Chapter Fifty Nine. Blasts from the Past

"Get the Necklace of Oros from Zorelda!" Hadea told both her army and Jedda's army. "Subdue her cohorts as well!"

Jedda looked as Rick was appearing to be closer to death's door as he was continuing to lose blood. She looked as the Empress knelt to them.

"Mother?" Jedda eyed her tearfully.

"It looks like it was a blast meant for your children." Hadea took notice of the wound. She wasted no time in healing Rick's injury. A glow surrounded the Empress and then the same glow surrounded Rick.

Seconds later, the glow was gone and Rick started to move around.

"What happened?" Rick muttered. Hadea motioned him to lay back down.

"You will be able to walk again," the Empress assured him, "but you still need to rest."

Jedda smiled as she held her fiance's hand. "You're all right."

Hadea motioned two noblewomen who arrived at the area. They surrounded both Rick and Jedda.

"Take Rick Gordon to my daughter's chambers to rest." she told the noblewomen. They took Rick on a stretcher and the three left the area. Then Hadea looked over at Jedda. "I suggest you go with them, Daughter. You'll be safe there."

"What about the Necklace of Oros?" Jedda asked.

"Rest assured it will be returned to you." Hadea answered. "Now go."

Jedda wasted no time and left the scene, following Rick and the noblewomen. Jedda's army followed soon afterwards.

"You saved my son's life." Flash walked to the Empress. "I cannot thank you enough."

"We told you he would be in good hands." Hadea replied.

"We could use a little help here!" Amy shouted as Zorelda knocked down her father with magical energy. She was knocked down seconds later.

Hadea observed that Zorelda had just made a dumb move taking the Necklace of Oros out of her arms and gathered that she was powerful but not wise when it came to making decisions like this.

"Now I will use the Necklace of Oros to..." Zorelda started to declare.

Suddenly, she was interrupted when a streak of red energy appeared at the scene, causing the witch to lose the Necklace of Oros from her grasp. The object was seen next to a rose. Hadea glanced at one of her guards to get the necklace and give it to her.

-Sailor-Moon-Defenders-

Usagi looked to see Mamoru as Tuxedo Mask at the scene.

"After all this time," Kunzite stated, "the Sailor Guardians still have Tuxedo Mask by their side."

"You would be surprised to see what I have since we last met." Mamoru replied. He posed as he prepared to launch his attack.

"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!"

The attack knocked down Kunzite and Zoisite as they were caught off guard. Mamoru sent another blast which knocked down Nephrite and Jadeite as well.

"They're down for now." Makoto declared.

"Sailor Moon," Mamoru told his lover, "now is your chance to defeat Zorelda!"

"Right!" Usagi nodded before she prepared her attack at Zorelda to defeat the witch once and for all.

"This is impossible!" Zorelda exclaimed.

"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"

The attack hit Zorelda in full blast. When the blast clears, the witch was gone.

-Sailor-Moon-Defenders-

Hadea took a deep breath. So, Zorelda was gone. Defeated by Sailor Moon. She had this feeling that this was too good to be true.

"Hadea." the Phantom spoke up.

The Empress turned around to face him.

"Sailor Moon defeated Zorelda, at least for the time being." Hadea stated. "The witch is too powerful for Sailor Moon to eliminate her just like that."

"You saw Zorelda get vaporized."

"True but Zorelda is a powerful witch from Mongo history. Something tells me, despite this outcome, she will be back."

-Sailor-Moon-Defenders-

Kunzite glanced up as he and the other Four Heavenly Kings glanced at the Defenders and the Sailor Guardians.

"Well," Jadeite spoke up, "it was nice to meet the new faces in this room."

"And it was nice to see the Sailor Guardians once again." Zoisite added.

"But we should be going now." Kunzite glanced around.

"Not so fast!" Usagi spoke up as she got out her silver crystal which started to glow and that took the Four Heavenly Kings by surprise. "Moon Healing Escalation! Please, silver crystal, have these four remember their past lives!"

A white light surrounded the area. Kunzite couldn't help but to wonder what was going on.

First, the four men saw Jadeite with Sailor Mars.

"I was the love interest of Sailor Mars in the past life." Jadeite spoke up in surprise.

"What?!" Rei gasped in surprise.

Then everyone saw Nephrite with Sailor Jupiter.

"So I was the love interest of Sailor Jupiter in the past life." Nephrite stared in awe.

"No way!" Makoto exclaimed.

Then there was an image of Zoisite with Sailor Mercury.

"I was the love interest of Sailor Mercury in the past life!" Zoisite exclaimed. Ami only looked on in surprise.

And finally, there was an image of Kunzite with Sailor Venus.

"And I was the love interest of Sailor Venus in the past life." Kunzite stated. Minako stared back in response. "We were both leaders of our respective groups."

"Still are." Kunzite nodded before glancing at everyone in the room, especially Sailor Moon with a realization. "We were not destined to serve evil and destined to help you Sailor Guardians."

"That's not all." Usagi said before another image appeared before the Four Heavenly Kings. They saw themselves in the past life along with Prince Endymion.

"Is that..." Zoisite started to ask.

"Prince Endymion!" Jadeite exclaimed in surprise.

"You are the Four Heavenly Kings!" Endymion declared as the four men knelt before him. First, he gently tapped his sword at Jadeite's shoulder. "Jadeite, knight of patience and harmony."

Then he gently tapped his sword at Nephrite's shoulder. "Nephrite, knight of intelligence and comfort."

Then he did the same with Zoisite. "Zoisite, knight of purification and healing."

Finally, tapped his sword to Kunzite. "And finally Kunzite, leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, knight of purity and affection."

Moments later, the image cleared.

"It's all clear now." Kunzite stated in awe. "In the past life, we were loyal knights to Prince Endymion. Then Queen Beryl chose us as a part of her generals, hence corrupting us in the process."

-Sailor-Moon-Defenders-

Haruka was surprised by this. She glanced over at Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru before looking at the Four Heavenly Kings. So those men that were their enemies in the past were actually a part of their past life? She found this hard to believe and assumed the rest of the Outers felt the same way.

"Where will we go from here?" Zoisite asked.

Everyone was startled to see five blasts of energy on the scene.

"Watch out!" Setsuna shouted.

Mamoru was hit by one of the blasts. He tried to break out of the energy but to no avail and he was frozen in place.

"Mamo!" Usagi exclaimed in shock.

"Master!" Kunzite exclaimed before he was hit with another blast of energy, which caused him to be frozen in place. Zoisite, Jadeite and Nephrite were also hit with the energy blasts.

"What's going on?!" Minako demanded.

Everyone in the room heard a familiar evil laugh. In the shadows, Ming the Merciless arrived in the room.

"Ming!" Hadea stepped forward in anger. "How dare you enter the palace without my permission?!"

"What did you do to Mamoru and the Four Heavenly Kings?!" Haruka demanded.

"You may not worry about them." Ming assured the group. "They are not harmed. I have placed them in suspended animation."

"So they're alive?" Ami asked.

"Yes they are alive." Ming answered. "That's because I have plans for these five in particular. Take Tuxedo Mask and the Four Heavenly Kings!"

Garax and a group of ice soldiers grab Mamoru and the Four Heavenly Kings and take them to Ming. Suddenly, Ming's forces started to become surrounded with red energy.

"Mamo!" Usagi hurried to try to save her lover. Rei, Ami, Makoto and Minako all followed suit.

"Princess!" Haruka tried in vain to stop Sailor Moon.

"Sailor Moon, wait!" Michiru exclaimed.

"Kunzite!" Minako called out, only to be stopped by Setsuna.

"Zoisite!" Ami followed suit, only to be stopped by Haruka.

"Nephrite!" Makoto called out, only for her to be stopped by Michiru.

"Jadeite!" Rei called out, only for her to be stopped by Hotaru.

"Mamo!" Usagi called out in anguish as Ming and his forces took off with Mamoru and the Four Heavenly Kings.

"No!" Usagi fell to her knees, sobbing. "Not again. Mamo."

"Why did you stop us?!" Makoto demanded.

"There's nothing any of us can do right now." Haruka told her and the other Guardians as she looked around to see the stunned looks of the Defenders of the Earth.

"We will get them back." Hotaru assured them.

"Our prince and the Four Heavenly Kings." Michiru added.

Haruka glanced on as Sheila went to comfort Usagi.

"It's going to be okay, hon." she assured her. "We will get your boyfriend and those four men back from my father's grasps. I promise."