| "Nuriko wa... Nuriko da yo."
Pre-Veterinary Student  | -Miaka ("Fushigi Yuugi" ep. 34)
Japanese anime fanfic   |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
writer, extraordinaire! | "That's a plate."
Keep smilin'!!  *^_^*   |      -Nuriko to an out-of-it Tama-chan who's
Visit my (new and       |       trying to eat one.  *giggles* *glomps
improved) homepage...   |       Nuri-chan*  Wai! Wai!  Nuriko no sugoi!!


Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, they belong to Naoko
Takeuchi-sama and all the wonderful people who created Sailor Moon.  I am
torturing them without permission.  ^_^

Notes (5-25-99): Sorry this took so damned long to finish.  *sighs*  I've
been having real trouble with this fic but I keep trying to plod along and
finish it, 'cuz I know several people who will kill me if I don't.  And
they know where I live...  *shudder*  :)  Anyway, hope you're still
enjoying this fic and _please_ send me C&C if you liked this part - or if
you didn't.  ^_^  At this point, just about anything will help...
*sheepish grin*

Anyway, enough of my babbling - enjoy the fic!

Part 6 - Broken Tears
---------------------

        Upper Sailor Mars stared about the courtyard, anxiety causing her
heart to rabbit in her chest.  No one was about, that she could easily
see, but it was fairly late at night.  They were probably all inside
sleeping.  But what bothered her most of all was the absence of Jupiter's
presence.  Oh it was there, but distant - as if Jupiter were no longer on
the Moon.  That meant she'd have to face the Generals alone...
        ~You are never alone, little one.  Not while I'm here,~ was Mars'
steady reply.  ~These are your people - you should not fear them.  In
spite of what the Princess led you to do, you have shown true courage in
returning.  They will respect that - I know they will.~
        Sailor Mars smiled.  *Of course, he's right.  I have nothing to be
worried about.*  She slowly pushed open the door to Healer Hall.  She had
earlier determined that the remainder of the Moon's people were here
rather than at the Palace.  And considering the ruin that Beryl's troops
had made of the Palace, she couldn't find it in her to blame them.
        The minute she stepped into the Hall, she felt the chill of a
metal blade against her neck.  A voice growled from the darkness, "That's
quite far enough, traitor."
        Mars froze, her mind whirling in a hundred different directions.
But she knew that voice...  "Roland?  Roland, is that you?  It's me -
Rei..."
        The lights quickly flared and Mars caught sight of the Captain's
frowning visage, "I know well enough who you are, traitor.  Your reason
for being here will determine how soon I let you die.  So start talking!"
        All color drained from Mars' face.  She had told herself that she
was ready for any kind of reception - but she hadn't been ready for this.
She did the only thing she could think of to do.  She started talking -
_fast_.
        As Roland listened to her story, his grip on her arm loosened.  By
the time she reached the end of the story, he had dropped his dagger arm.
His eyes still showed an unhappy wariness, but he no longer looked like he
was ready to kill her.  She cleared her throat, "Roland?"
        He sighed heavily and backed away, allowing her entry into the
main corridor, "I'm not happy about this, Rei - not any of it.  As far as
I'm concerned, you could still be a spy."  Rei moved to interrupt, but
Roland cut her off, "I've heard your story - and it's a good one, I'll
admit.  But I just can't buy it, Rei.  I'm sorry."
        Rei nodded, a lump forming in her throat, "I expected no less.  If
you have a holding area, I'll wait there while you get the Generals."
        Roland tapped his dagger against his chin for a moment, weighing
the options - she had a point, unfortunately, they had no such holding
area.  No dungeon.  Damn.  He growled softly, "You realize what an act of
faith this is for me, don't you?"
        "What?  I'm afraid I don't understand..."
        Roland jabbed his dagger at the floor, "You will stay _here_.  I
will go get the Generals and we will all have a nice chat.  If I find that
you have moved from this spot, then you're dead when I get back.  Got it?"
        Rei swallowed and nodded her head, not trusting her voice.  When
Roland left, she sank to the floor, clutching her knees to her chest.  *Oh
great Mars - what did I get myself into?*  As she wasn't expecting a
response, she was startled when one came, ~Courage little one.  You are
not alone.~  She smiled and leaned back against the wall to wait.

        Roland knocked on Zoisite's door, feeling more than a little
ridiculous.  *I feel like a child afraid to wake up his parents for a
nightmare...*  He heard a low growl emerge from the bedroom, followed by a
thump and a loud curse.  Zoisite flung the door open and stared at him for
a moment before whacking him on the head with her pillow, "Damn it,
Roland!  I was asleep..."
        A rakish grin appeared on the Captain's stern visage, "And
doubtless having very pleasant dreams about a certain General..."
        Zoisite's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest,
pulling her robe more firmly shut, "If you woke me up in the middle of the
night, to exchange witty banter, I'm going to have to hurt you."
        Roland sighed, "Unfortunately, that's not what I woke you about.
It appears that Sailor Mars has had a change of heart during the night and
would like to rejoin us..."
        "What???"  Zoisite was instantly in a flurry of motion.  She
tossed her robe onto a chair and raced over to her closet, unlacing her
nightgown as she went, "Damn it!  You could have said that to start with!"
She yanked the nightgown over her head and pulled on her uniform as Roland
hastily averted his eyes.  When he looked up again, she was over at the
mirror pulling a green hair band over her mussed ponytail.  She grabbed
his arm and started pulling him down the corridor, "All right, you wake
Diana and Zafir, I'll get Malachite and Jadeite.  Once I have Malachite
awake, he can go wake up the Prince."
        Roland gave her a jaunty salute and snapped out, "Yes sir,
General, sir!  Right on it!" about-faced and ran off down the hallway.
        Zoisite grinned, "Scamp," and went about her own business.

        Twenty minutes later had the motley crew standing in the main
hallway and staring down at a frightened Sailor Mars.  That, more than
anything she said later, convinced Zoisite that she was being truthful.
Her gift of Empathy revealed the true nature of Rei's fear as she related
her tale - not fear for herself, but fear for them.  A fear that they
wouldn't believe her and would be hurt as a result.  Once everyone had
settled themselves around her, Zoisite approached and knelt beside the
girl.  She patted Rei's shoulder and smiled, "Hello, Mars.  Welcome home."
        The beaming smile that Mars gave her in response was pure joy.
She threw her arms around Zoisite and hugged her close, "Thank you.  I was
so afraid that you'd turn me away..."
        When she broke away from the hug, it was to see Darien also
kneeling close by.  He held out a hand to Sailor Mars, a tender expression
on his face, "I do thank you, Rei.  We can use all the help we can get for
this fight.  It took a lot of courage to do what you did."
        Rei took his hand and grasped it warmly, a pensive expression on
her face.  She looked up over Darien's shoulder, looking for the tall,
slender form of the First General.  When her eyes alighted on him, they
brightened, "Malachite.  I'm glad to see that you are all right.  I had
feared the worst."
        Malachite stepped forward and nodded his head, "I have certainly
seen better days, Sailor Mars.  Fortunately, I will live to see many
more."  His fist clenched at his side, "And I will see Venus pay for what
she's done.  I want a rematch."
        Mars smiled, then slowly rose to her feet to be on eye level with
the General.  Darien and Zoisite rose to stand behind her.  She looked
about at that small sea of faces and swallowed hard, "Malachite, sir -
there's something that I should tell you.  I know that it's going to sound
hard to believe, but...  Just try."  Zoisite gave her a nod of
encouragement, and Mars took a deep breath before continuing, "As I told
you, I overheard a conversation between Serena and Sailor Venus.  Serena
said something that startled me greatly, for I had never even entertained
this notion.  I think that maybe this knowledge might have had something
to do with why she turned to Metallia."  She bowed her head, and her next
words were quiet, almost reverent, "Sir, you too are a child of Serenity.
The elder half-brother of the Princess."  She dropped to one knee, head
still bowed, "Sire."
        A tense silence followed her words.  No one spoke, no one moved.
Zoisite's eyes roamed around the room, taking in everyone's postures and
expressions.  Darien looked - almost angry.  As if he'd been cheated of
something - and perhaps he had.  Her eyes turned to Malachite, expecting
to see shock, joy, maybe a bit of fear.  His eyes showed none of that -
they didn't even show surprise.  He nodded once, then held out a hand to
Rei and asked her to stand up.  She did, casting a quick glance around at
everyone else before returning her gaze to the First General.
        Malachite cleared his throat, "I suppose you are all wondering why
this didn't surprise me."
        A snort sounded from Roland's direction, "No really..."
        Malachite smiled and turned that way, "I'm serious, Roland.  Try
to be the same - just this once."  Roland tossed him a thumbs up and
settled back into his chair.
        Malachite turned back to the rest of them and cleared his throat,
"When I was unconscious, I had a dream - a very vivid dream.  I saw a day
in my past that I had very nearly managed to forget.  The day my father
died."  His voice grew quiet, subdued, "Relli lived with us, then - a gift
to my father from my mother as protection.  In a way, she saved me that
day, by getting me out of the house before the soldiers came.  Nephlyte's
mother later found me and took me in."  He paused, "What I never knew was
what happened to her later.  Faithful Relli... She came back here - to my
mother.  To Serenity.  In the dream, I saw that, and I knew."
        His eyes met Darien's, and in them was a silent apology, "After I
woke up, I forgot - the dream.  But, now that I've heard Sailor Mars'
story, I remember it."  He gave a bitter laugh, "And I suppose that this
explains the very prematurely white hair..."
        That earned a few laughs from around the room, but they quieted
quickly.  Malachite stepped forward and put a hand on Darien's shoulder,
"Darien, let me tell you this now - this doesn't change anything."  At
Darien's surprised look, he continued, "Think about it.  I'm the bastard
child of a Queen of the Moon.  You are the Heir to the throne of the Earth
- where all surviving people of the Silver Millenium will now reside."  He
sank to one knee at Darien's feet, bowing his head, "You will ever and
always be my Prince, Darien.  And one day, you will be my King.  I live to
serve you now, as I always did."
        Darien swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat.  He hastily
told Malachite to get up, then pulled the older man into a tight hug.  In
that moment, he truly felt like a prince.  For the first time in many a
year, he felt the ability to rule rise to his fingertips.  He could do
this.
        Gently putting Malachite at arms' length, Darien gave the older
man a genuine smile.  Malachite nodded, glad of the self-confidence that
he saw in the Prince's eyes.  Darien dropped his arms from Malachite's
shoulders and straightened his tunic.  He looked around at the sea of
faces, wondering what he would see.  Almost all were smiling.  He found
himself smiling back - how could he have doubted them?  These were his
people, and this was his sacred responsibility.  If he had felt
inadequate, it was no one's fault but his - and only because he'd lost his
self-confidence.  He squared his shoulders and walked over to where Rei
was standing.
        Rei looked up at him with nervous eyes, in spite of his welcoming
facial expression, she was still wary.  He smiled warmly at her and
enveloped her in a hug.  Rei nearly melted into the embrace - how many
times had she dreamed...?  No - best not to think about it.  She brought
her arms up and patted Darien's back, "Thank you, my Prince."
        Darien gave her one last squeeze, then pulled back to smile at
her, "The pleasure is all mine, Mars - welcome back."
        Malachite watched them with happy eyes before turning to the rest
of the assembled and saying, "OK, people - I think the show's over for
now.  We can all meet back in the morning to talk about finalizing plans.
Good night, everyone."
        The first general watched everyone file out of the room with tired
eyes.  The revelations of this night had brought back childhood memories
with a vengeance.  And they were memories that he was totally unsure that
he wanted.  He watched as the Prince tucked Mars' arm in his and led her
upstairs - to find her a room, he supposed.  He turned his head to look
out the window, not quite ready to seek his bed, yet.  A great part of him
wished that Nephlyte were here - he could really use someone to talk to.
He was momentarily startled by a light tough on his shoulder.  He turned
to find Zoisite's concerned eyes but a foot away.  She smiled at him and
tilted her head sideways, "You OK?"
        He sighed, feeling that weariness seep into his bones, "No.  Not
really."
        She moved her arm so that it draped across his shoulders and gave
him a gentle squeeze, "I may not be Nephlyte, but I'm willing to listen...
if you want to talk, that is."
        A small lump formed in his throat, but he pushed it down.  His
voice was slightly strangled when it emerged, "I think I'd like that."
        Zoisite nodded and led him outside.  He stared up at the stars for
a while, his eyes automatically locating the blue-green sparkle of the
Earth which hung above them.  Zoisite's eyes followed his and she smiled,
"You miss it, too."  It was a statement of fact, not a question, but he
nodded anyway.  She raised a hand to rub his back lightly, "We all do,
Malachite.  You, me, Jadeite, Nephlyte - even the Prince.  Especially the
Prince.  And this is hard on everyone..."
        He turned his silver eyes to capture her jade green ones, "I know
that, Zoisite.  It's just that..."  He hung his head, "I don't know."  He
raised a hand to rub his head, closing his eyes.
        Zoisite frowned, "Headache?  It's no wonder...  You don't find out
you're the son of the Queen every day, you know."  At Malachite's quickly
indrawn breath, Zoisite nodded slowly, "That's what this is all about,
isn't it?  The Queen."
        Malachite turned and walked away from Zoisite, sitting himself
down on a nearby bench, "It is - and it isn't.  It's almost as if I don't
know who I am, anymore.  But that's silly.  No matter who my mother is,
_I_ haven't changed.  I'm still the same person I was before this
started."
        Zoisite sat down next to him and laughed, "Now that _is_ silly."
At Malachite's confused look, she continued, "No one is exactly the same
person they were yesterday, Malachite.  We all change, day by day, year by
year.  What a boring world this would be if we didn't!  Change isn't bad,
you know - just different.  So yesterday you were an orphan and today
you're the son of the Queen.  But what difference that really makes... who
can tell?"
        The First General nodded slowly, still deep in thought, "I suppose
you could be right."
        Zoisite smiled and rubbed his back again, "Of course I am.  Now
listen to your friendly country Healer - take two of these..." she
proceeded to kiss each of his cheeks, "...and call me in the morning."
Then, feeling very gratified by the light blush that colored Malachite's
cheeks, Zoisite stood, waved, and walked back to Healer Hall.
        Malachite raised a hand to touch his right cheek as he watched the
younger General walk away.  *I can't believe she did that...*  The spots
where she had kissed him felt cool compared to the heat of the rest of his
face.  He hadn't blushed like that in longer than he could recall - it
almost felt good.  And he wouldn't kid himself into thinking he was
unattracted - Zoisite was a very good-looking woman...  *And intelligent,
witty, and strong - everything I ever wanted in a woman.*
        He turned his face back to the aquamarine orb of his homeworld, a
thoughtful look upon his features.  Maybe Nephlyte was right.  After all,
he and Lita had made their relationship work - in spite of the very
serious odds against them.  Maybe, just maybe...  It might be worth a
shot.  After all, who knew what the next few months would bring...?

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

        Zoisite slowly uncurled her limbs from their cramped position.
One of her arms was tucked underneath her body, the other under her head.
And both of her legs were comfortably entwined with those of...  She
flushed, a satisfied smile creeping over her features.  Even now, she
could hardly believe it.  After all those months of chasing after the
First General, she'd finally captured his heart.  She smiled, twisting in
his embrace so she could see his peacefully sleeping features.  Even now,
his beauty made her breath catch in her throat.  A captured moonbeam...
that's what her lover was.
        *My lover...  I can't believe I can finally say that...*  She
lifted a hand to brush a strand of silver hair from Malachite's face.  He
murmured something in his sleep and pulled her closer, causing her heart
to thump even harder in her breast.  *Gods... I love him so much.*  She
pressed a kiss to his forehead, laughing as he snuggled closer to her.
She held him close, stroking his hair until he subsided back into a deeper
sleep.
        The Healer-General relaxed back against the pillows as she let her
mind wander over the memories of the past several months.  When had the
turning point been?  *Probably that first night I kissed him...*  She
almost laughed again as she remembered her words: "Take two of these and
call me in the morning."  Doubtless, he hadn't expected a woman to be so
forward.  She'd shocked him.  And once she'd figured out the key to
catching his attention, she'd been able to keep it.
        A small chuckle escaped her lips.  Once Darien had figured out her
attraction to the First General, he'd been eager to help her catch him.
Some of the more daring plans she'd rigged to get Malachite alone with her
had been his work.  He'd really changed over the past months - they all
had, really.  He wasn't completely the same as he had been before meeting
the Princess, but he was on the road to recovery - that much was certain.
He was a lot more confident, a lot more easy-going, as well.  All the
changes were for the good - and a great many of them had been brought
about with Rei's help.
        Now there had been an interesting scene...  Nephlyte and Jupiter
had stopped back to replenish their supplies.  They'd already evacuated
what was left of the outer planets to Earth and were on their way to
Jupiter as soon as they resupplied the ships.  To say that Lita had been
shocked by Rei's alliance reversal was such an understatement, it wasn't
worth making.  After a few suspicious and wary first hours together, the
two had reunited like the old friends they were.  And there hadn't been a
dry eye in the place when they finally accepted each other.
        But the Moon team hadn't been alone in doling out the surprises.
Nephlyte and Lita had found a surprise of their own once they'd been out
in space a day or two.  Stowaways in the form of the two Moon Cats had
been found aboard the flagship.  Apparently, Luna and Artemis had hidden
there when the fighting broke out.  They had stayed hidden, living off
the ship's stores, unsure of when the fighting had ended - or if it had at
all.  And no one had thought to look for them - they'd been assumed dead.
And what a lecture they'd gotten on that one!  Zoisite smiled as she
shifted in bed, cradling Malachite's head on her shoulder.  Luna had been
absolutely livid with fury - and surprisingly, it had been Artemis who
calmed her down.  The two had settled back into the routine of palace
living, staying close to the Prince and offering advice as though nothing
had changed.
        But something had.  And it was a nearly palpable thing.  Everyone
felt it, though it affected the Cats and the First General more than
anyone.  The difference?  Serenity.  Zoisite felt a lump form in her
throat at that reminder of the Queen.  Serenity may as well have been dead
- and in a way, that made it worse.  Her body was alive, but only in the
most superficial way.  Her mind, her soul - were dead.  It was cruel to
let her live on in such a comatose state, but the matter wasn't as simple
as pulling the plug on a life support machine.  For the Queen's body was
keeping itself alive of its own volition.  And there was no easy way to
tell people that the only way to "help" their Queen would be to take a
knife to her throat.
        And that wasn't the worst part, either.  In the still hours before
dawn, the Healer could admit this to herself - but only then.  She was
certain that this was her fault.  If only she'd acted sooner - or gotten
there before the Crystal shattered.  Anything!  She tucked her head under
Malachite's chin, resting her head on his slim chest.  But self-accusation
could only do so much.  And it couldn't change the past.  She had learned
that much.  Sometimes, in a Healer's fight with Death - Death had to win.
It was part and parcel of the deal.  But that didn't mean she had to like
it.  Malachite's arms tightened around her, pressing her body closer to
his warmth.  A warmth she desperately needed with those thoughts swarming
through her mind like angry bees.
        She allowed herself to relax into the embrace, to enjoy the shared
warmth.  She pressed her face into the crook of her lover's neck,
wondering how she'd ever slept before Malachite had come into her life.
It was almost hard to imagine...  Such a dim memory...  Her smile returned
with a vengeance.  She'd ensnared him so well that in the end, he'd thought
it was _he_ who'd done the catching.  And that was how it should be,
wasn't it?  Her smile widened, and she placed another kiss on his
forehead.  To her left, the window showed the first lights of dawn.  She
sighed heavily.  Her patients wouldn't tend themselves, after all...  She
slid quietly out of bed, tucking the blankets back up around Malachite as
she left.  He got cold too easily...  After stealing one last kiss, she
slipped off to the showers to start her morning routine.  Malachite wasn't
the only one that needed her, these days.
        After a quick shower, she headed back to her own rooms at Healer
Hall, a light robe wrapped around her as she went.  No one was about to
comment this early in the morning, after all...  She pushed open her own
door and went to her closet, pulling out the silvery-grey uniform she'd
worn since she became a General.  She took a moment to look at it,
wondering what power this thing held to steal her life from her so
completely.  She dropped the tunic onto the bed along with her robe as she
pulled on her green tank top, then the pants.
        *Uh-oh...*  She looked down at herself - this was not good.  She
tried to fasten the button at the top of her uniform pants and failed a
second time.  *Drat...*  She sucked in her stomach and tried again to
button her pants.  She almost growled as she failed again.  As a last
resort, she lay down on her bed and sucked her stomach in as far as she
could - but still to no avail.  *Damn!  When did I get so fat??*  Her
heart started to beat faster - she'd known this day would sneak up on her
all too fast.  She peeled off her pants and stared at them for a while,
before hanging the uniform back in the closet and sitting down on her bed
to think.
        She'd known this day was coming all right.  She'd dreaded it for
the past 2 and a half months, and now it looked like it was finally upon
her.  She let her left hand drift down to rest on her offending stomach
with a heavy sigh.  Her voice was quiet and directed more to her slightly
bulging tummy than to herself, "Looks like I can't hide you in my uniform
anymore, can I?  Well - that's one good thing that can be said for a
Healer's robes, at least.  You could hide an army, their tents, and 4
months of supplies in them and no one would be the wiser."
        Giving her tummy one final pat, she stood and snagged her green
Healer's robes and loose breeches from the other side of the closet,
pulling them on with a resigned air.  She looked at herself in the mirror,
making a face at her reflection, "And just think - it only gets harder
from here.  I'll have to get a bigger uniform from Stores today...  That
should give me another month's grace period or so.  I hope."  She pulled
on her boots, fixed her hair and gave herself one more good look in the
mirror.  A bitter smile formed, despite all she did to prevent it, "For
once, I'm actually glad all the men around here are so dense..."  She
shook her head at her own foolishness and headed down to her office,
already forcing her mind to focus on the day's work.  It was about all she
could do, anyway.
        When she reached her office, an unexpected sight met her eyes.
Jadeite was standing by her desk, pawing around in her personal
belongings.  She raised an eyebrow and cleared her throat to get his
attention.  He jumped, hastily putting down the paperweight he'd been
playing with and snapping to attention.  She laughed and waved her hands
at him, "At ease, Jadeite!  For goodness sake.  We're not on a
battlefield, you know."
        He gave her a sheepish grin, leaning back to relax against the
desk as she walked around to sit behind it.  She motioned for him to sit
in one of the chairs facing the desk, which he did with a slight look of
unease.  She frowned at him, "So, what brings you to my door?  Are you
feeling all right?"
        Jadeite gave her a reassuring smile, "I'm fine.  Don't worry."
        Zoisite picked up one of the files on her desk and opened it,
browsing through it.  One of the Healers' children, from the looks of it.
*A broken leg - ouch.  The poor thing...*  She made a mental note to go
visit the little girl and see if she couldn't do something to Heal the
bone a little faster - and she'd have to talk to Malachite, too.  *I
almost forgot about that...  We're going to have to move the noncombatants
from here as soon as possible.  Serena's been silent up there a little too
long...  I don't trust it.*  She closed the file, placing it on top of
another stack of papers on the other side of her desk.
        Seeing the younger General still sitting across from her, Zoisite
raised an eyebrow, "You still here?"  She folded her arms across her chest
and leaned back in the chair, "OK, Jadeite.  Spill.  You feel fine, that's
great - but you must've come here for a reason.  Why don't you tell me
what it is, hmm?"
        Jadeite folded his arms over his chest, a sheepish grin warring
with the frown currently upon his features.  The grin won, spreading a
light pink flush over his features, "Well, you see... it's like this.
Darien and Malachite are running things with help from Rei, Nephlyte and
Lita are rounding up the populace to bring to Earth, you're busy running
Healer Hall and I..."  He trailed off, giving her a pathetic look before
continuing, "I'm sitting around twiddling my thumbs."
        Zoisite blinked a few times, then smiled, "You're bored."
        The younger General stared at her for a moment before an answering
smile curved his lips upwards, "Essentially."
        Zoisite raised an eyebrow, "And you're hoping I can find you
something to do, because we _always_ need help at Healer Hall, right?"
        Jadeite spread his arms wide and leaned back in his chair, "Lovely
lady, you read my mind.  Now, what can I do for you?"
        Zoisite rose from her chair, noting a mild backache as she did so.
*Darn - another thing I'll have to remember to think about...  This extra
weight is gonna cause mild back problems...  Drat.*  She walked around to
meet Jadeite on the other side of the desk, drumming her fingers on her
chin as she did so, "Hmm...  Now, where can we put you where you'll be
useful...  Ah!  I have it.  What do you know about calibrating medical
scanners?"
        Jadeite's confused look was answer enough in itself.  Zoisite
laughed as she hauled him to his feet, "Absolutely nothing, right?  Of
course, right!  Well - it's a simple enough thing to do.  We'll start you
off there."  She led him down a quiet corridor to her own lab and opened
the cabinet with the scanners in them.  She pulled one from the cabinet
and held it so that it faced her - then thought better of it.  She turned
the scanner to face Jadeite and scanned him once.
        Jadeite frowned, "What was that for?"
        Zoisite smiled and tweaked his nose, "Imp.  OK, see this chart
over here?"  She pointed to the one inside the cabinet door, "These are
normal readings for an adult human.  I was scanning you to make sure your
readings were normal - which they are.  So, all you have to do is scan
yourself with each scanner and set it, like this..."  She proceeded to
demonstrate.  "Simple enough?"
        "I think I can do that..."
        The Healer clapped him on the shoulder, "Well then - there's about
50 scanners in this cabinet.  They need to be recalibrated once every week
or so.  Finish these up, then come find me, OK?"
        Jadeite gave her a grin and a salute, "I got it, sir.  And
Zoisite..." he added as she paused in the doorway, "Thanks."
        Zoisite gave him a salute of her own and left him to his work.
They all needed to keep busy these days, after all.  She heaved a weary
sigh and set off to find the child with the broken leg.  At least that -
like Jadeite's boredom, was something she could easily fix.

        Serena uncrossed her legs and recrossed them the other way.  It
was the fifth time in as many minutes that she had made that move.  It
didn't make the cold stone throne any more comfortable to sit in.
Finally, sighing heavily, she stood up and stretched.  One or two youma
shrank back at the movement, making her snarl.  They turned tail and ran.
        Slowly, Serena let her gaze wander the room.  Venus, as usual, was
nearby.  She tossed the princess a smart salute before resuming her silent
vigil.  Serena shook her head.  Lately, Venus had even begun to scare
_her_.  And that was saying something.  It was as if the golden-haired
Scout had been waiting to make this slide into darkness her whole life,
making Serena wonder if Mina would have taken the plunge even without her
initiative.  It was a scary thought.
        She let her gaze wander away from her top Scout and towards the
back of the throne room.  Her gaze met a pair of unwavering indigo eyes.
She shivered.  The Scout of Silence was yet another ally who unnerved her
completely.  Saturn raised an eyebrow at the Princess' discomfort and made
a slight beckoning motion with her head.  If she hadn't been watching for
it, Serena would have missed it.  With her heart giving one flutter of
trepidation, the Princess left the dais and walked towards the youngest of
the Scouts, waving Venus to stay at her post.
        Without waiting for the Princess to reach her, Saturn turned and
walked out of the throne room.  Serena cursed quietly and followed after
her, heart beating slightly faster as adrenaline began to rush through her
veins.  Saturn turned down a quiet, dark hallway and stopped in a little
alcove that overlooked the bleak northern landscape of the Negaverse.
Saturn settled into the little alcove seat, waiting for Serena to make the
first move.
        Always a patient woman, even the Princess found herself lacking in
that category.  Repressing a growl of displeasure she spoke, "What did you
want, Saturn?"
        Saturn turned her head towards the Princess, looking mildly
curious about the anger she heard in Serena's voice, "Why so angry,
Princess?"
        Serena whirled away from the other woman and slammed a fist into
the wall, "Why the hell do you _think_ I'm angry??  Nothing has been going
according to plans.  _Nothing_.  Anything I try, Beryl manages to mess up
for me.  No matter how close I get, I _always_ lose."  She turned around
and slammed her back against the wall, drawing one booted foot up to rest
against the wall, as well, "I'm sick of it.  And the lack of real support
from the Scouts isn't helping either.  Mars' defection shook their faith
in me."
        Saturn shrugged, "You should have expected as much.  The whole
situation here is unstable."  Her eyes darkened, "This can not last, and I
think you well know it."
        Serena's shoulders slumped and she leaned her head back against
the wall, "I do.  I just need to figure out how to pull out of this
nosedive."
        Saturn stood, resting her weight on the Silence Glaive, "You will
figure out something my Princess.  Of that I am sure.  Luck be with you."
She blurred out of existence.
        The Princess watched the empty spot where Saturn had stood for a
moment before settling down in the window seat, knees tucked up under her
chin.  She wrapped her arms around her legs and stared out the window at
the bleak landscape.  *Bleak as my heart...*  She sighed heavily.  Ever
since that failed attack all those months ago, things had been going
rapidly downhill in an ever increasing snowball effect.
        She slammed a fist down on the seat, "Damn you, Malachite."  She
seethed inwardly, unwilling to show more of a temper for fear of spies.
"Damn you..."  *Why does that bastard have to be so good at what he does?
And Darien...*  A lump rose in her throat.  Who would have ever thought
that Darien would be willing to fight her?  She didn't want to admit, even
to herself, how much that had hurt...  She slowly let herself drift off
into the memory.

        *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *

        She stared around herself at the carnage of battle.  Things were
not going well for her troops.  She thrust her sword in a wide arc,
listening with satisfaction at the chorus of three screams that resulted
from the swing.  Her eyes darted about the battlefield, picking out allies
and enemies as she went.  A flash of orange-red pulled her eyes to the
left.  She hissed, "Mars..."
        With a single-minded intensity, Serena forgot about the rest of
the battle, plowing through friends and enemies alike in an effort to get
to her quarry.  Malachite saw her moving - but too late.  He couldn't get
to Mars in time and they both knew it.  She left him to Venus to take care
of as she advanced on the fire-Scout.
        Mars' eyes met hers and flashed in fear in spite of the new power
she now held.  She backed up a pace, bare hands held out in front of her
as if to hold off the Princess.  Serena raised her sword to an attack
posture as she spat out the words, "Bitch.  Traitor.  What made you think
you could cross me and live, Mars?"
        Mars backed up another step, terror showing in every line of her
body.  Serena drank it in with a wild glee as she waited for Mars to
speak.  She was disappointed.  Mars just kept shaking her head back and
forth, horror suffusing her features.  Serena clasped both hands around
the dark sword and raised it...  And froze.  Her sword clattered to the
ground with a loud clang that reverberated across the courtyard.  Only
then did she feel the pain.
        Reaching a hand around in morbid fascination, Serena wiped it
across the knife wound in her lower back.  She looked at the blood
covering her fingers with a fascination bordering on fear as she slowly
turned to identify her attacker, fully intending to take the bastard with
her to Hell.  She froze again.  Her eyes took in the black armor, the
bloody knife, the greatsword still in its sheath, the black and red cape.
They took in the tousled black hair, the tear-filled blue eyes, the
saddened visage... and she couldn't find it in her heart to attack him.
Before she realized what she was doing, Serena reached her blood covered
hand up to cup his cheek.  A blood-flecked whisper escaped her lips as she
fought to stay conscious, "My love..."
        Darien jerked away from her as if she'd smacked him and she fell
to her knees, unable to keep her balance.  She watched in detached
fascination as Darien backed up one more pace before falling to his own
knees.  He shook his head, the tears flowing even more freely from his
eyes, "Serena..."
        Serena felt a tear or two of her own slide down her cheeks.  Her
hardened heart cracked and began to bleed.  Saturn's form blurred into
existence next to her, gathering her up into a pair of strong arms.  She
felt herself slipping and surrendered to the darkness.  The last thing she
saw before she slipped away completely was Sailor Mars wrapping her arms
around Darien and holding him close to her as he wept.  Serena's heart
shuddered once and died.

        When Serena next woke, she felt numb.  So numb.  Venus had
explained that they'd lost the battle.  She didn't care.  Mercury had
explained that she'd healed the wound but it would take time for Serena to
completely recover.  She didn't care.  Haruka had explained that Beryl had
been causing trouble while Serena had been unconscious.  She didn't care.
Michiru had told her she had to eat to keep her strength up.  She didn't
care.  Venus had stepped forward, shooing everyone else out of the room.
Saturn had caught Serena's eyes, silently telling her that they would talk
later.  She still hadn't cared.
        Venus had taken that opportunity to grab her shoulders and shake
her violently.  The shake had jarred the wound, reminding Serena of
exactly how she'd received it.  Another shake jarred loose the few
remaining tears that the Princess' eyes held.  Venus had dropped her like
a hot coal, her eyes suffused with horror, "What the _hell_ is wrong with
you, Serena?"
        To her own horror, Serena felt a sob rise up from the depths of
her chest.  She shook her head mutely, unable to answer.  She sat up,
wrapping her hands around her stomach as if she were in pain, little
gasping sobs escaping her throat.  Venus backed away from her, unnerved by
such a display of weakness.  As Serena watched, something changed in
Venus' eyes.  They closed off from her, pulling farther away with each
tear she shed, widening the gap between them.  Venus gathered her dignity
around her like a cloak and left the room to the sobbing Princess.
        Venus' departure broke something open inside her.  Just as she'd
thought she couldn't shed any more tears, the floodgates opened, causing
her to sob with a broken-hearted abandon.  It felt as if everything had
suddenly crashed in on her and she had no support in the increasingly
stormy seas.  Not even a piece of driftwood to help her float.  The loss
of her throne before she even had it, Jupiter's betrayal, Mars' betrayal,
the continued failures of battles lost, and finally... Darien.  That
betrayal had hurt far worse than all the others combined.  And that she'd
lost him to that traitorous bitch!
        The tears began to slow, finally reaching an endpoint.  Serena
stood up from the bed, not even wincing as her movement pulled at the
half-healed tissue.  She walked determinedly over to the wash basin to
erase the signs of her tears.  She stared coldly at herself in the mirror,
her own cobalt eyes boring into her soul.  And she decided.

        *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *

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