Author's Note/Disclaimer: The summer holidays are here! Now it's time to really get to work on finishing this story off. I can say that this is the final stretch, with a few revelations and twists before the final battle. Stay patient and enjoy.

Naoko Takeuchi owns the Sailor Scouts, while I created the Knights.

Chapter XXII: With Or Without You

The Mars Knight felt no fear as the final second dawned upon him. His life flashed before his eyes as he anticipated the end. Growing up in Liverpool, moving to Southampton, discovering that he was the Mars Knight, learning about his dark past, discovering his connection to Raye, flying out to Tokyo, meeting Raye for the first time and losing her to the Dark Kingdom. He closed his eyes as he heard the explosive click of the metal, but instead of a bullet piercing his brain he heard the scream of Malachite. He was still alive. The Mars Knight swiftly opened his eyes and turned around to see Malachite clutching his now bleeding right hand, the gun knocked from it.

The Mars Knight wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation. He saw the silver gun on the floor and placed his hand over it. Within the space of two seconds he had turned the tables on Malachite and was now ready to put the gun beyond use.
"MARS FIREWALL ACTIVATE!!!" As the Mars Knight moved his hand away from the gun an infernal dome of fire engulfed the weapon. However, he had put his other hand over the shoes of the silver-haired general, causing another column of fire to engulf him. As Malachite screamed in agony the Mars Knight lept back and looked to see what had caused Malachite to drop his gun.

"That was close. You could have gotten yourself killed Mars." Shaken, the Mars Knight looked to his left to see Sailor Venus leaning against the doorway, a typical smile on her face. The Mars Knight said nothing, instead leaping towards her and embracing her in an extremely heartfelt hug. "Hey, what's all this about? I'm not Raye you know."
"I know! I just can't believe your timing though! You couldn't have picked a better moment ever!" Sailor Venus sympathetically patted him on the back, unaware of exactly how close the Mars Knight was to his death. However, deep inside she felt very satisfied at how he had just lept over to her and embraced her like he did, and the smile on her face showed every last thought in her head.

"Mars! I need an explanation now!" Sailor Moon stormed out from down the corridoor with a very anxious look on her face. Seeing the Mars Knight tightly hugging Sailor Venus and the two columns of fire, however, caused her to stop dead in her tracks. "Venus! What are you doing here?" The Mars Knight instantly let go of Sailor Venus and stood up straight as he became aware of Sailor Moon's prescence.
"I managed to sneak out of Central. I knew you guys would need some help, and it looks like I came just in time." The Mars Knight breathed anxiously as Sailor Moon cast her attention to the two columns of fire.
"Mars, what's in those columns?" She spoke with a very displeased tone, she was disappointed that the Mars Knight had so foolishly followed Malachite into what appeared to be a trap. The Mars Knight slowly walked towards the raging columns and slowly knelt to the ground and placed his hands on the floor. The colums instantly disappeared into nothing, revealing an amber blob of molten metal and small fragments of clothing. The gold threads woven into the cloth fragments made it clear that it was from Malachite.
"What once was Malachite and a pistol I believe." said the Mars Knight thoughtfully yet anxiously as he focussed in and scanned the fragments of the cloth. "It looks like he teleportd away, but I think he took a fair bit of damaged. I won't be surprised if he's as red as a beetroot the next time we see him." Sailor Moon still didn't look amused.

"And what about Sailor Mars?" The Mars Knight paused and raised his head in thought before standing up and turning to face Sailor Moon.
"Malachite said she's long gone. She's on her way back to a Dark Kingdom checkpoint. I don't think it would be wise to try and find her after so long." The Mars Knight sighed before removing his visor from his head, transforming back into Mark.
"And just what made you rush after him without thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed if I hadn't have turned up!" Sailor Venus also seemed very annoyed at the Mars Knight's escapades.
"You both know very well why I rushed after him. It was a instant reaction. I just didn't anticipate what happened after that."

"Mark, I can understand, but..." Sailor Moon was trying to reason with him, but she was having trouble finding her words. She couldn't exactly just tell Mark to forget about Raye completely - she had lost Darien to Queen Berryl seven years ago. She knew all too well the pain that Mark was going through, and she was also having similar pains to him since Raye was her best friend.
"... ah forget it. I just understand. I been through exactly what you're going through now. Just use your head next time before rushing into situations. If you get killed, we can say goodbye to Raye forever."
"I understand. I'll try my best to use my judgement next time." Mark was in no mood to argue with Sailor Moon. He had done what he had tried to avoid, and he knew it all too well.
"Good to hear it." With that Mark looked back up at his future Queen, a slight smile on his face trying to mask his frustration. He slowly began to walk towards the stage before he was once again stopped by Sailor Moon.

"Mark, it may be a good idea to transform back. The others will need your help with reviving the audience." Mark nodded understandingly before walking away, tugging out his glistening red pendant from underneath his shirt.
"He's starting to get desparate. It looks like he's losing all respect for his own life." sighed Sailor Venus solemnly as she leant back against the wall.
"I was the same. Surely you must remember how I was back then." Sailor V smiled as she recalled her memories.
"That was the only time when you wasn't a crybaby. Losing Darien changed you completely until you got him back a couple of months later, but..." She took a long pause before continuing. "... but nearly losing Raye's changed you forever. I mean, look at yourself. You're calm, thoughtful, and as strange as it seems, very intelligent. You're the complete opposite to what you were like as a teen." Sailor Moon listened very carefully though her eyes were wide open with surprise.

"The fact is, you're acting more like the Queen Serenity of the future than the Serena Tsukino of the past. I don't know whether someone has already told you this or not, but now you're a really great person. Not that you wasn't a great person in the past, but it just seems that you've already become the person that will lead the Earth out of its icy tomb." Sailor Moon leant forward in shock and interest as Sailor Venus looked towards the floor.
"Mina..."
"In fact, the more I think about it, the more I believe that destiny was to blame for Raye and Chad splitting. The more I think that destiny was responsible for Darien and Raye going out on that dinner date and causing an argument between yourself and Raye afterwards." Slowly Sailor Venus began to look up and look Sailor Moon in the eye. "Because you came back to the temple later to talk things over, you managed to find Raye before she died. Everything, Chad leaving, that thing Darien had going with her. It was all planned to act as a wake-up call for the Queen Serenity inside you. Only the near loss of your best friend could possibly make you realise your responsibilities, and it looks like it worked a treat."

Sailor Moon just stood completely still, staring Sailor Venus in the eye with a look of complete shock. Surely the same destiny that had made her Sailor Moon, princess of the Moon Kingdom, couldn't have deliberately caused her best friend's romance to end and set her best friend up with her boyfriend? She found this very hard to believe.
"How can you be certain?"
"No-one can be certain except destiny herself, but it seems like a damn good theory to me. For a start, there is no way your Darien would ever go on a date with another woman at his own will. He loves you too much to do that, and there is no way he would ever break your heart in such a way, not unless he cared more for your safety like that whole bad dream thing six years ago. Then there's Chad. He may have been a down-and-out loser, but he loved Raye and Raye loved him. To tell you the truth, I envied their relationship, and I wished I had a guy that would care for me as much as Chad cared for her. Somehow, I don't think a personality clash would be responsible for their break-up, not when they had been living under the same roof for five years, and definately not when he was her shoulder to cry on when Grandpa Hino died." She paused briefly to reflect upon what she had just said. "If you can give me a better theory than that then I will gladly listen."

Sailor Moon found herself lost for words. She had just been hit by a very interesting point of view, and as she absorbed what had been said. Every unfortunate event which had happened to Raye had only served the purpose of awakening Queen Serenity. This seemed so preposterous, yet Venus' reasons seemed undeniable. As Venus walked away Sailor Moon just stood there looking down at the floor, the impact of what she had just heard freezing her to the spot.

Int. "The War Room", Negaverse command centre - 8th November 2002, 11:30 pm.

That night almost everyone at the command centre for the Dark Kingdom had been entirely focused on the events at T*A school. News had been filtering through to the command centre throughout the evening, and for the past hour it had been Prince Diamond's job to find piece together all the reports. Malachite had managed to struggle his way to the medical room to have his scorching, blistered burns tended to. Raye, however, was in her quarters winding down in a hot bath, relaxing after a good night's work. She had acted perfectly on her mission, and thus she rewarded herself, yet she couldn't help but wonder how exactly Malachite could have been caught and severely harmed by the Mars Knight.

In the War Room the high command of Beryl and Wiseman waited patiently for the final report of the mission. Slowly jotting notes down for a possible battle plan for the final assault, Beryl remained calm and adament. Wiseman's shadowed figure just glanced at the Queen, determined to figure exactly what she was thinking. The silence was strangely calm despite the situation, this report would mean the difference between whether or not the final assault would go ahead.

"Right. Done." The crystal Prince neatened the files on his desk before swiftly sealing them up in a fairly thin brown envelope and marching out of his office. Time wasn't of the esscence, but still he marched at a brisk pace through the dark, winding corridoors of the command centre. His face remained emotionless as he passed his colleagues by, all seemingly anxious about the success of the mission. As the giant mahogany doors leading into the vast, dank darkeness that was the war room towered above him, he brushed his sleeves and turned the handle, the brown envelope under his left arm.

"Your Majesty, my Lord," said Diamond in a monotonous voice as he stood to attention in the entrance. "I bring you the interim report for Operation Starry Night."
"Let's see it." Diamond swiftly paced towards Wiseman and handed him the brown envelope. Wiseman carefully tore it open and slid out the dossiers inside, sliding one copy over to Queen Beryl opposite.
"These are the confirmed statistics for tonight's operation, and the current plan of action advised taking into account tonight's actions." As Queen Beryl browsed through the first few pages a large smile emerged on her usually stone-cold serious face.
"So tonight's operation was a success?"
"Yes, and a fairly substantial one at that. We obtained less energy than anticipated, but the difference is negligable. As of now we have enough energy stored to push forward with the final assault once Professor Tomoe has converted it."
"And what about the status of the two operatives?" An uneasy look began to appear on Diamond's face.
"Miss Hino worked to beyond expectation, providing a perfect destraction to the audience." He paused for a few moments. "She managed to escape from the Sailor Senshi, however Malachite was not so fortunate. According to him he originally held the Mars Knight at gunpoint, however, a surprise attack from Sailor Venus knocked him off guard and made him the victim of an attack by the Mars Knight. He is currently in the medical room being treated for serious burns to his legs and torso."

The smile had begun to fade from Queen Beryl's face. Her only remaining General had been badly injured, not only that, but he had also failed to take advantage of an opportunity to win the war. Deep inside she felt bitterly disappointed.
"So when can we expect to launch the final assault?"
"At the earliest, we can launch the assault on December 22nd. However, we may be able to catch them off guard if we delay our attacks by three days to coincide with the Christmas holiday." There was a silence for a few moments as the two leaders carefully thought about the prospect.
"That may be a better idea. Thank you for your suggestion." replied Wiseman. "You may now leave." The crystal prince quickly turned around and marched out of the room, leaving Beryl and Wiseman to discuss this action.
"So what about the girl?" asked Queen Beryl. "Shall we execute her now?"
"No. She may still be able to tear the Sailor senshi apart. She's still a very close friend of Sailor Moon and the Mars Knight. We will have the advantage if we keep her."

Int. Moon Kingdom Central, Tokyo Branch - 9th November 2002, 10:25 am.

"I honestly do not know what happened to you all last night, but you seriously messed up." Luna was completely fuming with the performance of the Scouts at the concert the previous night. She had heard every single story, and she was finding it hard to believe that the Dark Kingdom had claimed a decisive victory.

"Three hundred people in hosital after falling unconscious. Very good job everyone, it's a worldwide headline! Then there's the Mars Knight."
"Here we go..." Mark thought to himself as he took a very deep breath, ready for whatever Luna was about to say.
"Why did you have to put yourself in so much unnecessary danger? You could have died!"
"With all due respect, I saw it as an opportunity to try and bring Raye back to our side. She was fleeing, so I chased after her."
"And so you followed her into a trap." Mark paused to find his words.
"I did. Had I known I would have let her go without going after her." There was an eery silence for a few moments as Luna paced around.

"Mark, you really musn't dive head-first into these situations. I've already said this before - if you die, we say goodbye to a very good opportunity. Serena might be able to do it herself, but you're our best bet at the moment." Luna slowly turned her head towards Mina, who looked very nervous. "As for you Mina, I'm not sure whether to commend you or crucify you. You saved Mark's life, but you shouldn't have been out there in the first place."
"I was needed, especially when the Scouts are in short supply."
"You could have suffered severe brain damage had you took another blow to the head. The one thing this place doesn't have is a ward for Senshi with brain damage!" Mina jumped back at Luna's rantings.

"Luna, please! Calm down a little! She just wanted to be there to help her friends out!" Serena was trying her best to stop Luna from being completely overcome by stress.
"I'm sorry Serena, but this is possibly one of THE worst situations we've ever faced in our modern history. This is one of the very few times we've had a major failure in a mission, and with all the energy the Dark Kingdom has collected, we could be facing the final assault at any time. That is how serious tonight's outcome is."

The room fell silent as the situation sunk in. The final countdown was now on. Not only had another chance to relaim Raye passed them by, probably their final chance to stop the Dark Kingdom in their tracks had gone too. Silence soon turned to anxiety as Darien spoke out.
"What about your hacking, Mark? Have you managed to get into their systems again?" Mark solemnly turned his head to face Darien, his expression instantly answering the question.
"Yes, but they've tightened their security significantly. They've password-protected every folder, and each folder has a different password. So far I've only been able to look at the root directory, and there's no information for us there. I don't want to go and try guessing anything otherwise they'll pick it up and I'm back to square one." Again, silence filled the air before Mark directed his attention to Luna.

"If it's any bonus, I'd say they put us in an almost impossible situation last night. Firstly, we didn't have any idea as to what was going on apart from there being a likely Dark Kingdom attack. Secondly, with an audience of three hundred people watching carefully, there was no opportunity for us to transform until they had lost consciousness. Thirdly, myself, Lita and Michelle couldn't transform until it was too late because the musicians in the orchestra were strangely unaffected, so we had to keep playing. Finally, I think Professor Tomoe's been thinking very carefully about his technology. When I scanned for the locations of the drainers it turned out that the Dark Kingdom were taking energy by proxy. There was no way of getting the energy back because the drainers weren't storing it. We were outsmarted good and proper."

Int. 149 Outland Road, Plymouth - 9th November 2002, 9:50 pm GMT.

It was saturday night, and that weekend Ben and Anna travelled to Plymouth to talk to Jay in person about the trip to Tokyo in December, as well as getting ready to have a night out.
"Well, as I said, avoid Union Street like the plague. If you go down that way you'll either end up in the nick or in the A and E at Derriford Hospital."
"So where can we go then?" Anna seemed very eager for a night out on the town.
"Well, there's a couple of good places on Armada Way. We could go there."
"Yeah, sounds good. I'm just gonna check the lottery numbers before we go." Anna and Jay looked in Ben's direction as he disppeared into the living room.
"You actually play that? Don't you think it's just a waste of money? You've never won anything on there before." Ben simply smiled at Anna's questioning as he turned on the tv and loaded up the teletext.
"Hey, there's a first time for everything. Plus not everyone has a dad who's a successful businessman." Anna simply shook her head at Ben's comments.
"Just remember it's that successful businessman dad who's sending us to Tokyo -"

"I don't believe it! Anna, could you check this?"
"What is it now?" Ben handed Anna the pink ticket.
"Five numbers! Seven, fourteen, seventeen, twenty-nine, forty-five!" A smile came across Anna's face as she read the ticket.
"Calm down, you have to get six to become a millionaire." Ben snatched the ticket back from Anna, a huge smile on his face.
"Yeah, but five numbers gets you about three thousand quid! If that's right, all nine of us can go to Tokyo!" At this point Jay had entered the room to see what the commotion was about. As he came into the room he paused as Anna and Ben jumped around the room, arms around each other.

"Hey, hey, what's up here?"
"Ah nothing. We're only gonna bring the other five with us to Tokyo!" Jay looked very confused at the whole situation.
"What?"
"I've just won three grand on the lottery! I can send everyone to Tokyo now!" The same smile came across Jay's face.
"I don't believe you!" Ben swiftly handed Jay the ticket.
"Read 'em and weap, Jay!" Jay carefully eyed over the small pink piece of paper and the television screen, taking extra care when comparing.
"You sneaky bugger!" Jay had now burst out into laughter of joy.

"Right, first thing tomorrow I'm calling the prize line and everyone else." said Ben as Jay carefully placed the ticket under a bookend. "First, let's P-A-R-T-Y!"

End of Chapter 22.