CHAPTER 11 - Gone as in Gone
A/N: OK, I have to say something really quick. I am a little surprised at the outrage some of you have expressed as a result of the death of Tuxedo Mask. Actually, I'm not really that surprised because I would be outraged too. However, I do take it as a compliment that you are emotionally involved in my story and care so much. Upon having said that, I do assure you not to worry. That's all I really can say for now. Just keep reading, I promise I won't leave you with an empty feeling at the very end. Not that it would, but to make up for what happened in the last chapter, this chapter is a little bit longer.
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No no no no no no no! She shook her head multiple times refusing to accept the situation. She tightened her grip on Tuxedo Mask who was now limp and unresponsive despite her pleas. "Don't you dare leave!" She pleaded with him as he lay unmoving in her arms. "Don't you dare leave, you hear me!!" She raised her voice, angry tears burning the back of her eyes. She let out a strangled cry as she clutched him even tighter. "Don't leave me!" Her cries of anguish echoed throughout the room piercing the dark silence that surrounded them.
"This is all my fault." Her voice now hushed into a mournful whisper. "I just wanted you to save me. I just wanted to be with you." She brought her face close to his and rested her forehead on his cheek. "I never thought it would come to this. I would never have started all this if I had known I would only end up losing you." She waited, expecting her apology to cause him to stir and release him from his unresponsive state.
Alas, he did not even take a breath. She moved her head to his chest yearning to hear the steady beating of his heart, but its absence left her with a heart breaking realization. "No!" She cried out. It can't be, it can't be! She screamed in her mind. She waited a few more painstaking moments just in case she missed it. Perhaps she had missed a beat? Perhaps she needed to listen more closely. Reality slapped her in the face when she was met with no reply from his heart and suddenly, all her hope dwindled into something almost non-existent.
"Alright Sailor Moon. You had your moment, but that's over now." Prince Diamond had been watching the whole scenario and nothing pleased him more than to see the despicable man who was keeping him from Princess Serenity die at his hands. He couldn't bear to watch any longer as Princess Serenity grieved over another man.
She did not reply or even acknowledge his presence. She merely continued to look down upon Tuxedo Mask refusing to come to grips with the fact that he was gone and that there was a hollow feeling that inhabited her.
Becoming frustrated, Prince Diamond lifted her with his telekinetic powers and brought her to face him. Under his powers, she could not move and was forced to submit to his restraints. He gazed into her lovely eyes only to realize that a not so lovely look resided in them. Her eyes held a tormented expression and such sadness he had never seen before in all his life. It burned a hole in his heart that another man could mean so much to her.
"Princess." He spoke softly into her ear that she would be calmed. He wanted her to be happy with him. He wanted to make her forget about Tuxedo Mask and make her love him instead. She involuntarily shuddered with disgust at his proximity. She wished so badly at that moment to feel Darien's comforting warmth, something Prince Diamond did not possess even in the slightest. Fear floated into her chest at the thought of having to kiss this vile mouth once again.
He felt her body instantly stiffen after he spoke the word. She made no eye contact, but rather, kept her vision focused in front of her. He waited so long to have this woman close to him that he was not going to give up so easily. He eagerly fingered a few strands of her golden hair noticing the way it gleamed as it caught the very few rays of light streaming across the room. He brought the strands of hair to his nose and inhaled its scent closing his eyes and wanting so badly for her to belong to him.
"Princess..." He began once again. "Please, it weakens my heart to see you so distressed." He brought his hand towards her face and lightly stroked her brow with his thumb. Still, she refused to look at him. "Whatever it is that this Tuxedo Man gave you, I can give you even more." He lightly played with the bangs hanging in front of her forehead. "You and I will be King and Queen of Nemesis. With both our powers combined, we would be a force no one would dare go up against."
He paused waiting for a reaction, but her face displayed no hint of enthusiasm or acceptance of his proposal. Her eyes only continued to stare straight ahead. He leaned in once again to whisper into her ear. "What do you say, my love? Rule with me and be my Queen?" He withdrew slightly to look into her face and to his satisfaction, she finally looked at him.
"Never." She whispered harshly before spitting into his face. He let out a cry of rage as he wiped her saliva off his cheek with his sleeve.
"Then you choose to die!" He screamed, his frustration reaching its peak. "What is it about that man?!" He cared not to hide his jealousy. "Why him and not me?? Surely I do not lack anything that he has!" He stared at Sailor Moon a few moments, his breathing ragged and a vein in his temple bulging.
"Answer me!!" He commanded begrudgingly, feeling he was starting to lose control.
She looked him dead in the eye with no trace of uncertainty. He looked back at her meeting her undoubting and assured eyes. "I love him." Was her simple answer.
Prince Diamond snickered at her reply. "But surely Princess, you can learn to love me. I'm giving you one last chance to change your mind." He gazed at her perturbed and uneasy. His plan wasn't going so well. The situation was turning out to be more difficult than he thought possible. He wanted this for so long so badly. Out of desperation, he pleaded one last time.
"Princess Serenity, if it's love you want, you have mine." Without letting her reply, he continued to confess his feelings. "I want you as my Queen more than anything else in this world. I cannot stand the thought of you belonging to someone else." He lingered a little while in silence before saying the next words. "I love you." Those last three words seemed forced and sounded awkward as if they were a foreign language being spoken.
He looked up to find Sailor Moon's eyes fixated on him, but they were void of emotion or flattery. "Love? Is it love Diamond?" He stared at her wondering what exactly she was asking. "Or is it merely obsession?"
He blinked a few times unable to answer. Is there a difference? He pondered her question for a few moments, agitated that he could not find a proper answer. Finally, he said, "Surely, I am obsessed with you because I love you." He looked up triumphantly to meet her eyes hoping that she would finally accept his offer to be his Queen.
Her facial expression did not change, however, and she only gazed at him with...was it pity? She then began to speak with a voice that held no bitterness or sharpness. She spoke with a tone that proclaimed truth, yet with gentleness. "Obsession and love cannot run parallel with each other. Obsession craves to feed only your own desires and your own satisfaction. Love would never hesitate to set aside your own personal requirements for the happiness of another."
She narrowed her eyes, piercing him with her steady and watchful eyes. "Don't you see? Obsession is selfish. Love is selfless."
He stood unmoving for a few moments, stunned by her profound statements and the clarity of her words. Suddenly, he was at loss for not just words, but thoughts as well. The look in her eyes caused a pang inside him. He couldn't bear to see the...pity she looked at him with. He avoided her gaze and turned his head.
"I wish you knew what love really is." She said to him meaning every word. "I'm sorry no one ever showed love to you." She stared at him for a few more moments, his eyes avoiding her penetrating gaze.
Snapping out of his contemplation, he turned back towards her still keeping her immobile and under his telekinetic control. "And that Tuxedo Man? How do you know he loves you?" The question was more out of plain and innocent curiosity than taunting.
She took a deep breath before answering. "He's risked his life for me so many times." Her eyes began to glisten with tears and her voice began to break. "To risk your life for someone else, that is the greatest selfless act of all." Her shoulders began to heave at the reminder of Tuxedo Mask's death. It was torture to feel this way. This great loss penetrated her very soul and nothing could even come close to replacing the large hole that resided within her.
Prince Diamond watched her cry convulsively for Tuxedo Mask, the sorrow and grief unmistakable in her sobs. Would she ever able to care for him that way? Could she learn to? Surely she could. Surely, she would be able to teach him love and he could learn. He was willing to learn.
"I want to learn about love." He said, his voice coming out meek and alien sounding. He almost couldn't believe the words that were flying out of his own mouth. "You said you wished that someone could show me love." He looked at her face and glanced at trails of tears running down. "You could show me love. You can teach me and you can love me." Hope filled him like an overflowing fountain as he waited for her response.
To his distress, her eyes filled with sorrow as she replied, "You can't force love. You can't make someone love you. The only one I'll ever love is gone." The last sentence was spoken in a harsh whisper that barely escaped her lips.
Her reply was like an arrow through his heart. He stood for a few moments, anchored to the ground and astonished at her rejection. She had rejected his offers one too many times he now decided. Her chance at having a life with him was no longer existent. She had made her choice and she had made it absolutely clear that he wasn't good enough for her. The pain and embarrassment of her refusal began to stir up animosity within him. He clenched his teeth as he turned towards her.
"Clearly, you've made your choice. It was either be my Queen or die. I see you've chosen the latter." He spoke vehemently, contrasting the tone he used towards her only a couple moments ago. He lifted his hand up and pointed it towards her, a dark ball of energy beginning to form at his finger tips. "Such a shame, really. I think you would have made a great Queen." The dark ball of energy doubled in size, glowing a dark green.
"Don't worry. I'm not completely cruel." His mouth moved tensely as his eyes gleamed with bitterness. "I'll make this quick. Just one blast. So you won't suffer."
Prince Diamond widened his stance as he prepared to throw the deadly ball of energy at Sailor Moon.
"Stop right now!" A familiar voice shouted out breaking Prince Diamond's concentration.
Sailor Moon almost fainted with relief. My Sailor Scouts!
Sailor Venus stood in her classic Sailor V Pose, her glance menacing as she stared at Diamond. All the other Sailor Scouts stared at him the same way, defiance boldly displayed on each of their faces.
Diamond seemed unfazed by the appearance of the other four girls. "Ah, I see you're hear to watch your friend die." He spat out bitterly.
"Oh no you don't!" Yelled Jupiter as she aimed her thunder attack at him.
Diamond merely side stepped it and laughed. "You're all pathetic. It's not that easy to defeat me."
Mercury could tell that this could not be a hit and miss They needed to hit the bullseye. In a hushed tone she said, "This isn't just a regular battle. We're going to need more power." All the scouts nodded with determination in response.
The scouts knew that this was no ordinary enemy and neither was he just an ordinary youma. They could tell that it would be senseless to attack him just as they were right now and expend their needed energy. They needed more than their ordinary powers at this very moment. Even then, Sailor Mercury wasn't sure it was enough. Nonetheless, they had to try.
Prince Diamond reverted his attention to Sailor Moon, once again the ball of energy forming at his finger tips. He stalked towards her.
"Now everyone!" Sailor Mars yelled. The scouts immediately obeyed.
"I call upon the power of Mercury!"
"I call upon the power of Mars!"
"I call upon the power of Jupiter!"
"I call upon the power of Venus!"
The sailor scouts focused on receiving more power and very soon, they could feel a pulsating energy swimming, throbbing, and rippling through their bodies.
Prince Diamond's eyes widened in bewilderment as he watched the Sailor Scouts glow with increasing power. "What is this?" He asked unable to figure out what was going on. He wasted no time and threw the ball of energy he intended for Sailor Moon towards the four sailor scouts.
He was shocked and stunned when the ball of energy simply fizzled into nothing when it reached their vicinity. He gritted his teeth. He looked over at Sailor Moon who seemed to be just as shocked and stunned as he was.
He decided to deal with the other Sailor Scouts before dealing with Sailor Moon. This time he raised both hands and steadied himself as he faced the direction of the four sailor scouts who were all glowing with power. He drew out power from the dark crystals into his arms and he could feel so much energy in his hands that they began to tremble. He forced himself to hold them steady as he aimed for the four girls. A dark beam of energy shot out towards the girls.
Flabbergasted, he realized that his beam of energy was being pushed back by...another beam of energy! Could it be? The sailor scouts were fighting back with their own beam of energy. He willed more energy and power into his hands and the black crystal immediately obeyed as it delivered more power to him.
His beam of energy began to cause the Sailor Scouts' beam of energy to retreat and he saw them struggling to push back. He smiled as he could almost feel the taste of victory. It would be so great to get rid of the nuisances called the Sailor Scouts.
Sailor Moon watched in horror as her friends strove to expel as much energy and power as they could, but Diamond's power seemed to be pushing forward almost as if it were engulfing the Sailor Scouts' power beam. She knew she needed to help, but she was held in place by Diamond's powers. I want to help them. They need me. I want to help my friends!
Suddenly, a glow of light seemed to erupt from her brooch. Realization suddenly hit her. She knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes and focused on the Sailor Scouts. "Please, lend power to the sailor scouts." With all that she could, she yelled out, "Moon Crystal Power!"
She kept her eyes closed focusing on delivering her power to her friends. She willed all her power to reach them and be used by them that they would be able to defeat Diamond.
Suddenly, the sailor scouts noticed their power beam increasing in strength and power. It began to overpower Diamond's and soon enough, it reached him and caused him to stumble back and fall to the floor. At that moment, his power on Sailor Moon lost its hold on her and she fell to the ground in a heap from exhaustion and fatigue.
"Sailor Moon!" The girls cried out as they ran towards her.
Prince Diamond pushed himself off the ground, staggering and unsteady, but determined to reach Sailor Moon. If he couldn't have her, then nobody could. Although he was injured from the Sailor Scout's blast, he summoned more energy from the dark crystal and a ball of dark energy formed once again at his hands. This time, he would succeed.
Together, the girls combined their power to put Prince Diamond away for good before he could reach Sailor Moon..
"Mars Firestorm Flash!"
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"
All together and combined with the power Sailor Moon had sent them, a large swirl of dangerous energy moved its way towards Prince Diamond.
He quickly threw his deathly ball of energy towards Sailor Moon mere seconds before the Sailor Scouts' attack engulfed his body.
Both Sailor Moon's and Prince Diamond's screams resonated through the eerie air.
The girls quickly made their way to Sailor Moon, disregarding Prince Diamond whose body now lay charred and motionless.
"Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mars called out as she reached her. All the scouts surrounded her, praying and hoping that she was still with them. To their relief, her eyes fluttered open.
"Meatball head..." Sailor Mars said as her eyes watered with tears. "I am so angry at you for getting lost!" She spoke with a tone that didn't sound angry at all.
They realized that she was badly hurt and her eyes were fighting to stay open. Soon enough, breathing became a difficult task as weariness and exhaustion overcame her.
"Hold on Sailor Moon, you hold on, do you hear me?" Sailor Jupiter pleaded with her.
Sailor Moon glanced over at Tuxedo Mask who was still in the same spot where he had passed away. The girls all followed suit and their eyes were filled with sorrow as they realized who Sailor Moon was looking at.
"Oh Serena...I'm so sorry." Sailor Mercury trailed off not quite knowing what to say.
"Come on, let's get you home." Sailor Venus said quietly.
They all began to attempt to lift Sailor Moon, but she vigorously shook her head causing them to cease their movements. The other scouts looked at each other dumbfounded wondering why she was protesting.
"Sailor Moon, we're going to get you out of here. Your wounds need to be treated!" Sailor Mars spoke with urgency in her voice and pleading in her eyes.
Sailor Moon only shook her head once again. "I'm sorry..." Despite her wounds, her eyes held some sort of serene, yet determined look. "I need to go to him."
The scouts' eyes all widened in terror at the thought of the meaning behind her words. Before anyone else could reply, Sailor Moon closed her eyes as if she were simply falling asleep, but everyone knew better.
"No, don't!! Don't!!!" Sailor Mars screamed shaking her as if trying to wake her. "Damn it, Serena!" Her eyes remained closed and quickly after, Sailor Mercury felt for a pulse.
There were a few moments of silence as they all waited for the confirmation that she was still alive, but they all watched in sheer horror as Sailor Mercury simply hung her head without saying a word.
"No, I won't believe it!" Sailor Mars screamed aloud not caring that she was too loud. Suddenly, a thought entered her mind. The silver imperium crystal! She quickly reached towards Sailor Moon's brooch and opened it fervently hoping that it would solve all their problems.
She clasped her hand to her mouth when she realized the crystal was quite simply dead. There was no glow or sparkle and no sign at all that it was the very same crystal that had defeated Queen Beryl. It was now just a round jewel that held no significance. It was of no use.
For the first time in her life, Sailor Mars broke down. The fiery and stubborn one allowed her pride to flee from her as she wept uncontrollably.
Everyone was so grief-stricken that they failed to notice the small black crystal earring that softly glowed in the darkness.
A/N: Now before you all stone me, (runs and hides) I have to remind you that once again, you just gotta believe me and trust me with this story. One thing I hate is when you read a story that you get into only to be left empty at the end of it all and so I won't leave you like that at the end. I know, you must feel that way right now, but once again, you just need to trust me. Some of you may notice that the Sailor Scouts had their advanced powers (the attacks that they develop much later than the season this story is set in) in this chapter. I decided since they were going "turbo" then of course they would need their stronger powers.
Raventhedarkprincess: I'm really flattered that you wanted to read my story, but I hope you were still able to catch the movie with your friends! I do agree with you that Darien is always dying and getting hurt and getting kidnapped and turning evil, but I wanted there to be a certain irony in this story. The irony is that she risked her life so that Darien would be the one to save her, but she ends up being the one who needs to save Darien. Believe it or not, you little suggestion about sailor moon being the one to die fueled some ideas for this story. Thanks for reading!
SerenityDeath: Well I'm happy that you're not happy that Darien died because obviously, we want all the characters to live. I'm sorry that this isn't quite happening here, but like I said, things will turn out. Also, you can refer to the reply to raventhedarkprincess because she kind of said the same thing as you. Thanks for being a faithful reader! You don't know how much I appreciate it!
ToriKay: Your evident emotional attachment to my story always makes me smile. It makes me laugh too. Yes, you are right, serena has the silver crystal, but I didn't want to make it too easy. Things will turn out fine though, I assure you. I give you my gratitude for your continuous reading of my story.
MoonPrincessMagic: I hope your question about Tuxedo Mask being really dead was answered in this chapter. In the anime, it was actually the future King Endymion who sent the dreams to Darien. I always thought it was a tad ridiculous that he would do that, like he was trying to purposely break himself and Serena up?
markus777: If you didn't like the last chapter's end, I doubt you liked this chapter's end. I assure you though, the story will not end tragically. I, myself cannot bear reading those types of stories. So don't worry! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Lady Sylver: Aw, you really think that it keeps getting better and better? Thanks! One of the more positive comments I've received so far. LOL.
serenity11287: Refer to the reply for markus777. Thanks for being a faithful reader. I appreciate people like you!
River Angel: You flatter me! I hope you keep reading because it's not over yet!
empty-spaces: Aw, it's people like you who encourage me to keep going and finish this story! I appreciate your support!
Emerald124: You just gave me an idea for this story! (grin)
UF GATOR: Thanks for keeping up with my story!! I really truly appreciate it!
