Hi...um, this is PrincessVamp again... and if you guys all hate me now for note updating in FOREVER I'm so, so, sorry... but all my relatives came down, I got my permit, and there's been WAY too many pool parties... I'M SORRY!!!

Anyhoo, I just wanted to get the begging and scrapping out of the way. I hope you enjoy this!

Search for the Silver Crystal: Part 3

Last time:

Mercury fell to the floor, breathing labouredly. "Who?" she wheezed; "Whom will we not find? How will us not finding them destroy us?"

Realization pierced all of them. Rei started shaking her head furiously. "No..."

Tears slid down Minako's flawless face. "Oh goddess...please..."

Jupiter opened the doors, ran through them, and slammed them in the demon's faces. "What happened?!?"

Serenity simply fainted.

Continued...

Venus swiped viciously at her cheeks, tears flinging away. "No! Girls, listen to me!"

All of them quieted. Venus continued: "We don't even know if she's telling the truth! But right now we MUST get Serenity to the Safehouse..."

"No, Venus," Mercury broke in. "The safehouse is not longer safe. My goggles told me that a few minutes ago: it's been destroyed by dark magics. I think Metallica knew of our plan."

"Where then can we all go?" Serenity whispered. "Where is safe?"

Suddenly Jupiter snapped her fingers. "Earth!"

Ten minutes later...

"Shh," Mars whispered, peeping out from behind a wall, sounds of fighting all around, with the girls right behind her. "Don't make a..."

Just then a demon appeared and grabbed her arm. Mars flipped it over, rammed her foot on it's stomach, and shouted, "Mars Fire...Ignite!"

The demon shrieked as it burned, and it's pained screams alerted the other demons and dark warriors, who advanced menacingly towards the senshi and their princess.

"Shit!" Mercury yelled, and the girls looked at her weirdly. She never swore. "Metallica's coming towards us!"

"Oh god," Mars clenched her fists.

"Run," Jupiter grabbed Serenity's wrist and took off, the lighter girl practically levitating next to her.

"We have to find my mother," Serenity cried, "She has the Crystal-we'll be safe!"

Venus, sprinting next to the rest of them, bit her lip as she remembered what Queen Selenity had told her, hours earlier, as the war started. 'Get Serenity out of here,' the Queen had commanded. 'As soon as she is off the moon-and you girls as well-I can use the Crystal to trap Metallica. But if I use the Crystal when you girls are still here, I will be trapping you also, for the Crystal is drawn to large power signatures, and will suck you all up when used this way.'

'It shall be done, My Queen,' Venus had bowed, and then left. 'I swear it.'

Now, gasping and running, she told the others. "The Queen-can only-use the Crystal-when we're-gone."

"No, Mother..." Serenity murmured. "She'll drain herself!"

"It'll be done to keep you safe!" Mercury shouted. "RUN! Metallica's coming up faster!"

"Where are we running to?!" Mars demanded. She and the senshi were tossing their powers against the youma, demons, and dark warriors that dared approach them. It was exhausting, she thought, as she sent flames spiraling into the last youma.

"Teleportation Rooms!" Venus shouted back, and the girls started running faster. When they were fifty feet away from safety, a group of about twenty dark soldiers appeared in front of them. The girls skidded to a halt.

"Uh oh," Serenity squeaked.

Mars grabbed her head. "Something feels...wrong," she gasped. Her eyes narrowed. Her psychic senses were telling her that she was looking at evil, evil, evil...but then her eyes saw Jadeite. "Jade!"

Venus already had it figured out. "No, Mars! It's not him!" she shrieked over the sounds of swords clashing and magic sounds and groans of battle. "It's not them..." Her eyes nearly overfilled with tears when she saw her own love. "Malachite..."

"They're not them!" Mercury had done a reading. "Just clones!"

Jupiter clenched her fists. She saw red. These EVIL things had cloned their loves, tried to trick them, and threatened her princess. "You evil SCUM!" She launched herself at Nephrite, barely noticing Serenity screaming not to as the other girls followed, screaming their battle magicks and tackling their false lovers.

Venus dodged a sword swipe from Malachite, coldly ramming her fist into his once-straight nose. He stumbled back, grabbing at his nose as green blood streamed down his gorgeous face. "That hurt, sailor brat," he growled. "You'll pay." He lunged forwards, faking with his sword and bringing his left hand out with a magic black sphere and flinging it at her. It caught her in her stomach and she was flung back against the corridor wall, then slid down it, gasping in pain. Malachite stalked up to her, smiling like he knew he'd won. "Die." He sneered, then lifted his hand for the killing blow.

Mercury flowed around Zoicite's kicks and punches, twisting her body to and fro. She wondered briefly why the other dark warriors hadn't attacked them, then realized that the generals had probably told them that they wanted to deal with their 'ex-girlfriends'. She pursed her lips, then grinned. Bad idea, slimeball. "Mercury, Ice...Oof!" Zoicite's punch had actually caught her in her ribs, lifting her up and slamming her against the wall. She gagged and prayed that if she was going to throw up, she could at least aim for him. The nausea disappeared when she saw a warrior creep up behind her princess. "Seren-ahh!" Zoicite's fist swung and connecting with her cheekbone, and she tasted blood in her mouth before passing out briefly.

Jupiter grinned as she sidekicked Nephrite away from her. I love my long legs, she thought gleefully as he slammed into the wall. "What'sa matter, Neph? You're not giving up already, are you?"

He stood up fluidly. Damn these guys, she thought, annoyed. They don't seem to get hurt!

"I never give up," he said, stalking towards her. "I will hunt you, capture you, kill you...and you will scream." He slid his gloved hand down her cheek, and she pushed it away violently, hardening her eyes.

"Not if I kill you first," she retorted, and the battle resumed.

Mars sliced a knife-hand at Jadeite and he smirked as he blocked it and punched her breastbone. She panted and kicked upwards with her foot, nearly connecting with his groin. Immediately the smirk disappeared from his face. "Bitch," Jadeite hissed. He held out his right hand and a sword appeared in it, and she quickly feinted left and then slammed her fist into his gut, then danced out of reach of the sword. He growled, and swung the shining sword.

She didn't even have a chance. The sword cut into her side, just below her ribs, slicing a few inches deep before he withdrew it. "I want you to bleed slowly," he swung again and cut her shoulder, "painfully," again and slit her thigh, "and die." Just as he was about to swing at her neck, Serenity screamed.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" and flung out her hands. Magic: pure, silver, glittering, and strong, swept out of her hands and lifted the generals and warriors, then flung them against the opposite end of the corridor, where they landed, dazed and confused.

"Huh? But-Serenity-how-you have magic?" Mercury blurted, unusually scatterbrained.

"We'll talk later-now just RUN!" Venus grabbed Serenity and they all followed, with Jupiter scooping up the gasping Mars and Mercury stumbling after them. They practically sprinted into the teleportation room, and Mercury quickly programmed their coordinates. "Earth-the Palace," she gasped out, and they all crowded into the dais.

"Mother..." Serenity bit her lip and a sparkling tear spilled onto her cheek. Mercury was barely conscious and was being held up by Venus, and Jupiter was holding the unconscious Mars. She looked at each of them, and then closed her eyes, remembering all their times on the moon. Mother. Endymion. Luna, Artemis ...Everyone. Goodbye.

The portal lit up with light, and the Princess of the Inner Planets and the Princess of the Moon disappeared.

Five-hundred yards away, outside the palace, Queen Selenity felt them leave. "Oh, my darling," she whispered. "I will get you all back." Then she lifted her Crystal in her hands. She prepared to trap Metallica in the crystal. "Moon..."

Metallica, a huge hulking black energy cloud with searing crimson eyes, turned and saw the Queen. "NO!" She screamed, sending tons of energy flying at the Queen. Selenity saw it a second too late. It struck her and the Crystal went flying. In the confusion and death, no one saw it disappear in the midst of its flight. Selenity fell as in slow motion.

"SELENITY!" Luna cried desperately, teleporting herself to her queen. "Oh, gods...Selenity!"

The queen gasped for air, lying on the bloodstained ground. "Lu-na," she choked out. "You must-get to Earth-protect Serenity...find the Crystal! Destroy Metallica..." she trailed off, eyes looking far away.

"Oh god, no," Luna whispered. "Stay with me, Selene. You must stay!"

Selenity shook her head. "I'm-sorry, Luna...It's-my time...I can see Sol-aris again-my love.... Listen-carefully, Luna, you must-protect-my precious...find them...." She turned her great silvery eyes upon her old friend. "Save us all."

The girls hurtled through space and appeared in the Earth's palaces', clutching each other just to stay standing. Serenity swiped at the tears falling down her cheeks and the girls sighed in relief and wiped away a few tears of their own.

"We're safe now," Serenity's voice warbled. "Safe..."

"I'd rethink that opinion." Gasping, all of the girls' heads shot up and stared at a squad of angry Earth warriors who all were pointing their swords at them. The leader opened his mouth. "Who the hell are you?"

Ok, I'm so so so so so so so so sorry for not updating for so freaking long...I realize that I deserve unlimited flamings and death threats, if you guys will even read this...but please please please don't give up on me! We had computer problems and my grandparents moved and we helped and my cuz's came down and and...guy problems...but I'll really try to finish this up quickly, even tho school's starting soon.

So PLEASE please please forgive me...ur reviews mean so much to me! (crosses fingers for luck.)

Luv lots,

PrincessVamp