AUTHORS NOTES
DISCLAIMERS: Rights to Sailor Moon are owned by Naoko Taceuchi, Kondansha Publishing, Toei, DiC, Optimum Productions, Cloverway...am I forgetting anything?
This story is supposed to provide an alternate story line to the Sailor Moon series. It starts after the Sailor Moon R series ends (the Death Phantom is destroyed and Rini goes home to Crystal Tokyo). The next events are of my own creation and do not relate to the Sailor Moon S series (at least not intentionally).
I finished this fanfic over a year ago, before the S and SuperS seasons were dubbed in America. Please excuse any attack names that are DiC-ish, because that is what I had to work with at the time. ;) This story, after looking back, seems a cross between Japanese and American references. So, please excuse the term "Negaverse" as opposed to "Dark Kingdom", because the story focuses on Jedite.
Anyway, please enjoy the story!
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CHAPTER 27
Sailor Mars, as well as the rest of the Sailor Guardians, looked on as Sailor Moon called Lilithite out for battle. However, Mars' mind was not concentrating on the possible battle at hand; she was trying to solve the biggest enigma she ever met: Serena.
"I am so surprised at her sometimes," Mars thought to herself. "She can be such a ditz at times. She falls on her face, pigs out on food, and swoons over guys when she should be doing Sailor business. In all likelihood, she shouldn't even be here. But, even with all these negative qualities…why do I admire her so…
"I mean, she can be ditzy, yet she can turn from that to brave whenever she wants. She can be so selfish, and yet, she gives and cares so much. She would give you the last bit of food she has, even though she would most likely take it for herself.
"She has so many qualities on the inside that make her a good leader. On the outside, seems like a brainless twit. I don't know how she separates these personalities, and switches them so well. I can't figure her out. And yet, if I had live an entirely different life than I lead now, there's none better than I'd choose to live as…"
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Sailor Moon was frustrated when she didn't get an immediate answer to her challenge. Once again, she began to yell to the skies. "Come on, Lilithite!" she screamed. "I've had it with you, and the entire Negaverse! We're gonna settle this now, and I'm not going to take no for an answer!"
"Ask, and you shall receive, 'Sailor Moon'!" a voice reverberated in distance.
Seconds after the response was heard by the Guardians, Sailor Moon heard several shrieks behind her. Totally focused on Lilithite, she almost forgot about her friends. Turning around, she saw that Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter had been trapped within rings of energy. They had pinned the arms of the Guardians at their sides, disabling them and leaving them helpless.
"Oh, no!" was all Sailor Moon could utter as she ran to help them. She didn't notice a fifth ring heading towards her.
Tuxedo Mask saw this and reacted immediately. "Serena!" he cried as he lunged to Sailor Moon's aid. Knocking her out of the way, Tuxedo Mask was caught within the energy ring instead.
When she got her bearings again, Sailor Moon realized what happened. "Tuxedo Mask," she gasped.
"This is your fight," Tuxedo Mask said, struggling within the power bonds of the energy ring. "I wouldn't dream of intruding unless you needed it."
"Well, well, well, it seems that I've captured all of the kittens," the voice spoke. This was followed by an energy spiraling out from under the ground a few feet from where Sailor Moon was standing. Within seconds, the spiral disappeared, and Lilithite was left standing. "Now I have to dispose of the mother cat," she finished.
Sailor Moon stared at Lilithite with enraged eyes. "You…." she muttered, her fists growing tighter with each second. "You……MONSTER!"
Without even thinking, she threw a right hook at Lilithite's head. Sensing this, Lilithite ducked. "Ah, ah, ah…" Lilithite mocked. "Patience, patience, Sailor Moon. You'll get your chance." A green ball of energy was forming behind her back. "And that chance is…NOW!"
Lilithite hurled the energy ball at Sailor Moon using only her thoughts. This had officially initiated the fight. Sailor Moon had narrowly dodged it, flying to the ball's right. The ball crashed to the ground, sending orange grass and dirt everywhere.
Sailor Moon took this opportunity to lunge at Lilithite once again. She threw punch after punch at the Negaverse demon. Catching Lilithite off guard, the punches connected in her midsection. After about five or six, Lilithite dropped to the ground to catch her breath.
"Impressive," she commented between breaths. "You're not just a clumsy, air-head after all."
Sailor Moon raised her fist to strike again, but left her mid-section open. Lilithite seized this opportunity, striking Sailor Moon with a punch of her own. Sailor Moon staggered back, holding her stomach. Lilithite followed it up with another energy bolt. This time, it connected with Sailor Moon's chest, sending her down to the ground.
With Sailor Moon down, Lilithite fired more bolts of energy at her. Thinking fast, Sailor Moon rolled out of the way of the incoming energy. Lilithite sneered, and fired more bolts in the direction Sailor Moon was rolling. Sailor Moon couldn't outrun the new energy bolts. She seemed trapped.
Suddenly, the broach upon her chest flared with silver light. "The Silver Rose Crystal," she thought to herself. The light created a barrier, deflecting the green energy in all directions. Lilithite was shocked.
With the Imperium Silver Rose Crystal providing protection, Sailor Moon managed to get back to her feet. Lilithite then charged towards her at blinding speed. Sailor Moon decided to respond with the same action, charging towards Lilithite. Both ran as fast as they could.
Within seconds, they collided. Sailor Moon bent at the last second, jamming her shoulder into Lilithite's gut. The force of the blow sent Lilithite reeling back. The wind was knocked out of her. This was Sailor Moon's chance to put her away.
"Moon Lunar Staff!" she cried. Her weapon then disappeared from the ground it was imbedded in, and reappeared within her hands. She pointed it towards the sky, ready to fire. "GUARDIAN MOON STROBE STRIFE!"
Pointing the staff at Lilithite, multiple beams of light were launched from the crescent moon on top. Each beam hit Lilithite, creating another huge explosion…
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This caused the rings holding back the Sailor Guardians and Tuxedo Mask disappeared. They all fell to the ground, most of their strength they used trying to break free.
As the energy dissipated from the attack, Sailor Moon took a moment to look at the smoke and small fires that had replaced Lilithite's location. "Dusted…" she triumphantly whispered to herself.
She then ran back to her friends, practically in a daze. It was her will alone that kept her on her feet. "Guys! I'm here!" she cried.
Sailor Mercury weakly turned her head towards where the shouting was coming from. "Se…Serena…" she uttered.
"Sailor Moon…" added Sailor Venus.
Once Sailor Moon arrived at the Guardians' location, she placed her right hand upon the Silver Rose Crystal. "LUNAR HEALING RESTORATION!" she cried.
This time, however, she drew more energy from her crystal than she would have used for one person. After drawing the necessary energy, she raised her hand in the air. Waves of white light flowed towards her friends, with each wave containing energy that they desperately needed. With that energy, the Guardians were able to return to their feet again.
When the healing was finished, Tuxedo Mask was the first one she saw. "Darien…" she uttered, feeling that formal names were not needed this time.
"Serena," he answered back, the feeling mutual.
"Th…thank you for…for…" she stuttered. The combination of not knowing how to say 'Gee, thanks for sacrificing yourself for my sake!', and the effects of the battle were finally getting to her.
"You don't have to say it," Tuxedo Mask reassured her. "I told you it was your fight. Hey, and you won, too!"
"Yeah, we knew you could do it!" Sailor Jupiter added.
"We all believed in you!" added Sailor Mars.
Sailor Moon, letting her muscles relax, felt her body go limp. She collapsed upon the ground, getting the first bit of rest she had in the entire battle.
"Serena!" her friends called out, rushing to her aid. Tuxedo Mask was there first, propping her head into his lap. Sailor Moon seemed to be content at this point.
"Serena, are you hurt?" asked Tuxedo Mask, worried for her.
"I'm fine…really," she responded. "I think I used too much energy from the crystal, though. I feel so tired…"
"Don't worry, Serena," Tuxedo Mask said reassuringly. "Now you can rest."
"Not…by a long…shot…" came a voice behind them.
"Aw, not again!" Sailor Venus shouted.
"It can't be!" Sailor Mercury added. "No one could have survived a blast like that!"
Lilithite was crawling on her hands and knees, refusing to give up the battle. Her hair was singed, her clothes in tattered rags, her body covered with green blood, her life almost gone. She would never give up. "I…will win…the Nega…verse…will win!"
"That's enough, Lilithite!" came another voice from beyond.
The Guardians were shocked when they heard the next voice. Lilithite had a smile upon her face. "Jedite…" she whispered.
Jedite appeared before all of them, armor and all. He had an odd smile upon his face. "That's enough fighting, Lilithite. I'm taking over the battle from here. You're finished."
Lilithite's smile grew wider. "Oh, thank you, my love…" she uttered. She reached her hand towards the sky, towards Jedite. "We can finish the Guardians together…"
A black globe of energy appeared in Jedite's hands. "Perhaps I didn't make myself clear," he sneered, no emotion in his voice. "I said, you're finished!"
Suddenly, the realization appeared upon Lilithite's face. "Oh…no, Jedite…please no…I thought…you…loved…me…"
"So naïve," he boomed. "So young and emotional. Emotions have no place on a battlefield. And you will find that out…first…hand…"
The Guardians could only watch the confusing scene play out. They watched as Jedite hurled the black orb towards Lilithite. They saw the orb engulf her within blackened flames. They heard her unending scream last an eternity. They heard her last words clear as a bell. "Forgive me…forgive me…"
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CHAPTER 28
The Sailor Guardians stood dumbfounded at what they just witnessed. Jedite had turned on his partner, and killed her. None of the Guardians had ever thought that this would happen.
Jedite seemed content at the moment, just hovering over Lilithite's scorched body, cackling to himself. Seeing this, the Sailor Guardians regrouped a few feet away. Tuxedo Mask carried the near unconscious Sailor Moon in his arms to help save her strength.
"I don't believe this," Sailor Venus whispered. They had to keep their voices down so Jedite wouldn't hear them. "He just flat out killed her!"
"I say good riddance," Sailor Jupiter added. "That woman was nothing but a pain. It's about time she was taken care of, even if it was Jedite."
"I agree," said Tuxedo Mask, still cradling Sailor Moon within his arms, "but I can't figure out why Jedite would do such a thing.
"Maybe it was a mercy killing," Jupiter interjected. "You saw what bad condition Lilithite's body was in."
"I doubt it," Sailor Mercury said. "From what Jedite was saying, it was no where near a mercy killing."
Sailor Mars hung her head. "I think I know why."
"Really?" asked Venus.
"Yeah," Mars responded.
"What do you think?" Jupiter asked.
"It's one of the many characteristics that makes the way of evil complete," Sailor Mars explained. "Evil naturally turns upon itself."
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Jedite took a moment to look at his handiwork before he advanced towards the Guardians. He stared at what was left of Lilithite's body. Parts of a white skeleton was all that remained, scattered with burnt flesh and blackened ash.
Jedite chuckled under his breath. "Pathetic," he said softly. "She seemed so promising. Yet, she turned out to be weak in the end. And she actually had feelings for me. How amusing." Jedite laughed to himself. "Either I'm quite the charmer, or my spell worked better than I thought."
His ears then caught bits and pieces of the conversation the Guardians were having. The only full sentence that he heard came from the raven-haired girl. "Evil naturally turns upon itself." It was then when Jedite chose to advance.
"Do you smell a fault in this, Sailor Mars?" beamed Jedite, putting forth a cold stare upon the Guardians.
"Jedite…" the Guardians murmured.
"Yes, it is true that evil does turn upon itself," said Jedite, "but she had served her purpose."
"Her purpose?" asked a confused Jupiter.
Jedite broke into gales of laughter after what seemed such a moronic response. "Stupid girls," Jedite commented. "Do you really think I intended to keep her along side me? No! She wasn't even from the Negaverse."
"What?" exclaimed Sailor Venus. "Then how did she…"
"Allow me to explain this to you in the simplest of terms," Jedite interrupted. "A year ago, before my failure which imprisoned me, I took a 'fail-safe' measure just in case all went wrong. I found a girl by the name of Lilith, and placed a spell upon her. The spell would wipe her memories clean, and give her the power of the Negaverse. Her mission: to revive me from my crystal prison. If I survived, the spell would have done nothing. But since I failed, it took effect…"
"You monster!" Sailor Jupiter shouted all of the sudden. "You took her identity away and used her! That's inhuman!" She began to run towards the evil being, but she hit an invisible wall while trying.
"No, no, Jupiter," Jedite sarcastically scolded. "The dark barrier prevents all opposition from getting through to me. I doubt your case is any different."
As Sailor Jupiter backed away, the other Guardians stared coldly at Jedite. "You are sick," Sailor Mercury stated. "No one can stoop any lower than you have."
Jedite laughed at this comment. "Don't tell me that you haven't done the same thing, dear Mercury. It seems that while I was suffering, you were turning our warriors over to your side as well."
"That was different!" Sailor Mars exclaimed. "The people we healed were already brainwashed by the Negaverse!"
"Truthfully, dear Mars, I do not see the difference in that at all," Jedite snorted. "We 'healed' the people into our image, you 'healed' the people into your image."
Sailor Jupiter took a few steps towards Jedite. "You got it all wrong! Those people…"
"Silence!" Jedite screamed. The barrier around Jedite flashed suddenly, and a black lightning bolt sprung forth, striking just short of Jupiter's feet. This caused her to jump back in surprise. Jedite sighed. "I grow tired of these verbal fights. Perhaps now you will be more inclined to a 'real' battle…" The barrier flashed again, this time with a large energy ball forming in the center.
"This isn't good," Tuxedo Mask said. "Serena's in no condition to fight."
"We're going to have to buy some time then," said Sailor Mars. "We can't do much else."
"Prepare to die, mortals!" Jedite shouted, hurling the black ball at the unsuspecting warriors.
Sailor Mercury saw the energy out of the corner of her eye. "Get out of the way!" she shouted.
Immediately, the Guardians scattered in all directions, with Tuxedo Mask once again carrying Sailor Moon to safety. The energy collided with the ground, creating a huge blaze where the Guardians once stood.
Jedite began to laugh maniacally. "Finally, I will exact my revenge upon you, and then realm of the Earth will mine for the taking!" Thrusting his palm forward, small lightning bolts began to rain from the dark barrier. They were scattering all over the greenish-orange grass, singeing each blade they touched.
Sailor Mercury took the initiative. "Shine Aqua…ILLUSION!" she shouted. With a wave of her hands, a huge wall of ice extended from the ground to an arc above her head. The rest of the Guardians and Tuxedo Mask regrouped behind the wall for cover.
"The wall won't last long," Sailor Mercury pointed out. "Each lightning bolt chips part of the ice away."
"At least it buys us some time," said Sailor Venus.
"So what do we do now?" asked Sailor Jupiter. "Sailor Moon is out, Jedite's got the advantage, and I don't think the lightning is going to let up any time soon."
"I guess we wait it out," suggested Sailor Mars. "Then we'll decide what to do."
As the Guardians were discussing strategy, Tuxedo Mask seemingly wasn't paying attention. His attention was on his beloved, Sailor Moon. Her eyes had been fluttering open and closed for a good twenty minutes now. If only she hadn't used so much of the Imperium Crystal's energy.
"Serena," Tuxedo Mask whispered to her, "we could really use your help right now. I've always believed in you, Meatball-head. From the time I first met you, through the times I lost my memory, through the times I was in the Negaverse, to the times in the future. There was always a part of me, no matter how small, that has believed in you. And the last thing I want you to do is give up on us now."
A small groan could be heard from Sailor Moon's mouth. "…oh…..n…..no…."
This caught Tuxedo Mask off guard. "Serena?"
The other Guardians, hearing this, gathered around Serena's body. "Is she waking up?" asked Sailor Venus.
"…no…no more…," muttered Sailor Moon, her eyes slowly opening.
Tuxedo Mask put his hand to her face, caressing her cheeks . He tried to get her to finish the sentence. "No more what, Serena? No more what?"
"…no more…fighting…," she muttered, slowly coming aware of where she was.
Tuxedo Mask was confused "What do you mean, 'no more fighting'? You can't give up now…"
Sailor Moon grabbed Tuxedo Mask's arm with her hand, strength slowly coming back to her. "No, my darling," she whispered. "There will be no more fighting. The line will be drawn here."
It was at that moment that the Imperium Silver Rose Crystal flashed. Sailor Moon began to levitate out of Tuxedo Mask's arms.
"What is she…oh, no!" gasped Sailor Jupiter.
"She's going to use the Crystal!" exclaimed Sailor Venus.
"Don't do it, Serena!" Sailor Mercury implored. "If you use the Crystal at full power…"
"…you're not going to survive!" finished Sailor Mars.
Tuxedo Mask suddenly realized what was going on. What was said to him before didn't come from just Sailor Moon. It came from Princess Serenity as well. But he also knew that using the Silver Rose Crystal could be suicide.
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Sailor Moon emerged from behind the ice wall, much to the surprise of Jedite. Upon seeing the levitating figure, he ceased the raining of the lightning. "What kind of parlor tricks are these?" he said with a half smile. "Nothing can stop me now, not even Sailor Moon!"
"But that's where you're wrong, Jedite," Sailor Moon said, ceasing her movement upwards when she met Jedite at eye level. "The power of goodness has always overcome the powers of evil. This time is no exception."
Sailor Moon removed the Imperium Silver Rose Crystal from her broach. Grasping it firmly within her hands, a bright light began to shine. Her Sailor costume expanded forth, forming a beautiful white dress. Crescent moons made of gold were sewn into the top, with a long flowing train nearly touching the ground.
Jedite was shocked. "Se…Serenity!" he shouted.
"I am Serena," Princess Serenity stated. "Princess of the Moon Kingdom, and heir to Queen Serenity's throne. You are nothing more than a pawn of the evil root that controls you. You are nothing."
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The other heroes were still standing behind the ice wall, staring in awe at the resurfaced princess. "I never thought Serena could talk that well!" Sailor Mars said.
"That's Princess Serenity talking," Sailor Jupiter commented.
"I know," said Sailor Mars. "It's hard to believe that someone like Princess Serenity is walled up inside someone like Serena sometimes."
"I think that there is someone like Princess Serenity in all of us," suggested Sailor Venus.
"I agree," Tuxedo Mask mentioned. "No matter how big, or small, intelligent or not, there's someone there."
"And Serena is no exception," said Sailor Mercury.
Together, they kept watching as the drama unfolded between the light and dark…
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A small amount of fear began to work into Jedite's system, but he was too proud to let it show. He had not expected the full power of the Silver Crystal to be used, or even mentioned. He'd have to learn to take these matters into account in the future.
The stare-down was nearing it's end. Jedite could not remain dormant for any longer. "Serenity, or not," he began, "princess or queen, hero or coward, this is the end. My order will reign supreme. The time of Serenity's court is passed. And I, and I alone, will be the one to enforce this!" The barrier flashed a final time, now becoming visible to all the Guardians. A large circle was forming in the middle of the barrier, rippling into place. Jedite put forward his palms, helping the circle grow larger. He was ready to unleash his final assault. "TIME TO DIE, SAILOR MOON!"
Jedite thrust his arms through the barrier, forcing a huge black beam of energy from it, streaking straight towards the floating princess. Sailor Moon countered by letting the Imperium Crystal flow outwards from her hands, creating a counter barrier to protect her. The resulting collision of light and dark forces, sent high winds and large beams of lightning and fire upon the battle field. The sudden change of climate shattered the ice wall into millions of pieces. The Sailor Guardians had to shield themselves from the resulting ice chunks hurled their way as well as the fire and lightning.
"Your kind are not welcomed upon the Earth!" Princess Serenity shouted above the high winds, trying hard to keep her shield from shrinking. Concentrating her thoughts upon the hated villain, she put forward her arms, and released her own beam to counter the one Jedite was holding.
"Face it, Princess," yelled Jedite, "you cannot win! With the limited power you possess now, there is no way for you to win!"
Jedite intensified his beam to weaken any defense that Serenity was trying to perform. It seemed to work, for her beam was shrinking. "I'll…never…give up…Jedite!" Serenity yelled, holding on as best she could.
The Sailor Guardians, shielding themselves from the resulting effects of the battle, tried their best to see what was going on. "Can anybody see anything?" Venus shouted amidst the commotion.
"What's happening?" Mars yelled. "I can't see!"
Tuxedo Mask looked to the sky, using the Rose Staff to absorb the incoming energies. He could barely make out Serenity and the weakening beam. "She's in trouble!" he shouted at the top of her lungs. "She can't last that much longer!"
Sailor Jupiter, hearing this, staggered closer to her friends. "There's…no other way, guys!" she yelled. "We have to pool our powers together to finish him!"
"Yes," shouted Mercury in agreement. "If we lend our powers to the Silver Rose Crystal once more, we can beat Jedite once and for all!"
Tuxedo Mask nodded. "Then lets do it," he shouted. "Jedite, your nightmare of darkness is over! We will be the ones who'll triumph!" At that moment, his tuxedo faded away, and was replaced with a highly elaborate suit of armor. Prince Endymion had surfaced.
"We have to do this now!" shouted Sailor Mars. "Join hands, everybody!"
The four Sailor Guardians all met in one spot, joining hands with eachother. Prince Endymion didn't, however. He was concentrating the energy he gained in his staff towards the Imperium Silver Rose Crystal.
"MERCURY PLANET POWER!"
"MARS PLANET POWER!"
"JUPITER PLANET POWER!"
"VENUS PLANET POWER!"
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Princess Serenity tried to force Jedite's beam back, but to no avail. Her attack was weakening. His beam was growing closer. It would only be a matter of time before the Silver Crystal would become useless.
Suddenly, all the surrounding sound seemed to drain away. She could hear nothing of the battle. Nothing except her friends and fellow Guardians, clear as a bell.
"MERCURY PLANET POWER!"
"MARS PLANET POWER!"
"JUPITER PLANET POWER!"
"VENUS PLANET POWER!"
As soon as Serenity heard these voices, she knew what she must do. It was to be their final offense, she
realized. If this didn't work, nothing would. Without even thinking about it, she took a deep breath…
"MOON LUNAR POWER!"
"GUARDIAN PLANET ATTACK!" cried the heroes.
The symbols of the Guardian's respective tiaras began to glow, then fire their respective colors of light, each which met together at a centralized location. Prince Endymion added the energy from his staff to the location as well. From this location a solidified beam of multi-colored light proceeded towards the Imperium Silver Rose Crystal at blinding speeds. Once intercepted, Princess Serenity received a huge increase in her strength and power. Once more, she fired her own beam of light.
This time, the beam of Serenity shown forth in a myriad of colors. The intensified beam outnumbered Jedite's with at least three times it's size, and triple of that in power. Jedite's beam was shrinking faster than he knew it.
One million thoughts circled Jedite's mind at once. "No…it can't be…the power of Serenity is no where near compared to mine! This is impossible! No one can stand up to me! No! NO! NOOOOOOOO!"
The Guardian's beam slammed into Jedite's shield obliterating it with it's force. The beam surrounded Jedite's body from all sides. As Jedite screamed in agony, he felt his power, and his body, withering away. Within seconds, his body disintegrated. And with this, the power holding the endless battlefield weakened. Without the evil entity's power holding it together, it was seconds before the dimension collapsed upon itself.
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NEXT TIME...
The battle is over, and the aftermath begins. Our heroes part, and well kept secrets are revealed. How will everyone cope?
DISCLAIMERS: Rights to Sailor Moon are owned by Naoko Taceuchi, Kondansha Publishing, Toei, DiC, Optimum Productions, Cloverway...am I forgetting anything?
This story is supposed to provide an alternate story line to the Sailor Moon series. It starts after the Sailor Moon R series ends (the Death Phantom is destroyed and Rini goes home to Crystal Tokyo). The next events are of my own creation and do not relate to the Sailor Moon S series (at least not intentionally).
I finished this fanfic over a year ago, before the S and SuperS seasons were dubbed in America. Please excuse any attack names that are DiC-ish, because that is what I had to work with at the time. ;) This story, after looking back, seems a cross between Japanese and American references. So, please excuse the term "Negaverse" as opposed to "Dark Kingdom", because the story focuses on Jedite.
Anyway, please enjoy the story!
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CHAPTER 27
Sailor Mars, as well as the rest of the Sailor Guardians, looked on as Sailor Moon called Lilithite out for battle. However, Mars' mind was not concentrating on the possible battle at hand; she was trying to solve the biggest enigma she ever met: Serena.
"I am so surprised at her sometimes," Mars thought to herself. "She can be such a ditz at times. She falls on her face, pigs out on food, and swoons over guys when she should be doing Sailor business. In all likelihood, she shouldn't even be here. But, even with all these negative qualities…why do I admire her so…
"I mean, she can be ditzy, yet she can turn from that to brave whenever she wants. She can be so selfish, and yet, she gives and cares so much. She would give you the last bit of food she has, even though she would most likely take it for herself.
"She has so many qualities on the inside that make her a good leader. On the outside, seems like a brainless twit. I don't know how she separates these personalities, and switches them so well. I can't figure her out. And yet, if I had live an entirely different life than I lead now, there's none better than I'd choose to live as…"
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Sailor Moon was frustrated when she didn't get an immediate answer to her challenge. Once again, she began to yell to the skies. "Come on, Lilithite!" she screamed. "I've had it with you, and the entire Negaverse! We're gonna settle this now, and I'm not going to take no for an answer!"
"Ask, and you shall receive, 'Sailor Moon'!" a voice reverberated in distance.
Seconds after the response was heard by the Guardians, Sailor Moon heard several shrieks behind her. Totally focused on Lilithite, she almost forgot about her friends. Turning around, she saw that Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter had been trapped within rings of energy. They had pinned the arms of the Guardians at their sides, disabling them and leaving them helpless.
"Oh, no!" was all Sailor Moon could utter as she ran to help them. She didn't notice a fifth ring heading towards her.
Tuxedo Mask saw this and reacted immediately. "Serena!" he cried as he lunged to Sailor Moon's aid. Knocking her out of the way, Tuxedo Mask was caught within the energy ring instead.
When she got her bearings again, Sailor Moon realized what happened. "Tuxedo Mask," she gasped.
"This is your fight," Tuxedo Mask said, struggling within the power bonds of the energy ring. "I wouldn't dream of intruding unless you needed it."
"Well, well, well, it seems that I've captured all of the kittens," the voice spoke. This was followed by an energy spiraling out from under the ground a few feet from where Sailor Moon was standing. Within seconds, the spiral disappeared, and Lilithite was left standing. "Now I have to dispose of the mother cat," she finished.
Sailor Moon stared at Lilithite with enraged eyes. "You…." she muttered, her fists growing tighter with each second. "You……MONSTER!"
Without even thinking, she threw a right hook at Lilithite's head. Sensing this, Lilithite ducked. "Ah, ah, ah…" Lilithite mocked. "Patience, patience, Sailor Moon. You'll get your chance." A green ball of energy was forming behind her back. "And that chance is…NOW!"
Lilithite hurled the energy ball at Sailor Moon using only her thoughts. This had officially initiated the fight. Sailor Moon had narrowly dodged it, flying to the ball's right. The ball crashed to the ground, sending orange grass and dirt everywhere.
Sailor Moon took this opportunity to lunge at Lilithite once again. She threw punch after punch at the Negaverse demon. Catching Lilithite off guard, the punches connected in her midsection. After about five or six, Lilithite dropped to the ground to catch her breath.
"Impressive," she commented between breaths. "You're not just a clumsy, air-head after all."
Sailor Moon raised her fist to strike again, but left her mid-section open. Lilithite seized this opportunity, striking Sailor Moon with a punch of her own. Sailor Moon staggered back, holding her stomach. Lilithite followed it up with another energy bolt. This time, it connected with Sailor Moon's chest, sending her down to the ground.
With Sailor Moon down, Lilithite fired more bolts of energy at her. Thinking fast, Sailor Moon rolled out of the way of the incoming energy. Lilithite sneered, and fired more bolts in the direction Sailor Moon was rolling. Sailor Moon couldn't outrun the new energy bolts. She seemed trapped.
Suddenly, the broach upon her chest flared with silver light. "The Silver Rose Crystal," she thought to herself. The light created a barrier, deflecting the green energy in all directions. Lilithite was shocked.
With the Imperium Silver Rose Crystal providing protection, Sailor Moon managed to get back to her feet. Lilithite then charged towards her at blinding speed. Sailor Moon decided to respond with the same action, charging towards Lilithite. Both ran as fast as they could.
Within seconds, they collided. Sailor Moon bent at the last second, jamming her shoulder into Lilithite's gut. The force of the blow sent Lilithite reeling back. The wind was knocked out of her. This was Sailor Moon's chance to put her away.
"Moon Lunar Staff!" she cried. Her weapon then disappeared from the ground it was imbedded in, and reappeared within her hands. She pointed it towards the sky, ready to fire. "GUARDIAN MOON STROBE STRIFE!"
Pointing the staff at Lilithite, multiple beams of light were launched from the crescent moon on top. Each beam hit Lilithite, creating another huge explosion…
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This caused the rings holding back the Sailor Guardians and Tuxedo Mask disappeared. They all fell to the ground, most of their strength they used trying to break free.
As the energy dissipated from the attack, Sailor Moon took a moment to look at the smoke and small fires that had replaced Lilithite's location. "Dusted…" she triumphantly whispered to herself.
She then ran back to her friends, practically in a daze. It was her will alone that kept her on her feet. "Guys! I'm here!" she cried.
Sailor Mercury weakly turned her head towards where the shouting was coming from. "Se…Serena…" she uttered.
"Sailor Moon…" added Sailor Venus.
Once Sailor Moon arrived at the Guardians' location, she placed her right hand upon the Silver Rose Crystal. "LUNAR HEALING RESTORATION!" she cried.
This time, however, she drew more energy from her crystal than she would have used for one person. After drawing the necessary energy, she raised her hand in the air. Waves of white light flowed towards her friends, with each wave containing energy that they desperately needed. With that energy, the Guardians were able to return to their feet again.
When the healing was finished, Tuxedo Mask was the first one she saw. "Darien…" she uttered, feeling that formal names were not needed this time.
"Serena," he answered back, the feeling mutual.
"Th…thank you for…for…" she stuttered. The combination of not knowing how to say 'Gee, thanks for sacrificing yourself for my sake!', and the effects of the battle were finally getting to her.
"You don't have to say it," Tuxedo Mask reassured her. "I told you it was your fight. Hey, and you won, too!"
"Yeah, we knew you could do it!" Sailor Jupiter added.
"We all believed in you!" added Sailor Mars.
Sailor Moon, letting her muscles relax, felt her body go limp. She collapsed upon the ground, getting the first bit of rest she had in the entire battle.
"Serena!" her friends called out, rushing to her aid. Tuxedo Mask was there first, propping her head into his lap. Sailor Moon seemed to be content at this point.
"Serena, are you hurt?" asked Tuxedo Mask, worried for her.
"I'm fine…really," she responded. "I think I used too much energy from the crystal, though. I feel so tired…"
"Don't worry, Serena," Tuxedo Mask said reassuringly. "Now you can rest."
"Not…by a long…shot…" came a voice behind them.
"Aw, not again!" Sailor Venus shouted.
"It can't be!" Sailor Mercury added. "No one could have survived a blast like that!"
Lilithite was crawling on her hands and knees, refusing to give up the battle. Her hair was singed, her clothes in tattered rags, her body covered with green blood, her life almost gone. She would never give up. "I…will win…the Nega…verse…will win!"
"That's enough, Lilithite!" came another voice from beyond.
The Guardians were shocked when they heard the next voice. Lilithite had a smile upon her face. "Jedite…" she whispered.
Jedite appeared before all of them, armor and all. He had an odd smile upon his face. "That's enough fighting, Lilithite. I'm taking over the battle from here. You're finished."
Lilithite's smile grew wider. "Oh, thank you, my love…" she uttered. She reached her hand towards the sky, towards Jedite. "We can finish the Guardians together…"
A black globe of energy appeared in Jedite's hands. "Perhaps I didn't make myself clear," he sneered, no emotion in his voice. "I said, you're finished!"
Suddenly, the realization appeared upon Lilithite's face. "Oh…no, Jedite…please no…I thought…you…loved…me…"
"So naïve," he boomed. "So young and emotional. Emotions have no place on a battlefield. And you will find that out…first…hand…"
The Guardians could only watch the confusing scene play out. They watched as Jedite hurled the black orb towards Lilithite. They saw the orb engulf her within blackened flames. They heard her unending scream last an eternity. They heard her last words clear as a bell. "Forgive me…forgive me…"
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CHAPTER 28
The Sailor Guardians stood dumbfounded at what they just witnessed. Jedite had turned on his partner, and killed her. None of the Guardians had ever thought that this would happen.
Jedite seemed content at the moment, just hovering over Lilithite's scorched body, cackling to himself. Seeing this, the Sailor Guardians regrouped a few feet away. Tuxedo Mask carried the near unconscious Sailor Moon in his arms to help save her strength.
"I don't believe this," Sailor Venus whispered. They had to keep their voices down so Jedite wouldn't hear them. "He just flat out killed her!"
"I say good riddance," Sailor Jupiter added. "That woman was nothing but a pain. It's about time she was taken care of, even if it was Jedite."
"I agree," said Tuxedo Mask, still cradling Sailor Moon within his arms, "but I can't figure out why Jedite would do such a thing.
"Maybe it was a mercy killing," Jupiter interjected. "You saw what bad condition Lilithite's body was in."
"I doubt it," Sailor Mercury said. "From what Jedite was saying, it was no where near a mercy killing."
Sailor Mars hung her head. "I think I know why."
"Really?" asked Venus.
"Yeah," Mars responded.
"What do you think?" Jupiter asked.
"It's one of the many characteristics that makes the way of evil complete," Sailor Mars explained. "Evil naturally turns upon itself."
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Jedite took a moment to look at his handiwork before he advanced towards the Guardians. He stared at what was left of Lilithite's body. Parts of a white skeleton was all that remained, scattered with burnt flesh and blackened ash.
Jedite chuckled under his breath. "Pathetic," he said softly. "She seemed so promising. Yet, she turned out to be weak in the end. And she actually had feelings for me. How amusing." Jedite laughed to himself. "Either I'm quite the charmer, or my spell worked better than I thought."
His ears then caught bits and pieces of the conversation the Guardians were having. The only full sentence that he heard came from the raven-haired girl. "Evil naturally turns upon itself." It was then when Jedite chose to advance.
"Do you smell a fault in this, Sailor Mars?" beamed Jedite, putting forth a cold stare upon the Guardians.
"Jedite…" the Guardians murmured.
"Yes, it is true that evil does turn upon itself," said Jedite, "but she had served her purpose."
"Her purpose?" asked a confused Jupiter.
Jedite broke into gales of laughter after what seemed such a moronic response. "Stupid girls," Jedite commented. "Do you really think I intended to keep her along side me? No! She wasn't even from the Negaverse."
"What?" exclaimed Sailor Venus. "Then how did she…"
"Allow me to explain this to you in the simplest of terms," Jedite interrupted. "A year ago, before my failure which imprisoned me, I took a 'fail-safe' measure just in case all went wrong. I found a girl by the name of Lilith, and placed a spell upon her. The spell would wipe her memories clean, and give her the power of the Negaverse. Her mission: to revive me from my crystal prison. If I survived, the spell would have done nothing. But since I failed, it took effect…"
"You monster!" Sailor Jupiter shouted all of the sudden. "You took her identity away and used her! That's inhuman!" She began to run towards the evil being, but she hit an invisible wall while trying.
"No, no, Jupiter," Jedite sarcastically scolded. "The dark barrier prevents all opposition from getting through to me. I doubt your case is any different."
As Sailor Jupiter backed away, the other Guardians stared coldly at Jedite. "You are sick," Sailor Mercury stated. "No one can stoop any lower than you have."
Jedite laughed at this comment. "Don't tell me that you haven't done the same thing, dear Mercury. It seems that while I was suffering, you were turning our warriors over to your side as well."
"That was different!" Sailor Mars exclaimed. "The people we healed were already brainwashed by the Negaverse!"
"Truthfully, dear Mars, I do not see the difference in that at all," Jedite snorted. "We 'healed' the people into our image, you 'healed' the people into your image."
Sailor Jupiter took a few steps towards Jedite. "You got it all wrong! Those people…"
"Silence!" Jedite screamed. The barrier around Jedite flashed suddenly, and a black lightning bolt sprung forth, striking just short of Jupiter's feet. This caused her to jump back in surprise. Jedite sighed. "I grow tired of these verbal fights. Perhaps now you will be more inclined to a 'real' battle…" The barrier flashed again, this time with a large energy ball forming in the center.
"This isn't good," Tuxedo Mask said. "Serena's in no condition to fight."
"We're going to have to buy some time then," said Sailor Mars. "We can't do much else."
"Prepare to die, mortals!" Jedite shouted, hurling the black ball at the unsuspecting warriors.
Sailor Mercury saw the energy out of the corner of her eye. "Get out of the way!" she shouted.
Immediately, the Guardians scattered in all directions, with Tuxedo Mask once again carrying Sailor Moon to safety. The energy collided with the ground, creating a huge blaze where the Guardians once stood.
Jedite began to laugh maniacally. "Finally, I will exact my revenge upon you, and then realm of the Earth will mine for the taking!" Thrusting his palm forward, small lightning bolts began to rain from the dark barrier. They were scattering all over the greenish-orange grass, singeing each blade they touched.
Sailor Mercury took the initiative. "Shine Aqua…ILLUSION!" she shouted. With a wave of her hands, a huge wall of ice extended from the ground to an arc above her head. The rest of the Guardians and Tuxedo Mask regrouped behind the wall for cover.
"The wall won't last long," Sailor Mercury pointed out. "Each lightning bolt chips part of the ice away."
"At least it buys us some time," said Sailor Venus.
"So what do we do now?" asked Sailor Jupiter. "Sailor Moon is out, Jedite's got the advantage, and I don't think the lightning is going to let up any time soon."
"I guess we wait it out," suggested Sailor Mars. "Then we'll decide what to do."
As the Guardians were discussing strategy, Tuxedo Mask seemingly wasn't paying attention. His attention was on his beloved, Sailor Moon. Her eyes had been fluttering open and closed for a good twenty minutes now. If only she hadn't used so much of the Imperium Crystal's energy.
"Serena," Tuxedo Mask whispered to her, "we could really use your help right now. I've always believed in you, Meatball-head. From the time I first met you, through the times I lost my memory, through the times I was in the Negaverse, to the times in the future. There was always a part of me, no matter how small, that has believed in you. And the last thing I want you to do is give up on us now."
A small groan could be heard from Sailor Moon's mouth. "…oh…..n…..no…."
This caught Tuxedo Mask off guard. "Serena?"
The other Guardians, hearing this, gathered around Serena's body. "Is she waking up?" asked Sailor Venus.
"…no…no more…," muttered Sailor Moon, her eyes slowly opening.
Tuxedo Mask put his hand to her face, caressing her cheeks . He tried to get her to finish the sentence. "No more what, Serena? No more what?"
"…no more…fighting…," she muttered, slowly coming aware of where she was.
Tuxedo Mask was confused "What do you mean, 'no more fighting'? You can't give up now…"
Sailor Moon grabbed Tuxedo Mask's arm with her hand, strength slowly coming back to her. "No, my darling," she whispered. "There will be no more fighting. The line will be drawn here."
It was at that moment that the Imperium Silver Rose Crystal flashed. Sailor Moon began to levitate out of Tuxedo Mask's arms.
"What is she…oh, no!" gasped Sailor Jupiter.
"She's going to use the Crystal!" exclaimed Sailor Venus.
"Don't do it, Serena!" Sailor Mercury implored. "If you use the Crystal at full power…"
"…you're not going to survive!" finished Sailor Mars.
Tuxedo Mask suddenly realized what was going on. What was said to him before didn't come from just Sailor Moon. It came from Princess Serenity as well. But he also knew that using the Silver Rose Crystal could be suicide.
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Sailor Moon emerged from behind the ice wall, much to the surprise of Jedite. Upon seeing the levitating figure, he ceased the raining of the lightning. "What kind of parlor tricks are these?" he said with a half smile. "Nothing can stop me now, not even Sailor Moon!"
"But that's where you're wrong, Jedite," Sailor Moon said, ceasing her movement upwards when she met Jedite at eye level. "The power of goodness has always overcome the powers of evil. This time is no exception."
Sailor Moon removed the Imperium Silver Rose Crystal from her broach. Grasping it firmly within her hands, a bright light began to shine. Her Sailor costume expanded forth, forming a beautiful white dress. Crescent moons made of gold were sewn into the top, with a long flowing train nearly touching the ground.
Jedite was shocked. "Se…Serenity!" he shouted.
"I am Serena," Princess Serenity stated. "Princess of the Moon Kingdom, and heir to Queen Serenity's throne. You are nothing more than a pawn of the evil root that controls you. You are nothing."
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The other heroes were still standing behind the ice wall, staring in awe at the resurfaced princess. "I never thought Serena could talk that well!" Sailor Mars said.
"That's Princess Serenity talking," Sailor Jupiter commented.
"I know," said Sailor Mars. "It's hard to believe that someone like Princess Serenity is walled up inside someone like Serena sometimes."
"I think that there is someone like Princess Serenity in all of us," suggested Sailor Venus.
"I agree," Tuxedo Mask mentioned. "No matter how big, or small, intelligent or not, there's someone there."
"And Serena is no exception," said Sailor Mercury.
Together, they kept watching as the drama unfolded between the light and dark…
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A small amount of fear began to work into Jedite's system, but he was too proud to let it show. He had not expected the full power of the Silver Crystal to be used, or even mentioned. He'd have to learn to take these matters into account in the future.
The stare-down was nearing it's end. Jedite could not remain dormant for any longer. "Serenity, or not," he began, "princess or queen, hero or coward, this is the end. My order will reign supreme. The time of Serenity's court is passed. And I, and I alone, will be the one to enforce this!" The barrier flashed a final time, now becoming visible to all the Guardians. A large circle was forming in the middle of the barrier, rippling into place. Jedite put forward his palms, helping the circle grow larger. He was ready to unleash his final assault. "TIME TO DIE, SAILOR MOON!"
Jedite thrust his arms through the barrier, forcing a huge black beam of energy from it, streaking straight towards the floating princess. Sailor Moon countered by letting the Imperium Crystal flow outwards from her hands, creating a counter barrier to protect her. The resulting collision of light and dark forces, sent high winds and large beams of lightning and fire upon the battle field. The sudden change of climate shattered the ice wall into millions of pieces. The Sailor Guardians had to shield themselves from the resulting ice chunks hurled their way as well as the fire and lightning.
"Your kind are not welcomed upon the Earth!" Princess Serenity shouted above the high winds, trying hard to keep her shield from shrinking. Concentrating her thoughts upon the hated villain, she put forward her arms, and released her own beam to counter the one Jedite was holding.
"Face it, Princess," yelled Jedite, "you cannot win! With the limited power you possess now, there is no way for you to win!"
Jedite intensified his beam to weaken any defense that Serenity was trying to perform. It seemed to work, for her beam was shrinking. "I'll…never…give up…Jedite!" Serenity yelled, holding on as best she could.
The Sailor Guardians, shielding themselves from the resulting effects of the battle, tried their best to see what was going on. "Can anybody see anything?" Venus shouted amidst the commotion.
"What's happening?" Mars yelled. "I can't see!"
Tuxedo Mask looked to the sky, using the Rose Staff to absorb the incoming energies. He could barely make out Serenity and the weakening beam. "She's in trouble!" he shouted at the top of her lungs. "She can't last that much longer!"
Sailor Jupiter, hearing this, staggered closer to her friends. "There's…no other way, guys!" she yelled. "We have to pool our powers together to finish him!"
"Yes," shouted Mercury in agreement. "If we lend our powers to the Silver Rose Crystal once more, we can beat Jedite once and for all!"
Tuxedo Mask nodded. "Then lets do it," he shouted. "Jedite, your nightmare of darkness is over! We will be the ones who'll triumph!" At that moment, his tuxedo faded away, and was replaced with a highly elaborate suit of armor. Prince Endymion had surfaced.
"We have to do this now!" shouted Sailor Mars. "Join hands, everybody!"
The four Sailor Guardians all met in one spot, joining hands with eachother. Prince Endymion didn't, however. He was concentrating the energy he gained in his staff towards the Imperium Silver Rose Crystal.
"MERCURY PLANET POWER!"
"MARS PLANET POWER!"
"JUPITER PLANET POWER!"
"VENUS PLANET POWER!"
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Princess Serenity tried to force Jedite's beam back, but to no avail. Her attack was weakening. His beam was growing closer. It would only be a matter of time before the Silver Crystal would become useless.
Suddenly, all the surrounding sound seemed to drain away. She could hear nothing of the battle. Nothing except her friends and fellow Guardians, clear as a bell.
"MERCURY PLANET POWER!"
"MARS PLANET POWER!"
"JUPITER PLANET POWER!"
"VENUS PLANET POWER!"
As soon as Serenity heard these voices, she knew what she must do. It was to be their final offense, she
realized. If this didn't work, nothing would. Without even thinking about it, she took a deep breath…
"MOON LUNAR POWER!"
"GUARDIAN PLANET ATTACK!" cried the heroes.
The symbols of the Guardian's respective tiaras began to glow, then fire their respective colors of light, each which met together at a centralized location. Prince Endymion added the energy from his staff to the location as well. From this location a solidified beam of multi-colored light proceeded towards the Imperium Silver Rose Crystal at blinding speeds. Once intercepted, Princess Serenity received a huge increase in her strength and power. Once more, she fired her own beam of light.
This time, the beam of Serenity shown forth in a myriad of colors. The intensified beam outnumbered Jedite's with at least three times it's size, and triple of that in power. Jedite's beam was shrinking faster than he knew it.
One million thoughts circled Jedite's mind at once. "No…it can't be…the power of Serenity is no where near compared to mine! This is impossible! No one can stand up to me! No! NO! NOOOOOOOO!"
The Guardian's beam slammed into Jedite's shield obliterating it with it's force. The beam surrounded Jedite's body from all sides. As Jedite screamed in agony, he felt his power, and his body, withering away. Within seconds, his body disintegrated. And with this, the power holding the endless battlefield weakened. Without the evil entity's power holding it together, it was seconds before the dimension collapsed upon itself.
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NEXT TIME...
The battle is over, and the aftermath begins. Our heroes part, and well kept secrets are revealed. How will everyone cope?