Facets Of The Death Crystal by Sailor Heart Today was the day he had waited for all his life. All of his training in the Generals had finally paid off. Within a few short hours he would become king of the Negaverse. All that remained was his coronation to make it official. He walked out of his room and strode toward the throne room. He looked in and sighed. "Oh, mighty Queen Beryl. As the new king of the Negaverse I vow to restore it to the same glorious heights that you maintained. Your destruction was premature. For that, the Sailor Scouts will pay! Their destruction is imminent; so swears Citrine!" Citrine went out to the grounds at the General Academy Base. His friend, Sardonyx, was there disciplining some recruit. When Sardonyx saw Citrine, he bowed on one knee and hailed Citrine as the king of the Negaverse. "Your assistance and friendship will not go unrewarded," said Citrine. "As head of the General Academy, I will appoint you my second-in-command and Peridotite shall be the third-in- command." "How generous the soon-to-be king is. I thank you my friend. Together we shall rule the Negaverse and destroy the universe; along with those meddlesome Sailor Scouts." Yes the Sailor Scouts,' thought Citrine. How long has it been since we were able to mount a successful strike on the universe? Too long, I'm afraid. Well that's about to change.' The coronation proceeded without interruption with the exception of Malachite's protestation that he should have been king. Malachite was about to be removed but Citrine stopped the guards. He would deal with Malachite personally after the ceremony. "It is with great honour that I accept the crown of the Negaverse! I am your new King. Let the universe tremble at the sound of my name! All hail King Citrine!" Cheers erupted after the customary response of "All hail King Citrine". "Sardonyx, leader of the General Academy, Prime General of Generals step forward. I bestow upon you a great honour. From this day forward you will swear allegiance to me and become my second in command. Do you accept?" "Yes, King Citrine. My allegiance lies with you as it always has. I accept." "Very good, then. All hail the commanders of the new NegaMoon!" "Serena! Wake up already!" Serena's mother had yelled for the fourth time. Serena looked around and found her clock. "Oh no, ten after eight! I'm gonna be late for school!" Serena made a mad dash to get dressed and get downstairs so that she could grab her books breakfast and lunch and get out the door. She grabbed a muffin and her books and was looking around for her lunch bag when her mom told her it was Saturday. "But mom, if it's Saturday, why did you wake me up?!" "Because you asked to. You said you had to go over to your friend Raye's place; remember?" "Oh, yeah. Thanks mom, but I'm still gonna be late! C'mon Luna; into my backpack with you." Luna meowed defensively but knew she couldn't talk with Serena's mother standing there. As Serena ran toward Raye's temple, Luna stuck her head out of the backpack. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" No answer from Serena; she was too busy huffing and puffing. When they got to Raye's temple, both Raye and Luna were surprised. Not only was Serena on time, she was an hour earlier than the scheduled time! Luna almost fainted. Serena spent the extra time reading Raye's comic books. Good,' Raye thought, get it out of your system before we have our meeting.' As the time went by, more and more people showed up. Mina was the second one there, with Artemis of course, followed by Flame, Aqua and Tara, who had Poseidon in her arms. Amy showed up a few minutes later and last but not least Adrien and Lita came up the steps arm in arm. "They've been like that all morning." said Flame. "That's all they've being doing; holding hands and looking into each other's eyes!" "Ease up on em, Flame." said Aqua. "They're in love. Can't you see that?" "Yeah, that's the problem. You save that kinda thing for when you're out of sight; that's where YOU oughta be anyway!" And thus started another battle of the endless war between Flame and Aqua. Mina looked over at Amy and whispered. "Remember when Serena and Raye used to fight like that?" "We have seen something like this before, haven't we?" said Amy laughing. "All right, folks let's settle down." said Raye firmly. "We have a huge problem on our hands. The sacred fires have told me that there is a renewed threat from afar. It wasn't specific, but I'm sure that it's the Negaverse." If that's true, then we'll all have to be on the lookout for strange occurences." said Artemis. "Do you Elemental Scouts know what to look for?" "Yes," said Tara answering for Adrien who was still looking in Lita's eyes. "We've all fought the Negaverse as well and therefore, we know what to expect." "The flames did have a warning though;" said Raye. "To expect the unexpected. What could that mean?" "It means that even if everything seems to be normal, the Negaverse could strike at any time or anywhere." said Poseidon. "We'll all have to keep doubly on our guard. Serena, you said your friend Molly was usually susceptible to Negaverse attacks?" "Yeah. The poor girl always seems to be involved when the Negaverse comes knocking." "Then, it might be a good idea to have someone keep an eye on her? Is that what you're saying?" asked Luna. "Precisely. I'll go undercover and keep an eye on Molly so that if anything happens, I can contact you guys. Serena, you'll "give" me to Molly. Tell her I was scratching on your door and your mother said you couldn't have two cats so you decided to give me to her. Okay?" "You got it Poseidon. So what'll we do today, guys?" "The beach is open today." said Raye, Flame and Aqua in unison. "Sounds good to us" said Amy, Mina, Tara and Aria. Lita and Adrien were still looking in each other's eyes. They blinked. "I'll take that as a yes from Adrien and Lita. Any objections?" asked Mina, giggling. "No, except that Serena has to give me to Molly as soon as possible, agreed?" "Agreed," said the group and went their separate ways to prepare for a day at the beach; all that is, except for Lita and Adrien. "Oh, would you guys snap out of it, already?" said Raye snapping her fingers at them. "Huh?" said Adrien. "Did we miss something?" Tara grabbed Adrien and Mina grabbed Lita. "C'mon you two. Let's get moving." The beach was unusually cool that day but nobody thought anything about it. Everyone was having a good time. Along the way they had met up with Darian, Melvin and Molly (Serena remembered to "give" Poseidon to her and she took him to the beach anyway) who asked to get a ride. Adrien, Lita and Darian went surfing, Raye was lying on the beach working on her tan, Serena, Molly, Amy, Mina, Tara, Flame and Aqua divided up into teams to play volleyball while Melvin refereed and ogled. Luna and Artemis were walking along the boardwalk with Poseidon leading the way. "Harrrumph," said Poseidon. "So, Luna, when are you and Artemis going to get together, hmmmm?" Luna had turned about fifty shades of embarrassment red before she had the courage to speak. Artemis was right behind her. "Ummm.... well, we... er," started Luna, but she couldn't spit the words out. "We just haven't picked the proper time yet." said Artemis while winking at Luna, saying that he had just covered for her. Luna sighed in relief. "Harrrumph!" said Poseidon, a little louder than before. "In my day we started early in life..." he continued to walk down the boardwalk muttering while Luna and Artemis stayed behind. "Whew! Thanks Artemis. He's my father, and I love dearly, but sometimes he just annoys the cat-nip out of me." said Luna. "That's okay. My dad was the same way. In a way I kinda miss it. I must ask your father if he knew mine. I'm sure they must have fought along side each other. After our next meeting I'll ask him." Meanwhile, a figure stood above the beach crowds on the top of a building. He was tall and very mysterious. He pulled out a dark crystal from his pocket and held it above him. "Such energy these humans waste on what they call fun. Bah! It shall be put to good use for the Negaverse! Dark Crystal! I command you to wring all the energy from these humans, NOW!" said Sardonyx. The crystal began to oscillate and energy beams were pouring in while the people below grew weaker and weaker. People were starting to notice their weakness. Even the Scouts were not immune to the draining. Lita, Adrien and Darian had come on to the beach as soon as it hit. Serena was lightly stunned by the volleyball because she didn't have enough strength to hit it back. They all fell to the ground and passed out. "Ha! Ha! This energy will help the Negaverse! How fitting, that the energy that destroys these humans is their very own! Ha! Ha!" said Sardonyx and with that he disappeared. Luna, Artemis and Poseidon had not been involved when the energy drain hit. When they came back from their walk they noticed that the beach was as quiet as a tomb. "Something's happened here," said Luna. "Where are all the Scouts?" "Over here," shouted Artemis, who was standing by the volleyball net. "I found seven of em. They've all been completely drained!" "I've got two over here!" shouted Poseidon. "Same scenario: totally empty." "I've got one over here. Is everybody accounted for?" asked Luna standing beside Raye's inert body. Poor kid', never knew what hit her.' "I think that's everybody. So what do we do now, The Scouts are in no condition to do anything." asked Artemis. "What we do," said Poseidon with authority, "is contact the local medical facility and get some help down here immediately. Artemis, do you know how to "fix" a telephone?" "Yeah, I think so." said Artemis. "Well, then you and Luna go reach out and touch someone while I keep an eye on the Scouts. Got it?" "Y-yesssir." said Artemis, visibly shaken. With that, he and Luna ran to the nearest phone. Poseidon sat by Adrien's head waving his tail over Adrien's face, hoping to wake him up. Nothing. He wondered what to do if Artemis and Luna couldn't get help. There was no way the three of them would ever be able to carry any of them; even Aqua, the smallest one, wasn't possible to lift. Suddenly he heard sirens and knew that Luna and Artemis had been successful. Soon all of the Scouts and everyone else on the beach were in ambulances on their way to the hospital. "Sardonyx! Report to me your progress! How goes the energy collection?" "The work goes well, your Highness. I achieved complete energy drain from all humans I encountered. And there wasn't a Sailor Scout in sight." "Excellent, Sardonyx. I was quite right in making you my second-hand man. The energy that our minions collect will be a great asset in our battle with Earth and those meddlesome Scouts." "So what is your plan, almighty ruler of the Negaverse?" "Do I detect a note of sarcasm in your voice, Sardonyx? I had better not. All of my plans will be revealed to you when the time is proper. All that I'll tell you now, is that it will be fiendishly clever and have massive destruction. Until then, just follow my commands and you'll never have to worry about anything." Serena was the first to wake up. She sat up in her bed and looked around. Raye, Aqua Amy and Tara were in with her. They were still out. She guessed that the others were in another room, hopefully together. Gee', she thought. I'm the first one to wake up. Raye will never belie...'. She collapsed once more. Serena's fleeting notion had been right, though. In the room across the hall, Darian, Adrien, Flame, Lita and Mina were silently resting in their beds. Luna, Artemis and Poseidon had managed to sneak into the hospital and find the Scouts' rooms without being spotted. Luna had gone in to see Serena first. She jumped on the bed and started to nuzzle Serena as if they were at home and Serena was late for school. Nothing. Luna was feeling a little sick with all the tubes cords and air mask that Serena had on or around her. If there were only some way to know if she was all right or not.' thought Luna. She checked out Serena's medical chart and noticed that the doctor's diagnosis of her was "extreme exhaustion". She checked the others and noticed the same thing. At that point, Poseidon and Artemis scampered across the hall and motioned Luna to get into the closet; a nurse was coming. While they were in the closet, they took the time to compare notes. Luna told Poseidon and Artemis about what she read and the others concurred. "It smells like another Negaverse attack to me." said Luna. "All of those others, besides the Scouts, got it too. I've got know doubt it's the Negaverse." said Poseidon. "So, how do we proceed? The Scouts are in no condition to fight anyone and we can't do it by ourselves. What do we do?" asked Artemis. "We go out and get some more help. I know somebody who may be able to give us a hand. She owes me a favour and it's time to collect." said Poseidon. After making sure the coast was clear, Poseidon, with Artemis's help, opened the heavy door and the three cats left the hospital and headed back to Serena's house. "Poseidon, who is this old friend of yours? Do I know him?" asked Artemis, hoping that Poseidon was talking about his father. "No son, you don't. Besides, it's not a him'; It's a her'." Her?' thought Luna. I'm not sure I like the sound of that one bit.' "I sure hope this cat's still around," said Luna. "If she's an old friend of yours, father..." "Stop it right there." said Poseidon, rather upset. "If you're going to call me anything, call me Poseidon... please." He spit out the last word like a plea. He was upset at finding his daughter. Not because of anything she did, but because he was never around during her kittenhood. "Um... okay. If this person is an old friend of yours, Poseidon," she didn't want to make the same mistake twice. "Is it possible that she's... gone?" asked Luna; her voice trailing off. "I don't think so," said Poseidon with a harrumph. "She is the same age as I am, so she should still be around. Locating her will be a problem though. It's been a long time since we were in contact. But I think we'll be able to find her with a little hard work." When the cats got back to the Tsukino house, they ran up to Serena's room so that no one would see them talking. The house was empty so there was no threat of someone hearing them. "We used to have to check in with something called Central Command. Is that still around?" asked Poseidon. "Well, er, uh... the last controller of Central Command was... me!" said Artemis as he burst out laughing. "You'll never let me forget it, will you Artemis?" said Luna. "Forget what?" asked Poseidon, getting slightly agitated while Artemis kept on laughing. "This joker had been Central Command every time I checked in and only told me a few months back when Serena was in that finishing school." said Luna. "You mean, Artemis tricked one of the greatest Moon Kingdom minds in its history?" Poseidon asked and started to laugh himself. "Hmph!" said Luna sticking her nose up. "Becoming two barking hyenas won't help the Scouts any sooner!" "Y-y-you're right," managed Artemis "but it was hysterically funny!" And with that, he and Poseidon broke out another round of major laughs. They kept it up for fifteen minutes. "Harrrumph!" said Poseidon, finally calming down. "So Central Command is out, any other ideas?" "If Sailor Moon were around, I'd see about her contacting Queen Serenity's spirit." said Luna. "Wait a minute. The Crescent Moon Wand! Could we use it?" asked Artemis. "I think we can." said Poseidon. "Where is it?" "If I know Serena at all, it's in her closet somewhere. Oh, I hope her mom cleaned up in there." When Artemis and Poseidon opened the door to the closet, Luna felt for sure that all three of them would be buried under toys, clothes and comic books. But nothing happened. They were able to find the wand without any problem. She's finally growing up' thought Luna. They all held the wand in their paws and Luna and Artemis waited while Poseidon spoke. "Oh great Queen Serenity! We appeal to you to come forth and hear our request! Please... Serenity! Your help is urgent!" As soon as Poseidon finished speaking, the wand began emitting a mist. The mist surrounded the room and coalesced into the form of Queen Serenity; mother of Princess Serena. "What do you ask of me, my friends?" said Serenity. "Your help in locating a friend of mine. We need her help to fight the new evil from the Negaverse. "Whom do you seek, Poseidon?" "Someone named Pisces, your Highness." responded Poseidon, a little surprised that Serenity had known it was him. "Ahhh, yes. Pisces. I see her, she is close to your position, now. She is living in the old abandoned church near your present location." "Thank you my Queen, many lives depend on us finding her." "As long as goodness has a chance, I will always be there, watching and waiting for you all!" She said this as her voice started to trail and her image started to fade. The cats ran out of the house faster than anyone had ever seen cats run. They were determined more than ever to help the others. When they got to the building, it was old and falling apart at the seams. The cats proceeded with extreme caution. After knocking over some rubble, they found a little room that seemed to be untouched by age. A scratch at the door was all it took for the three to get inside to a spacious room. Obviously the room was a lot bigger than what the outside projected. "Pisces! It's Poseidon!" His voice echoed as he called her. As he called out, a hatch opened up in the floor beside them. A little platform rose out of the floor and with it, a golden haired cat with an aquamarine crescent moon on her forehead. "Poseidon, it's been to long. Ever since you left for Earth on your last adventure I've been waiting for your return. And who are these cats that are with you?" asked Pisces. "Pisces, you're as beautiful and as curious as ever. This is my daughter Luna," he said indicating the black cat with his tail, "and her "companion" Artemis." he said with a wave of his tail. "But this isn't a social call. The Negaverse is back and stronger than ever. As one of the most respective guardians in recent memory, we your help. Did you ever train any Sailor Scouts?" "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did; a couple. Why? Do you think you'll need their help?" "Yes. Right now they are the ONLY Scouts able to help. Luna, Artemis and I also trained Scouts but they are all in the hospital with severe energy drain as the result of a Negaverse attack. We need them now." said Poseidon. "Easier said than done, I'm afraid. We had a major battle recently and after he had triumphed and passed out, I erased their memory. They don't know they're Sailor Scouts." "Well then we've got to find them and reactivate them. They're the only one who stop the Negaverse right now." The group left the battered church and went looking for the missing Scouts. They all knew that it could take days to find and reactivate them but none of them were willing to give in to the Negaverse. Between occasional stops to the hospital to check on the Scouts, the cats had found a few leads but all they had found were dead ends and answers that warranted more questions. Both Luna and Artemis were starting to get discouraged. If they couldn't find these people, the Negaverse would win and the universe would be destroyed. "Poseidon, over here. I think I've found them." said Pisces. She was looking at an old phone book that had the most recent listing for Shawn Hart*; one of her pupils. It listed his address on the other side of town; a good hour's walk for cats. Luckily it was near the hospital so Luna and Artemis said they'd go check on the other Scouts. When they got to the hospital, Amy was up and around, walking about the corridors attached to and IV unit and looking far older than she actually was. Her eyes were barely open and she almost didn't recognize Luna and Artemis. "Amy!" Luna whispered loudly. She and Artemis ran up to her and dragged her into a nearby closet where Amy barely had the strength to flick the light switch on. "Glad to see you up and about, Amy. You gave us all a good scare." Amy, eyes opened only 1/4 of the way, nodded in acceptance to what Luna had said. "Luna," began Artemis. "She's hardly conscious. She's in no condition to fight the Negaverse and..." "Quiet, Artemis. Amy, are you the only one awake?" A nod. "Have you got your communicator?" Another nod. "Can you call me when you're fully up to it?" Nod. "Good. Artemis and I will take you back to your room." A quick shake of Amy's head spooked the two cats. "Is there something wrong in your room, Amy?" Nod. "You don't want to go back?" Nod. "Have you got your power stick with you?" Nod. "Can you speak at all?" Shake. "Well, save that strength, I've a feeling you're gonna need it! You're going to have to go back to your room, Amy." Slow nod, sort of like an acceptance to a grim fate. "We'll take you back." They guided the poor girl slowly back to her room and put her back in bed as best they could. Artemis buzzed the nurses' station so that they could take care of Amy properly, and with that, they split. Meanwhile, Poseidon and Pisces weren't having any better luck. They found the address to be an abandoned apartment building that the city never got around to demolishing. Pisces started to whimper, but kept up her resolve to find her protege. Poseidon suggested they go into the building and rest for a few minutes. Pisces found the old list of renters for the building and noticed that his listing was there. Pisces wanted to go and check his apartment in case he left any clues but Poseidon tried to talk her out of it. "It's only on the first floor, so it's not like there's a lot of walking to do." "Go," said Poseidon. "If you really have to, just go. I'll wait here." "You do that, you cranky old..." said Pisces as she walked down the hall toward the apartment. When Pisces reached the door to what would have been his apartment, she started to scratch at it, hoping that he was either here or that he left some trace as to where he was. No sooner had she touched the door with one claw, the door fell open into the apartment. She peered in and found the furniture gone, the walls stripped bare and the remains of a window which was a square hole in the wall. There was lots of garbage and trash all over the floor. Not the kind of place any Sailor Scout of mine would live in; I'd make sure of that' she thought. She sniffed around at the debris and found a piece of paper that had some words on it: "Gone to Tomoe Heights". Tomoe Heights?! That's not far from here and that's where we'll find Sailor Night' She ran down to where Poseidon was, who by this time had been joined by Luna and Artemis. "I know where Sailor Night is! Over at the Tomoe Heights complex." said Pisces while panting. "Did you get an address? Tomoe Heights is an awfully big housing complex." said Luna, a little resentfully toward Pisces. "It doesn't matter," said Artemis. "We're cats. We don't have to go door-to-door to find somebody. We do what regular cats do." "Latch on to that one, honey, cause they don't make em like that anymore." whispered Pisces to Luna but loud enough so that Artemis could hear. He blushed. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Poseidon taking charge. The cats split up into two teams, Artemis and Poseidon and Luna and Pisces. As the two female cats walked along, they couldn't help but engage in conversation. "Pisces," asked Luna, somewhat hesitant. "You've known Poseidon for a long time. Did he ever mention my mother?" "Yes. Your mother and I went way back. We knew each other before your father came on the scene. In fact, your mother didn't seem to interested in him at the start. In that respect, Luna, you remind me of her and the Artemis guy reminds me of your father. But I digress." She noticed that Luna was about to say something to that remark, so she just interrupted her. "Anyway, Pandora and I were great friends. Poseidon and I began going out together but I could tell that he was in love with your mother. So I set up your mother and father on their first date, and well, I guess the rest is history." Luna had jumped up to a window to peer in. Pisces was telling Luna what Shawn looked like, and Luna was agreeing, because the person that she was looking at was fitting the description. Pisces bounded up beside Luna and looked. Sure enough, it was Shawn. "Thank Serenity, it's him! It's Sailor Night. C'mon." The two cats jumped from the window sill and had found a way in through an open basement window. "Shhhhhh," said Pisces. "I'll go in and get him with the Lunar Mind Meld. That will bring all his memories back, but I guess you knew that, didn't you?" All she got from Luna was a smart-aleck look. Pisces giggled and Luna started to feel comfortable around her. "Why hello, kitty cat. How did you get in here?" asked Shawn while picking her up. As he scratched her chin, she told him he was a Sailor Scout. He dropped her. "How can you talk?" asked Shawn in a slightly frightened tone. It was then that Pisces hit him with a blue beam coming form the crescent moon on her forehead. Instantly, his memories of being a Scout and the battles they had fought returned. "Pisces... I guess I'm back to being a Scout again, huh?" He yawned, as if just coming out of a deep sleep. Luna joined the two as Shawn was coming out of his meld. "Yes," said Pisces. "The Negaverse is back in a big way and this time they are stronger than ever. They've already taken out ten Scouts and they're bound to take over the rest of the universe. We need your help and Sailor Day's assistance too. So far, we haven't been able to find her and..." The three of them heard the front door being opened with a key and Pisces motioned Luna to keep quiet. In walked Athena, Shawn's roommate and Sailor Day. "Athena, you're not gonna believe this, but you're a Sailor Scout!" "What? What did you say?" asked Athena, unable to believe her ears. "Hit it, Pisces." Pisces bounded out from cover and hit Athena with the blue beam right between the eyes. The beam shocked her and she fell back into Shawn's arms. Instantly, she remembered everything about her former existence as a Scout and a partial recollection of her life on the moon. "How do you feel?" asked Pisces "Like everything is coming back at me like Niagara Falls. Other than that, I guess I feel fine." said Athena "Well it's going to be short-lived, I'm afraid." said Luna. "The Negaverse is back and stronger than ever." "What's been going down since we've been out of the picture, Luna?" asked Shawn. "Well, a lot, actually. We've found ten other Scouts and the Moon Princess, defeated Queen Beryl twice... need I go on?" "No, I guess not. You've proven to us that we've been out of action for too long." said Shawn. "Right now, what we have to do, is find Artemis and Poseidon and plot our next course of action." "Ahem," said Artemis from the open window. "We're right here." The two cats bounded in and greeted the two Sailor Scouts and exchanged pleasantries. Then Pisces did two back flips so that her Scouts could have their power sticks. "The first order of business is to check out that hospital," said Artemis. "Amy said, well, motioned that there was something wrong in her room and I think it's worth a checking out." "Agreed," said Poseidon. "We go there first and see if the others are all right. We'll work out a plan from there." At the hospital, Shawn, Luna and Pisces went into the room where Serena, Amy, Raye Mina, Flame and Aria were. All except Serena were sitting up and had regained most of their strength; Serena was still sacking out. The others couldn't understand why Serena wasn't awake yet, but Luna knew. She jumped from Shawn's shoulder and landed on Serena's bed. She started to rub her tail across her face and twitched it under her nose. It started slowly. "Ahhhh.... Ahhhhh.... AAAAHHHH CHHHHOOOOOO! Aw, Luna, why'd you have to wake me up?! I was having such a nice dream that..." The others just laughed with her and Serena started to laugh too. The others came in from across the hall and major hugging ensued. Poseidon and Luna quieted the group so that they could introduce the two new Scouts. "May I present to you," said Poseidon, reminding Serena of a ringmaster. "Shawn and Athena; also known as Sailor Night and Sailor Day respectively along with their Guardian: Pisces." The girls, guys and cats all shook hands(or paws) and hugs and welcomed Shawn and Athena to their ranks. The hospitalized Scouts were released that day and it was decided that a group meeting should be held at Raye's temple seeing as how it was the most secluded place around town. The new and old Scouts compared notes and explained origins and told stories about past victories against the Negaverse. Amy brought the chatting to a halt. "Excuse me, ladies, gentlemen and cats," Amy began. "I've been doing a little scanning of us and I've found some interesting facts you may want to know about. It seems that those of us that were out of commission, have tiny little crystals inside us. Shawn and Athena, because they weren't attacked, don't have them." "Any idea what these crystals do or if they do anything at all?" asked Lita. "As of yet, I don't know. So far, they seem harmless but I'll be monitoring us. Somebody wanted those crystals there for some reason. They are not natural." replied Amy. "It's probably a safe bet that whoever did this to us, doesn't know about Shawn or Athena. They don't know about Sailor Day and Sailor Night." said Mina. "I think we should go back to that hospital and investigate." said Luna, firmly. "Do you suspect something?" asked Pisces. "Yes. When Artemis and I visited the hospital before we found Shawn and Athena, we met up with Amy and she "said" that there was something wrong in her room; that she didn't want to go back there. Someone or something must have been there." "Funny," Amy started. "I don't even remember you being there or talking to you." "The main thing is, we find out why you didn't want to go back to your room." said Artemis. "I think some of us should go undercover and check it out." "Fine. Raye, Adrien, Lita and I will go and do the spy thing." said Serena. Everybody immediately looked at her like she was from outer space or something. "Hey guys, can't I ever make a decision around here?" The group laughed again and then proceeded to make sure the undercover Scouts had the proper gear. "Better take the Lunar Disguise Pen with you just in case." said Luna. "Don't leave home without it." smiled Luna. "Be careful Scouts," said Artemis. "If you need help, use the communicators and we'll be there, okay?" "Yeah, we'll be all right." said Adrien who was being pulled aside by Darien. "Listen, take care of Serena if something should happen. She's our hope and future and (paused) the best thing that ever happened to me." said Darien, as if replaying bad moments in his life. "You've got my word as a Sailor Scout and my Heart's guarantee. Nothing's gonna happen while I'm around." "Sardonyx! Straxusite! Report to me... NOW!" The two generals ran into the throne room of Citrine at a great speed. "I just wanted to see how you were doing with my master plan. Straxusite, tell me about that crystal you are constructing." "Yes, milord. The work on the crystal goes well. It will be built to do whatever it is you want it to. But I must admit, sir, it would be a lot simpler if I knew how such an immense crystal will be used..." "Silence!" shouted Citrine. "When I want you to know my plan, I shall tell you and not before!" And with that, Citrine raised his right hand and hit Straxusite with a small energy beam. The stunning effect of the beam wore off as soon as Citrine lowered his hand. "Now, is there anything you'd like to know about my plan, Sardonyx?" said Citrine while waving his right hand. "No, sir. I would like to report, though, that the insertion of the micro crystals into the Sailor Scouts went off without a hitch. Even though it's detectable, it's function will remain unknowable to them until I give the command." "Excellent," said Citrine. "Soon, we'll have all the Scouts at our mercy!" He laughed an evil laugh that echoed throughout the Kingdom. Citrine would soon have the revenge he sought after the death of Beryl. "Disguise Power!" shouted Serena. "Turn us into hospital people!" At once the pen worked it's magic and disguised Serena as a nurse, Raye as a candy striper and Lita and Adrien as orderlies. "Now to check our rooms over." said Raye "Lita, do you remember what your room number was?" "Like the back of my hand," said Lita. "Adrien and I will take that one and you guys can take your room." "Sounds like a good plan to me." said Serena. "Well, let's go then. We don't want to be in there longer than we have to be." said Adrien. The two teams went to their respective rooms and checked things out. Everything seemed to be in order. The only differences were that the beds had been made and an all-around clean up had been done. Nothing. Raye called Lita on the communicator and told her that they had found nothing. Lita sighed and said that they hadn't found anything either. None of them could tell if anything out of the ordinary had happened. Raye decided to go into the bathroom and call Luna. "Raye, what's the matter? Are you all right?" "Yes, Luna, we're fine but none us has found anything or can remember anything out of the ordinary. We haven't found any explanation as to why we have those crystals in us; nothing." "Okay, round up the other Scouts and get back here. We'll have to think of something else, I guess." Raye motioned to the others that it was time to go. They had found nothing and the grim thought of the Negaverse being forced to make the next move haunted their minds. The next move of the Negaverse could be the Scouts' last' thought Raye as they made their way back to her temple. Meanwhile, the others were talking about what their next move would be and how to find the Negaverse should they make the first move. Amy said it would be easy to track one of their warp holes when they show up but it would be impossible to determine the size and, even worse, what was coming through. "What if we try a direct raid on the Negaverse? It worked when we rescued Poseidon and the Elemental Scouts." asked Artemis. "That's precisely why a raid is out of the question." said Poseidon. "The Negaverse knows that a raid has worked before and they've probably used every method they know of to capture us should we be foolish enough to try it again. No offence to your idea, Artemis, but the Negaverse isn't stupid. They learn from their mistakes quickly." "So you're saying that we've lost the war before we've fought a battle?" Asked Shawn. "I don't think so. We've gotta do something." "Fine! Go out and do something then! See how far you get when you don't know when or where the enemy will strike. We've got to let them make the next move. We're helpless right now because we don't have enough information!" said Poseidon; slightly upset while Luna and Pisces tried to calm him down. "I'm sorry, son. It's just that sometimes the unknown can be a debilitating thing. It makes you crazy sometimes. I am truly sorry." "It's all right, Poseidon." said Shawn while shaking Poseidon's offered paw. "It's the helplessness that we're all feeling." said Athena. "We're all under a lot of stress on this one. I can sense it big time." "You mean you're psychic?" asked Luna in surprise. "Psychic and telepathic." Athena replied. "For example, right now Darien is thinking about Serena." she said in a well spirited friendly taunt. "That's nothing new," said Mina. "Darien's always thinking about Serena." They all laughed, including Darien himself. The calm before the storm,' thought Luna. Athena shot a glance at her that said she understood why she had thought that, but didn't bother repeating it to the others. They were soon joined by Raye, Serena Lita and Adrien. "Well, at least we're all together now, safe and sound." said Tara. Yeah, but for how long?' thought Aqua. Again Athena looked at her and didn't repeat what she said to the others. Athena didn't like negativity but knew it could be constructive to fight any battle. She would just motion to whomever was feeling negative and flash them a reassuring look; even if not a sincere one. Citrine was pacing in his throne room wondering when the time to strike should be. The crystal he'd asked Straxusite to build was completed. Energy was currently being gathered to power the huge crystal. Sardonyx entered. "Sir, the crystal is nearly ready. Are your plans equally as ready for the upcoming battle?" For once in his entire life, Citrine was silent. Normally, he would have destroyed Sardonyx, friend or no friend, for a remark like that. But now, a haunting thought entered his mind. He was unsure how to proceed and he needed help. "No, Sardonyx. My plans are not yet complete. I am not sure how to proceed. You are a general. How do you think we should strike?" "If it were me, your Highness, I'd attack subtly. I'd rely on those crystals you implanted into the Sailor Scouts." "Yes, of course. Once the smaller crystals are in range, the large crystal will suck the life energy right out of the Sailor Scouts, making them all dead. Once the Scouts are out of the way, we can begin to conquer this pathetic universe!" "My only concern, milord, is Straxusite. I have heard him openly debate your rise to power, and I believe he intends to assassinate you after the impending victory over the Sailor Scouts." "Should he become a problem, kill him. But make sure it's in the battle with the Scouts. That way, we can claim that the Scouts did it. Make it look like an accident." "Yes, sire." said Sardonyx with an evil laugh. The thunder started to boom and the lightning started to crash and Serena, brave soul that she was, was hiding under the bed. Raye was there beside her doing her best to comfort her friend. "Scout alert! Scout alert! Everyone transform." shouted the cats. Pisces motioned Shawn and Athena to the side. "If they don't know about you two yet, let's wait until we can turn that into an advantage." The two nodded. Outside, lots of Negacreatures were surrounding the temple with Sardonyx leading the way. "Make sure they are all dead, and then we will rule the universe!" Sardonyx screamed to his fiercest warriors." "Don't count on it, glamour boy!" said Sailor Heart. "You've picked a good night to lose." "I am Sailor Jupiter. Pleased to BEAT you, Negaslime!" said Jupiter. "We are the Elemental Scouts... sworn enemies of the Negaverse, and protectors of the universe. On behalf of the Moon Kingdom, and every planet in this universe... WE WILL ROCK YOU!" said Sailors Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. "Mars! Celestial Fires! Surround!" Lots of rings of fire came right at the henchmen of the Negaverse and killed a few of them, and injured a few more. As the Scouts engaged Sardonyx and his men, Citrine and Straxusite were preparing the huge crystal. "It is ready!" Citrine yelled. "Death to the Scouts with this. Dark Crystal! Energy Drain! Maximize!" At once each Scout who had a crystal inside them began screaming in pain as the implants did their job. Slowly, and painfully, their energy rushed out of their body and poured into the huge crystal. Soon, the bodies of all the Scouts, except for Shawn and Athena who hadn't transformed or had crystals inside them, lined the temple much like a WWI battlefield. "Victory is ours! We will rule the universe!" shouted Citrine. "We shall, milord, but you shall not! Dark Crystal! Power Up! Destroy Citrine!" A massive energy ball shot out of the crystal and headed straight for Citrine. "Treacherous scum! Sardonyx attack him now!" screamed Citrine as he managed to dodge Straxusite's attack. Sardonyx hesitated. He knew that if Straxusite killed Citrine, that would make him King. He figured that if Straxusite were to become king, he'd be his advisor and second in command. And there was no way he'd be ruled by scum. "Onyx Maximum Scream!" shouted Sardonyx. A beam of electricity-like energy struck Straxusite who had turned to face Sardonyx straight in the chest. It killed him instantly. "Death to all traitors to the reign of Citrine." Whispered Sardonyx. "Day! Illusion! Rapture!" shouted Sailor Day. Suddenly, Sardonyx saw himself as king of the Negaverse, having to share the throne with no one. He ruled with an iron fist and nobody questioned his orders. A swift kick to the chin brought him back to reality in a hurry. Yet he could see no one around him. "Show yourself, fool!" he yelled. "I am Sailor Night, Ninjitsu champion of the Moon Kingdom. Trained by Pisces to fight against evil, I will destroy you in minutes." Sailor Night and Sardonyx went at it, tooth and nail; neither getting the upper hand. Sardonyx missed a move and tumbled down the temple steps. "Night! Soul Blade! Strike!" With that, the blade, guided by Sailor Night's expert hand plunged deep into Sardonyx heart, eventually impaling him on the blade. Sardonyx was defeated. Sailor Night turned his attention to the crystal that had taken the souls of his new found friends. He thrust the blade into the crystal, successfully shattering it. The energy exploded and returned to the other Sailor Scouts' lifeless forms. They each felt a little charge of pain as the crystals inside them disappeared but they were returned. Sailor Day was down and being pummelled by some left over generals. Sailor Night casually walked over whispering: "Night Midnight! Madness!" Soon there were copies of him fending off the generals while the original Sailor Night controlled them form a distance. The generals were defeated and Sailor Day ran up to Sailor Night and hugged him tightly. "Thank goodness you're all right." said Sailor Day. "Yeah, whatever. You okay?" asked Sailor Night dryly, as if disinterested. "Uh, yeah..." started Sailor day but was cut off. "Then, that's it." Said Sailor Night and walked off. "I think it's time the new ruler of the Negaverse have a little taste of Scout power!" said Sailor Venus. "Right!" said the others in unison. Starting with Sailor Moon, and the Imperium Silver Crystal, each Scout combined their powers until a massive energy ball appeared in front of them. "Cosmic Elemental Planet Power!" shouted all the Scouts as the energy ball left them and trapped Citrine and his remaining generals within itself. A few seconds later, the ball exploded successfully eliminating any trace of the Negaverse in our universe. "The battle is over!" cried Luna with joy. "And our guys came out on top!" shouted Artemis. "Just as I suspected" said Poseidon wryly. "And this time, they all have their memories back." said Pisces, relieved. "Moondusted!" shouted all the Scouts in unison. "All that fighting made me hungry!" said Sailor Moon. "Say what do you say, after we transform to regular people, we go out and get some hamburgers, french fries, pizzas and..." "Same old Sailor Moon." said Sailor Day. "Glad some things haven't changed a bit." The Scouts spent the rest of the day celebrating their victory. -------------------------------------------------------THE END--------------------------------------------------