Considering that the FFML had so thoughtfully unsubbed me
a while ago and with the mysterious episodes of mails on my mailbox, I've
decided to repost this hoping that others may have missed this one. C&C is
definitely asked for and if anyone is concerned, the characters portrayed
here have their respective owners. I'm just using them. 
                  BTW: If anyone wants any previous chapters, just ask. I
have yet to gain a webpage. : (
                  A little side note: I decided to make a title for this
chapter too.       

	Now that’s out of the way, this fic could never have gotten through if it
hadn’t been for getting hit on the head and fighting with my parents. Also,
listening to a few anime songs – and repeating far too many times Minmay’s
Do You Remember Love? Battle song helped as well. 
                  She’s a damn inspiration all by herself.
	Barry, LaShawn, and Craig helped as well; offering to pre-read this fic of
mine. My eternal thanks to them all!! ^_^ Hopefully, I won’t find any more
mistakes in this one. If there are any of you who wishes to comment or offer
more than that, let me know. Okay? 
	C&C is very much appreciated.
	BTW: The anime character’s aren’t mine. But the story is. Hope you guys
enjoy it

* * * * * 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:  MEMORIES OF A DREAM


	There existed long ago, in a time forever forgotten in the sands of time,
an age in the history of mankind where they had existed in a sort of utopia.
This was an age when mankind had achieved their dreams of conquering the
vast frontiers of space in a way no one would ever believe. Mankind tamed
the wild energies of their home system, giving life to what we now consider
to be perfectly inhabitable planets. 
	If only we, of today’s era, knew better – or in this case – remembered better.
	This age was called the Silver Millennium. It was also the name the people
used to refer to their civilization and kingdom. This was an age where the
people have found what could only be termed spiritual peace. The peace of
forever. 
	The peace, so delicate in any human power structure, was guarded most
protectively by a band of female warriors known as the Senshi. Known as the
Royal Guards, they were trained in the use of energies of planets their
spirits were attuned to. There were nine planets but strangely, only eight
Senshis. 
	There was a reason. 
	The ninth guardian was none other than the Queen’s Protector and Husband. 
	Queen Serenity – the monarch of that long forgotten era -- was a woman
gifted by the heavens with beauty and wisdom. She possessed of a grace that
remained unrivaled by any other. She was well respected. Her people
absolutely loyal to her. Her husband, she loved dearly. But  alas! Tragedy
struck the royal household when Serenity’s husband died so mysteriously. 
	No one knew it yet, but the death of her husband was the start of
everything that would end the Kingdom of the Silver Millennium. 
	In the end, memories faded and no one would ever remember the Silver
millennium’s existence from then on. As it had been and so shall it be, now
and forever.  
	With its passing, so did all the other remaining pockets of civilization
spread throughout the Sol System. They all perished except for one. And that
was the planet known as Earth.
 Time watched as the Earth slowly regained part of its heritage. Magic fell
with science and religion coming to take its place in the world of man. But
this was not to be. For the Queen’s dying wish was to fulfill what had been
her daughter’s longing. To be born of the Earth bosom that had once
nourished them and had been so forgotten by them as well. 
                  That time has arrived.  
	So came the time of rebirth as Serenity had so planned long ago as she lay
dying in the remnants of her shattered palace. Her daughter, who had died
during the final battle, was reborn once more. And so were the Senshis.
	Time continued to watch as Serenity’s daughter, appointed protector of
humanity’s last bastion that which is Earth, bumbled her way into greatness
and perfection. 
	So rose the Second Age. The Age of Rebirth had come at last. In the
thirtieth century, the daughter of Serenity rebuilt what had been lost eons
ago. Like the phoenix of legend, the Silver millennium rose once more from
the ashes and into the light. 
	
* * * * * 
	

	Radler woke up as the sun’s morning rays shone through the window close to
where the bed was situated. He grimaced as was his nature whenever he woke
up a tad bit early. This would always happen every day. He was never the
early riser and even Haruka-san had thoroughly given up on making him wake
up early enough for breakfast. He need not look at the clock to let him know
it was already ten in the morning. 
	He sighed; wishing for the nth time to try and find the time to move the
bed somewhere a lot less illuminated. He got out of bed and went directly to
the baths to freshen up. Today was Haruka-san’s birthday. And thus had
Radler the greatest of reasons to make sure he looked his best. And besides
that, he had to do escort duty for Small Lady, a part of his mind reminded
him so helpfully. 
	Radler winced at that particular name. He idly wondered just why Neo-Queen
Serenity had to choose that particular name for her daughter. Small Lady was
Chibi’s true name – except for the other one -- and normally never used
whenever it was possible. 
                  He hated royal celebrations and always avoided it whenever
he could get away with it. This was an exception to his habits. Today was
Haruka-san’s birthday. As to be expected, Serenity had, as always, decided
to hold a banquet to celebrate this or that special occasion.
	And indeed, this WAS a special occasion. 
Especially for him. For of all the Senshi, he felt the closest to Haruka. 
	He fished out the amulet he managed to put together during those spare
times when Haruka-san drove him ragged in the training room or when
Ami-chan, Michiru-san and Setsuna-oneechan dumped a ton of scholarly stuff
for him to do. It wasn’t a bad piece of work considering just how amateurish
his skills were at making stuff. 
	He _was_ pretty gifted in destroying things rather creatively though. 
	He glanced at it for a while; checking if there were any faults in its
make. He loved Haruka-san very much and didn’t want to disappoint her in any
way unless it was on purpose – which he normally did in any given day of the
hour. 
                  The amulet was fashioned out of gold and silver. Gold for
the dragon which was carved with remarkable detail – this thanks to the help
of computers for which he was glad of Ami. Silver for the miniature roses
which made up the chain. It truly was a piece of work – if only he could see
it that way. 
	Radler pocketed it once more as he entered the bath. 
	Upon entering the baths; however, he found himself once more besieged with
the visions.  
	Darkness suddenly descended upon him. It was like someone decided to put
out the sun. This would normally not be a bad thing. Except his instincts
were screaming at him of danger. He groped about, trying to reassure himself
of the solidity of the walls that was supposed to be there. He was
disappointed to find that there was none. Radler swore under his breath.  He
gave a worried glance at where a door should have been. Right now, there was
none. He absolutely hated this. The darkness could easily conceal a lot of
things as he had learned in the past. 
                  Instinctively, he summoned the sword. He never could
understand just how he managed to do such feats when he could barely do
anything with his powers most of the time against Haruka-san or any of the
veteran Senshis during training. More than that, he couldn’t even explain
why he had that sword in the first place. But it was a useful tool to use in
these times. And he knew better than to complain.
	"Aw, man!!" he cursed. "Did this just have to happen?!"
	His senses, honed by countless hours of drills and mock battles – not to
mention those other times he came here, warned him of a great disturbance
[in the force? : ) ]. He tensed, bringing his sword to bear. He did not like
this one bit. 
	The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Definitely very BAD.  
	But, unlike the other times he ended up in here, a shaft of light descended
from the ceiling. 
	"Huh?! Now what?!!" Radler thought. 
	"So, it seems you have come once more, young man." said a strangely,
hypnotic feminine voice from within the shaft of silvery light.
	Radler positioned the sword right in front of him. Now he *REALLY* was
hating this. Every time he was in this place, unspeakable things have had
this habit of popping up from nowhere; eager for his blood or soul or both,
depending on what he was facing. And now this just _ had_ to ruin the cycle
he had come to know. 
	"What under the heavens are you?" he asked, practically shouting it. "I
really do not need this right now. Not now of all times."
	The woman laughed.
	Radler groaned. "Megalomaniac person at twelve." He muttered, putting a
hand to his face. 
	The laughter suddenly stopped – perhaps hearing what he had said. "I am not
that sort of lady, young man. None many have dared to traverse the paths you
have so blatantly walked all this years. None have made it this far, young
man. Only you."
	Radler was thoroughly lost by now. "Huh?! All I did was try and survive as
best as I could, you know."
	"All the more reason  why only you managed it." the woman in the light
countered. "You chose to seek answers. Am I not correct?" she asked. 
	Radler nodded. "Yeah." He answered a bit hesitantly. He actually did in
more ways than one. Of course, he also wanted to find a permanent cure to
stop these dreams.
	"I can’t help you." she answered back.
	The woman heard the sound of someone hitting the floor – real hard. 
	"WHAT THE HELL?!" screamed an enraged Radler at said woman. 
	"You were thinking about seeking answers." The woman whom Radler could not
see told him once more. "I can’t give you that." Radler was just about ready
to protest. "You have the wisdom. You have in yourself the answers to those
questions. You only just have to think a bit more than you normally do."
Radler started sputtering out comments on that. "You have in you what it
takes to do what must be done. Do not fail in your duty, Radler. Protect the
Child-Princess, Radler."
	"From what?" he asked in an irritated voice. 
	"The Winds of Change shall come. And woe betide this realm from what it
shall herald."
	"What the hell are you talking about?!" He screamed at the top of his
lungs; only to find himself in the bathtub. "Huh?! Wha… How’d I get here?"
	He laid a hand on his head. "Gah!! These nightmares keep getting worse and
worse." He remained silent for some time as his mind processed some other
things. "What did she mean by that?" he wondered; so thoroughly deep in
thought that he failed to notice the person who was sneaking up behind him
with a bucketful of freshly iced water.  
	"Gotcha!!’ someone gloated from behind.
	"Agh!!! C_ O _ L _ D!!!"
	Three sets of voices laughed out loud from behind. 
	A really pissed Radler turned to find Ami-chan along with Minako and
Mako-chan smirking at his obvious discomfort of having been turned into a
popcicle so late in the morning.
	"I guess he’s fully awake now, Doctor Mizuno." A still laughing Minako
observed.
	"But he looks way too scruffy to even be allowed audience with the queen
much less be seen escorting her majesty’s beloved brat, ne?" asked Mako-chan
from her position.
	Radler was puzzled by this little slip. Brat? Since when did anyone ever
consider Chibi a brat? The answer came to him. No one dared call Chibi that
save him whenever she managed to tick him off. But the Senshi? The Inner
Senshi practically doted on the kid. 
	*Protect her at all cost, Radler.* someone whispered in his conscious mind. 
	Radler blinked wondering if he was coming up with something. And yet,
something about that warning was making him real edgy. But what could it be?
As far as he could remember, Neo- Queen Serenity had gotten rid of all the
bad guys ever since she took the throne. 
	"Any suggestions, fellow Senshi?" asked a grinning Ami-chan. 
	"Uh.. girls…" Radler winced. His mind remembered a minor detail.
                  All three were now staring at him like he was some sort of
bug. Eyes thin slits on their perfect faces and glowing a disturbing shade
of red.
                  "Uh-oh."
                   They hated being called that. It made them think about
how old they truly were. And women were most sensitive about things
concerning their age. All three had pretty smiles planted on their faces.
Such was a bad thing. Normally, they’d try and toast him for saying that. 
	The answer finally came when the water in the tub froze suddenly; trapping
him quite effectively. 
	"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!!!"
	Chains made of gold entangled his upper half. He even got a bigger surprise
when lightning hit him full force on the chest. Radler uttered a faint cry
as his chest cavity collapsed inward, ribs crushing his heart and lungs,
instantly killing him. 
	His last thougths was what was happening. What could have caused them to do
this? Was it that ‘girls’ remark he did………………


	Radler shielded his eyes as he slowly dragged his tired body out of the
soft covers of his XL-sized bed. He was shivering all over as he hop-skipped
his way towards the baths. 
	Today was the day of Haruka-san’s BIG birthday bash. The only time when any
of the Senshi even acknowledged their birthdays anymore. Most tended to
forget about it these days as they’ve practically needed a micro computer to
compute just how old they already were. But Neo-Queen Serenity was the type
to be so bullish about it. She wanted THEM to celebrate their birthdays and
they mostly relented when she put on that long suffering look on her face –
privately, of course. 
	He smiled inwardly. There were times when even the queen showed traces of
her child’s idiosyncrasies. Definite proof that Chibi *WAS* their child.  
	He stripped off his creased, care-worn clothing and dumped it in a basket.
Radler sighed I relief as the hot waters of the tub began to ease out the
cramps in his muscles. He glanced at the digital clock near the sink. 
	10:00 AM 
	Quite early. Enough to take an extended dip in here with just enough time
to get dressed and hunt down the princess. 
Radler closed his eyes once more. His body relaxed as his subconscious mind
submerged him back into the dream/nightmare that was always present whenever
he slept. After nearly so many years, he was used to it but not enough to
shrug off the feeling of dread or fear in his system. 
	"You came back I see." A voice form behind him said in a faintly amused
voice. He turned around to find a ghostly figure standing before him. The
light in the place was enough for him to see that the speaker was female.
The light offered little more than that, however. Somehow, he thought he
should know the voice but the memory kept eluding him. *Didn’t he just went
here?* a voice within him asked. *Huh?* the rest muttered in absolute
confusion. 
	"I really do not know what you’re talking about…. Whoever you are." 
	"You seek answers that you do not have. You seek to understand what you
are. More importantly, you seek to end this nightmare you find yourself in
every sleeping moment." 
	Radler nodded; wondering just how she knew. The woman in the shadows
chuckled. "I know all about you, my dear young warrior. But you are the one
who must unlock the mysteries surrounding yourself."
	"What are you talking about?!" he wanted to know quite badly. 
	"The danger grows daily, young warrior of the moon. In here, this land of
dreams, you have honed your abilities to the fullest. I now unlock that part
of yourself to guard against what is coming in the waking world. Protect the
Child Princess, Moon Guardian. Protect her with all your life….."
	"What?!!!" 
	"Seek the answers within you…."
	He woke up, spitting out water in his mouth. 
	Unlike the other times he slept, this time, he remembered quite clearly the
dream. 
	"What the hell did she mean by that?" he wondered.
	The door behind him burst suddenly open to reveal Setsuna. Radler gaped at
the wound on her chest. He recognized it as being a sword wound. But here?!!
Violence in the Silver Millennium was nil. So who could…
	Radler decided to halt that train of thought as he leapt to aid Setsuna.
Cursory inspection proved his worst fears. The wound had struck a vital
blood vessel. Setsuna was dying – fast. He was about to find help when
Setsuna grabbed hold of his hand. 
	"R…rad…radler…. the… prin….princesssss….. troubleeeeee……" With that,
Setsuna closed her eyes as she slipped into oblivion. 
	Radler stared at the now lifeless body of the Mistress of Time. He sat
there, stunned at what had just happened.
	"Setsuna….." Radler cried out in alarm. 
	"…. has died." Continued Rei from behind him.
	Radler turned to gaze at her. What he saw made him want to puke. Rei’s
sailor fuku, which was normally white and red, was splattered with blood.
Crimson blood. The type found only in mammals or in this case, humans. 
	"Na….nani?!!!" 
	Rei laughed a bone chilling laugh. Radler could not help but shiver at the
sound. Rei NEVER laughed like that. Well, almost. Radler stared deeply into
her eyes and found the answer. Something was wrong with her. Her and the
other Senshi right behind her. 
	Radler gulped. Setsuna was dead. The time staff was near enough but far too
distant to grab before any of them tore him apart. He knew they would. Only
a fool would say otherwise. His mind began to categorize his problems to
helpfully aid him in decided upon the best alternative course.
	First off, these Sailor Senshi definitely did not appear as sane as they
should be. Secondly, each had blood all over their pristine white sailor
fukus. His mind noted this to be bad. No doubt some sort of bloodshed had
occurred in the palace while he slept in the tub. Third, each was grinning
very maniacally at him. Not a good sign. His mind noted that Rei and
Ami-chan were displaying their hands for some reason. Radler quickly found
the reason. Fourth was the fact he was trapped. VERY trapped. And unless he
could blow holes in six feet thick walls, he’d never get away.
	He decided to use the only option safe enough for the time being. 
	"Uh… hi?" he replied, a bit unsure as to what he must do. He certainly was
not prepared to talk to deranged women who had the power to grind him to
dust if he so much as breath in the wrong way. 
	"What shall we do with him now, sisters?" Rei asked cheerfully. 
	"Uh-oh…"
	He was in definite trouble. 
	"You aren’t going to kill me, are you?" Radler winced. It was such a stupid
question to ask. Of course they were going to kill him! It was just the
matter on how they were going to do it that was being decided upon right
now. Staying here any longer would not be good for his continued life.
	Radler knew his options were more than nil. He wasn’t going to survive if
he didn’t do something right then and there. But what was he to do against
these women whom he considered his foster parents? No answers. Not like he
was expecting any. He could really use some help just then. 
                  Something within him opened up once more. It felt much
like the time he had performed that weird attack he made against Haruka-san
during one of their training sessions. 
                  This one was different. 
                  The power flowed through him, surrounding him in an
orange-yellow glow. Radler did not know what he was doing or how he was
doing it. Whatever it was he was doing, he was somehow relying on memory.
The Senshi gaped in surprise at what they were witnessing. Radler was
suffused with power. Power that rivaled any the Senshi’s possessed and still
growing at a phenominal rate. The aura around him began to shift colors;
turning into a dazzling blue-white then red then white-gold. Radler knew
without a doubt something else within him was controlling now. His mind –
the part which held the complete portion of his jumbled memories – was in
control. He didn’t care about that. He cared about nothing anymore. Not when
those he cared very much for had become his enemy. 
                  He knew he had to make a choice. 
	He screamed in rage. His aura blazed all around him; like fire dancing in
the wind. Tendrils of white light snaked all across the room as they tried
to search for a place to unleash their pent up power. Radler stared the
blood-soaked Senshi who stood rooted to the ground as they stared at him. A
part of him wailed in grief at what he was about to do. To kill them would
mean losing the only people he loved. To let them live would mean to doom
the whole world into the madness they had sunken in. 
	Radler sighed. Inwardly, he swore to get the one responsible for what had
happened to these women. And when he did find the person, there was HELL to pay.
	If only he knew who had truly done this to them….
	It was time. To fight was the only option. 
	"Nova Death Burst!!!!" he screamed. 
	He hated to kill…..


	Radler screamed himself into waking. The darkness outside told him of how
early it still was. The sun had yet to reveal its brilliant splendor amongst
the inhabitants of this world. His mind alerted him once more to the dreams
he just had. He knew he had just awakened form something. Yet, like any that
he had, his mind could not hold on to the memory of the dream save for what
his emotions were telling him now.
                  Fear.
                  Of what, he never could tell. 
                  This would happen now and again. But this time, the dreams
came to him almost every night. Lucky for him he decided to move somewhere
where no one could hear it. He did not want any of them worrying over him. 
	He decided it was useless to even try to remember anything from his dream –
it was useless anyway. No matter how hard he tried to remember them, it
always slipped away from him. He got up from bed, cursing the heavens for
getting him up so early. And if he read the digital clock nearby, it was
only 3:00 AM. Definitely waaay too early for him. So, why did he feel as if
he’d slept for a whole week. He never felt his body so invigorated before. 
	*Wonder how that happened?* After a bit of pondering, *Ah, hell! Like I’m
supposed to care. No doubt, Haruka-san would change that later on.*
	Radler walked around the now darkened halls of the palace. He knew from
memory that the palace itself was a virtual city of crystal and stone. It
was also BIG enough to house all the people of Crystal Tokyo should the need
arise. He walked past the corridor leading to the audience chambers and
veered off towards the kitchens. He was wide awake and could feel the hunger
gnawing at him.  
	Considering just how early it was, he doubt anyone would mind if he
ransacked the pantries for some food. Someone would mind – just as soon as
they found out about it. For now, he was safe.
                   What he did not expect was what came next. Something was
wrong. His eyes searched for any sign of this ill feeling he had. He walked
towards the general direction of the throne room. With every step, the
feeling increased. Whatever it was, it was evil. Evil in the purest of sense. 
	Caution warnings rang inside his mind with alarming intensity. 
                  This was BAD. 
                  And when things were this bad, he knew he had to find the
other Senshi for help. But, like any other human born, curiosity got the
better of him. He decided a little peek was in order. What he saw was enough
to make him choke. Serenity stood on her throne. Nothing out of the ordinary
there. What made him gape was the crucified forms of the Inner Senshi. Each
was trapped in a crucifix of pulsating black crystal. All four were bleeding
badly as was evident from the crimson stained sailor fuku. Even worse was
the fact that the emanations of darkness came from the queen herself!! And
if he was right, it was also slowly taking root in the Senshis as well.
	Radler watched in horrified fascination as Serenity, garbed in the pristine
white gown stepped down the dais. She made a sweeping motion of her hands
and the four Senshi collapsed on the floor, the black crystal melting into
nothingness. 
	"So, my beloved Guardians, have you made your decisions?" she sneered at
the women who lay on the floor. She leveled the foot of her obsidian staff
on Mercury’s chin as she knelt down to stroke her disheveled hair. "So, my
dear Ami-chan, what _is_ your decision?"
	Ami-chan, to Radler’s intense fear, nodded. He did not know what they were
talking about, but he could hazard a guess at it. He did not like where his
guesses were taking him. 
	He could not see the smile that crept on Serenity’s features. He was lucky
– very lucky. 
	She rose once more and climbed the dais. There she awaited for the other to
give their fatal answer. 
	Time stood still. Radler feared the silence that permeated the hall. He
could hear his heart beat like hell had bust loose in it. The chill at the
base of his spine intensified as he watched the scene unfold before him. 
                  What hurt even more was that he could do nothing but watch.
	All four rose mechanically. From his vantage point, he could see just how
bad off they all were. But something about their blood stained clothing
tickled a part of his mind. That prompted him to burst into action. He ran
as fast and as quietly as he could towards Haruka-san’s room. She had to
know and the others as well. 
	*Keep her safe.* 
                  But first…. He had to get Chibi. 

* * * * * 




 

===================================
Radler
      
   Eternal Worshipper of the Red-Haired Goddesses
	Nene Romanova and Icer-2   
   All praise their names!!!! Or else.....  ^  ^ 
                                           
===================================	    		 

 "What am I doing this for??"  ^_^