Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Redemption ❯ Perseus Denied ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

PERSEUS DENIED


A gentle breeze blew through the sacred precincts of the
Shinto temple, rustling the leaves of the bushy cherry trees
that graced the temple's grounds. High up on the top
crossbar of the spirit gate, a pair of sleek, glossy-black
ravens peered down at the walkway below, their keen eyes
following the movements of the teen-aged girl below.

She stood on the paving stones, broom in hand, as she
watched in frustration as the breeze scattered the debris
she'd been sweeping back over the area she'd just cleaned.
*Isn't that just grand,* she growled to herself as that same
wind blew through her unbound, knee-length black hair and
ruffled her loose-fitting, red and white temple uniform.
*They're gonna be here any minute and I'm not done. Darn
breeze.*

Just then, the pair of ravens began to caw, making sounds
that the violet-eyed girl recognized as an enthusiastic
greeting.

The priestess frowned. *Well, they're here. Phobos and
Deimos only sound that happy when they show up. They know
how important Sailor business is to me.* Looking up, the
raven-haired teen smiled as the group of girls walked
through the gateway that marked the entrance to the temple
grounds.

She was about to call out a greeting when another voice
sounded. "Hello there, girls! Come on in. Good to see ya
again!" From seemingly out of nowhere, a new figure
appeared, zooming past the young priestess. Stopping in
front of the crowd, the diminutive man sketched a quick,
respectful bow, then smiled up at the teens.

All of the girls smiled back, including Lita, who was still
a bit miffed from the events of earlier that day. Callie,
however, had to go the extra step and keep herself from
giggling. Having been to the Cherry Hill Temple only a
couple of other times, she still found the short,
squinty-eyed, bald-headed, gregarious priest rather amusing.

"Are you here for my super-duper blessing with all the bells
and whistles? Or maybe a self-defense class? I'd love to be
able to put the moves on you," the short, elderly man
continued.

"Grandpa!" the raven-haired girl barked. "Really!"

"Actually, we're here to see Raye," Amy replied.

"Well, okay," the priest said, sounding a touch
disappointed. "Just remember to come see me if there's
anything I can do for you."

"We will," the short-haired teen-ager acknowledged as the
spry old man dashed off to somewhere else.

Raye rolled her violet eyes heavenward a moment, then looked
over at the others. "You don't mind if I try finishing my
sweeping while we wait for Mina, Luna and Artemis, do you?"

"Not at all," Amy said. "We'll go sit on the temple steps so
that we'll be out of the way."

"Thanks." As the gang of girls found places on the stone
stairs leading up to the temple's main door, the young
priestess went back to sweeping up what the wind had
scattered.

It didn't take long, and she was just finishing up when
Phobos and Deimos cawed out another greeting. As one, the
five teen-agers glanced over at the gateway that lead to the
road.

The newcomer was another teen-aged girl, her willowy figure
clad in a blue-and-white, sailor-like school uniform.
Sunshine-blond hair fell loose to her knees, but the shiny
locks around her pretty face were pulled back with a large,
bright-red bow. She gave the five girls a huge, sunny smile,
her nose crinkling upward in a cute gesture characteristic
of her as she did so. At her feet were a pair of cats -- one
white, one black, and both marked with a spot of fur on the
forehead that looked just like an upward-pointing crescent
moon.

"Hi everyone!" the new blond called out. "Hope we're not too
late, but I had a test today and the teacher wouldn't let
anyone go until the last one was turned in."

"That's okay, Mina," the blue-haired girl reassured. "Raye
had a job to finish as well, so you haven't missed
anything."

"So what's up, Amy?" the sunny teen asked as she strode up
to the temple steps. "It must be somethin' important since
you asked us all to get together right after school."

"Oh, Amy's goin' on some bugaboo about this new kid at
school bein' really weird," Serena sighed. "So what if he
claims to be Maxfield Stanton's nephew and kinda looks like
him?"

"What?" Raye exclaimed, staring at the ponytailed blond.
"And you don't find *that* the least bit suspicious?"

The slender girl shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe there really
*is* a Maxfield Stanton and always has been? For all we
know, Nephrite coulda just stolen someone's identity instead
of making it totally up."

"I admit that that's a possibility since there's still the
mansion up on the hill and all of his companies checked out
as legit, but I have some serious doubts," the intellectual
teen responded. "There was just something about that guy
that's convinced me it's him."

"But that's not possible!" Serena shot back.

"Uh, excuse me, but he who?" Mina asked, confusion all over
her pretty face. "I think I've missed something somewhere."

The tall, ponytailed brunette growled, "Isn't Nephrite that
Negaverse warrior that you told us Molly fell for? The one
Zoisite's creeps did in?"

"That's correct," Amy confirmed. "And that's one reason why
I'm so suspicious. You saw what he did to Molly."

"He who?" Mina asked again, frowning slightly.

"Oh, sorry. You and Raye weren't there," Callie jumped in.
"The new kid at our school. He's a transfer student from
Europe who calls himself Nathan Sanford and says he's
Stanton's nephew."

"I don't care what he said," the athletic brunette groused,
her expression still as dark as a thundercloud. "He's a
complete jerk."

The sunny blond glanced over at the others, a questioning
look on her face.

The shorter brunette gave Mina a strained smile. "Lita's got
another crush. She saw Nathan and flipped for him, but it
looks like he's interested in someone else."

"She shared her lunch with him, but when she brought him
over to introduce him to us, he actually knelt down and
kissed Molly's hand," the ponytailed blond added. "It was so
*romantic*, just like in the movies. He even said that it
was a pleasure meeting such sweet loveliness."

The raven-haired teen fixed the other girl with her piercing
violet gaze. "He says he's related to Stanton and does
*that* when he meets Molly? And you don't think that's
suspicious?"

"Lay off, Raye," Serena growled. "I never said I didn't
think it was weird. I just said that it couldn't be
Nephrite."

"And the way he insulted poor Melvin," the blue-haired girl
sighed. "I really felt sorry for him. He's such a sweet guy
deep inside and he's been a loyal friend to Molly. Even if
Nathan turns out to be just another human, I'm afraid the
new guy's going to mean trouble for Melvin."

"If he's really Nephrite, then he may also mean trouble for
Molly," Raye cut in. "Who knows what he's up to this time or
what he's got in mind for her."

A worried look on her pretty face, the sunny blond asked,
"Do you really think so? I mean, it sounds like this Nathan
guy cares about her. Other than acting like a complete boor
to everyone else, what else has he done so far?"

"Nothing that I know of," Amy replied. "Today was his first
day at our school. But I swear he was deliberately
challenging us."

"Come on, Amy," Serena sighed. "You're imagining things.
Nephrite's dead. We watched him die. The bad guys don't come
back."

"And just where's that written in stone?" Raye sniped.

As the ponytailed blond and the raven-haired teen glared at
one another, Mina glanced down at the felines at her feet.
"What do you guys think we should do?"

"That's a toughie," the white cat replied in a
human-sounding, male voice. Looking at the black cat, the
feline asked, "What's your opinion, Luna?"

The black-furred cat sat down for a moment, her ears
flattened in thought. "I agree with Amy in that the whole
thing sounds fishy, but I think the most prudent course of
action is to wait and see what happens. If Nathan's just a
normal human, then we wouldn't want to give ourselves away
to him. And if he's really Nephrite somehow back from the
dead, then we'll find out what he's up to soon enough."

"But you girls'll need to keep an eye on both this Nathan
guy and Molly," the white cat added. "If Amy's misgivings
are right, then Serena's friend may end up in a lot of
trouble again."

"Raye?" Callie spoke up, getting the priestess's attention.
"Would it be possible for you to do a fire-reading? Maybe we
can find out something definite that way."

The violet-eyed girl scowled. "I just can't snap my fingers
and see a vision, you know. A fire-reading takes time and
preparation."

Callie frowned back. "I know, but if there's any way we can
get to the truth of the matter, then we should." For just a
second, the short brunette's posture became one of someone
used to having her orders followed. "If we have a former
Negaverse warrior back, then there may be trouble ahead. We
need to be prepared."

"Well then, we should just march up to this Nathan guy and
make him tell us what's going on," Lita replied. She then
added, muttering under her breath, "I shoulda decked him in
the schoolyard."

"That's really using your head," Callie sarcastically said.
"We'd find out for sure what he's up to then."

As the tall brown-haired girl stared at the shorter teen,
the raven-haired priestess sighed. "Okay, I'll do it. I had
things ready to go anyway." Looking at the five other
teen-agers, she continued, "I had a bad feeling all day
yesterday, so I was planning on doing one until Amy called
on the communicator saying that we needed to get together.
However, I'm going to need total quiet from all of you."
Raye then walked up the temple steps toward the building's
main doors.

As the others followed the priestess, the white cat strode
next to the tall brunette. "Lita, I want you to promise me
that you won't confront Nathan by yourself."

The ponytailed girl looked down, her expression crestfallen.
"Aw, Artemis! Don't make me promise that. I know I can get
to the bottom of what's going on--"

"I want that promise, Lita! We don't know what we're getting
into just yet. We need to go easy," the light-furred feline
interrupted.

Lita gave Artemis a dark frown. "All right, I promise. I
won't go after him and ask him if he's really a Negaverse
warrior by myself. But I *am* going to keep an eye on him."

Artemis smiled, his tail straight up in the air in
satisfaction. "I can live with that. Come on, let's see what
the fire's got to say to Raye."

The dark-haired priestess waited by the doorway until the
last person strode through the huge double doors. Just as
she was tugging them closed, Phobos and Deimos flew through,
winging their way across the room and into the inner
sanctum.

One by one, the girls knelt down on the floor a respectful
distance from the sacred hearth, the pair of cats near their
charges. Coming to a landing, the glossy ravens each stood
at a corner of the hearth, looking over at Raye as she
slowly walked past the kneeling teens. A serene expression
on her pretty face, the priestess was already centered and
beginning to slide into a meditative state as she bowed
before the hearth then knelt down in front of it. Her mind
clear of all thought, she slipped deeper into her trance as
her body performed the intricate moves of the lighting
ceremony by rote, each precise movement drilled into her
very flesh through unending practice.

Once the ceremony was complete and the sacred fire was
burning brightly, Raye set aside her props and began staring
into the heart of the flames. *Sacred fire, hear my call,*
she thought, beginning a litany that would hopefully bring
her the visions she sought. Someone from the past may be
here again and I'm worried about Molly and my friends. Show
me the truth behind this Nathan Sanford. Why is he here?*
Concentrating on those thoughts, the priestess continued to
gaze within the flames.

Around her, silence permeated the sanctuary as the small
crowd of girls watched. For a long time, no one moved, and
the only sound to be heard was the crackling of the fire.
Finally, however, the black cat next to Serena stood and
stalked over to where Raye knelt before the hearth. As the
brace of ravens gave her the evil eye, Luna asked, her voice
barely above a whisper, "What do you see?"

The black-haired priestess kept her violet eyes on the fire,
the eerie orangish glow reflecting off the sheen of
perspiration that covered her face from her effort in
concentration. "I can't quite pull the images in," she said,
her voice sounding far-off and distracted. "It's almost as
if there's something screening out my ability to see. All
I'm getting are symbols. I see a green square eclipsed by
the symbol of the planet Earth and a star shining in a heart
of darkness. I can see the Wheel of Karma spinning full
circle and feel the winds of change. The Wheel keeps
spinning, getting bigger with each turn, and now I see more
symbols within it.

"I see a double-armed spiral encased in ice, submerged
within a pool of dark water. Now there's a compass-star, a
pair of symbols linked together at each of the cardinal
points and surrounded by a colored light. To the East, the
symbol of Mars lies within a circle and is surrounded by a
golden light. To the South, the symbol of Venus lies within
a diamond and is surrounded by red light. To the West, the
symbol of Mercury lies within a triangle and is surrounded
by an azure light. To the North, the symbol of Jupiter lies
within a square and is surrounded by an emerald light. In
the center, the crescent moon floats above while its
reflection shimmers in the dark water below. Yet throughout
it all, there's an undercurrent of frigid darkness,
something clawing at the Wheel of Karma, trying to make it
stop..." The raven-haired girl's voice trailed off.

For a few moments more, Raye stared silently into the fire.
Finally, however, she took a deep breath, letting it out in
a long sigh as she bowed again to the sacred flames.
Turning a bit and looking at the others, she said, "That's
it. I couldn't see anything more." Frowning slightly, she
added, "I'm sorry if it didn't help much, but it felt like
something was blocking my sight. I'm lucky to have gotten
anything at all."

"That's okay, Raye," the sunny blond reassured, smiling.
"You did your best. That's what counts."

"I still think we should just take the direct approach,"
Lita growled.

"Remember your promise," Artemis admonished.

The tall brunette gave the white cat a dirty look. "Don't
worry. I'll keep it. But six on one's good odds, even
against a Negaverse warrior."

"Hey, leave me outta this," Callie said. "I'm supposed to
use my powers only to back up yours, and that's after the
situation's gotten beyond your control."

"Fine, then" Lita shot right back. "Five on one. We can
still do it."

"I don't know," Raye thoughtfully said. "I think Luna's
right."

Everyone stared at the fiery priestess in surprise. "You're
usually all hot to tackle the problem head-on," Serena
pointed out.

"I know, but I don't like what the fire showed me. I've got
the sense that there's a lot of karma tied up in this. And
whenever there's karma involved, we all need to watch our
step."

"Then it's agreed? We just watch and wait, keeping an eye on
both Molly and Nathan?" Amy asked.

"Fine by me," Mina replied. Glancing around, the sunny blond
saw all of the others -- save Lita -- nodding their heads.
The tall brunette just continued to frown. "Lita?"

Looking around and finding that the others were staring at
her in expectation, the athletic girl sighed. "Oh, all
right. I suppose I shouldn't have let that bother me. But I
was so nice to him and he was such a jerk." Lita sighed
again, her forest-green eyes filled with a far-off
expression. "But what a *dreamy* jerk!"

Serena giggled. "I suppose that means you won't mind keeping
an eye on him, huh?"

"Uh, uh. Not at all . . ."

That got everyone in the temple laughing.

**************************************

A lone figure walked rapidly along the city's sidewalk, her
brisk pace shielding her from the breeze of the blustery
afternoon. Another gust of wind was channeled down the
street, ruffling the short girl's shoulder-blade-length
golden-brown hair and the knee-length dark-blue pleated
skirt of her school uniform. The teen-ager shivered slightly
at that one and frowned in annoyance, her green eyes taking
on a bluish hue. *Honestly, Callista Summers,* she thought
to herself, *you can be a real ditz sometimes. I just hope
they'll let me back into school so I can get my jacket.*
Sighing, she shook her head, bouncing the small ponytail in
which the hair around her pretty face was caught. The rest
of her hair -- including the pair of long, thin locks just
in front of her ears -- danced in the afternoon breeze.
*Then again, who can blame me for forgetting my jacket, what
with Lita practically dragging me off to the temple right
after school to discuss what happened.*

Callie smiled then, her eyes changing back to predominantly
green. *At least we got Lita to calm down. And the others
aren't going to do anything drastic just yet. I'd rather
avoid a confrontation then fight any day.*

High above on a rooftop, a tall figure stared down at the
brunette teen walking along the street at a brisk pace. As
the wind blew his long silver hair into his face and made
his lavender-pink cloak billow, he narrowed his eyes in a
wolfish manner as he gazed down at his prey. *She's just a
mere child,* he thought in mild disgust. Shrugging slightly,
he continued, *But it's not my place to question my orders.*

Down below, Callie glanced at the watch on her wrist. *Oh
man! Look at the time! I've got so much stuff to do!* Eyes
turning bluish again in frustration, she picked up her pace
even more. *Why couldn't they make these uniforms with
pockets?* she groused. *My keys, my money, my everything's
in my coat.* Looking off to the side, the short girl saw
that she was striding next to a park. *If I cut through here
and go down that alley on the other side, I'll come out just
down the street from the school.* With that, she left the
sidewalk and plunged into the grass-covered space.

Up on the rooftop, the tall figure continued to watch his
target with pale-lavender eyes.

Callie sprinted through the park -- skillfully and
gracefully dodging the skateboarders, bicyclists, kids and
other people enjoying the brisk yet sunny day -- using her
haste in collecting her jacket as an excuse to stretch her
legs. The lithe teen-ager loved to run. It was the closest
thing she could do to actually flying.

Emerging from the far side of the green space, her
bluish-green eyes having undertones of violet from the pure
exhilaration of life, Callie paused long enough to see if
there was any traffic traveling along the street. Seeing
none, she dashed across the asphalt and into the alley. Had
she looked skyward as well, she would've seen a tall,
cloaked figure on the roof overlooking the narrow lane.

She was jogging down the alley, still thrilling in the feel
of the speed, when a sudden, overwhelming sense of something
*wrong* hit her. Stopping dead in her tracks, her eyes
instantly changing to grayish-green in fright, she quickly
glanced around. She didn't have long to wait. Within
seconds, a tall figure appeared out of thin air right in
front of her.

With his arms stretched out to either side and his cloak
billowing in the wind that blew down between the buildings,
the newcomer seemed to fill up the entire space in front of
the momentarily-terrified Callie. Despite his new, vaguely
medieval-appearing outfit, his face was the same
coldly-handsome one that sometimes haunted her nightmares.
He was looking at her now as he had then, an arrogantly
confident look in his pale-lavender eyes.

Callie stood frozen -- staring up at the silver-haired man
-- until he reached out to grab the agile teen. Acting on
pure instinct, the golden-brown-haired girl danced back and
to the side of his reach, then spun on her heel and ran.
Desperation adding to her speed, she fairly flew back down
the narrow street, fully expecting an energy blast or
something to be tossed her way. Much to her surprise,
nothing happened as she turned the corner and zipped through
the nearest door she could find.

Looking around as she leaned up against the door and tried
to catch her breath, the short brunette found herself in a
small bookstore. Knowing that she'd be safe as long as she
stayed near other people, Callie made her way to the back of
the store, keeping a wary eye out just in case she was
wrong. Reaching up and randomly pulling a book off a shelf
up against the back wall, she opened it to no page in
particular and pretended to browse. However, her mind was on
other things now that she could start thinking again.

*By all the powers of the Galaxy, what is *Kunzite* doing
here? He's supposed to be *dead*! I watched Sailor Moon turn
his own weapon against him before she and the Scouts took on
Beryl herself.* Callie couldn't help shuddering. *First that
Nathan guy, and now this? What in the name of the Silver
Crystal is going on around here?* She closed her eyes, now
blue-gray with worry and stress. *For over a thousand years,
his image has haunted me, taunting me about that day when I
saw friends turn traitor and destroy nearly everything I
held dear. My duty was to guard the princesses, to augment
their powers with mine, but because I was caught off-guard,
I failed. And ever since, I've been afraid to fight, fearing
that I would fail again.

*But when I sensed that the princesses might have returned
and went back home to find them reborn and fighting the
Negaforce anew, I rejoiced in getting a second chance. Yes,
I held back and watched their battles, not interfering like
I was originally bidden to do, but then I wanted to get
involved. So when those other attacks began, I revealed
myself to the Scouts and fought with them. With every
confrontation, my self-esteem became repaired just that much
more. But now--*

She opened her eyes, now beginning to be tinged with violet,
and glanced down at the book she held. Startled to find
that not only was it a handbook on minerals and precious
stones but that she had also somehow unerringly turned it to
the page featuring the beautiful purplish-pink variety of
spodumene called kunzite, she frowned. *It always seems to
come back to him, doesn't it?* she asked herself, thinking
about the stern, silver-haired warrior.

Just then, a short, elderly man with thinning gray hair and
cold, ice-blue eyes walked up to the golden-brown-haired
teen. "Either buy something or go somewhere else," he
growled.

With a decisive *snap*, Callie shut the mineral book and
replaced it on the shelf. Smiling and giving the man a
slight bow of apology, she replied, "Forgive me, I didn't
mean to annoy you. It's just that I didn't find what I was
looking for here." Her pretty face set in determination and
her eyes violet-aqua with confidence, she silently said,
*I'm tired of a millennium of running. If I'm truly going to
be the guardian of the princesses again, I must confront my
fears.*

She strode through the bookstore, the elderly proprietor
glaring at her as she went. The lithe girl hesitated a
moment at the front door, her hand on the doorknob, then she
took the plunge and stepped back outside. Carefully
searching around, she saw no sign of the lavender-cloaked
man; however, she could sense that he was still around. She
frowned. *Is he after me or Andromeda? I need to be
careful...*

She stalked back down the alleyway, every nerve at the
ready. Even then, she was still caught by surprise. She had
almost made it to the other end of the lane when a cold wind
stirred behind her and a heavy hand grabbed her by her right
shoulder. Worst of all, she could feel her energy being
sucked into that hand the moment it touched her.

Biting back her shout of surprise, Callie escaped the
energy-sapping hold by nimbly twisting down and away.
Jumping back and whirling around, the agile teen stood in a
ready stance, the wind rustling the sailor-like collar and
blue skirt of her school uniform.

With the fluid gracefulness she remembered so well, Kunzite
stepped back into a fighting stance also, his pale eyes
narrowing in contempt. His deep voice harsh, he said,
"You're no match for me, child, should you choose to fight.
And don't think you can get away should you choose to flee."

Callie's own expression became one of grim defiance, her
eyes turning violet-blue with her determination. *He's
right. Like this, I don't have a chance.* A snarl on her
pretty face, she scornfully spat, "Just watch me!" With a
quick spin, she was gone, running down the alley as fast as
she could go.

She sprinted down the sidewalk, her longish hair flying,
heading for the campus of the near-by junior high.
*Somewhere in there I should find a secluded enough spot.*
Making it to her school with no further incidents, she
darted between a couple of buildings, then looked around the
small courtyard in which she'd ended up. This time, she
glanced skyward as well, remembering the silver-haired
warrior's fondness for high places. Seeing him nowhere in
sight, she threw up a hand. "This time, he's gonna pay.
Andromeda *Power*!"

The transformation was as swift as it was beautiful. A swirl
of glittering-yellow light enveloped her, obscuring her form
and stripping away the school uniform. In its place was a
white, sailor-like suit with a royal-purple pleated
mini-skirt fastened in the back with a large dark-blue bow,
a royal-purple collar also with a dark-blue bow--a golden,
star-shaped locket pinned to its center--and a long
dark-blue cape fastened to the shoulders with golden,
star-shaped brooches. Dark-blue knee-high boots appeared on
Callie's feet and legs while elbow-length white gloves with
royal-purple trim covered her arms and hands. Around her
slender neck appeared a dark-blue velvet choker with a
glittering, golden star and on her forehead formed a golden
tiara, an oval-shaped deep-purple cabochon stone shining in
the center. When the swirl of glittering, golden light faded
away, Sailor Andromeda stood at the ready.

A low chuckle filled the air. "Well, well. What do we have
here? I guess Obsidian knew what he was doing after all."

Eyes now violet with courage and determination, Sailor
Andromeda glanced upward again. This time, the silver-haired
warrior's form silhouetted the sky.

Slowly, carefully, hoping that he wouldn't notice what she
was doing, the sailor-suited Scout reached a hand up toward
the star-locket on her front bow. "We have a score to
settle, traitor."

In reply, Kunzite leaped off the roof, using his ability to
levitate to float gracefully down to the ground. Bracing
himself in a battle-ready stance, he stared past his
upraised hands at the female warrior, cold amusement in his
pale-lavender eyes. "We must've hashed you Outer Senshi
pretty bad that day," he said.

The brunette girl glared back, the fingers of her right hand
subtly unfastening the piece of golden jewelry from the
bow's dark-blue fabric. "Whatever gave you that idea,
Kunzite?" she spat.

The tall warrior gave his opponent a smirk that was as
frosty as the color of his hair. "This is the first time
I've seen any of you since that day we trashed the Moon
Kingdom. The Inners have been active again for quite a while
now."

They continued to stare at one another, each one ready for
the other's move.

**************************************

A scene from over a millennium ago: The infinite silence of
space, millions of stars glittering like jewels in the
darkness. In the distance, the white-swirled blue globe of
the Earth can be seen, a strange, dark shadow sucking up the
planet's usually bright reflection. Five figures float in
the silence, each one a grim-faced, sailor-suited warrior of
the Silver Millennium. Arranged in a line -- their backs to
the Moon -- the mini-skirted girls stare down at the
darkened Earth.

Sailor Andromeda is among them, positioned just to the right
of the line's center between a stern Senshi with
shoulder-length, straight, black hair wielding a formidable
pole-arm-style weapon and a mysteriously-beautiful woman
with long, flowing, deep-green hair holding a key-like
staff. "What in the name of the Silver Crystal is going on
down there?" the golden-brown-haired warrior asks, frowning
at the shadow-shrouded planet.

The Senshi with the straight, black hair points to the
darkened globe with the double-bladed head of her pole-arm.
"A force of great destruction has been awakened. Even= now,
it gathers its minions."

On the far left of the line of warriors, a tall, athletic
Senshi with close-cropped, straight, dark-golden-blond hair
swings a curved, jewel-adorned sword in practice. "How in
the Galaxy did it manage to get here without us sensing it?
That's what I'd like to know."

The warrior on the opposite end of the line frowns, her
deep-green hair flowing in the solar wind. "I believe it may
have had help. I sense the powers of the Elements in this."

Sailor Andromeda looks at the Senshi to her right. "Are you
sure about that, Pluto?" When the Guardian of Time only
gives her a mysterious smile in response, the
blue-and-purple-uniformed Senshi scowls. "But that would
mean--"

"That may explain why we lost Lithos first, then," a new
voice speaks. Its source is the female soldier between the
glaive-wielding warrior in the center and the sword-bearing
Senshi on the left end. Her shoulder-length, wavy, sea-green
hair stirring in the solar wind, she continues, "I'd heard
rumors that they weren't happy with their latest assignment.
Those poor Gemlords on Lithos. Do you think any of them
survived?"

The stern Scout in the center gets an even colder expression
on her pretty face. "At least the Great Mirror remains free
of the destruction's influence. If nothing else, the
Guardian of the Gateways did his job this day."

"What in the moons of Uranus was Lord Obsidian thinking when
he assigned that job to them?" the short-haired,
sword-bearing warrior growls. "Like us, their duties are to
patrol the far reaches of Space. Ordering them to stay put
on one little planet and guard a prisoner goes contrary to
every duty they're supposed to do."

Sailor Andromeda's dark expression becomes darker. "Ours is
not the place to question the choices of the Guardian of
Space, Uranus," she snarls back. "Besides, they always
seemed so happy whenever they were with the inner-planet
Princesses."

"Behold!" the somber Scout in the center shouts, getting the
attention of the others. Pointing at the Earth again with
her wicked-looking glaive, she adds, "The destruction
comes!"

As one, the five Senshi watch, expressions of trepidation
and anticipation on their pretty faces, as the dark shadow
peels itself from the blue planet and leaps into space,
forming a tidal wave of blackness that blots out the stars.
Thousands of armed warriors march within the darkness, the
Seven Shadows leading the way with the gray-clad Gemlords
escorting them. In the heart of the swirling blackness, the
demonic-appearing Queen Beryl urges her army on while the
enormous presence of the Negaforce itself looms over the
rushing force.

Noticing just how rapidly the dark army's advancing, Sailor
Andromeda turns to the somber Senshi in the center of their
formation. "Now, Saturn!" she shouts. "They're almost on
us!"

Without a sound or even an acknowledgment of Sailor
Andromeda's words, Sailor Saturn glides forward and
brandishes her glaive. "Silence Wall!" she commands.

The instant her words were out, however, the quartet of
gray-uniformed Gemlord warriors disappear, the Seven Shadows
with them. As a thick energy wall materializes in front of
the oncoming army, Sailor Uranus readies her sword and looks
around. "Power up, Senshi!" she yells. "The Elementals
teleported past the Wall!"

Meanwhile, Sailor Saturn shudders as the dark army slams
into her energy barrier. Her face even more stern from her
effort in concentration, she pours more power into the Wall,
attempting to completely surround the force of darkness
within the impenetrable barrier.

As the four remaining Scouts scan the area warily, the
generals reappear with the Seven Shadows right in front of
Sailor Pluto. The Shadows rush the deep-green-haired
Guardian of Time while the gray-clad generals disappear
again.

"Cowards!" Sailor Uranus spits, watching the quartet blink
out. Facing towards Sailor Pluto, she takes aim with her
sword.

Quickly moving to find a better angle of attack, the
sea-green-haired soldier also takes aim at the Shadows
harassing the Senshi of Time.

Soaring upwards out of the line of fire of the other two
warriors, Sailor Andromeda holds her hands outward,
preparing an attack as well.

Just as the short-haired Senshi prepares to release the
energy humming within her sword, a gray-clad figure appears
right in front of her and just to the side, slamming down
hard on the bejeweled blade with a shimmering,
nearly-invisible sword of his own. As the energy harmlessly
explodes outward between them, the Gemlord with the short,
curly, light-blond hair snarls, "Better watch your mouth,
Uranus," his amber eyes cold.

The athletic Senshi narrows her eyes in anger. She moves
forward and swings back at Jadeite, only to have her blade
crash up against the Elemental warrior's semi-transparent
shield. Startled, fully expecting her Space Sword to cut
through the Gemlord's defenses, Sailor Uranus barely blocks
Jadeite's next attack.

With a battle cry of "*Jei*!" the gray-clad warrior presses
his attacks. The sword fight is on.

Still aiming at a Shadow viciously attacking the Guardian of
Time, the sea-green-haired Scout shouts, "Deep Submerge!" As
her power locks in and a tunnel of swirling sea-water begins
to form around her, a whirl of cherry-blossom petals
suddenly appears. From the center of the twirling petals
comes a strident, feminine voice, "Ice-Surround Crystalize!"
The Scout watches in mild horror as her attack of swirling
water freezes into a tunnel of solid ice that frames the
gray-clad form of a slender, golden-blond-haired woman.
Floating before the Senshi, her left leg curled up tight and
her right leg straight down with pointed toes, Zoisite gives
the other warrior a catty look.

As the sailor-suited warrior glares and extends a hand, a
hand-mirror materializing out of nowhere, the slender
Gemlord thrusts her own arm forward. Shouting "*Zoi*!" she
lets loose with a telekinetic blast that shatters the ice,
sending thousands of razor-sharp crystals hurtling toward
the sea-green-haired Senshi.

Acting on pure instinct, the pretty Senshi holds up her
mirror in front of her face as a shield and looks away from
the flying ice. The sharp crystals rip through her hair and
sailor-like suit, leaving her tattered and bloodied. Before
the soldier can recover, Zoisite materializes a
wicked-looking ice sword and zooms in, pressing her
advantage.

Meanwhile, Sailor Saturn continues to grimly concentrate on
holding back the enemy with her Wall. With the full power of
the Negaforce pushing against it, trying to break its way
through, the somber Scout has virtually no attention to
spare to focus on the gray-clad, dark-haired warrior that
appears nearby.

His long, auburn hair flowing in the solar wind, Nephrite
looks up toward the pinpoints of light that sparkle in the
darkness. "I call upon the full power of the stars!" he
shouts, raising a hand. "Aries the Ram! Taurus the Bull!
Leo the Lion! Sagittarius the Archer! Aquila the Eagle!
Canis Major the Great Dog! Centaurus the Centaur! Corvus
the Raven! Draco the Dragon! Hydra the Water-Serpent! Lupus
the Wolf! Lynx the Lynx! Serpens the Serpent! Orion the
Hunter! Ursa Major the Great Bear! Constellation Energize!"
As he calls their names, the star patterns begin to glow
with an eerie light, solidifying into fearsome spirit
warriors with the characteristics of the constellation from
which they were formed.

The stern Senshi of Destruction gives the Elemental warrior
a cold smile. With her powers and her focus split between
holding back the Negaforce and its army from their advance
to the Moon and defending herself against the star-born
creatures and Nephrite himself, she knows she faces a losing
battle.

On the far right of the Scouts' faltering line, Sailor Pluto
continues to gracefully dodge and block the continual
assault of the Seven Shadows, having time enough to only
occasionally connect with a blow from her key-shaped staff.
To her consternation, her hits seem to have little effect on
the red-eyed Shadows.

"Andromeda Stars--" the fifth Senshi begins, determined to
help Sailor Pluto, only to stop as a tall form materializes
right in front of her. His silver hair and white cloak
billowing in the solar wind, Kunzite stands at the ready,
giving Sailor Andromeda a cold, contemptuous stare. The
brunette soldier's expression of surprise and dismay quickly
changes to indignant rage. "Traitor!" she yells. "How could
you? Why did you join this scum against Queen Serenity?
What about Princess Venus?"

The Elemental warrior laughs, frosty and harsh. "I've found
someone much better than that simpering wimp," he snaps. "As
for Queen Serenity and her Silver Millennium, they mean less
than nothing to me. They're only insignificant insects
that'll be crushed by the might of the Negaforce. After
today, we will rule the Cosmos."

"You're insane," Sailor Andromeda gasps. The reality of the
situation settling in, she whispers to herself, "Forgive me,
Princess Venus, but he must be stopped." With that, the
sailor-suited warrior finishes her trigger-phrase, sending
the energy of her attack at the gray-clad figure. "Strike!"

With a fluid movement, Kunzite grabs a corner of his cloak
and wraps the white cloth around his tall form. The twin
spheres of glittering-yellow light slam into him but do
nothing as their energy is absorbed. Tossing aside the
cloak, the silver-haired warrior then holds his hands out to
either side, a wicked-looking, boomerang-shaped blade of
purplish-pink energy forming in each hand. With a shout of
"*Zai*! he flings the slicers at the girl.

The blue-caped Senshi leaps aside in an attempt to dodge the
whirling blades, only to feel their sting as they swarm
around her when Kunzite telekinetically directs them to her
new position. Despite the numerous shallow slashes in her
hair, uniform and skin, Sailor Andromeda grits her teeth and
keeps her concentration. Holding up a hand, she shouts,
"Starshield Protect!" Her slender form becomes enveloped in
a soft glow of glittering-yellow light, creating a barrier
through which the slicers could no longer reach her.

With a snarl on his handsome face, the gray-clad warrior
recalls the slicers to his hands, realizing that their power
was no longer effective. At the same moment, Sailor
Andromeda takes the opportunity to launch another attack.
"Star Power Destroy!" she shouts, throwing her hands
forward.

Kunzite, who had momentarily shut his eyes in order to
concentrate more power into his slicers, suddenly looks up
at the Scout at the sound of her voice -- and sees the
brilliant beam of highly-concentrated energy speeding his
way. A look of pure shock forms on his face as his form
abruptly disappears, leaving the beam of energy to travel
onward and strike one of the Shadows fighting Sailor Pluto.

Although disappointed at missing her target, Sailor
Andromeda smiles in grim triumph as she watches the
deep-green-haired Senshi follow through on a vicious swing
to the Shadow she'd just hit. Visibly weakened, the Shadow
pulls back, allowing the Guardian of Time room to escape the
circle of Shadows and retreat to a better position of
attack.

However, it becomes Sailor Andromeda's turn to be surprised
as she hears Kunzite's deep voice snarl from *behind* her,
"Dark Energy Electrify!" Spinning around, her long blue cape
flying, she sees the silver-haired warrior floating there --
his hands outstretched and pointing to either side with his
slicers and a cold smirk on his face -- while a sphere of
black energy forms around her.

Glaring through the dark barrier at the Elemental warrior,
Sailor Andromeda sets up her attack again. "Star Power
Destroy!" To her dismay, the intense beam of
glittering-yellow light gets sucked into the dark sphere,
making the barrier a deeper shade of black. Suddenly
frightened, for she didn't remember any of the Elementals
being quite *this* powerful, the golden-brown-haired Sailor
lets her Starshield fade away. For her next attempt, she
would need all her energy.

"Go ahead and try again," Kunzite taunts the trapped Scout.
"I promise you, you won't break the sphere." Still
concentrating on the globe, the silver-haired warrior
casually tosses the slicer in his left hand up in a graceful
arc. Catching it in his right hand, the twin slicers blend
into a single, larger violet-pink blade.

Crossing her arms in front of her blue-bowed chest and
pulling her legs up tight, the sailor-suited warrior tapped
into her full power. "Andromeda Supernova--" she begins, her
form glowing with a steadily-increasing, bright,
glittering-yellow light. When her slender figure shines with
the intensity of a small sun, she throws herself into a
spread-eagled position, shouting the end of her trigger,
"*Explode*!"The energy erupts outward in all directions,
slamming hard against the dark sphere.

Kunzite narrows his eyes and grits his teeth, fighting to
maintain the globe as Sailor Andromeda's power hits it.
Beneath the pressure, the black sphere expands outward and
becomes semi-transparent, forcing the silver-haired warrior
to reach deep within his reserves to keep the barrier
intact.

When the light of her attack fades away, the soldier is
horrified to find that the dark sphere held. Quickly
glancing at Kunzite, she notices that maintaining the globe
must have cost him dearly; his face is almost as pale as his
hair and glimmers with a sheen of sweat. Realizing that it
wouldn't take much more to break the barrier, the Senshi
prepares another assault.

But the gray-clad warrior is quicker. "Dark Energy Shrink!"
he snaps, and the globe collapses in on the Scout.

Finding herself suddenly unable to move, the black energy of
the globe slowly crushing her slender form, Sailor Andromeda
knows that she's lost the battle. Looking around the best
she can, she tries to see how the others are doing.

Far in the distance, she could see Sailor Uranus and Jadeite
battling it out with swords. With slash and parry, thrust
and dodge, the Scout and the Gemlord appear equally matched,
although to Sailor Andromeda it looks as if Jadeite's been
forced to take a more defensive stance in his movements.
However, she could also see that he had managed to push
Sailor Uranus back a fair distance, creating a huge gap
between her and the other Senshi.

Also in the distance, the sea-green-haired Senshi and
Zoisite are still struggling as well, the slender Gemlord
having pushed the sailor-suited warrior back from the Wall
and away from Sailor Uranus. The gray-clad woman continues
to viciously hack away, occasionally attempting to blind the
Senshi with a blast of cherry-blossom petals. To her credit,
the sea-green-haired female is able to gracefully dance away
from the other's attacks and close for a few retaliatory
hits of her own. As Sailor Andromeda watches, the other
Senshi connects, slapping Zoisite hard across the face with
the back of her hand-mirror. As the female Elemental is sent
flying, the sea-green-haired warrior pauses, looking first
over at Sailor Uranus and then Sailor Saturn, obviously at a
loss as to whom she should go help.

Following the other's gaze, the trapped soldier quickly
glances over to where Sailor Saturn still holds the Silence
Wall against the power of the Negaforce. With one hand held
up as a focus for maintaining the Wall, the grim,
black-haired Senshi swings her deadly glaive around
single-handed, trying her best to fend off the crowd of
star-born monsters that encircle her. Under Nephrite's
command, the star-monsters charge in groups -- coming in
fast, slashing away and retreating before the Silence Glaive
could connect.

Although able to destroy about half of the constellations
with the wicked edge of her Glaive, Sailor Saturn can't keep
all of the star-monsters' attacks from hitting their mark.
Mauled and bloody, her energy fading fast from both holding
back the dark army and her wounds, the stern Scout bows her
head, beginning to power up what energy she had left into
her weapon of last resort.

The dark-haired Elemental quickly orders all of the
remaining star-monsters to the attack, then bows his own
head and crosses his arms over his chest. "Powers of the
Negaforce, help me unleash the full fury of the stars!" he
yells as Sailor Saturn, her body beginning to glow with an
awesome violet aura, disappears beneath the pile of clawing,
hacking, slashing, biting and ripping star-monsters. Sailor
Andromeda stares in horror as the circling orbits of a pair
of miniature planets appear before the auburn-haired
Gemlord's hands. With a war-cry of "*Nei*!"the Elemental
warrior throws his hands outward. The speeding miniature
planets spiral off together, forming a huge beam of intense,
shimmering, greenish-silver starlight that then crashes into
the pile of star-born creatures. When the blinding
explosion fades away, all that remains is Sailor Saturn's
still body floating in space, the Silence Glaive slowly
spinning off into the darkness.

"Saturn!" the entrapped Scout shouts in shocked disbelief as
the weapon of the ringed planet vanishes and the Silence
Wall crumbles before the might of the Negaforce. The dark
army begins its rush toward the Moon once again and Sailor
Andromeda hears a low chuckle. "You should worry about
yourself. You're going to join her very soon." Turning her
attention back to the silver-haired warrior, she just looks
at Kunzite, tears forming in her eyes now colored gray from
sorrow. *Forgive me, my princesses, my queen. We did the
best we could,* she thinks as she watches the traitorous
Gemlord reach back with his right hand, preparing to throw
his violet-pink blade.

With another shout of "*Zai*!" Kunzite flings the slicer.
The spinning boomerang-shaped energy blade blasts through
the dark sphere, burying itself in Sailor Andromeda's chest
deep enough that the far point extends from her back. A
single tear streaks down her pretty cheek as the light dims
in her grayish eyes.

Giving an imperious gesture to his slicer, which rips itself
from the body of its victim and returns to his hand, Kunzite
looks down at the fallen Senshi for a moment, a cold
expression on his handsome face, before he glances around to
see what else was going on.

Gazing past the floating, broken body, he can see the Seven
Shadows pressing their attack against Sailor Pluto. Frowning
as he realizes that somehow the Guardian of Time had escaped
the Shadows' deadly circle, he watches as the
deep-green-haired Scout blasts an impressive sphere of deep
red energy at the group of ruby-eyed monsters by swinging
her staff around in a graceful circle. The seven black
figures scatter, but one gets caught by the sphere. Although
not destroyed, the Shadow appears severely weakened to
Kunzite. The frown on his face turns to a snarl. Readying
his violet-pink slicer, he yells, "Nephrite!"

In an instant, the auburn-haired warrior is at his side.
"Sir?" he queries.

But the Gemlord's call has another effect as well. Her
attention caught by the other's deep voice, the Senshi of
Time scans the battlefield, taking in the grim scene. The
huge army of the Negaforce continues its rush to the Moon.
The Seven Shadows regroup for another attack. A pair of the
traitorous warriors are obviously joining the struggle of
the Shadows against her. The unmoving forms of her two
fallen comrades are floating in space. Sailor Uranus and
another Gemlord traitor slash away at one another with
glowing blades. Sailor Neptune is streaking to the rescue of
her partner, the fourth Elemental in hot pursuit and
attempting to impale the sea-green-haired Scout with her
thrown spears of ice. Focusing once more on the enormous
army dashing toward Queen Serenity's capitol, Sailor Pluto
whispers to herself, "The first duty of a Senshi is the
welfare of the Kingdom." Holding up her silver, key-shaped
staff, she intones words she was never meant to say. "Dark
Dome Close!"

All at once, the weapon begins to glow with a deep-red
light, a shockwave of garnet-colored energy erupting outward
in all directions. As the energy passes over the
participants of the conflict, everything stops, becoming
frozen in Time.

On the other side of the battlefield, Sailor Uranus hisses
in pain as another slash from Jadeite's sword connects.
Although able to drive the traitor back to nearly the same
point in space where they'd begun their duel, the
short-haired Scout has to admit that the Gemlord's ability
to analyze her attacks and parries -- thereby finding a
weakness to exploit -- is superior to her own. She's just
about to strike back when she senses a wave of energy wash
over her--and stares in astonishment as the light-blond
Elemental freezes in place.

"What in the name of Neptune is going on?" another voice
asks, equally surprised. Turning slightly, Sailor Uranus
sees the sea-green-haired Senshi rush up next to her.
Glancing beyond the newcomer's willowy form, the athletic
soldier notices that the fourth turncoat, who had been
chasing Sailor Neptune, is frozen as well -- an ice spear
she'd just launched hanging in space.

Concentrating once again on the sword-bearing Elemental, the
Senshi of the Sky growls, "I don't know, but I'm not going
to miss this opportunity to rid ourselves of a traitor."
Raising her arm high above her head, Sailor Uranus is about
to launch an attack against the immobile Jadeite when she
hears Sailor Pluto's voice.

"The first duty of a warrior is the well-being of the
Kingdom."

"What do you think I'm doing?" the dark-golden-haired Senshi
snarls. "The Kingdom's better off if none of this traitorous
scum survives."

"The army of destruction has a clear path to the Moon. Her
Serene Majesty and the rest must be warned. I cannot keep
the Gate of Time closed for long."

A frown crosses Sailor Neptune's pretty face. "I didn't know
you could stop Time, Pluto."

When the mysterious Senshi speaks again, her quiet voice is
melancholy. "It is a power forbidden to me, but the need is
great. Go! Use this opportunity to reach Her Serene Majesty
before the invaders do."

"But what about you?" the sea-green-haired female asks.

"Fear not for me. Go warn Her Serene Majesty! We will meet
again, in Time."

For a moment Sailor Uranus hesitates, the urge to blast her
Space Sword at the helpless renegade nearly overwhelming.
Reluctantly, she turns away and dematerializes her Sword as
she faces Sailor Neptune. "Let's go."

But the Senshi of the Ocean just continues to stare at the
carnage around them. Her uniform tattered, her skin bloodied
by numerous slashes and cuts and her sea-green hair a
complete wreck, Sailor Neptune's pretty, still-unmarked face
is filled with an expression of compassion. "We can't just
leave them out here in the coldness of space."

The athletic soldier isn't in any better shape. Also slashed
and cut by the various successful hits from the Gemlord's
telekinetic blade, she stands there with a frown on her
good-looking face, wondering just what was in her partner's
mind. "Who?"

"Saturn and Andromeda. It just isn't right."

The short-haired woman sighs, recognizing the
sweetly-stubborn look in the other Senshi's eyes. "Fine, but
we've got to make it quick." She then dashes over to where
Sailor Saturn's mangled body lies and carefully cradles it
in her arms. "And we'll need to leave them the moment we
reach the Moon."

"I know," Sailor Neptune responds as she picks up Sailor
Andromeda's slender form. "At least they'll be on the ground
with us instead of floating forever into the infinity of the
Universe." Noticing that the boyish Senshi is ready, the
compassionate warrior gives her partner a nod.

Together they streak through the darkness, rushing to the
surface of Earth's single satellite as fast as their powers
would allow. Touching down on the lunar soil not too far
from Queen Serenity's city, the pair of tattered warriors
take a quick moment to gently set their fallen comrades on
the planet of the ruler they had served. Without a word or
any other sign of sorrow, the two Senshi then begin running
for all they were worth. Grief would come later; for now,
their duty must be carried out.

Meanwhile, back in space where the great army remains
frozen, the shimmering garnet light around Sailor Pluto's
staff begins to fade. "Farewell, my friends, my queen. I
have done what I can. May Fortune smile on all your
endeavors until we are able to meet again," the mysterious
beauty whispers to the stars as her graceful form fades out
with the deep-red light. The moment her tall figure
disappears, the frozen participants on the battlefield begin
to move again.

Jadeite parries a now non-existent blow, then has to
abruptly dive to the right -- swearing all the way -- in
order to avoid being impailed by a sharp spear of ice.
Glaring at his fellow gray-clad warrior, he hisses, "Watch
it, Zoe! Do I look like a Senshi to you?"

"I don't get it," the boyishly-slender, female Gemlord
whines. "I was aiming at that green-haired witch." Rubbing
her cheek, which already has the look of a bruise on it,
Zoisite snarls, "I'm gonna make her pay for that! Where'd
they go anyway?"

The amber-eyed warrior merely shrugs in reply, then begins
looking around.

On the other side of the battle site, Nephrite watches in
confusion as Kunzite starts scanning the area, his
pale-lavender eyes narrowed in thought. "Sir?" the
jade-green-eyed man tries again, still wondering why he'd
been called over.

"A moment," the silver-haired warrior replies, letting his
slicer fade away. Still searching, Kunzite frowns. "What's
missing, Nephrite?"

Startled, the auburn-haired Gemlord begins staring at the
battlefield as well. For a moment, his gaze focuses on the
rear of the advancing army -- the Seven Shadows streaking
off to join their queen and the mighty Negaforce -- and a
twinge of *something* stirs in his heart. But the emotion is
quickly crushed, and Nephrite coldly analyzes the battle
site. "No Senshi, not even the ones we've killed," he
responds. "Strange."

Kunzite shakes his head, his silver hair swirling. "No, not
strange. Seems like dear Sailor Pluto's kept one talent of
hers a secret from everyone else. Have you recovered from
that blast you gave Saturn?"

"Are you questioning my competence?" the dark-haired Gemlord
snaps, his handsome face in a snarl.

The tall Elemental fixes his underling with a frosty glare.
"No, but I will if you continue to challenge my authority.
You know you can't fool me, not with the bond we four share.
That blast nearly drained you of everything you had, just as
containing Andromeda's power nearly consumed mine. I merely
asked to see if you can use your power right now."

Nephrite stares angrily at his leader for a second, then
gives him a barely-noticeable bow. "I can. The might of the
Negaforce has already replaced what I've lost, just as it
has done for you."

"Then find those Outers!" Kunzite snaps.

The other gray-clad warrior shoots his commander an irate
glare, then bows his head and closes his eyes. Letting his
ire seep away, Nephrite's still becoming centered when two
more gray-uniformed figures suddenly appear behind Kunzite's
tall form.

"It's not *fair*!" the female warrior complains. "I had that
witch and she somehow disappeared. Look at what she did to
my face!"

The light-blond-haired Gemlord gives the ponytailed woman a
dirty look. "Stop your incessant whining, Zoisite! No one
wants to hear it."

"Enough!" the silver-haired leader barks, spinning around to
face the newcomers. Noticing the expression of shock on
Jadeite's face and the wounded look on Zoisite's, the tall
warrior takes a deep breath. In a calmer voice, he adds, "We
need to give Nephrite a chance to concentrate. He'll find
where they went." Holding out a hand and giving her a slight
smile, he gently commands, "Come here, Zoe. Let me see."

As Jadeite watches in mild disgust, his amber eyes narrowed
in disapproval, Kunzite inspects Zoisite's cheek, carefully
rubbing a white-gloved thumb over the bruising skin. Mindful
of the fourth Commander's attempt at concentration behind
him, the white-cloaked Gemlord telepaths to the golden-blond
woman. **Hush, love. I fear that the only thing truly
outraged is your vanity. Wear your wound with pride; you've
proven yourself a true warrior this day. Should we both
survive, I'll think you even more beautiful with the bruise
than not, for a warrior is more dear to me than a coward.**
He then slides his hand under her chin, leans forward and
gives her a gentle kiss on her wounded cheek. As Zoisite
sighs in pleasure and snuggles up against the silver-haired
Elemental's tall form, Jadeite turns his gaze to Nephrite,
outrage at the pair's behavior glowing in his amber eyes.

In the meantime, Nephrite continues to focus his power, a
miniature model of the solar system appearing between his
upheld hands. *The stars know everything; their movements
are the heartbeat of the Universe. Help me, you who control
the destinies of everything. I seek the guidance of your
knowledge.* He opens his eyes, focusing on that part of the
model displaying the furthest orbits of the system. "Show me
the glyphs of those outer planets whose Senshi are still
active," he orders.

Kunzite, an arm around Zoisite's slender waist, then turns
them both around so that they can see what the auburn-haired
Gemlord is doing. While the three gray-clad warriors watch,
glowing symbols suddenly appear above two of the four
planets shown within the miniature Orrery that spins in
front of Nephrite.

With a nod, the dark-haired warrior acknowledges that Saturn
and Pluto are dark, then sweeps his hand through the vision,
capturing the dark-blue glyph of Uranus and the aquamarine
glyph of Neptune. Opening his white-gloved fist, he
concentrates his energy on the symbols lying in the palm of
his hand. "By the power of the stars, show me the location
of your warriors," he commands the glittering glyphs. As his
eyes glow with the greenish-silver light of his energy, a
scene forms within his mind. In a flash, he knows where the
missing Scouts are and what they're doing. "They're on the
Moon!" he shouts. "They're trying to warn the palace."

"Do you have a clear fix on them?" Kunzite sharply inquires.

With an affirmative nod, Nephrite telepaths what he sees to
the others.

In an instant, the quartet disappears, Zoisite in a whirl of
petals.

On the lunar surface, the pair of sailor-suited warriors are
sprinting up the side of a crater, near the outskirts of the
inhabited area of the Moon. "Not much farther," Sailor
Uranus encourages the other. "Up over this rise, across the
flats, and we'll be there."

Behind the athletic Senshi, Sailor Neptune is beginning the
ascent when she glances up beyond her partner -- who is
already halfway up the rise -- and stops with a gasp as
three energy auras and a whirl of cherry petals suddenly
appear at the top of the ridge. "Watch out!"

Hearing the warning and looking up, Sailor Uranus skids to a
halt when she sees the four gray-uniformed traitors lined up
at the peak of the crater. Absolutely furious, she raises a
hand in the air. "Space Sword--" she calls, materializing
her dreaded blade. She's just about to sling the energy at
the center of the line of Gemlords when a hand on her
shoulder interrupts her.

"Don't waste your power in anger," the sea-green-haired
woman cautions. "I'll draw their fire and keep them busy.
You're the faster of the two of us; you go on and warn the
queen."

"No! the short-haired Senshi snarls. "We stay together."

"But our duty!" Sailor Neptune protests. "One of us has to
get through with the warning. You've a better chance than I
to make it."

Staring up at the traitors as they slowly stalk down the
hillside, the athletic soldier gives her partner a bitter
laugh. "I may be as swift as the wind, but I'm not as fast
as one who can teleport. They won't all fight just you;
they'll send at least half their number after me as well. No
matter how fast I go, they'll be able to teleport in front
of me and keep me from my goal." Taking a step backwards so
that her tall form was up against the other's willowy body,
she adds, "We've lost, dear one. But we gave it our best.
We've lived together, laughed together, and loved together.
Since I can't outrun the enemy, grant me this last wish. I
want to share this fate with you -- to fight this last
battle together and either live or die with you by my side."

Sailor Neptune turns so that the pair of sailor-suited
warriors were back-to-back. Materializing her hand-mirror,
she smiles. "I wouldn't have it any other way," she responds
as she watches the quartet teleport once more, this time
reappearing in a ring that surrounds the two Senshi.

Taking up positions that correspond to the compass
directions under their respective commands, the four
gray-clad Gemlords confront the Scouts. Kunzite remains near
the top of the ridge, with Zoisite to his left and Jadeite
to his right. Nephrite stands opposite the silver-haired
leader at the foot of the crater's rim.

Seeing the Senshi taking up defensive stances, Zoisite
laughs. "I'm gonna enjoy flaying you alive, Neptune," she
gloats, an ice-sword appearing in her right hand. "You're
gonna pay for smacking my face!"

"And I've still got a score to settle with you, Uranus,"
Jadeite snarls.

The short-haired Scout gives the light-blond-haired traitor
a self-satisfied smile, running her eyes over his roughed-up
form. Looking as worked-over as the athletic Senshi, his
once snappy-looking uniform is now slashed in numerous
places -- many of them stained with blood where Uranus's
Sword had cut his skin. "Grow up and get a life, Jadeite,"
she taunts.

"At least I'll still have one," the short-haired Gemlord
growls back. "That's more than I can say for you, Sailor
trash, when I get done with you." He creates a new
telekinetic sword and shield and is about to rush the boyish
Senshi when Kunzite's voice rips through the site.

"Hold!" Realizing that he had everyone's attention, friend
and foe alike, he points at Zoisite. "Our orders were to
eliminate the threat of the Outer Senshi, not torture them.
A warrior does his best to carry out his orders in the most
efficient manner possible. Don't let your pettiness
interfere with your job." He then glares at Jadeite, adding,
"Teamwork! How many times must I remind you that we work
together as a unit?"

"Can the speech, slime!" Sailor Uranus barks. Slinging her
Sword, which still contains its charge of energy, she
shouts, "Blaster!" and flings the golden light at the tall,
white-cloaked warrior.

Kunzite teleports, causing the spinning energy to miss.

At the same instant, Zoisite shouts, "*Zoi*!"and unleashes a
blast of petal-laden wind that's strong enough to force the
two Senshi to duck and protect their faces.

"Fire Energy Electrify!" the tall Gemlord snarls as soon as
he reappears a few feet from where he'd been standing. A
violet-pink force field is already surrounding the female
soldiers by the time they recover from the ponytailed
blond's Petal Wind.

Jadeite steps forward and raises his sword. "Air
Electrify!" he calls. A ray of orangish-yellow light hits
the globe, visibly fortifying it.

"Water Electrify!" Zoisite responds, shooting the sphere
with a beam of violet-blue light from her ice-blade.

Nephrite raises a hand. "Earth Electrify!" he commands. His
ray of greenish-silver light finishes the Elemental Shield
around the Senshi.

Still standing back-to-back, the pair of Senshi let their
talismans dematerialize, knowing in their hearts that they
were now truly doomed. No one had ever had the strength to
break the Commanders' Elemental Shield. With defiantly brave
expressions on their pretty faces, each Senshi reaches a
hand back toward the other. Locking their fingers together
in one last gesture of unity and love, they courageously
face their fate.

Jadeite's weaponry vanishes as he holds his hands out to
either side. "By the intellect of Air," he chants, an
orangish-yellow aura surrounding him.

"By the passion of Fire," Kunzite intones, his tall form
beginning to glow with a violet-pink light.

Sailor Neptune swallows in fear, having an idea what the
quartet of turncoats were doing. "Thank you," she whispers
to the other Scout.

"For what?" Sailor Uranus quietly asks, also somewhat
nervous about what would happen next.

"By the emotion of Water," Zoisite's strident voice calls as
her sword disappears and her slender body becomes wrapped in
a violet-blue aura.

"For sharing your life with me. If there's a way, I'll find
you again," the sea-green-haired Senshi replies.

"Not if I find you first," the dark-gold-haired warrior
responds, a grim smile on her face. "And thanks for sharing
your life with me."

"By the foundation of Earth," Nephrite says while he starts
to glow with greenish-silver light.

As one, the quartet raises their hands to the sky, each
one's aura becoming brighter and sparkling silver in color.
With every movement synchronized through their telepathic
bond, they swiftly point their white-gloved hands at the
Senshi, their four voices simultaneously chanting,
"Elemental Annihilation!"

When the blindingly brilliant silver light finally fades,
the gray-clad Gemlords teleport away, leaving behind the
blasted bodies of the sailor-suited warriors lying in the
gray dust of the Moon, their hands still intertwined in that
last gesture of togetherness.

**************************************

"Wel l, I'm back, and this time I won't be so easily
defeated," Sailor Andromeda snarled. Grabbing her
star-shaped locket, she quickly shouted the trigger, "Space
Locket Shatter!" and swung her arm in a sideways arc.

As the violet-eyed Scout had expected, the silver-haired
warrior disappeared. Still holding onto her locket, having
pretended to throw it, Sailor Andromeda used her momentum to
spin around on one foot. She then hurled the powered-up
piece of jewelry in the opposite direction from where she'd
originally aimed.

Kunzite teleported back in behind the sailor-suited girl
just in time to catch the full force of the locket's blow
square in the chest. The resulting explosion of
glittering-yellow energy blasted the lavender-cloaked
Gemlord off his feet, slamming him into the wall behind him.

Raising an arm to grab her returning locket, the blue-caped
Scout couldn't help smiling in smug satisfaction as she
watched her opponent collapse into a crumpled heap at the
foot of the school building. Knowing that she'd have no
better opportunity, the brunette Senshi hastily stabbed the
star-locket back onto the center of her dark-blue bow, then
threw her hands forward. "Star Power Destroy!"

Just as the intense beam of sparkling-yellow light streaked
toward him, Kunzite launched himself up into the air,
reacting almost on pure instinct. The golden energy skimmed
the air right under his dark-brown boot--hitting the
building near the ground -- and blew a fair-sized hole in
the wall.

While the tall Gemlord hovered in the air and started to
shake off the stunning effects of the Senshi's successful
hit, the sailor-suited warrior was momentarily distracted by
the consequences of her second strike. *Oh man! Miss Haruna
isn't going to like that,* she thought, her violet eyes
staring at the smoking hole. Glancing skyward, she spotted
Kunzite levitating at least a couple of stories up, his
metallic-silver-lined cloak fanned out around him like wings
and his hands arranged in an attitude of attack.

With a cry of "*Zai*!" the Elemental warrior slung an arm in
a sideways arc, unleashing a concentrated burst of
violet-pink energy, only to growl in frustration as the
golden-brown-haired Scout leaped out of the way and soared
into the air.

A quick glance down below showed Sailor Andromeda the crater
blasted into the schoolyard. *The groundskeeper's not going
to be happy either,* she thought, sighing as she flew
higher.

His pale-lavender eyes narrowed in both concentration and
determination, Kunzite glided higher as well, matching the
blue-and-purple-clad warrior's speed. "You're certainly full
of surprises today," he snarled.

"I told you it wouldn't be that easy," Sailor Andromeda shot
back. Deciding that they were high enough to keep their
fight from endangering innocent bystanders or destroying
property down on the ground, the blue-caped Senshi halted
her ascent and hovered, warily watching as the silver-haired
Elemental floated up to her level.

The pair of warriors faced off again, their visages grim and
their hair blowing in the wind. As Kunzite raised his hands
in a gesture Sailor Andromeda recognized as one of his ways
of silently preparing an attack, the purple-skirted Scout
decided to try to stop him by striking first. "Space Locket
Shatter!" she shouted, ripping the golden star from her
dark-blue bow and hurling it once more at the Elemental.

Carefully watching the miniature comet of glittering-yellow
light as it streaked toward him, the tall Gemlord calmly
floated in the sky, his cloak unfurled around him. In an
almost bored tone, he said, "Energy Absorption," raising a
hand to intercept the glowing, spinning locket. Just as it
approached his waiting grasp, a shield of pinkish-violet
light flashed around him, sucking up the bright golden glow
of the piece of jewelry. He then caught the de-energized
weapon.

Violet eyes wide and becoming tinged with gray in fright,
Sailor Andromeda stared in momentary shock as the
silver-haired warrior gave her a cold smirk. "You can't *do*
that!" the blue-caped Senshi protested. "It's mine! Give it
back, you bleach-blond Negacreep!"

His pale-lavender eyes narrowed and his fist clenched around
the locket in anger, the Gemlord roared, "I don't serve the
Negaforce anymore!" While a bright, violet-pink aura began
to glow around his hand, he yelled, "You want it back?
Fine! Here, take it!" and flung the newly-charged locket at
its owner.

With an involuntary shriek, Sailor Andromeda dove to the
side, feeling the heat of the locket's concentrated energy
as it zinged past her shoulder. Her grayish-violet eyes
watching the rose-colored fireball as it soared through the
air and began its graceful arc back to the one who threw it,
she spun around to face her hijacked weapon. Flying toward
it on an intercept course and concentrating her control, the
sailor-suited warrior commanded, "Locket De-energize!" At
first, she didn't think her attempt had succeeded -- the
fireball had continued to race back toward the silver-haired
Elemental right after she'd shouted her order -- but then
the violet-pink energy around the star-shaped piece of
jewelry faded away, leaving the locket quietly hovering.
Heaving a sigh of relief, the purple-skirted Senshi grabbed
her weapon and turned to face her opponent -- just in time
to have to dodge another bolt of rose-colored energy fired
from the Gemlord.

Her violet eyes now tinged blue with anger, Sailor Andromeda
scowled at her foe. As she flew closer in order to better
her aim, she shouted, "You're really starting to get on my
nerves, Kunzite!"

"Not half as much as you're starting to annoy me, Sailor
brat!" the lavender-cloaked warrior shot back.

I've had it! the brunette Senshi thought as she prepared her
next attack. Throwing her hands forward, she started her
trigger. "Star Power--"

"Crystal Freeze!" interrupted a new voice, one which came
from behind the blue-caped Scout and wasn't quite as deep as
the silver-haired warrior's.

Astounded, Sailor Andromeda spun around. There before her
floated a tall man dressed all in black -- his long,
dark-brown hair and gold-lined black cloak fanned out around
him -- and a rapidly-growing ball of blackish-green energy
was speeding her way. She had time enough to think, *Not
again!* before the sphere struck her slender form.

Kunzite watched dispassionately as the blackish-green globe
engulfing the purple-skirted Senshi solidified into a
crystal of deep-green glass. A shimmering aura of
blackish-green light then surrounded the vitreous prison,
keeping it from falling to the ground below. Glancing over
at the newcomer, the Gemlord growled, "It's about time, my
lord."

Obsidian gave his warrior a cold smile. "You looked like you
were having too much fun to quit. Besides, I thought you
could handle a single Senshi, not the other way around."

Although angered by the dark lord's words, Kunzite lowered
his head and kept a respectful tone in his voice. "You
should've informed me better, my lord. I should've known
that I was to face--"

"A Senshi instead of a lowly human?" Obsidian cut in, his
baritone voice harsh. "I would've thought that after our
first conversation you'd have had the brains to figure that
out on your own. I expected you to perhaps be upset that it
was Sailor Andromeda instead of one of the Inner-planet
Senshi, but to not have known at all?" The Guardian of Space
shook his dark-brown head. "At least your compassion and
your sense of fair play have returned if not your brains.
Perhaps there's hope for you yet."

Despite his ire at the other Gemlord's insulting tone,
Kunzite kept his composure. The only outward sign of his
displeasure was a gradual tightening of his jaw.

Obsidian stared at the lavender-cloaked man a moment longer,
picking up the other's indignation through his psychic
senses. *Good, Kunzite's passed the test. Maybe I will be
able to trust him again.* Concentrating instead on expanding
the influence of his power to include both the glass crystal
encasing Sailor Andromeda and his fellow Gemlord, the dark
Guardian closed his deep-brown eyes and commanded, "Obsidian
Mirror Return!" As one, the three shimmering forms
disappeared in a flash of deep-green light, leaving behind
an empty sky.