Picking up from last chapter's cliffhanger. The resurrection of Nephrite begins, but just as Sailor Jupiter, Princess Serenity, and Prince Endymion begin the ritual, Kunzite shows up. Will they finish the resurrection? Or will Kunzite be able interrupt it?
(Late Saturday Afternoon)
Miles away from where Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, Ryo, and the Sailor Guardians were planning the resurrection of Nephrite or planning on tricking and trapping him, in the heart of Tokyo, very high up in the sky, Kunzite could see the disturbance in the distance, and saw the lightning strike in the distance. "What's going on over there?" he asked himself. It was a strange enough disturbance that he deemed it worthy enough to warrant his attention and perhaps give him a lead where he could find Prince Endymion. He teleported from very high up in the sky to very close to where he believed the disturbance was.
Kunzite wasn't expecting the sight he was witnessing. He was well aware that this was the site where Nephrite had met his demise because of Zoisite who refused to share the details with him, and he saw Prince Endymion holding hands with Princess Serenity and Sailor Jupiter inside of a force field of sorts. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked himself. He saw the Legendary Silver Crystal, the Legendary Golden Crystal, and Sailor Jupiter's transformation wand working together.
Kunzite didn't know what they were planning or why those three objects would be needed. Normally, he was the one that was on the offensive, not the defensive. He did not like the fact that he was on the defensive side, not one little bit.
Kunzite's thoughts were everywhere. Why did he know that object was called the Legendary Golden Crystal? Why did he feel like it was something he was supposed to protect along with something? Or was it with someone else? He felt he was on the verge of remembering something important about him, but as he reached for those memories, it was like something or someone was blocking him from reaching them.
Kunzite also realized, just by looking at Prince Endymion, somehow he had overcome the brainwashing that he had sustained at the hands of Queen Beryl. In his shock and dismay, he had dropped his guard and wasn't expecting what happened next. When he realized he had fallen into Sailor Guardians' trap, it was already too late to do anything. He couldn't even combat their next move.
"Crescent Beam!"
"Fire Soul!"
Kunzite turned toward them, but it was too late as he saw the fire had already merged with the beam that then became a chain. "You can do better than that, Sailor Guardians!" he shouted even though he felt like he got the one, two punch. Now, though, he had a visual both on Sailor Venus and on Sailor Mars. He knew that if he could get off that chain then he would be able to throw his next attack at them.
"We didn't need to do better, Kunzite," Sailor Venus argued, disagreeing with him, who also smirked at him.
That smirk annoyed Kunzite, and he had plans to make her regret it. Though, it was something else that he could add to the list of things or actions that looked or sounded familiar to him or why it felt familiar that he wanted to make her regret such an action. He swore to himself he was going to start keeping a list.
"We just needed to be smarter because we needed a little bit more time first," Sailor Venus finished. She held him tight in the Crescent Beam of Fire refusing to let him out because there was one other that needed to be done.
Kunzite could feel the fire licking at him even though he noticed it wasn't as hot as he was normally used to. He wondered what the Sailor Guardians had planned for him and possibly Nephrite. And why did he have this protective streak for Nephrite? "We'll see about that," he said, ignoring his epiphany. He was so close to escaping the Beam of Fire.
Sailor Venus noticed this, and shouted, "Mercury, do it now!"
The three Sailor Guardians hoped this was the move that would distract Kunzite long enough not to bother what ritual their princess, the prince, and Sailor Jupiter were performing. They hoped he would be too preoccupied looking for them instead.
"Bubble Spray!"
The surrounding area filled with mist and fog around Kunzite which obscured his view of the Sailor Guardians he was fighting as well as their princess, the prince, and fellow Guardian. The Beam of Fire had dropped only seconds later after the fog appeared. "That's only going to delay the inevitable!" he shouted at them, angrily.
Kunzite was used to getting the drop on Sailor Moon and her Sailor Guardians, used to being the one on the offense. Now the tables have been turned, and he's on the defense. He had to wonder what they were planning. He had to wonder if it had done something with Nephrite. If it was something to do with Nephrite, what is it that they could want?
xXx
In the tree, the three Sailor Guardians, who had been tasked with protecting the others while the ritual was being performed, along with Luna and Artemis, had designated would be the tree they would hide in, Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars stood, or in Sailor Mercury's case, sat with her legs dangling down, very high up on very sturdy branches.
"Normally, he's more prepared for this sort of thing," Sailor Venus informed them. She thought about how he was during their time together in their past lives. "There's no doubt we definitely had surprised him with our trap."
"There is no doubt about that," Luna said as she looked over at Sailor Mercury's compact computer screen. Praying what Sailor Venus, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars did here mattered in the long run. Praying that they were able to distract Kunzite long enough for Princess Serenity, Sailor Jupiter, and Prince Endymion to complete the ritual.
"We finally got the drop on him," Sailor Mars said, very pleased with her and the other two Sailor Guardians that their plan had worked.
"Now, it's up to Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, and Sailor Jupiter to do their part in this," Sailor Mercury said, hiding her worry from the other Sailor Guardians. Her eyes were also the screen of her compact computer as she also concentrated on the fog. She had hoped Ryo was far enough away, so Kunzite wouldn't realize where they got their knowledge from.
"We just need to keep an eye on him until they complete the ritual," Artemis said.
"If he starts his way toward them, then we can go after him," Sailor Venus continued. She had her eyes glued on Sailor Mercury's computer screen, and she was pretty sure where Kunzite was at compared to where they were or even where the ritual was being performed. Since she wasn't certain, she would leave the certainty to Sailor Mercury.
"And let's hope that he doesn't interrupt the ritual they had begun," Sailor Mars stated. She looked over to where their princess, the prince, and Sailor Jupiter were in the process of performing the ritual. She hoped and wished the ritual was a success. Most of all, she wished for their victory.
xXx
Ryo hated that he had to stay away from the fighting. Even though he knew he would just get in and be in the way. He hoped though, as he stayed out of sight, everything was going according to plan. Though, when he saw the mist and fog form, he knew Sailor Mercury was able to unleash her Bubble Spray. That ability, alone, made him hope and realize, so far, everything was going according to plan. He knew sometimes even the best laid plans can go awry, and he hoped this time, for once, they wouldn't. If they could just get this win, then they could get to the next one. And the next one. Then eventually go after Queen Beryl to ensure their victory.
xXx
At the same time as the three Sailor Guardians fought, or rather in the process of outwitting, Kunzite, Sailor Jupiter's transformation wand, Princess Serenity's Legendary Silver Crystal, and Prince Endymion's Legendary Golden Crystal had risen high above their heads while the three of them had taken each other's hands to hold tight, as it was on instinct, while a force field closed over them with them inside as wind started to whip around in every direction, without a pattern. They closed their eyes, as everything had gone white, and prayed that Nephrite's heart and soul would be good and full.
Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, and Sailor Jupiter let their memories of Nephrite flow into the spell. Whether it was from the Silver Millenium, the Golden Kingdom, or in this life.
xXx
Months ago, in this very forest, in that very spot, Sailor Jupiter, Prince Endymion, and Princess Serenity were in, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars watched helplessly as Naru held a dying Nephrite, begging him not to die, begging him to live, and silently begging him to love her by staying by her side.
"Nephrite," Naru said, begging. "We're safe now."
Nephrite turned to look at Sailor Moon. He was surprised to see the Sailor Guardian of Love and Justice was crying on his behalf, or maybe she had sympathy for Naru. Either way, it showed how much she loved her friend, how much she loved Naru. "Sailor Moon, it looks like your true identity will remain a secret after all," he promised her. Even now, he wouldn't say anything to Naru.
"No!" Naru shouted. "Don't die!"
"I'm sorry," Nephrite told her as he laid his hand on her face. He hated to see how much pain she was in, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He knew that Sailor Moon and her Sailor Guardians would be there for Naru. "I don't think we'll be having chocolate parfait together."
"Please stay," Naru begged.
"Look like I've continued to lie to you until the very end," Nephrite had confessed to her. "Forgive me."
"No," Naru said, denying the fact Nephrite was dying.
"Thank you," Nephrite told Naru, "for being part of my life."
"Nephrite, please wake up!" Naru begged loudly as tears started to pour down from her eyes. "No, no!"
"You can't go," Sailor Moon said, who was also crying. It touched her what Nephrite did for her friend. He saved her friend, and for that alone, she will forever be grateful.
"He promised we would have chocolate parfait together," Naru said.
Nephrite started to disappear from her arms as he drew his final breath.
"You can't just break a promise," Naru said, while Nephrite was disappearing in her arms and the orange cloth from her nightshirt fell from his disappeared body. "You can't!" She continued to bellow.
Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars stood away while Nephrite and Naru had their moment. However, Naru stayed on the ground continuously crying saying the same things.
Sailor Moon, still crying a bit, had walked toward Naru. She kneeled down in front of Naru and gently took her into her arms.
Gratefully leaning into someone, Naru grabbed the side of Sailor Moon's and squeezed. For a long time after, Sailor Moon just held on to her friend as she cried. They cried together.
xXx
In the present time, under the force field, Princess Serenity's body had flashed silver.
xXx
In the Golden Kingdom, Prince Endymion and the four Shitennou Knights were taking turns sword practicing. The two best people trained with their swords were Prince Endymion and Kunzite, but the others kept up the practice because they had been told that their abilities could fail them at any time. The only weapon they could have at their disposal was their sword if their abilities decided to go haywire.
Prince Endymion was pitting his sword against Nephrite's. His Shitennou Knight had come a long way in his fighting skills when they had first started. His father had forced all five of them to learn because they didn't like each other and figured maybe this was a good way to start for them to acquire respect for each other, but now, years later, he enjoyed this time with his Shitennou Knights and a bond that goes further than just prince and vassal. He treasured these moments with them.
Because all of them had paired up with each of Princess Serenity's Sailor Guardians, Prince Endymion got to spend more time with her. Sailor Venus and Kunzite, who were each head of their security, had put their foot down about their relationship. Even though they were royalty, they had threatened them that they would listen to them when it came to keeping them safe. It was either that or they would be kept apart and their guard would be increased. As much as they hate to do this, the Monarchs of both the Silver Millenium and the Golden Kingdom will be informed. Both the prince and the princess had opted for the lesser of evils and followed the orders of the head of their guard.
To both Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity, not being together was unbearable. They both counted down the days to when they would see each other again. From the way it stood, Prince Endymion knew the next time would be in a couple of days.
Though Nephrite had blocked an attack from Prince Endymion's sword, Prince Endymion could tell his Shitennou Knight seemed a bit distracted because he kept dropping his guard more than usual, but he didn't know if he should cross the line and say something. However, when he couldn't take it anymore, when he knew he had to say something, Prince Endymion had given the signal to stop and placed his sword pointing to the ground. "Nephrite, is there something else going on?" he asked, concerned with just how distracted he was.
"I'm fine, Master," Nephrite said, shaking off the prince's worry.
Prince Endymion narrowed his eyes at the Shitennou Knight of Intelligence and Comfort. He wondered if Nephrite realized that he wouldn't believe that, not for one second.
Nephrite then laid his sword at that moment as well. He shouldn't have been surprised that his master had figured out how distracted he was. He had dropped his guard more times than he cared to count, more than he cared to admit during today's practice. His master was a perceptive man. "I'm sorry, Master," he said.
Kunzite, Jadeite, and Zoisite had walked over when they had noticed the two of them were taking a break.
"Nephrite, you keep dropping your guard," the Shitennou Knight of Purity and Affection advised Nephrite what he needed to right himself.
"Thanks for noticing, Kunzite," Nephrite sputtered out. "My head is just not in it today."
"Clearly," Jadeite said sarcastically.
"Jadeite," Kunzite said. "I seem to recall you having issues with Mars not that long ago. Mistaking her passion for anger, was it?"
Differentiated from his position and having been chided about his own relationship, Jadeite shrugged and crossed his arms, but he did refrain himself from making another comment to Nephrite.
"Jupiter?" Zoisite asked, curiously.
When Nephrite didn't confirm or deny, Prince Endymion wasn't surprised that, as usual, Zoisite had hit the bullseye in one. "Would you mind giving us some space?" he asked the other three Shitennou Knights. He looked over at Kunzite who he knew would get the other two to follow his command.
With only a nod of the understood unsaid order, Kunzite turned to the two other Shitennou Knights, the Shitennou Knight of Purification and Healing and the Shitennou Knight of Patience and Harmony. "Zoisite, Jadeite," he started. "Why don't we have the two of you pair up?"
"Aw, come on, Kunzite," Jadeite complained. "Have mercy on me."
"It's not my fault that you are the one lacking skills," Zoisite told them when they started walking back. It was the only physical skill he was better at than Jadeite was which had irritated Jadeite.
As the three of them walked away, Prince Endymion and Nephrite could hear Jadeite comment, "Would you prefer going toe to toe with me in archery?" They both knew that comment was directed toward Zoisite.
Nephrite turned to look at Prince Endymion. "Zoisite is right," he confirmed. "Jadeite is lacking skills where the sword is concerned."
"He just hates the sword; it is his worst skill. He's just better at the bow and arrow than the rest of us," Prince Endymion told him. "But is everything going alright with Sailor Jupiter?"
"Yes, Master," Nephrite confirmed. If he couldn't confide in his master, then who could he confide in? "I think I'm in love with Jupiter."
Prince Endymion stared at him. Though he had already believed all of his Shitennou Knight had fallen in love with the Guardian he was with, Kunzite with Sailor Venus, Jadeite with Sailor Mars, and Zoisite with Sailor Mercury. "Well, that is news," he said. He didn't want to confirm that he already had the information in his possession. "What are your thoughts?" Prince Endymion did wonder if Princess Serenity was having a similar conversation with Sailor Jupiter or one of her other Sailor Guardians.
"I'm still trying to figure that out," Nephrite confessed. "But I love her so much. She challenges me, makes me stronger, makes me feel things, makes me think, makes me want to protect her feelings."
Prince Endymion smirked. "What are you planning to do then?" he asked his Shitennou Knight. He already knew what the answer was going to be, but he wanted to hear Nephrite say it.
Nephrite gave him a small smile. "I'm going to inform her of how I feel," he told her.
"I'm glad to hear it," Prince Endymion said. He lifted his sword up. "Now, let's go again."
When the two of them started to practice sword fighting again, Nephrite didn't drop his guard again and gave Prince Endymion a run for his money.
Prince Endymion believed Nephrite would even give Kunzite a run for his money.
xXx
In the present time, under the force field, Prince Endymion's body had flashed gold.
xXx
During the Silver Millennium, Princess Serenity had once again gone to visit Earth, the Golden Kingdom, to feel the wind in her hair for a few hours. However, when the twenty-four hour mark hit, when Sailor Venus was on the verge of having nervous breakdown, Sailor Venus had informed Sailor Jupiter it was her turn to collect Princess Serenity from Earth. While informing Sailor Jupiter of what she needed to do, Sailor Venus was haggard.
As this was Sailor Jupiter's first visit to Earth, Sailor Mercury had given her a very brief demonstration on their customs. Once when Sailor Mercury was pleased enough with the information Sailor Jupiter had retained, she had sent her on her way. "Good luck," Sailor Mercury told her.
Sailor Jupiter gave Sailor Mercury a look of confusion, but the brilliant Guardian didn't elaborate. Though, she had noticed the rest of the Sailor Guardians were acting weird, and she didn't have the faintest idea why her friends were acting like that. Though, she knew it had started after they came back from Earth with Princess Serenity in tow.
When Sailor Jupiter had started to question her fellow Sailor Guardians' behaviors, they all had wanted to bite her head off. Sailor Jupiter knew better than to ask her princess or even her queen about the rest of the Sailor Guardians' behaviors. If the queen heard that the princess had been down on Earth, she knew their lives wouldn't be worth living. They should have been keeping a closer, or better yet, better eye on her.
Sailor Jupiter shook those thoughts away as she walked into the secret room inside of the Moon Palace. This room held on the doors to the planets in their solar system. It wasn't the first time she had been in this room, but it was the first time she was going through a door that wasn't leading to her home world.
Sailor Jupiter looked over at the door that had the picture and name of her home world. "I'm sorry, Father," she said. She then turned back around and walked to the door that had the picture and said Earth on the door. She opened the door and walked through it.
The moment Sailor Jupiter had walked through, she could feel the gravity of Earth. She realized it wasn't as heavy as her home planet's, but it was definitely heavier than the Moon's. She realized something that she was going to have to get used to.
"So you're Sailor Jupiter?" she heard a deep male voice say from behind her.
Sailor Jupiter looked over where the voice had come from. She studied the man carefully who had spoken to her. He had long wavy brown hair and brown eyes. His pristine uniform was gray with a red outline. He had knee length black boots, a black belt, and gray stud earrings. "And who are you?"
He just smirked at her which just annoyed her because she was finding him attractive. "My name is Nephrite," he informed her as a way of introduction. "I am one of Prince Endymion's Shitennou Knights. I am the Shitennou Knight of Intelligence and Comfort." He offered his hand to her.
Sailor Jupiter kept her eyes on him, still not taking his offered hand, still unsure of what to make of this so-called Shitennou Knight. "And how do you know that I am Sailor Jupiter?" she asked him then. She wasn't planning on confirming her identity to him.
Nephrite couldn't help it and started chuckling as he put the hand he had offered to her in his pocket. Later, when they were more acquainted, he would tell her he knew what she was trying to do and failing which had amused him. "Your princess nailed you perfectly," he told her.
"My princess?" Sailor Jupiter said, still refusing to confirm anything.
Nephrite continued chuckling which led into a boisterous laugh. "You can drop the act," he told her while still laughing. He had a feeling he had to show her his hand before she would reveal her own. "Your princess, of which by the way is Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, of the Moon Kingdom or more widely called the Silver Millenium, has been under our protection commanded by our master, our prince, Prince Endymion, the heir to the Golden Kingdom, since she has come to Earth to visit him. She had informed my prince that one of her Sailor Guardians, who, I have been told, are similar in status to the Shitennou Knights, would collect her and bring her back to the Moon Kingdom, and she asked him if one of his Shitennou Knights would meet them when they get here as they won't get lost. I was the only Shitennou Knight that hadn't had the pleasure of meeting and escorting one of her Sailor Guardians to where she was in the palace. Satisfied?"
"Hardly," Sailor Jupiter huffed. She wasn't happy Princess Serenity gave away her tells so easily, realizing why her comrades were behaving differently and suspecting that her princess had a hand in that. Though, she did wonder if it was with Nephrite or with the other of Prince Endymion's Shitennou Knights. "I am Sailor Jupiter as you suspected," she confirmed. "Where is Princess Serenity?"
"Straight to business, I see," Nephrite commented. "I can very much respect that." He motioned with his head which direction they were taking.
"You know you could have just sent her back to the Moon Kingdom," Sailor Jupiter informed him as she crossed her arms.
"I wasn't the first one who was informed about her little visits," Nephrite told her. "And it took me and the rest of the Shitennou Knights precious months to figure out how our prince escaped our guard." He knew by that time, it was too late. "Then took a few more months to figure out where he was going and who he was seeing."
"Venus had told us that she has been coming here for well over a year to feel the wind in her hair," Sailor Jupiter told him.
"Huh." Nephrite was going through the timeline in his head of the events he knew of where and when the prince and the princess would make their rendezvous. He would report this information back to Kunzite, as they were still collecting data of when exactly the two of them had met.
Nephrite knew it was a month ago when the Shitennou Knights had confirmed who their prince was spending his time. He knew if their king had ever found out who that was their lives wouldn't be worth living. "Just so you know, it's not easy to hide the Moon Princess in the Golden Kingdom," he informed her.
"Maybe we should just find a way to keep them apart," Sailor Jupiter suggested.
"That is easier said than done now," Nephrite told her. "Kunzite has tried everything to dissuade the couple from seeing each other with no avail."
"So your solution is to keep letting the two of them see each other?" Sailor Jupiter asked. "What about the consequences of the Gods?"
Nephrite smiled at her. "Apparently, your Sailor Mercury and one of our own Shitennou Knights on it," he informed her. He opened up one of the large double doors which revealed her princess being held by his prince and the two of them looking into each other's eyes. There was such a feeling of calm from her princess that she had never seen or witnessed before.
There was no doubt the scene moved Sailor Jupiter, and she could feel her anger at her princess slipping away because she saw and instinctively knew what her princess had found with the Prince of Earth. She looked up at Nephrite and damned the consequences for her princess. "I will help in any way I can," she told Nephrite.
Nephrite smiled. "Prince Endymion, Princess Serenity, I present to you, Sailor Jupiter," he informed them.
"I've come to take you home, Princess," Sailor Jupiter stated as she walked into the room a bit. She made herself walk into the room. "It's time for you to say your goodbyes and come with me back to the Moon Kingdom."
Princess Serenity turned her head to look and nodded at her Sailor Guardian to let her know that she understood. "I understand," she said. She then turned to look back up at Prince Endymion who placed his hands on her face and kissed her gently on the lips.
The scene was getting too much for Sailor Jupiter, so she walked out of the room and laid her head against the other double door giving the royal couple a moment alone to say their goodbyes.
Nephrite followed her. "Are you okay?" he asked her.
Sailor Jupiter nodded at him. "I will be," she told him, letting him know on a certain level that the scene had gotten to her. "But it's not about us. It's about them."
"I like your courage and determination," Nephrite told her. "When she's finished saying her goodbye to Prince Endymion, I will escort you both back to the door."
When Princess Serenity was finished saying her goodbye to Prince Endymion, Nephrite escorted the princess and her guardian back to the door to the Moon. He sensed Sailor Jupiter needed more time to contemplate, but he knew that she would do anything for her princess, just as he would do anything for his prince. He had seen the look of longing on his prince's face, and he sensed that his prince had fallen in love with the Moon Princess because she didn't pretend to be anything other than who she is.
xXx
In the present time, under the force field, Sailor Jupiter's body had flashed emerald.
The three objects, Prince Endymion's Terrain Cane, Sailor Jupiter's Transformation Wand, and Princess Serenity's Moon Stick, lowered below them still in the center, each flashing either emerald, gold, or silver. The objects still levitated while swirling, and then suddenly, Nephrite's body appeared in the middle of the circle they had created. As Nephrite took his first breath, the objects returned to their rightful owners, the wand back to Sailor Jupiter which had disappeared into her subspace, the Moon Stick back to Princess Serenity who held it close to her chest, and the Terrain Cane back to Prince Endymion who lowered it and used it walking stick.
Sailor Jupiter couldn't help it and kneeled down next to Nephrite. "Nephrite?" she said.
Nephrite had sat up and was a little disoriented at first, not noticing Prince Endymion or Princess Serenity. "Jupiter?" he said, confused. He laid his hand on his head and then stared into her hopeful eyes. "Jupiter, I remember everything."
Before she could say anything or do anything, Sailor Jupiter found herself wrapped around in Nephrite's arms. Without a thought, she wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the relief swirling inside her.
Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity shared a look even while she still kept her hand in his, threading their fingers together. "I think that answers one question," Prince Endymion stated, referring to the fact that Nephrite remembers his past life.
"It certainly does," Princess Serenity said.
The moment Nephrite heard Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity's voices, he turned and saw Prince Endymion who was relieved to see that the ritual had worked. He then promptly let go of Sailor Jupiter and rolled his body until he was on his knees. "I'm so sorry, Master, for everything."
"None of that now," Prince Endymion commanded.
"But we still have Kunzite to deal with, my love," Princess Serenity reminded them.
"Kunzite and Zoisite are still under Beryl's spell?" Nephrite asked. He remembered that Jadeite was in a deep sleep as punishment for not finding the Legendary Silver Crystal, but he was already dead by the time Zoisite died. "What happened to Naru?" He was trying his best to remember everything, but there was still so much to remember from both of his lives. He knew there would be a span of time he was missing in their reincarnated lives. "I'm so confused."
"Jupiter," Princess Serenity said. "Stay with him."
"No," Nephrite said, indefinitely, refusing to be left behind. That was not his duty. "I can help."
"Nephrite, even I needed a moment," Prince Endymion said. "Take it. Serenity and I can help her Sailor Guardians with Kunzite." He reeked of command.
"What about you and the princess?" Nephrite challenged. "Or have you forgotten how weak either of you were after handling your respective crystals when you were practicing using them?"
Prince Endymion ignored his vassal's question. "Can you, even in your current state, possess his body?" he asked, remembering his vassal's ability.
Nephrite knew Prince Endymion would ask him. There are some things that change and some things that remain the same. The love Prince Endymion had for his Shitennou Knights will never change and the vice versa would be the same as well. "No, but I can handle the sword almost as well as you can, Master," he challenged. "It's better to be two on one, than one on one."
"Prince Endymion," Sailor Jupiter started as she stood up to face her Princess and her true love. The memory of seeing their competition board in the armory had made her shake her head, and not for the first time. Though she knew the real reason why she remembered it, she shook the memory away as it wasn't pertinent. "He's right. In the Golden Kingdom, you and Kunzite were about even on wins. You need Nephrite's assistance to get the advantage."
During Sailor Jupiter's small speech, Nephrite stood up to face them as well, but he knew it would be Princess Serenity, as always, who would tip those scales.
Princess Serenity squeezed Prince Endymion's hand when she faced him. "I don't want to lose you. Not again. Not ever," she told him. "Please, let's all work together on this. I just know, if we work together on this, we will win."
Prince Endymion sighed, knowing his true love was right. He took her other hand to squeeze it gently and laid his forehead against hers. "Okay," he said. "Then let's go together."
The four of them started running toward the direction where they knew the battle for the Shitennou Knight of Purity and Affection awaits.
Yes, I'm leaving off on another cliffhanger. I swear this one wasn't intentional. It just worked out that way. Though the way it's shaping up, it's going to be another doozy.