AN: I am soo unbelievably sorry that this took so long! I don't even really have an excuse. Except that school started back. And I have two projects that I should technically be working on now.

Thank you all so much for the great reviews!

Little TinkerBell Girl-I got it out ASAP, promise!

cassandrare2001-I hope I don't let you down!

Sailorsun144-It would, but it woul;d also add a lot of angst. And I'm not sure if it's right for the story. I mean, there will be angst, don't get me wrong. But probably not brainwashing angst. (Psst:well, not with Darien anyway, wink)

way2beme-It applys, though, right? And Setsuna was being condescending to them, sorry if that didn't come out right.

Princess Consuela bananahammock-Thanks! I'll try to be quicker next time.

I'm-a-loser-and-proud-of-it- Love the name! And I'm glad you reviewed!

animeangel404-That is so kind of you! I could really use that self-esteem boost lately too!

I'm 50+ now, baby! Reading the reviews made me sit down and ignore my schoolwork to do something fun, so thank you all. (grins)

I really hope you like this chapter. It shows proactive Sailor Moon, which I prefer. Let me know what you think!

The soft moonlight glinted off the polished airplanes in the empty area. Sailor Moon stood there, stamping her foot impatiently. She looked at her wrist, thinking there might be a watch there, but there wasn't. Still, she thought, it's gotta be like seven, at least. "Come on, Jadeite!" she groaned. "You can't make a challenge and then show up late!" When she finished, a ring of fire appeared around her. She screamed and ducked down. The fire seemed to be closing in around her, but she wasn't getting any hotter. She clenched her fists and stood up, still unsure if the fire was real or not. "Is that the best you can do, Jadeite? Illusions? Pathetic," she said defiantly, but there was a slight crack in her voice.

The flames subsided and the familiar blond-headed general stood in front of her. "I believed I challenged all three of the Sailor Scouts, not just the Moon Brat," he said, smirking.

"Well, I'm not here to accept your challenge. I'm here to make you a proposition."

His eyebrows rose. "A proposition? Interesting," he said suggestively.

"Eww! Hentai!" Sailor Moon screeched and slapped him across the face. He touched his cheek and gaped at her. "Gross. Anyway, my deal is if you agree to leave this world and let the people be, I will give you my energy."

Jadeite's eyes sparkled and his lips curled up into a twisted smile. "A Sailor Scout's energy? How…enticing!" No way we'll leave, but this girl is too naïve to understand lies. "You got yourself a deal, baby." He put his right hand forward and she did the same. He tightly gripped her tiny hand and began to drain the energy out of her. Slowly, though, so he could enjoy it.

Serena dropped to her knees and groaned in pain. She knew he was taking great pleasure out of her pain. She began to swear oaths and cry. He may be going easy, but it still hurts like hell. Suddenly, Serena felt Jadeite wrench his hand away and let out wails of pain. She looked up to see a very pissed off Tuxedo Mask.

An Hour Earlier

Sailor Moon sat sideways on the bench surrounding the fountain. She looked at her reflection, taking note of the fear and sadness she saw in it. She slapped the water with her right hand and looked away. The park was lonely this time of night and she was the only occupant. Not for long though.

The fragrance of roses and cologne filled her senses and she sighed. "…Sailor Moon?" the masculine voice called.

Sailor Moon stood and put on a small smile. "It's me, Tuxedo Mask. I've been waiting for you."

Tuxedo Mask looked startled. "Waiting for me?" he asked. Then his eyes turned an icy blue. "Is there trouble, do you need help?"

Sailor Moon gave a small laugh and shook her head. "No, I just wanted to talk," she said, moving closer to him.

"Uh, talk?" he asked, a small blush appearing on his cheeks. "Er, about what?"

"Us," she said simply, smiling sweetly.

"Us? What 'us'?" he stammered, confused.

"Us. Me and you." She began to play with a stray strand of her long blonde hair. "It seems that whenever I transform, or are in trouble, you appear. I can't have that tonight."

"What are you tlking abou—" Sailor Moon kneed him in his groin and punched him hard with her lieft fist. He fell to the ground, unconscious. She leaned down and softly kissed the spot that she punched.

"I'm sorry."

Present

Sailor Moon giggled nervously when Tuxedo Mask landed in front of her. "Um, sorry?"

"WHAT IN THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING YOU MORON!" he shouted at her.

She gaped at him for a moment. Then she glared. "How dare you call me an idiot, you jerk!" she yelled back.

"OH! I'm the jerk!" he asked, and she nodded firmly. "I, dear little girl, am not the one who attacked someone just trying to help them!"

"I was TRYING to do SOMEHTHING on my OWN!"

"So you were TRYING to get yourself killed?" he asked sarcastically.

"NO! I was trying to defeat Jadeite without anyone else getting hurt!"

"Very admirable, but you do need help!"

Sailor Moon scoffed. "Me, need your help? I think not."

"Jadeite was just sucking your life energy out of you, moron!" Tuxedo Mask scolded.

"Okay, well…good point," Sailor Moon admitted reluctantly.

"See? Ha! You need me!" Tuxedo Mask smirked and stuck out his tongue.

Both of them stopped in mid-breath. They stared intently into each other's eyes, trying to get over the intense familiarity.

"You will pay for that Cape-BOY!" Jadeite's voice screamed, interrupting their reverie. Both of their heads snapped towards him.

"I'm not Batman so don't call me 'Cape-Boy'!" he groaned rolling his eyes.

"No one's going to be calling you anything once I'm done with you!" he threatened and threw a fireball at the two of them.

Tuxedo Mask picked Sailor Moon up in his arms and leapt away. "You need me," he whispered in a sing-song voice in her ear. She laughed as they landed safely away from the explosion.

He set her down and she looked up at him. "What do you say we double-team him, eh?" He nodded in agreement and disappeared.

Sailor Moon saw Jadeite looking around for them. "Oh, Jadeite! I'm over here!" she waved and grinned at him. He growled ferally and rushed towards her. She shrieked in surprise and hastily ran away. Jadeite was fast, but Serena hadn't run to school most mornings without gaining some skill.

"You can't run from me, Moon-brat!" he panted, struggling to gain on her.

She threw a glance behind her and laughed. "It seems to me that I can, Jerk-Face!" She looked ahead again and pumped her legs even harder.

Serena heard, "What kind of an insult is," before the familiar cape swishing that signaled Tuxedo Mask. She spun on her heel and was greeted by the sight of Tuxedo Mask on one knee with his fingers laced and hands cupped; and behind him Jadeite doubled over with a rose in his gut. She quickly rushed towards him and stepped into his cupped hands with her right foot. He pulled her up, rocketing her into the air and over Jadeite's head. She assumed her tiara-throwing stance.

Jadeite slowly returned to the upright position. Directly in front of him was Tuxedo Mask, already having brandished a new rose. On instinct, Jadeite turned around and ran the other direction: towards Sailor Moon. "MOON TIARA MAGIC!" was heard before Jadeite even processed the young girl standing in front of him. The disc pierced his stomach, slicing the rose in twain (AN:Shakespearean, no?).

Sensing danger, Tuxedo Mask motioned Sailor Moon to join him. She skittered around the stunned general over to the hero. Tuxedo Mask grabbed her arm and brought her against him tightly, covering them both with his cape. No sooner this action was completed than a pillar of black energy surrounded Jadeite. Serena's eyes were shielded from this spectacle, but her ears heard loud and clear his cries of pain and distress mixed with the crackling energy.

"PLEASE! GOD, MY QUEEN NOO! I'M SORRY! PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE! AARGH!"

When Tuxedo Mask saw it safe enough, he let Sailor Moon out from the comfort of his cape. What she saw made her gasp. Jadeite was there, clutching his stomach, his face contorted by intense pain. The only shocking thing was that he was frozen in crystal. Serena felt rather sick at the sight and thought of being confined in that crystal. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came from the sky and struck the crystal dead on. It was engulfed by the energy and then disappeared.

"What? Damn," Tuxedo Mask swore.

"Where-where did they take h-him?" Sailor Moon asked softly.

Tuxedo Mask looked down at her and noticed ters in her big blue eyes. "I don't know. Probably back to their main headquarters, I guess." Then he hesitated, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine! No scratches or bruises to speak of," she answered in a falsely cheery voice.

"I was actually concerned that you were feeling sorry for the man who's been trying to kill you," he said seriously.

"No, it's just well. No one deserves to be stuck, frozen in perpetual pain like that do they?"

He was silent for a while. "If anyone actually does, it's him."

"Yeah…"she said distractedly, then followed his silence. After thinking hard, she said, "I'm sorry for before, you know. I really was just trying to help everyone."

"I know. I know," he drawled. Then he let out a long sigh. "What do you say we go home?"

She shrugged. "Works for me."

The scent was unfamiliar and choking. She smelt smoke, blood-some of it her own, and, worst of all, death.

The sight was nauseating and depressing. Dead bodies were all around her and her home was destroyed.

The sound was unbearable. Entering her ears were the cries of the wounded and the sounds of war.

Inside of her head was even more of a mess. Thousands of thoughts raced through her mind: the pain that was a throbbing constant on her body, her people dead and dying around her, her friends missing, and by the feeling she had in her heart, dead, her mother was nowhere she could sense and her fiancé… That thought was shared by another being on the planet. "My love...I'm so sorry." Hearing this, she decided to force her way through the sea of death around her and find her sweet prince.

She felt him closer, still calling out to her. She forced herself even further. Now she sent her thoughts out to him. "I'm coming, darling. I have to see you before…before…" All of her thoughts went blank at the sight of his body.

Yikes! Well, I really, really, really want to know what you thought of this chapter! Was it stupid? Melodramatic? Exciting? Just the right level of dramatic? Boring? The best you;ve read in your life! Lol, just kidding, but I do want your opinions.

PS: Here's some review replies that got left out in the last chapter.

I'm-a-loser-and-proud-of-it- I told you everything earlier, but I'm so happy you reviewedtwice!

way2beme-Is there a chapter you haven't reviewed? Lol, I like having loyal followers, er, I mean reviewers... (sweatdrop)

Chibi Doo-I'll be sure to do that in the future!

Phantasy Star-You're far too kind, really!

keepoath-Another loyal one! Well, "soon" was right, wasn't it?

elianthos-You're another great reviewer! Darien will get very naughty in the future, so just you wait!