*******************************************************
**A Soul Reclaimed**
By Brickgirl
Brickgirl@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/palace/7112
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and friends do not belong to me.
                  Adonis, Thalia, and this story do.
**Part 9: Of Birth And Battle**
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        Crystal Tokyo returned to its former peace.  A collective breath
was held by all,
awaiting the next attack, but it never came.  Repairs were made and
hearts were eased.
The excitement of the city grew as the months flew by and the birth of
the princess
approached.  They spoke of the attractiveness of the child, having such
a handsome
father and an mother of such unearthly, ethereal beauty.  Others spoke
of the Senshi,
wondering if they would settle down and have children of their own.  Few
knew of the
king's Generals from the Silver Millennium.  It was still painful for
the Senshi to think of.
Though it had been over two thousand years, having regained all of their
memories so
recently, it felt much shorter.
        Many talked of the new Senshi, the long lost Senshi of Earth.
Not many had seen
her, as she rarely ventured from the palace, but those who had spoke of
her fiery hair and
large, sad hazel eyes.  Being of Earth, those of the city felt a special
preference for their
Guardian, and many prayed for her to overcome her sadness.
        And as this time of celebration approached, no one in the city
sensed the impending
darkness that threatened them, hanging overhead like a malevolent
vulture, ready to
strike at the first sign of weakness.  Such is the power of darkness.
Shadows remain
underfoot in the presence of light.  It is only when night falls and
they swarm and bury all
that the threat is finally seen, too late.
        Only the truest warriors can sense the danger in time.  Then the
choice is up to
them; whether or not the light they possess within is strong enough to
defeat the
darkness, or if they will let all they hold dear be lost.  To most the
choice may seem
simple: fight and win, or fight and die fighting.  To a broken soul,
though, things are
never quite as clear.
__________

        Endymion and Serenity sat together on a small sofa in their
private quarters.
Endymion smoothed a stray piece of hair from her pale face, marveling
the soft beauty
that pregnancy had added to her delicate features.
        Serenity murmured something that Endymion couldn't quite make
out.  "What
was that, Usako?"
        Serenity smiled, hearing her pet name that he had hung on to
from their childhoodÕs
when they were still not quite aware of what fate held in store for
them.  "I said that I've
been worrying about Thalia recently."
        "She seems to have been all right since she rejoined the Senshi,
officially,"
Endymion said carefully.  He had never really told her about the odd
conversation
between Thalia and Luna the day she had fled from his presence.  He felt
somewhat
guilty, keeping it from her, but felt that Thalia would wish him to, if
she knew that he
had heard her.
        Serenity sighed.  "She never told anyone what happened to her,
where she
was all these years.  Something seems to be haunting her, most likely
that.  I just wish I
knew why she feels she can't tell us."
        "I'm sure she will when the time is right."  Endymion paused,
picking his words
carefully.  "Perhaps it's something that she feels is so horrible, that
we would lose all
respect for her."
        "She is my sister.  Maybe not by blood, but by spirit.  Nothing
that she could tell me
could make me think any less of her.  No matter what may have happened
to her, her soul
is pure.  I would know if it were otherwise."
        "Perhaps you should tell her that."
        Serenity rested her head on his chest, listening to the strong,
soothing beat of his
heart.  "Perhaps I should."
__________

        But the days past and Serenity said nothing to her friend.  She
felt badly about it, but
as the life inside her grew, she grew more afraid for her forming
daughter.  She knew that
the young girl that she had met so many years ago, Chibi-Usa, had just
been a possible
future, a possible daughter.  There was still a chance that someone
could harm her
daughter, or take her away from her mother.  Those crystal monsters
hadn't returned, but
from her years as a warrior, Serenity knew better then to be tricked
into thinking that an
enemy had given up.
        So she woke each day, remembering Setsuna's words, meaning to
talk to Thalia, but
then would feel a movement inside of her, and stop.  She needed Thalia
right now.  The
last thing she wanted to do was to scare her off or bring about some
kind of breakdown.
Thalia did seem fine, so she figured that it wouldn't hurt to wait.  If
she saw that Thalia
did need someone to talk to, then she wouldn't hesitate to do so.
        In the end, it wasn't her who made the decision.
__________

        ". . . and then Makoto tried to sneak up behind me, but I
flipped out of the way and
caught her from behind."  Thalia slammed her fist into her palm for
emphasis.  "You
should have seen it Luna!  It would have been more fun if Ami hadn't
been busy in the
lab, but it was so exciting to finally get to train against the other
senshi by myself.  I
never understood why you didn't let me do that back on the Moon.  I
could have handled
it."
        Luna finished licking her paw and hopped down from Thalia's bed.
She padded
over to the chair where the exuberant yet exhausted warrior sat, or
rather, sprawled.  "It
was never a question of you being able to face the other senshi alone.
I knew from day
one that you were capable of that."
        Thalia blinked.  "Then why . . ."
        "Because your duty is not just in protecting the royal family,
but your fellow senshi
as well."  Luna hopped up onto the arm of the chair and settled
comfortably.  "Thalia,
your power is by far the greatest of the Inner Senshi.  Maybe great
enough to rival that of
the Outers.  The Senshi of Earth is meant as a last defense to protect
the Royal Family of
the Moon, in case the other senshi cannot.  Your power is testament to
that.  But it is also
your duty to make sure that that is never a necessity, that there is
nothing that the Inner
Senshi cannot face.  That is why I always had you train with at least
one partner.  You
would have done fine on your own, but you need to practice teamwork.
One does not
practice that which they are capable of, rather, that which they have
trouble with."
        Thalia scratched behind the cat's ears listening to her purr.
"You're still the best,
Luna.  Do you ever miss being able to change to human form?"
        "Not really.  I was always more comfortable as a cat.  There
have been times, though
. . ."  Luna trailed off.  Thalia swore that she was blushing. The cat
quickly shook it off.
"The biggest advantage of my human form was my ability to protect Queen
Serenity.
The new Queen has the Senshi, though, so I'm certainly not needed in
that regard
anymore.  And cats can certainly give fine advice."
        "To anyone who will listen," teased Thalia, rumpling the cat's
fur.  Luna hissed,
jumping out of reach.
        "I just finished smoothing that down, Thalia!"
        The girl stood, towering over the small cat.  She grinned at her
with a wicked gleam
in her eyes.  "And what can you do about it?"
        Luna looked up at the girl, then glanced at the large closet
across the room.
        Thalia's smile dissolved in an instant.  "You wouldn't."
        Luna leapt into the closet as Thalia landed on the floor where
the cat had been a
moment ago.  She heard the sound of fabric shredding.  Several pink
threads fluttered to
the floor.  "Luna!"  Thalia screamed.  "That's my best blouse!"
        "Pink doesn't suit you anyway," came the muffled reply.  Thalia
growled and dove
into the closet.  The sounds of a large battle ensued.
        The door to Thalia's room opened, and Endymion poked his head
in.  "Thalia?  Are
you there?"
        A small black streak flew out the door,  "Just going to check on
the Queen!" Luna
yelled cheerfully as she sped down the hall, out of sight.
        Thalia stormed out of the closet, carrying a ball of shredded
pink silk that may have
once been an article of clothing, though it was hard to believe so.
"Luna!  When I get my
hands on you . . ."  She paused when she saw the King standing in the
doorway, then
bowed.  "Your Majesty."
        Endymion nodded his head.  "Thalia.  I was wondering if I could
have a word with
you."  She nodded, too quickly.  He cracked the door and took a seat on
the chair.  Thalia
sat on the edge of her bed, feeling uneasy.  She felt nothing of Beryl
inside of her, as in
their last encounter, but her memories were as strong as ever.
        "What can I help you with, your Majesty?"  She tried to keep her
voice cheerful.  It
rang artificial in her ears.  "Is there anything wrong with the Queen?"
        "No, she's feeling fine.  She's keeping to bed now, with the
delivery so near."  He
smiled the smile of a man who knows he will soon be a father.  "It could
be any day
now."
        Thalia smiled too, feeling her defenses lower a bit. "I'm sure
your very excited."
        "Nervous, actually.  I've never been around babies before.  I
just hope I don't do
anything stupid, like drop her."
        Thalia couldn't help giggling at that comment.  Endymion looked
surprised for a
moment, then realized how foolish he must have sounded, and began to
laugh as well.
The two went one for several minutes, then finally stopped, out of
breath.  They looked at
each other and smiled like old friends.
        "Thalia, I know we never have been close friends, but I want you
to know that if you
ever need anyone to talk to, about anything at all, you can trust me."
        Thalia felt her defensive walls break loose.  She looked at
Endymion, gratitude
shimmering in her eyes.  "Thank you."
        "And I want you to know that Serenity and I trust you
completely."
        The walls clamped back into place.  'If you only knew' floated
across her thoughts,
but she pushed it as far away as she could.  "I am honored, your
Majesty," she managed
through a suddenly dry throat.
        "Please, call me Endymion.  All of the other Senshi do."
        "If you wish . . ."  The door suddenly burst open.  A frantic
Luna flew in.  Thalia
noted a pink thread still caught in her teeth.
        "What's wrong Luna?"  Thalia asked.  "Has their been another
attack?"
        "No," the cat gasped.  "Serenity just went into labor."
        All of the color drained out of Endymion's face.  For a moment,
Thalia was afraid he
was going to pass out.  Then he steadied himself and raced out the door,
with Thalia and
Luna close behind him.
        He made it to almost the end of the hall before he fainted.
__________

        Serenity gritted her teeth as another contraction shook her
body.  Ami,  the attending
doctor, held her hand until it passed.  "Are you holding up all right?
Are you sure you
don't want an epidurel?"
        Serenity gave a curt nod.  "Where's Mamo-chan?" she gasped,
sounding very much
like she had when she was a young girl.
        "I sent Luna to get him and Thalia," Makoto answered from the
doorway.  "They
should be here any moment."
        As if to answer her, a knock sounded at the door.  Makoto
answered it.  Thalia
stumbled in with Endymion in her arms.  "Here's the supportive husband,
per your
request, Serenity," Thalia remarked dryly as she deposited her burden on
the bed next to
Serenity.  The Queen looked at her unconscious husband and chuckled
weakly.  "I hope
he wakes up in time."
        Rei cackled from across the room.  "I told you Minako!  That's
twenty bucks!"
        Minako shuffled and muttered something.
        "What was that?"
        "I said 'No fair.  You're an empath.'"
        "You made the bet, dear."
        "Stop fighting you two," Ami scolded.  "Save it for another
time.  It's inappropriate
right now."  Satisfied that Rei and Minako looked properly ashamed, Ami
turned back to
the Queen, who was in the middle of another contraction.  "They're
coming very close
together now.  It could be any time."
        Endymion groaned, sitting up.  "What . . .?"  He looked over to
see the condition his
wife was in.  His jaw dropped.  "Ohmygodissheokwhatcanido?"
        "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Thalia whispered to
Makoto.  The taller girl
nodded.
        "Hopefully, he'll pass out again soon.  For both his and
Serenity's sake."
__________

        Serenity smiled as the cries of her baby grew quiet.  Ami
cleaned off the baby gently
across the room.
        "Let me hold her," Serenity said eagerly.  Ami laughed.
        "Let me finish cleaning her off.  She's so adorable.  She looks
just like you."  The
tiny infant gurgled and wiggled in Ami's arms.  Ami smoothed her tiny
pink curls.  The
baby yawned and closed her eyes.  "I think she just went to sleep."
        Serenity sat up with an effort to meet her new daughter.  The
Senshi and Endymion
gathered around her, and Luna hopped up on the bed.  "Artimis is going
to be furious
when he finds out he missed this," Luna murmured to herself.  "I
remember when
Serenity was born, he . . ."  A sudden thought struck her.  "Your
Majesty, wait a moment .
. ."
        Her words were unheeded.  As the infant touched Serenity's
hands, a bright light
flared up, surrounding the two.  The others cried out and backed away
from the bed,
shielding their eyes.  The baby awakened and began to cry.
        "What's going on?  Usako!" cried Endymion.  He tried to step
towards the bed, but
whatever force was creating the light held him back.
        "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong," Luna called from across
the room.
        The Ginzuishou suddenly appeared near the ceiling, over the bed.
It slowly
descended towards the two figures, drawing the light with it.  The last
of the light
disappeared as the crystal was absorbed into the infant's chest.  A
crescent moon
appeared on the baby's forehead.
        "What," Serenity asked, touching a trembling finger to the
symbol on her daughter's
forehead, "was that?"
        Luna hopped back up to the bed.  "I'm sorry, your Majesty.  I
would have warned
you, but I only just remembered myself.  The same thing happened at your
birth.  I don't
remember all the details exactly, but it has something to do with the
passing down of the
power of the line of Serenity.  The magic is too much for a newborn to
handle, so the
Ginzuishou must shield her from her own magic.  It will stay inside of
her for a few
weeks, until she can cope with her power on her own.  This was brought
on by her first
contact with her mother outside of the womb."
        Serenity cuddled her daughter.  "As long as she is all right."
        "Can I hold her?" Endymion asked.  Serenity smiled and handed
their daughter to
him.  He held her uncomfortably until Ami arranged his arms in a better
position.  He
beamed at his tiny daughter and began singing to her softly.
        Thalia elbowed Makoto.  "I think we have one good
dad-in-the-making right there."
Makoto grinned in response.
        "Guys!"  Rei's voice sounded strained.  Everyone jerked their
head in her direction.
Her face was tight with fear.  "Transform, quick!  SomethingÕs coming!
I think it . . ."
        Rei never got a chance to finish.  A burst of energy shattered
the wall across from
the bed.  Everyone was thrown to the ground.  Ami managed to shield
Endymion and the
baby from the worst of the blast.  Thalia scrambled over to them.
        "Are you guys okay?"  Endymion nodded and the baby cooed,
unaware of the
danger.  Ami seemed shaken, but unharmed.
        "Give us the child!"  A portal opened in front of the shattered
hole in the wall.  A
crystal monster, larger then any that the Senshi had faced, stepped
through.  He held out a
clawed hand.  "Just hand over the child, and none of you will be
harmed."
        "In your dreams."  As if on cue, the five Senshi transformed.
Thalia drew her crystal
sword.  "You'll have to get through us first."
        "As you wish."  The creature gestured towards the portal, and
more crystal monsters
came through.  Thalia counted six in all.
        "Thalia!"  Endymion handed the infant to the startled senshi and
tore off his hospital
robe.  Underneath he wore his silver royal armor.  He drew his own
sword.  "Get the
Small Lady out of here!"
        "I have to protect . . ."
        "Get her out of here!  Mercury, Mars, go with her!"
        Thalia gaped.  "But . . ."
        Endymion turn towards her.  Thalia saw anger in his eyes, but
also a terrible fear, of
what these monster might do if they got their hands on his tiny,
defenseless daughter.
"Please, Thalia."
        Thalia turned and ran out the door, Mars and Mercury right
behind her.  She cradled
the precious bundle in her arms as she pounded down the hall.  She could
feel the
monsters thudding behind them, smashing everything in their path.
        "This isn't going to work," Thalia said to herself.  "We're just
going to get ourselves
trapped at a dead end somewhere."  She skidded to a halt at the end of
the hall, turning to
face the creature.  The other two Senshi stood at her sides.  Thalia
handed the baby
carefully to Mars.  She then nodded to Mercury, who nodded back, ready.
Drawing her
sword, Thalia leapt towards the monsters with a scream.
        She had never fought with such ferocity before.  She hacked and
slashed, a growl
building deep in her throat.  She beheaded one monster, then ran another
through,
viciously jerking her sword to make sure that she cut through its heart.
Three monsters
froze to her left, thanks to Mercury, and she shattered them each,
smashing them to bits
on the floor.  The last monster tried to retreat, but Thalia leaped onto
its back, driving her
sword straight down through its skull.  With a small gasp, it fell dead.
She jumped free
as it crashed to the ground, jerking her sword loose.
        Panting, she turned back to the other two senshi.  "Is she all
right?"
        Mars nodded, her eyes wide with shock.  Mercury looked at her
with something akin
to fear.  Talia ignored it.
        "I'm going back to make sure they're all okay.  Stay here with
the baby."  Not
waiting for a reply, Thalia turned and headed back the way they had
come.
        She was about halfway back when she heard a shrill scream.
Breaking into a run,
she turned the corner, racing down.  It was only as she reached the next
turn that she
realized she had turned the wrong way.  Biting back a curse, she spun,
nearly falling, and
raced to the room, bursting through the door.
        A horrific scene met her eyes.  The room had been turned into a
battlefield.  The
beds lay scorched and twisted at the far side of the room.  Venus lay
among the pieces of
the ornamental table that had stood near the door, while Jupiter half
sprawled out of a
hole in the wall.  Neither looked in good shape.
        Endymion lay against the wall, his sword shattered beside him.
His arm bent at an
angle it was obviously not meant to bend at.  Serenity was no where to
be seen.
        Thalia ran over to Endymion.  He appeared half conscious.  Blood
dripped into his
eyes from a gash on his forehead.  "Thalia?" he breathed.
        "What happened?  Where's Serenity?"
        Endymion moaned in pain.  "You left . . . more came . . . tried
to fight them . . ."  He
choked, a bloody tear sliding down his battered cheek.  "They took her .
. ."  His head slid
down the wall as he slumped into unconsciousness.
        Thalia backed away from him, cold fear gripping her heart.
        "No."
        She whirled around the wall the monsters had come through.  The
portal was gone.
She fell to her knees, hopelessness coursing through her.
        ÒNO!!!"
        Her scream ended in a choked cry, and she began to sob, knowing
that she had
failed Serenity once again.
__________

        "Serenity."  Something cold touched her face.  "Serenity, wake
up!"
        Serenity blinked, sitting up slowly.  "All right Luna, I'm up.
Now what . . ."  She
froze as she saw her surroundings, a small, windowless room with stone
walls.  She saw a
small wooden door, and started towards it.
        "Don't bother, it's locked.  I already checked."  Serenity
looked over to see Luna
sitting on the floor next to her.
        "Where are we?  How did you get here?"
        "When those . . . things grabbed you, I got a hold of your skirt
and got dragged along
for the ride.  They put you in here, where ever here is."
        Fear gripped Serenity.  "Did they get my daughter?  Is she
okay?"
        "Don't worry, we have no interest in her."  Serenity whirled
towards the door of her
cell as it opened.  A huge crystal creature ducked through the doorway.
Serenity gasped.
It was even bigger then the one that had demanded her daughter.  A
hooded cloak
shielded most of it's figure from view.
        "Glad to see that you are finally awake, your Majesty."  The icy
smooth voice made
Serenity shiver.
        "What have you done to my daughter?"
        The creature laughed.  It was not a pleasant sound.  "Don't
worry.  We have
absolutely no interest in that bastard child of yours."
        Anger pushed its way past Serenity's fear.  "How dare you!" she
hissed.
        "No, daughter of Serenity.  How dare YOU disgrace your line and
your position by
marrying a Terren."  His voice shook with fury.  "You delude your
Lunarian blood with a
half-breed daughter!"
        "What do you mean by 'daughter of Serenity'?  How do you know so
much about
me?"  Serenity struggled to her feet with an effort.  She glared weakly
at the shadowed
figure.  "Who are you?"
        In response, the creature threw off it's cloak.  Unlike the
other monsters the Senshi
had faced, the crystal that formed this creature was transparent.
Serenity could make out
the human figure inside, but it looked . . . wrong, as if it had melted
into the crystal shell
that surrounded it.  Serenity gave an involuntary gasp of horror and
stepped back.
        The creature stepped back as well.  A slash of light from the
hallway outside fell
across its face.  The human face inside, distorted as it was, looked
familiar.
        "I . . . I know you," Serenity murmured.  "I knew you . . . a
long time ago . . . from
the moon."
        Luna stepped out of the shadows where she had been hiding.  The
small cat had a
grim look in her eyes.  "Hello Adonis," she spat.  "It's been quite a
while."

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Well, on that note . . .

I had to redo this part. Because of spring break, I did not have access
to my computer.
The lines came out wrong and I could not use spellcheck.

This story has gone back up to twelve parts, so it looks as if it won't
be ending until April.
Sorry, know it should have been done by now, but who ever thought there
would be so
much work to do in college?

Next Time:  Now that the enemy is revealed, a choice must be made that
could endanger
the lives of all.

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