"Crescent Beam!" Sailor Venus's attack rang out. Her attack flew forward at the traitorous Shitennou, slashing him to pieces as the other Senshi watched in horror. Zoicite's screams echoed into the night even after his body hit the ground.
Sailor Venus stepped forward and looked at the other girls watching her curiously. She mentally shook her head, thinking that if not for her they might all be dead tonight. Could these really be her Senshi that struggled to fight against the Dark Kingdom so unsuccessfully? Did they retain no knowledge of anything from their past lives?
She briefly introduced herself to the group of girls as the Moon Princess just like Artemis instructed her to. From the corner of her eye she noticed a figure in black sneaking away. After the introductions were made, she excused herself with the intention of discussing her findings with her guardian.
As she reached the end of the dark street she paused as a cold wind struck her. Her eyes looked to the left and her instincts told her that to go down that direction would take her to something dangerous, someone that she was so desperately missing in her life and not even aware of. This turn would have brought her to the Dark Shitennou Kunzite, who would have eagerly enjoyed himself toying with her before bringing her young life to an end.
Slowly she turned her eyes to look forward to where the road continued on in to the park entrance. Despite the desperate plea she could hear calling to her, she decided to continue towards the park. A jolt of energy surged through her as she unconsciously stepped out of her own reality and altered the flow of time.
Her feet seemed to move of their own accord, leading her to a fate not meant to occur. A fate that now only exists because of a cold wind caused by something as insignificant as a butterfly’s wings. Had she not allowed herself to be distracted by the chill air, she would have turned right at the end of the street and gone home the way that fate dictated she should. But sometimes the fates are not looking, and the timeline is allowed to run off course, forging a new destiny even when one has already been set in stone.
It was there, at the end of the street, past the entrance to the park that she found the dark figure from before sitting on top of a picnic table with his feet resting upon the bench seat. A slender white mask was clutched tightly in his hand, some inner battle raging in his mind. It was after Minako had taken several steps closer that he finally noticed the blonde in the school girl uniform.
Dark blue eyes met light blue ones as a misconstrued recognition registered between the two strangers. Minako was taken aback by the handsome stranger, instantly feeling an attraction growing between them.
Mamoru took in the details of the girl in front of him – her image hauntingly reminiscent of the beautiful Moon Princess he had once loved. She was perfect in his eyes, and much like the inner battle now taking place inside her, he fought with himself to allow this moment to pass. Usagi had seemed so important to him, but now this blonde in front of him, with her goddess-like features, left him feeling disoriented. Slowly he rose from where he was seated and approached the young girl, placing his hands on her arms.
She stared back at him curiously, and without realizing it, began to lean in just a little bit closer, drawn in by his dark eyes and the warmth of his body. Mamoru softly cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her.
Chaos lingered in the shadows, unable to take on any true form. She laughed to herself, pleased that she had managed to alter the flow of time and because of this, secured Beryl and Metallia’s victory over the Princess of the Moon.
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“My fault?” Venus asked astonished. Kunzite placed his hand on her shoulder almost as if he were restraining her.
“You took Endymion from me! You stopped us from falling in love with each other and because of that we were thrown into this reality. Even now in this life you still pursue him. Is it not enough that you cost us the battle against Beryl?”
“We defeated Beryl. We defeated the Dark Moon. We defeated Master Pharaoh 90. We defeated Nephelania. Most importantly we defeated Galaxia!” Mina screamed. “I remember all of this!”
“It wasn’t enough that you pretended to be me, you had to be me. You bewitched Endymion into falling for you!”
“She is the one that you were talking about?” Kunzite squeezed tightly on Mina’s shoulder.
“Do you still want her now that you know her sins?” Cosmos asked.
“I have committed no sins,” Venus insisted. “You are the one who is deceitful. You’re not even real!” She looked back to Kunzite. “You said she was nothing more than Beryl’s creation.”
Cosmos broke out into a fit of laughter, her hand resting on her stomach as she slowly caught her breath. “I can’t imagine that the two of you were so foolish that neither of you would see the truth. Are you so far in denial of what’s in front of you?”
“I am correct, that you are not Serenity,” Kunzite stated. “You do not belong in this world, not like the others do. You’ve somehow managed to cross from another time – that’s it, isn’t it?”
“I am not from your reality,” Cosmos spat. “In my time we lost the battle against Beryl. I was unable to defeat her with the Silver Crystal because I didn’t have the strength that I needed. The Senshi did not stand behind me; instead they were embroiled in their own private battles.”
“You would stand against your own leader?” Jupiter asked accusingly, pointing at Mars.
“Better stand against her than my own Princess. Where are your loyalties, Jupiter?” Mars screamed, no longer restraining herself.
“It’s not Mina’s fault that Mamoru fell in love with her. Usagi is chasing after a ghost from a previous lifetime.”
“A ghost?” Mars laughed bitterly.
“Does it matter either way?” Mercury interjected calmly. “Usagi is our Princess and Venus is our leader. Let the two of them resolve this on their own.”
“I will not call that traitor my leader,” Mars spat.
“You will call me your leader or you will call me your enemy,” Venus’s voice rang out from above them. She sat crouched atop the roof of the temple. “Is this what happens when I am not around?”
“This discussion is over,” Jupiter spoke firmly, her arms crossed aggressively in front of her chest.
“This is far from over,” Mars glared back at the green Senshi before stalking off. Jupiter muttered something unintelligibly under her breath before leaping away.
Mercury stared back at Venus unflinchingly. “It is not always like this.”
“And whose side do you take, Mercury? That of your traitorous leader or of your innocent Princess?”
“I do not choose either side.”
“It was Serenity’s love for Endymion that ended the Silver Millennium. Should they have found themselves together again, it may have spelled the end for us and our families as well.”
“I do not judge you, Venus.”
“Then you are the only one,” Venus responded before disappearing from view.
Mercury could feel the scream of rage building up inside of her for all of her Senshi.
“You Venus, you and Endymion betrayed me,” Cosmos continued. “You made him fall in love with you. Because of you, we spent years trying to defeat Beryl and Metallia.
Eventually I learned of the stories involving the Galaxy cauldron, the place where stars are born,” Cosmos continued. “I thought that maybe if I went there I could defeat Beryl, but as I stood there I realized that I still wasn’t strong enough. In my desperation I came to this reality, to try and save the Sailor Moon of this time, but she didn’t need me. Her Crystal had manifested its self – she had the love she needed to make the necessary sacrifice. So I returned to my time to try to make one last stand despite the irreparable devastation to this planet.” She paused as if she were reliving the last epic battle before continuing once again. “I stood up to Metallia and I lost. I begged her to kill me and bring everything to an end, but instead she enslaved me to fight alongside of her. Now here I am - a slave to the Devil herself.”
“So you brought Beryl here to destroy everything that we worked for and sacrificed our lives for?” Venus asked.
“Beryl discovered the route I had taken to this time and forced me to tell her what came of this reality. I had no choice but to tell her what I had learned. Your Eternal Sailor Moon was so much stronger than I. She would have been able to resist the torture I went through in order to save the ones she loved. But I was weak and submitted to her tactics. I can now forgive the Shitennou for turning on their Prince a millennia ago after understanding what they endured. But I digress, Beryl wants the Silver Crystal for its unlimited power source to feed Metallia and I want Endymion.”
“Pluto would have warned us if someone crossed the timelines. It’s her job to protect the time gate.”
“Pluto is dead, Venus. I killed her with my own hands. It was the first test of loyalty to my new queen. She was the most loyal of my Senshi. Even when she knew of my intentions, she bowed before me and accepted her fate.”
“My Princess,” Pluto spoke softly as she kneeled before Sailor Cosmos. Sailor Pluto gripped her staff tightly in one hand while her other and was clutched to her chest. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Then why are you not prepared to fight me,” Cosmos responded blandly.
“Because that is not my fate.”
“Always shrouded in mystery, even till the bitter end.”
“This isn’t the end, my Princess,” Pluto turned her eyes up to meet those of Cosmos standing before her. “Your journey is just starting. You will not find what you are looking for on this path, but you will find the peace that your soul desires. Nothing can set right the fates that Chaos tampered with, and for that I am truly sorry. You must trust most in those that you fear, they will show you the way.”
“I will find peace in my retribution towards the betrayal I have been dealt.”
“You will not find that here, although I fear that I have said too much. The fates have dictated that I must die and by delaying any further, we risk altering the futures of all the timelines around us. I’m proud to have served you in the only way that I could. My Sailor Crystal is yours. May it bring you strength in your time of doubt.”
Sailor Cosmos looked down on the darkly dressed Senshi before her with a mixture of confusion, sadness and anger. A dark sword appeared in her hand where once a long white staff was tightly grasped. As if of its own right, the blade swung heavily towards the Senshi of time.
Cosmos held her hands in front of her, looking darkly at her white gloved palms. Her hands quickly clenched into fists as if hiding the shame of the stains. “Uranus and Neptune stood by me as well. It was the strength of their crystals that gave me the power to keep fighting.”
“You stole their sailor crystals?” Venus whispered.
“They gave them to me as their final sacrifice.”
Mina’s hand rose to her chest as she felt a strong pull from within her.
Cosmos slowly approached Venus, until they were face to face, the faint sound of broken glass crunching under Sailor Cosmos’s boots ringing in her ears. The space around them seemed to disappear and Venus could no longer feel Kunzite’s grasp on her shoulder, they were completely enveloped in a darkness that no light could ever penetrate. No sounds could be heard except the soft exhale of Cosmos’s breath as it warmly fell against Venus’s cheek. Venus could feel the energy surging within the silver haired Senshi in waves, a myriad of emotions running through her from the close proximity.
“Will you allow their sacrifice to be made in vain? Would you fight me and strike down your sisters-in-arms?”
“I did not want to be part of this war.”
“You started his war,” Cosmos spoke lowly, her hand cupping Venus’s chin.
“I would never have done what you say. It’s not Endymion that I want - he’s never what I wanted. I have always served my Princess loyally – I have died for my Princess as many times as needed to make sure she prospered.”
“Do you love your Princess?”
“I do.” The words passed through Venus’s lips, barely above that of a whisper. “With all that I am…..”
Cosmos’s lips softly brushed over Venus’s lips, Venus’s eyes drifted close at the sensation. As Cosmos pulled away, Venus allowed her eyes to reopen and found herself back in the shell of the nightclub, Kunzite’s hand still resting on her shoulder.
“Would you make that same sacrifice for me beautiful Venus, or are you just as selfish as my own Venus was?” Venus’s face remained stoic, much like that of the expression worn by the tall man standing rigidly behind her. “Do you see now why she is not worthy of you?” Cosmos asked Kunzite. “She will not love you. In time she will go back to Endymion and discard you as if you never existed. Is this the girl that you really want to risk everything for?”
Kunzite frowned, unconsciously gripping tighter against Venus’s shoulder. If she felt any pain from his hold on her, she didn’t show it. “She was not with Endymion earlier.”
“You would lie for her?”
“I was with Endymion and Mina was not there.”
Cosmos’s eyes narrowed at his admission, and her lips parted, prepared to berate him for his misplaced loyalties when she realized what it was that she had really seen in the monitor back in the Dark Kingdom. She saw the girl with the fair hair and assumed that it could have been no one else than the girl she currently pursued. “Could it be? How could I have missed it?” Cosmos muttered to herself. She looked from Kunzite to Venus and smiled softly. “You are a sneaky girl, Minako.” She turned her back on the couple and walked to the center of the room. At her summons, a long white staff appeared in her hand. A bright light began to emanate from her, and in a flash the night club was alive, and she was gone. Loud music reverberated throughout the room and the multitude of lights once again flashed over the dancing couples as if nothing had happened.
Venus stood frozen, amazed by the true power of Sailor Cosmos. Imagine being so powerful that time is no longer intangible and realities can be created and dismissed within the blink of an eye. She replayed the conversation in her mind, trying to understand all that had transpired. Kunzite had been quick to tell her that Sailor Moon was something akin to that of a clone, but she wasn’t. Did he lie to her because he didn’t know, or was it intentional? There was no reason for him to help her. So maybe he was using her to find the real Princess for Beryl after all. She turned to face the tall man behind her, his face impassive as he carefully watched her. “Did you know all of this?” she asked him, her voice firm as she tried to conceal her anger and confusion.
“I didn’t know what she was,” he answered her.
Her eyes remained focused intently on the perfectly calm features of his face. She fought against the foggy sensation that the Dark Kingdom had imparted on her mind, trying to make sense of everything for the first time since she had allowed Kunzite to return her to the Dark Kingdom and into Beryl’s waiting arms. There was a memory pulling at her, urgently trying to tell her something, yet she couldn’t hear what it was that her mind was desperately trying to tell her. “Then maybe we should be looking for the real Princess, the one that actually holds the Silver Crystal.”
His eyes looked at her intently as he listened to her words, noticing the tone and pitch of her voice. “How do you know that she is in possession of it?” he asked her. “Maybe she entrusted it to someone else.” He placed his hands on her arms and slid down the full length until he held her wrists, which he then pinned behind her back. The motion was not outwardly aggressive as an almost playful expression fell over his features - almost. He brought her body against his and leaned over to speak in her ear. “I want you to tell me the real reason now why you surrendered yourself to the Dark Kingdom.”
Slowly her lips started to pull into a smile. “I’m pretty sure that we already agreed that there would be pleasure before business.”
He inhaled sharply at her words, as if she were hypnotizing him into agreeing with her. A sweet smell invaded his nostrils and he suddenly had the urge to press her against the wall and have his way with her, despite the spectators who would be present to watch. “Don’t distract me, Minako,” his voice sounded hoarse as he struggled to repress the physical longing now pulling at his body. “I want to know everything. You obviously have a few secrets of your own that you’ve been keeping.”
“Then why don’t we go somewhere more private to discuss these secrets of mine?” She pulled her hands free of his grip with little effort and placed them on his chest, pressing her fingers against his body so hard that he could feel her nails through his thick shirt. “I think you owe me first though. You can’t go around kissing girls the way you do and not expect them to want more.” Venus swept one hand through his silvery locks and pulled herself up to meet his lips.
His eyes closed as she drew her body even closer to his own. Suddenly he felt as though he were falling and instinctively wrapped his arms tightly around her body. When his eyes opened he found himself lying on a bed that felt as if it were made of down and feathers. Mina rested on top of him; their combined weights making them sink deep into the mattress padding. “Where are we?” he asked, looking around the room for any sign of familiarity.
“It matters less where we are, then what we’re going to do,” she said seductively, pulling at his shirt so that the smooth skin of his defined abs was visible to her.
“We should be searching for the Crystal,” he said, trying to clear his mind of the sweet scent of her surrounding him. She was intoxicating and despite every part of his mind screaming to him that she was using her abilities to control him, he still found it difficult to fight her.
“The Crystal is safe for now, no one will find it.” She released her transformation and her image shimmered for a moment before clearing, leaving her nude body for his eyes to drink in. “I know where it is, and I will share it with you, my Love.” Mina leaned forward and placed a single kiss on his lips before moving to kiss his ear. “Although I think you already know where it is as well,” she whispered softly.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the words would not come to him as he felt her press the bare skin of her body against his exposed chest. Her fingers tugged at the belt around his waist and all coherent thoughts fled from his mind as he became more and more intoxicated by her sweet scent, his hands now moving of their own accord to caress the soft curves of her toned body.
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Three days earlier (Where Chapter 7 left off)….
Kunzite chuckled at her admission of defeat and wrapped his arm around her, his cape draping itself over her shoulders. Mamoru finally found his voice to speak up before they could teleport away. “Minako.”
“The next time I see you, Endymion, you’re going to have to kill me.” She looked up to Kunzite and murmured, “Let’s go.” He happily obliged her by teleporting them away. Endymion continued to stare at where they once stood.
Jadeite opened the porch door and stepped out onto the patio, the same dazed look on his face from hearing the exchange. “I don’t understand what happened there. She shouldn’t have done that.”
Artemis approached them slowly but remained on the sandy portion of the beach rather than stepping onto the patio. “You don’t see it either do you?”
Endymion jerked his head to look over at Artemis. “She went back to him after she swore her loyalty to me.”
“You are blind then if you can’t see what is right in front of you.”
“Two of my loyal guards are now dead. I am certainly not blind to that.”
“Then perhaps I can explain. Although I think that there is someone you should meet first. This is my wife, Luna,” he held the cat in his arms forward. “I think she may be able to bring some clarity to our situation.”
Artemis gently placed the midnight black cat on the ground and took a step back as she quickly grew into a beautiful woman with long wavy dark hair. Endymion and Jadeite stared at the woman as she stretched herself in a very feline manner. Luna glanced at the two men standing in front of her and smiled, dipping into a low curtsey to Endymion. “Prince Endymion, it’s been a long time. Judging by the look on your face I’d say that you don’t remember me in this form.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t,” Endymion apologized. “Please tell me what all of this means.”
Luna sighed as she debated how to begin her story. “After the defeat of Galaxia, when Serenity threw herself into the Galaxy cauldron, the Cosmos was reset. The Senshi’s star seeds were sent back to their planets to grow while yours and Serenity’s were returned here. An evil presence had snuck onto this planet while everything was happening and so Serenity hid her crystal and herself unconsciously.”
“And Beryl found her?”
“No, I have kept her safe.”
“A little too safe I’d say,” a soft voice carried over to them. All eyes turned to see a small petite blonde walking towards them, her hair shimmering almost silver in the moonlight. “Endymion,” her eyes watered as she spoke his name.
“Serenity?” Endymion took in her appearance, not believing that his Princess could really be standing in front of him. She stood confidently and regally like the Queen she was to someday become, her arms were raised, hands clasped tightly in front of her chest. A simple pink dress adorned her slim frame, accenting her petite form. Her blue eyes were filled with a mixture of sadness and happiness, while her lips were pulled into a hesitant smile. He could feel a pull coming from her that made him instantly recognize her as his one true love that he had been searching for all this time. It was similar to what he felt when he had been confronted by the darkly dressed Sailor Moon, but the strength of his connection to the woman in front of him could not be denied. Quickly, he crossed over to her and grabbed her shoulders, his eyes rapidly looking her over, taking in all the minute details of her features before quickly embracing her tightly. “It is you.” He cupped her face so that she was looking up into his eyes. “I was so afraid that you had become her, but I should have known that you were too strong for that. My Usako,” he sighed, his fingers somehow finding themselves tangled in her long locks and he placed several kisses on the top of her head. “How is it that there are two of you?”
“I think Luna can best explain this, Endymion,” Serenity spoke softly; her eyes moving back to meet his. Endymion slowly pulled his eyes from Serenity to look at Luna, although his arms still remained firmly in place around his Princess.
“Before I can continue,” Luna spoke quickly, a golden crescent moon on her forehead started glowing brightly, “it’s important that I help to restore your memories. A lot has happened and I’m afraid that you have only been partially awakened to all that has transpired.” She closed her eyes and focused on Endymion and Jadeite, a golden light beaming from her forehead to each of theirs. Both men froze as the flood of memories began to overwhelm them, images appearing faster than they could understand until they saw the final image of Usagi’s sacrifice to the Galaxy Cauldron.
Jadeite dropped to one knee before his Prince, a look of defeat on his features. “I’m sorry, Endymion. The Shitennou and I should have been there to protect you from Galaxia. Yet again we have failed in our mission.”
Serenity slipped away from Endymion and crossed over to Jadeite, gently placing her hand on his cheek. He could feel a warmth seeping into his body from her touch, bringing peace to the turmoil in his mind although not easing the full guilt pervading his soul. He slowly rose from his kneeling position to stand several inches taller her. She slowly withdrew her hand and smiled at him. “You should forgive yourself,” she continued.” When the Galaxy Cauldron released all of the Crystals back into the universe, you and the other Shitennou were released from your curse. Without that last battle you would not have been able to return to your Prince in human form in his true time of need.”
“And what of the Senshi?” Jadeite asked angrily, even though it pained him to raise his voice to the woman in front of him.
“They sacrificed themselves to protect me, Jadeite. This is what they would have wanted.”
“What of what I wanted?” he responded. A sharp pang tugged at his heart thinking about the red clad Senshi that he never had the chance to be reunited with.
“Jadeite!” Endymion scolded, taking a step closer.
“No, Endymion,” Serenity gestured for him to stay where he was. “I know how you felt about Sailor Mars,” she turned back to Jadeite, “and I’m sorry that things happened this way. I would have never demanded such a sacrifice from my Senshi just as Endymion would never ask it of you.” Light blue eyes turned to look at the tall woman with flowing dark hair topped with a set of small odangos amongst the multitude of curls. “Luna, please continue.”
“It seems that there was a disruption in the time space continuum. Sailor Pluto was killed some time ago, leaving the time gate vulnerable to be taken over by a dark force. Somehow our timeline has intersected with another one– that’s where this other Sailor Moon has come from. She is not of this time, but she is who she says she is. For whatever her reasons, she appears to be after Serenity’s Crystal.”
“I don’t understand,” Endymion interrupted her. “Is she the Serenity of the future then?”
“She is from a time farther along than ours in some ways yes, but she not from our future,” Luna paused, her brow furrowed as if deep in thought. “She is from another reality. At one point we were one and the same with hers, but then an event occurred that caused something to change that separated our futures. I don’t know what it was in her time that changed, that’s something that only she can tell us if she is willing to. If we had the Silver Crystal in its entirety I’m sure that we would be able to find out how it is that she got here.”
“Mina said that she and I have the pieces of the Crystal. Is this true?” Endymion asked quickly.
“No, it’s not,” Luna answered.
Artemis cleared his throat. “Mina does have a piece of the Crystal in her, and she knows this. When Kunzite appeared with the other stones, I think she realized what they were,” Artemis took a step closer to Luna. “I think she also realized that Serenity was nearby when she saw me with Luna. She didn’t betray you, Endymion; she was trying to protect her Princess’s identity.”
“This is better?!” he yelled at Artemis. “It’s better than she fights against us?”
“She willingly sacrificed herself in her Princess’s place!” Artemis countered. “This is her sworn duty above all else!”
“Please!” Serenity raised her voice, holding her arms out between the two men. “We can’t fight amongst ourselves. I know the leader of my Senshi - that is why I entrusted her with the largest piece. There are still two pieces left to collect before the Crystal can become complete – the one from Venus and the other from Mars.” Serenity sighed and Endymion moved to stand next to her, grasping her hand. “I will need to keep my identity hidden for a while longer; it’s not yet time for Beryl to discover where I am.”
“I will continue to be at your service, my Princess,” Luna bowed her head as she spoke.
“As will I,” Artemis stepped forward and kneeled before Serenity. “I trust that Mina has made the right choice and now that I have fulfilled my responsibilities to her, I am at your service. I will do whatever it is that you require of me.”
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Cosmos appeared in the throne room of the Dark Kingdom, dropping down to one knee. Beryl stood up and stared down at the silver haired Senshi in the white fuku. “I can only assume that you have revealed your true identity if you are coming to me dressed as this.”
“I have found the Princess, Queen Beryl. She is with Endymion.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Venus has known all along, she concealed the Princess’s identity and lied to you.”
“Venus lied to me?” Beryl asked calmly, arching her eyebrow in amusement. “You seem surprised by this. I have been waiting for Venus to lead me to her. Why do you think I’ve had Kunzite following her around?”
“You said that you did not trust him either.”
“Kunzite cannot directly betray me - he is far too loyal for that and always has been. I had instructed him to lead Venus astray, to feed her information so that she would put together the pieces of the puzzle for us. My own concern for him was that he may forget who his true mistress is and inadvertently assist his lover more than I intended. We all have our own agendas, Serenity, and now you know mine.”
“I want what you promised me, Beryl. Endymion and Venus are mine to do what I chose with.”
“Serenity, you may do whatever it is that you wish with the two of them. All I want is the Silver Crystal. And with the power of Metallia behind us,” Beryl raised her arms and the ground started to tremble beneath them, “we will be unstoppable.”
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Mina moaned at the pleasurable sensations coursing through her. Kunzite’s fingers wound themselves tightly against her own as he slowly slid her arms above her head, holding her securely underneath him. Her body instinctively moved against his, her actions revealing a neediness that she had been repressing for a millennium. His lips brushed lightly against hers, teasing her with their touch. She fought against his hold to reach for his face, demanding more of his kisses, but could not pull her hands from his grasp. Her back arched at his sudden movements and her eyes fluttered closed.
She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer to her than she thought possible. The soft ground felt cool beneath her skin, the grass tickling her bare back as the man resting above her increased his movements. Their clothes lay discarded in a heap next to them having been hastily removed.
Words, pleads for more, slipped from her lips desperately. His forehead pressed against hers, the sweat of their brows intermingling. He whispered something in response, but in her current state she couldn’t hear him nor could she force herself to pay attention. He transferred both of her smaller hands into one of his larger hands, freeing his fingers to trail down the length of her arm, coming to a stop as they brushed intimately along her cheek.
Her nails dug deeper into his back, raking across the skin, yet he still paid no. She could hear him whispering to her, but she couldn’t understand the words he mumbled into her hair. Feeling as though she could no longer resist the explosions taking over her body, she arched her back against him, her breathing increased to a near panting sound.
‘Minako,’ he spoke her name intensely. ‘Not yet, my Minako.’
‘Kunzite,’ she moaned, biting her lip in frustration, her body no longer responding to her own command.
‘Look at me, Minako,’ he growled.
Her eyes opened and she felt herself captivated by the depths of his green eyes.
‘I belong to you, Minako,’ he whispered to her, quickly covering her mouth with a kiss and pushing himself into her one last time.
Instinctively Mina’s eyes opened and she was met with Kunzite’s gray eyes. Behind the cool coloring she could still see the pair of green eyes staring back at her. His words were still lost to her, but somehow she knew what they were and it was enough as her body finally reached its zenith and all comprehension was lost as the sensation of him inside her consumed her. His name passed through her lips between ragged breaths before he finally collapsed himself on top of her, his forehead pressing lovingly against her own as he struggled to bring himself back down from his momentary high.
His hand released hers, his fingers now seeking refuge in the silken strands of her hair as he shifted his weight off of her. Mina slowly licked her lips, attempting to ease the dryness that had claimed them. “I belong to you,” she whispered, Kunzite’s green eyes flashing through her mind once more.
“What is it?” he asked her.
“That was your promise to me,” she spoke softly, resting her hand along his jaw. “You told me that you belonged to me.” Her fingers trailed down his neck and over the planes of his chest to rest above his heart. “A piece of me is in you, and a piece of you is in me.”
He relinquished his hold on her hair to gently enclose her smaller hand under his own, pressing her palm against his chest. “We are together again.”
“Yet so far apart. You so eagerly follow Beryl even when you know that you cannot trust her. I can feel it within you, you have turned against me. Why is it that you would so easily allow her to control you?”
“I can’t resist the call, Minako,” his voice sounded pained, as if trying to suppress an emotion.
“Then why were you helping me when you should have been trying to stop me?”
“Why did you surrender yourself to me?” he countered.
“Have we moved straight on to business then?” her cool blue eyes held firm to his piercing gray eyes.
“You are the one who started this interrogation, my Princess.”
“I suppose I did.”
“Will you feign ignorance rather than answer my questions?”
“I will answer one of yours and in exchange you will answer mine.” His eyes narrowed for a moment before acknowledging her request with a slight nod of his head. “Serenity was nearby and I felt that I had to distract you from finding her when she was right in front of you.”
“Beryl has instructed me to kill you in order to obtain the Crystal,” his tone was light, but there was a menacing sound behind it.
“So you know?”
“I’ve known. I could feel the power inside of you.”
“And now Beryl knows that I hold the last piece of Crystal?”
“If you are willing to fight besides me I will protect you from her.”
Mina frowned at his words. “I told you, I am not fighting in Beryl’s battle. My actions are my own - let her do her own dirty work.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
She opened her mouth to respond to his ultimatum but was silenced when she felt a tremor traveling through the building, making the room shudder as the ground shifted slightly. The moonlight shining in through the windows was quickly replaced by darkness, the moon disappearing within the dark folds of the ominous cloud overhead. As lightning flashed like strobes across the skyline, the faint sounds of screams breaking through the silence of the outside world could be heard. “What’s happening?” Mina asked, quickly transforming into her white fuku.
“It’s Metallia,” he hissed as he retrieved his pants from the floor and quickly pulled them on. “Beryl has released her.”
“My Princess,” Mina gasped.
Kunzite grabbed her, holding her arms tightly in his hands. “You’re with me or against me, Minako. Which one is it?”
“My actions are my own,” she repeated firmly.
He held one of her hands against his chest, just above his heart. “A piece of you is inside of me, those were your words.” His eyes softened as her frown lightened. “You can trust me, Minako. As soon as Serenity makes the Crystal appear we will take it and leave her behind, safe with Endymion.”
“And then we will use the Crystal to free ourselves from Beryl’s hold?”
“I want this to end as much as you do. Once it is all over we can be together,” he watched her intently, appearing indifferent despite the meaning of his words.
Mina stared back at him as the battle raging outside grew louder in intensity, rivaling her own inner conflict. Her eyes darkened as she finally understood what needed to be done. “Of course, my love,” she purred. “It will be just as you say. I will break Beryl’s hold on us once I have the Crystal and we will finally be together.”
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It started with a small tremor, the ground shaking with the beginnings of an Earthquake. The night sky overhead became a sheet of black, the stars and moon hidden from view. Faintly the sounds of screaming could be heard off in the distance followed by quick, bright flashes of light leaving the skyline an ominous shade of red and purple. Usagi woke with a start and ran outside, quickly flanked by the other occupants of the house.
“Beryl knows I’m here,” she said fearfully. “The Silver Crystal is not whole yet, we’re not ready to fight her.”
“How could she know? I’m sure that Kunzite didn’t see you,” Mamoru responded.
“We have no choice but to fight as we are,” Artemis spoke up.
A glow surrounded Mamoru as he transformed into his dark armor. Endymion clasped his hand to his chest, suddenly looking winded. “She’s destroying this planet from the inside out. Elysian….” He fell to his knees, unable to finish his sentence. Usagi knelt in front of him, trying to support some of his weight. More screams could be heard, the flashes increased in intensity. Beryl’s youma freely wondered the planet, sucking energy from anything living, preparing for Metallia’s final stand.
A cold draft was felt behind them, and they all turned to see Sailor Venus flanked by Kunzite standing behind them. “We’re here for the Crystal, Serenity,” Venus spoke firmly, “and we’re not leaving without it.”
“I don’t have the Crystal, Minako – I think we both know this,” Usagi answered calmly.
“How do we make it whole?” Venus asked impatiently.
“Minako,” Artemis spoke her name softly, but loud enough that it carried over to her despite the surrounding sounds of the waves crashing aggressively against the coast, and what could only be described as thunder rumbling overhead. He stepped towards his charge, ignoring Luna’s desperate plea for him to keep his distance.
“Artemis,” Venus arched her brow, staring at him with a cold indifference.
“Let Serenity heal you,” he pleaded.
“Come no closer. I will not tell you a second time,” she warned him.
“I will not stand by and watch you become this abomination standing before me! This is not the Venus that I was charged with protecting. My Venus would never threaten her Princess.”
“Your Venus is no more!” she shouted. Her finger raised level with his chest, a golden blast tainted with dark strands shot from her finger and slammed against Artemis knocking him off his feet and sliding him several yards across the beach. Luna’s distraught scream echoed in everyone’s ears as she ran to kneel over the form of her fallen lover. “Does anyone else want to verify my intentions?”
“You attacked your own Guardian,” Usagi responded, her hand suspended over her mouth in shock.
“That was a lifetime ago, just as my servitude was to you. Now where are the other Crystals, Endymion?”
Jadeite moved to stand in front of his fallen Prince, trying to shield him with his body. “Endymion has entrusted the stones to me,” he stated boldly, holding a small leather pouch in his hand. “You will not have the stones, Venus.”
Venus looked over to Jadeite. “I want those stones and you will not stand between me and my victory.”
“You will have to get through me first,” came Jadeite’s firm reply.
“We are not bargaining here, give it to me.”
“No.”
“Always insolent even till the end,” Kunzite sighed. “If I must pry them from your dead hands then so be it.” A boomerang formed in his hand, taking on an iridescent glow as it charged with the raw energy of Kunzite’s attack. Jadeite unsheathed his sword and slashed through the launched attack, dispersing the blast so that the fragments flew harmlessly away.
“You have two choices, Jadeite,” Venus called out to him. “You can either give it to me or give it to Beryl, and I assure you she has worse intentions in mind than I do.”
“And what about me?” Sailor Cosmos asked as she appeared, forming a triangular point between the other two groups. “Although I must confess that my interests are at least a little selfish.” She smiled wantonly as she took in the faces of those around her, finally allowing her eyes to settle on Endymion and Usagi. “We meet again,” she looked at Usagi. “It’s a shame that now I will have to kill you. It’s for the better though, I promise you. You should never have to feel the loss and betrayal that I have.”
“Chaos is the one who did this to you, Sailor Cosmos,” Usagi insisted.
“You can’t reason with her, Serenity, believe me I have tried,” his voice was devoid of emotion as he glared at the white clad Senshi with the flowing white cape.
“Endymion, I’m wounded by your words,” she feigned hurt, her hand resting against her chest daintily. “They cut me like a knife.”
“This is a splendid reunion,” Venus cut in, “but there is no more time for this nonsense. I want the Crystal. Love me chain!” Venus’s golden chain flew from around her waist towards Usagi. The smaller girl remained as still as a statue watching as the chain sped towards her. At the last second she shut her eyes tightly and flinched at the sound of metal on metal clashing above her. She cracked her eyes open and saw that Endymion had unsheathed his sword and now had Venus’s chain wrapped tightly around the blade, a pained look stretched across his features as he struggled to hold her chain at bay. Venus sprang into action, dropping the chain and leaping high into the air, landing to the side of Usagi. She grabbed onto the girl tightly and quickly leapt away again before Endymion could move to stop her. Kunzite dropped back into a fighting stance and formed two more boomerangs in his hands and held them aimed at both Endymion and Jadeite, daring them to take action.
“How do I piece together the Crystal?” Venus asked harshly.
“It will kill you, Mina,” Usagi spoke quickly, her voice dry and eyes wide.
“I planned on it,” Venus’s voice dropped so that only the two of them could hear her words.
Kunzite approached the two women and formed a shield around them, the boomerangs in his hand dissolving. He stood close behind Venus and leaned over to speak in her ear - his face devoid of any emotion. “Take care of her, Minako,” he spoke sweetly to her.
Danburite’s arms wrapped around her as they stood in her apartment. “In my last lifetime I loved you and I will continue to love you in every other as well,” Danburite said kissing her softly on the cheek.
“It is all a game, Minako. He will let you believe that he still loves you, but you can’t trust his words.”
Danburite’s words echoed in the back of her mind as if he still stood behind her.
Venus looked back at Kunzite one last time and turned to face Usagi. “This is the way it has to be,” Venus stated, a long dark sword forming in her hands. “Do you recognize this blade, Princess? It’s the blade of the Silver Crystal. At first it refused to accept me as its master, but as you can see, it only took a little persuading to tame it.”
“Mina….” Usagi reached out for the girl in front of her, sadness pervading her senses.
“I’m sorry,” Venus held the sword up and in one swift motion swung the blade so that it passed under her arm, implanting itself into the chest of the man behind her.
“What will you do to him to repay him for his treachery?” Danburite asked her.
“His treachery?”
“He caused your Princess to turn against you. He allowed you to fall in love with him again. He has left you for her. Great power calls to great power, it is inevitable that they will find themselves together.” Danburite’s lips pulled into a smile. “Kill him.”
Kunzite’s eyes opened wide as he stared down at the blade protruding from his chest. Usagi stared in horror as he fell to his knees, screaming words that Venus could not hear. Venus withdrew the sword from him and dropped to the ground in front of him, allowing the sword to fall from her hand and clatter next to her. “I’m so sorry.” She leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the warm blood seeping onto her white uniform. “I’m the only one who could stop you my love.” A single tear rolled down her cheek. “I promised you that I would stop Beryl so that we could be together, now I will soon join you.”
“Minako,” he gasped, the color draining from his face. His body gave out and the whole of his weight slumped against her. She slowly released him so that he crumpled to the floor before standing up herself and turning back to face her Princess, sword back in hand.
“Take my Sailor Crystal, Princess,” Venus begged.
“Minako…..” Usagi sobbed.
“If you don’t kill me, I will be forced to kill you. Do it now!”
“You don’t get to die like this, Mina!” Cosmos shouted, her white staff raised. “After what you have done to all of us, your death will not be so simple!” She thrust her staff forwards and an invisible force hit Sailor Venus and threw her against the ground. “You will pay for everything that you have done!” Another blast hit Venus and the blonde screamed as her body was once again slammed against the ground. Endymion quickly formed a rose in his hand and threw it at Cosmos, scraping against the knuckles on her one hand. Her attention was quickly turned towards the kneeling man in black armor who was flanked by his last Shitennou. “Even in this time you turn against me for her!” Cosmos exclaimed.
“Torturing this innocent girl will not set right whatever it is that you believe has been done to wrong you,” he retorted.
“You are far from innocent in this yourself, Endymion,” Cosmos spat. She crossed over to Endymion as if she had forgotten that there was anyone else around them. “Why have you forsaken me, Endymion? Why did you stop loving me?”
Endymion watched her cautiously while keeping his eyes trained on Usagi. “You have not been forsaken, I have always loved you.”
“You left me for her,” Cosmos spoke pitifully while crouching in front of him. “I needed you, but you weren’t there for me.”
“So you would sacrifice the innocent lives of those on my planet?”
“This isn’t what I wanted,” she protested. She gently laid her staff down on the ground and placed one hand on Endymion’s cheek, and the other atop his hand clutched tightly to his chest. “But it doesn’t matter anymore. You and I can be together once this is over.”
“I cannot be with someone who has done what you have.”
“But all of this was done for you! I have found all the pieces of the Silver Crystal, the counterpart to your Golden Crystal. We will rule together.”
“This planet is dying, Serenity.” His eyes looked into hers. “I am dying.”
“But I did this for you….”
“Save my planet, Cosmos, you have the strength. You and I will be together when this is over.”
“I am weak. Without you, my Silver Crystal never had the power that it needed to defeat Metallia. With this Crystal I will win this battle against Metallia and free myself from her hold.”
“It’s not about me, Serenity. You have had the strength within you this entire time.”
Jadeite slowly backed away from Endymion and Cosmos who no longer seemed to notice his presence. He moved to kneel by Kunzite where Usagi was already leaning over him, pressing her hands against his wound with no effect. “You were supposed to be the greatest of us.” His words were bitter but his tone was compassionate.
“And because of that I am the weakest,” Kunzite sputtered.
“I will heal you with the Crystal,” Usagi sobbed. “Endymion needs you.”
“No, Princess,” he gasped as a wave of pain and dizziness overtook him. “Mina was right to do what she did. All I ask is that you cleanse me so that I won’t die as one of Beryl’s minions once more.”
“Endymion and the Princess will live,” Jadeite vowed to his commander.
“Then you will need this,” he reached into his pocket and pressed the ruby into Jadeite’s palm.
“Kunzite….” Venus spoke weakly, crawling towards her fallen lover. Her body was injured from the attack Cosmos had unleashed on her, several cuts and scratches covering her body. Jadeite wondered for a moment how much of the blood staining her fuku may have actually been hers. Venus grabbed onto Kunzite’s hand and knelt by his side as best she could. Kunzite’s eyes took in her image before closing for the last time.
Jadeite slowly rose from his kneeling position and pulled a reluctant Usagi away. He gingerly fingered the stone in his hand before bringing it to his lips and holding it there for a moment, imagining that Sailor Mars was in front of him, kissing him back. In his other hand he still held the leather pouch containing the other stones. With shaking fingers he opened the pouch and emptied the contents into his hand, placing the ruby in the center of the pile. Serenity watched him with wide eyes as he placed all of the stones into her hands. His eyes cast back to Venus once again and he unsheathed his sword, a dangerous glint showing in his eyes as he tried to suppress his feelings of hesitation.
Venus squeezed onto Kunzite’s hand and she envied him that he was free from this battle while she was forced to continue. The Dark Energy in her was pushing her to fight against her Princess and Endymion, but the loyalty ingrained into her as a Senshi fought back to instead protect her Princess. With each passing moment she could feel her strength waning as the dark side of her fought to take over. “I will be with you, my Love.”
“Even now you still profess your love for him?” Danburite spat, appearing behind her, his sword drawn.
“I have no choice,” she whispered.
“I foretold to you once that your love will be hopeless for all eternity.”
“Then I killed you, but it’s not as you told me it was. You were not spared by my Princess.”
“No, I wasn’t. But Beryl had the strength to bring me back so that once again I could confront you. I knew this time that I would have your love,” he spoke reverently, stroking her hair as if she were a child.
“And because for that moment we were reunited, your fortune was reversed. It was through your own actions that he and I were reunited.” She kept her eyes trained on Kunzite’s face, preparing herself for Danburite to strike – and was not disappointed. His blade passed through her back and protruded from her chest. She gasped deeply but found that she could not bring air into her body, her lung was punctured. Danburite withdrew the sword and Venus’s body crumpled to land on top of Kunzite’s.
He stared at her form, an odd mixture of anger and hurt, his sword held loosely at his side with Venus’s blood coating the surface. Jadeite lunged forward with his sword and slashed at Danburite who was barely able to bring his sword up in time to parry the attack and stumbled trying to regain his balance. Jadeite swung his sword once more and again Danburite countered, a sneer marring his features. “I did you a favor,” he spat. “I saved you from having to do what I have just done. You should thank me.”
“I’ll thank you in hell!” Jadeite retorted, increasing the intensity of his attack. In his haste, the master swordsman allowed his movements to become sloppy and was struck in the arm with the tip of Danburite’s sword, leaving a trail of blood to seep through the sleeve of his white jacket. Jadeite hissed at the pain and dropped back a step, his sword still held forward in defense.
“Please! Stop!” Usagi yelled. In her hand she all of the stones clenched tightly.
“Space Sword Blaster!” The flurried attack launched at Danburite and the intensity of the blades cut against his skin with brutal results.
“Princess,” Neptune turned to faced Usagi. “We are late, but we are here. It’s time to do what you must.”
“Everyone is dying around me,” Usagi wept. “This planet will never recover.”
Sailor Saturn stepped out from behind Neptune and Uranus, her glaive standing tall against her short frame. Usagi could see the sadness that was ever present in the endless depths of those dark eyes. “It was not meant to recover,” she spoke solemnly. “I am here to bring an end to the suffering.”
“But all that we have fought for….”
“Where there is death there is life. Please, Princess, it’s time to use your Crystal.” She raised her pale hand and gestured to the stones grasped tightly in Usagi’s white knuckled hands.
With a hesitant sigh, Usagi nodded her head and the stones slowly started to merge together, becoming a white ball of light that transformed her simple pink dress into a flowing white gown. The intensity of the light brightened to reveal Eternal Sailor Moon, a large pair of wings rested on her back.
Artemis’s eyes fluttered open, the light of the Silver Crystal energizing him. Luna watched as he struggled to sit up, fussing over the gaping wound on his shoulder. “I’m ok, Luna,” his spoke consolingly. “She did this to keep me out of the fight. My Minako was still in her.” Tears filled his eyes as he looked over to see Venus’s lifeless body, a golden glow enveloping her and the man underneath her.
Danburite dropped to his knees as he stared into the white hot heat of the Silver Crystal’s glow. The light washed over him and transformed his Dark Kingdom uniform into golden armor. On his forehead rested the sigil of the planet Venus, glowing brightly as the remaining shards of darkness was cleansed from his body.
"Stop it!" says Minako. "Ace! Just who are you!? How did you know I was born of Venus!?"
He takes off his mask, and looks into her eyes.
"I am Adonis."
The mark of Venus shines on his forehead.
"I burn with passion for you. We were supposed to love one another. I am your mystical lover."
"The sign of the guardian of the planet Venus!" thinks Minako. "Is he also Venus's...!?"
"But you do not know me," he says. "In my previous life, I had no rank. I was a miserable soldier in a remote region. You lived in a palace overlooking Venus. The chosen strongest sailor soldier, shining brightly. Before long, for your mission, you went to the ruler of the solar system, the moon. That planet, radiating unsurpassed light. A planet eternally unreachable to us. Then, we were borrowed for the war taking place on the chief planet. By the soldiers under direct supervision of the Prince..."
The young Adonis stands among Endymion's soldiers.
Venus holds Selenity in her arms.
"Finally meeting you... The lovely goddess of beauty and war..."
He sees Venus staring into Kunzite's eyes.
He touches her face.
"I knew then... If I changed one wheel of fate, the two of us might fall in love..."
He looked over to where Venus’s body lay atop of Kunzite’s, a tear falling from his cheek as the same white light washed over their bodies, transforming their uniforms to those of the Silver Millennium. Venus’s fuku transformed into her white and orange Senshi uniform, accented with blue bows. Kunzite’s dark gray uniform faded to away to his Shitennou uniform. The light continued to increase its brilliance on the couple until they started to fade away, their essences disappearing into a collage of golden bubbles.
The wind picked up and started whipping harshly around them. Cosmos looked away from Endymion, her attention distracted by the glowing of the Crystal. “She has the Crystal…”
Cosmos rose to stand but was stopped by Endymion. “You have the power to help her.”
“I am weaker than Eternal Sailor Moon,” she spoke shamefully. “I don’t have the same power that she does.”
“You are the only one who can make this right. Heal the rift in time and return Metallia to your own time. If Metallia continues to devour this planet and its people she will become unstoppable.”
“But without you…”
“You are not without me,” he spoke softly and pulled Cosmos to him, placing a soft kiss on her lips. His body ached from the devastation of his planet, but he suppressed it, his hope placed on the lost woman in front of him. “I am always by your side,” he whispered.
“I am not alone anymore,” she spoke softly to herself. “I will stop Metallia and save your planet. I will make things right for you once again.” Cosmos rose to face the brilliance of the Silver Crystal radiating in the hands of Eternal Sailor Moon. She walked over to her counterpart and removed the heart shaped broach from her chest, exposing the Cosmos Crystal.
Endymion watched as the two women stood facing each other and felt a surge of relief as the pain in his chest began to subside. The combined power of the Crystals were working to heal his planet, although he knew that nothing would be able to repair the damage done or to save the lives that had been lost. His looked to Sailor Saturn and watched as she raised her glaive high into the air before closing his eyes and bracing himself for the end.
“Minako!” A girl’s voice called out to her. “We’re going to be late!” Makoto ran past her down the long hallway wearing a sleeveless pink gown that was held up by silken straps tied behind her neck, the ends trailing softly down her exposed back.
Rei came up from behind her and pulled on her right arm, dragging her down the white halls, the brown haired girl already out of sight. “Of all days, Minako…..” her voice trailed off.
Minako tried to grasp her surroundings. She didn’t know how she found herself in the hallways of the Moon Palace. The last thing she remembered she was outside-
“You’re not going to wear that are you?” Rei asked, looking over the blonde haired girl as they ran.
She looked over at Rei and noticed that she also wore a pink colored gown that seemed to flow around her body as if it had a life of its own. The front of the dress was layered so that the gown seemed to wrap itself around the raven haired girl. Then she looked down at her arm being held tightly by the girl in front of her and noticed that she wore her sailor fuku, her once white gloves were now stained a coppery brown. Interesting, she didn’t remember falling –
“We’re never going to make it if you have to change first. It’s too late now though.” They stopped running as they reached a set of tall white doors. Rei pulled on the large silver handle and shoved Minako through. She stumbled as her orange heels caught on the carpeting, but righted herself when a strong arm reached out and caught her from her right side. Kunzite stared down at her, looking handsome as he was dressed in his Shitennou uniform and ceremonial armor. They started to walk slowly down the red lined carpet. Panicked, Minako turned her head and looked back to see Ami behind her wearing the same pink dress as Rei, only her dress had longer sleeves to it. Next to her stood Zoicite, who was dressed in similar armor to Kunzite’s. They followed at the same slow pace behind her and Kunzite, arm in arm, whispering to each other as Minako had often seen them do.
“It’s ok, Minako,” Kunzite whispered reassuringly to her. “We’re almost to the end.”
Her eyes looked up at his not understanding what was happening. As she looked around she noticed rows of benches surrounded their walk way, several hundred sets of eyes watched them passing by, their faces were a blur. What was at the end –
“Smile my Princess,” Kunzite whispered before kissing her cheek and giving her a gentle shove to the left. Serenity smiled softly, wearing a flowing white dress. The other Senshi came to stand next to her, all watching as their paired Shitennou took their place at Endymion’s side. For a moment they were all together again. But why would they have been lost to -
“Endymion and I are married now,” Serenity whispered to her. “I never want to be apart from him again, and now I won’t have to be, we’ll be together here forever.”
Here? Where was here? Endymion reached for Serenity and kissed her. Minako watched them for a moment as they parted and stared into each other’s eyes. She looked out to scan the crowd but found that everyone was gone. The rows of benches that once held hundreds of spectators were now empty. Confused she turned back to Serenity but found she was alone at the altar. What was happening? Where did everyone go? What was she missing?
She ran over to the exit on her left and pulled the door open, cautiously stepping into a pitch black room. A loud creak could be heard as the door fell shut behind her, trapping her in the vast emptiness. Her hands reached out around her, trying to find anything, and gasped when another hand grasped her own tightly, their fingers becoming securely intertwined. Kunzite stepped in front of her and somehow they became illuminated in the darkness.
“We’re at the end now, Minako.”
The end? Words would not come to her as she allowed herself to be embraced by him.
“I’m sorry that it happened this way. I love you.” He kissed her and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Minako,” a voice called faintly around her. She would not allow herself to be released from Kunzite’s grasp despite the familiarity of the voice calling to her. The magic that illuminated them slowly faded out until there was nothing left but darkness.
“She’s gone, Artemis,” Luna whispered softly to the white haired man kneeling over the form of the still blonde on the ground. Blood surrounded her small frame, her white fuku and blonde locks stained by the sticky substance. The fighting surrounding them had come to an end once Queen Selenity called upon the awe-inspiring power of the Silver Crystal. Luna and Artemis had gone in search of the Senshi but were horrified to find that one by one each had been mercilessly killed. There was nothing left of the Moon Palace, it’s once beautiful essence was now tarnished by the same evil that blackened out the blue planet the Princess had been so infatuated with. The only thing that was left of this serene civilization was the two advisors from Mau and their dying Queen. Only the soldier of death with her blessed glaive of silence could end all of their suffering now.
“We’re at the end now, Minako.” Tears rolled from Artemis’s eyes as he kissed his charge on the forehead one last time. “I’m sorry that it happened this way. I love you,” he whispered softly as he stood up slowly, allowing Luna to wrap her arms around him sympathetically. They looked once more at Venus’s body, taking the time to glance at the silver haired Shitennou who laid at her side, his blood intermingling with her own. His hand had clasped tightly around her’s, their fingers securely intertwined.
Luna looked up to Artemis with sad eyes. “We need to go to Selenity, we’re almost to the end.”
Always with the end comes hope and rebirth….
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I really hope everyone liked the story - start to finish. In time I think I will go back and make some revisions. But for now...please review!!
I borrowed Danburite's flashback from the great and wonderful Naoko from Code Name Wa Sailor V, in the final book. I also borrowed the last line from one of the Sailor Moon books, although I'm embarassed to say that I don't remember which one. I think Venus said it just before she and the Senshi sacrified their pens to Sailor Moon in the battle against Metallia.
