By Sailor Nena

"I don’t believe you." He said as he gasped for air. They were hidden in the dark close to Serena’s window. Under the window opposite her balcony, there was a small abandon garden that made for the perfect hiding place for the two lovers. He had brought her out here half an hour after he had taken her to her room. He was haunted by the planet Venus, which could be clearly seen from the garden. He had wasted so much time fighting his feelings that he could not wait until the next day to be with her.

He kissed her mouth with burning flames, and then created a path of kisses down her bare neck and right shoulder. "How do you want me to prove it?" she said before she began to kiss his neck. He circled her neck with kisses.

"What?" she asked in shock. He stopped kissing her and took a Chinese rose, an orange flower with oval shaped leaves, a trumpet coming out of its mouth, and originates form tropical Asia, from the flowers around them.

"I don’t have a ring with me, but I do have a lifetime of memorable memories and…I’m really bad at this…"

"You are doing fine." She whispered. He knelt on one knee and she sat up. With a gentle loving move, he placed the rose in her hair and asked, "Will you marry me?"

"In a heartbeat." She answered as she kissed his lips once more. They stopped mid-kiss as they noticed movement in Serena’s room again. "I thought she would stop pacing after Tuxedo Mask went into the room."

"She did."

"Then who is moving in her room?"

"I looks like…KING GUILE!" They quickly stood up and ran into the castle. It was bad enough one couple was caught; two would mean the end to a couple of young lovers.

"Go, you still have a chance to escape." Serena whispered to Darien as her father moved closer.

"And leave you here to take all the blame alone, NEVER!" he whispered back. They had never removed their arms from each other, and they had no plans to.

"WHY WASN’T I INFORMED OF THIS?"

"Sire, you are well aware of my vow. I am not permitted to speak of what I have written." I answered a bit startled. This was the first time I had seen the King so angered at anyone besides Nefarious.

"Call, the others; we will have a meeting to decide HIS fate in fifteen minutes. Can you handle that, or is it against one of your vows?"

"Father!" Serena reprimanded. I signaled her not to. She was in enough hot water as it was.

We were in the Royal War Room, a place with a deceiving name. The last official war ended two centuries ago. Now, the room is used for private conferences, but it still has its war-like decor. Behind the monarchs, there was a fireplace with their code of arms shown in a beautiful tapestry with two spears crossing on top of them. Their chairs were of equal height. On the top of the King’s, his royal seal, the head of a lion, was carved. To his left, on a smaller chair, was Gilbert. His chair was the only one that had not been carved yet. This was the chair meant for Serena’s husband, and, until she married him, his royal seal would not be carved into the chair.

To the King’s right was his wife. She and Serena, who was seated at her right, had a crescent moon on their chair. Serena’s chair was the same height as Gilbert’s and ours. The only difference was that hers was made of ebony instead of oak. Being seated in the only black chair meant she was the next in line for the thrown.

The next person seated in the round table was Sailor Venus. Behind her was the tapestry of her code of arms, a bleeding heart. Her chair had her royal seal (my reader will recognize this seal and the ones that belong to the Scouts as the mark that appeared on their forehead when Luna first discovered them on Earth). She was staring at Jedite, who was right in front of her, with loving eyes. The cat was out of the bag. The only ones who had not noticed that Mina and Jedite were a pair was the monarchs, who were too busy arguing with each other. Even Serena, whose mind was preoccupied with Darien’s safety, had noticed.

Next to Venus was Sailor Mercury. Her tapestry had the design of a wave of water in the form of an arrow. After the monarchs had started their argument, (a full fifteen minutes earlier), she had started to work on a new crossword puzzle book. She was half way through it.

Then came Sailor Mars. A sword on fire was the code of arms sown on her tapestry. The young priestess had taken Mercury’s lead and put on her headphones, so she could listen to the new song Chad had written her. A dreamy smile was painted on her lips as she remembered how her mother had sided with her and told her grandfather that Ray was allowed to date Chad.

Sailor Jupiter was seated next to her. Her tapestry was of a lightning bolt cutting through a shield. She was playing footsies with Nephrite and kept kicking me by mistake. I was painfully seated between the two.

Behind me, my tapestry (a quill breaking a sword) hung, and my seal was an open book with a quill writing in it. I was jotting down all the important events that accord, and, like I mentioned previously, being kicked by thunder and stars.

Next to me was a chair with a seal that looked like two crescent moons with their backs turned on each other. It was usually empty, but today, Sergio was occupying it. Behind him was a tapestry that hung over the door. Its design was of a black lion and a white lion simultaneously attacking a sword.

Then, came the generals. Between Jedite and Nephrite sat Zoizite in front of Aims and Malachite in front of Ray. Behind the four generals was a wall to wall tapestry with four unicorns. The first one was black and had his raven black wings stretched as it flew. The blue one was running on the water under the black one. The brown one claimed the land as it raced on it, and the white one watched the other three from the shade of a weeping willow, waiting to be needed. Their seals represented their jobs. Stars for the airforce, a teardrop for the ocean, a sword for the army, and a wolf’s head for National Guard.

As the general and the Princesses began to put their two cents into the argument, Serena rose and left the room. No one seemed to notice. I took her lead and lightly pressed my broach. I disappeared and reappeared outside the room. I was going to follow Serena when I felt someone behind me. "Sergio?"

"Mind if I escort you, M’La…I mean Nena?"

"Yes…I…ah…um…they won’t notice my absence because I’m invisible half the time, and they will consider Serena’s natural, but they might come looking for us if they see you gone too."

"Oh…you haven’t forgotten your promise, have you? Cause I’m aging you know."

"Never." I kissed his cheek and he turned a light shade of maroon. He returned to the room with a sly smile on his face.

"At least it got rid of him. Now, Serena, were are you?"

Darien looked out his window. The Earth was full and bright. "How I wish I could share you with her. Now, I may never see her again." He heard the door open and close behind him. "Has my fate been decided?"

"Not exactly." He turned to the female voice and smile.

"Serena, what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk." She stepped closer to him. He left his window and rushed to her side.

"What about?"

"Everything and nothing." She was not smiling or trying to seduce him. She was withdrawn and insecure. She did not know how to act. He took her hand and led her towards the bed. They both sat down and Darien began.

"Everything, in my book, that would be you. Nothing, that would be my life without you." She looked into his eyes. She remembered how she had once said they lack mystery because they were so transparent. Now, she thought they were so mysterious because they were too transparent. Did he really love her? Or was he another Charms?

"Darien…I…I want you to leave before my father makes a decision."

"What?"

"If you leave now, he won’t be able to kill you. I don’t think my mother or me can subdue his rage, Darien. He will have your head." He forced her to look at him.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"If it means saving your life."

"You know this is the second time you tell me that?"

"It’s the truth."

"Is it?" She smiled seductively.

"Yes." He tried to kiss her, but she moved back.

"You know something? I love you too." She smiled and kissed his shocked lips softly. He never thought she would take it so naturally.

His hungry lips searched for hers, and with desperate loving and passionate kisses, he pulled her closer to him.

"Promise you will never leave me." She whispered as he kissed her neck.

"I promise." His lips were on fire, and hers were cool water. He kissed her in every way he knew and more. She was his for the taking, and he was hers for the taking. He loosened her hair and let it fall in careless waves as his fingers swam through it. With delicate fingers, she removed his jacket.

"Serena?" he whispered.

"Yes."

"Do you know how much I love you?"

"How much?"

"Enough to die for you."

"Darien?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how much I love you?"

"How much?"

"Enough to save you." She kissed him one last time and rose to leave. He tried to stop her, but she did not let him. "I will return. Trust me."

"One last kiss then?" He lowered his face upon hers and kissed her slowly savoring every microsecond. They had all the time in the universe.

A rip between the universe and the negaverse became wide enough for Beryl to send her minions through. Their destination was The Moon. It would only take them several hours to complete the journey.

Serena entered the War Room and slammed the door shut behind her. This caused everyone to look at her. King Guile examined her questionably and asked, "Serena? When did you leave the room?"

"About an hour or so ago." She answered as she looked at her watch. She took a deep breath and announced in a loud determined voice, "What happened between Darien and me tonight, is not something to be a shamed about. We did NOT do anything so wrong that warrants his execution, and if we had, then we would both have to be executed! He DID NOT do anything I DID NOT let him, and I DO NOT see the reason this conference is taking place. As of now, I inform you that I shall not allow any of you, and that includes you, daddy, to get in the way of our relationship."

"The cat got claws." Gilbert laughed.

"And what type of relationship DO you two have? Why must it be kept in secrete?" the King asked.

"It is NOT kept in secrete. Mommy knew about it."

"Is that true?"

"Do you think I would let my daughter be courted my a man without MY knowledge?"

"Why wasn’t I informed?"

"For the same reason you’ve never wanted Serena to fall in love!"

"I DON’T…"

"Guile, it had to happen! Accept it." She covered his hand with hers. "We WILL find a way." She smiled.

"Bring him here," he ordered, "and you, young lady, take your seat. I will not have anymore rebellions from you tonight."

"Yes, father."

"Oh, and one more thing," he smiled softly at her, "I’m glad you have my seance of leadership. I’m proud of you."

"Thank you daddy." She smiled softly at him.

Darien entered the room. He was still in his tuxedo. "Darien," the Queen began, "were you aware that you were breaking the law when you broke into my daughter’s room?"

"Yes, my regent."

"Then, why did you do it?"

"Because…because I’m human, and we humans are complete fools when it comes to love."

"Are you saying that you love my daughter."

"Yes."

"Enough to kiss the executioner’s ax in order to save her honor."

"Yes." He did not hesitate. Serena could not look at him. She was aware of the procedures that were involved in these interrogations, which included her not giving the defendant any clues of what had already been decided. This did not matter. He did not need to look at her because he was sure of her love.

"Now, my daughter has presented me with a compelling case on how it is a shared guilt, and it should be a shared punishment. What do you have to say about this?"

"I will take any punishment you have in store, but do not punish Serena."

"So, you do not agree Serena’s involvement warrants a punishment. Was she such a pawn that she had nothing to do with you coming in and out of her room every night or the little scene my husband walked into?"

"When I first entered her room, I set a chain of events into motion that ended up in this inquiry. I started it."

"Some would argue it was the Fates."

"I don’t believe in Fates; I believe in my heart, and it told me…"

"What did it tell you?" the Queen pressured.

"It told me that I loved her desperately enough to defy all odds and risk the executioners kiss."

"And how does my daughter feel about you?"

"She-she loves me."

"How are you so sure?"

"She told me."

"When?"

"Tonight."

"Serena?"

"Yes, mother."

"Is this true."

"Yes, mother, I told him I loved him, and I meant it."

"Now, Serena," her father began too calmly, "did you mean it as the love you deny?"

"Yes, well…I don’t deny it anymore. I feel the purest love there exists between a man and a woman for this man." Her answer caused the king to swallow hard.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Serenity, how can you guarantee me that this young Potentate’s security is based on our daughter’s word and not something else."

"In all the nights he visited her, here and on Earth," the Queen allowed him enough time to digest her words, "he behaved like a perfect gentleman."

"How…how do you know?" He still was not convinced.

"The young emperor in front of you watched my balcony every night, but my mom’s real security is the Scribe." I looked surprised at Serena.

"I never told your mother what was going on between the two of you." I protested.

"That’s how I knew, child. If he had tried to take advantage…well I’m sure your oath as a Scout would have come before any law of the Scribes." The Queen answered. "As for the rest of you, let it be known that there shall be no record of the events that transpired tonight except for the Scribe’s retelling. You two," she looked at Darien then at Serena, "try not to arouse suspicion with your new…friendliness. Now, I hope you have all learnt a lesson. Do not hide these things from us, or next time, we might have to hire an executioner."

"In that case," Jedite rose, "I suppose it is correct to inform your royal highnesses that I have asked Mina to marry me, and she has accepted." The king sighed,

"Thank you for telling us. I wasn’t aware you to were…how do you kids say…an item?"

"We weren’t until tonight." Mina protested.

"Why must you children race so fast?" The king protested, "Any of you have anything else to add?" Nephrite and Lita rose their hands.

"We are what you call an item." Nephrite informed.

"And," Malachite added, "Zoizite and I have set the date for the next thirtieth of June."

"Is that all?" the king protested.

"Chad and I have made our relationship official."

"Greg is going to ask for my had next week."

"Gilbert?" the king asked desperately.

"Nena, want to be my girl?" he asked me.

"No."

"No, I have nothing to add." He said in his nonchalant voice. It was just like him to make one of his annoying jokes when the king was having a nervous breakdown.

"Before I dismiss you, is there anything I should know about what you children are planing?" the king asked.

"No." we answered.

"Hey, I was only kidding about that Nena thing, uncle."

"You’re dismissed!" The king said as he motioned Darien and Serena to stay. "Nena, is there any way this can remain off the record."

"No."

"Fine, just a few small warnings to you two. I do not need any surprises for a while, so I don’t want to hear about formalizing anything for at least two years! Until then, I do not need any reason to pressure that formalization! Stay out of the tabloids at all cause. I will accept the occasional picture of the two of you in a function, but nothing that will give me an excuse to ring both your necks! Do not give reasons for rumors, and if I find out that any of these warnings have not been heeded, I will personally pick up the executioners ax!"

"But don’t forget to enjoy each other’s company." The queen interrupted. "It is almost dawn, so we will leave you to say goodnight, and I mean SAY goodnight." The king and queen left the chambers, and I disappeared.

"Are we truly alone?"

"No way to tell."

"I can always say goodnight better when we’re alone."

"You’ve said it so well while she was there."

"I guess I have forgotten she was there." He said as Serena rose from her seat and met him half way. "Goodnight, Prince Darien."

"Goodnight, Princess Serenity." He took her hand and kissed it. Then he used the hand to pull her closer to him and properly kissed her goodnight. I took the opportunity to give them a few minutes of privacy (I am allowed to give the Princess some privacy at my own discretion).

"Nena!" Gilbert signaled me as soon as I was out of the room.

"Yes."

"Are you dating anyone from Gemini? I mean I know that you are not allowed to date, and it surprised me that you would break a rule."

"I’m not. Why?"

"Well, that little prince, Sergio, threatened me when we left chambers. Knowing how Geminians are about girlfriends and family…I thought that perhaps love had hit two homeruns tonight."

"What do you mean by ‘how Geminians are about girlfriends and family?’"

"Well, if you are dating one of them and they are not around, the nearest family member that is around will make sure…his territory is guarded form foreign invasions." His words echoed in my soul.

"Prince Gilbert, where is Bard from?"

"That wanna be Scribe?"

"I think I heard he has a kingdom to write for now."

"Well, he will never be good enough to compare himself to the likes of you or Writ."

"You like her don’t you?"

"Yes, I do, and you know what is the best part?"

"What?"

"She doesn’t follow that law about not dating, falling in love, or marrying. In fact, you are the last scribe that follows it."

"Your point?"

"Nothing, I just thought it was strange." He walked away, but turn suddenly and said, "Bard, I think he is from Impugnant, a small planet part of the Genabally Empire. Nena, it fell a few hours ago to the Negaverse."

"I know. That is the second of the Seven Empires to fall. If Baryl continues this strategy, she will save the strongest kingdom for last."

"Well, we shall be the last, if she gets this far."

"Oh, you have no idea how right you are. We WILL be the last."

"Hey Babe, where are you going in such a hurry?" Bard came from behind and grabbed my arm.

"To bed." I force myself free.

"May I join you?" I smacked him. "Ooooh, violent, just like I like them."

"You disgust me." Bard was a seventeen-year-old scribe in training. He had dark purple hair and breath taking sinister milk blue eyes. He had no pupils. I was about three inches shorter than he was. Bard also had Scandinavian complexion and a body structure that rivaled Jedite’s. He was not terribly handsome, but he did have a dark smile that made him irresistible to some girls. I am, thankfully, immune to it. I suppose it is because he made the big mistake of opening his mouth when we were first introduced. Even then, he needed to have it washed out with soap.

"You know I have a Kingdom to write for?"

"Your point?" I said frigidly annoyed.

"That it is a very powerful kingdom, and if you are good, I might let you in." He said as he tried to grab my waist. I pushed him away and smacked his other cheek. "I was hopping you would be bad." He grabbed my arm and began to drain me of energy. I thought this strange because he had never done this before.

"Let ‘er go! GEMINI TWIN LIGHT ATTACK!" Sergio came into the gardens in time to see me fall on one knee. A black and white light escaped his right hand, and they came intertwining towards Bard. They hit him from behind. They were not powerful enough to stop him, but they were powerful enough to give me the opportunity to pull free.

"Who are you, BRAT?" Bard turn to see me walk towards Sergio. "This conversation is between me and my woman!"

"I AM NOT your woman!" I turned to Sergio. "Go! I can handle him!"

"And I never saw a twin. You are TOO weak!"

"Wanna bet?" I turn to Bard. "Want to try me on for size, or do you still prefer to fight cowardly."

"I was hopping you’d say that."

"Before you fight her, you’ll have to fight me!" Jedite said as he walked behind me. He jumped over Sergio and me and landed in front of Bard. "You do NOT have the pleasure of trying one of my Sailors without first being approved by me." Jedite drew his sword.

"Another time, then." Bard turned and disappeared.

"What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!" I yelled at Sergio.

"He was paying you back, or have you forgotten that he owes you one." Jedite said smiling. He has always been better with children. I took a deep breath.

"Thank you, young prince. Your assistance makes us even."

"Don’t be so cold, Nena. This is Sergio, not Bard. Give him a little kiss."

"DON’T start!"

"Why? Am I also too young for you to kiss me thank you?" Sergio whined.

"For the third time, it’s not your age; it’s my vows!" I knelt down and kissed his cheek. "Happy?"

"Very. Thanks for the back up Jedite."

"How can you encourage him?"

"He’s seven; how can’t I? That doesn’t matter. What matters is why I came to see you."

"What now?"

"I want to start training you with the other Scouts again. This having your mother and me training you on the side, so you can follow Serena, is not working. You are two years ahead of them as a Guardian. You could probably survive a fight with King Guile as a Guardian. You might not be able to walk, or talk correctly, oh, and you would have to say good-bye to the pen, but you would live. The point is that as a Scout you have not even begun to explore your capabilities. Even Sergio, who is only being considered for Scout-hood by the Queen, has better knowledge than you about his potential."

"Wait, a male Scout?"

"My, aren’t we the female chauvinist. It’s good that these stupid rules about only female Scouts are done away with. We males can be just as good Scouts."

"If you say so."

"The point is you have to report tomorrow at six. Don’t worry. Your princess will be there."

"But that’s half an hour from now." I whined.

"Well, it’s not my fault that the meeting took so long, or that you had an interruption!"

The alarms went off around dawn. I had just reached my mother and was planning to get fifteen minutes of sleep. I touched my broach and appeared in the War Room. Serena and Darien were holding each other in front of the main computer, which is normally hidden by the unicorn tapestry. The king and the queen were looking worriedly at the screen. "It is Beryl." The queen stated as soon as we were all in the room.

"Serena," her father continued, "how would you like to lead our army into battle, as the Moon Guardian, of course." Serena’s eyes brighten.

"You mean it, daddy?"

"You proved yourself tonight, and I think it is about time you started to act like the future queen."

"We would send you as Sailor Moon, but that is one title I am too fund of." The Queen smiled.

"There is something you will need." Her father drew his sword. "Excalaber has been loyal to me; she will serve you well."

"Your sword? Is there something I do not know?"

"What-what do you mean child?" The Queen asked nervously.

"Letting me lead the army, giving me daddy’s sword, it’s just not like you guys."

"We just want to show you our support." The king stated.

"Well," Serena turned to us and pressed a button that turned the round table into a holographic map of the Moon, "Beryl is attacking from the North with an impressive armada. The best solution is to divide and conquer. Nephrite, I want you to move the ships through the Cascavian Caves. They have a reputation of being uncharted mazes, so she won’t expect a surprise attack from the sides. While that is happening, I want the army to do evasive maneuvers through the Dark Forest. I want her ground forces to lose contact with their air support. Can your troops handle it, Jedite?" she waited for his affirmative before continuing. "Malachite, as soon as they lose contact, they will be easy pickings, so send fleet 9, the one with only twelve planes, to take care of it. The rest must be sent to the Caves. Eliminate the frontal troops. Between you and Nephrite, no Calvary must arrive for Beryl.

"Now, Beryl has sent her newest ally, Prince Brontes of Arcadia, in front of her army with his five best solders. He is mine; the rest will be divided among you girls." She pointed at the Scouts. "I will not go into battle without my training buddies at my right." She pressed another button and a close up on the six warriors. "The one with the wild long green hair is Brontes." He was a handsome man with matching green eyes of about thirty-nine years of age. From the neck down, he was identical to Malachite, and wore a black uniform that consisted of black leather pants and a loose black shirt. He did not smile. He just stared blankly in front of him.

"The one on his right is his son, Stygian." Serena skimmed through a blue intelligence report while we looked at the handsome eighteen-year-old prince. He had green hair like his father, but his was short and tamed. He had the same cold green eyes, and had Jedite’s body structure. He wore a uniform like his father’s except he did not have a black shirt. He had a black turtleneck instead. "He has mastered white energy techniques, but that is the only fighting skill he fully developed. He also has a cunning mind."

"He’s mind." Venus said defiantly.

"Good. Behind Stygian is his older brother, Erinyes." The camera focused on another handsome face. He was a younger version of his father wearing the same uniform as Stygian. "He is a match for any opponent. He has numerous titles in fighting and swordplay. He is also the chess master of his galaxy."

"He is really not that bad. I have met him before." Darien stated. "His reputation is not completely true. He cheated to get half of his titles, but he did earn the other half. If no one has any objections, I would like to take him on. We have unfinished business."

"Just remember, this is not your personal time for revenge." Serena stated. The camera focused on three identical faces with red-orange hair. They were not as handsome as the previous royals, but they were still pleasing to the eyes. "These are Eumenides, Titan, and Taenarus. They are strong and agile. Trickery is their last name, so needless to say that they do not fight fair."

"I’ll take dumb." Said Ray.

"Dumber." Said Lita.

"Asinine." Amy said.

"Generals, after the fleet begins to retreat, follow them, and make sure that Baryl does not do this again." We bowed and went to our posts.

We were in the middle of the Dark Forest. The enemy was hovering behind the land troops. We were hidden in the shade of the trees underneath them examining the area. We were waiting for Serena to say the magic words.

The attack began almost immediately. Serena pulled out her mask threw it like a discus in front of her. She was suspended in mid air as a silver ribbon wrapped her legs together and kept climbing her body until it reached the tip of her fingers, which were stretched above her head. In one smooth sweep her hair fell out of its meatballs and wrapped itself into a bun. Her arms broke free of the ribbon, and then the same happened with her legs. She landed softly as the Moon Guardian and caught the mask as it flew back to her. She put in on, and a wave of energy sealed her transformation.

She picked up Excalaber, and screamed, "CHARGE!"

Lita, Ray, and Amy ran in unison, jumped, completed a flip in the air and landed kicking Dumb, Dumber, and Asinine to the ground. Mina pulled the love belt from her waist and used it as a whip to pull the prince from his hovering position to the ground. She was not the type that went to the man, but she was the type that had the man come to her. Darien drew his sword and aimed for his target. Their swords clashed immediately. Serena waited for Brontes to come to her. This was going to be fun.

Brontes collected a ball of blue energy and threw it at Serena screaming, "Brontes Blue Blaze!" Serena blocked it with her father’s sword, but the force of the blow pushed her back several inches. "You should know better than to play with fire." He laughed.

"Who says I’m playing. Guardian…Sword…Attack!" Serena raised the sword in the air and permitted it collect enough energy. Then she pointed at him and released the lightning volts. He elaborately dodged them. "I’m quenching."

"BRONTES…BLUE…BLAZE!"

"MOON…GUARDIAN…EXCALABER…ATTACK!" He threw a larger blue energy ball at her, and she retaliated by executing a white energy beam that cut his ball in half and continued to injure his right arm. He drew his sword (he was left handed) and began a rapid sword attack. Excalaber was heavier than her usual sword, but she still managed to block his blows. He kicked her right shin, and she fell to the ground. He raised his sword above his head and collected the energy he need for the kill.

"BLACK…DEATH…"

"MOON…GUARDIAN…MASK…MAGIC!"

"ATTACK!" Serena threw her mask at Brontes and killing him, but the mask was only able to lessen his attack. Serena was blown unconscious against a tree, but was not seriously injured.

Venus had Stygian locked in her whip. She was zapping him with love energy. "Feel the power of Love!"

"Stygian...Tartarus…ATTACK!" A white ball of energy emerged from his body and broke Venus’s belt. "Someone should teach you some manners, LOVE CHILD!" Venus pressed her hands together.

"VENUS…CRESCENT…"

"BEAM SMASH!" The two waves of energy crashed and negated each other.

"Not bad, Sailor Airhead, but not good enough for someone like me." He called forth all his energy and prepared to attack. Venus used what was left of her belt to grab his ankle. She pulled and he fell on his back. The energy he had collected escaped into the atmosphere.

"Not a bright one. VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!" That was the end of Stygian’s fighting days.

"Pathetic, don’t you think?" a voice behind me said. I turned to see Bard writing on a scroll.

"What are you doing here? This is not your kingdom!"

"I told you I was hired."

"You wouldn’t stoop so low as to…" I had never liked Bard very much. His male chauvinistic manner had gotten on my nerves previously, but seeing him cockily admitting that he was the Negaverse’s scribe was the drop that spilled the glass.

"NENA PEN ATTACK!" Hundreds of little quills flew from my fingers at Bard. He disappeared and reappeared behind me.

"BARD SCROLL SMASH!" Three little papers flew at me. Their edges were razor sharp. I dodged them and return with my attack. He disappeared and tried to kick me from behind, but the years of training with sneaky Jedite had paid off. I caught his leg and flipped him over my head. These moves are easy when you are fighting in midair. "MULTI SCROLL ATTACK!" Dozens of razor sharp scrolls came flying at me. The tree sent its roots to form a temporary wall that deflected the scrolls. Then it pulled them back underground. The fighting must have awoken the tree spirits, and my being the daughter of a tree comes in handy at these times.

"Bard!" Beryl’s icy voice send chills down my spine. "Stop this charade at once! I NEED accurate records of the fight!"

"Yes, my queen." I turned to disappear and I made my fatal mistake.

"See ya Bard!" I threw him a kiss in my cold manner that ignited his rage and disappeared.

My fight with Bard had cost me precious details of Jupiter’s, Mercury’s, and Mar’s fight. When I returned to my duties, the girls were finishing them off.

"MERCURY BUBBLES!"

"CRASH!" Mercury fogged the area. Mars threw a fireball, and Jupiter electrified it. The combined attack reduced their opponents to dust.

Darien was still clashing swords with Erinyes. Darien’s sword fight with Serena served to prepare him for this fight. Like Serena, Erinyes was skillful in using the trees in the area. He tried to ram Darien with his sword but Darien blocked him and sent him against a tree, in the same manner Nefarious had once sent Darien. Erinyes stabbed the ground with his sword sending a wave of energy through it and "rocked" Darien’s world. Once Darien was on the ground, Erinyes charged with his sword. A weaken Darien managed to raise his sword in time for Erinyes to ram into it. He turned to dust.

"Serena, honey, are you alright?"

"Yes mother." We were in the infirmary getting our bruises looked at. The King and Queen worriedly looked over Serena. She was laying in one of the beds, and Darien was sitting by her side. "Where are the generals?"

"Following your orders. They are pursuing what’s left of Beryl’s forces, and will only return when Beryl has no forces left." Darien informed.

"How many casualties?" Serena asked anxiously.

"Minimal." Her mother assured.

"That is too many." Serena whispered and shed a tear for their loss.

"It is something you will have to learn to accept. As Queen, you will have to send many young ones into battle knowing they will not return." Her mother warned.

"How do you deal with it?"

"I try not to think of their deaths, but the lives they saved. They are heroes like the ones in our Fairy-Books. We will mourn for them. We will praise them, but we will not forget them." Serena smiled at her mother’s words, but her expression soon turned to annoyance as she saw Charms walk in.

"My Princess, I just heard. Are you all right? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have fought at your side."

"That wasn’t necessary. Darien fought at her side." The King said uninterested.

"I suppose that your special relationship…"

"Yes, their special relationship," the king continued in the same tone, "well I suppose you should be the first prince to know that these two love birds finally woke up and…well are officially dating." The king had not liked Charms at all. Charms held his daughter too tight and had no respect for her father. The only good thing he had found in her daughter’s relationship with the Darien was that he was able to "rub it in."

"How formal is official?" Charms asked disoriented.

"The wedding is in two years." The King continued. He signaled Serena, and she, knowing her father too well, kissed Darien’s lips softly. He returned the kiss containing his passion. Charms had a heart attack.

"E-HEM!" The two lovers looked at me.

"Lets not forget there are children in the room." I pointed at Sergio, who was busy bandaging my nonexistent paper cut. Having a young suitor was proving to be one of the most annoying things in my life.

"Well, until Jedite returns, I’m in charge of your training." Mina said proudly.

"Any chance we get a nice vacation until he comes back?" Lita asked hopefully.

"No. We are going to work hard to improve ourselves so he can’t defeat us in any more simulations."

"When do we start?" I asked.

"As soon as we have completed our reports to the Queen." She answered.

"You’re becoming worse than Jedite!" Serena complained. A messenger boy rushed into the room.

"My Regents!"

"Yes, speak." The Queen ordered.

"We have lost all communications with the Generals."

"What?" we all asked in unison.

"About an hour ago, they reported strange energy readings followed by tribulation. Communications were lost soon after, and we lost them on radar fifteen minutes ago."