War Games

by darkpower

Queen Beryl has been revived by Rubeus, but is she the same person she once was? Where's the Hizrounswa, and how far will Rubeus go to achieve his goals? Part of the Silver Project Saga and the Blinded By Revenge sequel.

3. Ulterior Motive

WAR GAMES
CHAPTER 3
Ulterior Motive

Written by Darkpower
Rating: 14 (Dialogue, Violence, Language)

---

Casto lay on the couch of the Sommers home. He couldn't get to sleep. There was just too much on his mind: the attack on Patricia Haruna, the subsequent attempt by Rubeus to finish the job, and the injuries that Serena had sustained at the hands of Hammerthor. He turned towards the back of the couch and stared into the beige cushions.

There was something else on his mind, as well. 'I was able to use the powers of the Silver Crystal. I even doubted that I could.'

It was like he had just finished killing Hammerthor with it. Serena trusted him with her most important possession, and he was able to use it just as well as she could. It had shocked everyone watching, especially himself, when he outstretched his arms and the energy began flowing out of it, attacking the Youma and releasing its dark soul. The most satisfying part of all of it was that his worst fear hadn't been realized: using it hadn't killed his sister. In fact, the attack from Hammerthor did more damage to her than using the Crystal did.

He was finally starting to fall asleep when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Did they really need to come down here now and interrupt what he really needed? What business did they have down here at three in the morning? At least he knew he couldn't complain, as he wasn't able to sleep. He weakly looked into the hallway to see Serena using the railing to help herself down the steps. She was grimacing with every step she took, grabbing her ribs the entire time. His eyes widened as he suddenly shot up out of the couch and rushed over to help his sister.

"C-Casto. No, don't worry about me," she told him. "I can handle it."

"You're in pain, sis. I can't watch something like that, especially coming out of you. You need to be in bed. Can't believe you refused Doctor Mesta's help like that."

"All I need is the bandages. I can handle the rest. I'm tired of crying over every little..." She was interrupted by another sharp pain in her ribs, and she also felt herself choking on something coming up her throat. Her hands gripped onto the railing as tightly as she could, and she nearly collapsed on the steps.

Casto readied his hands in case she started falling. "Sis, don't do this to yourself. Sit down, at least."

"No, Casto!" she cried. "Stay away! I have to do this on my own! It's the only way I can redeem myself! It's...God, Casto...I don't want to feel so helpless anymore!"

"You're not! You were blindsided by that animal. No one could possibly expect you to be able to fight like that."

Serena sat on the middle step and began to cry. "See, here I am again. I'm crying. I don't want to cry anymore."

"Why not?"

"I need to be strong. I was so scared that he was going to crack my ribs last night. My..." Serena had to pause to try to get in some deep breaths. "I felt so helpless...and so alone."

"You weren't! I was in the hospital, and your friends were locked out by that dome thing."

"I know that now, but for that moment, I had no one to help me. I've never felt like that before. I let you down, I let Patty down, I let my friends down..."

"No, Serena," Casto said, gripping Serena's shoulders, "you didn't let anyone down, alright? You made me so proud with the way you were willing to trust me with that Silver Crystal. If there's anyone who is having trouble understanding anything about last night, it's me. I didn't know I could handle that thing, and it scares me a bit to know that I can."

"Casto," Serena answered, laying a hand on his cheek, "the only thing to understand is how much of a kind and loving brother you are. I remember how close we were to each other on the Moon. How you were always there to be my support when I was angry. I could never raise my voice or hit anyone, but you were always able to. You could never show any sadness to anyone, but when you were with me, you let your tears show. We never judged each other at all, even that night when I shattered that picture frame when I found out about the murder of a homeless woman that I was helping. I never knew of anyone so heartless, and I wanted so bad to show him my strength, but I couldn't because I was the Moon Princess."

"You remember that? I remember hearing about it and coming into your room that night, but I didn't know you remembered."

"You came up to my room, asked if I was alright, and I was trying to bite my tongue. But you told me not to. You said that I was hiding how much I hated that man for killing her in such cold blood. You saw me with my fists at my sides. I fought so hard to keep it in, but you said to go ahead. And that's when I saw that empty picture frame."

"I remember we laughed later that Queen Serenity must've been deaf because she didn't hear that growl you gave when you punched that thing into a million pieces."

Serena smiled sweetly. "Yes, and I can also remember you holding me tightly and letting me punch your chest after I did, taking every blow I gave to you. Must've been painful for you to let me do that."

"I didn't want you keeping that all in, sis. Just like I don't want you to hide it from me now."

"You're so good at using your anger as a tool, making you stronger. I'm not that great at handling it. Never been tested like this before."

"That's the reason why you're trying to forgo the medical treatments and the help for your ribs now."

Serena sighed heavily. "Yeah, I guess that's what it is. Maybe it's me trying to hold it all in. You said it wasn't anger but rage. I've never felt so much anger, even on the Moon. I don't know where I handled a gun before. That scared me, too." Her bright, glistening eyes then met Casto's. "I'm so scared of what I'm capable of. I don't know anymore. I need my friends now more than ever to be able to keep me from doing something I'll regret."

She cried into Casto's chest, who answered by wrapping his arms around her. "Serena, sometimes it is alright to cry. You've told me that so many times. You can't forget that now. Let it out, Serena. I'm not ever going to judge you. Ever!"

Serena would've cried a little more, if it wasn't for her suddenly choking again. "Casto, I got to get to the bathroom. I don't want you to have to see my guts on the floor."

"Ick. Okay, here," he said, helping her up and upstairs to the bathroom, Serena shutting the door behind her. Casto stood by as horrific sounds filled his ears. "Serena, you're going to the hospital tomorrow if I have to drag you there. I can't watch or hear this any longer. You're picking one bad time to be brave."

"C-Casto," she said through the numerous coughs, "I'm sorry. I really want to be strong for them."

"The best way to show strength is admitting when you need the help. It takes a strong person to swallow their pride."

"Casto," she said as she unlocked the door and walked out, wiping her mouth, "I changed my mind. I think I need to go now."

Casto gave a single nod and walked over to her parent's bedroom to wake them.

-xXXXXx-

"I have reason to believe that Zoycite and Queen Beryl are looking to betray you and the Dark Kingdom soon," said a very determined Rubeus within a bright room. Its walls were unable to be seen as they were so far out of the way of the large white rock platform that he stood upon. "I'm sure Beryl took it upon herself to tell the Sailors how to combat Hammerthor's magic barrier."

In front of him was a large reddish-orange capsule in which strange liquid bubbled up from. It was attached to blue rock pillars above and below it, and it had a black streak that moved like sound waves when it said in a booming female voice, "I've noticed that Queen Beryl has been acting rather strangely lately. She cares about those pitiful souls now."

"I don't get it! What's happened since then that has changed?"

"I'm trying to investigate with my Youma, though no one knows just yet what changed. I'm beginning to think that you resurrected some of her past memories along with her physical presence."

"You think it has something to do with the kid I was talking to you about earlier?"

"You mean Reenie? Yes, I was pondering that, too. It could be her morals coming back to her. We'll have to be careful, Rubeus. We don't want to reveal our relationship just yet. We need to keep it a secret until we can figure out what is going on here, or else she won't reveal the truth to any of us. You did say that Malachite and Zoycite are siding with Beryl and not you?"

"Yes. Zoycite even said that she forgave Beryl for her death."

"Did you hear anything else in that conversation you were talking about?"

"Something about an incident that she didn't want to talk to anyone about. I didn't hear anything else beyond that."

"Her room is the only room I seem to not be able to have an eye into for some reason. She may have some anti-magic barrier around that door that prevents me from seeing what goes on. She's always had that on there. It's the one room that's always off limits to most in the kingdom."

"Maybe we should provide her with an ultimatum. Either remove it or die."

"No, not yet! We'll let her keep it for now, just in case she reveals something that she doesn't think we're listening in on. You're my ears where I don't have any, Rubeus. Keep an eye on Beryl and Zoycite for me, but don't be as reckless as you have been. Take your time and keep them from knowing about our relationship. I need to make sure you're worthy to know where the Hizrounswa is!"

The last line took Rubeus off guard. "Wait, you're saying that you know where it is?"

"Yes, I do, and I am willing to share the information with you if I know I can trust you."

"Do you already, though?"

"I trust you to know what you're doing in the Dark Kingdom, but the things I know about the Hizrounswa will shock you. The crystal is unlike anything that you have seen before."

"I've read somewhere that it could make magic implode within the holders and kill them with their own magic."

"It goes so much further than that. Whoever holds the crystal holds absolute power. They have the ability to shoot the crystal's power at anything they choose. It is said that whoever holds the crystal immediately learns of the ways to wield it, and use its power to its utmost potential. You have to understand, Rubeus. The Hizrounswa, if you were to hold it, would make you unstoppable. You would be able to, with one shot, kill anything you wanted, including the Sailors. The crystal has six sides which represents which level of power you want it to use.

"The user would put a finger or an object onto the side which has the level of power desired. Then all one has to do is to fire a beam by pressing down on the two pointed ends of the crystal, and that level of power is administered in your shot. If one were to want to switch the level of power, they would only have to turn the crystal, and press the new side of the level they wanted to use. Side one is the weakest side, while level six is..."

"...capable of killing those Sailors once and for all!"

"Yes, but Rubeus, listen well. The Hizrounswa wasn't given to just anybody. The people the demons of Hell chose to wield the crystal had to go through so many grueling, torturous trials to prove that they would use the crystal in the way that they wanted them to. The trials were demanding, and they sometimes killed even the toughest of men. The powers that were held within the crystal were so powerful that even those with pure evil in their hearts were not allowed to come near it. Fortunately, it has not been hidden well anymore, and I have been able to track its current location. I know it exists, and I know exactly where it is, down to the exact crevasse."

"So you trust me with handling the Dark Kingdom without Beryl, but you're still not sure when it comes to the Hizrounswa!"

"I don't want to take any chances with this information. I apologize if it sounds like I don't trust you yet, but the Hizrounswa is the evilest crystal ever devised. It could kill the gods, which is why you probably thought it was in that pyramid you mentioned. It was there, but someone moved it, and I know who it was, but in order for me to divulge this information, you must prove yourself."

"I will do so for you! If these demons really wanted someone to go through trials to get something like this..."

"For now, focus on keeping the others from knowing anything about this, and don't let them know that I told you anything about the Hizrounswa."

Rubeus nodded slightly. "Don't worry, Queen Metaria! I've got everything under control! There's a reason we're partners, after all."

"Glad to have you on board, Rubeus!"

Rubeus snickered and disappeared out of the room.

-xXXXXx-

He reappeared in a large hallway with the same walls and flooring as the throne room. It was more or less just an access hallway to another room adjacent to the throne room, though it was rather long for such a purpose. He started to walk towards the room that was on the other side of the hallway, soon entering a small area with some black wooden torches that were lit on stone pillars coming out from the wall. There was a small window on the opposite side of the room, near the ceiling. The window was one of the few in the Dark Kingdom, and he could see out of it to notice that a mild snowstorm had begun.

However, as he was staring out at the still early morning sky, he ran into someone walking in the other direction. He looked towards the man that he had just bumped into. The man looked towards him at the exact same time. Rubeus saw that the blonde man was just as tall and slim as he was, and had the same gray uniform as the rest of the generals he had met so far. Those blue eyes were radiating into his own. This man was proud of who he was.

"You must be Rubeus," the fair-skinned man spoke. "The one that I was hearing about."

"Yeah, and you just bumped into me, Mister..."

"Jedite. Call me Jedite."

Rubeus coiled his head back slightly. "Jedite? You mean the one Queen Beryl put to sleep for failing to cut it?"

"For some time, yes. But I knew she wasn't going to keep me in there for that long. Metaria retrieved all of us except for Nephlite, who couldn't be revived because Zoycite had killed him."

"I remember hearing about Zoycite wanting Nephlite dead, but I forgot Beryl told me about that."

"Yeah, I was hearing some things about you, Rubeus. You haven't made many friends yet."

"What do you mean by that? Not everyone likes Queen Beryl or Zoycite!"

"No, I mean a mass dislike! You're your own man right now! Everyone in the Dark Kingdom has some allies. You seem to have none."

Rubeus' eyes narrowed. "I have my allies. They just aren't who you think they would be, Jedite. If I remember correctly, you weren't so popular with the ladies yourself."

"You mean me thinking that women can't cut it as heroes? Tell that to the Sailors you're trying to off. I learned that you can't take those broads lightly."

"Tell me about it. They've been giving me problems for a while now. In fact, I was just coming from seeing Queen B. She gave me permission to use one of her special Youmas. I'm going to see if I can snag that Silver Crystal and surprise her. She thinks I need it to go search for the Hizrounswa since she was so impressed by my ability to handle them."

It was Jedite's turn to coil back. "She did? Funny, 'cause I was hearing that she really doesn't like you."

"But she respects my ability. I personally think she's a touchy one, but at least she's got the brains to go along with it."

"Which Youma are you selecting?"

"Hmm, I was actually thinking of someone different. Someone that the Sailors don't know is coming. Don't want them getting in the way. Maybe...ahh, yeah: Meltdown!"

Jedite's expression was one of wonder and confusion. "Meltdown? You mean the female wrestler Youma? Excuse me for saying this, but if Queen Beryl really wants you to use someone like her, then she's really off her rocker!"

"What, that wasn't a good choice?"

"Well, if you like out of control freaks that want to destroy the world instead of controlling it, then yeah, it's a good choice. But I don't think that that was Beryl's motive. But if you say you can control her, then be my guest. Only thing is, you might want to be wary of if the Sailors try to stop you. They have long range attacks, and I don't think that Meltdown has anything other than grapple attacks, though I've heard they can be devastating once she's got you."

"This is why I want her. I wanna be able to have her body slam that Sailor Moon bitch to the ground!"

"Heh! If you say so Rubeus. Just don't say that no one warned you, because I just did. I must speak with Beryl about what she needs me to do. I'm surprised she hasn't asked where I was yet."

"You're welcome to come with me if you want to instead."

"No thanks, at least not now. I'll probably come help you once I talk to Beryl. You go on ahead."

"Your loss!" Rubeus began to walk away, and headed down a set of stairs on the other end of the room.

Jedite looked towards him strangely until he was gone, and then turned around and headed into the hallway.

-xXXXXx-

Casto sat in the waiting room of the hospital. This was becoming an unwelcome habit for him. He hated hospitals as it was, but having to come here so many times in just a few weeks was taking its toll. At least this time he didn't have to worry about having the weight of the pain only on him, as he had Ikuko and Kenji sitting beside him the entire time. The sun was just beginning to rise to break the midnight sky, but Casto wanted darkness instead. He needed a reason to get some sleep, and he had so much trouble going to sleep in the daytime.

"You alright, Casto?" Ikuko asked. "You look like you haven't had any sleep in days."

"Yeah," Casto sighed. "I'll be fine."

"Why didn't you tell us about Serena being injured?" Kenji retorted.

"Never got the chance to, actually. I was going to call you last night, but Serena refused any help from the doctor. Please don't ask why she did that, because I don't even know. Tried to call everyone she knew about this before we got here, but everyone was still asleep, and Reenie still wants to help with Sammy, so she decided to stay at the house until we came back."

"Should've told us, anyway."

"Kenji," Ikuko objected, "you shouldn't scold him for something like that. Serena isn't the same girl we've raised, if you haven't noticed."

"It's not like her to refuse any help, though."

Casto was about to say something else when he saw Doctor Mesta come down the hallway to meet them.

"Doc," he said, jumping to his feet with the rest of the family, "is she alright?"

"Well," Mesta answered, "I think she'll be fine. She probably won't like the vomiting of blood for a few hours, but other than that, it should be alright. I'll keep her here until she stops vomiting."

"Ew! At least she'll be alright, though."

"She took some beating last night. She's lucky she only got some bruised ribs. It's an annoying internal injury to have if it's mild, but it could've been deadly if it got any worse." The Doctor sighed heavily. "I just wish I could say the same for her teacher."

Casto's eyes widened. "Oh, my God! Please don't tell me she's..."

"Not yet, no. But I'm getting worried. She took much more of a beating than Serena did. She lost a substantial amount of blood, and she has several injuries, many of them internal. I don't know how she survived this long, but right now, it doesn't look good."

Casto lowered his head, feeling a small tear leave his eye. "She never deserved this." Ikuko wrapped her arms around him gently.

"We're going to be performing surgery on her today to see what we can do about it. Hopefully we can do something to at least stop anymore bleeding, but I'm not optimistic. Her injuries are worse than Sammy's were."

"Doc, you got to do something to save her!"

"I swear to you and to Serena that I will do everything within my power to save her life. However, Casto, if you know anyone in her family, you might want to inform them. She might not make it."

Ikuko was still holding Casto, while Kenji looked to the Doctor with a heavy heart. "Does Serena know of her condition yet?"

"No. I've made it a point not to tell her yet. She's in enough pain as it is. If I say anything to Serena about her teacher's condition, it'll aggravate her own injuries. I know how much she cares about her. Hopefully things will turn out for the better and she won't have to know that her teacher was in danger of dying."

Casto broke off Ikuko's embrace and headed outside of the hospital in a hurry, rushing to the side of the door once he got past them.

"What kind of surgery are you talking about, Doctor?" Kenji continued.

"We'll have to replace the ribs, I think. The life threatening injury comes from where the bones shattered as well as what rib actually got fractured. If any of those bones punctured any vital organs, then she's in big trouble. I know something nearly punctured her heart, so we have to be careful as we do this surgery. We do know that the hit she took fractured the first rib, which is rarely fractured because it's protected by the collarbone. It would keep her from being able to take any breaths. The nerves could also be shot, and if that occurred, then she might be better off dead because she would be paralyzed to the point that she would no longer be able to live independently." The Doctor exhaled deeply. "The worst thing that could happen, which is what we're assuming right now, is that she'll have forty-eight hours to live, if even that."

Ikuko felt her eyes water. "My God. Doctor Mesta, I'll pray for another miracle to happen. Casto's right: she didn't deserve this."

"No, she didn't. None of you have deserved all these attacks on your family and friends, especially so close to each other. But I would pray, too. Serena's loved ones have been dodging some major bullets lately. It's like someone is trying to make your lives a living Hell. Hopefully the luck and prayers don't run out now. It helps that I've got the best staff around; they know how to deal with things like this, but I would be cautious to not get too ahead of ourselves. No matter what, though, don't let Serena know, and be sure you let Casto and his friends know not to tell her, either. At least not until her injuries heal. She only had the common kind of fracture that punctured a vein, which is why she's vomiting up her blood. Other than that and a few days of hyperventilating, though, she'll be fine. My only other issue at this point is what is going to be next. Like I said, your family seems to be a target lately, and I swear I've seen some rather peculiar characters cross my sight recently. Ikuko, I'm going to respect your wishes and not have anyone else involved. But you might want to look into getting some type of additional protection so this won't happen again. And I can still contact the police and get them to assist you in some sort of investigation if you ever change your mind. I know of your opinion about the lackluster performance of the public officials in Juuban, and I'm starting to think you have a point. I would like to know why they can't respond to calls promptly myself. That being said, however, it won't hurt to us to at least try to get some help. Please keep that in mind for the future."

Ikuko nodded and walked outside to see if Casto was still there. He was just beyond the canopy of the ambulance entrance, looking at the pillar where Hammerthor pinned Serena last night.

He looked over to see Ikuko with her eyes watery, though they paled in comparison to his swelling. "I'm sorry, I couldn't take any more."

"It's all right, Casto."

"No, it isn't. She's such a sweet person. She knew what she meant to her students. Most of them wouldn't be where they are now without her guidance. This isn't fair. He needs to pay for this."

Ikuko approached Casto, ignoring the cool morning air as the sun began to shine on Juuban. "She's not giving up without a fight, though. She's not going to die that easily. But Casto, look at me, please." Casto turned around and looked into her eyes. "Don't let Serena know yet. She won't take it well at all, and she's still recovering from her own injuries. If you tell her, she'll get upset and do something that will make things worse than they already are."

"Yes, I heard him say that. I just...She means a lot to me and I just met her. I can't imagine how it would be to someone who's known her for as long as Serena has."

"That's why we all need to pray for her to get through this. Casto, if you need to, you can."

He could only hear his sister's voice in his head. "'You could never show any sadness to anyone, but when you were with me, you let your tears show.'"

"No, I can't. I need to stay strong. I'll have to go to the school and let them know that my sister isn't coming in today. I hate having to deliver bad news, but it's something that I've been used to lately. I'll see you later." Casto began to race from the hospital.

"You can tell me, Casto," Ikuko whispered as she watched Casto zoom off into the distance. "She doesn't have to be the only one you show your tears to."

-xXXXXx-

Casto turned a few corners and finally ducked into a narrow alley. He knew he had privacy here as his back collapsed onto one of the exterior walls and he began to cry.

"Serena, I know how you feel now. I want to kill him so bad. It's like he's trying to find the one thing that will make us crack. He's testing our anger and how much we can stand to see our loved ones be taken down one by one. Rubeus, my sister's feelings are not to be toyed with. I won't stand for it, and I'll make sure you know how much I love her. You will feel what you put Miss Haruna through, even if I have to kill you in the process."

-xXXXXx-

Jedite waited right at the center platform of the throne room. There, at the base, stood Beryl's Crystal Staff. It wasn't displaying anything, though Jedite couldn't help but be amazed at the beauty of the material that made up the sphere. It was somewhat cloudy within, but the ball itself shined in the few lights there were of the kingdom.

A few seconds after he had approached the crystal and peered at its marvel, he heard a door swing open. Suddenly standing at attention, he watched as his Queen came up near the seat.

However, upon setting her eyes on the tall, blonde male, Beryl stepped back a few steps. "Jedite, how long have you waited here?"

"Actually, a few hours. I was just coming back from seeing if you went downstairs to meet with Metaria or something like that."

"You waited for me all this time?"

"I didn't think you would be asleep. I didn't know you needed the shut-eye."

"Jedite, even I need it from time to time. Especially after we were revived by Rubeus. You've probably seen him prancing around here."

"Yeah, I heard you didn't like the guy."

Beryl's eyes closed tightly. "Not liking him is an understatement."

"But you guys do respect each other, I've heard."

This time, her pupils widened. "I-I do?"

"That's what he said."

"I didn't think he saw it as respect. Not that he's respected me or my wishes."

"Well, he told me all about you giving him permission to take a Youma and go search for the Silver Crystal."

Her eyeballs were about to come out of their sockets after she heard that. "What?"

"Told me something about the Hizrounswa and that you would need the Silver Crystal to locate it."

"Jedite," Beryl fumed, "I never told him he had permission to do anything!"

"What?"

"He's to be supervised at all times! What Youma was he taking?" Beryl began to pace back and forth nervously.

"He told me he was taking Meltdown!"

Beryl pivoted quickly towards him. "Meltdown? You can't be serious!"

"Wish I wasn't! What's this about him needing supervision?"

"Jedite, I don't blame you for not knowing this, but Rubeus went behind my back and did things I didn't approve of. It's because of this that I told him that anything he does will be watched over by me and my generals. He knew all about it and I'm guessing that he tried to pull a fast one on me. He knew you had yet to be informed of the situation, so he..."

"He lied right to my face! I can usually spot a liar a mile away, too. He's pretty good at it, at least!"

"Do you know where he was going?"

"Not sure. He did say he was going to get the Silver Crystal and surprise you."

"He's already surprised me. Go and find out where he went to, and get there. You're the only one right now that knows about this new situation."

"What about you?"

"I didn't give him permission, but someone obviously did! I'm going to find out who it was that gave him access to Meltdown."

"Are those my orders? I was coming here to get my first orders!"

"Uhh..." She paused as her hand came to her chin. "Yeah, sure. First orders."

Jedite narrowed his eyes slightly at the nonchalant reply, but quickly dismissed it. "Then that I shall do. Rubeus is going to learn that I don't like liars." He quickly disappeared into the air.

"What are you trying to do, Rubeus? Who are you trying to impress? As if I have to..."

"Queen Beryl, you lied to me again," she heard Zoycite interrupt from behind her.

"Huh?" she answered, turning around to face her general. "About what?"

"Miss Haruna. You told me last night you felt her life force returning!"

"It was when I last checked it. What happened?"

"I just checked up on her. She's going into surgery. That doctor was saying something about her probably not surviving! Said she had forty-eight hours to live, and if she does, she might be paralyzed."

Beryl panicked as she raced to her Crystal Ball. She turned it on, looking right into Haruna's room. She was hooked up to many machines, like Sammy had been. She was at least sleeping peacefully, though Beryl could be anything but peaceful.

"Oh, my God!" she gasped. "I swear on my soul, she was recovering yesterday! I didn't lie to you, Zoycite!"

"She must've slipped since then."

"She has. The doctor was being optimistic. She has twenty-four at best. She'll be dead before the day is over if nothing is done."

"Oh God, no! Beryl, you have to do something!"

"Zoycite, calm down! I know how this must feel to you. You didn't want her to get involved in this, and I wish I felt this happening sooner. But as painful as it is to all of us, we can't do anything about it. Rubeus wanted her to die, and now I have another situation."

"Screw Rubeus! He doesn't control you! No one does! You can make your own decisions! You don't answer to..."

"If this partner he was talking about is who I'm starting to think it is, then I can't without raising any suspicion. But trust me, Zoycite, I'll think of something."

"She doesn't have that much time to wait!"

"Zoycite, the best thing that is happening about that right now is that they are going to try something. Let's wait to see what happens after that. Maybe that'll buy me some time, at least."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Pray that we can do something without raising suspicion."

"Beryl, you're not one to be told what to do. Please, don't be cautious now."

Beryl took a deep sigh. "For now, I think you need a distraction. Jedite told me that Rubeus skipped out on me, trying to sneak something past us. I have a feeling that his partner is giving him permission to do these things."

Zoycite's eyes widened. "You mean it could be her?" Beryl nodded as Zoycite continued, "Then that could explain your cautiousness. She's always freaked me out, in a way."

"She might be helping him in trying to find that Hizrounswa. I suspect she's overruling anything I'm doing, and giving him protection."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Find out what you can about the Hizrounswa. This thing has to exist, and I want to know why he's after it so badly. It'll be good for you to get out and away from all of this other stuff."

Zoycite nodded. "Okay, my Queen. I'll go and see what I can find out."

"And Zoycite," Beryl added, putting a hand on Zoycite's shoulder, "don't worry about Haruna. After the surgery, if nothing changes, I'll figure something out. She isn't going to die. Not if I can help it. I know it's not like me to help someone live, but I know how you felt about yesterday. I swear I didn't see this coming, and I feel like I lied to myself, as well."

"Queen Beryl, I believe you."

"Go ahead and leave, now. I'm counting on you to get this info for me. I trust you."

Zoycite bowed her head before walking out of the room. 'Thanks, my Queen. You have no idea how much you've done for me by saying that. I hope you can do something to help her.'

After watching her leave, Beryl walked over to her throne and sat down, looking at Haruna from within the orb.

"'No, how could you do something so cruel?'" she suddenly heard herself ring out in her mind. "'She was one of the best teachers on the North Pole! She was such a great friend to my kingdom!'" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "'These kids did nothing to you! No, this can't be happening! My God, I could've...please, someone had to have survived this! Victoria, please, wake up! You have to help me find any survivors! I can't do it on my own; there are too many to look for! C'mon, don't die on me!''"

"She was the only one that I could've still saved," Beryl told herself, feeling her fist tremble while keeping her eyes closed. "It was already in flames from the explosion! She never asked for anything in return for her love to those kids, and they were just taken from her! But I...I couldn't save her. She was already dead." She had a few tears in her eyes as she once more looked at Haruna lying in her hospital bed awaiting the surgery. "Don't worry, Miss Haruna. I'm not going to let you die. I won't allow anyone else to be involved in this fight, especially not you. Never again!"

-xXXXXx-

"Is Miss Haruna going to be alright?" Molly asked Casto outside of the school.

"They don't know," he replied. "They're going to perform surgery on her, but they don't know if she can survive."

"No. Please, no. Tell me you're lying."

"I wish I was."

"Who would do this, though?" Melvin said somberly. "She must have some enemies to have someone just try to hurt her that way."

"Sometimes, people just do that because of sport, or they want someone's money or possessions. They don't have to be her enemies. They just need a motive to do it."

"How about Serena? Where is she at?"

"She's in the hospital, as well."

"What?" Molly gasped. "Why?"

"She got attacked, too, but not as much. Maybe Melvin is right; I forgot that Serena was trying to protect Haruna because whoever the attacker was, he was trying to finish the job on Haruna."

"She's a brave girl, then," harked a male from behind Casto. As he looked over, he saw a slim figure that was a foot taller than he was, with a comb-over to his salt and pepper hair. He wore a beige three piece suit with a red tie in the center of his white undershirt. His black raised shoes made echoes on the sidewalk as he proceeded towards the front door of the school.

"She always is, sir," Casto answered.

"Sad story that Miss Haruna had to endure, believe me. Didn't think she would ever anger someone like that. Hopefully we can move on from it, though. Best way to keep the emotions in check is to not think about it and just continue as normal. School will start in a few minutes. I hope we can start trying to recover from there." The man opened the door and walked into the school.

"Who was that?"

"Mister Koa," Melvin replied.

"He's Miss Haruna's substitute that they decided to pick until she recovers from her injuries," Molly added. "Though now I don't know if she'll ever recover."

Casto shook his head. "Move on from it like nothing ever happened? Is he crazy? How can anyone possibly get over something like this?"

"He's been a sub before," Melvin retorted. "He's always been kind of stuck up. Never really liked him. As long as it didn't happen to him, he doesn't see anything worth crying about the day's news."

"Yeah," Molly giggled, "and if Melvin doesn't like a teacher, you know there's something wrong with them."

Casto couldn't laugh at anything, however. "If he's going to make comments like that, then this Mister Koa guy is going to have a problem with me."

-xXXXXx-

"Now," Mister Koa began to address his class, "I'm sure she gave you some assignment yesterday. I'm assuming you finished it." He checked a spiral notebook with various scribbles and writings on it. "Yes, she did give you an assignment that was due today. I need to check to make sure you did it."

Casto hadn't even bothered doing that assignment. What was it again? Doing the sentences on page thirty or something? They hadn't gotten that far into the textbook just yet. But as Mister Koa went back and forth to check the assignment, Casto became nervous. He didn't know why he cared so much right now, but with how his first impression on this substitute teacher went, he knew the discovery of undone homework wouldn't end well.

It soon came to pass, as Mister Koa towered over Casto. "Where's your assignment?"

"I wasn't able to do it, sir. My sister was also attacked by that same person who..."

"I said, where is your assignment? I didn't ask you for any excuses!"

"I'm just telling you..."

"Yeah, I know. You're telling me that you deserve a zero for the day, with how you're back talking me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't get to doing it."

"Yeah, and there was no excuse for not getting it done. I saw what the assignment was, and it was one of the easiest in the book. How could you possibly have any excuse for blowing off an assignment like that?"

"I didn't, sir. I'm just trying to tell you the reason. I had a bad day yesterday."

"Don't we all. I don't care what your excuse is. Wonder what it will be tomorrow. I would serve you a detention if I could, but instead, I will have to ask you to go to the office immediately."

"What for?"

"You're trying to get out of a zero for the day by labeling some excuse on me that your sister was attacked. How low can you possibly go to try to use Miss Haruna's situation to your advantage? You should be ashamed of yourself."

Melvin began to fume from the other side of the room as he heard that line. 'As if you care?'

"How much longer are you going to be in my sight?" Koa then screamed loudly. "Go to the office, NOW!"

Casto didn't hesitate at that point, as he got all his belongings and stormed out the door. As he slammed the door behind him, Koa came out after him.

"And now you can stay there until my class is over, and I'll tell the School Authority what happened today. Maybe then you'll be taught some damn respect, punk!"

Casto had to fight hard in order to keep his temper down to where he could just walk away. He slowly paced until he could turn a corner, knowing that the teacher was eying him the entire time. Once Casto knew that he couldn't be seen anymore, he walked nervously, hoping that his tears didn't show again.

-xXXXXx-

The office of the school had a few windows behind the desk, which were double-paned within the white walls, opposite the chair he was sitting in. There were about ten feet in between him and the counter, and about forty between the counter and the windows which had a few desks within the space. The only sounds heard were his breaths and a phone that rang twice during the entire twenty minutes that he was in there.

As he heard the bell ring, he could only sigh. That was his warning that the fireworks were about to begin. He sat back in the chair, staring at the ceiling, wondering what he was going to say, or if he could say anything without getting interrupted. Not to mention if he could get through whatever he was about to endure without Mister Koa getting a punch in the mouth.

He heard the wooden door open, the tall teacher coming into the room. "Okay, Casto, time to tell the principal what happened in there."

Casto rose to his feet as his eyes met Koa's. "I told you exactly what happened. My sister was attacked by the same guy who attacked Miss Haruna! I don't know what else you wanted to hear."

"That you're just using it as an excuse! It's not like you didn't think you could get a free pass with her out of the picture, now did you?"

Casto's soul erupted at that moment. "Don't you dare even think that I would use the attack on one of the best teachers this school has had as an excuse to get out of an assignment! You're the one that wanted me to just move on like nothing ever happened!"

"Because it's worthless to dwell on the past. She is the past; she's not here right now. I am, and you need to play by my rules now, or else face the principal and get detention!"

"How could you possibly..."

"What is going on here?" they heard an older man say in a raspy voice. The principal that came into the room from a door right beside the office entrance was a tad wrinkled in the face, but otherwise sporting a healthy, upright position to his short stature. Standing tall in a black sport coat and matching slacks and shoes, it was apparent to Casto that he exemplified authority just by how he dressed.

"This Casto boy was disrupting my class with his actions today, and then proceeded to slam the door in my face!"

The principal straightened his thick black glasses and peered at Casto. "Is this true?"

"He was asking me where my assignment was from yesterday, and I was explaining to him that because my sister was attacked last night the same way as Miss Haruna, I was too caught up to be able to worry about homework. But he wouldn't let me get any of the words out, nor did he care to listen."

"I care only about your work, young man! How can you possibly use that sick excuse?'

"Because it is true, Mister Koa." the Principal answered. "Casto came to me before school started today and told me everything about what happened last night. Though I do think he should've at least attempted some of it, I don't think he should be expected to complete the assignment under the circumstances that befell him last night.'

"But that's not fair to the rest of the students, sir. Everyone was shocked about the attack on Miss Haruna, and they all got their work done! He was the only one who didn't, and he's somehow saying that Serena was attacked by some monster and getting away with using that excuse? What a shame!"

"Serena is not here for that reason, in case you didn't notice, Mister Koa."

"Trying to explain off her absence..."

"Drop it, man," Casto interrupted. "My sister deserves a lot more respect than that! How dare you even think that I would use such a horrible action as an excuse for anything?"

"Then where's your assignment, bud?"

"He told you," the Principal continued. "None of the students had to go through what he did last night, and the way you are acting right now leads me to believe that you provoked his later actions towards you. If it was your family that was in the hospital, would you care about some assignment?"

"In the real world, you don't have that option!"

"I don't know about that, but in this school, we do!" The Principal looked towards Casto again. "Casto, go ahead and get to your next class. You're excused. I will talk to Mister Koa, and I apologize for what led to this today."

"Thank you, sir." Casto bowed gratefully and scurried out of the office, Mister Koa looking at him angrily.

-xXXXXx-

The school day had ended, and Casto was in a hurry to get back to the hospital as fast as he could. He raced down the alley that extended a few feet beyond the school. He saw another alley dead ahead that he could turn onto to go straight to the hospital, though he would have to run with a bag of books on his back. He didn't think it was slowing him down any as he panted towards his turn.

However, just as he got to the intersection, he was met by a hard elbow to his face, making him fall backwards onto his bag of books that was the only cushion between him and the brick road below.

"You actually think that I wouldn't know about this shortcut to the hospital, Casto?" he heard a chilling but familiar voice beckon. "Think again! Meltdown, teach this amateur how you really play!"

Casto couldn't even react before he felt a pair of arms scoop him up off the ground and into the air. He could only see a steady stream of brown hair as he was getting flung over someone's shoulder, and then he was slammed to the ground again. His back was in pain, and his screams told of how excruciating it was as his arm clenched into his back.

"How can you use the Silver Crystal, Casto?"

"I'm Serenity blood, dumb ass! Didn't you get the memo?"

Casto didn't hear any other words from what he knew was Rubeus' voice before he felt a dropping knee strike him in the gut, making his whole body clench as his arms wrapped around his stomach.

"Don't play games with me, you amateur! I know exactly what you're all about! You have shadow power flowing in your veins. Those that hold that power are not allowed to use the Silver Crystal, nor are they able to. How can you?"

"You got it...wrong, Rubeus! Those that hold...pure intentions in their...hearts can use it! The power that I...have has nothing...to do with...it!"

He felt his hair being pulled, making him come back to his feet. Casto didn't have a chance to fight who it was that was picking him up, but he came eye to red eye with a muscular female face with red lips and pale while skin. She held his limp body up as she moaned at the sight of him, and then gave him a kiss on the lips. Casto struggled to break free of the kiss, but the female only ended it by putting a forearm to his throat, putting her other arm behind him, and slamming him into the ground again. She fell down with him, making sure she heard his agony.

"Ah, there you go, Casto," Rubeus said slyly. "I think Meltdown is falling in love with you already! She loves men who are in pain, after all!" He then cackled maniacally.

"Yeah, Sailor Vulture," Casto heard a sultry female voice coo in his ear, "let me hear you scream in pain! I want to hear those bones crack all over your body!"

It was then that Casto felt a hand begin to touch his neck and down his shirt, grabbing the one possession he held dearly: the Vulture Medal that he had on his necklace underneath his garment to hide. He gasped as he felt her hand grip the Medal and he flailed to get her off of him.

"Let me take this and then I'll break your neck for you!"

Her hand pulled on the necklace with all its strength, so much that he felt his neck being cut into by the necklace. However, he snatched the hand with his own, trying to fight whatever or whoever was that was trying to steal his Medal.

That was, until those hands felt something strike them. Casto heard a loud screech and the hands let him go. He quickly rolled to his stomach and looked to his left to see what had saved him: a red rose. The sight made his eyes widen.

"Meltdown, you're trying to steal men's hearts as well as their souls now? How pathetic!"

Was Casto hearing this right? Last night he had found out he could use the Silver Crystal, and today he was going to be saved by...

"Tuxxy Boy?" Rubeus answered, finally revealing himself on the opposite roof of where he saw Tuxedo Mask make his stand.

"That's my friend and Serena's brother! I will not let you harm him anymore!"

"You talk way too much, Tuxxy Boy! Meltdown, take care of that pest! I'll deal with Casto from here!"

Mask saw a tall, muscular female with a one piece black suit, bare legs and arms, and lace up black boots jump up and reach out for him. Mask barely leapt out of the way and swung his cane. Meltdown countered by grabbing his cane and dragging him to her, where she tried to clothesline him. He ducked, however, jumping to the other rooftop and turned around, throwing two roses, one for each leg that hit at her knees.

"That's your weakness, Meltdown!" Mask smirked. "You can't get anyone from afar! You have to get close in order to do anything to them!"

However, while Mask was making quick work out of Meltdown, Rubeus picked Casto back up by his shirt and slammed him to the wall. "Now, Casto, I believe you still have to answer me a question! I don't believe for a minute that the Silver Crystal only responds to pure intentions! I know Beryl was trying to get it, and she would know all about that stipulation if she wanted it! She never said a word about it, so I know you have some other way to be able to wield it!"

"Like I would tell you!" Casto lifted up his legs and double kicked him in the chest, reeling Rubeus back. Mask jumped down beside him as Casto grabbed and unhooked his Medal. Meltdown quickly dislodged the roses from her knees and jumped back down to flank Rubeus.

"So, you like to grab people, is that it?" Casto grinned. "Two can play at that game! Vulture Medal Power, Su..."

He was interrupted as he saw the two suddenly disappear. He sighed and hooked the Medal back to his necklace, returning it to beneath his shirt.

Casto turned to Mask, nodding slightly. "Thanks, Kamen! I owe you one!" Mask smiled as Casto continued. "In any case, thanks for helping me out there. Thought she was going to crack my spine for a moment."

"You always have that much trouble with women?"

"All too much, though she did kiss me before introducing me to the bricks! But how did you know?"

"Sensed the disturbance even before you got attacked. Meltdown is known for wanting you to get close to her so she can slam you again and again. She's a wrestler, so it's no surprise she was attempting to seduce you to try to injure you."

"She was trying to nab my Medal, too. That was the worst mistake one could make."

"I was trying to find you to let you know about Miss Haruna, anyway."

Casto's mind suddenly shifted gears as his eyes widened. "What happened with the surgery?"

"No good. In fact it's much worse. She won't live through the night, they said."

Casto punched one of the gray brick walls angrily. "No, Darien! I can't accept that! We have to do something! Can't we heal her with our powers or something?"

"No. Trust me, I've already tried that, but the damage Rubeus inflicted on her has become so irreversible that I don't think any of us can do anything about it. I've tried everything I could think of, but nothing changed. I think we're going to have to face the facts: she isn't going to survive."

"Did they give how many hours?"

Mask took a deep breath. "Six hours from now."

"My God! Does Serena..."

"No, she doesn't know yet, but if there's any good news out of this, your sister is fine now. She was asking about Haruna and if she was going to be alright. They only told her about the surgery to repair her ribs, but they didn't tell her that she was going to pass away soon. They just finished telling her parents when I caught wind of what was going on here."

"I was heading there when I got attacked. We should be going."

"Can you still move with your back injured?"

"It's alright. I can still move. Not like it's never been injured before. I'm going there now!" Casto picked up his bookbag and ran off towards the hospital, ignoring his injury as he raced as fast as his feet would allow him. Tuxedo Mask took off with him.

Unbeknown to anyone, however, was Jedite, who was hiding behind one of the air conditioning vents on the rooftop that was at the top of the "T" of the intersection, watching everything as it happened. "Rubeus...attacking a woman? I may not be the best at accepting women as equals to men, but I wouldn't ever just attack them like that! The hell were you thinking? First you lie to me about getting Beryl's permission, and then you lie to me about what it is you want to accomplish! Like I said, I don't like liars!" He disappeared once he lost sight of Mask and Casto.

-xXXXXx-

"Why did you transport us back, Rubeus?" Meltdown asked him in a small room within the Dark Kingdom. In front of her and Rubeus was a large sphere of pure black energy.

"Tuxxy Boy was correct. You need some sort of projectile move, or else you'll be a sitting duck against all of the Sailors at once. You need something to surprise them, which is why I thought that now was the time to give you something right from Metaria and myself."

Meltdown didn't object and put her hands into the black energy. Within seconds, the energy entered her skin, flowing through her veins as she moaned at the feel. "I—It feels like a dream! I can't wait to show that hunk Casto what I have for him."

"Now that's more like it. You have so many more attacks than what you once possessed. You can use it to strike him from afar, make shadows of yourself, or drag him or any other Sailor to you so you can do what you want to do with their feeble bodies. And don't forget about Tuxxy Boy."

"That man interrupted my time with Casto. Once I kill Tuxedo Mask, I will do my worst to Casto's gorgeous body. I so want to hear his bones crack, one by one!"

"You may want to change that order. You might want let the rest of them watch their friend and brother be broken in half!"

Meltdown closed her eyes as she took in more and more of the dark energy.

'Yes, Meltdown,' Rubeus thought, 'take all that you desire. All I need is to capture that Silver Crystal, and then I can get the Hizrounswa and destroy Sailor Moon's weapon with it. The world will crumble at my feet once the Silver Crystal is shattered.'

Once Meltdown was finally done absorbing the dark energy, she and Rubeus disappeared again.

-xXXXXx-

"Casto," Ikuko somberly said as she noticed his reappearance into the hospital, "did he tell you?"

"They have to be able to do something else. They can't just leave her to die!"

"I can try my powers to heal her again," Darien answered from beside Casto. "But I don't think it will change anything."

"We have five hours now, if we're lucky," Kenji added. "They said she may not even last that long. The doctor said there were too many vital organs punctured by the shattered bones. There was nothing they could do. They hardly did any surgery before realizing it."

"Serena is asleep right now, so she still doesn't know anything about her condition," Ikuko said.

"She's going to find out at some point," Casto cried. "I should be the one that tells her this."

"No, Cas," Darien objected. "I'll go with you. She was always there for all of us when we needed her."

-xXXXXx-

From within the Crystal Ball, Queen Beryl could only listen to the four continue to talk, hearing Casto say, "Thank you, Darien. I just wish there was something that we can do. I need to do something. She can't leave us."

Sobbing was heard as she saw Casto collapse into Ikuko's arms and shed tears that he couldn't hide anymore. "She was such a sweetheart. Why her? God, why her?"

Beryl trembled in sadness and anger before she yelled, "Turn it off! Turn it off!" She swiftly rose to her feet and turned on a dime. She raced behind her chair and slid down with her back against her throne. Resting her arms on her bent knees, she could feel her eyes burning.

'No, Beryl, you can't cry now. Your Dark Kingdom needs you. You can't show sorrow and sympathy when you're in her presence. They're only collateral to you. How could you possibly care about any of them?'

However, she could only feel the burning intensify, and then a few tears escaped her. She took a hand and wipe the water off her cheek, looking into the hand as the tear glistened. The sight only made more come out.

'You fool! You grew a heart for this woman, and you're making your bed. She'll kill you if you show nothing but coldness. You have to...'

"'Victoria, come on, don't die on me! Those children need you!...No, there's nothing left! It's all my fault! If I had just listened to the warnings that they were targeting my kingdom!...Victoria, I'm sorry. I didn't know! I swear to you, I didn't know! The children loved you! I loved you! Don't do this to them!'" A scream of agony was the last thing she heard herself vocalize within her mind before she took an elbow and smashed it against the back of her throne, the impact so loud that she swore it echoed across the Dark Kingdom.

"I'm sorry, Zoycite! I don't want to lie to you, but I can't save her, either! I know I can revive her, but not without that..." She bit her tongue. "I want to save her! I don't know what I'm feeling, but it doesn't feel good. I did grow a heart for her, because I can feel it breaking."

She slowly peeked ahead of her chair to her Staff, glancing at the purple crystal on the top of it. 'Patricia, please, make this easier on me. Fight this. I beg of you. Victoria ran out of time. You still have some time, and I know you can win. Please, you've got to; for your students; for your friends...for me.'

-xXXXXx-

"You sure Casto will show up if we do this, Rubeus?" Meltdown asked her master as she stood before the Sommers' house.

"I've been here too many times. They're stupid enough to leave Reenie here unprotected!"

"If we attack it too much, it won't be that way for long."

"Don't fret, Meltdown. I'm not going to hurt Reenie! You will! But I'll be the one who delivers the final blow! Serena can't do anything right now, anyway, so we've got a free pass until Casto shows himself!"

"That's what I want. Anything to get Casto to show."

"But wait, Meltdown! You know, I think it would be better to have him transform first before you have your way with him."

"Into Sailor Vulture? Oh, my God, the things I'd do to that body in that outfit of his."

"Remember, we're here for the Silver Crystal. Once we get that, the rest of the job is easy."

"Yes, deliver it to Queen Beryl and gain her support for finding the Hizrounswa! I know, I know! As long as I can have Casto, you can do what you want with the Silver Crystal."

Rubeus and Meltdown both saw the light into Sammy's room come on at that moment, and a figure sit up.

"There we go," Rubeus said. "Now, Meltdown, want to try out some of those new weapons I let you have?"

"With pleasure!"

-xXXXXx-

"Sammy, I made you a sandwich," Reenie smiled as she came in with a tray with various foods on it. She was barely able to keep a hold of the tray as she reached to turn on the light, putting both hands back onto the tray once the light was on.

"Thanks, Reenie. I think I'm a bit hungry now," Sammy said, sitting up in his bed.

"Looks like the leg is healing up."

"It's doesn't hurt as much if I move it now," he answered as Reenie put the tray of food on his nightstand. "I really want to try to walk tomorrow. I need to get out of this bed. I'm tired of sitting around."

"I can help you tomorrow if you want. I finally got a letter saying that I'm enrolled into the school, but I'll have to wait until Monday to start, so I have a few more days."

"Hopefully I can get rid of this grudge I have against her before then."

"I don't think you hate her, Sammy. You just..."

She was interrupted by the crashing of the window. She quickly jumped up onto the bed and shielded Sammy with her body, taking all of the glass hitting her back. Luckily, it was only a few pieces, and nothing cut her. She looked outside the broken window to see Rubeus with his Youma staring at them.

"Come out, child," Rubeus yelled. "Or else you and Sammy both feel the wrath of Meltdown!"

"Not again!" Sammy panicked. "Please not again!"

'This is unbelievable,' Reenie thought. 'How many times is he going to attack this place?' "Sammy, don't worry! I'm going to give him a fight this time!"

"But Reenie, you can't..."

Reenie jumped off of the bed and clenched her fists. "Moon Prism Power! Make up!" Usually she would wear a smile on her face as the pink ribbons formed the matching boots and jewels, but this time, she was all business as she wanted to rush this transformation into Sailor Mini Moon. Once she was done, she hurried outside.

-xXXXXx-

"Miss Haruna," Casto said as he looked down at the body of what would soon be an empty vessel in the hospital bed. "I've tried everything, but nothing seems to work. I'm sorry. I wish I could do something to help you. All the magic in the world is not helping you. I don't know what else to try."

"Casto, I think it's time we told Serena," Darien said as he also looked at his fallen orphan mother with a tear in his eye.

"She should be able to take the news. At least physically. I don't know how she will..."

Casto was interrupted by a beep from his Vulture Communicator. Did it have to be now? He opened it up as soon as he retrieved it from his pocket to see Sailor Mini Moon on the other end.

"Casto, it's Reenie. Rubeus is here again!"

"The hell? Does he ever think of anything new?"

"He's here with this huge woman he's calling..."

"Meltdown!" Casto growled. "I ran into her earlier today. Want to repay her for the broken back she almost gave me! I'll be right there, Reenie!"

"But Casto," Darien intervened. "What about telling Serena about..."

"Wait until I come back. Rubeus must know about Serena's condition. She isn't able to defend Reenie and Sammy. But I'm still going. I will be back, Miss Haruna! I promise!" Casto hurried out of the small hospital room, Darien staring at the open door with a blank stare in his eyes.

-xXXXXx-

"Come out here, Reenie!" Rubeus yelled. "Or is it Sailor Mini Moon now? We got some unfinished business to take care of!"

Mini Moon put Serena's Sailor communicator back on her dresser—she knew Serena had a reason for leaving it there while she went to the hospital—and headed for the door. When she opened it, she saw Rubeus with his arms folded across his chest and Meltdown eying the child Sailor.

"Pretty pink, girlfriend," Meltdown screeched. "Too bad I'm going to tear all that up when I punish you!"

"Don't be so sure about that, lady! I'm Sailor Mini Moon! I stand for the love and justice of the future! And in the name of the..."

"Oh, cut the crap!" Rubeus interrupted. "In the name of the Moon, you'll punish us! How many times have I heard that? Meltdown, do it!"

Meltdown put out her hands as a stream of black energy hit Mini Moon. The energy was weak, as Mini crossed her arms in front of her to brace the blow, widening her stance near the door to keep her feet on the ground.

About ten seconds was all Rubeus could wait until he yelled out, "Go down already!" He fired his own energy beam, but Meltdown's stopped just enough for Mini Moon to whip out her Pink Sugar Wand and smack the energy away, surprising herself with the action.

"Did I just...do that?"

"Rubeus, I thought you were gonna let me kill her!"

"Sorry, I couldn't..."

Rubeus was shut up by a foot kicking him in the cheek, making him reel back. Mini Moon punched him in the gut, and followed up with a bicycle kick into the same place as Rubeus clenched his stomach.

However, Mini Moon couldn't even follow up as she was suddenly kicked in the small of her back by Meltdown. She fell onto her stomach, which Meltdown answered to by laying her foot onto the injured back and pulling on Mini Moon's hair so hard that she had to bend her back to keep Meltdown from pulling it right out of her head. It made Mini Moon flail her legs in pain, crying out as Rubeus smirked.

"She loves to hear bones shatter, Mini Moon! And this time, you attacked us first. There will be no guardian angels to help you this time. Meltdown, you know how to do it!"

"Ah yes! I do, all right! I can settle for this brat's back to be broken in several places!"

"You coward!" Mini Moon screamed in agony. "Why can't you fight me fairly?"

"You guys never do," Rubeus answered, "so why should I?"

Meltdown pulled harder on Mini Moon's hair. "Shut up and listen as I shatter everything..."

"Vulture Attack!"

A shadow vulture smacked Meltdown on her ribs, making her fall right off of Mini Moon's body. The child was able to get back up, but with pain in her back like she never felt before. Meltdown looked to see Vulture on the top of the corner of the stone wall that surrounded the house.

"So, Meltdown," Sailor Vulture smirked, "you don't like things thrown at you, do you? Don't worry, I have plenty of those! I am the power and unity of the Sailor Soldiers! I am Sailor Vulture, and I've got a score to settle with you!"

"Ah, Sailor Vulture," Meltdown said, suddenly cooing again. "How I've waited for you to come back to me!"

"Not this time, you witch! You won't be stealing a kiss from me this time!" 'As long as I stay away from her, she can't do anything to me.'

"Meltdown, this is what you wanted," Rubeus said. "Do your worst!"

"Not a problem!" Meltdown fired a black orb of energy that zipped upward. Casto jumped to get out of the way, but the orb tracked him down and finally hit him on the apex of his jump, making him fall on his back onto the ground.

'What the hell? She didn't have that last time we fought!' He also looked around to see that none of the lights in the other houses were on. 'Does no one else care, or do they know no police will come? Will come in thirty! More like never!'

"Like my new tricks, Sailor Vulture? It's all to impress you, my sweetheart! I want you so bad. I want to hear every bone snap in my hands." Meltdown once more held out her hands, but this time a wind began blowing against Vulture, dragging him towards his adversary.

'It's like a magnet! I can't fight it!'He tried to hold onto the tree bark, but it wasn't enough to keep her from grabbing him once he drew near to her. She picked him up off his feet and began to grip him in a bear hug. More than that, though, Vulture began to feel a green aura engulf him.

"Feel that, Casto," Meltdown softly spoke to him. "You'll forever be a part of me. I'll listen to your bones crack as I steal every little part of you with my signature move: The Nuclear Bearhug! We'll be together forever!"

'She's draining my energy. How is this possible?' Casto tried to thrash and break free, but he was nearly paralyzed from the move, falling completely limp in Meltdown's arms.

"What a sight to see!" Rubeus chuckled. "Meltdown's true love, dying in her arms! It breaks my...huh?" He saw out of the corner of his eye Mini Moon began to fire up her wand.

"Pink Sugar Heart..."

Rubeus quickly disappeared and reappeared in front of Mini Moon, firing a lightning beam that sent her into the siding of the house, her back injury becoming aggravated. "You will not steal this moment from Meltdown! Time to spill the blood of the...!"

"No, you will not, Rubeus!" He and Meltdown turned to the left side of the house to see Jedite standing with his arms to his sides.

"Jedite! Well now, you diddecide to join me! What did Queen Beryl give to you as your first order?"

"To make sure I pay you back for lying to me three times now!"

"What? Three times? I never..."

"You never got Beryl's permission, you never said anything about hitting defenseless women, and now you're trying to harm a child! How pathetic of a lowlife you must be to prove your worth that way."

"Well now," Meltdown said, dropping Casto to the ground as she eyed Jedite. "I remember you real well! You were always saying that women should know their place! I should show you what kind of woman I am!"

"That's only because I once knew a woman who made such a legacy that I was scared that women who were like her would tarnish the legendary status she deserved. I didn't want her contributions to the Silver Millennium to be tarnished, so I wanted to make sure that women everywhere would know their place in history and follow what they really wanted to be. It was her that tarnished my thoughts!"

"Oh, spare me, please," Rubeus begged. "What's with you guys? I resurrected you and you suddenly turn into lines from a self-help booklet! Here I thought you were going to be different from the rest! No matter! I think Meltdown has a few things to show you! I trust you have things under control, girl! I'm going to see my partner! I'm sure she'll have something to say about this!" He disappeared, leaving Meltdown to fight for herself.

She smirked as she began approaching Jedite. "You lie. You don't care about women! You only care that they stay in the kitchen!"

"You'd break the kitchen with how youlook, you brute!" Jedite stretched out his arm. A large tree branch broke off on his command and flew right for Meltdown. She dodged it swiftly and tried to grab Jedite as a counter. He saw her attempt, however, and dodged it with his own quickness. "You have some new tricks, don't you, Meltdown? You were never that agile! Too bad I'm still faster even after you took all that dark energy like some druggie!"

"How do you know I did that?"

"How can I not? You're so overloaded with it that it's seeping out your pores! You don't think us Dark Kingdom Generals would see that?"

Meltdown growled and charged at Jedite. He jumped over her just as she put her head down, and kicked her in the back of the neck. She staggered, but was able to stay on her feet. Jedite smirked as he came back to the grass below, which Meltdown saw as she pivoted towards him. She growled and began shooting her black energy spheres rapidly at Jedite. He was barely able to dodge them, and the last one caught him on his ankle right as he jumped up to avoid it. He fell on his tail bone, and Meltdown retaliated by drawing him in with her Wind Magnet attack.

"I'll just drain you! How fitting it would be for Jedite to be killed by a woman again?"

"Mercury Bubbles! Blast!"

Fog came over Meltdown's eyes, making her cease her attack and look around. Jedite had a hard time seeing, as well, even though he was thankful for the sudden intervention.

"No, he's your enemy! Let me kill him!"

"Sparking Wide Pressure!"

The lighting orb smacked her on the face, making her stagger, and when she turned her head, she saw the perpetrators: the Sailors.

"Casto," Mars yelled, kneeling down to his aid, "you all right?"

"I...don't know! She drained...my energy!'

Mars rose to her feet and laid a cold stare upon Meltdown. She opened her mouth to begin to speak, but she stopped when she looked over to see who they had saved. "Jedite?"

"You gotta be kidding!" Venus replied. "You'rethe person we heard groaning in pain like you were?"

"She's stronger than I remember!" Jedite answered. "She got infused with pure dark energy! It's like a narcotic to the Youma!"

"Where's Rubeus?" Mercury yelled.

"He's gone to see his partner, whoever the hell that is."

"Casto still lives," Meltdown bellowed. "I need to finish you off and make you become a part of me!"

Vulture saw her step towards him, though he had much trouble trying to stand to fight her. However, he suddenly saw the legs of four young warrior girls step in front of him.

"You won't harm him again!" Venus continued. "Venus Crescent Beam! Smash!"

The beam struck Meltdown's arm, but it only did minimal damage, and didn't stop her approach on the fallen Vulture.

"Mars Fire Soul! Ignite!" The fire spread on the sidewalk right at Meltdown's feet, though she only walked over it without any consequence and continued to pace towards them.

"What the hell do we have to do to stop her from moving?" Jupiter panicked. "She's slow, but we can't do anything to stop her."

'Meltdown has a wrestler's mind,' Jedite thought. 'So she would be thinking of this as a wrestling match...' "That's it! Hey Meltdown!" She stopped and looked right at Jedite, who rolled over near the house's doorbell. "The match is over!"

Jedite began to push the bell wildly, the loud sound making Meltdown grit her teeth. "No, stop! Don't ring it! I still have things to do! I want Casto so bad!"

"Then it sucks to be you, huh?"

"No, stop! The bell! I hate that sound! Don't let it be over! Damn it! Argh!" Her head began to shake wildly, and soon her entire body joined in.

"Oh no!" Jedite gasped. "I was right in it making her vulnerable, but she took in too much dark energy! She's become unstable because of it! That must be Rubeus' safeguard!"

"Why did you do it, then?" Mars growled.

"One, it was the only way, and two, I didn't know how much she had absorbed!"

Mercury scanned the monster quickly with her Mercomp, and the results made her stagger. "Meltdown is going to live to her name if we don't do something! She'll blow up and destroy half of Tokyo!"

"I swear to you, Sailors, we had no knowledge of this going on with Rubeus! Not many in our Kingdom like him, if any! There is a way I can stop her from the Kingdom, but I would need a few minutes! I promise you, I'm telling the truth! But don't depend on me! Fight her!" Jedite disappeared.

"What the hell is going on around here?" Mars yelled out. "Jedite helped us, and then he disappears and expects us to trust him?"

"Casto! Come back to me!" Meltdown screeched. "I loved you! I will always love you, no matter what!"

"No way," Jupiter gasped. "She's still so preoccupied with Casto that she can think of nothing else!"

"And we got no one to help us again, I see," Mercury growled, noticing the lack of notice throughout the houses.

"Let me hold you, and I'll let you come with me into Hell! We'll spend the rest of eternity together!"

"Not a chance, Meltdown!" Vulture growled, coming back to his feet finally. "I have nothing more to say to you! We're through!"

"No, you can't!"

'Jedite, whatever you're doing, hurry up!'Mercury thought.

-xXXXXx-

Jedite panted and ran through several corridors, heaving as much as he had ever done before. He knew what was at stake, and he didn't have a second to lose.

"Where was it? She's going to blow up the entire town! If I can shut her down, she may become stable enough that I can transport her back!"

He finally found the room he was looking for, skidding and racing into a room with a small orb and a computer panel filled with various buttons. The panel was raised by two brass pillars, while the orb was encased in glass.

As he stopped at the panel, he began pushing buttons wildly. "This was to be used only in emergencies, and this is definitely one of them! C'mon, Meltdown, you're no woman! You're a damn beast, and it's..."

He was suddenly hit in the back by a thick black beam of energy and lightning. Stepping into the room was the person who had shot him: Rubeus, who smirked upon seeing his handiwork. "Not a chance, Jedite! This is exactly what I wanted! The world will crumble under my feet. And, as an added bonus, let me demonstrate how much I desire to see Earth die!"

Rubeus fired a double-shot beam at the controls, and didn't stop until they shattered onto Jedite's body. The destruction made the glass break and the orb dissipate. He chuckled after. "Well, Jedite, let's see the Sailors trust you now!"

"You don't know what you're doing, Rubeus! She's going to kill all of Tokyo if she is allowed to live!"

"And the Sailors go with them! How fitting would that be? As for you, my partner gave me permission to give you your pink slip! There will be a true Eternal Sleep this time, Jedite, and it will be called DEATH!" Rubeus laughed loudly as he began to fire his double-shot beam.

That is, until he was struck in the ribs with what felt like a Mack truck hitting him. He fell to the side, clenching his gut while gritting his teeth. He rolled over to see a cold stare and huffing from the woman he narrowed his eyes towards.

"Queen Beryl, how could you do this?"

She kept her eyes dead on him as she held her Crystal Ball Staff, her weapon of choice, growling her every word as her hands trembled. "You try to harm my Generals again, and I will make sure you regret it! I'll make it so bad you would think Eternal Sleep would be a blessing!"

"You would betray your Dark Kingdom just so you can defy me?"

"You have your only warning, Rubeus! I don't know where you came from, but I really don't care! You put your hands on them again, and I swear on my soul, you'll pay dearly!"

"Like you have a soul, Beryl! You're the most traitorous bitch I've ever known! Don't worry, you'll get yours soon enough! Just watch and enjoy the show that's about to happen with Meltdown!" Rubeus disappeared quickly, even though Queen Beryl was about to hit him again.

After a few moments, she turned her attention to Jedite, holding out an arm to help him up. "How bad did he get you?"

"Not too bad, but the controls are shot! There's nothing we can do now! She's going to destroy Tokyo, and I told them I was telling the truth that I could stop her!"

"Here, Jedite, hold this for a moment!" She quickly gave her Staff to Jedite, who took it as Beryl suddenly put her hands onto the platform that held the orb. She could feel the glass cutting into her hands, though she could've cared less.

"Queen Beryl, no! That's too risky! It'll tap all of your magic!"

"Shut up, Jedite! I know that! I'm looking to conquer the world, not destroy it!" 'And I'm not even sure about that conquer part anymore.'

Her eyed were closed, and her body became engulfed with a purple and black aura. She made Jedite frightened, and his grip on her Staff tightened. Nonetheless, he knew as well as anyone that her mind was made up.

-xXXXXx-

"Jupiter Thunder Bolt! Crash!"

"Venus Crescent Beam! Smash!"

Even though the lightning-wired beam hit its mark dead on, it did nothing to stop Meltdown as she continued to stagger and began to throw out streaks of dark energy.

"Casto! Love me! Love me, Casto!"

"Not a chance," Vulture sneered, jumping to the other side of the street. "Vulture Attack!"

However, even the shadow vulture could not stop the woman. She suddenly jumped towards him and grabbed him, picking him up off his feet and then jumping with him in the middle of the street. "I will send you to your grave with me!"

"Don't you dare, you witch! Mars Fire..."

"Raye, don't!" Mercury yelled. "It's only doing more to it! The more we attack, the closer she gets from detonation!"

"But she's draining him again! She wants him to die!"

"We can't use any of our powers! Jedite, why did we think we could trust you?"

"We have to do something!" Jupiter cried. "She's gonna nuke Tokyo if we can't!"

Suddenly, however, they saw purple energy engulf Meltdown. Even though she refused to let go of the limp Vulture from her Bearhug, she began weeping.

"No, how could you? I'll never let go of him! Never!"

-xXXXXx-

"Why, Beryl?" Jedite pleaded as he saw his Queen begin to tremble.

'I need just enough to make her stable so they can attack her. I don't know either, Jedite. I just feel...obligated to do something about this. If for no one else, this is for Patricia.'

She continued to tremble, and a few moments later, she whipped her head back and screamed out in pain, a few tears being thrown from her eyes.

-xXXXXx-

"Guys," Mercury said, "whatever this new energy is, it's stopping the sequence! It's keeping her from detonating, but we need to act now!"

"What's doing it?" Venus asked.

"I don't know, but now's our chance!"

"Our powers don't work on her," Jupiter claimed, "and she still has Casto in her grip!"

Venus was starting to talk when she saw Mini Moon race past her position at the opening of the wall towards Meltdown. "Reenie, no!"

It was no use, though. Mini Moon jumped up and kicked her in the ribs. It was a mosquito bite to Meltdown, but it did enough for her to let go of Casto again, this time eying the child. Mini tried to get another hit in, but Meltdown quickly grabbed her by the throat and picked her up, choking her with her dark energy. "I will still take you and my love down to Hell with me!"

Reenie struggled to get free of the choke, but was immediately saved when a red rose struck Meltdown's hands yet again.

"No! My wrists! They're bleeding!"

"Do it! Now!" They all recognized that comforting voice of a man in a tuxedo.

"Moon Scepter! Elimination!"

They recognized that voice, too, as well as the streaks of glitter that hit Meltdown before the two silver crescent moons did. She screamed in agony as the sphere of dark matter plunged out of her as she and the aura shattered into ashes and burned away in an instant.

-xXXXXx-

Queen Beryl was finally able to let go of the platform. Her hands were both burning and bloody, and Jedite knelt next to her as she collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily and clenching her chest near her heart.

"My Queen, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so! They took care of her. Just in time, too. I wasn't able to hold it much longer!"

"Beryl, you're going to need some rest."

She shook her head, however. "No, I can't just yet. There is something I have to do first. I pray that I have enough magic left to do this." She rose to her feet and slowly began to walk out of the room.

"Where are you going? What are you talking about?"

Beryl stopped and turned her head back towards Jedite. "Going to take a friend's advice. I hope I still have some time left." She took a few more steps, and then stopped again. "By the way, Jedite?"

"Hmm."

She took a deep sigh. "I'm sorry. I hope I'm forgiven for putting you into that sleep. It wasn't my idea or my decision."

"Of course, my Queen." Jedite smiled, seeing Beryl walk away. 'Why are you being so apologetic, though? This isn't like you. But in a way...it feels nice to hear the softer side of you.'

As Beryl progressed through the corridor, she smiled and closed her eyes. 'Jedite, you have no idea how much I long for the day where I don't have to force anyone to call me a queen anymore.'

-xXXXXx-

The night was young, but for Miss Patricia Haruna, it was becoming rather old. She was still alive, but on her last thread as the girls, Casto, and Darien all gathered in the hospital room with Serena's parents and Doctor Mesta.

"She only has a half hour left," Mesta said, "if she's lucky. I tried one more thing, but it didn't work. Did any of you contact her family to let them know of what is going to happen to her?"

They all shook their heads, Serena answering, "No. Her family is pretty scattered. I think her parents divorced when she was ten, if I remember correctly what she told me."

"So no one will know of her passing. I feel very sorry for her and her family. I do have a few choices at this point. I can let her live out the last minutes, or I can stop the machines and let her soul go where it will now. Since there's no family to ask, and you, Serena, are the closest to her, I should ask you what you want me to do."

"What?" Serena gasped softly. "That shouldn't be my decision, doctor."

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't even consider turning them off without a member of her family, as only they can make that decision. But again, since there is no one else that can make that decision, and I do have that option, I don't want to go to a doctor's discretion. A few of the surgeons I've spoke to said that I should've gave up some hours ago, but I didn't want to do that unless someone else who was very close to her told me to."

"No, doctor! If it's going to be me making that decision, then no! Let her live out the last moments of her life!" 'And I swear to God, Patty, Rubeus is going to pay with his own life!'

"If I can suggest then that we go to the chapel that's across the hall here to pray for her. At the very least we can do that."

"C'mon, guys," Serena cried weakly. "I need all of you there with me." Her friends and family all walked with her and Mesta out of the room, with Mesta turning out all of the lights to her room and looking back with sorrow in his eyes. "Patricia, I'm sorry. Please, rest in peace. You're such an angel. I hope your soul goes to the right place." He continued to walk towards the chapel.

It was one full minute later that a soft purple light appeared to the right of Haruna's bed, and a holographic image formed. The image walked over to the body and placed a hand onto her chest, a purple glow shooting softly through her body from the single hand.

"Patricia," the female figure said in a bit of a raspy voice, "do not worry, I'm not hurting you. I've been watching you and your troubles for some time now. It's not your time yet. They'll find you unconscious still, as I do not have enough strength left to make you recover completely. But your ribs will be healed, and your internal wounds will be allowed to do the same. I shouldn't be doing this, Patricia, but I will not allow myself to watch any others like you who care for the future of this world to be punished like you have. I deeply regret that this is all I can do, but you will heal up to the condition you were before you were attacked. Please, if you can hear me, do not tell anyone about me visiting you. I cannot risk anyone knowing of what I have done. The angels were just watching over you tonight, knowing that your destiny is still awaiting you." The figure ceased her soft beam, then looked towards the machines, smiling at what she saw. "I must be going. I've spent too much time already."

-xXXXXx-

"I beg of you, Patricia," Queen Beryl said, on both knees at the altar of a large chapel with purple walls and wooden benches, "never give up your fight. You're a brave soul, and you've made me proud. Thank you, and good luck." She opened her teary eyes, unclasped her hands from the closed altar, and looked up at the wall in front of her. She wiped away her tears the best she could, with a smile escaping her.

"My Queen?" she suddenly heard a female voice call. She quickly got back to her feet and turned around to see Zoycite standing at the large double doors of the chapel.

"She's going to be fine, Zoycite. I'm sure of it this time."

"Did you just..."

"Yeah," Beryl answered with a nod and a smile. "I know she doesn't have a clue that this place exists. I completely forgot until an hour ago that this was here, while I was using my magic to aid the Sailors rid of Meltdown."

"My Queen..."

"No, Zoycite. Just Beryl right now. The more I think about it, the more I hate being called a queen."

"But you are a queen."

"No, I'm not! The more I do these things, the more I feel like it's who I really am. I'm not used to this, Zoy."

"I can tell. First you snap on Rubeus for harming that kid, then you beg of us to help Patricia, and then you help the Sailors defeat Meltdown, and now you heal Patricia a half hour before she was to die."

"And I shouldn't be doing any of this. I shouldn't be caring this much. I'm a dark queen. I destroyed the Moon Kingdom. I robbed Serenity of her peace. How in the hell can some evil, pitiful queen who governs some hellhole have such a heart that she cares about these people? These are the same people who did me wrong so many years ago, and yet, somehow, every time I save them, I feel like that was what I was meant to do. Not to destroy kingdoms or steal energy, but to make sure that this world remains safe from those who seek to do the unthinkable to it."

"Beryl," Zoycite began, hanging her head, "this is the you that we wanted to serve."

"What?"

"When I first became one of your generals, you were never the queen that did all those reprehensible things. You were someone who cared so much for the people of your kingdom. You always went above and beyond what any queen would even be willing to do. Whenever someone was in trouble, you were right there to help them. It was never like it is now. We were so worried when you began changing. I think it was when something crashed on your kingdom that you began to change into the dark queen you claim you are now. I think we just got so polluted by whatever was changing you that we changed ourselves. But I swear to you, this is the realQueen Beryl that I'm seeing right now. What you just did for Patricia, you would do without a second thought, and you didn't care who saw you do it."

"Now I have to be careful because of that...that..."

"I know who she is, Beryl!"

"I know, Zoy. She's more evil than I thought she was. This resurrection we went through. I think it's actually a second chance. But I don't know yet. I don't know what's going on with me. The dark side of me is still trying to poke through. The more I help people, the more I hate that dark side of me that wants that bitch to be set free."

"Beryl, can I ask you something for me?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to keep seeing this side of you. I want to be there for you when you need an ear. Those things that you said you didn't want to talk about? I want to be the person you come to when you're ready to tell someone."

Beryl smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Zoy. I'll keep that in mind."

"By the way, I didn't find anything out about the Hizrounswa. Something is wrong here! I know it exists now; I scanned that pyramid that Rubeus bragged about searching. It was there, but it's gone now. Someone else has it."

"That scares me. This crystal is unlike anything I've ever heard about. Rubeus wants it so badly, and if he wants it and is going this far to get it, then it's bad news. Zoycite, listen. From here on out, we don't worry about the Sailors or the Silver Crystal. This Hizrounswa is our main target. I want to know where it is. We find it, and we destroy it before he gets his hands on it. I've never felt so much desire before in my life to stop someone from destroying this world. Maybe I'm changing because I'm finding out from him what true evil is."

"What do you need us to do?"

"Gather up anyone you can that is on my side. I have the feeling that Rubeus is trying to start a mutiny. He knows I don't like him, and is making no secret about him and I being at war. We go to find the Hizrounswa, acquire it, and we put thatdamned thing into Eternal Sleep. It deserves to be."

"I'll see if anyone else has heard about it. We need all the info we can get about the crystal's powers."

"And Zoy, thank you for letting me know the truth. You're right, I did start to say something last night, and I don't know why I stopped myself. Thanks...my friend!"

Zoycite smiled as she watched Beryl exit the chapel before turning to the same wall Beryl was looking up at. 'I ask of you, help her see who she really is. She is a good person. She's being used by a sick, twisted being that only cared for herself. That's not who Beryl is. She was always someone I was proud to call my Queen. Please, help her.'

-xXXXXx-

"Yes, Queen Metaria," Rubeus harked towards the orange egg-shaped object, "Patricia Haruna has been healed, and the Sailors have just found out about it."

"They only think it's some miracle that she suddenly healed up like she did," the orange egg answered back. "But we know who had to have done this."

"She must've done it somewhere that we were not aware of, because even I had a hard time finding her after I escaped that room. I only watched the Sailors go back to the hospital and then go to that chapel. Then the transmission on the observatory tracker went blank. Next thing I saw was that doctor go 'Oh, I don't know how it happened! She's still alive and kicking! Must be some miracle!' Yeah, bullshit, doc! It was the same woman who threatened me tonight!"

"We did stop them from using that emergency shutdown device ever again. That is a plus."

"If I didn't prove to you that I'm worthy of knowing where the Hizrounswa is, then I apologize. I never had such a defiant bitch go against me like this before. Not even my Dark Moon Family was this willing to defy me."

"No, Rubeus! You're actually are proving yourself. I want to make sure you're able to handle the Youma, and so far, you're doing it even under the extreme circumstances. I do need you to prove yourself a few more times. You know, just to say that I've tested you. Trust me, you will know where the Hizrounswa is, and when you find it, I will make sure you are the one and only person who will handle it."

"What about Queen Beryl and the rest of the Dark Kingdom, though? You saw what happened tonight! This is ridiculous that even Jedite turned on me. And Beryl healing that teacher kept my plans of making the Sailors distraught from coming to fruition."

"Keep trying on that, Rubeus. You know they've got more than just her that they care about. Even that pint-sized brat Reenie. She cannot be allowed to live. She's too powerful and too strong-willed at it is. She will prove to be a danger to our Kingdom if we allow her to live."

"But what about Beryl?"

"I think it's time that she and I had a little talk about her actions, and I have a feeling that at the end, I will be the only Queen in the Dark Kingdom. If I must, I willspill the blood of Queen Beryl!"

---

Hopefully you didn't get too lost on that one. Stay tuned, and please leave a review.

Good night and good luck.