Breathing heavily, Mars leaned against Jupiter's back as she attempted to staunch the bleeding from a deep cut in her left forearm. Jupiter hissed as she began treating a long slice across her upper legs.

Kunz helped slowly, his own reactions slowed by a stab wound in his right shoulder that Nephrite had already roughly bandaged. Kunzite wound a layer of gauze around Nephrite's torso to cover the myriad smaller slash wounds even as the other man washed blood from the cuts on his face.

"They keep reinforcing their numbers," Jupiter muttered. "They're all low class, but they aren't worried about them being strong enough to kill. With so many, we can only hold on so long before energy loss takes us down for them. If we get much weaker, even those will be able to kill us without a problem."

Tuxedo Kamen returned from scouting, pressing a swath of his cape against a slice in his side. "I've found the right direction, but there are more coming and they're circling around. We'll be completely caged in soon."

"What happened?" Kunz asked.

"I ran afoul of a pair of scouts," he explained tiredly. "I managed to push them back long enough to get away. Tuxedo Kamen can't destroy."

"You need to look for Serenity-hime," Kunzite instructed. "Find her and get her out. She said Endymion-sama had her somewhere inside."

"Inside?" Tuxedo Kamen blanched. "There's no way. The closer you get to any of the gates, the more youma you see, and I'm not talking lower level ones like we've been fighting. They have full-strength guards at every entry. Some of them are human."

Mars cursed. "We can't leave her there!"

"We have no choice," Nephrite said heavily. "Even if we could get away, we don't have enough strength left to help her. She's on her own."

"I won't give up on her!" Jupiter protested. "There has to be a way."

"There is not," Kunz said, raising his hands when both women protested violently. "I remember well enough to know the general layout. If the guard has been increased so drastically just at the entrances, it will only get worse inside. She still has servants that are not youma, sub-generals of sorts. Venus told you of Danburite, and he was only one of many. Endymion-sama remains as well. At current strength, all we would do is speed our own demise."

"At least we would die trying," Mars grumbled, "instead of staying here fighting against impossible odds. We'll be lucky to survive another wave." Jupiter nodded in agreement.

"There's no choice," Nephrite repeated. "We're surrounded. None of us have the strength or time to attempt a teleport and even if we could, we wouldn't leave them."

Mars' resistance crumbled when her gaze landed on Jadeite's still form. "You're right," she sighed, defeated. "We can't."

"They're coming for another round," Tuxedo Kamen warned as he fell back a bit. Even in such a desperate situation, his only advantage was surprise. "I'll do my best to get any of you out of the way if something happens, but there's nowhere to retreat to."

88888888

"Now, Endymion, why should I let you keep the little Moon brat?" Beryl asked, attempting to keep a civil demeanor over her anger.

"I caught her. I will do with her as I please," he replied coldly. "As I have told you before, I have no interest in you. She fascinates me and will be entertaining. You'll get the Ginzuishou you want so badly."

"I will consider it," the dark Queen announced grandly, stalking away to Metallia's chamber. Endymion vanished behind her. She knelt, holding a ball of pulsing energy forward. "I offer you energy for advice, great Queen Metallia."

The voice that answered seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, and cut into a person's very being. Beryl was unaffected. "The princeling has done well. Let him keep the toy."

"I want him," the flame-haired witch gritted. "She takes him without trying, without any regard for others."

"The Ginzuishou is more important. Forget petty jealousies. With the power of the legendary Silver Crystal, you can rule the world, usurping Earth's royal line. Endymion would not be the arrogant prince and would thus be more susceptible to your commands. When that is done, you can kill the moon whelp."

Beryl's eyes blazed the same sickening red as her hair. "Yes, my Queen."

88888888

Prince Endymion returned directly to his chambers to ensure Beryl hadn't used his absence to dispose of her rival in both the battle for the planet and his affections. The tiny girl didn't look like much, though she was rather pretty for a child her age. Still, she entranced him. Before entering his bedchamber, he paced around the main space, slashing at a mannequin with his sword to siphon off some irritability. Once he had calmed enough to be sure he wouldn't harm the little princess, he returned the weapon to its sheath and unsealed his bedroom.

She had heard him already and had tensed by the door, prepared to run. In one hand she gripped her already glowing tiara, prepared to use it for the momentary advantage it could provide. She knew it wouldn't kill him. It would return on its own too, so there was no need to wait for it.

The instant the door cracked open, she flung the weapon and ran, not caring which direction she went as long as it got her away from the sinister version of the man she loved. Endymion cursed and pressed a hand to the wound in his side. It wasn't very deep, but it burned from the magic in the metal. In no mood to play games, he came to the obvious conclusion. She moved very quickly, certainly more so than he did while wounded, but he could teleport. He vanished and set himself directly in her path.

She ran into him at full speed even as her tiara resettled itself on her forehead, the crash sending her flying back with a yelp when she impacted. She hit the ground with a bruising thud. "Ow…" she groaned, rubbing her back. It had hit the wall before she had landed on the floor, making contact then as well, so it hurt particularly badly. She glanced up. "Damn it!"

He glared at her, then scooped her up and teleported directly back to his chambers. Before she could do more than glance at the door, he gestured. It slammed shut and sealed again. "That wasn't very nice of you."

"You kidnapped me!" she yelled. "Why should I be nice?"

He snatched her tiara away before she could think to use it again and locked it in a case. "The same trick will not work a second time." A thick manacle attached itself to her wrist. A chain extended from it and latched onto the bedpost. She could reach any point in the room, but that was the extent of the chain. She scowled at him. "Beryl won't allow me to keep you if you run about like a wild beast."

"Beryl?" Sailor Moon repeated, her color draining. "She knows I'm here?"

He nodded. "I think she'll leave you alone for the time being. I can listen to conversations in Queen Metallia's room, and Metallia told her to leave you alone. Now, hand over the Ginzuishou."

She growled. "No."

"Hand it over!" he ordered imperiously.

"No!" she repeated. "Kill me first. I won't give my mother's Ginzuishou to the Dark Kingdom."

"Don't try my patience, Princess. Queen Beryl will only allow you to live as long as it suits her. If you do not hand over the Ginzuishou, it will not be long."

"Then kill me. I would die before it lands in that witch's hands."

He wrapped his hands around her shoulders and shook her. The chain clanked with the violence of the movement. "Don't you understand? They will not grant you an easy end. You will be in so much pain that you wish for your own death!"

The tiny blonde just set her jaw. "Nothing would induce me to give up the Ginzuishou. Mamo-chan, you're in there somewhere. It's the part of you that wants to keep me safe. Find it."

He hesitated, and his eyes flickered for the briefest second to their more typical blue. His hands trembled. The moment broke, and the shadows swam across the brighter shade once again. "Maybe I don't want you hurt. Why? I would rather keep you with me. I have no fondness for Beryl, but she is my Queen. I will obey her if she presses."

Sailor Moon took one of his hands in hers. "Not if you leave. Away from her, you're your own person." She looked down their bond, searching for answers. What she found gave her strength. "She only can control you if you're near her. Remember your life in this world, Mamo-chan, not the one you have in this living nightmare. You had friends. Do you remember Motoki-onii-san? He's been your best friend as long as you can remember. He took your place when you were gone, Mamo-chan, trying to protect me because you were his friend and it's what you would want if you could just remember. Let me set you free."

He wavered, more visibly than before. The roses nearby burned a brilliant crimson as some of the darkness fled from her intense light.

"Remember your Shitennou, Endymion-sama. Those men were your friends and protectors your whole life, once. They were the brothers you never had. Remember the Silver Millennium, and the peace that reigned in our universe. Remember the Moon and our dance. We were engaged. We were happy."

Subtly, she drew the Wand. The Ginzuishou in its base sparkled and danced with its mistress' shine. His eyes were drawn to it immediately. She began to smile, feeling the weakening control Beryl held over him. She pulled out a second item. The Star Locket began to play its haunting tune. Memories began to reappear- they were faint, but returning all the same.

Abruptly, the progress shattered as Sailor Moon felt Beryl violently pull Endymion away from her. He vanished, and blackness consumed his beautiful flowers again. The young princess fell to her knees and wept.

88888888

There was really no chance. Sailor Jupiter fell under a massive number of youma, more powerful than the small ones they had been fighting for over an hour. Each of her companions felt the force of the attack and grieved together when they felt her spark flare and extinguish. Mars wept even as she killed them, tears of fire coursing down her cheeks. Nephrite followed a matter of seconds after.

Kunzite knew that the very human Motoki couldn't possibly survive. "This is not your fight," he said abruptly. "The princess would not expect you to give your life for it." Tugging at the magical energies in the area, he teleported their friend back to Mamoru's apartment.

Kunzite dropped only a moment later, hit with several magical attacks that had been aimed for the vulnerable Tuxedo Kamen. Kunz, who had tried to intervene, was also caught in the attack. Mars felt them both die at the same time.

She screamed. A literal column of fire surrounded her before leaping out in all directions, incinerating youma as the flames leapt angrily through the air. In the midst of the blaze, figures of soldiers were visible. Eventually, the last of her energy gave way, and she sank to the ground.

One of the youma had been intelligent enough to take shelter under the snow. Unharmed, it hovered over the bodies of Senshi and Shitennou alike. The monster edged closer to Sailor Mars and prodded at her before poking Jadeite's body. An abrupt tug at its ankle distracted it.

Turning, its eyes met those of an angry Senshi. "I'm not finished quite yet," she fumed. "Fire… SOUL!"

A second line of flame dashed up the youma's leg and consumed it. It exploded, tossing the bodies into the air as a plume of water rose into the air then solidified. Each lifeless form lay somewhere on its surface.

Kunz and Venus lay together. Somehow, as he had fallen, he had remained aware enough to take her hand. The subsequent explosion had not separated them. Kunzite was only a short distance away, his hand just touching the ends of Venus' golden hair.

Jupiter and Nephrite were not close enough to touch, but their arms were extended toward the other, even in death.

Somehow, Mercury had tumbled directly against Zoisite, and his hand had come around her waist. They almost looked to be sleeping.

Mars was sprawled across Jadeite's stomach, her hair hiding his wounds from sight. She showed no visible hurt, but the aura of death was unmistakable.

A keening wind seemed to rise from the very heart of the planet as it mourned the passing of its protectors. Only Moon and Earth remained of the fighters, and Earth was tenuous with the Shitennou fallen and the prince broken. The sun seemed to cry as spots boiled across its surface.

88888888

Guilt consumed Sailor Moon with the passing of the last of her guardians.

This is my fault, she thought. I could have left them. I should never have allowed Luna to give them their powers. I could have handled things on my own. I brought the Shitennou to their deaths. I saved Venus' Kunzite only to kill him again.

"You must not think that, my child," a soft voice chided. "Their deaths were no fault of yours."

She lifted her head. Since Endymion had left, the Senshi of the Moon had not abandoned her position on the floor, choosing only to grieve in this small bit of peace. "Selene. My goddess." She bowed a little at the waist.

"There is no need for such formalities. You, as all the Queens before you, are a child of mine."

"Bring them back," she begged. "I would give anything to have returned home."

"That power is not in my hands," the goddess said sadly. "My powers are yours. The Ginzuishou may grant your wish if you can accomplish your task, but at this moment it cannot be done."

She wept silently. "I failed them. I wanted to save them from this fate, to keep them from suffering like this a second time. I couldn't protect them."

"Zoisite told you some things are meant. This is so." The shining Moon Lady knelt as well, lifting her princess' chin. "You have the strength to fix everything, dear girl. The first Queen of the Moon was my daughter. You are my grandchild. I have great faith in you."

"Grandchild? Mother?"

The fair lady nodded. "Your dear mother was my only daughter. You are our true heir in all things, Serenity. I passed the Ginzuishou to your line to give you the power you would need to face the challenges ahead."

"I don't know how," she murmured, wiping away a few tears. They were quickly replaced, but Sailor Moon didn't care. "I don't know what to do."

"Follow your heart," she was told. "The answer lies there. Fight Beryl, for your love and your world."

"I can't even leave this room," the warrior said hollowly. "How can I fight?"

The goddess smiled. "In this, I can assist you." She rose, lifting the other girl as well. With a wave of her hand, the chain containing her grandchild vanished. A second took them from the room she had been imprisoned in. "You will find the dark Queen and your prince in this next room," the Moon Lady explained. "Fight with your heart, Serenity. It is your greatest strength."

"Thank you," she whispered as her patron disappeared. "I'll do my best."

88888888

Luna and Artemis jumped when Tuxedo Kamen suddenly appeared in their midst. He threw the rose away from him in disgust as his henshin melted away. His wound was all but healed already, so he ignored it.

"Motoki-san?" Luna mewed. "What happened?"

"Kunzite sent me away," he replied. His tone was flat and dead. "He said I didn't have to sacrifice myself when it wasn't my fight. There were too many dead."

"Who?" Artemis demanded. "Who is left?"

"When I was forced to leave? Only the two Kunzites and Sailor Mars. The others were already gone. A huge swarm of youma came at us, too many for us to fight, and we couldn't leave the bodies. Jupiter and Nephrite fell trying to fight them off. I don't know how long the others will last."

"They're already gone," Luna said tiredly after checking. "Only Sailor Moon is left. I can't feel them anymore."

Artemis nodded, already grieving. Both cats hung their heads in dismay.

"We sent a bunch of children to their end," she cried. "We should have left those poor girls alone."

"There was no choice," Motoki sighed. "Only they could fight. If they hadn't, the entire world would already be the Dark Kingdom's."

The white cat agreed reluctantly. "They did well for their age, Luna. We will honor their memories."

His dark counterpart turned to stare out the window. The moon was barely visible, concealed behind dark storm clouds. "Good luck, Usagi-chan. May Selene guide your hand."

88888888

Sailor Moon drew her Wand and stalked to the throne room. In an afterthought, she also dug out the Star Locket and placed it around her neck, hiding it under her fuku. The doors flew open with a crash that resounded through the passages. "Beryl!" she shouted. "You're out of time. Now you pay for your crimes!"

A cruel laugh echoed through the chamber. "Is that so, moon whelp? I really don't think so."

The light shifted so the witch was fully visible. Endymion knelt at her side, his lips pressed to her hand. The Moon Senshi struggled to force down her disgust and apprehension. Fear edged into her mind with no regard for her preferences.

"Endymion, darling," Beryl purred, "be a dear and remove the brat. She's just in the way of our goals, my prince."

"As you wish, my Queen," he stated formally, glaring at his princess. He drew his sword and leapt at her, so quickly she could barely track his movement.

The blonde shrieked involuntarily and rolled out of range of the blow. Instinctively, she spun her Wand. "MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

Though the beams of light shot out as usual, there was no effect on the controlled prince. He just stared at her, eyes dark and full of hate. The expression made her heart ache to the very core.

"You're wasting your time," Beryl sneered. "You are still not a full-fledged princess. Even if you use the Ginzuishou, you will not be able to remove Queen Metallia's dark energy from Endymion's body. Stop wasting your time and quietly hand me the Ginzuishou!"

She's wrong! Sailor Moon gritted. I am strong enough. I know it. There's just something I'm missing… She continued pouring power through the gem.

Endymion abruptly jumped out of the stream of power. Twisting in the air, he landed next to the heroine and slashed at her. She flew back, and the Wand fell from her hand.

"Sailor Moon…" he drawled, forming a black rose between his fingers. "Die." He casually tossed the blossom. At first, it only hovered before her, but it suddenly flashed and spread into a vine, with thorns and flowers at irregular intervals. It wrapped itself around her arms and torso. She gasped, then screamed as dark power began coursing through them into her, burning at her body and power. Beryl laughed. With difficulty, the little heroine lifted her gaze to his.

"Mamo-chan…" He just watched her dispassionately. Vaguely, she heard Mamoru's voice from a more peaceful time, calling her 'Odango Atama' like he once used to. She fell back as the vine vanished. She looked up at him again as he approached, a few tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "Mamo-chan…"

He kicked her. Abruptly and without warning, Endymion's foot snapped out and caught her in the midriff, sending her skidding back a few more meters. Her body ached. She felt the sunspots frothing and multiplying. It was too late… She had failed.

Endymion grabbed her by the throat and held her in the air, sending additional waves of dark energy into her already exhausted body. She screamed again as pain tore into her. His eyes were blank. Beryl laughed a second time.

"Soon, the sun will be covered entirely by sunspots and Queen Metallia will be revived." The Moon Senshi was reduced to whimpers, diminished by the agony. "That is enough, Endymion."

He glanced at the witch then tossed the girl's tiny body to the ground as she shuddered.

"Cut off the princess's head!" the red-haired viper ordered. The teen tried to reach the Wand. "It's no use! Soon Queen Metallia will be revived. When she fills this world with her dark energy by using the Ginzuishou, she is certain to utilize its power to the maximum. Everything you have been doing will have been meaningless!"

My Senshi… No. Never meaningless. We fought. We stopped them, again and again. It doesn't end here. Not like this. I have to stop the Dark Kingdom to save Mamo-chan and my friends.

Even as the prince stood over the blonde with his sword raised, the gem set in her tiara flared to life. Her face altered, becoming determined again. As he moved to strike, she flung it into his chest at point-blank range. He gasped his pain and stumbled back, falling even as the tiara hit the ground as well. She sat up and stared at him, gulping down air.

He stiffened suddenly and pushed himself to his feet, using his sword as a crutch as he pressed one hand to the injury. The darkness in him remained.

Even as that thought crossed his mate's mind, Beryl spoke again. "Endymion has dark energy within him. You will not be able to defeat him so easily."

There was nothing easy about that, she thought bitterly. Do you think it's easy for me to hurt him?

"Stop…" she murmured.

"Sailor Moon!" Endymion pulled himself fully erect and tightened his grip on the hilt of his weapon, shaking.

"Stop…" she repeated, her voice thin and uneven.

"Die!" he shouted, lifting the sword over his head as he prepared to strike.

"Please stop!" she cried.

She was kneeling before him, and a new light shone. In her outstretched hands, she cradled their locket. It was open and playing. He stared at it, and her, not lowering his weapon but not attacking either.

"Please remember," she murmured. "I am Serenity. In the distant past, we swore to love one another. I am Serenity of the Moon Kingdom."

"Anyone who opposes the Dark Kingdom must die," Endymion growled.

"You are just being corrupted by the bad energy," she explained. "Please regain your gentle heart…" He shook. "I don't want to. I don't want to fight you!"

He stopped, lowering his arms. The trembling had stopped as well. He stared at her, and his eyes seemed lighter. Some of Mamoru's emotions began to show in his face.

"So please…"

Finally, he reached out, laying his hand on the golden music box. A burst of light spread from his fingers up, engulfing his entire body.

"What?" Beryl screamed, shielding her eyes from the glare.

Endymion screamed as well as the light surrounded him. Memories began to flow in front of his eyes again, sharper and more focused than before, of Usagi, Serenity, and Sailor Moon and how he cared for them. She had succeeded.

In his mind, he cried as a child. "Who am I? I can't remember anything! Am I all alone?"

"No, you're not," Usagi answered. Abruptly, he was an adult again. "You have me."

"What?"

She placed both hands over his. "Don't worry. You're not alone."

The sword fell to the ground from his limp hand. He fell in front of her as she put her hands on his arms to steady him. "Mamo-chan!"

He glanced up at her. "Usagi…" A rose fell at his side, red once more. "Thank you."

"Mamo-chan… I'm so glad!"