Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)

A/N: Whew! I've changed my mind. I hate school. But anyway! Big thank you's to all my reviewers from the last chapters! Lysia Croft (come now, is it really all that bad to be in a little suspense…for a really long time…), cardcaptor eternity (oh, hell, I don't know how many more chapters there will be!), IssaLee (CARROTCAKE! YRA LOVES CARROTCAKE! Gomen. Yes, our poor beloved Terran Knights really do take an emotional beating. All your questions will be answered…) v1786 (don't be mad, I promise I should finish this in the next week or so!) Erase99 (yra likes cliffhangers, can you tell?) bunnysangel (oh, bad things can always happen), Isis Aurora Tomoe, (enthralled, very nice use of the word. And you are not the first person to call me evil. J), and of course, aiisha, (so close to being done! Of course, then I just start on the next one…) Anyone else whose gotten this far, kisses all over!

Tuxedo Mask stood deathly still. Not even a wind dared to stir his long cape. His fingers, encased in such lovely white gloves, bit into his palms, and Sailor Mars thought she saw red begin to show.

"Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Pluto tried carefully. "Mamoru?"

"My lord?" Kunzite leaned towards him, raising a hand. But he paused, uncertain if he should even touch the stunned prince.

"Iie," he whispered, shaking his head slowly. "This can't be happening. Usako."

"Gods," Zoisite moaned. "Gods above! What do we do?"

Mars shook her head mutely. She had never felt so helpless in any lifetime. I feel like the Silver Millennium is ending all over again! Why can't we ever be fast enough, good enough, strong enough to protect her!

"SERENITY!"

"Endymion, NO!"

All four Shitennou lunged to grab him, but they were a second too slow. Kunzite's fingers closed on air a centimeter from the long silk cape, his shout still echoing in the air, and then Tuxedo Mask was gone.

"Blessed Sol!" Mercury gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "The princess… the prince…"

Venus moaned, closing her eyes. "Not again! Please, not again!"

"What… what do we do?" Jupiter whispered. Her eyes flew to Venus and Kunzite. "What do we do!"

Mars took a stumbling step forward, then halted beside Jadeite. Both stared into the alley for a long, silent moment. Then he turned his face down to hers, and she looked up into his eyes.

Is this the end, again? she wondered weakly. Is this all there is for us, a never ending cycle of failure to protect all we love?

Every question ripping her heart to pieces was reflected in those deep, beautiful blue eyes.

Is this it? his heart seemed to whisper to hers. Were we brought here, now, only to fail him once more?

Mars reached up to cup the side of his face, shaking her head slowly. "Not like this."

He smiled. "Since when do we give up?"

"Nani?" Saturn, trembling and suddenly very small and young, turned to them. "What do you mean?"

Jadeite turned to regard them all, grinning roguishly. "I don't see why we're all just standing here. We all know we're going in there after them. So let's just cut the tears and recriminations and hop on into hell."

There was silence, then Uranus burst out laughing.

"Alright!" Jupiter cried out, punching the palm of her hand. "We're going in!"

"Oh, boy," Mercury and Neptune chorused, very pale.

Mars giggled, wrapping an arm around Jadeite's neck. A pull brought his lips down to hers, and she kissed him as though it were the end of the world.

It might be. At least I can always know that, when I die, for better or for worse, you'll be there.

She felt his hands slide into her hair, raking through the tangled locks, clinging, trying to drag her closer. His mouth was desperate, but soft and so very sweet.

Then he drew back, and winked at her. "Ready?"

"For anything."

"You always are."

She seized his collar, making hard eye contact. "This is not a goodbye."

He smiled at her lie. "Of course not, love."

A turn of the head showed the others engaged in similar soft exchanges. Mercury had her arms around Zoisite's neck, her face buried in his shoulder, his hands stroking her hair. Jupiter stood clinging to Nephrite's shoulders, their foreheads resting against each other, staring into one another's eyes with a frightening battle fervor, feral grins on their faces. Venus was on her tiptoes, exchanging tiny, delicate kisses around comforting whispers with Kunzite. Neptune and Uranus held each other's faces, just trying to memorize every feature with a terrible longing and hunger. Saturn rested with her face against Pluto's stomach, her "mama" reassuring her with gentle caresses. Then Neptune and Uranus stepped over to them, putting their arms around their partners and just holding on for dear life.

"Here," Mars whispered. "Take my hand."

Jadeite did so, then turned and offered the other to Mercury. She smiled, and placed her small, gloved fingers in his. Zoisite joined them on the other side, then Jupiter and Nephrite, Venus and Kunzite, Uranus and Neptune and Saturn and Pluto.

"We look like a bunch of idiots," Jadeite muttered, grinning crookedly.

"We're about to jump into an Abyss of evil," Nephrite reminded him. "We are a bunch of idiots."

"Speak for yourself," Mars and Jadeite grumbled.

Kunzite laughed. "Not idiotic, my friends. Heroic."

"Well, band of heroes," Uranus called, "move out!"

Perhaps looking foolish, perhaps feeling overly dramatic, but needing the linkage all the same, the warriors and guardians of a shattered past and a future no longer certain moved to fulfill their final duty.