Title: Crescent Mirror Author: aaeris17 Rating: PG-13 (?) Author?s Notes: Yes, this chapter is furiously late and I am going to duck my head from all the random objects I can sense are being chucked at me right now. If it makes anyone feel better, the summer provides me with a lot more time to write!! So, enjoy the latest addition!! ***************Chapter 9**************** ******* ******** Ten, only ten?.I kept repeating over and over in my head. The scepter felt heavy in my hand, its long pink handle almost larger than me. I caught the astonished and gaping looks of the other girls. ?Sailor Moon,? Mama commanded smilingly, ?Step forth and bestow the power of the planets upon your Guardians,? She gestured to my four closest girlfriends who all looked close to fainting, ?First, your Leader of your Guard, our closest neighbor, Mina of the Venusians, descended from the great Venus herself, kneel and pledge your allegiance to Sailor Moon,? Mina stepped forwarded and fearlessly knelt on one knee, crossing her chest with her right arm, ?I pledge my life and soul to the Princess Serenity and Sailor Moon, in the name of the planet Venus,? her eyes closed, blue eyes hidden from me, ?Venus Planet Power,? she whispered possessed. A brilliant orange light enveloped her and as I blinked, she came back into focus. Before me sat Sailor Venus and resplendent in an orange and blue version of my outfit and complete with her signature red blow. She opened her eyes, smiling widely, ?Sailor V, at your service!? She spun and posed, left arm crooked and resting on her waist, right arm out in front, fingers representing the letter V. I laughed as each of the other girls came forth and completed their first transformation. Ami became Sailor Mercury, Sailor of Wisdom, in a complete blue sailor outfit. Rei transformed into Sailor Mars and Sailor of War, in a red outfit and Lita as Sailor Jupiter. ?Congratulations on becoming the new generation of Sailor Warriors,? Mama smiled sweetly and raised her arm in blessing, ?May you be flourish well and your time for being needed end soon. May Peace come quickly and your reign be more peaceful than mine. May you relish your childhood and train wisely to live up to your ancestors namesake and thy own,? Mama smiled again, ?Your identity is our secret and we shall guard it with our lives. Your secrecy is part of your power over our enemies,? We nodded silently, still in awe of our new power. We were the Legendary Senshi?we ARE the Senshi. Mina squeezed my hand and I joined hands with Rei on my left. Soon, all Senshi held hands and the glow of our auras echoed the glow of the Mirror. ?Detransform, my wonderful little soldiers and rejoin the ball, celebrating our new secret in private and your destiny,? Mama raised her hand and touched the broach on her bow. We mimicked her gesture and found ourselves in our heavy ball gowns again. After the freedom of our Sailor suits, the gowns were only constricting. An odd tension settled as Mama turned to Luna, embracing over the miracles that had just occurred. ?Yes!? Lita let loose a large woot. Ami turned to her looking scandalized and Mina covered up a giggle, ?What? You guys have to admit this is absolutely great!? Rei nodded, ?So, do we have all the legendary powers as well?? she asked carefully feeling her Mars insignia still glowing on her forehead. Luna smiled in agreement, ?Aye, dear Daughter of Fire,? she turned to Lita, ?Goddess of Lightning and Thunder,? to Ami, ?Ice and Water Queen,? and finally Mina, ?need I even booster your ego by telling you what you already know?? Luna winked as Mina smiled prettily. ?Goddess of Love and Beauty!? Mina returned the wink with complete innocence. Luna and Mama sighed together, ?Niece, it would befit thee well to not let this new power get to thy head, or the heads of any of yours,? Mama added smilingly, ?But for tonight, no more talk, go enjoy the blessed evening and tomorrow, thy new world begins,? I hugged Mama tightly and felt her gentle kiss on my crescent moon birthmark. From now on it would always be there, I had attained my birthright. ******************************************************************** ************************** Meanwhile?. ?Excuse me, Sir?? Endy gaped at Uncle Apollo and his Father. He could not believe what he had just heard. ?Endy, please, this is knowledge only for you to know,? Sir Lawrence quietly reprimanded. ? How can I remain so calm? The Shadow Kingdoms rising again? What are we going to do?? Endy motioned at the map with his hands. ?WE are going to do nothing. Your father and I are currently increasing security on those lands and reinstating the old wartime rules on the Kingdom. We believe that Lord Pharaoh can be controlled and the children are of no consequence,? King Apollo handed the report to Endy, ?It has been four years and we still have very little proof on which to act,? Endy?s ears perked, ?Little proof? How have you been obtaining any evidence by not being there yourself?? Sir Lawrence?s eyes glittered as he picked up on Endy?s train of thought, ?No my lad, we have no one directly under cover,? Endy?s posture lifted, ?And no, you cannot go. You are still too young and your powers have hardly begun to show. You unbound yourself, yes, but you will not be at full power for a very long time,? Endy furrowed his eyebrows at his father. Why should they both be blessed with the power of telepathy? Endy skimmed the report with great ease and speed. King Apollo smiled inwardly. For a young lad of almost thirteen, Endy showed more promise than any boy or man he had ever encountered?perhaps that of his own younger half brother. Endy showed all the promise Setsuna had prophesized for him: intelligent beyond his years, excellent swordsmanship, strong horseman, good character, and now with Sere?s unbinding; his powers would come full force. For the past year he had slowly explored his powers of telekinesis and soon realized how much he had to learn. Sir Lawrence had thoughts along a similar line with that old painful twinge that made him wish that Gaia was here helping Endy come of age. He could not hope that Gaia would return in this lifetime. He had long realized that he could not awake each day hoping she would reappear as this was the time they needed her the most. Now he wondered if through Endy Gaia was being brought back to life?for he had inherited all her power and more. A blinding flash of light interrupted everyone?s thoughts. ?Serenity!? Three voices whispered at once. Apollo leaped out of his seat and towards the nearest window out looking the Labyrinth. A calming peace flowed throughout the ball and only the heads of the Kingdoms and the three men noticed the change ?By the Goddess,? Apollo almost swore as he recognized the purity of the light that had for an instant, cleansed the land. Four more bursts of colors followed Serenity?s and Lawrence put his hand over his heart, in salute of his little girls that would become the Legendary Senshi. Endy stared, gaping at the power that was now flowing between him and Serenity. He felt what she felt and was amazed at the strength that was now flowing through his body. His limbs pulsed with more life than ever. He closed his eyes, and thought to himself, *Sere!* For the splittest of seconds, his spirit left him and hovered near hers in the Labyrinth?yet as quickly as it had gone, it returned. He released a quick outburst of breath and grasped for the windowsill. Apollo and Lawrence turned in time to see him falter. They reached strong arms up to assist him, but, Endy waved them off trying to control his wheezing. ?Astral projection?? Lawrence questioned Apollo who shook his head. ?Spiritual Linkage,? Apollo whispered as he for the first time saw Endy as the man his daughter would be with. Lawrence?s eyes rounded at the same thought. Endy focused his breathing and felt all the previous strength and energy ebb slightly, *She is just Sere again, but stronger* Endy didn?t even acknowledge the looks passing between his father and the King. All he knew was that something wonderful and terrible had just occurred and he was a key player in it all. * * * Mama and Luna trailed far behind us. I assume it was to give us space as we weighed the new honor bestowed upon us. Ami was in deep thought. I could practically see the hurry in her step to return to the ball only to excuse herself and delve into the library. Rei glowed quietly to herself. I could see that she was pleased with herself and looking forward to questioning the Sacred Fire with her grandfather tomorrow. I am sure that he, as well as the rest of the parents were well aware of what had happened tonight. How could they not know? I stopped, wondering if Endy knew?he must have known. And if he didn?t, how could he not figure it out? I decided that if Sir Lawrence was Papa?s first man, then of course both father and son knew. Lita was literally sparkling. The electricity that ran through her blood from Jupiter was still accustoming itself to its detransformation. I knew that tomorrow was going to be full of new discoveries. I winced, thinking of how much it would hurt to figure out what our powers were. Mina was the most transformed. Her demeanor was quiet and serene. Her eyes were large and thoughtful. I made a mental note to ask her later what she was thinking. I did not want to disturb her now. In fact, I did not know what to say to any of my friends as we walked in silence back to the ball. ?How strange,? Mina interrupted the silence. I looked at her sharply. She seemed in a dreamlike state, ?How strange that we of all daughters of the planets would be destined to make myth reality once more,? Mina cocked her head at me, ?Princess Serenity, we are bound by more than honor to protect you. You are the heiress to this wonderful world we live in. We,? She turned to the rest of the girls, ?cannot let any harm come to this world we love so much. As Sailor Senshi we can do more than we even thought of accomplishing as mere Princesses. You guys think about it,? her eyes took on the devilish Mina tint, ?we are now some of the most powerful women in the world,? she whispered. I burst out laughing much to Ami?s chagrin. She looked so appalled that I had ruined Mina?s speech with my laughter. Apparently, it was exactly what was needed to break the ice. Lita started giggling and Mina laughed loudly, even Rei started choking back hysterics as tears came to her eyes. ?Oh, I don?t know if I want Sere to be endowed with that much power!? Rei squeezed out between fits, ?Goddess helps us if she trips!? I wiped my eyes and couldn?t do more than laugh at her, ?You?re telling me? My weapon is as tall as I am!? This brought even more laughter. ?Girls? And what is so humorous on this solemn occasion?? Luna questioned good maturely with her hands on her hips. Mama just smiled and walked on by. She had already been gone from the ball for too long. ?Luna, you guys decided to make Sere one of the most powerful women in the world!? Lita giggled. I frowned. Lita usually never teased me. And to my hurt, Luna quickly hid a smile. ?She, as well as all of you, are in for an intensive training. It might seem funny now, but I warn you girls, take this seriously,? Luna stopped herself mid-lecture, ?What am I saying? Be gone, silly children!? Luna shooed us back towards the Verandah of the ball. After Luna had rejoined the ball and we could see Mama peacefully chatting with Papa and Sir Lawrence, the newly formed Senshi sat watching the stars. ?Look!? Mina pointed to an orange star, ?Venus seems to be giving her blessing,? ?Aye,? Ami agreed, ?The full moon is only too perfect for this evening,? ?Mars is strong tonight,? Rei added of the fiery dot. Lita stared hard at the sky and sighed. Ami placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. Suddenly, a crack of lightening illuminated the night sky followed by the slightest drops of water. Ami giggled as she held her palms out to receive the blessing of her planet and Lita sat with her jaw dropped. ?This is going to be so cool,? Lita whispered. We sat, stunned, as the rain mysteriously lifted away and the cooling breezes returned. * * * Endy and his knights watched the girls as they chatted quietly on the Verandah. ?Tis unusual that we would all be so connected,? Kunzite stoically remarked. Endy nodded and kept watch. ?What next?? Jadeite asked, popping his knuckles. ?Training,? Endy answered finally looking away, ?Lots of it,? The boys chuckled. ?For us,? Endy added and smiled at the sighs that escaped Zoiscite and Jadeite. Nephrite looked out into the night sky. ?I feel much apprehension,? ?And I think you doth think too much,? Jadeite quipped and slapped Nephrite on the back. Nephrite managed a chuckle and looked at Kunzite to take a clue what to do next. Kunzite was studying Endy and the girls. Nephrite wished he could tell what he was thinking. Kunzite felt Nephrite imploring him to act. He made a slight shake of his head to clear his thoughts and gauge a sense of what would happen. He felt elation and a sense of smallness from the girls. He could sense nothing more from the Princess Serenity, or the other Inner Princesses. Perhaps he sensed a little more from the Princess Minako. He made a slight snort. That girl had been a pain in his side since his birth and he had actually enjoyed her long stays at the Luster Kingdom. Now, with the two of them sharing the same home, he wondered what sort of peace he would find in the palace. Kunzite transferred his thoughts to Zoiscite, the quietest of all the boys present: such a deep person, so astute. Training will give him the strength and courage he needs. Jadeite would be fine?his sense of humor was precisely the little oomph that rounded off the quintet. He worried not about Nephrite?he had the perfect markings of a knight and gentleman. He took directions well, Kunzite thought promisingly to himself. His final thoughts rested on their new leader, the most Royal boy in the Kingdom of Luster, Endymion. Endymion was of noble birth indeed, descended from the indigenous Earth rulers themselves. Lad had become motherless at the age of nine, and seemed to be growing up well. Kunzite understood the loss of a mother. His own had died in battle, and he had been foster cared by all the lovely ladies of the court. Yet, he had not been nurtured as Endy clearly had been by the gracious Queen Selenity. Kunzite worshipped her as did every other member of the kingdoms. His eyes reverted to the Princess Serenity, and he managed a smile. The girl was charming and full of promise. He looked forward to training with the boys and Princess Serenity?s court. He suddenly met the glaze of Princess Mina and she smiled, waving unbashingly. Kunzite cleared his throat and nodded. She turned to the other girls and they burst out in pure laughter. Endy looked at Kunzite and they shared a half smile. Girls. And now Senshi too! ******************************************************************** ******************************** Yay!! FINALLY done!! Hopefully the next chapters won?t take so long to come out. Up next, the discover of the powers?who will hurt whom in this the first of their training sessions?? Aaeris17@yahoo.com Review!! Review!! Review!!