Stars in a New Sky

Chapter 26: Separation

Mamoru blinked against the dark spots dancing in front of his eyes as he tried to think past the sudden wave of terror that crashed over him. Swaying, he leaned heavily against a tall cinderblock fence. He struggled to get his breathing under control. Usagi was in danger, but he couldn't get his limbs to obey him. Usually, he was able to see where she was and what was going on. Not this time. This time he could only see darkness. A great endless darkness. The incredible fear that stole his breath was Usagi's 

He clutched his chest, willing his legs to move. Though he'd only gone a short distance from her house, it felt like an eternity by the time he reached her front door. The once lively household looked dark with a vaguely abandoned air. Dread filled him as the door swung open of its own accord. Before he could take a step, Luna shot out of the entrance like a dark furry bullet. "Luna!" He shouted.

Luna stumbled to a halt and looked over her shoulder at the boy. For the first time since Luna had known him in his life, he looked his age. A terrified boy with hollow blue eyes silently begging her not to confirm the awful truth. Despair filled her heart. "She's...she's gone! Thyst took her to the Dark Kingdom!"

Mamoru felt his chest tighten as he suspicions were correct. His princess had been stolen. Anger forced aside the horror. It's not going to end like this...not this time. I will protect my princess!  He took one step off the porch and collapsed. The pain from his psychic connection with Usagi intensified. The roar in his ears drowned out Luna's cries of alarm. In a blink of an eye, he was no longer lying on Usagi's porch. He was in a...garden? Beautiful flowers he didn't recognize bloomed around him. Stars shimmered in a velvety black sky overhead. Slowly, he realized the soft warmth beneath his head was someone's lap.

When he tried to sit up, a small hand resting on his chest stopped him. He looked up to see Usagi...no the previous incarnation of Princess Serenity. The princess from his dreams. "Don't try to get up, Endy--Mamoru." She corrected herself. "This time, you must remember everything." Her smile was soft and sorrowful. His heart ached to see her...for in her graceful expression he could see Usagi. The gentle warmth that had comforted him in his lonely apartment.

"Please remember." She whispered, her small hand waving before them. He watched in surprise as the interior of a ballroom materialized. He watched himself dressed in an elegant tuxedo approach the princess with a determined single-minded stride. The couple only had eyes for each other as they danced. A smile curved his lips as he saw the princess hurry away to her mother and each of the Sailor Guardians personally introduce themselves. Sailor Mars' explicit threat made him chuckle. Lucky that it was Minako and not Rei who had caught him nearly kiss Usagi in the halls at HQ.

"I remember how much they loved and respected you...and how badly you wanted to be just like them." 

She sighed. "If I was more like them then, we would not have died."

Frowning, Mamoru sat up and held her hand tight. "Don't blame yourself! There was nothing any of us could have done. It happened too quickly." He grimaced as a particularly painful memory returned. Tears pricked his eyes as his father's cold voice echoed in his mind. No...Endymion's father... As the memories from his past life returned, it was becoming more difficult to keep Endymion's identity separate from his own.

Princess Serenity of the past gave him a sad smile. She gently cupped his cheek. "You're so like him...my Endymion. I pray that you can save your princess." She leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "Survive...and save the future we were denied."

*** 

Panic burst in Usagi's chest as she awoke in the suffocating darkness. Though her eyes were wide open, she could perceive nothing. The last thing she remembered was Thyst in her room and plummeting into inky black. Fingers trembling, Usagi reached out in front of her. Her fingers touched nothing but air. Lowering her hands, she felt the hard, smooth floor under her legs. Slowly, she rose with her hands out for balance. Heart hammering in her chest, Usagi shuffled forward praying she could reach a wall or a door. Anything was better than this seemingly infinite darkness.