The Present
Trinitite banged her fist on the table. "Damn him! If it wasn't for that cursed Moonlight Knight, I'd have the Imperium Silver Crystal by now!"
Orynixia bowed her head in shame. "I am sorry, Mistress--"
"It's not your fault, it's mine." Trinitite interrupted, shaking her head, and causing her white hair to fall into her green eyes. Orynixia continued to bow her black head. "At any rate," Trinitite continued, "I have activated the first part of my plan. This one will hopefully work. And then, the Imperial Silver Crystal will be mine!"
Past
"Jedite, you can't!" Crisia cried. She started sobbing. "Cris, don't cry, please." He wrapped his arms around her. "I'll be back, I swear I will." He tried to smile at her, hoping to make her feel better, but she started crying even harder.
"You don't understand, Beryl isn't someone you can just walk away from."
"I'll come back--"
"I've seen it, Jade!" she screamed, pushing herself away form him. "In the crystal. I saw her attacking, laying waste to everything." She took a deep breath. "And you were part of it!"
That last remark caught him off guard. "What--?" he stuttered. Crisia started sobbing even harder. He moved toward her, but she backed away.
"I saw you, all of Darien's friends, working for Beryl. I saw the people trying to fight for the Moon Kingdom...except me! I'm not there! I'm not in the picture at all!"
"What does that--"
"It means I'm dead when that happens! If I'm not in the picture, then I'm not, period!" She seemed, at last, to run out of tears. She collapsed against the wall, leaning on it, away from Jedite.
He didn't know what to say, or do. He tried to put his arm around her, but she spun out of reach and started pounding the wall.
"It's not fair!" she screamed. "What's the point of being the holder of the Astral Gem, the greatest power in the universe, IF I CAN'T STOP THE DESTRUCTION OF ALL THAT I LOVE?" she screamed again, and the crescent moon on her forehead glowed, and then emitted a burst of energy. It struck the room in a blinding flash of light, blinding Jedite and knocking him unconscious. After a few moments, he came to. But Crisia was gone. All that was left were the small earrings he had once given her as a present. He picked them up, and cradled them in his hand. They sparkled like Crisia's eyes when she laughed...He closed his fingers over them. No matter what Crisia saw, he would never betray her.
Present
"Serena! Wait up!" yelled Amy Anderson. She ran up to meet her friend, and then leaned on the fence and panted "What's the big rush?"
Serena grabbed Amy and shook her excitedly. "There's a mega-huge sale at the mall--like, a spring-clearance for ALL THE STORES! C'mon, we gotta go!" She took hold of Amy's hand and took off down the road, yellow pigtails flying.
They both ran all the way to the mall (in reality, Amy was pulled for most of it), and Serena's mouth went a mile-a-minute as she related all the things that would be on sale. Amy had actually stopped protesting when she realised that she could get some new books for her collection.
At the entrance, they met up with Lita, Mina and Raye. "You guys here to do some Serious Shopping?" Mina said with a wink and a grin.
"I am!" yelled Serena enthusiastically.
"I am too," admitted Amy.
"Well c'mon then! Time's a-wastin'!" said Lita. The rest of the group agreed, and they headed in.
The mall was even busier than usual, crowded with people all eager for a good deal. The girls each took turns leading, making sure no stone was unturned, and no bargain bin unsearched. They were in the shoe store when screams were suddenly heard.
"What's that?" Lita exclaimed.
"I dunno, but it sounds like business for the Sailor Scouts!" replied Serena. The five girls took off for some deserted aisles.
"Moon....prism...POWER!"
"Mercury power!"
"Mars POWER!"
"Jupiter power!"
"Venus POWER!"
Each Scout changed in a blur of light and colour. They all waited for Sailor Moon, since her change took twice as long as anybody else's.
"C'mon!" urged Sailor Jupiter, ready for action. "We have to hurry!"
They all ran out of the shoe store, only to run face first into a glowing green force-field. "What's going on?" demanded Sailor Mars.
"Let me check it with my computer," said Sailor Mercury. She activated both her computer and her VR visor, and analyzed the force-field. "It appears to be made out of atomized matter." She took a few more readings. "Originally, I believe, it was the mall doors."
"What do you mean "atomized" and how could it have been the mall doors?" asked Sailor Venus.
"I mean, someone, or some-thing, reduced the mall doors to subatomic particles, and then used the resulting energy to form this barrier." Mercury explained patiently.
"Hahahahaha! You're very right, Mercury, I'm impressed," called out a mysterious voice. "Not, of course that it helps you any." The force-field suddenly rearranged itself to surround the Scouts. At the same time, a mysterious figure jumped down from the second floor of the mall. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Trinitite. Now hand over the Imperial Silver Crystal!"
Past
Princess Serena of the Moon Kingdom looked at the bouquet of flowers that she had picked. She inhaled deeply of their perfume. She sighed and decided to walk across the grounds. Her beloved Prince Darien had gone off with his best friends to try and establish relations with Beryl, Queen of the Negaverse. Serena didn't quite trust Beryl, but she couldn't explain her feelings.
As she was walking, she thought that she heard the soft sound of someone sobbing. She followed the sound, faint though it was, and found her cousin Crisia, behind one of the marble pillars that lined the grounds.
"My cousin," said Serena softly, so as not to startle Crisia, "Why do you cry?"
"I cry, my princess, out of despair." Crisia replied. She sniffed and wiped her eyes on the hem of her dress.
"Despair over what?" asked the Princess, somewhat shocked. It was a common enough boast in the Moon Kingdom that everyone was happy. "What is there to have despair over?" Crisia didn't answer, and instead stared off into space.
"Cousin?" Serena prompted.
"I bear the weight of the future. I have seen it, but it does not see me." Crisia spoke the cryptic words softly, as if she did them dishonour by merely saying them. Serena did not quite understand.
"I do not....how do you know the future, cousin? why does it make you despair? I don't follow you at all."
Crisia took Serena's hand in hers. "You know, Cousin, that I am holder of the Astral Gem, the greatest power in the universe. So powerful, that it's power must be bonded to a human, or it would destroy us all." She took a deep breath. "It sends me visions. Some I do not comprehend, but this last I comprehend all too well." She let go of Serena's hand, and stared, again, in to space.
"But I do not see why you despair, dear cousin. Surely the future can't be that bad?" Crisia turned away. But before she did, Serena saw a tear beginning to well. "What could be that bad? I-" Then, suddenly, Serena knew. "They aren't coming back, are they!" she wailed. She jumped to her feet, dropping her bouquet, sobbing. Crisia stood up and hugged the shaking princess.
"Darien comes back! I have seen it!" she said. "I have seen it, and the life you both will have. Many times those visions have come to me. Do not cry!" This last was more of an order, and the sharpness in the Holder's voice caused Serena to look up.
"If they return," said the Princess between sniffs, "Then what?"
"I did not say that all of them return, Cousin." Crisia replied, softly.
"You mean, Jedite does not...?"
"No." She shook her head, tears welling yet again. And finally, Serena did see.
Present
Trinitite floated defiantly over her force-field. She had rearranged it around the Scouts, the frightened mall patrons were free to go, and go they did. For that Sailor Moon was grateful. She always hated it when innocents got hurt.
"We're not giving you anything." She stood a little straighter. "After all, I fight for love and justice. In the name of the moon, I shall right wrongs, and triumph over evil. And that means YOU, nega-sleaze!"
Trinitite, mean while, had been mouthing the words along with Sailor Moon. At the end, she harrumphed. "I somehow doubt the validity of your statement, Sailor Moon."
"What?" asked Sailor Venus, who had been unable to follow what the villain had said.
Trinitite sneered. She waved her hand and violent jolts of power from the force-field struck the Scouts.
"I've had enough of this!" announced Mars. "Mars... Fire...IGNITE!" The bolt of fire rushed at the barrier, hit it and...did nothing. "Oh no!" Mars exclaimed.
Jupiter was next up. After calling upon the great Lord Of Thunder, she let loose enough lightning to fry half the mall. But it did no good. Venus tried next, but her Crescent Beam did equally poorly.
"What are we going to do?" whispered Sailor Moon.
At that moment a sabre whooshed by Trinitite, nearly missing her head. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "Who did that?!"
A lone figure stepped out of the shadows created by a McDonalds. "It is I," he announced, "the Moonlight Knight."
Trinitite laughed again. "I've been waiting for you, you know."
"Release the Sailor Scouts! Or suffer the consequences!" He yelled, not realising that Trinitite had just announced that he was about to be ambushed. And ambushed he was, by a black wraith which grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air.
"Hahaha!" Trinitite was clearly enjoying herself. "The Sailor Brats AND the Moonlit dope! And my astrologer said I shouldn't make any plans today! Hahahahah!"
"Let us go!" demanded Mars.
"Now why would I want to do a thing like that?" Trinitite laughed, yet again. She sent another jolt through the Scouts, and Orynixia tightened the grip on her struggling captive. "Enough fooling around." Trinitite suddenly became serious. "Give me the Silver Crystal!"
Past
"Princess Serena! Princess Serena!" The messenger ran through the field of flowers.
"Yes? I'm over here!" she called, waving her arm. The page boy ran over, panting.
"Princess, I have great news," he said, between gasps.
"Well, what is it?"
"Prince Darien and his party have returned!" The boy beamed.
Serena gasped. Then she started laughing, and hugged Crisia in her enthusiasm.
"Quick cousin! We must go welcome them back!" Serena leaped to her feet, pulling Crisia up with her.
"Of course princess," replied Crisia, a bit reluctantly. Serena did not notice the sadness in Crisia's voice.
"Then let's go!" She took off, across the field, running very un-princess-like, pigtails flying.
Crisia, however, hadn't started running. She just stood there. She did not want to go, she wanted to prolong the inevitable for as long as she possibly could. Off in the distance, the princess had noticed that Crisia was not with her, and waited for her to catch up. The Holder sighed, and trudged up to meet her cousin, her feet feeling as though they were made of lead.
Present
"What can we dooooo?" wailed Sailor Moon. "She has the Moonlight Knight, none of our powers work...maybe we should just give her the crystal!"
"No!" shouted Sailor Mars. "We can't give in! Not ever!"
"Well what are we supposed to do? You think of something!" retorted Sailor Moon.
"Fine then! I will!"
"Go ahead!"
"I am!"
"You don't need to, Mars," said Sailor Mercury quietly. "I think I might have thought of a way out of here."
"Good for you, Mercury!" said Sailor Venus cheerfully, always ready to offer positive encouragement.
"Sailor Moon, I believe that if you use the Moon Healing Wand on the field, it will be neutralized and return to its previous state." Mercury continued, ignoring Venus's perkiness.
"Are you sure that will work?" asked Sailor Moon.
"No, but what have we got to lose?"
"Good point." Sailor Moon got out the Moon Healing Wand. She took a more stable stance, took aim and--
"Moon...Healing...ACTIVATION!"
The waves of healing energy struck the force-field like a gale force wind. At first, nothing happened...but then, as the beam started to work, the field coalesced into the mall doors, which fell to the floor with a loud CLANG!
The moment the field was gone, Jupiter attacked. "Jupiter ...thunder ...CRASH!" It caught Trinitite totally off guard.
"Mistress!" yelled Orynixia. She too, lost her concentration, and the Moonlight Knight broke free. They struggled.
"Curses!" shouted Trinitite, staggered by Jupiter' blow.
"Orynixia, let him be! Return the Negaverse!" Orynixia obeyed and vanished in a black fog. "As for YOU," Trinitite continued, glaring at the Sailor Scouts, "I will be back!" And then she disappeared as well.
"As the evil has gone, so must I," declared the Moonlight Knight. "Farewell, Sailor Scouts, until we must fight once more." With a swish of his cape, he vanished.
"Isn't he dreamy?" said Sailors Moon and Mars, to no one in particular.
Past
Princess Serena was stunned. Prince Darien looked terrible. His clothes were torn, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"Darien!" she cried. "What has happened?" Darien swayed, unsure of his footing, so she helped him to a chair. "Please, tell me everything."
"Where do I start?" he said, his head in his hands. "We were decimated. Beryl...she's a monster. There is no way to reason with her. She's a demon. She--"
He was interrupted by the arrival of Queen Serenity, Princess Serena's mother. She was flanked by three courtiers. She took one look at Darien and sent two of the attendants for fresh clothes, bandages and refreshments.
"Darien, sweet, sweet, Darien. What has happened? I thought Beryl was open to the idea of peace." Darien shook his head vigorously.
"That's what we all thought. We thought wrong. When we all left here,--we being the Inner Princes and Zoisite-- we were full of hopes. We all thought that Beryl was open, as you thought, to peace. When we first got to her outpost beyond the Oort Cloud, we were treated hospitably. But things soon changed, and for the worst."
"Darien," asked Jedite, as they inspected the room, "I have this nasty feeling."
"You always have nasty feelings. Comes from being a Prince of Mars." retorted Malachite.
"This time I have a really bad feeling. A really, really bad one."
"Hm." Nephlyte closed his eyes. "The stars know all, and they only sense change."
Jedite bit back his reply, yeah well, my girlfriend knows more than your dumb stars. Instead, he said nothing, and instead concentrated on his own feeling. As Malachite pointed out, the Royalty on Mars had a history of being able to sense evil. That, with what Crisia warned him about, made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, and into Darien's eyes.
"If you feel we need to, we can cancel the mission." He was dead serious. How could Jedite betray a trust like that? If he turned out to be wrong, they would have missed out on a chance to stop an interstellar war before it happened. On the other hand, Crisia's dire prediction, and his own inner feelings warned him about Beryl. It was a choice between logic and emotion. He made his choice.
"We'll stay." He said, chin up. Darien looked him straight in the eye. But Jedite was sure. He returned the stare.
Darien shrugged. "If you're so sure."
Suddenly a gong sounded. All of the Inner Princes whirled around. It was Queen Beryl. She was accompanied by Zoisite, Princess of Jupiter, and wife of Malachite. Jedite's feelings returned full blast.
"Zoisite!" exclaimed Malachite. "What happened to you?" She had changed. She was wearing a strange uniform, and her eyes held a look of total evil.
Jedite knew what had happened. "Run! It's a trap!" But before any of them had a chance to react, Malachite and Nephlyte disappeared in puffs of black vapour. Acting purely on instinct, Jedite grabbed Darien, and ran out of the Hall. He could here Beryl's and Zoisite's evil laugh ringing out. They were forced to fight their way out of the palace, but finally, at last, they managed to reach the great doors. "I can teleport us home," panted Jedite. He pulled out of his jacket a small teleporter. He managed a small smile. "I brought it as insurance. I guess I was right after all." He pressed the buttons that activated it.
But just as the small wand started to glow, he could begin to feel the NegaForce pulling on him. He resisted it with all his might, but it was far to strong to fight for long. The last thing he managed to do was throw the wand and teleport Darien before the darkness claimed him and damned him forever.
Crisia woke with a start. "Jedite?" she whispered. But he could not hear her. She lept out of bed, and looked out the window, toward Pluto, beyond the solar system. She gathered all her power, an sent it out in a search beam. But there was nothing. "Jedite!" she screamed. For now she knew. Now was the beginning of the end.
Present
"This shake is sooooo good! I could eat three of them! In fact, I think I will! Waiter!"
"Argh," said Raye into her fries. "Is she a total pig or what? Not to mention she just happened to spend all her allowance playing video games, so now we have to pick up the tab!"
"Oh calm down Raye," said Lita, picking at her ice cream. "You know she needs to keep her strength up. Besides, since we're all chipping in, it won't cost that much."
"Still..." said Raye.
"Maybe it's not the shake at all," suggested Mina. "Maybe you're just really worried about this new Nega-tramp."
"Maybe...." agreed Raye. "Still, she needn't make such loud slurping noises!"
Trinitite screamed, and hurled the chair against the wall. It shattered before it melted into a blob, and reformed whole again. Orynixia grabbed the chair, and presented it to her mistress. Trinitite took the chair and threw it again.
"Those damn Scouts! They ruin everything! That stupid Mercury! How could she have known what to do? They're all a bunch of brats! I hate them all! They killed my parents! They killed my Queen! I HATE THEM!"
She screamed again, and this time fired off an energy blast. It blew the chair into composite molecules, leaving a greenish cloud to float around dejectedly.
"Mistress?" Orynixia hesitated.
"WHAT?!" yelled Trinitite. Orynixia flinched, and Trinitite instantly regretted yelling. "I am sorry, Orynixia. What were you about to say?" she said, as civilly as possible.
"I just remembered something that might be useful."
"Continue...."
"Do you remember Jedite?"
Past
The Queen and the Princess gasped. "Jedite gave his life to save you?" whispered Serena. Darien nodded. "Then she was right," Serena said under her breath.
"Who was right, my dear?" asked Serenity.
"Crisia. She said that Jedite wasn't going to come back, but Darien would."
"Oh, no, by the Goddess," The Queen mumbled. Then, she turned to the courtier, and ordered: "Go fetch Princess Crisia immediately!"
"Mother? What's going on?"
The Queen sighed. "It is a long story, my love, so I will try to make it as short as possible. Crisia's mother, my dear sister, was also Holder. She received visions as well." Her voice dropped, and she stared at the floor. "The visions killed her. They drove her insane, and she took her own life, passing the crystal to her daughter, who was only twelve. I fear," a tear fell to the marble floor,"that the strain on Crisia may be even greater for her being so young, and that with Jedite gone--" she didn't even finish the sentence.
Serena was struck dumb. She always knew her cousin to be Special, which was why she was always alone, but now she knew the reason. She remembered Crisia crying, and hoped the Queen's dire prediction was false.
The courtier entered.
Alone.
"She is not anywhere on the premises, My Queen."
Serena started to cry. Darien moved toward her, when suddenly, there was a scream from outside.
All the occupants of the room rushed to the window. It was Crisia, on the balcony below them. She raised her arms, and yelled some strange words.
"No!" cried the Queen. "Not Crisia, not her too!" There was a strange sound, like the shattering of glass, and suddenly, everything was bathed in the strongest, brightest light Serena had ever seen. It lit up like a supernova for a single second, and then was gone.
As was Crisia.
Instead, floating above the balcony, almost on level with the balcony above it, was the largest, most beautiful jewel Serena had ever seen. It was the size of a small grapefruit, and shone with the brilliance of a sun.
"The Astral Gem," murmured her mother. "What will happen to it, now that it has no Holder to go to?"
In response to her question, the Gem shattered. It literally exploded into millions of pieces of crystal. Most of them fell like a shower of stardust onto the grounds below, but one sizeable chunk flew up, and the princess managed to catch it. It was small, only the size of a small egg, and rough around the edges, but it sparkled with a power only second to that of its former incarnation. The queen took it, turning it over in her hand.
"We will polish it. We will make a holder for it, in the shape of a crescent moon." she handed it to the courtier. "So it was said, so shall it be done."
The courtier bowed, and left with the stone.
"With out the Astral Gem to protect us, we're nearly defenceless!" said Darien.
The Queen nodded. "This is the beginning of a dark time." she said slowly. "This is the beginning of the end."
Present
"I fail to see how a long dead prince can--"
"But that is just it, my Mistress," said Orynixia, bowing. "He is not dead, only in perpetual hibernation."
"But no doubt his remains were destroyed when Beryl's palace was destroyed." Trinitite, despite her doubt, was very much intrigued.
"Doubtless...unless, of course, his remains were not stored there..."
Trinitite smiled. "You would not suggest this, Orynixia, unless you knew yourself how to bring him back. I have known you too long."
Orynixia, if that was possible, blushed, her already black skin turning darker. "My mistress, I am, as you know, an amateur sorceress. I have dabbled in magic...but recently I cam across a book of spells that will help us greatly. I left it until the now so I could be certain."
"Now you are." Trinitite stared at her servant. She knew that Orynixia's magical abilities were not especially strong, but considerable. All she lacked was the knowledge. If she had that...well, the possibilities were endless.
As well as useful.
"One minor point," said Trinitite idly, "What do you propose to use Jedite for even when we have him--" she chuckled, "--thawed?"
Orynixia smiled, her black teeth barely showing against her ebony skin. "He fought against Sailor Moon for a while before he was...put on ice, shall we say." They laughed. "But even still, he will have information on her weaknesses. He would no doubt like to see her a prisoner of the Negaverse even more than we would."
Trinitite thought for a second, weighing the possible outcomes. True, Jedite would want to defeat Sailor Moon, but afterwards, he might decide to set himself up in Beryl's place: as Ruler of the Negaverse. That was supposed to be Trinitite's rightful throne, it will be one day, she thought fiercely, but she would hate to defeat Sailor Moon (a victory to be savoured) and instead have to kill one of her own.
Still, Sailor Moon on her knees, begging for mercy...it was worth it, worth anything.
"Orynixia, I want you to do you spell immediately." she ordered. Her faithful servant--she would be at Trinitite's right hand when the new era began--merely nodded. She disappeared in a black mist, leaving her mistress to her plans.
"Oh Great Fire! Tell, us, please, who this new threat form the negaverse is." Raye chanted in front of the sacred flames. The fire leapt up, and an image of Trinitite formed in the center. "Tell us how to stop her, Great Fire, and also what she wants," Raye pleaded.
The fire again leapt up, and again an image formed: this time of a young woman, red-haired, with a gold crescent moon on her forehead. The image shifted, to the Imperium Silver crystal, and then to a crystal at least four times the size of the Imperium Silver. Then the flames died down. Raye stared at the now normal fire quietly burning.
"The Scouts must hear of this," she said.
Past/Present
The blackness was blacker, thicker, denser, than anything Jedite had ever known. It was suffocating, like a thick wollen blanket thrown over his head. But the torture didn't stop there. The accompanying cold was nearly as bad as the blackness. It chilled to the bone, it was so cold that the concept of warmth seemed alien, and unlikely.
Time was suspended in the blackness. There was no past, and no future. Only now. Jedite was not even fully consious of himself as Jedite: he was simply "me", "I". His awareness stretched no further beyond him, and his five simple senses. Although, there were flashes of recognition, of memory, of a time before the black, but it all seemed so unreal.
Suddenly, he felt a wrenching in his soul, as if he was being pulled, drawn somewhere...but where?
There is only here, he thought. But the thought confused him. He was sure that there was somewhere else besides here...but he couldn't remember. The pulling intensified, became so forcefull a tug that it hurt. He tried to resist, was fearful of going to a place more horrid than the one he was in.
A new, sudden thought occured to him: that he maybe, just maybe, had been forgiven.
But that sparked new questions: forgiven by whom? what had he done that needed forgiveness?
The pull increased, and now it hurt. Jedite tried to scream, to make any noise at all that would shatter the silence, but the thick dark blanket prevented everything.
Finally he gave up struggling, and let himself be hauled to where ever it was he was going. Now that he stopped fighting, the pain lessoned. He relaxed, and thought that maybe it would be alright.
The feeling of peace was replaced, suddenly, by something quite different.
Memories, and plenty of them.
Everything he had ever experienced, ever felt, ever heard, smelled, saw or thought he experienced all over again.
"--their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Mars-"
"--Jedite! Stop being such a bully!--"
"--I crown thee, Royal Protector--"
"--Serena!--"
...He rembered his sister, his family, his planet. He remembered the Royal Household of the Moon..he rembered Crisia, and all the things they ever did together...
"--Jedite, you don't understand...--"
...He rembered a young man like himself, his best friend, dark-haired and dashing...
"--Darien, I have this nasty feeling--"
...a feeling of foreboding...
"--I brought it as insurance. I guess I was right after all--"
...terror griped his insides. He knew what came next, and he was powerless to stop it. He didn't want to see it, the memories of being turned to the Nega-verse, of working for Queen Beryl, of his hatred and hunting of his best friend, his Princess to whom he had sworn undying allegience, and his sister....
"--It's a shame you're all so young, you've hardly had time to enjoy your life,--"
...stop it! STOP IT!...
"--And now, it will be over!--"
...he had ended up failing in his mission, and for that, he had been killed by his own evil, hatefull Queen. Just as he remembered the final treachery, the numbness and cold which had been his constant companions fell away, and he was deposited in the land of living.
Present
"I'm telling you, this new nega-tramp is major bad news. We need to do something, and fast." Raye said, panting. She had just run from her temple to Serena's house. She, Amy, Serena as well as the two cats, sat in Serena's room. Lita and Mina were listening, via the communicators. "I also felt another presence, one of great evil, one that seemed, familiar somehow." Raye continued.
"What should we do?" asked Serena, between muffins.
"Wait. She's going to come to us," Raye replied. "I mean, she wants the crystal, and you have it. How else could she get her grabby mitts on it?"
"Excellent work, Orynixia." Trinitite stared at the unconscious body of the "late" negaverse general. He was pale as a ghost, and she would have thought him dead if not for the twitches he had every so often. From the way his eyes were moving, she assumed he was dreaming. "Excellent, excellent," she repeated.
If it was anyone besides Orynixia who had these powers, Trinitite would have been nervous. But Orynixia was a servant, through and through, and Trinitite thought her incapable of planning a rebellion. She prodded the prone Jedite with her boot, but he barely stirred. "Tell me when he awakes," she commanded.
"Yes, Mistress." replied Orynixia. Trinitite strolled out of the throne room. She was feeling pretty good. Pretty good indeed.
Jedite finally got to the end of the reel in his life story. He groaned, and opened his eyes. He was so used to the dark that the blast of light, soft and greenish though it was, nearly caused him a heart attack. Finally, after ages, he could open his eyes all the way. He did. After a while he sat up and looked around.
He was in a large room, apparently built out of a natural underground cavern. The rock that it was hewn from was a blackish greenish colour, and it all looked so familiar.
Then it hit him like a bolt of lightning: he was in a Negaverse stronghold!
Maybe he had been forgiven, after all.
Forgiven by who? He still couldn't remember. Even though he had his memories back, they had swirled into a jumble of feeling and experiences. He had no idea at all about anything, and all he could go by were the faint deja vu feelings he got. He was still very confused.
Suddenly he heard boots thumping across the rock floor. He turned around, coming face-to-knee with a tall, female Negaverse General.
"Zoisite!" he whispered.
"Hahaha! No. I am not Zoisite. Although," she smiled faintly, "I am glad you remember her. Now, to get to business." She crouched down to stare into his eyes. "Tell me what you know of the Imperial Crystal."
"Imperial Crystal?" he mumbled, confused. He seemed to remember something like that...do you mean the Astral Gem?" he asked.
"Astral Gem?" Trinitite was as confused as he was.
"I believe I know what he is talking about," Orynixia said softly. "I have come across references to it in my book of spells."
"Tell me more of this `Astral Gem'." She was very intrigued.
"It is a gem of enormous power. That is all I know," her servant stated.
"It's powerful enough to destroy the universe," Jedite volunteered. He didn't know why he should help this woman, but felt strangely compelled. "It has to be contained within a human to control its power." Another image: of a tall, red haired woman, he knew her from somewhere...
Trinitite smiled. "Well," she said. "Well, well, well. It looks like your plan was a success, Orynixia. He has been a help after all. Now, I want you to research this Astral Gem." Her grin widened. "If I can't have the Imperium Silver Crystal, I'll have the next best thing." She signalled another servant to take Jedite to his quarters. As they hauled him off, she couldn't help thinking how things were going right for a change.
Orynixia studied her book of spells intently. This Astral Gem was even more powerful than she had thought. Jedite was right. The only problem now was to find this Holder. Once she was on the Negaverse side, they would be invincible.
She turned to her book of History. She flipped to the section ont the Silver Millennium of the Moon Kingdom. Then she found something that she could not believe. She checked it twice. Then she checked one of her spell books. A rare grin spread over her face. Her Mistress would be very pleased in deed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, Raye. But still. I'm worried. She nearly got it from us once, and her servant nearly killed the Moonlight Knight." Serena paused eating to voice her concerns.
"Not to mention we still have these Cardians running around." Lita reminded them. "We haven't had very many in a while, but still. Just because they aren't active now..."
"Lita's right." said Luna. "We can't let ourselves be distracted, even for a moment."
"Not even for eating?!" said Serena, shocked.
"Of course you have to eat, to keep your strength up," chided Mina.
"Just no spending all your time in restaurants and cafes," said Amy.
"Or the arcade," agreed Lita.
"Oh you guys!" sobbed Serena, "You're always ganging up on me."
"Oh quit being such a baby!" yelled Raye.
"Here it comes," Lita, Mina, Amy and Luna sighed in unison.
"My mistress," cried Orynixia.
"What?" asked Trinitite immediately concerned. She knew that for Orynixia to be so concerned, something had to be up.
"I can get it! The Astral Gem!"
"How?!" Trinitite leapt up from her chair.
"It's simple...when the Holder died, the crystal shattered. One of the pieces became the Imperium Silver Crystal. The other fragments were like dust...."
"Get to the point!" yelled Trinitite.
"I have a spell that will call back the fragments and join them!" she blurted. Trinitite grinned. At last. At last the power was within her grasp.
"Then what are you waiting for," she said softly, smiling widely.
Orynixia nodded and vanished through the floor, She soon floated back up, carrying with her a spell book. She opened it, and began to chant the magic words.
The girls had all decided to go to Raye's temple for the afternoon and do another fire reading. They all sat in the inner room, watching as Raye prepared for the reading.
Serena, being fidgety like she always was, fiddled with the small locket that she kept with her, always. It contained the Imperium Silver Crystal, and reminded her of her first mother, Queen Serenity.
Raye began the reading. The fire was blazing quietly, when Serena felt her locket tug away from her. "What!" she cried. The other girls turned to her.
"Serena!" hissed Raye, "How can I concentrate with you--" suddenly the small locket flew out of Serena's pocket. She tried desperately to catch hold of it, but it was too fast. Lita made a grab for it, but she missed it as well. It soared up, and then opened, revealing the Silver Crystal. The Crystal disappeared into a small portal which opened up under it, and the broken halves clattered to the floor.
"Oh no!" cried Luna. "It's the Negaverse! it has to be!"
Suddenly a scream was heard, a woman's scream. Raye's fire leapt up, so fast that she had to jump backwards to escape the heat. But even more amazing than the disappearing Crystal, a woman appeared in the fire, faint at first, but coming in stronger and stronger.
She had waist long hair, like Mina's or Raye's but it was bright, bright red. She wore a dress that the girls instantly recognized from the days of the moon kingdom. She had a silver moon tattoo on her forehead. Her eye were closed, but she seemed to be dreaming, for they moved back and forth. Abruptly she screamed again, and then poof! the fire went out, leaving the young woman to collapse on the floor.
Present
Serena stared at the prone form of the woman lying in front of her. She looked so familiar..
"Quick! Serena! It might be the Negaverse! Transform!" cried Luna.
"Right," Serena said. She reached in her pocket for her locket... "Oh no, Luna! My locket is broken!" Luna, in response, leapt into the air and did a loop. When she landed another locket appeared, exactly like her first one.
"Here." she gestured. Serena picked it up.
"Moon..prism...power!!" she yelled. The other Scouts got the hint.
"Mars...POWER!"
"Venus! Power!"
"Jupiter power!"
"Mercury...power!"
Then, all together: "Scout POWER!!"
The girls all changed, becoming the Sailor Scouts. It was all over in a matter of seconds.
Sailor Moon kneeled down and took the fallen woman in her arms. "She looks so familiar," she said softly. "And her clothes..straight from the Moon Kingdom."
"Now that you mention it, she does." replied Luna. "Do any of you recognise her?"
"No," said Venus.
"Not really," said Mercury.
"Uh uh," Jupiter shook her head.
"Yes," said Mars. "She looks so familiar, and feels, like, a sister, almost."
"Weird." Venus poked the woman's leg with her boot gently. Mercury activated her VR visor. She took readings, checking the results in her computer.
"She's not from the Negaverse," Mercury confirmed. "She's from the Moon Kingdom. I'm sure of it."
Luna went up and sniffed cautiously. "I definitely do remember her....but I can't quite put a name to the smell."
The woman stirred. Her eyes opened slowly. They were blue, almost like Serena's. "Sailor Moon," she said weakly.
"Yes?" Sailor Moon whispered.
"You must get the Gem...we are all in great danger." she groaned, and lost consciousness.
"Gem?" murmured Jupiter. "What gem?"
"I don't know, but I do know that this woman is majorly weak. We can put her in my bed for the time being," said Mars. Carefully, they all helped to lift the red-haired princess--they were all sure that's what she was--to Raye's bed. Then they all transformed back.
"What are we going to do with her?" asked Mina. "She sure can't stay here forever."
"No, but I have the feeling that when she wakes up she'll tell us. She knew you, Serena, or at least Sailor Moon, so she's probably come to us for help." answered Raye.
"Come from where?" cried Serena, exasperated.
"I don't know, yet. But we'll know, soon enough." Raye replied.
Trinitite's eyes sparkled. Some of the sparkle was tears--she was so close to avenging everyone--and part was reflection of the Gem that hovered in front of her. Orynixia's spell had worked superbly. She glanced at her servant. Orynixia seemed as transfixed as she was. At her other side, Jedite seemed less amazed somehow.
"Where is she?" he whispered.
"Who?" demanded Trinitite. Jedite looked confused.
"What?"
"Who do you expect to show up?"
"When?"
"You just said `Where is she' fool!"
"Who?"
Trinitite screamed and threw an energy bolt at him. He ducked at the last minute. She stared in fury at him, but he really seemed confused. "I don't know what you're talking about," he asserted.
"Fine." she said coldly, dropping the subject. "Orynixia," she turned to the one who wouldn't fail her. "Can you make a wand, to hold this Gem? I want to be able to use it as soon as possible."
"I have one in my workshop that should work, my Queen." She disappeared into the floor. Queen, Trinitite thought. I suppose I am, now. Now that I have the power of the Gem.
Orynixia returned with the wand. She took the gem from its stasis field, and fixed it to the wand. The wand itself resembled the Moon Crystal Wand, but had a longer handle, and was black, not yellow. She gave the stave to Trinitite with a bow.
Trinitite held the staff, stroking the fine ebony, and staring at the Gem. She noticed Jedite watching her. She noticed him a bit more intently. Now that she was a Queen, she would need a consort....
She banished the thought from her mind. Now she had more important things to do.
Like create havoc.
"Alright, Nega-trash! You're moondusted!" Sailor Moon raised her Moon Sceptre. The Cardian snarled, shaking its shaggy bear fur. Suddenly, right behind it, appeared its Creators, the two Nega-aliens.
"Go ahead," sneered the blue-haired one. "Ursator doesn't fear your Moon Power."
"We'll see about that," replied Sailor Moon. She raised her sceptre again.
Suddenly, a dark Nega-Portal opened up, directly beside the aliens. Trinitite exited, followed by her servant and a tall blonde man.
"That's Jedite!" exclaimed Mercury.
"Who?" asked Jupiter and Venus in unison.
Trinitite smiled. "Goodbye, Sailor Moon." she said simply.
"Hey!" shouted Anne. "Just what do you think you're doing?"
"Yeah," agreed Alan. "Sailor Moon is ours. Get her, Ursator!" The bear roared and charged.
"I don't think so!" yelled Trinitite. She raised her staff. It glowed, and the beam of light it emitted completely vaporized the Cardian. It didn't even leave any ashes. Allen and Anne stared.
Anne turned to Trinitite with a vicious stare. She yelled and blasted off an energy beam. Trinitite held up the staff. It absorbed the energy easily. She shouted a command of her own, and the staff shot a beam towards the aliens. Allen leapt in front of Anne, and deflected most of the beam, but he was severely weakened. He and Anne quickly disappeared.
"Now," Trinitite said with her evil smile, "We can get back to business."
She raised the staff. Suddenly a rose shot out of the heavens. Everyone looked up to see the Moonlight Knight standing in a tree. But before he could start into one of his speeches, Jedite and Orynixia leapt to fight him.
Trinitite laughed maliciously. "Now there is no one to help you."
Sailor Moon sniffled. There was no one to help her. The Scouts were as helpless as she was, and the MoonLight Knight was fighting his own battle against the combined forces of Jedite and Orynixia. Trinitite raised the staff over her head. The staff glowed, its intensity growing as the power built up...the beam shot out, super-heating the air as it streaked towards its target...
A red and white blur threw itself in front of Sailor Moon. It was the lost princess. The energy hit her, scattering, flowing around her, changing colours, flickering and dancing like a fire. The woman's face changed as well, more regal, more serene, more... cosmic.
The Scouts recognised the change from when Sailor Moon used the Imperial Silver Crystal to defeat Queen Beryl. It was as if Serena had become one with the power of the Crystal, but the woman here, she had the look of someone at one with the Universe.
Someone else noticed the spectacular light show as well.
Jedite broke off his fight with the MoonLight Knight to stare at the oh-so-familiar woman. He tried to put his finger on his memory of her, but like everything else, this memory was impossible to separate from every other one.
"No!" screamed Trinitite. "This crystal is the ultimate power in the universe!"
The woman stared at her with a cocky smile.
"No!" Trinitite screamed again. She fired off several more bolts. This time, something different happened. The woman absorbed them. She raised her hand, palm out, and shot the reclaimed energy towards Trinitite. Trinitite managed to duck in time.
Then the woman looked towards the Moonlight Knight to free him. She raised her palms again, but instead yelled "Jedite!"
Jedite looked at the familiar woman, who had called his name. Suddenly he remembered. "Crisia!"
The Moonlight Knight, sensing an opening, swung a punch, and Jedite was knocked out of the tree. Orynixia swooped down to catch him.
"Back!" her mistress yelled. "We have lost this battle. This battle! But the war is not yet over!" Trinitite opened a portal, and Orynixia flew through, carrying Jedite.
"No! Jedite!" the woman cried. "No!"
She fell to her knees. Sailor Moon put an arm around her. The woman sniffled, and looked at Sailor Moon. "You haven't changed, Serena." she said with a sad little laugh.
"How do you know my--"
"Your true identity? It is no secret, my Princess." said the woman, confused. "Surely you remember when you and I fought off the--" she stopped. Her face saddened. "You do not remember me," she said softly. It was not a question.
"I do not remember much about my life on the Moon. But you do seem very familiar to me." Sailor Moon said, slipping into the way she used to talk when she was a princess. "The more I am around you, the more I begin to remember."
"Perhaps, if I told you my story?" asked the woman. "Would that help you to remember more?"
"It is worth a try," said Sailor Moon. "But first, let us go back to the temple, and have something to eat."
The woman laughed. "You haven't changed at all!"
They all sat in Raye's bedroom, sipping tea. The woman sat on the bed, surrounded by the Scouts, now in their civilian identities.
"My story is this. My name is Crisia. I am the last Holder in a line that spans millennia, indeed, it was ancient before the Moon Kingdom was ever founded. My mother, Holder before me, was Imbria, sister to the great Queen Serenity."
"That means we're cousins!" exclaimed Serena. Crisia nodded and continued.
"My mother died when I was but twelve, and left me the Astral Gem--"
"Astral Gem? Wasn't that what Trinitite used against us?" interrupted Mina.
"Yes. It is the most powerful gem in the cosmos. So powerful that it had to be bonded permanently to a human, so that it could not destroy everything that exists. It not only gives me access--or did-- to the power of the universe, but put me in connection with the power of time. I was not the Guardian of Time--that role fell to another-- but I could create portals, and also see the future."
Serena gasped. "I remember!" she cried. "I remember the field, before the Great Battle."
Crisia smiled. "I am glad to hear it. Soon, perhaps, you will remember more. At any rate, I received visions. Some where benevolent, but some...were not. When I knew that my fiancee was doomed to the Negaverse, I tried to stop him, but I knew in my heart that it was impossible to save him. That is the downside to prophecy: a lack of hope. When the news came, when I heard his psychic scream--we were...linked, somehow, by the Gem, I could pinpoint his location any where--when he screamed, I, I--" she faltered. Serena hugged her to comfort her, and Luna jumped into her lap.
"You killed yourself," Serena finished. Crisia nodded, then started to cry. She took some deep breaths, and tried to finish her story.
"After I...died, the Gem had no one to go to. It must have shattered. Scattered as well...I think I saw that in a vision as well. And parts of my soul went as well."
The Scouts immediately thought of Serena's locket, and of the Imperium Silver Crystal.
"And when the Gem was put back together again, your soul was reunited," guessed Amy. "Which is why you appeared."
Crisia nodded. "Since I have no children to pass it to, it is still with me. Where it goes, I go, and vice versa. That's why Trinitite's staff had no effect on me. It was essentially my own energy."
"Do you know who Trinitite is?" asked Artemis.
"Of course. Don't you? You mean none of you remember her?" asked Crisia, slightly shocked. "Amy and Lita should especially."
The two girls shook their heads. Crisia sighed. "I have got to remember that you girls have forgotten everything."
"Not everything," said Serena, smiling. She took Crisia's hand. Crisia smiled back. "Now," said Serena. "Now that the story is all done, what do you say we go out for burgers?"
"Serena!" yelled her friends, and Lita took the opportunity to whack her with a pillow.
"What'd I say??" howled Serena, her mouth full of feathers. "Guys!"
A crash of thunder
A brilliant flash of light
A battle has begun
An only one will win the fight
A desperate struggle The strongest takes it all
The battle rages on
Until the weakest finally fall
A vision fills her heart
And gives her strength that's pure and true
And when it seems that all is lost
She knows what she must do....
Trinitite blasted her way into her throne room. "Why?" she yelled. "Why do things always have to go wrong? Why does Sailor Moon have to have such luck? It's not fair! She always gets rescued! IT'S NOT FAIR!" she screamed and incinerated half of the wall.
Orynixia, knowing her moods, was quietly supportive in a corner, avoiding drawing attention to herself as a target. Jedite stood in another corner, quietly thinking. Thinking, and plotting. His memories had cleared, and he could remember almost everything with clarity. One thing was for sure, now that he had his memories back, he knew what had been done to him by the Negaverse. He knew what he had lost, namely, a life with Crisia. He had been turned on his best friends, and his family.
And he wanted revenge.
"Trinitite," he yelled. She whirled, her eyes full of an animal fury. He walked quickly towards her, stopping only a metre away.
"What?" she snarled.
"We need to create a new plan to fight off the Sailor Scouts." he said, his face impassive. Trinitite, laughed, a short bark.
"What can we do? Nothing," she shook with fury.
"Don't talk like that!" snapped Jedite. "You are the leader of the Negaverse! You are not allowed to give up!"
In astonishment, she stepped away from him. No one had ever yelled at her before. No one. Surprise gave way to anger. How dare he treat her like this! How dare he! She raised the staff, fully intending to blast him to smithereens. Fortunately for him, he saw her intentions. Faster than she could react, he muscled the staff out of her grasp and slapped her across the face.
Trinitite was stunned. Truly stunned. Even if Sailor Moon appeared, she would not be able to react.
"Look at yourself," Jedite hissed. "You are a disgrace to the Negaverse! A good General never, ever, lets their personal need for revenge in the way of the need to win. Win we must, and win we shall."
Crisia, stopped in front of the cafe to catch her breath. Even though she and the rest of the girls had been walking at a quiet leisurely pace, she was exhausted. She pulled at the overalls Raye had lent her--was all the clothing here so tight?--and tried to signal to the girls that she was behind them. Finally, Serena noticed that they were missing someone, and they walked back to her.
"What's the matter, Crisia?" asked Serena, concerned.
"Can't...breathe. So...exhausted." Crisia whispered.
"Why don't we just stop here?" suggested Amy. "Then you can have something to eat. Maybe that's the problem."
"Yeah," said Lita with a grin. "You're bound to be hungry after a millennia of not eating."
"Here though?" said Serena. "It's so expensive, and they don't even serve milkshakes."
"You're so selfish, Serena!" shouted Raye, helping to support Crisia. "Can't you ever think of other people?"
"You're always picking on me!" sobbed Serena. Raye, started to rant, and wave her arms, in the process dropping Crisia. Lita and Amy rushed to pick her up again.
"Listen," sighed Crisia. "We can just go somewhere down-"
"No! We'll stay right here! You need your rest!" yelled Raye, forgetting who she was talking to.
Mina stayed out side to clam down Serena, who was crying her eyes out. Lita and Amy helped Crisia to a table.
"Thank you," she said, "But I must tell you, I am not hungry."
"Then why--" asked Lita.
"The distance between me and the Gem," she replied. Amy nodded.
"The farther away you are, the less energy you can take from it," she realised out loud. Crisia nodded. Suddenly she gave a cry, and slumped to the table. The other customers looked over in alarm. Crisia's skin was glowing, and her silver moon was radiating. "It's the Gem...she's brought it back!" she mumbled.
Lita and Amy stood up.
"If she's brought it back, that means--" Amy was interrupted by energy blowing off half the store wall. She screamed, and Lita quickly set the table on it side. She pulled the prone, glowing, body of Crisia behind it as well.
"Where are you, Sailor Brats?" they heard Trinitite yelling.
"You heard the lady," Lita smirked. She and Amy leapt up.
"Right here, Nega Trash!" yelled Amy. She hefted her wand.
"Mercury....POWER!" she yelled. Lita followed her example.
"Jupiter POWER!"
Trinitite was astounded. These girls were the Sailor Scouts? She couldn't believe it.
"In the name of the planet Mercury, I will punish you!" Mercury yelled.
"Fat chance," retorted Trinitite.
"Mercury..bubbles...BLAST!!" Bubbles spread throughout the area, covering everything in a dense fog. Mercury took the brief time the bubbles gave her, and used it to drag Crisia--the energy she was putting out made her stick out like a beacon--to a safer and more covered spot.
Jupiter stayed where she was. As the bubbles cleared, Jupiter took aim, and yelled "Jupiter...thunder...CRASH!"
The bolt of lightning took Trinitite completely by surprise. She howled and dropped to the ground. But even as Jupiter smirked over her victory, Trinitite raised herself up.
"You will pay," she snarled. "All of you!" The Gem glowed, and struck Jupiter. She screamed once, and dropped.
"Enough of that, Nega-sleaze!" called out an unknown voice. "I am Sailor Moon!" She leapt out of the sky.
"Sailor Venus!" The Scout of Venus jumped down to join Sailor Moon.
"Sailor Mars!" The Scout of Mars screamed, throwing a evil charm. It struck Trinitite in the face, burning like acid. She ripped it off and threw it away.
"We are the Sailor Scouts!" the trio chorused. "We stand for Love, and Justice, and in the name of Venus, Mars and the Moon, WE WILL TRIUMPH OVER EVIL!"
"Are you ready, Mars?" asked Venus.
"Ready when you are," she replied.
"Venus.."
"Mars..."
"Crescent Beam Smash!"
"Fire Ignite!"
Together they double-teamed Trinitite. The fiery crescent beam succeeded in knocking her backwards, but that was all. She responded with a scream of her own, and Venus and Mars dropped under the following beam.
"You will not defeat me!" she shrieked. "You can not defeat me!"
"We'll see about that," Sailor Moon said confidently. She raised her Moon Sceptre. "Moon...Sceptre...Elimination!"
The energy merely bounced of the protective force-field Trinitite wore.
"Oh no! It didn't work!" cried Sailor Moon. "What can I do?"
In response, a blade flew towards Trinitite. Its aim was true, it found its mark. It struck the heart, dead on, but not the heart of Trinitite. Instead it hit her faithful servant, Orynixia, who leapt into it to protect her mistress.
"Orynixia!" Trinitite cried. She dropped to her knees, cradling the body of her only friend. But Orynixia could no longer hear her.
"You will pay! As long as I am living, you will PAY!" she was no longer reasonable. The death of her comrade had driven the last of her sense from her. She stood up, shaking. She lifted the staff.
"Cosmic...Gem....ANNIHILATION!" The energy exploded out of the Gem. It struck out, wiping out everything in its path, hitting Sailor Moon, and the Moonlight Knight, who had thrown himself in front of her to deflect the blow. It killed them both, instantly, the Moonlight Knight vaporising into the air.
Trinitite staggered, laughing a psychotic little laugh. Behind her, Jedite stared in horror. His plan was not turning out the way he meant it at all. It had meant for Trinitite to rush in half-cocked so that she could be easily defeated.
He had not realised her anger fully, and especially had not realised the extent of the power that energy gave her. He prayed silently to the souls of the dead Scouts for forgiveness.
Here I'm standing in the night
My crescent wand the only light
Alone against my darkest fear
But I sense my friends are near
I'll draw from each the power I need
The evil Queen we will defeat
Give me the strength to carry on
With all our love we can't go wrong
Only together we face the fight
Nothing can stand against our might
With all our strength the battle's won
With all our love we can't go wrong
We have the strength to carry on...
Present
"What have I done?" murmured Jedite. Tears sprung to his eyes. He had caused the death of the Scouts! Of his sister, and his Princess...he had sworn allegiance to...
"Ha ha!" shouted Trinitite. "We have won! I have had my revenge!" She was dancing around like a mad woman...indeed, she was no longer in full control of her senses. One other person was present for Trinitite's victory dance.
Mercury crouched, horrified, behind the closet door, peeking out a crack. She had longed to rush out and help her slain friends, but she knew that she had to protect the Holder, and besides, Mercury Bubbles didn't do much besides provide cover, anyway.
She tried not to cry as Jupiter was stuck, but by the final battle between Sailor Moon and Trinitite, she was sobbing. Beside her, Crisia shook herself awake.
"What--?" she mumbled.
"Dead! All dead!" Mercury softly cried. Crisia's eyes widened.
"We've got to do something!" she said.
"What can we do? We are no match for Trinitite and the Gem." Mercury sniffed.
"You may not be..." Crisia got a very determined look on her face. She had stood by once before, but not again. Not ever. She stood, up, and kicked the door open. She stormed across the ruins of the cafe.
"No! Crisia!" Mercury called after her. Deciding she wouldn't be much help in the broom closet, she ran after her.
Crisia was glowing more than ever, and Mercury could see how the energy was reaching towards the Gem. Suddenly Jedite noticed her.
"Crisia!" he called joyfully. Trinitite whirled around horrified.
"No! It cannot be!" she shrieked.
"Well, it is," Crisia stood her ground. "Get used to it."
Trinitite smirked. She laughed maliciously. If this woman was so tired of life, why should she try to stop her? "Very well." She raised the staff. The energy from the gem was reaching towards Crisia, as well. Mercury and Jedite (who had noticed it as well) could only guess what would happen when the two energies connected.
As Trinitite raised her wand, Jedite got an idea. He made a leap and tried to wrestle the staff from her.
"What are you doing?" she screamed. "Traitor! Traitor!"
"That's right," he said, straining to pull it away from her. They fought, but were to evenly matched, until Jedite decided to use an unfair advantage. He let go with one hand. Trinitite laughed. Now she had far more leverage, and was starting to pull him across the floor. But Jedite had a plan...
He used his free hand to create one of his fire balls. He shoot it directly into Trinitite's chest. She screamed, and suddenly let go of the staff as she fell backwards.
Freed of the pull on it, it went soaring--until Crisia caught it. She didn't even need to move, it naturally glided to her outstretched hand.
The moment she touched, the energy exploded outward, blinding, creating a small nova. When the light disappeared, Crisia was back to normal, dressed in her outfit from the Moon Kingdom. She smiled. She held up the staff. The Gem was no longer in it. Mercury realised that it had been absorbed into Crisia, and they were no longer separate. The staff had changed as well. It was now golden, like the Moon Healing Wand.
Jedite got up, dusting off his pants. Crisia smiled wider. "Good to see you, Jade," she said.
Jedite grinned. "It's been to long, Cris." She held out her arms, and he walked into them. They embraced, and Mercury smiled. She wished Serena could see this. She had always loved romantic reunions.
Trinitite, however, didn't.
I'll get him, she thought to herself. I'll get him, and her, too. I'll get all of them. They all deserve to die. And I will kill them. She staggered to her feet, unbeknownst to Mercury, or Jedite and Crisia. She gathered together her energy. She may not have the wand, but she had her atomizing powers. She gathered a ball, and fired.
"Look out!" screamed Mercury, who had just noticed.
Jedite whirled, and so was caught full in the chest. He gave a cry, and collapsed. "Jedite!" Crisia screamed. He was still alive, but barely. If Trinitite had had any more power...
Crisia stood up, her eyes cold and hard. "No more." she said quietly. "I will not allow the Negaverse to hurt anyone any more!" The voice became a yell. She raised her arms.
"Cosmic...Negaverse...Eradication!"
The energy spread outwards in a circle. Everything the Trinitite had touched was bathed in the energy, cleansed of all the evil.
As for Trinitite herself..
She screamed as the beam hit her. It was hot, scalding hot, and she knew that now was her final moment. She stood up, facing the end with honour. Honour, and a last cry: "Mom! Dad! I'm coming to meet you! Do you hear me? I'm coming to join you..." And she vanished in a burst of sparkles.
The wave just didn't stop at Trinitite, however.
Allen and Anne shrieked as the beam washed over the Doom Tree. This mysterious energy had exploded from the earth, and it was causing the Doom Tree a lot of pain. Some of its shoots were withering, but somehow, it managed to hold on. Finally, the wave moved on to the outer reaches.
Crisia slumped down. She was exhausted, but finally, the Negaverse was erased from the Universe. Jedite took her hand. He was very weak, but would survive. She smiled tiredly. Mercury sat next to them. She had tears running down her cheeks.
"What's the matter, Amy?" said Jedite. "In case you haven't noticed, we've won."
"At what cost? The Scouts are still dead," she said with a sob.
Crisia took Mercury's hand. "They don't have to be," she said softly. Mercury looked up, her eyes full of questions. "I can bring them back, but I'll need your help."
"My help?!"
"I'm still weak...if you lend me your energy, I can do it."
Mercury nodded.
"Count me in too," Jedite said. The Sailor Scout looked at him questionly. "It's the least I can do," he said with a shrug. "Good." said Crisia, giving both of their hands a squeeze. She closed her eyes. Mercury and Jedite copied her.
"Gem...Healing...ACTIVATION!"
"Mom! You were SUPPOSED to wake me up!! Now I'm going to be laaaaate!" wailed Serena as she ran out the door. She ran back, briefly to get her wallet, and then started in earnest. The bus, fortunately, was late too, which meant she caught it. When she got off, she looked around for her friends, but couldn't find them at first glance.
She decided that since she was going to have to wait, she might as well wait at this cafe. It was right in front of the bus stop.
It was a really nice cafe. It was brimming of people, and looked really new. Serena wondered why she hadn't remembered it. But as she went to take a seat, she realised that this was the really expensive cafe that didn't even sell milkshakes. She wondered briefly why she didn't recognise it, but gave it only a moments thought. It was just a cafe, after all, nothing special.
She sat on the curb. Now she didn't know what to do. Then she looked down the street. A department store was having a clearance sale!
"Ohmigod!" she leapt up. That's where everybody must be! She rushed to the sale.
It was even better inside than it was outside. The bins were loaded! And everything was less than five bucks! Serena couldn't contain herself. She was thrilled! She went from aisle to aisle, looking at everything.
She was in the baby section (those baby clothes were so cute! And just look at those little shoes!) when she accidentally bumped into someone.
"Oh, excuse me," they both said. Serena looked at the strange woman. She had such a feeling of deja vu...The woman studied her back, with a strange smile. She was tall, with long red hair and blue eyes, and seemed so familiar. Next to her, carrying the packages, was a young man, tall and blonde. He looked really familiar too.
"Have we met before?" Serena asked cautiously.
The woman and man looked at each other with a small, secret smile. "Perhaps in a past life," the woman suggested.
"Maybe," Serena said.
"Hey! Serena!" yelled Lita, who was across the room in `Cookwares'. "Hey! Where ya been!"
"Coming!" yelled Serena. She turned back to the couple. They were now looking at the baby clothes, so Serena decided not to disturb them.
She ran over to Lita. Mina appeared a few moments later, her arms full of shoes. Amy and Raye showed up from the book section.
"Hey Serena," said Lita, "Who were you talking to over there? They looked really familiar to me."
"Yeah, me too." added Mina.
"Me three. Especially the guy." said Raye, looking over at the `Baby' section, but the couple had disappeared. The four girls all started a conversation about the mysterious couple, who they reminded who of, etc. Only Amy refrained from participating. She simply walked along with a simple smile.
"What's so funny Amy?" asked Mina.
"Oh nothing. Just...remembering." she replied non-chalantly. Mina shrugged, and they walked on. Amy looked at the sky. At least I will never forget, she thought.
"Hey guys!" shouted Mina. "Who wants ice cream? My treat!"
"I do! I do!" shouted Serena, waving her arms. Some things just never change.
The End