Chapter 9

Opening Author's notes: I want you all to know that I have been busy and without internet access for a while, thus the delay. Be assured though, I did not forget about this little story. Also, I haven't included it before, but when I think of the name Kali, I think it should be pronounced "Kah-lee". You know, just so it has some exotic flare to it. I try to make most stuff that way :) But pronounce it however you want. Now, on with the story!

"This is a nice room, Essence commented as she stood near the window in Mamoru's hotel room. He leaned against the door, looking at her. They hadn't really said much at the restaurant. Except for him suddenly asking for her to come to his room. Now that they were alone, he hoped he could think straight.

He remembered her now. Hazily. Bits and pieces swirled in his mind, but he could not doubt it. Somehow, he knew her. He was not sure how he had managed to run into her. Part of him thought that maybe he had been meant to. Maybe this had been planned all along on the cosmic scale of destiny.

She turned around from her looking out the window to focus her attention on him. "So this is you," She said softly. "Just like in my dreams."

"Dreams?" He questioned.

She blushed slightly at his inquiry. "Yes. For the past few weeks I've been dreaming of the past."

"Your memories must have been awakened through them just like mine were of you when you were singing," He said, thinking aloud.

"Do you remember Fane? And Serenity?"

He stared at her intently. "Serenity I do. I have no idea who Fane is."

"Then you need to be fully awakened."

"How?"

Essence motioned for him to come closer and he approached, standing a mere foot from her. She suddenly became nervous having him this close to her. "I have an idea," She started. "Do you trust me?"

Even though some part of him protested, he nodded his head. Somewhere deep down, he knew he would trust her with his life if it were necessary. She placed a slender hand on his chest, over his heart.

"Close your eyes."

He allowed his eyes to shut and waited patiently, wondering what she was going to do.

Essence's eyes fluttered closed as she began to concentrate, focusing all her energies onto her hand. Ever since the past had been fully reveled to her, she knew there was an untapped power flowing through her. She believed all she had to do was open herself to it and she would find how to control and use it. A violet glow encased her hand and started to fan out gradually across his chest and up her arm. After a few moments she a mental push, shouting "Awaken!" in her mind.

He felt a warmth spreading over his chest when he suddenly heard her shout in his mind.

Awaken!

The warmth flared out, encompassing his whole body. It lasted only a handful of heartbeats, but in that span he saw a lifetime. Himself as a prince. His home, the kingdom of Earth. Serenity and the Moon. Fane and most importantly...

The violet glow engulfed them both, reviving the past with its presence. As it faded, she opened her eyes. Her now gloved hand was placed on dark colored metal. She looked down to see herself adorned in her fuku. He looked down at her, his old armor on him as if he had never taken it off.

"Kali," He said, happiness and awe in his voice as he placed a hand over hers where it rested.

Tears of joy threatened to fall from her eyes. Finally, her prince had returned. "Endymion."

@~~~~~~

Bunny stood near a curb of the road that ran along her school, studying the safety pins attached to her uniform's skirt. So now they knew the full truth. Essence was Kali. The reincarnated senshi of the Earth. Also, she was not sure Marcus knew it yet, but after Serenity and Fane parted paths, him and Kali became lovers. She thought about how if everything Luna had told her was true, she shouldn't care about the fact that the two were lovers. Afterall, she was destined to be with Endymion. Nevertheless, it ate at her to think of him holding her in his arms rather than herself. What if everything Luna had taught her about her destiny had been wrong? Maybe she was not meant for Mamoru. Maybe she was supposed to have a choice..

"I have bad news," Marcus said as he pulled up to the curb Bunny was standing by.

She looked up, startled out of her thoughts. "What's wrong?" She asked, knowing instantly it had to do with Essence.

"Essence woke up and called me Fane. She then asked me if I remembered. I had no clue what she was talking about. This irritated her evidently because she got dressed and took off out of the house. I have no idea where she went," He explained as she got in the car.

"We've got to try and look for her. With Garnet after all three of us, we can't just leave her out there alone."

Marcus nodded, agreeing fully as he took the car back out into traffic. She looked over at him to see his form tense, his eyes firmly attached to the road.

"Marcus," She said softly, placing a hand on his right thigh lightly. He made no movement except that of a sharp intake of breath. "We'll find her. This isn't your fault. I know you did your best to watch over her."

He sighed, relaxing slightly. "She's my best friend Bunny. I don't know what I will do if she gets hurt."

Bunny squeezed his leg gently and flashed a smile at him. "I promise I won't let her get hurt."

Marcus cracked a small smile, still not taking his eyes off the road. He reached down and grasped Bunny's hand, holding it snuggly.

@~~~~~~

"You're more beautiful than I remember," He whispered as he cupped one of her cheeks tenderly in his hand.

She blushed, her cheeks stained light crimson. "And you're still the charmer who I fell in love with so long ago."

"Am I?" He cracked a wry smile, which made her laugh. "Well then, I hope to stay this way forever then if it means I can have your love."

She looked at her prince, growing serious once more. "You want my love?"

He pulled her closer, encircling his arms around her waist, pressing her up against him. Her gazed down at her intensely, feeling how her heart beat rapidly in her chest. "I want all of you."

She trembled slightly as she looked up at him, fear and excitement swirling through her. It had been so long since she had felt this way. She was getting lost in him all over again. "Then you can have me," She whispered softly, draping her arms on his shoulders.

He dipped his head downward, capturing her lips, kissing her deeply.

@~~~~~~

"Chibi Usa!" Minako screamed as the young girl's eyes suddenly flew open and she convulsed upon the bed.

Ami ran into the room, hearing her friend's alarm. "She's in some type of shock," She said as she rushed to her bedside. She tried to restrain her when she suddenly went limp, her heart monitor flat-lining.

Minako cried out hysterically, hardly believing what she was witnessing. Ami began CPR, trying to revive the girl. Two minutes passed with no response. Three. Four. Ami ceased her attempts and closed her dark pink eyes that stared lifeless at the ceiling.

"Wait! No!" Minako grabbed Ami. "What are you doing? We can't give up on her!"

"It's too late, Mina-chan. She's gone."

A look of anger passed over the blonde's face, but remained only a second. She crumbled into her fellow senshi's arms, sobbing into the front of her shirt.

She wrapped her arms comfortingly around her, trying to be supportive. Her head suddenly turned back towards the bed as she heard a gasp for breath. "Chibi Usa?" She stammered, shocked. She let go of her friend and made her way over to the bed.

A silver light abruptly surrounded the small child on the bed, momentarily obscuring her from view. As it faded, Ami could see the moon symbol emblazoned on her forehead and her hair had turned a dull silver color. She called out to her uncertainly as the symbol started to disappear. The girl struggled, but finally opened her eyes to look at the senshi persistently calling out to her.

Ami gasped as she saw that her eyes were now crystal blue in color. After only a mere second, the girl slipped into a deep sleep.

@~~~~~~

They had decided to return back to Essence's room briefly to search and see if maybe there was a clue to where she may have went. Marcus had been looking through her desk for anything that resembled an address book while Bunny went through her backpack when it happened. It felt like a shockwave, an invisible source of energy knocking into both of them. Bunny gasped as it flowed over her, feeling her moon symbol flaring to life on her forehead. She looked over to find one appearing on Marcus' forehead also. The energy felt warm, and, she realized it was strangely familiar to her as it began to recede. After taking a few seconds to recover, she reached up to feel her forehead still warm from where her crest had been.

"I have a feeling something just happened," Marcus commented dully.

Bunny was getting ready to comment, but suddenly looked down at a book she had dropped on the floor when she had felt the disturbance. It laid open and on one of the pages there was an address of a little coffee joint scribbled in purple ink. "Come on," She said as she snatched the book up off the ground. "We have to find her. Soon."

@~~~~~~

The symbols of earth began to fade from their foreheads as they parted, still hovering close to each other. The feeling of the energy that had just coursed through them was indescribable. She felt totally immersed in him. She felt stronger than she ever had before. She felt complete. A tingling sensation filled her and she looked down to find their clothes returning back to normal. Part of her felt sad, thinking that maybe this was all some kind of dream and she was about to wake up from it.

"Essence."

She looked up reluctantly as he called out her other name. Yup. Surely this was the part were she was going to wake up. "Mamoru."

"I love you."

She tensed, waiting to be jolted from her dream. Nothing happened however. "I love you too," She responded, overjoyed to have it confirmed it was real.

He smiled and kissed her again, promising himself he would never let her go again.

@~~~~~~

"I know we haven't heard anything back from Mamoru yet about what's going on, but I believe in Chibi Usa's current state that there is something going wrong in the States. We are going to have to go there," Raye said to the group. They had assembled for an emergency meeting after Ami had contacted Raye and had told her what had occurred. She looked at the now silver haired girl from where she sat in the hospital room. Something was definitely going on. "Ami-chan," She said, receiving the attention of the senshi of water. "Unfortunately I need you to stay here and watch over Chibi-Usa."

"I understand," She said softly. "Arigato for trusting me with the task."

She patted her friend on the shoulder, never doubting that she would not be able to handle it. "The rest of us will meet at the temple in an hour. I want you to focusing on gathering your energy till then. We will attempt a Sailor Teleport when you get there. Everyone understand?" The girls nodded in the affirmative. "Then let's go," She said and headed out the door after the other scouts."

"Ami-chan."

Ami looked up as Minako stuck her head back in the door. "Hai?"

"Gomen about earlier. I know you can take care of her. Luna and Artemis will still be here if you need them."

She gave a small smile in the direction of the senshi of love. "Arigato. Gambette ne." She watched as Minako gave her a smile in return and closed the door as she let herself out. She then turned back to the small girl she sat next to, wondering if she really could take care of her.

Closing Author's notes: I hope this wasn't too depressing of an ending for this this chapter :::kinda frowns at the computer screen as she thinks of poor Ami doubting herself::: Also, I have an announcement. This is highly unusual for me, but I think this story is going to take a different direction than I had originally intended. As the story has developed, I have begun to doubt letting Usagi and Mamoru end up together at the end of all of this. I don't think this will upset too many of you, but hopefully by the end of the story, you will agree I did the right thing. Until then, please keep reading and review!