Soul Mates
by lady

CHAPTER ONE
Marching Destinies: The Beginning of the End

 

 

He watched her stop and look up slowly from her crouched position. He really didn’t know what he expected. Surprise, maybe some recognition. What he got was a gaze full of questions as well as a challenge. "Look around," her eyes seemed to be saying, "do you really want to end up like them?” He decided to answer that unspoken question first.

"I didn’t come to fight with you, Princess Serenity," he said. "I came to offer you my allegiance as is my destiny."

"I, too, have come to do the same," his companion assured her. "We are at your disposal, your highness."

 

Usagi turned to look at the second man but quickly brought her gaze back to the first. For some reason, she felt like he was the leader between the two men. Looking him over more carefully only served to reinforce her conclusion.

 

He was big, with enough muscles to make him look bulky yet didn’t. He looked powerful, instead, and elegant. His tall Roman nose, high cheekbones, and square jaw only served to intensify the aura of leadership surrounding him. And his eyes, his eyes were as clear and intense as the stone they were named for and they looked through you as if he could see all the way to your soul. It was quite unnerving, being the sole recipient of that gaze, so she looked away and surveyed his clothes instead.

 

He wore some kind of tunic and pants all in white, she noted, as well as boots in the same color. His top looked almost like that of Beryl’s generals, with the high collar, except that, instead of buttoning down the front, it’s sides crossed at the neck with the edge of the one in front going diagonally down and across his chest. It went all the way to just below his hips and was belted in the waist with a silver sash, which tied on his side and dangled close to his knees. The edges of his tunic and boots were also lined in silver as well as the long, white cape that hung at his back and fastened at his shoulders. All in all quite an impressive sight, Usagi thought. But none more impressive than the golden, crescent moon shaped clip, which fastened just below his collar and shone brightly when stroked by the sun.

 

"Who are you?" Usagi said looking up. "And what makes you think I’m this princess you’re looking for?"

"Please, Princess Serenity," the other man said, "We mean you no harm. We’ve been looking for you for a long time. At least give us enough time to explain our mission."

"Would it make you feel better if we call you Usagi?" questioned the first man; "You never liked being called by your title if it wasn’t necessary."

Usagi, surprised at the question, looked up once more and started considering her options. Dare she believe their good intentions? Or should she just try to fight then make a run for it? But what about Kyle? She may be able to get away but he would be left behind for them to do whatever they wanted. And they did wear the crescent moon symbol and could very well be from the Moon Kingdom. No matter how long it’s been since she was a sailor senshi, she owed it to the rest to find out everything she could about their past.

 

"Very well," Usagi said, "I’m listening."

"I think we’d better find a more private place to discuss this. Anybody passing by could overhear us out here," the leader cautioned.

At that moment, a moan was heard from Kyle and he started moving his head in Usagi’s lap. Usagi looked down. When she looked up again she said, "He’s waking up. You’d better hide until..."

 

She never finished what she was saying for, where moments before two white clad warriors were standing, now two ordinary men stood. Usagi blinked once, then again, before she recognized their faces. It was quite a change. Their white costumes before made them look elegant and powerful. They didn’t look any less powerful now but somehow more casual, more ordinary, and more human. They were both dressed in jeans and shirts. The first one wore a dark brown sports coat over his cream colored shirt while the other one wore a black, leather, bomber jacket on top of a light blue shirt. She looked at them and suddenly thought of how her old friends would have reacted to them, with mouths open and hearts in their eyes. These guys were gorgeous.

 

"Ahh, that is," Usagi stammered, "let me make sure Kyle is going to be fine then we’ll talk." Looking down she asked, "Kyle, are you okay?"

"Usagi?" Kyle groaned, "What hit me?"

"Three steamrollers with six fists among them," she answered smiling slightly.

"What!?!"

"Never mind. Do you think you can stand up? My legs are getting numb cradling you."

"Oh. Okay, I think I’m alright." Kyle said getting to his feet. Looking around and seeing the scattered men lying unconscious around them, he whispered to Usagi, "I didn’t do that, did I?"

She hid a smile and said, "No, you didn’t. These two nice gentlemen came to my rescue."

Kyle noticed for the first time the two men standing to the side of Usagi. With bodies like those, he thought, they could certainly have done it. Aloud he said, "Thank you for helping us, Mr.?"

"Fujiwara," the taller one said, "but please call me Galen. And this is my friend Ashiro Usaka."

"My friends call me Ashe," Ashiro put in.

"I’m Kyle Roberts and this is my good friend Usagi Tsukino. Say, you’re Japanese aren’t you? Usagi’s from Japan. Maybe you have some acquaintances in common."

"Maybe." Galen said, "We can talk about it as we walk her home. Are you sure you’re going to be alright?"

"I’ll be fine." he reassured them, "Nothing a few ice packs can’t cure." And to Usagi, "I’ll see you Monday morning in class!" then he waved goodbye and walked away.

"Shall we?" Galen said and motioned his hand forward. Usagi nodded and stepped towards her apartment. They walked in silence until they got there.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Usagi just finished making coffee and was arranging cups of it on a tray with some cupcakes she had bought from the supermarket. It wasn’t often that she had company, except for Kyle, and she rather enjoyed playing hostess. Although her guests were dubious company at least, and dangerous at most, she somehow felt very safe around them. It probably had something to do with that crescent symbol they wore.

Walking to the kitchen entrance, she found her two guests involved in quiet conversation. She took the chance to compare the two men. They were built almost alike with Ashe just being slightly shorter than Galen, who she guessed to be about six foot- two. He also had short, dark blonde hair that just touched his collar at the back while Galen’s hair reached to below his shoulder blades, was dark as midnight, and tied behind his neck, at least in this form. It was flowing freely when she first saw him. She couldn’t decide who was more handsome. She could never make a choice when it came to handsome men. She’d always loved them all. But she loved Mamo-chan the most. She caught herself with that thought and firmly shook it away. Those memories were best left in the past, she thought. At least, that’s what she told herself.

"Here we go, coffee and cakes," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Looks good." Ashe said, "Did you make it yourself?" "

Oh no," Usagi answered looking embarrassed, "I couldn’t bake to save my life. I bought them." She reached for one of the cupcakes and started eating.

Silence reigned for a while while they ate and drank. Then, sitting back in his chair, Galen cleared his throat, "Uhm, I think we should start discussing why were here."

"Very well," Usagi said, "would you like to begin?"

Galen nodded and started talking, "It all began five years ago..."

______________________________________________________________________________________________

There were a lot of them. At least a thousand, he thought. And they were coming closer and closer. He wasn’t really worried about the attack. He was more than ready for them. It would take a lot to beat him today for vengeance filled his heart. They were responsible for her death, he told himself, and they were going to pay dearly for it. It was then that he saw it. It loomed over the whole kingdom, a giant shadow with red eyes and sharp claws ready to swipe the palace from where it stood. He started to tremble at what was about to happen.

 

He woke up drenched in sweat, as usual. He remembered the details of his nightmare very well. Just as clearly as everything he’d dreamt of the past two weeks. They were all the same, a sequence of events, which happened in the very distant past, his past. He heard a groan and looked over at Ashe lying on the bed across from his. He knew he was having the same dream. He’d been having it longer than Galen. A least two weeks longer.

He got up and walked over to his friend’s bed. He shook him awake. "Ashe, wake up buddy, you’re dreaming again."

"Huh! Oh, Galen, it’s just you." he said groggily, " I thought it was our friend again killing me."

"I had one too. Only, I woke up before it ended. What do you think it means?" he asked.

"I thought it would end when we died in the dream but it just keeps going. Maybe we’re supposed to be doing something, looking for someone."

"Who do you think it is? The Moon Princess maybe? She is, after all, the heir of Queen Serenity now that she’s gone."

"What makes you think Queen Serenity is dead?" Ashe questioned, "We never saw that happen."

"Logically." Galen said, "We know we both died in the battle yet here we are talking about it in a different time and place. Only Queen Serenity had the power to transport us and only with the use of the Imperium Silver Crystal. And we both know that, for her to use it to its maximum power, she had to sacrifice her life."

"I never thought about it that way," Ashe sighed, "I guess you’re right."

Going back to his side of the room, Galen said, "So tomorrow we start searching for the Moon Princess." Lying down, he thought, "It will be so nice to see you again, Usagi."

______________________________________________________________________________________________

"Are you telling me I had the same name in the Moon Kingdom?" Usagi asked.

"Yes, you did," Galen said, "I think we all did although we didn’t have any last names there."

"But I still don’t understand how you found me," she said, "I was in Japan until three years ago."

 

Ashe sighed, "It wasn’t easy. For the first two years we went nowhere. We tried searching for you through your name, your description, anything we could think of. Nothing happened. The nightmares kept recurring and it gave us an idea. In our dreams we possessed extraordinary powers and we decided to try and see if we still had them. We did everything like in our dreams and the result was what you saw earlier."

"That’s right," Galen added. "Ashe and I both turned into a ‘shiro kage’, a white shadow, members of the Knights of Selene. While the Outer Senshi protected the Moon Kingdom from attacks from outside the solar system and the Inner Senshi protected you, the Moon Princess, and the Royal Family, we protected the Moon Kingdom itself from any invaders who managed to pass the Outer Senshi."

 

"There were four general in the Knights of Selene," Ashe continued, "Galen was highest ranked and I was one of the other three. Our friends Logan and Drake make up the rest of the team. We haven’t met them yet in this life but we’re pretty sure that we will."

"Anyway, after we transformed, we learned that we had all the powers we had before and we also had keener instincts and heightened senses." Galen stood and walked to the window. "We concentrated on you and our instincts told us that you were not far. We’ve been traveling around and trying to sense if we were getting nearer you. Three years of looking and then we came here. All at once the nightmares stopped. We knew we’d finally found you. It was easy enough to look around the city for a girl with a certain kind of hairstyle. You don’t know how relieved we were when we saw you today. It was like the end of a long journey."

"So what do we do now?" Usagi asked.

"Why don’t we share what we know about the past in the Moon Kingdom and go from there," Ashe suggested.

"But I don’t know very much about what happened there. All I know are bits and pieces about the battle and little more," Usagi said, feeling frustrated.

Turning from the window, Galen asked, "You don’t remember everything?"

"No! That’s what I’m trying to tell you!"

"Then I’ll tell you what we remember," Ashe said. "A thousand years ago, in the time of the Silver Millennium..."

______________________________________________________________________________________________

The day they’d all waited for had finally arrived. It was the Moon Princess’ birthday and tonight there was to be a ball to celebrate it. He was busy preparing his dress uniform for the party as well as thinking about his love. He was imagining how she would look tonight, coming down the staircase from the princess’ quarters, and wearing one of her beautiful gowns. Beside him, his friend was also looking forward to the coming evening. He was to meet his own love at the palace gardens just before the celebration started. He hadn’t seen her for over two weeks and was impatient for the hours to pass.

 

Without warning, a messenger suddenly appeared before them. They were being summoned to appear before the queen immediately. It was a matter of great importance. Ashe looked to his friend and leader, Galen, who nodded and started for the queen’s throne room before following behind with his comrades, Drake and Logan.

The queen was obviously troubled. They were not used to seeing her with a frown on her face. She always had a smile and a contented look about her that told everyone she was happy. That look was missing now.

 

"I’m sorry to disrupt you’re preparations for this evening but the news I’ve just received is very important," she started. " It also affects all of you, both in your professional and personal lives. I guess there is no easy way to say this." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was a loving and compassionate queen to all her subjects but, besides her daughter and the senshi, these four men, her army’s generals, held a special place in her heart. She hated hurting them in any way but she had no choice.

"The planet Earth has been attacked and conquered by a new enemy." Such a simple statement, she thought, but it presented so many implications especially to these men.

Ashe felt like a wall had slammed onto his chest. He couldn’t seem to breathe. He suddenly had a vision of his loved one falling after being hit, her life force living her body. "No!" his mind denied. "This couldn’t be happening!" Suddenly, a scream filled the silence.

"Noooo!" It was Drake holding his head between his palms. He turned and ran for the door. "Hotaru, no!"

Galen was quick to catch him and hold him till he came to his senses. He knew he was hurting, they all were, but running to help their loved ones now wouldn’t do any good. It was too late. He closed his own eyes and tried to reign his feelings of grief and loss.

Ashe watched his friend’s eyes close and sympathized with him. The woman he loved was the strongest of them all and the bravest. She would have gone down hard. She would have fought ‘til there was no strength left in her, no breath left in her body. It must be hard to know she’d suffered before she died. Ashe closed his eyes as well.

 

"They’re all dead?" This half statement, half question came from Logan, the most level-headed of them all. His face was like a mask carved in stone. There was no emotion to be read there although they knew he must be in pain as well. He, too, had lost a loved one.

Queen Serenity sighed once more and replied, "I’m so sorry but, yes, I’m afraid they’re all dead. Our new enemy, the Dark Kingdom, would never have been able to enter our solar system without passing through the Outer Senshi. We all know they would have fought to the death before letting any danger come to the Moon Kingdom. Together, the four of them were very powerful and yet they were defeated. Earth has already been captured and I’m afraid we may be next. We have to be prepared for an invasion if it comes. If the Moon Kingdom is destroyed, there will be no hope for the Silver Millennium. I just hope Prince Endymion and his generals are alright. My daughter will not be able to handle his death."

 

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say we’re all ready to fight the Dark Kingdom at this very moment. I feel like I could take on a whole army by myself without any trouble." This was from Drake who had finally calmed down enough to listen to what was going on. He was the youngest of them all and the most impulsive.

"I couldn’t agree with you more, Drake," Galen said, "but the four of us alone won’t be able to take on a force that managed to defeat the Outer Senshi. We have to prepare our respective armies for the fight that is almost sure to come."

 

The queen nodded her head. "I think Galen has the right idea. We have to fight this enemy all together if we want to win. But, with all this preparations for the coming war going on, please try to enjoy yourselves at the ball tonight. It may be our last celebration in a long time and it marks my daughter’s eighteenth birthday and her coming to power as my heir and future queen of the Silver Millennium."

"I’m sorry, my queen," Logan apologized, "but I believe the four of us have little to celebrate this day. Please know that we are happy for the princess but there is so much grief in our souls right now for us to be able to share her joy in her coming of age. I hope you’ll both understand."

 

"You don’t have to worry that we’ll be offended. My daughter cares for you all, as I do. Especially you, Galen, since you grew up together and have been her champion since she was but a baby. I’m sure you will hear from her when I share this news with her."

Galen shook his head at this statement. "Your majesty, please don’t ruin Usagi’s day by telling her this. It won’t make any difference if she isn’t told until after tonight. The Inner Senshi will have to know, of course, so they can be ready but they can be trusted to keep it to themselves if they have to."

"I am touched for your concern for my daughter, Galen," the queen replied, "so I will honor your request. I will leave you now so I, myself, can prepare for tonight and for the coming battle. I hope lady luck is on our side and it won’t come." With this the queen stood up and exited to her chambers.

 

Just like they told the queen, the four generals of the Knights of Selene spent the afternoon updating their armies about the news and preparing them for battle. All their men wanted to back out of attending the ball but Galen thought it more prudent for them to be present. He rationalized that having half the men in the kingdom missing from the event is sure to raise questions. Ones they didn’t want to deal with. The answers would only cause panic and that would lead to disaster. Reluctantly, the men finally agreed.

And so, the sunset found the four friends in close counsel with each other. They were busy discussing battle strategies, trying to keep away from the painful memories just waiting to boil over the surface. It wasn’t working very well. A commotion around the corner of the gardens, where the princess’ chambers were located, quickly attracted their attention. Shouts were heard from the guards and the sound of running feet indicated a chase. They stood and got ready to stop the culprit when he crossed their path.

A man clad in black armor and cape suddenly rounded the corner and slammed full force onto Drake. They both lost their footing and fell to the ground.

 

"Prince Endymion, is that you? Where did you come from and what are you doing here?" Galen interrogated.

Breathing rapidly, the prince replied, "Well, Galen, we both know where I came from and, as to what I’m doing here, I came to warn the queen about the coming danger. I stopped to speak to the princess when I saw her on the balcony but your guards chased me away. What is going on?!"

"I believe the guards have orders to stop anyone who came from Earth. We don’t know who to trust anymore," Ashe explained. "But I’m sure the queen would like to see you, Prince Endymion, so we’ll escort you to her chambers."

The guards arrived at this moment and stopped at the sight of the generals.

"You can leave him to us, men." Galen commanded the guards. "You can go back to your posts." And to the prince, "Follow me. This way."

The four of them went through a door and followed a series of empty hallways. The prince had been to the queen’s chambers a lot of times but he had never passed this way before. Logan was the one who explained. "We don’t want anybody to know you’re here just in case you can’t attend the ball tonight. There will be a lot of questions asked otherwise." The prince nodded his understanding.

 

The queen was surprised to see the men when they entered her chambers until she saw Prince Endymion. She then stood up to give him a comforting hug. He was like a son to her, especially since he was engaged to her daughter. They were planning to wed the following year, in the springtime. She wasn’t sure if it would all fall through now.

She released him from the embrace and clasped his shoulders. "You don’t know how happy I am to see you, Mamoru. I now have one less person to worry about."

"I’m afraid I didn’t bring good news, your majesty." The prince took the queen’s hands in his own. "After we left here, my Royal Guard and I arrived on Earth to great chaos. We were immediately attacked by youmas in great numbers. My men were quick to push me behind them so I wouldn’t get hurt. They told me to go back here quickly and get help. I protested but they were determined for me to go. I left hurriedly but not before I saw the palace destroyed. I knew in my heart that my parents were dead and I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t let what happened to my home be repeated here. Not while I still lived."

"I’m so sorry about your parents. I was hoping the war wasn’t going as badly as I heard. But I am glad to see you’re alright. You’re lucky to have such loyal friends in your guard." The queen led Mamoru to the sofa and ordered tea to be served. "Tell me more about what’s happening on Earth."

 

"Like I said," the prince continued, "the palace was destroyed and all around destruction reigned. If I didn’t know where I was, I wouldn’t recognize it as the place I grew up in. All you can see for miles around were those youmas killing everyone they came across and littering the ground with bodies. I’m so afraid my men won’t live to see another day. They are good fighters with strong powers but the sheer number of youmas to fight could overwhelm them. I didn’t even see their leader. Just imagine what she is capable of." "

So they do number by the thousands like we thought," Drake commented, "but how do you know their leader is a woman? I thought you didn’t see her."

The prince wasn’t offended by the question since it was logical. "It’s true I didn’t see her but I heard her laughter. It seemed to be coming from all around the battleground and, sounded so evil, it made chills run down my spine."

 

The queen addressed her commanders. "So now we know, more or less, what to expect. I trust you all know what to do. Everyone in this kingdom will be counting on you even if they’re not aware of it. I know you’ll give your best. Good luck."

The men nodded and quietly exited the room. As they left, they heard the queen say to the prince, "You’ll attend the ball tonight, Mamoru. I think Usagi will enjoy having her fiancé around for her coming of age party and it will keep her from suspecting anything’s going on."

"I’ll be happy to dance with her tonight," he said accepting the queen’s invitation. "I hope it won’t be our last."

With those words quickly fading away from their hearing, the four generals walked determinedly to the training grounds where their armies awaited.

to be continued...