| Pluto stood at the Gates of Time, torn. She had to help her Princess and yet her duty was to stand guard here. There was too much that could happen if she were to leave the Gate unguarded, but there was information that she needed to get to the Princess. Knowledge that could turn the tide of the upcoming fight in her favor and save two timelines. Pluto had already failed once. She had allowed the enemies of the Moon from the future to travel back in time. The Wiseman had distracted her, attacking her and drawing her attention away from the Gate, giving him enough time to slip both himself and his followers back in time, following Rini who had been running, trying to save her mother. Pluto had originally thought that she could keep Rini safe by opening up a portal in time for her to escape into. But she had been unable to prevent the young girl from being captured and turned into the woman she was now. If Pluto was to leave the Gate, others might be able to slip through, causing untold damage to the timelines. Yet, she had sworn to protect the Royal family and she needed to help fix the damage that was already done. The woman stood, looking at her post that she had protected for countless millennia and fought to let go. * * * * * Serena looked around at the large group. Rei had told them about her vision and she was worried. Something big was happening and they were at a loss of what to do. Rei seemed actually spooked and Serena had the feeling that there was something that she wasn't telling them, but Serena was willing to let it go for right now. For right now, she was glad to have something to concentrate on, other than her family issues. It was weird, but there was something strangely comforting in the old routine of fighting the 'bad guys'. There was something simple and straight-forward about it. They were the good guys and they fought the bad guys. Period. Black and white, good and evil. It was as simple as that. Now if only all of her life could be that simple. As they talked, Serena felt something change in the air. In the middle of the room a small ball of light appeared and began to grow. The others all jumped to their feet, backing away and surrounding it. Ami already had her computer out, trying to analyze whatever it was while the others circled the light, ready for anything. As the light grew in size to an oval, roughly six feet in height, Ami yelled out, "I think it's..." Just then a tall woman with long, flowing green hair stepped out of the light and it disappeared in a flash behind her. "A portal." Ami finished as they all stared. Serena felt some sort of recognition tugging at the edge of her memory. She knew this woman that stood tall and proud in front of them, a large staff in the shape of a key held in her hand. A key... Serena gasped. The woman knelt in front of her, her every move graceful and confident. "Sailor Pluto." Serena said numbly. Even before the destruction of the Silver Millennium and the Moon, Sailor Pluto had been the mysterious guardian of the Gates of Time. Rarely seen, she had still been a great influence throughout the solar system. She had been the leader of the Outer Scouts, as Mina had been the leader of the Inner. Serena lead both groups but even back on the Moon, she had been intimidated by the otherworldly wisdom that Pluto seemed to give off. Serena had thought that she, as well as the other Outers, were like her Inners and had lost their memories. Apparently she had been wrong. "Please, stand." Serena managed to say through her confusion. Pluto rose to her feet and began to talk. * * * * * Serena stared out at the sky, looking in vain for the moon. It was too cloudy out tonight to see anything. In her head she was trying to take in everything that Pluto had told her before returning to her Gates after swearing to come and fight with them at the final battle. Serena had understood the danger of her leaving her post and the great significance of that promise. No matter when, Pluto would abandon her post to fight for her Princess. Their enemies were from the future, sent here to try and stop the future from turning out the way it does. A future apparently, Serena isn't working a simple nine to five job at an office but is ruling over the Earth. And the very person she was fighting was her own daughter. Oh god. Serena glanced at the dark man standing beside her. Their daughter. Rini. How was she supposed to deal with this? How could she fight her own daughter? How could she HAVE a daughter? Well, okay, she had always wanted to have a family someday. And she knew that she wanted Darien to be the father to any children she might have but...Well, she always figured that she'd have to get married and give birth before she ever saw her child. Her daughter. This was just wrong. Was she ever going to be able to have a happy family life? All being Sailor Moon did was screw up her family. First her mother on the Moon had died in a stupid war, then her parents on earth had washed their hands of her and now her future child was trying to kill her. Pluto had said that Rini had been captured while trying to find her. That the Wiseman had turned her- twisting her memories of her childhood into a harsh parody of the truth. Pluto hadn't been able to say anything about the other man, the one that Rei had seen in her vision holding Rini. She said he was from outside of the Solar System and had been brought here by the Wiseman as well. Pluto couldn't say whether he had come willingly or if he too had been manipulated like Rini. As Serena stared blankly at the sky, she felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her. The warmth of Darien's body felt nice against the chill night air. Finally the clouds seemed to part, allowing the rays of the moon to fall upon the couple. "What are we going to do?" Serena asked quietly. "I don't know." Darien answered, "But we'll figure something out. I know it." Serena smiled sadly and hugged the arms that were wrapped around her, "We had...will have...have a daughter." "She is probably beautiful, like her mother." Darien replied. "We have to save her." Serena said fiercely, "We have to." "Shh. We will. We will. Don't worry." Darien said, resting his chin on the top of her head as her rocked her back and forth. As Serena leaned back into her lover's embrace she thought about what else the Guardian of Time had said. The other information Pluto had brought them concerned the last two of Darien's generals. Pluto had said what little she had seen of the future, indicated that they needed all of the generals to fight with them as well. Pluto had told them that she had been able to sense Malachite's location but Jadeite seemed to be oddly missing whenever she had searched for him. Mina had seemed willing to look for Malachite. Rei...Rei just hadn't said anything. At all. Serena knew that she would have to talk to both of her friends about this. And soon. She had already postponed one conversation with Mina about Malachite. And Rei needed to actually talk about what she was feeling. Serena knew that the girl was probably confused right now. There had to be a way to help her through this. * * * * * Serena and Darien eventually came back inside and they began to plan what they were all going to do. If time really was running out they had to act fast and collect their two missing generals. Ami had run scans through the local directories in the area that Pluto had told them to look for Malachite, central Russia. She found several possible people that might be him. The plan was to go and check out each of the addresses that Ami had given them. No matter how they wracked their brains or what they tried though, Jadeite remained missing. It was as if he simply didn't exist. They had all decided to stay in the temple that night. There was no point in going to their respective homes. Not when it was safer together and they would all be leaving together in the morning. Not surprisingly, even though they were all bone tired, no one was able to get much sleep. And so, when the peaceful night sky erupted into flames, they all rushed out together to see what was going on. Apparently they had less time than they had hoped. * * * * * "We have to do it now." The tall woman in black said. "I agree. You are finally strong enough and Sailor Moon still hasn't assembled her entire team." Helios said- his eyes closed as he concentrated on the spell he was performing. He was sending a message to Sailor Moon; one that there was no way she could miss. It was time for a final battle in this war- one where he and his beloved chose the time and place. One where Sailor Moon and her reign over the future would be destroyed once and for all. Where all the crimes of the past and future would finally be set right and they could finally have everything they wanted. Rini looked at the man beside her and smiled, knowing what he was thinking. Soon. Soon this will all be over. On her neck, hanging by a fragile silver chain, a black crystal pulsed with energy. * * * * * Lita stood looking at the young woman that she had just met and known for several lifetimes. She stood there, blonde hair flying like a banner of blonde defiance behind her, watching the sky with absolutely no expression on her face. It was like Serena wasn't there anymore. Lita suddenly saw a warrior where a very scared and confused woman had been standing mere moments ago. A warrior whose strength was something that even Lita never wanted to go up against. Next to her she could feel Nephrite's reassuring presence. Everything had been happening so quickly that they hadn't had time to continue to work out what was between them and how they were going to deal with it. His presence was like some twisted miracle, unbelievably wonderful and yet so full of pain that she still couldn't decide if it was good or bad. But it was reassuring to know that he was there, at her side once again in the face of this new threat. An old familiarity that she hadn't even known that she had been missing. * * * * * Ami stood with her friends and her lover, glaring up at the message in the sky. They never got a break. This was just one more thing, one more pain to add to the ever growing list. She tried to hang on to her control, the calm that had always been her trademark in the past, but it was so hard when every time she turned around fate was kicking her friends again. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her against a firm chest. It was as if Zoicite's warmth was able to seep into her very core and give her the calm that she had been struggling so hard to recapture just a moment before. As if only with him was she able to truly be in control of herself. * * * * * Mina watched the sky and scanned the horizon for any threats. This was bad. It meant that they may not have enough time to do what they needed to do. Not if Pluto was correct in them needing the other two missing Generals and their strength in this fight. Her general was still missing. Malachite. Her white haired lover. She knew where he was now, could see him again, maybe have another chance at happiness. It seemed impossible. There was too much pain and anger and history between them to ever have a chance of making it work. But somehow it had worked for Ami. The girl had worked a miracle as far as Mina was concerned. And now Lita and Nephrite were trying to duplicate Ami's miracle. It was still strained between those two but she had caught the longing glances and the occasion brief touch. And there were moments when it was like they forgot the past and everything between them just clicked. She wanted that. Was almost willing to risk anything to have it. Almost. Some prices may be too high to pay. Even for the goddess of love. * * * * * Rei glanced around. They were out of time. And...she didn't have time to wallow in self pity. She had something to do. For her princess. And maybe even for herself. * * * * * Serena stood staring into the sky. She could feel the eyes of the others staring at her back but she couldn't bring herself to turn away yet from what the sky held for her. Written in fire across the darkened sky was the message. ~Sailor Moon. Let us end this. Today. 12:00 pm. The Stars Tower.~ It appeared that her daughter had decided that it was time to end this once and for all. The Stars Tower was in the center of the city. Serena didn't want to think about why it had been chosen. There were so many people living and working around and in that building that if their fight became out of control innocents could die. There was no way that she could ignore the challenge either. She had to go. If she didn't there was no telling what her daughter would do. No, she had to go, even if she wasn't ready. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Darien, staring at the sky. She turned her head to look at him and it was like looking into a mirror. In his eyes she could see all of her emotions, the hurt, the pain, the confusion and the emotions that had no name being reflected back at her. And there was a understanding there of what they needed to do. They had to split up their strength. Mina, Darien and Zoicite had to go after Malachite in Russia. They had to at least get one of the two missing Generals. Ami could stay behind and continue looking for Jadeite. And Serena would take the rest with her to go fight. Turning around together, they faced the others together and began to tell them their plan. "No." Serena whipped around to stare at Rei in astonishment, "No?" "Ami has to go with you to the fight. You'll need her." Rei said calmly. "Rei...We need all of Darien's generals for this fight. Until we find Jadeite we'll be under strength. I know you may not..." Serena said, trying to reason with her friend. "No." Rei interrupted, "I know where Jadeite is. I'll get him. You take Ami with you." Serena took a hesitant step forward, "You know where he is?" "Yes." Rei's tone let Serena know that she didn't want to talk about it, to answer the other girls' questions. Serena seemed to hesitate for a second before nodding once, "You'll need Darien to reawaken his memories." "Don't worry about that." Rei said, transforming into Sailor Mars. "But..." Serena said, confused. "I don't think he ever forgot." Rei said before teleporting away. The others stared at the spot where the Priestess had been standing a second ago, trying to understand that last cryptic message. Serena shook herself back into the present and looked at the others, "Mina, you still need to go get Malachite." Mina looked at her and nodded, "Let me grab some stuff and then we'll leave." Mina turned and ran back into the temple and the others followed, each thinking of what the coming day would bring and what they would need to get through it. Serena stood outside and looked at Darien. He held open his arms and she ran into them. "Shh. It'll all be okay. We'll get through this. I promise." Darien whispered into her hair as he crushed her small frame to him. Serena finally released the control that she had been holding over body and sobbed quiet tears into Darien's shirt. She felt like she would have shaken apart if his arms hadn't been around her to hold her together. "I don't want you to go." She admitted quietly. "I don't want you to go either." Darien admitted, crushing her tighter to him, "I'm scared. Scared that I won't be able to make it back in time and you'll get hurt because I wasn't there. Scared that this will be the last time I ever hold you. All I want to do is grab you and run away from all of this, protect you from everything and let the world deal with this without us for once." Serena pulled back slightly to stare into Darien's eyes, "But we can't, can we?" Instead of answering, Darien leaned down and kissed her. The kiss held all the promises that they had ever made to one another, all the declarations of love, all their hoe for the future in it. It was rough and desperate as they both tried to ignore the possibility that they may never get to do this again. Serena whimpered, fighting her bodies need for air in order to hold onto that kiss for another precious few seconds. Finally they pulled apart, gasping for air. The others came out of the temple, and the finally broke apart. Serena blinked back her tears as Darien walked over to Mina and Zoicite. "We'll be back." Mina promised solemnly, looking at her Princess. Darien merely stared into her eyes, "I love you." The three teleported away before anything else could be said or done. Turning away from the spot where her love had just disappeared from and looked at people standing at her back. Ami looked at her, her eyes full of understanding and Serena felt like kicking herself. She wasn't the only one who was watching a loved one leave. She walked over and offered Ami a small, comforting smile, "Time to hold up our end of things." * * * * * Serena and the people with her transformed and teleported to the roof of the Star Tower. There were already police and news crews beginning to crawl all over the place. Apparently they hadn't been the only one to get the message. "We need a way to keep people out of here so that we can fight without worrying about them." Serena said, looking at the others. "What did you have in mind?" Lita asked. "Some sort of shield around the building." Serena said, looking at Ami, "What do you think?" "The building is huge. To do something like that will require a lot of energy." Ami said, pulling out her computer and typing in some questions. "I'm just looking for a simple barrier here. Something to keep the innocents out of the line of fire." Serena said, watching the police erecting their own barriers around the building. "Maybe we should talk to them, ask them to leave?" Nephrite asked quietly, as if unsure of the merits of his suggestion. Serena sighed, "We could try. I've never had any real contact with the authorities before. I was kind of hoping to avoid it." "Maybe its not that good of an idea anyway. I don't think the new crews will leave such a story and the police won't leave s potential site of violence." Nephrite reasoned, "If we talk to them, they'll want to ask all sorts of questions like what is going on, too." Serena shuddered at the thought of trying to explain to someone what exactly was going on. They wouldn't be able to understand. "Hmmm..." Ami muttered, turning to look at Serena, "I think we could work something out. It'll take a lot of energy but I think if you were to tie the shield into the power of the Silver Crystal, we could hold it up. It is the only thing that we have that generates enough energy on its own to hold something of that size up. But it will be a serious drain on the Crystals power. You won't be able to use it for anything else while the shield is up." "Is there any other way of doing it?" Serena asked, worried at the thought of not being able to use the crystal in the upcoming fight. "The only other way is for two of us to pull out of the fight and hold the shield up ourselves. Two scouts could, between them, create a shield around something as large as this building. Truthfully, one could probably do it but if their concentration were to slip then it would fail. If there were two, they would be able to catch each others slips and hold it." "No." Serena shook her head, "That is not an option. There is no way that I am pulling any one out of this fight if we don't have to. We're too weak as it is, split up right now." "If we are going to do this, we should do it soon." Lita said, watching the people below, "Otherwise we'll be trapping people inside rather than out." Serena turned to Ami and pulled out the Crystal, "How do I do this?" Ami explained it as best she could, but in the end it was up to Serena, the only one who could really use the crystal and its power, to figure it out. It was like trying to tell someone how to move their arm. You knew that it could be done and how everything worked but it was almost impossible to tell someone else how to do it. In the end it was all instinct and experience. Instinct and experience that only Serena had. It took a couple minutes of tense concentration before the shield of blinding white energy flew up around them. The light was pure white and yet, after the initial blinding flash, it was something easy to look at. It was like looking at the glowing full moon, and just as mysterious. No one on the outside could see in anymore and only those that Serena chose to allow through could pass the barrier. The fight would be contained. Now, all that was left to do was wait and pray. Wait for 12:00 pm to come and pray that they would be able to hold on long enough for the others to come back. Serena closed her eyes and began to pray in earnest. * * * * * Rei looked at the blank landscape laid out before her and tried to steady her erratic heartbeat. All around her snow lay, pristine, hiding the secrets of this place. A cold wind howled through, raising the hairs on the back of her neck with its eerie call. She knew this place. It was the place her last vision had shown her. At first she had been to blind to focus on anything other than her anger at Jadeite. But the picture in her head hadn't gone away, not like the other visions had once she had told them to Serena. Every time she had closed her eyes it had been there, haunting her and teasing her until she had slowly began to notice the details of the vision. They were little things, hidden in the background behind the painful image of her old lovers face, but she had begun to finally notice them. It had taken her awhile to piece the clues together and even longer to believe that she was actually right. But it was hard to deny in the face of this place. Jadeite was here. Somewhere in this place, trapped and...asleep. Or something like sleep. She didn't understand what had happened to him really but she figured that she could ask him when she found him. She had a lot of things that she wanted to talk to him about. Taking a deep breath of the frigid air, Rei took her first steps forward. As she moved, it was like the wind itself fought her movement, pushing against her. The deep snow impeded her further and she cursed the fact that the power of Mars hadn't given her tall boots like Sailor Moon. Then again, on Mars there had never been any need to deal with these kinds of barbaric conditions. Mars was a warm planet. Only a truly twisted personality would think that cold weather and snow was a good thing. Slowly, step by frozen step, she fought her way forward and gradually she began to see a dark shape looming on the horizon. As she focused her attention on it she could make out the outlines of some sort of cave and she knew that was where she wanted to go. Knew with a certainty that defied all logic. She approached the cave cautiously, wary of this entire place. It reeked of an old evil. If her guess was right and this was indeed one of Beryl's old fortresses then there was no telling what remained here, even after her defeat. If she was not careful she may find herself facing the remains of that evil legacy all by herself. Once she entered the cave, the wind died suddenly. It was as if someone had flipped a switch and turned it off. The sudden loss caused her to stumble forward into the all-encompassing darkness of the cave. Every step echoed off of unseen walls as Rei groped her way farther forward. Rei stopped and look back at where she had come from and was dismayed to realize that she could barely make out the cave entrance, even though she had gone only a few steps inside. She needed some sort of light to see by if she wanted to go any further. Cupping her hands together, she called forth the fire that lived in her core as a warrior of Mars. Tapping into that inner fire, she called it forth into the world the way she did when fighting. But instead of grabbing on to the great roaring power of the fire and ripping it into this plane, this time she gently coaxed a small ball of fire to materialize in her hands. She had never done anything like this before. When she opened her eyes to see the small fire burning in her hands she gasped, waiting for it to burn her hands. But the pain never came. The fire cheerfully danced in her hand, the warmth no more than pleasant. Actually, now that she noticed, she was no longer cold at all. And best of all, there was light. She could now see the tunnel around her and the path forward. Finally, after what seemed an eternity of walking, Rei saw something instead of the cold rock walls. There was a light up ahead, still faint but growing stronger with every step forward that she took. And she saw something else. It took her awhile to figure out what it was that she was looking at. It wasn't until she was right up to it that she realized what it was. Laying in front of her, encased in transparent black rock was Jadeite. Rei stared down at him, taking is every detail and comparing it to the picture in her head. They were the same, down to the last fall of eyelashes on his cheeks and the curve of his lips. Looking at him brought it all back - all the suppressed memories, all the pain and the joy, the love and the betrayal. "Damn it!" Rei screamed, throwing the fire in her hands at the wall, as her anger demanded some form of outlet before she burst. The fire hit the wall, but instead of disappearing, it grew till it was a column of flame blazing before her. Rei stared in shock at the fire, and felt the warmth of it, almost painful, on her skin. "Rei, Princess of Mars, Priestess of the Fire, the time has come to choose." A voice said. It was not loud but there was something about it that filled the room with its authority, as if, even in a crowd this voice could whisper and all would still hear. It was the voice of the sacred fire that she had cared for all her life. But she had never heard it as clearly as she did right now. "Choose?" Rei asked, bewildered. "The man before you has been trapped there by his old mistress and the evil that was allowed to consume him soul. Denied the freedom of death, unlike his fellows, he has not been granted the Moon's mercy or the Silver Crystals gift of a new life. Now it is time for you to choose his fate." The Voice of the Fire stated. "No." Rei shook her head in denial, "You can not make me this man's judge." "Choose his fate." The Voice repeated. "I..." Rei looked down at the face of the man placed into her hands and choked on the words she was going to say. It would be so easy. All she had to do was choose. Any fate she wanted would be this man's. She could have him die, or simply be leave him forever trapped in this cave. But Pluto had said that they needed him to fight with them in the upcoming battle. She couldn't betray her princess. Not when the stakes were so high. Not when Serena was depending on her to come through. And a traitorous part of her whispered that there was a chance for a future between them. That they could be together once again like Ami and Zoicite seemed to have managed to do. But what right did she have to determine this man's fate? She was no goddess to stand in judgment over man. What if she chose wrong? She was too emotional to be an impartial judge. Wasn't this illegal? Too many conflicting feeling were fighting each other in her head and heart. Anger and regret pounding at her in unending waves, washing away her ability to make any sort of decision. Slowly she fell to her knees beside her lover. Suddenly it was all too much. The emotions broke through her carefully constructed walls to overwhelm her. This last choice was too much for her. She was sick of fighting, of being strong and wise and all that other stuff that people expected her to be as a priestess, as a scout. She couldn't do this anymore. Not and stay sane. She needed something...some sort of support. Rei closed her eyes, trying to find some sort of inner peace, where she could think about her decision. Years of practice at meditation seemed to abandon her when she most needed the calm it offered. A single clear thought broke through the tangled mess. I wish Serena were here. Her Princess always seemed to be able to make these decisions. Even when everyone else doubted, Serena had always chosen the right path. Rei knew that the blonde would have been able to do the same here. But instead the choice had been put onto her shoulders. Her too emotional shoulders. But Serena always listened to her emotions. Maybe...maybe Rei shouldn't be trying to judge impartially. Maybe she should try what Serena did. Make her choice with her heart rather than her head. And her heart had already decided what it wanted. Rei was surprised by how easy the answer was once she stopped thinking of all the maybes and what ifs. It was an answer that she had been looking for ever since she had remembered who she was. The fire flared up, as if sensing that she was ready, "Choose." Rei lifted her head proudly, "Free him of all that has bound him. From the spells and the prison so that he may choose his own fate once again. I will not choose his fate for him. Each must choose their own." "So be it." The fire flared up once again and shot straight at the place where Jadeite lay. For a moment the flames engulfed him. She could almost see the fire burning away the fetters that had bound him. * * * * * Mina raced ahead of the others towards the buildings that Zoicite had claimed held Malachite's readings. She knew that she must look like a mad woman, narrowly dodging the people crowded on the street. Behind her she could hear Zoicite and Darien following at her heels. They all knew that time was short. They had already lost precious hours narrowing down where exactly they were headed. Zoicite's computer readings were only able to give them a general direction at first. They were finally close enough though to be able to get a better reading. "Where?" Mina gasped out, stopping as Zoicite looked down at his computer. "There." Zoicite said, pointing straight in front of them at a tall building, reflecting the sun off of a thousand windows and shiny chrome doors. "Right." Mina said, charging forward again. As the trio ran forward, she glimpsed the startled look of the security at the front desk. Angry shouts followed them as they continued to the stairs. "Up!" Zoicite yelled, running with his eyes glued to the screen, which was now making all sorts of interesting beeping noises. Behind them, there were more angry shouts and the sounds of booted feet pounding up the stairs after them. Let them try and keep up, Mina thought with a smile, putting on an extra burst of speed. Darien ran at her side and she couldn't help grinning mischievously at him. He just shook his head in mock exasperation. Not that he could really say anything. This was his plan after all. Run in, grab Malachite and get out and back to Serena as fast as possible. They could talk to Malachite while running. A simple smash and grab job. Hopefully the person they were stealing would be cooperative. "Here!" Zoicite yelled and without breaking stride Mina turned and burst through the door out of the stairwell into a richly appointed hallway, full of men and women in business suits and carrying papers importantly back and forth from the different offices. The ones closest to the stairs turned in surprise to stare at the three strangers. Mina didn't even spare them a glance. They weren't who she was looking for. "Left!" Mina took the turn and barely missed slamming into a young intern who muttered as Darien and Zoicite ran around him. "There." Zoicite said, pointing at an office at the end of the hall. A woman behind a desk barely had time to stand before Mina had hit the door. She ignored the secretary's indignant squeak. And then, suddenly, she was in Malachite's presence. It was like someone had just thrown a cold bucket of water on her. Up until this moment she hadn't allowed herself to think about what it would be like to see him again. He rose slowly, the picture of perfect control and calm as he regarded her. His platinum hair was pulled tightly back into a tight ponytail, leaving his face bare as he looked at her with a look that she remembered from the past. It was a look that he had used to have when she asked him to do something that he considered beneath his dignity - skeptical and indulgent. Something low in her stomach clenched as that look was turned on her again after all these years. Behind her Darien had slammed the door shut and locked it, "We have to hurry." "May I help you?" Malachite smooth voice washed over her, the Russian accent coming through as he spoke flawless Japanese. "Mina, the window." Darien said pointing and she shook herself out of her stupor. Behind Malachite was a huge window and best of all, it looked over several rooftops. They could leave that way instead of risking the wrath of the secretary outside. Having a secretary of her own, Mina knew that there were few things as scary as that and would have preferred to face the security guards that were also undoubtedly also waiting outside for them or would be soon. Zoicite ran forward and opened the window, glancing around, before announcing with satisfaction, "Easily done." Mina stepped towards Malachite and grinned. This entire trip was making her feel like some sort of little kid, knowingly getting into trouble but still having a lot of fun. Seeing Malachite again only increased that. She had always enjoyed messing with the man's over abundant pride. It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed. "Time to go." she said, still grinning. "I think not." The older man said, still maintaining that perfect poise. "Plan says we talk while we run." Darien said, grabbing the businessman by the arm and jumping out the window. Mina and Zoicite followed, landing gracefully on the next roof. Malachite didn't get a chance to recover as Darien started running across the rooftop, dragging him along with him, Mina on one side and Zoicite on the other. "Don't worry, we just want to talk to you." Mina said as they jumped to the next roof. "Who...who are you people?" Malachite gasped out as they landed. He stumbled a step but Darien held on to him and he regained his footing. "Complicated question." Darien muttered, continuing running. They had to get far enough away from the site of the kidnapping before they stopped to talk. "Which we will be glad to answer." Mina said, bracing herself for another jump. "Preferably on the ground though." Zoicite said, grinning at his old friend who was looking a little less than calm as he watched the ground flash by under his feet as they sailed through the air before landing on yet another rooftop. Mina glanced at the sky and wondered how the others were doing and how much time they had left. * * * * * Lita glanced over the edge of the building at the people that were still surging around the building. The crowd seemed to have grown, held back by police barricades and the shield that Serena and Ami had constructed. Police in riot gear were testing the shield, looking for any way inside the building. Serena watched her friend. Lita had been pacing, trying to get rid of some nervous energy. So far there had been no news from any of the others. Even Pluto was still absent but Serena had faith in the Guardian of Time. If she had promised to fight with them, then she would. Nephrite walked over and whispered something to the brunette scout and Serena was glad that the pair was together. It seemed like every hour that they were together strengthened the bond between them. There were still rough patches to be overcome in the future but they would do it. She knew it. Serena glanced up into the sky, still darkened by some magic and hoped that she would be around to see everything work out. She had been thinking about the future a lot over the last couple hours, and how the past affected the future. It seemed sometimes like her life was trapped in some sort of never ending cycle of fighting and pain, joy and love, sucking those around her into the cycle with her. The silver crystal seemed to be the thing that held everything together. It was the thing that held them all to life and gave them the power to fight, but it was also what brought their enemies to them, those who desired its power without understanding what it truly was. The crystal wasn't just some tool to be used. It was like it was alive, with its own plans and thoughts and only helped those it chose to. The Generals rebirth was a perfect example. Serena knew that she had not done that. At the very most she had wished for the crystal to put everything back to the way it had been. But she had been too tired to think clearly enough to do anything about it. And yet the crystal had, seemingly on its own, brought not only her scouts but the generals as well back to life and gave them all new memories to replace those of fighting and Beryl and the Moon. The generals had gotten more false memories than the scouts but it had still been the same idea. And, from what she could tell by talking to Zoicite and Nephrite, the crystal hadn't stopped at just playing with their memories but had also given new and false memories to others to help them fit in to the world. The thought scared her a little. If the crystal could do that, what else could it do? What was it going to do in the future? She knew that her mother had once been able to use it, drawing on more of its power than Serena could. But she had died before Serena had been able to learn the kind of control she had over it. Maybe someday she would unlock some of its secrets but she knew that it would be a gradual process and that there was no way she would ever learn them all. Too much had been lost when the Moon fell. And now she was forced to use this weapon that she barely understood to fight against her own daughter who had come from the future to fight against her. Pluto had claimed that her daughter had been tricked and corrupted by magic but Serena couldn't help but wonder what had happened in the future. Maybe there was a good reason why her daughter wanted her dead. Maybe it wasn't all corruption. Maybe something had happened in the future that shouldn't have happened and it was all her fault. Serena grimaced at herself. Thoughts like that were pointless. The future could be changed. If she had learned anything, nothing was truly impossible and she was going to make sure that she saved her daughter from whatever had gotten a hold of her. * * * * * Rei watched in awe as the fire flared up around the body before dying down again, leaving Zoicite standing in front of her, blinking stunned eyes. She watched as confusion settled onto features that had for so long been held immobile. Jadeite looked around him, frowning, before raising his own hands in front of his face, as if trying to figure out who they belonged to. She must have done something, made some subtle movement, for suddenly that intense gaze was turn upon her, pinning her to the spot where she stood. "Rei?" The sound of her name was so faint that she barely heard it. She felt trapped under that gaze. Her mind had completely abandoned her, unable to think of anything even remotely useful to say. Somewhere along the line her stomach had decided to try and crawl out through her throat, blocking off her vocal cords and preventing her from saying anything even if by some miracle her brain began to work again. Jadeite took a step closer and said again, louder this time, "Rei? Is that you?" Rei felt herself flinch away as he raised a hand towards her. She wanted to run. Anything, just to not have to face the next few minutes with this man. But her pride, a thing that she never had denied having, finally rose up in her. She was not going to run. She was stronger than that. She had a duty to fulfill and she wasn't about to fail just because she needed to talk to an old lover once again. She could do this. Her pride would not allow her to do otherwise. "Jadeite." She finally found the power to speak again. "What...where are we?" Jadeite asked, the confusion still heavy on his features. "What do you remember?" She asked, keeping her voice steady. Jadeite's gaze turned inward, "The last thing I remember was...no. That's not right. We were on Mars...No. Earth. And then we were...Why were we fighting. Oh my god. Beryl. She..." Rei watched as Jadeite fought to sort through the memories, put them in order and figure out the truth for himself. She felt an old stirring as she watched the man's pain and stomped down on it ruthlessly. Later she could deal with such feelings. Now Serena needed him to come and fight. Everything else was secondary. "Where are we?" Jadeite asked, his gaze once again focusing on her instead of the thoughts running through his head. "We are in the prison Beryl made for you. The Princess and her Prince have need of you once again. To fight at their sides. Will you come to our aide?" Rei said, falling back on old formality of long dead courts. "But..." Jadeite paused and looked at her. She watched as a pride as great as her own was awoken, with a similar inner fire and it answered the challenge that she had thrown down. "It will be my honor to serve my Prince and his Lady in this fight." Rei nodded and turned to lead the way out of the cave. "And when this duty is finished, what is to be my fate?" His voice questioned, empty of all emotion. Rei stood, staring straight ahead into the darkness, "You are free to choose your own fate." "And if I chose a fate with you?" he asked. "I am also free to choose what I want. You can not choose for me. As I can not choose for you." She replied, still not turning. Jadeite appeared at her side and looked at her, "We'll worry about the future in the future. For now, we have a duty." Rei nodded, "We have a duty." And together they began walking out of the cave, the fire held in Mar's hand pushing the darkness away from them. * * * * * Mina stopped when Darien stopped, Malachite still being dragged along with them and Zoicite following easily. They were far enough away from the site of the kidnapping that no one would be looking for them out here. They stood on the roof of some building, overlooking old factories, only half functioning with tired workers occasionally coming in and out to smoke. No one was paying any attention to those on the roof but just to be sure, the group pulled in towards the center of the roof where a casual glance would not be able to spot them. "What is going on here?" Malachite demanded once again. Darien looked at him for a second before turning to Mina, "Do you want to explain or should I?" Mina looked at Darien and tried to think of something to say. It seemed like everything had suddenly become all too real. The rush of the kidnapping had let her forget for a short while what she was doing. Now, looking at Darien, it all hit her. Even though she kept her eyes on Darien she could feel the weight of Malachite's presence next to her. "I..." Mina tried to say. Darien seemed to understand and turned to the white haired man, "Relax, we are old friends." "Believe me, I think I would remember you three." Malachite commented dryly. Mina gave a harsh laugh at that, causing both men to turn towards her again. Darien gave her a look of sympathy while Malachite just looked confused. "Malachite." Darien said after a moment, "We need your help. I can prove things if I have to, but right now we are kind of pressed for time so you are going to have to trust us." "Trust you? I don't even know who you are. Or what you are. All I do know is that you just kidnapped me and that is not something that inspires much trust in me." Malachite said, carefully controlled anger leaking into his voice as he stood stiffly, glaring at them. Darien took a deep breath, calming the panic that he was beginning to feel at the time they were wasting, "I've got a story for you. It's a long one that will sound improbable but you have to hear us out. It is important." Darien began to tell the story of the Moon Kingdom, the old war and its newest incarnations. He talked about what Malachite's part had been in the all the different battles, leaving nothing out. Throughout it all, Malachite stood silent, listening. Mina watched him, noticing little details that she had thought she had forgotten about her old lover's face. The small lines that would deepen if he were to laugh but disappeared at times, like now, when he was trying to turn himself into a statue. Or at least that was what it always looked like to her. No emotion was allowed on to his face and he stood perfectly still. She used to hate it when he did that. It was like the man she loved had disappeared leaving this stranger in his place, a person with none of the real Malachite's warmth or humor. It was this person that she had fought, this person who had been a leader of Beryl's army and it scared her to see him here. She wanted her Malachite, not this cold stranger. As Darien stopped talking, Mina tried to find something to say, something that would bring the man she knew back but she couldn't think of anything. There weren't any words. * * * * * Serena's head snapped up as lightning streaked across the sky and a dark, feminine chuckle filled the silence. "Little Moon, little Moon, open up." A tall woman appeared in the sky, hovering slightly above the shield. "Or we'll huff and puff and blow your shield down." A man appeared at her side, smirking down at those below them. Serena concentrated briefly, opening up the shield to allow them to enter. She had been watching the time for the last hour, hoping that the others would be here in time. But it looked like they were going to be late. The pair landed lightly on the roof and Serena saw Ami, Lita and Nephrite out of the corner of her eye moving to stand at her back. Even though she had the odds in her favor she felt outnumbered in this fight already. "So. The famous Sailor Moon. I've heard a lot about you." The man said. Serena took a second to study the pair. There was something in their stance that made her wonder about this man's relationship with her daughter. And it was weird to think of this woman as her daughter. She looked to be just a few years younger than herself. She was wearing a long, elegant black dress and at her neck was a dark jewel that Serena felt queasy just looking at. There was something about the way the light reflected off of it that was unnatural. The man at her side stood tall and proud. He wore a dark gray suit with a black shirt. They looked like they were ready more for a night at the opera and a fancy dinner than a life and death fight. Her silence seemed to amuse the pair. "And where are all your defenders? Don't tell me that they have abandoned you?" The woman asked, her voice dripping false concern. "Not abandoned. Just fashionably late." Serena looked up at that to see Pluto appearing above. With relief, she opened up the shield once again to let in the newest arrival. "What are *you* doing here?" The woman hissed, for the first time showing something besides calm assurance. "Really Rini, I'd think that was obvious." Pluto said as she took her place next to Sailor Moon. "And what about your precious duty? Aren't you failing that?" Rini asked, venom dripping from her words. "I have always put you and your family first." Pluto said, retailing her calm. But Serena could see how deeply those words had cut. "Liar!" Rini screamed. Without any warning Rini threw a ball of black energy at Pluto. Pluto snapped her staff into a guard position and the ball struck it straight on, pushing her back several feet. But Pluto was able to stay on her feet. "I wasn't lying, Small Lady." Pluto said as she relaxed her guard slightly once again. "You always put duty first." Rini yelled, as another black ball of energy appeared in her hand. "Jupiter Thunder Dragon!" Lita yelled as the second ball of energy was thrown. Jupiter's lightning smashed into the black energy. The two powers collided, fighting each other for a moment before exploding between the two groups. The flash of light blinded Serena for a moment. "Mercury Bubble Blast!" As she sight cleared, she was surrounded by the familiar white mist of Mercury's attack. She looked around, trying to locate both friends and enemies. "Sailor Moon!" She heard the warning just in time, narrowly dodging the black energy that went sailing by. She heard it hit the shield and winced as she felt the shock reverberate in the Silver Crystal. Ami appeared at her side a second later. "I thought we were going to end this, Sailor Moon! Not hide in the mist like frightened rabbits." Rini's cold voiced called out. "Why are you doing this?" Serena called into the mist, trying to locate where the woman was. "Why?" A masculine voice answered her call, "You haven't seen the future. If you had, you would lay down and let us kill you rather than keep fighting." "You destroyed the world. You callously banished a huge portion of the people to the Black Moon, a cold place with no hope simply because they wouldn't bow down to you." Rini's voice added. "Sailor Moon." Pluto said quietly, appearing at her side. Sailor Moon looked at the tall Scout in shock and asked quietly, "Is it true?" "It is one version of the truth. But it is a twisted form of it." Pluto replied. "What do you mean, one version?" She demanded warily. "You did banish the Black Moon family when they refused to be cleansed. But it was the only option you had other than killing." Pluto said. A cruel laugh rang out, "You can believe her if you want *Your Highness*. But we came from the future. We know the truth. You are a cruel dictator. We came back to stop that future from ever happening." "But if you kill me you die too! I'm your mother." Serena said. "I would rather die than see you become Queen." Rini said. Suddenly Lita was there, pushing her out of the way of another black energy ball. The energy slammed into Jupiter, engulfing her for a second in a swirling blackness. She fell to the ground, writhing in pain as Nephrite appeared out of the mist, kneeling beside her. Another energy ball flew at the downed scout but Nephrite threw himself over her, taking the blow in her place. Sailor Moon watched in horror as Nephrites back bowed backward as his body fought the pain. Below him, Lita groaned as she regained consciousness. "Stop it!" Serena screamed, watching as Lita struggled to get on her knees. "Why? If they stand with you they are our enemies." Rini asked, stepping out of the mist to smile down at her handiwork. "This can't be right. Rini, stop this. This can't be who you really are. We need to talk." Serena begged. "So you can convince me that you are the wonderful savior of the world like you convinced all those other poor, deluded saps in the future? I think not." Rini sneered. Another ball of energy flew at Lita and Nephrite. Again, Nephrite took the full brunt of the attack, shielding Lita with his body. Lita grabbed a hold of him, bracing him as the dark energy slammed into him. His mouth fell open in a silent scream. As the energy disappeared, Nephrite collapsed on to Lita, who struggled to keep him from hitting the hard concrete of the roof. "Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" Ami attacked from behind Serena. Several clear balls of ice raced toward Rini. Before they could reach her, Rini's companion stepped out of the mist and sent several energy balls at them, intercepting them and bursting them mid-air. "Enough of this." Rini said, reaching out her hands to either side of her. As she closed her eyes, the jewel at her neck began to throb with a dark aura of power. Black flames erupted around her as she rose into the air slowly. The jewel at her neck pulled away from her, floating out. Rini brought her hands up to cup the jewel and raise it above her head. A fierce wind began to swirl around her in a whirlwind. Bits of dirt and gravel was flung outward, stinging Serena's eyes as she watched the events unfurling in front of her. "Darien, where are you?" She whispered as she braced herself for whatever was coming. * * * * * Rei could feel something in the air as they moved quickly through the tunnel. Time was running out. She had tried once already to teleport directly out of the cave to Serena but there was some sort of magic around the cave that prevented anyone from entering or leaving like that. It meant that they had to take the slower route, walking carefully through the cave. She wanted to run, but even with her light, the shadows were long and hid any number of hazards. If she broke an ankle here, trying to run, she'd be of no use to any one in a fight. All the while, Jadeite walked silently at her side. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he walked, lost in thought. She wanted to know what those thoughts were and what they meant. And she wanted to know why she still cared- after all that they had done to each other and had done to them, she wanted to know why she still cared what this man thought. She shouldn't but she did. Finally, she saw a light up ahead that had nothing to do with the fire cupped in her own hands. Walking as quickly as she could, Rei walked towards the entrance. Finally she stepped out of the shelter of the cave and back into the fierce arctic wind and endless expanse of snow. "We're coming Serena. Hold on." Rei muttered, hunching her shoulders against the sudden, all consuming cold. * * * * * Mina could feel the press of time, weighing heavily on her. They had to hurry this up but Malachite wasn't going to just do whatever they asked without explanation. And now, with him just standing there, thinking, Mina was desperate. "Malachite." She said softly. The man turned to look at her, eyebrow raised in a questioning look. Mina knew that look. It was one that had always irritated her. That was probably her only defense for her actions. Mina pulled back her arm and slugged Malachite, right in his arrogant jaw. Malachite stumbled back a step before turning back to her. This time there was no hint of the aloof businessman as he yelled in her face, "What the hell was that for?" Mina took a step forward, putting herself nose to nose with the man, "We don't have all day for you to sit there and think. Make a bloody decision!" "You have got to be kidding me. You people kidnap me from my own office, tell me some crack addled fairy tale and expect me to do what you say?" Malachite hissed at her, ignoring the rest of the world in favor of the small blonde challenging him. Mina glared back, "If it's just some stupid fairy tale, then prove it. Take the oath." "Fine, I will!" Malachite yelled, his nose mere millimeters from Mina's. "Fine! Get on with it!" Mina challenged. The two stood there, glaring at one another, for several seconds. Finally Malachite broke away to glare at Darien, "What do I need to do?" * * * * * Serena felt the air around her charge a second before a beam of pure darkness shot from the crystal in Rini's hands, plowing a furrow through the concrete, throwing dust and debris up into the air all around. She threw up her arms at the last minute before the blast hit her, protecting her head. Instead of feeling the blow, she heard twin screams to either side of her. Opening her eyes, she saw the streak of power had split just in front of her, each of the two arms of energy going after Mercury and Pluto where they stood. Both had been caught unaware by the sudden change in attack and took the full brunt of the attack. Dark power coursed through them unrestrained as Serena watched. It seemed to take forever for the power to disappear around them, but in reality it was only a couple seconds before her two friends crumpled to the ground bonelessly. "You should have brought more Guardians." Rini said with a sadistic chuckle. "And here I thought, since this was Sailor Moon's party, being late would mean being on time." Serena looked up to see Rei, standing on the shield with Jadeite, "Sailor Mars!" "You picked a horrible time to start being on time to things." Rei said as she fell gracefully through the hole in the shield that Serena opened up for the two newcomers. Rini sneered down at them, "Calling in reinforcements? When are you going to finally face me, Sailor Moon?" Serena took a step forward, "Rini, enough! Pluto told me Wiseman did something to you, twisted your mind somehow to make you think things happened differently than they really did!" "No!" The energy surged around Rini in an angry pulsing, "The Wiseman saved me. You are the one twisting the truth! I won't let you win!" * * * * * Malachite repeated the lines of the oath after Darien, his eyes locked on the petite blonde behind the dark haired man. But as the last word of the oath left his mouth, his world disappeared and a new one, this one formed from some unknown void, appeared in its place. But still the dark haired man, Darien, remained. "Malachite." Malachite looked up and felt the first stirrings of something, some recognition building inside of him. "Do you choose to walk with us again?" Darien asked. The image of the blonde pulled at him and he answered before he had a chance to think, "I do." "Then remember, old friend, and fight with us again." As Darien's voice faded, images of several lifetimes exploded around him. Flashes that were too fast to make out and yet were burned into his brain forever. And in them was Mina, glaring, laughing, crying� fighting. When he opened his eyes, it took him a moment to realize that he was no longer looking at memories. That the beautiful blonde holding his head was not a ghost of the past but the real thing, somehow returned, against all odds, to his side. And he made a second vow that day, to never lose her again. "Mina?" He croaked, his throat parched for some reason. "Do you remember?" His angel asked, concern written clearly on her face. "Yes." He said quietly. "Good. Because I have a thousand years of issues to talk to you about." Mina growled, dropping his head onto the hard concrete. Malachite winced in pain and struggled to sit up. A hand was thrust into his vision. Grasping it, Zoicite pulled the man to his feet and grinned at him, "Good to have you back." "Thank you." Malachite said gravely, turning to the still angry blonde hell cat that was currently glaring daggers at him. "I believe that we are in a hurry. You may kick my ass later, of course." Malachite said formally, bowing before Mina in the ways of the old Court. Malachite smirked at the look of pure rage that Mina sent him before turning away. And only Darien saw the small, answering smile that Mina had. * * * * * Jadeite attacked, swinging his sword at Rini. His sword stroke was suddenly stopped by another sword, this one long and thin and pure white. Some sort of design ran along the entire blade but as the two began to fight in earnest, it was impossible to make out. "Mars Fire Ignite!" Rei screamed out her attack as fire rushed towards the man fighting with Jadeite. "Helios!" Rini cried out, warning him in time to create a shield of dark energy to hold of Mar's flames. Jadeite tried to take advantage of his opponent's momentary distraction, thrusting but Helios was quick and agile, dodging the blow and attacking with renewed vigor. Serena pulled as much energy as she dared from the silver crystal to throw at Rini. Pure, clear energy smashed into the black void of Rini's. For several seconds the two powers were evenly matched but slowly the black energy began to push back the energy of the crystal. "Sailor Moon! Drop the shield!" Ami screamed at her. Serena, feeling beads of sweat pouring down her face as she concentrated, minutely shook her head. The shield was the only thing that was protecting the innocents from the fight. She felt it each time power hit the shield. Each time the strength of one of her scout's attacks or her enemies' attacks spilled over its intended target. Each time, if the shield hadn't been there, there was a chance that the crowd of people down below could have been hit or one of the surrounding buildings. She wasn't going to risk innocents getting hurt in this fight. Suddenly new strength poured into her. Looking back, she saw Lita on her knees, leaning against Nephrite, and reaching out to touch her elbow. She felt Lita giving her what strength she had, and through her, Nephrite's strength as well. The darkness stopped approaching her but she could not push it back. And then Ami was there as well, adding her strength to Serena's and very, very slowly, the darkness began to recede. "No!" Rini screamed in frustration. Seeing her chance as the other woman yelled, Serena whipped out her wand. "Moon Healing Activation!" The added power of the wand sent the light streaming straight at Rini. Just as the light was about to encompass Rini, Helios broke off from his fight with Rei and Jadeite and shoved her out of the way. The white light slammed into him with all the force that Serena had at her call and the man crumpled to the ground. Rini stared is shocked horror at the man at her feet lying lifeless. After a drawn out moment of silence, Rini's head snapped up and she glared at Serena. "How dare you?" Rini's voice came out low, the word hissed like some huge angry cat. As Serena watched, her eyes slowly bled to black, as the dark power of the crystal she held surged with new strength. The crystal hung in the air in front of her for a second before plunging into her chest. Rini screamed in mingled anger and pain as black flames leapt up around her, hiding her from sight. The power exploded outward, shattering the shield Serena had worked so hard to maintain. And from the flames, Rini emerged. Her hair and eyes now the same deep black of the crystal she had once wore about her throat. Her black dress had changed into black armor. Only her pale skin interrupted the darkness that she had become. And down below, in the streets, Sailor Moon could hear the screams of the people. |
| Chapter 13: |