DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Sailor Moon or anything in it save for my own characters, Outai and Mooney. All credit goes to Nakao Takeuchi.

A knock came at the door, and she heard the door open. The air suddenly felt tense, like a fight about to happen, but Hotaru had to ignore it for the moment. She was busy with her homework, and if Michiru mama saw her slacking before it was done, she might experience some unpleasantness. The woman would be a good mother if she had a child of her own, but she was a bit overbearing on homework and bed times. Or rather, it just seemed that way. She was about to set her mind back on her math homework, when Setsuna mama peeked around her door.

"We have a visitor, Hotaru." she said calmly, but Hotaru could hear something of an edge in her voice. She was wary of the visitor. Standing, Hotaru followed Setsuna mama out to the livingroom of their home.

In the living room Hotaru saw Michiru mama and Haruka papa sitting next to each other on the love seat, glaring daggers at Outai, who she now knew was Sailor Andromeda. None of them trusted this girl, even though her intention seemed to be to protect everyone. She had come from outside the solar system, and the outer senshi all had a difficult time trusting anything that got past them. Well, there was good reason for that. The Death Busters had come from outside the solar system, as well as Nemesis and Galaxia, and all of them had tried to destroy everything. In spite of all that, though, Hotaru was wary of outsiders, but also more open minded about them. This particular outsider had a burden all her own, and it wasn't that different from Hotaru's burden, as Sailor Saturn, senshi of silence, and it could be said she was the senshi of Death and Rebirth, given the power she had to destroy a whole planet. Haruka and Michiru had been willing to kill her because of that power, because of Mistress Nine.

"What brings you here?" she could hear Michiru mama asking of Outai.

"I have a request of all of you. I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but unfortunately it is something needful, and only you four can provide it. The others lack the strong will and devotion to duty that you have." she said calmly, sipping at some tea that obviously Setsuna had served. Michiru mama and Haruka papa would never serve tea to someone like her.

Hotaru found a spot open on the love seat next to Haruka papa just big enough for her to sit on. She could have sat on the couch next to Outai - that would not have bothered her - but she wanted to watch the woman's reactions as she spoke.

"What is it you want to ask?" Setsuna mama said, her voice still wary.

"I hope it is nothing that will endanger our princess or our world." Haruka papa said.

"I think you should know well enough by now that, if I had any intention of that, I would have done so by now. My efforts to push them away are because I wish to protect them from what I am." Outai said. Hotaru had not thought she could see any more sadness in the girl's eyes, but they did seem to grow more sad at the last. In a way, she understood this woman's plight, even if none of the others did. "As you know, the taint is growing rapidly now. More people are being tainted than we can keep up with, and now the majority of them are becoming vessels. We have to stop this taint or it will destroy us no matter what we do. Doing so, however, will mean killing people to reach it, because healing them would leave them an empty shell anyway. Once healed, there will be a lot of vegetables lying around anyway. I've seen your devotion to your duty, to protect Usagi and this planet, and I know you have the determination to do what needs to be done, no matter what the cost."

"A whole lot of flattery," Michiru mama said cautiously, "but no explanation."

"I am getting there." Outai said patiently, taking another sip of tea. Obviously, she did not want to say what needed to be said, whatever it was. "I plan to heal all of the taint, including what is inside me. Doing so will leave me a vegetable as well, so mine will have to go last, or I won't be able to do what needs to be done. The reason it has not taken me over like everyone else is because I am protected by Holy. It has sealed the taint away inside me, so it will not spread or take me over."

"If it is protecting you," Hotaru asked, "why doesn't it heal you?"

"Because I will be a vegetable if it does." came her answer, "And utterly useless in what needs to be done. Worse, I may end up as a vessel anyway, for the taint. I'm a vessel for Holy, and I don't like it, but it's better than being a vessel for the taint. At least I know Holy won't use me to destroy people.

What I'm trying to get at here is that there is always the possibility of failure. If we fail, if I fail, if Holy...Well, in any case, if the taint isn't completely eradicated, there is a chance it will use me. If that happens, I ask that you kill me quickly, before it can spread to anyone. Me being tainted is bad enough, with the power I have, but even one more person than that being tainted - especially for a sailor soldier - means the destruction of the world, slowly and painfully." Outai's eyes had grown increasingly hard, and increasingly sad as she spoke, as though seeing her own death. Then again, she may very well be seeing just that. "Aside from myself, the most dangerous to be tainted are Sailor Saturn and Sailor Moon, because of the power they wield. I won't let that happen, not if I can help it. Even if it means my death. I ask this of you four, because I know your determination to protect everyone, even if someone has to die. The others cannot - or will not - kill anyone, much less someone they consider a friend, and if things go badly, it will mean the end of the world, in the most literal sense."

Hotaru stood from the love seat, stood in front of Outai, forcing her to meet her eyes with sheer will, dark eyes meeting emerald eyes, each holding a similar burden.

"If the taint takes you, I will personally heal it with death." she said, her own voice hard, but there was no helping that. This woman looked ready to lay down and die, and that was NOT an attitude a senshi should ever have. "However, you must work to see that I don't have to do that."

Strangely, relief flashed in the girl's eyes. Maybe she really did have a death wish. Relief, mixed with a hard...well, it was almost like irritation, but not quite. She couldn't tell what it was.

"Have no worry for that. In spite of my most recent actions, I would like to have friends without having to worry about their safety because of me. I will work my hardest to make sure the taint does not take me, that I cleanse it completely, but know right now that if we are successful, I will be as good as dead anyway. I've known this for a long time now, and I've accepted it. It's worth the price, if I can keep this world alive."

Haruka papa and Michiru mama looked at each other. Perhaps they were looking at a senshi was dangerous, but determined to do the very same thing they were determined to do. Perhaps they were still suspicious of her, but she could see a mutual respect for this girl now. They had seen the same determination and honesty that she had. There was no falsehood with her anymore, and she was determined to save this world, knowing that doing so meant she would die, or be as good as dead. Hotaru knew that burden all too well, and knew why the girl's eyes seemed so sad now, aside from leaving so many as empty shells, and aside from killing three people now. She knew she was going to die, and she accepted it. She wasn't going to run away from it. Strangely, a small smile graced her face, and Hotaru realized she looked pretty with a smile, even a sad one like hers always seemed to be, though this one seemed more full of relief.

"I really am relieved to hear it, though." she said, and her voice showed just how relieved she was. Hotaru hadn't realized how tense Outai had been until she saw that relief. She had obviously been worried about what their response would be. "I tried asking the others, and they refuse. I don't know why they do it, but they see me as a friend, and they're not willing to kill anyone, much less a friend, even if it means the destruction of the world. They are weak, but I think we all know the price of having the strength and determination that we have. I would not ask them to gain that, not again anyway. Usagi and Small Lady are so pure...They must stay that way."

Hotaru smiled at the last part. Chibiusa really was pure and strong, in he own way. And she was a lot like Usagi in her own way as well. She knew Chibiusa looked up to Usagi, though she wouldn't admit it out loud.

"What is your plan?" Hotaru was surprised to hear Setsuna mama ask after a moment of uneasy silence. Things were always uneasy around Outai, because of her taint.

"The taint will have an advance guard, so to speak. It will surround itself with the tainted, likely most of them being vessels so it can do what it wants. It will probably try to split us all up or taint us, or both. We'll all have to go in together and make sure no one gets separated, or they could be turned against us, and with about as much effort as it takes to fall out of bed. We have two guardians that can help in the fight, so I suggest they cut a path clear for us. Mooney is up to the task for that - he has had the training and experience, and isn't as reluctant to kill as some of us are - and I'm fairly sure Tuxedo Mask will do whatever it takes to protect Sailor Moon, so that shouldn't be a problem.

The problem will be that we must conserve as much energy as possible, for when we reach the core, the heart of the taint. Every ounce of energy will have to go into purification, and even that might fail, especially if we use all of our energy fighting the tainted. The best I can offer to prevent this is making a shield around all of us, but maintaining it as we run and moving it with us takes a deal of energy from me. Not only that, but there will be a lot of the tainted there, wherever 'there' happens to be - right now I have heard that Luna and Artemis are still out searching for clues. That many against two men fighting for eleven women...That's not good odds, but right now it's all I've come up with.

Once we reach the core, all of the inner and outer senshi will have to give their energy - every last bit of it - to Sailor Moon. Sailor Chibi Moon won't be able to handle that much power yet, so she'll have to chip in her own." A grimace crossed her face at that. She didn't want a child to risk her life. "That energy, combined with Sailor Moon's and Sailor Chibi Moon's, will be passed to me, where I'll cast the spell to purify, using Holy. If all goes well, it should be enough."

"Even the best laid plans only work until the first sword strikes." Hotaru said. This was going to be the biggest, most difficult battle of their lives.

Outai nodded sagely. She knew already that plans often failed, so one must have a back up. However, she offered no back up. Maybe she didn't have one? Maybe, in her own way, she was asking for them to have one? Suddenly, a knock came at the door, followed by another. It sounded almost panicked.

Since she was already standing, Setsuna mama opened the door to reveal a young man with black hair, blue eyes, and black cat ears with a black cat tail. He wore a loose white t-shirt and loose blue jeans, and panic was clear on his face. Panic, and anger, but not hatred. He wasn't tainted.

"Hey, have you guys seen Outai?" he said, his rough, and usually playful voice now full of anger and fear.

Blue eyes peered around, and he saw her immediately. Before Setsuna could move aside or close the door, he slid his way through the door, ignoring her glare, and planted himself in front of Outai, fists on hips. For some reason, she looked uneasy now, almost afraid. Was she afraid he would hurt her?

"Here you are! I was worried sick! You left without your guard again, Outai. You know you agreed to having one, but you still find ways to sneak around without it. Knock it off!"

Defensive and righteous anger flashed in Outai's eyes now, though she still seemed wary around this young man, whoever he was.

"I can look out for myself, Mooney. I don't need anyone to hold my hand while I cross the street."

"We've had this argument before. It's getting more dangerous now by far. You need to have a guard, in case you get ambushed again."

"Well, I wasn't ambushed on my way here. I was careful. I do know the meaning of caution, even if you don't think I do. Now, if you'll excuse me, Mooney, we are in someone elses home, and this is neither the time nor the place for an argument."

Shock entered the young man's face. He seemed to have forgotten they were not at home. Hotaru thought it was kind of funny, since it really looked like a lover's spat. She had seen something similar between Harkua papa and Michiru mama. They looked amused as well. The boy flushed red and grinned sheepishly.

"Ah, forgive me!" he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I forgot where I was."

"So we see." Michiru mama said, and Hotaru could hear the effort she was making not to laugh.

"So, you're Mooney." Haruka papa said, and though her laughter was more under control, merriment and amusement still flashed in her eyes. "You should take better care of this kitten. She's pretty reckless."

Outai seemed to be shooting warning glances at Haruka papa and Michiru mama, as if to warn them not to tell him of their promise. She obviously didn't want him to know, and she could see why. Mooney did not seem to see it. He just sighed resignedly, and almost looked like he was pouting.

"Boy, I know it. Oh, I nearly forgot! Luna and Artemis are back with Usagi and Minako. They found it."

There was no need to say what 'it' was. Frankly, she was surprised they found it so quickly, when they didn't have any clues at all. Everyone else looked surprised too. Surprised, and suddenly serious.

Outai ran along side everyone else, with all of the outer and inner senshi making a ring around Usagi, Chibiusa, and herself. They had tried to take Haruka's car, but there were too many of them to ride, and traffic had been blocked up with several accidents. Whereas the last few days everyone had been indoors, it seemed like suddenly every person in Tokyo was not only outdoors, but panicked or tainted, or both. They had to push through crowds of people with Mooney leading the way to the Tokyo tower, the epicenter of the taint. As they ran, Outai couldn't help but recall what had happened.

She had Mooney had returned to Usagi's house with Michiru, Haruka, Hotaru, and Setsuna in tow, all of them meeting up in her bedroom, which made things rather cramped. They listened in silence as Luna and Artemis gave their reports while Ami treated their wounds. They had stumbled on it by accident, really, being attacked by a group of the tainted, and barely making it away with their lives. They had felt the taint strongly around the Tokyo Tower, stronger than anywhere else. Unfortunately, once she discussed her plan with them, and in spite of the fact that it most likely would fail anyway, no one was able to come up with a back up.

They had all been willing to wait a few days to plan, but as they began thinking, an explosion outside rocked the house. Or rather, it sounded like an explosion. Looking out the front door revealed a bad accident, two cars collided together, with the owners of the cars attacking each other. She had felt the taint on both, and it only got worse from there. All of the sudden, it seemed like the entire city had gone mad.

Outai shook herself from her dark thoughts, concentrating on the path ahead, cleared by Mooney and Mamoru, both in their own uniforms, dark breastplates in differing patterns of silver, Mamoru in a black suit beneath the breastplate and Mooney in blue. Mamoru had a cape where Mooney did not, but both had swords, and both were making use of them, if only to push people out of the way. Mooney had to cut a few down - he could feel the taint on them, too, and Outai knew that those he cut down were vessels, or near enough that killing them was a mercy to their family.

As they neared the tallest tower in Tokyo, striped in red and white, resembling the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France in some ways, she could feel the taint intensifying. It made her want to bathe, and each step closer made it worse. However, suddenly the path ahead was clear for what looked like half a mile, with Mooney and Prince Endymion - Mamoru - doing nothing. However, in front of them a wall of humanity writhed, all of them tainted so deeply that none would wake up when healed. Something held them back, and she didn't know what it was. Maybe the taint held them back as it's advance guard, as she had predicted. Everyone stopped about ten meters short of this wall, far enough away that they would have time to react if one or all of them suddenly decided to attack.

Whereas they had not transformed before arriving to keep from raising attention towards them - they had passed people who were not tainted, just panicked and trying to escape - they had no such compunctions now. Aside from their group, not a single person nearby was untainted.

"Mars Eternal Power Make Up!"

"Mercury Eternal Power Make Up!"

"Jupiter Eternal Power Make Up!"

"Venus Eternal Power Make Up!"

"Saturn Eternal Power Make Up!"

"Pluto Eternal Power Make Up!"

"Neptune Eternal Power Make Up!"

"Uranus Eternal Power Make Up!"

"Mini Moon Eternal Power Make Up!"

"Moon Eternal Power Make Up!"

"Andromeda Galaxy Power Make Up!"

Lights and feathers surrounded all of the senshi save Andromeda, the only one without an eternal transformation, a fact that had never bothered her. In spite of the other eternal senshi, her power was still greater than theirs, and that was what mattered. When the lights finally died down and the feathers disappeared as though they had never existed, what remained was not eleven women, but eleven senshi, ready to fight to defend the planet, no matter what the cost. Everyone looked at each other, nodding, as if to confirm their determination to fight. Strangely, that's when Mooney approached, breaking through the ring of inner and outer senshi. What he did next completely took Andromeda by surprise.

Mooney bent down, his face so close to hers that all she could see were his blue eyes, his beautiful blue eyes. His lips met hers, and not in just a brief touching, there for a quick moment and gone. No, it was much deeper than that, and though they had told her before that he loved her, she hadn't believed it until their lips met. She could see it in his eyes, too. He would give his life for her, and consider it a small price. Worse, his hand was at the back of her head, smoothing her hair pulled back into it's usual intricate braid so she couldn't pull back. Strangely, she didn't want to pull back. His lips were soft and sweet, and suddenly she found herself kissing him back, another thing that surprised her.

By the time he finally pulled away, her cheeks felt like they were on fire, and she was out of breath, leaning on his chest as he held her so tightly that she very nearly could not breathe.

"I love you, if you hadn't guessed that by now." he said softly in her ear. "I go wherever you go, in life or in death."

Suddenly, he pulled away, breaking back through that ring of senshi once more so he could be ready to clear the way. Andromeda suddenly realized they were all staring at her.

"Wh-what?" she said, more breathlessly than she would have liked, "You've never seen someone kissed before?"

"Speaking of which..." came a voice from ahead of them. She hadn't realized that Endymion had followed suit, breaking into that ring of women and scooping up Sailor Moon into his harms as their lips met as well.

"Make it back alive, Usako." he said fondly, before rejoining Mooney, who was flush faced, but strangely looking like the cat that ate the canary. Or perhaps like a young boy who had just received his first kiss from a girl he had a huge crush on.

"Wh-what?" Usagi said, now just as flush faced as she felt, "You never saw anyone kissed before?"

Andromeda could have laughed, if she didn't know the gravity of the situation. It was the very thing she had just said, and she realized now that she had been staring, just like everyone else.

"Let's go." she said gravely, "We've wasted enough time."

Forward they plunged into the writhing mass of tainted humans, humans that would never survive healing. Andromeda felt a guilt deeper than when she had made her first kill. One person was bad enough, but this many would rip her to pieces, if it had not already. However, there was a thing that needed doing, and no matter what the cost to herself, she would do it.

Though Mooney and Endymion worked to clear the path ahead, it seemed to melt back together, blocking the way and keeping their own advance guard separated from them. However, she knew neither were weak and could handle their own, even though Sailor Moon raised her own protest as they were separated away from them.

"Mamo-chan!" she exclaimed as the crowd of tainted seemed to surge around him and Mooney.

"He's fine!" Andromeda told her as they ran through the crowd, the way being cleared by Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto, who proceeded to cut and smash people out of their way with their own long staffs, Saturn's topped with a wicked looking blade. "Mooney has his back."

In spite of her own words - not only about Mooney's strength, but about their need to conserve energy - she raised her hand with a glowing ball at the palm, the palm facing outward.

"Star Children!"

It was a small spell, but even pennies added up over time, so she would have to be careful. Smaller balls of light flooded from the one in her hand, taking down several that were around the two men, though not killing them. It would never be powerful enough to kill, though anyone hit by it would be hospitalized for a while, at the worst.

Suddenly, Andromeda heard a yelp of both surprise and pain behind her. She turned to see Mars and Uranus knocked down by a group of tainted, and carefully separated from the group as more flooded into the gap. Neptune and Jupiter fought to close that gap with their fists, knocking down the tainted that tried to break through while everyone scooted closer together. It was obvious everyone wanted to save the two, but they knew they couldn't afford the time and energy it would take.

"Mars! Uranus!"

"Uranus is hardly weak," Neptune said, sending a tainted young man sprawling on his back with a kick to his jaw. It seemed to have knocked him out. "We have to keep going!"

Sailor Moon seemed reluctant, and Andromeda had to take her by the arm and pull her forward, in spite of her protests of how she couldn't leave her friends, how everyone was needed. She knew better than anyone that everyone was needed, and she knew that her friends would not want them to come back and try to save them, not when it risked everything. The girl wasn't very good at thinking clearly. Suddenly, Saturn and Pluto went down.

"Hotaru!" she could hear Chibiusa cry out as she knocked down a young woman who had come for her throat while Venus and Jupiter worked to close the gap.

"She'll be fine." Outai assured the girl. She knew they were close friends. "She's probably the last person in the world you need to worry about right now."

Still, the child seemed reluctant to leave her friend, and why not? Putting herself in their shoes, she would probably do the same. Still, right now they couldn't afford anything but to move ahead. The others would have to catch up, if they survived. In the end, she had to pick the child up and hold her to keep her from going after her friend as they ran ahead.

After a moment, Jupiter and Venus were somehow pared away from their dwindling group, leaving them with Neptune and Mercury for their guard. Being the only one to be able to find their way to the core, Mercury was not allowed to join the fight until they reached the core, and currently she had a blue visor across her eyes, which flashed with patterns she could not recognize. One hand was holding a blue compact, and the other was typing in it furiously. It must have been a small computer. Even running did not interrupt that steady, quick tapping of fingers on keys.

As they ran, a grown man with a full beard - he could have been a hobo, for all of his grimy looks - somehow was able to separate Neptune and Mercury from the rest of them, leaving them with no guard as a ring of tainted surrounded the two. That made Sailor Moon and Sailor Mini Moon protest even louder, to the point that she had to put up with Chibi Moon beating on her with fists as she carried the girl and dragged Sailor Moon by the arm. She was their only guard now, and she would NOT let them be touched by the tainted. She would NOT let them ruin everything to save their friends.

"They'll have to catch up." she said, forcing as much confidence in her voice as she could. She did not add that they would catch up if they survived. That would make things worse. "Have some confidence in them. They know what they are doing. If you go back for them now, everything will be in vain. Everything."

"But we need them!" Sailor Moon protested, "I need them!"

Suddenly they broke through the crowd of tainted men and women and even children. Looking behind them they saw a milling mass, not willing to go beyond an invisible, yet clearly drawn line, not even to get to them. In front of them was an elevator, the door barred with wood and a message pinned to it saying it was out of order. They had told her about the previous trouble with the Tokyo tower, and apparently, that elevator had never been fixed or changed. It had seemed fitting, really, for the taint to take up residence in a place that had previously held evil.

"I know that better than even you." she said quietly, dangerously,"But they are stronger than you take them for. Just have some confidence in them, the way they put their confidence in you. It's a fair trade, don't you think? Right now the only chance we have is to go forward. They won't forgive us for coming back for them, not when doing so could mean that the taint wins."

Finally, the girls seemed to see sense. They didn't like it - she could feel Sailor Moon's glare on her back - but they knew she was right. They didn't have to like it, so long as they didn't risk everything in their foolishness. Without giving them a word edgewise, she stepped into the elevator, ducking under the boards that crisscrossed the door, Sailor Mini Moon in her arms still. Sailor Moon was not far behind. She pushed a button that seemed to be for the lowest level, and the elevator seemed to lower them.

As they waited for the elevator to take them where they needed to go, she set Mini Moon on her feet and stared her in the eye, remaining at eye level with her. What she had to say was for both of them, but this child needed eye contact.

"I know you want to fight, to save your friends, but you two are the most important part of this. If you go out there, you will be tainted, and because of your intense purity you will be overcome faster than anyone could do anything. Either of you being tainted means the end of the world, because you hold that much power, because the taint will not hesitate to use that power for it's own end. That is why you are not allowed to fight this battle. Your power will be needed in a little bit, and it must remain pure. Too much rests on this fact for you to even consider anything else. You don't have to like it, but right now there is no other choice. Now, can you be an adult and do the right thing?"

She knew such a question could be offensive, but right now she also needed a little tough love, something to challenge her pride and make her angry enough to do what needed doing, even if she didn't want to do it normally.

"Of course I can!" the child protested, "I'm a lot more mature than Usagi. You should be telling her, not me!"

"Good. We will need that determination."

The elevator lurched to a stop just then, and the door opened. What she saw made her want to vomit. Beyond the doors to the elevator was blackness, nothing but blackness. It wasn't the blackness of a moonless night, either. It was a heavy, rancid darkness that made her want to bathe. Were it not for her own protection, she would have felt it seeping into her. She knew they were in the heart of darkness itself.

Andromeda had no worry for either of the Moons or the other senshi. Before leaving for the tower, Holy had taken her over and had blessed them in it's own way, giving them the protection she now had. Or rather, they told her Holy had done that. She didn't remember any of it. Still, she was glad when she could feel the resistance against the taint that was around them. It was like the taint was trying to push into them, to devour their souls, but their souls were fighting back. No, it was as if there were an invisible barrier around them, stopping the taint. They stepped out of the elevator and into the darkness, holding hands to keep from loosing each other - the blackness seemed to devour all light, so that none of them could see anything.

"So what do we do now?" she could hear Sailor Moon saying, "We can't do anything without our friends here. I hope they're okay. I hope Mamo-chan is okay."

"Friends?" a sickly voice seemed to fill their heads, crackling like a snake over dry leaves. "Oh, you must mean these pests."

A dark sort of light, black as night yet providing a strange, heavy illumination, allowing them to see, bloomed in front of them. What they saw was horrifying. Each of the senshi that had been separated, plus Endymion and Moony, were being restrained by one of the tainted, each with a blade of some sort to their throats. The tainted holding Endymion and Mooney were using their own swords to hold them, and each of them looked battered, cut, and bruised. She could feel her teeth grinding at that, anger welling up inside her.

"Release them." she demanded.

"They resist my beautiful taint." it said, as if not even hearing her. "I can feel a power around them, just like your power, Aurora. You're the only one ever to escape me, but you are too weak. You cannot fight me.

Alone, each of these pests are too weak. But together...well, together they are too weak anyway, but why give you that chance? Hm, shall I crush them here and now for you to watch?"

"Don't listen!" Mooney said thickly, one eye swollen shut and the other eye blazing with righteous anger. "You ARE strong enough, together, or it wouldn't be holding them."

Again the voice didn't seem to hear.

"Now these sweet little things," it said, and a tendril of darkness seemed to caress the faces of both Moons, before quickly wrapping around them. Both screamed in surprise. "My, they have a nice power! I think I'd like to use it. But they resist me, too, and they might actually scratch me. Perhaps I shall do away with them, first."

That seemed to ignite everyone's fury, including her own. She hadn't thought she was particularly attached to them, but the thought of their lights being snuffed out like a guttering candle, of watching them crushed, never again to be dopey or ditzy, or to reach out to those without friends made her furious. She could feel something washing over her, trying to stamp out that fury, but failing. It felt pure, somehow, and peaceful and righteous. She let the light she felt inside wash over her, but somehow it could not take her over completely.

Light suddenly blazed around her, washing away the darkness. She knew, somehow, it should be brighter, but what was there was enough to make the tainted - whose eyes were now black with the taint, not a single bit of white left in them, and very sensitive to light - cringe away from the light. She could feel silk brushing her legs, holding her torso. She didn't even look down to see what changes had been made, because she knew what they were, somehow. She was in a gown of snowy white silk, bunched over her bosom and held with a crescent moon and star in gold. She could feel wings on her back, feathery and white, and she realized she was floating above the ground.

The tainted that cringed away had given just enough room for everyone else to pull away, some adding in a kick or a punch for good measure as they were released. Mooney and Endymion managed to get their swords back as well, but they looked weary and beaten, if no less determined to protect everyone. The senshi gathered in a circle around her and the twin Moons, their backs facing them, each holding their hands to complete a ring around them. They knew what to do, and did not wait to do it.

"Mercury Eternal Power!"

"Mars Eternal Power!"

"Jupiter Eternal Power!"

"Venus Eternal Power!"

"Pluto Eternal Power!"

"Saturn Eternal Power!"

"Neptune Eternal Power!"

"Uranus Eternal Power!"

Each of the senshi's uniforms began to glow white, each with their own symbol, in their own color, on their forehead. The light seemed to gather into Sailor Moon, who had somehow changed from her Sailor uniform into a flowing white gown with golden circles across the bosom and puffy white sleeves. She held a silver crystal between her hands, though her hands did not touch it, and she held the crystal upraised towards Outai. Chibi Moon was in a similar dress, with a similar crystal held a similar way.

"Moon Crystal Power!" the little girl with the pink hair declared, and Outai could feel the power of the two crystals combining. It was more immense than she could have ever imagined.

"Silver Moon Crystal Power!"

All of that energy combined, the love and determination and righteous anger mingled in it from everyone filled her, suffused her, until she was sure it would was her away. She suddenly realized she held a glowing white crystal in her own hands above her head, and like the Moons, her hands were not touching that glowing crystal, brighter than the other two crystals, each of which were blinding already. Silently, she made her own prayer into her own glowing crystal, which she could tell now had been hiding in her own heart. She could feel the taint inside her surging, pulsing in time with the heart of the taint, trying to take her over. She prayed that Holy would save them all, would not drain them to the point of death. It did not seem to listen. It knew the importance of what she had to do.

"Starlight!"

White light and purity exploded from the crystal, using every drop of energy to wash over the taint. It was the largest spell she had ever cast, and somehow she knew the light was not confined to this room, that somehow it covered the whole world. She began to strain with the effort of this spell as the spell fought to wash over and purify the taint. She could feel the taint fighting back.

Though only moments had passed, it felt like an eternity. She could see the glowing senshi below dropping like flies, spent completely. The power in her crystal began to ebb, but she had no choice but to push forward. She used every drop, somehow creating a buffer for the two Moons - she wished she could have done so for the others, or at least for Saturn, who had promised to kill her if she failed and became tainted - but she could not spare any more for anything. Already her mind and body felt the strain of the spell. Already she could feel the taint inside her surging stronger. Suddenly, the crystal in her hands shattered into a fine mist of glowing shards. She didn't have any time to feel shocked or horrified as the taint inside surged, blacking everything out.

Sailor Moon could have screamed when she saw the crystal in Andromeda's hands shatter, much as her own had done on more than one occasion. At least she hadn't been tainted. At least she had survived.

Suddenly, the now tainted, angelic form of Andromeda came after her. The staff that had been in her hands and dropped to the floor when she transformed into her glowing, angelic form had become a sword somehow, and she could tell the woman meant to use it on her and Chibiusa. She could not let that happen, but at the same time she could not do anything. Holding the Silver Moon Crystal as she was was the only thing keeping that darkness back. Andromeda had managed to heal the most part of it, but she could feel it coming from Andromeda now, and she knew she couldn't stop. She was barely aware that her friends were unconscious. At least, she hoped they were unconscious, and not dead. Something inside told her they had given everything, though, including their lives. Tears of sadness and horror streamed down her cheeks.

"Outai, stop!" she cried out, but the woman didn't stop. She didn't even flinch. Sailor Moon - no, princess Serenity, now - braced herself for death.

When she was sure she should be feeling the bite of a blade through her neck or shoulder, and nothing came, she peeked her eyes open. Strangely, her first concern was for Chibiusa, who was still holding her crystal, though she looked exhausted as she felt. Her little red eyes, though, told her not to stop, that she wasn't going to stop either. Her second concern was why she wasn't dead.

Princess Serenity looked up and saw why immediately. Mooney was meeting Outai - she supposed her name was really Aurora, but she couldn't stop thinking of the girl as Outai - sword for sword. It wasn't right! They shouldn't be fighting! She knew the taint had taken over Outai now, that it wasn't really Outai fighting, but there had to be something of her left in that glowing body. There had to, or she wouldn't still be in her angelic form. She wanted to cry out, to bring Outai back to herself, but she knew that wouldn't happen. The same had happened to Sailor Galaxia, being used by Chaos to fight, and she knew talking wouldn't bring her back. Something else had to. She had enough left that she could purify Outai - though taken over, her own taint was now weak. Before she could purify her, however, she screamed in horror and sadness.

Outai had not been fast enough to fend off Mooney, whose cheeks were stained with tears, and who's blue eyes - though one was swollen shut - were rimmed with red but set with determination. His sword penetrated her chest, coming out the other side. Outai's eyes widened in disbelief, but soon glazed over with death. As she began to fall, Mooney caught her in his arms, holding her close, crying. Tears streamed down her own cheeks, and she could see Chibiusa crying as well as Mooney pulled the sword from her chest and kept her held close with one arm. The other arm held his sword, pointed at Outai's back. She knew what he was going to do, and was powerless to stop him as the sword went through Outai's back and into his own chest until it came out of hs back. Both slumped to the side, lifeless.

Bring them back, she prayed into the crystal in her hands. Bring them back, please. We just want a normal life. Please, give me back my friends, let us live a normal life. Doing so might cost her her life, but if it meant her friends lived, she was fine with it. She could see the same in Chibiusa's eyes as they held their crystals together.

"Moon Crystal Power!" they said in unison, and a brilliant white light flashed around them, washing away the last little bits of the taint that were left in the world at the cost of the last of their energies.

Author's note: ACK! over 7k words! _ Not the longest by far, but close to it! But it is done! It is finally done! Or...is it? Keep your eyes peeled and send me delicious reviews!