Beryl's hands twitched angrily. "They're…gone?" her eye quivered
dangerously. "Gone?" she took a deep breath. "How dare they!!!!!!" she roared.
Malachite said nothing, simply let the queen rant. Trying to calm her down was
useless. And deadly. He had the marks to prove it.
Zoicite, on the other hand, trembled slightly. The queen was ten times more
powerful when she was ranting. Malachite had the marks to prove it.
"Destroy them all!" the queen was screaming. "Destroy every last miserable
scout, those two traitors, the brat, the felines, and get me that crystal!!!" she screamed.
She took another deep breath. "Dismissed."
Malachite and Zoicite bowed. "Yes ma'am." They left…

Raye snuck another look at Jadeite, who was sparring with Chad. "Gotta admit,
he looks good in priest attire." She muttered out loud.
"Really?" Someone asked.
Raye turned around with the brush, and wound up hitting Sapphire. "Yow!" she
jumped back. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya!" she had her hands up.
Raye *sweatdropped*, and swallowed. "Did you hear what I said?"
"What'd you say?" she asked with a wink. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with
me. But why are you so embarrassed?" she asked.
"Well…for one thing, there's Chad. And then there's Grandfather. The other
scouts…" she trailed off.
"True." Sapphire paused, a thoughtful look on her face. "But you'll never stick
with Chad. Too scatter-brained. Your Grandfather would probably be all for it. And as
for the others, it really shouldn't matter. I'm sure they'd stick with you. After all, he is
on our side." She pointed out.
"I know." Raye admitted. "I just…I dunno." She shrugged.
"Okay." Sapphire shrugged.
"So how's Nephlyte?" Raye grinned. Granted Sapphire was brilliant, and gave
sage advice, but nothing seemed to shake her! It was unnerving.
Sapphire blushed, and covered her left hand. "Uh…just fine."
Raye's eyebrow lifted. "What are you hiding?" she grinned.
"Nothing!" Sapphire protested, taking a step back.
"Lying isn't nice." Raye replied, reaching for her hand.
"I'm not lying!" she insisted, taking another step back.
"Then how come you're running away?"
"Huh? Oh, this isn't running away." She whirled around. "But this is!" she
called over her shoulder as she took off.
"Hey! Get back here!" Raye dropped the broom, and took off after her…

"Are you sure about this?" Darien asked.
"For the last time Honey-kins, yes!" Serena cried, exasperated.
"I don't trust it." He replied.
"Darien! They were your generals to start with." She pointed out.
"And then they were Beryl's."
"You fought alongside Beryl once." Ami pointed out. "And look now."
"Ugh. I just can't win." He said, shaking his head.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" a scream startled them all, cutting off any
further conversation…

"I want that crystal, and I want it now!" Zoicite yelled.
"No way José!" Rini cried, scrambling away.
"Stupid moon brat!"
"Not so fast Zoicite." Nephlyte replied.
"Huh?!" she turned around. "Ah, so the traitor makes an appearance." She
smirked.
"Leave. There's no point to this." He said coldly.
Rini stared at him. She shrugged, and jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder.
She was about to scream, but Sailor Sapphire cut her off. "Shh…he's on our side, okay?
Trust me."
Rini nodded.
"Now go on, go with Jadeite and Mars. Malachite may show up soon." She
smiled.
She nodded again, and ran.
Sapphire stood. "Zoicite, wait!" she yelled…

"Zoicite, wait!" the general fired in the basic direction towards the voice.
"You missed! Now hold fire, and listen to what I have to say!"
"Who are you?!" Zoicite demanded.
A girl with dark blue hair jumped down from a tree and into the clearing. "I am
Sailor Sapphire, scout of the Dimensions!"
"This is the one you left us for? Well, well Nephlyte, I will admit, she is cute."
Zoicite smirked.
Nephlyte's hands closed into fists. "That's enough."
"Wait, don't fight!" Sailor Sapphire held her hands up. "There's no need to! You
don't have to do this! Join us, and help us fight Queen Beryl!" she pleaded. "Be King
Endymion's general again! Don't waste your second life making your first mistakes!"
Zoicite sneered. "Your words mean nothing, you stupid woman!" she prepared
to launch another energy blast.
"Sapphire Jewel Flare!" was the response.
A brilliant flash of blue light washed over Zoicite, and then there were only the
two of them…

"Where…where am I?" Zoicite asked. The world around her was black, and the
ground beneath her feet was…water?
"Between Dimensions. This is the Obsidian Dimension." Sailor Sapphire replied.
She appeared, suspended in the air above the water, and completely nude.
"Wait! You're that girl…" Zoicite trailed off, blushing as she noticed that she
was in the same condition.
"Yes. And there's a reason for this." She gestured to herself. "It puts us on the
same level. We're no longer Sailor Scout and General."
"What's the meaning of this?!"
"To get rid of our barriers, so that we can talk."
"Let me out of here!"
"Not until you hear what I have to say. Please?"
Zoicite sighed. "All right…"

Sapphire cleared her throat. "You were one of King Endymion's generals, as I'm
sure you already know. But what you don't know is that you were once male."
"What?!"
"Please, let me finish. Beryl changed your gender as some sort of cruel joke, after
she kidnapped you all and changed your minds."
"What does that have to do with here?"
"It's simple. Come to our side. Follow Nephlyte and Jadeite, and return to your
former self." A spotlight appeared in the dimension, settling on another figure. "This is
you."
Zoicite gasped. The face, so like her own, was squarer. The jaw more firm, the
shoulder broader. All traces of this forced effeminacy gone, replaced with an air of
gentle masculinity.
"Of course, it is your choice. If you wish to remain female, you may. But I need
your answer quickly. We can only hover between Dimensions for so long, before we
are both lost."
"Yes…yes to everything…" Zoicite whispered…

"Welcome back Zoicite." Nephlyte smiled.
She—he looked down at his hands. Large, masculine… "Oh my god." He
whispered.
Sapphire tapped his shoulder, and hugged him. "Welcome back completely."
She smiled.
"Thank you." He whispered, still amazed at the strange, complete feeling…

"Are you sure about this?" Rini asked, mimicking her father's earlier words.
"Yes." Sapphire smiled. "They're going to be your father's generals, just like
before."
"Okay." Rini shrugged. "But what about Malachite?"
"I don't know…" Sapphire mused. "Maybe we'll get him, maybe we won't."
"Should we ask Raye?"
"Nah. She and Jadeite are…busy." Sapphire winked.
"Oh." Rini grinned. "Think Serena and them are spying on her?"
"More than likely. That doesn't mean we're going to."
"Rats."
"Too bad. Besides, you have karate, remember?"
"Right, right." Rini pouted.
"We'll spy later." Sapphire promised.
"Okay! Later Sapphire!" Rini ran off.
"You're evil darling." Nephlyte said.
She jumped. "Ah! Don't sneak up on me! You scared me!"
"All the more reason to do it." He replied chuckling, wrapping his arms around
her.
"Sure, I'm the evil one. Right." She said, smiling…

"So what are you going to do now that you're well…uh…" Mina blushed, and
trailed off.
Zoicite chuckled, enjoying the deep velvety sound of his new voice. "Good?
First thing will be to get a haircut."
"No! Don't do that, you have such great hair!" she cried, before clapping her
hands over her mouth and blushing furiously.
"If you say so." He shrugged. "Seems that long hair is a running trait around
here." He winked.
Mina blushed. "I could never handle short hair! I'd probably freak and spaz out
completely if I looked in the mirror." She *sweatdropped*, and looked away.
"It doesn't suit you anyways." He smiled.
She blushed, and they walked on…

"What are they saying?"
"Maybe we shouldn't be doing this guys!"
"Ow! Lita, that was my foot!"
"Sorry!"
"Be quiet, they'll hear us!"
"SERENA!!!" Mina turned around, and faced emptiness. Zoicite stared at her.
She blushed. "Uh…sorry. Thought I heard them."
"It's okay." He shrugged, and put an arm around her shoulder, and continued
walking.

"Wow! How romantic!"
"Oh my god! He's got his arm around her!"
"Why does she get all the luck?"
"You have Darien!"
"Yeah, but this is so romantic, just like in the movies!"
"SERENA!!!" Mina turned around again, and again they ducked behind the
bushes.
Zoicite laughed. "Don't be so paranoid Mina. It's probably just your
imagination."
"Yeah, you're right. Because if that meatball headed brat was spying on us, I'd
have to shave her head."
Zoicite blinked.

"Guys, let's just go!"
"Be quiet Ami, I can't hear what they're saying!"
"Uh…Ami's right, we should go!"
"I thought you wanted to know too!"
"Sure I do Lita, but not at the expense of my hair!"
"Fine, then go on! Crybaby."
"Shouldn't you be going back to the Temple? Jadeite might be lonely."
"WHAT?!?!?!"

Mina grabbed his hand. "Come on! They're fighting; that'll give us enough time
to get away!" she ran, dragging Zoicite behind her…

Rini looked up at Sapphire. Sapphire looked down at Rini. "Are you sure
Serena's the future Moon Queen?"
"Yep. That's my mom!" Rini grinned. "Let's go see if we can't catch up with
Zoicite and Mina!"
"Hm…I dunno…getting caught by Mina, especially when she's in 'pick-up
mode'? Nah, too risky. Even for me!"
"Aw, come on Sapphire!" Rini pleaded. "We won't get caught!"
"If you got your mother's stealth skills, we will." She pointed out.
"Rats! I get to miss out on all the romantic stuff." Rini pouted.
"Don't worry. There'll be plenty of romance in your life when you're older."
Sapphire assured her.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course! Romance is a staple of a girl's life!"
"Okay." Rini consented. "Then wanna go watch Raye and Serena fight?"
"Sure! This I gotta see." They jogged to where the two were fighting…

"Take it back!" Raye was on Serena's back, hands wrapped around her pigtails.
"GET THIS NUTCASE OFF OF ME!" she was yelling.
Lita had her arms around Raye; Ami had her arms around Lita.
Sapphire and Rini looked at each other. "Some days…" She shrugged, and
pulled Lita off. Then she jumped on Raye's back, bringing both girls down. Lita
managed to untangle Raye's hands out of Serena's hair, and Ami pulled Serena up.
Sapphire got up, rubbed her ribs, and sighed. "Now what was that all about?"
she demanded, taking Lita's outstretched hand.
"She started it!" Serena pointed at Raye.
"No, she started it!" Raye pointed at Serena.
Sapphire rolled her eyes. "Okay, let me put it like this. I don't care who started
it, but if it happens again, I reserve the right to transform and separate you two the
messy way. Now apologize, and go home."
"Sorry." Serena replied.
"Sorry. Brat." Raye muttered.
"Raye." Sapphire tapped her foot warningly.
"Come on guys, let's go home." Lita said.
"Right. You have major studying to do Serena, if you want to pass your exams
tomorrow."
"Didn't you say you had that huge audition tomorrow Raye?" Lita and Ami
grabbed one of the girls, and began walking in opposite directions. They waved over
their shoulders.
"You too Rini. A growing child needs sleep, etcetera." Sapphire grinned.
"Right. Besides, I wouldn't wanna be around here after dark." She replied.
"How come?"
"It's too creepy."
"Makes sense to me. Now run and catch up with Lita and Serena. I'll see you
tomorrow." Sapphire smiled.
Rini ran off. "Later Sapphire!" she called over her shoulder.

"I didn't think you could be so good with kids." Nephlyte stood under a nearby
streetlamp.
Sapphire blushed. "Oh real funny pal. For your information, I happen to be just
excellent with kids!"
He came over, and put his arms around her. He said nothing, and they both
stared at the moon…

Raye made it home in time to catch Jadeite and Chad attempt to fight. "What do
you two think you're doing?" She demanded, stepping in between them.
"Uh…" Jadeite blushed, and stepped back.
Chad glared at him. But before he could say anything, Raye cut him off. "I don't
wanna know! Just see that you two get along, or I'll have you both thrown out!"
Chad left.
"He cares about you a lot, you know." Jadeite said quietly.
"Huh?" Raye stared at him.
"He accused me of trying to take you away from him. I told him you were your
own woman. He didn't seem to like that answer." He shrugged.
"Uh…" she had no answer for that.
"So we nearly came to blows. I suppose now you would prefer it if I leave.
Make things peaceful around here." He said flatly, as though it were a statement and
not a question.
"Uh…no." she blushed. "No, not really. It's kinda nice having you around here.
To help look after Grandpa, I mean!" she added quickly, blushing furiously.
"It's nice to be around here. You're awfully cute when you blush."
"Huh?"
"The moonlight catches the color, and makes it even prettier." He smiled. "I'll be
quiet now, if you wish."
Raye swallowed, and turned back around. "N-no, that's all right." She smiled.
"Come on. Get inside before Chad ambushes you…"

"See you tomorrow then?" Mina asked, poised over her doorstep.
"Yes. I still don't see why I should go though."
"Because high school's fun!" she replied. "Later!" she walked in the door.
"High school? Fun?" he shrugged. "The things I would do for her." He turned
away, and began walking…

"Good night Nephlyte."
"Just for tonight?" he asked hopefully.
She looked at him. "No. I know exactly what'll happen." She grinned, and stood
on tiptoe. "Besides, it's a school night." She said before kissing him.
He sighed, and held onto her after the kiss. "All right, all right. You win."
"Of course I do." She grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"All right. Good night dearest."
"Night…honey." She blushed, and disappeared inside.
"Affectionate, yet shy." Someone chuckled. "You've made an interesting catch."
"Who's there?!" Nephlyte turned around, fingers poised to transform.
"You should already know. And this time, no sniveling scout will save you."
"Malachite!" Nephlyte snapped his fingers, and stood tall. The general was
ready.
"At least you didn't forget your roots." Malachite smiled, and appeared from the
shadows.
"What are you doing here?"
"What do you think? I hope you enjoyed your last kiss, because I doubt you'll
find such happiness in death!" Malachite roared…

Four hearts stopped in that moment. "Oh no!" Mina sat up, and transformed
into Sailor Venus. Her high heels would lead the way.
"Gotta help him!" Raye jumped out of bed, and transformed into Sailor Mars.
Her high heels would lead the way.
"Have to save him!" Sapphire sat up, and transformed. Her heels would lead the
way.
The last heart hovered in indecisiveness, then she too transformed, and let her
feet lead the way…

"AH!" Nephlyte dove for cover as Malachite charged, sword in hand.
"Get up and fight! Or has this transformation made you weak?!"
"No! I am no weaker for learning how to love!"
"And neither are we!" Zoicite and Jadeite appeared from the darkness.
"Zoicite?" Malachite stared…

"You felt it too?" Sailor V asked, running faster.
"Yes! Think we'll make it?" Sailor Mars asked.
"We'll never know if we slow down!" Sailor Mercury replied.
"Right!" The other two cried, running faster…

"SAPPHIRE JEWEL RING!" Malachite's sword nearly shattered on impact.
"Please Malachite, you don't have to do this!" Sailor Sapphire protested.
"Shut up!" he dove for her.
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOT!" a heart flew through the air and
knocked the sword from its path to Sailor Sapphire's heart.
"Venus!"
"MARS FLAME SHOOTER!" fire singed the cape that swung away.
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!" water put out the small flame.
"Jadeite, are you all right?" Mars ran to his side.
"Zoicite, did he hurt you?" Venus ran to his side.
"Nephlyte, are you okay?" Sapphire ran to his side.
"Stop right there Malachite, and listen to reason." Mercury demanded.
"Why?" he glared at her.
"Because I want to help you." She said earnestly.

"Want to help you…help you…help you…"

"Ugh…where am I?" he groaned.
"The Jade Dimension. I would've taken you to the Obsidian, but you're not as
severe a case as Zoicite was." That blue haired brat replied.
"You! You changed her!"
"No, I restored him. Malachite, please, listen to reason." Sailor Sapphire stood
before him, in the garbs of a royal senshi princess.
"Why should I?" he reached for a weapon, but came up empty-handed.
"There is no need for violence here." She replied softly. "You felt something,
when Mercury asked you to stop. What was it?"
"Nothing. I merely thought it was amusing that she would dare order me to do
anything!"
"You respect her."
"What? What gave you that idea?!"
"You've always respected her."
"Shut up!"
"You'd praise her intelligence, her beauty, and her heart if you could."
"I said shut up!"
"No. Not until you see the reason why I brought you here."
"To force me to turn against my queen!"
"I am not here to force you to do anything." She said. "Here." She handed him
his sword. "Strike me if you must, but I don't know what happens to us if I die in here."
He lifted the sword. "I want to help you…help you…" but could not bring himself
to bring it against her. "What's wrong with me?" he whispered.
"Nothing. There is goodness inside you Malachite, you've felt it before. That's
why you've never killed any of the scouts. You've had plenty of chances."
"So what? What good does it do me?" he demanded.
"That's just it. The others are waiting, outside, in the Crystal Dimension. That
light you see over there," she pointed to the left, "is where everyone and everything
waits. Love, prosperity, honor…everything any general, or any man for that manner
could wish. Now look over there, at that darkness," she pointed to the right. "That is
the Onyx Dimension, where you and the others have been kept. Somehow, one of you
managed to break some of those threads. That allowed you and the other three
generals to break through."
"And?"
"Which Dimension would you rather be in. The one that glows white, or the
dark one where everything is sucked into sorrow?"
"How would I be able to stay?"
"It's quite easy." She smiled. "Trust me."
"That's it?"
"Basically. Just trust in me, and the others, and be prepared to defend the White
Moon."
He narrowed his eyes at her outstretched hand. "There must be a catch."
"True." She admitted. "You won't be able to move as easily back and forth as
easily. But you will retain your strength and energy. Only it will be for good rather
than evil."
He still hesitated.
"Mercury waits for you in the Crystal Dimension. Who knows? Perhaps you
two can get to know one another."
"That's a low trick."
"Perhaps. But you're thinking about it, aren't you?"
He laid one hand on her outstretched one. "More than just thinking about it
child…"

"Are they all right?" Mercury hovered near Malachite, and Nephlyte stood close
to Sapphire.
"I hope she was strong enough to pull it off." Jadeite said.
"I just hope nothing happened." Zoicite replied.
Mina grabbed his arm, and held tight.
"Ugh…" Sapphire opened her eyes. "What are y'all staring at? Did my skirt fly
up?" she asked, sitting up and letting go of Malachite's hand.
"This is strange." Malachite said, looking at his hands. "I don't…I mean I do feel
different, but…"
She smiled, and laid one hand on his shoulder. "You're still you, only now
you've been pretty much exonerated from Queen Beryl's side."
He grinned. "Great."
She smiled back. "Welcome to this dimension. Hope you like it." She said,
giving his shoulder a squeeze before she passed out.
"Sapphire!" Nephlyte caught her…

Four generals turned, leaving their queen. What will she do?