Couldn't make the final battle any longer, so here's the end of the fic. I dedicate the entire fic to everyone who reviewed, especially India, Wingnut and the Guardian who were the very first to let me know they liked it. Enjoy everyone.
CHAPTER 8Jessica Elizabeth Klinto awoke with a headache that made her wish she were dead.
"Jessie, it's time for you to get up." She heard a voice call out gently. "You're going to be too late if you don't hurry."
"Go away, Zoisite." she hissed in an ice-cold voice. "You're not my baby-sitter. You're not even my instructor. What right do you have to give me orders?"
Zoisite forced the younger woman to look at her. "Malachite and I saw what you were willing to do in order to protect the Princess. That attack could have killed all of you if you'd used your full power. You would have died to save a foolish Princess of a Kingdom that has been all but forgotten by your own people. Does she truly mean so much to you?"
"Yes, she does. But what do you care?" Jessie snorted. "She's your enemy... as am I now."
"The Princess Serenity is to face Queen Beryl alone in just under an hour. If you want to help the child, then you must leave now. You'll need the help of the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask. Go, you know the way to the dungeon."
"Thank you, Zoisite." Jessie said quietly. "I know the risks you're taking for me. Why are you doing this?"
"Because you're my friend." Zoisite answered. "When you told Jedite that he'd decided friends weren't very important, it made me realize how much mine mean to me. When Queen Beryl is finished with the Princess, she's going to send for you. I don't care what happens to the others, but I want you to get away. And I know you won't leave without the Princess, Tuxedo Mask and the other Scouts.
"I'll come back when this is over," Jessie swore. "I promise, Zoisite. I'll come back."
*@*@*@*@*@
Serena, Ami and Darien were sitting on their cots when they heard the other Sailor Scouts coming toward their cells.
"Hurry." Mars' voice came out clearly. "We've got to get to Beryl before she realizes we've gotten out."
"Is that you, Sailor Mars?" Ami asked.
"Yeah, it's us, Mercury." Night answered. She unlocked the three doors and waved them into the corridor. "Transform, you guys. Beryl's puppets will be here any minute."
"How'd you get out of your cell, Sailor Night?" Tuxedo Mask demanded once he'd transformed.
"My room wasn't locked." She evaded the question slightly.
"Do you mind if we talk about this later?" Mars hissed. "They'll be coming for Sailor Moon any minute now. We've got to get out of here!"
*@*@*@*@*@
"I didn't think they'd make it as far as they have." Malachite murmured as they watched the seven warriors of justice race up to the throne room where Queen Beryl awaited them. "Did you tell her?"
"No." Zoisite denied. "It would destroy her to find out she killed Jedite. I haven't even told Queen Beryl that he's dying. We don't want Jessie to find out from her. And there's still a chance he'll snap out of the coma in time."
"So he isn't dead yet?" Malachite's face betrayed his surprise. "But that blast hit him full force. He didn't even try to block it."
"She didn't use her full power. She really didn't want to lose him. They've always been very close."
"Do you think they'll win?"
"I don't know." she admitted. "But Jessie promised she'd come back when this was over."
*@*@*@*@*@
"Welcome back to my Negaverse, Princess Rosa." Beryl purred. "I told you that you would return to me one day."
"So you did." Sailor Night agreed. "But I'm not Princess Rosa. That girl is dead and you'll never see her again. In fact, the last people you'll ever see are right in front of you. I had regrets about fighting the others, but I won't hesitate in killing you."
"You know what my death will mean, don't you?" the witch asked, smirking. "Are you prepared to accept the consequences?"
She nodded sadly. "I have no choice, Beryl. Whatever the cost to me, you must be stopped."
"What are you talking about, Night?" Mars demanded. "What's this cost?"
"Something I thought I'd never be able to give up, Sailor Mars. Something no one can ever truly live without; my freedom. But that means nothing, Beryl!" the girl finished. "Sailor Scouts, Prince Endymion, Princess Serenity, I think we have a job to do here. If we combine all our powers, we can defeat her easily! Now, before it's too late!"
*@*@*@*@*@
"Is she insane?" Zoisite breathed sharply. "She knows the price she'll have to pay if Queen Beryl is destroyed. Much more than her freedom is at stake. If she isn't careful, she'll be killed. Her powers aren't as contained as the other Scouts' are. Oh Malachite, what are we to do?"
"Sailor Night must make her own choices, Zoisite." he answered sadly. "Perhaps this is the only way for her now. Don't worry, my love. I believe she does want to live."
From across the room, Jedite grumbled and moved slightly, but remained unconscious. His energy was fading fast.
*@*@*@*@*@
Princess Serenity hadn't even noticed she was no longer Sailor Moon until she had been called by her true name. "I understand, Sailor Night," she replied to the older girl's comment. "It is time."
The Sailor Scouts nodded and prepared to summon their powers.
"You really think you can defeat me?" Beryl laughed. "You're only children."
"I know we can." Serenity answered calmly, raising her Crystal.
"MOON CRYSTAL-"
"MARS FIRE-"
"MERCURY BUBBLES-"
"NIGHT STARS-"
"VENUS CRESTENT BEAM-"
"JUPITER THUNDER-"
Beryl began to shake in fear, realizing just how much power was being combined to ensure her demise. "NO!" she screamed.
"BLAST!"
"IGNITE!"
"SMASH!"
"CRASH!"
"SHINE!"
"POWER!"
Queen Beryl screamed once more as the energy, fused together with Prince Endymion's sword, hit her. Her scream echoed throughout the castle long after she had been turned to dust.
*@*@*@*@*@
"I-is it over?" Sailor Venus asked as they all stared at the pile of dust which had once been the evil Queen of the Negaverse.
"Yes," Zoisite answered as she teleported in beside Sailor Night. "It is over."
"Zoisite!" Princess Serenity cried out as she and the four planetary Scouts prepared to attack.
"No!" Sailor Night whispered before de-transforming back to Jessie. "No, Serenity, you can't. If it weren't for Zoisite, we'd still be locked up in those cells. Or the others would, anyway. You and I, we'd be dead by now." Her breath was shaky as she spoke and her face was ashen.
"What are you saying, Jessie?" Mercury asked. "Zoisite's been trying to kill us all along. Why would she help us now?"
"I don't care what happens to you, Scouts," Zoisite answered for herself. "But Jessie's well-being means a great deal to me. If I could have freed her without helping you, I would have. But I knew she'd never leave without you."
"We follow the orders given to us by our Queen." Malachite agreed, speaking up for the first time, making them aware of the fact that he'd teleported in behind them. "If Queen Beryl had not ordered us to attack you, we would have gone to Earth to find Jessie- to be certain she was safe and happy. Other than that, we would have left you alone."
Jessica suddenly felt something was wrong. "Malachite, where's Jedite?" she demanded. "Is he alright too?"
He shook his head. "He's in a coma, Jessie. He isn't doing very well."
"No, please, no!" she prayed under her breath. "D-did I put him in the coma?"
"You didn't have any other choice." Zoisite replied firmly. "He never would have let you pass. It was the only way."
"Where is he? I want to see him."
"That isn't such a good idea." Malachite disagreed.
"Don't force me to make it an order, Malachite." the girl hissed, black eyes flashing dangerously. "Just tell me where he is, please!"
"Upstairs." Zoisite murmured, knowing that look all too well from the Moon Kingdom. "He's in his bedroom."
The raven-haired girl fled from the room before anyone could move to stop her.
"What did she mean when she asked you not to make her request an order?" Jupiter asked in mild confusion.
"That is for Jessie to tell you." Malachite answered. "But first, we must stop her from doing something stupid- again." He began to teleport, then stopped. "Perhaps you can prevent her. Come, she is this way." He raced out as quickly as Jessie had, not waiting to see if the others were following.
Princess Serenity was the first to move.
The others were less than a step behind.
*@*@*@*@*@
"I'm here, Jedite." Jessie whispered, taking the blond man's hand. "This is all my fault. I did this to you, and I'm going to bring you back. I'm so sorry for what I said. You do care about what happens to your friends. You could have easily blocked that attack, I made sure of it." She was crying as she spoke. Her words were slightly blurred, but understandable. "Oh, Jedite, I'm so sorry. But I will get you back, my friend. I can't lose you too. I won't!"
"Jessie!" Zoisite called out as they entered the large room. "Don't do anything stupid. We won't let you give up your energy to save his life. It would kill you."
"It'll kill him too." Jessie replied, not caring who saw the tears on her face. "Even if I had the energy to spare- which I don't, I couldn't give him any. His body would reject the power of a Sailor Scout. It'd be like mixing oil and water." She looked up for a moment, and her eyes brightened with hope. "But maybe another human's energy would work instead. Did Beryl ever manage to steal any energy from the people of Earth?"
Serenity nodded. "Yes, why?"
"My energy won't work, but most people from Earth have just about the right power level. That's why she was so set on destroying Earth once she was able to open the portal again. She could have used us as slaves to keep her own people alive if they were hurt. Where did Beryl keep her stolen energy? It can't be returned to its proper owners, but it can be used to save a life."
Princess Serenity looked doubtful. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Jessie?" she asked kindly. "You may just have to let him go."
"Not without at least trying. I'm not going to just stand around and do nothing while someone I care about is dying. Not again!"
"Again?" Venus echoed. "Who else have you lost?"
Jessie ignored her and continued staring at her friends, silently demanding where the stolen energy was.
"We don't know." Malachite answered finally. "Nephrite hid it just before he died. We haven't been able to find it."
"Can we do anything to help?" Endymion asked.
"Not unless you can speak to the dead, or know another way to find it."
"Mercury, can you use your computer?"
"It might work." The blue-haired genius responded, pulling it out of Lunar Space Pocket. She began to scan. "I think I've found something!"
The others followed hopefully, as she led the way to Nephrite's former room. Carefully, she moved some few books off the shelf, and began running her fingers across the empty space. "Right here!" she announce calmly as the back of the bookcase sprang out.
Jessie carried the container of energy back to Jedite's room hurriedly. "Please work." she whispered to herself as she allowed it to enter his body.
Time would tell. Until he awoke, the only thing they could do was wait.
*@*@*@*@*@
"Thank you, Sailor Scouts." Jessie smiled as she gazed down at the now-peacefully sleeping Jedite. He had awakened for a few minutes before, but was still very weak. It would be several days before he was back to normal. "I'm sorry for the way I was acting, but I was terrified that I would lose another friend."
She stood up straighter and looked at them all in an embarrassed manner. "Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, I, Jessica, Queen of the Negaverse, extend my whole-hearted apologies for what has happened to you during the reign of my predecessor. Please believe me when I say I want nothing more than to restore the peace which existed before she ascended the throne."
"Whoa, slow down!" Mars ordered. "You're the new Queen of the Negaverse? How'd that happen?"
"When I refused to become one of her soldiers, Beryl decided to punish me in a very subtle way. She named me the heir to her throne. Like I said we beat her, I lost my freedom. I won't be able to live on Earth anymore. It may be years before I can even visit. Beryl screwed things up big-time over here and I get to clean up after her. Lucky me."
Endymion gave her an amused look and bowed. "Queen Jessica, as Prince of Earth, I accept your apology, and your offer of peace. I am afraid however, that I cannot allow years to go by without you visiting us. We would all miss you very much."
Jessie's laughter was completely unexpected. "That was the quickest formal response I've ever heard." she giggled. "But you won't miss me, you won't even know I'm gone. When you wake up in the morning, it will be as if the Negaverse never attacked in this lifetime. Except for Luna and Artimis, none of you will remember anything. If someone else attacks Earth, they will be able to restore your memories.
She turned around and motioned them to follow her. "I'll show you the way back. Take care, my friends. I hope you'll never have to fight again."
Epilogue
"What happened next?" a small, pink-haired child demanded of the young woman who sat beside her bed. "Did the Sailor Scouts ever have to fight again? And whatever happened to Sailor Night? Did she ever see her friends again? Please tell me?"
"Tomorrow maybe, Rini." the raven-haired woman smiled. "It's late. You should have been asleep over an hour ago. Now, close your eyes and have peaceful dreams, my Little One. I'll see you in the morning." She bent down and gently kissed the little girl's forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too, Aunt Jess." Rini whispered as her friend left the room.
"What story did you tell her?" Neo-Queen Serenity murmured as Jessica, Queen of the Negaverse entered her sitting room. "You were in there for a very long time."
"I told her the first chapter of our story, Serena." Jessie answered. "From the day we met, until right after we defeated Beryl. Sometimes I wish..." she let the hang for a moment, then shook her head. "Oh well, it couldn't be helped, I guess."
"You will have to leave soon, Jessica." Sailor Pluto said firmly from where she was seated among the rest of the Outers. "It is almost time."
"May I at least say good-bye, Trista? I promised Rini I'd see her in the morning. Why won't you let me do anything? I could help them, you know."
"Not in your condition." Sailor Uranus retorted rather pointedly. "You'd only wind up hurting people you love even more. It's too dangerous."
Jessie's hand went to her belly, swollen with her first set of twins. "I know, Amara." she whispered. "But still, I wish there was something I could do to make this easier for our Little One. She should never have to go through this sort of thing at all, forget about doing it alone."
"She won't be alone." Endymion pointed out. "We'll be with her. All things considered, I'd say that our past selves will do very well in protecting Small Lady..."
"I know, Dare. But that doesn't mean I'm content to just sit back and let it all happen."
Alright, I know I left Metellia alive here, but that's 'cuz I have plans for her later. Just need to decide what. Also, there's NO way I'd kill off Jedite because he's my favorite general. Nephrite's cool too, and I'm trying to figure out a way to bring him back without sounding too crazy. Anyone have any idea? Let me know! Here ends fic one of the Night Saga. Fic two is a quick little one-shot that's not even ten pages long. It takes place during the break-up of Season Two. Everything between the end here and the next fic is the same. It'll be out in a few days. Until then, have fun and enjoy! This is Kara, signing off for now!