Chapter Twenty-One

Usagi stopped as she caught side of the huge doors leading into Beryl's throne room. This was it then. When they had entered this room, there was no return. She would have to fight Beryl and therefore Metalia. Most likely to the death of one of them. It scared her beyond words.

She was a warrior. The slayer of countless of demons and vampires. Yet she hesitated in doing what she was trained to do here. It was so different so hopeless. After all, hadn't they tried before and failed? It had only been through the powers of her mother and Lord Angelus that they even survived. And then they had the Ginzuishou. Now they had neither the Ginzuishou nor the help of Angelus.

Collecting herself, Usagi prepared herself to enter the hall. She would succeed. After all, hadn't Angelus said that he believed in her, that she could win? Usagi couldn't let him down now. Nor could she make Buffy's fight for nothing.

Gritting her teeth, the blonde gave her friends a hard look. Minako smiled encouragingly at her, and Mamoru gave her that fierce yet compassionate look that he had given her so many times in their past life. It awakened feelings inside her that she never would have expected existed. Maybe they had a chance in this life after all.

"Are you ready?" Minako gently said, placing one of her deceptively smooth hands on Usagi's shoulder. The princess nodded. It was time.

So they formed up. Mamoru and Minako flanking Usagi. Behind them came Makoto and Rei, keeping the constantly scanning Ami with them. They all knew that Ami was one of their greatest helpers on the way to victory. As they were about to enter the hall, the blue haired senshi looked up.

"Buffy and the Outers are approaching quickly," she reported. "We need to hurry up, or it will not be safe for the Key to enter."

Usagi nodded once, and then Minako kicked the doors open. A stream of monsters immediately came against them, but a few well-placed kicks and hits together with finishing attacks from the senshi behind quickly finished them off. A quick scan from Ami proved that the hall was empty of demons now if you didn't count Beryl, and the senshi immediately fanned out, taking up posture by the three doors into the hall. Ami by the backdoor, Rei by the main door and Makoto by the trapdoor in the floor. Endymion and Minako were acting as backup as they kept an eye out for eventual teleport spells. And so, Usagi fastened her blue eyes at the red- haired woman that had caused her so much misery and pain.

"So we finally meet again, Beryl," she casually said, skilfully keeping the tremble out of her voice. There was no time for being nervous now. Why couldn't she reach the unworried state she had been in just an hour before again?

The mighty woman glared at her opponent.

"Pitiful human," she snarled. "How can you even hope to defeat me?"

Usagi shuddered this time, in fright in helplessness. She didn't know what to do. Angelus had promised to help her if she came this far, but his spell hadn't ended yet. What if he couldn't come to her help? She didn't know how to call the Ginzuishou; she didn't know how to use it. How could she win without it. Tears were already burning in her eyes.

"Submit to me," Beryl purred, her purple eyes already gleaming victoriously at her. "It's useless anyway. I have more power than you will ever have."

The petite woman wavered. It would be so easy to give in. To not worry anymore, to not.

Before she had a chance to finish that thought, an unearthly voice echoed through the air, seemingly coming from nowhere.

"Not right now you haven't" the well-known voice of Buffy flippantly said. "I see you're still up to your old mind-seducing tricks again. You know, when I got my beloved brother back from your clutches, I swore that I wouldn't loose anyone I hold close to you in that way again."

A shimmer in the middle of the room was the only warning Beryl got before Buffy appeared with the Outer senshi, Haruka by her side with Michiru and Setsuna flanking them protectively. They were all blazing with power, and Buffy's face was terrible in its furious beauty.

"Let loose," the slight Slayer commanded, her voice cold and steady as she stretched her hand out, commanding the power within her. And suddenly, Usagi could think again. Two seconds later, an explosion of energy flew through the hall, knocking everyone of their feet. Their time limit had finally ended.

A cry tore through the room as Buffy caught the backlash of the explosion. Her back arched in terrible pain, and it was only Haruka's supporting arms that held her up. Lights were swirling around her, before her, behind her. She was in the middle of a lightning storm with only her fellow Outer senshi. Colours of black and red were fighting against each other, the red in the centre, wanting out, the black sitting in the edges, refusing to do so. Buffy's fight for the world had begun.

A sudden chock of energy alerted Usagi to her own mission in this battle. It was time for her to do her part, and she had to do it fast, before Buffy was overwhelmed. Looking at Beryl, she saw that she was fully restored in the manner of powerfulness and that she was preparing a major spell. It was in that moment that Usagi realized that this was it.

"Demon Gloria Helvetica!" Beryl shouted - or was she Metalia now? - flinging out her rod to direct the sudden mass of white, painful energy that had appeared at her demand. Not even thinking, Usagi did the same, shouting her new attack.

"Imperial Sceptre Call, Imperial Healing Light!" In a flash of light, the silver sceptre immediately appeared, beginning to glow fiercely as soon as it had materialized completely, sending out a mass of power of its own, this one a shimmering blue white.

The two powers met right on, and Usagi felt herself having to take a step backwards to compensate for the collision. Starting to sweat, she grounded her booted feet in the floor and gritted her teeth, holding on for dear life while pushing on. She.could.not.allow.Metalia.to.win!

The grip the magic she was performing had on her was almost painful, so strong was it. Yet, it didn't seem to be enough. Usagi desperately tried to think of a possible way to call the Ginzuishou. Angelus hadn't sent her even one thought; she didn't know what to do. She couldn't hold on very much longer. There had to be something she could do!

The senshi threw a quick look at the group of outer senshi, intending to see how her friend was holding up. What she saw surprised her. Buffy was kneeling on the floor, her head resting almost listlessly on the shoulder of Setsuna. Her body was glowing and convulsing with the power she was channelling to keep the rift between the two dimensions closed, and her green eyes was glowing with a shine so bright it hurt to look at.

The three outer senshi was sitting around her, and even though they knew there wasn't much they could do, they did what they could. The dark-haired Setsuna was supporting Buffy's shivering body with her own, arms holding the smaller woman tightly. Haruka was kneeling opposite of Buffy, her hands holding Buffy's, obviously channelling her own energy into Buffy to help her cope. Michiru was doing the same, sitting cross-legged on the floor while having a tight grip on Buffy's upper arms.

"We need more energy," Haruka said tensely, her arms trembling with the effort of keeping the energy flowing. "She won't make it much longer."

Michiru seemed to be blinking tears away as she looked at the Key, never letting her friend go with her eyes.

"But how?" she wondered. "We're already giving all we have to spare."

Setsuna raised her head slightly for a second before letting it sink again of exhaustion.

"Maybe if we combined our powers and converted them into energy?" she suggested. "That will be enough for a while at least. Perhaps it will be enough to let Usagi win."

The two others nodded. No one bothered to speak anymore, but Usagi could see that they were powering up even more energy inside.

"Tsunami Ascending!"

"Dark Wind!"

"Realm Seizure!"

A flash of energy passed through their entangled limbs, and they all collapsed on the floor in a heap. Haruka mustered enough energy to lift her head and look at Buffy.

"It worked," she mumbled as her head slipped back again. "We'll have at least five minutes before she'll meet more support. The sad thing though, is that we won't be able to give it."

Usagi' s insides froze at that sentence even as her heart melted at the show of utterly devotion to one's friends. Suddenly, she knew what to do.

"Angelus!" she called out, aloud as well as mentally. "We need your help!"

So, Suddenly, he was in her mind again with his familiar presence.

"Usagi," his voice was urgent. "We don't have much time left. Reach within you, Usagi. The Ginzuishou is within you. All you have to do is let it out. Allow it to come out."

She did.

TBC