Jedaite gaped at the power she was emitting. No one, except, maybe for that Moon brat, had ever raised their power level that much in such a short span of time. He growled. This brat might very well be a bit more of a nuisance than he anticipated because of her power level.

That and what she kept saying. . .and how she looked. He didn't know why, but she looked vaguely like he knew her from somewhere long ago. And with what she kept saying. .What did she mean by that? Did he really know her at one point? From the way she kept talking, she obviously thinks that at one point they knew each well and he was a protector of some prince.

But that's not possible!

He furiously repeated that to himself. It just wasn't possible! He can't have known her! He was accepted into Queen Beryl's forces when he was just a small child. So, even if he wanted to, he can't have pledged his loyalties to a prince!

His anger mounting, he shot a quick, small burst of energy at the girl. She side stepped it.

Side stepped? Some chit of a girl was able to side step one of his energy blasts? Admittedly, it wasn't all that strong nor that fast, but still, side stepped? She should have at least the courtesy to make it look difficult.

Growling again, he glared at her.

"What did you expect?" She asked with a superior air. "I told you this would all end now - whether or not you returned to your original side."

"Listen - I am not going to list to some kid tell me what I have and have not done!" He thundered. "I am perfectly capable of choosing which side I want to be on! So, don't you dare tell me what you supposedly know about my life!" He roared.

"So, I guess I'm getting to you, ne?" Sailor Earth grinned - but there was no mirth behind it.

The shadows shifted slightly.

Jedaite continued to glare at the girl, allowing his power to increase. He would get her. .That was for sure. And he would get her big. He focused his thoughts on welling his energy into a single ball of raw power.

When Sailor Earth suddenly chuckled. He nearly lost his concentration. Why would she suddenly start laughing?

Sailor Earth looked at him, now with obvious mirth in her eyes. He had really thought he could fool her. He had thought that she wouldn't notice the obvious increase in his power. She laughed again. She hadn't expected him to be this naive. She had really thought that the battle would be more serious as well as difficult.

But he had proved her wrong. It turned out that he had allowed himself to weaken over the years. This enabled her to see his movements as if he was moving in slow motion and calmly step aside from his poorly aimed, weak attacks.

She looked at him with a twitched eyebrow. "Are you really that weak?" She asked him, her question reflecting the innocence of her observation. He ignored her. He was concentrating again on that weak thing he was calling an attack. She scowled. He wouldn't get away with it that easily.

Throwing him off guard, she walked slowly towards. His eyes had widened then narrowed.

"You aren't going to get me, brat!" He spat.

"Ouch. That hurt. At least before you were able to come up with a decent insult." She said without a laugh in her.

He looked livid but said nothing. Her scowl deepened. He was still concentrating on that blasted attack.

Time to kick things up, she thought humorlessly.

She now stood ten feet from Jedaite.

Perfect.

She moved her left leg back and shifted much of her weight on to it. She moved her arms so they were level with her hip. Then she leapt forward. As she sped toward him, she kicked out her leg. He didn't see it coming. Her foot collided forcefully with his side. He flew though the air and landed harshly on the ground while she spun once through the air and landed on her feet.

She smirked.

"Like I asked before, are you really that weak?"

It took him a short second to get up.

"I seem to have quite some difficulty believing that you, one of your prince's former commanders, couldn't anticipate such a simple move."

He was now standing, begrudgingly so, with his back straight, however his head focused on the ground below.

She cocked her head. "Are you really not going to respond?" She giggled. "While I did mean that comment earlier about your insults, you are still welcome to have a go at them." She smiled at him.

He raised his hands so they were in front of his stomach. An icy energy began to grow there. Her eyes narrowed.

"Still trying the same trick, huh? Too bad. Once I know what you are going to do, such a weak and over-used attack won't work. But, please, do try - If that's what makes you happy."

Jedaite suddenly snapped his head upward and stared into her eyes with a brooding she never expected. She took half a step back, not anticipating the intense look in his eyes. Jedaite let loose the attack. It turned out to be a bit more original than she thought, because the icy energy split into a dozen smaller parts. It flew at her. She braced herself. She could dodge them all in one go, she knew she could. She just had to time it right.

Dark eyes gleamed from the shadows.

"STOP!" A voice suddenly screamed.

Dark eyes widened.

Sailor Earth looked at the temple front, caught off guard.

"Sailor Mars?" She whispered before turning back to the oncoming attack.

It was the last thing she said.

Before the attack collided with her.

And the world became dark as a shrill scream entered her ears.

A short chuckle escaped her throat.

Right before she fell to the ground.

Guess she had misjudged the power of his attack, too.

Maybe Jedaite wasn't so weak.

Maybe he wasn't brainwashed onto Queen Beryl's side. . .

Tousled hair framed surprised eyes. Then, the shoulders of the dark being shuddered.

Maybe she was wrong.

__________

AN:

Sorry for taking to long to update. I actually had this chapter ready to upload on Friday, but ff.net went. But, the good news is that I'm almost down with the next chapter (though I'm not sure if I like it) and it will be uploaded this week. Sorry about this one being so short -_-

Thanks for your patience and reviews!