* For a summary of the entire story so far, see the re-cap after reviewer
responses *
* * * * *
Rei watched in awe as the fire flared up around the body before dying down again, leaving Zoicite standing in front of her, blinking stunned eyes. She watched as confusion settled onto features that had for so long been held immobile. Jadeite looked around him, frowning, before raising his own hands in front of his face, as if trying to figure out who they belonged to.
She must have done something, made some subtle movement, for suddenly that intense gaze was turn upon her, pinning her to the spot where she stood.
"Rei?" The sound of her name was so faint that she barely heard it.
She felt trapped under that gaze. Her mind had completely abandoned her, unable to think of anything even remotely useful to say. Somewhere along the line her stomach had decided to try and crawl out through her throat, blocking off her vocal cords and preventing her from saying anything even if by some miracle her brain began to work again.
Jadeite took a step closer and said again, louder this time, "Rei? Is that you?"
Rei felt herself flinch away as he raised a hand towards her. She wanted to run. Anything, just to not have to face the next few minutes with this man. But her pride, a thing that she never had denied having, finally rose up in her. She was not going to run. She was stronger than that. She had a duty to fulfill and she wasn't about to fail just because she needed to talk to an old lover once again. She could do this. Her pride would not allow her to do otherwise.
"Jadeite." She finally found the power to speak again.
"What...where are we?" Jadeite asked, the confusion still heavy on his features.
"What do you remember?" She asked, keeping her voice steady.
Jadeite's gaze turned inward, "The last thing I remember was...no. That's not right. We were on Mars...No. Earth. And then we were...Why were we fighting. Oh my god. Beryl. She..."
Rei watched as Jadeite fought to sort through the memories, put them in order and figure out the truth for himself. She felt an old stirring as she watched the man's pain and stomped down on it ruthlessly. Later she could deal with such feelings. Now Serena needed him to come and fight. Everything else was secondary.
"Where are we?" Jadeite asked, his gaze once again focusing on her instead of the thoughts running through his head.
"We are in the prison Beryl made for you. The Princess and her Prince have need of you once again. To fight at their sides. Will you come to our aide?" Rei said, falling back on old formality of long dead courts.
"But..." Jadeite paused and looked at her. She watched as a pride as great as her own was awoken, with a similar inner fire and it answered the challenge that she had thrown down. "It will be my honor to serve my Prince and his Lady in this fight."
Rei nodded and turned to lead the way out of the cave.
"And when this duty is finished, what is to be my fate?" His voice questioned, empty of all emotion.
Rei stood, staring straight ahead into the darkness, "You are free to choose your own fate."
"And if I chose a fate with you?" he asked.
"I am also free to choose what I want. You can not choose for me. As I can not choose for you." She replied, still not turning.
Jadeite appeared at her side and looked at her, "We'll worry about the future in the future. For now, we have a duty."
Rei nodded, "We have a duty."
And together they began walking out of the cave, the fire held in Mar's hand pushing the darkness away from them.
* * * * *
Mina stopped when Darien stopped, Malachite still being dragged along with them and Zoicite following easily. They were far enough away from the site of the kidnapping that no one would be looking for them out here. They stood on the roof of some building, overlooking old factories, only half functioning with tired workers occasionally coming in and out to smoke. No one was paying any attention to those on the roof but just to be sure, the group pulled in towards the center of the roof where a casual glance would not be able to spot them.
"What is going on here?" Malachite demanded once again.
Darien looked at him for a second before turning to Mina, "Do you want to explain or should I?"
Mina looked at Darien and tried to think of something to say. It seemed like everything had suddenly become all too real. The rush of the kidnapping had let her forget for a short while what she was doing. Now, looking at Darien, it all hit her. Even though she kept her eyes on Darien she could feel the weight of Malachite's presence next to her.
"I..." Mina tried to say.
Darien seemed to understand and turned to the white haired man, "Relax, we are old friends."
"Believe me, I think I would remember you three." Malachite commented dryly.
Mina gave a harsh laugh at that, causing both men to turn towards her again. Darien gave her a look of sympathy while Malachite just looked confused.
"Malachite." Darien said after a moment, "We need your help. I can prove things if I have to, but right now we are kind of pressed for time so you are going to have to trust us."
"Trust you? I don't even know who you are. Or what you are. All I do know is that you just kidnapped me and that is not something that inspires much trust in me." Malachite said, carefully controlled anger leaking into his voice as he stood stiffly, glaring at them.
Darien took a deep breath, calming the panic that he was beginning to feel at the time they were wasting, "I've got a story for you. It's a long one that will sound improbable but you have to hear us out. It is important."
Darien began to tell the story of the Moon Kingdom, the old war and its newest incarnations. He talked about what Malachite's part had been in the all the different battles, leaving nothing out. Throughout it all, Malachite stood silent, listening. Mina watched him, noticing little details that she had thought she had forgotten about her old lover's face. The small lines that would deepen if he were to laugh but disappeared at times, like now, when he was trying to turn himself into a statue. Or at least that was what it always looked like to her. No emotion was allowed on to his face and he stood perfectly still. She used to hate it when he did that. It was like the man she loved had disappeared leaving this stranger in his place, a person with none of the real Malachite's warmth or humor. It was this person that she had fought, this person who had been a leader of Beryl's army and it scared her to see him here. She wanted her Malachite, not this cold stranger.
As Darien stopped talking, Mina tried to find something to say, something that would bring the man she knew back but she couldn't think of anything. There weren't any words.
* * * * *
Serena's head snapped up as lightning streaked across the sky and a dark, feminine chuckle filled the silence.
"Little Moon, little Moon, open up." A tall woman appeared in the sky, hovering slightly above the shield.
"Or we'll huff and puff and blow your shield down." A man appeared at her side, smirking down at those below them.
Serena concentrated briefly, opening up the shield to allow them to enter. She had been watching the time for the last hour, hoping that the others would be here in time. But it looked like they were going to be late.
The pair landed lightly on the roof and Serena saw Ami, Lita and Nephrite out of the corner of her eye moving to stand at her back. Even though she had the odds in her favor she felt outnumbered in this fight already.
"So. The famous Sailor Moon. I've heard a lot about you." The man said.
Serena took a second to study the pair. There was something in their stance that made her wonder about this man's relationship with her daughter. And it was weird to think of this woman as her daughter. She looked to be just a few years younger than herself. She was wearing a long, elegant black dress and at her neck was a dark jewel that Serena felt queasy just looking at. There was something about the way the light reflected off of it that was unnatural. The man at her side stood tall and proud. He wore a dark gray suit with a black shirt. They looked like they were ready more for a night at the opera and a fancy dinner than a life and death fight.
Her silence seemed to amuse the pair.
"And where are all your defenders? Don't tell me that they have abandoned you?" The woman asked, her voice dripping false concern.
"Not abandoned. Just fashionably late."
Serena looked up at that to see Pluto appearing above. With relief, she opened up the shield once again to let in the newest arrival.
"What are *you* doing here?" The woman hissed, for the first time showing something besides calm assurance.
"Really Rini, I'd think that was obvious." Pluto said as she took her place next to Sailor Moon.
"And what about your precious duty? Aren't you failing that?" Rini asked, venom dripping from her words.
"I have always put you and your family first." Pluto said, retailing her calm. But Serena could see how deeply those words had cut.
"Liar!" Rini screamed.
Without any warning Rini threw a ball of black energy at Pluto. Pluto snapped her staff into a guard position and the ball struck it straight on, pushing her back several feet. But Pluto was able to stay on her feet.
"I wasn't lying, Small Lady." Pluto said as she relaxed her guard slightly once again.
"You always put duty first." Rini yelled, as another black ball of energy appeared in her hand.
"Jupiter Thunder Dragon!" Lita yelled as the second ball of energy was thrown.
Jupiter's lightning smashed into the black energy. The two powers collided, fighting each other for a moment before exploding between the two groups. The flash of light blinded Serena for a moment.
"Mercury Bubble Blast!"
As she sight cleared, she was surrounded by the familiar white mist of Mercury's attack. She looked around, trying to locate both friends and enemies.
"Sailor Moon!" She heard the warning just in time, narrowly dodging the black energy that went sailing by. She heard it hit the shield and winced as she felt the shock reverberate in the Silver Crystal. Ami appeared at her side a second later.
"I thought we were going to end this, Sailor Moon! Not hide in the mist like frightened rabbits." Rini's cold voiced called out.
"Why are you doing this?" Serena called into the mist, trying to locate where the woman was.
"Why?" A masculine voice answered her call, "You haven't seen the future. If you had, you would lay down and let us kill you rather than keep fighting."
"You destroyed the world. You callously banished a huge portion of the people to the Black Moon, a cold place with no hope simply because they wouldn't bow down to you." Rini's voice added.
"Sailor Moon." Pluto said quietly, appearing at her side.
Sailor Moon looked at the tall Scout in shock and asked quietly, "Is it true?"
"It is one version of the truth. But it is a twisted form of it." Pluto replied.
"What do you mean, one version?" She demanded warily.
"You did banish the Black Moon family when they refused to be cleansed. But it was the only option you had other than killing." Pluto said.
A cruel laugh rang out, "You can believe her if you want *Your Highness*. But we came from the future. We know the truth. You are a cruel dictator. We came back to stop that future from ever happening."
"But if you kill me you die too! I'm your mother." Serena said.
"I would rather die than see you become Queen." Rini said.
Suddenly Lita was there, pushing her out of the way of another black energy ball. The energy slammed into Jupiter, engulfing her for a second in a swirling blackness. She fell to the ground, writhing in pain as Nephrite appeared out of the mist, kneeling beside her.
Another energy ball flew at the downed scout but Nephrite threw himself over her, taking the blow in her place. Sailor Moon watched in horror as Nephrites back bowed backward as his body fought the pain. Below him, Lita groaned as she regained consciousness.
"Stop it!" Serena screamed, watching as Lita struggled to get on her knees.
"Why? If they stand with you they are our enemies." Rini asked, stepping out of the mist to smile down at her handiwork.
"This can't be right. Rini, stop this. This can't be who you really are. We need to talk." Serena begged.
"So you can convince me that you are the wonderful savior of the world like you convinced all those other poor, deluded saps in the future? I think not." Rini sneered.
Another ball of energy flew at Lita and Nephrite. Again, Nephrite took the full brunt of the attack, shielding Lita with his body. Lita grabbed a hold of him, bracing him as the dark energy slammed into him. His mouth fell open in a silent scream.
As the energy disappeared, Nephrite collapsed on to Lita, who struggled to keep him from hitting the hard concrete of the roof.
"Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" Ami attacked from behind Serena.
Several clear balls of ice raced toward Rini. Before they could reach her, Rini's companion stepped out of the mist and sent several energy balls at them, intercepting them and bursting them mid-air.
"Enough of this." Rini said, reaching out her hands to either side of her.
As she closed her eyes, the jewel at her neck began to throb with a dark aura of power. Black flames erupted around her as she rose into the air slowly. The jewel at her neck pulled away from her, floating out. Rini brought her hands up to cup the jewel and raise it above her head. A fierce wind began to swirl around her in a whirlwind. Bits of dirt and gravel was flung outward, stinging Serena's eyes as she watched the events unfurling in front of her.
"Darien, where are you?" She whispered as she braced herself for whatever was coming.
* * * * *
AN: Hey luvs. I know, I know. I suck. But life reached out and kicked my ass and then I just sat staring at this story, trying to figure out what was going on and basically whined a lot about not being able to write a decent fight scene. And sorry if my responses are a little rushed. Midterms and all that. And if I miss anyone, I'm sorry.
Oh! And before I forget, at the end of the responses is a re-cap of everything that has happened so far. If you need to be reminded as to what has happened so far without having to completely reread this monster.
And once again, thanks to my awesome beta, who puts up with me better than I could have ever hoped.
AnGeLeYeZgUrL121 - Oh wow. You are back with a vengance. I looked at my reviews and basically saw your reviews. Thats was really cool. Thanks!
kalinda - Thanks. Sorry this took so long to get out.
missaw - No prob. FF.net has issues occasionally. At least it finally let you review.
Bluejello - Thanks! Are you kidding. My reviewers are always giving me these ideas through sujestions or just random comments. You guys are awesome!
Lil-PrincessK - Hope you like Jadiet here.
Mercury Guardian - Thanks for the site adress. I did check it out. I love finding new stories, especially when someone has already screened out the bad ones for me. lol. And it is really cool to see that people remember my story after they are done reading the new chapter.
roswellachick - lol. Thanks for the kick...I think. I love reading the comments that you make about certain lines. I gives me this great idea of what you are thinking while reading the story. You are great!
Moon's Rose - Thanks. I am still playing with Serena's parents and they should be making another showing here (I hope) in the next couple chapters. But it should all end well. That is, unless the characters revolt against me.
happygolucky111 - Malachite's group still has some work to do but Rei & Jad should be showing up at the battle soon.
firelightz - Hope you liked Jedite and Rei's reunion here. It was hard to write. And Malachite's bit isn't any easier (thus my wimping out and putting off till the next chapter).
Izzy - Personally, I switch between loving the cold and hating it with a passion. And of course you are twisted. Your Canadian. J/K If Bush is re-elected down here, Canada is going to be my new home.
Lady of Pluto - Just for you, One re-cap.
Kajino Rei - Thanks for the great visual. I wanted Rei to roast him. I had this great anime image of it. Anyway, hope you liked how things turned out instead.
Meghan McLaws - Thanks! I am so glad that you enjoyed the stroy and that it kept you interested as you read.
Kail Ceannai - Yeah, the suspense is building. Classic SM ending (hopefully) coming up complete with huge battles and angst.
Phoeaix - Hee hee. A few people loved that coment about liking cold weather = twisted personality. Nice to know my readers are twisted. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Chicken Stars - Okay. Wow. Too many questions to answer there. I do have an idea for a possible sequal but I don't want to commit to anything yet. I have another story in the x-man section that I have been badly neglecting.
pudadingding - Flattery will get you everywhere. I haven't decided if its going to be all one final fight or a couple. I just have to see what comes.
BenRG - The kidnapping of Malachite was my kind of plan. Simple yet effective. I was a little worried about if anyone would like it but I liked the humour in it.
Kitsune Moonstar - Hope you like the way the character confrontations are going.
X5-452Star - Thanks. I am glad that you liked the whole Rei/Jad thing. I was a little worried when I first thought it up but I didn't want things to get too formula like, with the scouts and generals all being found the same way over and over.
* * * * *
Re-Cap
Serena and the scouts, after defeating Beryl, were stripped of their memories of ever being Scouts. When Luna and Artemis reawakened those memories in Serena, so that she could fight as Sailor Moon again, she refused to let them do the same to her Scouts, insisting that they be allowed to live as normal humans. Together, with the Moonlight Knight, she was able to fight against the monsters that attacked Earth for five years.
Darien, who went to med school in America, while on break returned to Tokyo and ran into Serena once again. Serena, with mixxed feeling, began dating Darien again. During a final battle with the Wiseman, the Wiseman opened a portal between his world and the Earth, pouring his entire army through to attack Sailor Moon. Using the power of the Silver Crystal, Serena was able to completely destroy the army, killing Wiseman and nearly killing herself in the process. The Moonlight Knight brought her back to her apartment, where Darien was and revealed himself, returning Darien's memories to him against Serena's wishes.
After Serena had recovered, Darien and the cats finally convinced Serena that it was time to seek out the other scouts. Starting with Rei, who was still at her temple, Serena created a set of pens that would give the scouts back their memories. Rei accepted the pen and the memories, rejoining Sailor Moon in her fight against the remanents of the Wiseman's army.
The next scout found was Mina, who had returned to London and become a sucessful model. Sending the cats to investigate, Artemis and Luna were able to locate Mina and bring Serena to her. Mina opened her pen in order to save Artemis' life. Artemis and Mina stayed in London. The third Scout found was Ami, who was attending school in Germany. But with her was Zoicite, who aparently had lost his memories as well and believed himself to be a normal human being. Ami accidentaly opened her pen, without warning and was flooded with the memories of her former lives as well as the knowledge of who Zoicite was. After much soul serching, Ami and Zoicite came to Serena and Darien to try and awaken Zoicite's memories. Darien, by getting Zocite to retake his old oath of fealty, was able to bring back these memories.
Meanwhile, the remanders of the Wiseman's army are regrouping under the trio of Rini, Helios and Rubius. While Rini and Helios focus on trying to create a weapon that is powerful enough to defeat Sailor Moon, Rubeus began to look into finding out the real identity of Sailor Moon. Using several spies, Rubeus discovered that Serena was Sailor Moon. In order to attack her, Rubeus orders Serena's brother to be kidnapped. While the monster was grabbing Sammy, Sailor Pluto interfered, dropping Sammy into Lita's care in Ireland with hopes that this would bring Sailor Moon to her last Scout.
While Serena tried to find her brother, Rubeus sent his monsters back to get Sammy. When the monster attacked, Lita and Sammy ran, ending up in the local university where Lita, literally, ran into Nephlite after hiding Sammy. Sailor Moon found Sammy, revealing that she was his sister, before helping Lita and Nephlite. Back at Serena's apartment, Lita and Nephlite's meories were reawakened inside them, after which Serena took Sammy back to their parent's home and revealed her identity to them. Rubeus was killed by Helios for betraying them.
That night, Pluto appeared to Serena, warning her of the true identity of her enemies and said that the last two generals had to be found if she wanted to win the final battle. Before the search could begin, Rini issued a challange to Sailor Moon, calling her out for a final battle. So Serena sent off Mina, Darien and Zoicite to get Malachite, while Rei left on her own to collect Jadiete. Then Serena, Lita, Ami and Nephlite went to go meet Rini.
...And that brings us to the most recent chapters
* * * * *
Rei watched in awe as the fire flared up around the body before dying down again, leaving Zoicite standing in front of her, blinking stunned eyes. She watched as confusion settled onto features that had for so long been held immobile. Jadeite looked around him, frowning, before raising his own hands in front of his face, as if trying to figure out who they belonged to.
She must have done something, made some subtle movement, for suddenly that intense gaze was turn upon her, pinning her to the spot where she stood.
"Rei?" The sound of her name was so faint that she barely heard it.
She felt trapped under that gaze. Her mind had completely abandoned her, unable to think of anything even remotely useful to say. Somewhere along the line her stomach had decided to try and crawl out through her throat, blocking off her vocal cords and preventing her from saying anything even if by some miracle her brain began to work again.
Jadeite took a step closer and said again, louder this time, "Rei? Is that you?"
Rei felt herself flinch away as he raised a hand towards her. She wanted to run. Anything, just to not have to face the next few minutes with this man. But her pride, a thing that she never had denied having, finally rose up in her. She was not going to run. She was stronger than that. She had a duty to fulfill and she wasn't about to fail just because she needed to talk to an old lover once again. She could do this. Her pride would not allow her to do otherwise.
"Jadeite." She finally found the power to speak again.
"What...where are we?" Jadeite asked, the confusion still heavy on his features.
"What do you remember?" She asked, keeping her voice steady.
Jadeite's gaze turned inward, "The last thing I remember was...no. That's not right. We were on Mars...No. Earth. And then we were...Why were we fighting. Oh my god. Beryl. She..."
Rei watched as Jadeite fought to sort through the memories, put them in order and figure out the truth for himself. She felt an old stirring as she watched the man's pain and stomped down on it ruthlessly. Later she could deal with such feelings. Now Serena needed him to come and fight. Everything else was secondary.
"Where are we?" Jadeite asked, his gaze once again focusing on her instead of the thoughts running through his head.
"We are in the prison Beryl made for you. The Princess and her Prince have need of you once again. To fight at their sides. Will you come to our aide?" Rei said, falling back on old formality of long dead courts.
"But..." Jadeite paused and looked at her. She watched as a pride as great as her own was awoken, with a similar inner fire and it answered the challenge that she had thrown down. "It will be my honor to serve my Prince and his Lady in this fight."
Rei nodded and turned to lead the way out of the cave.
"And when this duty is finished, what is to be my fate?" His voice questioned, empty of all emotion.
Rei stood, staring straight ahead into the darkness, "You are free to choose your own fate."
"And if I chose a fate with you?" he asked.
"I am also free to choose what I want. You can not choose for me. As I can not choose for you." She replied, still not turning.
Jadeite appeared at her side and looked at her, "We'll worry about the future in the future. For now, we have a duty."
Rei nodded, "We have a duty."
And together they began walking out of the cave, the fire held in Mar's hand pushing the darkness away from them.
* * * * *
Mina stopped when Darien stopped, Malachite still being dragged along with them and Zoicite following easily. They were far enough away from the site of the kidnapping that no one would be looking for them out here. They stood on the roof of some building, overlooking old factories, only half functioning with tired workers occasionally coming in and out to smoke. No one was paying any attention to those on the roof but just to be sure, the group pulled in towards the center of the roof where a casual glance would not be able to spot them.
"What is going on here?" Malachite demanded once again.
Darien looked at him for a second before turning to Mina, "Do you want to explain or should I?"
Mina looked at Darien and tried to think of something to say. It seemed like everything had suddenly become all too real. The rush of the kidnapping had let her forget for a short while what she was doing. Now, looking at Darien, it all hit her. Even though she kept her eyes on Darien she could feel the weight of Malachite's presence next to her.
"I..." Mina tried to say.
Darien seemed to understand and turned to the white haired man, "Relax, we are old friends."
"Believe me, I think I would remember you three." Malachite commented dryly.
Mina gave a harsh laugh at that, causing both men to turn towards her again. Darien gave her a look of sympathy while Malachite just looked confused.
"Malachite." Darien said after a moment, "We need your help. I can prove things if I have to, but right now we are kind of pressed for time so you are going to have to trust us."
"Trust you? I don't even know who you are. Or what you are. All I do know is that you just kidnapped me and that is not something that inspires much trust in me." Malachite said, carefully controlled anger leaking into his voice as he stood stiffly, glaring at them.
Darien took a deep breath, calming the panic that he was beginning to feel at the time they were wasting, "I've got a story for you. It's a long one that will sound improbable but you have to hear us out. It is important."
Darien began to tell the story of the Moon Kingdom, the old war and its newest incarnations. He talked about what Malachite's part had been in the all the different battles, leaving nothing out. Throughout it all, Malachite stood silent, listening. Mina watched him, noticing little details that she had thought she had forgotten about her old lover's face. The small lines that would deepen if he were to laugh but disappeared at times, like now, when he was trying to turn himself into a statue. Or at least that was what it always looked like to her. No emotion was allowed on to his face and he stood perfectly still. She used to hate it when he did that. It was like the man she loved had disappeared leaving this stranger in his place, a person with none of the real Malachite's warmth or humor. It was this person that she had fought, this person who had been a leader of Beryl's army and it scared her to see him here. She wanted her Malachite, not this cold stranger.
As Darien stopped talking, Mina tried to find something to say, something that would bring the man she knew back but she couldn't think of anything. There weren't any words.
* * * * *
Serena's head snapped up as lightning streaked across the sky and a dark, feminine chuckle filled the silence.
"Little Moon, little Moon, open up." A tall woman appeared in the sky, hovering slightly above the shield.
"Or we'll huff and puff and blow your shield down." A man appeared at her side, smirking down at those below them.
Serena concentrated briefly, opening up the shield to allow them to enter. She had been watching the time for the last hour, hoping that the others would be here in time. But it looked like they were going to be late.
The pair landed lightly on the roof and Serena saw Ami, Lita and Nephrite out of the corner of her eye moving to stand at her back. Even though she had the odds in her favor she felt outnumbered in this fight already.
"So. The famous Sailor Moon. I've heard a lot about you." The man said.
Serena took a second to study the pair. There was something in their stance that made her wonder about this man's relationship with her daughter. And it was weird to think of this woman as her daughter. She looked to be just a few years younger than herself. She was wearing a long, elegant black dress and at her neck was a dark jewel that Serena felt queasy just looking at. There was something about the way the light reflected off of it that was unnatural. The man at her side stood tall and proud. He wore a dark gray suit with a black shirt. They looked like they were ready more for a night at the opera and a fancy dinner than a life and death fight.
Her silence seemed to amuse the pair.
"And where are all your defenders? Don't tell me that they have abandoned you?" The woman asked, her voice dripping false concern.
"Not abandoned. Just fashionably late."
Serena looked up at that to see Pluto appearing above. With relief, she opened up the shield once again to let in the newest arrival.
"What are *you* doing here?" The woman hissed, for the first time showing something besides calm assurance.
"Really Rini, I'd think that was obvious." Pluto said as she took her place next to Sailor Moon.
"And what about your precious duty? Aren't you failing that?" Rini asked, venom dripping from her words.
"I have always put you and your family first." Pluto said, retailing her calm. But Serena could see how deeply those words had cut.
"Liar!" Rini screamed.
Without any warning Rini threw a ball of black energy at Pluto. Pluto snapped her staff into a guard position and the ball struck it straight on, pushing her back several feet. But Pluto was able to stay on her feet.
"I wasn't lying, Small Lady." Pluto said as she relaxed her guard slightly once again.
"You always put duty first." Rini yelled, as another black ball of energy appeared in her hand.
"Jupiter Thunder Dragon!" Lita yelled as the second ball of energy was thrown.
Jupiter's lightning smashed into the black energy. The two powers collided, fighting each other for a moment before exploding between the two groups. The flash of light blinded Serena for a moment.
"Mercury Bubble Blast!"
As she sight cleared, she was surrounded by the familiar white mist of Mercury's attack. She looked around, trying to locate both friends and enemies.
"Sailor Moon!" She heard the warning just in time, narrowly dodging the black energy that went sailing by. She heard it hit the shield and winced as she felt the shock reverberate in the Silver Crystal. Ami appeared at her side a second later.
"I thought we were going to end this, Sailor Moon! Not hide in the mist like frightened rabbits." Rini's cold voiced called out.
"Why are you doing this?" Serena called into the mist, trying to locate where the woman was.
"Why?" A masculine voice answered her call, "You haven't seen the future. If you had, you would lay down and let us kill you rather than keep fighting."
"You destroyed the world. You callously banished a huge portion of the people to the Black Moon, a cold place with no hope simply because they wouldn't bow down to you." Rini's voice added.
"Sailor Moon." Pluto said quietly, appearing at her side.
Sailor Moon looked at the tall Scout in shock and asked quietly, "Is it true?"
"It is one version of the truth. But it is a twisted form of it." Pluto replied.
"What do you mean, one version?" She demanded warily.
"You did banish the Black Moon family when they refused to be cleansed. But it was the only option you had other than killing." Pluto said.
A cruel laugh rang out, "You can believe her if you want *Your Highness*. But we came from the future. We know the truth. You are a cruel dictator. We came back to stop that future from ever happening."
"But if you kill me you die too! I'm your mother." Serena said.
"I would rather die than see you become Queen." Rini said.
Suddenly Lita was there, pushing her out of the way of another black energy ball. The energy slammed into Jupiter, engulfing her for a second in a swirling blackness. She fell to the ground, writhing in pain as Nephrite appeared out of the mist, kneeling beside her.
Another energy ball flew at the downed scout but Nephrite threw himself over her, taking the blow in her place. Sailor Moon watched in horror as Nephrites back bowed backward as his body fought the pain. Below him, Lita groaned as she regained consciousness.
"Stop it!" Serena screamed, watching as Lita struggled to get on her knees.
"Why? If they stand with you they are our enemies." Rini asked, stepping out of the mist to smile down at her handiwork.
"This can't be right. Rini, stop this. This can't be who you really are. We need to talk." Serena begged.
"So you can convince me that you are the wonderful savior of the world like you convinced all those other poor, deluded saps in the future? I think not." Rini sneered.
Another ball of energy flew at Lita and Nephrite. Again, Nephrite took the full brunt of the attack, shielding Lita with his body. Lita grabbed a hold of him, bracing him as the dark energy slammed into him. His mouth fell open in a silent scream.
As the energy disappeared, Nephrite collapsed on to Lita, who struggled to keep him from hitting the hard concrete of the roof.
"Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" Ami attacked from behind Serena.
Several clear balls of ice raced toward Rini. Before they could reach her, Rini's companion stepped out of the mist and sent several energy balls at them, intercepting them and bursting them mid-air.
"Enough of this." Rini said, reaching out her hands to either side of her.
As she closed her eyes, the jewel at her neck began to throb with a dark aura of power. Black flames erupted around her as she rose into the air slowly. The jewel at her neck pulled away from her, floating out. Rini brought her hands up to cup the jewel and raise it above her head. A fierce wind began to swirl around her in a whirlwind. Bits of dirt and gravel was flung outward, stinging Serena's eyes as she watched the events unfurling in front of her.
"Darien, where are you?" She whispered as she braced herself for whatever was coming.
* * * * *
AN: Hey luvs. I know, I know. I suck. But life reached out and kicked my ass and then I just sat staring at this story, trying to figure out what was going on and basically whined a lot about not being able to write a decent fight scene. And sorry if my responses are a little rushed. Midterms and all that. And if I miss anyone, I'm sorry.
Oh! And before I forget, at the end of the responses is a re-cap of everything that has happened so far. If you need to be reminded as to what has happened so far without having to completely reread this monster.
And once again, thanks to my awesome beta, who puts up with me better than I could have ever hoped.
AnGeLeYeZgUrL121 - Oh wow. You are back with a vengance. I looked at my reviews and basically saw your reviews. Thats was really cool. Thanks!
kalinda - Thanks. Sorry this took so long to get out.
missaw - No prob. FF.net has issues occasionally. At least it finally let you review.
Bluejello - Thanks! Are you kidding. My reviewers are always giving me these ideas through sujestions or just random comments. You guys are awesome!
Lil-PrincessK - Hope you like Jadiet here.
Mercury Guardian - Thanks for the site adress. I did check it out. I love finding new stories, especially when someone has already screened out the bad ones for me. lol. And it is really cool to see that people remember my story after they are done reading the new chapter.
roswellachick - lol. Thanks for the kick...I think. I love reading the comments that you make about certain lines. I gives me this great idea of what you are thinking while reading the story. You are great!
Moon's Rose - Thanks. I am still playing with Serena's parents and they should be making another showing here (I hope) in the next couple chapters. But it should all end well. That is, unless the characters revolt against me.
happygolucky111 - Malachite's group still has some work to do but Rei & Jad should be showing up at the battle soon.
firelightz - Hope you liked Jedite and Rei's reunion here. It was hard to write. And Malachite's bit isn't any easier (thus my wimping out and putting off till the next chapter).
Izzy - Personally, I switch between loving the cold and hating it with a passion. And of course you are twisted. Your Canadian. J/K If Bush is re-elected down here, Canada is going to be my new home.
Lady of Pluto - Just for you, One re-cap.
Kajino Rei - Thanks for the great visual. I wanted Rei to roast him. I had this great anime image of it. Anyway, hope you liked how things turned out instead.
Meghan McLaws - Thanks! I am so glad that you enjoyed the stroy and that it kept you interested as you read.
Kail Ceannai - Yeah, the suspense is building. Classic SM ending (hopefully) coming up complete with huge battles and angst.
Phoeaix - Hee hee. A few people loved that coment about liking cold weather = twisted personality. Nice to know my readers are twisted. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Chicken Stars - Okay. Wow. Too many questions to answer there. I do have an idea for a possible sequal but I don't want to commit to anything yet. I have another story in the x-man section that I have been badly neglecting.
pudadingding - Flattery will get you everywhere. I haven't decided if its going to be all one final fight or a couple. I just have to see what comes.
BenRG - The kidnapping of Malachite was my kind of plan. Simple yet effective. I was a little worried about if anyone would like it but I liked the humour in it.
Kitsune Moonstar - Hope you like the way the character confrontations are going.
X5-452Star - Thanks. I am glad that you liked the whole Rei/Jad thing. I was a little worried when I first thought it up but I didn't want things to get too formula like, with the scouts and generals all being found the same way over and over.
* * * * *
Re-Cap
Serena and the scouts, after defeating Beryl, were stripped of their memories of ever being Scouts. When Luna and Artemis reawakened those memories in Serena, so that she could fight as Sailor Moon again, she refused to let them do the same to her Scouts, insisting that they be allowed to live as normal humans. Together, with the Moonlight Knight, she was able to fight against the monsters that attacked Earth for five years.
Darien, who went to med school in America, while on break returned to Tokyo and ran into Serena once again. Serena, with mixxed feeling, began dating Darien again. During a final battle with the Wiseman, the Wiseman opened a portal between his world and the Earth, pouring his entire army through to attack Sailor Moon. Using the power of the Silver Crystal, Serena was able to completely destroy the army, killing Wiseman and nearly killing herself in the process. The Moonlight Knight brought her back to her apartment, where Darien was and revealed himself, returning Darien's memories to him against Serena's wishes.
After Serena had recovered, Darien and the cats finally convinced Serena that it was time to seek out the other scouts. Starting with Rei, who was still at her temple, Serena created a set of pens that would give the scouts back their memories. Rei accepted the pen and the memories, rejoining Sailor Moon in her fight against the remanents of the Wiseman's army.
The next scout found was Mina, who had returned to London and become a sucessful model. Sending the cats to investigate, Artemis and Luna were able to locate Mina and bring Serena to her. Mina opened her pen in order to save Artemis' life. Artemis and Mina stayed in London. The third Scout found was Ami, who was attending school in Germany. But with her was Zoicite, who aparently had lost his memories as well and believed himself to be a normal human being. Ami accidentaly opened her pen, without warning and was flooded with the memories of her former lives as well as the knowledge of who Zoicite was. After much soul serching, Ami and Zoicite came to Serena and Darien to try and awaken Zoicite's memories. Darien, by getting Zocite to retake his old oath of fealty, was able to bring back these memories.
Meanwhile, the remanders of the Wiseman's army are regrouping under the trio of Rini, Helios and Rubius. While Rini and Helios focus on trying to create a weapon that is powerful enough to defeat Sailor Moon, Rubeus began to look into finding out the real identity of Sailor Moon. Using several spies, Rubeus discovered that Serena was Sailor Moon. In order to attack her, Rubeus orders Serena's brother to be kidnapped. While the monster was grabbing Sammy, Sailor Pluto interfered, dropping Sammy into Lita's care in Ireland with hopes that this would bring Sailor Moon to her last Scout.
While Serena tried to find her brother, Rubeus sent his monsters back to get Sammy. When the monster attacked, Lita and Sammy ran, ending up in the local university where Lita, literally, ran into Nephlite after hiding Sammy. Sailor Moon found Sammy, revealing that she was his sister, before helping Lita and Nephlite. Back at Serena's apartment, Lita and Nephlite's meories were reawakened inside them, after which Serena took Sammy back to their parent's home and revealed her identity to them. Rubeus was killed by Helios for betraying them.
That night, Pluto appeared to Serena, warning her of the true identity of her enemies and said that the last two generals had to be found if she wanted to win the final battle. Before the search could begin, Rini issued a challange to Sailor Moon, calling her out for a final battle. So Serena sent off Mina, Darien and Zoicite to get Malachite, while Rei left on her own to collect Jadiete. Then Serena, Lita, Ami and Nephlite went to go meet Rini.
...And that brings us to the most recent chapters