Hi, it's me again, Cosmos. This is my second fanfic and to those who read my first one, Serenity's Legend, this one is totally different! This story does not fit into any episodes of the Anime series or any parts in the Manga, unlike my first one. This one is a story in itself. The first chapter may seem confusing because I switch from one place to another. As you will find out, the first chapter takes place in two different worlds. But that is only in the first chapter. I also focus on one character at one time and switch to another character at another time, but I hope you won't be confused by this. This story will only have six parts, or petals as I call them here. I have also created a few new characters here. Again, Uranus and Neptune are only friends, not gay. It just makes my writing easier. And I use the Manga characteristic of Zoisite, not the Anime, so he is not gay, either. Sorry for such a long author's note, but this is the first chapter so there are a lot of things I wanted to clear up so that no one will be confused later on. This story is rated PG for language and stuff (Nothing serious, so don't worry. The worse thing possible would be the word "damn" (^_^)) Oh yeah, PLEASE email me and tell me what you think of my story. Critiques, compliments, suggestions, questions, anything would be fine. Just FEED MY EMAIL INBOX! I think it will die of starvation soon! Usual disclaimers: Sailor Moon and all its characters and likeliness belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha/Toei. English translation is made possible by DiC. My email address: ml_eclipse@hotmail.com << >> = thoughts [ ] = author's note Well, enough of my babbling! I hope you'll like this fanfic! Enjoy! ======================================= Bloom of the Crystal Rose by Cosmos The First Petal: Realm of the Soldiers Soft white flakes of snow dance with the wind around a tall gray brick building. The air was crisp and cold, nipping at the tender noses of young children who were laughing and playing in a large field close to the structure. A large ominous forest of mainly pine surrounds the entire area giving it a look of seclusion and desolation. The building was like that of a broken down old warehouse, aged by the relentless assaults of Mother Nature. Here and there, pieces of bricks were broken off from either the wind or rain or snow. The building has small windows that were never opened regardless of the season. It was a dreary place, where doors creaked and wooden floorboards groaned relentlessly like a wailing ghost in the night. A weathered and almost decayed piece of wood hangs above the entryway, flapping flimsily in the wind. Small worn out block letters painted in white was barely visible on the decaying piece of wood. It was a sign and the sign read: Celestial Orphanage. About two stories up, a small shadow was seen moving behind the frosted glass of one of the windows. Alone, in a small dirty room, a girl of about 17 years sat in solitude with only the silence as her companion. She has long golden hair tied up in a unique hairstyle consisting of two round buns on either sides of her head with two long ponytails trailing from the buns down her back in magnificent waves of gold. She has on but a simple outfit consisting of a worn out pair of dull brown pants and a small gray tee shirt that seems to barely fit her. On her feet were two pairs of worn out pink slippers where one of the straps was broken and tied on with a string she had found somewhere in the field. Her face was extremely beautiful with pale skin and rosy cheeks, and soft pink lips that never knew how to smile. Her gemlike azure eyes dart from place to place as she quietly watched the delicate snowflakes dance down from the sky like fairies in a story. She gave a sad sigh that caused the window to be further frosted. Taking a small delicate hand, she rubbed the glass with her palm, wiping away the ice to reveal a world clothed in pure white laid out before her soft gaze. Below, she saw young children, much younger than she was, play innocently in the snow. Some were lying in the soft flakes, flapping their thin arms up and down while their eyes shone brilliantly with joy. One of these children stood up and looked down at her magnificent work of art. She gave a light laughter and ran off toward another group of young children busily building a fortress of snow and ice. She looked down from her window and a slight smile danced in her eyes, though not on her lips. She saw that the young girl had created an angel from the snow covered ground. She continued to look at it as her eyes slowly became a lighter clear blue. Once again her mind drifted away from reality as she lost herself in her dreams. She imagined herself dressed in a beautiful white silk gown with light gold trimmings around her neck. Her hair, though still in the same style, was clean and shiny down her back with small ringlets of pearl adorned around her buns of hair. She was graceful; she was beautiful. She continued to imagine herself walking down a magnificent set of bluish marble staircase toward a large room where she heard laughter and tinkles of wineglasses as people were enjoying a celebration. She imagined this room to be large with tawny marble floor and large windows facing a gorgeous garden. The windows were draped with soft navy blue silk curtains flowing like small waterfalls down onto the marble floor. She has now reached the last few steps down the flight of stairs when she felt a hand grasped gently onto hers. She turned her surprise blue gaze at a young man standing slightly below her on the other side of the railing. He was dressed in the old fashioned way as knights used to. But he was not covered entirely in armor, instead only his lower leg and abdominal area was protected with black plates of steel. Two pieces of the same material also covered his shoulders from where a large flowing black velvet cape was attached. The rest of the outfit consisted of a dark blue material of some sort of smooth thick fabric. She strained her eyes to see his face but it was hidden in shadows despite the light from brilliant glass chandeliers hanging eloquently from the tall ceiling. She took a step closer to him, but as the shadow slowly recedes to reveal his face, she was suddenly awakened from her dream by a hand laid coldly on her shoulders. "What are you doing here?" a voice barked at her. "Why aren't you outside like the other good little kids?" Instinctively, she looked up to see an ugly worn out face of a woman in her late forties glaring down at her with beady dull brown eyes. "W-well it is a bit cold out there, Ma'am," she stammered. "I-I don't have any winter boots." The woman huffed, "So what? Those are just minor details. Listen here, Missy, not everyone can afford those extra accessories you know. Those little luxuries are for Princesses of which you are certainly not. So quit complaining. Just be glad you at least have your sandals to drudge around in. Now, off with ya', the Head Mistress wants all you brats out in the field for some exercise. She says that if we let you all be pampered too much then we will soon be ending up rearing lazy pigs and not obedient children. Now get out of here before I report ya'" "Y-yes Ma'am." She quickly stood up and rushed out the doorway, grabbing her thin worn out pink jacket on the way. The instant she stepped outside, the cold attacked her. She shivered mercilessly in the only coat she has, her thin summer jacket. Her teeth began to clatter and her lips lost its lush pink color to be replaced by a pale blue. Looking around she saw the young children running about laughing. <> Then it dawned on her why they were running. The extra exercise was the only way they can keep themselves warm, by running their hearts out. Shrugging her cold shoulders she began to do a slow jog. After about an hour of running, her body began to feel slightly warmer. <> Unintentionally, her gaze looked toward the woods quite a distance away. <> Suddenly, a small flash of pure white light appeared again. She instantly stopped jogging. <> Looking around and seeing that she was left unattended, she quickly decided to sneak off and investigate. She turned on her heels and ran toward the area where she had last seen the light. ====================================================== "Prince Endymion! Prince Endymion come quickly!" cried a young woman with reddish brown hair tied in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. Her long flowing reddish-orange dress clung to her legs as she ran quickly toward a man now stepping out from behind an ivory colored door. "What is Rita?" A handsome young man with ebony colored hair and startling deep blue eyes appear from behind a door. He was dressed in a beautiful outfit of shiny black armor with navy blue pants and shirt. The armor only covered the lower part of his chest and abdominal area, along with the lower part of his legs and shoulders. By his side, hanging from his hip was a sheath for his sword with intricate designs curved on its surface in black and gold alloy. At the top of the sheath the handle of an enchanting golden sword was seen protruding from the scabbard that was covering it. The young man of 20 years knit his brow in frustration at the woman running toward him, calling his name hysterically. "Slow down, Rita. Take a deep breath. Now tell me what is wrong?" Taking his advice, Rita tried to calm down and explained, "The?crystal?from?the moon." His eyes widen in surprise. "What about the crystal? Has it been stolen, damaged? What happen? Tell me!" Then from behind her he saw a young man with blond hair like the early rays of dawn walking quickly toward them. "Andrew," he called to the young man, "what has happened to the Silver Crystal?" He looked at his closest friend with fear reflecting in his ocean blue eyes. Upon reaching them Andrew placed a comforting shoulder on his love trying to calm her down while speaking to Endymion at the same time. "Nothing bad happened to the Crystal, Darien," Andrew assured him using the nickname that all his friends used, "but somehow it has awakened." "What? You mean after all these years, the crystal has been activated?" "Yeah." "By who?" "We don't know. Luna said that no one besides the royal family can activate the crystal, but since they are all imprisoned in limbo in the quartz?I guess?it just simply activated itself." "Is everyone there? All the Sailor Soldiers and my Generals?" Andrew nodded in reply. "Good, come on you two we better get there fast. We'll take the shortcut to Elysion." Walking at breakneck speed, the three quickly left the marble hallway and began to pass through a magnificent garden of white roses. They all suddenly stopped in front of an old brick wall where vines of various plants clung to the weathered structure. Placing his hand on the side of the wall, he closed his eyes and concentrated his power as he whispered, "Kingdom of Elysion, protector of Earth. I am Endymion, its guardian. Open your gates and let me pass." Immediately, his hand began to glow in a strange gold light and a gold door with roses curved on it appeared before them through the wall. The door opened to reveal another magnificent garden on the other side. But unlike the one they are in now, this garden has the most perfect roses with all sorts of colors from pink to purple to blue, colors never before seen in roses. Each petal of the multitudes of roses was kissed by dew, glittering like precious gems. Endymion quickly stepped through the portal followed by his two friends. A young man in a white outfit with shoulder length silver hair and a small gold horn on top of his forehead stood waiting for them behind the portal. Endymion looked at him and gave a nod, "Nice to see you again Elios. Please lead the way." The young man bowed and spread his hand indicating the direction they were to take. Oblivious to the incredible beauty of the garden, these four people headed determinedly toward an archway from where a bright silver light was shining through. As they stepped through, they all took in a sharp breath of surprise. Floating before them all is a magnificent silver crystal unlike any he has ever seen before. The intense hot light illuminating the marble walls of the room came from this single small crystal. Standing in silent amazement around this powerful object were the eight soldiers of the Moon Kingdom and their two royal advisors. This small group of ten was the only beings that have managed to escape the curse that was placed on their beloved kingdom. Everyone else, as he had heard from these soldiers, were all imprisoned in thick quartz. They believed that even their Princess had felled to escape and was now a prisoner in the kingdom like the rest of the royal family. For unknown reasons they were forced to escape by a command from their Queen just moments before the curse was laid. As a result they survived. And now they were seeking refuge in his kingdom until the time when they can return and free their world. Only moments after the Moon Kingdom was defeated, the Moon's ultimate source of power, the Silver Crystal, appeared inside the Court of Prayers in Elysion to the surprise of all. And so there it remained under the protection of the powers of Elysion for seven years, floating in a dormant state?until now. <> He looked at each of the Guardians of the Moon carefully. His gaze softens to that of understanding and sympathy. Being a soldier himself, he understood fully what it was like to watch your kingdom fall and being helpless to stop the destruction. These eight young girls have gone through a lot. They all watch the moon each night in hopes that something would happen so that they could return to fight and free their homeland. The royal families of the Moon and that of Earth were very close friends, so when news of its defeat finally reached his parents, King Altair and Queen Terra immediately sent for the ten surviving members of the Moon Kingdom to be sheltered and protected on Earth. Endymion also noticed that his eight generals were standing close behind the Sailor Soldiers looking in bewilderment and awe at the incredible power that was being released from this precious gem. A slight smile danced on his lips as he recalled these sixteen people meeting each other for the first time. Some of them clicked together almost instantly and some took a bit longer to realize that they have fallen madly in love with each other. "So what's the status?" He finally asked. Mercury and Venus jumped in surprise having been so entranced by the power of the crystal that none of them knew of his arrival. "The crystal had suddenly awakened only fifteen minutes earlier, Darien," Pluto responded. "Do you have any clue as to what is happening?" "I'm afraid we are all as confused and in the dark as you are, Prince," Luna spoke. Darien looked down at the black cat with a pale crescent moon sigil on its forehead and asked, "Nothing at all?" The cat shook its head. Then Mars spoke up, "I think the crystal is trying to help us." Everyone instantly looked at her. "What do you mean, Mars," Neptune asked. "The dark force attacking us has slowly increased in strength over the past seven years. We all know that we cannot hold out for much longer. Perhaps the crystal sensed this and is now bringing us something or someone from another world to help us." "That *is* a possibility," Artemis nodded in agreement. "Great! After seven years of sleep and finally this *thing* wakes up and no one has any definite answers as to the whys, hows, and whats?" Darien rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Perhaps we will know the answer soon?look!" Saturn pointed a small finger at the crystal that was now glowing with increase power. A small point of light appeared on the floor below the base of the marble column where the crystal was resting on. Slowly this light began to increase in strength and a form gradually appeared through the light. Then this form began to solidify into a figure of a young girl with long gold silk hair lying with her eyes closed on the cold marble floor beneath the marble column. "What? A girl?" ============================= She could feel her feet beginning to grow numb as she quickly ran toward the light that was now sparkling brilliantly before her, luring her toward it. She stopped just several feet from the small point of light. <> She looked at it in awe and bewilderment. <> Unknowingly, she reached a cold hand out toward the light. When her fingers touched the light, a strange warm energy flowed into her body. For that one moment, she actually felt warm and?and happy. Suddenly, the small point of light flashed intensely and a large portal of blinding light opens before her. In surprise and fear, she pulled her hand back quickly. She tried to step away from the portal and run back to the orphanage but her body just couldn't move. Then a soft warm wind slowly flowed around her from the bright opening, enveloping her cold body in warmth. <> The wind slowly pulled her toward the opening until she stood just inches in front of it. Her mind screamed in fear but nothing came out of her mouth. With another burst of bright energy, she was pulled into the portal, which then instantly disappeared leaving nothing behind to indicate that it had been there. She could feel a strange warm energy surround her body protectively, pushing away the cold that had numbed her arms and legs. <> Through her eyelids, she could see a strange silver glow all around her. She unknowingly snuggled deeper into the warmth of this strange light. And surprisingly a small smile teased her lips and she slowly let her tired body slip into a deep and wonderfully warm sleep, allowing the light to take her wherever it wanted. ========================================= "What? A girl?" Jadeite cried in surprise. "Hey, Mars I thought you said that the crystal is bringing something or *someone* to help us fight the Dark Empress, but this?this girl?" "So what is wrong with this?this girl?" Mars' eyes flashed dangerously at him. He gave her a quirky grin and his body tensed to make a dash for his life as he replied, "You know Mars, girls are weak!" He noticed with satisfaction the bonfire of hatred suddenly burst into life in those beautiful fiery purple eyes of hers, eyes that has captured his heart. "Weak?" She shrieked. "I'll show you who's weak! You are definitely going to die, Buster!" She yelled as she chased him around the room, her clenched fist waving threateningly in the air. Laughing hysterically, he tried to keep his distance from her because he knew that if she caught him, he was a dead man. <> He looks back at her, smiling wildly as he saw her waving her fists at him and yelling death threats at him at the top of her lungs. But her flushed face and sparkling fiery purple eyes caught most of his attention. <> Everyone else groaned in irritation. <> Darien looks at his General's face with his ridiculous grin and her fiery eyes which reflect a spark of love and passion as she chased him, he shakes his head. <> "Enough you two," Darien spoke in a stern commanding voice. Mars stopped in the midst of frying Jadeite into a crisp and he stopped in the midst of his attempt to reach a water fountain nearby. They both looked at him. "We have more important things at hand?" He said, his open palm indicating the young girl still lying unconscious on the cold marble floor. "Right, who is she?" Venus asked, "Is she the one whom the crystal has chosen to help us?" "I don't really know," Mars said hesitantly, "I just made a simple guess about the reasons as to what the Silver Crystal was doing, but it was only a guess. I have no clue if I am right or not." "So what should we do with her?" Malachite asked, standing with his arm around Venus' waist. Darien looked at the young girl for a moment unsure of what they should do. <> His deep blue eyes observed her carefully taking in her long golden hair tied up in a style he had never before seen. He noticed that she had the most beautiful face with long soft eyelashes that brushed her soft skin gently, and lush pink lips. <> Then suddenly catching himself, his mind cried, <> "What the world am I doing arguing with myself," Darien whispered to himself. Shaking his head in confusion, he suddenly looked up to the others and said, "First things first, we should get her off this cold floor and into a warm bed. If you all haven't noticed, she is still unconscious. We must help her recover from her journey and decide what to do from that point on." The others nodded in agreement; besides there was nothing else they can do now. "Once the girl wakes up then we'll have to talk to her. Ask her for her name and why she is here, maybe she might know." Pluto said. "Then it is settle," Darien confirmed. He stepped forward and gathered the young girl into his arms. <> He looked tenderly down at her and asked in a low whisper inaudible to the rest, "Who are you?" =============================== [Next chapter coming soon!]