The power of the new sailor soldiers was remarkable. Sailor Venus was nearly as powerful as Jadeite remembered her from the Moon Kingdom. Her Crescent Beam had already caught him by surprise a number of times, slicing deep wounds in his shoulder and thigh. Jupiter was a worthy foe as well, dangerous and unpredictable. Nephrite had made the mistake of angering her, and had paid dearly. His left arm still crackled with blue bolts of Jupiter's electricity, and was covered with a thick layer of oozing blood. That, however, didn't stop him from trapping Sailor Mercury in a dark black orb, preventing her from releasing any more annoying fog to cover the senshi's attacks. Mercury, of course, outsmarted him and figured out a way to escape in a matter of minutes.
Jadeite's biggest surprise, however, was Aragonite. She held nothing back, attacking Sailor Moon repeatedly with an ferocity that would have made Zoicite smile. The loyal blonde warrior, however, refused to fight her friend, and continued to call out to "Rei" to remember her past. Little did Sailor Moon know that Aragonite knew more of the past than she! Despite Aragonite's vicious attacks, Sailor Moon remained mostly unharmed. Jadeite knew Aragonite was often missing on purpose. Queen Beryl, however, did not.
The Queen, as usual, remained in the background and let the generals do her dirty work. Jadeite could see that she was impressed by Aragonite's ferocity, and had not realized that she was actually going quite easy on the soldiers. Neither did she seem to question Kunzite's loyalty. Come on, Kunzite! Jadeite thought. I can't keep this up for much longer. Signal already! She believes! The time is here!
Almost as if the general of ice could read Jadeite's thoughts, the signal appeared as Jadeite finished thinking those words. A bright violet flame shot straight into the sky from Kunzite's hands, covering the remote island with a soft glow. At this, Aragonite charged up the attack she had prepared to throw at Sailor Jupiter to the highest level she could manage, turned on her heel, and shot it directly at her Queen, hovering several yards away in the sky above.
"Die, witch!" Aragonite cried at the top of her voice, "I told you once and I will tell you again! I will never abandon my friends!"
Queen Beryl was taken entirely by surprise, just as they had hoped. Distracted by Kunzite's violet mist, her guard was down and she was vulnerable. Aragonite's attack hit her straight on, causing her bright red hair to erupt in the flames of Mars, and dark burns to appear on her pale face. Furious, she quenched the fires with a simple dose of her black power. "Ridiculous girl! I should have known your loyalty was all a ruse. I didn't expect a truthful sailor soldier like yourself to break an oath." She scowled, full of hatred, at the small raven haired girl.
"The oaths of friendship and love will always be stronger than any other promise I make," said Aragonite defiantly, the fires Jadeite had come to love burning bright in her violet eyes.
"Then I strip you of all powers and titles generously bestowed to you," said the Queen, her voice as still as death. Jadeite fidgeted nervously. She sounded far calmer than she should. Was it possible she had found them out after all?
At her words, Aragonite's uniform began to age and fall away like a serpent's skin. Her face became gaunt and pale, with dark, spidery veins branching out all over her skin. She fell to the ground, looking exhausted and weak, and once more clad in her Shinto priestess clothing.
"Did you not expect this?" laughed the Queen. "After all, it was Dark Kingdom power that saved you from your wounds after the duel of fire. Stripped of that, your wounds will come back, and worse. I don't think you will survive this, little Rei."
"NO!" Sailor Moon interrupted, her bright eyes full of tears. "That can't be!"
"Shhh," soothed Rei, her voice strained and cracked. "It's what I deserve for my betrayal. Let it be."
"Rei-chan..." Tears began to stream down Sailor Moon's cheeks. "Ater all our struggles, we find you only to lose you...it can't be..."
Jadeite watched the scene, horrified. He played the next part in their conspiracy, but if Aragonite - no, Rei - were to lose her life, why even fight at all? At the same time, Rei's current state made it impossible to continue the plan in the first place. But what about Kunzite and Minako? Even if he and Rei were not able to be together, he should at least fight for them. He struggled to master his composure, knowing that the Queen would notice his turmoil.
Suddenly, out of the western sky, a dark masked figure appeared. Jadeite's eyes widened, as the mask could not hide the wearer's true identity. It was his Prince! Endymion!
"Sailor Moon," called Endymion. "The power of the moon shall always overcome the power of darkness. Call forth the fires of your heart, and heal your friend!"
"I get it!" Sailor Moon cried, the tears clearing from her eyes. "If the power of the Dark Kingdom can't save you, maybe the power of the Moon Kingdom can!" She raised her hand, and the Mars transformation stick appeared in the air above her. She snatched it and threw it to Rei. "Try a dose of Mars Power!"
Rei weakly echoed her words, and in a explosion of bright reds and violets, Sailor Mars appeared, as vigorous and healthy as she had ever been. She ran over to the other Sailor Soldiers, where a scene of tears, greetings, and introductions ensued.
Beryl was livid. She had been made to look like a fool twice in the span of several minutes. Jadeite had never seen her more furious than she was now. He readied himself. He had a feeling it was almost time for his part in their plan of betrayal.
"How dare you, Sailor Mars?" cried Beryl. "I should have destroyed you when I had the chance." Large bolts of black energy appeared in her hands. Well, it's not too late!" She threw a huge amount of energy at Sailor Mars, filled with black hate and malice. Before it could reach the raven haired girl, Jadeite threw his own blue fire at her attack, warding it off and keeping Aragonite unharmed.
Mars smiled and winked at him. "Way to go, Jeddy!" The other sailor soldiers looked at her, aghast. "That's right, guys!" she laughed. "He's on our side! Just leave it to me, Sailor Mars, to convert a Dark Kingdom General!"
Queen Beryl's mounting frustration was obvious. Jadeite turned pale as another burning mass of dark energy formed in her witch-like hands. "Jadeite! You will pay dearly for your betrayal!" She threw the energy mass at him, with even more power and speed than the previous. A bright violet flame interrupted its flight, and in explosion of power, both attacks cancelled each other out and faded into a grey mist. "I'm afraid I can't allow that, my Queen," said Kunzite coolly.
"Kunzite!" cried the Queen. "Surely not you as well! Would you all betray me? After I rescued you from a fate worse than death?"
"I'm afraid serving you has already been a fate worse than death," Kunzite replied coldly. "We have discovered our pasts, and would both gladly give our lives to see your reign ended."
Jadeite glanced at Nephrite, eager to see his reaction. His eyes had widened at Kunzite's betrayal, for he respected the general of ice far more than he respected Jadeite. "You can remember too, Nephrite!" he called. "Do you remember Prince Endymion? We once served him during the Silver Millenium!" Nephrite only looked more confused and angry than he had before. Jadeite looked around desperately for help.
Thinking quickly, Mars nodded to Venus, and they created an towering barrier of golden fire around Queen Beryl, catching her by surprise and forcing her into stillness and silence. Mars proceeded to explain everything - her vision, Jadeite's conversion, and Kunzite's daring adventure in the secret files of the Queen.
"There is no way our Queen would deceive us!" Nephrite replied stubbornly. "I will never believe you Sailor Soldiers! Jadeite, Kunzite! Don't be swayed by their lies!"
"Believe them, Nephrite..." whispered a small voice. Sailor Moon stepped forward, the Silver Crystal from her brooch raised high. "I remember everything! And it is the truth!" Taking a deep breath, she called out, "Moon Crystal Power! Refresh!"
Behind her barrier of flame, Beryl's anger mounted. None of the nine people on the battlefield noticed the small hole that had worn in the barrier. Beryl concentrated all of her power there, and it began to expand.
TO BE CONTINUED...