Chapter 5

An Unlikely Alliance

"Any luck?" Mina asked as Amara and Michelle arrived at the temple.

The girls merely shook their heads.

"Raye is still searching the fires. Trista hasn't come back yet." Mina said softly.

"Do not lose your faith." Michelle said as she put her hand on Mina's back. "She may just be taking some time to herself. Plus, we know how strong she is now. I have no doubt that even if she were in danger, Sailor Moon could handle it herself."

Mina nodded grimly.

"Mina, Amara, Michelle quick! Raye has seen Serena!" Luna shouted.

The girls rushed inside of the temple where Raye sat before the fire, her head bent in meditation. She was muttered under her breath as sweat trickled down the sides of her face. No one spoke as Raye continued on, summoning the fire to show her what she desired.

"She has been taken by the enemy…a man…black hair…cold green eyes…evil…his power is dark." Raye whispered.

Amara and Michelle exchanged a quick glance.

"He is but one enemy… there are more…so much evil…so much hatred…they want the princess…they will destroy Tokyo…they will destroy the Earth."

Raye's eyes flickered open. "That is all I see. They do not come from Earth. They draw their power from the Negaverse."

"That is what we uncovered." Amy said as she and Darien entered the sweltering temple. "I collected some samples. My computer determined they come from a satellite…"

"Charon." Trista announced. Quietly she stepped into the temple as the scouts watched her, silent. "Pluto's biggest satellite."

"You know the man that Raye described?" Luna asked Trista.

Solemnly, Trista nodded. "Yes, his name is Fabian."

"Wait." Darien held up his hands and walked into the middle of the temple. "He's from the Silver Millennium? One of your subjects? How is he still alive? Queen Serenity did not save anyone else."

Trista's eyes narrowed. "You so quickly forget the allegiance of your own people Prince of Earth. Once the Negaverse invaded many joined their ranks to avoid certain death. My planet was struck first. Your greatest Generals joined the Negaverse before Earth was even threatened. Do not dare to judge my people."

Darien's lips pursed into a thin line. Thankfully he held his tongue.

"Trista, where is Serena?" Amy asked, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen.

"She is on Charon." Trista replied.

"No I'm not –"

"Serena!" Lita shouted. She rushed to the doorway where Serena stood, resting against the frame with a smile.

"I'm okay!" Serena said quickly.

The scouts rushed to her.

"What happened to you—"

"What did they tell you—"

"What did you tell them—"

"What are you wearing—"

"How did you get free—"

Serena held up her hands, silencing everyone. "I'll explain everything, but first—"

The scouts watched in awe as Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite entered the temple. Gracefully they fell to one knee in unison before Darien.

"Prince Endymion, we are here to pledge our loyalty to you. We were once your most loyal subjects and so we shall be again." Kunzite said while the other three Generals bowed their heads in respect. "While we have made … unfavorable choices in the past, we hope to step forward and begin anew, honoring the commitment to your service that we made thousands of years ago."

"Why should he trust you?" Lita asked, abruptly cutting in.

Zoisite lifted his head. "Soldier of Juptier, we were freed from the bounds of the Negaverse with the death of Queen Beryl." He explained. "We too wish to defeat this new threat from the Negaverse. We are no longer slaves to their desires. Their power over us has broken and now they will pay with their lives."

The room fell silent.

"Who is 'they'?" Amy asked softly.

Kunzite frowned. "You may not remember them. But well all knew them once, long ago during the Silver Millennium."

Trista stepped forward. "The scouts have not regained all of their former memories. They will remember when the time is right, until then you must allow all events to unfold naturally."

"Wait!" Raye cut in. "Are you all insane? You're talking to these guys like we can trust them. How do we know we can trust them? They have each tried to kill us and nearly succeeded."

Serena took the moment to speak. "I know you are doubtful Raye, and I know there are others in this room who feel the same way…but Kunzite saved me. He and the Generals brought me back to all of you. I think we should give them a chance."

Lita shook her head. "I don't know Serena. They could be working with the Negaverse. They could have staged your kidnapping just to earn your trust. Did you even see who took you?"

Serena hesitated as all eyes fell upon her. "I did not see his face, but I heard his voice. He was not one of the Generals, I could never forget their voices… or his…"

"She is right." Trista affirmed. "The Generals have been freed from their bonds to the Negaverse. They are not responsible for taking Serena. This I have seen."

Darien, almost seemingly forgotten in the midst of the temple, walked towards his still kneeling Generals. "You were once my greatest friends…. I trusted you once and you betrayed me. Your actions destroyed nearly every planet in the solar system. I would be a fool to trust you so quickly again."

Kunzite bowed his head. "Prince Endymion— if trust is what you desire then take this." Kunzite held his hand over his heart and in one movement, withdrew a deep red crystal.

"This is the source of all my power. Queen Beryl gave it to me after I pledged my allegiance. It made me more than a man…" Kunzite set the stone in Darien's hand. "Take it as a sign of my allegiance to you, without it I am but a mortal. I am a human once again."

Darien turned the stone over in his hand. It was warm and radiated deep into his skin.

One by one, each general withdrew their stones and laid them in Darien's palm. Quietly, Darien accepted each stone. He held them all in his hand for a long beat before he finally spoke. The entire room watched him.

"I accept your pledge. Should you falter on your promise I will destroy the stones. I will, however, gladly accept your help to defeat our new enemy from the Negaverse."

All four Generals bowed to Darien in unison.

Trista frowned. "That's just it, something isn't quite right."

"What do you mean?" Amara asked.

"If Fabian is behind the attacks…, who awoke him?" She wondered out loud. "The Negaverse just doesn't suddenly come alive again. The fact that the Generals and Fabian have been revived mean that someone woke them up… and most likely resurrected others."

"What?" Lita asked, confused.

"The Negaverse is a realm of darkness." Amy explained. "It is a world of greed, evil and deceit. But since Queen Beryl was defeated it was closed, the doorway between our worlds was shut. The Generals were killed before her downfall… and if I'm not mistaken, Fabian either died when the doorway shut or was put to sleep after the Silver Millennium."

"Queen Beryl put everyone to sleep once Queen Serenity sent us to the future. She only woke the Generals in this century." Trista said. "Someone brought the Generals back, someone woke up Fabian…"

"Who?" Serena asked.

Behind Raye, the fire flared up dangerously, licking the ceiling of the temple.

The scouts screamed as Darien and the Generals pushed everyone back.

"What's happening?!" Mina screamed.

Raye shut her eyes. "The T.V… quick!"

Everyone rushed into the next room. Amara grabbed the television remote and flipped on the T.V. Immediately a breaking news report flashed onto the screen.

"We have been receiving reports of an explosion in the Juban area. We have sent our correspondent Lily Tomachi to the afflicted area. Lily what do you see?"

"There are several buildings that are just crumbling all around this area! It's almost as if meteors are crashing into them, destroying each building on impact. The police are evacuating any survivors and those still left in the surrounding buildings but the flying rubble is too dangerous to move the amount of people living in this area. Wait…. Wait…. Do you see that? Is that a woman—"

The camera zoomed into the foggy air where a lone figure, a mere shadow amongst the dust in the air lingered above a crumbled building. As the dust cleared the woman came into view. She was hovering above the screaming and running people. She wore a tight pink body suit and high black boots. Her hair, a deep auburn, rippled out behind her.

"Sailor Moon!" She called, staring right at the camera. "I won't stop until you come to stop me!"

She thrust her hand towards another building that shook for a full ten seconds before chunks crumbled from the sides. The woman laughed giddily as people ran from the building, screaming in desperation.

"Come alone Sailor Moon. You have one hour before I turn this city into a pile of rubble. Don't be late."