3. Sailor Mars
"Beryl and the Shitennou have broken through the gates!" Sailor Venus shouted as she knocked out a youma with a back-flip kick. "Senshi regroup! We must protect the princess at all costs."
"Sailor Venus!" It was Princess Serenity on her balcony calling down to the leader of the Senshi.
"Serenity, stay inside!" Sailor Venus screamed, using her angry commander's voice.
Meanwhile, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter were conferring on who should stay with the princess, while the rest were to try to hold back Beryl's army. It was decided that Sailor Mars would be best for the job. They agreed that they would meet up in Serenity's room when they were certain that the youma broke into the castle and the need for all of them to protect Serenity became even more crucial. The unspoken promise of staying alive, so that they could meet up in Serenity's room was on all their minds.
"Sailor Mercury, lend me a hand over here!" Jupiter called to the Senshi of Ice.
Together, Mercury and Jupiter boosted Mars up with their hands on her heals. Sailor Mars leapt into the air and landed gracefully next to the Moon Princess on her balcony.
"Serenity, get inside!" Mars ordered slamming the balcony doors and locking them. She pushed Serenity onto her bed roughly.
"I saw Prince Endymion," Serenity whimpered though her tears.
Sailor Mars looked at the Princess sympathetically "He is trying to protect you just as we all are. You are our only hope, so don't give up okay?"
Serenity nodded stiffly, but Mars sensed falsity in the princess's motion. Serenity was breaking right in front her, without knowing what her dying hope was doing to the universe. For Mars, it was difficult to handle a battle and a broken Princess of the Silver Alliance. The only thing she could think of, to boost the falling princess, was a pep talk.
"Remember one of the training sessions you attended to watch how the Senshi trained?"
Serenity nodded, smiling at the memory.
"'We are the warriors of love and justice! We are the Sailor Senshi! We will right wrongs and triumph over evil! And that means you…" Mars winked at Serenity, who giggled lightly. "Remember Serenity? You came up with that."
"I remember. Thank you, Sailor Mars."
Sailor Mars nodded triumphantly. "No problem." She flashed a smile that only lasted a second. The feeling of the situation came back to Sailor Mars again and remembering the hostile circumstances that bounded them she asked in worry, "Where are the others?"
"…I will not let you hurt her, Beryl! I will not!" A muffled, determined voice penetrated through the closed balcony doors.
"That's Endymion!" Serenity cried out in joy, rushing over to the doors and fiddling with the lock.
"Serenity, DON'T!" Mars screamed as Serenity pushed the doors open. Serenity turned to Mars and mouthed the word 'sorry' before she jumped off the balcony. The princess joined the battle against the floating purple figure in the darkened sky.
At the same time, the door to the bedroom was blasted open by a dark energy. Sailor Mars had missed foreseeing it because of the surrounding negative energy of Beryl's outside forces bogging down on her sixth sense. The door shattered to pieces. Mars had to fall face down to shield her eyes from the wood chips.
Low laughter came from the opening and Mars could here his footsteps coming toward her. "So, we meet again," said the intruder.
Sailor Mars lifted her face to look at him. "Jadeite, why are you doing this?"
"Because I want power and Beryl will grant it as long as I take orders from her!" Now Jadeite kneeled next to her fallen figure. He gently picked out a piece of wood from her disheveled hair. "We can have those days again if you join the Negaverse. Beryl will promise you power and then, we can rule a magnificent kingdom together. How about it?"
Mars sat upright. "Never! You are not the Jadeite I want to spend the rest of my life with."
Sailor Mars jumped back up on her heels. She thrust an anti-evil sign at him while calling out, "Evil spirits disperse!"
It stopped in midair and fluttered innocuously to the floor. Sailor Mars was breathless and exhausted as she watched her past lover smile maliciously at her slouched form. "Did you actually think that would work on me, Sailor Mars?"
"You are not Jadeite. Jadeite was dignified and honorable; not a man like you!"
Jadeite spread his arms out. "This is me. Don't deny the real me, Mars."
The Senshi of Fire swiped at the perspiration on her brow with the back of her hand. "We will fight you, the others, and Beryl to restore peace. The kind of peace that Jadeite and I wanted will be restored."
As Mars straightened her back with only her broken heels to support her, Jadeite found the gall to laugh manically at her, "You really are something… Who's 'we?' Who will fight with you when they're all gone?"
With that said, Jadeite pointed in the direction of the balcony where the princess was last seen. Sailor Mars stumbled over to that place and looked down.
The Sailor Senshi were indeed dead. Each one having lost to the ones they loved. Their fukus were tattered and their shoes were missing. It was painful to see that they were dead, but it was even more painful to see the Shitennou, looking rancorous and distant from their counterparts and past loves. What floated above all this was the most heart wrenching sight of all; Princess Serenity of the Moon and Prince Endymion of the Earth, floating motionless in the sky. Their hands were intertwined, the only lasting symbol of love left in the universe.
Tears coursed down Sailor Mars' face.
"It's over," Jadeite echoed her thoughts.
"It is," she murmured softly, "But… I won't give up." Her violet eyes turned fiery as she continued, "For Princess Serenity, for Prince Endymion, and in the name of love I will vanquish everything that harms. The Silver Alliance may be gone, but I'm not. As long as I am still alive, I will fight!"
"You just don't learn," Jadeite whispered, shrugging his shoulders in dismay. "Very well." He took a step forward and smiled across at her.
"I'll kill you or die trying!" New tears fell from her eyes as she prepared to launch her final attack.
"Mars Fire Bird Strike!"