Hi, hi! Cosmos here! This is my first fanfic so please bare with me here. This fanfic takes place after the defeat of Galaxia and Chaos in the Sailor Moon Manga. For those who have never read the manga, you may not understand somethings. First of all, there will be many places in the story that mentions The Cauldron of the Stars. According to the manga, that is where all the Sailor Soldiers are born. Perhaps, to better understand the story, you should go and read the Sailor Moon Manga. However, it is not really necessary since this is a story in itself. Please, anyone, email me and tell me what you think of it. Since I want to improve on my fanfic writing I could sure use outside inputs. Critiques or praises are welcomed! Just email me at ml_eclipse@hotmail.com Oh, by the way, everyone knows that Sailor Moon and all the characters of Sailor Moon does not belong to me. It belongs to a magical kingdom known as Kodansha/Toei and to the princess Naoko Takeuchi. Well, enough of my babbling and let the show begin....! << >> = thoughts or anything else in italics ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Let not thy divining heart Forthink me any ill, Destiny may take thy part, And may thy fears fulfill; But think that we Are but turned aside to sleep; They who one another keep Alive, ne'er parted be. Serenity's Legend Part I: Dawn of the Quest A lone figure strolls through a deserted city, her long white cape flowing like smooth ocean waves behind her. Empty of any life, the skeletons of devastated buildings portray the only evidence that life was once abundant in this desolate wasteland. Dark sunken voids look out from the windows of these shattered buildings, providing the only audience to welcome home this solitary soldier. The emptiness and silence weighs heavily on her soul and mind, suffocating her. So deafening is the silence around her that she instinctively reaches up to cover her ears with her hands. A crude pungent smell of burning flesh reaches her nostrils, burning her throat as it slowly drifts into her lungs. Somewhere, far in the distance, faint sounds of thunder can be heard. She lifts her eyes and gaze toward the distant dark clouds, but no sign of rain can be seen. She should have known better, those noises were not thunder, but something far worse. Her body shivers as if a cold wind had blown by her. She lets her gaze drop on the distant horizon where a small peak of a shimmering object can be seen. Slowly she walks toward the object. Her pace is slow but steady as she picks her way through the path of destruction left by an unknown enemy. As she continues toward that distant peak, she is aware of something red at the corner of her eye. She turns her head and realizes that the object is a faint red ribbon waving desolately in the wind. Suddenly her heartbeat quickens: [flashback] << "Hurry! Just go!" said a girl in purple. "But..." she cried. "Look you are the only one who can do this. Don't worry about us, we'll be able to hold out until you return." "Yeah! You BETTER hurry, we don't have all day waiting here for you!" >> "No," she breathes. "Let it not be so!" She races toward the ribbon while her mind runs wild with excuses that this cannot be what she thinks it is. << This is probably only a piece of cloth from the buildings >>...she is within 5 feet...<< probably only a red marker >>...she is now within 2 feet and she can barely make out, beneath a huge gray cement block, two legs with one red shoe still on the left foot... << God no, it cannot be >>...she freezes, her heart battering within its cage, her mind screaming until she is sure that all the world can hear it...<< cannot be >>...a large sparkling tear slides down her cheek...my dear friend. Another crystal tear rolls down her cheek. She struggles desperately to keep her vision clear, but the tears only kept coming, one after another, until her eyes are flooded with the sorrow in her trembling soul. She can feel her knees give way beneath her. She launched herself at the huge cement block upon the body. With all her strength, she heaved the heavy gray block off the body while her soul cries out in sorrow. She grabs the body, violently shaking it as if her forceful action would bring her friend back. "Oh God, why did this happen? Why? WHY?!" She lifts her sad beautiful face, pale as moonlight, stained with crystal tears, upward to the ominous gray sky. Her eyes burning with intense hatred, accusing the sky as if it is the cause of her friends death. She gives a heart-wrenching scream, something that comes from deep within her soul. "NOOOoooooo!" She screams, screaming until her lungs were burning, her voice growing hoarse. Until she can scream no more. The skeletons of ruined buildings surrounding her seem to echo her pain as her scream is reverberated through the entire city. Bent over, she sobs uncontrollably over the dead body. Slowly she gathers the lifeless body and swung it over her shoulder. She continues on her way toward the peak, but now her heart is in pieces. Finally, she reaches the object where the visible small peak revealed an immense building all covered in thick shining crystal. Obviously distance has played a trick on her eyes, making them believe that the peak of this great building was only a small object. She steps through the crystal wall as if it was not there. Inside, her pace quickens as she heads toward a magnificent white marble staircase leading down towards the heart of the building; carrying the heavy body she descends into the heart of the crystal palace. She reaches a large white door ornate with curious designs of strange battles fought long ago. Creatures of myth are found on these designs; one design has a small young maiden tenderly holding the head of a magnificent white horse with large wings and a golden horn. Another image has a tall young woman with two pointed balls on her head from which trails long flowing pink hair. The young woman is portrayed as kneeling with her head bent under an upheld crown of delicate designs. Oblivious to the multitudes of images, the lone soldier speaks out in a stern command to the door, "Door of Eternity allow me entry!" Upon the last word, the door began to rumble and shake as it opens its huge gates to reveal an immense room hidden behind it. The hot white light reflected off dazzling crystal walls races out and catches her eyes, momentarily blinding her, but after a few quick blinks her eyes grow accustom to the intense brightness of the room. Her mind motions her to go, but her body hesitates. For a few moments, she simply stood there as if fearing of what lies within the room. She can feel tears beginning to surge to the surface of her eyes. She struggles with her emotions. Finally, for what seems like an eternity, she clenches her fist and takes a determine step inside. The content of the room opens before her, and now it is understood why she had hesitated. Unfolded before her wavering gaze, hovering steadily in the air, five crystal coffins are laid out in two parallel rows expanding across the width of the room. The bodies of five dead soldiers were laid inside it long ago. She walks down between the rows, her eyes flickering from one coffin to the next. << Sailor Jupiter...Sailor Uranus...Sailor Neptune...Sailor Mercury...Sailor Venus...>> her mind numbly calls out their names... "And Sailor Mars," she says as she reaches the end of the row. She raises her arm before the empty space, and as she slowly opens her hand, a bright light cuts through the floor rising up through the ceiling. The light increases in intensity as it reaches the body of Sailor Mars, bathing her body in red light. Once the light disappeared Mars's body is sealed within a crystal coffin similar to the others. She stood there awhile, staring at Mars vacantly. Her mysterious azure-colored eyes darken with the intensity of her grief, and anger to those who did this to her friends. The longer she stood there, the darker her blue eyes became until fiery blue flames of vengeance can be seen in them. If her friends had lived to see her now, they would not recognize her through the rage that is threatening to consume her soul. Never before has this soldier been succumbed to such emotions. Suddenly her eyes soften to a sad dull blue as she went to the distant corner of the room where another, a sixth crystal coffin is seen. "Darien...," a sad sigh escaped her mouth as she stood gazing tenderly at the body of a man in a velvet lavender cape and tuxedo. << And I never had a chance to say goodbye. >> Suddenly she heard faint breathing nearby, and a weak voice calling out to her from a distant corner of the room, "Sailor...Cosmos." Cosmos instantly recognizes the voice, "Eternal Sailor Saturn?! Saturn, where are you?" Her heartbeat quickens and she gazes frantically about the room, looking for her friend. "Over here," a bare whisper is heard. Cosmos turns around and sees a slender hand with delicate fingers moving at the base of Uranus' coffin. Quickly, she rushes over and holds Saturn's frail body within her arms. Cosmos's mouth opens but no audible sound can be heard from it; so shocked is she by the sight of the pool of blood around her friend and Saturn's torn bow and skirt that she cannot speak. The young girl's face is smeared in blood with deep cuts on her cheeks and forehead. Saturn looks up at Cosmos's face with sad purple eyes, eyes that contain more wisdom than her young face may portray. She has skin unlike any other Cosmos has seen. Her translucent skin is so pale that it almost looks white, highlighting her purple eyes and rosy lips, giving her young face a unique beauty that is both sad and mysterious. Saturn attempts a faint smile but the pain stops her. "What has happened to you?" Sailor Cosmos cried. "What had happened to Mars? I thought you said you were able to hold out. Why did you lie to me?! Why did you two attempt to hold ground when you knew you couldn't?" "It was the only way to get you to go," Saturn whispered with pain, "to the past." "I'm so sorry," Cosmos cried. "I could not make her do it. I could not make her destroy the cauldron of the stars." Saturn simply smiles, though with much pain in her heart and her body. Cosmos's eyes widen, "You knew, didn't you? You knew that Eternal Sailor Moon would never destroy it, didn't you? But why, if you knew it was a hopeless mission, then why risk yourselves so that I can return to the past?" "The journey was more to teach you, then to prevent the Sailor Wars," Saturn whispers. "When you became Sailor Cosmos, there is one thing deep inside yourself that you lost. You had forgotten your confidence and determination; you had forgotten the light of hope. But Eternal Sailor Moon had not. Therefore, the only way to have you remember was to have you confront Sailor Moon herself. And I see that that confrontation had helped you." "Yes," Cosmos whispers sadly. Once again she sees Eternal Sailor Moon, a look of innocence and hope lightens her face, as she stood before the cauldron facing Chaos. Sailor Moon's voice echoes in her mind, "We want to always live together, and together we will make our own future. The light of hope in our hearts and the love that we share with each other will guide us through any hardship that we will encounter. Together the Sailor Soldiers will triumph and peace WILL come." "Such strength, such hope and life..." Cosmos whispers. "Indeed she was strong, Saturn. Stronger than I will ever be. Even confronting such danger as Chaos herself, Sailor Moon still wanted to live her life, and to continue to believe in the future of this universe, a belief that I have lost long ago, along with the death of our friends," Cosmos whispers in a tone of intense sadness, and utter desolation. "I know this will be extremely hard for you Cosmos, but your destiny will lead you to encounter the past once again." "What?! Are you telling me to go to the past again? Are you mad?" exclaimed Cosmos. Saturn nods in silent confirmation. "Is that a nod as in 'Yes you have to go back to the past or Yes I am mad'?" Cosmos asks cockily. "Hold your peace and listen!" Saturn said impatiently, her eyes for a moment flash darkly. "I fear I don't have much time, so just listen! Do you remember how Chaos appears to mainly target King Endymion in every battle? I have always wondered why Sailor Chaos was so deeply interested to see to it that Darien is eliminated. Perhaps she knows something that we do not know, Cosmos. And something that Darien himself doesn't know either." "And the way Darien died," Cosmos says silently. She can remember the event as clearly as if it had happened only moments before, not years before. It was during an intense battle against one of Chaos's minions, when suddenly Tuxedo Mask fell to the ground clutching his chest in pain. "Before Mercury," Saturn's mournful voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, "before Mercury sacrificed herself in that huge inferno in the Crystal Point Strategic Operations room she had just discovered unexpected information regarding a certain period in time after Galaxia's defeat at the Cauldron. Do you remember anything after that event?" Cosmos stared in silence; she delves deep into her mind to recall any sound, any images of the time which Saturn is referring to. But surprisingly all she can call on is darkness. She cannot remember anything from that time. "But had we not all been transferred directly to Crystal Tokyo in the future after that battle? I thought that Serenity and the other Sailor Soldiers were instantly transported to the future?" Saturn sadly shook her head, "That was what we had all thought because that was all that we can remember; but Mercury found out that we continued with our lives normally until our destinies led us to 29th century Tokyo. At which time Neo-Queen Serenity awakened the Earth and created Crystal Tokyo, and the time of the new Silver Millenium begin. Haven't you ever wondered why the Earth was covered in ice and the entire population placed in dormancy?" "But the answer to that question had been discovered already, long ago in 30th century Crystal Tokyo," Cosmos said. "There was some unknown natural catastrophe that had struck the earth and caused it so." "That was what we were all led to believe," whispers Saturn, the pains from her wounds are clearly making her ability to speak more and more difficult. "Actually, Mercury discovered that the Sailor Soldiers had encountered another enemy, deadlier than Galaxia, after the Sailor Star Battle. It was this knowledge that Mercury sacrificed her life to protect, so that we may have access to it later. Something had happened," Saturn strained to speak as the pain grows more unbearable, "Something had happened to us all, Sailor Cosmos, in that post-war period that is costing our lives now in the future. Something had prevented us from remembering the event that had occurred then. You must...you must go back again and find out what went wrong. Perhaps the solution to the Sailor Wars can be found in that missing link in time. You must find out..." Saturn gasped the last few words when suddenly her body stiffens, and her eyes grow completely dark and lifeless. "SATURN?!" Cosmos screams, tears drifting down her face. "Sailor Saturn, no! You cannot leave me. Please do not leave me alone. Please, I need you." Cosmos cries desolately, "No". After a few minutes, she regains her calmness and quietly calls forth another coffin for Saturn. Once Saturn's body is safely placed inside the coffin, Cosmos whispers in a deadly tone, " I will find out what this is all about! Even if I have to tear down the very fabric of this universe." She turns around as white mist forms in front of her and fades to reveal the Space-Time Door.