When it began it'd seemed like a dream. Like the best dream of her life in fact. Unassuming enough to seem real and yet.. so exaggerated that certainly she must have known better. Should have known better. Instead of being persuaded into a false sense of security and euphoria.

She'd finished the last pages of her homework for the week early and was carefully sliding them tidily beneath her table when the knock had sounded. Scurrying to answer it promptly Aurora was more than surprised by the two figures that stood on the other side. Miriam... no, it was Kunzite. In full regal and glory, pulled upward in her/his seemingly characteristic confidence. And to her side, grey haired with a dress the color of butter, the delicate humanesque body of Luna.

The door had only just closed behind them and Luna was speaking, direct as always. "There is a very special, very dangerous mission that is of the utmost importance. It requires only the most competent, the most powerful of our allies if we're to succeed."

"You were the first to come to my mind Polaris." Kunzite had said. The soft hint of a smile, small as it was, should have been a warning. But instead her heart simply soared, blood pumping in her ears as excitement tickled her body.

It was to be a recon mission she was quick to learn, as she was teleported alongside the cavalier captian and guardian spirit. The moon princess. Holed away and captive in the very depths of the Negaverse's grasps. Her fingers had grasped Kunzite's wrist in soft surprise as she willed her eyes to adjust to the darkness they found themselves in.

It was dark and damp.. like a cave. Like a cave exuding such a feeling of despair and darkness it was hard to breath.

A trio, running as fast as they could through the dark. Up stairs, through twisting tunnels, through guards. The sound of metal scrapping sounded as Kunzite drew her sword, weapon sweeping through warm flesh like a knife through butter. There was barely even time for sounds of protests as the two soliders fell to their feet.

A doorway, a light. A figure, sillouetted and yet.. still so recognizable. Polaris had the overwelling urge to bow, but it was cut short as the sounds of metal chains scrapped the ground, followed by footsteps and a voice that boomed and echo'd through the enclosed room. An order of attack, a calling for more soliders. The enemy was here. They were here for the princess.

She couldn't really make them out, not that it mattered. Soliders and captians of darkness lashing out with this and that. She could hear the feminine grunts of Kunzite as she slammed into one of the figures, sword drawn. And the light of Luna's magical blast brought the room a glow, sending two.. no three figures writhing to the floor. And what was she doing? Watching?

She broke forward, realizing only too late how stupid it was to charge at someone without a weapon or a plan. Had she just raised her elbow... but no. Pain rocked her jaw, she fell to the ground. She tried to dig her nails into his leg as he kicked at her ribs, clawing uselessly as he grasped her by her long ivory braids.

"We're kind of outnumbered here. DO something Polaris!" Came the sharp reprimand from the catgirl, by now grappling a solider with far more sucess then Polaris.

"Magnetic field!" She screamed, eyes widening when she realized she didn't hear the sound of shifting metal. "Magentic field! Magnetic field!!" Things were moving though...

Kunzite's sword flew from her hands, cluttering to the ground across the room as an enemy took the oppurtunity to attack, knocking the cavalier to the ground with the sickening crack of a bat. A scream sounded, before being cut off in a horrible gurgle. Within the stream of light the regal silloutte could be seen lifted.. suspended in mid air by the chains that bound her. The chains that were trying desperately to head towards Polaris, pulling just as desperately at the moon princess' arms and throat. She could only stare as the princess fidgeted and twitched against the assault, before slumping with another gurgle, chains still refusing to stop in their tug.

"What have you DONE!?" The cavalier's voice filled the room, her rage clearly apparent as she managed to get up despite her beating, fleeing to the side of the princess. Her arm was grasped against her chest, blood seeping from somewhere beneath her brunette locks.

"YOU USELESS b***h!" Luna moaned as her own fingers laced around the moon princess' leg, having moved to her side almost as soon as the attack started. She seemed frantic, her tail thrashing.

The chains finally fell, the princess grasped loosely in the cavalier's arms. Somehow.. somehow Polaris could see the ill intent that glittered in Luna's eyes as they peered at her even through the dark. And then suddenly the three were gone, leaving her with nothing more than words and the enemies around her. "It was a mistake to awaken you Polaris. You're useless. Pray to god you haven't doomed us all" They echo'd again in her ears even though the cat girl was long gone.

It was dark.. and the figure that had been kicking her now seemed happy with just attempting to break her ribs with the force of his weight. The room cleared.. grew darker.. and the pressure on her chest grew with each winching breath.

When it was finally just the two of them, the dark figure spoke, gravaly masculine voice laughing as he ground his heel. "Good job little solider"

"You must be real trash if they'd just leave you like this."

"Certainly doesn't seem like they'll miss you"

She was crying.. she hadn't noticed it before now, but she was, tears streaming down her face as each sob attempted to suck in the air he was so harshly forcing out. She'd failed. She'd gone so far past failed that there wasn't even a word for what she'd done. And he was right. If she'd actually killed her... her princess.. her queen. There wasn't a sailor solider out there that would miss her. She'd never even had a partner anyway.. or a group. Just a lone solider tagging along with whoever until they tired of her.

Would anyone else even miss her? Miss Aurora?

Her vision was starting to fade, breathes becoming sharper and shorter.

Father would.. of course. But it could be days, even weeks before he called and found out. Mili would notice after awhile too.. when their dinners and treat nights stopped. But would she even miss her? Or the food? Surely she'd find a new cook quickly enough.

There was nobody. Nobody at all that'd know she was gone until far too late. Too bad she never had time for friends. Too bad noone cared. Polaris exhaled with one final sob, the darkness and despair of the cavern finally swallowing her whole.

------

Aurora awoke with a start, sucking in breathes as if her life depended on it, fingers dug so deep into her stuffed animal that it'd likely need patching later. The soft fabric folds of her canopy bed glistened in the moonlight, cradling her in soft safety and comfort. Inantimate as it might have been. It was true... there was noone. She had to rely on a bed to comfort her.

All was silent. Until she began to cry again.

Curling in the furthest corner, blankets and stuffed seal pulled tight to her chest, she sobbed until she was too tired to do so anymore, the dim lights of morning beginning to peek through the curtains as her eyes finally fluttered closed once more.