*Disclaimer: The title "A Million Doors to
Eternity" is a quote from Sting's song, A
Thousand Years. Don’t own SM.

CP:  ....Is this Deja vu?  Haven't we
written something about this chapter
before?  Kii.... kii?  Have we been time
traveling? 
 
RS:  Sorta, kinda? See it’s like this.
*whips out blackboard and begins to use
physics to explain the situation while CP
just ignores her*
 
CP:  Hey!  You know what that means!  It
means that Sailor Moon belongs to us
because we know how to travel through time!
HAHAHA!  Beat that you white coated men!
I'll like to see you time travel with you--
*men in white coats grab CP and take her
away* KIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RS:  *continues to draw complex diagrams,
lost in her own world*

Desert Mirage-A Million Doors to Eternity
Chapter 1
By: The Rose Society and Eternal Angel
Rating: R
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com
	stargazing12@hotmail.com
http://www.wishing-blue.net/kii
http://anna.wishing-blue.net/

	Something pounded inside of her…

	…an aching she could not sate…

	…a desire she did not know…

	…a feeling she could not suppress.

	Everything inside of her swirled in
a frenzied state until they amassed into a
whirlwind of emotions that equaled one word:
“En…”

	En?  En-what?  She could feel it,
locked within her, somewhere, deep inside.
But try as she might, there was no way she
could unlock the mystery.

	She couldn’t remember.  As she woke
up from her slumber, all she could recall
from her dream was the lingering threads of
a memory of endless sand dunes consuming
the distance and… something…something so
wondrous, something so beautiful, yet
something so painful that made her break.
What were these secrets hidden from her
mind?

	This had been going on for almost
her entire life, a feeling of something.
No matter what she did while awake, her
connection with that inexplicable something
vanished like the morning mist before the
rising sun.  In her dreams, the link was
stronger, somehow, but always, as soon as
awareness dawned once more, it was severed
instantly before she could wrap her hands
around it.

	“Serenity,” a cool voice called to
her as a figure eclipsed her view of the
ceiling.  Her eyes looked at the figure,
sweet homely face and bright smile, and she
felt her own face break into an answering
smile.  “Time for you to get ready for
breakfast.”  

	Serenity nodded, not ready to speak.
Everything inside of her felt too raw, as
if something was screaming, clawing, tearing
to get out.  ‘Why?’  She kept asking, ‘What
is it?’

	She fought back the tears as the
thought of something continued to linger on. 

	***

	There was one thing she hated most
in the world: being caged.  She didn’t know
why she couldn’t handle staying in a room
for more than a few hours.  Even as a child,
she was always restless.  Her parents once
joked to her about it being because it was
possible that she was once a nomad, traveling
too and fro, never staying in more than one
place.  But she knew it was something more.
There was a force that made her want to be
free.  To be free of everything that held
her down.

	That was why she snuck out of her
luxurious home in the palace.  She couldn’t
stand the confinement of the rooms, the
shallowness of the hall, and the garden caged
by the outer walls.  She wanted to float away;
she wanted to spread her wings and fly.  

	She always had to be careful when she
would sneak past the palace walls and escape
into the fresh open market and into the city.
Many times she had been seen, caught and sent
to her uncle, who scolded her repeatedly,
muttering things about how she must be careful,
being the one that he was going to entrust the
fate of the kingdom upon.  He always stressed
that she must not succumb to silly desires and
stay safe in the palace walls away from harm.
She knew he loved her.  She was his favorite
from his many nieces and nephews; she was the
only one that he confided in.  She was the
child he had never had.  His love was a
blessing, but his care was a curse.  She didn’t
want to be in control of the fate of the
kingdom; she didn’t want to decide what would
go on after his death.  She was more satisfied
with a pat on the head then a crown on it.  

	But no one would listen to her.  To
tell him would break his heart; to tell others
would make her look mad.  She knew many that
would kill to take her spot of being
heir-apparent, ravenous for the power that it
would bring, but still she couldn’t help but
wish it was not her.

	Hiding behind a bush as the guard made
his pass, she quickly jumped out of it and ran
out into the market streets before he could
notice the rustle or see the flying figure.

	She was free.

	Everything inside of her felt calmer
outside of the palace walls, outside of the
gates, outside of the room.  There was a feeling
of relief which made her relax, like a bird that
finally is able to fully stretch out its wing
and fly into the distance.  She savored the
feeling, as she browsed around the shops,
purchasing little trinkets, eating sweet exotic
fruits, and watching the people converse and
bargain with one another.

	In between a visit to a cloth stand
and a sweet fruit purchase, she could feel the
rustle of the wind, a chime of a bell, and a
strange vision that stood before her.  A woman
sitting at a stand, her clothing different from
the commoners of the kingdom, with no wares in
front of her, and a contemplative smile.
Serenity could see the woman’s knowing eyes scan
the crowd.  With a jolt, as if someone called
out her name, the woman’s head turned and her
scarlet gaze locked instantly with Serenity’s
own.

	Serenity was completely drawn into her.
There was something about her that made her feel
strange, as if they knew each other, or were kin.
The darkly tanned skin, which the woman did not
even bother to shield from the sun, the contrast
of her white teeth against the skin, the long
locks of green, almost black, hair…all the
oddities that made the woman different from the
other citizens of the city did not even register
as being different in Serenity’s mind.  “Come,
Serenity, sit with me, we must talk.”

	Serenity didn’t question about how she
knew her name.  For some reason, it felt right,
how she knew her, and how Serenity knew her.
“Setsuna…”

	She smiled, nodding.  “You don’t remember
well, do you? We knew each other briefly in
another life.  Your blood still is the same
though, the same brazen blood that runs through
me.  Once you are a nomad, you are always a nomad.
Even if you are now a princess.”

	Serenity closed her eyes.  “Tell me…
there’s something.  Something I must know about.
Do you know what it is?”  

	Setsuna laughed.  “It is not in my
power to tell you about that, dear child.  You
must learn it for yourself.  It is your past,
present, and future.  I am not here today to
tell you this though; I am here today to warn
you about your fate.

	“Danger follows you, like a shadow over
your soul.  I see a terrible thing, coming to
you in the future.  This is an unchangeable
truth.”  Setsuna’s eyes softened with sorrow,
sorrow Serenity knew that Setsuna felt over
the fate she now foresaw.

	“Your life this cycle will be brief.
Death is near.”

Author Notes:

CP:  Wow, we wrote story.  It's a revised
chapter 1 because we wanted to give it a
different approach, but yeah, I do hope you
guys enjoy it!  We have been getting BEAUTIFUL
reviews off of FFn.  Thank you SO much!  We
really appreciate your comments!  Hopefully next
chapter won't take as long as to get out.
*crosses fingers* let's all pray for that.

RS: Wow, I missed this fic. It's nice to get
writing again. I think this might be more in
line with what we originally thought. Hope
you guys like it!