Disclaimer: *blinks sleepily* Morning... *huge yawn* Oh yeah...I don't own Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi does, rah rah. Please don't sue...

PS- This is kind of an alternate relity fic, my first, yeah! So powers, ect will be different, along with titles and what not...

Serendipity Lost
by Kei aka Splinter Tree

Chapter One

Nephrite frowned as he stood shillouted in the dank room's door. The shabby furniture was in pieces and the room's occupant, a single man who claimed ownership of this wreck of a once mighty mansion, lay flattened on the ground, the swords of Nephrite's elite soldiers pressed against his panting neck.

"He won't talk?" he asked his captain, a dark man who managed to tower even over his own considerable height. Bernum shook his head, his thin lips compressed into an angry white line. A loud cry and shufflings brought his attention to the hall where two more of his guards wrestled with a plump, desperate woman who could have only been the stubborn man's wife.

"Bring her!" he barked. Grabbing the peasant roughly on her arm he shoved her into the room while Bernum drew the man on the floor up by his hair to see who was brought in. As the woman started to sob Nephrite stared down his prisoner, cold blue eyes boring into his own frightened brown ones. Nephrite's sword slipped from his scabbard with a hiss and he casually pointed it at the weeping woman's neck.

"Now that we have you attention," he all but purred, "let's get down to real business. The princesses, we know they were here but the real question is where are they now, hum? Are they hiding in one of the rooms upstairs," he nodded to the second floor, which alone would take hours to search because of this place's immense size, "or have they gone elsewhere?" The mansion had been through many hands and only recently, with the onslaught of the Earthen Empire's Army had it fallen into such ragged disrepair and the reputable hands of the peasant man and his wife. "I suggest you start giving me the answers we seek or things are going to get... messy."

The man blanched but remained silent and oddly enough the woman, though still crying, did not plead for mercy or beg her husband to give him the information he sought. Sapphire eyes narrowed dangerously and he dropped the woman to stride up to his helpless prisoner. "Are you a fool?" he snapped. "I will kill her and you, slowly if I must, to get what I need. All you have to do is tell me where the princesses are and you will be set free. I give you my word." And then despite his terror, the man spat at Nephrite, rageglinting in his righteous eyes.

"Free?" he asked, hysterical laughter filling the room while the guards watched on uneasily. "You'll have us in chains no matter what we do, the word of an Earth Man, or an Earth Soldier mean nothing! And we will not speak."

"You sign your own death warrants," Nephrite whispered but the peasant smiled at the words.

"Perhaps," he said simply. "As long as our princesses are free nothing else matters. The moment you catch them it won't matter because all hope will be gone forever. If my wife and I must die for the greater good then so be it. For them, for them we would gladly seek oblivion." Nephrite studied him coldly for a long moment before stepping away.

"They're not here, he's stalling us. Shackle them and throw them with the others. Let's see where your precious princesses hide when all their people are in chains. Move out."

Two hooded figures hurried through the small garden that led up to the quaint manor. Cloaked in gold and green they stood out in the gathering gloom that dusk brought. The fabric that clothed them was fine and had been beautiful once, now though it was frayed and damaged with the wear of hasty travel. The one in gold paused and knocked lightly on the great oaken door. The two huddled together under the arch that protected the old porch, their hoods drawn to obscure their faces. After several moments the door swung noiselessly open to reveal a tired looking young man.

His slanted eyes studied them wordlessly before he sighed, his pointed ears twitching with anxiety. "I can't," he whispered at theirsilent pleading.

"Please Alan," Mina said softly, coaxingly, "just until we can catch out breaths, please." His wary gaze flickered between their exhausted faces, torn, and they stiffened to receive the denial he had yet to speak which registered clearly on his handsome face but then he sagged in defeat, face downcast.

"All right," he murmured worriedly, "all right. Sere..." he choked as he said the revered name, the mere mention of it proved to be enough to bring tears to Lita and Mina's eyes, "Serena would have wanted me to. She always gave so selflessly..." voice trembling with grief he stopped until he had composed himself. Another voice called from inside the house.

"Alan, who is it?" a face similar to his peered around his greater bulk. Harried eyes widened with surprise, then shock.

"I told them they could stay for a bit Ann, it isn't too much is it? For their memory at least?" Ann's gaze snapped close, face bitter before she looked at the two princesses again, features subdued.

"No, nothing is too much for Endymion's memory, or Serena's, even if the love we held for them was never meant to be love lost, hope smashed, causes grief as well. But we can only offer refuge for a night, two at the most, for there are others who live here who we must think of also, servants and such. If we were found by the Earthen Men then so be it but it isn't fair to put others unknowingly into danger." Lita nodded in agreement.

"No," she said sadly, "not fair at all." Mina laid a comforting hand on her arm but it did little to appease the shame in her troubled gaze.

"Come," Ann said as she drew them into the manor, "before you are recognized." The siblings ushered them into the house where a maid promptly took their traveling gear and cloaks, all except for onebag that Lita clung to, refusing to relinquish it. The maid shrugged while Alan sent her a questioning look. Fighting the tears Lita opened the satchel to show three necklaces, the symbols of Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn on them.

"We were at Neptune last," Mina said, gently breaking the oppressive silence. Ann frowned.

"All of you...?" Mina nodded sadly.

"Yes, the last time we were together, those of us left that is. After Uranus and Saturn were taken with Serenity, Serena, and Endymion we fled to Neptune. Mirchiru housed us as long as she could. The Earthen Army broke through their army's ranks, like they always do, and we had to scatter.

An arrow took Mirchiru in the back as we fled..." Mina half sobbed at the memory before continuing, "Ami and Rei... We don't know where they are. Venus knows, maybe safe somewhere..."

"Or if not safe than at peace, at least. I'm starting to think there isn't anywhere safe in this universe, anywhere where the people of Earth can't find us. I'm just so tired of running..." Lita's voice trailed off, her eyes haunted with the shadows of a woman who had seen too much suffering, too many people die. Alan swallowed before daring to interrupt in their inner reflection.

"If you're hungry dinner is served around now or if you'd rather go rest I'm sure the maids will prepare your rooms..." Mina looked up brightly at the offer of food.

"I'm starving!" she burst out, eyes lightening with the first happiness the siblings had seen since their strange guests had appeared. The golden haired princess looked to Lita eagerly.

"It's been what, three, four days since our food ran out." Lita smiled grimly and shook her head, amused.

"Try one drama queen but before that all we had was that hard bread." Mina scowled at the memory.

"That was not food!!" The statement brought a weak chuckle from the other three and managed to banish some of the darkness that had crept into the room.

"Go ahead Mina. I'm going to go up to my room if you all don't mind too terribly much. I don't care if it's clean; your maid shouldn't bother with it. A blanket on a hard floor would satisfy me now. Last night was spent under a bridge." Mina wrinkled her nose at Alan and Ann's looks of distaste.

"It was worse than it sounds. Okay now, time for food!" At Mina's not so subtle urging they left after calling for another maid to show Lita to her room. The woman curtsied deeply before guiding her upstairs. Several minutes later they stopped in front of a plain door. The maid curtsied deeply again but her dark eyes were intent on Lita's face. Before Lita turned to go in her room the woman reached out hesitantly and grabbed her arm lightly.

"Mam?" she asked, unsure. Lita bowed her head heavily for a moment, willing her strength to last just a little bit longer.

"Yes..." A black gaze caught her emerald one.

"It doesn't matter where you are or what them Earth people, bad folks, do to you, you and Princess Mina will always be our princesses, the people's, in our hearts." Lita's own heart warmed with the sentiment and those like it that had been shared with them. She had lost so much and yet, knowing that people all over the universe cared for them, mourned with them, it helped, oh Jupiter only knew it helped so much. To be that loved, that respected, it dazzled the mind, more than mere confusion and pain could. The Earthen Army ruled by force, by terror. The rest of the universe would bow to its power but it was because they knew it wouldn't last. 'The Earth Empire will rule gloriously for awhile but then, then it will collapse from within because its base support, peasants, farmers, its very heart is intent on poisoning it.' She thought, satisfaction making her grin, smile feral. Come hell or high water they'd pay for all the pain they'd caused.

Unconsciously her hand went to the rose earrings she wore always, ever since that night... Her throat closed with unshed tears and she thanked the maid before slipping into the room and solitude. Lita closed the door and leaned up against it, gasping through her sobs as hot tears ran down her cheeks. Her other hand reached blindly under her ragged homespun dress to clutch at the necklace she wore. The sign of Jupiter pressed into her clenched fist along with another charm, a small umbrella. Memories flooded her, memories that she tried so hard to keep at bay but to no avail... Ken smiling handsomely in his officer uniform, saluting her with a grin that had melted colder hearts than hers. The awful explosion, the boiling smoke, the cries, and then that deathly silence that followed with the realization that they were gone, he was gone... Queen Serenity, Princess Serena, Prince Endymion, Princess Uranus, Princess Saturn, and Ken, her love, her lover, the other half of her soul. And Rose...

More tears slipped from brimming jade colored eyes to join the ones already fallen as Lita sank to the floor, head in hands. So much lost and yet so much to live for. Revenge didn't fill her like love did but it accomplished its purpose. It kept her moving, kept her from giving up and joining those already gone beyond the petty struggles of this world. It kept her from letting go and it made her care. 'Oh yes,' she thought, bitter with unimagined pain, 'you'll all pay, that I swear.'

Nephrite reined in his mount, a beautiful bay horse that snorted spiritedly. Cobalt eyes narrowed in speculation. "So your spy is really this good..." Bernum nodded sagely.

"He's that good. He's been watching this house for weeks. Turns out the siblings that own this house both had things for Princess Serena and Prince Endymion. They'd be well known to the princesses, a likely choice for refuge." Bernum spat, unconcerned, as he awaited his commander's orders.

"Two left, that's all we need to rule." Nephrite muttered to himself. All the other princesses were taken or disposed of. Princess Mercury and Princess Mars were prisoners, held by the sorceress, Beryl's, dark power in a state of immobilization. Both were wounded, mortally, and the moment the magic unfroze them they would most likely die of their wounds, several which had been self inflicted in an attempt to keep themselves from falling into the Earthen Empire's hands. But for now, and as long as Beryl could hold them, they lived, barely and that was enough to serve their purposes because as long as the Earthen Empire held two princesses hostage the universe would submit to them, for fear of their safety.

Or it would submit when the last two princesses were captured, Princess Venus and Princess Jupiter. And the best spy in the Imperial
Earth Army had intelligence reports that indicated that they were in this very house. Five years of war might be ended this night. He hoped he wouldn't have to kill them. If they were truly captured they would die eventually but he hoped he wouldn't have to have their blood on his hands. At least not Princess Jupiter's, Lita's blood. He had never seen the strong willed princess but he had heard stories, everyone had, and he knew what Rose told him, his wife, his soul, his living heart. They had married for peace, a political marriage that was supposed to make the universe and the grasping Earthen Empire one. But what started out as duty bloomed into a deep abiding love that had ended that tragic night, the night the war started anew, the night Rose's life ended.

Rose hadn't been the only one to die that night. It had been an ambassador's trip to the Earth where the peace conference was suppose to take place that would draw up a formal treaty. The sky carriage's shields, sky carriages were magicked to carry people between the stars, failed on the return trip to the Moon. Rose had been with it so that she could visit Lita... It plummeted from the heavens to land in the middle of the Moon palace killing Rose, a noble from Jupiter, Princess Serena, princess of the Moon, her traitor husband, Prince Endymion, who had abandoned Earth for the Moon and his love long before a treaty had even been an option, Queen Serenity, ruler of the Moon, Princess Uranus, Princess Saturn, and Ken, a Jupiter guard who had been assigned to protect the envoy.

All gone and with them any chance for a peaceful resolution. So be it. His thoughts trailed back to Princess Jupiter. She had been his wife's best friend from childhood. Despite the fact that Rose had only been a rather minor noble Lita and she had been raised as sisters, a kindness that Rose never forgot. He sincerely hope he would not have to be the one to slay the person his love had regarded as family but if he must, he would. He never shirked his duty, it had brought him love and now it brought the only fulfillment he knew. "Let's go," he finally said to Bernum. The soldier nodded and raised his sword to command the troops onward to the manor house.

Author's Notes: So what did ya'll think? Like it? Hate it? Love me? Hate me? hehe Email me and tell me about it...
inspiredthoughts@hotmail.com

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