Quests for Truth, part one, by Sailor GlitterGirl & Rose Aquarius, 
edited by Ravneye, July, 2001

GlitterGirl: Hey, there! Long time no see! Hopefully, if I've been 
true to myself, I'll have finished Queen of Legends by now. 
*whimpers* so sorry about that minna!

Rose-chan: *smacks GlitterGirl* you should be! I wanna finish it! 
Hey, actually, that was how we met, remember?

GlitterGirl: *smiles while rubbing head* yeah; you e-mailed me asking
me for chapter six, since the link was broken.

Rose-chan: Yeah, well, now here we are! Best buds while we're on 
oppostite ends of the continent!

GlitterGirl: But we're working on raising the money to get together;
anyone wanna make contributions?

Rose-chan: *rolls eyes* *bonks GlitterGirl on head* Oh, shut up and
let those poor people read; I'll bet they've been dying for this
part! We left them off in a cruel place!

GlitterGirl: *evil laughter* I know....MWAHAHAHAAHAAAAAAA!!!!

Rose-chan: *throws up hands* I give up; that girl is like she has an
espresso every couple of minutes.

GlitterGirl: *nods vigorously* Yup! Okay, just as a warning, get
ready for at least three new characters, two of which *giggles*
will be romantically invovled in the story.

Rose-chan: *gets starry eyed* Oh, that's the beauty of fiction;
perfect guys. *giggle* Well, For all you romance lovers, here 
ya go! Happy reading!

GlitterGirl: Read on and enjoy!


	*****@ THE UNIVERSAL GALAXY SAGA @*****
		 ~The Quests For Truth~

Chapter One: Soulmates Reunited 
By: Sailor GlitterGirl & Rose Aquarius
At: sailorglitergirl@aol.com or rose aquarius@aol.com 
(jcsteward@pc-intouch.com for editor)

	There was silence as the girls simply stared at where Raye
had been only moments before, the book that had sucked the fading
senshi of mars right into its pages still lying on the ground, 
looking as innocent as any book.

	Serena collapsed to the wet grass, sobbing, Darien sinking
to the ground with her and stroking her hair comfortingly, murming
words of comfort as he hid his own worry.

	"You..." Amara growled, and lunged for Orion. "You fake! 
You set this up!"

	"No! No I swear, I didn't!" Orion cried. "I know as little
about what's going on as you! I promise it!"

	"For your sake, I sure hope so," Lita growled lowly, gently
prying Amara away. "Because if we find out you're lying..." She
flexed her fist as a visual aid.

	"I promise you I had no idea the book was dangerous!"
Orion said earnestly. "I swear, I-"

	"They know you didn't know; they're just frightened for
their friend and comrade." A new voice suddenly called. The Semi-
Senshi whirled about in circles, searching for the owner of the
even, soft and yet firm voice.

	"It couldn't be..." Laxa whispered, her delicate face 
going pale. "No... It's not possible."

	"And why not, princess?" The voice said again, and
again everyone whirled, only this time to the same spot. As they
watched, a lithe, strong looking form leaped from the trees, clad
in a black cloak. It fluttered away, over his shoulders as he 
landed, revealing pure gold armor.

	"Why isn't it possible, my fair lady?" He asked again,
looking gently, with tender affection at Laxa. "The others arrived
here, I was at the Moon Kingdom at the time of Beryl's attack; why
couldn't I have been sent to the future as well?"

	"I...I..." Laxa was only able to stutter.

	"RAVEN?" Versia shrieked. "Oh, my gosh, I can't belive
this!" With a shriek of delight, Versia, her black -returned-to-
its-rightfull-color- hair flying out behind her as she leapt at
the man, both of them laughing as they hugged tightly.

	Oddly enough, it was only Laxa who looked frightened.

	"R...Raven?" The warrior of life-light whispered. Versia
pulled away from the man, Raven, and went to her sister, latching
onto her siblings wrist and yanking her along behind her, she
shoved her into Raven, who instinctively caught her, smiling and
laughing at her shocked expression.

	Her breathing rapid and shallow, she looked up into his
deep blue-green eyes, twinkling like stars.

	"Raven?" She whispered again. Raven blushed under her 
intense gaze, still grinning like crazy.

	"Yeah, it's me, oh fair damsel." He winked 
at her, and somehow, that alone seemed to convince her, and she
threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in the nape of
neck, the only reachable part of him that wasn't covered in gold
armor.

	"I can't believe it..." Laxa sobbed, clutching Raven 
tightly as he held her back, resting his head on top of hers and
stroking her back that was clad in a fitted white, silver edged
summer dress with a knee length gathered skirt and silver belt.

	"I missed you, princess," he whispered into her hair,
using the word 'princess' more as a term of endearment, and not
as her title.

	"Goddess, I thought I'd never see you again!" Laxa pulled
away slightly. "I thought...Oh, Raven, I saw you *die!*"

	"Aw, and I thought you had faith in your man!" Raven
smiled. Laxa laughed and slapped him playfully on the shoulder,
then winced as her knuckles connected with hard armor.

	"Ouch," she put her fist to her mouth, but Raven pulled
it away and laid a gentle kiss on the reddening joints, his eyes
never leaving her. Laxa blushed, and giggled quietly. Raven 
smiled, and pulled her close, covering her lips with his softly,
tenderly, taking time to drink in every sensation, absorb 
every bit of her taste as he kissed her.

	Catcalls and cheers were heard, and Raven and Laxa were
forced to pull apart, both blushing furiously, yet both their
eyes full of twinkling galaxies.

	"I missed that, too," Laxa whispered to him, and he
chuckled.

	"We have a lot to catch up on, Princess," he said, still
smiling. She smiled up at him, her face still flushed from the 
kiss. "That we do," She whispered her agreement.

	Suddenly very conscious that they had an audience, the
two lovers pulled apart, coughing hoarsely and blushing
furiously.

	"Merrrowwrrrr..." Mina raised an eyebrow, and the others
giggled, Versia laughing. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she
went as pale as death.

	"What's the matter, sis?" Laxa asked, concerned. "Why do
you look like you just saw a ghost?"

	"Because that means that if Prince Solaris is here, then
*HE'S* here, too! With you!" Versia choked. Confused looks were
donned by everyone save Laxa, Raven, Orion, and Setsuna.

	"He'd better be!" A new, high and delicate voice called.
"Most likely, anyways; I haven't seen Eclipse-papa in ages!" As 
everyone was looking around for the source of the indignant 
statement, a young girl popped out of the bushes.

	"Rose!" Versia cried, and she ran to hug the young woman
who looked to be only 13.

	"Versia, *darling,* who is *that*?" Laxa glowering at her
sister, surprising everyone when she questioned her sibling;
they'd thought, like Laxa, that the two knew everything about one
another. Then remembering that Laxa had said her sister protected
her from most of the truth.

	"I have many secrets, Laxa." Versia said gently, as she
pulled away from the girl, Rose. "I fostered
Rose when her mother died, and her father abandoned her."

	"But, stubborn as always," Rose rolled her eyes. "You still
wouldn't have anything to do with Eclipse-papa. Oh, and yes,
he's here you know. And he will want to speak to you. And if you
don't, I will *personally* see to it that you two are locked in a
closet till I hear smooching!" The short young teen scolded her
foster mother.

	Everyone laughed, but stopped when a distictive third new
voice was heard among all the femine laughter.

	"L...Logan?" Versia choked. Behind her sister, Laxa
obtained an evil grin, and came forward, grabbing her sister by
the elbow and, ignoring telepathic protests, tossed her into the
tall, dark and handsome man who was named Eclipse, whom Versia
had called Logan.

	Eclipse, just as Raven had, caught her, but he lifted her
into his arms and twirled her around, Versia shrieking. 

	When he finally set her down, she glared up at him, 'humphed'
and turned away, starting to walk away from him. Smiling
mischievously, he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her snug
against him, and nuzzling her ear with his nose.

	"Thought you were rid of me, eh?" He asked her, eyes 
twinkling merrily. Versia sent a mental threat that she would get
her later to her sister as Laxa simply told her, <payback.>

	"Okay, would somebody *please* explain who these two hunks
are?" Mina exclaimed, hands on hips, tapping her foot impatiently.
Laxa giggled.

	"Well..." She said, she looked up at Raven, and he winked,
then looked to where Versia was still trying to avoid Eclipse's
arms. Versia gave her a small smile, as did Eclipse.

	"Very well," Raven said, giving his love one last peck 

(GlitterGirl AN: NOT! As if I'd ever let one of his kisses be a
'last.'
Rose-chan: They're horrible! I swear, whenever we do private chat,
all they do is smooch! *smacks head*)

one last peck before stepping away. Letting his cape disappear, he
bowed low before Serena and Darien, whom had an arm around her 
waist and was holding her hand, tears still evident on her face.

	"You highnesses," He said, straightening. "Since I am sure
you do not remember me, then I'll introduce myself; I am Prince
Solaris of the Sol Kingdom, heir the province of the Sun."

	"And I, prince, princess," Eclipse stepped forward, letting
Versia go, much to her relief, and bowed low, as Raven had done.

	"I am Count Eclipse, advisor, cousin, and best friend to
Prince Solaris," He straightened, and pulled Versia back to him as
she scowled, but did not fight it, a blush evident on her cheeks.

	"Hello, Orion," Eclipse nodded to the black haired man.
"You should learn to hide your tracks better."

	Orion looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened
in realization. "That was *you* who followed me last

	"I...Those names...sound...familiar..." Serena started, then
sniffed.

	"If your name is Solaris, why did Laxa and Versia call you
Raven?" Lita demanded. Laxa and Raven blushed, and Raven cleared 
his throat.

	"Well, actually, its a rather long and personal story," he
muttered, and Laxa blushed deeper at the intimate memory of their
first meeting.

*FLASH*BACK*
*ONE THOUSAND YEARS AGO, BEFORE LAXA AND VERSIA WERE BANISHED BY
QUEEN BERYL TO THE LIGHTVERSE*

	Princess Galaxcia padded quickly and silently down the
palace hallways, doing her best to stick to the shadows, a 
mischievous grin plastered to her face.

	After what seemed like an eternity of sneaking and slinking,
the young princess found herself in the farthest garden from the
Moon Palace, a forgotten patch of wildlife.

	Taking a deep breath of fresh air, the soon-to-be guardian
of Princess Serenity, daughter of Queen Serenity Tranquility 
forgot about the upcoming ordeal in the morning, when she would take
up her powers as Sailor Galaxy, and join the ranks of the Younger
Sailor Senshi, daughters of the original planet senshi.

(AN: The senshi she is talking about are the mothers of Serena's
senshi.)

	But unlike the other senshi, she and her sister were the
only ones without planets. As to why, the queen had promised to tell
her, Laxa, and her sister, Versia, right after the ordeal.

	Laxa sighed and sat in the middle of a patch of rosemary,
her pale, milky silver blonde hair pooling around her, looking
almost white, with the slightest tinge of silver under the pale
light of the earth, and the sun that was partially eclipsed behind
it.

	She closed her silver eyes, breathing in the delicious 
scents of the moon night air, loving her temporary night time 
freedom from the life of a princess, one that was usually considered
to be the sister to the Crwn Princess of the Moon, Princess Serenity
the First. (AN: Serena's Silver Millennium mom.)

	"What are you doing in here?" A voice that was both soft
and hard demanded from behind. In one quick, fluid motion, Laxa
was on her feet and turned around, pale silver blonde hair swirling
around her, silver eyes wide open as she stared at the impossibly
handsome young man before her.

	"I...I..." Laxa was furious with herself. A) She should have
heard him coming, and B) She was NEVER *this* flabbergasted
around any man! No matter how handsome!

	"I come here nearly every night," She finally spat out,
managing to regain her composure slightly. "Who are *you*?" She
demanded, bringing herself up to her full height, forgetting that
she wore a rather translucent satin night gown, with a silver
silk robe that fluttered untied in the slight breeze. Luckily the
garment was thick enough that it hid what was important, but it
did nothing to hide her slender curves and perfect hourglass 
figure.

	The man narrowed his eyes, though Laxa was sure she saw a
blush on his cheeks.

	"You can call me...Raven," he said finally, his tone
implying that 'Raven,' was not his real name. "And you?"

	Laxa licked her lips nervously. For some odd reason, she
hated the thought of his person treating her like the princess she
was. She hated it from anyone, but the thought of him being polite
just because of her station made her heart sink.

	"Why don't you name me?" She told him, smiling slightly. 
Surprisingly, he smiled as well, a comfortable friendship had
suddenly sprung up, unnoticed, and unbidden.

	"Princess," He whispered to her, stepping closer until 
there was hardly even enough room for a breeze to pass between 
them. She pulled in a breath. Did he already know? As she looked
up into his eyes, eyes that were a beautiful, heart wrenching shade
of blue, his dark gold, almost a reddish brown silky hair 
sweeped across his forehead in the wind, and she reached up a pale,
slender hand to brush it aside. 

	Raven caught her hand, and kissed it, his eyes never leaving
hers.

	"I think I'm going to like coming here even more than
before," Laxa whispered. She smiled timidly up at the man she knew
only as Raven, and he smiled back at his princess.

*END*FLASH*BACK*

	Both Laxa and Raven were blushing at the memory -but 
savoring it nonetheless- as they simply told the waiting senshi that
they'd met in a garden in the middle of the night, once.

	That spark of romance had dimmed to a strong friendship, 
that gradually blossomed into romance once again, a love that rivaled
that of the daughter of the Moon Princess, the one that Laxa had been
sworn in to protect only the day after, and the prince of Earth.

	Eventually they'd discovered who the others were, but it
only seemed to strengthen their bond, as now they could talk freely
of their royal frustrations, on many of which they agreed.

	"And you?" Mina asked of the dark couple. The man blushed and
Versia gave him a look of annoyance.

	"Actually, our circumstances were quite similar," Versia
glared at Laxa.

*FLASHBACK*

	Athough she had her sister, Versia mostly lived alone in her
wing of the Palace, quiet, wondering about their past. She was a bit
more serious than her sibling, and she suspected that her sister
was off with that young man of hers, the one she only knew as 'Raven.'

	That night, Versia went to her Rose Garden, she sat on the
bench and drank in the night air. 

	*Hmmm... can't get much better than this...* She thought
dreamily. Then she heard a crunch of leaves underfoot behind her, 
and she whipped around, standing swiftly as she did so, making her
black hair swirl around her as she came face to face with the most
heart wrenchingly gorgeous man she'd ever laid eyes on.

	As he watched her spin around to face him, the man couldn't
help but notice that her hair had the affect of looking like black
gold as it reflected the light, twirling around her. 

	Versia found herself facing a tall man with emerald eyes and
true ebony hair in a short cut.

	"Why are you here?" She demanded. Instead of menacing as 
she intended, her voice came out soft and sweet. 

	*Darnit! What's wrong with me?* She thought.

	"I was told that this garden rivaled even her majesty's," the 
man said. "I was directed here by a 'Laxa'." he didn't want to make 
the woman angry, but by accident he made her just that.

	"That would be my naive sister," The woman scowled. "She's
done this to me before, sending handsome men hoping that one of them
will take." Versia wouldn't admit that somehow this one *had* taken!
"I'll get her back!" She growled.

	As he raised an amused eyebrow, he realized that he wanted
to get the girl angry much more often; she was absolutely gorgeous
when she was mad.

	Just then she changed her tone.

	"Who are you?" She asked with great curiosity.

	"I am... call me Logan," He changed what he was going to say
at the last moment; no way did he want this beauty to think he was
some stuck up noble!

	"Informal are we? My name is...Well, you can call me Victoria,"
She told him, giving her middle name.

	He gave her a dashing smile, and her heart flipped. And she
felt herself falling, and falling quickly, before she could remind
herself of a promise she had made to herself so long ago...	

*END*FLASHBACK*

	"And soon after," Versia continued. "He invited me to the
carnival, and convinced me to go. Thats where we found Rose, two
years old, shivering in an alley where she'd been abandoned. We
raised her together, as friends," She emphasized on the word
'friends.'

	"And they've been my Versia-Mama, and Eclipse-Papa ever
since," Rose told them all, giving her foster mother a hug.

	"I'd love to ask for details," Serena said, smiling at
the two who were still giving each other sappy looks -Laxa and
Raven-

(Rose-chan AN: They do it 24/7 in real life, too!)

Laxa and Raven- then sighed sadly. "But we need to figure out
what happened to Raye!" Tears began to fall anew, and everyone
sobered greatly.

	Stepping away from Eclipse and kneeling, Versia lifted
the Book of Truths from the ground, turning it over and over in
her hands, as if looking at it long enough would tell her what
had happened to the soldier of Mars.

	Gnawing her lip, Versia fiddled with the clasp, not daring
to open it, but wanting to know what it was.

	"What if," She began slowly. "What if we shouldn't be 
worrying?" She whispered.

	"Huh?" There was a collective sound of surprise, and Serena
looked at Versia curiously.

	"What do you mean?" Michelle asked, brushing aside a strand
of aqua hair, her face inquisitive.

	"I mean, what if the book only did what we need it to do?"
Versia continued. She turned to look at Setsuna. "If I remember
correctly, in order to obtain our true senshi forms, we must undergo
a test to prove to our Crystals that we are who we say we are.
In their case," she nodded to the group of girls, "In order to 
honestly claim to be the grandaughters of the first planetary senshi,
they must *know* that they are who they say they are, and that means
remembering."

	"So what if," Laxa continued, her voice slightly excited now
that she was catching on. "What if the book simply took Raye to the
past? Or to a shadow of the past, to undergo her test? What if the
test is that you must face something ugly, but that is still the 
truth in your life?"

	"It would explain why Raye suddenly went so pale and 
frightened," Amy said quietly. "and why we couldn't see what she 
was seeing; it was her own consciousness generating it, and was 
meant for her alone."

	"Exactly!" Versia exclaimed. "This book is the passage way to
taking the tests to obtain our true powers! We just simply didn't
understand it!"

	"Then I suggest," Amara spoke up, "That we rest up, think 
over aspects of our lives, try and prepare ourselves for when we take
our own tests."

	"Agreed," Darien said, his eyes hard.

	"We'll all go home tonight," Serena said. "And meet here again
tomorrow afternoon, to see if the book will do the same for us that it
did for Raye." Everyone nodded, and Raven wrapped his arms around Laxa
again, kissing her on top of her head.

	"And we, princess, have a lot to catch up on," He whispered to
her. She smiled, and snuggled deeper into his arms.

	Smiling knowingly and motioning to the others, Mina led the 
other still brooding Senshi out of the woods, as Hotaru and Rini took
Rose's hands and led her out of the woods as well, all three of them 
giggling as they headed back to the temple. At least, thats where 
everyone *thought* they were going. Mina, Serena, and Lita, on the 
other hand, had other ideas.

	There was silence for a while, until Versia asked the question
both she and Laxa had been wanting to ask.

	"How?" Versia asked, snapping out of her daze, and letting
Eclipse hold her, though she threw him an annoyed look. Laxa
simply snuggled deeper into Raven's embrace, her back to his chest
as he wrapped his arms around her waist, his fingers absently 
twirling around her bellybutton as she asked the same through
giggles.

	"Yes, how is it that you two have come back to us?"

	"Well, you girls never thought that Queen Serenity might
have us sent into the future along with the Senshi, did you?"
Eclipse answered, winking down at Versia, who rolled her eyes.

	"Well, that makes sense," Laxa said absently drawing
circles with one finger on Raven's wrist. Noticing these intimate
exchanges, Versia and Eclipse looked at each other, raising an eyebrow.

	"When are you gonna let *me* do things like that?" Eclipse
murmured to her, and Versia blushed.

	"When I have a valid reason to let you," she retorted.
Eclipse chuckled, and leaned down to steal a light peck on her
frowning lips, pulling away before she could slap him.

	Raven and Laxa chuckled. "Well, now that that's all settled
with," Raven stated. "Why don't you ladies explain what's been going
on; If we're going to be helping you girls out, we need to be up-to-
date."

	"Well," Laxa sighed and reluctantly pulled away, but
still letting him keep his grip on her hand. Versia did the same,
not at all reluctantly, and the four of them took seats on logs or
small boulders.

	"Long story short; the Shadow Kingdom has returned." Laxa
stated simply. Eclipse's eyes bulged, but Raven simply looked as if
he'd had something confirmed.

	"I thought so," the golden young man said thoughtfully.
"There's been a shadow over the Sol Kingdom for the past month. I
thought that might be it."

	"We've told the senshi the legend, and they remember it,"
Versia continued. "And we've told them about how the powers that
they've been using are not their true powers, but their own powers
that came from within them, shadows of the true power of the 
Senshi."

	"And Orion came back to us," Laxa smiled at the memory. 
"And told us about the book of Truths. Yesterday we infiltrated the
Shadow Kingdom, and stole it right out from under their noses." She
and Versia exchanged hand slaps as they smiled brightly.

	"Then, when looking the artifact over, Raye was the first to
open it." Laxa frowned, and shuddered at the memory of how terrified
Raye's face had been. "She looked as if she'd seen something...as if
she'd been made to remember something horrible, then..."

	"Then she started radiating her Mars aurora," Versia took over.
"And was, well, basically got sucked into the book."

	"We saw that," Eclipse nodded. "Seems like we're in a real
tangle."

	"Yes, well, hopefully the Shadow Kingdom will give us enough
time to all undergo our tests, and obtain our power." Versia looked to
be in deep thought, then snapped out of it with a smile at her sister
and her paramour.

	"And I assume that Laxa will be getting...'reacquainted' with 
Raven," She grinned mischievously, her eyes twinkling as the pair
started seeing red, and started looking red with the comment. 

	Grinning himself, Eclipse pulled Versia closer. "And that 
means that I'll be alone, *Eclipse.*" She said tartly, trying to pull
away. "Don't even *think* about staying with me. Excuse me." She pried 
herself from the man's arms and turned into the classic mom.

	"*ROSE!*" She hollered with the lungs that come with living 
the role of a mother. "*COME ON; IT'S LATE!*"

	In nano-seconds the raven haired young teen appeared and bowed
to the young woman. 

	"Versia-Mama, can I stay with Rini tonight? Please?!" she asked 
in that annoying whining voice kids have. 

(AN FROM RAVENEYE: And our Rose-chan has the same annoying whining 
voice! Rose-chan: Why do you think her name is *Rose*!?
GlitterGirl: You two stop it! By the way, RavenEye is our editor-
Rose-chan: And her new boyfriend! Why do you think there is so much kissing
between those 2!?
*Raven and GlitterGirl smooching in backround.*
Rose-chan: *rolls eyes* see what I mean?)

	"Did Serena say it was alright?" Versia looked to the golden
haired princess who was coming out of the bushes, carrying Rini on her
back.

	"It's fine with me Versia," Serena said smiling. "I'd like to
get to know her anyway!" 

	*Wait until you find out how you knew her!* Versia thought.

	"Alright," she said aloud. "You get to bed at a reasonable hour,
you hear me?" The raven haired girl nodded. "And don't give Mr. and Mrs.
Tsukino-sama a hard time, alright?"

	"Sure thing, Mama," The girl said as Versia kissed Rose on the
forehead and pushed her to the others. 

	"Bye Versia-mama, bye Eclipse-papa!" she yelled, running to her
new friends. Versia turned quickly to see that Eclipse had been standing 
behind her the entire time. 

	"I'm going to retire for the night, good day!" She said 
curtly and started her walk to her apartment, very fast. Eclipse slumped,
crestfallen.

	Raven stepped forward and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

	"Don't give up; she'll come around eventually," Eclipse nodded
forlornly, then his face hardened with new resolution, and excused himself
and went after his love. 


*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*


	Versia made it inside her apartment and closed the door firmly
behind her. Sliding down to the thick carpeting as she leaned against
the door, she buried her face in her hands, taking in deep breaths to
hold back the sobs that threatened to overflow, and sighed.

	*I love him,* She thought hopelessly. *But if I let him into my
life I'll just get hurt!* She leaped up and punched a dent into the wall.
Her tears finally surfacing and flowing down over her face like liquid
diamonds.

	Her chest heaved, and she suddenly cried out as a large sob 
wracked her body and jarred the wound at her side, one she'd gotten at
the battle in the Shadow Kingdom the day before. She had tended to it
absently, too worried about the others and about what they would do
next.

	It had been hurting her for the entire time since it was dealt 
to her, and she'd been ignoring it, but she couldn't any longer. She 
sank to the floor and prayed she would be alright, for Rose's sake if
nothing else.
	
	Painfully rising to her feet, she managed only a few stumbling
steps before collapsing to the floor, out cold.


*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

	Eclipse had followed her, and came to an apartment building.
Discovering from the desk manager which suite was hers and her sister's,
he made his way up to the tenth level, and knocked on her door. 

	No answer, so again he rapped his knuckles on the door. Still 
nothing.

	*That's strange,* He thought, narrowing his eyes. *This is the 
right apartment, and I saw her come into the building.* He knocked again;
nothing. Worried, getting the faint sense that something was wrong, he
twisted the handle and pushed, finding the door unlocked.

	He gasped as he found found Versia on the floor, pale as a ghost.

	*Oh, no!* He exclaimed mentally, and rushed to her side. Dropping
to his knees beside her still form, he took her wrist into his hand and
felt for a pulse. It was there. Faint, and slow, but there.

	His dark and handsome face creased with worry, he lifted her up
and she winced as he touched her side, even unconscious.

	He easily found her room, recognizing the gold and black she 
loved so, and laid her on the large four poster bed. Suspecting where the
wound was, he blushed as he realized what he needed to do.

	"Vicki, love, forgive me," He said quietly to the semi-consious
girl and lifted her shirt to check her side. It was crusted in white blood
and swelling. 

	"My God!" He breathed, meaning it, and quickly put his hands over
the injury, and closed his eyes in concentration. 

	A bright, dark colored violet light threaded with gold emitted
from his hands as he mentally massaged his healing power into his love's
wounds.

	As he concentrated, the wound shrank, dried white blood crumbling
and disappearing, shrinking to a tiny red and white spot, then, the spot 
disappeared. 

	Sweating and breathing somewhat heavily, Eclipse pulled his hands
away as Versia groaned and turned her head. Her golden eyes fluttered open.

	"Did anyone get the license plate of that truck?" She asked softly,
and they both chuckled. Then however, she came around fully.

	"How did you- When- How dare- What is going on?!" She ranted, and
quickly sat up, tugging her shirt down over her bosom and torso again. She
regretted the quick movement immediatly. She became dizzy and fell back on 
her mattress. 

	"That was dumb." She muttered to herself as she clutched her forhead.
She stiffened as she felt cool fingers on her temples, and violet light
filled the inside of her eyelids, pushing back the throbbing pain.

	Opening her eyes once the fingers had retreated, she glared at the
man who was leaning over her, his face contorted in worry.

	"Whatever happened earlier, it seems you got hit by an energy blast
a while ago, and you never had it treated. I found you out cold on the floor
and fading fast, I healed you." He said it so softly, with such love in
his voice that all Versia wanted to do was throw her arms around him and kiss
him.

	"Thank you, you didn't have to." She whispered instead, almost 
inaudibly, if it were not for being centimeters away from each other.

	"Nonsense," He cracked a quirky smile that was quickly replaced with
seriousness. "I love you." He said simply, quietly, as if that explained
everything. "I would never let you die, never let anything hurt you if it
was in my power to keep you from it. And I hate to see you in pain." He said
just as quietly, now a breath away from her face.

	"Why?" She whispered. "Why do you...love me?"

	"Because you are you," he replied simply. "Because we were meant to 
be, whether you realize it or not. We're soulmates, Universia, and I'm 
willing to wait an eternity if that's how long it takes for you to realize
it." He kissed her then, so softly she thought it was the caress of an
angel's feather.

	The kiss slowly deepened, and she did not stop him. Her heart had
cried out for this for so long, and she had denied her heart what it needed.
Like a survivor in a desert, she had come upon a lake, but had refused to
drink. Now the lake was giving her the tiniest sip of promises, and she 
wasn't sure if she could pull away, or if she even wanted to.

	Stroking her lips with his one last time, he pulled away, laid one
gentle butterfly soft caress of his lips on her forehead, then stood and
turned, walking out of her room and out the door, leaving Versia with much
more than a wound to be worried and thought over.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

	"Mmmm..." Laxa murmured into Raven's lips. "You always did know the
best buttons to push," She mumbled through the deep kiss, as Raven chuckled
and tightened his grip around her waist, as she pulled his head down further,
wrapping her arms around his neck.

(Rose-chan AN: barf. The grossest thing is that they do this *aaaaall* the
time in real life, too!
GlitterGirl & Raven: Awwww, shut up! *kissing in backround*)

	"You do know that the Senshi are watching us, right?" Raven murmured
as he moved down to nuzzle her neck.

	"Of course; I'd be with them too, if I weren't here." Laxa giggled
as she felt the faintest tickle of a butterfly kiss on her earlobe. 
"Remember that time we spied on the prince and princess? They never did find
out that we saw Endymion pull that little stunt with Serenity's skirt."

(All AN: NOT HENTAI! Get your minds out of the gutter!)

	A shriek and a muffled burst of laughter was heard from the bushes,
and Laxa and Raven burst out laughing and had to pull thair lips apart 
least they choke.

	Laxa shrieked in delight as Raven scooped her up into his arms,
o'er the threshold style, and leaped into one of the fading Sunbeams, letting
himself and his love soar up into the sky. Golden wings sprouted from Raven's
back, and Laxa's jaw dropped.

	"How-"

	"You once told me how much you wished that we could both fly, so that
we could have 'romantic moonlight flights,' beginning just at sunset." Raven
smiled at her. "I don't know if you've forgotten, but today is the 
anniversary of when we first met. I thought it would be a nice gift if I made
that wish come true, so I've been working on it for almost literally an
eternity, and I was finally able to grow my wings."

	Laxa was crying, and she buried her face in his neck, wrapping her
arms around him.

	"Your so wonderful!" She said tearfully, then finally pulled away
with a huge smile. With a peck on her love's lips, she pushed out of his 
arms, letting her own power billow around her, her favorite gown materialized
on her slender form, and her white, silver veined gossamer fairy wings
sprouted from her back.

	They joined hands, and flew off into the sunset.

Meanwhile...

	"Aw, man! I didn't even get my turn with the binoculars!" Rini
pouted.

	"You're too young for *that* sort of kissing, anyways," Serena told
her future daughter rather motherly. Rini stuck out her tongue and plopped
down on the ground.

	"So, Darien, guess you're a little more daring in the love
department than we thought," Mina grinned savagely as she and Lita advanced
on the frantically retreating former Prince of Earth.

	Serena was likewise being stalked by the outers, Amara demanding to
know if the baka prince had done anything naughty.

	Darien and Serena exchanged glances, and, eyes desperate,
simultaniously jumped up and darted out of the bushes, running for all they
were worth, leaving nine senshi, one prince, and one foster child laughing
hysterically.


To Be Continued...

GlitterGirl: Well, I reeeeeally liked this chapter!

Rose-chan: Of course you did! You got to make out with your soulmate in the
middle of the woods! If you hadn't known the Senshi were there, I wouldn't
be surprised if you two had *done* something little miss 'not until after
marriage!'

RavenSolaris aka RavenEye: Hey! That's my girlfriend you're talking about!

Rose-chan: I'm talking about you, too, lover lips.

GlitterGirl: *glares* He's *my* lover lips!

Rose-chan: *rolls eyes* whatever.

*girls argue and Raven occasionally joins in as the trio fly off into the
sunset*

All together: See you next time! Ja ne!

*ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY*