Disclaimer This story is mine, so don't copy. If you want to use something in my story in your own fic, please make sure you have my permission first. Sailor Moon & Co. belongs only to the people making money off of its existence. I'm not one of those people.

OOOPS!
Chapter Nine
—Surprise—

-Tsukino Usagi
2:50 pm; Beryl's Stronghold-

Before I had a chance to recover, a youma that had been watching us from an alcove in the rock wall that made up the prehistoric cave Beryl called home dove at me. Something silver flashed in front of my eyes, and a jolt of pain raced through me.

"First blood," the demon sneered, its small, pink eyes darting about eagerly.

Before it could strike again, I reached into my subspace pocket and in one swift motion, pulled out a long, silver sword with an intricately engraved hilt.

"That would be second, then, wouldn't it?" I asked, swinging the weapon in a wide arc. The youma's eyes passed calculatingly over the sword, and it hesitated a spilt second before taking a step back. It was a good thing the sword wasn't as heavy as it looked, I decided grimly surveying the damage. The youma had misjudged the speed with which the sword was moving and did not dodge it successfully. It was now missing the lower half of its left arm.

Growling angrily, it lunged at me, dagger flashing through the dim light of the cave. I side-stepped, grabbed its uninjured arm, and used the youma's momentum to direct it towards a wall; head first. It slumped on the floor, immobile. Someone in the crowd behind me cheered, reminding me that I had to get them out of there before Beryl decided to send reinforcements.

"Everybody hold hands, and be on the lookout for hidden youma," I instructed, turning to face them. "I think I can get you out of here."

I sheathed the sword in the scabbard that had appeared at my hip when I had drawn the weapon and pulled out my communicator, wasting no time in contacting the Senshi.

"Moon here," I announced as four familiar faces appeared on the screen. "I've got about a hundred people I need to transport safely back to Tokyo. Is there any way we can use the Sailor teleport?"

Ami, who already had her Mercury computer open in the palm of her hand, replied within seconds.

"It's never been done before. The computer doesn't know. What did you have in mind, Sailor Moon?"

"Well," I began, chewing thoughtfully on my bottom lip, "the five of us have combined our powers before to teleport to different places, right?"

Ami nodded. "True enough, but we can't do it if we're not all together."

"But we are together," Rei interrupted. "Our souls are bonded because of the oaths we took back in the Silver Millennium. The bonds don't weaken, even in death."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed.

"Okay, so technically, we can still combine our powers," Mina murmured, "but how does that help us move a hundred people from one place to another?"

"I was thinking that the five of us could act as a portal of sorts. I'd open it from here, and you'd open it in Tokyo, and we could send everyone through with one big power surge."

Makoto frowned. "Is that even possible?"

In response, Ami began typing away. "It sounds good, in theory," she told me, furrowing her eyebrows at the screen, "But it could kill you."

"Then it's out of the question," Mamoru's voice came from behind me.

"Like hell it is." I wheeled around to face him. "I stand a much better chance of surviving Beryl if I don't have to worry about some odd hundred people in addition to myself."

"What does it matter if you can't handle the teleport? You're dead anyway."

"But at least they're alive," I jerked my head towards the multitude of people standing behind me.

Mamoru rolled his eyes in exasperation and proceeded to mutter something under his breath that involved some choice Japanese and a lot of very rude English. I ignored him.

"I have the highest energy signature of all the Senshi and the ginzuishou at my command," I told Ami. "If anyone can handle this, it's me."

"It's true that your energy signature is unusually high," Ami allowed, "but it may not be enough. As one person, you don't have the concentration needed to open such a portal."

"Well how about a hundred people?" Makoto asked. "If a hundred people plus the five of us concentrated on one destination and Sailor Moon lent them her power, wouldn't that be enough?"

"Well I-I suppose."

"Then it's worth a try, isn't it?"

"All right; but you have to understand that this will be both mentally and physically exhausting not only for you but for all of us. The portal teleport may leave you powerless against Beryl and will slow us down immensely. It'll be a while before we can get to you."

"I don't care—I'm willing to risk it."

Ami nodded. "I'll send through a hologram of where we are so everyone can have a clear picture in their minds.

(X)(X)(X)

-Chiba Mamoru
3:05 pm; Beryl's Stronghold-

"I have the highest energy signature of all the Senshi and the ginzuishou at my command," Usagi told the Senshi stubbornly. "If anyone can handle this, it's me."

Well that's all well and good, I thought, still bouncing Akemi in an effort to calm her, for she had become slightly upset when I went into my little tirade, but it wouldn't—hold on, what?

I ran Usagi's words through my head again. "I have the highest energy signature of all the Senshi and the ginzuishou at my command." As if on cue, the princess's words followed.

…the ginzuishou, Endymion, please, you have to find it, find it, and you will free me…look inside yourself and remember… think you've forgotten…

…look deep… find what you are searching for… remember battle—where the crystal went…

…are fooling yourself…find out…

…looking in the wrong place…

…within the person who you least expect to have so great a treasure…

…the ginzuishou at my command…

My ears rang with the words that became more disjointed every minute, but were no less understandable. Of course. How could I have been so stupid? The princess had been dropping hints left and right. All the nonsense about the crystal being where I least expected it, the battle, hell even her hair style—it all pointed to Usagi—

Snap!

Startled, I looked up to find Usagi's hand in front of my face, her fingers curling together in preparation for a repeat of the previous motion. When she realized she had my attention, she reached out and gave me a push.

"Are you going or what?" she asked, frowning at me.

"Going where?"

"Back to Tokyo, baka."

"No," I replied simply. Wait, what?

She stared at me for a minute, as if not fully understanding what I was saying. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not leaving you here."

'You're not?'

I'm not? I wondered along with Endymion.

"You're not?" she echoed.

"Nope." I lifted Akemi off my hip and gently pushed her into the arms of a middle-aged woman in a dark blue windbreaker and jeans. "I don't intend to leave you here to die. If the teleport is going to be as draining as A—Mercury suspects, you're going to need help evading Beryl until the other Senshi show up."

Usagi opened her mouth, looking as if she was about to protest, then shut it tightly, pursing her lips in an annoyed manner.

(X)(X)(X)

-Tsukino Usagi
3:05 pm; Beryl's Stronghold-

"Fine," I snapped, "it's your funeral."

"Glad you agree."

I rolled my eyes and turned them to the screen of the ever-so-trusty communicator that I had successfully managed to break three times in the past two years. "Mercury? How 'bout that hologram?"

"Just a second," came the murmured reply. Ami was true to her word, for moments later, the screen flashed, and a hazy picture of the Hikawa Shrine erupted from the small device. I placed the communicator gently on the ground and stepped back.

"That's where you're going," I told the crowd. "Some of you have been there before and will be able to picture it more clearly than others, but the hologram should help, either way. So, if everyone's ready, close your eyes and let Hikawa Jinja appear in your minds. Hikawa Jinja, with it's hundreds of steps and Sakura trees, blossoming, welcoming. Concentrate on this image. Don't let it go." I closed my eyes and did just as I had told them, grabbing the hand of the person closest to me. "Sailor Teleport," I whispered. From the communicator, came the voices of the Senshi, repeating the mantra.

I felt the power course through me, pulling, testing, the bond that I had with my Senshi, the bond that I had with the ginzuishou. Knowing what was to come, I prepared myself for the mental and physical strain and waited.

A minute passed, then two, then three. Slowly, I opened my eyes, one at a time. In front of me were about a hundred strangers, all holding hands, their eyes closed tightly as they tried to concentrate on the image of home. "Sailor Teleport!" I tried again.

Nothing.

It didn't work.

The ginzuishou, the most powerful object in existence, had decided to take a nap when I needed it most. "Piece of crap," I muttered, dropping the stranger's hand in frustration.

'I couldn't agree more,' came Serenity's voice in my head.

When I thought about it later, I wondered if maybe that had been what triggered it, because when Serenity's last word had finished echoing through my mind, the ground began to move. Caught off balance, I neatly landed on my butt. Pressing my palms firmly to the stone floor, I scrambled to get up. I'm ashamed to say that I did not succeed.

I suppose that, in my defense, I can say that getting up is a bit difficult when one feels like they're being ripped apart limb by limb, but you'd just tell me that as a Senshi, I should be able to handle that.

Sorry to disappoint you.

(X)(X)(X)

-Tsukino Usagi
Time: Unknown; Whereabouts: Questionable-

When I came to sometime later, I found myself wondering if Mamoru-baka had managed to jot down the license plate of the truck that ran me over. Pain assaulted every inch of my being. But that's a cliché. How do you know what it feels like? Let me put it into words that you can understand. My head felt like a hot air balloon, my arms and legs refused to respond to command, and my eyes turned me down when I sweetly requested that they show me something more than multicolored blurs.

"Bad idea," I slurred to no one in particular.

"You think?" a familiar voice drawled from somewhere nearby.

I cringed. Damn. I was hoping I had gotten rid of the arrogant jerk.

"Do you know where we are, Chiba?" I asked, swiveling my tongue around my mouth to get rid of the cottony feeling.

"Sure I do," he answered brightly. "We're in a stone room with youma at every entrance and no hope in hell of getting out alive. Where did you think we were, Usagi?" he spat, his tone changing like the days of the week.

"Don't call me Usagi," I snapped automatically.

"Tsukino Usagi is Sailor Moon, and Motoki is going to have kittens when he finds out that I was right all along!" he said in a singsong voice that did not help matters at all.

(X)(X)(X)

-Chiba Mamoru-

"You told Motoki?"

"Of course I told him! I don't see why you're worried anyway; no one would suspect that you, of all people, are Sailor Moon. I mean it's a ridiculous thought, isn't it, considering the way you act most of the time?"

Usagi's eyes flashed angrily and then all hell broke loose—or at least it seemed that way to my ear drums.

"Why do you think I act that way, baka?" she hissed venomously, "I am fifteen years old, and in my lifetime I have seen things that will give you nightmares for the rest of yours, things that you cannot possibly imagine, not for lack of trying but because the human brain simply cannot fathom them. Clumsy am I? Can't take a step without tripping over my own damn feet and taking a whole street of people with me? I don't do anything I don't want to do, Chiba. Think I'm an immature crybaby? A ditz that doesn't know a manga from a novel? What do you think will happen when the Dark Kingdom notices a fifteen-year-old girl that knows too much and acts too old and bears a striking resemblance to a certain superhero? I don't want the youma that have been appearing in Tokyo to think they've found their Sailor Moon because I have a family, Chiba. I have parents and a little brother, all of whom I love despite them often being annoying. I have friends that I don't want to put in danger and friends who are already in danger just because they associate with me. And you, you arrogant jerk, you dare mention my name here of all places?"

I stared at her for a minute and then said, "I'm sorry; I wasn't thinking."

"No," she replied quietly, "you weren't. But I suppose I'll have forgive you if we're to work together and survive this."

"All right, well, you just destroyed Kunzite, didn't you? He was the last of the generals, so there's only youma left now. That'll make it easier."

"Yeah, youma and Beryl her—hang on—how did you know that Kunzite was the last of the generals? How did you even know about the generals in the first place?"

Shit.

"Uh…newspapers?"

"Oh. Okay then." Wait. Had Usagi just avoided picking a fight with me?

"Are you okay?" I asked her suspiciously.

"Fine…it's just that…well…I should probably tell you that I uh…can't see." The last two words were mumbled and for a minute, I wasn't sure if I'd heard correctly. One look at her unfocused eyes convinced me that I had.

"You can't see?" I took a moment to absorb just what that meant. "Brilliant. We're trapped in a cave somewhere, surrounded by youma and God knows what else, and you can't see. We're going to die."

"Don't start with me," she warned, turning her head in my direction and doing her best to glare.

"Yes, that rock ten feet to my right is ever so frightened," I said sarcastically. In reply, she clenched her jaw and directed the death glare to the floor. After a few minutes, I asked, "Anything else I should know?"

Usagi looked up and began chewing on the inside of her cheek nervously.

"What?"

"I can't seem to be able to move either," she admitted.

Relief flooded me. "That's because we're chained to the wall—wrists and ankles," I explained.

"Oh." Then, "We really are going to die, aren't we?"

"Of course you are, brat. Luck alone will only get you so far. It's time you learned that," the voice grated against my ears like nails on a chalkboard. Beryl, much-too-revealing dress and all, was standing in the doorway, something resembling a smile of triumph on her face. Perhaps I would have actually considered it a smile, had fangs not been poking out of the corners of her mouth. "Kill the boyfriend," she told a youma on her right, inclining her head slightly towards me.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Usagi exclaimed, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"I'm not her boyfriend," I confirmed.

"Right. That's why she sent two hundred humans back to Tokyo but conveniently left you. I'm evil, not stupid," Beryl sniffed, looking slightly offended.

"He has a death wish," Usagi explained. I'm not quite sure what she was thinking at this point. Maybe she thought Beryl would not do something that made me happy, or maybe she just wanted revenge on me for how miserable I'd made her life in those past couple of days. Either way, the decision was not in my favor.

"And it shall be fulfilled. You heard me, Kioze; kill him."

The youma in question bared its teeth and produced a dagger out of thin air.

Oh Kami, I'm gonna die.

(X)(X)(X)

-Tsukino Usagi-

Oh Selene, I'm an idiot.

The blurry, shapeless forms around me were slowly starting to come into focus. Mamoru was barely two feet away from me, and for a moment, I could discern the fear in his eyes, and the hatred. Then, it was gone. It was my fault. I let him stay. I dragged him into this mess. Annoying jerk or not, he didn't deserve to die like this. He didn't deserve to die at all. The youma raised the sword into the air. I cringed, waiting for the blow to fall. There were no options. There was nothing I could do. It was just like my nightmare, only now, it was real.

"Wait," Mamoru's voice rang out, clear and confident. "I wouldn't do that if I was you."

Beryl raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? And why not?"

"Because when the Senshi get here, and they will get here, you will be sorry that you spoke too soon and rid yourself of a valuable ally."

What? He couldn't possibly be saying…

She scoffed. "A valuable ally? You? What use can you possibly be?"

"Ask yourself what use Prince Endymion, heir to the throne of the Terran kingdom, can be to you, and you will have your answer, my queen."

Serenity, who the hell is Endymion?

'A great, big idiot of a Terran.'

Is he dangerous?

'Dangerous doesn't even begin to cover it.'

Oh.

Beryl shook her head. "Endymion is dead. I killed him myself after he refused to join me."

"Yes, but the Sailor Senshi were also killed in battle, and yet here they are, a perpetual thorn in your side. Rebirth is not out of the question when you're courting the whiny, teenage daughter of a powerful woman like Queen Serenity."

Beryl narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "Are you trying to tell me that you've come to your senses at last, Endymion?"

"My queen, surely you, a Terran noble, know of my reputation? All I wanted from the pretty princess was a shag, and now that she's dead, there's no reason at all for me to pretend allegiance to the moon. It's laughable, isn't it, that the good Queen couldn't manage to bring her own daughter back? Perhaps the ginzuishou doesn't fix suicides."

A satisfied smirk crept across her face. "How very agreeable you suddenly are, Endymion. I quite like you this way." She waved her arm theatrically and the manacles on his wrists and ankles fell open. Gracefully, Mamoru stepped onto the floor, looking for all the world like a spoiled, rich ass, unconcerned with anyone or anything but himself. Rubbing feeling back into his wrists, he walked over to Beryl and, smiling, put an arm around her waist. I resisted the sudden urge to deposit everything I had eaten that day onto his immaculate shoes. He was too far away—it would be a useless effort.

"Should I take care of Sailor Moon, then?" asked the overeager demon.

"Yes, why not? I was going to kill her myself, but Endymion and I have some catching up to do," she purred suggestively.

Ew. I shook my head at the mental image. Gross on a whole new level.

"No," Mamoru said quickly. I stared at him hopefully, praying that it was all just an elaborate act. But he chose that moment to meet my eyes, and I saw in them nothing but cold, calculating, ruthlessness. "I've got a better idea."

"Oh?"

"Sailor Moon spoke to the Senshi hours ago; they'll be here soon. Leave her here until they arrive. Then bring them in, and kill them one by one, so that they know just how incompetent a leader they trusted with their lives. And after that, we'll kill her. Together."

"What a wonderful idea," Beryl decided, and with a slight nod, turned to go. The walked through the arched doorway together, witch and traitor, arm in arm.

There's something about watching a person you thought you knew willingly embrace your worst enemy that leaves you somewhat short of breath and unsure of quite what to say. For a few minutes, I didn't move, wondering if maybe I was having a particularly bad dream. Then, I thrashed around for a bit, trying to pull the chains loose, and giving myself blisters in the process. After that, I was quite content to remain quiet with the exception of the occasional curse. At least by that time, I could see again, for all the good that did me.

I'm not sure how much time passed exactly. I don't wear a watch, and when there's no sun or moon to go by, minutes start to seem like hours, and all sense is lost. It's at these times that a person starts to think, and that's not always a good thing. In my case, 'not always' was redundant. It was never good when I over thought stuff, because when I did, things I had written off as coincidence fell together and formed one big picture, and then all I had for my troubles was a deep-seated feeling of complete and utter stupidity.

Of course Mamoru knew about Beryl and the generals! If he was really the reincarnation of this Endymion, like he said, then he would know all about it. And if he was trying to get to Beryl all along and join her, he wouldn't have wanted to go back to boring old Tokyo. His deciding to stay had nothing to do with me after all. That bastard! For all of ten minutes, he had me trusting him. How could I have been so stupid?

'Hang on, now,' Serenity chimed in. 'You don't want to jump to conclusions.'

Is there something you know that you wanna tell me? I asked irritably.

'Er…'

Then leave me the hell alone, I practically snarled and heard nothing more from her for a long time.

In fact, the next familiar voice I heard made me wish I had never met its owner, because then, she wouldn't be mere moments away from a painful death, and neither would the other three.

"Hey! I can walk just fine on my own, thanks," Rei spat. There was a sound of something hitting the wall with a loud clunk. I had a feeling it wasn't the fiery Senshi's head that was in danger of losing its contents.

"Dude! Lay off the man-handling, all right? We're not stupid. We know we're in enemy territory and outnumbered. We'll go where you want us to," Makoto's unspoken words hung tensely in the air—"and then we'll kill you."

"D'you think we can get a restraining order when we get back to Tokyo?" Mina asked in a thoughtful whisper.

"That doesn't seem likely," Ami murmured.

"By the order of the court of Japan, I, Judge er…whatever…, order that no evil villains come within ten feet of the Sailor Senshi, effective yesterday, punishable by a painful death administered by the poor, overworked girls themselves," Makoto joked awkwardly.

There was a series of yelps as the four Senshi tumbled into the room where I was. For a minute, we looked at each other, not quite knowing what to say. "So, did uh, you guys find the place all right?" I asked finally.

Mina let out a giggle, and the four of them rushed to embrace me.

"Thank Kami, you're all right, Sailor Moon," said Makoto.

"Yeah, Spaghetti Brains, it's good that you're not dead."

"Aaw, thanks Pyro," I crooned. For a moment, it all felt normal. We were back at the Hikawa Shrine, fruitlessly chucking Sakura blossoms at each other and arguing over which bishonen was cuter. There was no danger, no youma, no Beryl, and no impending death.

"How absolutely touching," a voice boomed, sounding about as moved as a person who sees two cockroaches mating.

And it was over then. The relief at seeing my friends disappeared and was replaced by dread, leaving me feeling as if someone had woven my stomach into intricate ribbons. Maybe they were pretty, but they sure as hell didn't make me feel any better.

Ribbons in my stomach and blinding light as I felt my feet leave the floor; I had to hand it to the woman…creature…demon…what the hell was she, anyway?...thing, I decided, as the five of us were unceremoniously deposited in a large hall: she sure knew how to put on a show.

Beryl sat on what appeared to be a throne made of skulls. Mamoru stood at her side, his face expressionless. He wore a midnight blue jacket that didn't quite reach his waist over grey armor and dark blue pants, bottoms stuffed into black boots. A black cape with red, silk lining hung from his shoulders (the vestiges of a distant memory tugged at a corner my brain at the sight), and a sword decorated the scarlet belt around his waist. The ensemble was somewhat reminiscent of the generals' grey, but seemed to indicate higher rank. I briefly wondered when he'd had time to change. That led to a mental image that I won't describe for respect of your sanity. Not surprisingly, my gag reflex kicked in again.

"Welcome, girls," Beryl announced in a deceptively warm tone, "This meeting has been a long time coming. Tell me, have you enjoyed your stay so far?"

"No, not really," I told her, playing along. "I realize you've missed a lot trapped in this icebox, but you need to work on that whole hostess thing. After all, chaining guests to a wall isn't exactly polite."

Something akin to anger flashed across Mamoru's face. Had I looked in the mirror, I would have seen my eyes blaze with the same emotion. How dare he?

"Yes," Beryl replied, "But I suppose killing my guests isn't high society behavior either, and yet here I am." She turned to Mamoru. "I want to hear her scream. My youma will contain the Senshi."

"Yes, my queen," he said, stepping forward.

"Is that Mamoru?" Mina exclaimed incredulously as four very ugly beasts emerged from the shadows and took hold of the Senshi.

"Odango, what'd you do this time?" Rei asked.

I opened my mouth to answer, but what came out was a muted gasp. Mamoru had taken advantage of the commotion to plunge a sword through my stomach.

It was a nice sword, too, I noticed, with a black hilt and pretty carvings. Then, everything went black.

TBC

A/N # 2:ducks: I'm sorry. Please don't kill me. I couldn't resist with that one. I fully planned to finish the fic real-story-wise with this chapter, but it was just such a good place to leave off. I mean, think of how boring your week would be if I didn't do this. :P

The last chapter will be up next weekend, I swear. I know I haven't updated in a while, so kudos to those of you who have stuck with me for all this time, and I hope you liked it. I apologize if you didn't. The next one will be better.

Either way, let me know in your review.

/He who laughs last has not yet heard the bad news./ -Unknown (recommended by IssaLee)