The Golden Awakening

Mercury froze, ashamed, and clasped her hands in front of her, staring down at the Golden Crystal upgraded outfit, her pristine gloves in particular, noticing now that the bloodstains were gone. She nodded once, feeling stupid for not have thought of that sooner. There was so much – how far could she have come if she had done that in the first place? How close… what if she had found a way in by now? What if they could have already saved her, before the barriers around the Dark Palace had solidified?! She bit her lip, fighting back tears at her own incompetence, and turned away. “I will start immediately.”

She hoped no one heard the catch in her voice as she walked swiftly to the nearest of the golden chambers, turning down passageways until she found a circular room that seemed to fit her needs. Tears of mingled anger at herself and sadness at the possibility of what could have been – would Serena have been with them now if she had only acted sooner? – marred her computer screen as she called it. Angrily she wiped the saline water off on her skirts, then whipped it open and set to work.

((Sailor Mercury has left the board))

Saturn looked at the ground letting her hair cover her face she had felt Pluto's hand on her shoulder seen the look that Pluto gave her. she had than felt Neptune’s hand on her other shoulder fallowed closely by Uranus's hand on her hip. she knew what had caused her out burst it was her failure to protect her queen and her failure to bring the attention to the approaching darkness this was her fault and she needed to fix it she needed to start acknowledging the darker side of her powers and not just the lighter side she was the senshi of destruction and rebirth not just rebirth she was the one who could destroy earth when the day came. she knew Uranus was right hey need to be more worried about serenity than the refugee's. it was than she made her decision she needed to apologize for her blow up as this whole mess was her fault "I apologize for my outburst" she said looking at Endymion her purple eye's several shads darker than they had been before a cold look in her eye's "this mess is my fault as I had sensed the darkness approaching a month before and never mentioned anything to any one I will do as you ask of me but I do request that you allow me to watched the guards of the castle to find pattern within the guards patrols." she said. her screw up so she might as well take the most dangerous task for herself at this point any tears she had shed were long gone all that could be seen in her eye's was determination.

(ooc: seesh this was only supposed tobe a reacion post i suppose my mind is trying to make up for the fact i won't be on enough to post tamorrow -_-"

Jupiter let him talk to her like that. She could take it. She didn't care much for his statement or his demands. His look made her feel weak, powerless, but she wouldn't show it. She needed it to get through to him that he wasn't acting like himself, that he had let his anger get the better of him and he was loosing himself. Serena wouldn't be proud of him, but then again, she would be very ashamed in the way Jupiter was acting. But apologizing now would show weakness, and there would come another time when she could make amends with princey dearest. He had given her orders and she was more than willing to take it to get out of there, away from him and away from the senshi. "Of course, Prince." She said through gritted teeth. When Mercury offered to go with her, she felt a wave of relief, that was until Endymion told her no she was need elsewhere.

Mars gave Jupiter a stern 'we're having a long talk about this later' look. A look that Jupiter wasn't too fond of and she was slightly relieved when Uranus offered to go also, maybe Mars would ease up on her with another senshi around. Jupiter swallowed hard as she followed Mars out, she remebered Mars never eased up on anyone and if Uranus was going then there would just be an audience. Jupiter kept her head held high and walked a couple steps behind Mars, not daring to look back at the rest of the senshi and that prince of theirs.

((Sailor Jupiter has left the board))

Venus bit her lip. Watching the exchange between Jupiter and Endymion made her stomach churn. Jupiter had a way of saying exactly what she meant. These words also had a way of getting her in to deep trouble.

The girl swallowed hard as Mars and Jupiter left. The more that left, the more likely she would have to talk to him. She had lost her words. For once, she wanted to be anything but the center of attention.

Nothing she could say could make her appear to be on top of things. Venus felt compelled to make this situation better but what could she do?

Her princess was lost and she had failed to protect her. A scout since thirteen, wielder of the holy sword, failed to save the princess from an enemy they had already defeated.

Suddenly words swelled in her chest, Venus knew what to say.

"Darien," She corrected herself almost immediately. "I mean, Endymion." Venus tried to keep a level head as she spoke. "We have all lost the most precious person." Venus looked around at everyone. "And none of us are handling it as well as we should. I think we should band together rather than sit around taking kettle shots at everyone." Her fist slammed against her hand. "Let's be positive and think of a rational plan."

She finished with a nod, hoping that her words would somehow sink in.

Pluto stayed silent after saying what she needed to say, letting the others address him and he them. This was all such one large mess and it would take a very long time to fix it...She wasn't talking about the city, that went without saying but the emotional and personal relationships between them all. It was something she hated seeing and given all of the rampant emotions running around Pluto felt like she would need to seek like minded company..perhaps once their Prince was finished with them she would seek out Helios.

As Uranus and Saturn spoke...both so passionate about their words Pluto casted her eyes down. She knew Amara would take this hard but her words...it was sad to think. Yes, they had a duty to the crown but also to the people they would rule. They could not forget them.

She listened as some of them were given orders and she stood there waiting for her own. Pluto was certain she could be useful with Mercury or the others in scouting..or even staying here with the Prince but she wanted him to tell her what to do other than suggest something herself and have him see that as her challenging him.

He dealt with everyone in the order their comments came.

Uranus’s request to join Jupiter and Mars he quickly and firmly rejected, pinning the blonde with his tired, fierce eyes as he replied, “No. If I intended for you to join them, I would have told you to join them.” While he liked the support the senshi of skies gave him, he was put off by her suggestion – sending three people out into the field with only one goal between them was an inefficient use of resources. With so little to work with in the way of information, the notion of putting three scouts on one mission was appallingly wasteful. Uranus’s admission of distaste for the injured people of Star City was not lost on him, either; while discovering more about the enemy was the priority right now, especially with super-powered soldiers, the health and wellness of civilians was not to be completely ignored. Just ignored by them – they should have recruited doctors to take care of the injured while they were gathering information. The anger burning in his chest seemed to turn on high as he thought again about how much time they had wasted as power-wielding, strong, quick women wasted time dallying here when they could have been making a difference on the surface.

Saturn spoke up again, and he gave into the temptation to completely ignore her, not even glancing at her as she talked. Until, that is, she said “guards.” He paid attention then, still looking at Uranus as his eyes narrowed, “…guards of the castle to find patterns within the guard’s patrols,” the black-haired girl said.
He laughed darkly, his eyes sliding back onto the youngest of their members. “Only moments ago you were criticizing me for demanding a reason for why you had not done more.” his voice got louder, “Only moments ago, you yelled at me, your Prince, declaring that you were doing all that you could. And yet now, just minutes later without my saying a word about it, you ask to be sent to Star City to track guard movements. What was stopping you before, Saturn? If you knew that the surveillance of Diamond’s forces would prove valuable, why did you stay in Elysion?” he put a bite into his words, the question a statement that dared to be answered. This development made him nearly livid with controlled anger; not only did Saturn apparently have a lot of energy, as made evident in her initial outburst, but she also had ideas for useful tasks she could have been conducting instead of playing with children – what kind of nonsense--

“Darien,” Venus said then, but paused to correct herself, “I mean, Endymion.” He was distracted by the moniker – he was still Darien… but, then, Endymion was a name people could rally for. Endymion was a name drenched in history and respect. … Endymion was what he would have everyone call him, his title now as much as Tuxedo Mask had ever been. She continued, “We have all lost the most precious person,” there was a quick pang in his chest and his anger subsided; he looked to her, seeing an unfamiliar uncertainty in her gaze, and while once he would have been sympathetic, now he could only see her as the supposed leader of the Senshi, a leader who kept them in place instead of having them out and accomplishing useful tasks, tasks that would help bring Serena back. So, rather than sympathetic, he simply accepted her unconscious admission of weakness as she continued, “And none of us are handling it as well as we should. I think we should band together rather than sit around taking kettle shots at everyone.” he caught the off-phrase but said nothing, “Let’s be positive and think of a rational plan, ” she finished, driving her fist into her other hand and nodding positively.

If that’s what she needed to say to make things better, than so be it. But he wasn’t apologizing for anything. He turned back to Uranus, done with Saturn completely. “Uranus,” he addressed in a non-threatening tone, his respect for her and Neptune’s skills at covert operations outweighing any slight she or Neptune had caused him so far, “take Saturn to the surface and teach her how to watch people without being seen – the last thing we need is to lose a warrior. The four of you – Uranus, Saturn, Neptune and Venus – will find where Diamond’s headquarters is located and discretely observe for signs of activity. Do not be seen. Do not get caught.” The final orders were said through his teeth as he observed the four of them. If they split up they could cover all four directions around Diamond’s headquarters, but Mercury had been right; it was safer for them to travel in pairs. ”Stay in pairs. Report back here once you learn something.”

He glanced up, hearing a small sound beyond the fountain, and he froze, almost unable to believe his eyes…

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Andrew King:

“SAILOR SENSHI!”

Andrew glanced up, shock registering on his features as he stood and nearly charged out of his tent, looking for the owner of the voice, and found him. Darien, returned at last, and yet, right before his eyes, Andrew watched as a warm golden light exploded from his friend’s chest and enveloped him, and then shot off in all directions like a growing ring of light, moving around and over people. His eyes darted around to those the light seemed to stick with, and immediately recognized them to be the Sailor Senshi. He glanced back to find Darien changed, and angry, but then the light was on him. It was warm, and tingly, like sunshine, but while it passed over him and continued to radiate outward, something was not right with his tent. He glanced back to see the golden glow emanating from beneath a pile of clothes. Looking to see the girls surrounding Darien and then all of them walking away, Andrew decided it was best to catch up with Darien and offer his condolences later, and turned to investigate the glowing object behind him.

Pushing back through the white hanging canvas, the blonde approached the pile and hesitated; it was his attire from the wedding. Piece by piece, he tossed the clothes that marked the end of the world onto the grassy floor until he uncovered the glowing artifact and stared, puzzled. It was a small plexiglass case, a token Darien asked he keep in his pocket during the wedding. It hadn’t made much sense to Andrew, but he wasn’t about to tell the groom that he was making a really odd request on his wedding day, so Andrew had placed the pencil-case sized rectangular box in his breast pocket, wondering if the four stones within were lucky somehow. To Darien, at least. But now, standing there with his hands hovering above the glass, he wondered what the rocks really were.

He knew of their past – Darien, Serena and the girls’. They had used the basement of his father’s game arcade as a base of operations since they were teenagers, and after the first attack by the Dark Kingdom he had kept their secret and tried to be supportive, not prying. But the things they dealt with… was this a token from those days? A weird growing crystal, or something?

…but then, the way the light stuck to it, he imagined that it had to be good. The stones must’ve been something good, otherwise they’d just eat the golden light, right?

Taking a deep breath, Andrew reached forward and opened the case, and the light danced on the stones within until they, too, shone with an inner light. And, suddenly, Andrew was surrounded. He stepped back, only to step back into someone, a tall man with long brown hair. To his left was man about his own height with blonde hair, a shade or two darker than his. In front of him was a beautiful man with harsh eyes and golden locks, and to his right a man even taller than the first with long white hair. The way this man, the last, carried himself made Andrew immediately decide that he was their leader. He glanced around Andrew, moving to gently push the third guy out of the way to stare at the glass case. Andrew looked, too, and nearly jumped – the case was empty!

“Who--?” he started, wondering who these men were, and how they got out of the stones, and, most importantly, whose side they were on, but the four of them exchanged a look and immediately strode out of the tent, long capes and all. Andrew followed after them, a thousand questions coming to mind, but he was unable to keep up with them – they moved faster than he had thought possible, but they were only walking! Sure, their legs were long so they could stride pretty quickly, but he was taller than two of them and he was having a difficult time keeping up; they were like… he mentally paused, they were like the senshi when they wanted to get somewhere fast. Were these guys warriors from the past, as well?

Nah.

He followed them nevertheless, right up until they passed around the fountain and entered the golden temple like they owned it. There, Andrew paused, wanting to figure out the mystery but, somehow, not feeling quite right about entering the sacred ground…
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Endymion

There, standing framed by the graceful archways of the temple, were his allies, confidants, friends... his heavenly kings, his guardians from his past life who died to save him all those years ago. They were alive. He strode forward, wondering if the lack of sleep and emotional trauma had caused him to have visions, but as he approached and a smile broke over Neprhite's face, he knew them to be real. He paused, and Kunzite descended the short stair into the grounds to meet him. They hesitated, looking at each other, and Kunzite put his fist to his breast and bowed at the waist. "My prince." he greeted, then looked back up, grey eyes flashing as he took Endymion in, "You do not look well."

Neprhite was suddenly beside him, brown brows furrowed, "Have you slept?" he looked back over to the senshi who remained behind Endymion, "Has he slept?"

But Jadeite didn't wait for a reply from the girls, coming forward to grasp Endymion on the arm in a familiar fashion, and then use this grip to pull his Prince forward, into the Temple...

((Endymion and the Shitennou have left the board.))

Pluto watched as everyone was given their orders, watching the others walk off to do what their prince
demanded while waiting for her own...but they did not come. Perhaps he figured she would know something to do on her own, or he feared her enough to let her be...even if she was not that vain to believe that herself it was still curious. It seemed that all of her time spent alone she was still invisible when needed be, which, in this situation was a blessing in disguise.

As the others began to leave Pluto remained where she was in hopes to get a word in with the Prince,
that was, until his four generals presented themselves. The look on Endymions face was what she could only describe as mixed surprise and maybe even..horror? He certainly had not been expecting them that
much was certain. As the men ushered the prince inside Pluto remained there for a moment before deciding that she too should put herself to use. Grabbing hold of the Garnet Rod, Pluto picked it up
slightly and glanced at Andrew before walking off to give her assistance to Mercury.

((Sailor Pluto has left the board.))