This chapter follows the episode "Bad Hair Day." I should point out that if you don't like the North American dub of Sailor Moon, then please don't read this and don't ask why I using the NA names instead of the Japanese. I appreciate the original Japanese, but I'm more comfortable with the English dub so please just go with it.

Chapter Thirteen- The Terrible Truth

"Oh, Nephlite! This is so romantic!" Lita exclaimed, taking in the table, the lit candles, and the lovingly prepared meal.

Nephlite smiled. "After everything we've gone through in the last two days, I felt we deserved some time alone together." He pulled out Lita's chair and, once she was seated, sat down himself.

"You're right. We needed this." Lita sipped some of the wine Nephlite had poured before asking, "Have any more of your memories returned?"

"Some have, yes. I vividly remember a ball Queen Serenity held once. Darien was invited so the others and I came also. I remember the ballroom. It was large and seemed to sparkle with stardust. There was music playing and couples were dancing. You were there and so were the other girls. You were wearing a floor-length emerald green dress with spaghetti-straps and matching elbow-length gloves. The two of us danced most of the time as did Darien and Serena."

"Wow. That was vivid."

"I wished I remembered how we met and got together, though."

"You will. It just takes time."

The next afternoon Nephlite and Lita along with Raye, Amy, Mina, Luna, and Artemis were at the temple to discuss Serena's recent behavior. She was really bummed out about Tuxedo Mask's kidnapping and it was affecting her daily life.

"I'm afraid you guys are going to have to be more patient than usual. Serena's taking this thing really hard," Luna said.

"Poor girl," Amy said.

"And she actually stopped eating?" Lita asked. "This is really critical Luna."

"Don't I know it. She can hardly function. Last night, she was talking in her sleep and she kept calling out Darien's name."

I think I understand what she's going through. I probably would be unable to eat or sleep if I lost Lita.

"What a wimp," Artemis commented from Mina's lap. "What kind of princess goes into hyperspace when we need her the most?"

"That's not fair, Artemis," Nephlite reprimanded. "She's going through a rough period."

"He's right," Raye added. "Someone she really cared about is out of her life. She's just heartbroken. Is that really so hard to understand?"

"Well, Luna, you got to talk some sense into her," Artemis said.

"I don't think I can. Maybe one of you can think of a way to cheer her up. Poor kid could use a distraction, you know."

"At times like this, some people like to be left alone," Mina said. "But Serena is not one of them. Maybe I can think of something."

He sat on the sofa, eyes closed and his breathing even and deep. He slowly entered a meditative state, hoping that more memories of his past would appear to him. All that happened was a calm and peaceful state of mind, which wasn't all that bad really.

He frowned as he came out of his meditation. I don't know why I did that. The memories that came back did so when I was asleep. Perhaps, the stars have some answers.

He walked over to his altar and kneeled upon it. He closed his eyes and called to the stars, asking for memories of his past. He waited silently for a response, reasoning that looking for one thousand year old memories would take some time. While he waited, his mind drifted back into its calm state.

Nephlite.

Upon hearing that telepathic voice, Nephlite didn't break the connection by opening his eyes as others would have done. Instead, he replied, Who are you?

Nephlite. Help me.

Jedite!?

Help…

"Jedite!" he cried out, his eyes open and a hand outstretched. The connection was broken, but the call was still fresh in his mind.

That was Jedite calling. I'm sure of it. But why was he asking me for help? Plus, he's in eternal sleep so how could he call?

Beep, beep, beep. "Sailor Venus here. Everyone's needed at the new beauty salon. It's a Negaverse trap!"

Nephlite promptly put his current questions to the back of his mind. They could wait for another time. He used teleportation to leave his home and arrive on the street where the salon, Slick Chicks was located on.

He appeared behind the scouts facing down a monster who loomed over Sailor Moon. Mars and Jupiter coupled their attacks to destroy the weapon on the monster's right arm before Mercury blanketed the area in fog.

"Quick use your wand," Venus called to their leader.

"Moon Healing Activation!" The wand's power turned that one monster into several human women which surprised Nephlite. He had been expecting one human.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Mars suddenly called out.

Nephlite turned towards Mars and saw Tuxedo Mask standing nearby! He was all right!

"Are you all right?" Mars asked her cheeks red with blush. "You're with us?"

"Keep your distance, Mars," Venus warned. "He's no friend of ours anymore. He's been brainwashed by the Negaverse. Who knows what he might do. I know he can't be trusted." At everyone's disbelieving looks, Venus added, "It's true. That Negaverse monster was taking orders from him. He's Queen Beryl' s man now and don't think for a minute that he's working for anybody but her."

Nephlite couldn't believe it. He suspected that Beryl might turn to brainwashing and now, faced with the reality, he felt stunned. Their friend and his prince had been turned against them.

"Venus has got it right," Tuxedo Mask said. "You're my enemy now and I won't stop until that crystal is mine."

"It can't be," Mars said softly.

"They really did some job of brainwashing," Mercury commented.

"Enough with the chat. I want that crystal and I'll fight every one of you to get it. So, who's first?"

Nephlite moved to put himself between the scouts and Tuxedo Mask, his sword appearing in his hand. Even though he didn't want to fight Darien, he knew he had to because Darien wouldn't hesitate to attack him.

A smirk graced Tuxedo Mask's face. "Ah, so you want to lose first, Nephlite?" The caped man took a step forward and then froze. It looked as if he was deep in thought or listening to someone they couldn't hear. It was probably the latter, most likely Beryl. He then took a step back.

"So," he said. "You got lucky this time. But I'll be back, don't you worry. Next time it won't be so pretty. And next time, I won't leave without that crystal. Remember that, everyone. See you around."

A portal to the Negaverse opened up behind him and he stepped through it. As it started to close, Nephlite felt a wave of psychic energy wash over him. An image of Jedite in his crystal prison flashed through his mind for a second before it vanished.

"Guess everything's back to normal at Slick Chicks," Serena commented as the six of them looked in the front window of the salon. Serena turned and walked a few steps before saying, "Hey, I'm starved. How about we pick up a double cheeseburgers, French fries, chocolate shakes, and triple hot fudge sundaes?"

"Guess things are back to normal with Serena, too," Artemis commented. "She must be over Tuxedo Mask."

Serena turned around with a cheery look on her face. "No way," she squealed. "but I got a super cool plan to get him back! We'll de-brainwash him!" The blonde laughed from explaining her idea.

"This from someone who can barely program a VCR," Luna muttered.

"Well, I gotta say I prefer to have the old, goofy, food-crazed Serena back. She really had me worried there," Artemis said.

"Well, after we finish de-brainwashing him, ooh, I'm going to tell that guy off," Serena continued. "But, in the meantime guys, how about those hamburgers and French fries?"

They found a burger place that was open and were soon at a table with their food. Serena got what she had been thinking about, but everyone else opted for hamburger, fries, and a drink. Nephlite chewed on a bite of fry as he thought about this afternoon and tonight's events. This whole business with Jedite was weird. Why was he communicating now after all this time and why with him?

"Nephlite? Hello?"

"What?" He blinked and looked at Mina.

"You okay?"

He smiled. "Yes. I just have a mystery on my mind."

This caught Amy's interest to say nothing of everyone else's. "A mystery?"

He nodded. "I was consulting the stars this afternoon after meditating hoping for more memories of the past. Instead I received a psychic message from Jedite."

Serena, Raye, and Amy chorused, "Jedite!?"

"You know," Raye said thoughtfully. "I haven't seen him since he got run over by a plane."

Nephlite laughed at the shocked looks on Lita and Mina's faces. "That explains why he came back with torn clothes and disheveled hair. I heard Jedite say he knew the real names of you three. Fortunately, Beryl wasn't interested in that information. She punished him for his constant failures by putting him in eternal sleep inside a light blue crystal which she sent to another part of the Negaverse."

"That's terrible," Raye commented. "The poor guy. What?" she asked, noticing the looks everyone was giving her. "I think my past relationship with him is resurfacing, okay?"

"Speaking of not seeing someone," Lita spoke up. "We haven't seen Zoycite lately."

"Zoycite's dead," Nephlite answered.

"Why do you say that?" Serena asked.

"When we last fought Malachite, I saw grief in his eyes. He loved Zoycite so much and only her death could have affected him so greatly."

"They loved each other?" Amy asked. "I didn't think such a pure emotion like love could exist inside the Negaverse."

"Why not?" Mina countered. "All living things are capable of love and judging from how they acted toward each other when we last saw them, I say they definitely loved each other. Naturally, Malachite would be crushed from losing her."

"Anyway," Amy said forcefully. "You said you received a message from Jedite?"

"That's right. He was asking for my help. I've been wondering how he can contact me. Earlier tonight when Tuxedo Mask was leaving, I felt a wave of psychic energy and saw Jedite in his prison looking exactly the way he did when he was first imprisoned.

"My questions are why is he asking for help and how could I even help?"

There was silence for a while before Luna whispered, "Perhaps the proximity of your connected planets prompted him to contact you."

"You mean because the planets Mars and Jupiter are next to each other?" Amy asked.

"Precisely. I believe the same thing goes for Venus and Mercury."

"Maybe Jedite knows you're no longer with the Negaverse and is working on making a portal for you to go through to rescue him," Artemis whispered as well. "From what you said, it sounds like he's got some serious psychic powers. We could use a power like that."

"It'll take time for him to build enough energy to make that portal, if that's what he's planning," Nephlite pointed out. "But, if and when he does, I'll be ready to rescue him."

The parts with Jedite mentioned was something I threw in late in the planning. I thought it was a shame that he was trapped in the crystal and that it would be nice if he was free and joined Nephlite with the scouts.