Well, it's been over a year since I've started writing this story, but 
it's finally done (it's amazing what a little encouragement will do ^_~). 
Keep in mind that this is the first draft, and is still subject to 
change... Still, I'm pleased that I finished it at all; I've never 
completed a story this long or this serious in nature before... 

*****

A Black Moon fanfic

"The Taking of Crystal Tokyo"

by aviatrix88@yahoo.com


"And now," said Prince Diamond, steepling his fingers as he sat upon his 
throne, "there is the matter of Crystal Tokyo."

He said it as if it was little consequence, or so Sapphire thought; as if 
one mounted an invasion upon another planet every day. But that, he knew, 
was just his brother's way.

Prince Diamond's gaze fell upon his younger brother, who bowed. "Sapphire, 
you know I have approved the final battle plans." 

"Yes, your Highness. However, I believe we still require someone to lead 
the attack." Diamond raised a eyebrow.

"Very well. Any suggestions?" 

"Rubius and the Four Sisters," Sapphire replied promptly. "Or perhaps 
Emerald." He actually didn't care for either, but both could be very 
effective if they chose to be. Besides, the prestige of leading such an 
important attack would lend extra initiative to either commander.

Prince Diamond looked thoughtful. "Hmmm... Very well. I believe--" 

The Prince was cut off as another figure materialized in the throne room.
Wiseman appeared, seeming to rise from the ground like a ghost.

"Might I make a suggestion, my Prince?" whispered Wiseman in his shadowy 
tones.

"Of course, Wiseman," replied Diamond, as Sapphire tried vainly not to 
clench a fist in annoyance.

Wiseman gestured at the crystal ball before him. "I have foreseen who will 
lead the attack on Crystal Tokyo, and it is neither Rubius or Emerald."

"Then who might it be?" asked Sapphire rather testily. The hooded gaze 
rested upon his.

"It is... The Commander of the Elite Guard."

"What?" gasped Sapphire, not able to contain his shock. He turned to his 
brother. "Your Highness, the Elite Guard's job is to protect the Royal 
Family, not go on some assault mission!"

Prince Diamond turned to Wiseman. "You are absolutely certain of this?"

"Yes, your Highness. Besides..." Wiseman returned his gaze to Sapphire. 
"Did you not see to the training of the Elite Guard yourself, Sapphire?"

"Yes..." he replied cautiously. 

"And you only allow the best warriors into the Guard. So, wouldn't it be 
logical," said Wiseman, turning back to Diamond, "to send them on such an 
important mission, where success is vital?"

Prince Diamond seemed to mull this over. "A most persuasive argument, 
Wiseman. Very well." He stood up. "The Elite Guard shall lead the attack 
on Crystal Tokyo." He looked at Sapphire. "I trust you shall inform them, 
brother?"

"Of course, Prince Diamond." He bowed, but stiffly. Then he dematerialized,
but not before casting a hateful look at Wiseman.

Then Wiseman sank into the ground, chuckling to himself. "Yes, send the 
Elite Guard," he said quietly. "For I see nothing in the future for 
them..."

When both had completely disappeared, Diamond pressed a secret panel on 
his throne. On the podium before him, a hologram of Neo-Queen Serenity 
flickered into being. He held out a hand, as if to touch it longingly.

"Soon, my dear..." he said softly, the glow of the hologram reflecting the
hunger in his eyes. "Soon, you shall be all mine..."

*****

Part One: The Duties of War

*****

Sapphire sat silently in the office of his chambers, decorated in the same 
trademark blue of his name; the only sound in the room came from his chair, 
as he swiveled it impatiently about. On top of the desk before him was some 
paperwork and a glowing computer terminal, both of which he ignored. His 
hard gaze seemed to rest across from where he sat, upon the door.

Finally he sighed, and stood up. Turning his back on the door, he said 
quietly, "Alexandra."

A woman with scarlet hair materialized in his office, from her post 
outside. She was dressed simply, or at least, far more simply than the 
other female warriors of the Black Moon, in red and deep violet; the only 
jewelry she wore, apart from the familiar dark crystal earrings, was a 
chain belt of round metal plates, with a reverse crescent in the middle. 
The Commander of the Elite Guard bowed to Sapphire.

"Yes, Lord Sapphire?"

He paused, not knowing where to begin. "I'm sure... You're aware about the 
impending attack on Earth?"

"Of course, my lord."

"And that we are assembling a task force for the mission."

"Yes?"

"Well... Congratulations." He turned around, his ironic, blue-eyed gaze 
meeting her red-violet eyes. "You and the Elite Guard have been chosen to 
lead the attack." Alexandra raised her eyebrows, but did nothing else to 
indicate her surprise.

"Thank you, Lord Sapphire," she said, bowing again. "It is an honour."

"Yes, I suppose it is, at that," replied Sapphire, sighing. He managed to 
compose himself, and continued. "I shall brief you and your men in the War 
Room at 1400 hours; the attack itself will take place tomorrow. I know this
is sudden, but I'm afraid time is of the essence. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Very well. I'll see you at the briefing; inform your men, and feel free 
to make your preparations until then. You are dismissed." He turned as 
Alexandra quietly left the room. He paced for a bit, then sat down, as he 
considered his Commander of the Elite Guard.

Alexandra was one of the few military officers he did trust, possibly 
because she was under his direct command. But he actually respected her,
too; she was both loyal and honourable, unusual traits on the treacherous 
Nemesis. However, he would expect nothing less from the Commander of the 
Elite Guard, the leader of those who served to protect his brother... 
Although, even Sapphire had to admit, Prince Diamond could probably take 
care of himself.

The Elite Guard was, in effect, a royal bodyguard of sorts. The job 
might've seemed unnecessary on Nemesis, where the dark energy from the 
Black Crystal amplified the powers of those who lived on the planet, 
especially its ruling Prince. However, Sapphire had seen otherwise; he 
made sure that the Guard was composed of some of the finest and most loyal 
warriors on Nemesis, overseeing their training himself.

"I can't believe I let Wiseman trick me into sending them to Earth," 
muttered Sapphire to himself irritably. Although control of the Guard 
technically fell to the ruler, Prince Diamond had allowed it to fall to 
him, perhaps realizing his younger brother's need to protect his older 
sibling.

"Still... If there's anyone who could accomplish this mission, they could."
He had seen to it himself, hadn't he?

In two minds of it all, but realizing he could do nothing about it, 
Sapphire turned back to his work.

***

"We've been chosen? Us?"

It was Peridot who had spoken out; as the youngest and most impetuous 
member of Elite Guard, his immediate reaction to their commanding officer's 
news was not surprising. However, Alexandra fixed him with a stern gaze. 

"Yes, we have been selected to lead the attack on Crystal Tokyo." She arced
an eyebrow. "Do you have a problem with that, Peridot?" The green-haired 
boy flushed.

"No, Commander," he replied, subdued.

Alexandra had entered the private training room of the Elite Guard, to 
inform them about their latest orders. The four members of her team had 
stood around in various states of repose, as their personalities dictated, 
but all had listened attentively. 

"I'm sorry for speaking out of turn, Commander," continued Peridot, 
attempting to make amends. "But I'm actually looking forward to this 
mission."

"Yeah. It'll be nice to finally see some action." This was from Garnet, who
was casually leaning against the wall. His brown eyes gleamed hungrily.

"Really, Garnet. You're so bloodthirsty," commented Topaz, tossing his 
long, golden braid over one shoulder. "Still," he mused, "it has been 
rather quiet around here, lately..." His voice trailed off, at a sharp 
look from Alexandra.

"I don't suppose I could finish speaking now," she said archly. The three 
subsided, somewhat rebuked. 

Alexandra felt somewhat guilty for reprimanding them, for she could 
understand their feelings. Because of the Prince's supernatural powers, 
the Elite Guard spent most of their time training rather than in combat, 
although all of them had experienced it at one time or another.

Even now, Alexandra could sense the restlessness in her men; despite their 
casual demeanour, their muscles were tensed, as if already poised for 
battle. Still, such enthusiasm for combat didn't excuse them from talking 
back to their commanding officer.

Her gaze unconsciously turned towards Aquamarine, her second-in-command. He
was the only member of the Elite Guard who had remained silent thus far. 
However, his cool, blue-green eyes took in everything; he seemed to absorb  
all that was said, as if noting every nuance of the conversation. Noticing 
that the commander was looking at him, he gave her an imperceptible nod. 
Satisfied, she turned back to the rest of her men.

Alexandra began to give them the information that Sapphire had given her, 
as well as instructions of her own. As she did this, she silently 
considered each member of the Elite Guard in turn.

Peridot, with his light green hair and leaf-green eyes, was the junior 
member of the group, having being with the Guard for just over a year. 
But despite his apparent inexperience, he was an excellent warrior; he was 
one of those types who 'lived for the fight'. His dark olive uniform seemed
to echo this, with its vague overtones of armour. 

Leather-clad Garnet, of the dark red hair and blazing brown eyes, was 
indeed, as Topaz had pointed out, a bit on predatory side. But he had 
never, in Alexandra's experience, let this more primal side of his nature 
get in the way of his work; indeed, it seemed to enhance his powers.

Golden-haired and golden-eyed, elegant Topaz was the nobility of the group.
Despite his seeming refinement, he himself was a fine warrior, as well, 
fighting with the absolute precision of the well-trained. His rich taste 
was reflected in the uniform he wore, and in the golden cords strung 
across the front of his jacket.

And finally, there was Aquamarine, he of the light blue hair and cool, 
aqua eyes. He was the analytical one of the four, one of the reasons that 
Alexandra had made him her second, and also fought with the same cold, 
calculating accuracy. His uniform, like that of the others, was of the 
same style as of that of the ruling prince and his brother, with its 
decorated, high-collared jacket; his was light blue, with a white design 
that resembled stylized waves. On a length of cord around his neck, he wore 
the reversed crescent of the Black Moon, with a blue-green teardrop mounted 
upon it.

After she had finished relaying her instructions, she dismissed her men. 
They promptly left to complete the tasks they had been given, except for 
Aquamarine, who lingered behind. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his 
commanding officer, who waved him away. 

"It's okay, Aquamarine," she told him. "I don't feel like talking at the 
moment... I just want to be alone with my thoughts." He nodded in reply, 
and quietly left the room. Alexandra now stood by herself in the training 
room. Absentmindedly, she pulled out one of the stools and sat down, 
thinking.

She had sensed Sapphire's apprehension when he had told her about the Elite
Guard's latest mission. She had to admit, even she had been surprised when 
he told her that they had been selected to lead the attack on Earth, 
despite the fact that they were, technically, military operatives, and 
could have been chosen. However, Sapphire's concern worried her; he was 
usually so confident in the Guard's abilities. In fact, the only thing that
could disturb him like this was... 

"Wiseman," she muttered to herself. Sapphire's dislike of the soothsayer 
was well-known, even to those outside the inner circles of court life.

"Wiseman must've suggested us for the mission; that's probably why he was
so unnerved," she continued, murmuring to herself. Add to that the fact 
that it was those who were assigned to protect his brother that were to be 
sent to Earth... Alexandra sighed.

She had spent enough time working with Sapphire to know what he was like. 
Over the years, she had come to realize that his older brother's welfare 
was the central, most important thing in his life; that was why he made 
sure the Elite Guard worked diligently at their job. In fact, he had gone 
so far as to enhance their natural powers... 

Alexandra found herself thinking back to that day; it had been about a 
year ago, and she had been summoned to his office.

***

"You sent for me, Lord Sapphire?"

He had been standing in front of his desk with his back to her, but had
turned around and smiled. "Yes, Alexandra, I did. Come, there is something 
I'd like to show you." He gestured to his desk, upon which she noticed 
there were four objects. She approached tentatively, as this was most 
unlike Sapphire, but her curiousity had been piqued. 

As she came closer, she realized the objects on his desk were weapons, each
inscribed with the symbol of the Black Moon. She stopped in front of the 
desk and examined them with interest. 

The first was a trident, which appeared to be made out pale blue glass; the
next, a cat'o'nine tails made of reddish-black leather. Another was a 
sickle, its crescent-shaped blade a light shade of green; and finally, 
there was a long coil of golden wire.  As she looked at them in wonder, 
Sapphire watched her reaction intently.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"They're lovely," Alexandra replied, admiring the craftmanship. She 
gestured to one. "May I?"

"Be my guest."

She picked up the trident, and turned it over in her hands. It was probably
not made out of glass as she first thought, as it radiated a coldness to 
her touch. She put it down carefully.

"They're very well-made," she continued. Noticing his attention, she asked,
"Did you make these, Sapphire?" He nodded.

Alexandra was impressed. She had thought Sapphire's crafting abilities had 
only applied to crystal structures; she would've never thought he could 
create weaponry, as well. She ran a finger over the blade of the sickle.

"Amazing. One of these days, you'll be able to create life," she joked 
lightly. She turned away from the weapons, somewhat reluctantly. "Well, 
I'm sure whoever these are intended for will appreciate them," she 
commented.

"I'm glad you think so," Sapphire replied. "Because they're for the Elite 
Guard." Alexandra looked at him in surprise, then glanced back at the 
weapons.

"This is most generous of you, Sapphire. The effort it must've taken..." 
He waved a hand dismissively.

"Think nothing of it. I just thought I should let you look them over, 
before I gave them to your men."

"Thank you... Thank you very much. I'm sure they'll use them well; I'll 
go inform the Guard right away..." She turned to go, but was stopped by a 
hand on her shoulder.

"Wait," said Sapphire. As she turned around, he pulled something off his 
desk, a small box of the type that carried jewelry. He handed it to her. 
Alexandra stared at it in astonishment.

"Take it," he said quietly. "It's for you."

She looked up into his steady, blue-eyed gaze. As if mesmerized, she took 
the box from his hands and slowly opened it. Inside, lay two earrings made 
of a dark crystal. As she stood there dazed, Sapphire's voice filtered 
through.

"You think I would arm the rest of the guard without equipping their 
commanding officer as well?" he asked, almost sounding amused.

It was then Alexandra recognized the earrings as the type worn by the 
favoured servants of the Black Crystal. She also recalled that she had 
never seen Sapphire wear a pair himself, although his brother did. She 
then realized the full implications of his gift.

"I can't accept this," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "These 
were--" She was about to say, 'given to you by Wiseman', but tactfully 
changed it to, "not meant for me." Sapphire's cool gaze fell on her.

"Those were given to me to be used as I saw fit," he said sternly. "They 
would serve you far better than they would me. Besides..." His tone 
softened a bit, and he sighed. "They are far more powerful than anything I 
could create." 

Alexandra raised her eyebrows at Sapphire's admission, and the implication 
that he might actually be less powerful than Wiseman. She glanced down at 
the earrings to mask her surprise.

"Still... Are you absolutely certain about this, Sapphire?"

"Of course." 

She sighed. "Very well, then." She took one of the earrings from the box 
and held it up to the light. "How do I use them?" she asked curiously. 
Sapphire looked thoughtful. 

"Well, from what I know, those were supposed to amplify my powers over dark
matter... However, they should adjust to whoever uses them." Alexandra 
carefully replaced the earring in the case and shut it. She then looked up 
at him and smiled.

"Thank you, Sapphire. This is a very kind gift." She bowed slightly. "I'm 
sure it will serve me well in my duties to the Prince." Sapphire smiled 
back at her, knowing that she understood.

"It is nothing. I know you will use them well." Alexandra bowed once more, 
more formally this time, and left the room.

When she had returned to her quarters, she tried out the earrings. She had 
been uncertain what would happen after she exerted her will over them, but 
Alexandra had been quite shocked as they both lengthened into a sword and 
dagger, the clasps reforming into hilts. When she had picked up the sword, 
she had been both amazed and gratified to find it had the finest balance 
she had ever found in a weapon in her life; it almost felt like an 
extension of her arm. Its edge seemed infinitely sharp, and she thought 
could almost feel the power of the Black Crystal throbbing within it.

"Yes, a very kind gift indeed," murmured Alexandra to herself, returning 
to the present. Her hand flew inadvertantly to the one of the earrings she 
wore, brushing it. She smiled quietly to herself, but realizing she was 
doing so, it quickly disappeared from her face. She sighed.

"Well, enough of dwelling in the past," she said, steeling herself. There 
was much to do before the mission briefing. She stood up and began her own 
preparations for the upcoming battle.

***

Alexandra materialized in the War Room just before 1400 hours to find that 
both Sapphire and the rest of the Elite Guard were already there, standing 
around the low, crystal podium that served as a map display. The former 
nodded to her as she entered.

"Ah, there you are, Commander. We've been waiting for you; I was just about 
to get the meeting underway." Alexandra inclined her head apologetically. 
Her men parted respectfully as she took a position around the map, where 
she could get a good view. 

Meanwhile, Sapphire had waved a hand over the display, and a hologram of 
Crystal Tokyo appeared. He began to speak.

"As you know, you have been all chosen to lead the attack on Crystal Tokyo.
I will now relay to you the details of your mission." He waved his hand 
over the map, and five glowing red dots appeared; one centred at the 
Crystal Palace, and the other four equidistant from it. 

"At noon tomorrow, huge pulses of energy from the Black Crystal will be 
aimed towards these five points, effectively weakening the defenses of 
Crystal Tokyo. However, that is not all... Every one of you will also be 
teleported to each of the five points, hidden within the energy." He 
lifted an eyebrow. "Being of Nemesis, you will, naturally, be able 
withstand the power of the Black Crystal, but the effect it will have on 
the people of Earth will be devastating." 

Sapphire held up a pair of dark crystal earrings. "Each of you be given a 
pair of these, which have been provided by Wiseman." His mouth twisted 
distastefully at the name, but he continued. "With these, you will be able 
to harness the energy of the Black Crystal; your Commander, already having 
a pair, will not need these, of course." Alexandra inclined her head to him 
in acknowledgment. He looked at her. 

"Alexandra, you will take centre-point; the rest of you will take the other 
points around Crystal Tokyo." 

He gestured once more with his hand, and five crystal statuettes appeared 
above him. Alexandra found herself distracted from the briefing, if only 
for a moment; with Sapphire's usual attention to detail, the statuettes 
were precise likenesses of the Elite Guard, done in the jewels of their 
namesakes.

"I will keep track of your progress with these crystal counters, each of 
which are keyed to your respective energy signatures." The statuettes 
hovered above the map for a moment, then touched down at the five marked 
points. "Use the earrings to channel the power of the Black Crystal to each
spot. Once you've all finished planting the dark energy, you may then begin
the second phase of the mission."

"And that might be...?" inquired Aquamarine blandly. Sapphire's cool, blue 
gaze met his own. 

"To lure the Sailor Soldiers away from the Crystal Palace... And to 
eliminate them." Aquamarine raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing. 

"The buildup of dark power at the points is sure to attract the attention 
of the Sailor Soldiers, and lead them out into the open," Sapphire 
continued, his voice returning to normal. He turned back to Alexandra.

"Commander, since you have centre-point, you are to make sure that once the 
Sailor Soldiers leave the palace, no one else follows them. Is that 
understood?"

"Yes, Lord Sapphire," she replied, bowing her head.

"Good. You will also provide back-up to whomever needs it... However, I 
hardly think any of you will require it," he commented, his mouth twisting 
into an ironic smile. He composed himself. 

"Once you have all completed your missions, you may use the earrings to 
teleport back to Nemesis. Then, our dark crystal probes will be sent in to 
begin the assault on the Crystal Palace."

Sapphire paused. "That's all for now... Are there any questions?" There was
silence. "Excellent. Now--"

He was interrupted as a pull of energy drew all of their attention. 
Everybody in the room turned, as Prince Diamond materialized in the room. 

Sapphire's eyes widened. "Brother?" he gasped in surprise. The Prince's 
violet gaze fell upon him.

"Sapphire." Diamond nodded to him in reply. He looked at the members of 
the Elite Guard, who immediately bowed. "Have you finished briefing the 
task force on their mission?" 

"I just finished doing so, your Highness. However--"

"Excellent." Prince Diamond unconsciously cut him off. The violet eyes 
turned to Alexandra, who stiffened. "I would like to have word with you 
in private, Commander." 

Hearing this, the rest of the Elite Guard took the hint, and quietly left 
the room. The Prince was about to speak to Alexandra, when his gaze fell 
upon someone else. 

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, brother." Sapphire looked taken aback.

"But I thought--" He bit off the rest of the sentence, at Diamond's cold 
stare. 

"Yes, your Highness," said Sapphire, relenting. He bowed and walked out 
the door, but not without casting a pained glance at his brother. When he 
was gone, Prince Diamond turned back to Alexandra, who was standing at 
attention somewhat uneasily.

Alexandra had never been completely comfortable under the direct attention 
of her Prince, even though she had spent a lot of time in his presence 
while guarding him. Personally, she found that there was something 
untouchable, even implacable about his Highness. Perhaps it was simply 
because he was her ruler; she had always felt that the Prince should be 
venerated, no matter how overly traditional it might seem.

Still, Alexandra did find Prince Diamond beautiful, all brilliant, cold 
fire like the jewel he was named for. And he had the same intense gaze 
that both he and his younger brother shared; that gaze was focused on 
her now.

"Sapphire has told all the details of the attack, I believe." Alexandra 
nodded briefly. "Good." He walked over to the map of Crystal Tokyo,  
looking it over.

"I am aware that you are taking point guard at the Crystal Palace, 
tomorrow." 

"Yes, your Highness."

"I would just like to make a slight change in your orders," he continued 
smoothly.

Alexandra paled slightly. "Sire?"

Diamond walked back to her, and held her in his magnetic, violet eyes. "I 
have a very important mission for you, Commander. I trust you will carry 
out my orders to the best of your abilities." It was a statement, not a 
question. 

She bowed. "Your Highness, I live only to serve," she answered truthfully.

"Excellent. Then listen carefully." He took a step closer to her, looking 
deep into her eyes until Alexandra felt as if she was trapped by his 
hypnotic gaze. 

"During the attack tomorrow, I want you to enter the Crystal Palace," 
said Prince Diamond, quietly. "And then, Alexandra, I want you to find 
King Endymion... And kill him."

*****

Part Two: Honour at War

*****

It took a while for Prince Diamond's words to sink in, but when they did, 
it felt as if the floor had dropped from underneath Alexandra.

 she thought, her eyes widening.  But the icy look in his eyes told her that he was 
deadly serious.

And then she also recalled that King Endymion was Neo-Queen Serenity's 
consort... Alexandra tried not to wince. The Prince's obsession with the 
Queen was notorious among those within the royal circles.

Though she managed to keep her expression neutral, Diamond must've sensed 
her apprehension, for he continued, "I realize that this will be a 
difficult task for you, but the attack on Earth should distract everyone 
sufficiently for you to enter the palace undetected. I have complete faith 
in your abilities, Alexandra." 

The Prince cocked his head to one side. "Sapphire has said much about your 
competency as a commanding officer," he commented, causing her to flush 
slightly. "And I believe him. I am sure you will do all in your power to 
accomplish this mission." His gaze hardened. "I will not tolerate failure, 
Commander."

"I will do my best," she managed to reply.

"See that you do," he replied; the ice in his tone made her blood run cold.

"That is all... You are dismissed."

She bowed deeply, automatically, and turned to leave. As she reached the 
door, Prince Diamond called out.

"Alexandra?" 

She turned. "Your Highness?"

"One more thing. I would also appreciate if you would keep the details of 
your mission a secret; especially from my brother." His stern, violet gaze 
met hers. "I trust you will do so." Alexandra inclined her head, casting 
her eyes to the floor. 

"Yes, your Highness," she answered, her voice low. Nodding, the Prince 
turned away.

Alexandra silently exited the War Room; it seemed sacriligious to 
dematerialize in the presence of her ruler. She then walked slowly down 
the hallway. 

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice Sapphire 
standing in front of her until she almost walked into him. When Alexandra 
noticed this, she looked up, surprised.

"My Lord," she said uneasily, "Forgive me, I didn't see you over there. 
Please--"

"Alexandra, I need to talk to you," Sapphire said, abruptly cutting her 
off. 

Then, much to her astonishment, he took her arm and teleported them both 
to his office. As she reeled from the shock of this, Sapphire walked over 
his desk. He then leaned on it, staring at her intently. With a start, 
Alexandra suddenly realized she was being observed. She quickly came to 
attention. 

"Alexandra," he began, without delay. "You must tell me what my brother 
told you in the War Room just now." His eyes met her resolutely impassive 
gaze. 

"I can't," she replied quietly.

Sapphire's eyes widened. "What?"

"I was told by the Prince," she continued, trying to keep her voice steady,
"that it was be kept secret." 

"Even from me?" he asked, almost plaintively. There was a pleading look in 
his eyes. 

Alexandra dropped her gaze. "Especially from you."

Sapphire's expression hardened. "I see," he replied coolly, turning his 
back on her. 

At this, Alexandra's resolve softened; she felt she had to explain. 
"Sapphire, Prince Diamond specifically ordered me not tell you; he 
practically commanded it. As Commander of the Elite Guard, you know I can't 
break my word to my liege lord."  she added silently.

His back remained turned against her. Alexandra wondered if Sapphire would 
ever reply... After what seemed like an eternity, he sighed.

"Your loyalty to the Prince does you credit, Commander," Sapphire conceded 
wearily. "Although... I hope that, in this one instance, it isn't 
misplaced." He turned to look at her. "You are dismissed." She bowed under 
his gaze, relieved, then left the room. Sapphire watched her go.

He felt sorry for Alexandra for a moment; perhaps he should've told her 
that he was more upset about his brother keeping secrets from him, than he 
was at her. Hopefully, she would realize that herself... Sapphire then 
frowned, as recalled the scene in the War Room: Prince Diamond glaring at 
him, waiting for him to leave.

"Brother..." he murmured. "What are you up to?"

***

It was almost midnight on Nemesis. However, because of the perpetually 
twillight sky of the planet, it was difficult to tell if it was actually 
that late, or indeed, whether it was night or day.

In the darkened practice hall of the Elite Guard, a single figure still 
trained. Alexandra, a sword held in both hands, went through the carefully 
rehearsed movements of the fencer. She did not use her dark crystal blades;
she felt it was unseemly to use them for a mere workout. Instead, she used 
a katana, the Japanese longsword favoured by samurai. Methodically, she 
went through the thrusts, blocks and lunges of her exercises with a studied
grace, honed by years and years of training.

Suddenly, she sensed movement behind her. Whirling around, the sword swept 
through the air, slashing around at shoulder height. 

It stopped mere millimetres from the neck of the person who had just 
entered. Alexandra relaxed slightly, as she recognized who it was.

"Hello, Aquamarine."

"Commander." He glanced down pointedly at the blade at his neck. She took 
the hint, and moved it away. 

"You're up a bit late," she commented, shaking red hair from her eyes. 
Aquamarine raised an eyebrow.

"The same could be said for you." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Is 
there something troubling you, Commander?"

"What makes you think something is troubling me?" she asked, examining the 
blade of her sword. 

"You only practice this late when you have something on your mind," replied 
her second blandly. 

Alexandra said nothing. Turning her back on him, she walked over to a 
stool; grabbing the towel slung on it, she mopped her brow, then wiped the 
towel deliberately across her sword. Aquamarine continued to watch her 
intently.

"I don't suppose that has anything to do with you having to assassinate 
King Endymion tomorrow," he said, quietly.

Alexandra paused in mid-polish; it was only her training that prevented her 
from dropping the sword in surprise. She turned and looked up sharply at 
Aquamarine.

"How did you--" He shrugged, and replied in his usual, level tone.

"When Prince Diamond wanted to talk to you privately in the War Room 
this afternoon, it seemed obvious that he wanted to send you on a special 
mission. Since your post is at the Crystal Palace, and in light of his 
obsession with the Neo-Queen, I surmised that that would be the most 
likely task you'd be assigned."

Alexandra stared at his cold, clinical analysis. Then she flushed as she 
realized that, against orders, she had revealed her mission, thereby 
breaking her word to the Prince. 

Aquamarine noticed her face redden. "Forgive me, Commander. I didn't mean 
to make you give away your orders..." His voice was apologetic.

"Never mind that," she muttered, irritated at herself. "It's my fault for 
admitting that you were right." Then a thought crossed through her mind. 


She sat down in the chair wearily, but not before taking care to set aside 
the sword. Aquamarine observed her silently.

"Your mission... It bothers you?" he finally asked.

"Of course it bothers me," snapped Alexandra. "I've been ordered to kill 
the King of Earth!" Aquamarine raised an eyebrow.

"Is that no less daunting than being asked to eliminate the Sailor 
Soldiers?" he answered archly. There was a pause, then a sigh. 

"I'm sorry," Alexandra said apologetically. "I didn't mean to belittle your
mission, Aquamarine, or that of the rest of the Guard, for that matter; 
I'm just tense, that's all. It's just that..." She stared off into space 
for a moment, trying to find the right words to voice her discontent.

"Well... When Sapphire told you to defeat the Sailor Soldiers, it was more 
out of necessity than anything else; to him, it was completely impersonal. 
However, when Prince Diamond looked me straight in the eyes and ordered me 
to kill King Endymion... I knew right then that he didn't just want the 
King dead; he wanted him completely wiped off the face of the planet... To 
never have existed."

There was a pause of silence. Then Aquamarine replied, "It is strange, how 
we can be controlled by our emotions... Thousands of years have passed, and 
it still manages to overwhelm us, and cloud our judgement. And love is a 
very powerful emotion. Even our Prince is not immune to its powers, it 
seems..."

"Yes..." Alexandra couldn't help thinking to herself, 

There was another pause. Then, Aquamarine cleared his throat delicately. 
"That being said, Commander... Perhaps you should take my words into 
consideration, as well." Alexandra's eyes narrowed. 

"Your meaning?"

"Just to be wary, Commander. And to not allow your own perceptions of...  
Someone... Be coloured by your emotions."

Alexandra gave him a sharp glance, but Aquamarine's expression was as 
impassive as always. It was unlike him to be so forward like this... She 
looked up at him, staring him straight in the eyes.

"I have never let my feelings get in the way of my duty," she said bluntly.

Though it was phrased as a statement, Aquamarine sensed the question behind
the sentence. Her searching eyes met his steady, sea-green gaze. Then he 
inclined his head, respectfully. 

"No. You haven't," he replied. 

She nodded briefly, satisfied. After a moment, Alexandra spoke. "Well, as 
you said before, Aquamarine, it is getting late... I should be getting to 
bed. After all, we have a long day ahead of us, tomorrow." She stood up, 
first carefully replacing the sword on a rack. Then Alexandra headed 
towards the door, turning to her second before leaving. 

"Good night, Aquamarine." His watchful gaze followed her as she walked out 
of the training room.

"Sleep well... Commander."

Alexandra had walked only a few steps down the hallway, when her 
second-in-command's voice made her pause and turn.

"Commander?"

"Yes?"

As she looked back at him, Aquamarine's brow wrinkled slightly, and she 
felt his uncertainty. Alexandra was disconcerted by this. Her usually 
impassive second-in-command showing even the merest trace of emotion was 
rather unnerving. Then his face smoothed into its usual, unexpressive 
state.

"Just... Be careful tommorrow," he murmured. Alexandra blinked in surprise, 
and then smiled wanly, touched by her second's concern.

"You, too. Thank you, Aquamarine." Then she turned around and walked down 
the hall, determined to catch what little sleep she could before the 
impending battle.

*****

On Earth, warning lights flashed all over the Crystal Palace. In the 
central Control Room of the palace, the ruler of Crystal Tokyo and her 
consort stood around a large computer screen, along with three of the 
Sailor Soldiers.

Sailor Mercury was tapping in buttons at the control panel before her. 
"I'm detecting high levels of negative energy at these points," she 
said, pointing at the large screen above the panel; it displayed a map of 
Crystal Toyko, with red lights blinking at four points around the city. 
"The negative energy is also being aimed at the Palace, but I'm doing my 
best to divert its flow."

"Can you figure out where it's coming from?" asked King Endymion.

"Not yet," she replied. "It may be a good idea if the other Sailor Soldiers 
and I check out the points, so we can find out exactly what we're dealing 
with here." The King nodded. 

Just then, Sailor Jupiter ran into the room. "I can't find Reenie," she 
said, worried. "I've looked everwhere inside the palace." 

"Wasn't she playing outside?" asked Sailor Mars. Neo-Queen Serenity paled.

"I'll go get her," said the Queen, determined. She turned to leave, but 
then stopped, as a hand touched her shoulder.

"Let us look for her," said Sailor Jupiter. The Neo-Queen looked uncertain.

"But--" Just then, Sailor Venus held her by the shoulders, and looked 
straight into her eyes.

"You're the Queen of the Earth now, remember?" she said sternly. "We have 
to keep you safe; we can't risk you going out there right now." The rest of 
the Sailor Soldiers nodded. The Queen looked defiant for a moment, but then 
hung her head and sighed. 

"I suppose you're right," she conceded reluctantly. The Sailor Soldiers 
then turned to leave, King Endymion taking Sailor Mercury's place at the 
control panel. Sailor Jupiter looked back and gave the Queen an encouraging 
smile.

"Don't worry, we'll find her." Mars nodded.

"Yeah, and then we'll check out those negative points of energy Mercury was
talking about." The four Sailor Soldiers then left the room. The ruler of 
Crystal Tokyo watched them go, her concern apparent on her face.

***

Moments later, Sailor Mercury was running towards one of the pillars of 
negative energy, a solid line of cold, black fire that reached to the sky. 
She hadn't realized just how immense it was... Though she had seen many 
unspeakable things over the years as a Sailor Soldier, this was certainly 
one of the worst. As soon as she reached the foot of the pillar of power, 
she stopped in her tracks.

As she looked up at it, she pulled out her tiny pocket computer, and began 
to take energy readings. There was an amazing amount of power here; it 
almost seemed to be sucking the life energy from the Earth itself...

Mercury was trying to determine its power source when suddenly, she 
noticed an anomaly in her analysis readings, indicating that it had 
detected a life force within the negative energy. She stared at her 
calculations in bewilderment, then looked up at the dark energy pillar. 

 she thought to 
herself. 

Uncertain, she flicked on her goggles and began to examine the dark energy 
with them. It only confirmed her theory. With some shock, she realized that
the power contained within it did indeed conceal someone... Or perhaps some
thing.

"Well done, Sailor Mercury. I am impressed." 

Sailor Mercury looked up in surprise, as black energy curled away from the 
pillar of dark power, like mist. It revealed a man with long, pale blue 
hair and cold, blue-green eyes, like the depths of the Arctic Ocean. There 
was a black inverted crescent marked upon his forehead.

"Then again, I would expect nothing less from the brilliant Sailor Mercury,
the legendary Sailor Soldier of Logic," he continued emotionlessly, without 
inflection. 

"Who are you?" she asked. He regarded her coolly, as he floated in midair.

"I am Aquamarine, second-in-command of the Elite Guard of Nemesis... 
And a warrior of the Black Moon Family."

***

Meanwhile, at the Crystal Palace, King Endymion stood at the control panel, 
examining the readings that flashed on the screen before him. At his back, 
paced Neo-Queen Serenity, wringing her hands. The King glanced back at her 
in concern.

"Beloved? Are you all right?" The Queen nodded, obviously preoccupied.

"Yes love, but..." She sighed. "I'm just so worried for them; Mars, 
Mercury, Jupiter, Venus. I wish could be out there with them, by their 
side, like in the old days. At least I'd know if they were okay."

King Endymion spared a moment of pity for her. She always cared so much 
about others; that was one of the reasons he had fallen in love with her.

Turning away from the controls for a moment, he clasped her in a comforting
embrace. "Don't worry... They'll be all right, like always." He smiled 
gently at her. "Why don't you go check on Reenie? I know the girls brought 
her back to her room safely." The Neo-Queen smiled back at him.

"You're right... That should make me feel better." Reaching up, she softly 
kissed the King on the cheek. Then she quietly left the room, as King 
Endymion turned back to his work.

Neo-Queen Serenity walked down a corridor, then pressed a panel on the 
wall. A door slid open.

"Reenie?" she called out, as she stepped inside. "I hope you're okay, 
honey, Mommy just wanted to see how you were..." Her voice trailed off, 
as she realized the room was empty.

"Reenie...?" said the Queen, her eyes widening.

***

Meanwhile, Sailor Mercury gazed up at the man called Aquamarine, as she 
contemplated upon the words he had just told her.

"The Black Moon Family...?" she repeated. Aquamarine nodded briefly.

"I hear that you are very learned, Sailor Mercury... I wonder how much you 
recall of history, as well? Long ago, the members of my clan were banished 
from Earth to Nemesis, for refusing to be purified by the power of the 
Silver Crystal." Mercury silently put away this information, and then 
addressed the blue-haired man again.

"You said you're from Nemesis... The legendary tenth planet of the Solar 
System?" 

"That is correct. It seems you are as knowledgable as they say, Sailor 
Soldier." His cool green eyes then narrowed. "But I'm afraid the time for 
talk has passed." 

After speaking these words, an ice blue trident materialized in his hands. 
As he pointed it at her, Sailor Mercury's eyes widened as icicles formed 
at the tips of the weapon; she leapt away just in time when three 
projectiles flew from it, striking the ground right where she had been 
standing. Warily, she got to her feet, while Aquamarine watched her, his 
face devoid of expression.

Closing her eyes, Sailor Mercury gathered her power around her, and with 
care, took aim...

***

Back on Nemesis, Sapphire carefully observed the progress of the battle, in
the War Room. On the holographic map of Crystal Tokyo, four of the crystal 
counters were glowing steadily, indicating that they were already in 
combat. He nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to the counter placed at 
the Crystal Palace. 

Sapphire's brow furrowed. "That's odd..." Perhaps it was just him, but the 
statuette of alexandrite no longer seemed to be at its original position. 
As he watched it closely, he realized that it was, in fact, moving.

"I thought I told Alexandra to secure the outer perimeter of the Palace," 
he muttered to himself. "She knows better than to leave her post." It was 
most unlike her to disobey orders like this. 

Suddenly he stiffened. He glanced at the counter once more, then stared. 
But there was no mistake; the counter's progress had just entered the 
Crystal Palace, and even now it was obvious that it was heading towards 
its centre. A horrible realization began to creep over Sapphire.

"Oh, no..." he breathed. "Brother, you didn't..."

***

Alexandra stood warily, flattened against one of the walls of Crystal 
Palace. Fortunately, she had not been detected yet... Though the stream of 
dark energy she had travelled in was aimed directly at the heart of the 
palace, Sapphire had tactfully teleported her just outside its walls.

Earlier, she had watched as the four Sailor Soldiers ushered Small Lady 
into the building, then ran out again, each headed towards one of points of
dark power; that was one part of her mission accomplished. Now, for the 
next phase...

Carefully, she reached up and pulled off her left earring, which quickly 
lengthened into a blade. Grasping the hilt in both hands, Alexandra slowly 
stepped away from the wall. Then, focusing her powers into the sword, she 
spun around suddenly and cried out, "Dark Lightning Strike!"

Dark bolts of energy crackled from the crystal blade and embedded 
themselves in the wall, which promptly shattered. Alexandra watched in grim 
satisfaction as the debris fell away. It perhaps wasn't the most subtle way 
of entering the palace, but at least it gave her the element of surprise. 

Immediately, she stepped inside the breach she had made, and started 
running into the building, her short, low-heeled boots making clacking 
sounds as they hit the floor. 

Not surprisingly, a couple of palace guards ran up to her, obviously to 
investigate the noise. She promptly ran the first one through with her 
sword; the second, she only managed to slash across the ribs. She ducked 
as his pike swept over her head, then dispatched him with another thrust 
of her blade.

They were many more guards after that. But Alexandra was Commander of the 
Elite Guard of Nemesis, and had earned her post for a reason. She managed 
to defeat all of them, while they barely made a mark on her. One of the 
palace guards made the unfortunate mistake of trying to attack her from 
behind; a dark crystal dagger had stabbed into his stomach, for his pains.

Alexandra wiped the blood from her dagger and replaced it, as it shrank 
back into an earring. She was very close to the centre of the palace, now; 
she almost could feel it. 

Cautiously, she picked her way across the hallway. The few people she came 
across now were unconscious, as the Black Crystal's power took its toll. 
She stepped into another corridor, and entered the heart of the Crystal 
Palace. 

Standing with her back against a pillar, Alexandra glanced around the 
corner.  she thought to herself, noting the 
large computer screen that dominated the opposite side of the room. Looking 
up at the display, she noticed an image of her home planet of Nemesis, with 
readings flickering along beside it.

In front of the screen, with his back turned against her, stood someone who
rapidly tapped buttons into the panel in front of him. He had short, violet 
hair and wore a long cape. By his stance, she knew he was male; most 
likely, it was King Endymion.

He turned for a moment, and she caught a glimpse of his masked profile. 
Alexandra nodded grimly.  she thought. She tugged 
off her right earring again, which immediately lengthened into a dagger. 
Holding it delicately by the tip, she steeled herself for the moment when 
she would throw the weapon into his unprotected back.

She found herself hesitating, and she snarled under her breath.  thought Alexandra irritably. 

Then she recalled her uneasiness as the Prince had given her her mission, 
and voicing her doubts to Aquamarine. 

 whispered an internal voice.  And Alexandra finally realized what had been bothering 
her.

 She looked back at the King. 


 Alexandra realized 
somberly.  Then a thought 
struck her.

 
Suddenly, she knew what she had to do. What she had in mind was far more 
risky, but...

The dagger in her hand shrank back to an earring, which she put back on. 


 Alexandra thought to herself, reaching for her other 
earring and drawing out her sword, 

***

Meanwhile, King Endymion was doggedly continuing his work at the control 
panel, determined to discover as much information on the invasion on Earth 
as possible. He was so absorbed in his work that he ignored the sparks 
that would occasionally crackle across the console's surface, beneath his 
rapidly tapping fingers. 

"King Endymion."

At the sound of his name, the King whirled around; the voice was no one 
he recognized, which immediately put him on his guard. Behind him, he saw  
a red-haired woman, her clothing bloodstained, though she herself seemed 
uninjured. In one hand she held a sword of black crystal, which seemed to 
pulse with dark energy even as he looked at it. He found himself reaching 
for his cane, which he gripped apprehensively.

"Who are you?" he snapped. "How did you get in here?" The woman shrugged, 
almost negligently.

"It should be obvious how I got in here," she replied, waving a hand over 
her blood-splattered clothes. "As for who I am..." She straightened
unconciously. 

"I am Alexandra, Commander of the Elite Guard of Nemesis, and Protector of 
the Royal Family of the Black Moon." Her eyes then narrowed calculatingly.
"And I have come to challenge you, King of the Earth."

As her words sank in, the King's eyes widened. "You can't be serious!"

"Deadly serious, your Majesty." The woman's stance had changed, with her 
sword held out defensively.

"You're in the middle of enemy territory," reasoned the King, trying to 
project calm in his voice. "Even if you did manage to defeat me, you'd 
never get out here alive." The woman's eyes narrowed.

"I am quite aware of that," she replied bluntly.

It was then that King Endymion realized the truth in her words: she was 
fully willing to die in this endeavor, if necessary. As he stood in 
hesistation, the one called Alexandra seemed to read his thoughts.

"Do not deny me this, King Endymion," she said softly, a threatening tone 
entering her voice. "I had the opportunity to kill you but a moment ago. 
Turn down my challenge, and you *will* die."

As their gazes met, the King saw a dangerous light enter Alexandra's eyes. 
With a sigh of regret, he pulled out his cane. 

"Very well." Holding out his weapon protectively, the two saluted each 
other, and the duel began in deadly earnest.

Alexandra began the fight with a quick thrust to the midsection. It was a 
predictable attack, but it was also a test, to see if King Endymion had 
become complacent over the years. However, he easily parried the move with 
his cane, thus living up to her expectation. The King then followed it up 
by twirling his weapon into her face, which she quickly deflected.

As the match went on, Alexandra immediately realized that Endymion was in 
excellent shape.  she thought resentfully. The Black Moon Family had always found 
that idea aborrent, and the commander was no exception.

Still, his youth had no direct bearing on his technique, and that had 
impressed her; a thousand years of living in peace had not diminished 
his abilities by any means. That was both a blessing and a curse; while 
a weaker adversary would be easier to defeat, she appreciated a worthy 
opponent even more, someone who could match her skills... And the King 
certainly could do that, if not more.

Before the match had begun, Alexandra had resolved herself not to use her 
magical abilities. She knew that in his youth, the King of the Earth was 
known for using his physical strength in battle, rather than the elemental 
powers used by the Sailor Soldiers; she intended to hold herself to that 
promise.

That being said, she aimed a front snap kick towards his face; the 
King reacted by stepping back, and shielding himself with his cape. The 
commander then completed the attack with a downward swipe of her sword, 
which was blocked by her opponent's cane in midair. 

As the battle continued, it seemed that they were both equally matched; 
every thrust was parried, every move blocked by the other. Yet Alexandra 
knew that one of them had to make a mistake eventually.

That moment finally came, and fortunately, it was in her favour. She had 
just jabbed her sword towards King Endymion's shoulder, while he had ducked 
and sidestepped to avoid it, as she knew he would. However, she was now 
close enough to follow up the move, and Alexandra swept her elbow backwards 
into the King's face. He had not been expecting this, it seemed, and her 
attack connected; he fell to the ground, dazed.

Turning around, the commander pointed her crystal sword towards the prone 
man. But as she looked down at him, her eyes widened.

The King lay there, watching her warily. It appeared that the force of the 
blow she had given him had not only hit his head, but had knocked off his 
mask, as well. Alexandra found herself looking into a face that was 
eeriely, almost painfully, familliar to her.

 she thought, staring in disbelief.  

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off, however, when she felt her legs being 
swept from underneath her; the King had turned the tables around, by 
knocking her off her feet with his cane. As she fell, he attempted to hit 
her in the head with the blunt side of his weapon, but she managed to duck 
and roll away. 

Rising to her feet, Alexandra mentally cursed herself.  

She cast an irritated glare at the King. Thankfully, he had managed to 
replace his mask while she had been down, but this was of little comfort to 
her; while she had to admit the King's appearance had been a bit of a 
shock, she refused to excuse herself from it.

 she recalled bitterly.  As the King awaited her next 
move, she focused upon him, with deadly concentration. 

 thought Alexandra firmly, taking an 
aggressive stance.  

***

King Endymion continued to deflect Commander Alexandra's attacks, which 
had increased over the past few minutes. Despite the fact that she was his 
enemy, he respected the skill that she displayed; he was finding her to be 
a formidable opponent. 

Suddenly, he found himself being backed into the control panel of the 
computer console; casting an inadvertant glance at the screen behind him, 
Endymion was astonished to see that it now displayed the planet of Nemesis 
pulsating with dark energy.  he thought, worried. 

Noticing the King's distraction, Alexandra took advantage of it and aimed 
an overhead strike to his head. But King Endymion managed to parry it with 
a high block, still wrapped up in his own thoughts.  Although he had caught her off guard before, he had a 
feeling that she wouldn't allow that to happen again.

Suddenly, an idea formed in his mind. It was risky... 

By this point, Alexandra had King Endymion up against the crackling surface 
of the control panel; only the King's cane stood between the edge of her 
sword and his face. He managed to shove her away with his weapon, then 
took a defensive stance as she quickly recovered. Holding out his cane 
protectively, he made sure that Alexandra was watching it, cat-like, for 
the next move he'd make...

Then he dropped it.

She hesistated for only a brief moment, but it was enough. As the woman 
lunged forward for the final thrust of her blade, the King had already 
taken hold of control panel behind him. Throwing his weight against it, 
he kicked out with both legs, barely missing the point of her sword, and 
caught Alexandra squarely in the midsection. 

The female soldier was thrown backwards from the force of the blow; the 
wind knocked out of her, the woman slid halfway across the tiled floor, 
until she lay, unmoving. 

Breathing heavily from the exertion of the fight, King Endymion turned his 
back on her and desperately punched in buttons at the already overloaded 
computer console, determined to increase the protections on the palace.

But unbeknownst to the King, Alexandra was still conscious. Slowly, she 
came to; opening her eyes, she found herself staring blearily at King 
Endymion. When she realized what he was doing, however, a surge of anger 
brought her immediately to her senses. 

 she thought in silent outrage.  Her eyes narrowed. 

As she got up stealthily, Alexandra found herself reaching for her dagger 
once again. Rising to her knees, she focused upon the most vunerable part 
of King Endymion's treacherous back, now fully intent upon killing him.

All of a sudden, a pulse of light burst from the computer screen above the 
King. Alexandra heard him cry out, saw him try to shield himself with his 
cape, but the energy surge overwhelmed him; she had to cover her eyes as 
the brightness flared, outlining Endymion's figure in shadow for a brief 
moment, before she was completely blinded by the light. 

When Alexandra was finally able to see again, the first thing she saw was 
King Endymion lying on the ground, deathly still. Warily, she got to her 
feet; when she realized that he was truly unconscious, she began to 
approach him cautiously, all thoughts of vengance gone from her mind.

While she was walking, she then stumbled, as the ground rumbled under her 
feet. As she glanced down at the floor in bewilderment, Alexandra found her 
gaze moving back up, as she realized that rubble was beginning to rain down 
from the ceiling. She managed to roll away before any of it could crush 
her; when she looked back, she saw that the fallen debris had partially 
blocked her path to the King, and she cursed under her breath. 

Now she was torn between two choices; she had to check if King Endymion 
was really dead, but the room was also starting to cave in. Hesistantly, 
she took step towards the body, but just then, another piece of the ceiling 
fell in. Self-preservation won out. Casting a last, uneasy glance at the 
King's prone form, Alexandra turned around and ran out of the room.

 she thought callously to herself, 
 Still, she couldn't shake the nagging 
feeling of a job left undone...

***

As the sound of the commander's footsteps faded away, a figure appeared 
in the shuddering Control Room. Ignoring the falling debris around it, it 
walked towards the unconscious King of the Earth, and knelt beside him. 
Gloved fingers touched his neck, looking for a pulse; there was a sigh of 
relief when it was found, faint, but present. 

Slender arms supported King Endymion, lifting him up, then reached down 
to pick up the staff that it had laid aside. Then Sailor Pluto, the Sailor 
Soldier of Time, summoned her powers and disappeared, along with the 
comatose body of her beloved King.

***

Meanwhile, out in the city, there was a brief respite during the battle 
between the two masters of water. Sailor Mercury took a moment to catch her 
breath, while her opponent, in contrast, looked barely winded. The black 
waves of water swirling around him settled.

"You have been a most worthy adversary, Sailor Soldier," complimented 
Aquamarine. "You are as skilled with your powers as you are with the 
knowledge you keep." His features then hardened, the first change of 
expression she saw pass across his face. "However... The game ends here." 

Aiming his trident towards Sailor Mercury, Aquamarine focused the full 
extent of his powers through it, and cried out, "Dark Aqua Tempest!" 

Immediately, dark, icy energy poured from the weapon, threatening to shower 
the Sailor Soldier with its power. Mercury tried to shield herself from the 
attack, but she had been already weakened by the previous battle; she could 
feel the cold, negative force bleeding through her defenses. 

 she thought despairingly, as hope seemed to bleed 
from her wounds, as well. But the feeling only lasted for a moment. 



Gathering up the remains of her own personal energy, Sailor Mercury called 
upon the power of her guardian planet, crying, "Mercury Planet Power!"

Instantly, her own swirls of energy, light to combat his dark, formed 
around her. As it was summoned, she directed its power towards the Black 
Moon warrior, and it poured forth from her hands.

Meanwhile, Aquamarine had noticed the change in his opponent's demeanour, 
saw the light energy heading towards him. Increasing the strength of his 
own attack, there was a splash of brightness as it collided with his own 
black power. For a moment, the two forces were held in check; but slowly, 
inexorably, the darkness was being pushed back.

Aquamarine tightened his grip on his trident, as he watched this turn 
of events in mute astonishment.  he thought, 
bewildered. For the first time in his life, logic had escaped him.  As he stared at the Sailor Soldier to 
determine the reason for this, his gaze met hers.

As he looked into her eyes, he saw the accumulated wisdom of a millenium; 
he saw someone who had fought no matter what the odds were, how much doubt 
there was in their own abilities.... And had survived. He saw a person who 
had put their life on the line, time and time again, just to protect 
others. In those eyes, Aquamarine saw his death.

The handle of the trident shattered in his hands, and the blue-white energy
washed over him. The cold had never hurt Aquamarine before; but now, its 
power overwhelmed him, so icy cold that it burned. It froze him, numbing 
him until the pain no longer mattered... Then, his body, no longer able to 
withstand the strain, was thrown backwards until he fell bonelessly to the 
ground. 

It took a moment for Sailor Mercury to realize her opponent was down. 
Catching her breath, she watched his prone body warily for a moment; 
then, she immediately turned and ran back towards the Crystal Palace, 
determined to warn the Queen.

However, Aquamarine was still alive, if barely. In the strange, occult bond
he seemed to share with the rest of the Black Moon Family, he felt the life
force ebbing away from his fellow members of the Elite Guard, as they too 
were defeated by the other Sailor Soldiers. With the last of his power, he 
reached out to each of them, pulled, then sent it away...

"Commander..." he murmured softly. "A... Alexandra. I'm sorry... We failed 
y..." Then, there was nothingness.

***

In the War Room of Nemesis, Sapphire frowned, as he stared at at the map 
of Crystal Tokyo. The glow of four of the crystal counters was no longer 
steady; rather, the pulses of light had become wild and erratic.

His frown deepened. This could only mean that the energy levels of the 
Elite Guard were fluctuating rapidly; he had made the counters very 
sensitive towards that sort of thing. His consternation only increased as 
the statuettes began to tremble in place.

"What in th--" He never got to finish the sentence.

Sapphire had just enough time to shield his face as the four statuettes 
shattered before his horrified eyes, filling the air with sparkling, 
multicoloured shards.

*****

Part Three: Love and War

*****

Alexandra hurried down the hallways of the Crystal Palace, pausing to lean 
on a pillar now and then as an energy blast rocked the building on its 
foundations. As she dodged a piece of falling debris, thoughts flew across 
her mind.

 She shook her head violently. No, she knew Sapphire; he 
wouldn't do that, not unless he absolutely had to. He didn't believe in 
'acceptable losses'.

 she thought. 

Suddenly, she sensed a pull of dark energy before her; Alexandra froze in 
her tracks, as she recognized its power. In front of her, a sphere of dark 
mist was forming. Slowly, she walked towards it.

As she approached, the sphere's surface became clear, like a bubble. There 
seemed to be something inside it... With a shock, she recognized the 
contents. 

Inside, lay a twisted length of gold wire; beside it, was a scorched 
cat'o'nine tails. Next to that was the hilt of a sickle, with the blade 
broken off, and finally, the three-pronged head of a shattered trident. 
Alexandra stared at them in disbelief. 

"Oh, no..." she whispered. "Not all of them...?"

Holding out her hands, the bubble floated down, settling in her arms. She 
clasped it sorrowfully, like a child might hold a favourite toy.

There was a shudder beneath her feet. Alexandra came to herself, slowly; 
realizing she was still deep in enemy territory, her expression hardened. 

Tucking the globe carefully under her arm, she began to run once more, 
determined to escape the palace. There would be time for mourning later; 
she still had to report back. Right now, she had to get out of here... 
Alive.

***

Sapphire teleported into the Throne Room of the Nemesian palace, taking a 
few steps forward as if he had just been running. He took a deep breath, 
and bowed.

"Prince Diamond," he began, his voice uncertain, "I regret to inform you 
that four of the Elite Guard have been killed in battle by the Sailor 
Soldiers. Commander Alexandra is still alive, but I'm afraid I've had to 
begin the attack on the Crystal Palace prematurely, and..." 

His voice trailed off as he looked up, and realized he was talking to 
thin air. He looked around. The room was completely empty; the throne 
unoccupied. Sapphire stared at it, at a loss for words. Then, something 
else caught his eye. 

The holographic podium before the throne was lit up. Sapphire approached 
it cautiously; it was unlike his brother to leave it on like this. As he 
walked up to it, he recognized the image, and stopped in his tracks.

Though he had never seen this particular hologram before, he instantly 
recognized the likeness of Neo-Queen Serenity. Sapphire glared at it 
resentfully. How long had his brother hidden this here?  he thought to himself.

Still, it was unusual for Prince Diamond to leave it up, considering that 
he managed to keep this a secret even from him. What could make him 
careless enough to leave it on? 

Sapphire froze. He knew his brother well, but... Surely he wouldn't be 
reckless enough to--

Quickly, he phased out of the Throne Room, straight into the Teleporter 
Room. As soon as he materialized, he immediately noticed that the 
co-ordinates on the display were set for Earth, and the Crystal Palace. 
Desperately punching in buttons at the control panel, he found out that 
the same co-ordinates were set not twenty minutes ago... By his brother.

Sapphire slumped against the control panel despondantly, and hung his head. 

***

High above Crystal Tokyo, Prince Diamond floated, surveying the 
destruction of the once fair city with grim satisfaction. He had not come 
to gloat, however; he was not one to glory in such things. No, he had 
another purpose in mind...

A mere half-hour ago, the ruler of Nemesis had been sitting upon his 
throne, brooding over his hologram of Neo-Queen Serenity, when he was 
startled out of his reverie by an unexpected visitor.

"Wiseman," murmured Prince Diamond in surprise, as the soothsayer 
materialized in the room. "This is most unexpected... Have you had a 
vision concerning the outcome of the battle?"

"No, I'm afraid not," replied Wiseman, in his deep, sombre voice. 
"However, I have learned something else that might be of great interest 
to you, your Highness..."

The Prince lifted an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Wiseman nodded, then waved his hands over the crystal ball before him. "It 
seems that in exactly one hour from now, Neo-Queen Serenity will be found  
wandering outside the front gates of the Crystal Palace."

"What?" Prince Diamond was so taken aback, that he had stood up from his 
throne. Realizing this, he managed to compose himself and sit down, 
thoughtfully.  He glanced up at 
Wiseman. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Yes, your Highness." Wiseman stared deeply into his crystal ball. "It 
appears that she will be looking for someone..."

"Looking for someone..." repeated Diamond softly. He blinked, then stood 
up once more. 

"Thank you for this valuable information, Wiseman," he addressed the 
cloaked form. "I believe it will prove to be most... Useful." The Prince 
then teleported out of the room, under Wiseman's watchful eyes.

Prince Diamond opened his own eyes, as he was brought back to the present. 
As glanced down at the Crystal Palace beneath him, he realized what had 
disturbed his thoughts; the movement of a figure below him, one that had 
haunted his dreams for many nights.

"Wiseman was right..." he murmured under his breath. He had no reason not 
to believe the soothsayer; all of his visions had been correct thus far. 
Yet this particular one had seemed far too good to be real to Diamond... 
Until now.

Floating down, Prince Diamond began to approach his destiny. It was then 
that he realized that Neo-Queen Serenity was not alone; it appeared that 
she was speaking to a smaller figure, huddled behind a pillar. But the 
Prince only had eyes for the Neo-Queen... As he came closer, he caught a 
few scraps of conversation.

"Reenie, darling, why did you run away from the palace? I've been so 
worried about you!"

"Oh, Mommy, I can't tell you! You'll be angry at me!"

"Now, now, dear... Surely it can't be bad as all that..." The Queen's 
voice then trailed off, as she seemed to sense the presence of Diamond.
As she looked up at him, their eyes met.

Never had he seen eyes like hers; the deep blue of the sky as he had always
known it should be, not the dull sky of Nemesis; the brilliant blue of the 
planet that she lived upon, and that he had always longed for... As he had 
always longed for her.

Now Prince Diamond knew how others felt when held in the gaze of his third 
eye: caught, trapped, and unable to look away. But he revelled in the 
intensity of her gaze, as she began to speak.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I am Prince Diamond, ruler of the planet Nemesis, and leader of the Black 
Moon Family," he replied levelly.

"And you are the one who caused this destruction?" continued the Queen 
angrily, gesturing at the ruins of the city before her. Diamond shrugged 
dismissively.

"We have only come to reclaim our birthright; what is rightfully ours." 
As his cool gaze fell upon her once more, his eyes softened. "You know, it 
doesn't have to be this way, my Queen."

His voice turned surprisingly gentle, persuasive. "Surrender the city to 
me, Neo-Queen Serenity, and I'll allow you to be my consort. With you by 
my side, we will rule the Earth... Together." Slowly, the Queen looked up 
at him, her expression firm.

"No."

"Come now, my Queen," the Prince chided, unperturbed. "There is no one to 
stand in the way of us both, now." At this, the Neo-Queen's brow furrowed 
slightly.

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

As he sensed her confusion, he took the opportunity to look deep into 
her eyes, searching for a sign of the love that he knew in his heart she 
harboured for him. But as realization dawned on her, he was shocked to find
in her gaze not her undying love for him, but only revulsion and contempt. 
It was like a blow; he would've staggered, but his body had gone numb. He 
barely had time to recover when her next words registered into his 
consciousness.

"I'd sooner die than to submit to you." 

Prince Diamond's expression looked outraged for a moment, and then it 
hardened.

"I see," he said icily. It was then that the Prince's cold eyes finally 
fell upon young Princess Serenity, who shrank back from his gaze. 

"It's her fault, isn't it," he snarled, his words snapping out like whips 
of frozen fire. "Very well, then... If I get rid of her, then you will be 
mine!" He raised his hands, which glowed with dark power.

"No!" cried Neo-Queen Serenity.

Black energy flared from Diamond's fingertips, aimed directly at the young 
princess. But to the Prince's horror, the Queen managed to push her 
daughter out of its path, taking the full force of his attack instead.
He could only watch numbly as she slowly fell to the ground...

Suddenly, crystals began to form around the Neo-Queen's prone form. It 
was then that Prince Diamond realized that the four Sailor Soldiers had 
surrounded their fallen Queen, and were using their powers on her. In a 
state of detached shock, he managed to teleport himself away from the 
horrible scene, and back to Nemesis.

Down on the ground below, Sailor Jupiter looked up at the sky, where Prince 
Diamond had been just a moment ago. Sailor Venus glanced back at her.

"Something wrong, Jupiter?" she asked. The Sailor Soldier of Protection 
shook her head. 

"No, it's just... I was sure I sensed someone up there." 

Shielding her eyes, Sailor Venus looked up at the sky as well. "Well, 
whoever it was, they're gone now... Speaking of seeing someone, I was sure 
I noticed Reenie around here before the Queen fell... Did you?" Jupiter 
shook her head again, causing the blonde Sailor Soldier to sigh. 

"Well, let's help Mercury and Mars get the Queen inside. We can't risk any 
more attacks like this on her." Venus shook her head. "I swear, I don't 
know what she was thinking, stepping outside of the Palace like that..."

***

When Alexandra reappeared in the Teleporter Room on Nemesis, she noted 
detachedly that the room was empty. Since she was expecting Sapphire's 
presence, she was a bit surprised, though somewhat grateful; if he had been
there, he would've had to debrief her immediately. Now, she would have to 
go to the War Room later, to make her formal report. At any rate, Alexandra
was thankful that he wasn't here at the moment; she didn't think she could 
face him right now.

With a negligent wave of her hand, she sent the globe containing the 
ruined weapons of her departed comrades to Lord Sapphire, and it 
disappeared from sight. Then she numbly exited the room, walking 
slowly down the hallway. 

Silently, she made her way to her quarters, the door sliding open as she 
entered, then closing firmly behind her. Once inside, Alexandra stepped 
unseeingly towards her dressing table; upon reaching it, she reached up 
methodically to remove an earring. It was then that she happened to look 
up, and saw the reflection in the mirror before her.

As she watched tears well up in her eyes, the Commander of the Elite 
Guard suddenly collapsed on the dressing table, racked with sobs, as 
the full weight of all that had happened crashed down upon her.

 she thought in despair.  As her own recriminations piled up on each other, 
Alexandra gave vent to the tears she dared not shed during her mission; to 
the sorrow that she refused to give into before, lest it interfere with her 
duty.

Suddenly, she sensed someone behind her. Glancing up at the mirror in front 
of her, Alexandra was astonished to see Wiseman materialize in the room, 
floating a few feet off the ground. She turned around to look at him.

"Wiseman," she said, suprised. The soothsayer's presence had caught her off
guard. He had never expressed any interest in her before, other than the 
time Sapphire had given her the dark crystal earrings; she had noticed 
Wiseman watching her speculatively then, though he had said nothing.

Alexandra turned away for a moment, surreptitiously wiping the traces of 
tears in her eyes, then faced the cloaked figure again.

"I wasn't expecting to see anybody in here," she continued in a more level 
tone of voice. "Did Prince Diamond send you?"

"I came out of my own accord," replied Wiseman emotionlessly. His hooded 
gaze watched her penetratingly. "Report to me the details of your 
mission." 

Something about his tone implied that he knew the true purpose of her 
assignment; somehow, Alexandra was not surprised by this. Her expression 
became unreadable. "As per the orders of the Prince, I entered the Crystal 
Palace, upon where King Endymion was critically injured," she told him  
impassively.

"But not by you," finished Wiseman coldly. 

At that, Alexandra fixed him with an hard look. She was just about to 
demand how he knew this, when her gaze moved down, resting upon Wiseman's 
crystal ball. He continued relentlessly.

"You failed to kill King Endymion. And by not assassinating him, you 
directly disobeyed the Prince's orders." Alexandra said nothing. She knew 
that he was right. 

"Thanks to your incompetence, the King is still alive. You could've 
redeemed yourself by eliminating him when he was injured, but you did not." 

It took a moment for the full meaning of his words to sink in, but when it 
did, Alexandra was outraged.

"What?" she retorted. "You expected me to stab a wounded man in the back?"

Wiseman regarded her intently for a moment. "I see," he said quietly. It 
was a simple phrase, but his voice was filled with contempt. 

"Still, you failed to accomplish your mission. Prince Diamond would not be 
pleased... Especially when I tell him." Alexandra's blood ran cold. Her 
eyes met his hooded gaze.

"There is no room in the Black Moon Family for weakness, Alexandra." 
intoned Wiseman. "By failing to fufill the Prince's orders, you are a 
traitor to our cause. I am afraid that you are no longer welcome here on 
Nemesis." At those words, she stood, frozen, staring at Wiseman in 
disbelief. 

 Alexandra thought to herself, stunned.  Despair washed over her. 
 After a moment, the thought burned 
away, at a sudden burst of fury. 

 She 
glared at the cloaked figure suspiciously, struck by a sudden bout of 
paranoia.  

The anger then died, as quickly as it came. 

Without quite knowing why, she looked searchingly into his hooded face; 
staring into the depths, she sifted through the darkness within, trying to 
find the answer to her unspoken question. After a moment, she finally found
what she was looking for: the distant flicker of his eyes. Alexandra then 
dropped her gaze, suppressing a shudder. She had realized that in Wiseman's
eyes, she had caught a glimpse of his true nature. 

 she thought to herself. 



As Wiseman turned his back on her in distaste, her right hand clenched 
reflexively. It closed around something, which cut into her palm; looking 
down, she saw the dark crystal earring, still in her hand. Alexandra stared
at it unseeingly for a moment, as thoughts continued to rush through her 
head... 



Her eyes narrowed. The crystal earring lengthened, forming into a dagger. 
She felt her mind come into focus... And Alexandra remembered what made her 
an Elite Guard in the first place.

 

Now, she felt strangely calm... Once more, she had purpose. She had 
absolutely nothing to lose, at this point; one clean shot, and no one 
would ever know... 

With barely a flicker of motion, Alexandra threw the dagger. It was an 
accurate throw; it flew straight and true, aimed directly for Wiseman's 
unprotected back. 

So she was taken aback when the dagger was swallowed up by darkness before 
it reached its target. She was even more astonished as the dagger still 
managed to pierce through cloth and flesh...

Alexandra gasped, and doubled over. Looking down, she saw through tears of 
pain, the dark crystal dagger embedded in her stomach. As she fell to her 
knees, Wiseman turned, to gaze at her contemptously. 

"Foolish woman," he said mockingly. "Did you really think you could use 
the power of the Black Crystal on me? Your foolish act has doomed you, 
Alexandra!" Chuckling evily, Wiseman disappeared.

Propping herself up painfully for support, Alexandra pressed her hand to 
her side, to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, the dagger had gone in below 
the heart, barely missing the lungs; unfortunately, she would surely die 
from blood loss if she didn't get the wound treated soon. However, there 
was something else she had to do first.

As she slumped to the floor, Alexandra thought weakly,  

***

In the War Room, Sapphire paced uneasily along the length of the room. It 
was a bad habit of his, he knew, but he felt he needed to use up all of 
his nervous energy, especially after all that had happened.

An hour ago, Sapphire had been in the Teleporter Room, waiting worriedly 
for someone, anyone, to return from Earth. Bad enough that the nearly all 
the Elite Guard were dead and their commanding officer currently missing 
in action, but to also have his beloved elder brother thrust into such a 
situation was tearing him apart.

A surge of energy from the teleporter made him look up. With some relief, 
Sapphire saw his brother walk out of the portal, but his intial reaction 
was short-lived, once he saw the distraught expression upon the Prince's 
face.

"Brother?" Sapphire addressed him uneasily. Prince Diamond stared up at 
his younger brother, a haunted look in his eyes. 

"I killed her," he whispered. Then, the ruler of Nemesis nearly stumbled. 
Alarmed, Sapphire ran over to support him, and then, gathering his own 
personal power, managed to teleport the two of them to his brother's 
chambers. 

After directing him to a couch to where they could both sit down, Sapphire 
looked into Prince Diamond's eyes and asked him, "Tell me what happened."

The story came out in fits and starts. 'Her' turned out to be Neo-Queen 
Serenity, just as Sapphire feared. By his brother's account, she probably 
wasn't dead, but Diamond was too steeped in horror over what he had done 
to realize this yet. Sapphire simply listened, until his older brother had 
calmed down sufficiently for him to point this out.

"You're right," murmured Diamond, whose head was leaning upon his younger
brother's shoulder, as the latter stroked his pale hair. Sapphire was 
struck by the incongruity of the situation; the big brother that he looked 
up to, needing his support for once. 

"You're right, Sapphire," repeated the Prince; he seemed to have regained 
his usual aplomb. "The Neo-Queen can't be dead... And Crystal Tokyo is 
under our control, for now." Pulling away from his younger brother's arms, 
he rose to his feet, then gave the latter a warm smile. "Thank you, little 
brother." 

Sapphire bowed his head graciously. "It is nothing, your Highness."

Prince Diamond nodded. The expression left his face, and his usual cool 
demeanour returned. "I'd better return to the Throne Room; the reports 
from the battlefield should be coming in soon." Then he turned his 
back abruptly on his brother, and teleported out of the room. 

Sapphire was not resentful of Diamond's hasty departure; he knew how busy 
his older brother was. However, once the Prince had left, he let out a 
shuddering sigh, one that he would not allow when his brother was around. 
Comforting Prince Diamond had put an emotional strain on him as well, as it 
required him to project a feeling of calm, and Sapphire felt anything but 
that at the moment.

Rubbing his forehead wearily, he was just about to get up and leave the 
Prince's chambers, when something caught Sapphire's eye; glancing down, he 
saw an object lying near his feet. 

"What's this...?" he murmured thoughtfully.  He was too 
preoccupied at the time to notice it, though.

As he picked it up to examine it curiously, he realized that it was a 
globe. One look at its contents, however, immediately brought him to his 
feet. 

"Alexandra," he said softly. Then he quickly phased out of the room.

And now Sapphire stood here in the War Room, anxiously awaiting the arrival 
of his commander, for her report. He cast an uneasy glance at the map 
display, where he had left the globe containing the shattered weapons of 
the Elite Guard.

 he thought 
sombrely. All his carefully laid plans...  He 
closed his eyes painfully. 

Sapphire then spared a moment of pity for Alexandra. She had lost so 
much... His guilt over the death of the Elite Guard must be nothing 
compared her own. But for all his sympathy, he glanced at the door with 
impatience. Even considering the circumstances, it was unlike her to be 
this late for a debriefing...

"Lord Sapphire?"

At the sound of the soft voice, Sapphire looked up once more, to see 
Alexandra suddenly leaning against the doorway. She was breathing heavily, 
and her face seemed paler than usual. A reprimand died on his lips, as his 
eyes met hers.

"Alexandra?" he asked, his brow furrowing. 

As his gaze moved down, it was then that Sapphire noticed the hand pressed 
at her side... And the spreading stain of blood on her clothing beneath it.

"Oh my God," he whispered.

"Sapphire," she repeated, and slumped to the ground. Shocked, Sapphire 
rushed forward, managing to catch her in his arms. Laying Alexandra 
carefully on the floor, he propped her head up on his lap. There were tiny 
beads of sweat on her forehead. 

"Alexandra, who did this to you?" he demanded. "If you were injured in 
battle, why didn't you just teleport to the infirmary--" Alexandra shook
her head convulsively. Urgently, she grasped his arm.

"Have to... Warn you..." 

Instantly, Sapphire was alert. "Warn me? Warn me about what?"

Alexandra was breathing shallowly; teleporting to the War Room had 
taken a lot out of her. Her pain-filled, red-violet eyes looked up into 
Sapphire's worried face. She could feel her sight blurring; mustering all 
of her strength, she focused on his eyes, until the blueness of his gaze 
filled her entire vision. Only then, did she manage to speak. 

"Wiseman," she whispered, finally. Then Alexandra's eyes closed, and her 
head fell to one side. Sapphire's eyes widened.

"Alexandra?" he gasped, trying to revive her. "Alexandra!" Just then, a 
sudden, clattering noise made him turn his head, and look up.

Alexandra's crystal counter, which up until now had been floating above the
hologram of Crystal Tokyo, had fallen onto the map display. Sapphire stared
at it uncomprehendingly for a moment; then he looked back down at her still
form in disbelief. He hung his head, silently. Then, he reached down, to 
examine the wound that had killed his commander of the guard. 

Gently, he pushed aside Alexandra's hand, which was still pressed against 
her side. Once it fell away, a tiny movement caught his eye; Sapphire 
glanced down, to see a dark crystal earring roll across the floor. As  
it came to a stop, he stared at it in numb recognition. His eyes then 
narrowed; he had realized that the earring was covered in blood. Reaching 
over, he picked it up, his expression unreadable. 

***

Moments later, Sapphire materialized in the Throne Room for the second time 
that day, and spoke out with an urgent tone in his voice.

"Brother, I need to have a word with you..." He then trailed off, once he 
realized that Prince Diamond already had an audience. Sapphire fell silent 
as two gazes, one violet in colour and one hooded in shadow, turned to look 
at him.

"Ah, Sapphire," greeted his older brother, from the throne. "It is good 
that you have come; Wiseman was just about to tell me about something."

"Hmmm... Yes," muttered the cloaked psychic. He distinctly turned his back 
on Diamond's blue-clad brother, and looked up at the Prince. 

"I'm afraid that the Commander of the Elite Guard is dead," began Wiseman, 
causing Sapphire to stare at him in surprise. The Prince raised an eyebrow 
at the soothsayer, who continued tonelessly. 

"It seems that she had failed in her mission of assassinating King 
Endymion. When I found out about this, I confronted her in her chambers 
about the matter... She then attempted to kill me." Sapphire gave a sharp 
intake of breath, while his brother, in comparison, remained emotionless. 
Wiseman went on.

"I defended myself as best as I could," he told the Prince unctuously, 
"resulting in the traitorous woman's demise." 

At those words, Sapphire closed his eyes.  he thought to 
himself sadly,  
Then, he recalled the woman's last words.

<'Have to... Warn you... Wiseman...'>

 And the fact Wiseman had managed to 
kill his commander of the guard at all, told Sapphire that he was far more 
dangerous than he had realized, up until now.

Sapphire glanced at his brother. Granted, what Commander Alexandra did  
could be considered treasonous, but it was Prince Diamond's job as ruler of 
Nemesis to make judgement upon such things, as well as mete out punishment 
for it; not that of his subordinates.

 He looked up hopefully at the Prince, to see his 
reaction to Wiseman's news.

"This has been a most... Unfortunate incident," commented Prince Diamond 
thoughtfully, causing the hope to fade from his younger brother's eyes. 
"But I suppose it cannot be helped..."

The rest of his words were lost to Sapphire, as the Prince continued to 
speak to his advisor. Glaring at the cloaked sage, he suddenly felt a 
surge of anger.  he cursed mentally, clenching a fist.

"Brother?"

Startled out of his thoughts, Sapphire glanced at Diamond, who was looking 
at him curiously. "Um, yes?" 

Prince Diamond pointed down, towards his brother's right arm. "Your hand... 
It seems to be bleeding."

Sapphire cast a glance at his gloved fist. Indeed, a drop of blood appeared 
to have fallen from it, onto the floor. As he opened his palm, he saw that 
he still held the bloodstained crystal earring that had belonged to 
Alexandra, which in turn, had been a gift from him.  
he thought emotionlessly.

"Did you cut youself, brother?" continued the Prince, in concern. Returning 
to himself, Sapphire closed his hand.

"Uh... Yes, that's it," he lied. "It's not serious." He then felt Wiseman's 
penetrating gaze turn upon him.

"Oh. That's good." Prince Diamond relaxed, and leaned back in his throne. 
"Now, Sapphire, I believe there was something you wanted to talk to me 
about...?" Sapphire blinked, then schooled his expression into an 
unreadable mask. 

"No... No, it's nothing, brother." He then bowed to the Prince. "If you 
will excuse me..." Turning from the throne, he began to walk away.

 he 
thought wearily.  As he raised his 
head, there was a determined look in his clear blue eyes.

"Only I can protect my brother, now..." whispered Sapphire to himself, and 
slowly faded away from the room.


END

*****

Well, that's it... Hope you enjoyed the story. ^_^ There are only a few 
flashbacks to the invasion of Crystal Tokyo in the anime, and I tried 
to keep as faithful to those scenes as possible. 

Side notes: You may have recalled that on the show, Rubius had to subvert 
the Crystal Points in 20th century Tokyo, which consisted of a five-pointed 
star. Whereas in my story, I used four points; that's because in two of 
the flashbacks on the invasion, you clearly see four beams of light landing 
around Crystal Tokyo. (I actually had originally intended to have the Elite 
Guard land at five points in the story, with Alexandra having to go the 
Crystal Palace on foot.) Now, this sort of makes me wonder about the 
discrepancy... (Maybe Sapphire made a little miscalculation in his original 
battle plans...? ^_~)

Another weird little note: When Prince Diamond kidnapped Serena in the 
anime, he did not take her to Nemesis, like in the manga; he took her to 
one of the dark crystal points around Crystal Tokyo (that's why Tuxedo Mask 
was able to hang-glide his way there to rescue her). Just thought I should 
point that out...

And as if this afterword isn't long enough, I've added a full description 
of each of the Elite Guard below. (Yes, I know only two of them were 
featured in this story... Maybe next time. ^_~)

That's all for now... Really. ^_~ Later!


---Avi

*****

Alexandra

Rank: Commanding officer of the Elite Guard
Weapon: Dark Crystal Sword and Dagger
Attacks: 
Dark Lightning Call
Dark Lightning Strike

Description: Straight red hair with bangs; hair reaches past the waist, and
is tied off twice near the very end; red-violet eyes.

Uniform: Long-sleeved, short-panted red jumpsuit with off-shoulder neckline
and a high-collared, sleeveless, dark violet shirt underneath; dark violet 
elbow-length, fingerless gloves and matching stockings that reach up to the
thighs; short, red boots; belt consisting of round gold plates, with 
reverse crescent in the centre; dark crystal earrings.

***

Aquamarine

Rank: 1st officer of the Elite Guard (second-in-command)
Weapon: Dark Aqua Trident
Attacks: 
Dark Icicle Lances
Dark Aqua Tempest
Dark Icy Tempest

Description: Light-blue, waist-length hair, parted on the right; hair is 
straight and tied back in a low ponytail, only a single lock of which hangs
on the left; aqua (turquoise) eyes.

Uniform: Light-blue jacket with two white wave designs across the front; 
jacket is open partway down the chest; reverse crescent pendant with 
blue-green jewel in the shape of a teardrop on it, mounted on a string 
around the neck; white pleated pants and shoes, plain white gloves.

***

Topaz

Rank: 2nd officer of the Elite Guard
Weapon: Dark Golden Garotte (Wire Whip)
Attacks: 
Dark Web
Puppet Strings

Description: Golden-brown hair that reaches past the waist, tied in a long, 
thin braid; hair is parted in the middle, with long bangs falling into the
eyes; gold-coloured eyes.

Uniform: Golden jacket with cords of a lighter shade strung across the 
front and back in two rows (cords attach at the collar and at the middle 
of the back, then hang loosely on the shoulders); round gold pendant at 
the collar; plain golden-brown pants, brown and white saddle shoes.

***

Garnet

Rank: 3rd officer of the Elite Guard
Weapon: Dark Flame Whip
Attacks: 
Dark Burning Napalm

Description: Middle-parted red hair, slightly unruly, tied in a tight 
ponytail; ponytail is thin and wavy and stops halfway down the back; brown 
eyes.

Uniform: Dressed all in black, with tinges of red: sleeveless top made out 
of netting; leather choker with steel ring; wrapped armbands that reach up 
to the elbow; leather pants with studded belt and matching knee-high boots,
laced up in the front.

***

Peridot

Rank: Junior officer of the Elite Guard
Weapon: Dark Oak Sickle
Attacks: 
Dark Sickle Slash
Dark Earth Shatter

Description: Short green hair, slightly unruly; eyes are a shade darker 
than the hair.

Uniform: Green jacket with steel shoulder plates that have two spikes on 
each; dark brown band that stretches diagonally from the shoulder to the 
waist, which then attaches to a matching belt; green pants tucked into 
short dark brown boots with bands and buckles; fingerless dark brown 
driving gloves.

*****

Copyright Cherryne Edejer, 2000-01. Sailor Moon and all related characters 
are property of Naoko Takeuchi, and are used without permission. Alexandra, 
Aquamarine, Peridot, Topaz and Garnet are characters created by me, 
however, and may not be used without my permission. 

    Source: geocities.com/televisioncity/set/4341