Sailormoon, its characters, struggles and story, are the copyright 
and children of Naoko Takeuchi. No recognition to this tale can be 
given without properly paying honour to her first. They are 
rightfully hers and I respect how she has raised them all. May what 
I have written here, the dark and the light, be considered worthy 
as a token of my appreciation for the world she has created.


His lordship Chaos / Angel Electric 
09 - The Dancers in the Ice

Rated PG13.


*****

So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste

	--Rolling Stones, "Sympathy for the Devil"

*****



	"I think," Endymion remarked as he strolled across the 
sparring arena to Serenity, "that we should take a break."
	Serenity obediently nodded her head, then said 
apologetically, "Sorry about that."
	A slight grin on his face, Endymion wiped the blood away from 
his lower lip. "Don't be. That was a pretty good kick you landed."
	"You let me get that one in," Serenity insisted.
	Almost chagrined to admit it, Endymion said, "Actually, no, I 
wasn't expecting to be on the receiving end of that. Good kick."
	Serenity beamed and then proceeded to fuss over Endymion's 
bloody lip. A fruitless search of her combat uniform yielded no 
facecloths or compresses. Apologizing once more to Endymion, 
Serenity jogged over to one of the immense caryatids towering at 
the edges of the outdoor arena. Beneath the comforting coolness of 
its shadow, Ami stood with a watchful gaze.
	"Sorry to trouble you, Ami," Serenity said, bowing formally, 
"but you wouldn't happen to have--?"
	Ami wordlessly held out a small, violet handkerchief.
	"Thank you!" Serenity exclaimed, openly relieved.
	Ami couldn't help but smile as she watched the princess 
return to Endymion. The way the two acted around each other never 
ceased to amuse her. She abruptly glanced over her shoulder. "There 
you are. I was wondering when you'd show up."
	"Eventful shift?" Zoicite asked as he hobbled around the 
corner of the caryatid.
	"Not really," Ami replied. She glanced down at his right leg. 
"They've spent most of the afternoon out here. That's a nasty limp, 
by the way." 
	Zoicite grimaced as he propped his back against the towering, 
female statue. "Yeah, the ankle's twisted pretty good. You can 
thank another of Cioran's impromptu training sessions for that."
	"Well, I offered to carry him on my back to Hotaru's 
chambers," came Cioran's voice from around the other side of the 
caryatid, "but no, he wouldn't hear anything about it!" 
	Zoicite nearly jumped away, or would have if his ankle hadn't 
protested the effort. Ami, on the other hand, smirked and shook her 
head.  "You are such a boy, Cioran."
	"Correction," Cioran stated as he strolled over to Ami and 
rested an elbow on her shoulder. "I'm a boy with a fragile psyche. 
Callous insults like that may send me into depression."
	"If your pride is that fragile," Ami retorted evenly, "then 
I'll eat my tiara."
	Zoicite snickered. 
	"How's Garnet doing?" Ami asked him. 
	Zoicite shrugged. "Not sure. Last I knew, she was spending 
the rest of the day in the observatory."
	"Hopefully she's not still there," Cioran said.  "Halcyon's 
hosting another private dinner for us in about an hour or so. 
Garnet will need that time to bathe and dress herself up. As it is, 
I've barely seen her outside of the Archives this entire week."
	He reached into the folds of his uniform and slid out a 
small, rolled scroll. 
	"By the way, this arrived right after you left, General. And 
being the caring, benevolent Seraphim that I am, I felt obliged to 
deliver it personally. But since both of you are here, I'll let you 
fight over who gets to read this first."
	"What is it?" Ami asked.
	Cioran grinned. "The list of chimera cults still active on 
Lunaria. Highest priority to lowest threat, naturally. You didn't 
give us any listings of Earth-based ones, so they won't be 
included."
	Zoicite gestured for Ami to take the scroll; he was having 
enough trouble keeping his weight off his bad ankle. "Out of 
curiosity, how many were there?"
	"Two dozen," Cioran casually replied. "We even added a few 
you didn't have on your initial list."
	Ami and Zoicite stared at him in disbelief. "What?" they 
chorused.
	"Oh, stop being so melodramatic," Cioran sighed, and rolled 
his eyes at them. "Most of them have six or seven members at best, 
and only a handful are actually serious about what they're 
worshipping. Incidentally, I'd be worried about the guys who want 
to unlock Chalderon from its prison-box. They appear to be rather 
dedicated."
	Ami broke the Seraphim's seal on the scroll, unrolled part of 
it and scanned through the first part of the list. "Temple 
locations...ceremonial procedures...even the names of most of the 
people involved?" She glanced over at Cioran. "Just how did you get 
all of this in a single afternoon?"
	"My Order has its ways," Cioran said smugly. He gestured with 
his chin towards Endymion and Serenity. "Looks like they're 
wrapping up."
	Serenity was waving to them. "Come on!" she shouted.
	Zoicite was suddenly reminded of a little girl signalling for 
her friends to join her. Still talking about the chimera 
worshippers, Ami and Cioran followed after Endymion and Serenity. 
Zoicite lagged behind, hobbling as best he could towards the stone 
stairs. Halfway across the arena, something small and wet and white 
gently struck his cheek. Surprised, Zoicite stopped and touched the 
side of his face.
	More white flakes drifted down from above.
	It was swiftly turning into a beautiful deluge.
	"Endymion!" Zoicite shouted.  "You'd better come and look at 
this." 
	 At the base of the stairs, Endymion paused and turned 
around, his hands resting upon the Soul Constellation. "What is 
it?"
	"It's snowing."
	Endymion stared at him. "Snow?" he exclaimed. "Here?"
	"But it never snows here," Ami said.
	Zoicite pointed up at the sky. "Well, it's doing that right 
now."
	One by one, the others looked up and beheld the snow. Within 
moments Serenity had raced back out into the arena, dancing with 
the white flakes as they drifted down from above. Ami looked on in 
bewilderment, while Cioran stared intently at the darkness over 
their heads.
	"What do you make of this?" Endymion asked as he drew up 
alongside Zoicite.
	Zoicite shook his head. "No idea. I can't even see any 
clouds. Where do you think it's coming from?"
	"Endymion, look!" Serenity exclaimed. A wide smile on her 
face, she reached out and caught a snowflake in her cupped palms. 
"You were right. It's beautiful!"
  	Cioran was still looking up at the heavens.  
	"What is it?" Zoicite asked.
	Cioran suddenly hissed, his hand reaching for his sword. 
"There's something else up there," he stated, "and it's coming down 
right now."
	Endymion looked up, and saw something.
	Then he saw more than one of it.
	His eyes widened. Frantic, he looked out at Serenity, who was 
oblivious to the skies above. "Serenity, run!"




			Are you dancing?


			 ANGEL ELECTRIC




	At the very centre of Venus' hedge maze was a circular area 
large enough to comfortably play host to a dinner party of at least 
thirty dignitaries. Two long tables stood adorned with heaping 
platters of food and goblets filled to the brim with Venusian wine. 
Elegant statues of angels and heroes lined the towering greenery 
that enclosed the area.
	As there had been no maps or guiding signs along the way, it 
appeared that everyone assumed everyone else knew their way through 
the maze. Either that, or trying to get to the feast was half the 
fun of the feast itself. Kunzite felt incredibly thankful that 
Minako's time away had not dulled her memory; she'd navigated the 
maze's treacherous route in ten minutes.
	But now there were different worries to contend with.
	Goblets of wine had been left behind on the table. Plates of 
food were forgotten. Almost every chair was vacant. Many of the 
dinner guests were already running around the clearing, laughing 
and trying to catch in their hands the small white flakes 
fluttering down through the air. Yurino caught one on the tip of 
her tongue and showed it off to her father.
	Kunzite pushed back his chair and stood, but did not venture 
very far from the table. A tiny snowflake tumbled down and landed 
on Minako's cheek. She shivered and touched where it had fallen.
	"Kunzite? What is this?" she asked.
	Kunzite looked back her. "It's snowing," he said uneasily, 
and turned to Temagami. "I thought it never snowed here."
	Temagami scowled. "It doesn't." He glanced over at the other 
dinner guests as they played in the courtyard. "We should retire to 
the palace, Master General. I hold little doubt this is a prelude 
to something far worse."
	Lady Chihiro nodded in agreement with her husband's decision. 
"I'll call them in." 
	She moved as unhurried as she could, though the worry showed 
in her face. For their part, the dinner guests proved very 
reluctant to leave such a beautiful show. Yurino was outright 
defiant, stating she wanted to stay outside in the maze. Every time 
Lady Chihiro reached for her, she darted away.
	Minako's jaw tightened as she watched Yurino evade their 
mother. "Yurino, what are you doing?" she hissed. She tried to 
move, to go around the table and bring back her wayward sister. 
	The snow continued to fall, steady and silent. 
	And then the first of the Snow Dancers came for them.
	She looked as if she was made of crystal or ice, her limbs 
and contours shaped in elegant curves. An almost transparent dress 
of white fluttered around her body. She touched the cobblestone 
floor of the maze's centre, and giggled as she surveyed the people 
around her. With a high-pitched shriek she made a grand gesture 
with her arms. Snow exploded from her fingertips. A whirlwind of 
ice and freezing air engulfed two of the dinner guests, their cries 
abruptly cut off amidst the storm. When the snow settled and the 
winds died, both victims were trapped within a tomb of solid ice. 
	They had tried to run.
	The terror was still visible on their faces through the ice.
	Screams of surprise and horror echoed across the labyrinth as 
legions of the wraith-women glided down from the heavens. Yurino 
screamed as she saw another dignitary get swallowed up in a Snow 
Dancer's attack. A demonic tittering came from behind her. Tears 
streaming down her face, Yurino slowly turned her head and saw 
another Snow Dancer leering down at her.
	The Snow Dancer raised its arms to summon another snowstorm.
	Paralyzed with fear, Yurino was unable to flee. 
	Suddenly Lady Chihiro stood between Yurino and the Snow 
Dancer. Her fingers curled into a fist, and she punched the Snow 
Dancer in the face with so much force Kunzite had to wonder if 
Chihiro had received formal combat training. For its part, the Snow 
Dancer barely even flinched. It blinked its eyes in surprise and 
stared down at Lady Chihiro. She glared defiantly at the Snow 
Dancer. Her knuckles bled from where they had struck the Snow 
Dancer's face. 
	"How dare you threaten my daughter," she spat at the Snow 
Dancer.
	The Snow Dancer grinned and giggled all over again.
	Lady Chihiro seized Yurino by the shoulders and pushed her 
daughter as hard and as far as she could. Yurino cried out again as 
seconds later, Lady Chihiro was engulfed in a cloud of snow and 
ice. 
	Minako had already leapt over the banqueting table, grabbing 
Yurino and pulling her back. Kunzite was at her side. Yurino 
struggled and cried in their grasps, reaching out in vain for their 
mother. 
	Everything spiralled into chaos.
	Lord Temagami was shouting for everyone to escape, to seek 
shelter and raise the alarm. People wailed and shrieked and pushed 
each other down in a frantic race towards the exits. More Snow 
Dancers began to fall from the heavens. The temperature of the air 
plummeted as ice and snow blew in all directions. 
	Temagami turned to Kunzite and Minako, who continued to 
struggle with Yurino. "What are you waiting for?" he exclaimed. 
"Into the maze!"
	A handful of dinner guests were already fleeing past the 
table towards one of the unblocked exits. Kunzite grappled onto the 
coat of one of them, and yanked the man back. He pointed down at 
Yurino, who now sat limp in Minako's embrace.
	"Her safety is now your priority," Kunzite told the man. "Do 
not fail me."
	The man looked ready to protest. More screams arose from the 
far side of the courtyard; another victim trying to crawl past a 
Snow Dancer was caught and frozen solid. Kunzite yanked again on 
the man's collar, harder this time.
	"Do not," he snarled, "fail me."
	Reluctantly, the man nodded. Kunzite picked Yurino up and 
placed her in the stranger's care. Unable or unwilling to walk, 
Yurino had to be carried in the man's arms. Kunzite glanced back 
over his shoulder as the insane giggles of the Snow Dancers 
suddenly seemed to multiply.
	"Go!" he snapped at the man.
	One of the Snow Dancers turned and stared directly at the 
fleeing group. She smiled and lifted one of her hands. Snow swirled 
and swarmed around her fingertips. Kunzite looked back at the 
escaping party; they would not get into the maze in time. He 
whirled, and with one fluid motion he drew his katana and flung it 
through the air.
	The blade sank into the Snow Dancer's chest, the force behind 
it enough to send the Snow Dancer lurching off the ground. She let 
out a startled yelp, her limbs flailing, as she was sent crashing 
into a wall of ice. The blade of the katana sank into the ice, 
pinning down the Snow Dancer.
	But she still moved.
	She was still alive.
	Even worse, in ensuring the others could escape, Kunzite had 
just drawn another Snow Dancer's attention to the banqueting 
tables. She unleashed another flood of ice and freezing winds.
	"Down!" Kunzite shouted. He grabbed at the edge of the table 
and heaved it over. Food tumbled onto the cobblestone, and plates 
and goblets crashed and shattered with a horrific sound. Temagami 
had already grabbed Minako, and was pulling her down behind the 
table.
	The Snow Dancer's ice attack came for them, and Kunzite 
realized he would not be able to escape it in time. He threw 
himself aside, his entire body twisting through the air as snow and 
ice pelted his body. 
	The banqueting table was struck head-on, lost in seconds to a 
frenzied cyclone of snow and wind. The temperature dropped 
instantly, tendrils of ice swarming over the surface of the table. 
Minako screamed as her father flung himself over her body to 
protect her.
	As he landed onto the ground, Kunzite swore and clutched at 
his hand. All he could touch, all he could feel, was solid ice. He 
forced himself to look down at his arm. It was encased in a block 
of shimmering ice. Kunzite swore again, this time louder.
	"Kunzite!" Minako shouted at him.
	Kunzite's head snapped around.
	Temagami's back and legs were trapped in ice. And the ice 
continued to move over his body, shimmering and relentless.
	Kunzite's eyes widened in horror.
	He peeked out from over the edge of the table; more Snow 
Dancers were plummeting down from above, their infernal giggling 
rising above the screams and cries of the hysterical dinner guests. 
Kunzite risked getting up. He bent his back, trying to keep low.
	A Snow Dancer caught sight of the movement and flung another 
deluge of snow at the table. Kunzite launched himself back behind 
of the table as more snow and ice covered whatever they could. The 
screams from the rest of the courtyard were dying, one by one. All 
that filled the air were the unending choruses of giggles.
	Temagami was now almost entirely trapped within the ice. His 
neck and head were all that was left. Temagami managed a smile 
through clenched teeth. "Forget about me, child," he muttered. "Get 
the others out. Most won't remember their way out of the maze." 
	Minako ardently shook her head. Tears coursed down her face 
as she clutched at whatever she could of her father. The ice 
swallowed him up, and he became still and silent.
 	Kunzite stared down at his ice-encased arm.
	A surge of rage flooded his body. Adrenaline coursed through 
his blood, igniting something else, something he had tried to keep 
hidden and dormant for years. Kunzite slowly rose from behind the 
overturned table, allowing himself to stand in plain sight of the 
Snow Dancers. 
	"Minako," he stated, "Get them out."
	Upon hearing those words, Minako angrily stood up. "And what 
do you plan on doing?"
	A crack suddenly opened up along the ice covering Kunzite's 
arm.
	"Something incredibly stupid," he said. "Go. I'll hold them 
back."
	"I did not let you bring me here just so you could martyr 
yourself!" Minako snapped. "Might I remind you that you were the 
one who got your ass kicked back in the ballroom!"
	Another fissure opened up in the ice around his arm.
	"This time," Kunzite said, "it's different."
	"And just how do you figure that?"
	A trio of Snow Dancers spotted him, their insane giggles 
coming to an abrupt stop.
	Kunzite's eyes narrowed. "I was holding back."
	It had been the secret only Endymion and Endymion's father 
had known, one he had not even been willing to reveal during 
Spinel's attack, for fear of what it might incite. At the time, he 
feared seeing what happened to his parents being repeated all over 
again. But now everything had changed.
	His sword and skills alone could not fight these things. Lord 
Temagami and Lady Chihiro were trapped in ice, along with so many 
other people. Kunzite had not the slightest idea if they were still 
alive, or could even be revived. And Minako...he would be damned 
before he'd let any of these creatures touch her. 
	A shaft of light erupted from the palm of his hand, causing 
Minako to stumble backwards in surprise. Kunzite glared at the Snow 
Dancer as he brought his thoughts and his will into focus. Despite 
the raw power raging in his hand, Kunzite's palm did not burn. The 
energy became moulded into a weapon, one his father had once 
acquired years ago from traders hailing from the far southern seas.
	The trio of Snow Dancers were coming for them.
	Upon their faces were expressions of malevolent glee.
	The one in the lead reached out her arms towards Kunzite.
	"You," Kunzite snarled at it, "can go to hell."
	He flung his weapon at the Snow Dancer, giving it all the 
speed he could. The Snow Dancer let out a startled yelp as the 
boomerang impaled her through the forehead. Her arms flailing 
uselessly, she pitched over backwards and began to fall. Her head 
exploded into shards of ice before she hit the ground. The other 
two Snow Dancers skidded to a stop and stared down at the remnants 
of their kin.
	They were suddenly very hesitant to get closer to Kunzite.
	Kunzite glanced over at Minako. "Are you all right?" 
	She barely nodded, her gaze transfixed on his hands. "That's 
a Lunarian ability," she said quietly
	"I know," he said. "I can handle myself, Minako. Get the 
others out."
	Minako looked around. "What others?"
	Aghast, Kunzite looked around the courtyard. Almost all of 
the dinner guests were now encased in enormous blocks of ice. A few 
lucky ones had fled into the maze, their distant cries interrupted 
by the sounds of giggling Snow Dancers and swirling snow. Kunzite 
could only pray that the stranger carrying Yurino had made it out 
safely.
	From beside him, Kunzite heard Minako's voice ring out: 
"Venus Star Power: Make Up!" A wave of warm air struck him, and a 
familiar shaft of golden light reached up to the darkened, snowy 
skies above them.
	Sailor Venus stood alongside Kunzite.
	Countless Snow Dancers were crowding around them now, a 
seemingly endless field of giggling ice wraiths closing off every 
possible means of escape. The cacophony of giggles was almost 
maddening. For the moment, they were waiting to see what other 
strange powers the two lone survivors possessed.
	Kunzite glanced down at his hand as Sailor Venus grabbed hold 
of it and laced their fingers together. "My father was right," she 
said softly. "My destiny has always been to protect those around 
me, to protect those I care about. That includes you, General. You 
more than anyone else."
	Everywhere Kunzite looked, he saw feminine faces carved out 
of ice.
	"Tell you what," he remarked. "We make it out of this alive, 
and I promise not to bring my sword to bed." 
	Sailor Venus laughed. She grabbed Kunzite by the collars of 
his uniform and yanked him down. Her kiss was so fierce it almost 
made him recoil in surprise, the touch of her lips electrifying. 
When Kunzite pulled away, he could see only her blonde hair and 
brilliant blue eyes.
	"No regrets," Venus stated.
	Kunzite nodded his head. Violet light crackled in both of his 
fists. 
	The Snow Dancers came for them, in waves and walls and 
reaching, grasping hands. Within seconds, Kunzite's boomerangs had 
limbs and heads raining down around them. Whatever his weapons 
touched, they sliced apart with no resistance. The unending giggles 
became punctuated by squeaks and shrill cries as Snow Dancers were 
cut to pieces. 
	Kunzite raced through the thick of their ranks, summoning 
more power into his hands. A Snow Dancer leapt for him. Without 
even slowing or stumbling in his step, Kunzite jumped into the air 
and rammed the merciless tip of a boomerang down her open mouth. As 
he landed, he slashed across another Snow Dancer's chest, nearly 
cleaving her in half.
	More Snow Dancers lunged from behind. One found his body, 
wrapping her cold arms around his chest and hoisting him into the 
air. Kunzite was unable to shout as his chest was nearly crushed. 
Snow and ice began to form wherever the Snow Dancer's body touched 
his. If he didn't escape, he'd be a block of ice in seconds.
	Kunzite's head snapped around as a Snow Dancer moved forward 
to help finish the task. He lashed out with his boot, kicking with 
enough force to crack off part of the Snow Dancer's face. She 
swooned and toppled over sideways. The grip around his chest 
tightened, forcing the air out from Kunzite's lungs.
	He gasped, desperate for air.
	Out of the corner of his eye, Kunzite saw a flash of gold 
around the Snow Dancer's neck. Suddenly the Snow Dancer's head went 
flying off like a cork. The hold on him immediately went slack, and 
he dropped back onto the ground. Kunzite broke free of the Snow 
Dancer's embrace. Her limbs broke apart at the elbows; Kunzite had 
to pry the forearms from his chestpiece. 
	 A good number of Snow Dancers were toppling over around him. 
More flashes of gold light bounced and looped in the air. In their 
wake, Snow Dancers broke into pieces. Kunzite looked up and saw 
through the masses of Snow Dancers a lone Sailor Soldier.
	Sailor Venus idly twirled her Love-Me Chain around her body.
	"Are you just going to stand there and admire my legs," she 
asked, "or are you actually going to help?"
	Kunzite pursed his lips and made a kissing motion at her.
	A Snow Dancer came reaching for his neck. Kunzite grabbed 
hold of her head and slammed it down onto the ground, shattering it 
apart. A second Snow Dancer barely gave him time to breathe; she 
barrelled down on him, her fingertips turning into talons. Kunzite 
called forth his boomerangs and sliced off her forearms before 
kicking her aside. The armless Snow Dancer flailed about before 
tripping over one of her fallen kin.
	As she fell, Kunzite dropped to one knee, winded and gasping 
for air.
	This was taking more out of him than he'd expected.
	If he didn't let up, his stamina would give out.
	Summoning more energy required more time--time the Snow 
Dancers swiftly killed by sheer numbers. Kunzite could feel his 
body on edge as it recharged, gathering more raw power into his 
fists. Snow Dancers became a blinding series of whites and blues. 
With so many crowding such a small area, they no longer used their 
maelstrom attacks. 
	Another frigid hand grabbed at Kunzite's shoulder, turning 
part of his uniform to ice. Kunzite hissed and leapt away. Damned 
things were trying to freeze him where he stood by touch alone. 
	The Snow Dancer kept advancing. 
	"Okay," Kunzite muttered to himself. "Now I'm starting to 
panic."
	Frantic, he looked around for a weapon--something, anything.
	He backed into the hilt of his katana, which was still buried 
in the chest of a Snow Dancer. Kunzite spun around and grabbed the 
hilt. As swiftly as he possibly could, Kunzite pulled the blade 
free of the one Snow Dancer and swung it at the neck of the other. 
The Snow Dancer let out a brief, bewildered titter before her head 
was cut off. Her body exploded into fine particles of ice, 
showering Kunzite as he swung around and buried his katana into the 
head of the second Snow Dancer. He drove the blade into the ground, 
pinning the thrashing youma in place. She howled and grabbed at him 
in vain. 
	 Not far from him, Sailor Venus sent the tip of her Love-Me 
Chain through the chests of three Snow Dancers standing in a row. 
Another Snow Dancer tried to ambush her from behind. At the height 
of its pounce, Sailor Venus turned her head and pointed two of her 
fingers at the Snow Dancer. 
	"Crescent Beam!"
	A golden beam of light turned the airborne Snow Dancer into 
dust. With a satisfied grin, Sailor Venus snapped back her Love-Me 
Chain. "So just how can you do that?" she shouted over to Kunzite.
	She cracked her Love-Me Chain and flung it at another Snow 
Dancer, who exploded with its touch.
	Explosions of violet light engulfed Kunzite's hands, causing 
the Snow Dancers closest to him to shriek and flee. He lobbed one 
his boomerangs, letting it shear off four or five heads before 
calling it back to him.
	"I'm half-Lunarian," Kunzite said, leaping into the air to 
catch the boomerang. His fingers wrapped around the weapon. Kunzite 
impaled a Snow Dancer in the face with it as he landed. He turned 
around and looked at Sailor Venus. "My mother came from the moon."
	Venus gaped at him.
	Her distraction caused a Snow Dancer moved forward to attack. 
Sailor Venus let out a cry as the Snow Dancer grabbed at her wrist. 
The contact instantly froze Venus's hand through the glove. Sailor 
Venus only glared and began to make a familiar gesture.
	"Crescent Beam!"
	Kunzite had to wince as the Snow Dancer's head exploded into 
countless, tiny shards. 
	"And when were you going to tell me this?" Venus exclaimed as 
she stepped over the decapitated Snow Dancer. She punched at the 
thin veil of ice covering her hand, and shattered it.
	"Only when you asked about it," Kunzite replied.
	Seconds later, he was flying tackled by another Snow Dancer.
	"So there wasn't a better time to bring up your bloodline?" 
Venus said. More Snow Dancers attacked, and were splintered apart 
by her Love-Me Chain.
	"What?" Kunzite remarked as he tried to push the leering Snow 
Dancer off himself. "You think I was waiting until now?"
	The Snow Dancer giggled insanely at him. The smile on her 
face abruptly vanished as the heart-shaped links of the Love-Me 
Chain snaked around her waist and heaved her off the ground. But 
instead of simply flinging the Snow Dancer across the centre of the 
labyrinth, Venus kept the ice youma soaring through the air.
	"You might want to duck!" Venus shouted over her shoulder at 
Kunzite.
	Kunzite needed no added incentive: he dove to the ground as 
the thrashing Snow Dancer came rocketing past, the Snow Dancer's 
legs nearly kicking him in the face. Sailor Venus continued to 
whirl the Snow Dancer through the air, gaining more speed with each 
circle she made.
	The Snow Dancer locked in the coils of the chain was smashed 
against her kin, her speed never slowing down as she collided into 
scores of other Snow Dancers, breaking off limbs and heads, or 
smashing their bodies apart altogether. The trapped Snow Dancer 
herself didn't escape unscathed, the very first hit dashing both 
her hands against the side of a rather startled Snow Dancer.
	Venus' whip reduced most of the Snow Dancers to large, ragged 
chunks of ice. Kunzite mopped up the mess, his boomerangs catching 
whatever Snow Dancers were able to escape. Sailor Venus released 
her grip on the Love-Me Chain, the heart-shaped links disappearing. 
The Snow Dancer's body, now just a large stump of ice that might 
have been its torso, soared through the air and crashed into one of 
the stragglers.
	The air seemed to warm up a little, despite all the blanket 
of snow that covered the centre of the labyrinth. Kunzite turned 
his attention to the last visibly moving Snow Dancer: her legs were 
gone at the knees, but that didn't stop her from tenaciously 
crawling towards them. A large gouge ran across the side of her 
face, and as a result her giggles came out fractured and warped.
	"Where is she now?" Sailor Venus asked him. "Your mother?"
	Kunzite began stepping over the severed parts of Snow Dancers 
littering the cobblestone, making his way towards the last Snow 
Dancer. "Dead. It was common knowledge in our town that she was 
Lunarian. Not everyone liked it. Someone decided to have her 
killed. My father was a merchant; he was out on business at the 
time." Solemn, he glanced over his shoulder at Sailor Venus. "She 
died right in front of me."
	The silence between them seemed unbridgeable.
	Venus' hands went to her mouth, the shock more than apparent 
on her face. When she dared to speak, her voice was quiet, almost 
hopeful. "But the assassin left you alone?"
	Kunzite almost laughed. "No. My powers exploded when I saw 
her fall, and I decapitated him without even lifting a finger."
	They reached the surviving Snow Dancer. Kunzite gently rested 
his boot on the side of her face. The Snow Dancer's one good eye 
opened wider, and she let out one last, broken giggle. 
	"Did you ever find out who had her killed?" Venus asked.
	In that moment, Kunzite became a total stranger to her. "Oh 
yes," he whispered. "I most certainly did."
	Kunzite's boot pressed down and crushed the Snow Dancer's 
head into the ground. Sailor Venus winced and chose to look 
elsewhere. 
	The ice began to recede, though the snow remained. 
	"Look," Venus said, pointing to the vanishing ice. "Whatever 
strange power these things possess is linked with the ice. Kill the 
demons, and the ice disappears as well." 
	"I somehow doubt these things were alive in the first place," 
Kunzite said.
	Sailor Venus shrugged. "Intact, then."
	The victims caught in the Snow Dancer's attacks began to move 
within their icy prisons, their mouths and fingers slowly, groggily 
showing signs of life. The ice was melting faster now, and with an 
enraged roar Temagami suddenly erupted from behind the toppled 
banquet table in a storm of water and ice.
	Sailor Venus couldn't stop crying as she ran to her father 
and held him tightly in her arms. Kunzite gave them some time 
alone; he scoured the frozen corpses strewn about the courtyard, 
eventually finding the Snow Dancer who still had his katana buried 
in her chest. Placing a boot against the fallen Snow Dancer's 
shoulder, Kunzite drew out his sword and inspected the blade.
	Someone placed their hand upon his shoulder.
	Kunzite glanced back and found Sailor Venus standing next to 
him. Behind her, Temagami was gathering up Lady Chiriho in his 
arms, ready to carry her back to the palace. Most of the banquet 
guests were freed, and unlike the casualties from aftermath of 
Spinel's attack, almost all of the Venusians were concerned with 
everyone else instead of themselves.
	"Well, it looks like we have only bruises and scrapes to 
contend with," Sailor Venus said. "That's good news, isn't it?"
	Kunzite scowled and turned away. 
	"Or was it a bad thing?" Venus remarked.
	Kunzite sheathed his sword and knelt down next to the broken 
Snow Dancer. Its head and arms had been severed from the rest of 
its body, but the grin on the feminine face laying next to its body 
still leered up at him with a malevolent sneer.  And yet, its 
features were starting to fade, the ice changing into snow. The ice 
from the Snow Dancers' attacks were not the only things 
disappearing, it seemed.
	"What's wrong?" Venus asked.
	"These demons are the least of our worries," Kunzite stated. 
"They're nothing more than footsoldiers. Someone or something sent 
them here. This is merely the first wave."
	Venus straightened up, and with renewed worry looked around 
the courtyard. "Once I know Yurino is safe, we'll return to the 
Lunarian palace."
	Not entirely listening to her words, Kunzite nodded his head.  
	He watched silently as the body of the Snow Dancer, and all 
the others around it, crumbled from ice into snow, the winds 
scattering their remains across the labyrinth.


			*	*	*
	With a high-pitched yelp, a Snow Dancer was hoisted off the 
ground--her limbs akimbo, her eyes wide and Cioran's hand right 
through her chest. A fierce light erupted through the clenched 
fingers of his fist. Seconds later she shattered into hundreds of 
slivers of ice that bounced harmlessly off Cioran's form. He 
lowered his arm and slowly turned towards the other Snow Dancers 
around him. 
	"Next!"
	Snow Dancers swarmed the arena. 
	Almost everyone was cut off from everyone else. For as large 
as the arena was, even it was starting to fill up. Endymion had 
managed to reach Serenity as the first Snow Dancers touched the 
ground, and now he tried to cut a route back into the palace. 
Cioran just leapt through the fracas in random directions, 
destroying whatever crossed his path. Trapped at the very centre of 
the arena, Zoicite and Sailor Mercury found themselves with barely 
any cover from the merciless onslaught of Snow Dancers. 
	"There's too damned many of them!" Zoicite shouted. Despite 
the pain shooting through his leg, he forced himself to stand. His 
katana had already broken apart against the icy body of the first 
Snow Dancer to cross his path, and nearly all of his shuriken had 
rather harmlessly bounced off a couple of Snow Dancers flying past 
them.
	He took a step back, and felt his back press against Sailor 
Mercury's. 
	"We can still destroy them," Mercury said.
	"You can, maybe," Zoicite muttered. "My sword's broken and my 
ankle's not much better."
	"Have you even tried?"
	"What do you think I've been doing for the last five 
minutes?" he snapped. "Making weird faces for the hell of it?"
	Sailor Mercury glibly retorted, "I thought you were trying to 
scare them off."
	Zoicite tried to laugh, but nothing came out of his mouth. 
	The Snow Dancers continued to fall, and to float in the air 
over their heads. One came twisting through the air and clipped 
Zoicite across the shoulder, forcing him to fall face-first into 
the snow. When he rose back up, Zoicite let out a string of Terran-
Nihonjin curses.
	"What is it?" Mercury shouted over her shoulder.
	"I feel so useless, that's what!" Zoicite snarled, turning 
towards her. "I need water. I can't forge my crystals from thin air 
yet."
	Sailor Mercury abruptly pushed him to the side and launched 
another Shining Aqua Illusion at a small horde of advancing Snow 
Dancers. Whatever force was behind her attack, it froze the Snow 
Dancers in place before ripping them to pieces. It frightened 
Zoicite to think that an ice or water-based attack like hers could 
do such damage against a creature who was made from the same 
element. Not that he didn't appreciate the gesture.
	"Thanks," Zoicite said to her.
	Mercury winked at him before returning her attention to the 
next closest Snow Dancer. Yet for as much as she tried to protect 
the both of them, even her range of vision was limited. Elsewhere 
in the arena, Cioran casually dodged a blizzard that managed to 
instead ensnare a pair of Snow Dancers behind him. Cioran raced up 
to the attacking Snow Dancer and pushed her arm aside as she tried 
to hurl another snowstorm at him. Seconds later he snapped the Snow 
Dancer's arm off and used it like a bat to smash her head off her 
shoulders.
	But not before the Snow Dancer could let loose with a volley 
of ice.
	Zoicite forgot to breathe as he saw the attack swerve wildly 
through the air before swinging towards him. And it showed no signs 
of turning away or slowing down. As he tried to sidestep the wintry 
blast, his boot struck the earth at the wrong angle and folded 
beneath his weight. Zoicite swore as he pitched over sideways, the 
torrent of ice striking the ground and his injured foot.
	Sailor Mercury spun around. "Are you all right?"
	Zoicite opened his eyes and saw a Snow Dancer looming right 
over her head. His fingers found the last two of his shuriken 
darts, and flung them at the Snow Dancer. The sliver-like blades 
shot past Mercury's face, one of the shuriken coming so close it 
cut a few strands of her hair. Both darts, however, found their 
intended targets and sank into the Snow Dancer's eyes.
	The Snow Dancer shrieked and recoiled, snapping her head 
back. Mercury whirled and unleashed her water attack. The Snow 
Dancer didn't even have time to pull out the shuriken before her 
body was reduced to chunks of ice and a cloud of snow.
	"Forget about me!" Zoicite snapped at Mercury. "Don't take 
your eyes off these things for even a second! Let me worry about my 
problems."
	As Sailor Mercury returned to the battle, Zoicte tried to 
stand. The effort failed and he tripped over his icy cast. 
Unexpectedly, the pain in his leg was absent as he stumbled. For a 
moment he stared at his frozen foot. The ice had numbed all of his 
nerves. He couldn't feel a thing. At least now he might have a bit 
of decent mobility.
	Zoicite's gaze lingered upon the ice, and in a fit of 
insanity and inspiration, he put all his focus into changing it. 
The ice caked around the edges of his foot began to shift and 
churn. Suddenly they broke apart, liquefying as they rose into the 
air and formed watery tendrils around Zoicite's hand.
	"I can do this," Zoicite muttered. He glanced over his 
shoulder at Sailor Mercury. "Ami! Can you take out one of those 
snow demons right in front of me?"
	"That's cutting it a little close, don't you think?"
	Zoicite's eyes narrowed. "That's the idea."
	A Snow Dancer came soaring through the air towards him. 
Zoicite straightened up as he saw it come closer and closer still. 
The Snow Dancer's giggling was almost maniacal, her savage 
fingertips grasping for him. Zoicite didn't move, didn't try to 
escape. With one foot injured and now encased in ice, Zoicite knew 
he wouldn't stand a chance even if he tried.
	He waited.
	The Snow Dancer increased her speed, the gap closing between 
them.
	The tendrils of water went to rigid attention, forming a 
wave. And with an ear-piercing scream the wave shot through the air 
and sheared the Snow Dancer's head off at the chin. The Snow 
Dancer's head went spinning in one direction, and her body 
plummeted to the ground, bouncing and tumbling across the snow and 
grass, slowing to a stop right next to Zoicite's knees.
	With a grin, Zoicite glanced over his shoulder. "Nevermind!"
	"Always glad to be of service," Mercury replied, taking out 
another two aerial Snow Dancers.
	More Snow Dancers paraded and swarmed around them.
	Zoicite extended his arms and held his open palms over the 
fallen Snow Dancer. His eyes continued to watch their winter-borne 
assailants, though his concentration was fixed on the sculpted 
block of ice next to him. The Snow Dancer's body began to twitch, 
to shift, to melt and form coils upon coils of water. For the first 
time since the battle had begun, Zoicite laughed.
	"Hey!" he shouted. "Let's make this fight interesting!"
	Another Snow Dancer came arcing through the air towards 
Sailor Mercury. She pummelled it with her Shining Aqua Illusion. 
"I'm listening."
	"Care to see who can take out more of these snow demons?"
	"I'm already ahead of you."
	"I can catch up."
	"Oh, you're that confident, are you?"
	Zoicite's lips curled back as he allowed more Snow Dancers to 
get closer to him. The two orbs of frenzied water lurched and 
became four, and the orbs lengthened into sharp, slender crystals. 
"You could say that." 


			*	*	*
	The Snow Dancer tittered and lunged for Serenity. Serenity in 
turn shifted her weight and delivered a kick to the Snow Dancer's 
head that tore the Snow Dancer's head from its shoulders. Serenity 
stopped and gawked as the decapitated body dropped to its knees and 
fell over.
	"Told you you could kick," Endymion remarked, grabbing her 
arm and pulling her closer to the exit.
	The Snow Dancers standing between them and the interior of 
the palace seemed to multiply every time he turned around. At least 
if they were indoors, they wouldn't have to worry about so many of 
the damned things coming down from above. For one brief moment, 
Endymion wondered if any of these snow demons had managed to get 
into the palace. He wasn't allowed the luxury of considering it 
further: a Snow Dancer smashed into his side, tearing his grip from 
both Serenity and the Soul Constellation as the Snow Dancer sent 
him crashing into the growing mounds of snow.
	Seizing the opening, a second Snow Dancer swooped in and went 
after Serenity.
	"Serenity!" Endymion shouted, fighting furiously with the 
Snow Dancer. The Snow Dancer merely giggled and pinned him down 
against the frozen earth.
	Serenity saw the Soul Constellation laying not two steps 
before her. She lunged for the sword, scrambling to hold its weight 
in her hands. The Snow Dancer leisurely approached and then stamped 
a foot down on the tip of the blade, forcing the sword back to the 
ground. With a malevolent laugh, the Snow Dancer reached for 
Serenity.
	Abruptly a shadow fell over the Snow Dancer. 
	The Snow Dancer blinked and looked up just in time to see 
Cioran's hands clamp onto the sides of her head as he fell past 
her. The instant his feet touched the earth, Cioran used all his 
inertia and yanked the Snow Dancer off the ground by her head. 
	Serenity hastily dropped to the ground as the Snow Dancer was 
sent pinwheeling through the air, her flailing legs nearly hitting 
the Lunarian princess in the face. The Snow Dancer squealed as she 
smashed into another of her kin, the two shattering from the 
impact.
	Cioran quickly knelt down and pulled Serenity up with one 
hand, grabbing hold of the Soul Constellation with the other. "Hold 
this," he stated, handing the sword to Serenity. The weight of it 
almost sent her falling back down to the ground.
	Cioran stepped up to the Snow Dancer atop Endymion. Her arms 
were wrapped around Endymion's neck, letting a thin layer of ice 
slowly creep its way beneath Endymion's armour. With a look if 
distaste, Cioran's fingers curled around the top of the Snow 
Dancer's head, his other hand firmly gripping her shoulder. With 
little effort, he ripped the Snow Dancer's head off and then lobbed 
it through the air.
	An airborne Snow Dancer screamed as she was taken out, pieces 
of her falling to the ground. 
	"You might want to speed things up," Cioran stated as he 
pulled Endymion to his feet. "This place isn't getting any 
friendlier."
	"So I noticed," Endymion agreed.
	They both abruptly spun around and punched a Snow Dancer in 
the face, shattering it apart. 
	Endymion wasted no time retrieving his sword from Serenity. 
Hand in hand they fought their way through the Snow Dancers, 
pulverizing whatever they could. Cioran made a point now of staying 
close and destroying any interference that came their way. Sooner 
than he'd expected, Endymion saw the archway leading into the 
palace. Though the Snow Dancers were not making their way inside; 
that worried him. Were they afraid of the light, or the heat, or 
were they just waiting until everyone outside was frozen or dead?
	Cioran dispatched the last of the Snow Dancers blocking their 
exit, and Endymion and Serenity raced into the safety and warmth of 
the palace. Serenity bent over, gasping for air. Her hair was 
tousled and her dress torn, but miraculously she had little more 
than a few small cuts across her arms to show for the battle.
	"They're not following us," Cioran stated. "In fact, they 
look like they've forgotten we even exist. Should I be insulted?"
	Endymion looked back into the arena. The Snow Dancers had 
almost completely overtaken the area, their bodies littering the 
ground and the skies. It was like watching a mass of writhing, 
white snakes as they closed in around the only pocket of resistance 
left in the arena: at its very centre, Zoicite and Sailor Mercury 
still fought for their lives. And more amazingly, were still 
holding their ground.  
	Endymion glanced at Serenity and Cioran, and made his 
decision. "Cioran, get her out of harm's way," he told the Seraphim 
guard. "I'm going back in."
	"Endymion, no!" Serenity exclaimed. 
	"You'll be turned into an ice sculpture before you make it 
halfway to them," Cioran stated.
	"I don't leave people behind!" Endymion snapped. "Not in any 
of my battles on Earth, and I'm sure as hell not going to start up 
here on the moon!" He turned and glared at Cioran. "She is your top 
priority. We both know that. Get her to safety."
	He turned to Serenity and said as gently as he could, "You 
can't come with me."
	She wrapped him tightly in her embrace, squeezing him so hard 
he felt it through his armour.  
	Cioran abruptly placed a restraining hand on Endymion's 
shoulder. "Not many leaders would go back for their men. I'm sorry 
I can't be at your side for this."
	"See that she comes to no harm," Endymion told him, "and I'll 
call it even." 
	"I'll do you one better," Cioran said, and took a step into 
the archway. "I'll clear a path for you, though I can't guarantee 
how long it'll stay cleared."
	Before Endymion could even consider agreeing, Cioran dropped 
to his knees and placed his palms against each other as if he were 
praying. Cioran's eyes momentarily closed. When they opened, his 
eyes were black. Lightning, black as the night, crackled at his 
fingertips. With a shout, Cioran slammed his palms against the 
ground, and the black lightning exploded out into the arena.
	The arcs jumped and danced and leapfrogged over each other in 
a mad race. Snow Dancers spun and turned and shrieked as the 
lightning pounced and connected with whatever it could find: legs, 
arms, torsos, heads. The instant the lightning touched a Snow 
Dancer, they shattered apart in a fury of snow and shards of ice. 
The lightning continued to rampage, smashing a straight line 
through the thickest ranks of the Snow Dancers. 
	Snow Dancers yelped as their arms exploded seconds before 
their heads or bodies. Countless Snow Dancers were hit with 
multiple bolts, their insides glowing a hellish red for a brief 
instant before detonating. And Endymion raced over the field of 
debris, following on the tail of the black lightning as it cleared 
a way. 
	But for as powerful as Cioran was, even he had limits. About 
halfway to Mercury and Zoicite, the lightning attack petered out 
and dissipated. The unharmed Snow Dancers all turned their heads 
towards Endymion, and giggled in unison. Not slowing down for a 
single step, Endymion drew out the Soul Constellation.
	A normal sword would have splintered against their solid 
bodies.
	The Soul Constellation was far from normal.
	With shriek the first Snow Dancer he encountered was cleaved 
down the middle, her two halves pinwheeling in opposite directions 
and colliding with other Snow Dancers. Endymion continued forward, 
relentless as he hacked and slashed his way back through the arena. 
The snow on the ground was growing deeper, rising almost up to his 
knees.
	Endymion didn't care.
	He leapt into the air, letting his power carry him as it had 
through the undersea ballroom days before. Snow Dancers flitted 
through the air and grabbed at him. Endymion twisted his body, 
corkscrewing and flipping around to avoid their grasp. What their 
hands missed, the Soul Constellation found. Limbs and heads were 
cleaved and sent flying. Endymion's descent was broken by the soft 
snow--and the torso of a Snow Dancer that cracked on impact with 
the ground.
	Endymion bounded into the air again before the near crushing 
masses of Snow Dancers could envelop him. Taking Serenity's trick, 
he made a point of kicking as many heads off as he could while he 
was airborne. For what felt like hours Endymion fought his way 
through a seemingly endless army of Snow Dancers. Finally he got 
within sight of Mercury and Zoicite.
	The two stood atop a growing mound of snow, ice and pieces of 
Snow Dancers. Zoicite turned a severed hand into an orb of churning 
water, and the orb into a pair of sleek, lethal ice crystals. 
Behind him, Mercury called forth a rather frightening sphere of 
churning water and ice before letting it loose. The Shining Aqua 
Illusion mowed down half a dozen Snow Dancers and knocked even more 
into the air.
	A Snow Dancer plummeted from above, moving faster than he 
could have ever expected. Endymion raised the Soul Constellation 
over his head, knowing he wouldn't be fast enough. A part of his 
body would either be slashed or frozen. He didn't know which fate 
he preferred.
	A volley of ice and water suddenly smashed into the side of 
the Snow Dancer, dashing her into oblivion. Endymion whirled; 
Sailor Mercury was already looking elsewhere for another target. An 
unseen Snow Dancer came arcing around her blind spot and smashed a 
fist into Mercury's back as she soared by. Sailor Mercury let out a 
startled cry as she was sent crashing into the snow, the back of 
her uniform ripped and caked in a thin layer of ice.
	"Bitch!" Zoicite roared over the giggling, and lobbed a 
barrage of ice crystals at the offending Snow Dancer. The Snow 
Dancer's head and arms were sheared off, and the body careened out 
of control before smashing apart two more Snow Dancers.
	Zoicite reached over as best he could and helped pull Mercury 
back up. His attention elsewhere, he didn't see a Snow Dancer erupt 
from the blanket of snow next to him. Endymion did, and sliced her 
torso apart just beneath the bosom.
	"Did I miss anything?" he asked, slipping his arm under 
Mercury's shoulders and brining her to her feet.
	Sailor Mercury managed a smile. "Only me winning a bet."
	Zoicite struggled to get back up, wincing as he felt along 
his chest. "No offence, Milord," he wheezed, "but are Lunarian 
winters always like this, or did I just miss that report?"
	Sailor Mercury didn't look any better. Her breathing was 
laboured and heavy. Her body was slumping over, and her legs looked 
ready to give out. The both of them sported a vast number of cuts 
along their bodies, and half of Mercury's face was covered in a 
thin, frozen sheen of blood.
	The three of them put their backs together, grimly surveying 
the seemingly impenetrable hordes of Snow Dancers.
	"How are we doing?" Endymion asked. 
	"Oh, same old, same old," Zoicite said.
	"That good?"
	Zoicite shrugged, and sent out another wave of ice crystals. 
"I've got maybe a few more crystals left in me before I pass out. I 
can't feel any pain from my ankle thanks to the ice, but I doubt 
I'll be able to hobble let alone run."
	"I don't think I can last much longer myself," Mercury said 
between pants for air. 
	One Snow Dancer dared to charge Endymion. Her face and then 
her waist were cut apart, the pieces sliding apart and harmlessly 
falling to the ground.
	"You can't take both of us," Zoicite said.
	"So I'm noticing."
	Zoicite paused for a moment before taking down another Snow 
Dancer. "I'll cover your escape."
	"You won't last two minutes on your own," Mercury said. 
Abruptly she collapsed, and Endymion hastily caught her in his 
arms.
	"And the three of us won't last five!" Zoicite shouted, 
spearing two Snow Dancers trying to take advantage of the 
distraction. "I know you don't like leaving your people behind, 
Endymion, but unless you've got a better idea, it's all we can do."
	Endymion growled as he adjusted his grip on Sailor Mercury, 
holding him as best he could with one hand. He pointed the tip of 
the Soul Constellation at Zoicite. "I'm coming back for you, 
General--and just so you know, I don't plan on chiselling you out 
with my sword."
	 Zoicite rolled his eyes. "Subtle."
	Endymion glanced out at the exit and prepared to make as high 
and as long a leap as he possibly could. The Snow Dancers, however, 
had something new to show them all. They rose like a tidal wave, 
legions upon legions choking up the air, a hundred pairs of eyes 
leering down at them and a hundred pairs of greedy arms reaching 
for the warmth of their bodies. The surge of Snow Dancers roared 
towards them, threatening to crush and smother them all beneath a 
blanket of demons and snow.
	"You have got," Zoicite exclaimed, "to be fucking kidding 
me!"
	Over the howling wind and snow, and the maddening giggles of 
the Snow Dancers, Endymion thought he heard a woman's voice whisper 
two strange little words that made him shiver.
	"Dead Scream."
	Suddenly the world Endymion could see was bathed in a 
brilliant and blinding purple. Endymion lifted the Soul 
Constellation over his face to shield his eyes from the light. 
Somewhere through the haze he could see the terrifying silhouette 
of all those Snow Dancers coming for them. 
	And then the tidal wave shattered, carrying with it a hundred 
screams to the heavens. Endymion and Sailor Mercury were blown 
backwards, crashing onto Zoicite. All three tumbled down the mound 
if ice, sliding the last few feet to the base, and a thin blanket 
of snow covered them entirely.
	For a short time, an eerie silence settled down onto the 
arena.
	Zoicite abruptly popped out from the snow, spitting out a 
mouthful of it. "Are we dead yet?" he sputtered.
	"Doesn't look like it," Sailor Mercury said with a groan as 
she sat up and brushed the snow from her face and hair.
	Endymion stirred and with some effort picked himself out of 
the snow. He flopped onto his back and stared up at the skies. The 
snow continued to fall, but now it looked deceptively peaceful. 
"Could someone please tell me what the hell just happened?" he 
asked aloud.
	And then a familiar voice spoke from atop the mound. "Ah, 
you're all still alive, I see."
	The three cast their gazes up and saw another Sailor Soldier 
watching them. 
 	"Pluto!" Sailor Mercury exclaimed.
	Sailor Pluto inclined her head towards them. 
	Cioran came dropping from above, Serenity held carefully in 
his grip. He let Serenity alight the snow, and she ran right into 
Endymion's arms, nearly bowling him over. "When I saw that wave, I 
thought I'd lost you!" she whispered, kissing the side of his face.
	"I thought I recognized your handiwork," Cioran remarked, 
turning to Sailor Pluto. He surveyed the area: all traces of the 
Snow Dancers were obliterated. No bodies remained. All that stood 
around them was a fine, deep blanket of snow. "So where are the 
others?"
	"Halcyon Queen was outside in one of the other gardens when 
these dancers in the snow came," Pluto answered, and looked 
directly at Serenity. "She insisted that I ensure your safety, 
Princess."
	Serenity's eyes widened in panic. "But my mother!"
	"Uranus and Neptune are with her," Pluto said in an almost 
unnervingly calm voice.
	"Well, I hope they're up to the task," Zoicite remarked as he 
lightly felt along his chest with his fingertips. His ribcage was 
sore, and the chances were good he'd badly bruised something.
	Cioran grinned. "Knowing those two, they'd enjoy themselves--
though they'd never deign to admit it."
	Endymion flashed a curious look over at Cioran.
	Cioran simply shrugged. "Uranus especially has a lot of pent-
up energy she doesn't get to vent. She's probably pulverized those 
things by now."
	"Regardless," Sailor Mercury said, "I think we'd better see 
her. Right now."
	Pluto nodded and gently placed Mercury's arm over her 
shoulder, helping Mercury up. "I agree. Omens such as this can 
never be ignored."


			*	*	*
	When the Snow Dancers came, they dropped through a partition 
of the glass canopy over the heads of Nephrite, Rei and Makoto. 
Snow, wind and glass shards rained down, and the palace was 
immediately filled with insane giggles and maelstroms of winter 
air. 
	Makoto's head snapped up to the ceiling. She threw Nephrite 
aside, and then dove in the opposite direction with Rei still over 
her shoulder. Nephrite swore as his back bounced off the harsh 
ground. Mercifully, he didn't land on his broken arm.
	Seconds later, four Snow Dancers glided down to the marble 
floor where they had just been standing. An escort of lethal glass 
shards rained down around everyone, sinking into whatever they 
could touch, even the Snow Dancers.
	Nephrite stared up at the ice maiden, and then at the myriad 
of jagged pieces of glass sticking out from the back of her head 
and shoulders. The Snow Dancer tittered and slowly turned her head 
towards him.
	"Impossible," Nephrite hissed. 
	No living creature on Earth or Lunaria could survive that.
	From behind the Snow Dancers, Makoto exclaimed, "What are 
they?"
	Nephrite didn't have the chance to call them for what they 
were: demons. The Snow Dancer gazing down at him twirled her hands, 
and from her fingertips came a torrent of snow and wind. Nephrite 
scrambled aside, narrowly missing the snow as it pummelled the 
floor. The floor became covered in ice.
	As he got to his feet, Nephrite cursed his luck. Bad enough 
his sword arm was broken, but he'd also left his katana back in the 
Fire chamber. There was next to nothing he could do against these 
ice demons, not unless he counted 'hiding' in his list of options.
	More Snow Dancers came falling through the hole in the glass, 
some scraping their arms on the edges. Nephrite dodged another 
blast of snow and ice, ducking behind a pillar. He could only hope 
that Makoto and Rei were doing the same.
	"Everyone still alive?" he shouted over the din of infernal 
laughter.
	"Barely," came Rei's voice. "Where are you?"
	"Out of sight," Nephrite said. He looked around the hall, 
trying to find a weapon. Naturally, they had to get attacked in a 
grand hall sporting only immense pillars. "I don't suppose there 
are any nearby exits we can run for."
	There was a pause, probably as both girls looked around.
	Nephrite inched around the pillar and risked a glance at the 
Snow Dancers. Neither Rei nor Makoto could be seen. However, there 
were now easily two dozen Snow Dancers milling about the hall.
	"Unfortunately, no," came Makoto's grim response.
	Nephrite's sharpened hearing picked up the origin of her 
voice amidst the booming echoes and demonic giggles. The two Inner 
Soldiers were hiding behind a pillar almost across from him, not 
thirty paces away--and behind them stood a long row of glass 
panels. Outside, the snow fell relentlessly upon a deserted 
promenade.
	And more than a few Snow Dancers stood in the way. The odds 
of getting there be damned; Nephrite knew he wasn't safe if he 
stayed put.
	"I'll be right over," he said. "Though I could use a bit of 
cover, if you don't mind."
	"Are you insane?" Makoto shouted.
	Nephrite brought himself almost into the visual range of the 
Snow Dancers. "I wasn't talking to you."
	"It's suicide!" she protested. "General, you can't just--"
	But Nephrite was already running. The nearest Snow Dancer let 
out a startled squeak as Nephrite leapt into the air and brought
both of his boots against her chest. His good arm grabbed hold of 
her shoulder as she pitched over backwards, helping catapult 
Nephrite onto the next Snow Dancer.
 	Makoto's voice echoed across the hall again. "What are you--
aw, hell! Jupiter Star Power: Make Up!"
	The shaft of green light that erupted from behind the pillar 
caused the Snow Dancers to give pause and look elsewhere. Nephrite 
didn't stop or slow down to look at it. The distraction was exactly 
what he needed. He sidestepped another two Snow Dancers before 
kicking one across the back of the head. It didn't kill her, or 
even look to hurt her, but the Snow Dancer stumbled out of 
Nephrite's way.
	Twenty more paces and he'd be behind the pillar. 
	The next Snow Dancer he'd cross paths with turned and saw 
him. She was ready. Nephrite dove feet-first to the floor, a blast 
of ice nearly taking off his head. He slid across the floor, going 
right between the Snow Dancer's legs. He was back on his feet 
before he could slow to a stop.
	Something cold and hard rammed into his back.
	Nephrite stumbled and tripped, crashing onto the floor. He 
rolled onto his good shoulder as best he could, but nearly bit his 
tongue off from the explosive pain stabbing into his broken arm. A 
Snow Dancer alighted the ground next to him, licking her lips as 
she leaned over him.
	The Snow Dancer's fingertips turned into claws, white and 
slender. Nephrite grimaced, not sure what would be worse: getting 
frozen in a block of ice, or being run through with those. 
	"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
	A great burst of light arced across the hall and blew apart 
the Snow Dancer. Without showing any signs of slowing down, 
Jupiter's attack continued to cleave Snow Dancers apart before 
fizzling out.
	Nephrite didn't need any further encouragement.
	He got to his feet and raced through the opening left by 
Jupiter's attack. A Snow Dancer unleashed a flood of ice at his 
feet, and at the last possible instant Nephrite leapt onto another 
Snow Dancer. The ice swarmed across the floor past them, freezing 
the hapless Snow Dancer's feet to the ground. 
	Nephrite jumped off the Snow Dancer's body and slid across 
the ice, letting it carry him right next to Sailor Jupiter. Rei 
grabbed hold of Nephrite by his good arm and pulled him in behind 
the pillar. Jupiter quickly ducked after them as three different 
ice attacks struck the pillar.
	"Why did you do that?" Rei asked, brushing away some of the 
hair from his face.
	Nephrite grinned. "I got lonely."
	Sailor Jupiter pulled her head back behind the pillar as a 
gale of snow shot past her, coating the side of the pillar in an 
icy sheen. "Not to ruin the moment, but what the hell were you 
thinking?" Jupiter snapped angrily. "Now they know exactly where we 
are!" 
	Nephrite gestured with his chin to the glass behind them. 
"None of them are outside. They're all in here. We can make a run 
for it, lose them in the gardens." 
	Jupiter pointed out into the hall. "Did you even look at how 
many were out there? We're trapped and outnumbered!"
	Nephrite held back the temptation to just toss her out to the 
Snow Dancers. "Are you done with the radiant pessimism yet?" he 
said, rising to his feet. "If you're thinking I'm only going to 
slow you down, then you're sadly mistaken."
	With a growl, Jupiter whirled and lobbed another Sparkling 
Wide Pressure at the nearest cluster of Snow Dancers.
	"We can't stay here," Rei said, struggling to get up. "With 
two Sailor Soldiers, we actually stand a chance."
	"You're in no shape to fight any of them," Nephrite said.
	Rei glared at him. "Oh, and you're one to talk," she snapped 
right back. "You'll topple over if I take one step to the right!"
	She produced her henshin. With a loud, clear shout of "Mars 
Crystal Power!" she was enveloped in a pillar of fire. Nephrite 
turned his head to the side to avoid the glare and light. When the 
flames pulled themselves apart, Super Sailor Mars stood before him. 
Her uniform was different now: the bow upon her back had grown, and 
the choker around her neck had changed. Even the woman within the 
uniform had changed, holding herself with a new degree of 
confidence and power. She didn't even look as winded and injured as 
she'd been moments before.
	Jupiter stared in awe and surprise at her. "Rei...how?"
	Super Sailor Mars didn't answer. She spun around and took 
dead aim at another group of advancing Snow Dancers. The very air 
around her ignited, the flames creating the shape of a bow. An all 
too familiar, blazing arrow was drawn back.
	"Mars Flame Sniper!"
	The Snow Dancers let out a horrid shriek as they were 
consumed by the heat and fire. A large cloud of steam rolled past 
Super Sailor Mars. She grinned and turned back to the others. "See, 
General? I can take care of myself just fine."
	The glass partitions behind them shattered apart.
	More Snow Dancers poured into the hall.
	Super Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter unleashed whatever 
attacks they could to drive back the waves of enemies. Snow Dancers 
swarmed around the pillar, forcing the trio out into the open.
	"Any other suggestions?" Sailor Jupiter shouted over at 
Nephrite.
	Nephrite shot her a look as he attempted to beat down an 
attacking Snow Dancer. One good arm and a fading reserve of stamina 
weren't helping him. He risked a quick look around the corridor. 
Snow Dancers seemed to be everywhere, slowing pushing them into a 
circle. If that happened, there'd be no hope left. 
	"Flank them!" he shouted. "Jupiter, take the ones on the 
left! Mars, the ones on the right. Draw them into the middle!"
	A strange, golden rod extended out from Sailor Jupiter's 
tiara. With a shout of "Supreme Thunder!" she wiped out half a 
dozen Snow Dancers closing in around her. "And what good will that 
do?" she exclaimed.
	Nephrite growled through his teeth; the last thing this 
battle needed were his commands being questioned. "The closer they 
are to each other, the easier they are to wipe out!" he shouted at 
her. "Do I have to draw a diagram for you, woman?"
	A Snow Dancer lunged for his exposed back.
	She was cut apart in midair by a Fire Soul attack.
	Super Sailor Mars managed a quick nod to him before returning 
her attention to the Snow Dancers. For her part, Mars looked to be 
taking Nephrite's commands to heart. With lethal proficiency, her 
Flame Snipers began cutting down their numbers and herding them 
towards one specific spot.
	For as sceptical as she was, Jupiter was also following 
along. Though her attacks were noticeably less powerful than Mars'. 
For every two that Jupiter destroyed, Mars took down another six. 
But his plan was working. Nephrite grinned as his gaze swept the 
hall once more. Another few more attacks, and the Snow Dancers 
would be all huddled together. And he was betting that a combined 
attack from both Inner Soldiers would decimate the remaining ones.
	Then suddenly a Snow Dancer leapt over his head.
	"The hell?" he muttered, his eyes following her.
	The bloody things could fly.
	Nephrite watched helplessly as the Snow Dancer soared over 
his head, her course taking her straight towards Super Sailor Mars. 
Her back to the Snow Dancer, Mars didn't see the attack coming.
	"Mars, look out!" Nephrite shouted.
	Super Sailor Mars turned her head just in time to see the 
smiling Snow Dancer fall upon her. The Snow Dancer's fingers 
grabbed Mars by the shoulders and hauled her into the air, the both 
of them careening towards another pillar. At the last moment, the 
Snow Dancer let go of Mars and pulled away. Super Sailor Mars 
slammed into the pillar, with enough force behind her to leave 
behind cracks With a low moan, Mars slumped to the floor. 
	Her eyes fluttered open.
	The Snow Dancer stood over her, giggling in sadistic glee.
	Suddenly a fist came exploding through the front of the Snow 
Dancer's face, spraying snow in Mars' face. She blinked in surprise 
as the Snow Dancer, now with a gaping hole in its head, slumped 
over. Behind the Snow Dancer stood Jadeite, a wry smirk on his face 
and Artemis perched on his shoulder.
	"Here I was, trying to locate you," he remarked, "and this is 
what I find." He reached down and pulled Mars to her feet. "I don't 
know what's happening, but there are scattered reports of these 
things attacking all over the palace."
	"We could use a little help over here!" boomed Nephrite's 
voice from across the hall.
	Jadeite and Mars glanced back; the Snow Dancers were routing 
now that there was only one Sailor Soldier trying to contain them. 
Jadeite gestured towards Jupiter. "Go," he said. "I'll make sure 
you have no interruptions."
	Grateful, Super Sailor Mars raced back to her place. Jadeite 
ran a few steps ahead of her, seizing any Snow Dancers who tried to 
come close and throwing them aside. His strength was almost 
inhuman, and as Mars passed by him she could have sworn his eyes 
were tinted with a slight shade of red.
	A Snow Dancer swooped down from the air, grabbing at Mars.
	Artemis leapt onto the Snow Dancer's head, clinging 
tenaciously with his hind paws as he swiped at the Snow Dancer's 
face. The Snow Dancer shrieked and veered off, leaving Mars alone.
	It took another ten minutes, but at last the Snow Dancers 
were reduced to rubble strewn across the great hall.
	"Is it just me," Nephrite remarked as he idly kicked aside a 
severed leg, "or are the piles of body parts really creepy to look 
at?"
	Jadeite knelt down next to one and examined her face. "There 
must be almost fifty of them."
	"These are just the ones we didn't obliterate entirely," 
Super Sailor Mars said.
	"So I see. You've changed since I last saw you fight." 
Jadeite glanced up at her. "The bow's a nice touch, but I think 
your skirt's gotten shorter."
	Mars' face went flush.
	Nephrite made his way towards them. "Any idea what they are?" 
he asked.
	"Ice," Jadeite answered. "Their bodies are solid ice. Nothing 
made of that should move the way these things did." 
	"Demons," Sailor Jupiter muttered.
	Uneasy, Nephrite took a long, hard look around the hall. "Are 
we absolutely sure they're all dead?"
	Something amidst the snow and debris shifted.
	Seconds later the last surviving Snow Dancer erupted from the 
bodies of her kin with a screech, and went straight for Nephrite. 
Her arms stretched out, her hands grasping for his face. Nephrite 
twisted his body aside, the two bodies grazing each other as they 
passed by. Nephrite fell backwards, and the Snow Dancer was on top 
of him almost instantly.
	Nephrite's legs went up as she pounced, the soles of his 
boots striking her chest and holding her back. The Snow Dancer 
giggled and reached for his throat. Through gritted teeth Nephrite 
snarled, "What are you laughing at?"
	With all the strength he could, he pushed his legs out and 
kicked the Snow Dancer off. She came at him a second time, snow 
churning around her fingertips. Nephrite was ready. He ducked her 
palm and swatted her arm upwards. The Snow Dancer squeaked in 
surprise.
	Snow and wind erupted from her hand.
	The blast of ice shot high into the air, punching through 
another part of the glass canopy. Nephrite sucked in a breath as 
the canopy broke apart with a sickening sound, and hundreds of 
sharpened slivers of glass plummeted downwards. They shimmered like 
stars in the pale light of the palace.
	The Snow Dancer didn't matter anymore.
	Nephrite knew that with this much glass, there was nowhere to 
run. Nowhere to hide or escape. So this was how he was to meet his 
end: here on Lunaria, of all places. They had better bury him back 
on Earth, that was for damned sure. 
	The Snow Dancer tried to move away. Nephrite's good hand 
clamped around her throat. "Oh no, you don't," he stated coldly, 
holding her in place.
	If this was it, at least he'd be taking his nemesis down with 
him.
	He closed his eyes and whispered one last prayer to the gods.
	Suddenly he was thrown, knocked aside. Nephrite's eyes flew 
open as he felt his feet leave the floor, his body careening wildly 
through the air. Time itself slowed down, and every second became 
an eternity. Nephrite watched as he was thrown from the path of the 
falling glass. 
	Watched as Sailor Jupiter took her place alongside the Snow 
Dancer.
	And with a painful thud, he hit the floor. And Sailor Jupiter 
was lost amidst a deluge of blood and glass. Her body convulsed 
shaking violently as each shard buried itself into her flesh and 
bones. Jupiter threw back her head, her eyes wide and disbelieving, 
and then she fell. 
	What happened after that was lost in a blur of panic and 
rage. Nephrite couldn't recall getting up from the floor. He 
suddenly found himself at Jupiter's side, sliding across the last 
few feet. Broken glass scattered around him. Nephrite could barely 
hear the shouts and frantic footsteps of the others racing towards 
them. Nephrite looked down at her body. Glass stuck out from 
everywhere. Most of her uniform was spattered in scarlet.
	"Careful," Jadeite said over Nephrite's shoulder. "Moving her 
could kill her."
	Weakly, Sailor Jupiter opened her eyes.
	Her breaths were uneven and shallow. 
	It was a miracle she was still breathing at all. 
	"Damn you!" Nephrite hissed at her. "After pulling a stupid 
stunt like that, don't you dare die on me!" 
	Jupiter let out what sounded like a sardonic laugh. Blood 
spilled over her lips and ran down her cheek. Her eyes slowly began 
to close.
	Nephrite's jaw clenched as he looked helplessly up at 
Jadeite. 


			*	*	*
	The doors to Hotaru's chambers remained closed. Closed and 
sealed. Nephrite stood next to the doors, leaning against the wall. 
His once broken arm, now mended, rested comfortably in a cloth 
sling. Hotaru had insisted he wear the sling until she could do a 
more thorough task of healing his wound. All of her effort, her 
focus, was now on Makoto. No one else went inside. And so far, an 
hour after the first attack, no one had come out.
	The corridor around Nephrite was deathly quiet, and the air 
itself seemed afraid to make even the slightest noise. The entirety 
of the palace's inhabitants had gone into hiding, terrified that 
more snow-wraiths might descend and attack. Very few dared to 
venture out from the confines of their rooms or offices. The few 
who did went in large groups or with armed escort. The Imperial 
Guards were having a hell of a time attempting to cover so many 
people and so much ground. Even with the reserves being called into 
service, the soldiers were being spread too thin to be of any use 
if another attack came.
	Not that it mattered much. 
	Nephrite doubted any of them would survive against a single 
snow-wraith. Hell, from the sounds of it, even the Seraphim had had 
their hands full during the last skirmish. These snow-wraiths, 
these Snow Dancers as they were now being called, defied 
explanation. They were not of Lunaria, or Earth. They were not of 
this system. That much he knew, and he still cared little for it.
	He didn't acknowledge the echoing sound of Terran-Nihonjin 
boots marching on the marble floors. Only when Jadeite came to a 
stop not three paces away did Nephrite look up.
	"The zeppelin carrying Minako and Kunzite has docked," 
Jadeite said. "Halcyon wants us all to assemble in her throne 
room."
	Nephrite remained where he was.
	"It wasn't a request," Jadeite stated. "You can't do anything 
else for her, General."
	"I can wait."
	Jadeite shook his head. "No, you can't."
	"Why not?" Nephrite snarled. 
	Jadeite's expression was unreadable. "Because this is merely 
the beginning. And you and I both know it." 
	Nephrite glanced over his shoulder at the sealed doors and 
muttered something under his breath before ramming his good elbow 
against the wall. Grudgingly he took up step alongside Jadeite as 
they threaded their way towards the throne room.
	"How's your cat doing?" Nephrite asked.
	"He's a little banged up, but he'll live," Jadeite said. "His 
tenacity is unmatched by any other cat I've met. It's sometimes 
unnerving. Every now and again, when I look into his eyes, I can 
see an intelligence that rivals our own."
	Nephrite shook his head. "Cats are cats, Jadeite. They do 
very little beyond eating, sleeping and cleaning themselves."
	"I know, I know." As they rounded a corner, which brought 
them into another expansive and deserted corridor, Jadeite handed 
Nephrite a scrap of paper. "Do you recognize this?"
	Nephrite glanced down at the sketch. It was messy, whatever 
it was, with a bunch of jagged lines and a smudged dot. "No. Should 
I?"
	"I wasn't holding my breath, but it would have been welcomed 
if you did." Jadeite shook his head and slid the paper back into a 
pocket within his uniform. "I asked Rei earlier, but she didn't 
recognize it either."
	"What were you hoping for?"
	"A connection. You've both been meditating, seeking out the 
red-haired woman."
	"Beryl," Nephrite cut in. "Her name is Beryl."
	Jadeite nodded. "Beryl, then. I've been seeking out the truth 
behind a painting and a memory. If you had seen this before, it 
would have meant we were both close to uncovering the truth."	
	Nephrite arched one of his eyebrows. "And what truth is 
that?"
	"Don't ask me to explain it," Jadeite said tersely. "I've had 
enough cynicism from the Outer Soldiers as it is."
	"If you can't explain it, then what makes you so certain? 
Intuition?"
	Jadeite scowled at the word. "I would hardly call my 
Berserker demon 'intuition'. But it's more awake now than it's ever 
been, like something is calling to it."
	"Its true master?"
	"Or its Creator."
	They reached the throne room soon enough. Neither had to show 
their palms; the double doors quickly swung open to allow them 
inside. Halcyon's throne room was an enormous, circular chamber 
that looked as if it had been made from crystal. While the floor 
was opaque, with an almost frosted look about it, the towering 
walls shimmered like glass. High over their heads stood a dome, and 
beyond that the blue earth loomed in an otherwise black sky. 
	It was still snowing.
	At the centre of the throne room, the floor was raised by 
about five or six steps. Atop the dais stood two elegant, highback 
chairs; their frames carved from stone, with scarlet cushions that 
looked to be made of something like silk. Halcyon sat in the larger 
of the two thrones. 
	Jadeite read the markings along the back of the lesser 
throne; that seat was meant for Serenity. Serenity, however, was 
not seated upon it. Instead she stood alongside Endymion, her face 
pale and her expression grave. Jadeite could still see the cuts 
across the side of her face. 
	Scattered across the throne room were the other players who 
had come into prominent roles over the course of this crusade. 
Kunzite and Zoicite stood at the base of the dais, talking in 
hushed voices with each other. Uranus and Neptune flanked either 
side of Halcyon's throne. Pluto was conferring with Cioran, while 
Ami, Rei and Minako clustered together near the walls. And Garnet 
sat at the base of the stairs, looking somewhat dishevelled as she 
clutched at an armload of scrolls and papers. A small, slender scar 
ran across the hairline of Garnet's face.
	Jadeite knelt down next to her, his gaze on her scar. 
"Garnet?"
	Garnet glanced up at her scar as best she could. "Oh this? 
Don't worry, it looks worse than it feels."
	"What happened?"
	Garnet scowled and stabbed at one her sheets with the 
sharpened point of her pencil. "You can thank those infernal Snow 
Dancers for this. I was racing from the observatory to see Halcyon, 
and then these ice women start falling from the sky! This is the 
worst day I've had in a long time, believe me." 
	"I believe it," Jadeite said quietly. He glanced up at 
Halcyon. "When this meeting ends, there are a few things I wish to 
discuss with you."
	"You can try," Garnet said, attempting to smile. It didn't 
work very well. "I don't think you'll be seeing much of me for the 
next day. Or afterwards, for that matter."
	Jadeite scowled. "What are you talking about?"
	But Garnet shook her head and thumbed over her shoulder at 
Halcyon. "She should be the one to tell you, General. You and 
everyone else. Better you hear it from her."
	They did not have to wait long.
	Halcyon drew herself up, and rose from her throne. Her face 
looked so grim that it sent chills down Jadeite's spine. For a 
moment she hesitated to speak, as if unwilling to say aloud 
whatever secrets she knew. She addressed the assembly:
	"You all have encountered these Snow Dancers," she said to 
them. "You know that they are many, and what they are capable of. 
Let me first thank you for destroying as many of them as you 
possibly could."
	A quiet, dissatisfied growl escaped from Cioran's throat.
	Zoicite had already heard: the entire Seraphim Order, masters 
and apprentices, were now scattered across Lunaria. More Snow 
Dancers were appearing in the various kingdoms. The task of 
destroying them had been delegated to the Seraphim. While it was a 
great honour (and an equally daunting task), Zoicite also knew that 
Cioran didn't like going up against an enemy who had seemingly 
endless supplies of soldiers.
	"However," Halcyon continued, "this is not the end of the 
siege we now face. There is more. Possibly more than we can hold 
back, I fear."
	She looked down at the floor, debating with herself how to 
tell everyone. 
	"These Snow Dancers originated from an ice comet that is 
currently travelling through our solar system. It is enormous, and 
showing no signs of slowing down or changing its trajectory." 
	Halcyon stopped once more, almost unable to speak. 
	"It is on a collision course with Lunaria," she stated, her 
voice low. "Garnet's refined her calculations...we have less than two 
days before it hits."
	The entire room went silent.
	Everyone reacted as if they'd been punched in the stomach.
	"No...." Minako whispered.
	Ami placed her hands over her mouth.
	Nephrite looked like he was ready to kill something.
	"It could be worse," Cioran murmured.
	Kunzite looked at him. "How?"
	"It could be a Kisenean flower."
	"Maybe this is what the red-haired woman has been waiting 
for," Zoicite stated, his voice as grim as the look in his eyes. 
"You said it yourself, Nephrite: she's been waiting for something 
happen. Maybe this is it."
	Halcyon turned towards Rei and Nephrite. "Is it linked with 
the woman we seek?"
	A haunted look flickered across Rei's face as she was forced 
to relive her encounter with that demon storm. Nephrite's thoughts 
were directed elsewhere, and so he did not speak. 
	Rei shook her head. "No. Whatever inhabits that comet, 
whatever sent out those dancers in the snow, she is not related to 
it."
	Zoicite stared at her in disbelief. "In the last two weeks, 
we've contended with a red-haired harbinger and Spinel's attack...and 
you think this isn't somehow connected?" 
	"What if you're wrong?" Ami asked.
	"And what if she's right?" Nephrite evenly retorted.
	Ami bit her lower lip. She knew damn well what it meant if he 
was right. They'd be lowering their guard at the exact time it 
would need to be at its highest.  
	"So what does that make of our comet?"
	"A rivalry, perhaps?" Uranus murmured.
	"Or just very unpleasant timing," Neptune added.
	None of them seemed willing to believe that they were going 
to witness the world's end. 
	"This changes nothing," Kunzite stated. "The comet is still 
coming, and we have just over a day to decide what must be done."
	Sailor Pluto looked directly at Halcyon.
	Halcyon avoided her gaze.
	"Well, what is there we can we do?" Endymion asked. "What 
options are open to us?"
	"I do not know," Garnet said quietly. "We have nothing 
capable of stopping an object of that magnitude, and even with the 
Star Chambers, we cannot hope to evacuate everyone off the moon 
before it hits. Besides, there is no guarantee the comet's impact 
won't in turn affect Earth."
	She looked over at Endymion, apologetic and sickened at once. 
"This may take us all down."
	Halcyon let out a long, heavy breath. 
	"While there is much to do," she said, "I must first collect 
my thoughts. You all should take leave and rest. We do not know 
when more assaults on the palace might occur. I ask that you take 
the time given to you, and do with it what you will."
	She turned to the Inner Soldiers. "For the time being, you 
are relieved of your duties in guarding my daughter."
	"My Queen!" Ami protested. "Now more than ever, Serenity 
needs to be protected."
	"I am leaving her in the care of Uranus and Neptune for the 
time being," Halcyon said. "Your families are being notified of the 
comet as we speak. Use this time as a chance to talk with them, to 
say whatever's on your mind."
	Halcyon sat back down upon her throne and stared down at the 
floor.
	It was obvious she was no longer in the mood to speak, even 
to her own daughter.
	One by one, they left.
	Only Endymion and Sailor Pluto lingered in Halcyon's 
presence. Neither of them spoke until the doors swung shut after 
Serenity, and Haruka and Michiru with her, reluctantly departed. 
	"You both know something you haven't told the rest of us," 
Endymion said, looking from Halcyon to Pluto. "There's a way, isn't 
there?" 
	Halcyon's jaw tightened. "Yes, but it may come at too high a 
cost."
	Again, Endymion's gaze darted momentarily towards Sailor 
Pluto. "What do you mean?" he asked.
	"There is no victory without sacrifice, Endymion," Halcyon 
stated, her voice hollow. She raised her head and held him in her 
gaze. "For now, we shall leave it at that." 
	She said nothing more, at least not to him.
	Endymion bowed to her and departed from the throne room. 
Artemis, and a black cat he only vaguely recognized, walked into 
through the open doorway as he left. Endymion cast an odd glance at 
them, then shook his head. Everyone needed comfort in times as dark 
as this. Halcyon was no exception.


			*	*	*
	In the gardens of the ancient Sailor Soldiers, a lone Snow 
Dancer ran. Frantic, she glided over the ground and down winding 
paths that ultimately led her to high walls and dead ends. Her 
giggles had become frightened squeaks, and she no longer wore a 
malevolent smile upon her face. Her left arm had already been 
severed cruelly at the elbow. Her back bore long, terrible gouges 
that would have drawn blood if she'd been human.
	She was being hunted.
	The Snow Dancer breezed over an old wooden bridge spanning a 
canal. On the far side, the path divided into two different 
directions. She chose a direction at random and fled down that 
pathway. The cobblestones wove around plants and rows of elegant 
flowers that shivered as she passed by them. Abruptly, the path 
ended and a tall stone wall barred her from going any further. The 
Snow Dancer came to a stop and whimpered. 
	Laughter drifted across the chilled air.
	Two girls were giggling.
	Letting out a whimper, the Snow Dancer whirled and fled from 
the sound of their voices. She bounded through the gardens, turning 
green into grey. Dead plants covered in snow were left in her wake. 
She came to another bend in the canal. No bridge stood awaiting 
her. The Snow Dancer didn't care. She leapt as far as she could, 
her jump spanning most of the rushing water. She fell short by only 
a few steps. The instant her bare foot touched the water, a geyser 
of ice mushroomed up to give her leverage. The Snow Dancer made a 
second bound and landed to safety.
	She still ran in terror.
	The giggles chased after her. 
	A surge of wind cut through the air--sudden, vicious and 
precise. The Snow Dancer screamed as the wind sliced off her other 
hand at the wrist. Before her severed hand could strike the 
cobblestone, she spun and wove whatever snow and ice she could 
summon into an attack. A maelstrom engulfed countless trees, 
freezing them instantly. 
	The giggles didn't stop.
	If anything, they were growing louder.
	The Snow Dancer began to back away, stumbling and whimpering, 
terrified that she could not see her assailants and petrified of 
what would happen when she did. Lapis and Lazuli came for her, from 
different directions and arising out of different shadows. Their 
eyes were hungry, their gazes leering as they closed in.
	When Beryl stepped into the forgotten gardens, she found the 
two of them cuddling up next to the remains. Lapis cradled what was 
left of the Snow Dancer's head in her arms, rocking it to sleep 
like it was a doll. The Snow Dancer's mouth was frozen in an 
eternally gruesome shriek. Lazuli had reclaimed the Snow Dancer's 
arm, and daintily suckled on one of its outstretched fingertips.
	Beryl looked down at the jagged pieces of ice and torso 
littered around the twins. "Dare I even ask?"
	"She trespassed," Lapis said, and smiled fondly down at the 
Snow Dancer's broken face. 
	Lazuli slid her lips off the icy fingertip and gazed up at 
Beryl. "It's her fault for ignoring the warnings we set up around 
this place. And she is rather tasty."
	Lapis nodded. "Fear adds such a delicious flavouring." 
	"Though there was more fear than fight," Lazuli said. "We 
barely even had to look into her mind, inferior thing it was, and 
pieces of her shattered apart like tissue paper. If the servants 
are this inferior, it does not speak very highly of their 
mistress."
	"Do you think she will shatter too if we tried?" Lapis asked.
	Lazuli shrugged.
 	In spite of her mood, Beryl had to smirk at her twins. She 
idly kicked aside a chunk of Snow Dancer thigh. It slid 
effortlessly across the cobblestone and tumbled into the canal with 
a splash.
	"Mommy looks annoyed," Lapis said to her sister. "I don't 
think she's happy with the Queen."
	"The one of ice, or the one of the silver moon?" Lazuli 
asked.
	"Neither," Beryl stated sourly.	
	If it was one thing she detested, it was having to anticipate 
Halcyon like this. Everything hinged on what Halcyon ultimately 
decided to do, and for once Beryl could not foresee what decisions 
or even options Halcyon might choose. The damned Snow Dancers were 
already throwing the palace into upheaval. The next few hours would 
be critical. She could not afford to rush into any decision 
lightly. Things had already been set into motion that could not be 
stopped. Any changes would have drastic repercussions, altering the 
last eleven years of careful planning.
	If Halcyon chose to run, Beryl knew she had no choice. She'd 
have to openly display her powers and reveal her existence to 
everyone. While she more than anyone would have enjoyed seeing the 
look on the Snow Queen's face as the full and terrible force of 
Metalia reduced that comet to rubble, there could be time for the 
Lunarians to create a defensive line. And she would have to unleash 
Endymion a lot earlier than originally planned.
	That would severely complicate everything.
	However....
	The corners of Beryl's lips began to curl into a smile. The 
very thing she had been seeking all these years might at last be 
revealed to her, and in a most unexpected way. The means to free 
Metalia might be shown to her, and all without needing to use 
Endymion beforehand.
	"Oho," Lazuli remarked, then seized one of the Show Dancer's 
fingertips between her teeth and broke it off at the last knuckle. 
"Someone is having a delightful idea."
	"Pity you're not sharing it with us," Lapis sighed.
	Beryl sat down between her twins. Lazuli offered her the 
bitten finger, and Beryl graciously accepted it. "I was merely 
thinking," she told them. "If Halcyon chooses to destroy the Snow 
Queen herself, she will have no choice but to reveal the Ginzuisho. 
We'll finally know what sort of defences it has, and if Endymion is 
up to the task of breaking through them."
	Lapis giggled, and then crushed the Snow Dancer's head 
between her palms, reducing it to a fine powder. "Maybe killing the 
Queen is all we need to do to take it."


			*	*	*
	When Endymion approached the doors to Serenity's chambers, 
Sailor Uranus seemed to emerge from shadows cast in the distant 
corners. He never heard her, but felt her abrupt presence behind 
him.
	"Is she seeing anyone?" he asked.
	Uranus cast a wayward glance at the closed doors. "She's been 
crying, mostly."
	"Would she be willing to see me?"
	"You're probably the only one she wants to."
	As he moved past her, Uranus grabbed his shoulder. "I have 
nothing but respect for you, Endymion," she said to him quietly, 
"but remember: innocence cannot last forever."
	Endymion glanced over at her, frowning. "It's never been my 
intention to treat her like a child."
	"I know. Just heed my warning."
	The doors to Serenity's chambers swung open, causing Uranus 
and Endymion to turn their heads. Uranus leaned up against the 
wall, her arms folding over her chest. "I'll be waiting out here," 
she said.
	"What about Neptune?"
	"Neptune is out on the balcony, should any more Snow Dancers 
appear," Uranus answered. 
	She didn't look pleased to be apart from her lover. 
	Endymion didn't blame her. 
	On a night like this, no one deserved to be alone.
	With hushed footsteps he entered Serenity's chambers. The 
main room was empty and eerily silent despite the water being 
spouted by the fountain. Endymion slowly moved inside, the doors 
sliding shut behind him. A cold breeze sent shivers running down 
his back. He turned his gaze towards the balcony doors. They had 
been left open, and he could see Neptune's silhouette standing by 
the doorway. 
	Outside the snow drifted down: silent, relentless and 
deceptively docile. 
	Endymion crossed into Serenity's bedchambers and found her 
atop the sheets of her bed. She looked as if she'd been crying for 
days, curled up on her side and staring out at nothing. Waves of 
her sheets were gripped in her fists. 
	"I can hear them whispering throughout the palace," she said. 
Her voice was quiet and subdued. "They say there is no escape, no 
place to hide. Is it true?"
	Endymion found he couldn't answer, and looked away.
	Serenity let out a deep, sad breath. "Then tonight may be our 
last."
	Endymion removed his katana from his side, and sat down on 
the bed next to Serenity. She immediately glided across the covers 
and curled up against him, her head resting against his chest.
	"I...I don't know what to think," she said finally.
	Endymion found himself caressing the side of her face. "We'll 
make it out of this," he told her.
	"How can you know that?"
	"I don't. But I believe."
	Serenity's arms tightened around him.
	For a long time they remained together upon her bed, Serenity 
cradled in his arms. Somewhere over the course of the night she 
fell asleep and found solace in her beautiful dreams. Sleep did not 
come to Endymion; he sat up the entire night and stared out at the 
falling snow.


			*	*	*
	At the Lunarian dawn, the summons came.
	They assembled within the throne room, some arriving alone, 
some coming in pairs or groups. Most looked as if they had not 
slept at all. Together they stood before Halcyon Queen: Endymion 
and his Generals; the four Outer Soldiers; Cioran and Garnet; 
Serenity and three of her Inner Soldiers; and strangest of all, the 
two cats bearing the curious, crescent marks upon their foreheads.
	Endymion did not like seeing Halcyon the way she was. She had 
not changed or bathed since dismissing them the night before. Her 
majesty tried to shine through the weariness and apprehension on 
her face. He'd never seen the Queen look so vulnerable before.
	Halcyon gave one last look towards Sailor Pluto before rising 
from her throne. She took one last, deep breath. "I have called you 
here to bring you hope," Halcyon stated. "There is a way to stop 
the comet, a way to protect both our world and the Earth. But it is 
not without risks. What I am proposing is both dangerous and 
unpredictable. To my knowledge, it has never before been attempted. 
And I cannot accomplish this alone. In order to stop the comet, I 
must call upon a power I have long kept hidden. This power is mine 
alone to wield; it is my birthright as a woman of royal Lunarian 
blood."
	Halcyon cupped her palms over her breasts and closed her 
eyes.
	For a moment, nothing happened.
	Then a brilliant, white light flickered to life between her 
hands. 
	Halcyon's eyes slowly opened, and she drew her palms away 
from her bosom. Hovering in the air above her palms was the most 
beautiful crystal Endymion had ever seen. Its hues changed 
constantly, from silver to white to silver again.
 	"The Ginzuisho," Halcyon said. "The silver crystal that has 
been passed down by the Queens of Lunaria from one generation to 
the next. Within it is an unrivalled power capable of purifying 
evil and restoring life. I alone am the one who can control and 
wield its power."
	A profound worry clouded her eyes, and Halcyon clasped her 
hands against her breasts once more. The light of the crystal 
disappeared into her. "However, a power this great has with it 
consequences. The Ginzuisho is bound to me, as I am to it. In order 
to protect the lives of others, it must drain life from me. The 
more I ask of it, the more it must take. For something as large as 
this comet, to stop it would push the Ginzuisho to its breaking 
point...and ultimately end my life." 
	A chorus of cries and concerns arose from those in the throne 
room, Serenity most of all. For their part, Endymion's Generals 
looked away but kept silent.  Halcyon gestured for quiet, and 
continued.
	"However," Halcyon added. "There may yet be a means of using 
the Ginzuisho without losing anyone. I have talked with Sailor 
Pluto and others," and she glanced down at the two cats, "at great 
length. I can probably stop the comet, though I will die in the 
process. Alone, I do not have the strength necessary to sustain the 
Ginzuisho for such a monumental task." 
	It was then that Endymion realized what she was about to ask.
	Halcyon's gaze swept across the faces of the young women 
gathered before her.
	"Sailor Soldiers: destiny has placed upon your shoulders a 
great honour and a heavy burden. You have been charged with the 
protection of all life within this system, to defend it even at the 
cost of your very lives. 
	"For years, we have lived amidst an uneasy peace. While on 
the surface it appears as if there is nothing we need fear, evil 
has been creeping into our world, wanting nothing less than our 
destruction. Your existence now is proof that we are facing a 
crisis not all of us may walk away from. But that crisis has not 
yet arrived. The comet that comes for us is not the enemy haunting 
our dreams. It is a threat, yes, and a dangerous one we cannot 
ignore or fail to destroy. But make no mistake: what we are hunting 
is not lying in wait upon that great sphere of ice. As such, I do 
not intend to lose anyone to this enemy."
	She spoke with such ferocity, it seemed to take aback even 
the usually stoic Outer Soldiers. "If we weave our powers together, 
if you bind yours to mine, then there is a good chance we can 
destroy the comet. I will not lie to you: already we are one less 
Sailor Soldier, and will remain that way until Jupiter recovers 
from her injuries. I do not know if the power needed to stop the 
comet requires all of us. Jupiter's absence may very well put a 
strain on us all, endangering our lives. The Ginzuisho may yet 
claim the lives of one or more of us. I may be your Queen, and you 
have sworn allegiance to me...but I cannot order you to do this. 
Decide now if you are willing to put your trust in me. I will not 
harbour any ill will should you choose to refrain from this." 
	She looked to the Sailor Soldiers, and let them decide. 
	Endymion couldn't help but hold his breath as one by one, 
they knelt before their queen. When the last ones bowed down, 
Halcyon smiled and looked as if a great weight had been lifted from 
her. The concern in her expression, however, did not dissipate. 
	"So it shall be," she said. "We stand together, and resolved 
in what we must now do."
	Halcyon made her way down the steps, and along the way the 
black cat jumped into her arms. Each Soldier Halcyon passed rose to 
their feet and followed behind her. When she passed her daughter, 
Halcyon smiled and motioned for Serenity to join them. Endymion, 
his Generals, Cioran and Garnet met them at the doors of the throne 
room.
	"You all must come with us," Halcyon said, looking to each of 
them in turn. "You have been here from the beginning and fought 
alongside us. We are still united against a common nemesis, and I 
wish for you to bear witness to this."
	Endymion nodded his head. He allowed Halcyon and the Sailor 
Soldiers to depart first, and followed after Sailor Pluto. Nephrite 
and Zoicite stayed close behind him.
	As she walked out of the chamber, Garnet abruptly stumbled 
sideways. Kunzite reached out an arm and caught her before she fell 
to the floor.
	"Sorry," she murmured. "I just felt a little dizzy all of a 
sudden."
	"Have you even eaten or slept since yesterday?" Kunzite 
asked.
	Garnet shook her head. 
	Cioran moved in front of Garnet and dropped to one knee. "You 
may be a little indignant about it," he said, "but I can carry you 
to wherever Halcyon Queen is leading us."
	Garnet stared down at Cioran, sighed and draped herself over 
his back. "Thank you," she said quietly, and closed her eyes.
	Jadeite was the last to leave the throne room, and as he 
crossed the threshold, Artemis jumped onto his shoulder and 
remained there for the rest of their journey.


			*	*	*
	The Snow Queen had been expecting Beryl in that final hour.
	The moon was almost within sight of her throne, and the Snow 
Queen could feel her entire being tingle with excitement. Such 
heat, such beautiful heat, and it was hers to take, to seize and 
bury forever beneath an exquisite blanket of ice and snow. Though 
her crusade had been marred by the unexpected setback and loss of 
her first wave of Snow Dancers, the Snow Queen knew that here, with 
this final stroke, all traces of resistance would be wiped out.
	Her comet would fall upon the moon, and overtake it in a 
flood of ice and absolute zero. Once she drained the heat from the 
last resisting survivor, she would call forth her infernal powers 
and force her comet to rise again, larger and more terrible than 
ever before, swelling with the energy of those it had consumed. And 
after that...
	That blue planet trying to hide behind the moon--that would 
be her next, beautiful acquisition.
	The hunger within the Snow Queen grew like never before. She 
could taste the heat of all those pretty little maidens who had 
defied her children. Staring through the eyes of her Snow Dancers, 
the Snow Queen had seen those Sailor Soldiers force back the snow. 
There was a vibrancy in their blood she had never seen. Their 
bodies did not simply radiate heat; they blazed with it, almost to 
a blinding degree. Whatever they possessed, it was unparalleled.
	She lusted for their heat, for the power flowing through 
their bodies. 
	As the Snow Queen leaned forward in her throne, her hands 
gripping the armrests in almost frenzied anticipation, Beryl's form 
flickered into being. Once more it was a projection; the Snow Queen 
suspected Beryl was too weak and too much a coward to physically 
come and stand before her throne.
	"I expect you're here to beg for your life," she remarked.
	Beryl's ghostly image casually glanced around at the legions 
of Snow Dancers encircling her. They clustered and crowded around 
the base of the dais, each of their faces revealing their almost 
demonic desire to attack.
	So many monsters and yet not a single mind among them.
	"Not especially, no," Beryl said. "If anyone should be 
begging, it's you." She turned her back to the Snow Queen and 
stared out at the growing light before the comet. "It's a beautiful 
moon, Lunaria. Pity you won't be around to see it conquered."
	Such insolence even on the verge of destruction!
	This red-haired woman was really pissing her off.
	"Then just what have you come here for?" the Snow Queen 
demanded, rising from her throne. "Do you wish to change 
allegiances, to swear fealty to me?"
	"I never did like the Terran winters very much," Beryl stated 
as she studied her fingernails. "Somehow I doubt I'd find your 
perpetual one any more cozy."
	The Snow Queen snarled at the insult. The winds stirred, 
angry and frigid, and tried to lash out at Beryl. They touched 
nothing.
	"Then, pray tell," the Snow Queen asked, her voice as 
pleasant as the temperature around them, "why has your shadow 
come?"
	At that, Beryl turned around and met the Snow Queen's gaze. 
"I just wanted to see your face."
	"And what exactly do you find so intriguing about my face?"
	Beryl began to smile, and for the first time in their 
encounters the Snow Queen found herself afraid. "I want," Beryl 
said, "to see the look on it when you meet death." 


			*	*	*
	At the heart of the palace laid the Sanctum.
	Its towering walls were crystalline, an almost blinding white 
to match the shimmer of the Ginzuisho. Endymion craned his neck 
upwards; the shape of the ceiling over their heads reminded him of 
a geode, something his father had shown him once as a child. There 
were no decorations in the Sanctum--only a raised platform. The 
Sailor Soldiers filed towards the platform and then spread 
themselves around the base, each of them facing outwards. Halcyon, 
Endymion and the others remained near the walls.
	"You will need to wait here," Halcyon said to them as she set 
the little black cat down on the ground. "If anything should 
happen, please look after Luna and Artemis for me."
	"Mother," Serenity whispered. Her eyes were brimming with 
tears.
	Halcyon put on as brave a smile as she could.
	Before Endymion knew what was happening, Serenity and Halcyon 
had run into each others arms and were hugging fiercely. "Believe 
in me, child," Halcyon whispered to her daughter. "And believe in 
your friends." 
	It was Halcyon who gently pushed them apart.
	Endymion took Serenity's hand and held it as they watched 
Halcyon slowly make her way up the platform. She stepped onto the 
apex, and looked down at the others. The Sanctum grew silent. 
Halcyon stretched her arms out, and heeding her quiet command the 
Ginzuisho appeared in her hands. Slowly she raised the Ginzuisho 
over her head. 
	Zoicite drew up alongside Kunzite. "There's nothing else we 
can do, is there?"
	Kunzite shook his head. "All we can do is put our trust in 
them."
	"So how'd you spend your last night?"
	Kunzite slowly turned his head towards Zoicite and arched an 
eyebrow.
	"Hey, if it's the end of the world, it doesn't hurt to ask," 
Zoicite remarked with a shrug. "I hope she enjoyed herself too."
	"Multiple times."
	Kunzite smirked as Zoicite slowly turned towards him and 
arched an eyebrow. Kunzite's smirk abruptly faded.  "Do you feel 
that?"
	The air around them stirred.
	The tiaras and uniforms of the Sailor Senshi began to glow 
white, bathing the Sanctum in an ethereal light. Endymion had to 
raise his arm in front of his face to shield his eyes. Shafts of 
light shot out from each of their bodies, linking each Sailor 
Soldier to Halcyon. Halcyon's eyes closed as she held the Ginzuisho 
aloft in her hands. She was lifted up into the air, floating with 
the crystal above their heads. 
	The entire Sanctum shuddered beneath the growing power of the 
Ginzuisho.
	A blast of wind and power rolled through the chamber, forcing 
Endymion and his Generals back. Endymion swung himself between 
Serenity and the blast, their hair wildly swaying around them. 
Artemis clung tenaciously to Jadeite's shoulder as he was nearly 
thrown into the air. Zoicite scooped Luna off the floor before she 
was sent tumbling into the walls. Cioran stumbled, almost dropping 
Garnet as he fell to his knees.
	In that moment, Garnet's eyes flew open.
	And Halcyon and the seven Sailor Soldiers spoke as one:
	"Silver Crystal Power!"
	Their chorus was lifted to the heavens, and with it rose a 
crackling in the air that made Endymion's hairs stand on end. 
Something was stirring inside the sanctum, something old and 
nameless and more powerful than he ever dared imagine. Electric 
prickles ran up and down his limbs.
	Everything became lost in one brilliant pillar of light that 
erupted from Halcyon's body and exploded through the ceiling of the 
Sanctum.


			*	*	*
	Something was happening on the moon.
	A change had suddenly begun.
	The Snow Queen squinted her eyes and leaned forward, 
desperate to see what sort of ridiculous last-ditch resistance was 
being thrown at her. Every world tried something, and they all 
suffered absolute failure. A shimmering light appeared in the far 
distance. For a brief moment, the Snow Queen thought she was 
looking at a star.
	Her comet began to tremble.
	The Snow Dancers squeaked and looked at each other in growing 
panic.
	With a smile, Beryl pleasantly waved at the Snow Queen and 
stated, "Good-bye."
	Seconds later, the Snow Queen screamed as her comet, her 
entire world, was overtaken by a pillar of blinding white light. 
Somewhere amidst the searing heat, Beryl's projection vanished. 
Death did not tear the Snow Queen to shreds. The Ginzuisho cast her 
aside into the dark and forgotten depths of space, where for 
centuries she would lay catatonic upon her throne. In time, she 
would awaken once more. In time, she would remember the Earth and 
its moon, and return to have her revenge.
	And in the end, she was doomed to failure.


			*	*	*
	The power and light of the Ginzuisho continued to radiate 
through the Sanctum, threatening to shake the entire chamber to 
pieces. It washed over them, flooded the air they breathed and 
flowed through the veins of their bodies. The Berserker demon 
recoiled within Jadeite's mind. It howled and thrashed and caused 
Jadeite's eyes to cloud over with a crimson filth. Jadeite fought 
to stay on his feet as Artemis fought to remain on his shoulder. 
With Luna still cradled in his arms, Zoicite crouched low and 
closed his eyes against the light. Even then, he still saw faces 
from the past and relived the death of his sister. Kunzite felt his 
half-Lunarian blood ignite, sending unceasing prickles across his 
limbs, and all he could hear were the gibbering cries of the man 
who'd orchestrated the murder of his mother. Nephrite saw himself 
standing over a fallen Sailor Jupiter once more, and saw the 
delight in those eyes--his eyes.
	Endymion's heart was ready to burst within his ribcage. 
Serenity called his name, and he couldn't even hear her voice over 
the wind. His entire body grew hot, almost scalding. It hurt to 
breathe. It hurt to keep his eyes open. The pain, and the light 
from the Ginzuisho turned everything around him into a solid, white 
mass. Endymion let out another gasp, his knees collapsing beneath 
him. He clutched at his chest, and for one brief, insane moment he 
could have sworn he saw a golden light shimmering between his 
fingers.
	And then, just as sudden as it had all began, the light 
disappeared and the winds faded into nothing. Once again Halcyon 
stood upon the floor, and the Sailor Soldiers around her fell to 
their knees, winded and fatigued. An eerie silence hung over the 
Sanctum as Endymion's Generals slowly picked themselves up off the 
floor. Cioran was no exception either, brought to his knees by the 
power of the Silver Crystal, Garnet still draped over his back.
	"That," Garnet muttered, "was a hell of a thing."
	Jadeite was the first to rise, and he seemed oblivious to 
everyone else. All he did was lift his head and stare straight up.
	"What are you looking at?" Zoicite asked as he stood up next 
to Jadeite.
	Jadeite didn't look away. "It blew straight through the 
ceiling."
	Zoicite stared up at the damage and whistled. "Well, I hope 
their aim was right," he remarked. "I don't think the palace 
architects will be happy if we have to destroy another part of the 
roof."
	"The comet is gone," Jadeite stated. He lowered his head and 
glanced over at Zoicite. "It's not snowing anymore."
	Both turned their heads as, upon on the dais, Halcyon 
collapsed.
	"Mother!" Serenity exclaimed. She looked down at Endymion, 
horribly torn over who to look after.
	"Go," Endymion managed to say through clenched jaws. "I'll be 
okay. "
	Serenity hesitated for a moment, but quickly ran for her 
mother. The Soldiers joined her at Halcyon's side, all of them 
seeking the reassurance that their queen was alive and well.
	"I am all right," Halcyon said, a weary but triumphant smile 
on her face. "Just...just a little tired, that's all."
	"What about you?" Kunzite asked as he pulled Endymion to his 
feet.
	Nephrite pulled Endymion's other arm over his shoulder and 
helped. "What the hell happened to you?"
	"I don't know," Endymion muttered. "It...it was like my heart 
was on fire. I've never felt anything like that before. It was--"
	As if his own heartbeat had echoed the power surging from the 
Ginzuisho. Endymion gritted his teeth as he tried to stand under 
his own strength. 
	"Does it hurt anywhere?" Kunzite asked.
	Endymion shook his head, and was surprised by his answer. 
"No. No, not really." It had felt more like a violent awakening 
than torture; his body just hadn't been strong enough to handle it. 
Was this what his father had meant about their family's legacy? 
Once more Endymion wished he'd been able to learn the secrets his 
father had been unable to tell him, the ones he'd promised to 
reveal the night before he was murdered. 
	His arms draped over Kunzite and Nephrite's shoulders, 
Endymion made his way towards Halcyon. Halcyon in turn was being 
led down the steps by Uranus and Neptune, her arms draped over 
their shoulders. They smiled at each other as they were brought 
face to face.
	"Congratulations," Endymion said. "You saved us all."
	But Halcyon shook her head. "No," she countered, and looked 
at her Sailor Soldiers. "We did."
	Jadeite continued to stare up at where the ceiling should 
have been. Behind him, he could hear Garnet pipe up with, "Hey, I'm 
not a sack of potatoes here. I think I can still hobble my way back 
to the Archives, Cioran."
	Cioran let Garnet slide off his back, and she made her way 
over towards Endymion, from the looks of it to ask him something. 
Cioran quietly drew up beside Jadeite. "What is it?" Cioran asked.
	"We have just witnessed history," Jadeite said. "Halcyon has 
openly displayed a godlike power, one that she alone can wield. I'm 
just worried if she ever tried to direct all that power against 
us."
	Cioran stared long and hard at Jadeite for a moment, then 
smirked. "I wouldn't be so worried about Halcyon, General."
	"Why is that?"
	"Because," Cioran said, and began walking towards the main 
doors, "I know the truth about Sailor Saturn's power."
	Jadeite scowled at Cioran's back and turned his head to 
Artemis, who was still perched on his shoulder. "He can't ever give 
a straight answer, can he?"
	And lurking inside the Sanctum, Beryl watched with a 
satisfied smile on her face. Something unexpected had just 
occurred, something even she could not have foreseen, and it would 
guarantee her absolute victory.
	She had seen enough. It was time.
	Tomorrow, the apocalypse would begin.
	But first...she had one last piece of unfinished business to 
attend to.


			*	*	*
	Had Lunaria lasted longer, the celebrations upon it that 
night would have become legendary. The brilliant explosion of 
light, marking the exile of the comet and its unholy Snow Dancers, 
could be seen even upon the Earth. Within the hour, the streets of 
every kingdom on the moon were filled with throngs of jubilant 
people, shouting out their victory and freedom. Already the masses 
demanded a week of festivities, of joyous parades and masquerades, 
of feasts and games and honouring the Sailor Soldiers & Seraphim 
Guards who held this ice-borne evil at bay.
	More than anything, Endymion just wanted to relax. He hadn't 
slept much if at all in the last two days, and he still felt weak 
from that strange lapse in the Sanctum. Not to mention there was a 
celebratory poker game being held in the common room, with pretty 
much everyone being invited, including Serenity. Whatever Garnet 
needed to talk about, Endymion hoped it wouldn't take long. Yet it 
sounded important, incredibly important, when she'd quietly 
approached him in the Sanctum.
	Maybe she'd found something important about Beryl.
	Maybe she'd found something important about him.
	Endymion came to another set of intersecting halls, and found 
them for the most part empty. The parts that weren't empty, 
however, were so thick with people it was a wonder anyone could 
move at all. Almost everyone was outside, celebrating and staring 
up at the sky. From the sounds of it, the impact of the Ginzuisho's 
power with the comet had left the heavens decorated with an amazing 
aurora borealis. Now all of Lunaria was outdoors, watching the 
lights. 
	The doors of the Archives swung open as he approached.
	When he walked inside, they closed and locked behind him.
	He found Garnet inside her study, reclining in her chair, a 
snifter glass filled with Lunarian brandy in her hands.
	Endymion bowed his head respectfully. "Sorry I'm a bit late, 
but the crowds are thick in some places. I had to change my route 
here twice. What did you need to talk to me about?" 
	Garnet let the cognac roll about inside its snifter. "Do you 
remember me, Endymion? Do you remember my voice?"
	Her words were so deliberate, it took Endymion by surprise. 
"Garnet, what are you talking about?"
	Garnet smiled, and it was a smile corroded with remorseless 
ambition. Her voice suddenly changed, like a butterfly crawling 
back into its chrysalis and becoming a caterpillar once more. It 
was deeper, richer, darker than before.
	"Do you remember this voice, prince Endymion?" she asked.
	Endymion's entire body went rigid. 
	That voice belonged to the woman who had once decided his 
fate eleven years ago.
	Garnet was lost amidst a transformation. Her strawberry-
blonde hair became a fiery red. Her skin grew paler. Her teeth 
became sharpened points. Garnet ceased to be for a time, and in her 
place stood Beryl. 
	Endymion's first instinct was to draw his sword and cut her 
down. His body refused to obey him. He was trapped, paralysed with 
whispers spoken into his ears eleven years earlier.
	Beryl strolled up to Endymion and wrapped her arms around 
him. "Hello again," she purred. "We have so many new things to talk 
about, my little prince. So many wonderful, terrifying things..."





	The dance continues soon with the name of the beast...






Sailormoon, its characters, struggles and story, are copyright and 
the children of Naoko Takeuchi. No recognition of my story can be 
made without giving her proper recognition first. There are 
original characters in my story (Halcyon, Spinel, Garnet, Cioran 
and the twins at this moment), and if you wish to make use of them 
I'd rather you asked first than after the fact.


Close, personal thanks goes out to: Mel & Meara; and the Fic Bitch 
for arguing that this chapter had way too many battle scenes and 
not enough pirates. (Or zombies. Or zombie-pirates, for that 
matter.)
 

My sincerest appreciations to Andrea & George for creating, 
updating, maintaining and revising 'A Sailormoon Romance.' 
(www.moonromance.net) It is good to know that so many wonderful 
stories will always have a home at ASMR, and it is a good home I 
will always enjoy coming back to.


Email Chaos at: hislordshipchaos@hotmail.com




				*	*	*

Before this ends, I would like to make a small request to those of 
you who've come this far through "Angel Electric." If you wish to 
make any sort of reviews or public posts regarding this chapter 
especially, I ask that you make no overt reference to the link 
between Garnet and Beryl. It's never fun to have a surprise stolen 
away, so please don't steal this one from anyone just starting 
their journey into the story.

(And for the record: oh yes, I've been planning that last scene 
since chapter 1. That little twist with Garnet has been lurking in 
the shadows of "Angel Electric" since the very beginning. If you go 
back, you'll find a number of clues teasing you about her true 
identity. There's even one in her name.)