Hiyeeeeee everybody!!!! I know I know I am back with another chapter already!!!
This is truly amazing for me. (Don't expect this to ever happen again with
any other story!) And this chapter is really really really long too and I
guess it's pretty good. Ummm I think everything else important I say in the
bottom authors note...Oh yeah! Note to Myra: Hi hi Myra-Chan!!!!
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease don't get mad at me for not sending this to you to
proofread!!!! But I remember how you said that you had sooooo much work and
you had all those tests and everything, and I felt really bad bombarding
you with my stupid story to proofread, but I really had to get this chapter
out so I could work on the next one. But rest assured I couldn't bring myself
to ask anyone else to proofread...so I kinda did it myself. Yeah, peoples,
if the proofreading on this chapter is terrible, I apologize, I am a horrible
proofreader, but my regular proofreader, myra-chan, (who is the best proofreader
in the world!) needed a break, so I did it! Yea! Anways, next thing!

This chapter is dedicated with much love, thanks, and gratitude to Myra-Chan!!!
Arigato!!!! and Omedeto Gozaimuas on your tests!!(good luck)
Usual disclaimers apply,Sailor Moon does not belong to me, etc. See As the Tears Fell 
Read Me for more details.

******************************

As the Tears Fell~Chapter Twelve

By MCRK

******************************

"So how's Rei dealing with Jade being gone?" Makoto asked, as she looked
up from her plate. 

"Pretty bad. She's not accepting it too well." Serin commented. The scouts
and guardians had all gathered in the large dining room for dinner. The only
ones missing were Zoisite, Jeadite, and Rei. At that moment the door opened
and Rei walked in. Everyone tried not to stare in shock at her appearance.
Serin seemed the most shocked. For as long as she had known Rei, she had
never, never seen her hair not flowing down her back, looking silky, soft,
and perfect. Until now. It was up in a long ponytail, and looked like it
hadn't been washed in days, which was quite possible. Her eyes had huge bags
under them and she looked like she could barely stay awake. Her clothes were
also a mess. She was wearing a pair of torn beat up jeans, with an old worn
out sweatshirt. Totally un Rei. She walked to the table and slid into the
empty seat next to Serin. "Hey everyone." She said quietly. 

"Hi. How are you feeling?" Serin asked carefully. 

The others sat quietly, awaiting her answer. 

"I'm better." She said after a moment. "It's getting a little better."

Minako smiled at her. "You'll be fine in no time, don't worry about it."

She replied with a weak smile of her own, before turning to Ami and asking
a question. "Does it ever go away?" She asked quietly. 

Ami looked over at her friend's tear filled eyes, and as much as she wanted
to, she knew that she couldn't lie. "Do you mean the feeling of hatred towards
Beryl that you feel because she caused all this, or," she paused for a minute
to wipe away her own tears, "Or the feeling of knowing that the one person
you love more than anyone, is in the hands of the most powerful, evillest
person alive right now, and there is nothing you can do about it?" She shook
her head. "Because as far as I know, neither feeling goes away."

Rei's eyes filled with fresh tears as she heard Ami talk about 'the one person
you love more than anyone.' She thought back to the time in the garden, when
they almost kissed, when she was almost able to tell him the truth about
how she felt. And the time at the ball, where Dave had dumped her, and even
though she had been mad at him, he was there to comfort her anyway. And how
they had danced, and she had decided she was going to tell him how she felt,
but Beryl ruined that also. She started to sob as she remembered that she
had never even told Jed how she had felt about him. And now he was gone.
"I never told him." She said through her tears. 

Serin exchanged a worried glance with the others as she put her arm around
Rei's shoulders, trying to comfort her. "Rei, shhh, it's okay." She attempted.

She wiped her eyes. 'I'm sorry, you all probably think I'm psycho or something
but I miss him so much." She explained. 

"It's okay, we miss him too Rei." Endymion said gently. 

Rei was unable to look at him, and looked down at her hands instead. "Yeah
thanks."

Makoto leaned her head on Nephlite's shoulder and frowned in worry. Beryl
had already gotten two of them. Who was next?

Nephlite seemed to read her thoughts and squeezed her hand underneath the
table reassuringly as he smiled down at her. "Don't worry my love. My only
plans are to win this war, get our friends back, and then marry you." He
whispered softly to her. 

She smiled back at him. "Good." She said.

"I really am sorry about all this." Rei said.

"Rei, sweetie, we know you're upset, you don't have to apologize." Serin
told her gently. 

She shook her head. "I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the fact
that I know this entire thing is my fault and that everyone in this room
blames me." She explained. 

"Rei are you kidding?" Makoto cried. "Of course we don't blame you. Where
could you ever get such an idea."

Serin glared at Endy who looked away uncomfortably. 

"Because it's true!" She exclaimed. "I could have done something to help,
I didn't even transform!"

"Rei, we all would have acted the same way if it were any one of us." Minako
said gently. 

She shook her head. "But it wasn't you, it was me, and now Jed's gone and
it's completely my fault."

"Rei, please, just listen to me, no one in here blames you okay?" Serin asked
softly. 

She nodded, pretending that she believed her. "If you say so."

"No, not 'if I say so!'" Serin exclaimed. "No one here blames you and that's
the truth okay?"

She didn't asnwer. 

"Everyone knows about the training session tomorrow morning right?" Kunzite
asked, trying to change the subject. 

The others all nodded. "You are so obsessed!" Minako said smiling at him.

He smiled back at her as he put his arm around her shoulder. "I know."

Rei blinked, making sure she was seeing correctly, before asking, "When did
you two get together?" She asked Minako and Kunzite. 

"Ball." They said in unison.

She shook her head. "Okay whatever. Look I'm not really that hungry, you
guys don't mind much if I go back to my room do you?" She asked standing
up.

"Don't worry about it." Ami assure her. 

Serin stood up also. "Want me to come with you for a while?" She asked. 

Rei nodded. "Yeah sure." She said as the two left the room. 

Endymion stood up a moment later. 

"Where are you going?" Makoto asked. 

"I'll explain later." He said as he ran out of the room. 

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

"How is he coming along your majesty?" Zoisite asked as he looked over the
cylinder containing Jeadite. 

"Not very well." She admitted. "He's won't forget his love for the sailor
brat." She pressed the button on the side that activated the speech inside
the cylinder. "Jeadite, who are you loyal to?" She asked. 

His face twisted in pain, eyes closed, as he moaned. "Rei."

"Damn it." She cursed. "That little slut will have to pay."

"I assure you my queen that the wait will be worth it. Jeadite has always
been an excellent warrior." Zoisite promised. 

"Yes I am sure he is. But I am not a patient person. And once he is completely
loyal to us, we can attack Earth." Beryl said smiling evilly. 

"But what about the other two, Kunzite and Nephlite?" Zoisite inquired. 

She smiled. "Oh they're coming. Don't think I forgot about them. They're
next. I'm just waiting for the right moment..."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Serin walked out of Rei's room and closed the door. After talking to her
for the past hour, she had finally gotten her to fall asleep, sleep that
she desperately needed. 

"Serin!" 

She turned around to see Endymion running up to her, and she turned around
again, not wanting to face him. 

"Serin, please, just talk to me." He pleaded. 

She turned around and sighed. "Fine."

He looked around the hallway. "Can we at least go somewhere else to talk?"
He asked. 

"No. I am incredibly annoyed right now and you are lucky I am even talking
to you so talk here or don't talk at all." Serin said firmly. 

"Okay, okay. What I really want to say is that I'm sorry. I feel horrible
about what I did to Rei, but I was just so...so in shock at what she had
just said that it was almost involuntary." He explained. 

She was silent. 

And I really am sorry, and I'll talk to Rei or whatever you want me to do,
but please, don't be mad at me. I can't stand having you be mad at me." He
begged. 

"Endy, it's not that simple. Rei is an incredibly complex person and she
is very very self-conscious. She blames herself for everything, and when
someone else blames her also..." She let her voice trail off. 

"I know, and I feel terrible. I know that Rei will put enough blame on herself
without me adding to it, but Serin, you have to admit, it was partly her
fault." Endy pointed out gently. 

She glared at him. "I most certainly will not admit that!" She exclaimed.
"It was no more Rei's fault than it was ours for not being there."

"Fine, it wasn't her fault at all." He said. 

She shook her head. "Don't just say that because that's what you think I
want to hear. Do you blame her? And tell me the honest to God truth."

He was quiet for a moment. "Truthfully, I do hold her partly responsible."
He said quietly. "I mean how could I not? The enemy took my best friend.
The enemy Serin! And she didn't even try to stop him. How could I not hold
some fault to her?" He asked. "But I'm not going to hold a grudge against
her for it, and I'm not going to say anything to her about it because she
doesn't need that from anyone, especially me." He said quietly. 

Serin smiled softly at him. "That was what I was hoping you would say." She
said softly. "And if you still want it, I'm offering forgiveness."

"Are you kidding? Of course." He said smiling at her. 

"But please, at least try to apologize to Rei. I don't want to ask you to
lie, so you don't have to tell her that you don't blame her if you really
do, but please, just talk to her and apologize." Serin pleaded. 

"Anything." Endy said as he hugged her, taking in the sweet smell of her
hair, and the smoothness of her skin. "I missed you." 

"I missed you too. I love you so much." Serin said hugging him back. 

"I love you too. So are you still my fiancée I hope?" He asked pulling
away. 

She smiled at him. "Damn right. Once we win his war and get Jade and Zoi
back we, are getting married."

He smiled. "I can't wait."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Sailor Venus looked down at her watch and sighed impatiently. "Does anyone
have any idea where Rei is?" She asked. 

"I'm sure she's coming." Mercury said anxiously looking for her. 

"Yeah, I'm sure she is too, but she's twenty minutes late!" Venus exclaimed.

Kunzite put a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to momentarily calm her
down. "Let's just start with out her." He suggested, also slightly irritated
at Rei's tardiness. 

"Just give her a few more minutes." Serin pleaded. 

"Serin, she's twenty minutes late! I mean I feel horrible for her and everything
but how long are we supposed to wait?" Jupiter argued. 

"Please!" She pleaded again. "She's upset, give her a break. After--" She
stopped in mid sentence realizing that Ami was right there. 

She smiled, and although it was reassuring, there was a hint of sadness in
her smile. "It's okay Serin. I know that you were going to say that after
Zoisite left, I was late all the time and I even missed a few meetings."

"You guys, Serin's right. Just give her a few more minutes." Endymion broke
in. 

A few moments later Rei came up over the hill to where the rest of the group
was meeting. Ignoring the glares she received from Venus and Jupiter, she
started to apologize. "I'm really sorry I'm so late. I wasn't paying attention
to what time it was and I didn't realize how late it had gotten." She said
quietly. 

Serin smiled at her. "Don't worry about it, we understand." She said
sympathetically. 

"I really am sorry though. I never meant to--" Rei started. 

"Rei, why aren't you transformed?" Venus cut in. 

Rei gave her a cold glare. "As I was just about to say before someone interrupted
me, I had been walking around outside, and I couldn't exactly transform in
front of everyone ya know."

Kunzite quietly reminded her that Rei was just upset and Venus refrained
from lashing out at the girl. 

"MARS STAR POWER!" Where Rei had stood moments before now stood the fiery
scouts of the planet Mars. 

"Okay everyone let's start." Venus called. "We'll just start with some target
practice okay? Everyone knows what to do."

"About damn time." Jupiter muttered as every one started target practice.

Seeing as Serin and Endymion's attacks were not really, magic based, his
being sword fighting, and hers being the silver crystal, they really didn't
get much out of the practices. Instead they stood behind the others, just
observing. As Serin's eyes roamed over each scout, they stopped on Mars.
Although her attacks were normal, Serin could sense that something was bothering
her, and she had a feeling it wasn't just Jade's absence. She would stop
in-between each attack for a few minutes at a time, and Serin almost got
the feeling she got whenever Rei was crying. It wasn't quiet as strong though,
but Serin knew something was wrong. She nudged Endymion, who was standing
next to her, and whispered, "Something's wrong with Rei."

"What do you mean?" Endymion whispered back. 

"I can't explain it. But something's...off about her. I don't know what--"

Serin was interrupted when in the middle of her attack, Rei dropped to the
ground, clutching her head as she screamed out, "STOP! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

Serin raced over to her as the others stopped practicing to see what was
wrong. "Rei...Rei, talk to me. What's wrong?" Serin asked gently once she
reached her side. 

Rei wouldn't answer but kept shaking her head as she rocked back and forth
on her knees. "No! Make it go away. Please make it go away." She sobbed.

"Make what go away?" Serin asked gently. "Rei I can't help you unless you
tell me what's wrong." She looked up at the others crowding around her in
concern. "Maybe you guys should just go back to practicing." She suggested.

"Serin this affects all of us." Venus argued. 

Serin glared at her. "Practice. Now." She said as the others headed back
to practicing. 

"I'm staying." Endymion said firmly. 

She nodded and turned back to Rei who was still on the ground. "Now Rei,
please, what's wrong?" She asked again. 

Rei looked up and Serin could see the fear and horror in her eyes. "She's
in my head." She whispered painfully. 

"Who?" Endymion pressed. 

She looked down at the ground as she softly answered. "Beryl."

Serin and Endy exchanged worried glances. "What do you mean, she's in you
head? Is she controlling you?" Serin asked. 

She shook her head looking back up at the two. "She's not literally in my
head; just her voice. Saying it over, and over, and over, and over, and over..."

Serin suddenly realized what was happening. "And that's why you can't use
your fire right?" She asked, everything fitting together. 

Rei nodded. "I feel...like I'm burning him," She said quietly.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Endymion asked in confusion. 

Serin turned to him. "Do you remember, a few days ago, at the ball, when
Beryl came?" She started. 

He nodded. "Yes..." He said unsure of where this was leading. 

"And she admitted...what she...did to Rei's father?" Serin continued.

He nodded again. 

"Do you remember what she said after that?" She asked. 

He shook his head. "I wasn't paying that much attention." He said almost
apologetically. 

"She told me how she had walked up to him, placed a hand on his shoulder,
and started killing him." Rei spoke up softly. "She told me how it was most
likely the most excruciating pain that he had ever felt in his entire life.
And then she said," Her voice was cracking with emotions at this point and
tears streamed down her cheeks. "She said that she wondered if that is what
youma feel when I burn them with my fire."

"And now every time you use your fire..." He started, everything beginning
to make sense. 

"She feels like she's killing her father." Serin finished. 

"What do I do?" Rei asked, drying her eyes. "I can't fight like this! I'm
completely useless to the team."

"You are not useless." She said firmly. "And right now, the only thing you
are going to do is go back to your room and sleep because you look like you
desperately need it."

"But--" She started to protest. 

"Rei, she's right, It's the only way you're going to get over this." Endy
said, placing his hand on her shoulder in comfort. 

She flinched back, remembering his cruel words a few days before. "Thanks."
She said sarcastically. 

"Rei..." Serin said, her voice with a warning tone in it.

She rolled her eyes. "Sorry." She said to Endymion. 

He didn't respond. 

"Really Rei though, just go back to your room and sleep. Endymion is right,
the only way that you are going to get past all this is with time, and until
you are comfortable using your powers again, you shouldn't torture yourself
by being down here." Serin told her. 

She stood up. "You mean I shouldn't be down here making an idiot of myself
by crying all the time right?" She asked smiling. 

Serin smiled back. "Complete idiot. Now go sleep!" She commanded. 

As soon as the others noticed Rei walking away they came running over. "Where's
Rei going?" Venus asked immediately. 

"She went back to her room to get some sleep." Serin explained as her and
Endymion stood up. 

"In the middle of a practice?" Jupiter questioned. 

"She couldn't practice right now anyway, and she really needed sleep, it
looks like she hasn't gotten any in days. I wasn't about to make her stay
here and practice." She said defensively. 

Venus sighed loudly, obviously annoyed. 

"Was she okay?" Mercury asked in concern. 

"Yeah what happened to her anyway?" Nephlite added. 

Serin sighed. "I don't know if you all remember what Beryl said to her at
the ball, about her dad,"

The others nodded. 

"But because of what she said, now every time Rei uses her fire, she feels
as if though her father is burning all over again, except this time, she
is doing it." She explained. 

"That's horrible." Jupiter commented quietly. 

She nodded. "And the only thing that's going to make it go away is time.
She needs to be comfortable with using her powers, and having her here is
just going to torture her even more."

"Look Serin, I don't mean to sound unsympathetic or anything," Venus said
impatiently. "But this problem is somewhat more serious than just letting
her get over it herself, don't you think?"

"Minako does have a point." Kunzite added. 

"I mean, I don't want to be all pessimistic and everything, but Beryl is
going to attack, there is no question about that. And she already has Jade
and Zoisite. Don't you think we're weak enough without losing Rei also?"
Venus asked. 

"Venus, until you lose a parent and feel what Rei is feeling, I really don't
think you have the authority to tell me what to do in this situation." Serin
said firmly. "This is something that Rei has to work out on her own, and
yes I know that we are weaker without Jade and Zoisite, and yes I realize
that we will be even weaker having to fight against them, but forcing Rei
to fight when she is in this condition is a complete mistake that could end
up being fatal for her, or for us." Serin snapped. 

"Serin, I don't think she meant it like that." Nephlite said quietly. 

"Look, Rei needs to get over this in her own way and time and we will just
have to work harder to overcome the weaknesses that we now suffer. Now let's
all just leave it at that okay?" Endymion asked. 

The others all agreed. "I'm sorry Serin. I know you have your own reasons
for what you do." Venus apologized. 

"And I apologize for snapping at you. You have opinions too." Serin said
as she felt a drop of water land on her arm. Looking up at the sky she noticed
the clouds that had gathered. "And now I think it's time to end this training
session and head in before it starts thundering." She shivered. "I hate thunder.

The others agreed and started on their way back to the palace. Endymion wrapped
an arm around the shivering princess. "You really don't like thunder do you?"
He asked. 

She shook her head. "Scares me more than anything."

He smiled kissing the top of her head. "Don't worry, I'm here."

She smiled up at him. "My Savior."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Rei slowly opened her eyes as she heard Serin, but wasn't able to see her
anywhere. She blinked a few times and finally getting her eyes to focus,
she sat up, and was able to see Serin who was sitting on the edge of her
bed. 

"Took you long enough to wake up." She said smiling. 

"Sorry. I was more tired than I thought." Rei said yawning. 

"Yeah I noticed." Serin said looking down at her. "You forgot to detransform."

Looking down, Rei blushed. She concentrated, and a moment later she was back
to Princess Rei. "So what's up?" She asked. 

"I came to get you for dinner. I figured since you really didn't eat anything
for breakfast, and you kinda slept through lunch, you'd be hungry by now."
Serin commented as the two stood up.

"I'm starving." Rei agreed, noticing for the first time that day how hungry
she actually was. "So how did the training session go?" She asked as the
two made their way down the hall, towards the dining hall. 

"Actually we ended it a few minutes after you left due to the weather." Serin
said. "So you really didn't miss that much."

"I bet Minako was kinda pissed I left early." Rei commented. 

"She was at first, but I explained to them what happened. You know no one
blames you for being upset. They all know what you're going through." Serin
commented softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. 

Rei shook her head. "No, they don't. Not even Ami. None of them know what
it is like to not realize you love someone until it's too late to tell them.
But thanks for trying anyway." She said as she walked into the dining hall.

Serin sighed as she followed. 'Please God, we're doing all we can. Please
get Jade back.' She thought as she followed Rei into the dining hall. 

"Hey, we were wondering where you guys were." Ami commented as the two finally
walked into the room. 

"Sorry we're late." Serin said, taking the seat next to Endymion, and he
promptly kissed her hello. 

"Not a problem. We were just waiting for you to start." Queen Serenity commented
as everyone started eating. 

Rei silently slid into the seat next to Serin, and felt tears spring to her
eyes when she saw the empty seat next to her. Jed's seat. 'I'm okay. I'm
not going to cry again in front of everyone.' She told herself silently.
Attempting to distract herself from thoughts about Jed, she allowed her eyes
to wander down the table. To her right were Endymion and Serenity, flirting
and being so adorable, like always. To her left, well she didn't want to
look to her left. Further down on the right was Ami, who was also by herself.
That gave her a small bit of comfort...not much though. Across the table
she saw Makoto and Nephlite who were smiling lovingly at each other, and
next to them, sat Minako and Kunzite, who were also in complete bliss. Further
down, at the head of the table, sat Queen Serenity, and next to her, an empty
chair. 'That's weird.' She thought. 'I wonder where she is?' Deciding to
voice her question, she spoke, "Queen Serenity, what happened to my mom?"
She asked. 

Serenity looked slightly annoyed for a moment before donning the reassuring
smile she was so well known for. "I'm sure she's just lying down in her room
or something. She's probably not very hungry right now." She said. 

Rei forced a smile. "Oh. Thanks, I was just wondering." she said as she went
back to silently eating. 

Serin glanced worriedly over at Rei, who didn't seem to notice, and turned
to Endymion. "Did you talk to Rei yet?" She whispered. 

He glanced over at Rei at the mention of her name and shook his head. "It
feels too strange. I don't think she wants to talk to me right now." He whispered
back. 

"Endy please! I have a feeling that she isn't going to get over this until
she realize that no one blames her." She pleaded. 

Endymion looked down into Serin's pleading eyes and sighed softly. "Okay,
I promise I'll talk to her after dinner okay?" 

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Victoria glanced away from the window that she had previously been staring
out of when she heard the door open and close. She turned back when she saw
who it was.

"How are you feeling?" Serenity asked quietly. 

"I feel fine. I wish everyone would stop asking me that." She responded
irritably. 

"It's just that we missed you at dinner. Rei was asking about you." She
explained. 

"She knows where to find me." She said coolly. "Besides, I wasn't hungry."

"You don't seem to have much of an appetite lately." Serenity said as, out
of nervousness, she started folding a basket of nearby wash. 

"Isn't that the servants job?" Victoria asked looking over at her. "I didn't
realize that not being hungry was such a crime in this place." She added.

"It's not that. It's just that some people, your daughter included would
like to spend some time with you before--" Serenity cut her words off in
mid sentence as she realized what she had been about to say. 

"Before what?" Victoria asked her eyes flashing. "Finish the sentence Rennie.
Before I die. That is what you were going to say wasn't it?"

Serenity didn't answer. 

"Yeah I know I'm dying. I kinda figured that one out." Victoria retorted.

"Look Vicki, I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry." Serenity apologized.
"I know--"

"Don't." Victoria warned, cutting Serenity off. "Don't even apologize or
say that you know what I'm going through." She said glaring at her. "Because
you don't. Not a god damn one of you knows what I'm going through. Do you
have any idea," She started. "What it's like to know that you'll never see
your daughter's next birthday? To know that when she gets married you won't
be there to smile proudly as she walks down the aisle. You don't know what
it's like to know that you'll never hold a grandchild in your arms, or to
tell your daughter how proud of her you are. So don't even try and tell me
that you know what it's like. You have no fucking clue." Victoria turned
away at that point and started leafing through a magazine. 

A moment later Serenity stormed over and knocked it away. She looked up in
surprise. "Grow up Vicki." She snapped. "We've all got problems, we've all
got things we regret. "Do you know what it's like to lose every person that
you love, and to always forget saying something to them? To have never found
the time, until it was too late?" She asked, this time, her eyes were the
ones flashing in anger. "Well I do. I've lost my husband. The one morning
that I overslept, because Serin had kept me up late the night before. That
one time, I wasn't awake when Terence left for business, and the one morning
that I didn't tell him how much I loved him. Well that was the one morning
that was the last time I would ever be able to tell him, because that's the
morning he died."

Victoria sat there silently. 

"I went through the same thing when Travis died. Do you have any idea what
it feels like to outlive your son?" Serenity exclaimed 

"No I don't." Victoria said quietly. "But I lost my husband also remember?
At least you didn't have to watch some monster burn him to death because
you were to afraid to stop her!"

"You're right, I didn't." Serenity said finally. "But I have had to go through
losing too many loved ones without them knowing how I really felt. And now
it's going to happen with my baby sister." Her voice got softer towards the
end.

Victoria, however, wouldn't budge. "So you've got problems too. So what?
At least you're still alive, you'll get over them."

Serenity shot her a look of disgust. "You don't get it do you? You were given
these two months for a reason!" She exclaimed. "So maybe instead of wasting
them by being a bitch to everyone, you should enjoy the time you have left
and spend it with those who love you. Like your daughter, for instance, or
your sister, or your niece who you have barely said two words to since you
got here. You aren't dead yet, you're still in the land of the living, so
why don't you start acting like it." Serenity glared at her again before
storming out of the room, slamming the door behind her. 

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Endymion stared at the princess who was standing in front of him with her
back turned. 'She's actually very beautiful.' He thought. 'I guess that's
part of the reason Jade loves her so much.' At the thought of Jade he felt
his anger rise again slightly. After all, if she had only tried to stop him
from going with Beryl maybe he would be here right now. 'And I wouldn't be
here right now trying to get up my nerves to talk to her.' He told himself.
At that thought, his anger slowly died down and he remembered the reason
he had come to talk to her in the first place. 'I told Serin that I would
talk to her, and I plan on doing exactly that.' He thought. After a few minutes
he decided he had to do this eventually, he might as well do it now, and
he cleared his throat to catch her attention. 

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Beryl looked up from her drink as a flash of light appeared in front of her.

"My queen." He said, bowing before her. 

"Zoisite." She nodded, acknowledged him and allowing him to stand. Once he
was standing, she was able to see that he had an evil smile on his face.

"My Queen, I have a surprise for you." He said, still smiling. 

"Well bring them in, I don't have all day you know." She said irritably.

He nodded and a moment later another flash appeared in the room. 

Beryl gasped when she saw whom it was. "It worked?" She asked, not believing
what she saw. 

Zoisite nodded. "He is ours now. Ask him anything to prove it."

Beryl looked over at the man. He was standing upright, his blue eyes staring
straight ahead. His golden hair was brushed back, except for a small strand
that continued to fall down in his face. His hands were firmly at his sides,
encased in freshly washed white gloves. He was wearing a navy uniform, long
sleeves, and long pants, with a red trim around the edge. On his feet was
a pair of shining black boots, and on his face, a look of pure evil. 

"Jeadite." 

"Yes my Queen?" He asked as he turned to her, his head bowed. 

"I want you to answer a few questions for me." She continued. 

"Of course your majesty."

"First, you may rise." 

He raised his head. 

"Who are you loyal to?"

"The Negaverse, and especially, to you my Queen."

"What will you do if you come across Prince Endymion?"

"Exactly what I have been training to do. Kill him."

"What about if you come across the Princess Rei of Mars?"

"Show absolutely no mercy while I kill her."

Beryl laughed in delight as she clapped her hands. "Thank you Jeadite that
will be all." She said as he transported away. 

Zoisite smiled at his Queen's reactions. 

She turned to him. "Zoisite you did a wonderful job!" She exclaimed. 

"I told you it would be worth the wait." He responded. 

She nodded. "Yes, he definitely was. I want you to continue training him,
but I would also like you to send a message, to Earth."

"A message?" He asked. 

She nodded again as an evil smile crept along her face. "Send them the good
news. It's time to let them know..."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Rei brushed a strand of hair out of her face as she stared out the window,
thinking about Jed. The loss that she felt in her heart was incredibly strong,
and incredibly painful. 'I never knew someone could hurt so bad.' She thought.
'But then again, I never thought I would fall in love with Jed! I still remember
how we first met. When I ran own the hill and knocked him over.' She smiled
a bit. 'I didn't even want to meet him! And now, I love him more than anyone.'
She felt a strong pain run through her heart, at the memories that she was
dredging up. 'I can't do this anymore.' She thought. 'I'm sick of being hurt,
and I'm sick of being sad. I'm resolving right now, to get over it.' At that
thought she heard someone cleared his throat behind her and turned around
to see who it was. "Hello Endymion." She said in a flat tone. 

The Prince smiled wryly at her as he moved closer. "Don't sound so excited
Princess." He said. 

"Wouldn't want to flatter you would I?" She asked turning back to the window.

"Look Rei, we need to talk." 

She turned back to him. "The only reason you are even willing to talk to
me is because Serin asked you to. You're just trying to keep her happy."

He was silent. 

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"So what if you are?" He asked, his eyes flashing in sudden anger. "What
is so wrong with trying to keep the person that you love happy?" 

"Nothing. I just wanted to know that everything you plan on saying today,
is what you really feel, it's going to be what will make Serin happy." She
said coolly.

He shrugged, his anger now gone. "Maybe it will be, maybe it won't. But either
way, I came here to apologize, and whether or not you want to accept it is
your choice. Just like it's your choice if you want to believe me or not."

"Fine. Talk." 

He took a deep breath before starting. "I wanted to tell you that I realize
that my behavior the other day was uncalled for and unacceptable. And I wanted
to apologize for acting that way. You didn't deserve it."

She shrugged. "Whatever. You let you emotions overcome you."

He continued, as if she had never spoken a word. "And I shouldn't have done
what I did, and I'm sorry. I was just so...so upset, for lack of a better
word, at Jade's capture and I didn't know what to make of it. And I took
my anger out on you, and I'm sorry for that." He said, tears welling up in
his eyes at the thoughts of his missing comrade. 

She looked over at him and he was surprised to see that her face held no
emotion. Over the past few days her cheeks had always been stained with tears
streaks, and her eyes held a look of hollowness, of regret and anger. But
not anymore. 

"Well now you've talked to me, and now I know how you felt about it, so you
can leave if you want. You can go tell Serin that you talked to me and everything
is fine between us so she will be happy." She said in a monotone voice. 

"That's it?" He asked incredulously. "That's all you're going to say to me?"

She gave him a strange look, one that almost asked, 'Are you crazy?' "Yes
that's all I'm saying. What would you like me to say?"

He stared at her in disbelief as he felt his anger surge though him once
again. "It would be nice if you would show a little compassion!" He exclaimed.
"I just poured my heart out to you, and you sit there and say fine whatever?!"

She glared at him. "Yes I'm going to sit here and say fine whatever." She
stood from the couch she had previously sitting on and walked over to him.
"I don't care what you say. It doesn't affect me anymore. I stopped caring
what you said when you blamed me for Jade's capture."

"Well technically it is your fault isn't it?" He snapped, before he could
realize what he was saying. "I mean you were there, you could have done
something, but you didn't even transform!" He yelled. 

Her eyes narrowed in anger and if he hadn't been so busy yelling at her,
he would have noticed the anger that was slowly creeping into her face. 

"You just stood there, watching while he was taken by the enemy." He lowered
his voice "And now look at you. You don't even care about what happened to
him. I used to be able to tell why he adored you so much, why you were so
close to him, and why you meant so much to him. But now," He paused for a
moment and delivered the words that he would soon live to regret. "But now,
I have no idea what possessed him to care so much about a bitch like you
who doesn't even give a damn that he's gone."

Her hand flew across his face before she realized what she was doing. "Fuck
you." She said glaring at him. 

Finally realizing what he had done, he gasped. "I'm sorry, I didn't meant
it like that." He choked out. 

"You know you did. Just like you meant it when you said that it was my fault
Jade was taken. No point in lying about how you really feel." She said. 

He stood there in shock, unable to respond. 

"But now it's time you know how I really feel." She said angrily. "I may
come across as a bitch to you right now, but you come across as an asshole
to me, and right now, I really don't know what Jed or Serin sees in you.
But since you're my best friend's fiancée, I'm going to refrain from
calling you the things that are going through my head right now." 

"Look, I,"

"I'm not done." She snapped. "I don't care if you hate me forever, I don't
care if you blame me forever, hell, I don't even care if you can't see why
Jed and I were so close. But never, ever say anything like that to me again.
Never tell me that I don't care about him. That I don't give a damn that
he's gone. Because I care about him more than you could ever realize." Tears
were starting to form in her eyes as she gave her speech. "The only reason
that I'm acting like I don't care is because I care too much! I love him,
more than even I can comprehend, and the pain that my heart is going through
right now is unbearable!"

He reeled back in shock. 'All this time, she really had loved him back. And
now because of Beryl, she never got the chance to tell him. And I had to
go and accuse her of not caring about him when really...Oh My God!'

She composed herself, drying her eyes as she finished. "I love Jed. There,
I've finally said it. I love Jed. And I don't care who knows it anymore.
But don't ever accuse me of not caring for him, because you don't know anything
about what I'm going through. Please excuse me of this outburst." She turned
away again, refusing to look at him.

He was about to respond when there was a knock at the door. "Come in." He
called. The large door opened and a servant rushed over to them, handing
Endymion a piece of paper. "It's a message from Queen Gaia of Earth, my Prince."
He said bowing, before quickly running off again. He unfolded the paper and
silently read the message. 

Rei watched carefully and noticed how his face changed into features of fear
after a moment. "What is it?" She asked, her voice now worried, having completely
forgotten about their argument that had ended only seconds before. "What's
wrong?"

Endymion crumpled the paper and looked up at her, saying in a grim voice,
"Beryl just declared war on Earth."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

"Serin!"

Serin turned around and smiled as she saw Endymion jogging up to her. Her
smile disappeared when she saw the worried look on his face. "What's wrong?"
She asked immediately.

"Beryl...just declared...war." He panted. 

She stared at him, unsure that she had heard right. "She declared war?" She
asked slowly. 

He nodded. "On Earth."

"Oh God...you have to leave don't you?" She asked. 

He nodded. "I'm sorry Serin. I don't want to leave you."

She forced a smile. "It's not your fault. When do you have to go?"

"Day after tomorrow."

Serin looked away in disappointment. 'I only have two days left with him?'
She thought. She just then realized how selfish her thoughts were. At least
she had those two days left with him, and at least she knew that he was leaving.
'Unlike Ami and Rei.'

"Serin, I have a favor I have to ask you." Endymion started. 

She turned to look at him. "Anything, what do you need?"

"I don't want Terra to stay there."

A look of confusion came across her face. "Terra?"

"My little sister." He explained. 

"Ohh I remember okay." Serin said as she realized whom he was talking about.

"Anyway, she's only nine years old, and I don't want her to have to be there
during the war. It's bad enough that it's happening on her planet, I don't
want her to be anymore involved than that." He explained. 

"I would love for her to come stay with me."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Serin, you don't know how much that means
to me." He exclaimed. 

She smiled at him. "I'm glad I can help. I've been dying to meet her anyway."

"Great. I have to go talk to your mom about it though and make sure it's
okay, I just wanted to ask you first. And than I have to go send a message
to my mom and tell her to send Terra here. I promise I'll catch up with you
later okay? Love you." He said as he kissed her on the cheek. 

"Love you too." She said as she rushed off. She stared above and quietly
said, "I don't know if anyone is really up there but if there is, please,
keep him safe and bring him back to me." 

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Rei was still sitting on the couch, in the same room the argument had just
occurred in, and was in shock at what had just happened. 'She's declared
war?' She though in disbelief. She felt the familiar feeling of tears well
up in her eyes as she realized that they would have to fight against Jed
now, but she quickly shook away the feeling, now wasn't the time to cry.

"I guess you heard about the war huh?"

Rei turned in surprise to see who had spoken. "Mom!" She cried rushing over
to help her to the couch. 

"Rei, you don't have to treat me like an invalid. I'm not some senile old
lady who can't walk herself to the couch!" Victoria said smiling at her daughter.

She smiled back. "Just in case." She said. 

"Back to my question, did you hear about the war?"

"Yeah. The Prince and his generals are planning on leaving tomorrow." She
said. 

Victoria nodded. "I don't really see how that could have gotten you so upset.
You're not one to cry easily." She commented. 

Rei looked over at her in surprise. "I wasn't crying."

"You look like you were."

She sighed. "I guess I was, but it wasn't over that." 

"Care to tell me what it was about?" Victoria asked, moving closer to her
daughter. 

"Jed."

"Ahh. Now I see what's wrong. You miss him, don't you?" 

She nodded, trying to ignore the lump that was once again forming in her
throat. 

"Oh, my poor baby." Victoria said gathering her in her arms and comforting
her sobbing daughter. 

"He's gone, and I don't know if I'm ever going to see him again, and now,"
She stopped for a minute to calm herself down. "And now, you're leaving too."

"I know, I know. I don't want to go either, I'm going to miss you so much."
Victoria said, hugging her tightly. 

"Mom, do you remember that time, about 6 years ago, when you first told me
that I was one of Princess Serenity's guardians?" Rei asked. 

She nodded. "Of course I remember, that was the beginning of five years that
you didn't talk to me."

Rei pulled away as she continued. "I said that I wished I had never been
born the princess of Mars, and that I had never gotten my fire, and I take
it back. You are the best mom in the world and I love you so much, and everything
that's good about me comes from you."

Victoria felt a tear trickle down her cheek. "You don't know how much that
means to me to know that you feel that way." She said smiling. 

Rei smiled back. "I just wish you weren't leaving."

"Rei...there's something that I didn't tell you." She started slowly. 

She looked at her. "What are you talking about?"

She took a deep breath. "I told you that the only way for me to cure this
disease was a heart transplant, and that was unlikely. That isn't exactly
true."

Rei gave her a bright smile and jumped up in excitement. "Well that's great.
So there are other treatments? Does this mean you aren't going to die?" 

Victoria shook her head. "There are other treatments, but they are still
experimental. And the doctor that diagnosed me did ask if I wanted to try
them, and see if they helped prolong my life. It was my decision and they
would go along with whatever I wanted to do."

She slowly sank back onto the couch as the meaning of the words sunk in.
"You told them no though, didn't you?" She asked softly. 

Victoria nodded. "Sweetie, please try to understand. I don't want to go through
this any more. I don't want any more tests and experiments. I'm through with
all that. I just want to spend the rest of my time with my family. I'm ready
for this."

Rei's face crinkled in confusion. "You want to die?" She asked. 

Victoria nodded again. "It's not that I don't love you or that I don't want
to be there for you because I do. But this is my fate; this is the way things
are supposed to be. I lived my life, I did all I could, and now it's time
for me to leave."

"I think I understand." Rei said slowly. 

"I'm ready Rei. My time here is done, and now I'm ready to face whatever
is on the other side. I'm sick of being tired and of being sick. I'm sick
of trying to be the perfect mother, or the perfect sister, or the perfect
aunt, and I'm sick of missing your father." She said quietly. 

Rei hugged her mother tightly as everything became clear to her. "I love
you mom, and I'm gonna miss you, but I give you my consent in what you are
doing." She said. 

Victoria hugged her back. "Thank you Rei. I'm gonna miss you and I will always
love you."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

"ENDYMION!"

Endymion and Serin turned around just a young girl flung herself into his
arms. "Terra!" He exclaimed happily, hugging the little girl. After a moment
he put the small girl down and the two turned to Serin. "Serin, remember
I told you that I have a little sister, this is her. Serin, meet Terra, Terra,
meet Serin." He said introducing the two. 

Serin smiled and knelt down so she was eye level with the girl. "Hi there!
It's so nice to finally meet you, Endy talks about you a lot." 

Terra smiled back. "Hi!" She looked down and noticed the ring on Serin's
hand, and then looked back up to her. "Are you his girlfriend?" She asked
curiously. 

Serin nodded. "How old are you?" She asked the little girl. 

"I'm nine. How old are you?"

"I'm 18."

"Are you gonna be my big sister?" Terra asked. 

Serin nodded again. "As soon as you brother beats up all the bad guys." She
explained. 

"So so so so so so cool!" Terra squealed jumping up and down.

Serin stood back up and leaned into Endymion's embrace. 

"I knew she'd like you." Endymion whispered to her. He looked back down at
Terra. "Terra, who would you like to stay here on the moon with Serin for
a few weeks?" 

Her face lit up in delight. "Can I really?" She asked. 

Serin nodded. "You're gonna stay with me at the palace for a few weeks okay?"

Terra nodded. At that moment the others walked outside. 

Endymion looked down at his watch. "It's time to leave already?" He groaned.

Nephlite smiled. "'Fraid so buddy. Hey Terra." He added, just noticing the
little girl. 

She waved happily. "Hi Nephlite! I get to stay with Serin for a few weeks
while you guys go fight all the bad guys on Earth." She looked around the
group that had accumulated outside. Her eyes passed Endymion and Serin, Nephlite
and Kunzite, and four girls that she didn't know. She didn't see two people
though that she should have. "Where's Jade?" She asked. 

The others all exchanged glances as Endymion knelt down to explain. "Terra,
you remember those bad guys that we have to fight on Earth?" He asked. 

She nodded. "What about them?"

"Well part of the reason that we have to fight them is because their leader
took Jade away from us, and we gotta get him back." He explained gently.

She looked around the group again. "What about Zoisite?"

"They took him too."

Terra felt a small tear come to her eyes but refused to acknowledge its presence.
"They're gone?" She asked in a small voice. "Am I ever gonna see them again?"

Serin knelt down and gave the small girl a hug. "Of course you will sweetie!
That's why Endymion and Nephlite and Kunzite are going to Earth to fight
the bad guys. They gotta save them."

While Serin comforted the little girl, Rei and Ami said their good-byes to
each of the generals. They briefly hugged them, wishing them luck and God
speed. Rei paused for a moment, however, when she got to Endymion. "Rei,
I want to..."

She smiled at him, silencing him. "Look, let's just pretend that nothing
ever happened between us. No more apologies. Agreed?" She asked. 

He nodded, smiling back at her. "Agreed."

"Make sure you take care of yourself over there. We can't have you getting
yourself killed or anything cause then Serin would be sad. And we can't have
that now can we?" She asked, rolling her eyes. 

He laughed in spite of himself. "I promise."

Rei and Ami walked over to Serin and Terra. "Want us to take her inside so
you guys can say good-bye alone?" Ami asked. 

Serin looked up, noticing the two behind her and nodded. "Thanks guys." She
turned back to Terra. "These are two of my friends. They're gonna take you
inside and show you your room. I'll be there in a few minutes okay?"

Terra nodded. 

'This is Ami, and this is Rei." Serin said pointing each person out. 

Her face lit up in remembrance. "You're Rei?" She asked turning to her. 

Rei, although slightly confused and having no idea how Terra knew her, nodded.

Nephlite, Kunzite, and Endymion, however, knew what she was about to say.

"No Terra that was just..." Kunzite started. 

"You're Jade's girlfriend." She finished. 

"...A joke."

Rei glanced over at the guys and then back at Terra. "What are you talking
about? I'm not Jade's girlfriend, and I never was." She said. 

Terra looked over at the guards in confusion. "But you guys said..." She
looked back at Rei. "You are the one that used to write him letters all the
time right?" She asked. 

She nodded. "Yeah but I don't get what that has to do with anything."

"We used to tease Jade all the time that you were his girlfriend because
of the strong bond you two obviously shared. It didn't mean anything; it
was just a joke that Terra misunderstood. Sorry." Endymion explained, glaring
at his younger sister. 

"That and the fact that she signed all her letters, 'love always'." Nephlite
said softly, and thankfully, she didn't hear. 

Rei forced a smile even though the pain she felt inside was incredibly strong
and she felt ready to explode any second. "It's okay, no big deal." She said.

"Why don't we just take Terra inside and let you guys said good-bye." Ami
said hastily, grabbing Terra by the hand and leading the girl inside the
palace. Rei was right behind her. 

Serin walked back over to where Endymion and the others were standing. 

"Don't worry about it too much you guys." Makoto was saying. 

"Yeah we used to do the same thing to her all the time." Minako added. 

"I know but I can't help but feel that it meant more to her this time, because
of, well you know." Endymion said, giving Serin a meaningful glance. 

"Look," She said, putting her arms around him. "We only have a few more minutes
before you guys have to leave, so let's not talk about that right now okay?"

The others agreed and Makoto and Nephlite walked off in one direction, while
Minako and Kunzite went in the other. Leaving Serin and Endymion alone. 

They were silent for a few minutes, just enjoying the time they had left
being in each other's arms. 

"Do you really have to go?" Serin asked. 

"You know I do. I'm the Prince and I can't desert my planet during a war."
He said softly. "And I have to get Jade and Zoisite back."

"I know. I'm gonna miss you so much though." Serin said as a tear slid down
her cheek. 

"Hey don't cry. I'll be back before you know it." He said, gently wiping
away the single tear that had fallen. 

"I'm just so afraid, that something is going to happen to you, and you won't
come back." She said, choking back a sob. 

He cupped her cheeks in his hands and slowly kissed her. "Serin I promise
you, nothing will ever keep me from returning to you. Nothing."

She gave him a small smile. "Promise?" 

"Promise. Real soon I'll be back on the moon, Jade and Zoisite will be back,
and we'll be getting married." He said. 

She smiled at him, this time with a genuine smile. "I love you." 

"I love you too." He said smiling.

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Makoto sighed as she leaned her head against Nephlite's shoulder. 

"Is something wrong?" He asked as he put an arm around her. 

She shook her head. "I just wish you didn't have to go."

"I know. I don't want to go either. But you do understand why I have to right?"
He asked in concern. 

She nodded. "You're the Prince's protectors. You have to be there to keep
him safe. I know, I would be doing the same if we were on Earth, and Beryl
attacked here."

"Also because of Jade and Zoisite. We can't leave them there. Even if it's
the last thing I do, Jade and Zoisite will be back with us. I promise you
that."

Makoto shivered and stood in front of Nephlite, stopping his movements. "Don't
say things like that. The last thing that you are going to do before you
die is be with me, and that will be years from now."

He smiled gently at her. "I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You are coming back though, aren't you?" she asked. 

He lightly brushed a strand of hair away from her face and gently kissed
her forehead. "Makoto, I love you more than any one and I promise you that
I am coming back. There is very little that could keep you away from me."
He said, pulling her close to him. 

"But what if Beryl gets you?" She asked, breaking away from his embrace,
once again worried. "She's already gotten Jade and Zoisite. What if you're
next?"

"I have something I want to give to you." He said, changing the subject,
reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a small black box. 

"Well at least this time I know you aren't proposing to me." She said with
a small smile when she saw the box.

He smiled back. "What is in this box is just my way of showing you that I
promise that I am coming back alive. Nothing will ever keep me from you."
He handed her the box. 

She opened it to reveal a pair of earrings, each one in the shape of a red
rose, with small green leaves underneath. She gasped in delight. "Nephlite
they're gorgeous! I love them." She said hugging him. 

He smiled. "I'm glad. And just like these flowers, my love for you will never
die, but will continue to bloom forever."

The two shared a lingering passionate kiss before Makoto pulled apart and
put the earrings in. 

"Come on, we had better head back." Nephlite said taking her hand in his.
"The others are probably wondering what happened to us."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Minako and Kunzite walked down the woven path, hand in hand, in, for the
most part, complete silence. "You know, it's weird." Minako commented, finally
breaking the silence. 

"What's weird?" He asked. 

"Well I'm sure that right now, Serin and Makoto are asking Endymion and Nephlite
if they really have to leave, whereas I already know the answer."

"So I guess you aren't going to ask me if I really have to go huh?" Kunzite
asked. 

She shrugged. "I know that you do and that there is no way around it, so
why bother wasting our time together asking questions when we both know the
answers already anyway?"

"You act like you don't even mind that I am not going to be here." He said
quietly. 

She turned to him in surprise. "Of course I'm going to mind! I'm going to
miss you like crazy but I'm not going to waste time asking stupid questions."
She explained. 

"Minako, can we sit down a minute? There is something I want to talk to you
about." Kunzite said, gesturing towards a bench where the two took a seat.

"What's up?" Minako asked. 

He took her hand in his and stared into her eyes. "I want you to know that
I care very deeply for you--" He started. 

"I know that, and I care for you too." She cut in. 

He released her hand and held up his to silence her for a moment. "Just let
me finish." He said. 

She nodded, waiting for him to continue. 

"From the first day that I saw you, when you showed me around the palace,
I was head over heels for you. Even though you had eyes only for Jade, I
didn't give up. I couldn't. Just to see you smile, to watch you laugh, to
hear your voice, watch you push your hair out of your face, made me so incredibly
happy, that I would wonder what it would be like to be with you." He admitted.
"And now that I know, I never want this to end."

Minako stared at him in confusion. "Kunz, what are you talking about?" She
asked. 

He moved off the bench onto one knee in front of her and she gasped in surprise.
"Princess Minako of Venus, I love you more than life itself, and you mean
more to mean than anyone ever has or ever will. Will you marry me?" He asked,
holding out a box with a simple gold ring with a diamond at the top, surrounded
by ruby gemstones. 

For the next few minutes, Minako was speechless. 

"Minako?" He asked. 

"Kunzite, I don't know what to say...I do love you..."

"But?" He prompted her. 

"But don't you think this is a little quick? We've only been going out for
a bout a week!" She exclaimed. 

He stood up and sat down next to her again on the bench. "I known this seems
quick, and this is perhaps the most insane thing I've ever done, but I feel
in love with you from the very first time I laid eyes on you. I know we haven't
been dating that long, but I feel like I have loved you forever, and I want
to continue doing that." He explained passionately. 

Minako bit her lower lip in confusion. Here she was, the so called, 'rational
scout' and she was actually considering marrying someone that she had only
been dating for a week. 

Kunzite took her silence in the wrong way, mistaking it as her way of rejecting
him. "Look, it's no big deal if you don't feel the same way. I understand
that it is somewhat quick." He said, trying to keep the disappointment from
his voice. He looked down at his watch. "We should be heading back, we only
have a few more minutes before we have to leave." He turned away and started
walking back down the path that the two had come down. 

Minako fought an inner battle, trying to decide what to do. Quickly enough,
one side won and she called out, "Hey Kunz,"

He turned around expectantly 

She smiled at him. "How am I going to brag about my engagement if you don't
at least give me the ring?" I mean it would be nice if people believed me
when I tell them I'm engaged to the head of Prince Endymion of Earth's guards
right?" She asked. 

His face broke out into a smile as the realization of her statement hit him.

She ran over to him and hugged him tightly. "You are coming back right?"

He smiled at her and kissed the top of her head. "As long as you are here
waiting."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

"Serin, I have something I want to give to you and I want to do it before
the others come back." Endymion said, pulling away from their embrace. 

"Endy, you don't have to give me anything." Serin protested. 

He shrugged. "That's not the point. This is a promise of my love to you."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a necklace. He
held it up to her. 

"What is it?" She asked looking it over curiously. 

"It's a locket." He said opening the top. Inside was a recent picture of
the two of them and the familiar strains of music drifted out. 

"There will come a day, somewhere far away, in your arms I'll stay, my only
love..." Serin sang softly as she heard the music. 

He grinned at her. "I take it you like it?"

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I love it."

"Good. This is my promise to you that I will always love you and I will be
coming back to you." He promised as he gently pried her off. 

She smiled up at him. "Make it quick."

The two were about to embrace in a kiss when the other couples walked back
up.

Minako ran over to Serin and Makoto excitedly. "Guess who just got engaged?"
She asked.

Serin and Makoto looked at her in surprise and when they saw he ring that
was on her finger, they screamed in excitement and hugged her. 

"That is one thing I will not miss." Nephlite commented. 

"Be quiet you." Makoto scolded as she walked over to him. At that moment
a large space ship (I'm sorry I have no idea how else to do this part) appeared
behind the six and the doors opened.

"You're going by ship?" Serin asked in surprise. 

"Beryl can interfere with our transportation too easily. It's safer this
way." Endymion explained. 

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" She asked worriedly. 

He smiled at her. "I promise."

The three men then proceeded to say good-bye to their loved ones, and boarded
the ship. Within minute they were gone. 

Minako sighed as she stared at the place in front of her that Kunzite had
occupied only moments before. 

"They will be back...won't they?" Makoto said, although not really expecting
an answer.

Serin sighed wistfully. "I miss him already."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

"You like those beds don't you?"

Terra continued jumping on the bed as she turned to see who had walked into
the room. "SERIN!!!!!" She yelled as she hurled herself at the older girl.

"Whoa." Serin said as she caught her and put her down on the floor. "What's
up with you?"

Terra smiled. "Ami and Rei gave me chocolate!" She giggled in delight. 

Serin rolled her eyes and made a mental note never to give Terra chocolate.
"Oh they did did they? Well how bout we sit down and you can ask me any questions
you might have okay?"

"Okay." Terra agreed and plopped down on the floor. 

Serin plopped down next to her, but a little bit more gracefully. "So what
do you think of your room?" She asked. 

Terra looked around the room. "I like it." She said solemnly. 

Serin smiled at the younger girl. "Well that's good. And across from here
are Ami's, Makoto's, and Minako's room. Right next to yours is my room, and
next to that is Rei's room."

The excited looked on the little girl's face vanished when Serin mentioned
Rei. "Is Rei all mad at me cause of what I said before?" She asked. 

Serin hugged the girl as she shook her head. "Of course not. It wasn't you
fault and Rei knows that. She just seemed mad because she's upset and misses
Jade."

"Ohhh. I miss Jade too." Terra said. 

"You two were pretty close huh?"

She nodded. "He was like my other brother."

"Yeah he was like that to a lot of people." Serin said thoughtfully. 

Terra looked up at her. "You miss him too, don't you?"

Serin sighed. "Yeah, I really do."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Serin raced down the hallway as quickly as she could. 'Please let me get
there on time!' She prayed. A few minutes ago a messenger had burst into
the room she had been in with Terra, to tell her that Queen Victoria was
close to dying, and was not expected to live out the day. After making sure
that someone would keep an eye on Terra, she raced towards the Queen's bedroom
as quickly as she could. She stopped once she reached the door so she could
catch her breath, and then proceeded to walk in. 

Serenity, Rei, and Victoria looked up as Serin quietly slipped into the room.
"Hey everyone."

Rei gave her a small smile. "Glad you could make it Serin."

Victoria, who was in bed and looked like she was in incredible pain, beckoned
for Serin to come over to the bed. "Serin, I want to apologize to you." She
managed to get out. 

"Mom, save your breath. Serin knows that you love her." Rei tried to stop
her. 

Victoria shook her head. "Rei, I need to do this. Please let me."

She fell silent and Victoria continued. 

"I'm sorry, first of all, from keeping Rei from you, and for never allowing
Serenity to tell you about her. And I also sorry for the way that I treated
you once I got here."

Serin opened her mouth to comment but was stopped by Victoria. 

"I never really talked to you, I never made it a point to, and I'm sorry
for that." She apologized. 

Serin smiled. "No big deal. I'm over it."

Victoria tried to smile but ended up gasping in pain. Her eyes squeezed close
and her grip on Rei's hand increased for a moment, and then she relaxed as
it was over. 

"Are you okay?" Serenity asked in concern. 

She slowly opened her eyes and sighed. "As well as can be expected. I'm glad
that you are all here today." She paused for a minute to cough before continuing.
"I love you all so much and I'm gonna miss you."

"Don't talk like that. You'll be fine, you'll see." Rei said with tears forming
in her eyes. 

Victoria looked over at her and managed a small smile. "Rei, I'm sorry that
I won't be there on your wedding day, and I'm sorry that I won't be there
on your birthdays anymore, and I'm sorry that I won't be here for you anymore.
But it's time now sweetie. I've prepared for this and I'm ready." She said
softly. 

Rei ignored the tear that spilled out of her eye and trickled down her cheek.
"I love you mom." She said. 

"I love you too." She turned to Serin and Serenity. "And I love the both
of you and I'm sorry I'm deserting you like this."

Serenity smiled at her. "We love you too Vicki, you'll be in our hearts always."

Serin silently nodded. 

She turned back to Rei who leaned down, kissing her mother and embracing
her. After a moment she pulled away from the embrace and stood up, giving
her mother one last smile. "Say hello to dad for me okay?" Rei asked choking
back her tears. 

Victoria smiled back at them and said the last words they would ever hear
from her. "I promise..."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

"God damn youma..." Kunzite muttered as he slashed two more with his sword.
"They just keep coming!" He paused for a moment to make sure that his troops
were all together before pushing on through the battle. What troops he had
left, that was. Beryl's youma were growing stronger and stronger with each
one, and he had long ago run out of energy to pull off an attack. 'Without
the scouts here it's almost hopeless.' He thought. As another youma feel
to the ground of its final resting-place, a smile crept along his face. 'Almost.'

"General Kunzite!"

He turned around to see who had called out to him. It was a young man that
was currently serving under him. "What's wrong?" He shouted over to him.

The young man gestured to another soldier at his feet. "He's badly hurt,
I'm going to transport him out of here so he can get help. I'll be back as
soon as I can." He shouted. 

Kunzite nodded and turned back to the fight. 'Let's hope he makes it back.'
He grimaced. Beryl had been interrupting transportation more and more, and
to attempt one was incredibly dangerous. 'But so is staying on the battle
field when you are fatally wounded.' He thought. He looked ahead and noticed
a large cloud of dust, some hundred feet away. The youma were gone for the
moment so he decided it was safe to leave the troops alone for a few minutes.
He turned to face them. "Troops! Gather round." He yelled as he sheathed
his sword. His heart sank at the sight of them. Many were missing arms and
legs, others had large wounds that had been opened again and again during
battle. Their hair was messed, and for many of them, the spirit of life had
gone out of them. 'Let's all hope this war is over soon, for all of our sakes.'
He thought before telling them the next plan. "Behind me, a few hundred feet,"
He said pointing behind him. "You will notice a large cloud of dust that
is forming. Before we go any further, I want to go check it out and make
sure it's safe. I want you all to stay here, and hopefully no one will attack.
I won't be long." With that he turned and walked towards the large cloud
of dust. After about five minutes, he entered through the strange cloud,
and when he looked back to see if his men were all right, he could see nothing
but dust. Panicked, he turned around and tried to find his way out through
the way he had come in, but it was hopeless. He was surrounded on all four
sides, along with top and bottom, by dust. "Damn it." He cursed. 

"Now now, we can't have such vulgar language."

Kunzite whirled around to see who had spoken, but no one was there. 

"Over here." The voice sighed. "My God, you Earthlings are so slow."

Kunzite recognized the voice almost immediately and slowly turning around,
fearing what he would see. 

His fears were brought to life in front of his eyes. 

"What do you want?" He asked in a low voice. 

"To rule the Universe." Beryl answered truthfully. 

"Over my dead body..." Kunzite growled pulling out his sword. 

"Now now, we can't have you dead can we?" She asked smiling evilly at him.
"I mean how can we have a dead Negaverse General?"

"In your dreams!" He yelled charging at her. 

She shot her hand out and an invisible force slammed into his chest knocking
him away and to the ground. 

He started to get up but grasped his chest in pain as he groaned. The forced
was still there. 

She walked over to him and bent down to look him straight in the eye as she
responded, "More like in your nightmares. And we both know from experience,
it's easier for a nightmare to come true than a dream, isn't it?"

He glared at her. "I will never succumb to the Negaverse!" He said spitting
in her face. 

She slapped him sharply across the face. "Now you had to go and make me angry."
She said. "Why couldn't you be like Generals Zoisite and Jeadite and just
willingly come? Makes the whole thing a lot easier."

He shook his head fiercely. "You're lying, neither of them would go willingly!"

She shrugged. "Believe what you want." She smiled at him again as she slowly
traced her finger along his chin. "Maybe I'll keep you as my *personal* slave.
I like your feisty personality." She said laughing. 

He struggled to get up but the force was too strong. "Not in your life witch!"
He hissed. "I love Princess Minako."

She stood up quickly, angry at the rejection. She snapped her fingers and
two youma appeared, quickly wrapping tight bonds around his wrists and ankles.
"We'll just see about that." She snapped. 

"You can't take me away," He said struggling. "What about my troops?"

"Watch me." She smiled as she heard his second question. "Oh yes, your...troops."
She waved her hand and the dust disappeared and they were back at the
battlefield. 

Kunzite looked over the field and saw hundreds of fallen soldiers. Not one
of them one was moving. He fell to his knees in defeat and sorrow. "I'm sorry
my Prince, I have failed you." A single tear slid down his cheek and fell
to the ground. "Forgive me Minako, my love." He whispered before Beryl
transported them away. The tear that had slid down his cheek had fallen to
the ground only seconds before and left a small mark on the ground. The small
tribute to the many that had fallen that day, and those who would continue
to fall. The small tribute left by a General to his liege. The small tribute
left by a man to his love.

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

"I'll talk to you later, bye!" Minako called as she opened the door to her
room and walked in, shutting it behind her. "My head is killing me." She
murmured as she searched for aspirin. Finally finding some, she took a few
and sat down on the couch. 'I miss Kunzite.' She thought as she twirled the
ring on her finger. 'I just hope he's coming back soon.' Her headache started
to increase in intense pain and she fell to the floor, grasping her head.
'My God, what the hell kind of aspirin was that?' She wondered as she held
her head in pain. The pain slowly decreased and she managed to stand up again.
'That was weird.' She thought. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that
the curtains were blowing from wind. 'I didn't leave the windows open did
I?' She thought. She started to make her way over to them to close them when
the windowpanes burst, sending millions of tiny pieces of glass everywhere
and a folded sheet of orange paper blew in and landed at her feet. Minako
instantly knew something was wrong and she bent down, shaking in fear, to
pick up the paper. It was sealed with the planetary symbol of Venus and on
the front it simply said, Princess Minako, and when she opened it, there
was a short note:

Princess Minako, 

I have your precious Kunzite now, and don't expect to get him back anytime
soon. 

Queen Beryl

P.S. I suggest you visit your friend Princess Makoto for my other message

She stared at the letter for a minute until the true meaning of the words
sunk in and she burst into tears as she fell to the floor, sobs wracking
her body. She sat there crying for hours, staring at the ring on her finger,
and reliving the short time the two had spent together. After a long time,
she picked up the letter again, and this time, noticed the P.S. The letter
fluttered to the ground as she raced out of the room. 

And then there was one. 

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Nephlite closed the door to his room and leaned against it, closing his eyes.
Kunzite, Jeadite, and Zoisite were all gone. He was the only one left. 'God
damn her!' He thought as tears stung his eyes. How was he supposed to do
this all by himself? He didn't even have the scouts with him to help! The
thought of the scouts brought back memories of his love, which brought a
smile to his face. He stared at the picture of her that she had given to
him. "Something to remember me by." She had told him. "Makoto I don't think
I could ever forget you." He said as she picked up in the frame, carefully
handling it. 

"Aww how touching." 

Nephlite carefully placed the frame back on his dresser, knowing who was
there before he even turned around. "Hello Jeadite."

General Jeadite walked out of the shadows. "What no Jade? No more terms of
friendship?" He asked smirking. 

Nephlite turned around to face the person that had once been his best friend
and shook his head. "No, because you aren't the Jade that I knew. The Jade
that I knew would never desert the people that were close to him, the people
that cared about him."

"Cared about me? Ha." Jeadite said spitting. "Not a damn one of you cared
about me."

"What about Princess Serenity? Or Prince Endymion? What about Princess Rei?
And what about me?" He asked softly. 

"Princes Serenity only pretended to care about me because I reminded her
about her brother. Endymion and Rei only cared about me because their parents
forced them to when they were young. Old habits die hard." He sneered. "And
as for you," His face softened for a moment. "Well maybe you really did care
for me, and if you did that would make things a lot easier. I miss talking
to you Neph, just come with me, and everything will be fine again." Jeadite
pleaded, and Nephlite could almost see the evil disappear from his eyes.
He almost saw his old friend Jade, the one he had known since they were twelve
years old. He almost gave in, just to satisfy those pleading eyes. But almost
doesn't count. 

"Jeadite, you know I can't do that. I love Makoto too much and I can't desert
her." He said stubbornly.

The softness in his eyes disappeared and was once again replaced with a look
of evil. "You just had to pick the hard way, didn't you?" He asked sighing.
"What is this whole thing with you and Kunzite dying for your loves anyway?
It's so pathetically disgusting. They aren't even that good looking."

Nephlite shook his head sadly. "You don't get it do you? It's not about what
they look like, but about who they *are*. The reason that we fight so hard
is them, the reason that we would lay down our lives in a moment is because
of the way they smile when you tell them you love them." He looked down at
the picture then back up at Jeadite. "If you don't have a reason to fight,
then what's the point?"

He sighed. "That was pathetic. I'm sorry Nephlite, but you leave me no other
choice. Prepare yourself to fight."

Nephlite's mind went into a panic. He couldn't fight Jeadite! Even though
he might not be acting like it right now, deep down, he was still good old
Jade. 'Besides the fact that Jade was stronger and more powerful than I was
when he was good! I can only imagine what powers Beryl gave him!' He realized.
Desperate to find a way out of this situation he started to beg and plead
Jade not to do anything. "Jeadite, Jade, please, you don't want to do this."

He sighed. "I'm sorry Neph, you leave me no other choice. I can't let my
queen down."

"What about your Prince? What about letting him down?" Nephlite cried. 

Jeadite laughed. "I no longer serve that idiot. I am working for a new ruler
now, a much more powerful one."

"Jade please, if I fight you, I'll be killed. Please, don't kill me."

A clapping noise could be heard and another figure appeared next to Jeadite.
"Well done Jeadite."

He smiled and bowed. "Thank you My Queen. I only regret that I did not follow
through the mission completely."

Beryl nodded. "I know, but he is right. If you were to fight him, you would
kill him." She turned to Nephlite and raised an eyebrow at him. "And if you
were killed, who would serve as my fourth general?" She asked. 

He shrugged. "You know, I really don't give a damn, cause I'm not doing it,
dead or alive."

She smiled. "That's what you think." She snapped her fingers and two youma
instantly appeared at his sides, binding his hands and ankles with tight
rope. 

"You bitch!" He growled.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Oh I'm a bitch am I?" She asked in amusement.
"Well I wonder what you'll think of me when I do this." She walked over to
his dresser and picked up the frame that held the picture of his love. 

"No!" He yelled, struggling to free himself of the bonds, which only tightened
with each struggle. 

Laughing, she slammed it onto the ground and he watched in horror as the
frame broke into hundreds of tiny pieces. She then proceeded to life the
unharmed picture, and ripped it, bit by bit, obviously enjoying the pain
he was expressing. 

"You witch! You won't get away with this!" He yelled. 

She smiled. "Oh but I already have."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Makoto looked up from the book she was reading as Minako came racing into
her room, tears still running down her cheeks. "Minako, daijibou?" She exclaimed.

"Kunzite's gone!" She cried. 

Makoto felt her heart drop down to her stomach. "He's gone?" she whispered.

Minako nodded as she attempted to stop the tears that were falling. "I was
sitting in my room and--"

Her words were cut off as the windowpanes in Makoto's room burst, sending
shards of glass everywhere. A green envelope drifted into the room, and was
sealed with the planetary symbol for Jupiter. 

"My windows exploded and I go a letter, just like that one, that said that
Kunzite was gone." Minako finished quietly. 

As the realization of her words sunk in, Makoto started to shake in fear.
What if that envelope was telling her that Nephlite was gone too?

Knowing that her friend was unable to read the letter, Minako leaned over
and picked it up. Opening it, she silently read it and fresh tears started
to fall from her eyes as she looked up at Makoto. 

Makoto looked at her questioningly, and she silently nodded her head. "NOOOOO!!!"
She screamed in anguish before breaking down into sobs. 

Minako moved over and hugged the other girl, gently rocking her back and
forth, trying to stop the river of tears that were flowing from both of their
eyes. 

"He's gone?" Makoto choked out. 

Minako nodded. "I'm sorry, I know how you feel."

"I'm sorry too I--" She stopped short as she saw the letter, which was on
the floor behind Minako, and her eyes widened as she read the PS. 

Minako pulled away. "Makoto what's wrong? Why did you stop?"

Makoto stared as if she had seen a ghost, and raised her hand to point to
the letter, still lying on the floor. 

Minako gave her a strange look and picked it up. "Makoto, I know you're upset
but--"

"Read the PS." Makoto interrupted her. 

Minako looked down and silently read the last line. She here eyes widened
and she looked up and Makoto and could see the fear that was reflected in
both their eyes. "Oh fuck..."

*                      
                  *    
                     
               * 

Rei stood in front of the door, her hand on the knob, trying to decide whether
or not she should go in. 'I have to do this sooner or later. Besides, it's
either this, or Mom's room.' She quickly brushed that thought aside. She
would work on that problem later, she was gonna deal with them one at a time.
Taking one last deep breath, she swung open the door and walked into Jed's
room. Everything was exactly the way that he had left it, just the way Serenity
had promised. After Jed and Zoisite had been...captured...Queen Serenity
had come to talk to Ami and her, promising that their rooms would be left
untouched until the two returned. At the time, Rei had been so upset it didn't
make much of a difference to her. Now, though, she was glad the Queen had
been so thoughtful. 'She always has been.' She thought. She slowly walked
around the room, looking over each thing, and with each object bringing back
memories of Jed. The emotions were starting to get to her and she decided
it was time to leave. As she was headed to the door she passed the closet,
and something compelled her to stop and look in. 'This is insane.' She thought,
but opened the door anyway. Inside she saw rows of neatly hung clothes, each
one with his scent still on them. "See." Rei told herself out loud. "Nothing
in here other than his clothes." She started to close the door and the feeling
returned. 'Open the door again.' Her mind urged her. Once she did she still
saw the same sights she had seen before. "Now what?" She asked. 'The floor.'
Shaking her head in confusion, she sat down on the floor, and noticed that
she was in front of a large black garbage bag. "I am not going through his
old garbage." She said and started to get up. 'Just look!' The voice urged.
She sighed and sat back down on the floor opening the bag. What she saw inside
made her gasp and she closed the bag while she closed her eyes in surprise.
"Oh my God he didn't..." She murmured. She slowly opened her eyes once again,
and peered into the bag. Her face broke out into a smile. "I can't believe
he kept them all these years!" She exclaimed opening the bag wider. Inside
were numerous gifts, of all different sizes, wrapped in beautiful paper.
Some were in Christmas paper, and others had Happy Birthday written on them.
And one each gift was an envelope with a card, and on the envelope was written,
'To Rei, Love Always, Jed' and each had either Merry Christmas or Happy Birthday
on them, along with the year. She smiled wistfully as she stared down at
the gifts. "I can't believe he kept them after all these years!" She said.
'You did too. And besides, he promised.' The voice told her. That was true,
she had kept the gifts for him during all the years he wasn't there also.
She picked up the one that was dated the furthest back, and opened the card.
The message was simple and to the point. It read:

Dear Rei, 

Happy Birthday! I wish I could be there with you but I'm there in spirit.
Always remember that you will always be my best friend and I will always
be there with you, if in no other way, than at the very least, in your heart.

Hope you have a wonderful day. 

Love Always, 

Jed

She slowly smiled as she realized that he was right. Whether he was there
or not he was still her best friend, and he would always be with her, in
spirit, in mind, and most importantly, in her heart. She held the card to
her heart as she gazed out the window. "Jed, wherever you are right now,
thank you. You've always been the one person who could comfort me more than
anyone. Thank you." She whispered. She gazed out the window for another minute
before placing the card and gift back in the bag with the others and pushing
it back into the closet. "We'll have to exchange all our gifts when you get
back. And we will get you back." She said softly, with a newfound determination.

A moment later the door slammed open and Rei stood up to see who was there.

Serin burst into the room, out of breath, obviously from running. "There
you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!" She cried. 

"Ren, what's wrong?" Rei asked when she noticed the panicked look in her
friend's eyes. 

Her chest heaved up and down as she tried to catch her breath. "She got them
Rei. Nephlite and Kunzite are gone now too." She said with fear in her voice.

Rei thought her heart would stop beating. "They're...gone?" She asked in
a small voice. 

Serin nodded. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know." Rei said shaking her head. "How are Makoto and Minako doing?
I assume they know?"

"Not too good." She said, shaking her head. "But that's not even all of it.
I have more bad news."

"More?" She asked in shock. "What else could have possibly happened?"

"Beryl just declared war on the moon."

* * *

End of Chapter 12

Note: Chapter 12 was another record breaking chapter ~ Without author notes,(and
all these damn extra spaces!) this chapter was 27 pages long! Yea!!!

P.S.(hehe) Yes the PS on the letter that Makoto received had Beryl saying
she declared war on the moon. (For all you out there who didn't understand
that...)

Translations: daijibou = Are you all right, or, what's wrong?


Hehe don't you all just love cliffhangers? I know I do! Well, seeing as I
already know what's gonna happen in the next chapter, I guess I would. Notice
that everyone, I said the next CHAPTER, not the next CHAPTERS!!! Yes that's
rite, As the Tears Fell will FINALLY be finished after Chapter 13. Well,
more like after Chapter 13 and the epilogue. But aren't you soooo excited
everyone!!!!?? I know I am cause now I can take a break for a few weeks from
writing, I can work on Always and Forever again, I can work on A Burning
Desire, The Lost Soul, and the rewrite of Courage Under Fire. Yea!!!!!! Anyway,
before everyone starts e-mailing me asking when the next chapter will be
out, the last chapter and the epilogue will be out before June 10, and that
is all I can say, and I swear that they will be done by then even if it kills
me! But please, give me some time before you start bugging me for the next
chapter please? Cause while I write that, amongst a million other things,
I have to start studying for finals and I have my SAT's in less than a month.
::sighs:: God damn it I hate school. Okay, enough about my complaining, about
this chapter now. Oh, the parts where Serin is kinda praying, I didn't mean
to get all religious and everything. Yes for those of you curious I am very
religious, but I usually keep it out of my writing, I just thought it kinda
fit there so whatever. Ummm what else? Oh yeah, I have to thank Mars-Chan
for reminding me such a long time ago that I hadn't done anything with the
birthday presents, cause otherwise, I would never have remembered. Arigato
Mars-Chan!!!!! Ummm, and Rei is NOT insane just to clear that up, the whole
little thing with the voice...well...umm....yeah...it just kinda fit....Sorry
that the Minako and Makoto parts towards the end totally sucked, I really
wasn't sure how to do that Arigato!! Oh, and I am NOT good at battle scenes,
so if the ones in this chapter totally sucked, sorry bout that, but if they
didn't please let me know cause I would appreciate knowing that. I will try
to make the final battle (next chapter) a little better though. Well I guess
I have to cause that battle will pretty much be the entire chapter. OMG!!
I almost forgto!! (Sorry these are so long) The whole scene between Victoria
and Serenity, before she dies, was kinda taken from the movie Beaches which
is the best movie in the world! If you have never seen it, rent it, now!
For those of you who have seen it, hopefully you will know which scene I
am talking about. If not, e-mail me and I will explain. Anways, for now,
just send all your comments, questions, complaints, whatever, to
Pekkle9983@aol.com and please please please e-mail me and let me know what
you think!!!! I really like e-mails and I promise to respond to alllll of
them!!! Oh, BTW, on my page, http://members.aol.com/pekkle9983/cuf.index.html,
there is a poll for something on a future story. It's not gonna be out for
a really long while, cause it's for A Thing Called Love (my Mina and Malachite
story) but I would really appreciate feedback on it because I need to start
planning the story now. Anyway, go there, read about it, then e-mail me to
vote please! That's it for now, see you next time!

Luv Always, 

--MCRK

The character Queen Victoria is copyrighted (C0 MCRK '99
This page and all it's contents are copyrighted (c) MCRK '99
This story and it's title is copyrighted (c) MCRK '99 

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