Tokyo, Modern Day
From underneath, the ground shook. Then, it splintered, cracking up as if an unknown force was pushing at a seam. And right as it burst, Jadeite commanded the youma to attack.
Since starting his mission to gather energy for Beryl, he'd been plagued by these Sailor Scouts. Once the guardians of the Moon Kingdom, the scouts had apparently been reincarnated just as he had, and every time one of his schemes was near completion, they swooped in and stopped him.
At first, it was annoying. Now, it sent Jadeite into a desperate peril. The last time his plot to gather energy was foiled by Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury, Queen Beryl gave him more than just a tongue lashing. He was thrown into an ice cold prison before Endymion finally convinced her to free him. By then he was frozen to the bone, starving for food and mentally broken.
What was all this worth? He never liked Beryl, so why was he following her now? All of this was to bring back the Earth Kingdom to its rightful place, and if that was truly what was meant to happen, he didn't think it would be this hard.
His feet dug into the grass as the youma charged the three Sailor Scouts standing across from him in this darkened park. Despite this being one of his strongest monsters, he was facing a merciless assault. And, to top it off, he had only collected a miniscule amount of energy. His latest venture was a half corked idea that involved a popular shoe store. It wasn't his best work, but at this point he was willing to try anything. On the night of the store's big sale–which drew hundreds of people within an hour–Sailor Moon came triumphantly in to save the day.
He remembered the other Sailor Scouts, albeit somewhat vaguely, from the Silver Millennium. Sailor Moon, however, he could not place.
"Moon tiara magic!"
A glowing orb shot at the youma who dodged, leaving Jadeite exposed to it. As it hurled past him, it connected with his coat sleeve. For being a tiara, it sliced like a knife. Jadeite winced in pain but steadied himself. One more failure and he was done. This couldn't be the end of his line.
He formed a fist and shot a ball of energy at Sailor Moon. It was a weak attack, as magic had only been with him for a few weeks, but it was enough to send her scrambling. From behind a lick of fire slapped against his back. Singed, he turned to see Sailor Mars with her arms extended toward him.
"Stop this now!" She hissed. "Stop stealing energy from the innocent people of Earth!"
"These people are not innocent!" He screamed back. "Once we revive our kingdom, they will be truly innocent and pure!"
He globbed another ball of energy toward Mars. It took her off guard and hit her square in the abdomen, sending her flying backward onto the ground. He heard shuffling on his other side before being ambushed by a torrent of ice cold bubbles that felt like shards of glass pricking into his skin. This beating was not what he had anticipated.
Knocked over by the force of cold, Jadeite fell flat on his face. For a moment, he considered that maybe he should just let himself die. If Sailor Moon didn't kill him, Beryl certainly would try. Endymion would obviously step in and help him, but it wouldn't make his treatment in Beryl's ranks any better. If she did keep him alive, his days would be filled with unbearable torture, or worse–mindnumbing dullness.
Beryl was the leader. She made that perfectly clear when she adopted her father's title in this new world–Queen Beryl–a step above Prince Endymion. Days like these he almost wished he was back in his "regular" life living as a college dropout with a lackluster entrepreneurial spirit. At least then he wouldn't be getting the shit kicked out of him.
"Jadeite, it ends here!" Sailor Moon shouted at him. He didn't move. "Your evil schemes are no more!"
He waited for the impact. He actually kind of wanted it. Maybe if Sailor Moon killed him, he would be free once more from the strange knowledge that he had a past life with such big responsibilities. He could run away from this without having to putting his tail between his legs. Would it hurt, dying? That was one of the things he didn't remember from the Silver Millennium.
He lifted his head only slightly, peering down the field at Sailor Moon. Take me, he thought. Just do it already.
A cloud of black smoke popped in front of him and he heard Sailor Moon gasp. Two feet appeared at the base of the cloud, and when it finally dissipated he saw Endymion standing there, dressed head to toe in his gleaming back armor with his black cape billowing in the wind.
"Sailor Moon, nice to see you again."
Endymion hated cleaning up Jadeite's messes, but here he was again. Sailor Moon was becoming quite the thorn in his side, somehow managing to foil every single one of Jadeite's plans, leaving minimal energy in the Earth Kingdom's stores.
"Endymion, you won't get away with this!" Sailor Mars pointed at him before summoning an evil seal, flames bursting out of it as it sailed toward him. Endymion sidestepped it easily.
For all their annoying attributes, Endymion did have to admit they were tenacious. They never shied away from a fight, although sometimes watching Sailor Moon fumble her way through an attack was a spectacle within itself. They were a lot stronger than they looked and as time went on, they actually became a pretty effective team.
But that didn't matter. They were on the wrong side of the battlefield and Endymion wouldn't stop until they were eliminated.
"One day you will understand that all of this is necessary to bring balance in the world, Sailor Moon." Endymion watched her as she glowered at him.
"Stealing energy from humans is not bringing balance in the world, Endymion," Sailor Moon shot back. "It's taking something from someone without their permission and it's wrong."
He had heard enough. From a pocket tucked within his cape, he drew out a single black rose. He threw it at her, creating a current of energy that wrapped around her like a cage. She fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
"Endymion!" She screamed out. "Stop! Please!"
The desperation in her voice gave Endymion a sick satisfaction. It wasn't that he necessarily liked hurting people, but the adrenaline that pumped through him during each battle made him feel like he was back in his old body again. It reminded him of the power of being a prince and of the grueling hours he spent training for peak physical perfection.
Sailor Moon laid on her side as the energy vines wrapped around her body, continuing to jolt. She looked up at Endymion and when she saw the delight swirling in his eyes, her heart sank.
"I won't give up!" She fought against the restraints. "I won't stop until your evil plot is through!"
Endymion let out a laugh. Evil plot? This was meant to free Earth's people. She was the one standing in the way. He flexed his hand and focused on the chains, and another wave of electricty surged. She screamed again as heavy tears streamed down her face.
"Endymion, please," she cried. "Please, I beg you."
He looked into her eyes for just a moment too long. Had he seen this once before? A woman on the ground, begging for his help. Blue eyes piercing his soul. Wanting to help–trying to help–but it was all too late. Suddenly, he felt deep shame for holding her like this.
He relaxed his hands, breaking the vines that surrounded her body and watched as she took several gulps of air. All the while she stared directly at him, the fury and hurt combining into a spotlight right on Endymion's soul. A moment of satisfaction was replaced by a thousand regrets. He didn't like hurting her, not anymore.
"Jadeite," Endymion said coldly. "We shall go."
From behind, Jadeite scrambled. "What are you doing?"
Sailor Moon slowly got up. Now that she was upright, Endymion could see hundreds of cuts and scratches, all from his magical binds. Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury ran to her aid, pulling her entirely on her feet, and propping her up as they glowered at Endymion. A lump bobbed in his throat.
With a swish of his cape, Endymion cloaked himself and Jadeite in a dark smoke. They vanished into the sky and reappeared only seconds later in a cavernous chamber deep, deep inside a cave. They were back in Beryl's hideout, D Point, somewhere near the North Pole. Jadeite's eyes were as big as saucers.
"What is wrong with you?" He hissed. Endymion shoved past him and headed toward a long corridor. "You let her go? You could've killed her!"
Endymion kept ignoring him, instead pressing on down the hallway. Jadeite stood in shock back in the open chamber, but quickly was on Endymion's heels. He grabbed Endymion's shoulder, pulling him back.
"Hey!" Jadeite spun Endymion around. All this time Jadeite had been fighting against Sailor Moon, trying to collect energy to revive the Earth Kingdom, kneeling at the feet of a woman he downright hated just so he could save his own ass, only to be foiled by his supposed friend. "Mind explaining to me why you just let our enemy go?"
Endymion shot him a look of annoyance. "Killing her will not bring us closer to our goal."
"Yes, it will!" Jadeite was shocked. "She is the only reason we haven't been able to collect enough energy, which if you haven't noticed, has fallen entirely on my shoulders. One more screw up and Beryl is going to kill me, Endymion."
"Kill you?" Endymion rolled his eyes. "She won't kill you."
"Yes, she will." Jadeite's voice was alarmingly serious. "I just know she will. If she has no issue with us killing Sailor Moon and stealing energy, I highly doubt she will take issue with killing us off, too."
"She wants to restore the Earth Kingdom, Jadeite," Endymion said. "A kingdom that you are apart of."
Jadeite shook his head. "Endymion, I don't think you understand."
"What is there not to understand?" Endymion was visibly upset. Beryl had been there for him: Their time in Elysian, when the Earth Kingdom fell, when his memories were restored. Yes, her methods were a little brash, but she was an ally. How could one of his oldest friends not see that?
"She's your friend, so you don't want to believe it," Jadeite chose his words carefully. "I didn't want to say anything for fear I might be wrong, but I just have this gut feeling that she's not who–"
"Jadeite."
The voice startled both the men. Standing down the hallway was Kunzite looking cross. He watched with annoyance as the two stared at him and made his way closer.
"Kunzite." Endymion said, feigning a smile. "How are you, my friend?"
"Enough with the pleasantries." Kunzite closed the gap between them and took Jadeite by the collar. Underneath his powerful grip, Jadeite flinched. "Are you questioning Beryl's allegiance to our cause?"
Jadeite's eyes went wide. Kunzite was the only Shitennou that scared him–in the present and the past. Having his hand so close to Jadeite's neck made him squirm. "I'm just saying that–"
"What you're saying is treasonous." Kunzite let his hand fall and Jadeite staggered backward. "Our mission is clear and if you don't want to be part of the solution then you will become part of the problem. Is that what you want?"
He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. Questioning Beryl would accelerate what Jadeite believed to be the inevitable, and yet following her orders and continually failing caused the same problem. Oh, how he regretted following Beryl into the night the first time they met. He had been so idealistic then, so sure that his life was finally on a correct path. Now, he was wringing his hands, anticipating the fate that would soon befall him.
He could remember it so clearly now. Sitting in a cafe, sipping on some coffee, reading another boring economics book and desperately trying to picture himself in an office somewhere, dressed in a stuffy suit and staring at a picture of a wife he tolerated and a child he didn't entirely want. And then she walked in, hair flaming red and a gleam in her eye. Before she even told him about the past, he knew what she was going to say.
I am going to change your life.
And now, she was about to end it.
"It's not what I want Kunzite," Jadeite said, his voice shaking. "That's not what I want at all."
"Good." Kunzite was curt. "I hope you will not show such insubordiance again."
Jadeite looked sheepishly to the ground. Kunzite turned to Endymion, his expression changing from cold and cunning to a softness Jadeite did not know he was capable of.
"Endymion, Beryl would like to see you in the throne room," Kunzite said. 'Please join me."
The prince nodded his head and cast Jadeite a look of concern. Endymion believed that Beryl was on their side, that her efforts were an altruistic attempt to right the wrongs that had beaten down the people of Earth. He needed to believe that, because if it wasn't true–if what Jadeite was saying was correct–it meant that he had been the enemy the whole time.
He followed Kunzite down the hallway back toward the throne room, but before he got too far, he looked over his shoulder one last time. Standing there looking pale and afraid, Jadeite met his gaze with the look of a man already marked for dead.