...It is said, that nothing last's forever. Not hate, not revenge, not anything. Wrong. One thing that has lasted throughout the ages is the most beautiful thing in the world; love. Hello, I am the author of this story. This story is about unyielding and everlasting love. About the bounds of friendship and love between 10 people that will last forever. About how far the fighters of love and justice were willing to go to ensure peace and happiness, even at the cost of their own souls. This is the story of a Princess of the Moon, the Prince of Earth, his four guardians, and her four guardians.
You see, I was there...
It went on to tell how Prince Endymion, his four guardians, Kunzite, Jadeite, Nephlite, and Zoicite, Princess Serenity, her four guardians, Princess Mina, Princess Raye, Princess Lita, and Princess Amy grew up. It went on to tell of the many hardships they had to go through; like Prince Endymion losing his brother and father to a boating accident, Jedite losing his beloved sister to some creature they were never able to identify, Princess Serenity losing her father and brother to a shuttle accident, and Princess Mina losing her mother and new born sister to birthing problems.
"Serene, my daughter, in one week, Prince Endymion of Earth and his guardians are coming for a visit and to train with you and the Sailors," informed Queen Serenity while the five of us sat around reading on that cold and rainy day.
"Really," asked Serene with interest, "how long are they staying for?"
"Three months."
"My Queen," Raye asked with concern, "are you sure it is safe to let them come here, let alone come anywhere near Serene? After all, she is the only heir to the throne and humans are well known for being very violent and aggressive."
Queen Serenity looked at her sadly, "Raye, I know of your feelings towards humans. But you cannot condemn an entire planet for the deeds of one."
Raye bowed her head, but the Queen knew that she wouldn't let this go. Queen Serenity is like a surrogate mother to them all. She knows them all to well.
After she left the library, Serene, Lita, and Mina started to speculate on whether the Prince and his guards would be cute or not. Amy looked at them with an absolutely blank look. Not surprising from their resident genius. For as long as they'd known her, her life is made up of protecting Serene, working on computers, books, and chess. Perhaps she shall change someday, or this visit from the humans would change her, Raye thought.
Raye had no idea how right she was.
As Queen Serenity had told them, Prince Endymion and his four guards arrived one week later and Serene, Mina, and Lita were a nervous wreaks. Amy and Raye had to calm them down or we knew that they would go hysterical. It was typical them.
As they sat in the throne room waiting for them, Raye noticed that the Queen's hair was becoming grayer. When did that happen, she wondered curiously.
She didn't have time to dwell on it, for at that moment, Prince Endymion and his guard were announced.
Raye watched them with suspicion, looking for any weapon that could be used to kill the Queen or Princess from a long distance, for she knew that even though the Royal Guard wouldn't let them get near the Princess or Queen just yet, one could never be too careful. Suddenly, her eyes were transfixed by the guard with blond hair and blue eyes. Her eyes didn't leave his for the rest of the introductions.
"Queen Serenity," announced the one with the black hair, "I am Prince Endymion, son of King Terran and Queen Gaea of Earth, the Prince of Earth. These are my four Guardian Generals in order of rank, General Kunzite, General Zoisite, General Jedite, and General Nephlite. We are pleased to come here at your invitation Your Highness."
Queen Serenity smiled at the young man, she already liked him, Raye knew.
Serene spoke with that sweet voice they all knew and loved, "I am Princess Serenity, daughter of Queen Serenity and King Harold of the Moon, the Princess of the Moon. These are my guardians in order of rank, Sailor Venus or Princess Mina, Princess Amy or Sailor Mercury, Princess Raye or Sailor Mars, and Princess Lita or Sailor Jupiter. We are pleased that you would honor us with your presence."
Even though Raye's eyes were glued to his, General Jedite, she reached out with her senses and found no evil, and much to her surprise, no evil coming from the others. Not even the Prince. She only found extreme goodness. Unusual, for a human, she said in her mind.
The Queen spoke, "Well, I'm sure that you would feel much more comfortable in getting to know each other if I were not around, so I will just go to my office if anyone needs me." Smiling once more at everyone, Queen Serenity left the room.
The story described how slowly the two groups got to know one another and hesitantly fell in love. First Sailor Jupiter and General Nephlite, then Princess Serene and Prince Endymion, followed by General Zoisite and Sailor Mercury, and following their lieges example, Sailor Venus and General Kunzite. Though it took a lot of time and love, General Jedite finally won the heart of Sailor Mars. The group of ten was happy for about a month. Then the four Generals was taken by Queen Beryl. 'Why do these names sound so familiar,' wondered Serenity. Shrugging her shoulders, she continued to read.
What worried them was that the four Generals had been brainwashed into thinking that their old friends were the enemy and they tried multiple times to kill them all.
Finally, Queen Beryl formally declared war on Earth, causing Prince Endymion to be called back to Earth to help defend his planet.
After several days of fighting Beryl formally declared war on the Moon., causing the Sailors to be on constant alert. After a month of defending the Moon, the final battle came...
Serene looked out from her balcony, towards the battlefield. She knew that the people were safe, having been moved into the Palace for safety and knew that since the Palace was huge, there was no spacing problems.
Serene closed her eyes and she heard laughter coming from behind her.
"Come on guys," called twelve-year-old Serene, "I'll race you to the table!" With that, she ran off, only to trip a few feet later and fall to the floor.
Raye, Mina, and Lita started giggling at their friend's clumsiness. But Amy just ran over to her friend and asked, "Are you alright Serene?"
Serene, who was just about to cry when she saw her friends laughing, smiled at Amy, "Well, at least there is one friend who cares about me."
The other three stared at her in shock. 'Does she really think that we don't care about her,' they thought.
They snapped out of it when they saw Amy and Serene marching down the hallway.
"Hey Amy, Serene," cried Raye, "wait up!"
When they caught up with them, the two just stared at them coldly.
"Serene, do you really think that we don't care about you," quietly asked Lita.
With an arched eyebrow, she answered, "Well, you certainly don't act like you don't care about me. I mean, all you do is laugh at me when I fall, or make fun of me. Do you know how many times I have cried myself to sleep over the things you have said to me? Amy is the only one who has never said a single bad thing to me."
Mina told her after a moment of silence, "Serene, we never meant to hurt you. We were only teasing you; we never meant any harm by it. We thought you laughed about it like we did. It never occurred to us that you felt different about it. We're really sorry about it."
Raye and Lita nodded vigorously in agreement.
For a moment, Serene stared hard into each of their eyes, as though she could see if they were really telling the truth or not. After doing this, she broke into a big smile and nodded.
Laughing, they continued towards the dinning room.
Sighing, Serene thought, 'those were such simple times and it was the first time that I truly saw that my friends truly loved me.' Sighing again, she looked back out towards the battlefield. Serene knew that her friends were not getting enough sleep. Yet they knew that without rest, they wouldn't be able to pull off an attack. So now they fought with swords, and sometimes with their bare hands.
Serene recalled the last time she'd seen them, two days ago.
~ "Princess Serene," a servant called, "the Sailors are back from the battlefield."
"Thank you for telling me," she answered. With these words, Serene ran down to Queen Serenity's office where they were giving their report.
As she walked inside, Venus was saying, "We've kept them at bay Your Highness, but we'll need reinforcements before long. The army out there now is exhausted. They need those reinforcements so they can catch a few hours of sleep."
The Queen sighed and nodded.
The Sailors left the room, with Serene following them.
"Guys you need some sleep as well," admonished Serene gently.
Venus quickly replied, "Don't worry Serene, we're fine, aren't we?" She glanced at the others for agreement.
"Nope," said Sailor Jupiter with her eyes half closed.
"I'm hardly fine Venus," snapped Mars irritably.
"We need rest Venus, or we won't function much longer," added an extremely tired Mercury.
Venus sighed in defeat, "Alright, maybe we do need a little rest. Go to your chambers, wash up, get something to eat, and get some rest. We're going to need it sooner or later."
As Venus walked off, no one pretended to not know what she had meant. The three Sailors broke down in tears.
Serene sighed again. She'd never seen anyone cry like that before. It had made her realize just how bad war really was.
Venus sighed. This war had to stop, she screeched in her mind. It was really starting to get to her. Suddenly, she spotted four figures walking towards them.
"Mercury," she demanded, "who's that up ahead?"
Mercury, always efficient, even in a war, whipped out her computer. For several seconds, she scanned. She frowned and muttered, "That can't be right." She did the scan again, but came out with the same answer.
Mercury looked at them with wide eyes full of terror. She didn't have to tell them, they just knew.
With an aching heart, Venus turned to her former lover.
I don't need for Mercury to scan them to know who they are, Mars thought sadly, I already know.
With dread, Mars slowly started forward, ignoring Jupiter's confused glance. She'll figure it out soon enough, Mars continued, this will probably be the last battle that the Sailor Scouts ever fight. And in a way, I'm glad to be rid of all the pain that I've gone through these past few months.
With dread in her mind, Mars stared into the heartless eyes that once belonged to the one man she loved.
Jupiter gazed at Nephlite with surprising calm. 'It isn't him, she reminded her heart over and over. At least, that is what she tried to do. 'Oh god, NEPHLITE, come back to me PLEASE!'
Still, Jupiter knew that the Nephlite she loved and cherished was gone, possibly forever. Time to get rid of this evil thing that would dare to take over his body.
Jupiter knew what was required to do all to well.
Mercury stared at Zoisite, thinking with all her might, it's not him, it's not him. Oh Zoisite, where are you, her mind screamed with all of it's power.
As she stared at him, Mercury, like the other Scouts, knew what she had to do.
"So Sailor Failures," sneered Kunzite, "are you prepared to meet your Maker?"
Venus snarled at him, "Everyone joins the Maker sooner or later you asshole, but we aren't going to today. You are traitors!"
"Not likely."
'Who are you and what are you doing to me,' Kunzite's mind kept asking the image of Sailor Venus. 'She's the love of your life,' a small, but truthful voice said from inside what remained of his heart. He tried to squash the voice, to no avail.
'Hey Kunz, if you're still in there, I love you and I always will, no matter what,' Venus thought at him.
'Why do we seem to know each other so god damn well?' Jadeite's mind berated.
'Jade, please don't forget what we had. I know that a part of you still knows deep inside.'
'Hey Nephlite, just want you to know that I still love you and will never forget that, even if you do.'
'What is with those green eyes of yours. So seemingly soft and understanding, whoa where did that jump out from?'
'Zoisite just know that I forgive you for all you've ever done and all you will do. I love you forever, my love, my soul.'
'Someone give the signal, so I can get closer to the baby 'Sailor' and see those crystal eyes so full of love,' his mind snapped at his heart, 'shut up and remember you job. Kill her with no mercy!' But still, there was a small part of his heart telling, no begging, him not to do what he'd been ordered to do.
To this day, no one knows who shouted it, but it was the one sentence that would start the End of the Beginning. The start of the pain, the betrayal, the suffering, the tears, the heartaches… and the forgiveness.
"FIGHT TO THE DEATH!"
"Mercury Bubbles Blast," Sailor Mercury shouted with what energy reserves she had. She hoped against hope that it would be enough to cover their escape. 'As if they'd leave,' her mind scolded.
"You are Sailor Mercury right," asked a cold and unemotional voice.
Slowly, Mercury turned to that voice, hoping that it was just some youma. She was wrong, for one of the few times in her life.
"General Zoisite," she muttered as coldly as she could manage.
"Yes," he grinned evilly, "I'm here to kill the Water Scout, Sailor Mercury. You are her, aren't you? Not that I already know."
"Are you going to stand there and talk or are you going to fight? I haven't got all day you know."
Zoisite acted as though he'd come to realization, "Oh that's right! You have to die in the next few minutes."
Amy gulped and answered softly, "What makes you think I'm the one who will die today? I have every intention of being alive for sometime."
"I'm sorry to disrupt your plans." With these words, he leaped out at her and swung at her sword.
Her energy just about gone, Amy barely managed to block, but the next swing that came immediately afterwards knocked the sword from her hands. She fell to the ground, tired of fighting.
"Any last words, Princess," Zoisite sneered.
'Thank god for the bubbles,' Jupiter thought for a moment as she moved back away from the Palace. She knew that she had to keep them away from the Moon Palace for as long as possible until the shields could be reinforced. If the cost was her life, then so be it. 'But to be killed by the other half of your soul,' she asked, 'is it worth that?'
She didn't have time to answer her own question, for a man with a long mane of red-brown hair appeared in front of her.
"Nephlite," she growled.
"Ah the lovely Sailor Scout of Jupiter," he snarled with sarcasm.
"You'll get to the Princess over my dead body."
"That can be arranged."
She screamed at him in rage, "You traitor! How could you let that majorly bitchy Beryl turn you against your Prince, your planet, your love?! How could you?"
He narrowed his eyes in confusion, "I didn't betray anyone! What are you talking about?"
Trying to take advantage of his confusion, Jupiter swung her sword at him.
Nephlite laughed, "You see? You were only trying to confuse me." With one swing, he knocked her sword from her weak arms and brought his to her throat.
He thought for a moment, 'she is gorgeous, they all are for that matter. It would be a shame to kill her.'
"You know, we could negotiate our way out of this," he said off handedly as he leaned in closer to her face.
"What? Like you'll let me live if I let you enter the Moon Palace and kill Princess Serene, Queen Serenity, and Prince Endymion? You'll let me live if I betray my oath, my friends?! Sorry, but that's not for me."
Mars stared at the blond haired man in front of her. His normal sparkling blue eyes had been turned to midnight, almost completely black.
"Sailor Mars," he sneered, "prepare to meet your death."
She growled, "Shouldn't you be preparing to meet your own death TRAITOR!"
He sighed in frustration, "Will you Sailors stop calling us traitors? We have never been Endymion's guardians and we never will be." He seemed a little unsure at that statement.
'Is he remembering,' her mind asked. She ignored the voice, 'the Jade I knew and loved is gone forever, and even if he weren't, you'd kill him for letting himself be conquered by Beryl.' 'You don't mean that, and you know it.'
The little voice was right, Mars realized, she could never kill the one who had finally conquered her heart.
"You don't have enough energy to pull off an attack without killing yourself," Jedite continued, "not that you could beat me in any case."
"We'll see about that." With that she swung at him with her blood-covered sword.
They battled for a few minutes until they both realized that even with Mars exhausted from previous battles, they were evenly matched. That was what they thought, until Jadeite managed to get her to drop her sword.
Jedite put his face within inches of hers and whispered, "Who are you and what are you doing to me?"
"TRAITOR! You shall pay for you treachery," screamed Venus as she and Kunzite began to battle.
"I AM NOT A TRAITOR, SAILOR VENUS," he yelled right back.
"Then why did you betray Endymion, Earth, the Moon, and me," she asked quietly.
He stared at her for a moment and she stared right back at him, tears now flowing freely. 'Oh GOD, Kunzite please come back to me, I need you like the plants need water,' she thought desperately.
"Was I really a General of Endymion," he asked quietly.
Tears still flowing, she nodded.
Seeing the tears coursing down her face caused a scene to invade his mind.
-Kunzite stared at the woman who was the head of Princess Serenity's guard. ' She must also play the Princess's double when it is required. Man is she gorgeous with that light blond hair and sky blue eyes and she has the perfect name, Minako, named after the Goddess of Love herself, perhaps she is the reincarnation of the Goddess herself.'-
Softly, as though millions of miles away, Kunzite called, "Venus, Goddess of Love."
Venus's heart swelled with hope as she asked, "You're remembering, aren't you?"
Shaking his head violently, "THERE'S NOTHING TO REMEMBER!" Without thinking, his sword shot right into her abdomen. He gasped in surprise as she was unable to keep herself from screaming out in pain.
"Any last words, Princess," Zoisite sneered.
Holding her head high, Mercury screamed in frustration, "YES DAMN YOU, I LOVE YOU AND I HOPE BERYL BURNS IN HELL WHEN SHE'S KILLED FOR WHAT SHE HAS DONE TO YOU!'
Zoisite stared at her in confusion, but soon became angry at the words she said about Queen Beryl. With extreme anger, he took the edge of his sword and cut her throat.
Mercury fell to the ground, feeling the pain as she struggled to breathe. 'Oh well,' she thought, 'I'll be dead in a few minutes. Then there will be no more pain and I can meet up with the Zoisite that I truly loved. I'm coming love.' Those were the last thoughts that were formed in Princess Amy and Sailor Scout of Mercury's mind.
Zoisite stayed and watched the light go out in the little girl's eyes. His olive green eyes seem to grow lighter for a moment but quickly turned back. But it didn't stop a tear from trickling down his cheek. He turned around and walked away, confused at his own emotions.
"Sorry, but that's not for me," Lita sneered.
He shook his head and thought, 'If she's not going to cooperate, then Beryl would want her dead.' With one swift move, he shoved his sword into her heart.
As though she was hit from behind, Lita hit the ground on her stomach, groaning in pain. 'Ironic,' she mused as Nephlite stared at her in satisfaction, but there was a little horror in his eyes, 'that I'm stabbed in the heart by the only one who has ever been able to tame it.'
Lita, Princess of Jupiter, joined those who gave their lives in protecting the Queen and Princess that day.
"Who are you and what are you doing to me," Jedite whispered.
Not bothering to stop the flow of tears any longer, she answered him with a kiss.
Jedite was surprised. 'Why is this woman kissing me as though I mean the world to her, no one has ever loved me in this way.' 'But someone has,' a small voice came, 'she has. She has always loved you, no matter what you have done.' Slowly, Jedite deepened the passionate kiss.
After a few seconds, Raye broke the kiss. With her tears almost gone, she whispered the one sentence that would end two more lives, "MARS PLANETARY FLAME... ENGULF!"
The flame was so intense that anyone near it was forced to cover his or her eyes from the brightness. Sailor Mars and General Jedite joined each other to be together in the after life.
When Kunzite had abruptly run her through, Mina had been unable to keep herself from screaming in pain. Not so much as the wound, but the pain of knowing that her only love had done it to her.
As she dropped to the ground weeping, Kunzite stared at his sword as though it were a monster.
"What are you waiting for," Mina asked him bitterly when he didn't leave, "you've done what you came here to do. You found me, battled me, and killed me. And in the process of doing so, you broke the trust I had in you and in love. You made me realize that Love doesn't exist, that it's just something people do to blind themselves. Why don't you move on and inflict the same pain on someone else?"
"You're wrong."
"What?"
He sighed and said louder, "You're wrong. Love does exist. It is the one thing that has existed throughout the ages. I've never experienced it myself but-"
"Then how do you know it exists?"
"Because... -"Mina, you mean the world to me," he said to her as he took her hands, "I've never knew love before you. So I would be the happiest man in the world if you, Princess Mina of Venus, would be my wife."
"Mina," that one word was able to wrench her heart in more ways than one.
Finally, she reached out to him and whispered, "Kunzite, come back to me PLEASE!"
Kunzite, now remembering that Mina was the love of his life, ran to her. He fell to her side and kissed her for all he was worth, which, right now wasn't much, in his opinion.
After a moment, Mina broke off and clenched her stomach in pain.
Kunzite stared at the wound with pure horror, and cried, "Oh god Mina, I'm sorry, I-"
She cut him off for the second time, "Kunzite I don't blame you for this. It's alright."
"No it isn't. You're dying."
Mina laughed despite the circumstances, "Honey, I said before that we all meet our Maker sooner or later, well I meant that," her last words to him for a millennium were, "Kunzite, I love you more than anything in the entire Universe. We'll see each other again, I promise."
He stared at her and for the first time in his life, he cried.
"Traitor," screamed two voices from behind.
Kunzite turned around and barely managed to stop a double blow from Zoisite's and Nephlite's swords.
"You let yourself fall in love with a wretched Sailor Scout," cried Zoisite, "how could you?"
"Zoisite, Nephlite," Kunzite said quietly, "I've been in love with her since the first time I met her with Prince Endymion."
Nephlite groaned, "Don't tell me you believe that crap about us being guards of Endymion, that bastard."
Kunzite was overcome with rage at someone calling one of his best friends such things. With one fluid moment, he cut Nephlite's throat.
Zoisite stared at the body of his fellow warrior in disbelief. Slowly, he turned to Kunzite and lunged at him and stabbed him in the side.
As Kunzite fell to the ground, the sword still inside him, he looked up into Zoisite's triumphant face.
"You turned down the greatest power of all time Kunzite and now you've paid the price. I still can't believe you turned it down for her though."
"Zoisite," he croaked, "I can't let you hurt the Prince, the Princess, or the Queen. I'm sorry." With this final apology, he took his sword, which was still beside him, and rammed it into Zoisite's face. He died instantly.
Kunzite took out his fallen friend's sword and looked at Mina's body, still oozing blood slightly, and whispered, "I'm coming love," then to the blood red world around him, "forgive me, for I can never forgive myself."
With these final words, he pushed the sword into his lungs. Within a few seconds, Kunzite joined the many others who'd fallen that day.
Serene stared out at the devastation that had once been her home. 'Oh how did we let this happen,' her mind screeched.
She didn't answer when a wretched creature with claw hands and flaming hair appeared in front of her. Instantly alert, she backed up a few steps.
"Hmm," cackled the witch, "I think it's time that we met Little Princess, don't you think?" With that she dove straight towards her.
Just before she reached the Princess, someone jumped in front of her. "Who are you," Beryl growled with intensity.
Calmly, he spoke, "I am Prince Endymion of Earth and if you think I am going to let you harm this young woman then you are insane, well, that wouldn't work, since you already are."
Beryl's eyes narrowed, "Since you feel that way then you had better join the Sailor Scouts."
"What do you mean?"
Serene's quiet voice said from behind, "They're gone Endy, along with the four Generals."
"God," Endymion breathed.
Beryl grinned evilly, "You'd better be praying because you won't be alive much longer." With that the battle began.
The fight went on for several minutes and it became clear that Beryl would sooner or later kill Endymion. He was exhausted from all the fighting he'd done that day, that past month.
Suddenly, a new figure appeared in front of him and Beryl.
"Who are you," Endymion yelled, "get out of the way before she kills you!"
The voice said softly, but with an dangerous edge, "Prince Endymion, get Princess Serenity out of here."
"Marie," Serene breathed with disbelief.
"Get her out of here now, I'll hold the witch off as long as I can," Marie growled with rage.
Nodding hesitantly, Endymion clipped her on the shoulder, a sign of respect for a warrior, turned, grabbed Serene's hand and ran.
"Now Beryl," Marie said, "let us end this."
"Yes end this now with your death, followed by the Prince, Princess, and Queen. Then the Universe shall be mine!"
"Evil maniac. DIE!"
With only these words, the final battle began. They fought for several minutes and it showed that Marie was a good fighter indeed.
Finally, the battle ended with a dagger in Marie's stomach.
Beryl cracked, "Say hello to everyone you meet in Hell Marie!"
Looking up with a burning hatred, she screamed, "If I am going to Hell, then you Beryl, are coming with me!" With these words, she took her sword that was still in her hand and rammed it into Beryl's abdomen. She was dead before she hit the ground.
Marie, already on her knees, fell the rest of the way to the ground.
"Marie," shrieked a voice from behind her. She instantly knew that it was Princess Serene and Prince Endymion.
"Oh Marie, why did you do that? I don't want you to die," sobbed Serene when she reached her.
With what little strength she had left, Marie answered, "Your Highness, you must be protected at all costs. I wasn't about to let you get yourself killed by that evil witch. I've always admired you and the Sailor Scouts. When this retched war started I knew that there was always a possibility that they wouldn't survive to protect you, so I swore in the Temple of Diana that I would always protect you in any way I could, even if it cost me my life." Softly, she began to sing.
"Only a Memory Away"
Will you miss me when I'm gone?
Will you remember all the good times we had?
The hardest thing about leaving is saying goodbye
We'll always be the greatest of friends
I'll miss you more than I can say
And when I'm blue, I'll just dream about you
I'll be only a memory away
We'll always be the greatest of friends
I'll miss you more than I can say
And when I'm blue, I'll just dream about you
I'll be only a memory away
You're something special to me
Friendship is something that money can't buy
And if you need me, you know that I'll be there for you
We'll always be the greatest of friends
I'll miss you more than I can say
And when you dream, I will be there for you
I'll be only a memory away
We'll always be the greatest of friends
I'll miss you more than I can say
And when you dream, I will be there for you
I'll be only a memory away
All of her strength put into singing the song, Marie died immediately after she finishing the song, with a brilliant smile on her face. She knew she'd fulfilled her true duty.
Serene burst into tears. Endymion put his arm around her and they both cried. They cried for Marie, Mina, Kunzite, Raye, Jedite, Lita, Nephlite, Amy, Zoisite, and all of the others who'd died needlessly in this war.
Suddenly, without warning, a youma jumped out of the shadows. Endymion maneuvered himself in front of Serene to protect her, but because he wasn't ready in time, a knife was plunged into his heart.
Serene immediately stopped crying and stared at the dead body of her lover. Looking up with such an intense hatred that it would have startled anyone, her crescent moon that adorned her forehead began to glow. With one burst of power, the youma was gone.
After recovering from the energy release, Serene took out the dagger that she kept with her for protection. She whispered, "I know you all died to protect me, but life isn't worth living without you. Forgive me please, I'm coming." With that, she fought to keep herself from crying out in pain as the dagger hit her lungs and heart. The last thing she heard was her mother shrieking, "SERENE NOOOO!"
Queen Serenity stared at the devastation around her as she walked through it. 'Beryl got what she wanted,' Serenity thought bitterly, 'the Moon Kingdom is no more, but it was at the cost of her own life.'
She came to four dead bodies. 'Oh god,' she begged silently, 'please don't let it be Serene and Endymion please.' Serenity's pleas were to no avail. It was them, along with Beryl and Marie, one of the ladies of her Court. 'Poor Marie, how did she get involved in this particular struggle?' 'You've always known that she worshipped Serene,' a voice inside her heart told her, 'she would do anything to protect her, even if it was with her own life.'
Serenity could stand it no longer. She fell to the ground and wept for everything that had been lost.
"My Queen," came a soft and familiar voice from behind.
She turned to them and asked, "Did you find anyone alive?"
"No," Luna replied from behind, "Are you alright my Queen?"
Serenity, delirious over her loss, screamed, "I've just lost my daughter, future son-in-law, their guardians, and my entire fucking planet to one person. How do you expect me to feel Luna?"
Luna said nothing, words wouldn't help now.
'There is no choice,' Serenity thought, 'I was hoping to send them to another planet, but now the only one inhabitable is Earth.' The Queen melded the Crescent Moon Wand and Silver Imperium Crystal together.
Artemis, who'd been silent the entire time, cried out desperately, "Queen Serenity, if you use the Crystal now, it will surely kill you. It can be lethal to its user."
"It's the only way Artemis. My kingdom is gone and there is nothing left for them here. They will have to go somewhere else."
Before the two cats could ask what she meant, Queen Serenity raised the wand and said the deadly phrase, "Moon Crystal... Resurrection..."
A golden light surrounded them and the sound of something being encased could be heard. Dozens of little globes floated into the air, only feet above the ground.
Luna started when she saw that Beryl's army was also encased. Whirling to her queen, she gasped, "Your Majesty you can't be serious!"
Serenity, who now lay on a fallen pillar, exhausted, whispered, "None of them, not even Beryl, were evil by choice Luna. It would be cruel not to give them another chance, the same chance that I'm giving everyone else."
Artemis mumbled, "I guess you are right."
Smiling faintly, Serenity breathed, "My two dear friends, I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to accompany them to the future. If those that were evil here today become evil once again, you shall have to awaken the four, no eight, Sailors to protect Serene. Train them well dear ones."
After they nodded their permission, Serenity raised the Crystal into the air. It began to float into the air, the globes that carried the people of the Moon following it. They began their journey to Earth.
Giving her two feline friend's one last smile, Serenity raised the Crescent Moon Wand to the air, just as she'd done with the Crystal. Two capsules engulfed the two cats and they followed the Wand.
Fading quickly, Queen Serenity sighed her last words, "May the peace rise again. I hope you are happy there Serene, my baby, with your prince and friends beside you..." Slowly her eyes closed for the final time.
It was only the beginning of the greatest battle of all time.
You see, I was there...
It went on to tell how Prince Endymion, his four guardians, Kunzite, Jadeite, Nephlite, and Zoicite, Princess Serenity, her four guardians, Princess Mina, Princess Raye, Princess Lita, and Princess Amy grew up. It went on to tell of the many hardships they had to go through; like Prince Endymion losing his brother and father to a boating accident, Jedite losing his beloved sister to some creature they were never able to identify, Princess Serenity losing her father and brother to a shuttle accident, and Princess Mina losing her mother and new born sister to birthing problems.
"Serene, my daughter, in one week, Prince Endymion of Earth and his guardians are coming for a visit and to train with you and the Sailors," informed Queen Serenity while the five of us sat around reading on that cold and rainy day.
"Really," asked Serene with interest, "how long are they staying for?"
"Three months."
"My Queen," Raye asked with concern, "are you sure it is safe to let them come here, let alone come anywhere near Serene? After all, she is the only heir to the throne and humans are well known for being very violent and aggressive."
Queen Serenity looked at her sadly, "Raye, I know of your feelings towards humans. But you cannot condemn an entire planet for the deeds of one."
Raye bowed her head, but the Queen knew that she wouldn't let this go. Queen Serenity is like a surrogate mother to them all. She knows them all to well.
After she left the library, Serene, Lita, and Mina started to speculate on whether the Prince and his guards would be cute or not. Amy looked at them with an absolutely blank look. Not surprising from their resident genius. For as long as they'd known her, her life is made up of protecting Serene, working on computers, books, and chess. Perhaps she shall change someday, or this visit from the humans would change her, Raye thought.
Raye had no idea how right she was.
As Queen Serenity had told them, Prince Endymion and his four guards arrived one week later and Serene, Mina, and Lita were a nervous wreaks. Amy and Raye had to calm them down or we knew that they would go hysterical. It was typical them.
As they sat in the throne room waiting for them, Raye noticed that the Queen's hair was becoming grayer. When did that happen, she wondered curiously.
She didn't have time to dwell on it, for at that moment, Prince Endymion and his guard were announced.
Raye watched them with suspicion, looking for any weapon that could be used to kill the Queen or Princess from a long distance, for she knew that even though the Royal Guard wouldn't let them get near the Princess or Queen just yet, one could never be too careful. Suddenly, her eyes were transfixed by the guard with blond hair and blue eyes. Her eyes didn't leave his for the rest of the introductions.
"Queen Serenity," announced the one with the black hair, "I am Prince Endymion, son of King Terran and Queen Gaea of Earth, the Prince of Earth. These are my four Guardian Generals in order of rank, General Kunzite, General Zoisite, General Jedite, and General Nephlite. We are pleased to come here at your invitation Your Highness."
Queen Serenity smiled at the young man, she already liked him, Raye knew.
Serene spoke with that sweet voice they all knew and loved, "I am Princess Serenity, daughter of Queen Serenity and King Harold of the Moon, the Princess of the Moon. These are my guardians in order of rank, Sailor Venus or Princess Mina, Princess Amy or Sailor Mercury, Princess Raye or Sailor Mars, and Princess Lita or Sailor Jupiter. We are pleased that you would honor us with your presence."
Even though Raye's eyes were glued to his, General Jedite, she reached out with her senses and found no evil, and much to her surprise, no evil coming from the others. Not even the Prince. She only found extreme goodness. Unusual, for a human, she said in her mind.
The Queen spoke, "Well, I'm sure that you would feel much more comfortable in getting to know each other if I were not around, so I will just go to my office if anyone needs me." Smiling once more at everyone, Queen Serenity left the room.
The story described how slowly the two groups got to know one another and hesitantly fell in love. First Sailor Jupiter and General Nephlite, then Princess Serene and Prince Endymion, followed by General Zoisite and Sailor Mercury, and following their lieges example, Sailor Venus and General Kunzite. Though it took a lot of time and love, General Jedite finally won the heart of Sailor Mars. The group of ten was happy for about a month. Then the four Generals was taken by Queen Beryl. 'Why do these names sound so familiar,' wondered Serenity. Shrugging her shoulders, she continued to read.
What worried them was that the four Generals had been brainwashed into thinking that their old friends were the enemy and they tried multiple times to kill them all.
Finally, Queen Beryl formally declared war on Earth, causing Prince Endymion to be called back to Earth to help defend his planet.
After several days of fighting Beryl formally declared war on the Moon., causing the Sailors to be on constant alert. After a month of defending the Moon, the final battle came...
Serene looked out from her balcony, towards the battlefield. She knew that the people were safe, having been moved into the Palace for safety and knew that since the Palace was huge, there was no spacing problems.
Serene closed her eyes and she heard laughter coming from behind her.
"Come on guys," called twelve-year-old Serene, "I'll race you to the table!" With that, she ran off, only to trip a few feet later and fall to the floor.
Raye, Mina, and Lita started giggling at their friend's clumsiness. But Amy just ran over to her friend and asked, "Are you alright Serene?"
Serene, who was just about to cry when she saw her friends laughing, smiled at Amy, "Well, at least there is one friend who cares about me."
The other three stared at her in shock. 'Does she really think that we don't care about her,' they thought.
They snapped out of it when they saw Amy and Serene marching down the hallway.
"Hey Amy, Serene," cried Raye, "wait up!"
When they caught up with them, the two just stared at them coldly.
"Serene, do you really think that we don't care about you," quietly asked Lita.
With an arched eyebrow, she answered, "Well, you certainly don't act like you don't care about me. I mean, all you do is laugh at me when I fall, or make fun of me. Do you know how many times I have cried myself to sleep over the things you have said to me? Amy is the only one who has never said a single bad thing to me."
Mina told her after a moment of silence, "Serene, we never meant to hurt you. We were only teasing you; we never meant any harm by it. We thought you laughed about it like we did. It never occurred to us that you felt different about it. We're really sorry about it."
Raye and Lita nodded vigorously in agreement.
For a moment, Serene stared hard into each of their eyes, as though she could see if they were really telling the truth or not. After doing this, she broke into a big smile and nodded.
Laughing, they continued towards the dinning room.
Sighing, Serene thought, 'those were such simple times and it was the first time that I truly saw that my friends truly loved me.' Sighing again, she looked back out towards the battlefield. Serene knew that her friends were not getting enough sleep. Yet they knew that without rest, they wouldn't be able to pull off an attack. So now they fought with swords, and sometimes with their bare hands.
Serene recalled the last time she'd seen them, two days ago.
~ "Princess Serene," a servant called, "the Sailors are back from the battlefield."
"Thank you for telling me," she answered. With these words, Serene ran down to Queen Serenity's office where they were giving their report.
As she walked inside, Venus was saying, "We've kept them at bay Your Highness, but we'll need reinforcements before long. The army out there now is exhausted. They need those reinforcements so they can catch a few hours of sleep."
The Queen sighed and nodded.
The Sailors left the room, with Serene following them.
"Guys you need some sleep as well," admonished Serene gently.
Venus quickly replied, "Don't worry Serene, we're fine, aren't we?" She glanced at the others for agreement.
"Nope," said Sailor Jupiter with her eyes half closed.
"I'm hardly fine Venus," snapped Mars irritably.
"We need rest Venus, or we won't function much longer," added an extremely tired Mercury.
Venus sighed in defeat, "Alright, maybe we do need a little rest. Go to your chambers, wash up, get something to eat, and get some rest. We're going to need it sooner or later."
As Venus walked off, no one pretended to not know what she had meant. The three Sailors broke down in tears.
Serene sighed again. She'd never seen anyone cry like that before. It had made her realize just how bad war really was.
Venus sighed. This war had to stop, she screeched in her mind. It was really starting to get to her. Suddenly, she spotted four figures walking towards them.
"Mercury," she demanded, "who's that up ahead?"
Mercury, always efficient, even in a war, whipped out her computer. For several seconds, she scanned. She frowned and muttered, "That can't be right." She did the scan again, but came out with the same answer.
Mercury looked at them with wide eyes full of terror. She didn't have to tell them, they just knew.
With an aching heart, Venus turned to her former lover.
I don't need for Mercury to scan them to know who they are, Mars thought sadly, I already know.
With dread, Mars slowly started forward, ignoring Jupiter's confused glance. She'll figure it out soon enough, Mars continued, this will probably be the last battle that the Sailor Scouts ever fight. And in a way, I'm glad to be rid of all the pain that I've gone through these past few months.
With dread in her mind, Mars stared into the heartless eyes that once belonged to the one man she loved.
Jupiter gazed at Nephlite with surprising calm. 'It isn't him, she reminded her heart over and over. At least, that is what she tried to do. 'Oh god, NEPHLITE, come back to me PLEASE!'
Still, Jupiter knew that the Nephlite she loved and cherished was gone, possibly forever. Time to get rid of this evil thing that would dare to take over his body.
Jupiter knew what was required to do all to well.
Mercury stared at Zoisite, thinking with all her might, it's not him, it's not him. Oh Zoisite, where are you, her mind screamed with all of it's power.
As she stared at him, Mercury, like the other Scouts, knew what she had to do.
"So Sailor Failures," sneered Kunzite, "are you prepared to meet your Maker?"
Venus snarled at him, "Everyone joins the Maker sooner or later you asshole, but we aren't going to today. You are traitors!"
"Not likely."
'Who are you and what are you doing to me,' Kunzite's mind kept asking the image of Sailor Venus. 'She's the love of your life,' a small, but truthful voice said from inside what remained of his heart. He tried to squash the voice, to no avail.
'Hey Kunz, if you're still in there, I love you and I always will, no matter what,' Venus thought at him.
'Why do we seem to know each other so god damn well?' Jadeite's mind berated.
'Jade, please don't forget what we had. I know that a part of you still knows deep inside.'
'Hey Nephlite, just want you to know that I still love you and will never forget that, even if you do.'
'What is with those green eyes of yours. So seemingly soft and understanding, whoa where did that jump out from?'
'Zoisite just know that I forgive you for all you've ever done and all you will do. I love you forever, my love, my soul.'
'Someone give the signal, so I can get closer to the baby 'Sailor' and see those crystal eyes so full of love,' his mind snapped at his heart, 'shut up and remember you job. Kill her with no mercy!' But still, there was a small part of his heart telling, no begging, him not to do what he'd been ordered to do.
To this day, no one knows who shouted it, but it was the one sentence that would start the End of the Beginning. The start of the pain, the betrayal, the suffering, the tears, the heartaches… and the forgiveness.
"FIGHT TO THE DEATH!"
"Mercury Bubbles Blast," Sailor Mercury shouted with what energy reserves she had. She hoped against hope that it would be enough to cover their escape. 'As if they'd leave,' her mind scolded.
"You are Sailor Mercury right," asked a cold and unemotional voice.
Slowly, Mercury turned to that voice, hoping that it was just some youma. She was wrong, for one of the few times in her life.
"General Zoisite," she muttered as coldly as she could manage.
"Yes," he grinned evilly, "I'm here to kill the Water Scout, Sailor Mercury. You are her, aren't you? Not that I already know."
"Are you going to stand there and talk or are you going to fight? I haven't got all day you know."
Zoisite acted as though he'd come to realization, "Oh that's right! You have to die in the next few minutes."
Amy gulped and answered softly, "What makes you think I'm the one who will die today? I have every intention of being alive for sometime."
"I'm sorry to disrupt your plans." With these words, he leaped out at her and swung at her sword.
Her energy just about gone, Amy barely managed to block, but the next swing that came immediately afterwards knocked the sword from her hands. She fell to the ground, tired of fighting.
"Any last words, Princess," Zoisite sneered.
'Thank god for the bubbles,' Jupiter thought for a moment as she moved back away from the Palace. She knew that she had to keep them away from the Moon Palace for as long as possible until the shields could be reinforced. If the cost was her life, then so be it. 'But to be killed by the other half of your soul,' she asked, 'is it worth that?'
She didn't have time to answer her own question, for a man with a long mane of red-brown hair appeared in front of her.
"Nephlite," she growled.
"Ah the lovely Sailor Scout of Jupiter," he snarled with sarcasm.
"You'll get to the Princess over my dead body."
"That can be arranged."
She screamed at him in rage, "You traitor! How could you let that majorly bitchy Beryl turn you against your Prince, your planet, your love?! How could you?"
He narrowed his eyes in confusion, "I didn't betray anyone! What are you talking about?"
Trying to take advantage of his confusion, Jupiter swung her sword at him.
Nephlite laughed, "You see? You were only trying to confuse me." With one swing, he knocked her sword from her weak arms and brought his to her throat.
He thought for a moment, 'she is gorgeous, they all are for that matter. It would be a shame to kill her.'
"You know, we could negotiate our way out of this," he said off handedly as he leaned in closer to her face.
"What? Like you'll let me live if I let you enter the Moon Palace and kill Princess Serene, Queen Serenity, and Prince Endymion? You'll let me live if I betray my oath, my friends?! Sorry, but that's not for me."
Mars stared at the blond haired man in front of her. His normal sparkling blue eyes had been turned to midnight, almost completely black.
"Sailor Mars," he sneered, "prepare to meet your death."
She growled, "Shouldn't you be preparing to meet your own death TRAITOR!"
He sighed in frustration, "Will you Sailors stop calling us traitors? We have never been Endymion's guardians and we never will be." He seemed a little unsure at that statement.
'Is he remembering,' her mind asked. She ignored the voice, 'the Jade I knew and loved is gone forever, and even if he weren't, you'd kill him for letting himself be conquered by Beryl.' 'You don't mean that, and you know it.'
The little voice was right, Mars realized, she could never kill the one who had finally conquered her heart.
"You don't have enough energy to pull off an attack without killing yourself," Jedite continued, "not that you could beat me in any case."
"We'll see about that." With that she swung at him with her blood-covered sword.
They battled for a few minutes until they both realized that even with Mars exhausted from previous battles, they were evenly matched. That was what they thought, until Jadeite managed to get her to drop her sword.
Jedite put his face within inches of hers and whispered, "Who are you and what are you doing to me?"
"TRAITOR! You shall pay for you treachery," screamed Venus as she and Kunzite began to battle.
"I AM NOT A TRAITOR, SAILOR VENUS," he yelled right back.
"Then why did you betray Endymion, Earth, the Moon, and me," she asked quietly.
He stared at her for a moment and she stared right back at him, tears now flowing freely. 'Oh GOD, Kunzite please come back to me, I need you like the plants need water,' she thought desperately.
"Was I really a General of Endymion," he asked quietly.
Tears still flowing, she nodded.
Seeing the tears coursing down her face caused a scene to invade his mind.
-Kunzite stared at the woman who was the head of Princess Serenity's guard. ' She must also play the Princess's double when it is required. Man is she gorgeous with that light blond hair and sky blue eyes and she has the perfect name, Minako, named after the Goddess of Love herself, perhaps she is the reincarnation of the Goddess herself.'-
Softly, as though millions of miles away, Kunzite called, "Venus, Goddess of Love."
Venus's heart swelled with hope as she asked, "You're remembering, aren't you?"
Shaking his head violently, "THERE'S NOTHING TO REMEMBER!" Without thinking, his sword shot right into her abdomen. He gasped in surprise as she was unable to keep herself from screaming out in pain.
"Any last words, Princess," Zoisite sneered.
Holding her head high, Mercury screamed in frustration, "YES DAMN YOU, I LOVE YOU AND I HOPE BERYL BURNS IN HELL WHEN SHE'S KILLED FOR WHAT SHE HAS DONE TO YOU!'
Zoisite stared at her in confusion, but soon became angry at the words she said about Queen Beryl. With extreme anger, he took the edge of his sword and cut her throat.
Mercury fell to the ground, feeling the pain as she struggled to breathe. 'Oh well,' she thought, 'I'll be dead in a few minutes. Then there will be no more pain and I can meet up with the Zoisite that I truly loved. I'm coming love.' Those were the last thoughts that were formed in Princess Amy and Sailor Scout of Mercury's mind.
Zoisite stayed and watched the light go out in the little girl's eyes. His olive green eyes seem to grow lighter for a moment but quickly turned back. But it didn't stop a tear from trickling down his cheek. He turned around and walked away, confused at his own emotions.
"Sorry, but that's not for me," Lita sneered.
He shook his head and thought, 'If she's not going to cooperate, then Beryl would want her dead.' With one swift move, he shoved his sword into her heart.
As though she was hit from behind, Lita hit the ground on her stomach, groaning in pain. 'Ironic,' she mused as Nephlite stared at her in satisfaction, but there was a little horror in his eyes, 'that I'm stabbed in the heart by the only one who has ever been able to tame it.'
Lita, Princess of Jupiter, joined those who gave their lives in protecting the Queen and Princess that day.
"Who are you and what are you doing to me," Jedite whispered.
Not bothering to stop the flow of tears any longer, she answered him with a kiss.
Jedite was surprised. 'Why is this woman kissing me as though I mean the world to her, no one has ever loved me in this way.' 'But someone has,' a small voice came, 'she has. She has always loved you, no matter what you have done.' Slowly, Jedite deepened the passionate kiss.
After a few seconds, Raye broke the kiss. With her tears almost gone, she whispered the one sentence that would end two more lives, "MARS PLANETARY FLAME... ENGULF!"
The flame was so intense that anyone near it was forced to cover his or her eyes from the brightness. Sailor Mars and General Jedite joined each other to be together in the after life.
When Kunzite had abruptly run her through, Mina had been unable to keep herself from screaming in pain. Not so much as the wound, but the pain of knowing that her only love had done it to her.
As she dropped to the ground weeping, Kunzite stared at his sword as though it were a monster.
"What are you waiting for," Mina asked him bitterly when he didn't leave, "you've done what you came here to do. You found me, battled me, and killed me. And in the process of doing so, you broke the trust I had in you and in love. You made me realize that Love doesn't exist, that it's just something people do to blind themselves. Why don't you move on and inflict the same pain on someone else?"
"You're wrong."
"What?"
He sighed and said louder, "You're wrong. Love does exist. It is the one thing that has existed throughout the ages. I've never experienced it myself but-"
"Then how do you know it exists?"
"Because... -"Mina, you mean the world to me," he said to her as he took her hands, "I've never knew love before you. So I would be the happiest man in the world if you, Princess Mina of Venus, would be my wife."
"Mina," that one word was able to wrench her heart in more ways than one.
Finally, she reached out to him and whispered, "Kunzite, come back to me PLEASE!"
Kunzite, now remembering that Mina was the love of his life, ran to her. He fell to her side and kissed her for all he was worth, which, right now wasn't much, in his opinion.
After a moment, Mina broke off and clenched her stomach in pain.
Kunzite stared at the wound with pure horror, and cried, "Oh god Mina, I'm sorry, I-"
She cut him off for the second time, "Kunzite I don't blame you for this. It's alright."
"No it isn't. You're dying."
Mina laughed despite the circumstances, "Honey, I said before that we all meet our Maker sooner or later, well I meant that," her last words to him for a millennium were, "Kunzite, I love you more than anything in the entire Universe. We'll see each other again, I promise."
He stared at her and for the first time in his life, he cried.
"Traitor," screamed two voices from behind.
Kunzite turned around and barely managed to stop a double blow from Zoisite's and Nephlite's swords.
"You let yourself fall in love with a wretched Sailor Scout," cried Zoisite, "how could you?"
"Zoisite, Nephlite," Kunzite said quietly, "I've been in love with her since the first time I met her with Prince Endymion."
Nephlite groaned, "Don't tell me you believe that crap about us being guards of Endymion, that bastard."
Kunzite was overcome with rage at someone calling one of his best friends such things. With one fluid moment, he cut Nephlite's throat.
Zoisite stared at the body of his fellow warrior in disbelief. Slowly, he turned to Kunzite and lunged at him and stabbed him in the side.
As Kunzite fell to the ground, the sword still inside him, he looked up into Zoisite's triumphant face.
"You turned down the greatest power of all time Kunzite and now you've paid the price. I still can't believe you turned it down for her though."
"Zoisite," he croaked, "I can't let you hurt the Prince, the Princess, or the Queen. I'm sorry." With this final apology, he took his sword, which was still beside him, and rammed it into Zoisite's face. He died instantly.
Kunzite took out his fallen friend's sword and looked at Mina's body, still oozing blood slightly, and whispered, "I'm coming love," then to the blood red world around him, "forgive me, for I can never forgive myself."
With these final words, he pushed the sword into his lungs. Within a few seconds, Kunzite joined the many others who'd fallen that day.
Serene stared out at the devastation that had once been her home. 'Oh how did we let this happen,' her mind screeched.
She didn't answer when a wretched creature with claw hands and flaming hair appeared in front of her. Instantly alert, she backed up a few steps.
"Hmm," cackled the witch, "I think it's time that we met Little Princess, don't you think?" With that she dove straight towards her.
Just before she reached the Princess, someone jumped in front of her. "Who are you," Beryl growled with intensity.
Calmly, he spoke, "I am Prince Endymion of Earth and if you think I am going to let you harm this young woman then you are insane, well, that wouldn't work, since you already are."
Beryl's eyes narrowed, "Since you feel that way then you had better join the Sailor Scouts."
"What do you mean?"
Serene's quiet voice said from behind, "They're gone Endy, along with the four Generals."
"God," Endymion breathed.
Beryl grinned evilly, "You'd better be praying because you won't be alive much longer." With that the battle began.
The fight went on for several minutes and it became clear that Beryl would sooner or later kill Endymion. He was exhausted from all the fighting he'd done that day, that past month.
Suddenly, a new figure appeared in front of him and Beryl.
"Who are you," Endymion yelled, "get out of the way before she kills you!"
The voice said softly, but with an dangerous edge, "Prince Endymion, get Princess Serenity out of here."
"Marie," Serene breathed with disbelief.
"Get her out of here now, I'll hold the witch off as long as I can," Marie growled with rage.
Nodding hesitantly, Endymion clipped her on the shoulder, a sign of respect for a warrior, turned, grabbed Serene's hand and ran.
"Now Beryl," Marie said, "let us end this."
"Yes end this now with your death, followed by the Prince, Princess, and Queen. Then the Universe shall be mine!"
"Evil maniac. DIE!"
With only these words, the final battle began. They fought for several minutes and it showed that Marie was a good fighter indeed.
Finally, the battle ended with a dagger in Marie's stomach.
Beryl cracked, "Say hello to everyone you meet in Hell Marie!"
Looking up with a burning hatred, she screamed, "If I am going to Hell, then you Beryl, are coming with me!" With these words, she took her sword that was still in her hand and rammed it into Beryl's abdomen. She was dead before she hit the ground.
Marie, already on her knees, fell the rest of the way to the ground.
"Marie," shrieked a voice from behind her. She instantly knew that it was Princess Serene and Prince Endymion.
"Oh Marie, why did you do that? I don't want you to die," sobbed Serene when she reached her.
With what little strength she had left, Marie answered, "Your Highness, you must be protected at all costs. I wasn't about to let you get yourself killed by that evil witch. I've always admired you and the Sailor Scouts. When this retched war started I knew that there was always a possibility that they wouldn't survive to protect you, so I swore in the Temple of Diana that I would always protect you in any way I could, even if it cost me my life." Softly, she began to sing.
"Only a Memory Away"
Will you miss me when I'm gone?
Will you remember all the good times we had?
The hardest thing about leaving is saying goodbye
We'll always be the greatest of friends
I'll miss you more than I can say
And when I'm blue, I'll just dream about you
I'll be only a memory away
We'll always be the greatest of friends
I'll miss you more than I can say
And when I'm blue, I'll just dream about you
I'll be only a memory away
You're something special to me
Friendship is something that money can't buy
And if you need me, you know that I'll be there for you
We'll always be the greatest of friends
I'll miss you more than I can say
And when you dream, I will be there for you
I'll be only a memory away
We'll always be the greatest of friends
I'll miss you more than I can say
And when you dream, I will be there for you
I'll be only a memory away
All of her strength put into singing the song, Marie died immediately after she finishing the song, with a brilliant smile on her face. She knew she'd fulfilled her true duty.
Serene burst into tears. Endymion put his arm around her and they both cried. They cried for Marie, Mina, Kunzite, Raye, Jedite, Lita, Nephlite, Amy, Zoisite, and all of the others who'd died needlessly in this war.
Suddenly, without warning, a youma jumped out of the shadows. Endymion maneuvered himself in front of Serene to protect her, but because he wasn't ready in time, a knife was plunged into his heart.
Serene immediately stopped crying and stared at the dead body of her lover. Looking up with such an intense hatred that it would have startled anyone, her crescent moon that adorned her forehead began to glow. With one burst of power, the youma was gone.
After recovering from the energy release, Serene took out the dagger that she kept with her for protection. She whispered, "I know you all died to protect me, but life isn't worth living without you. Forgive me please, I'm coming." With that, she fought to keep herself from crying out in pain as the dagger hit her lungs and heart. The last thing she heard was her mother shrieking, "SERENE NOOOO!"
Queen Serenity stared at the devastation around her as she walked through it. 'Beryl got what she wanted,' Serenity thought bitterly, 'the Moon Kingdom is no more, but it was at the cost of her own life.'
She came to four dead bodies. 'Oh god,' she begged silently, 'please don't let it be Serene and Endymion please.' Serenity's pleas were to no avail. It was them, along with Beryl and Marie, one of the ladies of her Court. 'Poor Marie, how did she get involved in this particular struggle?' 'You've always known that she worshipped Serene,' a voice inside her heart told her, 'she would do anything to protect her, even if it was with her own life.'
Serenity could stand it no longer. She fell to the ground and wept for everything that had been lost.
"My Queen," came a soft and familiar voice from behind.
She turned to them and asked, "Did you find anyone alive?"
"No," Luna replied from behind, "Are you alright my Queen?"
Serenity, delirious over her loss, screamed, "I've just lost my daughter, future son-in-law, their guardians, and my entire fucking planet to one person. How do you expect me to feel Luna?"
Luna said nothing, words wouldn't help now.
'There is no choice,' Serenity thought, 'I was hoping to send them to another planet, but now the only one inhabitable is Earth.' The Queen melded the Crescent Moon Wand and Silver Imperium Crystal together.
Artemis, who'd been silent the entire time, cried out desperately, "Queen Serenity, if you use the Crystal now, it will surely kill you. It can be lethal to its user."
"It's the only way Artemis. My kingdom is gone and there is nothing left for them here. They will have to go somewhere else."
Before the two cats could ask what she meant, Queen Serenity raised the wand and said the deadly phrase, "Moon Crystal... Resurrection..."
A golden light surrounded them and the sound of something being encased could be heard. Dozens of little globes floated into the air, only feet above the ground.
Luna started when she saw that Beryl's army was also encased. Whirling to her queen, she gasped, "Your Majesty you can't be serious!"
Serenity, who now lay on a fallen pillar, exhausted, whispered, "None of them, not even Beryl, were evil by choice Luna. It would be cruel not to give them another chance, the same chance that I'm giving everyone else."
Artemis mumbled, "I guess you are right."
Smiling faintly, Serenity breathed, "My two dear friends, I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to accompany them to the future. If those that were evil here today become evil once again, you shall have to awaken the four, no eight, Sailors to protect Serene. Train them well dear ones."
After they nodded their permission, Serenity raised the Crystal into the air. It began to float into the air, the globes that carried the people of the Moon following it. They began their journey to Earth.
Giving her two feline friend's one last smile, Serenity raised the Crescent Moon Wand to the air, just as she'd done with the Crystal. Two capsules engulfed the two cats and they followed the Wand.
Fading quickly, Queen Serenity sighed her last words, "May the peace rise again. I hope you are happy there Serene, my baby, with your prince and friends beside you..." Slowly her eyes closed for the final time.
It was only the beginning of the greatest battle of all time.