Sailormoon, its characters, struggles and story, are the copyright 
and children of Naoko Takeuchi. No recognition to this tale can be 
given without properly paying honour to her first. They are 
rightfully hers and I respect how she has raised them all. May what 
I have written here, the dark and the light, be considered worthy 
as a token of my appreciation for the world she has created.


His lordship Chaos / Angel Electric 
11 - The Blood of the Betrayers

Rated PG13.


*****

Don't know how much you can tell
Don't think I hide it that well
I got this feeling
Everything is going to hell

	--Econoline Crush, "Flamethrower"

*****


	Lapis and Lazuli paraded between walls of shadows and shafts 
of light. They licked their lips and let their laughter bounce off 
the stone walls, let it ring in Kunzite's ears as he dangled in the 
air. Chains forged from madness and metal hung from the ceiling, 
and wrapped his wrists and hands in a crushing caress.
	They had patched up his shoulder enough to let him hang 
without creating further damage to the wound. Kunzite grudgingly 
acknowledged their skills as Healers. They restored him just enough 
so he could feel the torture. There were moments where he passed 
out and mercifully forgot the sound of their cruel laughter. The 
twins were quick to bring him back, and remind him what it was like 
to bleed. Kunzite was no stranger to pain. And yet for each cut he 
received, each excruciating injury they delivered left his body 
convulsing and his mind praying for an end. 
	They never touched his body. They never even came close. He 
hung in the centre of the room, his body swaying to each new strike 
and stab. The twins skipped and danced around the edge of the 
darkened room, somehow missing the multitudes of burning candles 
scattered across the floor. They giggled, and traded secrets and 
kisses, and hurled daggers at Kunzite's shadow. Wherever the blades 
penetrated the darkness, the corresponding places on Kunzite's body 
erupted in blood and pain.
	Cold sweat and blood trailed down Kunzite's face and neck. It 
soaked into the tattered remains of his uniform. It ran down his 
sides and legs, and fell drop after drop from his boots, pooling 
onto the floor. From time to time, he murmured chants meant to keep 
his mind from being broken. From time to time, he openly told the 
twins they were being too loud and couldn't they just torture him 
in peace and quiet? Lapis and Lazuli only smiled and sent more 
knives burrowing into his shadow and flesh. 
	How long he spent in their cruel company, Kunzite could not 
tell. There was only shadow and searing pain and that damned 
tittering. He made a mental note to rip out their voice boxes if he 
ever got the chance.
	The chamber doors abruptly opened, allowing a slender beam of 
light to glide into the room and fall over Kunzite's form. For the 
first time since being bound and chained, Kunzite lifted his head 
of his own accord. Beryl's silhouette stood in the doorway; he 
could see the waves of her brilliant red hair.
	"Finally," he mumbled. His eyes struggled to stay open. "I'd 
like to lodge a complaint about the service here."
	Beryl arched one of her eyebrows. She surveyed their captive 
and the marks covering his body. "I see you two have been enjoying 
yourselves," she remarked to the twins.
	"Pain makes it easier to play with him," Lazuli replied. "It 
lowers his guard."
	"His pain is almost as delicious as the blood that flows from 
it," Lapis said. She sent another dagger spinning into the middle 
of Kunzite's shadow. Kunzite's body lurched as a spray of blood 
erupted from his back. His feet swung in the air helplessly. 
	Beryl raised a restraining hand. 
	Lazuli sulked but nevertheless lowered the knives held 
between her fingers. 
	Unhurried, Beryl moved between the clusters of candles, 
drawing closer and closer to Kunzite, until she stood so 
tantalizingly close to him. Given the height he hung from, she had 
to reach up to place his chin in her palm. Beryl turned his head to 
the side and marvelled at how the wounds on his cheeks did nothing 
to abate the cold ferocity in his eyes.
	"We meet at last, General Kunzite," she said.
	Kunzite managed a weary, sardonic smile. "Hello, Beryl. So 
you're the one pulling on Endymion's leash."
	"I've been pulling it for eleven years," Beryl said, lowering 
her arm. "And he hasn't been the only one. In fact, there's a great 
many things about me you can't even begin to fathom."
	Kunzite let out cough meant to be a bark of laughter. "I know 
you're not entirely human. I doubt you ever were, though you mimic 
us rather well."
	Much to his satisfaction, the giggling of the twins came to 
an abrupt halt.
	Beryl, however, only smiled. "Ah yes, that's right." Her lips 
curled back, and Kunzite saw her pointed teeth glisten in the 
candlelight. "You're half-Lunarian. No wonder you challenged 
Endymion--you and no one else."
	"There was something wrong about Endymion last night, and now 
I know what that was." Kunzite looked straight into Beryl's eyes. 
"It was your scent on him." 
	"My scent?"
	"You reek of darkness, of blasphemy."
	That made Beryl laugh. "Blasphemy, is it?" she remarked, 
glancing over at Lapis. "Now there's a description I don't think 
I've ever come across before."
	Kunzite shook his head, though the movement was shaky. "It 
was never about Lunaria, was it? Spinel's assassination attempt, 
the ice comet...they were just meant to distract us from seeing your 
true goals."
	"Not entirely," Beryl admitted. "I take full responsibility 
for Spinel, though he needed very little encouragement to draw his 
sword against you. However, I had nothing to do with that comet and 
its egotistical Snow Queen." She shrugged. "I really can't 
complain, though. Without her and her entourage of Snow Dancers, I 
would have never found the key I have so desperately sought."
	As he stared down at the floor, Kunzite sucked in a strained 
breath. "The Ginzuisho," he whispered. 
	"My, you are quick," Beryl remarked in admiration. 
	She'd spent years trying to get close to the Silver Crystal. 
Posing as Garnet was easy enough, but even then Halcyon only let a 
handful of people get close enough to witness the power of the 
crystal. And last Beryl had checked, she wasn't an Outer Soldier. 
She needed to know what sort of power it had, what sort of defences 
she was up against. Her sorcery and stealth could only take her so 
far. Right now, even she had her limits.
	Originally, her plan was to use that little trigger she'd had 
her twins plant inside Endymion's mind years ago. He would kill the 
Lunarian Princess, and then her mother. Earth and the moon would be 
thrown into anarchy and bloody war. And she would have nothing to 
stand in her way of claiming the crystal for herself. The crystal 
was the key to releasing Metalia from that damnable prison.
	Beryl slid her body around Kunzite's, her breasts pressing 
into his back. Kunzite grimaced as her touch brought newfound pain 
to his wounds.
	"But now things have changed," Beryl said. "Nephrite and 
Sailor Mars' unexpected jump into my mind did enough damage, 
especially when they dug too deep and discovered the lingering 
presence of my mistress. They saw into a shadow of my plans, and 
for a moment I believed everything might come to ruin. And then a 
most interesting thing happened: while Halcyon forced back that 
comet with her Ginzuisho, something else resonated inside of 
Endymion."
	Beryl's hand snaked around Kunzite's chest. Her open hand 
pressed full-force against Kunzite's ribcage, her fingernails 
digging into his skin. Kunzite's eyes bulged. Blood bubbled out 
from his lips and dribbled down his chin. And Beryl's elegant voice 
drifted across the air to whisper into his ears: 
	"The Golden Crystal...I thought it was only a Terran legend. 
When I had him captured eleven years ago, my twins sensed a strange 
power radiating from his body. I would have never even guessed it 
was this, but now I understand. I believe that the men in 
Endymion's bloodline are the guardians and carriers of this great 
power.  The Golden Crystal's power is just as great as the 
Ginzuisho's...and it is exactly what I need to release Metalia." 
	Kunzite's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Metalia?"
	The delight in Beryl's voice could not have been any more 
obvious. "Oh yes," she said. "While I am the first to admit that 
'Darkstorm' has a sort of archaic mystique to it, I prefer calling 
her by her true name."
	She slid back around Kunzite, her scarlet eyes almost glowing 
in the dim light.
	"It's funny, in a way," she remarked. "I had Endymion murder 
his own father to ensure Endymion would be brought here to the 
moon, to deliver my assassin right into the hands of my enemies. 
Spinel was nothing more than a test to see just how far Endymion's 
mysterious powers had evolved. As you've seen, he is on the verge 
of mastering the full power of the Golden Crystal. And in order to 
control it, all I need do is control him. Endymion's mind belongs 
to me. He will do it willingly and make me queen."
	Beryl began to draw away from him.
	Kunzite did not stop watching her.
	"So in the end, it was you," he said in a quiet, dangerous 
voice. "You were the one who ordered Endymion's father be 
assassinated."
	"Oh yes." Beryl looked almost proud at the thought. "The 
prince makes for quite the killer, doesn't he? A shame, though; I 
don't think he'll ever realise he is the very murderer he seeks."
	Kunzite's eyes closed, and the twins revelled in the pained 
expression on his face. A silent prayer went through his head and 
he opened his eyes to stare directly at Beryl. "You seem to have 
enlightened me with the last of your secrets. We might as well get 
this over with, then."
	"What?" Beryl asked. "Are you so eager to die?"
	"You're too smart to kill me, Beryl," he stated. "My 
disappearance or death now would unravel your careful plans. I 
imagine you'll make me what you've made Endymion. My question is: 
why wait until now? You could have attacked each of us in turn the 
first night we arrived."
	Beryl let out a snort of incredulous laughter, as if it 
should have been perfectly obvious. "Why, General, people like you 
are the reason I've waited. The Lunarian blood flowing through your 
body sensed the change in Endymion...though I am curious why you and 
no one else knew my little Endymion had been triggered."
	"You forget," Kunzite said. "It's my job to search out the 
threats to my lord."
	Beryl crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes...I suppose it is."
	Kunzite was suddenly aware of the twins moving within the 
chamber: one somewhere on his left, the other on his right. 
Flanking him. Stalking him. They were hiding in the shadows again, 
but he could hear still them breathing.
	"Do you honestly believe I would risk making all of you my 
servants so early?" Beryl continued. "If you were able to sniff out 
Endymion not even an hour after I triggered him, imagine what would 
happen if all five of you were under my control at the same time? 
Give me some credit, General: sooner or later, someone would have 
noticed. You'd be captured, your minds examined, and I would 
ultimately be exposed." 
	Beryl shook her head at the thought. 
	"Secrecy only works when you're keeping the secret. The 
reason I am on the verge of winning is because I've deliberately 
avoided rushing in. Oh, and there's one fun little secret you don't 
yet know about."
	She stepped closer and whispered dark and dreaded words into 
Kunzite's ear, and Kunzite's eyes widened as he listened. His body 
went cold. He couldn't stop shivering.
	"Oh please, don't act so dramatic," Beryl sighed. "In your 
heart, you already suspected where my power was coming from."
	Beryl moved away from him and made a gesture with her hand.
	The twins began advancing on Kunzite.
	"You get to live, Kunzite," Beryl told him, "but your 
loyalty's about to change."
	She glanced at the Lapis and Lazuli. "Show him your magic 
touch. And make sure he brings the other three to you before the 
night is out. I can give you a two hour window before anyone really 
starts to ask why he missed dinner."  
	The twins regarded Kunzite with hungry eyes.
	"With the suffering he's been through," Lapis said.
	"We'll only need one," Lazuli finished.




			Are you dancing?


			 ANGEL ELECTRIC




	Dinner came, and it was a private affair.
	The meal they ate was subdued, filled with fatigue and 
doubts. Jadeite was just happy to have a reprieve from the 
Archives. He never had a problem with all the reading and research, 
but only when he was alone. Now there were sages and pompous 
scholars, all briefed by Halcyon and sworn to secrecy, who enjoyed 
critiquing his translation of a single word instead of focusing on 
the fact that the subject of those debated words might soon wipe 
them all out. Their droning voices and petty arguments gave Jadeite 
newfound reason to savour the pervading silence of the evening 
meal.
	None of the Sailor Soldiers were dressed in their battle 
uniforms. It was perhaps the first time that Jadeite had seen them 
all formally assembled, wearing such informal clothes. Almost all 
of them looked to be nursing some sort of injury. They also 
devoured their meals as fast as etiquette would allow.
	Haruka murmured something into Halcyon's ear, to which 
Halcyon shook her head. Jadeite caught Cioran's name, but little 
else. 
	Endymion and Serenity sat beside each other, sharing whispers 
of affection between courses. They were probably holding hands 
underneath the table. Or else rubbing their legs against one 
another. Not that Jadeite cared. So long as they didn't start 
throwing themselves into a passionate embrace and ruin his 
appetite, he was blasé about the whole matter.
	Nephrite had once mentioned the whole situation felt like an 
arranged marriage proposal. It made Jadeite smirk at how 
circumstances had changed everything since. And yet, how long ago 
had those words been spoken? How long since they'd been on Earth, 
walked through its forests and smelled its oceans?
	Jadeite forced himself not to yawn, and drank from his 
goblet. 
	A number of seats were noticeably vacant. Jadeite wasn't the 
only one to observe this. "Where's Kunzite?" Minako asked.
	"He's probably just resting," Endymion said casually. "He 
didn't look like he'd gotten a lot of sleep last night."
	Ami grinned as she pinned Minako down with a look, and 
Minako's cheeks went flush. 
	Jadeite didn't want to know.
	"I think Zoicite's still working through some of my texts in 
the Archives," Garnet said. "He wanted to finish going over this 
one manuscript with the scholars from Jupiter." She glanced over at 
Halcyon and added, "They arrived about an hour ago, so they've 
already eaten." 
	"I have then set up in some nearby guest quarters," Halcyon 
said with a knowing smile. "How is the search going?"
	Garnet let out a beleaguered sigh and poked at her entrée 
with her utensil. "I wish I could say it's been going well. 
Unfortunately, most books on the Darkstorm are hundreds of years 
old. Half of them have been worn down by age, and the rest seem to 
be just theories on the Darkstorm--what it was, how it worked, what 
happened to it. I also took the liberty of recruiting a few 
restoration experts from the Neptune kingdom; they should be here 
by the morning to examine the painting. You don't mind, do you?"
	Halcyon tipped her head. "I shall ensure they are given 
proper access and accommodations."
	"What about the chimera cults?" Ami asked. 
	At that, Garnet could only shrug. "I asked Cioran to dig up 
more details on the Darkstorm followers he found. Haven't heard 
back from him yet, though."
	"What about witness accounts?" Setsuna asked.
	Jadeite perked up slightly; he hadn't noticed she'd been 
listening in on the conversation.
	Garnet, however, gave a non-committal shrug. "Most of them 
are sketchy at best, taken from the survivors of the planets 
destroyed by the Darkstorm's onslaught. I could only wish for a 
record from one of the Sailor Soldiers. That'd make my work a lot 
easier."
	"General Jadeite, what about you?" Halcyon asked.
	Jadeite abruptly became aware of more than a few gazes 
turning his way. He set his goblet down and shook his head. "If 
there are personal records from the Sailor Soldiers themselves, I 
never found any," he answered. "Garnet's not kidding: all I found 
were witness accounts, and most of them were sketchy at best."
	"But you found the record of that child artist," Makoto said. 
"You made the connection."
	"I got lucky," Jadeite sighed. "It took me four or five days 
of wading through a lot of useless junk before I stumbled across 
it."
	And the debate continued. At least here, everyone was focused 
of finding new aspects or avenues to search. No one wanted to steal 
any sort of glory. They all just wanted to survive. Jadeite smiled 
to himself as he listened. This was why he preferred the company of 
soldiers instead of politicians.
	Something small and furry brushed up against his foot and 
began to nuzzle his leg. Jadeite didn't even bother glancing down 
to see who it was. By now, he'd become very familiar with Artemis' 
demands for attention. Lunarian or Terran, deep down all cats were 
alike. Jadeite took a small piece of the meat from his meal and 
carefully dropped it down on the floor. He hoped Artemis liked the 
flavour of the sauce.
	They took their time, enjoying the desserts brought out. 
There was no official end to the meal, though when Endymion and 
Serenity pushed their chairs back and excused themselves, most of 
the others followed suit. Halcyon lingered at the table, as did her 
four Outer Soldiers. Not that it came as much of a surprise to 
Jadeite. He'd come to expect it, thought he couldn't help but admit 
to himself he'd love to one day sit in on one of those secret 
discussions.
	Jadeite wandered out from the private banqueting hall and 
watched the others disperse. Nephrite was in the lead, stretching 
out his arms and heading towards an open courtyard. Endymion and 
Serenity strolled out together, arm in arm. Makoto trailed 
unobtrusively behind them. In all likelihood, Minako was going to 
try and find Kunzite. Ami disappeared down a different corridor, 
one Jadeite recognized as leading to the Archives; she'd probably 
go and see how Zoicite was faring. And oddly enough, Garnet was 
heading in a direction that led nowhere near the Archives.
	Jadeite dismissed it.
	He couldn't fault her for wanting to get away. Hell, all he 
wanted to do now was find his bed and fall asleep on it. How long 
had it been since he'd gotten a decent sleep? Especially one that 
didn't find him waking up on a pile of books scattered across a 
table? Jadeite yawned again and rubbed the back of his neck. 
Artemis came bounding out from the room and nuzzled up against his 
boots.
	Jadeite smirked and scooped the little white cat up off the 
floor, placing Artemis on his shoulder. He was ready to begin the 
task of retracing his steps through the maze-like corridors when 
Rei blocked his path. Not with her body, but with her gaze. 
	"I was hoping to talk with you," she said.
	Jadeite gestured down to the far end of the hall. "I'm 
retiring for the night, but we can talk on the way."
	"That's fine. I'm due to be guarding Serenity within the 
hour."
	They walked side by side, Rei keeping pace with him. Artemis 
contentedly sprawled himself over Jadeite's shoulder, his tail 
swishing back and forth.
	"How long have you known Nephrite?" Rei asked.
	"Long." Jadeite was immediately suspicious. "Why? What's the 
problem?"
	"Well...he's being a lot like you." 
	Jadeite stopped and stared at her incredulously.
	The look on Rei's face, however, was far from joking. She 
wasn't even looking at him, choosing instead to stare down at the 
floor. "He's changed somehow in the last few days," she said. "Even 
before the Snow Dancers attacked the palace, there was something in 
the way he'd look at me."
	At that, Jadeite rolled his eyes. "If Nephrite liked you, he 
wouldn't waste time wondering how to say it. It's not in his nature 
to be so insecure."
	Rei visibly blushed. "It...it's not that," she stated. 
	"Then what is it?"
	"There's something he's not telling me," Rei stated.
	"We all have secrets, Rei. You already know mine."
	Rei scowled at him and shook her head. "Will you stop it with 
these games again? This is different, Jadeite. I've spent a lot of 
time with Nephrite lately. He's not doing this out of spite. He's 
afraid. So much that he's terrified of telling me."
	"And what makes you so sure about this?" Jadeite asked.
	"Look into his eyes sometime, General," she told him. "You'll 
see it. Behind all his bravado and callous words, Nephrite's afraid 
of something."
	"And what do you want me to do about it?"
	At that, Rei let out a laugh, as if it was the last thing 
she'd expected to hear from him. "You?" she said. "I don't want you 
to do anything. I didn't come here asking for intervention, 
Jadeite. You've fought alongside Nephrite in countless battles. You 
probably know him better than any of the others here. I want him to 
confide in me. After all he and I have been through, I thought I'd 
have proven myself by now. He's proud of what I've accomplished; 
like you said, he doesn't hide it. But he can also trust me." 
	She added in a quiet, almost vulnerable voice, "I want him to 
trust me."
	It made Jadeite's stomach twist itself into an obscene knot.
	Rei looked up. A familiar set of double doors was fast 
approaching on their left. "We're at your chambers," she said. "I'm 
sorry to have bothered you, General."
	She parted ways with him, saying little else. 
	From his perch, Artemis looked over at Jadeite. "Myu?"
	"You're telling me," Jadeite agreed sourly, and entered the 
guest chambers. 
	The common room was quiet and deserted. Not surprisingly, the 
doors to Kunzite's bedchambers were closed and in all likelihood 
locked. The remaining four doors were still open, inviting rest and 
recovery to whichever of the Terran delegation might seek it. 
Jadeite knew he did. 
	He walked into the middle of the common room, almost running 
into a random chair. Jadeite frowned and pushed the offending chair 
aside. Something stirred in the back of his mind: a faint, warning 
prickle. It caused Jadeite to pause and glance around the common 
room a second time.
	Strange...he could have sworn there'd been more chairs earlier 
today. And unless his eyes were deceiving him, the coffee table was 
slightly different. How, he couldn't say, but it was oddly 
unfamiliar. Its presence made Jadeite uneasy. Its presence caused 
the demon in the back of his mind to stir awake. Suddenly the last 
thing Jadeite wanted to was sleep. He didn't even want to linger in 
the guest quarters.
	Artemis, on the other hand, did not seem to think anything 
was wrong. He let out a tired "Myu" and hopped off Jadeite's 
shoulder. Unusually bright blue feline eyes stared up expectantly 
at Jadeite.
	"Why don't you wait here?" Jadeite said. "I'll be back in an 
hour or so."
	Once more Artemis displayed his uncanny knack for 
understanding exactly what Jadeite said. With a yawn, Artemis 
sauntered over to the open doors of Jadeite's bedchambers and 
disappeared into the shadows. Jadeite shook his head and left the 
common room. He wondered if all Lunarian cats were so aware of the 
world around them.
	Jadeite turned around, steeling himself for another few hours 
of being trapped in the Archives with people who loved the sound of 
their own voices. He had only taken a few steps when the main doors 
were pushed open and Nephrite marched in--still looking as surly as 
ever.
	"Good walk?" Jadeite inquired.
	Nephrite didn't even bother with any sort of reply, or even a 
shrug. He shuffled past Jadeite, heading towards his own room.
	"Still wearing that face, I see," Jadeite remarked loudly. He 
didn't turn his head and look in Nephrite's direction until he 
sensed Nephrite staring at his back. "Rei said something's got you 
agitated."
	The scowl on Nephrite's face could not have been more 
apparent. "Did she?"
	"She also said you're not telling her what it is," Jadeite 
said. "I've known you for years now, Nephrite. It doesn't take much 
to agitate you, and frankly I could care less about whatever mood 
you're currently in. It's when you make her agitated that I get--"
	"Jealous?" Nephrite's mouth was upturned by a vicious smile. 
	Jadeite didn't take the bait. "Whatever this is about, it's 
between you and her. It's not my place to interfere."
	"Then why are we talking about it?"
	"Because she knows, Nephrite." Jadeite's voice began to take 
on a ruthless edge. "And if you've deluded yourself into thinking 
you've hidden your fear from her, you're sadly mistaken. Maybe you 
missed that rousing speech you gave earlier this morning, but we're 
about to resume a war that almost destroyed this entire system. Now 
is not the time to keep secrets from each other, not with so much 
at stake."
	They stared at each other. Glared at each other. Each one 
dared the other to be the first to back down, to give up and let it 
rest. It was Nephrite who relented. He found the nearest chair and 
collapsed down on it. He let out a deep breath, suddenly showing 
how much the weight of his own secret was pushing down on him.
	"I killed her, Jadeite," he said quietly.
	Jadeite stiffened.
	"That's what the stars showed me," Nephrite said, looking up 
at him. "That's what haunts my waking hours and my dreams. I saw a 
demon who looked just like me, and he stood over Sailor Jupiter's 
corpse while the rest of the palace lay shattered around them."
	He bent over and pressed the base of his palms against his 
forehead. "I have spent days trying to find answers, trying to find 
a way out of this. And I can't. Something's coming, and it's coming 
soon. We both saw that. But what you don't know is that it's coming 
for us first--Endymion and the other Generals." 
	Jadeite was quiet as he considered what to say. In the end, 
he simply said, "You should warn Halcyon."
	"Would you still trust a man you believed capable of turning 
around and murdering your friends?"
	Jadeite didn't answer that. He had no answer to that. 
	Nephrite's hands went to the armrests of his chair, and he 
pushed himself to his feet. "I would rather die than betray 
Endymion," Nephrite stated. "And he would rather die than declare 
war against Lunaria. The stars, however, tell me that betrayal is 
coming. I have to know, Jadeite. I have to know how it comes and if 
it can be stopped. I don't want to stand over her body. Not again. 
Not with that smile. That thing had no soul, no compassion. Time 
may be running out, but I still have to try. I have to know if it 
can be stopped."
	They fell silent.
	The rhythmic sounds of the chronometer filled the room.
	"So," Nephrite remarked, half challenging, half defiant. 
"Should I tell the others about this?"
	Jadeite closed his eyes as he considered the possibilities 
and the distrust, and in the end shook his head. "No. I was wrong, 
General--some secrets are worth keeping, at least for the moment."
	He turned and walked away, his hands reaching for the main 
doors. At his back came Nephrite's voice: "See? Already you don't 
trust me the way you did yesterday."
	Jadeite paused in the middle of opening the double doors. "I 
can't even trust myself," he said. "Why should you be so different? 
Do me this last favour, Nephrite, and then we can be afraid of each 
other until the end of world. You don't have to tell Rei. In fact 
I'd rather you didn't. But don't push her away; she deserves better 
than that."
	Nephrite continued to stare at the doors even after they'd 
closed in Jadeite's wake.
	"Well, well," Nephrite remarked quietly to himself. "You are 
jealous after all."


			*	*	*
	Spectacular explosions stippled the heavens in yellows, blues 
and whites. Somewhere not too far away echoed the cheers and 
laughter of yet another masquerade reaching its first of many 
peaks. Serenity watched the world from the solace of her balcony, 
her arms resting against the balustrade. The smile on her face was, 
for lack of a better word, perfect. Endymion couldn't take his eyes 
off it. He leaned against the balcony alongside her, his back to 
the fireworks, his gaze directed more at her than the parade of 
lights overhead.	
	"The gardens are so beautiful beneath the fireworks," she 
sighed. Serenity rested her cheek upon her wrists. "I could sit 
amidst all those flowers for hours and not even notice."
	"I think we were sitting there for hours," Endymion said with 
a grin.
	"It wasn't a problem...was it?"
	She was so cute when she was on the verge of panicking.
	Endymion shook his head, abating her worries. Everything 
seemed to concern her so much. That a princess like her would put 
so much focus on those around her. She could have only gotten that 
from Halcyon. 
	Serenity turned away from the fireworks and retreated from 
the balcony. Endymion followed behind her, pausing to close and 
lock the patio doors. She continued straight into her bedchambers. 
As he passed by the fountain, Endymion's pace slowed. His gaze 
shifted momentarily to the main doors. The guard had changed; Rei 
was outside.
	She wouldn't interrupt. She wouldn't listen in.
	It wasn't her way.
	Endymion smiled and entered Serenity's bedroom.
	"They don't dance anymore."
	He blinked and looked up at her, confused.
	"The flowers," Serenity repeated. Her smile was so soft, so 
sincere. "They don't dance for you the way they used to. Usually 
they're swaying and pushing each other just to get closer to 
wherever you've sat down."
	"Even flowers need to sleep," Endymion answered as he sat 
down on the edge of her bed. He placed his index finger in front of 
his lips. "And some things are just as beautiful asleep as they are 
awake."
	Serenity beamed, blushed, and turned to her dresser. She was 
searching for something. Endymion wondered what that might be. He 
idly scratched at his ankle, his fingers brushing against the hilt 
of a small dagger hidden in his boot. When Serenity turned around, 
a small wooden chest was held in her hands. The sigil on the lid 
was ornately carved, bearing Lunarian runes Endymion did not even 
remotely recognize.
	Serenity sat down next to him, her gossamer dress spilling 
out around her. She cradled the chest like it was a treasured 
friend. For a moment she looked as if she contemplated opening it. 
The lid remained shut. 
	"This has been with me since I was born," she said quietly. 
Her eyes were on the chest. "It has been passed from mother to 
daughter for generations, though nothing about it is more sacred to 
me than the memories of staying up late for so many nights, 
listening to its music."
	The wooden chest in her lap was slid over onto his. "I would 
like you to have it," Serenity said, and she tipped her head up to 
look into his eyes. "A gift from a princess to her knight. From a 
lover to her beloved."
	Endymion opened the lid of the chest, and felt the very air 
being robbed from his mouth. It was her star-shaped locket. 
Endymion's hands came to gently rest upon its cool, smooth surface. 
As he traced the contours of the locket, a small portion of the top 
flipped open, and a beautiful melody sang to them. A part of 
Endymion wanted to protest, to tell Serenity that it must be 
valuable, an heirloom, something dear to her that should be kept 
close to her. But he could not. All he could do was smile as he 
listened to the locket's melody, and wish he could give her 
something in return.
	"What is it?" Serenity asked him.
	Endymion had to laugh. "I'm at a loss," he admitted, and 
looked at her. "I have no idea how to thank you for this."
	Serenity lifted her head from his shoulder, and brought it to 
his cheek. She kissed him once to thank him for accepting her gift, 
and a second time simply because she wanted to. Endymion found it 
hard to let go as they drew their lips away from each other. He 
found it even harder to pull his hands away from her sides. The 
locket and its chest nearly tumbled off his legs. 
	"Kiss me," she whispered.
	Endymion hesitated.
	"Kiss me," she whispered again.
	He closed his eyes, and brought himself to the edge. Their 
lips met, and they parted only when they needed to draw breath once 
more. Serenity's entire body seemed to tremble with excitement, and 
he could feel every vibration wherever they touched. Serenity's 
eyes were alive with something he could not entirely name, but the 
way she looked at him made Endymion feel all the more alive. He 
allowed his eyes to close, and he took up her scent for the first 
time all over again. It reminded him of waterfalls and secret 
kisses. Endymion smiled and opened his eyes, drawing his face away 
from Serenity. She was staring up at him with her shy, quiet smile.
	"How do you do that?" he asked her.
	Serenity blinked in mild surprise. "Do what?"
	"Make everything seem so much simpler."
	Endymion lowered his head so his nose was buried in the 
tresses of her blonde hair. Such a fragrant smell. He wondered if 
her blood would smell just as exquisite once he licked it off his 
hands.
	Delicious...


			*	*	*
	An entire section on the main floor of the Archives had been 
cordoned off to make room for all the ongoing research on the 
Darkstorm. Makeshift bookshelves had been assembled to house all 
the manuscripts collected thus far. At least a dozen separate 
tables were covered with stacks of books or pyramids comprised 
entirely of scrolls. Most tables had been claimed by the scholars 
and translators brought in by Halcyon and Garnet. 
	Zoicite was just glad his table was nowhere near theirs. 
Garnet had been more than kind to clear off the large conference 
table in her office, and give him free reign unless she needed the 
room for more immediate and private matters. Of course, he had to 
keep her door open, just in case, and so the constant banter from 
the scholars still reached his ears. Their voices were distant and 
distracting. 
	They were arguing about the exact wording of some obscure 
prophecy.
	"Oh, just shut up already," Zoicite muttered to himself, and 
shot a glare at the open door. His expression softened as Ami 
pushed the door open and stepped in. 
	"They're still at it, I see," she remarked, glancing over her 
shoulder.
	"Unfortunately," Zoicite agreed. His gaze flickered up to the 
side of her face. "That's a nasty bump."
	Ami blushed and embarrassedly covered it with her hand. "You 
can thank Venus' heel for that. My mind was...elsewhere at the time."
	Zoicite closed the book he'd been skimming through and tossed 
it onto the table. "Wasn't the whole idea of this training session 
supposed to help you focus your powers?"
	Ami gave a helpless shrug.
	Another heated series of shouts came from further into the 
Archives.
	"I don't care what you say," one of the sages exclaimed 
indignantly, and then said something completely unintelligible to 
Zoicite's ears, "--clearly means 'until the end of time'!"
	The other sage retorted, "And I am actually from the people 
who wrote this language, and I am telling you it means 'seed of 
eternity'."
	Zoicite rolled his eyes.	
	"They're both wrong," Ami casually remarked, and began 
thumbing through one of the open books on the table. She 
deliberately kept her other hand hidden behind her back. "It means 
'children of forever.' Idiots."
	With a barely stifled laugh, Zoicite leaned forward and began 
to scour the multitude of books surrounding him. A low, unpleasant 
rumble came from his stomach, and Zoicite wondered if skipping 
dinner had actually been a mistake. 
	"Any luck so far?" Ami asked him.
	Frustrated, Zoicite began dropping books one by one onto the 
table. "Nothing. Nothing, and oh look!" He tossed the last book 
across the stacks, where it slid to a stop in front of Ami. "Still 
nothing! And to make matters worse, a few hours ago Kunzite told me 
we're getting reports of raiders massing in the south-western 
province of Hyuga."
	"How many?" Ami asked, visibly concerned.
	"Lots. I can't stop worrying about it either. Whatever 
they're up to, it can't be good." Zoicite scowled and massaged the 
side of his neck. "However, for reasons beyond me, Kunzite made me 
swear to keep it quiet for the time being."
	Ami looked puzzled. "Then why are you telling me?"
	"I trust you, pure and simple."
	Ami smiled, flattered by the compliment, and tried changing 
the subject to something less aggravating. "What about Jadeite's 
notes on that artist?"
	"I haven't even glanced at it," Zoicite said, and glowered at 
the otherwise useless texts around him. "Halcyon's saving that for 
the language experts once they arrive--though I saw Garnet skimming 
through it this afternoon, and she didn't seem to find anything 
worth mentioning."
	With a weary sigh, Zoicite leaned back in his chair and laced 
his fingers behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling, his 
thoughts still preoccupied with ancient records that told him 
nothing and questions that went nowhere.
	"Need a break?" Ami asked.
	Zoicite nodded. "Desperately."
	Ami drew out the book she'd been hiding behind her back. At 
once Zoicite groaned. "Oh, not more reading!"
	"Relax," she told him. "This is in your native language."
	Zoicite glanced at the worn cover held in Ami's hand. One key 
word stuck out from all the others. "Elysian?" he remarked, now 
more sceptical than ever.
	Ami glided around the corner of the table and sat down in the 
chair next to him. "What you said earlier about Garnet has been 
sticking with me all day," she said. "Even with all the training 
sessions, I couldn't stop thinking about the tragedy surrounding 
her family."
	Suddenly the bump on her head made perfect sense.
	"To this day," Ami continued, "we still don't fully know what 
happened to that expedition. All the rescuers found was a 
terrified, five year-old girl. She was the only one to survive."
	"Ami," Zoicite said as gently as he could, "I've already told 
you: Elysian's just a legend. It's a paradise myth. Almost every 
major religion has one."
	Ami set the text down in front of Zoicite and propped one of 
her elbows up on the table edge. "Okay," she said with a triumphant 
smirk on her face, "so Elysian doesn't exist. Doesn't that make you 
wonder what Garnet's family actually found?"
	Zoicite looked at her, and then down at the book. "Now you 
have piqued my curiosity," he grudgingly admitted. "But I'm just 
playing tag-along here; I've had my fill of reading for the moment, 
so this little side project's all yours."
	"Fair enough."
	"So where do you plan to start?"
	Ami flashed him a knowing expression; she was teasing him. 
Without saying a word she drew away from the table and walked to 
the far wall of Garnet's office, standing before the enormous 
portrait of Halcyon. Ami winked at him.
	Zoicite failed to see the reason why. "What?"
	Without saying a word, Ami reached out a hand and let her 
fingertips caress the painting. The canvas shivered and rippled 
from her touch. Abruptly the oils and paints began to run, the 
entire image of the queen being washed away by an unseen river. As 
the colours melted into the frame, Zoicite could see open space 
leading into a hidden chamber.
	He couldn't help but grin. "Just like the Seraphim," he 
muttered to himself.
	Ami glanced back at him. "What was that?"
	"Nothing." Zoicite got up from his chair and walked over to 
the opening. "How did you know about that?"
	"You really have a short memory, don't you?" Ami replied with 
a smirk. "I told you I've spent enough time in Garnet's archives to 
learn a secret or two."
	Zoicite peered inside the opening. Instead of the daunting 
atrium he'd seen in the Seraphim Order's domain, what he found was 
a small and surprisingly comfortable chamber. Every last possible 
inch of wall space was covered in rows upon rows of books, and in 
some places a few ancient-looking artefacts. Even more books were 
stacked in careful piles around a well-worn and well-loved settee 
and small side table. Two lanterns hung from the ceiling, casting 
the room in a cool, whitish-blue glow.
	"She has a private library too?" Zoicite remarked.
	Ami nodded. "As head archivist, she has access to a lot of 
rare texts. If Garnet finds anything she really likes, she 
catalogues it and hides it here for her own personal enjoyment. So 
long as no one raises a fuss about wanting to find the book, 
Halcyon turns a blind eye to it."
	"And just how many of these rare books have you liberated 
over the years?"
	Ami's cheeks went a little red. "More than a few, but not 
enough to rival Garnet's collection."
	Zoicite smirked and stepped inside. One section of shelves 
was auspiciously empty; he assumed that had been her personal 
collection of Darkstorm texts. (At least that meant one less row of 
books he'd have to read.) Other than that, there seemed to be no 
apparent ordering or grouping of the books. If there was a system, 
it was one unique and exclusive to Garnet. What might have been 
books of poetry stood next to manuscripts about, upon a brief 
inspection, the fighting techniques of Uranus and Jupiter. Next to 
that was a battered translation guide to a long-dead Terran 
language.
	"How'd you know about this?" Zoicite asked.
	"Garnet showed it to me years ago," Ami replied, stepping 
around Zoicite as she entered the room. "She also gave me 
permission to use this place whenever I needed to. It's a very 
comfortable reading room." 
	"It's also a good place to hide," Zoicite said. He ran his 
fingers along a couple of book spines. "So what are we looking for? 
Darkstorm lore was Garnet's hobby, not this."
	Elysian would remind her too much of what she lost.
	Ami stopped before a shelf that had a single book resting 
upon it. Its cover was a faded brown, possibly made from the skin 
of an animal. Despite its age, it looked remarkably beautiful. Next 
to the book stood a few small sketches of different things: some 
plants leaves; a pack of wolves; Garnet and her parents.
	"I know," Ami said softly. Her hand came to gently rest upon 
the cover of the book.  "It was her father's diary. They found at 
the ruins when they rescued Garnet. Every note he made, every clue 
he followed: it's all in here." 
	Zoicite drew up next to Ami as she lifted her hand from the 
book. Intrigued, Zoicite began to lift up the cover.
	"Be very careful," Ami stated. "This is the only tie to her 
parents she has left."
	"This from the woman who's taking it from its resting place?" 
he retorted.
	"I never said I was taking the diary." Ami pointed to stack 
of four books sitting on the shelf below the diary. "She 
transcribed everything into those volumes. For years, all she ever 
cared about were those ruins. She wanted to know why her family 
died." 
	Zoicite shook his head, understanding the feeling all too 
well. "No. She wanted closure. Are you really sure you want to be 
doing this?"
	"Garnet once told me I could look at anything I wanted to, 
including her private collection," Ami said. "Personally, I don't 
feel as if I'm violating some sacred space or memory. Besides, if 
we happen to find an explanation for all this, don't you think 
she'd want to have that closure?" 
	"That's one way of rationalizing it, I guess," Zoicite 
murmured to himself.
	Ami scooped the four books out from the shelf and turned 
towards the entrance. "I vaguely remember Garnet studying Elysian 
when I was first brought here. She kept looking over and over the 
notes in her father's diary. She made her own entries, trying to 
piece together the glyphs they found. She compared them to almost 
every language she could gain access to. Though in the last few 
years, I don't think I ever saw her looking at them."
	"I guess in the end it became too painful," Zoicite said.
	Sooner or later, Garnet must have realized that this wouldn't 
bring her parents back. Everyone had to learn to move on.
	"I guess," Ami said. "It's odd, though; from what I can 
recall, she only stopped once I became a regular in the Archives 
about three or four years ago."
	Zoicite stifled a laugh. "Maybe she's hiding something from 
you."
	Ami smirked and shook her head at him. "In all likelihood, 
she probably felt the subject matter was too morbid for me."
	They slipped out of the chamber, the painting restoring 
itself and sealing the opening behind them. Zoicite looked back at 
the portrait and marvelled at how impossible it was to see there 
had even been an opening there in the first place. It reminded him 
all too much of the maze of secret chambers lurking within the 
Archives.
	Ami cleared a space on the table and set down the four black 
books. As Zoicite sat down, she slid the first volume over to him. 
"I've glanced through these books before, once or twice," she said. 
"I'm a little more familiar with the contents, so I can start with 
any random page."
	Zoicite stared down at the book. "And what am I supposed to 
do with this?"
	"Read it, what else do you think?"
	With a groan, Zoicite let his head fall onto the cover of the 
book. "Did you just conveniently forget the part I mentioned 
earlier about being just a tag-along on this project of yours?"
	"I have selective hearing," Ami evenly retorted. "Look, are 
you going to read that or not? Because otherwise, you could just as 
easily get some food for us from one of the nearby kitchens."
	"Fair enough," Zoicite said, getting to his feet. "Do you 
have any preferences?"
	"Definitely something to drink," Ami replied, her focus 
already on the text.
	"So what are you looking for?"
	"Elysian itself," she replied, and dismissively waved at him. 
"Once you've gotten something to eat, you can start reading through 
the journals." 
	Zoicite sighed and left her to her books. The next half hour 
was spent pleasantly wandering the halls and savouring the open 
air. Once he reached the kitchen, he took his time selecting 
various foods to carry back to the Archives. For Ami, he set a 
small pitcher of water on the food tray. For himself, he set down a 
goblet of fruit juice and an equally-sized pitcher of Sake. And 
much to his surprise, when he rejoined Ami in Garnet's office, he 
sat down and started working his way through the journal records.
	Their time together was spent in silent reading. Every now 
and again, arguing voices from the Archives drifted in through the 
open door. Zoicite frowned as he scanned each page; the entire 
volume was a massive compilation of miscellany notes; Garnet worked 
with a foreknowledge of her parents' studies, and as a result 
everything was scattered throughout the text instead of 
structurally organized. Random, obscure notes about Elysian made by 
her mother were complimented by a few references Garnet had found 
years later--mostly book titles and pages, or some sort of question 
like "original myth or borrowed from 'Tuat'?"
	Only ten pages later did Zoicite find a passage that 
explained what that set of notes had been about. He had to read 
most of the book before he could start piecing things together; 
scraps of pictures and fragments of sentences seemed to be all that 
remained. According to one of Garnet's notebooks, entire pages of 
the diary didn't survive the disaster. One thing did survive, 
however: a geographical description of the area. It took Zoicite 
almost an hour and more than a few maps to track it down.
	Lunarians had a very peculiar sense of cartography.
	"Found something?" Ami asked, looking up from a book she had 
fetched from the Archives. On its pages were an incredibly 
complicated-looking script, something she referred to as "Greek."
	Zoicite placed a random book on the corner of the map to 
ensure it didn't roll back up on itself. "I think so. It's lucky 
this dig site was in our country, otherwise I wouldn't have a clue 
where to start looking for it."
	"What about your own records?" Ami asked. "Surely your people 
have some recording of this event."
	Zoicite shook his head. "I'd have to contact our own archives 
back on Earth, and it might take a while to get an answer. Besides, 
there are a lot of ruins scattered across our lands. Telling them 
what region's history to look at will help them considerably. How 
are you faring?"
	"All right, I guess." Ami pushed some stray bangs away from 
her eyes. "I don't know why, but Garnet didn't do a lot of research 
on Elysian. She mostly looked at decoding the runes her parents 
found at the ruins. It's strange...I never noticed it before, but 
based on these entries she barely seems concerned with the site 
itself."
	"Language would be a good means of figuring out what that 
place was used for," Zoicite said. "If you know who put the writing 
on the walls, you're that much closer to knowing what it is they 
built. What about Elysian?"
	"You weren't kidding; this paradise myth shows up in almost 
every major religion." Despite what she said, Ami picked up the 
book she'd been reading and smiled. "However, a people called the 
Greeks were the ones who called it 'Elysian'. I've been learning 
about their history, but so far, nothing connects them to the 
ruins."
	Zoicite was surprised. "Nothing?"
	"That ancient Greek civilization disappeared hundreds of 
years ago--centuries before the Darkstorm, in fact. And these 
Greeks practically lived on the other side of the world from your 
islands."
	"Maybe they travelled the oceans and built a temple to honour 
their gods," Zoicite suggested.
	"That could be the case," Ami said, somewhat dejected, "but 
the writing of the ancient Greeks doesn't even remotely match the 
writing that Garnet's parents copied down in the diary."
	Zoicite let out a huff and put his elbows down on the map. 
"Another dead end. You know, I'm starting to wonder if whoever 
built that place didn't want anyone else to ever find it."
	"Then why create such a temple in the first place?"
	"Maybe it's not a temple."
	"Then what is it?"
	"I don't know."
	Ami didn't seem to like his response, given how she went back 
to her books. Zoicite shrugged and scoured the map before him. The 
second volume of black books recorded the journey taken by Garnet's 
family, beginning with their arrival through the Star Chamber in 
Edo, the capital city. 
	It took Zoicite a lot longer than he'd expected to glean from 
his own recollections of the various regions, and match them to the 
different places travelled by Garnet's parents. Only a few sporadic 
mentions of cities or towns could be found. And once more, Zoicite 
found a strange anomaly: Garnet had never bothered to validate or 
give greater detail to her family's journey. She'd never even 
created a makeshift map based on her own memories. It was as if she 
knew exactly where the ruins still laid, and deliberately kept the 
knowledge to herself.
	But if that was the case, why didn't she ever revisit the 
site?
	Or had she, and he just didn't know about it?
 	Zoicite scribbled a note to himself to look into that later. 
He finished drawing a thin line through the map, after consulting a 
few Lunarian references from nearly twenty years ago, and double-
checking his coordinates yet again. Abruptly he became aware of Ami 
leaning over his shoulder.
	"Progress?" she asked.
	Zoicite sat back in his chair and stretched his arms out. 
"Looks like it," he said "Hell of a journey to track, though. 
Sometimes they took the main roads, sometimes they wandered through 
the forests."
	Puzzled, Ami looked down at him.
	"We've got a lot of forests," he told her. "Really large 
ones, too."
	Zoicite then pointed down to the southern-most of the four 
main islands. "The ruins are somewhere in Kyushu...probably down 
around the Higo or Satsuma provinces. I recall a bit of the terrain 
from our campaign there last year."
	"What does the diary say?" Ami's hand reached for the book, 
but Zoicite tapped one specific paragraph with his fingertip before 
she could grasp it. 
	"Something about barren foothills, probably referring to a 
hillside where the rocks have pushed out through the ground," 
Zoicite said. "Kyushu has more than a few of those. Aside from 
that, we've got mention of a few, dead trees and little else. 
Admittedly, Jadeite's the one to ask for specifics; since he 
governs this island, he can probably narrow the location down based 
on this description."
	The look now in Ami's eyes was one Zoicite had seen before. 
If it could be helped, she'd keep pushing to find the answers. Not 
just to ride on their current momentum, but because if there was 
one thing she didn't seem to like, it was not knowing, not having a 
satisfactory answer.
	As if to prove his point, Ami asked, "I don't suppose you 
know where he is?"
	"Knowing Jadeite," Zoicite said, "he could be anywhere."


			*	*	*
	Minako searched the halls of the palace for Kunzite.
	His bedchambers had been empty.
	No one knew where he was.
	She was starting to grow worried.


			*	*	*
	Inside the halls of the Seraphim Order, there was only 
silence.
	A lone figure strolled through a series of chambers and 
corridors littered with bodies. Blood dripped from his hands. 
Soaked through his uniform and stained his skin. He didn't care. He 
was humming a pleasant tune to himself as he stepped over the 
corpse of a friend. Its head was somewhere else in the room. Not 
that it mattered.
	A little girl cowered in the far corner, her eyes trying to 
display anger and only showing him fear. The blood of her friends 
and fallen comrades was spattered across her face. In her hands, 
she clutched the knife of a first-year Seraphim apprentice.
	His apprentice.
	He'd watched her play with her friends, seen her potential. 
He'd petitioned her place amongst the Order. He'd spent the last 
ten months training her, teaching her secrets and techniques passed 
down generation after generation. Yesterday, he would have wanted 
to see her become his successor. 
	He approached the last of the Order's survivors.
	And drew his sword.


			*	*	*
	They fell upon her bed, Endymion on his back. Serenity landed 
on top of him, her legs straddling his waist, her blonde hair 
cascading down around their faces as she propped herself up with 
her hands on either side of his head. She lowered her face and 
kissed him again. This time he slid his tongue into her mouth.
	They parted to catch their breaths. Her eyes were watching 
him, drowning in love and desire, struggling to see what he was 
thinking or what he was planning to do next. She whispered his 
name, whispered strange Lunarian words that electrified his skin.
	Somewhere along the way, between the touching and caressing 
and the sighs from them both, she lost her gown. Piece by piece his 
armour became piled up next to the bed. Endymion let his eyes roam 
the length of her body. She was small yet supple, not as athletic 
as her Sailor Senshi. Her skin was pale, almost shimmering like the 
crystal her mother wielded. 
	She was so wonderfully, unbelievably beautiful.
	Endymion pressed his body against hers, letting her feed off 
the heat of his body. His kisses traced a path down her chest. She 
cooed and ran her fingers through his hair as he continued to dance 
his tongue along her skin.
	Endymion continued to watch her writhe and twist sensually 
beneath his caress. He thought about the knife. It could wait. The 
princess was urging him on, her fingers traipsing down the sides of 
his arms. She wanted to feel every part of him until they merged 
and became a single creature with a single soul. She wanted to give 
him everything she had, and she wanted everything from him. 
	He would give her heaven.
	And then he would take her eyes. 


			*	*	*
	The sages and wisemen were arguing. Again. And loudly, at 
that. The only time their voices suddenly died down was when 
Jadeite walked by, their heated debates silenced by the unamused 
look on his face. He liked it. He preferred it that way. If a fear 
of him would shut them up, then let them be afraid. 
	At least he hadn't needed to listen to their bantering for 
the last few hours. Garnet and Zoicite could spend as much time as 
they wanted on the main floor, where everything was easily 
accessible and there was more to look at. Jadeite kept working at 
his desk down in a forgotten corner of the lowest Archival levels. 
It was familiar, and quiet, and at least there people didn't move 
his stuff around or steal any books to consult or look through. And 
on a more personal level, he felt like that part of the Archives 
would be depressed if he simply abandoned it.
	He'd have to bid a proper farewell to it before leaving.
	Jadeite smirked to himself and shook his head. "I'll be 
saying good-bye to a room," he muttered. "I must be tired." But 
that was the way of Lunaria. Mysteries were built into the rooms 
and their walls, and nameless magics hung in the very air he 
breathed. Jadeite silently admitted to himself that he would miss 
it. 
	Well, he'd miss the Archives, at any rate. 
	Not the idiots who started back up with their insipid, "Look 
at me, I'm right!" arguing once he was a good ten feet away.
	Jadeite headed for the exit, content in the knowledge that 
the doors would shut out their noises once he was in the hallway. 
As he passed by Garnet's offices, he caught a glimpse of Ami 
through the open doorway. Curious, he made a brief detour and stuck 
his head inside. Zoicite was inside the office as well, and from 
the looks of it puzzling over some kind of map.
	Zoicite looked up and saw him. "Hey." 
	Ami glanced up from some archaic scroll.
	Jadeite raised his hand in greeting to them both, and then 
yawned.
	"When did you sleep last?" Ami asked.
	"Don't really know," Jadeite replied, shrugging. "What day is 
it again?"
	Zoicite laughed. Ami didn't. Her concentration was still 
focused on the scroll.
	"Having fun, are we?" Jadeite asked.
	"You could call it that," Zoicite said with a weary sigh.
	Jadeite turned away. "Then far be it for me to interrupt. 
Enjoy." 
	"Since you're here," Ami said quickly, cutting off his chance 
to leave. "Could you help us with a question we have?"
	Jadeite hid his grimace as he turned back around. "Yes?"
	"It's about Kyushu," Zoicite said. He consulted the page of 
the black book sitting open next to the map. "You wouldn't happen 
to know of any places where there's barren foothills where the 
rocks have pushed through the ground, and where the only vegetation 
are a handful of dead trees?"
	Much to his own surprise and dread, Jadeite could easily 
think of one spot in particular matching Zoicite's description. It 
wasn't far at all from where Endymion's father found him, where he 
went mad and found his family's killers. Jadeite glanced down at 
the map, and pointed at one region near the south-eastern tip of 
Kyushu. "If I had to hazard a guess," he said, "it would be this 
place: the Hyuga province. In this one area, nothing grows there. 
It's desolate. Farmers avoid it because their crops wither and die, 
and as far as I know, birds and animals don't seem to like it much 
either. It's coastal, but I can't say much about the fish one way 
or the other. No fishermen."
	But Zoicite and Ami hadn't even heard him, too busy 
consulting with each other.
	"Where did Kunzite say they were massing?" Ami asked.
	"Hyuga," Zoicite said to her. "I'm finding one too many 
coincidences here."
	Ami nodded her head in agreement. "Too many coincidences make 
for some sort of conspiracy, but I cannot understand the shape it 
is taking."
	Their vague references were beginning to get annoying. "Would 
someone mind telling me what's going on?" Jadeite said, and 
gestured to the map. "And what it has to do with this region?"
	For some reason, that drew a fair degree of concern from Ami. 
"Did this desolation just happen overnight?" she asked.
	Jadeite shook his head. "Don't think so. This happened years 
before I was appointed to govern the region. We were all probably 
little kids when it began."
	"Have you checked it out before?" Zoicite asked.
	"Once or twice." Jadeite shifted uncomfortably. "Never stayed 
long. There's very little to look at. But from the accounts I have 
pieced together, the land just slowly died over the years, and it's 
been dead ever since. The land does that to itself sometimes. Why 
do you ask?"
	Zoicite glanced at Ami, looking for approval, and apparently 
he got it. "This mostly involves Garnet," Zoicite explained.
	"How?" Jadeite asked.
	Ami slid a small, black book in front of Jadeite (one of 
four, he noted). "Her family was killed exploring some sort of 
ruins in this area you described."
	Zoicite put a finger down at the map, giving him a point of 
reference. "We're pretty sure it's around here."
	Jadeite's brow furrowed as he looked down at the map. "I've 
never seen any sign of civilisation there," he said.
	"It was all underground," Ami explained. "Caverns, I guess. 
They've long since collapsed. That's what killed Garnet's parents: 
a cave-in."
	Jadeite's eyes were still fixed on the map, and the crooked 
line Zoicite had drawn across it that ended abruptly in the middle 
of Kyushu Island. "If there were usable caves in Hyuga, I would 
have known about it," Jadeite said. "They would make wonderful 
homes for thieves and raiders." 
	"Well, from the sounds of it, an army of them have recently 
shown up and are camping out in that province," Zoicite said. He 
caught sight of Jadeite looking up sharply at him. "Kunzite told me 
earlier."
	Jadeite's disposition did not improve. "Did he now?"
	"We think the ruins might have been deliberately hidden in 
the caves," Ami said, cutting in. "It's equally possible that these 
ruins were once a structure of great prominence. However, time and 
the earth swallowed it up or buried it."
	"The cave-in that killed Garnet's parents probably sealed off 
any remaining, visible traces of its existence," Zoicite suggested. 
"Maybe that's why none of us have ever heard about it before."
	As he stared at the map, Jadeite's stomach began to tighten 
into a knot. Something about this did not sit well with him, 
something beyond this unpleasant reminder about his demon. As if 
the evening hadn't already been filled with its share of 
uneasiness, this only compounded the matter. He scanned the table, 
working out from the map. A number of books written in distinctly 
foreign languages laid open around Ami's seat, as well as some 
papers with all sorts of strange scribbles written down on them. A 
number of large symbols or glyphs had extra notes were written 
above or next to them, most of those notes in smaller handwriting. 
If Jadeite didn't know any better, Ami was comparing written 
languages.
	But what the hell did all of this have to do with raiding 
parties?
	"What else can you tell me about this?" Jadeite asked.
	Ami gestured to her work. "Based on her father's diary, we've 
found a few copies of the writing they uncovered at the ruins. 
Garnet tried researching their origins years ago, but never found a 
match yet. And I can't even find anything remotely similar to help 
translate the writing."
	"We've spent the last hour trying to decipher it," Zoicite 
said. "The runes look like part of some greater design, but I don't 
recognize it for the life of me."
	"Neither can I," Ami said, and slammed her fist on the table 
in frustration. "All my time here in the Archives, and I have never 
seen this before!"
	Jadeite leaned over the table and looked down at another of 
the black books left open next to Ami's notes. They weren't 
kidding; everything looked utterly alien. He'd never seen anything 
like them before in his life, even after all his own time spent in 
the Archives.
	And suddenly Jadeite's gaze came to a dead stop.
	From the list Ami had copied, he recognized a rune. It was a 
single downwards line curving at the base into a u-shape. Next to 
it on the left, a series of strokes resembling a 'w', and above the 
initial like was a jagged line topped with a single dot.
	Jadeite forgot about the world around him. He forgot about 
the people in the room with him, about the palace and all the 
people bustling within its corridors and great halls. All he could 
see, all he could remember, was the maddening and terrifying 
laughter coming from an infernal storm trapped inside a painting. 
	His face took on a new, strained expression. "I have," he 
said quietly. 
	Zoicite and Ami stared at him, stunned.
	"What?" Zoicite said.
	"I've seen this before." Jadeite reached into his uniform and 
produced a small, folded piece of parchment. He unfolded the paper 
and set it down next to Ami's list. Upon it, a young Neptunian 
artist had chaotically scribbled the identical symbol in her own 
blood.
	"The girl who painted the picture of the Darkstorm," Jadeite 
stated. "This is what she kept drawing before she killed herself. 
It's what haunted her dreams, what she saw whenever she was awake: 
the mark of the Darkstorm."
	The colour began to drain from Ami's face.
	Zoicite looked hesitant to even breathe. He stared down at 
the two symbols. "So what does the symbol mean?"
	"'Evil'. I'd be hard-pressed to believe anything different," 
Jadeite said. He looked right at Zoicite. "You said these caverns 
might have been deliberately hiding the ruins?"
	Zoicite nodded.
	"Well, I'm betting you're more right than you know." Jadeite 
took the black book and set it down over the map. He ran his 
fingers along the drawings of the runes. "This is probably part of 
a warning. There is something down in those ruins we were not meant 
to find, something we weren't meant to fuck with. Something that 
was supposed to be locked away for the rest of eternity."
	A terrible quiet fell upon them as they each came to realize 
the truth.
	"Oh god," Ami whispered, looking away.
	"Garnet's parents found something all right," Jadeite stated 
grimly. "They found the tomb of the Darkstorm."
	For as stoic as he looked, Zoicite was trying not to panic. 
Jadeite recognized the expression well enough. Zoicite swallowed 
and forced himself to stare down at the map. "Well," he remarked, 
trying to sound optimistic, "at least now we know what Beryl's been 
looking for."
	"And even in death that forsaken place claimed more lives," 
Ami stated. "It's amazing to think that Garnet somehow survived."
	Every word she spoke reverberated within Jadeite's head. And 
then he saw it all so clearly, and what he saw horrified him. 
Dammit, how could he have been so blind? Jadeite found himself torn 
between throwing up and falling into hysteria. His hands balled 
into fists. His breathing quickened. Adrenaline shot through his 
entire body.
	Jadeite whirled, his eyes looking to the doorway. "Where is 
he?" he exclaimed. "Where's Endymion?"
	When Zoicite and Ami didn't answer, and only stared at him in 
confusion, Jadeite hissed and stormed out of Garnet's office. He 
never looked back. He didn't even cast a momentary glance at the 
stunned sages and scholars who had abruptly become silent again.
	Footfalls echoed on either side of him; Ami and Zoicite were 
giving chase.
	"What?" Zoicite exclaimed. "What is it?"
	"Where is he?" Jadeite said again.
	"Don't know."
	Jadeite swore under his breath and kept moving. "Zoicite, 
check our guest quarters; Endymion may still be there. He has to 
know about this immediately. You find Nephrite or Kunzite along the 
way, tell them all hell's about to break loose. Ami, do the same 
with the Sailor Soldiers. Make sure Halcyon and Serenity are both 
safe."
	The main doors to the Archives hastily swung open, trying to 
keep abreast of Jadeite's stride. He still almost ran right into 
them. Out in the corridor, he made a random turn, his mind a blur 
of panic and desperate tactics.
	"Jadeite, slow down!" Zoicite said, grabbing hold of 
Jadeite's shoulder. "What's got you so twitchy all of a sudden?" 
	Jadeite whirled, his eyes wide and ferocious. "Don't you 
see?" he snapped. "If the Darkstorm was responsible for this, then 
the land would have been desolate for hundreds of years!"
	Unable to see the connection, Zoicite was ready to slap him. 
"And?"
	"And," Jadeite stated, "it only began to die when Garnet's 
family uncovered the tomb. Garnet didn't just survive. She was 
spared. And she didn't come back to Lunaria alone." 
	He looked at them both, and at last saw the urgency in their 
faces.
	"Run," he told them. "And pray we're not too late."


			*	*	*
	Minako was on the verge of panic.
	Her casual walk had long since turned into a near frantic 
run, and she seriously considered transforming into Sailor Venus to 
give herself the extra stamina to keep running for as long as she 
had to. It was as if Kunzite had simply vanished, disappeared 
without a single indication of where he could be. All his usual 
haunts were deserted. All of the people she encountered and asked 
shrugged their shoulders and apologized, but no, they hadn't seen 
him at all. She'd even gone to her bedchambers in the wild hopes 
that he'd be patiently waiting for her there, wearing little more 
than a bedsheet.
	This wasn't like Kunzite. The General she'd come to know, the 
man she'd come to love, would never do this. Not on a whim or as a 
joke.
	Once more, she returned to the delegation's guest chambers.
	Minako stood before the closed doors. She extended an arm, 
her knuckles poised to knock. She hesitated. A cold draft surged 
through the corridor, blowing against her skin. Minako 
involuntarily shivered. She rubbed her arms and looked down an 
empty corridor.
	She looked back at the door, steeled herself, and knocked.
	No response came from within.
	Minako's jaw clenched, and she fought the urge to cry out of 
fear or frustration. She knocked again, this time louder. And the 
main doors unexpectedly swung open, inviting her inside.
	The common room was dark and empty. Faint rays of light from 
the dome overhead managed to reach the furniture sitting in the 
middle of the room, but in the corners, the shadows ruled all. 
Minako glanced back over her shoulder, and then crossed into the 
chamber.
	"Hello?" she called out.
	The main doors abruptly swung shut, their lock clicking into 
place. Minako spun around as the light behind her was swept away. 
The darkness swarmed around her, and she could see no means of 
escape. She was trapped. 
	Kunzite's voice echoed through the shadows, causing her to 
jump: "Hello, Minako."
	Minako turned away from the doors and let out a short, 
relieved laugh. Then she swore at him. "You bastard, you scared the 
hell out of me!"
	She searched for him in the darkness.
	He was nowhere to be found.
	"Did I now?" he remarked.
	Something in his voice set Minako on edge. Why didn't he come 
out into the light? "Where have you been?" she called out. "I've 
been looking all over for you. I've...I've been really worried."
	From out of the darkness, somewhere to her left, she heard 
his voice loftily remark, "Oh, I've been around."
	Something was wrong.
	Very, seriously wrong.
	"Kunzite?" Minako called out again.
	Now somewhere on her left, his voice said, "I'm right here, 
my love."
	Minako's pulse began to race, her body tensing in an 
altogether unwelcomed way. Her mind screamed at her to transform, 
but she couldn't bring herself to change. Fear wormed into her 
voice.
	"This isn't funny, Kunzite. What's going on?"
	Kunzite began to chuckle. It sounded like he was all around 
her.
	"You don't like my surprise?" he asked, seemingly hurt. "As I 
recall, you were the one being all aggressive last night."
	Suddenly he was behind her, pressing against her back, his 
arms coiling around her chest and waist. Minako stiffened; she 
hadn't even sensed his presence behind her. Kunzite tightened his 
grip, taking in the warmth of her body. His breath rolled against 
her neck as he whispered, "Why the change of heart now that the 
roles are reversed?"
 	Minako's voice became lost in her throat. 
	"Your heart is pounding. I can hear it. It excites me, 
Minako."
	His hand slithered between her thighs, fingertips almost 
tearing through the folds of her gown. 
	"Isn't that what you want?" he asked her. "Isn't this what 
you've been craving since you woke up this morning?" 
	 A loud and angered hiss pierced the eerie quiet. 
	Out into the dim light stalked Artemis, his fur standing on 
edge, his back arched, his teeth and claws bared. He glared at the 
silhouette lurking behind Minako and hissed once more. 
	"Well, well," Kunzite said, "if it isn't Jadeite's little 
pet." He left a trail of kisses down the side of her neck, and 
squeezed one of her breasts in his hand. "Looks like we have an 
audience. Does that excite you, Minako-chan? Does it make you want 
to be taken right here on the floor, to be left naked and gasping 
for air? I won't tell if you won't."
	Tears ran down Minako's cheeks as she felt his touch all over 
her, violating her. This was not him, not his caress. They were his 
hands, but now every way he teased her was cruel and sadistic. 
Minako closed her eyes as she felt his hot breath against her neck.
One of Kunzite's hands found its way against her undergarments. 
	Minako's jaw clenched. 
	She raised her leg and rammed her heel as hard as she could 
into his groin.
	Kunzite's grip around her disappeared as he stumbled 
backwards, coughing and laughing. As Minako darted fell forward 
against one of the sofas, she caught a glimpse of Kunzite before he 
melted back into the darkness. It was his face, his body and 
uniform, and in his eyes she saw nothing of the man she once knew. 
	"Even in despair, she stings as beautifully as she kisses," 
Kunzite's voice remarked. "That's my girl."
	Artemis darted around the furniture and slid to a stop in 
front of Minako. He stared straight into the shadows, as if he 
could see exactly where Kunzite hid.
	"Noble sentiments," came Kunzite's voice, "even if it's just 
a cat."
	Kunzite stepped out into the light beneath the dome, his 
katana drawn.
	"Do you think Jadeite would notice if I skinned the little 
beast?" He grinned. "Let's find out."


			*	*	*
	Nephrite walked the halls of Lunaria's palace, aimless and 
bored. Evening hours fell upon the courtyards and piazzas and 
hidden rooms. The revellers were coming out, adorned in their 
elegant and outrageous costumes. Laughing. Chatting. Ignoring him. 
Ignoring everything.
	At least this time around he wasn't being seized by whatever 
troupe he happened to pass and asked to accompany them as a guest 
of honour at their party. He detested their ignorance and apathy, 
but he despised their insistence on dragging him into the centre of 
all their festivities. Unless, maybe, they had some really good 
wine to offer him.
	He'd at least take the wine.
	Nephrite's gaze idly drifted upwards to one of the glass 
canopies spanning the corridor's ceiling. At the far end of the 
glass he could see part of the brilliant blue Earth. Nephrite was 
brought to a stop by a stab of homesickness. He missed the way the 
snow shimmered in the moonlight off the hills of Hokkaido. He 
missed the tranquil quiet of the temples. Hell, he was even missing 
the sporadic visits from his sensei, where, to the amusement of his 
troops, he'd get soundly trounced at least once a day. 
	Home looked so close at hand. 
	"We'll be back soon," he said to the Earth. 
	Nephrite turned away from the canopy as startled shouts and 
exclamations rang out from behind. Jadeite came charging around a 
corner, almost crashing right into a small crowed dressed for some 
sort of dinner party. Amidst their startled cries, Jadeite weaved 
and dodged around them, his movements almost too fast to be human. 
His eyes never diverted from looking straight ahead.
	He moved like a masquerade was chasing after him.
	The mental image alone made Nephrite laugh.
	Amused, he patiently waited for Jadeite to come speeding 
along next to him. Jadeite abruptly stopped and turned his head. 
	"Late for an illicit affair?" Nephrite remarked with a grin.
	Jadeite didn't laugh. He didn't even bristle at the jab. "Are 
you doing anything in particular right now?" Jadeite said.
	His voice had a hardened edge, one Nephrite hadn't heard 
since the night of Spinel's attack. Nephrite looked into Jadeite's 
eyes and saw fear. He straightened up, his hands falling to his 
sides. "No. Should I be?"
	"Yes. Move your ass."
	Jadeite started running again. 
	While he no doubt looked as bewildered as the Lunarians 
Jadeite had already raced past, Nephrite needed no further reason 
to take up pace alongside Jadeite. "Okay," Nephrite said between 
breaths, "obviously I'm missing something here."
	"Here's the short version: Garnet is Beryl."
	Nephrite skidded to a stop, staring incredulously at Jadeite. 
"That's not funny," he stated.
	Jadeite glowered as he was forced to stop along with 
Nephrite. "And I'm not joking, General. I don't even know if Garnet 
is aware of Beryl's existence within her own mind. She's probably 
been hiding behind Garnet the entire time, watching us, listening 
to every strategy we've ever made. You ever wonder how Beryl always 
seemed to be one step ahead of us?"
	Nephrite looked away, the mantra of 'shit shit shit shit 
shit!' cycling through his mind. He thought about the past, about 
every day and night and meeting spent on the moon. He replayed 
dinners and debates, and his memories could find little to 
incriminate Garnet. She was benign, harmless--a librarian, not some 
harbinger.
	"Do you have proof?" Nephrite asked.
	"Yes, but not here." Jadeite looked left and right, anxious 
to start moving again. "Time is not our ally, Nephrite. Do you 
believe me or not?"
	Nephrite considered the possibilities. Jadeite wasn't the 
most stable of people; Jadeite himself readily acknowledged this 
fact. But Nephrite knew the one thing to never disregard was the 
way Jadeite's mind worked. When Jadeite came to a conclusion about 
anything, it always came with some sort of evidence to back it up. 
On any other day, Nephrite might have asked first for a seriously 
detailed explanation backing Jadeite's claim.
	This wasn't any other day.
	"Then with any luck," Nephrite said, "Beryl doesn't know 
we're onto her. Halcyon needs to know immediately." 
	"Where do you think we're headed?" Jadeite retorted, resuming 
his run. Nephrite was right behind him. "I've already got Ami 
raising the alarm with the Sailor Soldiers, and Zoicite's going to 
try and find Kunzite and...Endymion..."
	Jadeite's voice trailed off, and this time it was he who came 
to a stop first. His eyes widened, and all Nephrite heard was a 
barely audible, "No."
	"What?" Nephrite demanded. "I barely know what's going on, 
and am already taking a hell of a lot on blind faith here. Spit it 
out, Jadeite!"
	"And if Beryl has been fooling us all along," Jadeite said, 
meeting Nephrite's gaze with a haunted look of his own, "then that 
means she's finishing what she started eleven years ago."
	Nephrite felt his stomach clench at the not so subtle 
implications. "Wait a minute, we don't know if it really was--"
	"Dammit, Nephrite, I don't have time for this!" Jadeite said. 
"Just trust me, okay?"
	"I do," Nephrite said. "But Jadeite, if Beryl was the one 
from years ago, that means she's had full access to Endymion since 
we first arrived."
	"I know. And now Cioran's disappeared."
	Nephrite paused, then said quietly, "Kunzite wasn't at dinner 
either."
	With an angered shout, Jadeite spun around and punched the 
nearest solid object. His fist tore off the face of a hapless 
statue, the sculpted eyes and nose breaking apart and bouncing 
across the floor. Jadeite seemed oblivious to how bloodied his 
knuckles had become.
	"She's doing it tonight," he stated. "She's taking us down 
one by one." He looked to Nephrite for counsel, for options, for 
hope. "So who's next?"
	Nephrite saw Jupiter's corpse, and knew he had little hope to 
offer. "We are," he answered solemnly. "You know what I saw, 
Jadeite. She's coming for us."
 	Jadeite cursed. He took a step in one direction, faltered and 
then turned towards a different path, but did not venture any 
further. He was starting to resemble an animal that had just 
discovered it was cornered and had nowhere to run. "And already we 
can't trust Endymion," he said. "So where is he?"
	With a near snort, Nephrite replied, "He's probably with 
Serenity, where else?"
	The half-smirk on Nephrite's face vanished.
	He saw mirrored in Jadeite's expression the cold terror 
seizing his own body.
	"Who's watching them?" Jadeite said.
	Nephrite shook his head. "I don't know."
	"That's not good enough, Nephrite!" Jadeite snapped.
	Nephrite glared, his hands balling tightly into fists. "I 
don't know!" he shouted back. "Maybe Rei, I think."
	"Then farsense into her mind," Jadeite said. "If he does 
anything to Serenity, Earth and Lunaria will go to war and Beryl 
will become the least of our concerns."
	Nephrite quickly considered what Jadeite said. "Do you think 
this is what Beryl has been aiming for? An interplanetary war?"
	"It would be the perfect distraction if she wants to unleash 
the Darkstorm without interference from either side," Jadeite 
agreed. "But we can debate it later. Find Rei with your mind, 
Nephrite. You've got to warn her."
	Grudgingly, Nephrite nodded. "She won't like the intrusion," 
he muttered under his breath.
	Jadeite heard it regardless. "You have a better idea?" he 
retorted as he turned around and started moving back the way they'd 
come.
	"Where are you going?" Nephrite called after him.
	"Back to the Archives," Jadeite said. "We just left the 
evidence against Garnet sitting out in the open. I need to collect 
it before she finds it, before she finds out that we know. We may 
still have a chance. Warn Rei, and warn Halcyon."
	Nephrite's caustic voice boomed from behind, "And then what?"
	Jadeite didn't want to answer.
	Someone would in all likelihood be dead before the night was 
out.

 
			*	*	*
	When Zoicite reached the guest quarters, he found the doors 
locked. Nothing, not even his palm, could force them to open. 
Zoicite knocked once, twice, and then pounded his fist against the 
door. A pair of Lunarian bureaucrats gave him an odd look as they 
passed down the corridor.
	Zoicite didn't care.
	"Hey!" he shouted, banging on the door again.
	He should have been able to get in. The doors only locked out 
people who had no original permission inside. Not once during the 
entire stay here had he encountered this before. Zoicite's stomach 
twisted in unpleasant new ways
	He stepped back and examined the doors.
	They stood sealed and innocuous.
	"Hell with it," he growled, and kicked the door as hard as he 
could.
	With a groan, the doors shuddered from the force of his boot, 
and remained locked. Zoicite kicked again. And a third time. With a 
frustrated shout he whirled and glared at the two bureaucrats now 
standing frozen in surprise a few steps away. Zoicite's gaze moved 
down to a filled wine glass held in one of their hands.
	He ran up to the pair and snatched the glass out of the man's 
hand.
	"I need this," he stated.ing
	Ignoring their protests, Zoicite stormed up to the doors and 
held a palm over the wine. The drink started to churn, liquid 
tendrils of alcohol stretching out and coil around Zoicite's 
fingers.
	Zoicite glared at the door as he tossed the wine glass aside. 
"Let's see how well you handle this," he muttered.
	The tendrils rebelled, rippled and reformed into a watery 
shard. When the shard became as solid as he could make it, Zoicite 
hurled it at the doors with all the force he could send behind it. 
An enormous hole exploded in the middle of the double doors, 
sending wood and shrapnel flying past Zoicite's face.
	One of the bureaucrats yelped as he was nearly clobbered by 
one of the doorknobs.
	Unable to hold against the attack, the broken doors swung 
wide open. Zoicite walked up to the doorway and gazed inside as 
light flooded the otherwise darkened common room. Minako was on the 
floor, curled up next to one of the sofas for support as she tried 
to rise. She'd been crying, but the look in her eyes was one of 
pure venom. In front of her was Artemis, and not far away stood 
Kunzite--with his sword drawn. 
	Of all the possible sights he'd expected, this one caught 
Zoicite by complete surprise. He took a cautious step inside, 
looking from Minako to Kunzite. "What the hell," he demanded 
evenly, "is going on here?"
	Kunzite smiled warmly. "Ah, General Zoicite. We've been 
expecting you."
	Zoicite glanced at Minako. "We?"
	Minako shook her head as she got back to her feet. She looked 
dishevelled, agitated and frightened. "I don't know," she said 
quietly. Her eyes never looked away from Kunzite. "He's...he's 
possessed."
	"Yeah, I'm noticing that," Zoicite said. He began to move 
deeper into the common room, making his way towards Minako. Minako 
tried to move, but on her first step she collapsed back to her 
knees.
	Kunzite began to laugh as he watched Minako. "It's like 
watching rats," he remarked. "Futile, but amusing. Somehow you seem 
to believe you're going to make it out alive."
	Zoicite hissed through his teeth; he'd never seen Kunzite so 
blatantly cruel. It frightened him to think that this was what 
Kunzite could truly be capable of. "What did she do to you, 
Kunzite?" he demanded. "What the hell did Garnet do to you?" 
	Behind him, he heard Minako whisper, "Garnet?"
	Kunzite seemed unfazed, though Zoicite saw his eyes narrow. 
"The secret's out, I see," Kunzite stated. "I shall have to inform 
our queen. She'll need to take preventative measures." He glanced 
over at Minako. "You'll have to die, of course." 
	Kunzite turned his attention back to Zoicite. "However, my 
standing orders are to collect you, first and foremost." The tip of 
his katana was swung around and levelled with Minako's head. "Don't 
bother crawling away, my love. This won't take long."
	Zoicite took a step towards Kunzite, making absolutely 
certain that Kunzite's attention was on him. "Minako," Zoicite 
stated. "Get out of here."
	However, Minako hesitated, staring at him in disbelief. 
"What?"
	"Go, now. I'll handle Kunzite."
	"I can't just leave you here!" she protested.
	"You're in no condition to fight!" Zoicite snapped at her. 
"Besides, can you even bring yourself to hurt him?"
	That made Kunzite laugh. "Oh, that's cold," he said, and 
jammed the tip of his katana into the floor. "Do you really plan on 
making me bleed--even if it's with your last, dying breath? You act 
like our years of friendship and fighting side by side mean nothing 
now."
	"They do mean nothing," Zoicite snarled, "because you're not 
him. I don't know what she did to you, but you are not Kunzite!"
	Kunzite smirked. "I am his light and his dreams, and I am his 
cruel and twisted shadow. You'll see soon enough, Zoicite. You'll 
see everything."
	He moved so fast Zoicite barely had time to react. The air 
crackled as violet light erupted from Kunzite's hands. Kunzite 
hurled one of his boomerangs at Minako, the other at Zoicite, 
forcing Zoicite to throw himself aside as it sliced its way across 
his forearm. The boomerang continued on, veering into the hall and 
burying itself into the walls.
	The gathering crowd outside the guest suite scattered amidst 
the screams.
	As he hit the floor, Zoicite swore through his teeth and 
glanced down at his wound. The cut wasn't deep. It could have been 
worse, much worse, but it bled more than he'd have liked. The 
injury still remained the least of his concerns. When he looked 
back up he saw Minako getting slammed against one of the pillars. 
The side of her dress had been slashed open, blood seeping into the 
fabric. Before she could collapse onto the ground, Kunzite pinned 
her in place: one of his hands around her throat, the other clamped 
down on one of her wrists.
	"No one's leaving yet," Kunzite stated. "Not when things have 
finally gotten interesting."
	He let his tongue slide up her cheek, all the while looking 
at Zoicite. "You should see her with her clothes off, Zoicite. By 
the gods, I have never tasted sweeter flesh. Would you care for a 
taste yourself? We could share her together." 
	"Go to hell, Kunzite," Zoicite growled, staggering to his 
feet.
	"I don't need to," Kunzite whispered. "Hell's coming to us."
	A blur of white fur moved through the air, catching both of 
their attention. Artemis had leapt onto the back of the chair 
nearest to Minako, his yellow eyes wild in rage. And then the cat 
hissed, "Get your filthy hands off her." 
	Kunzite paused, staring at Artemis in disbelief. "It talks."
	The distraction was all Minako needed to wrench herself free.
	Kunzite lunged, reaching for her. Artemis was already in the 
air. He landed on Kunzite's shoulder and clawed at his face, 
drawing blood along Kunzite's cheeks and forehead. With a shout, 
Kunzite stumbled backwards, angrily grasping at the white cat. 
Artemis wriggled out from Kunzite's hands and dropped to the floor, 
tumbling across the marble tiles and breaking into a run before 
Kunzite could grab the katana and cut him to pieces.
	Kunzite spun, his gaze fixed on Minako as she stumbled 
towards the open doors. Artemis was at her side, pulling at the 
collar of her dress in an attempt to help.  "Clever girl," Kunzite 
muttered. He began to stalk towards them.
	Abruptly Zoicite came sliding across the floor, stopping 
between Minako and Kunzite. "Go!" Zoicite shouted, not daring to 
take his sights of Kunzite for even a second.
	Minako took one last look at Kunzite, and fled. As she 
reached the warmth and light of the hallway, she could have sworn 
she heard the giggles of two young women, and it made her shiver 
again. She stumbled and staggered, clutching at her wound, and 
disappeared around the corner. How far she'd run, how far she'd 
make it, Zoicite hadn't a clue. He hoped she'd escape. For that 
matter, he hoped he'd survive long enough to give her a decent 
headstart. 
	For his part, Zoicite made sure to bar the exit as much as he 
could. What worried him was how Kunzite made no effort to get past 
him and hunt Minako down, as if Kunzite didn't even care that she'd 
raise the alarm faster than ever now. Instead Kunzite idly played 
with his katana, making small fanciful twists in the air with the 
blade.
	"I was telling the truth, you know," Kunzite remarked. "I was 
going to have a little fun with Minako while I waited, but since 
you're here, I can fulfil Queen Beryl's command."
	Zoicite was incredulous. "Queen?"
	"She's more a queen than Halcyon will ever be."
	Laughter echoed across the common room. 
	It wasn't Kunzite.
	Zoicite whirled as the doors swung shut, the very darkness 
that surrounded them moving forth and swallowing up the hole he'd 
created earlier. The entire frame of the doors vanished into 
shadows. Zoicite swore under his breath.
	Two silhouettes stepped out into the dim light cast down from 
the dome above. Lapis and Lazuli stood behind Kunzite, their robes 
and skin spattered in red.
	"Here we came to check on your progress," Lazuli said to 
Kunzite, "and see you've made a right mess of things."
	Kunzite made some sort of irritated noise. "The situation is 
under control," he told them.
	"Really?" Lapis said. "The little soldier girl got scared and 
ran away. Do you really believe she's just going to spend the rest 
of her life hiding under her bed?"
	"She'll talk," Lazuli said.
	"Not unless we eat her tongue first," Lapis remarked.
	Zoicite had not the slightest idea whether he should keep 
listening or try to sneak away. He'd never encountered anyone like 
those twins before, though he was certain about one thing: they 
were seriously creeping him out.
	"Leave her," Kunzite stated, still talking at them. "Sailor 
Venus is of no concern to you."
	Lapis crossed her arms over her chest and sulked. "He wants 
her tongue all for himself."
	"Greedy, greedy General," Lazuli stated, and wagged a 
scolding finger at him. "Didn't your mother teach you to share?"
	"If you two would shut up for a minute," Kunzite snapped at 
them, "then maybe you'd realize that there's no point chasing after 
her. They already know. Our enemies are aware of our Queen's other 
self. Word is already spreading."
	For what looked like the first time, the twins had a look of 
unpleasant surprise on their faces. Lapis raised her chin and 
sniffed the air. Zoicite kept his body still and rigid; he half-
wondered if they had even noticed or cared about him.
	"He's right," Lapis said. "I smell panic in the halls of 
Lunaria."
	Lazuli scowled. "They caught on faster than expected. Beryl 
needs to start burning her bridges."
	"Should we start for her?" Lapis asked.
	"Let Beryl decide that for herself," Kunzite stated. "You two 
need to get ready. We'll be leaving the palace shortly, and I would 
be displeased if you left any loose ends behind."
	Lapis giggled and danced over to her sister. She placed her 
head against Lazuli's shoulder and said, "Is he threatening us?"
	"You bloody well know I am," Kunzite said. "Leave us."
	The twins bounded backwards into the darkness, their giggles 
drifting across the air long after they disappeared. Alone once 
more, Zoicite and Kunzite looked at each other.
	"Interesting company you keep," Zoicite remarked, thumbing 
over to the last place he'd seen the twins.
	Kunzite rolled his eyes. "You have no idea. Unfortunately, 
they don't know when to shut up."
	"Yeah." Zoicite glanced around the room, his eyes desperately 
searching for some detail that might give him an advantage. In this 
chamber, he'd exhaust himself in seconds if he tried summoning any 
ice crystals from the moisture in the air. "So what happens now?" 
he asked. "We kill each other?"
	With a cold, derisive laugh, Kunzite twirled his katana 
around and sheathed the blade at his side. "Oh no. My queen has 
something so much more exquisite in mind for us."
	Zoicite's eyes narrowed. "I'll bet she does." 
	His fingers slid into the secret folds of his uniform, and 
the edges of his shuriken knives glinted in the dim light. 
	"Oh, I was hoping you'd resist," Kunzite said, excitement 
edging into his voice. "You wouldn't be worthy of Beryl's armies if 
you simply surrendered." He gestured for Zoicite to come at him. 
"Let's see what you've got, General."


			*	*	*
	Serenity was on the verge of climaxing.
	She looked like a goddess.
	Endymion could only marvel as he continued to feel her body, 
let his hands show her heaven. He had done very little else; she 
reacted so strongly to his touch, at this point he required little 
else. A distant part of him wanted to join with her, to strip off 
the last of his clothes and consummate their romance. He wanted to 
share heaven with her.
	Serenity gasped and squirmed under his ministrations. Her 
hands reached and grasped for him, for the sheets, for whatever she 
could grab hold of. He could sense her body tensing. She cried out, 
overtaken, and Endymion gave her a moment to bask in the afterglow. 
She stared up at him with those beautiful blue eyes, tired and 
excited all at once. 
	"That," she whispered, "was amazing."
	Endymion smiled as he looked down at her face. "And the best 
is yet to come," he said.
	He lovingly stroked the sides of her face with his palms. His 
hands sensually glided up and down her cheeks, teasing her, daring 
her to try and nibble at his fingertips. They caressed her skin, 
slid down and tickled her shoulders, then slid back up and wrapped 
themselves around Serenity's throat.
	Endymion leaned down and placed his mouth next to Serenity's 
ear.
	"I love you," he whispered.
	He began to squeeze.


			*	*	*
	Outside Serenity's chambers, Super Sailor Mars stood with her 
back against the wall, her gaze drifting from one part of the 
corridor to another. There was very little for her to do outside, 
and very little that she could do considering how close she had to 
remain to Serenity. Normally she'd be right inside Serenity's room-
not standing guard inside the bedchamber itself, but out pacing 
around the fountain or lingering by the balcony. 
	Tonight, though, the princess had asked for privacy.
	Super Sailor Mars couldn't refuse the request even if she 
wanted to, but she was more than willing to give her princess and 
Endymion some time alone. Anyone else but Endymion, and she might 
have had issues. But she had seen him fight, seen him defend 
Serenity with his very life and breath. In Mars' mind, there was no 
question where his loyalties (or his heart, for that matter) lied. 
	Mars glanced over at the closed doors.
	They were being surprisingly quiet in there.
	Mars had suspicions, but wasn't about to say anything 
further. Not to Halcyon, and especially not to herself. There were 
some things about other people you just didn't want to know about. 
She had spent so many years in the princess' presence, spent so 
much time talking to Serenity about almost anything, that sometimes 
it was difficult to see where her duties ended and the friendship 
began. 
	She sighed again and wondered how long she'd have to stand 
outside.
	Possibly all night.
	And then abruptly the corridor ceased to be the corridor. 
Mars found the world around her spinning and reeling in an all too 
familiar way. Her eyes quickly regained their focus. Mars sucked in 
a breath of air, steadying herself, and saw she stood amidst a 
world of stars. Black cosmos and thousands of shimmering stars 
drifted around her. The momentary panic dissipated, and Mars let 
out what resembled a rueful laugh as Nephrite appeared inside his 
mindscape. 
	"Oh, it's just you," she sighed. "You could have at least 
warned me beforehand." 
	Nephrite, however, was far from calm.  "No time," he stated, 
and then Mars saw how flustered and frightened he was. "Sailor 
Mars, your princess is in danger."
	She stared at him with unbelieving eyes. "Wha...what?"
	"Danger," Nephrite repeated. He looked exasperated with her 
already. "Under eminent threat, in mortal peril. How else would you 
like me spell it out for you?"
	"But she's with Endymion," Mars protested.
	To which Nephrite exclaimed, "And that's why she's in 
danger!"
	Mars took a step away from him, examining his demeanour as 
quickly and thoroughly as she could. This was a far cry from the 
cocky soldier she'd seen not even a few hours ago. She didn't like 
the change. "Nephrite, you're starting to scare me. What's going 
on?"
	"We've been betrayed," Nephrite said. "Get in there now, Rei. 
Break the damned doors down if you have to, I don't care, or else 
Endymion is probably going to kill Serenity!"
	And then he left.
	Super Sailor Mars blinked a number of times as the dizziness 
overcame her, and the chamber of stars became the corridor just 
outside of Serenity's private chambers. She was practically 
shaking. The world she knew had just gone chaotic. The idea that 
Endymion was a traitor and assassin seemed improbable, even unreal. 
She couldn't fully bring herself to believe in it. But she also 
knew she couldn't ignore Nephrite's words. 
	Nephrite knew Endymion better than she did.
	She had no choice but to trust him.
	If he was right...
	Super Sailor Mars felt her blood run cold. If he was right, 
then there could be no turning back. She went to her princess' 
doorway. The doors refused her entry. Mars scowled and let her full 
power manifest itself. Sensing the change, the doors recognized her 
as a Sailor Soldier and swung open. Mars raced into the main room 
and found it empty. The doors to the bedchamber, however, were 
closed. Mars stepped up to the doors and swallowed hard.
	Anything could be happening in there, innocent or otherwise.
	"Serenity forgive me if I'm wrong," she muttered.
	Mars braced herself, then kicked the doors wide open.
	Endymion sat upon the bed, his legs straddling Serenity's 
naked body. His hands were around her throat, and no matter how 
hard Serenity thrashed his grip did not loosen. Mars saw the terror 
in Serenity's eyes. She saw the vicious delight in Endymion's face.
	There could be no questioning it.
	Endymion was strangling her.
	"Princess!" she exclaimed. The wave of panic that overtook 
her turned to vengeance. Mars glared at Endymion; no matter who he 
was, no matter what her actions would trigger, she could not 
forgive him.
	Endymion glanced back over his shoulder as the room exploded 
in anger and fire, and Super Sailor Mars called forth her power. 
	"Mars Flame--"
	Something shot through the air.
	Super Sailor Mars cried out as she was suddenly sent spinning 
sideways, blood and pain erupting from her shoulder. As she fell to 
the ground, she caught sight of Endymion straightening up and 
grinning at her. Mars' landing sent another jolt of agony coursing 
out from her shoulder into the rest of her body. Blood soaked into 
her white uniform. Her right arm felt useless and limp. Mars 
struggled to get up, to protect her princess.
	Endymion almost laughed at how useless she looked flopping 
around on the floor. He glanced down at Serenity; the princess was 
coughing, gasping hoarsely for air and looking around the room in 
panic. "Always interrupted right when things get interesting," he 
sighed. "Sorry, princess, but I have to go." 
	He leaned in closer and ran his tongue up along Serenity's 
cheeks. He tasted the salt from her tears. "Beryl sends her 
kindest, personal regards."
	He didn't bother putting his shirt or his boots back on. 
Bare-chested and barefoot, he grabbed the Soul Constellation, 
turned and sauntered towards the exit. Endymion paused as he passed 
by Super Sailor Mars; she was reaching for him, feebly, angrily. 
She wanted so much to pound the smirk off his face.
	Endymion leaned down and grabbed hold of the black rose 
sticking out from Mars' shoulder. "I'll be taking that back, thank 
you," he added.
	With a savage jerk, he pulled the rose out. Mars gasped and 
convulsed as blood spurted out with the thorny stem. Endymion 
chuckled as he watched her roll around in agony on the floor. He 
gave a little lick of the stem, savouring the taste of a Sailor 
Soldier's blood, and kicked Super Sailor Mars as hard as he could 
in the chest.
	His blow scooped Mars off the floor and sent her careening 
into the wall. When she fell to the ground, she coughed scarlet 
onto her lips and moved very little. Now would be a perfect time to 
end it, to end both their lives. Endymion entertained a few notions 
of how to kill them each. Beryl wanted Serenity's eyes; he'd have 
to oblige her. But as for Super Sailor Mars...he could do whatever he 
wanted with her.
	Endymion's sword hand reached for the Soul Constellation.
	He abruptly stopped as a voice echoed inside his head. There 
were new orders from his queen. He could sense Beryl's urgency in 
the back of his mind. She didn't even care if he failed to finish 
his mission.
	Evidently, the plan had changed.
	Pity.
	Endymion's hand moved away from his sword. "Another time 
perhaps," he told Super Sailor Mars. He glanced back as he heard 
Serenity's voice. It was quiet and raspy, barely able to function 
after he'd nearly choked the life out of her. Serenity laid on the 
covers, pushing herself towards him as much as she could. Her eyes 
pleaded with him to stay, pleaded to learn the truth.
	Her tears were staining the sheets.
	It made Endymion smile.
	He launched the black rose across the bedchamber, the obscene 
flower piercing the bed right in front of Serenity's face. One or 
two dark petals drifted onto the covers as he walked out from her room.


			*	*	*
	The main doors to the Archives were thrown open with grand 
flourish, capturing the attention of everyone in the main area. 
Beryl strolled into the foyer and stared at all the scholars 
standing or sitting the various tables. They in turn looked at her 
with a mixture of surprise, confusion and annoyance over the 
dramatic interruption. Beryl didn't care about the looks she was 
being given. Her lips curled into a smile.
	"Ladies and gentlemen," Beryl stated, "the Archives are now 
closed. Permanently."
	Lapis and Lazuli walked out from the shadows on either side 
of her.
	Knives already sated with blood were held in their hands.
	Beryl glanced at her office; last she or Garnet had seen 
Zoicite, he'd been working in there. The odds were his research 
would still be left on the tables, given how Zoicite had not been 
carrying anything when Kunzite found him. Beryl looked to her 
twins.
	"Kill them all."
	Lapis giggled and raised her knife. "And the books?"
	"Burn them."
	As Beryl made her way to the office, the blood of the 
scholars Halcyon had assembled decorated the floors and the walls. 
Screams were lifted up to the ceilings as the slaughter began.
	The Archives wept.  
	And then screamed as the first fires were lit.
	Beryl smiled to herself as she strolled into Garnet's office. 
A sudden and unexpected punch to her face sent Beryl's head 
snapping back and wiped the grin off her face. Beryl tumbled to the 
floor, blood in her mouth and rage in her eyes. 
	Jadeite stepped out into the office doorway. In one of his 
hands was a single black book, one of Garnet's father's diaries. 
Folded and stuffed into one of the pages was the map. "Bitch," he 
muttered to himself before leaping over her prone form.
	He froze in shock as he saw the black smoke filling the air. 
Already numerous shelves of books were lost in ferocious blazes of 
yellow and orange. He could practically feel the Archives writhing 
in torment. It almost brought him to tears. Jadeite tore himself 
from where he stood and ran for the main doors.
	Amidst the smoke, he saw someone step into the doorway.
	"Cioran!" he shouted.
	Cioran looked at him, smiled, and then pushed the Archive 
doors shut, locking everyone else out and sealing Jadeite inside.
	Jadeite skidded to a halt, staring in disbelief at the barred 
exit. He whirled as a frantic scream was abruptly cut down. All he 
saw was the arm of a scholar fall behind a table as Lapis drove her 
knife into the woman's skull. Lapis giggled insanely as a spray of 
blood spattered across her face.
	She turned her head and looked directly at Jadeite.
	Jadeite swore.
	A whisper directly behind him said, "We've been looking for 
you."
	Jadeite spun around, and came face to face with Lazuli. 
Lazuli's arm shot out, her hand clamping down around Jadeite's 
throat. "You," Lazuli stated, "have been a very, very naughty boy. 
No one hits our mistress."
	Jadeite glared at her.
	He pulled back his free hand and sent his fist as hard as he 
could into Lazuli's face. Lazuli screamed, her grip immediately 
going slack. Jadeite was running before she even hit the ground. 
Fires roared all around him. Smoke masked most of the aisles and 
passageways in a thick, black veil. Despite that, he vanished into 
the depths of the Archives.
	Lazuli rose from the ground, glaring with unbridled hatred at 
where Jadeite had disappeared. Her nose was bleeding, though it was 
difficult to tell. So much blood already covered her face.
	Lapis walked up to her sister, her palm caressing Lazuli's 
cheek. "His fingers have offended you," Lapis said sadly. "Shall I 
tear them off?"
	"No," Beryl stated as she approached the twins. "I need him 
intact, and you both know this."
	"His fingers have offended you as well," Lazuli said. "He can 
still lead your armies with only one hand."
	Beryl looked ready to slap either of them across the face. 
"Now is not the time to defy me. Metalia is more important than any 
personal and petty vendettas we have. I need you both to capture 
Jadeite."
	Though sporting sour looks, the twins curtseyed in obedience. 
	"And what of General Nephrite?" Lapis asked.
	Beryl frowned at the question. She had hoped to acquire all 
four before leaving the palace. Unfortunately now, if she was lucky 
she'd have only three. The entire situation had changed. It would 
have to do. 
	"Unless the opportunity presents itself, leave him," she 
said. Before the twins left, Beryl added, "Don't take too long. You 
both know where to meet."


			*	*	*
	Standing outside the Archives, Cioran waited patiently for 
his destined targets.
	He did not have to wait long.
	Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune came racing down the 
hallway. It looked as if they'd run across half of the palace. They 
slowed to a stop the closer they came to him.
	"Cioran!" Uranus exclaimed in surprise. "What's going on?"
	"There's report of a fire in the Archives," Neptune said.
	Cioran smiled and said nothing.
	Neptune's gaze moved down to his crimson-spattered uniform. 
Her body stiffened, and the air around her became significantly 
chilled. In an almost unbelieving tone she asked him, "Whose blood 
is that?"
	"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," Cioran said, and drew 
out his sword. "If you survive, that is." 
	"What the hell are you doing?" Uranus snapped. "We don't have 
time for games, Cioran. Put down your weapon."
	Cioran shook his head. "Queen Beryl," he stated, "is not to 
be disturbed."
 	The Outer Soldiers took a cautionary step back as Cioran 
raised his sword and took up an offensive stance. The positioning 
of his feet and weight told them both he was ready to charge, and 
his eyes told them he was more than ready to kill.
	"I've always wondered what sort of powers the Outer Senshi 
have at their command," Cioran said. "Let's see how well they hold 
up against the powers of the Seraphim."
	He gave then no warning, no further chance to prepare 
themselves. Cioran came at them in a blur of speed and colours, the 
edge of his sword arcing for Uranus' neck. Uranus barely managed to 
duck the attack, dropping to her knees as she tried to send her 
fist into as many of Cioran's ribs she could. Cioran dodged, 
dancing around her, barely losing any speed. He came at Uranus a 
second time, his Seraphim sword shimmering in the light as he swung 
it at whatever body parts he fancied. Uranus was forced back, 
dodging and ducking and shifting her weight from side to side.
	Cioran's weapon came perilously close to her many times, the 
wind from the blade touching her skin. More than once it managed to 
graze her skin, drawing blood and slashing open her uniform. Panic 
was starting to creep its way across Uranus' face. Cioran smiled, 
relentless as he pushed her closer and closer to the wall. Soon 
there'd be no other place to go.
	Abruptly, Uranus' fearful expression turned into a vicious 
smile.
	And then Neptune's voice shouted somewhere behind him: "Deep 
Submerge!"
	Cioran spun around, his eyes widening as he saw an enormous, 
ringed sphere of churning water explode from Sailor Neptune's 
outstretched hands. In his peripherals, he saw Uranus leaping into 
the air and out of the way. Neptune's attack fell upon him in 
seconds, hitting him with more force than he thought possible. 
Ignoring Uranus, Cioran barely had enough time to throw his sword 
in front of him. The orb detonated upon contact with the blade of 
Cioran's weapon, spewing water and energy in every direction. It 
took everything he had to hold his ground and keep the sword in 
front of his face.
	Suddenly the vortex of water and crackling light was ripped 
apart as Sailor Uranus came soaring through the eye of the attack, 
her eyes filled with righteous anger, her arm drawn back and fist 
clenched. With a shout of finality, she drove her fist into 
Cioran's head.
	Cioran burst apart as her fist connected, his entire body 
turning to water. Uranus skidded to a stop as the water splashed 
onto the floor, leaving a puddle around her. She whirled, looking 
at Neptune in surprise.
	"What the?"
	"Very impressive," remarked Cioran's voice. "I'd have never 
imagined you would allow yourselves to act as bait. However..."
	The puddle beneath Uranus' boots erupted, liquid tendrils 
swarming around her. Uranus swore and began punching whichever ones 
were closest. More than a few tentacles were reduced to water, 
falling to the floor and regrouping to form another sinister limb. 
One by one, the tendrils began to wrap themselves around her legs, 
arms and waist. 
	"I could use a little help here!" Uranus shouted.
	Neptune flashed her lover a smile, her hand reaching behind 
her back. "Say 'please'."
	Uranus' eyes suddenly widened.
	With a cold chill, Neptune felt a presence directly behind 
her. She tried to turn, tried to block, but Cioran's punch landed 
first. Struck across the face, Sailor Neptune was sent across the 
hall, crashing into the walls. A spiderweb of broken was left 
behind as she slid to the floor.
	"Why, my dear," Cioran said to her prone form, "whatever made 
you think I had forgotten about you?"
	"Neptune!" Uranus cried out as she stared at the fallen 
soldier. She fixed her eyes on Cioran, her gaze murderous. "You 
bastard!"
	Amused, Cioran replied, "And what are you going to do about 
it, Sailor Uranus?"
	Uranus threw herself at him, ripping the watery tentacles 
apart in the process. Cioran's grin faded as Uranus wrenched 
herself as far forward as she could. More tendrils were torn apart 
and dropped to the ground. Within seconds Uranus had freed herself.
	She charged Cioran, one arm flitting behind her back.
	Cioran raised his sword, amazed at her sudden burst of speed. 
She was rivalling even the best of the Seraphim. He prepared 
himself to attack once more, to let his blade taste blood. When he 
swung his blade, his sword connected with another weapon. The 
impact vibrated through Cioran's arms, almost numbing them. 
Immediately he felt Uranus push against him, trying to force him 
back and let her own sword cut him down. Cioran pushed back. The 
two became deadlocked, their swords and grips rattling profusely as 
they fought.
	Cioran briefly fixed his attention on the sword being held in 
Uranus' hands. It was a magnificent weapon. Its hilt was like 
polished gold, its form flowing and smooth. And the blade--as 
impossible as it was to believe, Cioran saw the blade burning a 
fiery white.
	"Where did you get this?" he asked in awe. 
	"It's my inheritance," Uranus answered cryptically. "And I'll 
be damned if I let you steal it as a trophy."
	Cioran shook his head. "Its worth is beyond me. I would 
dishonour us both by even daring to take it."
	Uranus' eyes narrowed. "So you still fight for honour even 
after betraying us?"
	"I have been enlightened," Cioran answered. No matter how 
hard he pushed, Uranus could match his force. "Perhaps my queen 
will be merciful and open your eyes too. There is no need for 
Metalia to kill you, even if you are a Sailor Soldier."
	The look Uranus gave him was one of unbridled rancor.
	"I," she snarled, "Would. Rather. Die!"
	The pressure against Cioran' sword seemed to increase 
tenfold.
	Abruptly a long, slender crack appeared in the blade of his 
weapon. Cioran leapt aside just as his Seraphim sword splintered 
apart, and Uranus' sword slashed at his chest. The fabric of his 
uniform was sliced open. His skin was, however, unmarked.
	Uranus nearly stumbled over at the sudden loss of resistance, 
and she glared at Cioran's unscathed condition. "Almost," she 
muttered.
	Cioran appraised the gouge in his uniform, impressed and 
surprised all at once. "I see your sword is vastly superior," he 
remarked, looking up at Sailor Uranus.
	She lunged at him, her sword aiming for his heart. Cioran 
spun around her, evading her blade as he grabbed hold of her sword 
arm with both hands and yanked her to an abrupt stop.
	He snapped her arm, breaking the bone.
	Uranus screamed, her weapon falling from her hand.
	"A shame you won't be able to wield it for the remainder of 
this," Cioran finished as he stepped away from her. He allowed 
Uranus the chance to collapse to the floor. She was in shock, 
staring down at her injury. As he looked down at her, Cioran 
entertained the notion of killing her right there. He decided not 
to; someone like her deserved to die on her feet.
	Cioran waited for the anger to build, for her to charge him 
one last time.
	And then a familiar shout came from behind him: "Deep 
Submerge!"
	Cioran didn't even look, immediately dodging Sailor Neptune's 
rampaging attack. Her orb swung wildly through the air, almost 
taking off his head, before careening to one side and exploding 
into the side of a pillar. 
	Cioran righted his balance as he slid to a stop, turning 
towards Sailor Neptune. Her stance was far from strong, but she was 
standing despite the blood running down her face and one of her 
legs. She looked more than ready to unleash another attack if he 
even twitched.
	"Touch Haruka again," Neptune hissed, "and I'll kill you."
	Cioran laughed as he slowly rose to his feet. "By the gods, 
you Soldiers are magnificent creatures! To think we must stand here 
as enemies. Will you consider my offer, Sailor Neptune? Will you 
ally yourself with Queen Beryl?"
	Neptune spent a moment debating.
	"I'll consider it," she answered, "if I get to break both 
your arms first."
	Her cold threat sent a shiver of excitement down Cioran's 
spine. "I don't know whether I'm disappointed or thrilled to know 
we must resume this battle," he said. "But I shall make your deaths 
the songs of legend once Beryl conquers this system." 
	Cioran abruptly paused as he felt a cold wind blow against 
the back of his neck.  Beryl was giving her signal; the time had 
come to regroup and leave. He glanced down at Sailor Uranus and 
sighed.
	"It appears I am being called," he said to them, clearly 
displeased. "I suppose we must call this a draw. However, if it's 
any consolation, I do plan on seeking you out when the apocalypse 
comes for Lunaria. Warriors like us were not meant for unfinished 
battles. The satisfaction comes only when one of us leaves the 
battlefield alive. Until then." 
	He took a few running steps backwards and seemed to melt 
right into the shadows.
	Only when she was certain he was gone did Neptune go to 
Uranus' aid. Uranus was already staggering to her feet, cradling 
her broken arm against her side. "I'm fine," Uranus said through 
clenched teeth. "Don't fuss over me, please. It's embarrassing."
	"I was going to scold you for falling for such an obvious 
trap," Neptune said, her voice quiet and warm. "But I think I'll 
just be grateful that you're alive."
	Uranus returned the sentiment as best she could through the 
pain.
	Their eyes became drawn to the last place Cioran had stood 
before vanishing.
	"He was right," Neptune said. "This is just beginning."
	"Yeah," Uranus growled. "And it won't be over until I walk 
away from his corpse."


			*	*	*
	The lower levels of the Archives remained untouched by the 
fires burning on the main floor, giving Jadeite a better chance at 
gaining ground. The first thing he'd done after leaping into the 
depths of the smoke was trigger the lift to go to an upper floor; 
with any luck, the twins would follow that first and give him more 
time. 
	He found the nearest stairwell and followed its downward 
spiral. He didn't stop at any of the floors he passed. The lower 
Archives were a maze of shelves, work areas and hidden corridors 
and chambers. The risk was too great of getting himself lost. There 
was only one place he knew intimately, one floor where he could 
turn the twins around and double-back to one of the upper levels.
	Halfway into his descent, the stairwell ended and Jadeite was 
forced to find another passageway leading into the lowest levels. 
He swore as he charged between towering walls of texts and scrolls, 
and came to a dead end. Jadeite turned and retraced his steps, 
taking a random left in the hopes it would lead him to another 
stairwell.
	Jadeite came to a sudden, dead stop as he heard giggles echo 
across the Archives.
	"You're running out of places to run, little toy soldier," 
came Lazuli's voice. 
	"You needn't fear us," Lapis's voice told him. "You're on 
Beryl's special list." 
	Jadeite's grip on the diary tightened. He clenched his jaw, 
his eyes frantically searching for something familiar. He stood at 
a threshold where one corridor became three. Any one way could trap 
him or get him utterly lost. 
	He chose the far right aisle.
	And the Archives burst into flame around him. Flames exploded 
everywhere he turned. The very books around him sparked and 
exploded, throwing ash and smoke into his face, burning at his eyes 
and hair. Jadeite sputtered and reeled, pushing himself forward to 
escape the blaze. Those twin girls were still following after him.
	He made another turn, chose another direction when the 
pathway diverged, and stumbled upon another staircase leading 
downwards. One of the bookshelves behind him toppled over, spilling 
books at his feet. Surprised, Jadeite jumped out of the way and 
lost his footing. Head over heels he tumbled down the winding 
staircase, finally crashing onto the landing of the lowermost 
level.
	Jadeite groaned and picked his battered body up as best he 
could. His elbows and knees stung, as did his back and head. 
Already his uniform was ripped, torn and scorched in more places 
that he cared to count. But at least he couldn't hear the laughter 
of the twins.
	He'd bought himself some time to run. Or hide.
	The lamps usually would have brightened with his entrance. 
However, only one small row of lamps lit up, the others dimming. 
Jadeite stared incredulously at a path the Archives had created for 
him. Noises came from the stairs behind him, as well as a surge of 
incredible heat. Jadeite didn't have time to utter any thanks or 
gratitude. With as much renewed speed as he could gather, he 
followed the lights, each lamp extinguishing itself as he passed 
it. He ran past his familiar work area, and reached the end of the 
chamber.
	The lamps around him snuffed themselves out.
	An entire shelf glided silently across the floor, placing 
itself right in front of him.
	Jadeite placed a hand on the back of the shelving unit, 
grateful, and tried to catch his breath without giving away his 
hiding place. He could hear the twins looking, searching for him. 
	"It's no use hiding," Lapis told him. "The shadows have 
already betrayed you."
	"He thinks he can be a caterpillar that turns into a book," 
Lazuli stated. "I say we burn his cocoon." 
	The pervading darkness was abruptly pierced with multiple 
sources of light. The crackling of burning pages and paper rang 
harsh in Jadeite's ears. Nothing would have suited him better than 
to snap both their necks, but he couldn't move. There was nowhere 
else left to go.
	The shelving unit hiding him rattled, like someone was trying 
to tip it.
	Alarmed, Jadeite stepped away, his back up against the wall.
	The shelf shuddered as it tried to resist.
	In the end, it could not hold against the twins, and pitched 
forward. It crashed onto the floor, spilling books everywhere. In 
the firelight, Jadeite stood perfectly exposed to Lapis and Lazuli. 
He saw them standing near his worktable, triumphant leers on their 
faces. He saw numerous bookshelves already ablaze.
	"Playtime is over," Lapis said, crooking a finger at him. 
"Let the books writhe in their torment, and submit."
	Jadeite growled at them.
	Lazuli took considerable pleasure in his expression. She 
skipped over to one of the shelves and tapped a spine at random. 
"So many unread books," she sighed. "So many casualties."
	When she pulled her fingers away from the shelf, the entire 
row of books erupted into flames. "For every second you hesitate," 
Lazuli said, "I will burn another row of your precious Archives." 
	A low, ominous rumble resonated across the entire level of 
the Archives.
	It made Jadeite's skin crawl.
	The lamps around him began to flicker off and on, rattling 
profusely. Books on the worktables were thrown open, pages flipping 
furiously in the wind. The twins seemed oblivious to the 
disturbance rising up around them. Lapis twirled her dagger in her 
fingers and took a step towards Jadeite. Suddenly an entire 
shelving unit tore itself from the floor and launched itself at 
Lapis. Lapis shrieked and threw out her arms as the shelf smashed 
into her, its momentum sending them both into the wall.
	"Lapis!" Lazuli shouted. She turned and glared at Jadeite, 
her fist clenched around her dagger so tightly that her knuckles 
were white.
	She didn't have much chance to get closer to him; the 
worktable was launched into the air, spinning wildly. Lazuli 
whirled and with a shout caused the table to rip in half. Splinters 
and shrapnel rained down around Jadeite's head. He coughed and 
shielded his face from the debris. 
	"Treacherous worm!" Lazuli hissed, her eyes flickering amber.
	The air around her ignited, an epic fireball coursing through 
the air towards Jadeite. Jadeite didn't run. He didn't try to do 
anything. Backed into a corner, all he could do was watch the 
flames lick at the air as the flood swarmed around him.
	The bookshelf on the floor abruptly rose back up, faster than 
he'd have ever thought possible. It came back to its upright 
position and tipped over into him. Jadeite was knocked backwards. 
He braced himself for a hard blow against the walls. Instead all he 
found was a cool rush of air as he toppled over into a passageway. 
	Stunned, Jadeite looked up.
	The bookshelf had taken the brunt of the blast, its entire 
form lost in a ferocious blaze. Somewhere on the other side, he 
could hear Lazuli's exclamations and curses. Another fireball 
struck the bookshelf, the flames surging around its sides and 
reaching for Jadeite. Jadeite scrambled back across the floor, 
desperately trying to keep a grip on the diary.
	Whatever door had miraculously opened up for him slid shut.
	The last thing Jadeite saw was the bookshelf breaking apart, 
two halves collapsing into wood and flame. The ensuing burst of 
smoke was cut off as the hidden door closed and sealed him inside.
	For a moment, Jadeite dwelled in darkness. 
	Lanterns came to life, bathing the stone passageway in a 
haunting silver glow. Jadeite half expected to see one or both of 
the twins emerge from a random shadow, even more pissed off than 
before. Nothing happened. No one came after him. 
	He dared to breathe again.
	Somewhere on the other side, he could hear faint noises. None 
of them sounded good, and all he could hope for was that maybe, 
just maybe, those two psychotic girls were burning up in their own 
fire. Jadeite looked down at the diary in his hands. He still had a 
task, and standing here uselessly was accomplishing nothing. 
	The way back to the Archives was effectively blocked off, and 
so he slowly turned away from the hidden door and began to follow 
the tunnel, hopefully out into the palace, hopefully to freedom and 
a place as far from the twins as he could get.
	Jadeite cast one last look back at the wall.
	The Archives had saved his life, and paid with its own.
	He didn't care if anyone claimed it was only a library. He 
didn't care if anyone told him it was simply a room. He owed it a 
debt. Bushido left him honour-bound to repay. And Jadeite also knew 
he could never again rest peacefully knowing such an atrocity had 
been committed.
	He would have his vengeance, one way or another.


			*	*	*
	Nephrite continued to run through the corridors, vaguely 
aware of a mild panic filtering into his system. He'd been running 
for what felt like half an hour already. He was starting to run out 
of breath. And he was lost.
	"Dammit!" he finally exclaimed, coming to a stop at a 
junction between two great halls. "Why can't they have any signs 
saying 'this way to the throne room'?"
	He'd only been there once before, but it had been within the 
last few days. He should have remembered how to get there. Why the 
hell did everything look so similar no matter where he turned? What 
sadist built these labyrinths?
	Nephrite looked down the new corridor, praying for some 
familiar detail. Relief swept over him as he recognized a row of 
oversized portraits, probably of some old Lunarian nobles, hanging 
in a line along one wall. The opposite wall was comprised mostly of 
glass windows looking out into an enormous stone courtyard. 
	He wasn't all that far from the guest quarters. 
	Maybe Zoicite or Kunzite would be there. 
	The optimistic smile on Nephrite's face died when he turned 
his gaze to further down the corridor, and saw Minako sprawled upon 
the floor, Artemis at her side. He immediately broke into a run.
	"Minako!" he exclaimed.
	He could see a trail of blood droplets leading all the way 
around the corner. How far had she'd forced herself to walk or 
crawl in this condition? He wasn't a doctor, but he'd seen his 
share of battle aftermaths to know how serious the wound was.
	Artemis hissed at him as he dropped to the ground next to 
Minako.
	"Hey, back off," he told the cat. "I'm here to help."
	Minako's eyes opened as he pressed his palm against her 
forehead. 
	"Try not to move," Nephrite said. As gently as he could he 
lifted one of her arms and located the source of her bleeding. Her 
side had been neatly sliced. Nephrite scowled; it looked like a 
sword wound, but he'd never seen something so precise. Was this 
some new weapon Beryl had?
	"What did this to you?" he asked Minako.
	Minako murmured something and tried to sit up. She winced in 
pain and Nephrite caught her before she collapsed. "Hey, I said not 
to move!" he said, and sighed, "You're bleeding all over my 
uniform."
	Minako managed a weak laugh.
	"We have to get you to a Healer," Nephrite said, looking at 
the wound again. He carefully set Minako down, removed the tunic of 
his uniform, folded it and pressed it against her wound to help 
control the bleeding. "This is turning into a hell of a night," he 
muttered.
	Nephrite glanced up as he heard voices coming from the 
intersecting corridor. Out into the walkway appeared Sailor Saturn. 
Two steps behind her were Halcyon, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor 
Mercury.
	"Hotaru, over here!" Nephrite shouted, waving his hand in the 
air.
	Sailor Saturn's head turned, following his voice. Her eyes 
widened when she saw Minako, and she raced towards them. Nephrite 
was practically pushed aside as Saturn knelt down next to Minako. 
"What happened to her?" she demanded.
	Nephrite could only shake his head. "I don't know, I just 
found her in the hallway."
	Minako's gaze flitted over to Halcyon. She tried to look as 
if the wound wasn't that serious, or that painful. While he 
appreciated the effort, as far as Nephrite was concerned, she was a 
poor liar.
	Halcyon knelt down next to Minako. As she placed her palm 
against Minako's face, she asked, "Who did this to you?"
	Minako's brave face faltered as she coughed. Spatters of red 
flew from her lips. "Kunzite," she rasped. "It...it was Kunzite."
	Sailor Saturn sucked in a breath.
	Sailor Mercury murmured something, and it probably wasn't 
good.
	Whatever Jupiter spat was definitely a vulgarity or three.
	"The entire palace has gone mad," Halcyon muttered.
	"He attacked both her and General Zoicite," Artemis abruptly 
spoke up, and looked to Halcyon. "Zoicite stayed behind to help us 
escape...I don't know what's happened to him." 
	Nephrite stared down at the white cat. "When the hell did you 
learn to talk?"
	But Artemis paid him little heed. "Where are the others?" 
Artemis asked Saturn.
	"Uranus and Neptune should be at the Archives," Saturn 
answered.
	"The Archives?" Nephrite cut in, alarmed. "What's happening 
there?"
	Saturn's expression darkened. "It's burning."
	Nephrite looked back down the corridor, swearing under his 
breath. "Jadeite's in the Archives," he told them. "He and I split 
up, and he went back there to get some kind of evidence that proves 
Beryl and Garnet are the same person."
	No one seemed entirely surprised. Even then, Nephrite could 
feel himself pinned beneath multiple gazes. "Look, I barely know 
what the hell's going on myself," he said. "All I know is that 
Jadeite came racing hell-bent through the palace and said that 
Beryl's been masquerading as Garnet for years. And whatever she's 
been up to, it's happening tonight."
	He looked up at Halcyon. "I think I know why your Archives 
are on fire."
	So Jadeite had been right.
	For once, Nephrite wished Jadeite had been dead wrong. Then 
he remembered Jadeite's other warning. "Serenity!" he exclaimed. 
"Have you heard anything about Serenity?"
	His sudden concern drew even more worry from Halcyon. "When 
Mercury found me and told me of your discovery, I sent Pluto to 
check ensure my daughter was safe," she answered. "Right after 
that, reports came in of the fire in the Archives. We came this way 
in the hopes of finding you and the other Generals."
	Nephrite looked up at the ceiling, wondering if he seemed as 
helpless as he suddenly felt. "Beryl's had Endymion under her 
control," he said. "Jadeite...we think he's trying to assassinate the 
princess."
	Nothing short of pure alarm flashed within the queen's eyes. 
Frantic, Halcyon looked to Saturn, but Saturn shook her head. 
	"I have not heard anything from Sailor Mars or Sailor Pluto," 
Saturn said. She turned her attention down to Minako as Minako 
coughed up a mouthful of blood. "I can stop the bleeding, but 
she'll need to be carried to my chambers."
	"I'll do it," Nephrite stated.
	As Saturn used her powers, Halcyon stood over them, torn 
between racing to find her daughter and waiting with them.
	"I can go," Jupiter offered.
	Halcyon reluctantly shook her head. "Pluto's already there. 
If Beryl--" She stopped, swallowed. "If Garnet has begun her 
attack, then we cannot afford to split up."
	"She's already been dividing us, one at a time," Nephrite 
said ruefully. As carefully as he could, he gathered Minako up in 
his arms. Saturn stayed by his side. "We can't trust anyone now. If 
Kunzite has in fact been turned, then it's a good bet we've lost 
Zoicite too."
	Sailor Mercury didn't seem to take that too well.
	"And what about General Jadeite?" Saturn asked. "Are we to 
attack him on sight as well?"
	Nephrite shrugged. "Depends on how he shows up."
	Suddenly Jadeite burst out from one of the pictures, crashing 
facefirst onto the floor. His uniform was torn in numerous places, 
scorched in even more spots. He looked as if he'd already been 
through a war.
	Everyone stopped and stared down at him.
	"You all right?" Nephrite asked.
	Jadeite coughed and with a shaking arm held aloft the diary. 
	Nephrite let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Now get your ass up 
and get moving."
	"Oh yes, why I'm perfectly fine, General," Jadeite murmured 
before launching into a coughing fit. "Thank you for your concern." 
	Jadeite rolled onto his side, clutching the diary like it was 
a sacred grail. Sailor Mercury stepped around the others and helped 
pull him to his feet. "What happened?" she asked.
	Jadeite frowned as he patted some ash off his tattered 
uniform. "Beryl's torched the Archives. Everyone inside is dead."
	"And yet you survived," Saturn remarked, suspicion in her 
voice.
	"Go to hell," Jadeite retorted hotly, and held out the diary. 
"Do you have any idea what I went through to get this?" 
	Mercury snatched the book out of his hands. "Does Beryl know 
you have this?"
	"Definitely," Jadeite answered. "Her and those insane twins 
of hers."
	"Such cruel words."
	Jadeite froze as that voice drifted across the corridor.
	He slowly looked over his shoulder as Lapis and Lazuli 
emerged from the darkness of his own shadow. Jadeite tried to run, 
but after the Archives his entire body felt sluggish, like solid 
rock. Sailor Mercury grabbed hold of his collar and flung him 
forward, twisting her body just as Lapis lunged at her with a 
blood-soaked knife.
	Neither of the twins gave chase.
	They idled before their audience: smiling, giggling, waiting.
	"So many angry glares," Lapis said. 
	Lazuli pointed down at Jadeite. "I haven't forgotten about 
you."
	"I'm thrilled," Jadeite retorted as he got back up.
	Sailor Mercury, however, was looking out at the rows of 
windows on the far wall. A familiar face appeared outside in the 
corridor, looking in through the glass. Mercury started towards the 
windows, her hand waving him in.
	"Cioran!"
	"No!" Jadeite snapped, grabbing her wrist and pulling her arm 
down. 
	"But he's--"
	Cioran stretched a hand out to one of the windows, and 
Jupiter's eyes widened as she saw the glass begin to crack. "Down!" 
she shouted at them.
	The entire row of windows exploded, shards of glass raining 
down on their heads. Nephrite turned, putting himself between 
Minako and the windows. Halcyon scooped Artemis up and likewise 
shielded him, while Saturn threw up a Silence Wall around the 
queen. Jupiter placed herself between Halcyon and the twins, barely 
even fazed by the exploding glass. Jadeite and Mercury could only 
turn away and cover their faces before they were thrown to the 
ground from the blast.
	Cioran casually stepped in through the broken window, looking 
in the twins' direction. "I trust I'm not interrupting," he said.
	Quiet, cruel laughter filled the hall. 
	Beryl stood behind her twins, surveying her adversaries.
	Halcyon looked to Nephrite as she checked on Minako. "Is 
that?"
	Nephrite nodded. "Yeah, that's her."
	Jadeite warily eyed the Seraphim Guard as Cioran walked up to 
Beryl and took his place at her side.
	"Hello, Halcyon," Beryl drawled. "Pleasant evening, isn't 
it?"
	Two more figures appeared at the end of the hall, making 
their way towards Beryl. One was Endymion, the Soul Constellation 
sheathed and held in his hands. The other was Kunzite, dragging 
Zoicite along the ground by the back of Zoicite's collar.
	Zoicite wasn't conscious. 
	"I see you managed to bring a friend to this event after 
all," Cioran said.
	"Oh, he had a bit of fight still in him," Kunzite remarked 
with a shrug. "Nothing I couldn't beat out, of course."
	They, and Endymion, laughed.
	Halcyon trembled ferociously at their words. "Why all this 
cruelty?" she demanded. "Why are you driven to such bloodshed?"
	Beryl raised a hand, and there was silence. 
	"Treachery runs deep, Queen of the White Moon," Beryl stated. 
"You can't even begin to fathom what I've done to reach this 
point." She looked in turn at Jadeite and Nephrite. "I had hoped 
this little encounter would be with the both of you at my side as 
well, but then again, things rarely ever go as planned. Don't 
they?"
	Beryl glanced over at Nephrite. "Why the look, General?"
	Nephrite's upper lip curled back. "I only wish Super Sailor 
Mars could have finished kicking your ass when she had the chance," 
he growled.
	That made Endymion grin. "Ah yes, your acolyte. When we next 
see each other, General, would you mind letting me know how many of 
her ribs I broke?" 
	For a moment, Nephrite stood frozen in place. Then, 
regardless of the fact that Minako was in his arms, he threw 
himself at Endymion. Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn all fought to keep 
him restrained. Jadeite pushed Nephrite back and took Minako from 
his grasp before she was dropped.
	"You son of a bitch!" Nephrite roared. 
	Lapis and Lazuli giggled as they watched the spectacle. "So 
many suffering in so few hours," Lapis said. "This is the way to 
host a party."
	"A proper party would see us dance in their blood and sip 
from glasses filled with their tears," Lazuli said.
	Sailor Saturn leaned in closer to Jadeite. "You're right. 
They are insane."
	Halcyon continued to fix her gaze on Beryl. "You could have 
slipped away in secret, but instead you've chosen to confront me 
face to face. What is it you want, Beryl?"
	Beryl smirked at the Lunarian queen. "It's not about what I 
want, Halcyon. It's about what I'm going to do next. In a single 
night, I've burned your precious Archives, decimated your Order, 
claimed your heroic Endymion and two of his Generals for my own, 
and wounded more than a few of your Sailor Soldiers...and I've only 
just begun."
	Nephrite reached for his katana.
	A spark of lightning crackled inside one of Jupiter's fists.
	Suddenly the shadows of Beryl and her commanders came to 
life, the darkness rising from the floor in a churning mass. Like 
an infernal flower, the shadows closed in around the group. Beryl 
looked directly at Halcyon as the writhing darkness enveloped them, 
and smiled. 
	"Be seeing you soon."
	The dark swallowed them up, and when the shadows dissolved, 
nothing remained.





	The dance continues soon with the star that fell from heaven...




Sailormoon, its characters, struggles and story, are copyright and 
the children of Naoko Takeuchi. No recognition of my story can be 
made without giving her proper recognition first. There are 
original characters in my story (Halcyon, Spinel, Garnet, Cioran 
and the twins at this moment), and if you wish to make use of them 
I'd rather you asked first than after the fact.


Close, personal thanks goes out to: Mel & Meara; and to the Fic 
Bitch, who was kind enough to explain to me the physics/chemistry 
behind Zoicite's wine technique. 


My sincerest appreciations to Andrea & George for creating, 
updating, maintaining and revising 'A Sailormoon Romance.' 
(www.moonromance.net) It is good to know that so many wonderful 
stories will always have a home at ASMR, and it is a good home I 
will always enjoy coming back to.


Email Chaos at: hislordshipchaos@hotmail.com