DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission.
Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to Looking Up To You, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.
Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.
---
Sammy and Sailor Mercury emerged from the gate inside a large room, lit by candelabras that lined the walls. They were standing in the middle of the room, where a large, red rug lay just underneath their feet, stretching out from the large, golden doors behind them to the huge opening ahead of them that led into the next room.
"This must be the entrance hall," Sammy said, looking around at the well-decorated room. "He's making us start here?"
"He's probably going to try and attack us before we reach him," Sailor Mercury said, an angry frown on her face. "What a contemptible coward."
"Ami, maybe you should use your visor to scan for enemies," Sammy advised. "That way, we-"
"My VR Visor was broken a while ago, remember?" Sailor Mercury said, thinking back on her battles with Ceyra and Yeika. "I still haven't been able to fix it yet."
"Oh... I see," Sammy said, looking down sadly. "Ami, when all of this is over... can I... can I help you fix your VR Visor? I mean, it's really cool, and-"
Sailor Mercury giggled. All of her little gadgets and gizmos were still 'cool' to Sammy, bless his little heart...
"Of course you can," Sailor Mercury said, smiling at him. "I'll really appreciate your help, Sammy... all of those complicated parts and tools, I'll need someone to help me find the right ones."
"Thank you, Ami," Sammy said graciously. "Well... should we go ahead?"
Sailor Mercury nodded, and the two walked forward into the next room. As the two walked, Sammy could feel the Dark Crystal's familiar energy aura, pulsating inside of him. Over the last few days, the crystal had given him so much power... power to protect Ami, the girl he loved... and Sammy knew that she'd probably be dead without it. For a brief moment, a thought entered his mind: 'What if the crystal wasn't around anymore? Could I still protect Ami without the strength it gives me?'
"No," Sammy thought, as he and Sailor Mercury began walking up a long, spiraling flight of stairs. "That strength is evil... I don't want it, I don't need it... I can protect Ami on my own!"
The stairs were steep and narrow, with no guardrails to prevent someone from falling off, a potential tragedy, especially at the thirty feet or so off the ground that Sammy and Sailor Mercury now were. One false step, and...
"Sammy!" Sailor Mercury shouted, grabbing Sammy around the chest and clutching him to her body. While Sammy's thoughts clouded his mind, his feet had lost their sense of direction, and he had inadvertently stepped off the side of the stairs. Sailor Mercury had caught him at the last minute. "Oh my gosh, Sammy, are you okay?"
Sammy turned around and looked up at Sailor Mercury's face, drenched with beads of sweat. Her lips were trembling, and Sammy could hear her heart, pounding at nearly three beats a second. He gasped as he realized what had just about happened to him.
"Ami... thank you..." Sammy said, rendered speechless by Sailor Mercury's act of heroism. "I... I'll be more careful next time... I was just thinking..."
"Were you thinking... about your sister?" Sailor Mercury asked, completely missing the mark. "And Rei, and Lita, and Mina, and Sparrow? Sammy... they'll be fine, I know they will... we just have to hurry, okay?"
Sammy nodded, not willing to tell Ami that he'd almost died because he was thinking of her. He gave her a reassuring kiss on the cheek, and the two finally reached the top of the stairs. They had ventured up to a carpeted balcony, and there was a large, wooden door just a few feet in front of them. They looked to the sides, where they saw two openings, one to the left, and one to the right. Behind them, all the way across the vast balcony, was one last opening.
"Where should we go first?" Sammy asked.
---
Meanwhile, at the very top of Jekelai's fortress, in the throne room containing Jekelai's five hostages, Sparrow's reaction to Jekelai's revelation had been exactly what he had expected.
"You're a liar!" Sparrow shouted, her anger clearly visible through the white energy barrier surrounding her body. "You're nothing but a liar... you can't possibly love me! Not after everything you did to me!"
"That's why... that's why it's taken so long to get these words out, Sparrow," Jekelai replied. "Slowly, even while my hatred has festered inside my body, my love for you has grown... I've hurt you so much, caused you so much pain... and now I don't know why."
"I'll tell you why," Sparrow said through clenched teeth. "Because you... you're a sick monster!"
Sparrow punched at Jekelai, but her fist met only the white barrier imprisoning her, causing sharp pain to shoot through Sparrow's entire hand. She growled and pulled it back, keeping her angry gaze fixated on Jekelai the entire time.
"I don't care... if I only have... ten percent of my energy left," Sparrow growled, her body still slowly healed the wounds she had sustained in her battle with Jekelai. "But when I get out of here... I will tear you apart! Mark my words, I will tear you apart!"
"Sparrow..." Jekelai said, looking away from her. "You always were a... a..."
"Say it, Jekelai," Sparrow replied. "Call me one of those names that you would call me every single hour of every single day of my captivity. Do it."
"Sparrow..." Jekelai said again, his mind frantically struggling to find something to say to his angry captive. "In time... you will understand."
Jekelai walked away from Sparrow and back toward his throne, sitting down to await Sammy and Sailor Mercury's arrival. Sparrow punched the wall of the barrier again, and then sat down on the barrier's rounded floor and closed her eyes.
"After all of those years... it's not possible," Sparrow thought. "Is it? He shows no remorse at all for anything he did, and yet he says that he loves me... now I don't know what to think."
---
"Let's go through these doors," Sailor Mercury replied stoically. "We can't waste too much energy on walking... but if it looks like there's nothing in here, we'll try one of the other ways."
Sammy nodded, and he and Sailor Mercury pushed against the large door until it swung open, allowing the two to go inside. Inside the room, lit only by a dim, white light, was a vast expanse, about fifty feet long and fifty feet wide. At the end of the expanse were rows of seats, placed in rows and going up in a stadium pattern, about twenty rows of seats up. In the middle of the seats, about ten rows up, was a small balcony where someone could walk out and face the entrance. Sammy and Sailor Mercury looked up to see that the seats were facing a large, projection screen, about twelve feet by twelve feet.
"This must be Jekelai's personal movie theatre," Sammy said, walking across the room to the rows of seats. "I wonder what he watches?"
"Sammy," Sailor Mercury scolded, walking toward him. "This is no time for movie night... we've gotta get going... our friends are in trouble!"
"Relax, Ami..." Sammy said, walking up into the rows of seats. "I'm just looking around... maybe they're keeping the Senshi tied up under some of these seats. We'd never look there!"
"Sammy, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Sailor Mercury said, beginning to get annoyed. She followed Sammy up into the seats. "We need to go check out one of the other passageways. "
"Alright, alright..." Sammy said, walking over to the balcony and leaning over the edge to look at the blank screen. "But you've got to admit, this would be a pretty cool way to see a movie..."
Sailor Mercury began to scold Sammy again, but this time, she paused, and simply walked over to the balcony to stand next to him. She leaned out over the edge, and remembered the time that she and Sammy had gone to see the opera... they had balcony seats, and it was just like this, except for the room being much bigger. She looked over at Sammy, who had a serene expression on his face, with a hint of sadness.
"He is thinking about them..." Sailor Mercury thought. "He's just... trying to get a break from all of this... he's had enough fighting, enough fear, enough pain... more than any of us should have to endure... oh, Sammy..."
Sailor Mercury removed one of her gloves and gently stroked down the side of Sammy's cheek with her soft, tender hand. He responded to the stimulus and slowly turned his face toward hers, gazing at his love, a calm smile appearing on his lips.
"I love you, Ami," Sammy whispered gently. "And I won't let you or any of my friends get hurt... ever again."
"I know, Sammy," she whispered back, continuing to stroke his face. "I believe in you... I love you."
At that moment, images began to flash on the screen. Sammy and Sailor Mercury's attention turned away from each other's faces and toward the screen, where a vivid sequence of events was taking placed, images coalescing and turning into a grainy movie, in full color. Sound began to be beamed into the room, not from speakers, but, in some strange way, directly into Sammy and Sailor Mercury's heads. As the events unfolded on screen, Sailor Mercury immediately recognized what was being portrayed.
"That's... that's me... running from one of Beryl's soldiers... in the Negaverse!"
"Ami, what is this?" Sammy asked her, worry appearing on his face. "Is this one of your past battles?"
"This is.... Sammy, this is the first time that I-"
The images on the screen spoke for themselves, as Sailor Mercury's battle against Beryl's minions flashed before Sammy's eyes on the screen, right up to her painful death. As the scene ended, and the screen turned black, a tear slid down Sammy's face.
"Sammy, we already talked about this... that was a long time ago... I'm safe now, Sammy..."
"But... but... I never... actually saw... what happened to you..." Sammy said, struggling to hold back tears. "Ami, I-"
"It's a good thing you remember Ami's death," came a female voice, booming throughout the room. "Because those who forget the past are destined to repeat it!"
Across the room, about twenty feet away from the balcony, a dark energy gate opened, and a purple-haired girl floated out, into the room. A smile was on her face.
"Who are you?" Sammy shouted angrily. "And why did you show me this?"
"And how?" Sailor Mercury thought to herself. "No one was there to witness my death..."
"I probed your mind, Sammy Tsukino, and pieced together all of your nightmares... one of my many, many talents," said the girl. "My name is Emperius, the finest sorceress of all of Jekelai's mighty mercenaries. I'm the one who defeated your dear sister and her foolish friends."
"You WITCH!" Sammy shouted, his dark energy flaring up. He climbed up the guardrail and prepared to leap off the balcony. "I'll tear you apart!"
"Sammy, no!" Sailor Mercury screamed, pulling Sammy back. "You'll be killed!"
"You're the one that needs to worry about being killed, Sailor Mercury, " Emperius said. "Because this time, Sammy won't be here to help you!"
In an instant, a swirling cloud of energy encircled Sammy and dragged him into Emperius' dark gate. Then, the gate sealed shut.
"SAMMY!" Sailor Mercury screamed in an anguished cry. "Where did you-"
"The coliseum, where poor Sailor Moon met with her defeat," Emperius said. "And now, it will be where Sammy meets his. But now, we have more... pressing matters to deal with. I shall finish you off, Sailor Mercury... Jekelai has authorized me to tear out your throat. Won't it be lovely when Sammy comes back to see your corpse, bleeding on the ground? And it will be all... his.... fault."
Sailor Mercury stepped back from the balcony, realizing Emperius' plans. She curled her fists and steeled herself for a one-on-one showdown.
"Sammy said that he trusts me... to be able to fight my own battles... I have to defeat Emperius... and then I have to save Sammy from that horrible place he's been sent to!"
"Mercury... Aqua... Rhapsody!"
A freezing wave of water flew at Emperius, who stuck her palm out in front of it and fired a purple energy sphere through the wave, disintegrating it. The energy sphere continued forward, and slammed into Sailor Mercury's chest, sending her flying back into a row of seats. She cried out as her back impacted the hard, metallic surface, but kept her composure and quickly got to her feet. Emperius floated over to the balcony and smiled at Sailor Mercury as she looked up at the water Senshi from five rows down.
"Aren't you going to come down here and play?" Emperius cooed. "C'mon, Sailor Mercury... I won't bite!"
---
Meanwhile, Sammy had ended up face down on the hard, dirt floor of the coliseum. As he coughed up dust from his lungs, he stood up and surveyed his surroundings. He was in the middle of a desolate ruin, with not a soul in sight.
"Ami?" Sammy shouted, beginning to look around frantically. "Ami? Oh, Ami, please be alright... AMI!!!"
Suddenly, the seats began filling with mercenaries, exactly as they had done with Sailor Moon. Within seconds, hundreds of mercenaries filled the stands, all of them vicious and ready to tear Sammy to shreds.
"What... what's going on?" Sammy thought in horror. "Jekelai's got his entire army after me... AMI!!!"
"Looks like your girlfriend's not here to save you, little boy!" jeered one of the mercenaries from the stands.
"It was so easy taking down your sister! She's such a weak little bitch!" shouted another one of the mercenaries, immediately filling Sammy with rage. The Dark Crystal within his body began pulsating, rapidly pumping a large amount of dark magical energy to every part of his body.
"How dare you! How dare you gang up on my sister like that!" Sammy shouted, rage permeating his voice. "I have to beat these guys and get to Ami..."
"Let's get him!"
Suddenly, a roaring stampede filled the coliseum, as the hundreds of mercenaries poured out of the stands, all of them running toward Sammy. Sammy unsheathed his sword and stood his ground in the center of the arena, his body glowing with an incredible black aura.
"It's hopeless..." Sammy thought. "There's no escape... I'm doomed... I'm... NO! I have to destroy all of these fiends! They have to pay for what they did to my sister! They have to pay! They all have to pay... don't worry, Ami... I'm coming!"
---
Sailor Mercury began chanting another attack again, hoping that it would be more successful than the first attack had been.
"Mercury... Bubbles... Blast!"
A stream of bubbles shot out, surrounding Emperius in a dense mist, and an even denser fog. Just when Sailor Mercury thought she had blinded the evil mercenary, a huge, purple shockwave shot out from Emperius' body, dissipating the fog in an instant. Emperius stood on the balcony, sneering at Sailor Mercury as her nervousness and fear began to show.
"I knew you'd be scared, Sailor Mercury..." Emperius said, preparing another deadly attack. "Don't worry... it'll all be over soon."
Emperius lifted one of her arms, clenched her hand into a fist, and pulled it to her chest. Immediately, an incredible jolt shocked Sailor Mercury's body, causing her to cry out again and collapse to her knees. Emperius pointed her other arm at Sailor Mercury, and blasted her with another purple energy sphere, knocking her up into the air and backwards, slamming her into the seventh row of seats. This time, the water Senshi slumped to the ground, and this time, she didn't get up. Emperius smirked, and began walking up the rows of seats to inspect her handiwork. She walked down the row until she reached the fallen form of Sailor Mercury, who was lying flat on her face on the cold, stone floor.
"Just as I thought," Emperius said. "Jekelai told me you were the weakest of the Senshi, and it really, really shows."
Lying on the cold ground, barely conscious, the anguished blue-haired Senshi could think only about Sammy, and how terrible his reaction to her death would be.
"I can't... do this..." Mercury thought. "But... I have to win... I have to win this battle! For Sammy, to whom I promised that I would be safe... and for myself... I can't let myself be pushed around anymore!"
Suddenly, Sailor Mercury's left hand flew up, and clamped around Emperius' left ankle, squeezing it tightly.
"Awww, trying to get up, are we?" Emperius said viciously, lifting her other foot above Sailor Mercury's head. "Well, we'll see about-"
Suddenly, with an incredible burst of strength, Mercury released her hold on Emperius' ankle and leapt to her feet, her fear replaced by anger, evident by the angry scowl on her face. Before Emperius could even look up to face Sailor Mercury, Mercury's fist slammed right into the stunned mercenary's nose, knocking her backward several steps. Sailor Mercury leapt back and pointed her arms at Emperius, fueled by her newfound determination.
"Mercury... Ice... Javelin!" Sailor Mercury shouted, launching several deadly spears of ice at Emperius. Emperius tried to block them with an energy shield, but the javelins quickly punctured the barrier and slashed across Emperius' face and midsection, causing her to step back even more.
"How is she doing this?" Emperius shouted to herself. She looked up at Sailor Mercury, who was now running straight in her direction, like a runaway freight train. "Grrr... bring it on!"
Emperius formed an energy sphere in each hand, and tossed them both at Sailor Mercury at the same time. Mercury dodged one to the side, and then ducked under the second. She leapt up at Emperius and launched a spinning kick, right at the mercenary's face. The kick found its mark, and Emperius was sent flying, down the seven rows of seats and off the balcony to the floor below, landing on her back with a loud thud. Sailor Mercury wasted no time, running down to the balcony and leaping off after Emperius. She leapt down and put her two feet together, slamming both of them into Emperius' stomach. Emperius let out a loud, gasping breath as Sailor Mercury's heeled shoes came crashing down into her gut. Then, Sailor Mercury, her strength spent from that incredible assault, bent down on one knee next to the downed body of Emperius and began gasping for breath.
"That one was for you, Sammy..." Sailor Mercury thought, a smile on his face. "Please be safe, wherever you are..."
"This... isn't over yet... Sailor Mercury!" Emperius shouted, rising to her feet. Her entire body lit up with a bright, purple aura, and Sailor Mercury had to take several steps back to avoid being overwhelmed by the sudden rush of energy. "You're history!"
---
As the hundreds of deadly warriors drew ever closer to Sammy, he held out his sword in front of his body and turned in a 360 degree circle so that he could size up all of his adversaries at once.
"I'm warning you.... YOU'RE ALL DEAD!" Sammy shouted as the first wave of mercenaries rushed toward him. Like his sister before him, Sammy fought valiantly, clearing out several of his foes quickly by slashing them to pieces with his sword. But soon, Sammy too was overwhelmed, and one of the mercenaries managed to tackle him to the ground, with several more diving upon him soon after that. Soon, there were more than a dozen of them pinning Sammy to the ground. One tore the sword from his hands and struck him hard in the face, causing Sammy's nose to begin to drip blood. Sammy let out an anguished cry as the mercenaries pinned him down, not even allowing him to move even one of his limbs, no matter how hard he tried.
"It's hopeless, Sammy... your foolish sister already tried to escape us... and now you will be next!" shouted one of the mercenaries, a bald man with a large scar on the top of his head. "And your pathetic Ami is dying right now, as we speak... "
Tears came to Sammy's eyes as he remembered Ami's horrifying predicament.
"She's still in there... facing that evil Emperius lady one-on-one... oh, Ami... why couldn't I protect you?" Sammy thought. "I failed you!"
---
"Mercury Ice Javelins!"
Sailor Mercury tossed a volley of deadly ice spears at Emperius, but this time, the mercenary was ready to respond, sending an energy sphere flying at Sailor Mercury for each ice javelin headed her way. The energy spheres and the javelins met, creating a large, icy explosion that caused both fighters to shield their faces from the waves of ice and energy created by the blast.
"Getting tired yet?" Emperius asked Sailor Mercury as the smoke from the explosion began to clear.
"I haven't even begun..." Mercury said, still retaining an angry glare on her face. She pointed at Emperius and fired off an icy blast, freezing Emperius' left arm to her side. Emperius growled, and her arm lit up with energy, shattering the ice. Then, she used the same arm to send a powerful blast at Sailor Mercury. The blast connected, knocking the Senshi flat on her back and sending more pain surging through her body.
"Hmmm... as much as I'd like to kill you right now," Emperius said, turning toward the large screen at the back of the room, "I'd much rather see how our young Sammy Tsukino is doing..."
The screen flashed on, and there, struggling for his life with tears streaming down his face, was Sammy, still being pinned down by the huge crowd of mercenaries. A surge of fear and anger ripped through Ami's body, and she quickly leapt to her feet, fists clenched in rage.
"LET... HIM... GO!!!" Sailor Mercury screamed, looking straight into Emperius' eyes.
"Oh, don't worry, Ami.... they're not going to kill him," Emperius said. "They're just going to bring him here so he can watch you die."
The screen flashed off.
---
Meanwhile, in the coliseum...
"I won't... I won't fail you... Ami..." Sammy said weakly.
"What's he babbling about?" asked one of the mercenaries. "Let's just take him back to Emperius, and-"
"Ami.... I won't let anything happen... to you, or to me!"
The Dark Crystal filled Sammy's body with an enormous amount of energy, and it was at that moment that Sammy threw the crowd of mercenaries off of him and floated up into the air, pulsating with power. The mercenaries that had been thrown off ran at Sammy again, but Sammy simply extended his arms, and in a second, he had channeled a gigantic amount of energy into his hands. He could feel the Dark Crystal's intoxicating power surging through his body, as rage and fear overwhelmed him, and he could only think of getting to Ami in time to save her.
"ALL OF YOU... DIE!!!"
A black, dome-shaped wave of magical energy rushed outward from Sammy's body, instantly disintegrating every single mercenary it touched. It swept through the coliseum as a burning wave of death, decimating Jekelai's entire army in mere seconds. When the attack was over, Sammy collapsed to his knees, and the Dark Crystal's energy slowly seeped back to its source at the center of Sammy's body.
"Now... to get to you.... Ami..." Sammy said.
---
"Sammy will be just fine," Emperius said, walking toward the infuriated Sailor Mercury. "So if you don't mind, I'd like to resume our little-"
Sailor Mercury lunged forward and drove one of her ice javelins straight into Emperius' stomach. As she pulled it out, blood poured from the wound, and Emperius stumbled backward, both hands clutching her injured midsection. Her teeth clenched, and her face twisted in pain.
"That's not.... that's not fair..." Emperius managed to choke out.
"Neither is sending Jekelai's entire army to attack the boy I love," Sailor Mercury said, pointing both of her arms at Emperius, as intense magical energy surged through her body. "Mercury... Hyper... Glaciation!"
A huge wave of ice swept over Emperius' body, and within seconds, the purple-haired mercenary was entombed in a solid block of ice, hopelessly frozen at absolute zero. Though her body was intact, she had been instantly killed by the intensely cold temperatures. Sailor Mercury pointed her hand at the living glacier and blasted it with a wave of magical energy, disintegrating both it and Emperius, once and for all.
"Whew," Sailor Mercury breathed, collapsing onto one knee. "Now to try and find Sammy..."
But Sailor Mercury's prayers were quickly answered when a large, black gate appeared in front of her, and Sammy leapt out, into Sailor Mercury's arms. As she squealed with delight and embraced her beleaguered boyfriend, both Sammy and Sailor Mercury couldn't help but wonder...
"How did you-" said both of them at the same time, before Sammy began to tell his story first.
"I felt this unbelievable energy... when I thought about not being able to save you, I... I just got all of this power, and I... I destroyed all of them, Ami...."
"The Dark Crystal," Sailor Mercury whispered. "Sammy..."
"Yeah, that's what I think it was," Sammy replied, slowly releasing his embrace on Sailor Mercury's back. "So, Ami... what about you? You beat Emperius all by yourself?"
Sailor Mercury nodded.
"All I could think about was... seeing you in trouble.... Emperius showed me what was happening to you, and I just.... I just couldn't handle it, so..."
"Ami.... your powers are incredible," Sammy said, his surprise and bewilderment replaced with joy. "I'm.... I'm really sorry I ever doubted you...."
"I doubted you, Sammy," Sailor Mercury replied. "Sammy... it wasn't... when we get through with all of this, I want you to know something, okay? It wasn't the Dark Crystal that saved me all of those times when I was in trouble, Sammy... it was you. It was always you... you created that power, Sammy... your determination... your love... even without the magical strength the crystal gave you, Sammy, you had all the strength in the world... you had all the strength that ever mattered, Sammy... it's right here."
Sailor Mercury pointed to Sammy's heart, and for a second, her touch seemed to negate everything that the Dark Crystal had done to Sammy... his hatred and anger disappeared, replaced with love, and joy, everything that Ami had given him over the years they'd known each other. The happiness he got whenever he saw her beautiful face, the warmness in his heart every time she smiled her incredible smile... she could light up his heart just by glancing his way.
"I.... I love you... Ami," were the only words that could escape Sammy's lips. He didn't need anymore, as Sailor Mercury lifted up her lips to his and kissed him, the two lovers embracing once more and passionately kissing for the next ten seconds before both of them knew what they had to do.
"Now, let's go save the others," Sailor Mercury said, turning to Sammy and smiling. Sammy nodded, and the two of them left the room and began searching the fortress for their never-forgotten friends, knowing only three things for sure. They were in love, and they would always be in love... and as long as they were in love, that they would both be alright.
---
"They draw nearer.... every last one of my mercenaries is dead. I felt the Dark Crystal... its power is stronger than every single one of my mercenaries combined. I will have that power...."
"As long... as there is a breath within my body," Sparrow said, standing up and looking into Jekelai's eyes with intense rage, "you will never, ever have that power!"
Jekelai walked toward the magical barrier imprisoning Sparrow, and put his hand on its surface, causing Sparrow to gasp and take a step back.
"I really do... love you, Sparrow," Jekelai said. "And I wish that you would allow me to show you in some way... how I really feel..."
A black mist filled the sphere, and Sparrow pressed up against the other side, in a frantic attempt to escape the mist's reach.
"Stop it!" Sparrow shouted, fear lining her voice. "Stop it now! Whatever you're doing, stop it right-"
And then, the mist washed over Sparrow. Within seconds, both her and the barrier were gone, leaving Jekelai alone in the throne room with the four trapped and unconscious Senshi.
"I cannot allow you to see what is about to happen here, my love," Jekelai said, facing the door that marked the throne room's entrance. "I only wish that you will see how I truly feel about you as you experience the dimension I created just for you... please understand."
---
It didn't take Sammy and Sailor Mercury long to navigate the passageways and stairwells of Jekelai's fortress once all the mercenaries had been destroyed. After merely a few short minutes, the two reached the huge doors leading into Jekelai's throne room. Without a moment's hesitation, they entered, and saw Jekelai staring them down from across the grand hall, the four energy spheres that contained the Senshi floating behind him. The four Senshi were still unconscious, and Sammy gasped when he saw their condition.
"Jekelai, let them go now!" Sammy shouted, his dark energy aura appearing once more. "I'm warning you..."
"Sammy, you're just in time," Jekelai said, a smirk on his face. He walked toward Sammy and Sailor Mercury, and neither of them backed down. "To witness the death of your lovely friend, Ami."
"You won't hurt me," Sailor Mercury said, courageously stepping forward. "If you want to fight Sammy, you'll fight us both!"
"I wish to fight you first, Sailor Mercury!" Jekelai shouted, tossing a long, crescent-shaped energy beam at Sailor Mercury. It contained a large amount of energy, and almost surely would have cleaved her in half had it not been for Sammy, leaping in front of the energy beam and easily swatting it away. It formed into the shape of a sphere and slammed into the wall, creating a medium-sized explosion.
"Sammy...." Sailor Mercury thought, contemplating whether to stop Sammy or not. "Sammy, be careful..."
Jekelai ran at Sammy, and it appeared as if he was going to try and strike Sammy with his fists. Sammy unsheathed his sword and ran at Jekelai, but at the last second, Jekelai leaped over Sammy and ran straight for Sailor Mercury, his fist slamming right into her stomach. She collapsed, clutching her stomach with one hand and using the other to wipe away blood from her lip that she had begun to cough up. Sammy turned around and clenched his fists in rage, running toward Jekelai.
"That's his plan... he's going to try to kill Ami first!" Sammy thought. "I have to do something, and fast!"
Jekelai pointed his hand at Sailor Mercury, and quickly charged up an energy blast. Sailor Mercury stood up. She knew what she had to do.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"
A powerful wave of water washed over Jekelai, far more powerful than the last time she had used the attack. She was fighting with a purpose now, not just to protect herself, but to protect Sammy... she couldn't let the Dark Crystal emerge from him. She wouldn't. The attack slammed into Jekelai, and sent the unprepared warrior tumbling back, right into the path of Sammy's two fists, both slamming into his back at once. Jekelai flew across the room and slammed into the far wall, his body making a large dent in the wall's hard, marble surface.
"Ami, are you alright?" Sammy shouted, running over to Sailor Mercury and looking down at her stomach, which Sailor Mercury had began to clutch again. "You got hit really hard, and-"
"I'm fine, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said, nodding her head. "I'm going to see if there's some mechanism I can use to free the other Senshi... can you handle Jekelai by yourself?"
Sailor Mercury already knew the answer. Sammy had become so strong....
"I'll be fine, Ami," Sammy said. "Stay safe."
Sailor Mercury nodded again, and then ran over to the four energy spheres containing the Senshi. Jekelai turned around and began walking away from the wall, toward Sammy. He formed a glowing energy blade in his left hand.
"So, it's a swordfight you want, Jekelai?" Sammy asked, a devious smile appearing on his face. "Alright then... but I must warn you, I'm very skilled at those."
"I tire of this, boy," Jekelai said, a serious look on his face. "I want that crystal, and I want it right now!"
Jekelai waved his arm, and a dark energy gate appeared behind him. Before Sammy could react, Jekelai leapt into the gate, quickly closing it. Sammy ran to the place where Jekelai had once stood and began to look around.
"He teleported away..." Sammy said, looking around. "What a coward!"
Sailor Mercury turned to face Sammy, a look of concern evident on her features.
"Sammy, this may be part of a trap," Mercury said. "Be care-"
Suddenly, the dark gate reappeared behind Sailor Mercury. Jekelai leapt out, grabbed the stunned Senshi, and held his energy blade to her throat while using his other arm to keep her hands pinned behind her back.
"AMI!" Sammy shouted, flying toward Jekelai. "Don't you dare hurt her..."
"Whatever... you want..." Sailor Mercury said weakly, "you won't get it... by holding me hostage..."
"Who said anything about a hostage?" Jekelai said, smiling devilishly. "And by the way... those were your last words, Ami Mizuno."
With one swift motion, Jekelai slashed the energy blade across Sailor Mercury's throat, creating a large gash that instantly began spewing blood. As Sammy stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes as wide as saucers, with his mouth agape, Sailor Mercury's lifeless body fell to the ground, and a pool of blood immediately began forming around her. With a smirk of triumph on his face, Jekelai kicked the lifeless Senshi over to Sammy, who stood motionless like a statue just ten feet away from Jekelai. Immediately, Sammy collapsed next to his fallen lover and looked down at her rapidly whitening face as tears began to flow like rivers down his face, as fast as the blood pouring out of Sailor Mercury's wound.
"I should have done that in the first place," Jekelai said. "I don't know why I strung you along for so long..."
Sammy stopped looking at Sailor Mercury and looked back up, at Jekelai. Slowly, he stood up, facing down the monster who had struck down his beloved angel.
"Now... show me, Sammy," Jekelai said, still smiling, even in the face of Sammy's incredible rage. "Show me the thing I covet... show me the Dark Crystal."
---
Jekelai's mist had delivered Sparrow straight into one of his pocket dimensions, and as Sparrow looked around, she recognized where she was.
"This is Jekelai's throne room," Sparrow said, "but no one's here... this is an entirely different dimension than-"
"How can I tell her?" Jekelai shouted as he entered the throne room. "After everything I've done to her, how can I tell her I love her? She'd never believe me, she hates me... dammit!"
Sparrow ran toward Jekelai, but when she tried to touch him, her hand passed completely through Jekelai's body. It was as if Jekelai was a ghost. Sparrow turned back around and watched Jekelai slowly trudge toward his throne. He didn't sit down, however. He stopped in front of his throne and sighed, directly facing Sparrow. He didn't notice her, however. Instead, he continued to speak.
"I should have just asked her... instead of having my men bring her here like a slave... but... she wouldn't want to be my mercenary anyway," said the illusory Jekelai. "She's too pure-hearted and kind.... I'm probably the first person she's ever hated, and for a good reason, too."
Jekelai sat down on the throne.
"I don't have to listen to this crap," Sparrow said, still not convinced. "JEKELAI, LET ME OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Then, Sparrow remembered... the few times that, even in Jekelai's captivity, she had shown him kindness. Was it because of those few isolated episodes that Jekelai fell for her?
---
"Jekelai, why do you do this?" Sparrow said softly, her voice lined with a thin sheet of compassion. "Is there something in your life that made you... made you like this? What happened to you, Jekelai?"
"What do you mean by that?" Jekelai asked, turning around to face Sparrow, who was helplessly chained to the wall like he usually kept her.
"You couldn't have been evil like this your entire life... just tell me what's wrong, and maybe I can help you..."
"There is nothing wrong, Sparrow," Jekelai said. "To get ahead in this universe, you have to be ruthless. That is why I am the way that I am."
"You don't have to be like that at all.... I know I'm not," Sparrow said. For a brief instant, she sent a smile in Jekelai's direction, which seemed to startle him. "If you stop this crusade of evil right now, and begin showing kindness to everyone, I'm sure that you can still live a constructive, happy life...."
"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard in my entire-"
Then, for a second, Jekelai stopped.
"And if you apologized to me, right this instant, and let me go... I'd be willing to forgive you," Sparrow said. "I would leave it up to you to atone for your sins."
"You.... would be willing to what?" Jekelai asked.
"I'm serious, Jekelai..."
---
"Why didn't I let her go then?" Jekelai shouted. "Why didn't I apologize to her? I have to stop this, all of this...."
"You... you still can," Sparrow whispered, though she knew Jekelai couldn't hear a thing she was saying. "Except that now, you've hurt so many more people... but... if you're genuinely sorry, then..."
Sparrow stopped.
"What am I thinking?" Sparrow thought. "He's tortured me, hurt so many others... he's killed so many people! He deserves to die, he deserves to be punished, he deserves to... to... but what if he's really sorry for what he's done? What if he's willing to atone? Should I... should I forgive him? Just like that?"
Sparrow began channeling her strength to attempt to teleport out of Jekelai's pocket dimension.
"It's not in my nature to hate..."
---
"You want... to see... the DARK CRYSTAL?" Sammy shouted, his voice beginning to become hoarse from yelling so much. "HERE... IT... IS!!!!"
Sammy clenched his fists and pulled his arms back toward his chest. His entire body burned as if it was on fire, but he didn't feel even the tiniest bit of pain. All he could feel was the power, the intense energy coursing through his veins, and the grief of Ami's death. Then, he pushed everything to the outside, and the result was a mammoth power explosion, as a large column of black energy encircling Sammy and sent out large shockwaves that knocked Jekelai back several steps every time one of the waves slammed into him with immense force. Finally, the display of light had ended, and all that remained was Sammy, a cloud of magical energy surrounding his body and flowing around him like a mighty flame. Jekelai observed Sammy for a few seconds, and then came to a startling revelation.
"The crystal... it's... it's still inside of him!" Jekelai shouted in horror.
"Game over, Jekelai."
Sammy flew at Jekelai and slammed into him, fists furiously pounding his chest, face, and stomach. After just a few seconds of pounding blows, the once-mighty Jekelai was on his knees, blood spewing from his nose and mouth. Jekelai looked up to see Sammy standing over him, his hand pointed at Jekelai's face.
"Murderer!"
A large blast from Sammy's hand slammed into Jekelai, sending him skidding backwards across the floor, all the way to the foot of his throne. As Jekelai wearily climbed to his feet, Sammy slowly began to walk toward him, each step methodically timed in perfect rhythm.
"I can't believe it... the crystal... why can't I extract the crystal?" Jekelai shouted in frustration.
"My body... my determination... my love... is stronger than all the forces of the crystal that are trying to work their way out!" Sammy shouted at Jekelai. "Before you killed Ami, she told me... she told me that no matter what, it was my inner strength protecting her... not the crystal's.... you monster, how could you take Ami away from me? WHY? WHY?"
Sammy was now just a few feet away from Jekelai, facing him down with incredible intensity. Jekelai did the only thing that he thought could possibly protect him... he began to fight back. He leapt back and pointed his arms at Sammy, gathering up a huge blast of magical energy with which to try and destroy him.
Just then, a dark energy gate opened up next to the fallen Sailor Mercury, and from the gate emerged Sparrow, a frantic look on her face.
"Sammy, don't...."
As soon as Sparrow saw Sailor Mercury, lying on the ground with blood all over the top part of her Senshi outfit, she let out a loud gasp.
"You can heal her, right?" Sammy shouted. Sparrow gave a meek nod in Sammy's direction. "THEN DO IT!"
"She has to be alive first!" Sparrow yelled back, putting her hand on the large wound that had been sliced into Sailor Mercury's neck. "I can feel a small amount of life force... it's weak, but..."
Concentrating what could very well have been the last of her strength, Sparrow began to send a large amount of healing energy into Sailor Mercury's body, hoping that she hadn't arrived too late to save the fallen Senshi.
"Jekelai... did this to Sailor Mercury?" Sparrow thought. "How could I have possibly even thought of forgiving him... still, I can sense that his love for me is genuine... and if that is genuine, then maybe his remorse is... I can't think about this right now, I have to heal Ami! And quick!"
Sammy turned back toward Jekelai, who had stopped charging up his attack and simply remained fixated on Sparrow, his eyes longingly gazing in her direction.
"Sparrow... please, I-"
"Your fight is here, Jekelai."
With another powerful punch, Sammy sent Jekelai flying backward again, crashing through the back of his throne and slamming against the room's back wall with intense force. Sammy grabbed Jekelai by his collar and tossed him several feet across the room, sending him skidding across the carpeted ground. As Jekelai tried to stand once more, Sammy was right there, and another punch to Jekelai's stomach sent him collapsing to his knees yet again.
"You're going to be... just fine... Ami..." Sparrow whispered, and as her energy flowed into Sailor Mercury's wound, it rapidly began to close, indicating that Sparrow's healing was working at a very quick pace. "Just a bit more..."
"Sparrow's... healing her..." Jekelai coughed as Sammy slowly walked toward the battered mercenary. "Ami... will recover..."
"That's more than I can say for you, Jekelai," Sammy said, running at Jekelai and kicking him in the face. Jekelai stumbled back a few more steps, but Sammy's kick had helped Jekelai get to his feet, and now, Jekelai stood facing Sammy, with a far different expression on his face than the one he had worn just a few minutes earlier. Instead of being angry at Sammy, or happy that Ami was about to die, Jekelai was... something else. His face revealed a sadness that hadn't been there before.
"Go ahead... Sammy..." Jekelai said, coughing up blood. He knew that he had been defeated, but there was just one more thing that he had to say before Sammy finished him off. "Sparrow.... I really did love you, and... and I.... I am sorry...."
Sparrow stopped healing Ami and turned around, a skeptical look on her face.
"You... you can't be sorry," Sparrow said, not quite ready to forgive Jekelai after having treated Ami so cruelly. "You intended to kill Sailor Mercury... you're only apologizing because you're about to die."
"Sparrow's right," Sammy said, unsheathing his sword. "Your time is up, Jekelai... nothing you say can help you now."
Sparrow looked up at Sammy, and it was then that she saw what the Dark Crystal had done. It had poisoned his mind from within. Sammy was polluted with anger, and the crystal's power had acted upon Sammy like an intoxicant. She let out a quiet gasp as she saw in Sammy's eyes a look of pure hatred and evil like nothing she had ever seen before, not even in Jekelai.
"The crystal has him... it hasn't been extracted from him, but... it's taken a hold of him..."
"Please... tell Ami... and all of your other friends.... I'm.... sorry...." Jekelai moaned, barely able to stand. "And especially Sparrow.... I'm so... sorry..."
"Save it for the next world!" Sammy shouted, lifting his sword above Jekelai's chest. A large amount of dark energy gathered at the sword's tip. But just before Sammy brought it down, Sparrow cried out...
"Stop!" Sparrow shouted, rushing inbetween Sammy and Jekelai. "This is not for you to decide, Sammy... I will take Jekelai back to my own world.... to atone for his sins there."
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Sammy shouted, his fiery energy aura flaring up even more. "He's hurt too many people! He's hurt Rick, and Mika, and Miss Haruna... and AMI!"
"I know, and that is why... that is why he must atone," Sparrow said. "I have searched my heart for the answer, and its answer is... its answer is that I do forgive Jekelai. Though he has done horrible, horrible things, I still forgive him... because deep in his heart, even he is capable of-"
"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY, OR ELSE!" Sammy furiously yelled. "I will warn you only once more! Get out of my way!"
"I will not," Sparrow said calmly, a look of serenity on her face. "I will not allow you to harm Jekelai any further."
From his weakened position behind Sparrow, Jekelai gasped, and his eyes began to water.
"How could she... how could she show forgiveness after all I've done?" Jekelai thought. "She said she would, but... but that was years ago... even today, her kindness remains... after the hell I put her through, she's still... the same person... the same Sparrow..."
With a loud, angry cry, Sammy plunged his sword into Sparrow's heart, an action that Sparrow clearly hadn't anticipated. Her eyes widened, and a burning sensation began to emanate from her chest. She stared at Sammy with a look of shock on her face, and a tear streaked down her cheek.
"I'm... going to die," was the last thing that Sparrow thought before her body completely disintegrated. Sammy's attack had killed her instantly. Suddenly, all of the rage and hatred in Sammy's body disappeared, and he collapsed onto his knees. He knew immediately what he had done.
"Sparrow..." Sammy whispered, his entire body trembling. "Oh, God... I've killed Sparrow..."
Jekelai stood up and gasped as he also sensed Sparrow's death. She had died right before his eyes... protecting him.
"Sparrow... Sparrow, no!"
Jekelai clenched his fists, and felt the same intense rage that had overtaken Sammy at the start of the battle. Jekelai had no Dark Crystal to fuel his emotions, but he had power... lots of it, and it exploded outward in a brilliant flash of light. Sammy stood up and watched Jekelai as his powers burst forth, and then flared up his own energy aura.
"Sparrow... you only... you only got in my way," Sammy said, clenching his teeth. The Dark Crystal's powers had overtaken Sammy again, reacting to Jekelai's own burst of strength. Their grip on Sammy would not release until Jekelai, the cause of his rage, was dead... dead, once and for all.
"You... you killed Sparrow!" Jekelai shouted.
"You tried to kill Ami.... the difference between you and me is that I succeeded, Jekelai. You're nothing but a miserable failure!"
Jekelai leapt into the air and pointed his arms at Sammy.
"My ultimate attack... and your ultimate end... RADIANT APOCOLYPSE!"
A gigantic golden beam of magical energy flew out of Jekelai's hands and barreled straight for Sammy. But as the giant beam, Jekelai's most powerful attack, flew straight for him, Sammy merely extended one of his arms. The incredible attack was completely blocked against Sammy's hand, even as Jekelai poured more and more of his energy into the attack. Finally, Sammy had to block the attack with two hands, and he began sweating and straining against Jekelai's energy beam.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR SPARROW'S DEATH!" Jekelai shouted.
"AND YOU WILL PAY FOR EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER HURT, INCLUDING SPARROW! FEEL MY WRATH!"
Sammy sent his own beam of energy at Jekelai, a powerful black beam that completely battered through Jekelai's attack in an instant and collided into Jekelai, creating a huge explosion that blasted Jekelai up into the air. He flew back for a couple of seconds, before hitting the ground on his back, groaning in pain. All of his energy was now gone, and he could only watch helplessly as Sammy walked toward him. Sammy's energy aura was still fully intact, as was Sammy's intense, angry stare. Sammy pointed his arm at Jekelai, and a large amount of electrical energy began gathering in his palm.
"This is how Ami died... that very first time," Sammy said. "It is a much more fitting death for you than it was for her."
Sammy blasted Jekelai with the huge jolt of electrical energy. Jekelai screamed out loudly as the powerful voltage coursed through his body, and he could feel himself being burned alive as he looked up into Sammy's angry, evil eyes.
"Sparrow... I'm sorry..."
And then, in a large, black flame, Jekelai was obliterated. Sammy had finally extinguished the last of the Pale Mercenaries. The energy spheres holding the Senshi disappeared, and the four unconscious girls fell to the ground next to Sailor Mercury, whose wound had been completely healed by Sparrow, leaving only a faint scar where the deadly cut had been. As the Dark Crystal's hold on Sammy slowly released itself, Sammy collapsed to the ground, and tears again came to his eyes.
"Sparrow...."
Sailor Mercury slowly woke up, and soon after, the rest of the Senshi. They slowly stood up, wearily groaning from the slight injuries that remained on their bodies. Sailor Mercury was the first to notice Sammy, on his knees next to the remnants of Jekelai's throne. He was crying intensely, and Sailor Mercury instinctively ran over to comfort him.
"Sammy... it's okay... I'm here, and I'm safe," Sailor Mercury said, wrapping her arms around Sammy's chest and gently embracing him.
"What... what happened?" Sailor Moon asked. "Did Jekelai... is he dead?"
"And where's Sparrow?" Sailor Mars asked. Upon the mention of Sparrow's name, Sammy let out a loud cry of anguish. Sailor Mercury's fingers flew up and gently slid across Sammy's lips, as his tears began to stain her fuku, mixing with the dried-up blood.
"Shhh...." Sailor Mercury whispered. "Sammy... I'm here... it's alright..."
"No... no it's not alright," Sammy sobbed. "Ami... I... I killed Sparrow!"
The Senshi gasped, and Sailor Mercury hugged Sammy even tighter. He tried to push her away, but his limbs couldn't even move.
"The Dark Crystal... the Dark Crystal, it... I don't know what happened... after Jekelai, after he... Sparrow... everything... so fast..."
"We have to get that Dark Crystal out of Sammy, right now..." Sailor Moon thought. "I have to call upon the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal... I should've done it sooner, but... I don't want to hurt Sammy!"
"He killed Sparrow, I don't believe it!" Sailor Mars thought. She began to feel a twinge of anger, and for a second, thought about scolding Sammy. "It wasn't his fault... it wasn't..."
"Sparrow was a wonderful friend," Sailor Jupiter thought. "Sammy couldn't have possibly killed her on purpose... it was that Dark Crystal that made him do it!"
"We'll get you back, Sparrow... just like Miss Haruna," Sailor Venus thought. "There's got to be some way to undo all the horrible things that have happened..."
"Sammy... I love you..." Sailor Mercury said, still hugging Sammy as tightly as she could. "You didn't kill Sparrow, Sammy... the Dark Crystal did..."
"It's still inside me..." Sammy sobbed, a horrified tone in his voice. "The Crystal is still inside me... even after you were nearly killed, it didn't come out... oh, Ami... I don't want the Crystal to hurt anyone else!"
"You'll be fine, Sammy... we'll all be fine.... oh, Sammy, I love you so much..."
Ami knew that she couldn't say anything to Sammy that would lift the pall of grief that was crushing him as well as everyone else. The only thing she could do was to tell him what he already knew... she loved him, and that she would always love him, and that she would fight to protect him... forever and always.
---
"Jekelai and Sparrow, both dead... excellent work, Sammy. The Crystal is doing a fine job indeed."
Cestari smiled and walked over to the window. Just outside was the Earth, and his giant, flying castle was just about to touch down on its surface.
"Jekelai didn't even know for a second that he was being played... and Sparrow fell right into my trap," Cestari said devilishly. "This is a truly wonderful day indeed... and its rewards are not over yet. For soon, the grandest prize will be mine... only I truly know the Crystal's secrets. Only I truly know how to unlock its true power... the final phase of my plan is about to begin."
---
This story's getting pretty dark... ^_^;;; I don't even think the Trunks/Ami sequel will be THIS dark. Well, there are two chapters of the story left! Sorry to all of Sparrow's fans... I like her too, but... ya know, the whole dramatic effect thing and all... anyway, it looks like Cestari, Jekelai's employer, is still alive... and he's about to do some sort of despicable evil! To find out what it is... uh, read the next chapter, coming soon! ^_^ (Another 9,000 word chapter... I better get some damn reviews. I'm serious. XD)
