Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. The series and all of its characters belong to the wonderful Naoko takeuchi.


The gentle roar and rumble of the tracks beneath them did little to calm her nerves, but at least it staved off some of the silence. Her eyes were dropped to her lap, trying not to think of what else was as red as her fuku. Gloved fingers played a tuneless rhythm, oddly enough keeping in step with each beat of her heart.

Sailor Mars blew out a breath and looked down the aisle towards the empty cars of the train, still feeling the energies of the people that had rode on it not even hours before. When she and the girls had met at the temple, they set out for airport which was only accessible by train – a train that had been waiting for them with no one in sight.

That alone tipped her off that Jadeite knew they were coming.

Now only minutes away from their arrival, she had to wonder just how she was going to free the blond Shitennou from Beryl's enslavement. Her encounter with Venus had helped strengthen her resolve, but she was still hesitant about all of this. Even though she had fought him on the ship, he had to push her buttons to do so and that was when she still saw some of the old Jadeite within him.

But none of that was in his eyes when he issued his challenge the other night. It had been as if Beryl had sucked all of the goodness out and in its place left nothing but darkness. He was completely under her control now, but that didn't mean he was unreachable.

She wrung her hands together, trying not to let the turmoil within her show on her face lest she worry her teammates.

Both of them had followed her without question to the station and hadn't said a word since they had transformed. The silence was unnerving in some ways but she couldn't blame them. After what she had told them they had to be reluctant in some way too. This was a potential ally that they were going to face and, if it came down to it, defeat.

For the briefest of instances, in her despair, she had contemplated if Jadeite was even savable, if he wasn't already lost to her forever. If that was indeed the case, then she would be the one to end his torment however much she wished and prayed she would never have too.

It was the least that he deserved.

"Mars," Sailor Mercury's voice brought her out from her musings. "If it's true that you and Jadeite were…lovers," she blushed a bit at the last part before she fixed the raven-haired Senshi with a calculating stare, "then, you must know him best." Mars nodded, urging her to go on. "What do you remember of Jadeite's prowess? What are his strengths and weaknesses?"

Mars folded her arms, leaning back closing her eyes. She was silent for a brief moment before she began to explain. "Jadeite was the youngest of the Shitennou; Endymion recruited him after the former lost to him in a duel, and was the only one of the others that nearly beat the Prince. He has a natural affinity to all weapons but preferred using two swords that he forged himself that he could imbue with his own element." She held up one of her hands palm facing the ceiling as she willed a plume of flames to come to life. "His flames are both stronger and weaker than mine."

"What do you mean," Sailor Moon asked, her head tilted slightly.

"The people of Mars had a natural affinity to Fire thus we styled our culture around it, but we were never exposed to the true fury of it like those on Earth. Wildfires, droughts, volcanoes, the people of Terra had learned and adapted to the full force that Fire could unleash and knew its dangers. The people of Mars… My people, were prideful and in some ways arrogant when it came to these dangers. I learned that lesson the hard way when I tried to fight Jadeite one time."

"Did he beat you," Moon asked anxiously, leaning forward.

Mars' face scrunched up. "No. He let me win. He knew how arrogant I was becoming in my own abilities and wanted to teach me a lesson. I ended up burning him so bad I scarred part of his shoulder. I never realized my fire was that dangerous until that day."

"I still don't understand," Mercury put in her two cents. "I can see why your fire would be stronger since his was blown away before, but why did you say his were stronger still?"

She lowered her head, struggling to get the words before she practically spat them out. "Because I have no control," she admitted shamefully. "In terms of power, I could overwhelm Jadeite in a straight up fight if we were just using our elements. But if I let my power get too out of hand, it could be a danger not only to me but everyone around me. Jadeite is my superior because what he lacks in terms of raw power he makes up for it with experience. I was the one prone to rash decisions while he was perhaps the most patient person I had ever met. We both were trained in our abilities form the time we were children but unlike me, he was forced to experience the horrors of Fire that I never had to think about until I faced him. In the end, no matter how much power I have, there's no point if I can't control it."

"So how are we supposed to fight him," the blonde pressed. "I know you want to save him, and I do too, but-"

Mars looked her square in the eyes, the other Senshi flinching at the intensity in the priestess' eyes. "You won't be fighting him – I will. It's like Mercury said, I know him best and so it's only wise that I be the one to face him. Besides, if we all fight him, we'll lose any chance of walking away from this."

"Why is that? It'd be smarter for us to fight him together! Strength in numbers, right?"

Mars chuckled bitterly. "Numbers don't mean anything to a Dragon."


The train suddenly began to slow down and at the far end of the tunnel, a light could be seen. The three slowly stood up and made their way to the engine car, watching as the station slowly slid into view.

This station wasn't as empty as the other had been though. A small crowd of faceless men wearing the uniform of Tokyo's finest were already waiting for them.

"Uh…now that I think about it, didn't the Police set up shop here after Jadeite's little light show," Moon mentioned nervously.

Mercury was already typing away on her computer, briefly glancing up from it to get readings on the procession. "I'm getting some strange signatures here. It's as if-"

The doors suddenly slid open – and the guards made a beeline for the car. Moon shrieked and hid behind Mercury while Mars stepped forward, just as one of them jumped toward her.

She shot her hand forward, a ball of fire exiting her palm that slammed into the guard's face, setting him ablaze. "…they're not even human," she finished grimly, glancing down at the burning dummy. The rest of the automatons tried to rush her only to be burnt down by a wave of fire she flung out at them. As the dummies burned, she heard clapping. Her eyes traveled up to the ceiling where she saw Jadeite standing upside down on the ceiling, a cruel smirk on his face.

"Well done, Sailor Mars. Not many would've seen through that little trick."

"Parlor tricks like that would only fool children," she shot back, glaring directly into his eyes. Those black coals just stared right back at her as if staring at nothing. "Now why don't you come down here so we can get this over with?"

"Impatient as ever," he teased, and for a brief moment she thought she saw a flicker of blue in those dark orbs. "Well then, come. I am waiting." He phased back through the floor, leaving the three alone with the burning wreckage.

"I had no idea he was part bat," Moon joked with a small grin. That actually made Mars smile a bit.

"Rei," Mercury touched Mars' shoulder, giving her a concerned gaze, "I know how you feel, but tell me honestly. Do you really think there's a chance?"

Before she had her doubts; even with what she had said on the train, she wondered if all of this really was just some cruel fate that she'd ultimately have to kill the only man she'd ever wanted in her life. But that flicker showed her that this wasn't all for naught, that there was a chance and there was one thing she hadn't tried yet, something that would either make or break her.

But it was also the best chance she had of completely expelling whatever curse Beryl had him under. "I do. And I am going to give the baka the biggest grilling for making me worry about him like this."


The cool night breeze flitted across their faces as they emerged from the terminal, spotting a shadowy figure standing there waiting for them. The three slowly approached him until they were but a few meters away, trying to appear both determined and defiant to the blond young man.

"You've caused me quite a bit of trouble over the last several weeks, girls," Jadeite began saying, starting to pace in front of them with his hands behind his back. "My Queen has become very cross with me as of late but tonight I hope to correct that by bringing her your henshin wands or more preferably, your heads. But I am a gentleman first and a General second so I'll give you one chance to give up your wands right now and I'll plead my Queen to be merciful."

"Not happening," Moon said sternly, her boldness surprising even Mars. "You've been causing the people of this city enough nightmares. All of that ends tonight!"

"I couldn't agree more," Jadeite nodded and ignited his hand with blue flames, the same he'd used against Mars on the cruise ship. "So, who's first? To be honest I'd very much like to give you a taste of my frustration, blondie."

Mars stepped in front of Moon, holding out her arm as she glared at Jadeite. "I don't think so. We still have a match to finish, General."

Jadeite cocked his head to the side before he grinned. "So we do. Well then milady, come on then!" A firestorm shot forth from his hands, forcing the Senshi to scatter. He used the confusion to his advantage and closed the distance towards Moon, a manic grin marring his features as a look of horror manifested on Moon's face.

"Fire Soul!" Just as he was about to reach her, a blast of fire took him from the side, sending him skidding across the tarmac until he rolled to a stop. He got to his feet with scratches on his face glaring at the Fire Senshi, who already preparing another attack. "You should know how much I hate being ignored."

Jadeite growled, his arms glowing with blue flames that he threw towards the Senshi, drawing his dagger as he closed in.

But Mars wasn't like Moon, she knew what he would do. Just as he cleared the flames, she was already there with her attack, causing a wide-eyed look to flash across his face before he dodged, the flames just barely missing him. He launched a kick that the Senshi took the brunt of, eliciting a grunt from her followed by a punch that she blocked. She retaliated with a punch of her own but it was caught by Jadeite who grinned.

"Did you really think that would work," he mocked.

Mars grinned right back. "Who said I was done?" With a fierce yell, she punctuated her words with a knee to the man's groin. Jadeite wheezed and doubled over in pain, allowing her to back away to a safe distance.

"Y-you bitch," Jadeite groaned, glaring at her with pure hatred in his eyes.

"You say the sweetest things," she teased, holding up one hand with another fireball ready to throw. "Round two, General?" As she saw him rise, she smirked and shouted, "Now Mercury!"

"Shabon Spray!" A thick cloud of mist and fog enshrouded the area, allowing Mars to make a hasty retreat back to the others all whilst Jadeite called for her head. As Mars dropped to a crouch near them, Mercury sighed. "That was a risky move but now he's weakened. So what's your plan?"

Mars reached behind her and pulled out an ofuda, an evil smile curling her blood red lips upward, "Here's where being a miko pays off."


While Jadeite had said to come alone to the airport, he never said he was going to. From atop of the main building, a familiar figure watched the scene below with a blank stare. She'd been incredibly fortunate that Beryl had given her a chance to redeem herself by watching over the "new and improved" Jadeite.

She snorted.

Improved was a farce.

If anything, he was weaker than he'd ever been thanks to Beryl's magic. His spirit which was the greatest part of his character had been smothered and replaced by a dark subservient entity that only was loyal to Beryl. It made him easier to control but it also greatly reduced his overall powers hence why Mars had gotten the upper hand on him so quickly.

She knew she should be interfering. Beryl had ordered Jadeite to kill the Senshi by any means necessary and so had sent them both to the airport. Had Jadeite enforced the order she would've followed it…

But he didn't. Not once did he tell her to come and help him if he were getting beaten, not once. It puzzled her for a while until she considered something that made her heart leap. The Jadeite she knew and loved wasn't completely gone. There was still something left of him and if that was the case-

"I hope you aren't going to do anything hasty," a voice said from behind her.

Tethys only pursed her lips. It should've bothered her that one of her enemies had snuck up on her so easily but that was before her master had nearly tortured her to death – before she had watched as the one person she had ever loved was nearly destroyed right in front of her. "I won't as long as you won't."

"Really? I find that hard to believe."

"Believe whatever you want. But since you were able to sneak up on me, why didn't you just end me? I am after all one of the monsters of the evil Queen Beryl, one of her strongest in fact."

"…you aren't like the others. What ARE you?"

This time, Tethys fixed the Senshi with a small sad smile. "Something I wish I wasn't."


"It won't work," Moon said glumly.

"Yes it will," Mars insisted. "It always works."

"Not on him! He blocked it with that force-field thingy of his last time I tried it!"

"Usagi, trust me," Mars told her comrade earnestly, smiling encouragingly. "It will work."

"Whatever we're going to do we better do it fast, I can't keep this up forever," Mercury alarmed as she gritted her teeth. The fog was starting to thin out and it was taking all of her concentration to keep it up so they could plan without interruptions.

Mars slowly brought the ofuda close to her face, closing her eyes.

'Please, let this work.'

"Alright…GO!"

Moon broke off into a run, removing her tiara as it began to glow in her hands. "Moon Tiara Action!" She flung the disc into the fog, closing her eyes until she was guiding the tiara herself with her will. Through it, she picked out her target and flew toward him, a startled cry coming from him as it wrapped around him.

"What the-!?"

"Mars, hurry! I can't hold him forever!"

The Fire Senshi's body began to glow white as the spiritual energies channeled through her into the ofuda, her eyes snapping open as the slips of paper became dagger straight. Then she took off into the run, "Mercury, drop it!" The fog suddenly cleared and she sped off toward Jadeite, cupping her hands to the side, generating a ball of flames that crackled with red electricity, sliding to a stop as she shoved the ball into his chest. "Fire…SOUL!"

The fire ball exploded and sent Jadeite high into the air, screaming all the way. As he got high up enough, Mars withdrew the ofuda, and then hurled them – five in total – up toward Jadeite. The ofuda slowly came to a stop mid-air in a circular pattern, one on each side of his arms and legs with one above his head. As her eyes slid closed once more, Mars's hands began flying through various hand signs as she chanted under her breath, a fiery red outline beginning to envelop her body "Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" Her eyes snapped open and she shot them up toward the sky, as if reaching out to grab Jadeite. "Akuryou Taisan!"

The ofuda flashed once then tendrils of electricity surged into Jadeite's body making him scream. His cries made her heart bleed but she forced herself to continue, willing her power into the barrier she had erected in order to draw out what was tainting Jadeite's spirit. Finally, she saw it: an inky blackness that was coiled around his heart.

"Get out of him, filth," she growled. Her spirit grabbed hold of the taint and began to draw it out of him, the blackish substance filtering out his body into the sky that took on the form of a ghoulish shadow that snarled at her. It roared and sped towards her just as she drew one more ofuda, then flicked it at the shadow freezing it in place. Performing one last hand sign, amethyst eyes glared up at the shadow as she said in a low, dangerous voice, "Now, be gone." The shadow shrieked and boiled away into the night, banished forever.

The ofuda barrier finally failed and Jadeite's body plummeted to the ground, Mars racing to catch him. She slid forward on her knees just in time, catching him in her arms. Gently she turned his face over, her hand cupping his cheek as she probed his aura. She almost wept with relief when she felt none of the taint that had been within him when she first awakened. This was what she remembered; this was what she had been fighting for. For the first time since she had seen him again, she hugged him, allowing tears of joy to spill over her cheeks as she whispered in his ear, "Welcome home, Vasileios."


The glass surface of the crystal ball spider-webbed from the cracks that were playing out across its surface as Queen Beryl's face twisted into a visage of unrestrained fury and rage. She'd done it; the little Sailor bitch had done what she believed impossible. She'd actually broken the spell she had placed over Jadeite and expelled all of the energy she had placed within him. It was inconceivable.

And yet, there it was playing out right before her very eyes.

"You were careless," a voice thundered in the cavern. Beryl's lips twisted into a snarl, gnashing her fangs. "Now you have only three Shitennou. What will you do, my pitiful apprentice?"

"Slaughter them," Beryl hissed. "Slaughter them ALL!"

The youma in the cavern echoed the roars of their master gleefully. Finally for the first time in millennia, they were going to get the chance to taste human flesh!


"She actually did it," Sailor V whispered to herself, feeling the absolute joy and relief coming from her Sister Senshi. She had managed to free her soul mate from Beryl's curse and if she could do it…

'Kunzite…' Her hands gripped each other over her heart.

Tethys had remained awfully quiet about the whole thing though which worried the blonde. "Sooo, what happens now?"

"…you run," were Tethys last words before a scream filled the air.

V raced to the edge, her eyes widening when she saw a scene straight out of a horror movie. Black scaly monsters were beginning to advance upon the Senshi and Jadeite, roaring at them…and they were multiplying by the second.

"Beryl's response," Tethys said flatly, clenching her fists. "She is calling for the destruction of the Senshi and…the traitor."

V tensed, one hand lingering on her chain as she eyed the youma dubiously. "What will you do then?" Tethys just smiled at her. The very next moment, she felt her body give out from the strike to her neck and her world went dark. But before she slipped to the world of nothingness, she heard Tethys one last time.

"What I should've done years ago."


"Moon Tiara Action!" Moon flung her tiara at the youma, able to dust at least three before it had to come back to her. But that might as well have been a drop in the ocean at this point considering how rapidly their numbers increased. "Waaah! They keep coming!"

Mars set Jadeite gently on the ground before she stood up and clap her hands together. "Fire Soul!" Flames sparked from her fingertips, a line of fire spilling out until it created a ring of fire around them all. The youma were forced to halt their advance, barking and baying for their demise. Her hands fell to her sides, beads of sweat starting to pour down her face. That stunt of hers had vastly drained her reserves but it had allowed her to free Jadeite.

But it may've doomed them all as well. All of them were running on fumes. That ring of fire was the last bit of energy she could expend without collapsing. "We need to get out of here."

"I'm working on it," Mercury snapped, her fingers flying across the keyboard of her computer, eyes darting back and forth. "But the waves are too thick. If we left now, they'd catch us in seconds. We need a distraction!"

Suddenly, the fires went out, and now there was nothing stopping the youma from overrunning them. Each of them braced as the horde surrounded them, fangs gnashing and hissing. But before they could even flinch, a pillar of water blew them away, clearing the way for the girls and their unconscious passenger.

"Who-"

"If you wish to leave, then now would be the time," a voice from nearby called. All of them looked over, their eyes widening in shock when they saw Tethys of people standing in defiance to the youma, her brethren.

"Traitor," the youma hissed and turned their sights toward her.

"Are you insane," Mars screamed. "They'll chew you apart!" She was taken aback by the sudden intensity in the youma woman's eyes, but then they softened to something like acceptance.

"If it means ensuring that he lives, I will gladly give myself. Now go, Senshi of Mars and remember to honor the love my Jadeite holds for you. Never betray it or I will find you." She created another globe of water in front of her chest before flinging it at another piece of the horde, destroying it. She let her youma features manifest as the howls intensified, "GO! NOW!"

Mars bit her lip hard. "Let's go," she told the others, and began to help Jadeite up, putting one of his arms around her shoulders. Moon hurried over and helped her, both starting to carry the unconscious male toward the terminal with Mercury leading. She glanced back a few times to see if Tethys was indeed holding them off and she was, almost to the point that she seemed to be winning.

They had almost made it inside of the terminal when Jadeite began to stir, a groan coming from his lips. Mars eagerly turned her face toward him, her heart almost crying when she saw that the old familiar azure blue was to be found. "M…Mars? Where-" His eyes suddenly widened as she started to squirm. "Tethys!" Across the tarmac as she obliterated another youma, Tethys and Jadeite locked gazes, a serene smile coming into place over the woman's lips. Jadeite's eyes widened in horror, "Wait, Tethys! Let me go! We can't just leave her!"

"We have no choice," Mercury told him. "If it weren't for her, we wouldn't even have made it this far."

"I can't leave her," Jadeite screamed and broke free of his captors, suddenly finding himself with the strength to run back to the door before he was tackled by Mars. "Let me go Mars! I can't leave her to die!"

Mars' protest became lodged in her throat when she saw one of the youma broke through Tethys defenses and rake their claws through her body, a shocked expression fixed on her face. She saw blood fly up from the wounds as Tethys fell, and Jadeite screamed.

"TETHYS!"

All of the youma roared and turned their eyes toward them, breaking into sprints toward the terminal. They were gaining speed quickly and would be upon them in seconds if they didn't hurry. Jadeite tried to bolt but Mars wrapped her arms around him in time, pulling him back into the terminal ignoring his shouts and cries. Finally, something in her snapped. She pushed him back, grabbed hold of his collar and slapped him – hard. "Get a grip! Do you want her sacrifice to be in vain? It will be if we stay here! What would she have wanted?!"

That, seemed to finally get to the hysterical blond, enough that he became silent and let Mars pull him back in, just as the youma got to the entrance. With one well-placed kick she broke the lock and led Jadeite back to the others, to where they were boarding the train that would take them back to the city. The doors slid closed with a quiet hiss as the train began moving, each of them taking a seat on the train completely spent of their energy.

She let her head fall backwards with a sigh, feeling every muscle in her body burn and scream in protest. Still, she glanced over at Jadeite who held his face in his hands, his form trembling. A part of her wanted to ask just who the woman was to her soul mate, her husband, but she couldn't bear to bring that kind of pain to him, not after all he'd been through. Instead, she wrapped her hand around the side of his head and guided his face to her shoulder, leaning down to whisper in his ear. "You're ok. We're ok."

In her arms, Jadeite, the youngest of the Four Heavenly Kings of Earth, wept.


Hello all of you lovely people, sorry this took so long and that it meets your expectations - but I've got some bad news. So, a couple days ago, the good folks down at my family's current cable provider decided to be greedy and start charging us obscene amounts in our monthly fees so they shut our service off. In other words, I'm deaf dumb and blind...so to speak.

Not to worry though! It's given me the time to finish this arc in earnest. Yes, THIS arc. I haven't been dropping hints all this time for nothing, people. But I'll explain further in the next part of this two-part update. For now, roll on.