Child of the Moon 2/?
by Meredith Bronwen Mallory
Rating: P-13 for imagery.

 He wasnıt alone. Somewhere, deep in his bones, Darien knew the presence 
wasnıt threatening. No, quite the opposite actually. The presence was soothing, 
even though it seemed to radiate pain even as it calmed. The presence was in 
pain... the princess, his princess, was in pain.
 ³Wait a second, how did I know that?² Darien asked aloud. His voice echoed 
emptily off the deserted corridors 
 ³You know,² another voice, different from the one in his dreams and different 
from that of his princess, spoke, ³Because your soul is connected with Serenity. 
When she is in pain, you are in pain, and vise versa.² Gasping, Darien looked 
down to see a small black cat at his heels.
 ³Wha...?² he asked, ³You can talk!?² The cat looked rather peeved, but replied
 evenly;
 ³Yes, I can. And you, Darien, have much more important things to worry about 
than whether or not I can speak. You must help us save Princess Serenity. Her 
soul is in a great deal of pain, she will not be able to take much more.²
 ³Princess Serenity?² Darien asked, sitting down on his haunches to look at the 
cat eye to eye.
 ³Yes, the Moon Princess, the one youıve been dreaming about since before you
 can remember,² the cat informed him.
 ³How.. how could you know that?² Darien asked. The cat sighed, as if longing 
to get on with things. 
 ³Because you hold with in you the soul of Prince Endymion, heir to the throne of 
the Earth. You dream of Serenity because she is your one true love, those are your 
memories of your past life. Your soul is in much pain as well, from being forced to 
live without your soul mate. PLEASE,² the cat glanced around, as if suspicious that 
the shadows that hung about the room like heavy drapes, concealing some ultimate 
evil that could over hear them, ³PLEASE, you must help us find the Silver Crystal, 
Princess Serenity... she NEEDS you.² Darien looked at the cat with a mixture of 
sadness and hope.
 ³How can I find the Silver Crystal,² he asked, ³Iıve been searching for it all my life.² 
He thought back to the old shoe box once concealed beneath his bed at the orphanage. 
Any time the little nine year old boy would see a pretty stone, be it a rock on the street 
or a rhinestone clip misplaced by one of the girls, he had taken it and placed it in the 
box, hoping against hope that THIS stone would be the one he searched for. But, he 
knew in his heart, each time, that not a one of the stones was pretty enough, special 
enough, or powerful enough to be the Silver Crystal he sought
 ³How can you be sure Iım the one youıre looking for?² he asked, the last shred of 
his cynical, logical mind fighting against the part of him that was screaming for his 
Princess, knowing that this was right. The cat looked up at him with ruby red eyes, 
almost mournful.
 ³Had you not been the one, you wouldnıt be here. The shields were created to keep 
everyone out. Everyone, save you.²

 Suddenly, a whining noise was heard, and Darien jerked his head up to see the 
computer screen in the far corner blink to life. 
 ³Whatıs going on...?² he asked.
 ³Artemis, my companion, must have gotten the network on line,² the cat explained, 
³By the way, my name is Luna. I was... Serenityıs guardian cat....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 They stood in the hall leading to the Princessı suite, talking in hushed whispers so as 
not to alert the senshi, or the Queen. Serenity reached a delicate hand up to touch 
Endymionıs face, shrouded in shadows from were they stood, hidden away by the 
roses at the bottom of the stairs.
 ³I canıt believe you came,² she smiled, blue eyes bright, ³If Mars finds you here...² 
She shuddered at the thought of her protective Martian friend.
 ³Now, how can you expect me not to come when I knew you would be here, princess?²
 he asked, voice low and insinuative.
 ³Oh, Endymion,² Serenity breathed, standing on her tiptoes so she could could kiss the 
prince. He laughed, wrapping his arms around her slim wait and lifting her up off the marble 
floor and onto the second step. She giggled, now they were eye to eye. Now Serenity closed 
her eyes, waiting for the inevitable kiss. She didnıt wait long. Endymion brought powerful, 
hungry lips down her own, petal soft ones, pulling her closer to his body as she wrapped her 
arms around her neck.
 ³Ahem!² a small, disembodied voice cleared itıs throat. Embarrassed, the couple drew apart 
and looked around for the source of the disturbance 
 ³Oh, Luna!² Serenity exclaimed, perturbed. Sure enough, the little black cat stood at the top 
of the steps, shaking her head slightly in disapproval The Princess sighed, obviously used to 
such disruptions of her fun, and leaned tiredly against Endymion. ³I canıt WAIT Œ'''til I get 
married and her job is done.² The prince laughed indulgently.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 ³Darien!² a paw batted at his leg, rooting the young spaceman from his memories. He looked
 down at the little cat, remembering his rather strong feelings of annoyance towards the feline 
nanny. He pushed them down, Serenity needed him. As strange and unexpected as this whole 
thing was, some part of him had been waiting his entire life to come here, to this palace on the 
moon. It felt like a homecoming, though the destruction all around him made it bittersweet.
 ³Yes, Luna?²
 ³Look!²the cat gestured towards the computer screen, which flashed brilliantly with a message. 
Mystified, Darien check the screen. 
 <HELP ME, ENDYMION> the message was blinking in red, seeming desperate against the black. 
Cautiously, the young man placed his hands on the unfamiliar keys, gazing at the foreign characters, 
which, before his very eyes blurred and morphed into those of his own alphabet. 
 ³What the...² he glanced at the screen, a new message had appeared
 <Please, Endy, help me.>
 (Who are you?) he typed. A low, heartbroken moan sounded, seeming almost to came from the walls 
themselves. The words surfaced in blue.
 <Serenity. Donıt you remember me, Endy... Darien?> He choked back a sob. He could feel her
 sorrow flowing into him, hear her silent prayers of Œdonıt let him have forgotten me, please, donıt 
let him have forgotten.ı
 (Of course I havenıt forgotten, Princess) he typed quickly. A pattern of brilliant colors formed on 
the screen, accompanied by a feeling of joy emanating from her presence. (Where are you?) he asked. 
The pattern faded.
 <Iım in the computer... my soul, is in the computer. Please, Darien, the computers, they canıt support 
my spirit much longer... the wirings... theyıre falling apart. Iım going to die!> 
 ³So thatıs why you need the Silver Crystal,² he said aloud. (What happened, how did you get in there?)
 <Oh, my prince,> the words were slow to come, <The final battle....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 ³Prepare to die, PRINCESS,² the enemy, a woman cackled, holding a bolt of energy high above her 
head, her face shadowed as she prepared to unleash the negative energy against the moon princess.
 ³NO!² Endymion jumped in front of the cornered Serenity, using his body as a shield 
 ³Endy, please!² the young woman pleaded with him.
 ³Iıll give you one chance, PRINCE,² the enemy said, her voice sending shivers of revulsion down 
Endymionıs spine, ³Join me, rule my side!² 
 ³Never, Beryl!² he spat back. The shadowed woman shook for a moment, before continuing in a 
hardened voice;
 ³Fine, who needs you!² She charged the energy further, ³If you love that child so much, DIE for 
her!² The purple energy was loosed, connecting painfully with his body. But the pain he felt physically 
was nothing compared the pain that pierced his heart as his princess screamed in terror. Next thing he 
knew, his head was cradled in her lap. He could feel his spirit being freed from his body, knew he was 
dying, but strangely, laying in her lap like that, he felt he had never known more piece. 
 ³No Endy... please, my prince, you canıt leave me,² Serenity cried silver tears. He looked up into her 
beautiful blue eyes, attempting to reach a hand up to brush away the stray golden locks that fell in her face. 
He only made it half way before his strength failed him. ŒMy darling,ı he wanted to say, ŒIıll never leave 
you, Iıll always be with you. Weıll be together, I promise. Please, princess, please donıt cry.ı but all he 
managed was;
 ³Oh, Serenity, I love you,² and then the darkness rushed over him in one terrifying wave. Observing the 
scene from above, the prince watched as his Princess cried over him brokenly.
 ³So, the pretty little princess lost her prince. Shame, shame. No happy ending this time!² the enemy 
said menacingly. 
 ³YOU!² Serenity spat as she gently rested the corpse of her prince on the marble floor, tenderly, as 
though he could still feel it. She stood, legs shaking with the effort to move against her battered bodyıs 
protests, fire in her cold blue eyes.
 ³Oh, Iım so scared!² the woman mocked. ³Just look what happened to all your pretty little friends 
while you were in here crying over the prince!² Before Serenityıs eyes flashed scenes of death... Mars, 
burned alive as Jadeite, one of Endymionıs own traitorous generals, deflected her burning mandala back 
at her. A scream as Mercury fell from the parapit where she had been battling Zoicite. She saw Kunzite 
raise the glittering length of Venusı sword, and bring it down on the senshi of love. And Jupiter, choked 
to death by Neflyte even as she continued to fight, even as she died for want of breath. 
 ³NO!² Serenity was enraged and weeping all at once. Then came the image that put her over the edge. 
Her mother, sliced in half, the moonwand falling from her hands. That same moon wand fell from the 
sky moments later, to be caught by the angry and vengeful princess, and wielded against the female 
enemy who laughed at her and destroyed her friends with her poisonous hatred. 
³IN THE NAME OF THE MOON I WILL PUNISH YOU!!!² And the crescent shaped wand, 
with itıs silver crystal center, was aimed at the gaping enemy. The heavens were silent, the battle 
stopped. As if in slow motion the energy, incredible and intense, radiated outward and destroyed 
every evil being in itıs path. So great was the amount of energy the young princess channeled, 
that it loosed her soul from itıs moorings and her body fell to the cold marble ground in a 
crumpled head of gold, white and flesh. The evil woman screamed and vanished, though whether 
she teleported or rightfully destroyed, no one knew. The moon was dead, and as Serenity's soul 
rose from her body to join with that of her beloved Endymion, something terribly wrong happened. 
The computers, saturated with both silver crystal energy and the negaforce, sucked her soul into 
their wirings, and the beautiful princess was encased forever in a tangle of wires and circuits The 
soul of Endymion screamed in utter agony, but was forced to the next plain. The words of his 
unspoken promise echoed on the now silent moon. ŒIıll never leave you, Iıll always be with you. 
Weıll be together, I promiseı

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Rocked by the force of his memories, the young man fell backwards, landing hard on the 
old marble.
 ³Darien, are you all right?² Luna asked. He nodded slowly, looking up at the now-dark
computer screen.
 ³Serenity?²
 ³The energy you two created taxed the network too much Sheıs still there, we just canıt 
talk to her,² explained the white cat who chose that moment to enter.
 ³Please rest now, your highness,² Luna requested,, ³Tomorrow we will begin our search.²
 ³Wait! What about Cray??² Darien asked, worried sick and feeling incredibly guilty for 
his negligence. Artemis nodded sympathetically.
 ³Donıt worry about Ms. Anderson,² he said reassuringly, ³Sheııs been encased in an air 
bubble and should sleep until we have finished.² Darien nodded slowly, rolling over on his 
side to get up. The two cats escorted him down the hallway, to one of the less damaged room,
 where, after some doing, he found a comfortable place to sleep, and concentrated on rest. As 
he closed his heavy eyelids, Darien swore he felt something warm brush up against him, and 
heard the voice of his beloved princess singing;
 ³I love the moon, the moon loves me, God bless the moon and God bless me.²