I have been a huge fan of these two series for so long, but I do not own either of them.
The Sky Above
"Where are they?!"
"Just a little further ahead…"
All around them the rubble of the grand marble arches trembled under the heavy footsteps of the enemy. Clashes of steal struck like lightning while battle cries echoed in the distance. Smoke filled the sky, red with anger and pain.
The Moon Kingdom was burning.
Light footfalls raced through the wake of the destruction towards the sounds of anguished screams.
"Venus!"
Snapping to attention, the blonde turned to watch as two figures immerged from the settling dust.
"Mercury, Mars…" Their leader nodded with acknowledgment, her fists clenched. "Report?"
The pair of eyes swept momentarily over the hunched figure of the moon princess, sickened by the amount of blood covering the front of her pale gown.
"Not good," Mars spoke, her furious eyes settling on anything other than the sobbing girl. "We're being overwhelmed."
"Their numbers exceed anything we could have ever imagined." The Mercurian frowned, her voice distant as she ran all the numbers through her mind again and again. How could they have missed this? Where had they gone wrong?
Glassy eyes watched as ash drifted in from the gaping hole in the ceiling, sticking to eyelashes and smearing on their wet, tired faces. For a moment the remaining castle walls provided a false sense of sanctuary from the raging war outside and all was still.
"Jupiter?"
"She went north to try to provide the queen some cover."
Surveying the surrounding ruins of what had been the grand ballroom, Venus had to suppress the urge to vomit. Closing her eyes, the golden beauty took a deep breath, pushing her panic aside and clearing her mind.
"Mercury, I need you to come with me." The blue haired girl nodded. "Mars, I want you to take Serenity and head for the transportation pad. I need you to get her off the moon."
"But—"
"No buts. I need you do everything in your power to get Serenity away from here. The queen is going to be in a bind until she knows Serenity is safe and I need to rally the remaining troops."
It was a weak excuse, but the red warrior couldn't argue with the steady determination in her leader's blue eyes.
Content with Mars' relenting scowl, Venus motioned for Mercury. Casting one last infamous 'V' over her shoulder, they departed back into the erupting chaos.
Mars couldn't look at his ashen face as she pried the screaming princess away. This had been his fault to begin with and now his blood was on her hands.
He was weak and this was all his fault.
Serenity struggled feebly against Mars' iron grip as her free hand reached out to grasp for his, but it was too late. They had turned too many corners, struck down too many enemies before Serenity had registered he was gone.
Endymion was dead.
The moon princess let Mars guide her up and through the ruins of her once beautiful home, barely stopping to cut down those who stood in their way. Her breathing was labored and the gash in her side was slow to heal, but her fire roared with unmatched ferocity.
As they neared the command chambers Mars' pace slowed, allowing Serenity to catch her breath against a crumbling pillar. It was a dead end. This part of the castle had apparently experienced a cave-in, leaving the transportation pad under piles of stone and debris.
Cursing, the Martian warrior spun on her heels, turning to address the struggling princess.
"We—" Mars' words were cut short as a cold feeling passed through the room.
"Jupiter…" Violet eyes cut to the princess' blank expression. So she had felt it too.
"We need to hurry," the red soldier said, ignoring the way her own voice wavered. "Luna and Artemis kept a transportation pad in their wing."
Mars frowned as Serenity's arm lay limp in her grasp.
Soon enough they found themselves on the grand staircase leading to the west wing. This part of the castle had remained nearly untouched and it was clear to Mars that, while the enemy seemed brutish and uncontrollable, they knew exactly where to focus their efforts.
Had someone betrayed them?
Shaking off the thought, Mars made to move up the stairs when another empty chill seized her.
Mercury…
Blinking the tears from her eyes, Mars yanked harshly on the princess' wrist, her urging more desperate now, but the princess remained unmoved.
"No! We can't!" Ripping the hand away from the startled warrior, hot tears dripped from Serenity's chin. "We have to go back! WE HAVE TO SAVE THEM!"
The sudden sting of Mars' hand across her cheek brought the harshness of reality into perspective.
"I'm sorry, Serenity." The Senshi's words were quiet as her bangs covered her eyes. "But, they're gone. There isn't anything we can do for them."
"T-this… this is all my fault…" Sinking to her knees, the silver-haired princess curled into herself. "All my fault."
Alarmed by how the princess' eyes seemed to grow dimmer, Mars hauled her back to her feet.
She couldn't give up now. They were so close.
"Mars." The girl's head jerked up as a new voice called to her.
"Pluto," she breathed at sight of the tall woman looming ominously atop the staircase, bathed in the natural glow of the moon. Though the sight of a comrade was always a welcomed one, the hooded look in the mysterious woman's ruby eyes left Mars with a new sense of dread.
Why was she here of all places?
Without even realizing it, Mars had slowly made her way up the staircase to stand in front of the taller woman.
"I need you two to follow me," Pluto calmly gestured with her Garnet Rod before turning down the hallway.
Mars glanced over her shoulder, knowing Luna and Artemis' chambers were located in the other direction. After a long moment of hesitation, the Soldier of War followed, her violet eyes curiously burning into the older woman's back.
Like all of the Outers, she knew very little about the Senshi of Pluto. They had only officially met once or twice throughout her lifetime. Even then, Mars had noticed how the mysterious Senshi had kept a formal distance from her younger counterparts; more adept to observe than to interact. It had made her seem untouchable then, but now Mars couldn't help but wonder if she had kept it that way for a reason.
Had she always known it would come to this?
Mars was jarred from her thoughts as the taller woman came to a stop in front of a set of stone doors. Though she had combed these hallways nearly her entire life, the Senshi of Mars felt like this was her first time laying eyes on the beautifully carved arches of such an imposing frame.
"Mars," her voice was quiet and yet Pluto's words seemed to resonate loudly in the younger girl's ears, "there is not much time left. The queen is dead and the Silver Crystal has been lost."
"Mother…" Serenity murmured in a distant whisper.
"This world cannot be reborn without the queen's power." Pluto's voice was eerily steady as garnet eyes fell upon the silver head of the princess. "To keep the evil from consuming this universe, we will be awakening Saturn."
Mars' mouth ran dry as she processed Pluto's words.
"This world is ending." Nimble fingers carefully unfastened the chain situated around her waist. Clutching a small key in her hand, the Guardian of Time looped a silver chain over the moon princess' head. "But there is still hope."
The key settled in the valley of Serenity's bosoms, the different colored jewels twinkling in the shifts of light.
"No, Venus is still—"
"There is no more time left." The Senshi of Time brought the end of her staff down with a booming authority. "The doors must be opened now or it will be too late."
Mars felt the breath rush from her lungs as the heavy doors of Space-Time trembled open into a murky abyss. Unconsciously she grabbed for Serenity's elbow, quick to step in front of the princess as cold mists snaked around their ankles.
"Do not stray from the path ahead." Pluto motioned into the blackness. "Always be moving forward."
As if Pluto's garnet eyes willed her, the Martian warrior tentatively approached the unknown.
"And Mars," the older woman's voice was merely a faint whisper as she watched them take their first steps into the beckoning void. "Take care."
"Wait!" Turning Mars could only see Pluto's melancholy smile before the doors quaked closed, cutting off the last trickle of light and encasing them in a suffocating darkness. "Pluto…"
Tugging Serenity along, Mars began to cautiously tread step by step into the void, unable to see beyond the stretch of her arm.
Everything around them was so impossibly quiet it became almost maddening. She could hear the way the folds of Serenity's dress moved around her feet and the slightest tinkling of gold jewelry. She could feel the way her own heart beat in her ears and how the vast depths of space and time suddenly seemed to become so small and narrow around them.
Soon the fingers wrapped around Serenity's frail wrists grew numb and stiff and doubt in her fellow Senshi slipped into Mars' mind. Crossing the time plane was not only taboo but extremely dangerous. If they weren't careful they could easily become trapped in the in-between forever.
Where would they end up? Did Pluto even know?
"Please," a voice uttered from over their shoulder, freezing the Senshi in her tracks. "I want to see them again."
"Who's there?!" Whipping around in all directions Mars stared blindly into an impenetrable wall of shadows. Muddled whispers were her only answer, raising the hairs on the back of her neck.
Without letting go of Serenity, Mars ran until the air around them turned thick and unyielding. It trapped them, pulling them down into the abyss. Mars desperately tried to call upon her fire, to claw her way out, but the darkness ravenously devoured her lingering strength. It felt like every fiber of her being was being methodically unraveled, leaving her so, so cold.
The hand of her princess remained lifeless in her own as Serenity sunk deeper without a struggle.
"No!" Mars fought to keep her princess close, but her breathing was becoming too heavy and stifled; her vision began to blur into a vague impression.
"Please!" Again, the unknown voice pleaded from all around them. "Let me cross time and be reborn!"
Who are you? Why do you sound so sad?
Without warning, the chain around Serenity's neck snapped, the Space-Time key quickly drifting beyond the Senshi's outstretched grasp. An array of colors burst forth, blinding and beautiful before it sunk into the surrounding nothingness.
The last thing Mars knew before succumbing to oblivion was the unmistakable feeling of falling.
-x-
Man, it has been a while, but I couldn't resist. This story has been in the making for far too long and it's time I just put some of it out there.
As you can see, this story will mostly revolve around Rei and Serenity.
Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more!