"But if there must be an end, let it be loud. 
		 Let it be bloody. Better to burn than wither 
		 away in the dark. Not to go quiet...not to go 
		 unnoticed...oh, you gods of war, let it BE 
		 war."

		    --Mike Mignola's "Hellboy: Strange Places"








			     ANGEL ELECTRIC


		   -the end of everything you know-






	Upon the moon, they danced. They laughed and drank and 
cheered. They screamed and huddled together and found warmth in the 
arms of strangers. They fought out on the streets and raged and 
smashed whatever they could. They lit candles and told each other 
stories. They kissed and made love and desperately tried to forget. 
They stood guard with whatever weapons they had and watched the 
skies.
	A single star winked out of existence and turned to black. 
One by one, the stars around it vanished, as if a great hole was 
tearing itself through the heavens. The tear swelled and began to 
take form, a leering face staring down at all of Lunaria.
	Metalia settled onto the moon with all the force of four 
hundred years of bottled-up madness and vengeance. Buildings 
shattered. Fires burned. Smoke billowed across the skies, the 
choking fumes blotting out more of the stars. A thousand different 
screams rang out in a thousand different places. Metalia shook 
Lunaria like a despised child and rained down the apocalypse she 
had dreamed of for centuries. The human soldiers and grotesque 
youma safely hidden within her being during the journey were 
unleashed, plummeting from above with swords raised and claws 
outstretched. 
	Most of the humans descended upon the Lunarian palace. The 
youma were flung to all reaches across the moon, their twisted 
bodies more than able to withstand the flight and impact. They 
shouted and shrieked, all for the glory of their dark queen. Blood 
splashed across the streets within seconds of their landing.
	Beryl watched it unfold below her.
	She stood at the edge of Metalia's body, protected by 
barriers and her own infernal powers. A few steps away, the solid 
surface of the Darkstorm distorted and became like mist that fell 
to the moon below. Beryl turned to her commanders: Zoicite, 
Nephrite, Cioran and Lapis all stood behind her. Behind them, 
Jadeite patiently endured his shackles and mask, his mouth 
contorted into a terrifying grin. Only Kunzite was missing; he 
would join them soon enough.
	Beryl spoke no words. She gave no commands.
	Her Generals drew their weapons and marched past her. She 
watched the palace burn as they leapt off the edge of the 
Darkstorm, descending into the battle below. Left alone with her 
mistress and the distant sounds of human cries, Beryl waited for 
Endymion's aura to manifest.
	After so many long, secretive years her desires had been 
granted, one by one. All that remained was the prince. Her prince. 
She had tasted his kiss once before, and she would once again.
	Soon....
 

				*	*	*
	With the first impact, the ballroom shuddered enough to send 
everyone stumbling about. With the second impact, everyone was 
thrown to the ground. Tables overturned and elaborate dishes 
crashed, spilling food across the floor. The blackening air outside 
the ballroom windows abruptly lit up, the blinding light heralding 
a third impact that shattered the windows and hurled shards of 
glass down upon the dancers.
	Endymion wrapped Serenity up in his arms and leapt aside as 
the glass rain down. Others were not so lucky, screaming as blood 
sprayed into the air. Endymion landed at the foot of the staircase. 
He kept one arm around Serenity's waist, his entire body tensed and 
waiting for another attack. 
	Serenity's hold on him tightened.
	A lull settled over the ballroom, giving people the chance to 
pick themselves up and stare in terrified wonder at what had 
happened. Countless people cried and threw themselves in to the 
embrace of those nearest. Some tried to help the wounded. Some were 
already dead.
	Endymion turned his head as two small cats bounded in through 
one of the antechambers. They ran as if hell itself was chasing 
after them, and despite their size they moved almost as fast as a 
human.
	"The people of Earth are attacking!" Luna shouted. 
	Artemis was half a step behind her. "Everyone evacuate to the 
shelters!" 
	The revellers looked on, too shocked to panic. 
	Endymion felt his jaw clench. 
	A single scream jarred the crowd, and a legion of screams 
rose up after it. Dancers scrambled to their feet, tripping over 
their gowns and each other. They pushed and stomped and tumbled in 
a desperate attempt to find an exit. Endymion's grip tightened 
around Serenity's waist; he kicked off the ground and bounded to 
midway up the staircase. 
	Moments later, the base of the stairs swarmed with a mass of 
people fighting each other to escape. Serenity winced and looked 
away as someone was shoved to the floor and trampled. A handful 
made it up the stairs, barrelling past them. None seemed to have an 
idea of where they would run. 
	Serenity looked back down at the ballroom. Somewhere amidst 
the dizzying blur of stomping feet, the two Mau cats desperately 
dodged and wove between the panicked mob. Unlike the revellers, the 
cats ran with a purpose. They were searching.
	"Luna!" Serenity called out. "Artemis!"
	The two cats skidded to a stop and stared up in surprise.
	"Princess?" Luna exclaimed.
	The Mau cats somehow managed to make it up the staircase 
relatively unscathed. Artemis hissed as he saw Endymion, claws and 
fangs immediately displayed. 
	"He's not our enemy, Artemis," Serenity stated. "You have to 
trust him."
	"After what I saw two nights ago," and Artemis glared at 
Endymion, "not likely."
	"Then trust me," Serenity said.
	Artemis glanced over at the princess, his fangs still bared 
but his hostility losing its resolve.
	"Endymion is on our side," Serenity told him. "And I shall 
remain by his side until this war ends, one way or the other."
	"Don't be a fool, Serenity!" Artemis exclaimed. "Halcyon 
locked him away for a reason."
	Unexpectedly, it was Luna who turned and snarled at Artemis.  
"Stop it already!" she snapped. "We're running out of time. Beryl's 
forces have invaded the palace. They'll be here any minute. This 
room is not safe for any of us."
	"Your mother sent us to find you," Artemis said, turning to 
Serenity. "She's making her way to the Sanctum. She wants you to 
meet her there."
	Serenity's eyes widened. "The Ginzuisho."
	"How far is the Sanctum from here?" Endymion asked.
	Artemis eyed him warily for a moment, and cast a glance at 
the landing behind them. "Further than I'd like. It will be 
impossible for us to make it there without running into Beryl's 
troops."
	Endymion let his sword hand rest upon the hilt of the Soul 
Constellation. "Show us the way."
	Artemis hesitated.
	Luna pushed past him and ran up the last few steps. "I'll 
show you."
	Serenity turned her head, her gaze lingering on the Lunarians 
floundering helplessly in the ballroom. "I can't leave them behind. 
Not like this."
	A sturdy yank pulled her into Endymion, who stared down at 
her. "I can't save everyone," he said, "but I can damn well protect 
you. We have to leave."
	She cast another gaze down at the crowds and began to move up 
the stairs. Endymion could also see the tears brimming at the 
corners of her eyes and the righteous anger on her face. Her fists 
clenched so tightly her forearms began to tremble.
	Artemis darted around Endymion as they fled up the staircase.
	They made it to the height of the stairs when an explosion 
swatted everyone to the floor. Smoke and stone flew in all 
directions, and more screams echoed across the ballroom. Endymion 
pushed himself off the landing, nearly tumbling down the stairs in 
the process. Where they were, the damage was minimal. However, at 
the far end of the ballroom nothing remained.
	There was only a cruel, gaping hole.
	Zoicite stepped through the opening, his arms leisurely 
crossed behind his back. He took a few careful steps over the 
bodies and debris until he walked onto the dance floor. Zoicite 
glanced down at one of the dancers.
	The man stared up at Zoicite, the mask on his face askew. "G-
General?" the man stuttered.
	Zoicite smiled at him, grabbed the man by the neck and threw 
him across the expanse of the ballroom. A harsh thud resonated 
through the room as the man's body struck one of the pillars and 
dropped to the floor. Zoicite looked on with mild disdain.
	"Hmph," he muttered to himself. "Missed the window."
	The survivors still huddled inside the ballroom let out a 
collective whimper.
	Zoicite ignored them.
	Ever so slowly he let his gaze sweep across the ballroom, 
settling at last upon the stairs. Zoicite flashed Endymion a 
pleasant smile. "Hello, my prince. I'm going to enjoy cutting you 
to ribbons."
	Endymion took a cautious step down the stairs. His hand never 
left the grip of his sword. "I thought Beryl still wanted me 
alive."
	"Yes," Zoicite agreed as he made his way towards them. "And 
she's not here right now. I never did thank you properly for 
humiliating me in front of the others, Endymion." He lifted a 
finger to his lips and ran his tongue along the tip. "I think I'll 
start by tearing off your arms and spoon-feeding them to you."
	Endymion managed a smirk. "It sounded a lot more threatening 
when I said it."
	A low chuckle came from Zoicite's mouth. Amused, he glanced 
over his shoulder and called to the lurking shadows outside, "Kill 
them all."	
	Beryl's soldiers stormed into the ballroom, and the screams 
rose to frightening levels. Zoicite didn't even seem to notice. He 
drew his katana and charged towards the staircase, his pace 
refusing to let up no matter how many corpses he had to glide 
around.
	Endymion's eyes narrowed, and he crouched low to the stairs. 
There had been a time, long ago, when he'd wondered just who would 
survive if he were to actually fight against any of his four 
Generals. He'd never been able to decide. It was easier to let it 
rest and forget and go back to listening to their banter. With a 
cold chill, Endymion realized he was about to kill one of his best 
friends. His grip around the Soul Constellation tightened, and the 
sword was pulled out an inch. The aura of the Golden Crystal began 
to radiate off his body.
	A young woman's voice rose above the frenzied noise of 
battle, clear and unyielding: "Shavon Spray!"
	Endymion leaned back as a thick tide of fog crashed through 
the ballroom, enveloping the floor at the base of the stairs before 
swallowing up Zoicite and the rest of the soldiers. A solid, 
seemingly impenetrable wall of grey mist filled the room, and with 
it came a very discomforting silence.
	Endymion glanced back at Serenity. "What just happened?"
	Any reply Serenity would have given was gone as she looked 
into the fog. 
	A lone silhouette came marching through the mist, not a 
single footstep unsure of where to go. Endymion drew the entirety 
of his sword, readying himself for any sudden attacks. 
	Sailor Mercury emerged from the fog.
	"Ami!" Serenity exclaimed in relief.
	Mercury turned towards Endymion. "Get her out of here. I'll 
take care of Zoicite."
	Endymion did not move at first. His gaze flitted back to the 
drifting fog behind Mercury. "He'll kill you if you let him." 
	She shook her head. "I won't let him get that far."
	Serenity stopped short, a look of surprise and disappointment 
on her face. "Ami?"
	As she lifted her head towards Serenity, Sailor Mercury 
smiled. "I've made my choice, Princess: I'll do what I have to. 
This is how I will stand in this battle. Make your decision, but do 
not linger here."
	The cats were quick to nudge Serenity towards the nearest 
exit. 
	As he moved across the landing, Endymion paused and glanced 
back over his shoulder. It was unnerving to know he would in all 
likelihood never see her again. "Good luck."
	"And to you," Mercury said. "Watch over our princess."
	Endymion was the last to cross through the threshold of a 
pair of doors. A minor gesture sent the doors swinging shut behind 
him. The locks would barely hold, but the effort would buy them 
time.  
	Alone, Sailor Mercury ascended the stairs, stopping at the 
halfway point. The mist that had engulfed the ballroom was starting 
to dissipate, choked out of existence by the foul aura being given 
off by Beryl's soldiers. Mercury stood and waited.
	Zoicite was the first to step out of the fog. He stopped at 
the base of the stairs and stared up at her. If he was at all 
surprised to see her there instead of Endymion, he didn't show it. 
If anything, her sudden appearance excited him all the more.
	"Well, well," he chuckled. "If it isn't the water-dancer."
	Sailor Mercury gave him no words.
	With a casual glance, Zoicite peered over his shoulder. The 
only Lunarian left alive in the room was her, and the humans and 
creatures under Beryl's command began to close in all around her. 
Leering eyes and reaching hands approached from almost every 
direction. Sailor Mercury glanced up and saw some of the more 
grotesque minions scuttling about on the ceiling.
	"Do you remember what you said once to me, Sailor Mercury?" 
Zoicite remarked. "You told me my technique for controlling water 
was wrong, that I was nothing more than a petty tyrant whenever I 
used it." 
	He started to laugh. All too quickly his laughter tapered 
off, and his eyes widened into a maniacal glare. 
	"I," Zoicite hissed, "resent that."


				*	*	*
	The walls around her shuddered, dust and debris raining down 
from the ceiling. For the most part, the chamber only rumbled, but 
every now and again a ferocious blast threatened to bring down the 
walls around her.  Super Sailor Mars closed her eyes and tried to 
ignore the sounds of war echoing faintly through the walls. For 
now, the Fire Chamber remained undiscovered or ignored.
	For now.
	Mars opened her eyes and glanced over at the flames dancing 
upon their wooden alter. They moved so beautifully, oblivious to 
what was happening around them. They would never falter or 
hesitate. They would keep burning until the last shadow of 
Metalia's army snuffed them out. 
	Her fingers glided uneasily over her stomach. 
	Another resonating explosion from somewhere outside sent the 
floor shaking beneath her feet. Super Sailor Mars stumbled, 
desperate to right herself as a piece of the buttresses came 
crashing down in the far corner. The beam smashed straight through 
the floor, tossing up a storm of debris. Mars immediately turned to 
the Fire. The winds from the crash tore at the flames, but the Fire 
continued to burn.
	An eerie silence overtook the chamber. For a moment it seemed 
possible to believe that the war was suddenly over, that she and 
this room had been forgotten by both sides. Another low rumble 
shook the pillars. Mars clenched her fists and turned her gaze to 
the main doors.
	They remained sealed and closed.
	The clattering of metal jarred her from her hushed vigil. 
Super Sailor Mars whirled at the noise, desperately searching for 
the source of the sound. Somewhere between her and the Fire, a 
series of cruel chains and a metallic blindfold had fallen onto the 
floor. Mars turned her head to her right and left, eyes darting 
back and forth to every shadow and corner of the room. 
	She heard his inhuman laughter before she saw him.
	Mars slowly turned her gaze upwards, and found Jadeite 
perched upon one of the buttresses. Crouched upon the beam of wood, 
his arms idly dangling over the edge, he watched her with crimson 
eyes. His voice came out like a shallow breath.
	"What a pretty little soldier girl," he said to her. "Hiding 
in the darkness of your sad, sad sanctuary, while your comrades 
bravely die out in the open. Your invitation was so tempting, I 
couldn't resist putting in an appearance." 
	Mars saw the scarlet of his eyes burning through the shadows 
around him. The accounts she'd heard from Halcyon had not prepared 
her enough, and she sucked in a frightened breath. "What has she 
done to you?" she whispered.
	"She," the demon within Jadeite stated, "did nothing. I've 
been here all along, the beast wriggling around his black heart 
until he at last let me crawl out through his mouth." He held out 
his arms and dipped his head down. "At your service, Milady."
	Super Sailor Mars stared at him in disbelief, shaking her 
head. "He would never allow that. Even he wouldn't be willing to do 
that."
	"To kill a girl with his bare hands, oh yes, he most 
certainly would." Jadeite's head lolled on his shoulders. "I can 
still taste her eyes on his lips."
	Repulsed, Mars backed away from him.
	Jadeite leaned down. He looked ready to pounce.
	"I shall feed upon every shred of humanity within you," he 
whispered. His entire body started to tremble in maddened joy. "And 
make love to every scream you make. I shall taste your darkest 
secrets, Hono'o-no-miko, and let you feast upon all the tears this 
fleshling has ever shed."
	A ring of fire erupted around Mars' right fist. "You'll have 
to come down and get me first," she growled at him.
	Jadeite's lips curled back into a grotesque smile. "With 
great pleasure."
	The double doors to the Fire Chamber exploded off their 
hinges, each door passing on either side of Super Sailor Mars as 
they smashed into the far wall. It took Mars a moment to realize 
she'd been holding her breath. Unsure of what had just happened, 
she risked looking away from Jadeite.
	A pair of black boots stepped into the Fire Chamber.
	"You'll have to forgive my impertinence," Nephrite said as he 
looked at Mars. "Considering we are all about to kill each other, I 
didn't feel it necessary to remove my footwear before entering."
	From atop the beams, Jadeite hissed, "You're poaching on my 
prey, General."
	Nephrite paused as he heard Jadeite's voice. The scowl on his 
face was more than evident, though he did not lift his gaze to 
search Jadeite out. "Don't you have someone to kill?"
	"Ah. There you go, spoiling all the fun," Jadeite said. He 
swung his head towards Nephrite, and the demon glared down through 
Jadeite's eyes. "I could kill you just to make her mine. He'd want 
that. Deep down, he'd delight in the possibilities. You stole her 
from him, Nephrite. If only it weren't for you. If only it weren't 
for me. If only."
	Jadeite opened his jaws, displaying his slender fangs. A 
long, undulating tongue stretched out and swayed in Nephrite's 
direction. Nephrite looked far from impressed or scared. His eyes 
narrowed as he lifted his head and stared up at Jadeite. 
	Seconds later, Jadeite loosed a ghastly shriek, his eyes 
bulging out of his sockets as he clutched at his head. All his 
poise disappeared in a stab of pain, his footing gone from his 
perch. Mars hastily jumped back as Jadeite plunged to the floor. At 
the last moment he managed to right himself from crashing onto his 
back. Jadeite snarled, digging his claws into the wooden floor with 
enough force to break it into splinters. 
	Nephrite merely crossed his arms in front of his chest. "If 
you want another taste, then by all means try again. I can do this 
all day and not get bored with it." 
	Mars unexpectedly found herself forgotten by her two 
opponents. The ring of fire encircling her fist did not dissipate.
	The Generals stared each other down. 
	Jadeite was the first to avert his eyes and admit defeat. He 
slunk away, casting one final glance at Super Sailor Mars. "I would 
have made such sweet blasphemy with you," he whispered.
	Mars shook her head. "You're not him," she stated. "You only 
wear his face, and poorly at that."
	The demon within him chuckled and moved on.
	Nephrite did not release his grip on his katana until he 
could no longer hear the screams that followed after Jadeite. He'd 
seen that parting look in Jadeite's eyes; denied its desired 
torment, the demon was taking its rage out on the nearest living 
creatures. If he actually pitied the Lunarians, he might have felt 
sorry for the ones being ripped to pieces by Jadeite's claws.
	The haunting quiet settled back over the Fire Chamber.
	Nephrite's hand released the grip of his sword.
	"It doesn't even surprise me to find him here," he said, 
turning to Mars. "That's why I came for you first, Rei. I knew he'd 
show himself."
	"Is that the only reason you're here?" she shot back.
	Nephrite shrugged. "We both knew this was inevitable. We both 
knew it would come to this. It's time to test your skills, one last 
time. It seems almost fated that we should fight here, in the place 
where we once sat side by side as allies. If there are any last 
prayers you want to say to the Fire, I will permit you the chance 
to speak them."
	"That will change nothing," she said.
	Nephrite regarded her open hostility with mild amusement. 
"You don't enjoy seeing me like this, do you? You don't like seeing 
what I have become."
	"I cared about the man who sat by my side in this room and 
helped me become a Super Soldier," Mars said. "But you are not him. 
You're no better than Jadeite."
	Nephrite laughed. "At least my tongue isn't as long as my 
forearms."
	"That's still not an improvement."
	"I have been remade in Beryl's image," Nephrite said. "I have 
become the ideal commander fit to lead her armies. When this is 
over, I will drag your corpse across the ruins of this palace and 
lay it at my Queen's feet."
	Nephrite unsheathed his katana, sparks erupting from the 
scabbard as he drew the weapon out. He held the sword aloft, giving 
Mars the opportunity to see the blade. It was not metal. She wasn't 
even sure what it was made from. But darkness covered it, shimmers 
of purple and black flowing across the flat of the blade.
	The sword growled at her. 
	"Let's see who is more powerful," Nephrite said. "A soldier 
of destiny, or a soldier of darkness. The moment I once asked you 
about is at hand.  Are you ready to kill, Sailor Mars? Are you 
willing to take my life?"
	She hesitated in answering for only a moment. 
	"Yes." 
	A second ring of fire encircled her other fist. 
	His eyes focused directly on her. 
	Super Sailor Mars gritted her teeth and braced herself for 
the onslaught into her mind.


				*	*	*
	The four Outer Soldiers ran, and the palace collapsed and 
burned to its very foundations all around them. They moved only as 
fast as Halcyon could keep up, and to her credit the Lunarian 
Queen, now barefoot, ran almost as swiftly as them. The power of 
the Silver Crystal coursed through her body and radiated into the 
air around her. Already her energy was reaching a point where the 
Outers could sense their own stamina increasing as they absorbed 
it.
	The palace shuddered violently once more, distant explosions 
blowing apart the windows over their heads. Uranus winced as the 
glass pelted them; now they had to worry about being slowed down by 
the queen cutting her feet open.
	"How much further to the Sanctum?" Saturn shouted over the 
noise.
	Pluto skidded to a stop as they reached a juncture between 
halls. She glanced briefly at two possible routes, then chose the 
corridor to their right. "This will be the fastest!" she said.
	"That will take us outside," Neptune said.
	"It's a risk we'll have to take," Pluto said, turning back to 
the others.
	Uranus stepped forward. "And what if Metalia sees us?" 
	A strange smile appeared on Pluto's face. "She won't. This 
way."
	They made it to the far end of the corridor before being 
forced to stop once more. No intersections were before them--a lone 
figure stood barring the way. His back was turned, his head tilted 
down and facing the floor. Around his feet were the bodies of a 
dozen Lunarian guards.
	Halcyon took a cautious step forward. "Cioran?" 
	Cioran slowly turned and looked over his shoulder at them. 
His lips curled into smile. "I seem to recall making a promise to 
you, Sailor Uranus," he said.
	The others glanced over at Uranus.
	Her stern expression did not change.
	"Our last battle was left unfinished," Cioran continued.  His 
gaze shifted to Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn. They immediately 
raised their weapons as they saw the glint in his eyes. "You two 
may go," Cioran told them. "Take Halcyon Queen with you, if you 
like. But Uranus and Neptune have unfinished business with me."
	Cioran didn't move as Pluto and Saturn took cautious steps to 
go around him. He didn't even acknowledge Halcyon as she was led 
down the corridor. Only when the queen had rounded the corner 
behind him did Cioran change his stance. One arm was held aloft, 
and the shadows coiled around it. 
	An enormous scythe was forged from the darkness, its tapering 
blade giving it enormous reach. Cioran grasped the handle and 
effortlessly twirled the scythe around his body. Despite its 
seemingly immense weight, he handled it as if it were a child's 
toy. Cioran paused and grinned at Sailor Uranus.
	With a sudden, fluid motion he heaved the scythe upwards and 
seemed to cleave the very air in half. The entire hall lurched as a 
blackened tear sliced into the walls. Stone fell away like paper, 
the edges of the cut slowly being corroded and burned into ash. 
	Uranus' eyes narrowed. "That's new."
	"A gift from my new Queen," Cioran said. He began to twirl 
the scythe again, slower this time. "I was meant to wield it during 
this entire campaign, but that would have sullied its perfection. 
Instead, I shall decorate its blade with the colour of your blood."
	He lowered the scythe and levelled its tip with Uranus' face. 
"Yours and yours alone. There can be no finer honour than that."
	Uranus glanced over at Neptune. "I'm open to suggestions."
	"It looks like we have no choice," Neptune said. "Would you 
like to kick his ass first, or shall I?"
	Cioran shrugged. "Surprise me."
	He was indeed surprised as Neptune held out her arms and 
called forth her Talisman. And he was more than surprised when 
Neptune aimed the mirror at him and shouted: "Submarine 
Reflection!"
	A beam of light exploded from the mirror's surface, crashing 
into Cioran. Hastily he threw his scythe in front of him, the blade 
taking the full brunt of the attack. The weapon shuddered beneath 
Neptune's fury, and Cioran was pushed back across the floor.
	Once the onslaught ceased, he lowered his weapon. 
	"Now that," he said between pants for air, "is an interesting 
toy."
	Neptune scowled at Cioran and turned the mirror towards him 
again. The mirror's surface caught a glint of light, and looked all 
the more threatening. "If you'd like a closer look," she stated 
coldly, "then I'd be happy to oblige. You almost killed the person 
most precious to me. I expect bloody retribution for that."
	"And here I thought Sailor Uranus was the scary one," Cioran 
remarked as he straightened up and readjusted his grip on the 
scythe. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint either of them. 
He lunged for them both, the cruel blade of the scythe swinging in 
front of him.
	If it was bloody retribution they craved, then bloody 
retribution he would deliver.

 
				*	*	*
	"Do you think they'll be all right?" Saturn asked. She 
glanced over her shoulder as the corner they rounded became small 
and distant.
	"We have to trust in them, Hotaru," Halcyon answered. "If we 
cannot believe in them, then there is no point in continuing on."
	An incredible explosion rocked the entire hallway, throwing 
all three off-balance. Pluto flung herself onto the floor, catching 
Halcyon up in her arms. Saturn landed next to them as chunks of the 
palace wall bounced and rolled past them. 
	The acrid scent of smoke and burning flesh flooded the 
hallway.
	Halcyon brushed some dust from her face and pushed herself 
off the ground. Sailor Saturn was already up, standing between them 
and the site of the explosion. The Silence Glaive was in her hands, 
and Saturn looked more than ready to use it.
	Halcyon froze as she saw the gaping hole in the wall, and 
Lapis standing in it. Flames danced behind her, the smoke masking 
most of the carnage she'd left behind in her wake. Splatters of 
scarlet covered Lapis' body from head to toe. Her eyes were closed, 
her head swaying to music only she could hear.
	And the chains--there were easily a dozen of them encircling 
her. Some undulated in the air, while others writhed and coiled 
around her like metallic snakes. Sharpened blades and prongs tipped 
numerous ends. The chains drew closer to Lapis, poised like 
scorpion tails.
	Lapis' eyes flew open.
	"Oh," she said softly. "The poor little player queen has lost 
her shoes."
	"The heels slowed me down," Halcyon replied evenly. Her gaze 
never moved from the chains hovering around Lapis' head. Pluto 
helped her to her feet, though Pluto now brandished her staff at 
Lapis.
	Lapis continued to stare down at Halcyon's feet. "They look 
so lonely," she cooed, and shook her head. She fixed her gaze on 
Halcyon. "I'll cut them off for you."
	Her grip tightened on a chain that had wrapped around her 
palm. Lapis yanked on the chain and sent it hurtling backwards. 
With the fluidity and grace of a dancer, she twirled her body, her 
hands sending the myriad of chains into motion. All it took was a 
single spin, and she unleashed them all at Halcyon. 
	Sailor Pluto held her breath as the onslaught came.
	"Silence Wall!"
	The chains crashed headlong into a barrier, and by all 
indications knocked themselves senseless as a result. They twisted 
and snapped and rammed the Silence Wall again and again. Not a 
single one broke through Saturn's guard. She stood with her glaive 
held out before her, barely even flinching as the chains collided 
with her barrier and sent up flashes of violet light.
	Lapis lowered her arms and yanked on the chains, pulling them 
back. They grudgingly retreated. "Cheating," Lapis stated, 
indignant.
	"If that's what you want to call being outclassed in a 
fight," Saturn said. She twirled her glaive around and slammed its 
base into the floor. "Leave now, or I assure you, there won't be 
anything of you left to bury."
	"Grand threats from an idle child," Lapis hissed. The fingers 
of her left hand twitched. "I've killed little girls far prettier 
than you."
 	Pluto glanced around the hallway; something didn't feel right 
about the entire standoff. Her gaze froze on a second group of 
chains that had disappeared into holes in the earth. Pluto's eyes 
widened. She grabbed Halcyon and wrenched the queen from the 
ground, throwing the both of them aside. The floor beneath their 
feet exploded as the chains punched through, pelting them with 
debris.  
	Saturn whirled, bringing the blade of her glaive down upon 
the chains. Dozens of links were cut, the severed chains writhing 
in agony and unleashing a horrid shriek. Lapis watched and smiled. 
She launched the rest of the chains, forcing Saturn to spin around 
and hack at enemies from both sides. 
	Pluto leapt back to her feet, knocking chains aside and 
crushing their ends with her staff. One slashed at her arm, drawing 
a thick river of blood. Another drove its barbed tip into Saturn's 
thigh. Saturn screamed as she cleaved the chain from its tip, 
leaving the end buried in her leg. 
	Another cluster of chains shot through the air over their 
heads.
	Sailor Pluto turned to Halcyon. "My queen, go! We'll keep her 
at bay." She hastily ducked a blade and smashed a second chain into 
the wall. "Go!"
	Halcyon hesitated, her hands cupping at her chest. 
	A flicker of light from the Ginzuisho appeared.
	"No!" Pluto smashed the base of her staff into the floor at 
Halcyon's feet. "You cannot linger here."
	One of Lapis' chains arced through the air and slashed across 
her back. Pluto winced as a spray of blood hit the walls, and made 
sure Halcyon was looking right at her. "You will make it through 
the courtyard," she stated. "But you must leave now."
	Halcyon glared at Pluto, but lowered her arms and turned 
away.
	Pluto had little time to watch their queen flee as she 
deflected another pair of chains from taking off her head. Beside 
her, Saturn gritted through the pain as she was forced to limp back 
against one of the columns in the corridor.
	Lapis was spinning, closing the distance between them, the 
expression on her face joyous as the chains snaked around her arms 
and legs and waist. "Dance for me, my pretty soldiers," she 
whispered to the sky. "Dance until you worship me with every last 
drop of your blood."


				*	*	*
	There were a handful of shelters still standing around the 
palace.
	Hundreds of Lunarians fled towards them.
	Most died in the attempt.
	Sailor Venus protected the ones she could. Outside, beneath 
the terrifying wrath of Metalia, she perched atop a broken column 
and shouted as many orders as she could to whoever might listen. 
Dozens of frightened people scrambled past her, tripping over 
broken rocks and each other in the hopes of reaching the doors to 
the nearby shelter. 
	The winds tore at the edges of Venus' uniform, and the howl 
from the black mass above was almost deafening. It had once been an 
enormous promenade, meant for outdoor galas, and the far end had 
once connected to a portion of the skating rink. Venus had watched 
earlier as a single bolt of Metalia's infernal lightning 
obliterated the rink.
	She turned her head as a legion of shadows swept across the 
promenade, their forms bounding over the crumbling walls and 
toppled pillars. Sailor Venus pushed the long ends of her hair away 
from her eyes, taking a quick headcount. There were easily thirty-
five enemies coming for them. These ones weren't human.
	Venus glanced down at the Lunarian soldiers positioned around 
her. 
	Four garrisons had been put under her command.
	Beryl's armies had whittled it down to two.
	"Hold the line!" Venus shouted. She redirected her attention 
as a shadow passed overhead. Venus flung her Love-Me Chain into the 
belly of a youma, and allowed herself the satisfaction of seeing 
the youma jolted in midair before it plunged to the ground. 
	The youma smashed into the Lunarian guards, pushing them 
back. Numerous screams and sprays of blood rose into the air. Venus 
flung a barrage of Crescent Beam attacks, taking out whatever 
demons she could. For their part, the youma mostly ignored her. 
They didn't care about the Sailor Soldier. They wanted the blood of 
the men and women fighting alongside her. She wasn't sure if it was 
so they could just overpower her once she was the only one left 
standing.
	A shriek carried across the promenade, causing multiple heads 
to turn.
	A mother hobbled towards the shelter, two frightened children 
desperately clinging to her. Venus' eyes widened as she saw the 
youma take notice. She was gone from her place in a heartbeat, 
racing across the broken courtyard. Five youma rampaged alongside 
her, galloping on all fours in an effort to reach the mother and 
children first.
	One tried to ram the side of its immense body against her. 
Sailor Venus responded by flinging her Love-Me Chain through it. 
She grabbed hold of the chain, came to a dead stop and yanked as 
hard as she could on it. The impaled beast whined as it was lifted 
off the ground and flung into its compatriots. Youma spilled across 
the earth, stunned and disoriented. Sailor Venus whirled and sent 
the chain into the bodies of another two youma, clearing the path 
even further. She never stopped moving, never stopped drawing 
closer to the mother and children. 
	A blinding light exploded from overhead.
	The world slowed, and Sailor Venus watched in surprise as 
everything around her burst into a thousand pieces and danced 
around her. She became weightless, drifting through the air as the 
violet glow of Metalia's power surged around her. The youma 
vanished. The mother and children vanished. 
	Her body felt so warm.
	Venus' eyes slid shut, and darkness overtook her.
	When she opened them again, Lunaria had been wiped almost 
clean off the moon. She could see no impressive buildings, find no 
sprawling towers or walls. Distant rumbles from Metalia echoed 
across the air, but the rest of the moon seemed hauntingly silent. 
Broken remnants of the world she'd fought so hard to protect laid 
scattered around her. 
	Venus turned her head.
	Amidst the destruction and ruins, a long banqueting table had 
been set up, plates and goblets and utensils carefully set up for 
five people. Two large, covered trays sat in the middle of the 
table. 
	A chair at the far end had been pushed out slightly, inviting 
her to join. Three other chairs ran the length of the table, and 
they were covered in silver dropcloths. Sailor Venus slowly looked 
to the far end of the table, her entire body chilled as she saw 
Kunzite leisurely sprawled out in the last chair. He leaned to one 
side, his chin propped up on his hand. 
	He watched her with such loving eyes. "Hello, Minako."
	Venus didn't move. 
	The hand behind her back began to gesture for a Crescent Beam 
attack.
	Kunzite stretched out an arm and motioned for her to sit in 
the vacant chair. "Please," he insisted. "I've gone through a lot 
of trouble getting us a private table for this apocalypse, and you 
have no idea how hard it is to make the youma travel around this 
spot. Don't make me beg."
	Sailor Venus took a few apprehensive steps towards the table. 
She declined his offer and remained standing. "What do you want?"
	Kunzite glanced up at the blackened skies. "Magnificent, 
isn't she?" he said. "I wish you could have been there to see her, 
Minako. I still can't fully describe how I felt when I witnessed 
Metalia emerge from her tomb. But I do know one thing: just 
thinking about it makes me restless. I can hardly sit still."
	Venus watched with eyes that revealed both the hurt of seeing 
him like this and the blind fear of not knowing what he might do 
next. She asked again: "What do you want, Kunzite?"
	He smiled at her. "Look under your chair, Minako. I've 
brought something for you."
	She risked a glance beneath the chair, and saw a small box 
wrapped in a single, golden bow. Venus looked back at Kunzite. 
"What's in it?"
	Kunzite's smile turned vicious. "Guess."
	Sailor Venus approached the chair and carefully slid it aside 
with the heel of her boot. She studied the box, glancing over at 
Kunzite every now and again. He watched her with notable amusement 
on his face. 
	"During our campaigns on Earth," he said, "the other Generals 
and I used to sit around the fires and idly wonder how we'd be 
remembered. Would this battle be our last, and how might we die? 
Would they sing epic songs about us when we were gone? Would we 
carve our names into eternity?"
	Venus reached out, hesitated and balled her hand into a fist. 
With one final, decisive motion she tore the lid from the box. The 
lid clattered to the ground beside her, and Sailor Venus felt her 
heart lurch within her chest as she gazed inside: sitting upon a 
beautiful pillow was an elegant tiara adorned with three Star 
Sapphires of different sizes.
	"I had it carefully crafted to match your pendant," Kunzite 
told her. "Admittedly, I had to guess the size, but I'm sure we can 
adjust it if needs be."
	Sailor Venus turned to him and whispered, "It's beautiful." 
	She was fighting back tears.
	"I hoped you would like it," Kunzite said. "A beautiful crown 
for my beautiful princess. And now for the feast."
	He made a simple gesture in the air, and the lids flipped off 
the two trays, revealing hot, sumptuous foods. The dropcloths were 
also lifted off the three other chairs.
	The first thing Venus saw were the ends of Yurino's hair.
	She jerked back as if she had been shocked. Repulsed and 
horrified, she stumbled away from the table, her hands covering her 
mouth. "No," she whispered. "Oh god, no..."
	"After all the courtesy your family showed us," Kunzite said 
to her, "I felt it rude not to have everyone celebrate these final 
moments together. Of course, I couldn't exactly carry all three of 
them across the moon, so I had to settle for this."
	He paused and frowned at Venus' reaction. "Well, go ahead and 
try on your tiara. There's no sense in me bringing along their 
heads if you're not going to show it off to them."
	Sailor Venus stared at the empty expressions of her father, 
mother and sister. Tears streamed down her face. She tried to look 
away, tried to somehow wake up from the nightmare and make it all 
disappear. She collapsed to her knees, clutching at her head, and 
she let out a scream and a sob all at once.
	When she lifted her head, any love, any hope she might have 
still had for him was gone. "You...you bastard!"
	"Always like a woman to overreact," Kunzite sighed, rolling 
his eyes at her. He rose from his chair and stepped away from the 
table. "So how would you like to be remembered, Minako? When they 
see your name carved in blood across eternity, what will they sing 
about?"
	Venus still glared at him, the shock being remade into rage. 
As she rose to her feet her entire body started to tremble, as if 
the wrath could no longer be contained within her and was now 
leaking out into the air itself. In a hoarse voice she hissed, 
"I'll kill you." 
	Kunzite nodded in approval. "That's my girl."
	She was on him faster than he'd expected, faster than he 
could draw his weapon.
	Sailor Venus came across the banquet table, dishes and 
goblets spilling around her, shattering upon the stone. The Venus 
Love-Me Chain was in her hands, coiled tightly around her wrist as 
she drew back her arm and leapt off the end of the table. She 
soared through the air, her shadow falling upon Kunzite.
	He threw himself sideways, the ends of the Love-Me Chain 
tearing into the ground not a step behind him. Rock pummelled his 
uniform, and the coils of the heart-linked chain ripped apart the 
courtyard as they gave chase. Kunzite unsheathed his katana, 
swinging the blade against the full fury of Venus' attack.
	The chain collided with his sword in an explosion of sparks.
	Kunzite was forced back, almost tripping over his own feet.
	He stumbled, and the Love-Me Chain snaked itself around his 
neck. Sailor Venus never hesitated and tightened the coils. Kunzite 
was wrenched forward, his lungs filled with searing pain as he 
tried to yank the chain away with his free hand. He could barely 
smell the stench as the chain burned into whatever of his flesh it 
was pressed against.
	Venus stepped forward, the stranglehold tightening again.
	Kunzite tipped his head up. Instead of fear, all she saw was 
the grin on his face. Suddenly he was on his feet and charging her. 
The Love-Me Chain started to go slack. Venus was forced to let go, 
the chain vanishing as Kunzite took a swipe at her face with his 
sword. Freed from the chain, Kunzite gasped for air.
	He was given little chance to rest.
	A volley of Crescent Beams crashed into the ground all around 
him. Kunzite danced around each attack, even taking the opportunity 
to hit one of the Crescent Beams back at Sailor Venus. Not 
surprisingly, she evaded it with minimal effort.
	Kunzite raced to the banquet table and kicked it over. He 
caught sight of Venus in his peripherals. A glimpse was all he 
required. He kicked the overturned table, sending it into the air. 
Sailor Venus cut the table in half with her Love-Me Chain.
	The distraction gave him the opening he desired.
	Before the debris had the chance to be caught by gravity, he 
lunged for Venus, ready to plunge his katana into her heart. The 
fragments of the table spun out of the way, and Kunzite saw her 
standing before him--her free hand outstretched and pointing at 
him. The Crescent Beam attack slammed into his chest, knocking 
Kunzite backwards. He shot over the dining chairs and crashed into 
the remains of a wall.
	Sailor Venus raced after him.
	She summoned her Love-Me Chain once more and scaled one of 
the dining chairs, the golden whip being brought back for one final 
strike. Kunzite was picking himself out of the stone and dust, 
blood on his lips as he coughed. His katana had been lost from his 
grip.
	Sailor Venus lunged for him, her Love-Me Chain cutting 
through the air towards his head. Kunzite patiently awaited the 
killing blow, and dodged it. He jerked his head to the side, the 
tip of the chain shearing off part of his hair as it burrowed into 
the wall. Before Venus could shift her momentum, Kunzite sprang 
forward.
	He plunged his hand into her chest, not stopping until his 
fingers punched through her back. He felt Venus's body convulse, 
felt her warmth run down his arm and course onto his uniform. She 
let out a final, dying gasp for air.
	Kunzite pulled Sailor Venus close to him.
	"Forever, my love," he whispered into her ear.  
	With a last shudder, Venus' head fell onto his shoulder, her 
blonde hair spilling over him. Kunzite held her there, unwilling to 
let her go even as she went limp and he was forced to carry her.
	Somewhere overhead, Metalia rumbled in delight.
	Kunzite loosed his embrace, and Sailor Venus fell to the 
ground like a broken doll. Her unblinking eyes stared off into 
nothing. Kunzite could almost swear he saw the betrayed look still 
in them. 
	Something wet glided down his face, surprising him. 
	Though he felt no sadness or remorse, he was crying. 
	Kunzite scowled and wiped them away. "Damn," he muttered. The 
last thing he needed was for his queen to question his loyalty, 
here and now of all times. He cast a final look down at the fallen 
Sailor Soldier. Her blood now covered most of the stonework beneath 
her.
	Kunzite turned and walked away.
	The tears continued to fall.


				*	*	*
	Within the Fire Chamber, Nephrite and Super Sailor Mars stood 
perfectly still.
	Within their minds, they never stopped moving.
	Mindscapes crumbled and were resurrected. Realities were torn 
to shreds and rebuilt in seconds. Nephrite came at her with new 
tactics and new levels of sadism. Even in a mindscape there were 
corners he could back her into. Weapons crafted solely for pure 
brutality appeared all around her--in the air, up through the 
ground, in his hands--and her fire destroyed them all. He summoned 
serpents forged from metal and dragons made of corpses, sending 
them forth to devour her. 
	Super Sailor Mars flinched, numerous times, but never 
hesitated to retaliate. She made the heavens rain down fire and 
turned the earth turn into a giant, dreadful maw. Once or twice, 
Nephrite felt a stab of worry course through his body. 
	Whatever he tried, it ultimately failed.
	He could not force her back.
	Nephrite couldn't help but smile at her defences; for her to 
have come this far, Super transformation or not, was an incredible 
feat to behold. He quickly ducked a Flame Sniper that almost took 
his head off. Usually she followed it up with another two fiery 
arrows. However, she was breathing hard. Even in the mindscape, one 
could get winded and tired. They were wearing each other down.
	"Well," Nephrite remarked, bending down and sucking in a long 
breath of air. "This is pointless."
	"You're just being too damned stubborn," Mars said, equally 
winded. "If you'd just let me finish you off, we wouldn't be here, 
would we?"
	Nephrite began to laugh as he stood back up. "There's a big 
difference between saying you'll kill someone," he told her, "and 
actually doing it."
	He tore himself from her mind, flinging them both back into 
the Fire Chamber.
	Mars teetered from the jarring shift, her senses momentarily 
overcome.
	Nephrite was upon her before she could see his shadow fall 
over her. Mars let out a scream as the blade of his sword cut 
through flesh and bone, piercing her right shoulder. The darkness 
pulsated and flowed into her.
	The Fire writhed along with Mars, its flames twitching and 
flickering from scarlet to black. 
	Nephrite pulled the blade out, leaving Super Sailor Mars to 
collapse onto the ground. Her entire body began to shake, and she 
desperately clutched at her wound though there was no blood. Her 
eyes widened and the voice was choked out from her throat.
	"Quite the interesting sensation, isn't it?" Nephrite said as 
he paced around her. "I distilled it from some of the water that 
was tainted when Metalia exploded across the ruined city. I've 
already tested this poison on quite a few living creatures. It'll 
devour you from the inside out if I let it. If that's what you 
wish. You're going to die here anyway, but at least I'll let you 
decide how."
	He knelt down next to Mars, a finger gently stroking the side 
of her face.
	"I can walk away right now and leave you be," he said. "The 
poison will take hours, but it will be exquisite and agonizing. Or, 
we continue until I kill you. You won't live as long, but at least 
you won't die writhing in torment."
	Super Sailor Mars stared up at him, tears streaming down her 
cheek. Nephrite wasn't sure if it was from the agony or over his 
cruelty, but he enjoyed her expression regardless. Behind him, the 
Fire thrashed, its flames changing from black to red to black 
again.
	It began to falter and shrink.
	A sudden burst of fire and heat overtook the chamber, forcing 
Nephrite to shield his face. He stumbled sideways, almost losing 
grip of his katana. The flare vanished as quickly as it had 
appeared, but now the flames burned as they had before.
	Nephrite lowered his arm from his face and saw Mars slowly 
rising off the ground. She clenched her fists and turned towards 
him. There was no pain in her eyes, only fierce anger. Her hair 
began to billow out around her. The aura of her power manifested, a 
crimson light radiating around her body. 
	"That's a new trick," Nephrite remarked. He made a quick 
inspection of his blade. "I didn't think even a Sailor Solider was 
strong enough to purge that little bite of poison."
	He glanced over at the Fire and then at Mars' navel. Nephrite 
saw the soft glow of her tattoo through the fabric of her uniform. 
He laughed and shook his head. "At last, the answers appear."
	Nephrite moved towards her and sheathed his sword.
	"Adrift in the mindscape, I somehow sensed where you were," 
he said, "but only when Beryl was ready to kill you. And then again 
when the Darkstorm attacked you in your own mind. And now, when 
that poison should still be destroying you. You can't be killed, 
can you, Super Sailor Mars? Not so long as that firebrand stays on 
your body. Not so long as that seal of protection remains intact."
	He came to a stop a few steps away from her.
	"Tell me, does cutting it off your flesh negate the seal?" 
Nephrite grinned. "Or do I get to find out the fun way?"
	The grin vanished from his face as Mars spun around and 
kicked him in the head. Nephrite crashed onto the floor, rolling 
back onto his feet. He wiped off a dribble of blood from the corner 
of his mouth and remarked, "Oh, I was hoping it'd be the fun way."
	He charged, his sword drawn with frightening speed. Super 
Sailor Mars unleashed her Flame Sniper, the attack driving away the 
shadows within the chamber. As the arrow raged towards him, 
Nephrite did not slow down. He licked his lips as the Flame Sniper 
sliced through the air, and drove his katana into the attack. The 
Flame Sniper was cleaved in half, two enormous streams of fire 
veering off on either side of him.
	The room shuddered as they spiralled out of control and 
ploughed into the walls. Stone was thrown everywhere, the wooden 
beams splintering apart. Mars took a step back, sucking in a breath 
at the sight of her attack being so easily destroyed. 
	Nephrite exploded through the smoke and ashes, roaring as he 
launched his weapon at Mars' chest. Frantic, Mars twisted her body 
in an effort to dodge the edge of Nephrite's blade. He caught her 
across the chest, inches above the tattoo. Mars let out a cry of 
pain as blood seeped into the torn ends of her uniform. She 
stumbled, but did not fall.
	Nephrite let his inertia carry him forward a few more feet, 
sliding to a stop. He turned and watched her intently. Mars' blood 
flowed freely from her wound, running down into her pleated skirt. 
She clutched at the cut with one hand, her glove stained crimson in 
seconds. And yet the look Mars gave him was still ferocious.
	The Fire shifted behind her. 
	Flames swerved and corkscrewed, and then returned to their 
original, burning state. 
	When Mars drew her hand away from her chest, the blood 
remained, but the wound was gone. A thin, almost invisible scar ran 
across her skin. Nephrite's eyes narrowed, and he began to pace, 
staring at her like a caged panther.
	It would have been a mistake to think he was suddenly having 
misgivings about his victory. Super Sailor Mars knew that full 
well, and didn't give him the chance to create a new strategy. She 
hurled her attacks at him, the air alive with fire and choking 
smoke.
	Fireballs scorched the floors and shattered the stone walls. 
Nephrite was unable to get anywhere near her as he veered left and 
right, desperate to evade the latest barrage being launched his 
way. Mars drove him towards the back of the room, to the corners 
where he'd have nowhere to run.
	All too quickly Nephrite found himself pinned down.
	Panting heavily he looked at Mars, his eyes daring her to try 
and finish the kill.
	Mars raised her arms in the familiar stance, the flaming bow 
and arrow appearing in her grasp. She tipped her head down ever so 
slightly, levelling the arrowhead with his chest.
	"Forgive me," she whispered.
	She released the Flame Sniper.
	As the arrow screamed through the air, Nephrite moved.
	Not left or right. Not even forwards.
	Mars watched in surprise and confusion as Nephrite vaulted 
into the air, his momentum carrying him high over her head. Not 
once did he turn back or try to fling his katana down at her. Mars 
let her gaze shift ahead, and she forgot to breathe.
	His target was the Fire.
	Nephrite didn't try to escape the heat or the flames. He 
dropped into the middle of the alter. As his boots smashed onto the 
wood, Nephrite plunged his katana into the heart of the Fire, 
emptying every last drop of poison the weapon possessed. A 
deafening roar exploded from the Fire, the flames writhing and 
slashing at Nephrite's body. Nephrite ignored the smoke and burning 
pain. He drove the sword in deeper.
	Super Sailor Mars screamed, dropping to her knees as blood 
spilled over her lips. 
	Her breathing slowed.
	Nephrite didn't move, relishing the sound of hissing air as 
the flames turned black and died around him. Smoke poured out from 
the wood.
	Blood began to run from Mars' eyes and ears.
	Her tattered uniform became stained crimson in the design of 
the firebrand.
	Nephrite delivered the final twist of the knife.
	The Fire was snuffed out, and Super Sailor Mars dropped to 
the floor.
	The chamber became silent, Nephrite's heavy breathing the 
only sound that pervaded the quiet. Slowly he rose to his feet, 
releasing his hold on his sword. It was left behind to mark the 
grave of the sacred flames.
	Nephrite jumped off the edge of the alter and made his way 
across the floor to Mars. She stared up at the ceiling with cold, 
lifeless eyes. Nephrite idly wondered what the last though to go 
through her mind had been. He knelt down next to her and slid his 
palm down her face, closing her eyes.  
	"My perfect priestess," he murmured, "second only to Beryl 
herself."
	He leaned over and pressed his lips against hers.


				*	*	*
	Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune fled, and Cioran chased 
after them. They bounded across the floors and off walls, diving 
and springing wherever they could. Cioran slashed at each of them 
in turn, targeting the closest at any given moment. The fissures 
created by his scythe spewed noxious smoke, and the palace melted 
around him.
	So far, the two Outer Soldiers had managed to stay unscathed. 
	"He's gaining on us," Neptune said.
	Uranus risked a glance over her shoulder. "I know."
	The reach of Cioran's scythe put them at a distinct 
disadvantage; even with her Space Sword, she couldn't get close 
enough without being chopped apart first. And any ground they could 
make up while Cioran was off-balance after an attack was taken away 
by the poisons being spread across the air in the scythe's wake. In 
the crumbling hallways, they had no room to fight.
	The battlefield had to change.
	Uranus saw a towering wall of broken window frames at the far 
end of the hall. Beyond it, one of Lunaria's great gardens burned. 
"Here we go," Uranus muttered to herself.
	Cioran slashed at the air behind them, a shadowy trail 
radiating out from the tip of the scythe. The air turned cold as 
Uranus and Neptune dove through an empty window frame. Seconds 
behind, Cioran's attack blew apart the framework, glass shards 
spitting in all directions as the metal beams bubbled and turned to 
liquid.
	The air was no more pleasant outside.
	Everything reeked of death and Metalia.
	Uranus hit the ground running, Neptune veering off in a 
different direction.
	Cioran landed and paused as he chose which Soldier he'd chase 
after. His grin broadened as he followed Uranus' trail. The 
cobblestone pathways wove around fiery bushes and ash-stricken 
trees. Cioran slowed his pace as he reached a winding canal with a 
scarlet bridge spanning its length. Corpses and dirt had turned the 
once clear waters into a bog-like mess.
	Sailor Uranus erupted from the murky water, Space Sword held 
aloft as she came for him. Cioran reacted a second too late, his 
scythe cleaving the water behind her. The canal went from grey to 
black, the waters frothing violently. 
	Uranus launched the Space Sword at Cioran's head. 
	The shining blade arced through the air and almost buried 
itself in Cioran's ear. He jerked his head to the side, the sword 
grazing his face and leaving a slender burn mark on his skin. 
Uranus rolled onto her shoulder as she hit the ground, never 
stopping as she rounded Cioran and scooped the Space Sword back 
into her grasp. Cioran regained his balance, swinging his scythe to 
meet her attack.
	Uranus raked her Space Sword down against the scythe.
	Lightning crackled off the two clashing blades.
	They pushed against their weapons, trying to shove the other 
aside. Their equal strength left them stalemated. Cioran smiled at 
Uranus through the sparks and lightning. "This is the way it was 
meant to be for people like us," he said to her. "Better to be 
slain amidst open combat than cower in the corners. We are kindred, 
Sailor Uranus, and we will not be satisfied until one of us lies 
dead upon the cold earth."
	"Deep Submerge!"
	The wall behind him exploded.
	Cioran made a slight glance over his shoulder as Neptune's 
attack roared towards him. He released one of his hands from the 
pole of the scythe and held it out at the Deep Submerge. The tidal 
orb smashed into his palm, the water spilling in all directions. 
	A fine mist rained down on him and Uranus.
	Uranus growled as she watched Cioran continue to fend her off 
with only one hand on his scythe. "The last time we met," she said, 
"you said you were disappointed we couldn't finish our battle. So 
why don't you stop wasting my time and actually try killing me?"
	"But then I'd be lonely," Cioran said. "The end of the world 
isn't quite so entertaining when you don't have any friends left 
alive to enjoy it with." 
	He pushed forward and shoved Uranus aside.
	Sailor Neptune dropped from above, unleashing another Deep 
Submerge. Cioran vaulted away, leaving the attack to carve a deep, 
watery crater into the ground. He landed upon the remnants of an 
archway. The blade of the scythe shone a bloody violet beneath the 
glow of the Darkstorm.
	"This isn't a game, Cioran," Uranus shouted at him. "Look 
around you! We don't have time for this."
	Cioran leaned against the pole of his scythe. "Oh, but it is 
a game. Unfortunately, you haven't figured out the rules quiet yet. 
I'm disappointed, to be honest. I thought you Outer Soldiers were a 
little more diabolical than this."
	Uranus froze, the Space Sword lowering. "You're not here to 
fight us."
	Neptune turned to her partner in mute horror.
	"Ah, now we understand the way this game is played," Cioran 
said. "Tell me, Sailor Uranus, while the four Outer Soldiers face 
impossible odds, who is guarding your queen?"


				*	*	*
	Alone, Halcyon slipped through the empty corridors of the 
palace. The world crumbled around her, bodies strewn around every 
corner. She forced herself to keep moving past the corpses; it was 
difficult not to stop and bend down next to so many familiar faces. 
Members of the cooking staff; guardians and soldiers; courtesans 
and children--almost all of them had gone violently.
	Halcyon could feel the rage seething inside. It made the 
Silver Crystal resonate unpleasantly, like she was on the verge of 
throwing up. For now, all she could do was trust in her Sailor 
Soldiers and make her way towards the Sanctum. Pluto had been 
right--the courtyard was deserted when she crossed it, and nothing 
paid any attention to her. Oddly enough, now that she was back 
inside the palace walls, she felt at lot more in harm's way.
	She rounded a bend and turned in the direction leading to the 
Sanctum.
	A headless corpse plummeted from above, smacking wetly on the 
ground right in front her. Halcyon jerked backwards and almost lost 
her footing. It had been a woman once. Now it lay strewn upon the 
ground, its chest torn open and one of its hands missing. Halcyon 
fought back the bitter taste building in her throat and looked up 
to the buttresses.
	Two crimson eyes burned through the darkness, staring down at 
her.
	"Her name was Amalthea," came Jadeite's voice, "and she 
begged for her life."
	He dropped the head of the corpse, watching as it bounced off 
the floor and rolled across Halcyon's feet. "Would you like to know 
which part of her I ate first?"
	The Ginzuisho reacted instantly, its power flaring up in 
alarm.
	His transformation was even more frightening than any of 
Endymion's descriptions. Halcyon held her breath as she saw 
Jadeite's silhouette shifting in the darkness above.
	Jadeite let himself fall backwards and dropped to the ground. 
He didn't get back up after landing, crouching low to the earth. 
The Lunarian uniform he wore was torn in numerous places, blood 
marking his clothes, face and hair. And despite the smile on his 
face, he did not look as if he was enjoying himself.
	"Your children of forever seem to have abandoned you," he 
said to Halcyon.
	Halcyon did not quiver in his presence, staring him down just 
as Nephrite had. "If that is what you believe," she stated, "then 
you are dangerously mistaken."
	Jadeite's tongue slathered across his lips. "And yet here you 
are, all alone with no one left to protect you."
	"They fight for peace and for Lunaria," Halcyon said. "They 
have not abandoned hope, and so they have not abandoned me. They 
will resist you with their last breath."
	Jadeite's eyes narrowed, the claws at his fingertips growing 
in length. "And you've wasted yours on pretty sentiments."
 	He leapt at her.
	Halcyon was waiting. She threw her arms out, the Ginzuisho 
manifesting between her open palms. The power of the crystal 
exploded, beams of light engulfing the corridor. The demon howled 
as Jadeite's body was struck by the light. Jadeite crashed to the 
ground, writhing as a war was waged for dominion over his body.
	The demon clawed at Jadeite's being. It scratched and tore 
and clung to whatever shreds of soul it could. Relentless, the 
Ginzuisho pushed the demon back, burning the evil until there was 
nowhere else the demon could go. It fled from Jadeite's body, 
desperate to escape back into Metalia. All it found as it departed 
was the purifying light of the Silver Crystal.
	There was a final screech, a last hiss, then nothing. 
	Halcyon lowered her arms, the Ginzuisho vanishing from sight. 
She suddenly felt as if she'd run a marathon and had to prop 
herself up against a large fragment of what used to have been the 
ceiling. She watched as Jadeite shivered on the floor, a cold sweat 
covering his body. For as much as the act had drained her, Halcyon 
smiled at seeing one of the Shitennou returned to them.
	She took a step towards him. "Jadeite..."
	Jadeite managed to lift his head, and his own voice came from 
his lips: "Bitch!"
	Halcyon stopped short.
	She had underestimated Lapis' power. Jadeite's mind was still 
twisted into servitude under Beryl's command, and all he knew was 
how much he hated her. He glared at Halcyon as he picked himself up 
and crawled away, disappearing through the cracks in the walls.
	The smile faded from Halcyon's face. She lowered her head and 
silently cursed Beryl for bringing back the Darkstorm. 
	The Sanctum was close.
	She had to keep moving.


				*	*	*
	Endymion risked a moment to catch his breath.
	The long onslaught of enemies didn't seem to end, and in 
order to keep Serenity as safe as he could, he had to face each of 
them alone. His lungs burned. His muscles ached. His armour was 
dented and scratched in countless places, bits of youma splashed 
across every piece. He could feel the power being slowly drained 
from his body with each successive use of the Golden Crystal. If 
the war continued relentless like this for even just an hour, he 
would have nothing left in him. He needed to stop and rest. 
	Endymion glanced back over his shoulder and saw Serenity 
gasping for breath. She'd kept the frantic, running pace with him 
this far. Exhaustion was etched into her expression; her dress was 
torn in a few spots and somewhere along the way she had picked up a 
poleaxe from a fallen soldier. She looked ready to collapse, but 
her eyes reflected the sheer determination that kept her going.
	Endymion looked ahead at the two Mau cats leading the way. 
"How much further is it!" he called out.
	Luna turned her head and said, "We still have a ways to go."
	"Provided it hasn't already been destroyed," Artemis 
muttered.
	A coarse roar sounded behind him.
	Out from one of the many fires littering the palace leapt an 
enormous youma. Its body burned as it launched itself through the 
air, claws splayed open. Endymion watched it with displeasure, and 
didn't even deign to raise his sword against it. A single rose 
through the forehead took the beast down before it could even land.
	Another youma came charging from behind on all fours. 
Endymion grimaced and rolled his eyes. One clean cut from his sword 
and the upper half of the youma was sent spinning through the air. 
	The noise, however, attracted others.
	A small legion of enemies charged in from an adjacent 
corridor, forcing the two cats to run.
	These weren't youma.
	Endymion saw Serenity's resolve waver, the poleaxe beginning 
to slip out of her hands as she saw fellow human beings curse her, 
curse Lunaria, and scream for her blood. Muttering a few choice 
profanities under his breath, Endymion stepped forward, gathered 
his fading strength and prepared for the assault.
	The soldiers converged on him as one. 
	Endymion closed his eyes and spun himself around, the Golden 
Crystal granting him near inhuman speed. The Soul Constellation 
ripped apart the soldiers, body parts raining down around him. 
Endymion slowed to a stop and nearly pitched over. He used the 
sword to steady himself.
	Endymion glanced over at Artemis, who gave him a grateful 
nod.
	The hall suddenly lurched as Metalia hurled down another 
barrage of lightning. The walls around them were dashed to pieces. 
Supports crumpled and the ceiling came crashing down. Endymion 
grabbed Serenity around the waist and vaulted out of the way, 
barely escaping the collapse.
	The hallway became enshrouded in dust.
	When Endymion looked back, all he could see was an enormous 
pile of broken rubble blocking the way back. He looked closer and 
realized both the cats were gone.
	The poleaxe clattered to the ground as Serenity raced to the 
base of the rubble. Wildly she dug through the fragments and 
stones, flinging them aside as she cried out, "Luna! Artemis!"
	Endymion tried not to wince as her voice carried across the 
corridors.
	Serenity heaved one last rock aside, then hung her head. 
"They made it out, didn't they?" she asked in a quiet voice. 
"They're stuck on the other side, alive and safe, and we just can't 
hear their voices. That's it, isn't it?"
	Endymion was too exhausted to lie. "I don't know."
	He leaned down and gently grasped Serenity by the arm. "We 
have to go. We have to keep moving."
	Serenity squeezed her fists, tears running down her face no 
matter how hard she tried to force them back. She choked back a sob 
and let Endymion pull her to her feet. But when he tried to comfort 
her, Serenity moved away, walking down the hallway.
	"I'm sure they're safe," Endymion said to her.
	Serenity paused next to her poleaxe and picked it up. She 
didn't look back at him. "I know the way." 
	Endymion hesitated for a moment.
	He reaffirmed his grip on his sword and followed her.


				*	*	*
	Zoicite wandered the ballroom. 
	The fog swirled around him. All he could see were shifting 
wisps of grey. 
	He didn't know what exactly had happened, but every last 
soldier or youma in the room were dead. All he'd sensed was a 
sudden chill in the air, and then the screams came. Dozens of youma 
shrieking their last before something terrible destroyed them. He'd 
tried to locate one of the creatures based on the noise they made; 
all Zoicite found were puddles of blood and gore, like something 
had crushed them and torn their bodies apart all at once. 
	Had she done this all on her own?
	Zoicite slowly looked around, and saw only fog. He couldn't 
even see the ceiling over his head or the silhouettes of the 
columns. Zoicite tore a strip of mist and turned it into an ice 
shard. He twirled it between his fingers and muttered to himself, 
"Where are you hiding?"
	Sailor Mercury attacked from somewhere behind him.
	He heard her voice before he saw the attack.
	"Shining Aqua Illusion!"
	A rampant orb of ice blew through the fog, instantly freezing 
anything it touched. Zoicite dove for cover as the attack shot over 
his head. Pieces of rubble and youma littered the floor, cutting 
open Zoicite's uniform and leaving smears of blood across his 
sleeves and hands. Zoicite pushed himself up into a crouch and 
looked around wildly for his adversary.
	Mercury had melted back into the mist.
	Adrenaline pumped through Zoicite's body. His eyes darted 
left and right, desperate to find her form lurking somewhere in the 
fog. Zoicite spun around as he saw a shadow in the mist, flinging 
the ice shard at the target. 
	The crystal slammed into a pillar.
	Zoicite glared at it. "Shit!"
	Her voice called out from the fog once more, and the Shining 
Aqua Illusion came for him. Zoicite was forced to dive out of the 
way as the pillar turned into a block of ice. As he tumbled across 
the floor, he caught a brief glimpse of Mercury's uniform.
	Zoicite pulled a droplet of youma blood off his body and 
flung it at her.
 	He tagged her.
	It took considerable effort, but he followed after the 
droplet. It clung to Sailor Mercury's boot, leaving behind a trail 
substantial enough for Zoicite to sense. He watched as she darted 
back and forth, her position constantly changing. She hadn't 
changed tactics.
	Zoicite began to smile; she didn't know he could see her 
through the fog.
	She relied on it too much.
	He picked himself up and dusted off the front of his uniform. 
She was coming around behind him again, and she wasn't making a 
single sound. Zoicite marvelled at her stealth, but not for very 
long.
	She was preparing to attack.
	Zoicite crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. 
Patiently he stood and waited. When the moment came, he glanced 
over his shoulder and said, "I'm not going to fall for the same 
trick twice, you know." 
	He whirled, his hands tearing into the fog and crushing it to 
form an ice crystal. Zoicite flung the shard into the depths of the 
fog, a shudder of satisfaction running through his body as he heard 
Sailor Mercury cry out in pain. He followed her voice, his pace 
quickening as the distance between them closed. 
	Zoicite punched through the fog, his outstretched fist just 
missing Mercury's face. Holding her bloodied arm, she dodged his 
attack and tried to disappear back into the fog. Zoicite snarled 
and dropped to one knee. He slammed his palms onto the floor, and 
ice erupted from his fingertips. 
	Slender, pointed crystals shot up from the ground, the trail 
working its way towards Sailor Mercury. She leapt out of the way 
before the crystals impaled her from beneath. Her descent was 
swallowed up by the fog, and Zoicite laughed as she vanished from 
sight. 
	"You keep holding this mist," he said, "and you just give me 
more to work with. Or are your powers limited only to defence?" 
	Slowly he turned his head, glancing back out of the corner of 
his eye. He couldn't see her, but he knew she stood not ten steps 
away. Zoicite remained crouched, the fingers of his right hand 
twitching slightly. The patch of ice beneath him churned and 
liquefied, turning into a sharpened projectile.
	"Ready or not," he whispered, "here I come."
	He cut a swath through the fog, ripped it aside with a single 
gesture.
	Sailor Mercury stepped back, surprised and alarmed as she was 
suddenly exposed.
	Zoicite leapt to his feet, flinging the shard at her.
	Mercury reached back and grabbed at the fog. Instead of her 
hands breezing through the vapours, she grabbed hold of something 
solid. She yanked on the water in the air, in seconds crafting it 
into a long watery tendril following after her hand. She swung the 
tendril in front of her face. Zoicite's shards plunged into the 
water and went no further.
	Mercury lowered her arm, a cold expression on her face. She 
released her hold on the water, and it splashed onto the ground at 
her feet.
	"Is this the extent of your powers?" Zoicite asked her. "I 
came here expecting an epic battle, and all you can give me are 
parlour tricks and a lot of fancy dodging? You'd better not fuck 
the way you fight, or I'm going to be really disappointed."
	The mist shifted. Abruptly it pulled back, then surged 
forward, then pulled back again. It seemed indecisive, unable to 
retain its desired shape. 
	"Finally," Zoicite said, rolling his eyes. "I was wondering 
how long you could hold this up." 
	He paused.
	There was something unusually sinister in the way the fog 
moved and pulsed.
	"You misunderstand," Mercury told him. "I'm holding the fog 
back."
	Zoicite laughed. "From what?"
	"Killing you."
	The smile on Zoicite's face faded.
	"It hates you, Zoicite," she said. She spoke without passion 
or even sympathy, like she was talking to a stranger. "It didn't 
care much for you before, but now all you know is cruelty. Beryl 
gave you the power to wield it like I can, but she also made you 
deaf to the screams of the water as you wrench it apart with your 
every action. I have been fighting two battles here: one against 
you, and the other against the very force we are harnessing. And 
you wonder why I've been saving my stamina with minimal attacks."
	Zoicite's lips curled back into a snarl. "And now you're 
going to let it finish me off?"
	"I was hoping you could be changed back like Endymion," 
Mercury said. "But now I see there can be only one solution: if I 
am to protect Lunaria, to protect Serenity, you must die."
	Zoicite saw the sadness in her eyes. He saw how much she 
didn't want to do it, and he hated her for it. "You don't even have 
the dignity to kill me yourself?" he shouted at her.
	"I'm the soldier of water. Appropriately, I never get my 
hands dirty." She turned her back to him. "Good-bye, General."
	The fog engulfed her.
	For a moment, everything remained at an eerie standstill. 
	Then the fog surrounded and devoured Zoicite. It closed 
around him like a coffin, sucking the air from his lungs and 
crushing his limbs. Zoicite's eyes were wide as he felt the mist 
seep into his skin, working to pulverize him from the inside out. 
It would turn him into another puddle of splatter on the floor.
	Rage overtook his fear.
	This was not going to be the way he'd let himself die.
	He refused to be destroyed by a mere element.
	Lapis and Lazuli's giggles rang in his ears, and Zoicite's 
eyes widened. He roared as he expelled the mist from his body. All 
his madness and anger became directed at the fog, and he showed no 
mercy in slashing it to ribbons. With each new gash he made from 
his bare hands, the mist ruptured, drenching him in water. 
	Sundered, the fog burst apart.
	The air cleared instantly, and it began to rain in the 
ballroom.
	Zoicite saw Sailor Mercury and lunged for her. He punched her 
in the chest, following it with a strike across the face. Mercury 
crashed to the ground, holding her stomach.
	Zoicite leered down at her with a maniacal grin, on the verge 
of hysterical laughter. "You call this destiny, Sailor Mercury?" he 
exclaimed, and gestured for her to attempt something grander. "Am I 
gazing upon a fearsome warrior, or just a little girl who's out of 
her league? You're giving me nothing to enjoy. No cunning. No 
secret attacks. Not even a hint of becoming a Super Sailor. You let 
the water fight your battle for you."
 	A small, slender ice crystal was forged in the air next to 
his head.
	Zoicite's grin contorted into a snarl. "You disgust me." 
	The ice crystal lunged for Sailor Mercury.
	Mercury threw out her arm, and the ice shard jerked to a dead 
stop just inches from her palm. Zoicite stared down at her in 
surprise. He willed the shard to tear into her hand and crawl 
through her arm, but the shard did not respond. It stayed where it 
was, hovering between them.
	Mercury's eyes narrowed.
	The shard shot backwards through the air, and tried to tear 
out one of Zoicite's eyes. Zoicite recoiled, jerking his head 
aside. He wasn't fast enough. The pain was instant and blinding as 
the shard plunged into his right eye. Zoicite dropped to his knees, 
screaming and clutching his face. Blood spilled between his 
fingers. 
	"You'll pay for that, you little bitch!" he howled.
	The pain defied description, overwhelmed his senses. Zoicite 
choked it down as he grabbed at the shard still lodged in his eye, 
pulled it out and buried it in Mercury's shoulder. He grinned as he 
heard her scream.
	The shard pushed itself in further, deeper, worming its way 
in like a drill. Mercury convulsed as it broke through tendons and 
bones. Her eyes and widened and she let out a hoarse gasp as the 
crystal reached her veins. The shard morphed, changing its form. It 
branched out, hundreds of wriggling ends spreading through her 
bloodstream. Mercury's skin around the shard turned white, an 
intricate maze of deep blue pathways twisting just beneath the 
surface as the shard wormed through her body.
	Zoicite controlled the ice as much as he could, one hand 
still clutching at his wound. He kept Sailor Mercury alive and 
awake, savouring the torment he could see crawling through her 
flesh.
	Sailor Mercury's head lolled, her eyes rolling back into her 
skull. 
	Her body spasmed as the ice flooded her heart, and as she 
died Zoicite dragged his tongue along the side of her face. He 
licked his lips, enjoying the taste of her tears and sweat as she 
fell to the ground.
	She continued to twitch even after death.
	Zoicite slid up next to her and gazed around with ballroom 
with his good eye. 
	The rain was letting up. 
	"So much for destiny," he muttered.


				*	*	*
	Cioran's scythe spun across the courtyard, carving up the 
rocks in its path and leaving in its wake a vile trail of 
blasphemous vapours. Neptune was forced to abandon her escape 
attempt as she sidestepped the weapon. She turned and shot Cioran a 
cold, unimpressed look. 
	"Leaving so soon?" Cioran remarked. He held up his hand and 
caught the scythe as curved back through the air. "If you want to 
see Halcyon Queen so badly, you must kill me first."
	Uranus picked herself up off a pile of rubble, wincing as 
pain surged through her shoulder. She regrouped with Neptune, the 
both of them starting to show signs of fatigue and far too many 
close calls against Cioran's scythe.
	"I wonder how much longer you can hold on," Cioran said as he 
rested against his weapon. "I had hoped our battle would last 
significantly longer. Perhaps I'm being too thorough in my 
attacks."
	"Uranus," Neptune said quietly.
	"I know, I know," Uranus said. No matter the diversion they 
tried, it seemed impossible for one of them to leave the fight and 
find Halcyon. If anything, Cioran seemed to be enjoying the looks 
of growing frustration and worry on their faces.
	Neptune sprang across the courtyard, arcing around Cioran as 
she summoned her attack. The Deep Submerge glided over the broken 
rocks. Cioran turned and tried to rake the scythe down upon it. 
Abruptly the watery orb veered off, colliding with the base of a 
free-standing column. The column plummeted, its shadow falling over 
Cioran.
	Cioran hissed and swung his scythe upwards, the act cleaving 
the column apart. 
 	His back was turned.
	Uranus launched the Space Sword at him, putting every last 
bit of strength she could gather behind it. Cioran spun around, 
heaving his scythe. The flat of the blade struck the Space Sword 
and swatted it aside. He was expecting her to stare on grimly at 
her weapon, now useless and discarded. When Cioran looked at her, 
he found something else. Uranus did not hesitate as she raised her 
arm over her head and summoned her powers. With a shout of "World 
Shaking!" she smashed her fist into the ground, an orb of golden 
light rising up from the impact.
	The World Shaking rampaged across the courtyard, carving a 
hole through the ground as it raged towards Cioran. Instead of 
bracing himself for the assault, Cioran broke into a run and 
charged towards the orb. With a single swipe from his scythe, 
Uranus' attack was cleaved in half.
	Cioran became a blur of speed and colour, and suddenly he 
stood face to face with Sailor Uranus. He grinned, only doing it to 
show her how easily he could have killed her right there. Uranus 
didn't mind the gloating.
	 "Run!" she shouted
	Cioran whirled, but all he caught sight of was Neptune racing 
back into the palace. He smirked and opened his mouth to compliment 
Uranus. Before he could do that, Uranus punched him in the chest. 
Cioran glided backwards, clutching his stomach.
	"It seems I'll have to wrap this up sooner than expected," he 
said to Uranus. "Can't let either of you reach Halcyon Queen before 
Jadeite does."
	Cioran came at her, twirling his scythe around his entire 
body. He became a whirlwind of metal and infernal darkness, the air 
around them blackening from their conflict. Uranus frantically 
dodged the blade, ducking and twisting herself out of the way. 
Every now and again she was able to land a kick to Cioran's side or 
legs. He barely seemed to register any injury or pain; how much of 
that had been conditioned by the Seraphim, and how much was from 
power Beryl had given him?
	The scythe nearly took her head off, and Sailor Uranus dove 
for the ground. She rolled back into a crouch, but Cioran loomed 
over her. His eyes changed, no longer friendly and playful. 
	"It ends," he stated.
	"Deep Submerge!"
	Cioran glanced over his shoulder as Neptune's attack rampaged 
towards him. He tried not to sigh in disappointment before bending 
low and letting the scythe slice the orb in half. Water flew 
everywhere as the orb burst apart. 
	Hidden inside, protected from Cioran's attack, the Space 
Sword continued on its course.
	Cioran's eyes widened in surprise.
	The air was stolen from his voice as the Space Sword plunged 
into his chest, throwing him backwards. His fingers released the 
scythe. Somehow Cioran managed to stay on his feet, staring down at 
the jewelled hilt of the sword.
	The edges of his wound started to curl back and burn, blowing 
away like paper. Cioran let out an amused laugh and turned to the 
Outer Senshi. The Space Sword continued to purge his body, 
incinerating him from the inside out.
	Cioran licked his lips. "Magnificent."
	He was burned into nothing, the flecks that had once been his 
body caught up by the wind and scattered across Lunaria. The Space 
Sword fell to the ground. Uranus was reluctant to pick it back up.
	"It should not have ended like this," she muttered. "He was 
one of us. He should have been standing beside us."
	Neptune placed a hand on her lover's shoulder. "Mourn him 
later."
	"I know." Uranus tightened the grip on her Talisman. "Our 
Queen needs us."


				*	*	*
	It was Lunaria. Or it had been, once. Now all that could be 
seen were ruins and corpses. Broken stones and broken bodies 
littered the landscape. Everything seemed spattered in blood. The 
stars were blotted out by a writhing storm of black and purple 
light, while infernal veins of lightning coursed over the clouds 
before slamming themselves onto the desolate wastelands that used 
to be the moon palace. 
	Super Sailor Jupiter marched across the barren world. Her 
uniform was in tatters, her skin covered in a mix of dirt and 
blood. She said nothing, glancing up occasionally at Metalia. All 
around her, the gardens were scorched, the waterways dried up and 
fountains cracked apart. 
	She had been defending one of the safe havens, leading 
garrisons of soldiers as desperate Lunarians tried to escape the 
Darkstorm. Somehow they kept the tide of demons pushed back, 
watching as the doors to the refuge behind them sealed shut.
	For a moment, she allowed herself to believe those people 
would survive.
	And then Metalia had rained down with fire and vengeance, 
destroying the shelter in seconds. Everything they had fought for, 
everyone she had tried to protect...gone. When she'd regained 
consciousness, Jupiter had found herself half-buried beneath the 
rubble thrown up by Metalia's attack.
	She found no one left alive to protect.
	And so she swore to destroy whatever evil she found. 
	Super Sailor Jupiter stopped and slowly turned her head as a 
deafening roar sounded across the wasteland. They were coming for 
her. Swarms of youma bounded and trampled each other, and behind 
them were legions of Beryl's soldiers. 
	Jupiter cracked her knuckles. 
	"I," she whispered, "will not die here."
	She fought them with her fists.
	She fought them with lightning.
	One Super Soldier against almost a hundred adversaries, and 
she decimated their ranks. The air crackled with her power as she 
cut apart their lines, taking out scores of them with a single 
attack.  The few who made it within reach were punched or kicked 
aside, their bones and bodies broken apart. Others lost their 
weapons to her, and she used them against other foes. There was 
nothing she could do for the ones transformed into youma. At best 
she could release them into a peaceful afterlife. The human she 
spared as much as she could, though none were able to rise back up 
and fight once she was done with them.
	The battle was over in roughly ten minutes.
	In the end, Jupiter was the only one standing.
	She approached the last opponent left: a human soldier armed 
with a halberd and a colourful array of profanities. She ignored 
the obscenities spewed at her and broke his halberd in half over 
her leg. The man was knocked to the ground, but was quick to 
scuttle over to a discarded sword and grab it.
	Jupiter smashed the heel of her boot into his kneecap.
	With a piercing scream, the soldier released his sword and 
forgot all thoughts of trying to kill her. He flailed helplessly on 
the ground and spat, "Lunarian whore!"
	Jupiter shook her head and turned away. 
	Someone approached the battleground, the heel of their boots 
scratching over some loose pebbles. Jupiter paused and looked up at 
one of the broken buildings. There wasn't much left of the 
structure: the back half was gone, and the ceiling had all but 
collapsed. Most of its pillars had tumbled over or were dashed to 
pieces.
	Nephrite appeared at the edge of the rooftop, his hands 
crossed in front of his chest as he gazed down at the scenery. 
"Well," he remarked. "We have been busy."
	He glanced down at the soldier.
	The man on the ground moaned and rolled onto his stomach.
	"He'll live," Jupiter stated.
	"You've shattered his leg," Nephrite said.
	"It got him to stop fighting, didn't it?" 
	Nephrite chuckled as he watched the soldier try to crawl 
away. "Even at your most merciful, you're utterly ruthless." He 
glanced over at Jupiter. "Does that mean you'll spare me?"
	"That's a whole other matter entirely."
	Nephrite smirked and flung his katana down at the soldier. 
Super Sailor Jupiter grimaced and looked away as the blade sank 
into the man's face.
	"So there are no interruptions," Nephrite said to her. 
	Jupiter waited for him to come down, but Nephrite seemed more 
than content to keep his distance. She couldn't tell if he was 
being cautious or waiting on her for some unspoken cue.
	"Are you afraid to come down here?" she asked.
	Nephrite smiled in response.
	It made Jupiter shiver.
	He took a step away from the edge and bent down to scoop 
something up. When he returned, he tossed a body down to the 
courtyard below. Jupiter recoiled as Super Sailor Mars hit the 
ground, her limbs sprawling over the stones.
 	"I've already killed one Super Soldier," Nephrite said. "The 
sight of you does not make me tremble."
	Nephrite stepped off the rooftop and dropped onto the ground. 
He reached over, pulling his katana out from the dead soldier's 
head. "I had wondered why she was there," he said, "hidden in a 
small room while her comrades were out in the open fighting for 
their lives. She was protecting it, wasn't she?"
	Super Sailor Mars had made a pact of her own. She'd asked it 
for protection, granting her near immortality. And in return, if 
the Fire died, she would fall regardless of wherever she stood. She 
would have been its willing slave for the rest of her life.
	Nephrite shook his head. "She was a fool to bind her life to 
it. I so wanted to break her myself, and she denied me that. I had 
to kill a fire in order to kill her. And where's the fun in that?"
	Jupiter looked disoriented as she stared in horror at Mars' 
body. Her breathing quickened and she lost almost all of her focus. 
Nephrite examined his fingernails as he waited for her to regain 
her composure.
	"Better?" he asked.
	She didn't nod her head, but she did glare at him. 
	"Good. I want you focused for this." In one fluid motion, 
Nephrite sheathed his sword. With the poison drained from its 
blade, the katana was no more than a fanciful decoration that would 
not stand against Jupiter's power. And in all honesty, Nephrite 
preferred it that way.
	Jupiter cast another saddened, angry look at Mars. "Even you 
could not be so cruel." 
	"It's her own damned fault for taking on the firebrand," 
Nephrite said.
	"She did it because she believed in you!" Jupiter exclaimed. 
"Because she believed in what we were all fighting for!"
	Nephrite chuckled and stretched out his arms. "Things change. 
I changed. Beryl is all I know and serve now. So if you're ready, 
it's time we bring this to its inevitable, bloody conclusion." 
	Jupiter tensed, waiting for the attack to come.
	Nephrite made no movement against her. "Not that way, my 
dear. No farsensing."
	While she looked at him in surprise, Jupiter didn't lower her 
mental guards. Even then she felt nothing from Nephrite. No 
cautious approaches. No brazen inquisitions. He was not going 
anywhere near her with his mind. 
	"Rei was the only one I wanted to fight in a mindscape. But 
you...you must remain right here, aware of every little detail." 
Nephrite began to leer at her. "I really want to enjoy myself when 
I kill you."
	"If you can kill me," Jupiter said.
	"When," Nephrite stated. "The stars showed me many things, 
Jupiter. There are some destinies none of us can slip away from. 
You'll die here, and I will look over your corpse and smile."
	He moved faster than she expected, faster than any other 
opponent she'd encountered. He ran with purpose, without fear, 
closing the distance between them in mere seconds. Nephrite thrust 
his arm forward, more than ready to shove his fingers through her 
body.
	Jupiter's hand clamped down on his, bringing Nephrite to a 
jarring halt. The sudden stop did not even seem to faze him. 
Nephrite swung his free hand at her throat, but Jupiter's other 
hand wrapped around his forearm and held him in place.
	Nephrite tried to wrench his arms away from her, but her grip 
was like stone. They were both at awkward angles, their positions 
making it near impossible to twist aside and lash out with a kick. 
After a moment of standing about uselessly, Nephrite looked at her 
and said, "Now what?" 
	There was a knowing smirk on Jupiter's face as she shrugged 
in response.
	Only then did Nephrite notice the strange rod protruding from 
atop her tiara. He glared at her. "You conniving, little--"
	"Supreme Thunder!"
	A single bolt of white lightning exploded through Metalia's 
body and smashed onto the moon. Nephrite's voice devolved into a 
long, guttural roar as his entire body became electrified, the pain 
amplified a hundredfold as Jupiter continued to pin him down and 
feed more lightning through him.
	Smoke billowed off his clothes, and Nephrite collapsed to the 
ground.
	Super Sailor Jupiter didn't give him the chance to catch his 
breath, kicking him in the side and catapulting him through the 
air. He crashed into a pillar, breaking it in half. Pieces rained 
down over him as he slumped to the earth.
	Jupiter bounded over the debris, lightning crackling at her 
fingertips. As she leapt over Nephrite, she launched her attack 
down at him. "Sparking Wide Pressure!"
	Nephrite exploded from the debris, flinging himself out of 
harm's way as Jupiter's attack pulverized the stone. A gaping hole 
was all that remained. 
	As he picked himself back up, Nephrite wiped the blood from 
his lips and spat on the ground. "You never cease to be trouble for 
me," he muttered. "Right to the end." 
	He turned his head and saw only empty space where Jupiter had 
once been standing. There was a moment of confusion, followed by 
blinding pain as Jupiter's shadow fell over him and her boot 
smashed into the side of his head. Nephrite crashed back to the 
ground, the world around him reeling.
	Jupiter grabbed him by the front of his uniform and hauled 
him back up, but Nephrite could barely stand under his own weight. 
"Is this what it felt like for Rei when you killed her?" Jupiter 
hissed into his ear.
	She yanked on his uniform and flung him into the crumbling 
portion of a wall. The wall shattered around his body, nearly 
burying him in debris. Nephrite forced his eyes to open, willed his 
arms to move and search for a way out. He'd crawled halfway out 
when he heard Jupiter's voice once more.
	"Sparking Wide Pressure!"
	Nephrite struggled for a second, then closed his eyes and 
braced himself. Searing pain exploded across his entire body as he 
was cast into the air and pelted by the rocks. He tumbled over the 
ruins of Lunaria, sliding to a stop on the ground. Nephrite tried 
to get up, tried to move. He was punched in the jaw for his effort. 
	"Did you torture her first?" Jupiter shouted at him.
	He could see the tears running down her face.
	She struck him again.
	Nephrite could feel himself going limp as he was kicked in 
the side. He was hoisted up and slammed against another wall. 
Crackling heat radiated from Jupiter's hand as lightning pooled 
into her palm.
	"Is this what it was like for her?"
	She smashed the lightning into his chest, catapulting him 
through the wall, and the lightning dragged him mercilessly across 
the courtyard. Nephrite marvelled at the pain, at how he was still 
conscious to feel all of it. His body came to a gradual stop, his 
back torn and bloodied. One of his arms still seemed to work. 
Nephrite pushed himself up to a sitting position and searched for 
his enemy.
	Jupiter stalked towards him, her silhouette cutting through 
the murky air. She still shed tears. "Damn you," she whispered. 
"She cared about you so much. She cared about all of you..."
	The antenna had risen out from her tiara once more.
	Nephrite clenched his jaw as the realisation came.
	He wouldn't win. From the start, he never stood a chance.
	In that moment, he hated her more than ever.
	Nephrite reached into her mind, grabbed a hold of the first 
thing he found that she held dear, and ripped it to shreds. Jupiter 
screamed as her body spasmed, her knees giving out from beneath 
her. She gasped for air, her eyes wide and desperate as she tried 
to understand what had just happened. Nephrite violated her again, 
stabbing deeper this time and squeezing out whatever pain he could. 
He drew new strength from her cries, rising back up to his feet.
	The corroded smile returned to his face.
	Jupiter was attempting to crawl. Where to, he couldn't tell. 
Nephrite wasn't even sure if she knew where she was trying to go. 
She was tripping over her arms and legs, her vision blurred and her 
senses awry. Nephrite exhaled, shook his head and marched over to 
her. A single kick pushed Jupiter onto her back, and Nephrite 
pinned her down by placing his boot on her stomach.
	She didn't fight back.
	He'd torn through her mind so badly, she probably didn't even 
know anymore what it meant to fight back. 
	Jupiter tipped her head up and tried to stare at him with 
unfocused eyes. She ended up looking just to his left. In a hoarse 
voice she rasped, "You...you said you wouldn't..." 
	Nephrite shrugged. "I lied." 
	Disgusted with her, disgusted with himself, Nephrite 
unsheathed his katana and stared down at Super Sailor Jupiter. His 
entire expression became twisted with contempt. "Fly away, my 
angel," he said. "All the way down to hell."
	Jupiter barely reacted as the blade from Nephrite's sword was 
plunged through her heart. Her body jerked once, twice, and relaxed 
entirely. Her eyes remained open, staring up at the pulsating 
stormclouds, but there was no life in them. 
	Nephrite forgot about his near-defeat, forgot about being 
forced to his knees. All he knew was triumph, and it was all for 
his queen and Metalia. As he stood over Jupiter, Nephrite raised 
his foot and ground the sole of his boot against the side of her 
face. "Girls like you break so easily," he said. "Such a pity. Even 
in the end, you couldn't give me the challenge I so sought."
	He turned his head and made a sweeping gaze of the ruined 
palace. "I wonder if the others have left me any more playmates," 
he said, licking his lips.


				*	*	*
	Lapis giggled as she danced across the length of the 
corridor, her chains twisting and wriggling around her. She let her 
grip go slack on one and sent it hurling towards Sailor Pluto. 
Drawing her leg back, she pulled a second chain taut, causing it to 
swing wildly across the corridor.
	Sailor Saturn ducked her head as the chain screeched through 
the air and sliced off a few stray bangs of her hair. She managed 
to knock aside another two chains, but a third one came from her 
peripherals and left a long, slender gash across her side. Saturn 
hissed through the pain and glared at Lapis.
	"She is really starting to piss me off," Saturn growled. "Are 
we ready to end this yet?"
	Pluto risked closing her eyes and Farsensed for their queen. 
"Halcyon has reached where she needs to be. We can rejoin with her 
now."
	"That's just what I wanted to hear," Saturn said, a smile 
appearing on her face. "I'll only need a few seconds."
	Sailor Pluto was already moving ahead, swatting aside 
numerous chains and clearing a path for Sailor Saturn. Saturn let 
the power of her guardian deity flow through her body, the raw 
force funnelling into her glaive. As the blade of her weapon 
started to glow, Saturn smashed it down against the earth.
	"Silence Glaive Surprise!"
	In the span of a few seconds, almost everything around her 
was obliterated. The stones of the corridor were pulverized into 
dust, the ground imploding beneath the touch of the Silence Glaive. 
The shockwave radiated out through the rest of the palace, breaking 
apart walls and bringing down chambers that had managed to survive 
the worst of Metalia's onslaught.
	Saturn stood at the heart of the explosion, a terrifying 
silhouette as she raised her glaive back up. She allowed the air to 
clear, and saw what had become of her enemy. Much to her surprise 
(and perhaps to Lapis' credit), Lapis was still alive.
	The chains had coiled around Lapis' body, shielding her from 
the worst of the blast. Even then, the majority of the chains had 
been ripped apart or burned away. Numerous links crumbled to rust, 
jagged shrapnel falling to the ground. The few chains left intact 
were shaky as they pulled away and revealed Lapis's prone form.
	Her body was covered in bloody scrapes and burns. Blood ran 
down the side of her face and neck, and she could barely open her 
right eye. Lapis reached out a hand, fumbling as she reached for 
her legs. One of her feet had been crushed, either by rock or by 
Saturn's attack.
	"So this is what vengeance tastes like," she whispered. Lapis 
searched for Sailor Saturn, the effort taking longer with only one 
good eye, and looked at her with disdain. "It's like eating ash and 
bitter memories. Your vengeance is corroded, nothing more than a 
curse destiny left for you upon your bed, all wrapped up in a 
pretty box, and you've never had the stomach to take it out and 
play with it properly."
	Saturn growled and stepped forward, but Pluto raised the end 
of her key-shaped staff and blocked the way.
	Lapis began to giggle. "Death is all you know, pretty 
soldier," she said, scooping up a handful of pebbles and letting 
them run through her fingers. "Death is all you can hope to become. 
Give us a kiss, let us taste your curse this one last time. And 
I'll tear out your tongue as you do it."
	"Do we really have to keep listening to this?" Saturn 
muttered. 
	Pluto began to approach Lapis. "I'll deal with her." 
	Lapis looked up and found herself staring into the cloudy 
surface of the garnet orb. "Do we know each other?" she asked, more 
intrigued with her reflection in the orb.
	"Intimately," said Pluto.
	"We've never met."
	"We haven't," Pluto agreed.
	Lapis glanced up at Sailor Pluto's face and smiled. "Your 
eyes...so dark and deep. I know those eyes, pretty soldier. I've felt 
those eyes on my back many times. They offend me."
	Four chains erupted from the ground behind her, their barbed 
ends aimed at Pluto's chest.
	Sailor Pluto never hesitated. "Get out of my timeline." 
	Even as the Dead Scream devoured her, Lapis was giggling. Her 
laughter became carried by the winds long after her body was 
destroyed, traipsing through the ruins of Lunaria. 
	"You know," Saturn said as she made her way over to Pluto. "I 
could have handled her just as easily."
	Sailor Pluto didn't look away from the gaping hole that had 
once been Lapis. "I had to be sure she was dead. For this one 
thing, I needed to be certain."
	"In case you just missed the demonstration," Saturn said, "I 
have more than one attack at my disposal, and they don't all end 
the world."
	"I know," Pluto said. "I also know if she were to come back 
with the others, she'd be even more dangerous and insane than 
before. She had to die here, Hotaru. I could not allow her to 
return."
	Saturn hopped over some debris and stood at the edge of the 
hole. "That's the first time you've ever called me by that name 
while we're in uniform."
	"Sorry," and Pluto flashed her an enigmatic smile. "It seemed 
the right thing to say with the time we have left."
	Saturn shifted uncomfortably, lowering her glaive. "What are 
you talking about?"
	"Do you really want to know?"
	"Yes," Saturn answered immediately. "But will I remember what 
you told me when tomorrow comes?"
	"None of you will," Pluto said. She glanced over at Sailor 
Saturn. "Tomorrow's not coming. Not for any of you."
	She told Saturn everything.


				*	*	*
	Endymion and Serenity were close to the Sanctum; forced to 
race outside along the numerous promenades, they could see the 
structure rising up past the crumbling buildings. Somehow, the 
Sanctum was defying every attack Metalia made against it. Its 
pillars and walls cracked and buckled, but it would not fall.
	Serenity's poleaxe had been broken in half in the latest 
assault against them, and Endymion knew he was close to losing the 
last of his strength. If Halcyon had survived, if she was indeed 
inside, then whatever happened once they breached the Sanctum's 
walls would decide everything.
	The moon had grown so quiet in the last few minutes.
	Endymion wondered if they were some of the last people left 
alive. 
	He moved ahead, scouring the desolation for any other 
threats. He found nothing, as if youma and human enemy alike feared 
coming this close to the Sanctum. Endymion abruptly stopped as a 
chill crawled down his spine. He slowly turned back to Serenity, 
already knowing what he'd see. 
	Beryl hovered in the air before Serenity, and smiled in a way 
that showed off her fangs. Her scarlet hair rippled and flowed 
around her even though there was no wind. 
	Serenity gasped, stepping away.
	"Hello, Princess Serenity," Beryl said, and lunged for the 
princess. "I'm going to destroy that pretty face of yours!"
	Endymion pulled out a rose and launched it at Beryl's 
outstretched hand. The edge of the stem slashed the back of Beryl's 
hand. Beryl recoiled, veering away moments before her claws would 
have torn apart Serenity's face. As she settled onto the ground 
Beryl whirled, anger in her eyes.
	Endymion didn't care how angry she looked. He stood defiant 
before her, poised to throw another rose if he had to. "I will not 
forgive you if you lay even a single finger on the princess," he 
said.
	Beryl's aggression faded; she looked surprised to see him 
there. "Endymion..."
	Endymion leapt into the air and landed between Beryl and 
Serenity. He blocked the princess with his body, more than ready to 
unsheathe the Soul Constellation and cut Beryl down.
	Beryl shook her head at him. "And still you betray me," she 
said quietly. "Why do you continue to protect the princess of the 
moon?" She began to rise back up into the air, hovering over them 
like some awful saint. "You are the prince of Earth. You are my 
prince. You belong to me. At my side, you could rule both the moon 
and Earth."
	"Is this what you call a kingdom?" Endymion snapped at her. 
He gestured to the crumbling world around them. "Look around you! 
There is nothing here anymore but blood and ruin. This was a 
beautiful place, Beryl, and you orchestrated its destruction."
	Endymion unsheathed his sword. "You go play the queen, and 
rule over this hell. But I have chosen where I shall stand, and it 
will always be against you, so long as you serve Metalia."
	Serenity stepped around Endymion, sliding her hand into his. 
"And I shall stand with him."
	Beryl's eyes narrowed as she watched the lovers. "Then you 
can burn together."
	Endymion jerked his chin up as the Darkstorm flooded into the 
air over their heads. The clouds shifted and morphed, and suddenly 
Endymion saw a terrifying face gazing down at him. Metalia created 
for herself a hand, and with a single outstretched finger unleashed 
all of her dark power.
	The blast carved a line through the remnants of the palace, 
obliterating everything in its path. The maelstrom smashed into the 
promenade, torrential winds ripping out foundations and stone. Time 
seemed to slow as Endymion turned and pushed Serenity back as far 
as he could. He saw her stumble, trip over her dress and fall to 
her knees. A thousand wisps of air clawed at his body and yanked 
him off the ground. They pulled him away from her, pulled him up 
into Metalia's awaiting maw. 
	There was nothing he could do any longer.
	The Soul Constellation slipped out from his fingers and fell 
to the ground below. His strength had left him, and he doubted that 
even the full fury of the Golden Crystal would have any effect 
against Metalia. Endymion closed his eyes and prepared himself for 
death.
	His eyes flew back open as he heard Serenity call out his 
name.
	"Endymion!"
	Endymion beheld her standing at the edge of the promenade, 
her toes hanging over the jagged edge that Metalia had carved into 
the walkway. "Stay back!" he shouted at her. "Get to the Sanctum!"
	Metalia's face appeared once more in the Darkstorm. Her mouth 
opened and loosed a single blast of dark energy. It smashed into 
Endymion, sending him swirling through the air. He cried out as 
torment electrified his body until suddenly, mercifully, his world 
went silent.
	Tears fell down Serenity's face as she watched her lover 
being slowly dragged up into the Darkstorm's mouth. She dropped to 
her knees, unable to speak, unable to think of anything but how his 
limbs swayed lifelessly in the winds. She barely heard Beryl's 
footsteps coming up behind her.
	"He could have been a god," Beryl said. "He could have been 
mine. And now he is just another corpse. You killed him, Serenity. 
He trusted you, and you watched him die. And for what?"
	Serenity lowered her arms. But where her hands should have 
been met with the feel of harsh stone, she felt cool metal instead. 
Serenity turned her head; her palm had come to rest upon the blade 
of the Soul Constellation. 
	"Your end will not come so easily," Beryl's voice hissed 
behind her. "I will personally ensure that you alone are all that 
remains of Lunaria. Your mother, your Sailor Soldiers, your people
--none will be spared. And when you are left abandoned and 
forsaken, I will be lulled to sleep each night by the sound of your 
sad little voice begging for death."
	Serenity slowly lifted her gaze, staring out at Endymion's 
body.
	Her hand closed around the blade, tight enough to grip it, 
tight enough to draw blood from her palm. Serenity turned her head 
and stared up at Beryl with bloodshot, defiant eyes. "I won't give 
you the satisfaction."
	Before Beryl could react, Serenity raised the katana until 
the tip was pointed at her chest. She closed her eyes, braced 
herself and pushed as much of her weight as she could onto the 
blade. In a single, fluid act, the blade slid between her ribs and 
pierced her heart. Serenity lurched, her mouth opening and closing, 
though all she could manage was a hoarse choking sound. Her head 
bobbed, fighting to stay up. The life faded from her eyes and 
Serenity slumped over the sword. Her weight shifted and she fell to 
the ground, the weapon still lodged in her chest. 
	Beryl let out a short, surprised laugh.
	She walked up to Serenity and watched as the princess' dress 
began to run crimson around the blade. Beryl placed the heel of her 
shoe against Serenity's chest and pulled out the bloody katana. The 
sword hissed at Beryl's touch; she could feel it radiate wrath and 
rage. This weapon would never allow her to use it. Beryl tossed it 
aside and enjoyed the sound of the Soul Constellation clattering 
against the stone. She cast her gaze down at Serenity.
	Revulsion flooded Beryl's entire being.
	She spat onto the princess' gown. "I would have given him the 
world," she whispered. "May you forever be kept apart, and may all 
the would-be lovers who hear your names fall silent in despair."
	Beryl shoved with all her strength, rolling Serenity over the 
edge of the balcony. Serenity's feet never touched the ground 
again. Caught up in the vortex, she followed after Endymion. The 
gales pushed and pulled at them, determined to keep them away from 
each other. 
	And Halcyon, the last queen of Lunaria, watched as their 
lifeless bodies floated in the air amidst the debris. She had been 
drawn out from the Sanctum by premonitions of dread, and the voice 
of her daughter. The two Mau cats flanked her, staring on in 
horror. 
	Halcyon forgot about the war, forgot about everything. 
"Serenity!"
	Luna lowered her head, tears running down her face. "Princess 
Serenity..."
	Nearby, Beryl stood triumphant on a pile of broken stones and 
bodies. She raised her voice to the infernal skies and proclaimed, 
"The Moon Princess is dead!" 
	Halcyon fell to her knees, sobbing. She couldn't bring 
herself to look, couldn't bring herself to watch as Serenity and 
Endymion's bodies were slowly pulled closer and closer into the 
Darkstorm. Death paraded around her, the stench of blood and 
failure hanging in the stagnant air. In all her reign, Halcyon had 
never felt so alone.
	She had lost her kingdom.
	She had lost her daughter.
	And soon everything would be lost.
	Halcyon lifted her head, the tears still flowing. She forced 
herself to concentrate on the face of her enemy, on the unbridled 
evil bent on wiping out all that was good and worth fighting for. 
"No further," she said. 
	The Silver Crystal appeared in her open palm. 
	Halcyon summoned one of the last artefacts that had been 
handed down through the generations of Lunarian queens. A small, 
crescent-shaped sceptre manifested itself, and Halcyon placed the 
Ginzuisho within the crescent. Bonded with this Talisman, the 
crystal's powers could be amplified, but at a cost.
	"Queen Serenity," Luna protested. "If you use the Silver 
Crystal, your life--"
	"My life is nothing compared to peace on the moon and Earth," 
Halcyon said. She closed her eyes and whispered, "No victory 
without sacrifice."
	The sceptre could only heal, not destroy. It could purge, but 
not conquer.
	And the power it required to work would claim her last 
breath.
	Halcyon's resolve did not waver as she held the sceptre aloft 
and shouted, "Moon Healing Escalation!"
	The crystal reacted to her command, the sceptre pushing its 
boundaries even further. The Ginzuisho's power washed over the 
battleground, its radiant light engulfing Beryl.
	Beryl recoiled in shock as she felt the prickling warmth 
course over her skin. "What is this?" she exclaimed.
	The light flowed past her and struck Metalia. 
	Metalia roared in surprise and outrage, thrashing as she felt 
the Ginzuisho forge a new coffin to seal her within. On the moon 
below, her armies were brought to their knees. The energy of the 
Silver Crystal tore at their beings, at their bodies--human and 
youma alike. Even Beryl's greatest generals--Zoicite, Nephrite, 
Zoicite and Kunzite--were not spared. Those possessed with the foul 
evil of the Darkstorm writhed as they were ripped from this world. 
	The seven strongest youma, the Shadow Warriors, fought 
against the crystal and almost broke free. Unwilling to let such 
evil escape to Earth, the Ginzuisho locked the seven creatures 
within its form, forever trapping them inside until its power could 
banish the evil within them, and set the imprisoned souls free once 
again.
	Metalia, Beryl and their armies were sealed away and cast 
into a deep, dark abyss buried far beneath the northern icelands of 
the Earth. 
	This time, they would not be found.
	Silence fell over the moon as the war came to its end.
	Halcyon laid back against a fallen pillar. Her body was 
suddenly so tired. It hurt to move, and all she wanted to do was 
rest. She could barely focus on breathing, let alone her thoughts. 
She opened her mouth and said, "Luna, Artemis."
	The two cats stepped forward. "Yes."
	Halcyon held up the crystal in one hand. "The Silver Crystal 
can be used for peace if it is used with the energy of a pure 
heart. But if it is used by one who possesses an evil heart, it 
could still become a terrible weapon. Like the Golden Crystal, its 
power could be used to unleash Metalia once more."
	She knew her seal was not as strong as the one created by her 
predecessors. Last time, it took an outside force to crack the seal 
holding back Metalia. This time, the seal could just as easily 
weaken over hundreds of years. While the hold on Metalia herself 
was the strongest, there was no guarantee her minions would not 
awaken first and seek a way to release the Metalia again.
	Halcyon winced as her body became racked with pain, her life 
draining away.
	"Halcyon Queen!" Luna cried out.
	Halcyon shook her head. "There is nothing more I can do. I 
have managed to seal Metalia and her forces away with the crystal, 
but there is no telling when she might be revived again." 
	In her other hand, she held up the sceptre. "This Moon 
Crescent Wand can only be used by a descendent of this kingdom. If 
Metalia should return to life again in the future, give this to 
Princess Serenity and protect the peaceful world."
	Luna and Artemis bowed their heads. "Yes, my Queen."
	Halcyon stared up at the Earth. "Princess Serenity and all of 
our sailor warriors, may your love be fulfilled in the future on 
Earth."
	She released the Ginzuisho, and it floated up into the sky. 
Halcyon sadly watched it go. The Ginzuisho rose high above the 
ruins of Lunaria, and then exploded into a ball of white light. It 
found the Lunarians, dead and alive, a pillar of light appearing 
around each one. Their souls rose into the heavens, a shimmering 
path created as they travelled from the moon to the Earth.
	The final act of the Silver Crystal was not without its 
consequences.
	In sending the souls of the Lunarians to the future, the 
strain on the crystal became too much for it to handle. The crystal 
shattered, rendered into seven fragments, a Shadow Warrior still 
trapped within each one. As the shards floated through the heavens, 
they each found the soul of a Lunarian and bonded with it. One day, 
those souls would be reborn in a city called Tokyo; hidden within 
them would be a piece of the Silver Crystal, and an unspeakable 
evil. Halcyon prayed that if the Shadow Warriors returned, enough 
time would have passed to render them minimal threats, and not the 
near-unstoppable monsters that had crushed their world.
	Halcyon looked up to the shimmering lights of her people, and 
found hope.  Her eyes began to close. "In the future on Earth," she 
whispered, "please live happy lives."
	Her head fell to the side, and the last Queen of Lunaria let 
out a final breath.
	The sceptre slipped from her fingers. It stopped itself short 
of hitting the ground, hovering next to Halcyon's body. Luna and 
Artemis were granted a few moments to mourn before the sceptre 
began to glow. Glass capsules suddenly appeared around the Mau 
cats, allowing them the peace of sleep. The cats vanished in a 
flicker of light, following the Lunarians in the future.
	Halcyon did not join them. 
	She remained with her kingdom, awaiting the end of the Silver 
Millennium.


				*	*	*
	Four Outer Soldiers knelt before the body of their queen.
	Left behind, they had each watched as their friends and 
families were gathered up by the Silver Crystal and sent ahead to 
Earth. In the silence and emptiness that followed, they made their 
way through the broken world until they found the Sanctum, and with 
it Halcyon's body. 
	"She looks so peaceful," Uranus said quietly.
	Neptune got up and surveyed the rubble littering the entire 
landscape. There was blood everywhere, but the Silver Crystal had 
taken away all the bodies. The inherent lack of corpses was more 
than a little disquieting.
	"Everything's gone," Saturn murmured.
	Sailor Pluto shook her head. "Not everything. There's still 
hope."
	"We're all that's left of Lunaria now," Neptune said. "We 
weren't taken up with the others."
	"Is this because we failed to protect our world?" Uranus 
asked. "Is this our punishment--to linger here in this graveyard 
until our deaths?"
	Sailor Pluto almost laughed when she heard that. "Hardly. The 
Ginzuisho passed over us because of our destinies. There is one 
last act we must complete, and then we may know rest." 
	"I'm not even sure we deserve it," Uranus said.
	"We fought against a darkness that our predecessors barely 
survived," Saturn said. "And not once, not ever did we turn and 
run. No matter how bad things got, we never backed down and we 
never stopped fighting. That's not failure, Uranus. We did all that 
we could."
	Uranus slowly rose to her feet. "It still wasn't enough."
	Pluto scowled and turned towards her. "It was enough for 
Halcyon Queen to give us all one more chance to destroy Metalia 
once and for all!" she snapped. "Maybe not in this life, maybe not 
in this time, but she sacrificed everything for us. Don't spit on 
what she did by drowning in self-pity."
 	No one looked more surprised at Pluto's outburst than Sailor 
Uranus. She bowed her head. "I'm sorry."
	The righteous anger faded from Pluto's face, and she embraced 
her fellow soldier. "It's been gruelling on all of us, I know, but 
this is not the end. Not by a long shot."
	"So what have we been charged with completing?" Neptune 
asked.
	Pluto looked at the others. "If it came to this, Halcyon left 
me with two final instructions. You three are to be reborn into the 
future. I can at least send you there."
	"What's the second one?" Uranus asked.
	"We must release her," Pluto stated, and glanced over at 
Sailor Saturn.
	The Soldier of Death and Rebirth nodded her head. "I 
understand."
	Saturn's true power could end worlds, and to keep that power 
in check three seals held it at bay. The revolution could only come 
about if the three other Outer Soldiers each released their seal. 
One by one, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto placed their palms on 
Saturn's forehead and let their power flow into her. The seals were 
unlocked, and Sailor Saturn's full potential became unleashed.
	It was so strong, it almost radiated off her in a visible 
aura. 
	"Good luck," Uranus said to her.
	"Good-bye," said Neptune.
	They stepped away from Saturn and turned to Sailor Pluto.
	Pluto held out her key-shaped staff, the garnet orb just 
within Uranus and Neptune's reach. "Before Metalia arrived," Pluto 
said, "Halcyon passed some of the Ginzuisho's powers into my 
Talisman. There is enough energy to send you into the future with 
the others, giving you both a chance at a new life and a new 
destiny."
	"And there's nothing more we can do here?" Uranus asked.
	Sailor Pluto shook her head.
	She quietly waited as Uranus and Neptune held each other one 
last time, whispering fond words of affection into each other's 
ear. When they were ready, they stood side by side in front of the 
garnet orb.
	"I'll find you again," Uranus told her.
	Neptune smiled. "I'll find you first."
	As one, they reached out and touched the Talisman. Their 
bodies were enveloped by white light, and then they vanished. 
Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn watched as the souls of their 
comrades rose into the heavens and joined the procession of 
Lunarians travelling to Earth.
	"It's just us now, isn't it?" Saturn said.
	"It is," Pluto agreed.
	Saturn looked back over her shoulder at their queen. "We 
should bury her first. She sacrificed everything to ensure our 
futures. She deserves that much."
	"All that remains here reeks of death and sadness," Pluto 
said. "I do not think Halcyon would wish to be a part of that."
	In the end, they decided to stand by their queen for their 
last duty, to stay with her until the silent tide of destruction 
overtook the entire moon.
	Saturn glanced over at her friend. "Metalia and her armies 
may awaken yet again."
	"And when they do," Pluto answered, "the Inner Soldiers will 
also awaken to protect the world. Serenity is heir to the Silver 
Crystal now. The duty to lead them shall fall to her."
	Sailor Saturn raised the Silence Glaive over her head and 
prepared herself for the end of everything they knew. "Do you 
really believe they'll find each other again?" she asked.
	Pluto smiled to herself. "It will take a miracle."










		No recognition to this tale can be given without 
		first paying honour to Naoko Takeuchi. May 
		what was written here, the dark and the light, 
		be considered worthy appreciation for the world 
		she has created.

		Whenever possible, scenes from this chapter were
		recreated from parts of episode 44 of the anime. 
		Portions of the dialogue were based off the ADV 
		subtitles & translation.

		For those who've been there since the beginning, 
		and those of you just coming in: thank you for 
		believing in this story.



			--His lordship Chaos.