Oh, the song at the end was my inspiration for this story, even though it doesn't have much to do with the actual "plot".
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The warriors of love and justice never really knew that they were also the warriors of eternal peace. Maybe if they had, it would not have ended the way it did...
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
"But I don't see why we have to be the ones to risk our lives everyday for a bunch of people who have no respect for what we go through!" Serena whined.
Although she was inclined to agree with her, Rei was in the mood to fight.
"Because we were chosen to you dimwit!"
"Wahhhh! Did you hear what she called me?" Serena whined to no one in particular.
"Rei, give her a break, she was almost killed today." Lita said.
That was true. Sailor Moon had, for once, put up a valiant fight, but the youma was just too strong for her. If it had not been for the excellent timing of Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter, she would have been dead for sure. The problem was, no one really believed Serena when she told them how well she had fought.
"Yeah, Rei. You weren't there. You don't know what happened!" Ami said, defending her friend, even though she was sure Sailor Moon had just cried her way through the fight.
"No, but I'm sure Serena was being a chicken, as usual. Just whining and cry as she always does." Rei said.
"You're wrong, Rei. I was brave. I know no one believes me, but I was brave! Ask Tuxedo Mask next time you see him, he saw. The youma was just stronger than usual. But I gave it everything I had." And she had. She threw tiara after tiara, she kicked and hit, but it was no use, she just had not been strong enough.
"You know, maybe Serena is right, about risking our lives." Ami said, and everyone turned to look at her. "Well, we can't really keep this up, day and night. I don't think it would hurt to miss just one fight."
"But what about the people, wouldn't it hurt them?" Rei said.
"Not in the long run. There has been no evidence that the people are physically hurt forever. They eventually gain back all their energy, and besides, don't most people deserve a little break from their normal lives once in a while?"
Everyone, even Rei, had to agree with Ami's logic. So, it was decided that they would all turn off their communicators for that night, so that they could get a little rest.
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That night, at an underground party full of drugs and energy, a youma attacked. Everyone who could, fled. The rest waited and prayed for the Sailor Scouts to come rescue them, but they never showed up, before they knew what had happened, they were waking up in the hospital, drained of all energy, and hopelessly weak.
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The four scouts were well rested when they met at the temple the next day.
"That sleep did me a lot of good! I actually got to school in time!" Serena said, proud of herself.
"I feel a lot better too." Rei said.
"Me too!" Ami said.
"Me three!" Lita added in.
Soon the friends left and went to the movies. They came back later, and spent the night at Rei's temple, but they only got to sleep for an hour when a great commotion woke them up.
"What was that?!" They all shouted in unison.
"I bet it was a youma attack." Lita said.
"It was too loud for that." Ami said.
"Well, lets transform and go find out!" Serena said, being sensible for once.
And so they did. They followed the noises to the park.
One by one, monsters and evil creatures of all shapes and sizes were stepping out of a black hole.
"What is going on here?" Sailor Mars asked no one in particular.
"Glad you asked!" A voice said.
"Zoycite." Sailor Jupiter growled.
"Well, Sailor Failures," She said, ignoring Jupiter, "Since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you. Since you so kindly did not show up to the youma attack last night, we collected enough energy to let all of these lovely Negaverse creatures loose. You failed Sailor Scouts. The Negaverse has won!"
"No!" They all shouted, including Tuxedo Mask, who had showed up in time to hear Zoycite.
"You won't win as long as we are here!" Sailor Mercury said.
"Guys, something's wrong here." Sailor Moon said in a terrified voice.
"Duh! The Negaverse is letting a million ugly creatures loose to rule the world!" Sailor Mars said snidely.
"No. The stars, look."
They all looked up into the sky. One by one the stars were going out. As each Nega-monster came out of the black hole, ten stars would go out.
"Guys, we can't let it end this way! We have to fight them!" Tuxedo Mask said.
"All of them?" Sailor Moon said.
"All of them. Mars, you start in on them to the left. Jupiter you take the right. Mars, take them head on. Sailor Moon, you and I will fight them together, starting in the middle.
The scouts nodded.
It was a long hard fight, a fight no one could win. The scouts and Tuxedo Mask all fought hard, as did the Nega-monsters, but it was a never-ending battle. Finally, the scouts met back where they had started at, and they all collapsed.
"We... can't... win... this... battle." Sailor Moon said, struggling to talk.
"We've... got... to!" Sailor Mercury said.
"We've... lost... the... battle." Sailor Moon said, and she lifted a shaking arm to point at the sky. As they watched, the last star went out. "We forgot... that we... are the... champions... of... not only love... and justice... but... also... eternal peace. We failed."
"Sailor... Moon... who are you?" Tuxedo Mask asked. He too was too weak to speak for too long.
"Serena." She said simply.
"Serena, I... love... you." He said, pulling off his mask. Her eyes widened as she saw that the hero she loved was the man she hated.
"I... love... you too." She said, and he could see the sincerity in her eyes.
He pulled her into his arms, and kissed her briefly.
"I am honored... to die... in your arms." Serena said.
"And... I am honored... to die in the presence... of my best friends." Rei said with tears in her voice.
"Thank you... for being my friends." Ami said, thinking back to when she had been so lonely, and had had no friends.
"Thank... you... for loving... my cooking... so much." Lita said with a little laugh.
They all heard the screams of a million evil creatures dying, followed closely by the screams of an entire world full of innocent people.
"I... love... you all... and... I hope... that we... will see... each other soon." Serena said, as the world around them disappeared, and the eternal peace of the universe was shattered.
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"If" by: Bread
If a picture paints a thousand words, then why I can't paint you?
The words will never show the you I've some to know.
If a face could launch a thousand ships,
then where am I to go?
There's no one home but you, You're all that's left me too.
And when my love for life is running dry,
you come and pour yourself on me.
If a man could be two places at one time,
I'd be with you.
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.
If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,
I'd spend the end with you. And when the world was through,
Then one by one the stars would all go out,
and you and I would simply fly away
