I would like to address the review that came in concerning Sailor Mars's real name. I know in Japan it is spelled Rei. However, since I'm using the NA dub, they spell it Raye. I am also aware that in Japan Sailor Mercury's real name is spelled Ami, but for the NA dub it is spelled Amy. Also, another review asked why I using the original English dub names. I'm using the English dub because this is the North American version. Please accept that and enjoy the story.
That said, the following information in the story concerning Nephlite is a combination of manga, canon, fanon, and original ideas.
Chapter Twelve- The Past Revealed
"Which way, Mercury?" Jupiter asked sometime later. The gang had been wandering around the confusing caverns of what had been the Starlight Tower for a little while but didn't seem any closer to getting out and Mercury confirmed it.
"I'm not sure you guys." She took in readings of the area with her VR visor before punching the data into her computer. "It's hard to get readings in this place. It's like we're in another dimension."
"Like a time warp thing?" Luna asked.
"Yes," Mercury replied. "It's like a combination of time warp and negative space. And so now I have to try to convert the radical readings I'm getting in here into the same format as the original ones that got us in here. Only I'm not sure my computer has enough memory to do all the calculations."
Nephlite didn't quite follow Mercury's explanation, and he was pretty sure he wasn't the only one.
"And if there isn't enough memory, then we'll have to guess," Jupiter said.
"That means we could be stuck wandering around in this creepy cave for days," Luna moaned.
"Either way, Nephlite might need some help. She may be a princess, but I know she's not light," Jupiter added.
Nephlite felt Sailor Moon shift in his arms before hearing her mumble, "I heard that," before opening her eyes.
"Sailor Moon, you're awake," Nephlite said, feeling relieved that she was all right.
"She's going to be okay," Mercury said, voicing Nephlite's thoughts.
"Sailor Moon, are you all right?" Jupiter asked, clearly wanting to hear Sailor Moon say it herself.
"Yeah, you've been out of it for a while," Mars added as Nephlite put her down. "Remember where you are? Remember what happened?"
The blonde leader gasped before saying, "Tuxedo Mask! Where is he?" She looked at Nephlite with concern. "Why isn't he here? Did-did you abandon him?" Nephlite couldn't bring himself to answer much less look at her.
"Of course not," Mars answered. "The Negaverse took him."
"Was he all right?"
"We don't know. Seems he was hurt pretty badly."
"I remember. Darien. What are we gonna do?"
"Okay, guys we gotta talk here," Artemis cut in. "If we're gonna help Darien, you need to understand your past. Luna and I are just remembering it now, too. It's all coming back, isn't it, Luna?"
"Yeah. Long story, too," the black cat added.
"Are we part of the Moon Kingdom too?" Jupiter asked.
Nephlite had no doubt that the others were part of the Moon Kingdom. But he had no part of it. He was just a Negaverse traitor, but then why did he have a sense of failure when Darien was taken?
"Yeah, Jupiter. We just gotta be," Venus spoke up. "I mean if Sailor Moon's the princess, we must have had important jobs too. Right, Artemis?"
"Right as usual, Venus," he replied. "A long time ago we all lived happily in a place called the Moon Kingdom."
"It was a peaceful time for all the planets known as the Silver Millennium," Luna added.
"And Serena lived there in the royal castle," Artemis said.
"Her mother, Queen Serenity, was a fair and gentle ruler who was raising her daughter to follow in her footsteps," Luna piped in.
Artemis took over the story. "But then the peace was shattered. When evil Queen Beryl found a way to break out of her Negaverse and into our universe, she attacked the Moon Kingdom with a vengeance."
I suppose calling myself a traitor is a bit harsh. After all, I chose to change sides and Queen Beryl probably had decided to dispose of me just before I made my decision. Jedite certainly didn't last long. Beryl doesn't tolerate constant failure. I wonder how long Zoycite will last.
"The Moon Kingdom was forever destroyed," Luna said picking up the story, but Nephlite's thoughts kept cutting into her narrative.
And I helped destroy it.
"Her power broken, Queen Serenity used the last of her strength to send Princess Serena and her court to a new future on Earth."
While Beryl and the rest of us were imprisoned in the Negaverse.
"You girls were all princesses of your own respective planets, but also part of Serena's court."
What part do I have with the scouts besides an informant? I'll stand by them though, considering that I'm not connected to the Negaforce and Beryl would kill me in any event.
"Luna," Venus spoke up. "Did Nephlite have a part in our past? His alliance with us can't be a coincidence."
"I'm glad you brought that up because I just remembered something concerning Prince Darien. You see, whenever Darien went to visit Serena, he always had a quartet of guards accompanying him."
Nephlite's vision flashed though his mind again. So, he was correct in thinking those figures were guards. But what did that have to do with him? Unless…
"Those guards were the best warriors on Earth, aside from Prince Darien," Luna went on. "One of those guards was you, Nephlite."
Four of the scouts gasped and Nephlite's eyes widened. Now he knew why he kept having this dream: It was his past! But what of the other three guards? Was it possible they were…?
"Luna," he said slowly. "Who were the other guards?" He had his suspicions, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know. On the other hand, his curiosity demanded to be sated.
It seemed to him that Luna knew what he was feeling because she answered just as slowly, "The others were Jedite, Zoycite, and Malachite."
"Oh, wow," Mars said softly. "They guarded Darien like we protect Serena."
"That's right. Tell us, Nephlite. How did the four of you end up on Beryl's side?" Luna asked.
"I'm…not entirely sure. I think it was the lure of power and knowledge. I can't really seem to remember anything before joining Beryl."
"Perhaps, she brainwashed the four of you. Now that you're on our side, your memories might eventually return."
"Why did Nephlite choose our side and the others hadn't?" Mercury suddenly spoke up.
Nephlite immediately answered, "Molly. She showed me how to love and care for someone. I think my dream was a sign that my memories are just suppressed."
"And I remembered something else just now," Artemis chimed in. "Since Darien and Serena were together so often, the guards and the scouts interacted with each other. Eventually four pairs were formed. One was a close friendship, one was an intellectual friendship, and the other two had romantic ties.
"Venus, you had the close friendship with Malachite. Mercury had the intellectual friendship with Zoycite. Jupiter, you and Mars were in love with Nephlite and Jedite, respectively.
"Me, in love with that jerk?" Mars gasped in disgust.
Jupiter and Nephlite simply smiled at one another. So, their relationship now was fated to be. They loved each other a thousand years ago.
"I had a close friendship with Malachite?" Venus didn't sound like she liked the idea, but neither did she hate it.
"An intellectual friendship with Zoycite? Hmm. Interesting," Mercury commented before returning to her calculations.
"That's not all, though," Artemis continued. "As each of these relations grew, each guard gained power connected to your planet. For example, Mars has the power of fire and due to his relationship with Mars, Jedite acquired the power of fire."
"The Negaverse's promise of power probably suppressed the planet powers and connections," Luna theorized.
I think she's correct, Nephlite thought. Let's see… I was a guard from Earth assigned to protect Prince Darien when he visited Serena. I fell in love with Princess Jupiter and developed a connection to the planet Jupiter as well as lightning powers, which have been resurfacing lately.
Then Beryl came along and lured me and the others to her side, brainwashing us to suppress our memories as well as the planet powers and connections.
"What kind of connection are you talking about, Luna?" Venus asked.
"Well, whenever someone used his or her power, a kind of magnetic pull was felt by the scout."
"Wait," Jupiter said. "I just remembered something from last night. I felt a pull while in Malachite's dome."
"I teleported when I learned all of you were in trouble," Nephlite explained.
My connection to Jupiter has definitely returned, he thought.
"Anyway," Jupiter continued. "How come we don't remember about the Moon Kingdom? It doesn't make any sense."
"Sure it does," Venus countered. "Serenity wanted us to be happy so she sent us to a new time and place hoping it would be peaceful there."
"But if the Negaverse did show up again, Queen Serenity made sure we would be able to activate the Sailor Scouts to fight off any new attacks by Queen Beryl," Luna explained.
"And now that we've got the Imperium Sliver Crystal, Queen Beryl doesn't have a chance against us," Artemis said, sounding quite confident.
"We may have it," Nephlite cut in. "But Beryl will do anything to get her hands on it."
"So basically what you guys are saying is that our battle with them has just begun," Mercury said, still working on her computer.
"Uh-huh," all three said.
"You got it, Mercury," Artemis told her. "But now that they've got Darien, you guys have got your work cut out for you."
He's right. Beryl's got Darien and I know she won't kill him. There's a chance that she'll heal his injuries, but why would she do that? Wait…I remember her commenting on Tuxedo Mask being handsome when I was impersonating him one time. Could she be planning to brainwash him like she did to me and the others? Nephlite didn't want to think about that possibility. Now that he knew his past, he didn't like the idea that he might have to fight his prince.
"We've got to beat them," Luna said. "If we want everlasting peace, we're going to have to beat the Negaverse once and for all."
"You're right Luna," Venus said. "We've got to stand up to them so that we have a future."
"Yeah, all together," Mars agreed.
"United as one," Jupiter chimed in.
Sailor Moon, who had been silent while Luna and Artemis recounted the past finally said in a dead, depressed tone, "Count me out. I don't want to fight."
Everyone gasped and Nephlite stared at her in shock. She didn't want to fight? How come? Didn't she want to save Darien? Perhaps she's tired. It's been a long day and she did just have the memories from one thousand years ago come back to her in one big rush. It must have been overwhelming for her.
"Sailor Moon, you don't mean that, do you?" Jupiter asked. "You're our leader. We need you."
"And you're the princess," Luna added.
"I don't care. Somebody else can do it," Sailor Moon said in that same tone from before.
"Come on, Sailor Moon," Venus coaxed. "It's your destiny. You're the one."
"I am not Venus," Sailor Moon countered, now sounding close to tears. "I can barely handle being Sailor Moon, now I'm the Moon Princess too? I can't do this, I'm telling you."
"You're just tired," Luna said. "You just need some time to let it sink in and-,"
"I don't want any of this to sink in!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, cutting Luna off. "I just want to be a normal teenager! Can any of you guys understand that? My name's Serena! Not Sailor Moon, not Moon Princess, not Moon anything!"
Her voice dropped to a much softer voice as she continued, "Tuxedo Mask is gone and now we know that he's actually Darien. And he'll never call me Meatball Head again. Mercury, get us out. I want to go home. Please." Tears started to well up at those last two sentences.
Nephlite saw a look of impatience spark in Mars's eyes at seeing Sailor Moon's tears and decided to step in. He stood in front of the scout leader and put his hands on her shoulders. "Sailor Moon. Serena. Listen to me. I know this has been a big shock, discovering who you are. I imagine it would be nice to just be a normal person, but that's not possible, especially now that we have the Silver Crystal. Besides, we've got to save Darien. You can't give up on him."
She looked up at him with wide, watery eyes. "Darien," she said softly. "I miss him so much."
"You need to pull yourself together," Mars ordered.
"Go away, Mars," Sailor Moon said, looking around Nephlite's arm to see Mars. "I know you hate me. You've always hated me."
"That's not true," Mars answered.
"It isn't?"
"I gotta say, I never thought you were much of a leader, but I know I was wrong. Especially after seeing the way you handled that crystal."
"Yeah, you totally toasted the witch, Zoycite," Artemis said.
"A very pretty sight," Luna chuckled.
"Oh, come on you guys. Let her be for a little while. After all this is Serena and this is a very big deal," Mercury said before turning off her visor. "And here's some good news: I found a way out of here."
"Good work," Luna commented. "What do you say we get some burgers and get our minds off all this?"
"Oh, yeah. I could go for that," Venus said.
"Sounds good to me, too," Nephlite added.
"Sorry. Dinner plans just got cancelled," a familiar voice came from above. Everyone looked up to see Malachite floating in the air. Something about him seemed different to Nephlite, but he didn't know what.
"I want that Imperium Silver Crystal," the white-haired general demanded, not sound like his usual calm self.
"If you want that crystal you'll have to answer to me," Venus declared.
"And me," Jupiter added. "Let's double-team him, huh Venus?"
"Excellent idea."
"Oh, you're scaring me," Malachite mocked.
"Jupiter Thunder…Crash!" Jupiter unleashed her attack, but instead of hitting its target, it hit a black dome shield.
"What gives? He's absorbing all my energy."
"I'll take care of it. Venus Crescent Beam…Smash!" Once again, the attack hit the shield.
"This is bad," Mercury said. "He's sucking up any energy we throw at him. We've got to find a way to stop him."
"What can we do, Mercury?" Mars asked.
"Nothing, girls," Malachite answered her. Malachite summoned a ball of yellow energy that Nephlite recognized it as Venus's energy before it was thrown at Venus and Jupiter.
"I'm sure not giving up yet," Jupiter declared.
"Yeah, me neither," Venus added. "But what can we do?"
"Like I said before: Nothing." Malachite was forming another ball that had electricity mixed in it. The blue-white light lit up Malachite's face and Nephlite saw some intense emotions in the other man's eyes: Anger, mild insanity, and …grief?
Why is there grief in his eyes? Grief is usually felt when someone dies…Oh, shoot. Beryl must have killed Zoycite. That would explain why Malachite is acting like this. What's worse, his anger and grief has made him stronger.
Malachite threw the ball towards Venus and Jupiter. Nephlite, Mars, and Mercury barely had time to call, "Watch out!" before both girls were hit. The electricity's power was strong enough to knock both out.
"Hand over that crystal unless you want to end up like your friends," Malachite demanded again.
Nephlite looked at the unconscious Jupiter and felt a rush of anger flood through his body. Oh, Malachite was going to pay for hurting her!
"No choice there, huh guys?" Mars commented. "Mercury, get her out of here."
"She's right," Nephlite added. He looked at Sailor Moon. "Go on. You're the Moon Princess. The scouts protect you and the crystal and I promise to do the same."
"Get on with it, would ya?" Malachite interrupted.
"Fine. Mars Fire…Ignite!" The fire hit the shield and was absorbed.
"Pathetic," Malachite sneered. "What a joke." He unleashed a fireball at Mars with enough power to knock her out.
Nephlite brought out his sword, electricity circling the blade again. "Malachite, stop this now!"
"Silence, you traitor!" Malachite threw another fireball, but the lightning-powered blade sliced through it and extinguished it.
"I'm no traitor, Malachite. It's you and the others who are the traitors. Beryl-,"
"I said, silence!" Malachite roared sending a ball that was a combination of Venus, Mars, and Jupiter's powers at him. He tried to stop it like last time, but the lightning in the ball cancelled out the one on his sword and he was sent flying backwards from the two remaining energies. He hit the ground and before he blacked out, thought, Defeat him, Princess. I know you can.
"Nephlite. Please wake up," Jupiter's voice pierced his consciousness and he opened his eyes to see Jupiter's relieved face as well as the other three scouts. He stood up to see the tower was back to normal, albeit in ruins. "Wait, where's Sailor Moon?" he asked.
"I think she went that way," Mercury indicated a half-crumbled doorway that led outside.
They went through the opening to see the ocean, a rising sun, and Sailor Moon. She was okay!
"There you are Sailor Moon," Jupiter said, causing the blonde to turn around.
"Hey girl, are you all right?" Venus asked.
"Yeah, fine," Sailor Moon replied.
"Hope you know we'll always be behind you, no matter what," Mars said.
"I know. Thank you."
"You really nailed Malachite today. I'm proud of you," Luna praised.
"And your mother would be proud of you too," Artemis added.
"All of you were great today. It's going to be a tough fight all the way, but I know we can beat the Negaverse. We've got to," Luna stated.
"We will beat them, Luna," Nephlite replied. "We've come too far to give up or stop now."
And we'll save Prince Darien too, he added silently.
