Beryl stood on a cliff that looked down upon the Senshi and Akii, who has finally revealed herself to the Senshi as Hotaru's mother. Beryl had come to the fight as soon she had felt the presence of planetary power, the same power she had destroyed one thousand years ago. She narrowed her eyes into a pernicious little glare at Akii. Not only had the girl not told her of the Senshis' arrival, but she had also told Beryl's secret of where she had come from. "Stupid girl!"
Akii squinted in pain as she tried to hold onto life for just a moment longer. Although she wished to see Hotaru one last time, she had no quarrel with dying. She had lived a horrible life, one full of death and destruction. The time she had spent on Earth had been the most wonderful experience of her life. She had a loving husband and a beautiful daughter. What more could one want? Her life had had a death warrant since her birth, it was amazing that she had even lasted this long. For the past three years she had been used as a puppet to Beryl and would continue to be used as such unless she was killed.
Beryl raised her hand and prepared to build up what seemed like Dark Energy onto her index finger. Sailor Moon briskly pushed herself up and away from Akii. Her eyes locked with Beryl's and immediately, she knew exactly what she would have to do. It was time for the final showdown; the final hour of their lives had finally come. The goal would be to defeat Beryl at all costs in order to save the lives of her friends and Hotaru's mother, even if it meant giving up her own. "You must be Beryl!" She said as she clenched her fists, ready to concentrate to bring out her soul energy in the form of the Silver Crystal.
Beryl ignored the girl and continued to pull fourth her evil energy. The air around slowly began to swirl as the power built up more and more. The girls would soon have to brace themselves in order to stay on their feet. Sailor Moon glanced over her shoulder at Akii, who had her eyes closed and was breathing heavily. "Don't give up, Akii. We'll protect you." She glared back up at Beryl and started racing toward her.
Mercury had already had her computer out by this point. She, like everyone else around, could feel the massive power emerging from Beryl's evil body, but she wanted to know just what they were up against. "Wait, Sailor Moon.!" She yelled, immediately halting Sailor Moon in her tracks. "She's got way more Dark energy in her body than we've ever gone up against."
Sailor Moon scowled up at Beryl, who was almost ready to commence her attack. If Beryl was too strong for them, she feared what Metallia would do to them. What would happen if she died while trying to beat Beryl? What would they rest of the Senshi do against Metallia? She bit her lower lip as she tried to contemplate her answers to the questions, coming up with one possible answer. She just couldn't die in this battle. "Cover me, girls!"
The four Senshi exchanged glances and nodded. They would do their best to protect her, no matter what. Not because she was their Princess and it was their duty, but because she was their friend and a friendship yells louder than royalty.
Beryl stopped powering up for her attack and grinned with a certain evil touch that sent chills up the spins of the Senshi. "Stupid girl! I told you what would happen next time you betrayed me!" Feeling her life deteriorating even further, Akii struggled to open her eyes and stare into Beryl's. "I'm going to kill your daughter next!" Without further words, she released her laser-like attack, which was bounded right for Akii's heart.
Sailor Moon immediately turned her attention to Akii in fear. "No!"
"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter threw her attack of lightening into the beam of Dark Energy, expecting that it would counter its chemistry and destroy it. But to her surprise, it was absorbed into it. "What?!"
Venus was up next. "Crescent Beam!" Her own beam of energy clashed with Beryl's, but it was still no match. It too was absorbed by the Dark Energy.
Mercury noticed an influx of energy on her computer screen. "Stop you guys! You're only making it stronger! Her power is too strong!"
Beryl laughed aloud. "Stupid children! Your power will never match mine!"
Sailor Moon frowned. "We'll see about that."
Time seemed almost to slow down as the Senshi turned their eyes to Akii. They could hear Beryl laughing in the background, but couldn't do anything. They were powerless. Nothing they could do now would save Hotaru's mother. Upon reaching its target, the beam of energy penetrated the armor which had been meant to protect Akii. The heart was next. The Dark Energy made its way throughout the entire body, poisoning everything it touched with a piercing sting. It was a swift, but painful process, one in which Akii cried out in pain throughout. She felt as if her entire insides were being ripped out of her body without any anesthetics. The Senshi could do nothing but sit by and watch the horrible act of violence.
Sailor Moon could feel a lump in her throat as tears welded up in her eyes. The only thing she could think of was Hotaru. Her little friend would be horrified when she found out about this. She wished she could be there for support, but by the looks of things, she didn't think she would. "You monster!"
Beryl grinned as she looked down to Sailor Moon. "Why, Serenity, you finally decided to show your pitiful face. I suggest you surrender calmly unless you want the same thing that happened to Akii to happen to you."
Sailor Moon took a step back with a glare. "Why'd you do it? Akii did nothing to you! She didn't deserve to die!" Tears streamed down her face.
Beryl frowned. "She was insubordinate. I had no use for her any longer." She paused to smirk. "But you, you're another story. Why don't you come here, little one. You can join my team, with Metallia. Together we will be invincible. Or you can resist, in which case I will have to take your energy by force and kill you. But anyway, I WILL have it!"
Her gut feeling like a lead weight in her stomach, Sailor Moon continued to stand her ground, even through the threat. "You'll never have my power! I'll stand up to you just like my mother did!"
Beryl laughed. "Your mother? Your mother was the weakest of them all! She couldn't have defeated me even if she tried! You Moon wenches are all the same! You will fall once again, just like you did a thousand years ago!" She paused and frowned, becoming quite anxious for the sweet Moon energy. "Hand over the Moon Crystal, brat!"
Sailor Moon placed her hand over her heart and sighed. "Where is Metallia!? I want to fight her!"
Stomping her foot into the ground, Beryl frowned. "She has not yet awakened! But, once we have your energy in our grasp, your world as you know it will be gone, and you can be happy to watch from your little hole in hell."
Hearing that caused Sailor Moon to smirk. Metallia wasn't even awakened yet. She needed more energy, Moon energy to be exact. Now all she had to do was defeat Beryl and destroy the castle. Her world would then be safe. "You're the only one who's going to hell here!" Not waiting for another word, she closed her eyes and began calling fourth the Moon Crystal for aid.
The other Senshi gathered together behind her and kneeled as if to be there only for mental support rather than physical. At that point, there was not much they could do but that.
Beryl growled as she too began calling fourth her own power. She glared down at the Moon brat. There was no way that she would be beaten by such a child.
Sailor Moon's chest began to glow silver with the same intensity of the Moon. Her Sailor suit was soon replaced with the gown of the Moon Princess, her tiara being replaced with a Crescent Moon. This would be the first time calling fourth the power of the crystal, but she felt as if she had done it a million times before, like it was a natural thing for her to do. "Please help me to defeat Beryl." She whispered. Immediately, the Crystal came fourth completely. The entire vicinity lightened up with the power from the Crystal. Serenity had no trouble in holding the crystal. "It's so warm..." She closed her eyes and began concentrating.
The Senshi joined hands with one another as if to pray for her safety. Each of them was surprised by the massive power it was emitting, but none said a word. They were afraid to cause her to lose concentration.
Beryl now had powered up to her fullest. She noticed that the Princess was also powered up completely as well. "It's time for you to hand over your power, brat!"
Serenity opened her eyes and glared into Beryl's with her own hatred. It was because of her that she was even born into this time, away from her real mother, not that she was complaining. And it was because of her that so many people had died in the past few days. "Moon Crystal Power!" A white beam of light came fourth from the Crystal and headed straight for Beryl.
Beryl did nothing but hold her hand up to the power. Just before the Moon energy made contact, a shield of Dark Energy appeared around her body. Her plan hadn't at all been to attack Serenity. It had been to wear Serenity down of her power so much that she would eventually give up. Then, and only then would the power belong to the Dark Kingdom and Metallia would once again be revived. "Try as you may, you will never win!"
Serenity said nothing, but continued to pour her soul into the Crystal in hopes to defeat Beryl. She could tell very well what Beryl was trying to do. She wasn't stupid. She wouldn't give up for one soul reason. Both her and Beryl knew who had the stronger power here. The power of the Moon was slightly stronger than the Dark Kingdom's, which meant if she pushed herself all the way to death she would win. It would have to be now or never. If Beryl would be allowed to win, Metallia would never be destroyed. There would be no more Moon Princess' to defeat her. It was a cause she was willing to die for. If Beryl thought she was going to give up just before dying, she was sadly mistaking.
When Beryl was forced to take a step back she put her other hand up to the power to brace herself. All she had to do was last until the brat could take no more. It wouldn't be that hard.
~*~*~
After about three minutes of such a harsh beating of having her life slowly ripped out of her body, Serenity began to feel the effects. Already she could hardly stand anymore, but she knew Beryl had to be in the same condition. That was her only motivation. Whatever she was feeling inside, Beryl had too. Her breathing had already become faster and heavier. Her face bore thousands of tiny sweat droplets. Every single muscle in her body ached with pain. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could handle, but that didn't much matter at this point.
Beryl was in fact feeling the same effects as Serenity. She had already fallen to one knee. Any minute now she expected the girl to give in. Why hadn't she already?
As much as the Senshi wanted close their eyes and keep from watching their friend slowly wither away, they forced themselves to keep watching. In their mind, it was the right thing to do. Every now and then they offered words of encouragement, words that had actually kept Serenity going.
~*~*~
Serenity, herself, was finally brought to a knee as her heart beat faster and faster. She was beginning to feel lightheaded as she effects wore on. Her body shook with pain, but this did not stop her. She could feel Beryl's power weakening. Both of them would be gone soon. But it was for the better.
Beryl was now on both knees and barely able to keep the Moon power back. Her arms violently shook with pain. What was the brat doing? Why hadn't she given up yet? At this rate, both of them would be dead before long. Is that what she really wanted? To give her life?
All of a sudden, a bright light of Gold flared up from behind Beryl. No one, not even the Princess or the Senshi knew who or what it belonged to. But, before Beryl knew what was happening, she was thrown forward into the Moon energy, which completely obliterated her. All that could be heard was a quick, loud shrill of pain, and then the loud flowing energy of the Moon.
Feeling that Beryl's energy had ceased to be, Serenity discontinued the flow of energy to the Crystal, letting it slowly merged with her again, causing the area to become dark and gloomy again. Her gown slowly disappeared, leaving her as Sailor Moon, but her body had lost much too much energy to sustain this form that she went back to being plain old Usagi in her pajamas. With heavy breathing and an aching body, Usagi looked up to where Beryl previously stood. "Wha....who..." Before she knew it, she was lying on the ground with the Senshi gathering around her.
Sailor Mercury placed her hand on her friend's chest over her heart. It was beating too fast for a normal person. Usagi would have to rest for a while before she could get up again. She would have to recover from her victory. But, why had Beryl fallen so soon. She should have been able to hold on for at least another minute. Her energy hadn't depleted that much. "Usagi, you did it."
Usagi rested her head on the ground and closed her eyes. She felt as if she were in a gravity chamber with 100 times gravity all around. "Mam..." Her fast breathing didn't allow her to finish a single word.
Mars smiled as she pressed her forehead to Usagi's with laughter. "You did it! You really did it! You defeated Beryl and you didn't die!"
A small smile slowly crossed Usagi's lips as she tried to speak again. "Mam..."
Venus raised Usagi's head into her lap to use as a pillow. She looked up to her friends. "What was that power we felt right there at the end?"
Jupiter shrugged. "Beats me. I've never felt it before in my life."
Usagi opened her eyes. "Mam..." She frowned as she took a deep breath. Obviously, she was too tired for words. With all the strength she could muster up, she raised her shaky arm and pointed to where Beryl had been standing.
The Senshi turned their heads in the direction that Usagi pointed. There stood a tall, muscular figure dressed in a black Gi with his arms crossed. The girls all smiled with a quick gasp. They would know that Gi anywhere. "Mamoru!"
Yes, Mamoru. In the end, he had come to the rescue of the Princess. Even though he would never dream of marrying her, she was still a Princess, a Princess who happened to be his friend, even though he would never dream of admitting it to anyone but himself. Once he had figured out that Usagi used Pluto to get to this dimension, he quickly called her out and asked to be sent there as well. After all, he had been part of the Cell escapade and above all, was the Prince of Earth. Pluto agreed with no problem.
Upon arriving in the Dark Kingdom, he realized that Usagi was already engaged in a fight with Beryl. He knew this was the big one, that Usagi wouldn't hesitate in giving her life. When he saw her condition, he flipped. Usagi shouldn't have to give her life to save the planet. No one should. Not for any reason. He made up his mind that the girl was insane, that he would do anything to keep her from dying. And that's when it happened. His power level skyrocketed out into nowhere. His body was immediately engulfed in a bright, golden light. His actions after that were careless, but it had gotten the job done. Unless he intervened, Usagi would have died. In a flash, he kicked Beryl from behind and watched the beam of Moon energy rip into her body.
He smirked now as he looked down to the shocked Senshi. "What? What would I do if my rival was killed? I would have to find a new one."
Mars smiled warmly as she stood up and faced Mamoru. "Thanks, Mamoru."
Venus nodded. "Yeah, thanks. But, how did you get here?"
Mamoru turned around and began walking forward toward the castle. "I have my secrets." He stopped and looked up to the hill. The castle and its people no longer had a queen. "I guess that's where Metallia is. We better get Usagi rested up so she can fight her next."
Jupiter grinned. "That won't be necessary."
Mamoru glanced back to the Senshi in green. "Oh? Why is that?"
Mercury; "Because she hasn't awakened yet. That's why Beryl needed the energy of the Moon. Not only to make the Dark Kingdom unbeatable, but also to use to wake Metallia from her slumber. We've already defeated her, in a way."
Mamoru smiled. Inside, he was yelling out in happiness. Now Usagi wouldn't have to risk her life again. "Fine. Then I'll destroy the castle, you guys just sit here and don't do anything stupid." He jumped into the air toward the castle, which would be rubble in a matter of minutes.
Mars looked back to Usagi, who was still smiling. "How you feel?"
Usagi shifted her head on Mercury's lap with a grunt. "Horrible, but going home will make it better."
~*~*~*~
Upon returning back home, the girls, with Mamoru took Usagi directly to Hotaru's in hopes that she could replenish her energy. It was already five in the morning when they returned, and the early risers were already beginning to stir, but everyone at Hotaru's was still fast asleep.
Mamoru, being the oldest and the biggest, held Usagi in his arms. Rei knocked on the child's window, hoping that she wasn't too sound of a sleeper. Usagi would need to be healed before she went home so her parents would suspect anything.
Inside the room, Hotaru heard only a small knock through her sleep. But, it was enough to wake her up. She yawned and stretched, wondering what time it was. Rei knocked harder when she noticed the girl inside was beginning to stir. Hotaru groggily turned her head and looked at the window. She couldn't figure out what in the world the noise was. "Who's there?" She asked, barely audible. She yawned again as she slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed and walked to the window. Her eyes flew wide open as she gasped at who exactly WAS there. She didn't waste any time throwing the window open for everyone to come in. The first thing her eyes flashed to was Usagi in Mamoru's arms. "What happened?!"
Mamoru was the last to come in. He gently walked to the child's bed and placed Usagi in it, receiving a grunt from her. "She fought Beryl."
If Hotaru's eyes could have, they would have shot wider than they already were. "What?!" She looked around to the girls, all of which solemnly nodded. "What happened?" She shot her attention back to Usagi. "She's hurt!"
Ami nodded. "Yes. She almost died. She would have gladly give her life to defeat Beryl, but Mamoru intercepted her and saved her."
Hotaru looked up to Mamoru in pure amazement. "YOU saved her?"
Mamoru grinned. "What can I say? She's royalty."
Makoto kneeled down to get eye level with Hotaru. "Can you heal her? She can't go home like this, her parents will start to wonder." Her eyes were beginning to tear up as she stared into the eyes of the young Saiyan.
Hotaru nodded, wary of the girls' saddened expressions. They knew something that she did not. She slowly walked to her bed and placed her hands over Usagi. Without a word, her hands began to glow purple. The glow slowly traveled down from her hands and across Usagi's body.
Usagi opened her eyes as she felt her energy being returned to her body. "Hotaru..."
Hotaru smiled as she continued to heal her friend. But, something was strange. Usagi had never lost this much energy in a battle before, not even in the fight where her arm had been blown off. Nevertheless, she continued to pour as much healing power as she could into the Saiyan's body.
Usagi smiled. The energy was loving and warm, so much unlike the energy in which she encountered in the Dark Kingdom. "Thank you, Hotaru."
Hotaru nodded as she gently pulled away. She had replenished as much of Usagi's energy as she could, but it still wasn't full. Hotaru had used some of her own energy as well, but it wasn't enough. Usagi would have to fully recover on her own. "That's as much as I can do."
Usagi sat up and rubbed her head. "I feel a lot better. Thanks." She looked down at the child with pain in her eyes. She would have to tell her about her mother now, something she didn't particularly want to do. She knew it would hurt Hotaru deeply, but it would have to be done. "Hotaru... We need to talk about something." She looked up to her friends as if to ask if she could be the one to tell. After all, she had always had a deeper connection with Hotaru, with them being Saiyans and all.
Hotaru crawled up onto her bed and stared Usagi directly in the eyes as she awaited the story. She nodded to let her know she was ready. Usagi took a deep breath and sighed. "While we were in the dark Kingdom, the others had to fight a woman to protect me. Her name was Akii."
Hotaru nodded, waiting for the rest. Akii didn't ring a bell. "Go on."
Usagi looked up to her friends. She thought for sure that she would know who she was talking about if she mentioned the name. "The others fought her to protect me so I could save all my energy for Beryl and Metallia, but once they used their attacks on her, she became good again."
Hotaru cocked her head to the side. "Again?"
Usagi nodded. "She told us she was from the Planet Vejita, that she was a Saiyan healer, just like you..."
Hotaru's face filled with horror as she looked around the room for confirmation. "How?"
Usagi gulped. Here it came. "She told us a little about herself. She came from the past. Beryl brought her here and trained her to be evil, but she didn't want to be evil. She ran away to earth and met your father..." Hotaru backed away from Usagi and grabbed a pillow for security. "She told us she was your mother, that she was kidnapped three years ago..."
Tears began to stream down Hotaru's face as she dug her nose deep into the pillow. "No! It's not true!" Usagi paused, seeing the girl's obvious agony. Hotaru looked up, slightly. "What happened to her?"
"Do you want me to tell you, Hotaru?" Hotaru nodded. "Ok. We tried to save her but..."
Hotaru screamed out in agony as she fell sideways onto her bed. "MOMMY!"
Usagi lowered her head. "I'm sorry."
Hotaru said nothing, she just popped her thumb into her mouth and curled up into a ball. Minako sat next to the child and wrapped her arm around her. "Hotaru..." Still, no word came from the girl. She seemed to be in a trance of some sort.
Minako shook the girl, hoping to get a word out of her. "Hotaru, please, say something. Don't just sit there." But the harder she shook, the tighter her curl became. It seemed to be no use.
Mamoru approached the girl and rubbed her head. "You guys leave. I'll stay here with her until you can return."
Rei looked up to him with confusion. "What are you talking about? We can't leave. Not with her like this!"
Mamoru frowned. "You can't just stay here all night! You'll get in trouble, and I know Odango is gonna cry if she can't go home and see her parents real soon."
Usagi frowned and slapped Mamoru in the back of the head. "That's not funny! I'm not going to cry!" She looked back down to Hotaru and calmed down. She did have to get out of there. She couldn't stay here forever. She would have to go home soon since her father would be waking up in about an hour and a half to go out and train. Hotaru would be safe with Mamoru, wouldn't she? He had changed so much, he even saved her from death. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"
Mamoru nodded. "I'll be fine. My dad doesn't even care if I stay out all night anymore. I can take care of myself. I'll watch her until her dad wakes up."
Ami; "What are you going to tell him?"
Mamoru sighed. "Nothing, I'm going to leave before he sees me."
Makoto lowered her head. "You're awful, you know that?"
Mamoru frowned. "Do you WANT me to blow your cover? That's the only way I can tell him why she's like this! Any other way would be completely useless because it would be so unbelievable!"
Makoto sighed. "Fine!" She turned looked up to Usagi, who was looking worriedly at Hotaru. "Let's go."
Usagi nodded as she rubbed Hotaru's head. "We'll be back later to see how you're doing." She glared back up to Mamoru. "If she does ANYTHING tell us."
Mamoru nodded. "Fine, fine."
~*~*~*~
Once at home, Usagi ran directly to her parents' room. She didn't want to wait until later that day to see them. After having such a dramatic goodbye earlier, she felt as if she hadn't seen them in years. She wished she could have told them about her night, they would be so proud of her, but she knew she couldn't. It was the oath of a Senshi not to reveal their identity.
She slowly opened the door to their room and smiled. There they were, sleeping so soundly, ignorant of her near death experience. If only they had known, they wouldn't be so calm. Closing the door behind her, she walked to their bed and pushed her way between them. She snuggled into her mother, causing her to wake up.
Chi-Chi looked down at her daughter, who was still dressed for bed. She wrapped her arm over her child and smiled. "How are you feeling, Usagi?"
Usagi smiled. She had beaten Beryl and escaped with her life. In doing so, she saved the Earth from destruction. And now, now she was home where she should be. There really was only one answer to be given. "Wonderful."
(THE END!!!!!! ... of Book 7. Damn! That took me forever to write! I'm sorry! So... what did you think? I'd love to hear. On with the next Book! I already have it completely planned out too! ^_^ cya! )
Akii squinted in pain as she tried to hold onto life for just a moment longer. Although she wished to see Hotaru one last time, she had no quarrel with dying. She had lived a horrible life, one full of death and destruction. The time she had spent on Earth had been the most wonderful experience of her life. She had a loving husband and a beautiful daughter. What more could one want? Her life had had a death warrant since her birth, it was amazing that she had even lasted this long. For the past three years she had been used as a puppet to Beryl and would continue to be used as such unless she was killed.
Beryl raised her hand and prepared to build up what seemed like Dark Energy onto her index finger. Sailor Moon briskly pushed herself up and away from Akii. Her eyes locked with Beryl's and immediately, she knew exactly what she would have to do. It was time for the final showdown; the final hour of their lives had finally come. The goal would be to defeat Beryl at all costs in order to save the lives of her friends and Hotaru's mother, even if it meant giving up her own. "You must be Beryl!" She said as she clenched her fists, ready to concentrate to bring out her soul energy in the form of the Silver Crystal.
Beryl ignored the girl and continued to pull fourth her evil energy. The air around slowly began to swirl as the power built up more and more. The girls would soon have to brace themselves in order to stay on their feet. Sailor Moon glanced over her shoulder at Akii, who had her eyes closed and was breathing heavily. "Don't give up, Akii. We'll protect you." She glared back up at Beryl and started racing toward her.
Mercury had already had her computer out by this point. She, like everyone else around, could feel the massive power emerging from Beryl's evil body, but she wanted to know just what they were up against. "Wait, Sailor Moon.!" She yelled, immediately halting Sailor Moon in her tracks. "She's got way more Dark energy in her body than we've ever gone up against."
Sailor Moon scowled up at Beryl, who was almost ready to commence her attack. If Beryl was too strong for them, she feared what Metallia would do to them. What would happen if she died while trying to beat Beryl? What would they rest of the Senshi do against Metallia? She bit her lower lip as she tried to contemplate her answers to the questions, coming up with one possible answer. She just couldn't die in this battle. "Cover me, girls!"
The four Senshi exchanged glances and nodded. They would do their best to protect her, no matter what. Not because she was their Princess and it was their duty, but because she was their friend and a friendship yells louder than royalty.
Beryl stopped powering up for her attack and grinned with a certain evil touch that sent chills up the spins of the Senshi. "Stupid girl! I told you what would happen next time you betrayed me!" Feeling her life deteriorating even further, Akii struggled to open her eyes and stare into Beryl's. "I'm going to kill your daughter next!" Without further words, she released her laser-like attack, which was bounded right for Akii's heart.
Sailor Moon immediately turned her attention to Akii in fear. "No!"
"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter threw her attack of lightening into the beam of Dark Energy, expecting that it would counter its chemistry and destroy it. But to her surprise, it was absorbed into it. "What?!"
Venus was up next. "Crescent Beam!" Her own beam of energy clashed with Beryl's, but it was still no match. It too was absorbed by the Dark Energy.
Mercury noticed an influx of energy on her computer screen. "Stop you guys! You're only making it stronger! Her power is too strong!"
Beryl laughed aloud. "Stupid children! Your power will never match mine!"
Sailor Moon frowned. "We'll see about that."
Time seemed almost to slow down as the Senshi turned their eyes to Akii. They could hear Beryl laughing in the background, but couldn't do anything. They were powerless. Nothing they could do now would save Hotaru's mother. Upon reaching its target, the beam of energy penetrated the armor which had been meant to protect Akii. The heart was next. The Dark Energy made its way throughout the entire body, poisoning everything it touched with a piercing sting. It was a swift, but painful process, one in which Akii cried out in pain throughout. She felt as if her entire insides were being ripped out of her body without any anesthetics. The Senshi could do nothing but sit by and watch the horrible act of violence.
Sailor Moon could feel a lump in her throat as tears welded up in her eyes. The only thing she could think of was Hotaru. Her little friend would be horrified when she found out about this. She wished she could be there for support, but by the looks of things, she didn't think she would. "You monster!"
Beryl grinned as she looked down to Sailor Moon. "Why, Serenity, you finally decided to show your pitiful face. I suggest you surrender calmly unless you want the same thing that happened to Akii to happen to you."
Sailor Moon took a step back with a glare. "Why'd you do it? Akii did nothing to you! She didn't deserve to die!" Tears streamed down her face.
Beryl frowned. "She was insubordinate. I had no use for her any longer." She paused to smirk. "But you, you're another story. Why don't you come here, little one. You can join my team, with Metallia. Together we will be invincible. Or you can resist, in which case I will have to take your energy by force and kill you. But anyway, I WILL have it!"
Her gut feeling like a lead weight in her stomach, Sailor Moon continued to stand her ground, even through the threat. "You'll never have my power! I'll stand up to you just like my mother did!"
Beryl laughed. "Your mother? Your mother was the weakest of them all! She couldn't have defeated me even if she tried! You Moon wenches are all the same! You will fall once again, just like you did a thousand years ago!" She paused and frowned, becoming quite anxious for the sweet Moon energy. "Hand over the Moon Crystal, brat!"
Sailor Moon placed her hand over her heart and sighed. "Where is Metallia!? I want to fight her!"
Stomping her foot into the ground, Beryl frowned. "She has not yet awakened! But, once we have your energy in our grasp, your world as you know it will be gone, and you can be happy to watch from your little hole in hell."
Hearing that caused Sailor Moon to smirk. Metallia wasn't even awakened yet. She needed more energy, Moon energy to be exact. Now all she had to do was defeat Beryl and destroy the castle. Her world would then be safe. "You're the only one who's going to hell here!" Not waiting for another word, she closed her eyes and began calling fourth the Moon Crystal for aid.
The other Senshi gathered together behind her and kneeled as if to be there only for mental support rather than physical. At that point, there was not much they could do but that.
Beryl growled as she too began calling fourth her own power. She glared down at the Moon brat. There was no way that she would be beaten by such a child.
Sailor Moon's chest began to glow silver with the same intensity of the Moon. Her Sailor suit was soon replaced with the gown of the Moon Princess, her tiara being replaced with a Crescent Moon. This would be the first time calling fourth the power of the crystal, but she felt as if she had done it a million times before, like it was a natural thing for her to do. "Please help me to defeat Beryl." She whispered. Immediately, the Crystal came fourth completely. The entire vicinity lightened up with the power from the Crystal. Serenity had no trouble in holding the crystal. "It's so warm..." She closed her eyes and began concentrating.
The Senshi joined hands with one another as if to pray for her safety. Each of them was surprised by the massive power it was emitting, but none said a word. They were afraid to cause her to lose concentration.
Beryl now had powered up to her fullest. She noticed that the Princess was also powered up completely as well. "It's time for you to hand over your power, brat!"
Serenity opened her eyes and glared into Beryl's with her own hatred. It was because of her that she was even born into this time, away from her real mother, not that she was complaining. And it was because of her that so many people had died in the past few days. "Moon Crystal Power!" A white beam of light came fourth from the Crystal and headed straight for Beryl.
Beryl did nothing but hold her hand up to the power. Just before the Moon energy made contact, a shield of Dark Energy appeared around her body. Her plan hadn't at all been to attack Serenity. It had been to wear Serenity down of her power so much that she would eventually give up. Then, and only then would the power belong to the Dark Kingdom and Metallia would once again be revived. "Try as you may, you will never win!"
Serenity said nothing, but continued to pour her soul into the Crystal in hopes to defeat Beryl. She could tell very well what Beryl was trying to do. She wasn't stupid. She wouldn't give up for one soul reason. Both her and Beryl knew who had the stronger power here. The power of the Moon was slightly stronger than the Dark Kingdom's, which meant if she pushed herself all the way to death she would win. It would have to be now or never. If Beryl would be allowed to win, Metallia would never be destroyed. There would be no more Moon Princess' to defeat her. It was a cause she was willing to die for. If Beryl thought she was going to give up just before dying, she was sadly mistaking.
When Beryl was forced to take a step back she put her other hand up to the power to brace herself. All she had to do was last until the brat could take no more. It wouldn't be that hard.
~*~*~
After about three minutes of such a harsh beating of having her life slowly ripped out of her body, Serenity began to feel the effects. Already she could hardly stand anymore, but she knew Beryl had to be in the same condition. That was her only motivation. Whatever she was feeling inside, Beryl had too. Her breathing had already become faster and heavier. Her face bore thousands of tiny sweat droplets. Every single muscle in her body ached with pain. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could handle, but that didn't much matter at this point.
Beryl was in fact feeling the same effects as Serenity. She had already fallen to one knee. Any minute now she expected the girl to give in. Why hadn't she already?
As much as the Senshi wanted close their eyes and keep from watching their friend slowly wither away, they forced themselves to keep watching. In their mind, it was the right thing to do. Every now and then they offered words of encouragement, words that had actually kept Serenity going.
~*~*~
Serenity, herself, was finally brought to a knee as her heart beat faster and faster. She was beginning to feel lightheaded as she effects wore on. Her body shook with pain, but this did not stop her. She could feel Beryl's power weakening. Both of them would be gone soon. But it was for the better.
Beryl was now on both knees and barely able to keep the Moon power back. Her arms violently shook with pain. What was the brat doing? Why hadn't she given up yet? At this rate, both of them would be dead before long. Is that what she really wanted? To give her life?
All of a sudden, a bright light of Gold flared up from behind Beryl. No one, not even the Princess or the Senshi knew who or what it belonged to. But, before Beryl knew what was happening, she was thrown forward into the Moon energy, which completely obliterated her. All that could be heard was a quick, loud shrill of pain, and then the loud flowing energy of the Moon.
Feeling that Beryl's energy had ceased to be, Serenity discontinued the flow of energy to the Crystal, letting it slowly merged with her again, causing the area to become dark and gloomy again. Her gown slowly disappeared, leaving her as Sailor Moon, but her body had lost much too much energy to sustain this form that she went back to being plain old Usagi in her pajamas. With heavy breathing and an aching body, Usagi looked up to where Beryl previously stood. "Wha....who..." Before she knew it, she was lying on the ground with the Senshi gathering around her.
Sailor Mercury placed her hand on her friend's chest over her heart. It was beating too fast for a normal person. Usagi would have to rest for a while before she could get up again. She would have to recover from her victory. But, why had Beryl fallen so soon. She should have been able to hold on for at least another minute. Her energy hadn't depleted that much. "Usagi, you did it."
Usagi rested her head on the ground and closed her eyes. She felt as if she were in a gravity chamber with 100 times gravity all around. "Mam..." Her fast breathing didn't allow her to finish a single word.
Mars smiled as she pressed her forehead to Usagi's with laughter. "You did it! You really did it! You defeated Beryl and you didn't die!"
A small smile slowly crossed Usagi's lips as she tried to speak again. "Mam..."
Venus raised Usagi's head into her lap to use as a pillow. She looked up to her friends. "What was that power we felt right there at the end?"
Jupiter shrugged. "Beats me. I've never felt it before in my life."
Usagi opened her eyes. "Mam..." She frowned as she took a deep breath. Obviously, she was too tired for words. With all the strength she could muster up, she raised her shaky arm and pointed to where Beryl had been standing.
The Senshi turned their heads in the direction that Usagi pointed. There stood a tall, muscular figure dressed in a black Gi with his arms crossed. The girls all smiled with a quick gasp. They would know that Gi anywhere. "Mamoru!"
Yes, Mamoru. In the end, he had come to the rescue of the Princess. Even though he would never dream of marrying her, she was still a Princess, a Princess who happened to be his friend, even though he would never dream of admitting it to anyone but himself. Once he had figured out that Usagi used Pluto to get to this dimension, he quickly called her out and asked to be sent there as well. After all, he had been part of the Cell escapade and above all, was the Prince of Earth. Pluto agreed with no problem.
Upon arriving in the Dark Kingdom, he realized that Usagi was already engaged in a fight with Beryl. He knew this was the big one, that Usagi wouldn't hesitate in giving her life. When he saw her condition, he flipped. Usagi shouldn't have to give her life to save the planet. No one should. Not for any reason. He made up his mind that the girl was insane, that he would do anything to keep her from dying. And that's when it happened. His power level skyrocketed out into nowhere. His body was immediately engulfed in a bright, golden light. His actions after that were careless, but it had gotten the job done. Unless he intervened, Usagi would have died. In a flash, he kicked Beryl from behind and watched the beam of Moon energy rip into her body.
He smirked now as he looked down to the shocked Senshi. "What? What would I do if my rival was killed? I would have to find a new one."
Mars smiled warmly as she stood up and faced Mamoru. "Thanks, Mamoru."
Venus nodded. "Yeah, thanks. But, how did you get here?"
Mamoru turned around and began walking forward toward the castle. "I have my secrets." He stopped and looked up to the hill. The castle and its people no longer had a queen. "I guess that's where Metallia is. We better get Usagi rested up so she can fight her next."
Jupiter grinned. "That won't be necessary."
Mamoru glanced back to the Senshi in green. "Oh? Why is that?"
Mercury; "Because she hasn't awakened yet. That's why Beryl needed the energy of the Moon. Not only to make the Dark Kingdom unbeatable, but also to use to wake Metallia from her slumber. We've already defeated her, in a way."
Mamoru smiled. Inside, he was yelling out in happiness. Now Usagi wouldn't have to risk her life again. "Fine. Then I'll destroy the castle, you guys just sit here and don't do anything stupid." He jumped into the air toward the castle, which would be rubble in a matter of minutes.
Mars looked back to Usagi, who was still smiling. "How you feel?"
Usagi shifted her head on Mercury's lap with a grunt. "Horrible, but going home will make it better."
~*~*~*~
Upon returning back home, the girls, with Mamoru took Usagi directly to Hotaru's in hopes that she could replenish her energy. It was already five in the morning when they returned, and the early risers were already beginning to stir, but everyone at Hotaru's was still fast asleep.
Mamoru, being the oldest and the biggest, held Usagi in his arms. Rei knocked on the child's window, hoping that she wasn't too sound of a sleeper. Usagi would need to be healed before she went home so her parents would suspect anything.
Inside the room, Hotaru heard only a small knock through her sleep. But, it was enough to wake her up. She yawned and stretched, wondering what time it was. Rei knocked harder when she noticed the girl inside was beginning to stir. Hotaru groggily turned her head and looked at the window. She couldn't figure out what in the world the noise was. "Who's there?" She asked, barely audible. She yawned again as she slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed and walked to the window. Her eyes flew wide open as she gasped at who exactly WAS there. She didn't waste any time throwing the window open for everyone to come in. The first thing her eyes flashed to was Usagi in Mamoru's arms. "What happened?!"
Mamoru was the last to come in. He gently walked to the child's bed and placed Usagi in it, receiving a grunt from her. "She fought Beryl."
If Hotaru's eyes could have, they would have shot wider than they already were. "What?!" She looked around to the girls, all of which solemnly nodded. "What happened?" She shot her attention back to Usagi. "She's hurt!"
Ami nodded. "Yes. She almost died. She would have gladly give her life to defeat Beryl, but Mamoru intercepted her and saved her."
Hotaru looked up to Mamoru in pure amazement. "YOU saved her?"
Mamoru grinned. "What can I say? She's royalty."
Makoto kneeled down to get eye level with Hotaru. "Can you heal her? She can't go home like this, her parents will start to wonder." Her eyes were beginning to tear up as she stared into the eyes of the young Saiyan.
Hotaru nodded, wary of the girls' saddened expressions. They knew something that she did not. She slowly walked to her bed and placed her hands over Usagi. Without a word, her hands began to glow purple. The glow slowly traveled down from her hands and across Usagi's body.
Usagi opened her eyes as she felt her energy being returned to her body. "Hotaru..."
Hotaru smiled as she continued to heal her friend. But, something was strange. Usagi had never lost this much energy in a battle before, not even in the fight where her arm had been blown off. Nevertheless, she continued to pour as much healing power as she could into the Saiyan's body.
Usagi smiled. The energy was loving and warm, so much unlike the energy in which she encountered in the Dark Kingdom. "Thank you, Hotaru."
Hotaru nodded as she gently pulled away. She had replenished as much of Usagi's energy as she could, but it still wasn't full. Hotaru had used some of her own energy as well, but it wasn't enough. Usagi would have to fully recover on her own. "That's as much as I can do."
Usagi sat up and rubbed her head. "I feel a lot better. Thanks." She looked down at the child with pain in her eyes. She would have to tell her about her mother now, something she didn't particularly want to do. She knew it would hurt Hotaru deeply, but it would have to be done. "Hotaru... We need to talk about something." She looked up to her friends as if to ask if she could be the one to tell. After all, she had always had a deeper connection with Hotaru, with them being Saiyans and all.
Hotaru crawled up onto her bed and stared Usagi directly in the eyes as she awaited the story. She nodded to let her know she was ready. Usagi took a deep breath and sighed. "While we were in the dark Kingdom, the others had to fight a woman to protect me. Her name was Akii."
Hotaru nodded, waiting for the rest. Akii didn't ring a bell. "Go on."
Usagi looked up to her friends. She thought for sure that she would know who she was talking about if she mentioned the name. "The others fought her to protect me so I could save all my energy for Beryl and Metallia, but once they used their attacks on her, she became good again."
Hotaru cocked her head to the side. "Again?"
Usagi nodded. "She told us she was from the Planet Vejita, that she was a Saiyan healer, just like you..."
Hotaru's face filled with horror as she looked around the room for confirmation. "How?"
Usagi gulped. Here it came. "She told us a little about herself. She came from the past. Beryl brought her here and trained her to be evil, but she didn't want to be evil. She ran away to earth and met your father..." Hotaru backed away from Usagi and grabbed a pillow for security. "She told us she was your mother, that she was kidnapped three years ago..."
Tears began to stream down Hotaru's face as she dug her nose deep into the pillow. "No! It's not true!" Usagi paused, seeing the girl's obvious agony. Hotaru looked up, slightly. "What happened to her?"
"Do you want me to tell you, Hotaru?" Hotaru nodded. "Ok. We tried to save her but..."
Hotaru screamed out in agony as she fell sideways onto her bed. "MOMMY!"
Usagi lowered her head. "I'm sorry."
Hotaru said nothing, she just popped her thumb into her mouth and curled up into a ball. Minako sat next to the child and wrapped her arm around her. "Hotaru..." Still, no word came from the girl. She seemed to be in a trance of some sort.
Minako shook the girl, hoping to get a word out of her. "Hotaru, please, say something. Don't just sit there." But the harder she shook, the tighter her curl became. It seemed to be no use.
Mamoru approached the girl and rubbed her head. "You guys leave. I'll stay here with her until you can return."
Rei looked up to him with confusion. "What are you talking about? We can't leave. Not with her like this!"
Mamoru frowned. "You can't just stay here all night! You'll get in trouble, and I know Odango is gonna cry if she can't go home and see her parents real soon."
Usagi frowned and slapped Mamoru in the back of the head. "That's not funny! I'm not going to cry!" She looked back down to Hotaru and calmed down. She did have to get out of there. She couldn't stay here forever. She would have to go home soon since her father would be waking up in about an hour and a half to go out and train. Hotaru would be safe with Mamoru, wouldn't she? He had changed so much, he even saved her from death. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"
Mamoru nodded. "I'll be fine. My dad doesn't even care if I stay out all night anymore. I can take care of myself. I'll watch her until her dad wakes up."
Ami; "What are you going to tell him?"
Mamoru sighed. "Nothing, I'm going to leave before he sees me."
Makoto lowered her head. "You're awful, you know that?"
Mamoru frowned. "Do you WANT me to blow your cover? That's the only way I can tell him why she's like this! Any other way would be completely useless because it would be so unbelievable!"
Makoto sighed. "Fine!" She turned looked up to Usagi, who was looking worriedly at Hotaru. "Let's go."
Usagi nodded as she rubbed Hotaru's head. "We'll be back later to see how you're doing." She glared back up to Mamoru. "If she does ANYTHING tell us."
Mamoru nodded. "Fine, fine."
~*~*~*~
Once at home, Usagi ran directly to her parents' room. She didn't want to wait until later that day to see them. After having such a dramatic goodbye earlier, she felt as if she hadn't seen them in years. She wished she could have told them about her night, they would be so proud of her, but she knew she couldn't. It was the oath of a Senshi not to reveal their identity.
She slowly opened the door to their room and smiled. There they were, sleeping so soundly, ignorant of her near death experience. If only they had known, they wouldn't be so calm. Closing the door behind her, she walked to their bed and pushed her way between them. She snuggled into her mother, causing her to wake up.
Chi-Chi looked down at her daughter, who was still dressed for bed. She wrapped her arm over her child and smiled. "How are you feeling, Usagi?"
Usagi smiled. She had beaten Beryl and escaped with her life. In doing so, she saved the Earth from destruction. And now, now she was home where she should be. There really was only one answer to be given. "Wonderful."
(THE END!!!!!! ... of Book 7. Damn! That took me forever to write! I'm sorry! So... what did you think? I'd love to hear. On with the next Book! I already have it completely planned out too! ^_^ cya! )