DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON. ANY OF IT. . . . . . SO DON'T SUE.

My first fic. Be constructive. Help is appreciative. But no stupid remarks. We all have an opinion

Chapter 26

The Price to be Paid

Darkness surrounded her. It was an endless abyss and all was quite. Even thought she dealt with solitude for so long this sent chills down her spine. I never have felt so alone than being here right now. It's just so dark, so evil, and so…..so much despair. She shook herself to focus on why she was in this black void to begin with. Before she could take another step, a voice rung out in the abyss.

"Setsuna!" Jasper yelled. She focused her senses to where the voice came from. She could feel him near her, but still so far away. This void must feed on fear. I can't let Valgeane use that against me. She called out to Jasper. "Jasper I'm here. Listen, the void feeds off our fear so we can't be afraid. I know we will come out of this. Just follow my voice."

"I'm sorry dear Sailor Pluto, but my brother won't be joining us," hissed Valgeane. With a snap of his fingers Sailor Pluto was sent flying backwards and landed hard on the floor. "Jasper…..please….help me." Valgeane laughed. "Why he has a soft spot for you, I'll never know. You are more powerful than the other scouts this is true. The only two to truly rival your power are Sailor Saturn and Sailor Moon herself. Nonetheless you are still weak and pathetic and you must be terminated. I took his mother, now I take his love. After that he will have nothing left to fight for. You lose Sailor Pluto. The sailor scouts lose. The world loses. And if my brother still decides to resist me, he loses. Every heart will fade. Every heart returns to darkness, to my domain. My brother was weak enough to be fooled once and he destroyed an entire kingdom! What makes you think he won't break again!" Valegeane roared with laughter and cackled through out the dark endlessness with and eerie sound that was both horrible and uncontrollable. He walked up to Pluto who struggled to get to her feet, and he kicked her in her gut and ribs. She doubled over in pain. "Now that rib's broken." He picked her up by her hair. "So long Sailor Pluto, and good riddance you slutty ass bitch." In his free hand a sword appeared. With a yell he raised his arm…..

"SHOOTING STAR DUST!" BLAST!

"AAAAAH!" Valgeane screamed in pain and agony and stumbled away from Sailor Pluto. The Moonlight Knight rushed to her side and pulled her a safe distance away.

"My love? Pluto, are you alright! Please speak to me!" Pluto lifted her head to look into her lover's eyes. "Rib broken. But other than that I'll be fine." Jasper laid her down. "Don't worry, I'll get you home safe and sound. I promise." He turned to see Valgeane getting to his feet.

"You insolent bastard! Do you have any idea how much that stings?"

"I'm only sorry it didn't do more damage," Jasper said evenly. Valgeane looked at Jasper with empty eyes. "You love her? She who has no place among all powerful people like you and I? You truly would rather spend eternity with her than along side your only brother and rule all universes?" Jasper looked and Valgeane with the saddest eyes and regret he could ever give someone. "My brother died a long time ago."

Valgeane sneered. "Then soon you'll be his brother! Black Wave Smash!" Jasper stood in front of Sailor Pluto taking the blunt of the attack but he held his ground. Breathing heavily he took a couple of steps towards his brother. Valgeane took a stance. "Meteor Shower Collide!" The mini missile launched meteors hit their target dead on, but still the Moonlight Knight kept a steady pace forward. Valgeane rose an eyebrow. "Still got some fight left in you? Fine then try this! Solar Inferno Elimination!" Fireballs collided with Jasper and he screamed in agonizing pain and smoke now laid where he stood. Pluto looked up not sensing the Moonlight Knight's power anywhere. "…..Jasper?" she whispered. Valgeane began to chuckle. "The fool. Thought he was stronger than me. Ha! What a sap and disillusioned shithead he was." "Don't count me out just yet Valgeane…."

Valgeane and Pluto both gasped and looked as the smoke clear to see a standing, albeit, badly burned and bruised Moonlight Knight.

Valgeane began to get impatient. "Why won't you go DOWN!" On the word down, he shot forth electricity from his hands and began to shock the Moonlight Knight. He raised him into the air and slowly started walking towards him. "You have no idea of the power you possess little brother! You don't realize the gift you have at your fingertips or you wouldn't be so foolish to throw it all away. You will never fully fit in. All of them are a well knit group. Even Galaxia has new found friends in those sisters. No one else knows what it's like to be alone, to feel outside of their own group. Come with me and you won't have to know." The Moonlight Knight continued to scream in pain. Valgeane started to give his attack more ammo. "You really think things will be the same before that fateful day? You think that just because they accepted you back means they won't turn on you the first chance they get? You are too powerful. They will always fear you. It was true back all those millinea ago, it will be true now. You will never be close with them because they all died and got to start life over anew. But you didn't. How can you even believe you can fit into their new found life? The Moonlight Knight fought to bring up his hand to launch a desperate attack but Valgeane caught his movement and amped up his attack even more. "AAAAAAAH!" the Moonlight Knight screamed. Pluto struggled and was using all her might to get to one knee. Valgeane continued his rant to the Moonlight Knight. "Soon the Black Hole will engulf the Earth. Nothing can stop me. I'm going to kill Sailor Pluto and you will watch it. But I'm giving you one last chance. Join me or perish along with everything else brother!" The Moonlight Knight looked at his brother who was now almost face to face with him. With all his might the Moonlight Knight spat right in Valgeane's face. The incident caused Valgeane to drop the Moonlight Knight who landed but was fighting to stand on his feet. Valgeane took one look into his brothers eyes and screamed "FINAL BLAST" and proceeded to punch the Moonlight Knight right into the stomach. And the Moonlight Knight toppled backward and fell onto the ground. He didn't move.

Sailor Pluto screamed. "!"

She closed her eyes. "Sailor Scouts please. I beg of you. Give me your power!" Back on earth the other sailor scouts had figure out a way to close the black hole but still didn't know how to get Sailor Pluto and the Moonlight Knight out. Then they heard the plea from Sailor Pluto. The Sailor Scouts all nodded and formed a circle.

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

"Mars Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Venus Crystal Power!"

"Uranus Crystal Power!"

"Neptune Crystal Power!"

"Saturn Crystal Power!"

"Moon Cosmic Power!"

A ray of pure white light left the 8 scouts on Earth and filled Sailor Pluto. Valgeane looked up to see an astonishing sight.

Pluto looked at Valgeane. "You're wrong Valgeane. I have an idea of the power I possess. I realize the gift at my fingertips. I don't fully fit in with the Sailor Scouts. I know what it is like to feel alone to be outside my own group. I'm powerful. I see all possible outcomes. While the others may fear that I can see all, they still love me and accept me. I didn't die either, but I found a way to fit into their new life's as you put it. The only other person to remotely know how that feels is the Moonlight Knight. That's why I love him. That's why he loves me. As long as there is breathe in his body he won't give up. He won't go down because like it or not he is the crown prince of the moon, and he will fight to protect this planet and Crystal Tokyo!"

Valgeane noticed the more she talked, the more powerful she was becoming.

Sailor Pluto continued to talk. "I can make you better. We can be friends if you believe me. Sailor Moon has a big heart. This isn't you Valgeane. I know it!"

Valgeane shot fireballs at her. Sailor Pluto just walked right on through them.

"Please Valgeane, it's not too late."

Valgeane laughed. "The end is upon us. You think that even if you could beat me that you'll make it out of this void before it closed? You see you are all weak because you fear the darkness. You fear the power. I embrace it. It is the only true power. The power of hate and darkness!"

Pluto stopped. "You're wrong. I know now, beyond all doubt that the one true power is love and light!"

With that said, Sailor Pluto released the power of love and the rays hit Valgeane with full force. It blinded him. "What the? How can this be…? No…no!...NO!" The light engulfed him. Back on Earth, the sailor scouts, the shittenou, the starlights, Galaxia, Helios, Peruru, and Zalazar watched the light and felt its power coursing through their veins. Wow thought Zalazar this warmth, this pureness, oh Trelthazar my friend. I wish you could have felt this. Galaxia herself was having a thought. Oh princess Kakyuu, how proud you would be to feel this. I now understand. I will pledge my oath to the future Neo-Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo and fight along side her and the others. Back in the void, the power faded away….and Valgeane still standing, but barely able to stand.

Pluto's eyes widened. "I've failed." Valgeane smirked. "Yes you failed."

THWACK!

It was now Valgeane's eyes to widen. He looked down to see a white rose sticking out of his chest. He and Sailor Pluto turned to see a still breathing Moonlight Knight.

"Brother?" Valgeane asked. A tear left his cheek. "Please…" and with that plea Valgeane faded away into nothingness. Pluto powered down and fainted. Jasper caught her. I have to get her out of here and fast! There was still a portal open and he rushed to get there. The void was now unstable and was closing on itself. He reached the portal. But it was so small he didn't think he could get both of them through it. "I can't do it. I'm sorry my love, I was too late to get us out."

"Giving up already? Come on Jasper, I thought you were stronger than that!" Jasper looked up to see Helios and Zalazar on the other side of the portal. "Come on then," exclaimed Helios. "The Scouts can't hold this void open forever you know!" Jasper smiled and gave Setsuna to Helios to get her through first. With her safely out of the way Helios turned back to help Jasper, and saw blood trickling from his gut. "Jasper?" Helios asked. Jasper looked up and smiled. "It seems I'm not going to make it." Helios yelled. "Jasper no! Come on! Just leap through! Saturn or Sailor Moon can heal you, just get through! We all just found you we can't lose you again! Jasper!" Zalazar put a hand on Helios' shoulder. Helios turned to the warrior.

"Get Pluto back to the others. I'll go through the portal and stop the bleeding. As soon as you get there count to three and then tell the scouts to close the portal. I'll take care of everything from this side." Helios shook his head. "Leave damn it! It's the only chance we have of not losing this world!" Helios swallowed hard. He hated it but he turned to leave.

"Helios?" He turned to see Jasper. "Take care of her." Helios nodded with a tear and then headed back down to earth. He landed with Setsuna in his arms. "1, 2, 3. Do it now!" Sailor Moon asked, "But what about?—"

"I said NOW DAMN IT! NOW!"

With tears in her eyes she looked to the others. All were teary eyed but they all held out there arms and yelled, "Sailor Planet Attack!"

In what seemed like an eternity, the black void grew smaller and smaller until it completely diminished. The earth's sky returned to a beautiful blue, the grass was green once again and the sound of life was buzzing the streets. Sailor Moon looked to where the black void was. They're gone. I can't believe they're gone. "Uhhhg."

The sound of Setsuna awaking caught everyone's attention. She slowly got up and came to look at sad, solemn faces. She took one look at Sailor Moon and asked, "Jasper?" Sailor Moon shook her head. She turned to Helios. "What happened?" Helios looked back to where the void was. "He had been wounded very badly. The bleeding seemed to be far worse than he thought at first. He rushed to get you to the portal. Zalazar and I went to try to get you both out. The portal could only get one person out at a time. I gathered you in my arms I saw the wound. He couldn't move…..so…so…Zalazar stepped in the portal to heal him and close the portal from the other side. And I left with you to get you to safety. I did what they told me to do….."

Setsuna hugged him. "It's alright." Helios looked her dead in the eyes. "Then why do I feel so wrong about it?" Setsuna looked up to the sky. Jasper my love. I know you're out there somewhere. Wherever you are, I know you will find a way back to me. You did it once. But this time I'll try to find a way back to you. With that final thought she fainted once again. The scouts and shittenou decided to head back to the shrine to clue everyone else in on what transpired and to check on the other injured.

As they left, floating out of the sky to where Setsuna last stood, was a single white rose.

THE END

AN: There is an Epilogue….stay tuned!