A fan fic by Caleyndar.
Rating: PG.

Notes:

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me; only the
few I make up. The story, however, is mine.


The Name Endymion...

Part Three: Faces of War...

Chapter Two...

	All was silent after those few words, and I lowered 
my head to stare with wide eyes at the box held within my 
hands. For a moment in time, the figures carved onto the 
wooden box seemed to move, seemed to scream out in agony. And 
one of them. One of them was Serenity, and she was dying in 
pain, by my hands.
	I dropped the box, unable to hold the terrible 
creation which pulsed with darkness in my hands any longer. 
It clattered onto the hard floor, the sound of it rebounding 
off the walls which seemed so far from us just then. 
Involuntarily, I backed away from it, frightened. I wanted 
to tell myself that it would not matter if she was hurt, and 
if she was killed. It was my duty.
	Armand bent down slowly and picked the repulsive box 
up from the floor, his curly shoulder length auburn hair 
falling around his face like a veil for an instant. He gave 
me the most heart felt look, and then quickly looked away 
from my fearful eyes to glare at Lestat, who, had he been 
laughing any harder, would surly have collapsed from it.
	"Don't fear this task your Father has set for you," 
Armand said to comfort me, his slender white hands holding 
the box almost intimately. "These elementals will not fatally 
harm any of the Sailor Soldiers, much less Serenity. They 
will be an annoyance, something to be weary of, nothing more. 
The purpose of this excursion is merely to understand your 
opponents, to see how they react. There will be no deaths."
	"Oh, don't forget to tell him that little thing, 
Amadeo!" Lestat called out, pausing in his laughing fit.
	"Don't use that name! Only one person ever had the 
right to call me 'Beloved of God', and he is dead!" Armand 
said, his voice heated with anger and pain.
	I visibly winced, remembering what Armand had said 
to me. About Queen Selenity, who had destroyed many worlds 
within my kingdom, subsequently destroying his maker and 
child.
	I pulled myself together, and said in a whisper, 
"What is this 'little thing'?"
	Lestat exploded with laughter again, and started 
chanting, "Little thing, little thing", in a mocking and 
childish voice. 
	"Prince Diamond and Sapphire of the Black Moon 
Kingdom will be present. They are currently taking a holiday 
with the Inner Soldiers and Princess Serenity on a world 
within the Moon Kingdom," Armand said softly, as if trying 
to lessen the blow.
	If I wasn't shocked and hurt before, I was now. 
Pluto's vision came crashing back down on me, sending me 
reeling, short of breath. Serenity and Diamond. This would 
hurt me more than any physical pain I could inflect apon 
that flawless body of hers.
	"Isn't it wonderful?" Lestat asked, grinning like 
the Devil Himself.
	No! No, no, no, no! Please, don't let it be true. 
Please, let this Brat Prince be making this lie up to taunt 
me. But please, let it be not so! Serenity belonged to me. 
For now, for eternity.
	"Ah, but I'm not lying, O Great Prince of the Earth 
Kingdom. Have you not heard their two kingdoms rejoicing 
apon that mechanical contraption of your's sitting in your 
rooms?" Lestat asked, reading my conflicting mind.
	I paled. Or I must have. Did I collapse onto my 
knees too? Did I kneel as if in prayer? I must have, because 
I was suddenly within Armand's ice cold but incredibly strong 
arms. Was I crying too? Did those unwanted tears stream down 
my emotion filled face? Armand's lips were on my face, 
kissing my eye lids.
	There was very little sound in the hall now. Lestat 
had fallen silent apon seeing my tears, his laughter dying 
on his silken lips. There was only the sound of my sobbing, 
because I was indeed crying. Perhaps for the first time, I 
was fully expressing to another how I felt. No lies now. 
Just the bitter ugly truth.
	Yes, it was my duty to hurt and kill the daughter of 
the one who destroyed my kingdom, to crush the enemy 
ruthlessly, but why did I have to love her too? Why has fate 
deemed me to love the one I must at all costs eliminate? If 
only I could hate her, give myself reasons, lies, to make 
myself believe I hated her. But I had done that in the past, 
and that had brought me no comfort, no peace. Better to face 
the truth and just accept reality.
	Still my eyes poured forth their waters, and Armand 
still held me, trying to comfort me. His arms were wrapped 
around my shaking body, supporting me. My tears had fallen 
onto his uniform, staining it a darker colour.
	Slowly, I composed myself, still leaning apon 
Armand's immortal body for support. He kissed me on the lips 
as I stopped my tears, and then he gently wiped those 
staining my face with his silk handkerchief.
	No one said a word as I suddenly took the box from 
the place on the floor where Armand had deposited it in order 
to hold me. I clutched it in my hands, hating it, but unable 
to discard it, all in the name of duty. How I was beginning 
to loath that little word.
	"And so I send my soul hurtling towards Hell," I 
whispered, eyes locked apon the artistic figures on the box. 
I held it in my outstretched hands, holding it far from my 
still shaking body. "Let us commence this task. I do not wish 
to dwell anymore on this issue." Apon the fading of the sound 
of my voice, I let the silver blue light envelope my body and 
cloth me in what I had come to call my uniform, my battle 
armour. 
	My generals did the same, changing into their grey 
uniforms, perhaps glad that I was no longer weeping, and that 
Armand and Lestat were no longer fighting.
	"Where is this world on which they take their 
vacation?" I demanded, my voice icy cold. I didn?t want to 
show my hurt and pain any more. Better to hide it all behind 
a wall of ice.
	"Your High General Kunzite has all that information," 
Armand said, stepping back from me and letting his arms drop. 
He looked defeated and almost guilty. 'I regret having to do 
this to you. But remember, Endymion, even if Princess 
Serenity has done no harm to your kingdom, she is still a 
part of the force that destroyed it; your people, millions 
of innocent lives lost for all of eternity,' he said to me 
through my mind. 
	I gave him the slightest nod, to signal that I 
accepted it, that I understood that he was trying to convey 
to me.
	"Well, Prince Endymion of the Earth Kingdom, you had 
best be on your way. Your loving Father, King Ares, expects 
a full report within the next week on all the Inner Soldiers, 
dear Princess Serenity herself, and the two from the Black 
Moon Kingdom," Lestat said, the old mocking tone back in his 
voice. Whatever sympathy he had ever felt for me was now 
gone.
	I gave him a cold eyes glare and signalled my 
generals to prepare for a mind linked group teleport. 
	Our minds became one, and in a flash of unbearably 
bright white light, our physical shells were taken out of 
time and space. When the light faded from our eyes, we all 
found ourselves standing in paradise.
	All five of us stood in the same position in which 
we had left that room entombed in thick metal walls, and all 
the scenery surrounding us seemed unreal, like only an 
illusion had been thrown around the existing background, and 
this paradise would, at any moment, cease to exist. I stared 
with amazement at the world surrounding me. Never, in my 
entire life, had I seen such a perfect land.
	To think that I would bring Darkness into this place 
of Light, to think that I would bring pain and suffering into 
this place of happiness and peace. 
	"Well, Endy, what do you propose we do?" Jadeite 
asked, breaking the lovely silence. "Just don?t cry again, 
alight?"
	I glared at him. "You think I like the pain and hurt 
I suffer in my heart and soul?" I accused. "You think I like 
to hurt the one I love? Think again, Jadeite. And don?t ever 
call me that name again; you have no right!"
	Jadeite drew back in surprise at my sudden outburst, 
falling silent and taking a step back away from me.
	"Endymion," Kunzite warned, placing his gloved hand 
on my silver shoulder plate.
	"What!" I snarled, throwing off his hand. "Just leave 
me alone, all of you!" I threw Pandora?s Box at Kunzite, who 
barely caught it. "Do what you will with it. Complete this 
damned task for my beloved Father, but leave me in peace!" 
And with that, I turned and sprinted away from where my four 
generals stood, staring after me in shock.
	My cape flew out behind me, billowing in the wind 
like a great red sail. I was a great distance away from them 
when Kunzite finally came to his senses and called out after 
me. 
	No, you will not catch me, my High General. And I 
disappeared in a flash of blue light, cape and all.
	My mind was locked; they couldn?t trace me if they 
tried, even with the blood bond. I was sitting high up in a 
tree, looking out at a great plain. It was so peaceful here, 
despite the conflicts threaded through my mind.
	The world that surrounded me was so still yet so 
alive. And the life on this planet, how different it was 
from that found on Earth, yet so similar at the same time. 
The trees that grew here were so tall, so immense, that one 
standing on the forest floor could not see the highest 
branches. And the colour of the trees themselves. Silver 
trunks spanning an average of five or six metres in diameter, 
with the finest gold leaves. Flowers had jewel like centers, 
and the petals had the most intricate designs threaded 
through them. One could stare at them all day, mesmerised 
with their beauty.
	I looked out at the wind swept plain now, the golden 
brown grasses rippling like water when touched by a hand. 
How I wanted to just abandon myself to this world, this 
beauty. But I could not. 
	Softly I sighed, closing my eyes and feeling the 
wind run it?s ghostly and delicate fingers through my jet 
black hair, caressing my flushed face.
	Twin suns burned in the sky, almost silver in colour; 
they were still so young, as was the world. And the sky was 
a water colour blue, with the faintest streaks for white 
through it. The light from the suns reached my eyes despite 
the fact that they were closed, a red blur in the inky black.
	I opened my eyes suddenly. Something told me to do 
so. I lifted my head just a little, and widened my dark eyes. 
My arms were wrapped around my drawn up knees as I sat 
perched on the thick silver limb of the tree, veiled by a 
curtain of golden leaves. 
	There, in the distance across the plain filled with 
tall swaying golden and bronze grasses appeared tiny figures. 
They came from the thick forest on the other side of the 
plain, a whole herd of them.
	Sunlight suddenly caught their golden horns and 
hooves, dazzling anyone who was fortunate enough to witness 
the vision of the creatures. Their eyes shone like illuminate 
jewels, beautiful and peaceful. And the wings that sprouted 
forth from their bodies. How much like angel wings did they 
look like, only that some where as black as ebony, and others 
the purest white.
	So amazed and absorbed with these creatures, these 
winged unicorns, was I, that I almost did not notice the 
figures who apon two of them.
	To say that I was so shocked that I fell of the 
branch apon which I sat would be a little extreme, but I was 
very surprised, and I did lose my balance for a moment.
	Astride the most splendid white filly sat Serenity, 
riding with the same balance and grace she had displayed in 
the short time we had shared on Earth. And riding beside her, 
on a handsome dapple grey stallion, was Prince Diamond of 
the Black Moon Kingdom.
	It was such a perfect opportunity. It would have been 
so easy to be rid of them. Had I wanted it, a concentrated 
ball of energy aimed between the two would have turned both 
of them to dust. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. But I did not, 
could not, hurt her. Not now, even though she no doubt loved
Diamond. And why shouldn?t she? Everyone needed to be loved. 
	Their mystical mounts halted then, and the two 
figures dismounted. Diamond was the perfect gentleman, 
vaulting off his stallion first, the princely figure in pure 
white with his silver lined cape and white blue hair and icy 
blue eyes. He helped Serenity dismount, which she allowed.
	He slipped an arm around her thin waist, pulling her 
close to him, his pale lips curled up in a genuine smile. 
Serenity gave a small delicate laugh, filled with delight, 
as he placed a gentle kiss on her nose and then whispered 
something into her tiny shell like ear.
	Did I feel jealousy? Did I feel rage inside of my 
dark soul for seeing Serenity with another? Perhaps, perhaps 
not, but I had no right. After all, I was the reason she 
loved another and not me. There was no one to blame but 
myself for hurting her.
	Yes, I may have been lead to believe that I had 
motive to hate her, to kill her, for personal reasons. But I 
did not. The only reason I had to cause her pain now was 
because of my own weakness, my inability to stand up to my 
dearest Father and say no, I will not kill her. Because I 
believed in fate and destiny, even if in the past I had told 
myself I did not. And how could I, one worthless mortal, 
change my fate, my destiny, into which I had been born?
	But still, I wanted then, more than anything in this 
damned universe, to run up to her and take her into my arms. 
How my arms ached to hold her delicate form. I did not want 
Diamond to touch her, to kiss her. Yes, I would have given 
anything to be in his place at her side.
	Had I been in my old state of mind, when I did 
believe Serenity had purposely tried to hurt me, I would have 
not hesitated to cause her pain now, believing that this was 
another scheme to make me suffer. But I was not.
	So I merely sat high up in the tree and looked down 
on them, watching them watch the winged unicorns graze on 
the golden and bronze grasses, their bodies pressed close to 
one another. They looked so perfect together, one must admit, 
and I wished I could feel happy for Serenity, rather than 
just feel sorry for myself.
	What was I thinking? Fell happy for her when I was 
meant to cause her pain? I was going out of my mind. And had 
I not just wept for us? And now I was hoping that she could 
be happy, even if I could not feel the same way? Sometimes I 
wished I was not like so, that I didn?t care so much about 
those I loved. But it was only human nature.
	All these issues were running through my head when I 
was violently jerked back to the physical world.
	The magical winged creatures suddenly took flight, 
startling all present. Diamond and Serenity were thrown to 
the ground by the sudden displacement of the air around them. 
Like I had so long ago, Diamond instinctively threw himself 
over Serenity to protect her. 
	And then everything was still.
	Deathly still.
	The flying unicorns were gone, having flown out of 
sight over the forest canopy. Silence reigned; there were no 
sounds that was associated with life; only the emptiness of 
death.
	Diamond stood up, helping Serenity to her feet. They 
held each other tightly, as if they were waiting for the 
impending doom looming over their mortal bodies.
	I watched my surroundings also, listening with my 
entire body for the source of distress which had caused those 
creatures to take flight. A strange sensation coursed down my 
body. Something in my body was responding to a source I could 
not see. I listened and felt this feeling, and realised with 
a slight shock that it was the blood or spirit of one of my 
generals which had caused it.
	An evil laugh filled the air, and the sky darkened 
as heavy grey green clouds covered it.
	I knew the laugh. It was Jadeite?s. He had laughed at 
me often enough in the past year for me to know it off by 
heart. It was not usually evil sounding; he no doubt had 
added that little effect for the occasion. 
	He teleported onto the scene then, a flash of smoky 
green light. His young body glowed with energy as he 
levitated himself in the air above Serenity and Diamond. 
Jadeite seemed the embodiment of evil then, his expression 
that of one who loved to see others cry, his dark laugh 
emitting from his open grinning mouth.
	"Ah, sweet Princess Serenity and the lovely Prince 
Diamond. How nice it is to finally meet two of the most 
famous people in this galaxy. It is almost a pity the two of 
you must be destroyed!" Jadeite said, grinning down at the 
two shocked figures.
	"Who are you!" Diamond finally demanded, moving 
protectively in front of Serenity.
	"I am one of the four generals of Prince Endymion of 
the Earth Kingdom, and I am here to take you precious little 
lives!" Jadeite said, and gave another laugh.
	Idiot! I could have strangled that good for nothing 
general, even if he was one of the most powerful people in my 
father?s kingdom. Did he have to mention my name? And his 
little act. Did he truly enjoy striking fear into others?
	Diamond glared at my general. "You dare threaten me?" 
he demanded, much insulted. "You think you can even hurt me?"
	Jadeite laughed at Diamond?s little outburst. "Oh, 
you do think highly of yourself, don?t you, Carbon Boy? Well, 
I?m not going to get my hands dirty for you anyway, so I?ll 
leave a little elemental to take care of that," Jadeite said, 
smiling all the time. He materialised Pandora?s Box in his 
hands, and then let it float away from his glowing body.
	It stopped and hovered in mid air, gathering black 
light to it. Slowly, painfully so, it opened, a seam of 
light so dark it was purple arched across the heavens. The 
lid was fully opened, and the light died for a moment, before 
bearing forth with ten times the intensity, shooting up into 
the dark swirling clouds. It blasted through them, up into 
only God knows where, a dark signal in a world of Light.
	Perhaps it was a signal, for as soon as the dark 
light cease to pour forth from Pandora?s Box, the whole world 
rumbled, shook, as if a giant had taken hold of the young 
sphere and was shaking it. A forceful and cruel stinging wind 
blew around the plain, whipping the two figures who stood in 
the near centre.
	Jadeite laughed at them, and uncompassionate laugh 
most certainly, and raised his arms towards Heaven as if 
summoning those who would be Fallen Angels.
	The sky broke, a dark black egg hatching, bringing 
forth a monster into this kindly world.
	Serenity shrunk back, her fine hand decorated with 
small jewelled rings and a pearl bracelet flying up to her 
mouth, showing her fear, her surprise. Diamond stepped 
forward, his icy blue eyes flashing, full of rage for Jadeite 
who had interrupted his date. He summoned his own power to 
himself, forming a silver light blue allure around his angry 
form.
	A dark form was gathering strength in front of 
Serenity and Diamond, and both watched it grow stronger and 
take on a solid figure. Jadeite looked on, Pandora?s Box 
back in his protective hands, a sly grin gracing his handsome 
face.
	The darkness exploded away from the figure, flying 
away in all directions. A bright light from the same source 
from which the darkness had come blinded anyone who looked 
on. Was same light one saw when they died?
	The heavenly white light faded, returning the world 
to it?s dullness, formed by the dark clouds covering the 
wondrous blue sky.
	A silence and stillness fell over the great plain 
once more. The wind had died. Even Jadeite had ceased his 
maddening laugh, almost as if he was as shocked as the 
Princess and Prince to see the figure from Pandora?s Box.
	A being of pure light stood there, a true angel from 
heaven above. The expression on it?s angelic face was that 
of peace and bliss, and it?s arms were by it?s side, palms 
facing Serenity and Diamond as if showing them that they had 
nothing to fear. It hovered above the ground, it?s pure white 
yet simple piece of clothing flowing around it?s body. A 
golden halo sat above it?s head, which was adorned with the 
softest mop of ashen blonde hair. It?s eyes lids were closed 
softly over it?s eyes as if it slept or was in a state of 
peaceful dreaming. In everyway, this being was prefect and 
utterly beautiful. 
	Except for one. 
	It was adorned with black wings.
	Everyone present stared spell bound by it; by it?s 
beauty, by it?s seemingly innocent features. How could one 
who looked like so have came from Darkness, be on it?s side 
in this war between the Light and the Dark? Yes, it?s wings 
were black, the only sign that gave it?s dark powers away to 
all who beheld it. But it was so beautiful, so heavenly. No 
one would think that this being was a little devil.
	It?s ebony black wings spread themselves suddenly, 
showing off it?s full dark glory. It spanned a full two 
metres in either direction from it?s angel body, all black 
feathers displayed perfectly; none of them were flawed in any 
way. The arms rose slowly, slender light skinned limbs 
without a single scar. The nails on it?s fingers appeared to 
have been polished, so brilliantly did they shine. Each was 
a perfect oval, and a small half circle showed on each at the 
base. There could not have been a more splendid being.
	In a form of a cross did it now stand, face lifted 
towards Heaven, eyes closed, dreaming, preying.
	We all stared, watching for the coming darkness it 
was summoning. Diamond had moved to take Serenity in his 
arms again, though his eyes never left the heavenly being?s 
form. Serenity clung to him, innocent eyes wide. No fear; 
just amazement and wonder. And Jadeite, the one who had 
unleashed this creature, floated in the air still, eyes 
narrow, wondering as I wondered, what it would do now.
	I stood on the silver branch now, looking out through 
a loose net of golden leaves down onto the plain. I felt fear. 
Fear for those two which would receive the wrath of this Dark 
Angel. Suddenly, I did not believe in Armand?s words, that 
this spirit would not fatally harm any of it?s opponents. 
Why did I believe him in the first place?
	God, I wished I didn?t give a damn about her. Why did 
it always come back to her? Again and again and again. How I 
wanted just to tell myself and believe that I didn?t care if 
she was hurt. She was the enemy. It was my duty. But hell, I 
cared. I just could not hurt her or let her be harmed. And 
the truth about how I felt towards her for loving Diamond, 
well, I was pained. Very much so, considering how I felt 
towards her. After all, that was why I had cried, why I had 
let my hot emotions rush out of me for all to see. And the 
worst thing about this; Serenity loving Diamond, was that I 
could do nothing about it, for it was I who had pushed her 
towards it. 
	I wanted so to weep again. Just curl up into a tiny 
ball and cry. Yes, weep for my lost love and my lonely heart. 
This pain was getting to me. It was getting too strong to be 
merely ignored. Please, let me just run up to her and say 
I?m sorry, I don?t give a damn about my Father, my God 
forsaken duty.
	And then it?s eyes opened, sending out an almost 
visible wave of energy.
	Serenity and Diamond were knocked down by the force 
of it, falling much harder than before when the winged 
unicorns had taken flight. Jadeite and I missed the passing 
energy as it was sent out only horizontally from it?s source.
	It?s eyes. Only two orbs of light, nothing more. How 
brilliantly they shone, like a candle in the darkest night. 
They were so unnatural, so utterly hypnotic to stare at. This 
was a Dark Angel of Light.
	The Dark Angel stared unseeing up into the clouded 
sky, it?s light from it?s eyes lighting up it?s child like 
and innocent face. It raised it?s arms above it?s head, 
reaching for the place from which it had fallen. Light 
energy suddenly surrounded it?s seemingly pure body, chasing 
around it like lightning, and then circling around it?s arms. 
The energy gathered in it?s two hands, and then, in twin 
great beams of the purest white, the light shot up into the 
heavens. Time was repeating itself, only these beams were 
white, and the one from Pandora?s Box had been black.
	The light beams disappeared from sight, but their 
colour still played on the clouds, lighting up patches here 
and there. All were distracted by this, glancing 
involuntarily up at the dark clouds. 
	And that moment of distraction was all this Dark 
Angel of Light needed.
	It?s slender arms came crashing down in a great 
motion, as if pulling the unseen stars down from their place 
in the heavens and onto this fragile world.
	Instead, it brought down Heaven itself.
	Beams of black energy came spiralling down from the 
ever heavy and dark clouds, raining destruction apon the two 
who stood in it?s path. 
	Where ever the dark beams of light touched, all that 
lived were blackened and burnt, turned into dust and ashes. 
Both Diamond and Serenity were yet untouched by these powers 
of Darkness, having picked themselves up and dodging them 
skilfully. Jadeite laughed at their vain efforts, for anyone
could see that they could not keep it up forever. And the 
beams that poured from the sky above were getting thicker 
and more plentiful. The wolves were closing in on the prey.
	Serenity suddenly stumbled and fell on something 
hidden within the tall grasses, letting out a cry of 
surprise and pain.
	My heart leapt. I wanted to scream out to her.
	It was too late.

End of Part Three, Chapter Two.