes gleamed at the idea. "Yes, yes! I shall use her!" She turned to look at the Princess of Nothing and screamed. "You are MINE! I shall use you any way I wish and before I am done with you, you will beg me to kill you. But I won't, I shall give you to my demons for them to use you in whatever way they desire!"

Serenity ignored her. If she even heard the witch's screaming. She hummed a little tune to herself as she cast a spell. The bodies of her Senshi suddenly appeared and she carefully placed Venus and Jupiter to one side of Endymion then placed Mercury and Mars on the other side. She cast another spell. This one restored their bodies to perfection: their clothes no longer tattered and torn, their hair neat about their shoulders, their wounds gone.

Beryl stepped closer to the thieving whore. Her other Generals had joined her. General Nephrite looked at the humming girl. "My Queen, I believe that girl has gone mad."

Beryl turned on him and blasted him with a spell, knocking him to his knees. "Mad? She's gone mad?! No! I will not have that. I will not allow her to escape me! I will do what I wish with her!"

"I will not be your puppet."

Beryl turned and looked. Serenity knelt next to Endymion. She was smiling. "I will not be your puppet." She repeated. "Ever." At that, Serenity plunged Endymion's sword through her breast. She fell across his body. Blood poured across the pair and onto the ground.

Beryl's scream of rage was drowned out by Queen Serenity's scream of grief. Before the echoes even stopped, a great white light came from the tower where Beryl knew the Moon Queen hid. It roared down like a great tsunami.

Beryl screamed orders to flee but it was too late.

The light flowed down and covered Serenity, Endymion and the Senshi then, without pause, overwhelmed Beryl, her Generals and her army.

Beryl had won but the victory was brief and meaningless.

The white light consumed the Moon and spread out across the Galaxy.

All was quiet…

…Until the white light faded and the Earth was reborn.

The End