Last part! Not much to say, except I don't own it, I'm accepting any questions you ask, and no, this is NOT the last story. By the way, I should come out with "Finale In White" soon--the prologue and ch.1 are being written--but parts of "The Beast" and Author's Notes for this story come first. By the way, this is a call out for questions for the AN's! THE FOUR LOVERS: AIR ON A COSMIC STRING Ninx XV. The End...of the Beginning Sometimes it hurts So much To lose the one you love Sometimes it hurts So much To lose the one you love --"Sometimes It Hurts" In the arms of the Angel Far away from here >From this dark, cold hotel room, And the endlessness that you feel You are pulled from the wreckage Of your silent reverie You're in the arms of the Angel; May you find some comfort here --"Angel" Closing Time Every new beginning comes from Some other beginning's end --"Closing Time" "SERENA!" the still merged form of Darien cried out, leaping for her. his mind raged as he flew across the room. He managed to scoop her up just as she hit the floor, completely limp; the pair skidded a ways, he holding on to her for dear life. Finally, they stopped, and he was able to look at her. Her body had gone cold, almost instantly, and her breathing had slowed dramatically. All within the moments he held her. His heart clutched in his chest, and he whispered, "Serena." "She can't hear you, now." He looked up, and saw Hielo, wan looking and using Katarina to steady him. He flinched under her sad, sad smile; he'd been at the healing, yet... "How are the others?" he asked quickly as he felt for, and found, Serena's pulse. It was faint yet steady. "They're recovering," he replied, breaking away from Kat to kneel (rather unsteadily) by them. He touched her forehead softly, fingertips pushing back a small piece of her hair with a tenderness to inspire jealously. "How..." "I can sense it," he replied. "They will awaken soon." "And Serena? What..." "No. She will not awaken." Shock and pain flashed through his system, and he looked down at her. Her eyes fluttered slightly, yet there was no change from the expression on her face. His eyes began to water, and he desperately pulled her closer. "No, no, Serena," he whispered. "No...you can't...she's dead?" Hielo rose, and turned to Kat. They conferred quietly for a moment, and she ended it with a hug. He then walked towards the spot where Priam had died. "He mourns our sister," she explained as she slid into a sitting position across from him. "We were close before we were turned, and she will be missed despite the pain she brought us." Her eyes had reverted to a lighter shade of green, not the terrifying dark of before; yet he shuddered when they touched him. It was undeniable; she had left him deeply marked. "I am sorry. I wish I could've...yet sorry's and regrets are not what I need to explain to you," she said gently, averting her eyes from his. "It's about your Princess." "Oh God," he whispered, finally sliding completely to the floor, holding Serena like a limp rag across his lap. She did not move in response to his movements; she was completely gone. "Calm down, Tuxedo Mask," she said. "Please, you must. This room is full of pain already." "My name is Darien," he said quietly. "And I'll...try..." "Thank you, Darien," she replied, voice soft and timid as it touched his name. She touched Serena's forehead and let her eyes close for a second; letting out a hiss of pain, she withdrew her hand and opened her eyes. "What?" "She is deep." Abruptly, she near smiled. "I am not trying to keep you in the dark...however, this will be hard to explain." "Many things are," he replied. "You...you wouldn't believe what I have had explained to me." "I believe, and shall try." She took a nervous breath, eyes falling to her. "We are not from this place," she said, "as you could tell from our needs and powers. We are outcasts of a sort, due to our former needs, and when the three of us came to know each other we bonded, exchanging portions of each power we possessed. Therefore, Selene," the name was pain for her to say, "had a bit of Hielo's telepathy. The former Master...Priam," that was also painful, "must have used the last of his life to enhance her powers to the point of no return. And she aimed it all at her." "But she didn't hit her, completely." "No, she didn't. Sailor Moon moved, and besides, Selene was dying when she came to Priam, and taking the power eradicated the rest of her form. She died trying to kill your Princess." "But how?" He looked down at Serena, checking her breathing and pulse once more. The same. "Psi-shock." He looked up, eyes blearily puzzled. "What is that?" "It's like a telepathic lightning bolt," she explained, voice gentle yet hesitant. After all, she was empathic, and she didn't quite grasp all of what telepathy could do. "It scrambles the neural functions and causes the mind to shut down completely, if tuned right. Normal people, if hit by a mild psi-shock, will often go comatose and die on the spot. Powerful minds, like all of our here--yes, I know of your abilities--are different, though. They tend to shutdown, yes, but never to the point of death." "Until they are healed," Hielo said softly, rejoining them. He looked to her and whispered, "All had been put to rest." "Long live the energy," she responded automatically. "What do you mean, healed?" "In order to relieve the stage she is now in, the remaining psi energy must be removed, and the pathways rebuilt. That is how all psi-shock cases are healed. Normally, it is a difficult process, but in this case, I believe it shall be more so." "Why?" "Too much energy," Katarina replied. "And too powerful a mind." "Are you telling me that..." Hielo nodded. "Being attached to the Mas..." he stopped, and shook his head. "Being attached to the former Master augmented our powers through the link we had to him, and now that is gone, and we are less than we were. It's only temporary, but no one can say how temporary. It could take months, or years." His dark eyes were sad. "So, you cannot heal her?" They nodded. He looked down at her again, and his tears began to flow truly now. It hurt; it hurt a lot to cry, especially since it was again over Serena. Always over Serena! Now again, she lay in his arms...gone. Not dead, just...gone. His heart broke; his soul sank; his body began to shake. He had come so far to lose her again, and the irony was bloody in his mouth. He stooped farther over his Princess, and cried. The two former Trio, now reduced to a Duo, watched with compassion and apprehension as sobs racked his body, pressed against hers. His emotions--sorrow, raging anger, bitter pain--glided over their minds; they were perhaps the only ones who could truly empathize. "Prince, please, there will be a healer." "Pluto?" he asked, looking back. She stood behind him, aura actively purple, green hair wisping over a faint smile. "You're..." "Alive, yes. The Princess healed us...all, and we are just the first to awaken." "We?" "I, too, have been revived," came a brisk male voice, an unfamiliar face next to Setsuna's. His aura glowed as well, a bronze color with odd silver flecks within it. He noticed a touch of gold in Setsuna's as well. "We're going back to the Gate, dear Prince, but know this-- there will be a healer," Pluto quietly confided. He looked back at his love, and the anguish within him swelled, hardening. "When?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Hm?" "When, Pluto, when?" She and Wesley exchanged looks, and she knelt beside him. "You know I cannot say." "You need not say directly, Lady, just soon or not soon. Quickly, or after some time. I am not looking for precision!" His words were sharp and fierce, hoarsely spoken with his feeling for her draining out his eyes. Pluto and Wesley exchanged glances, and he shrugged. Though they had vows against specifics..."I will see," Pluto replied, taking up her reformed staff and peering into the Orb. She stiffened slightly, and a concentrated look came over her face. Finally, she looked at him, quite sadly. "Not for awhile, though it isn't clear. All I can see is that it will not be soon." "Not soon," he mused, looking down at her. He brushed her face again, wiping away his tears. "Apart again." Anger and sorrow flashed over his face, and he took a deep breath. "Stay, for a moment," he whispered. "Just one..." He lifted his eyes to Hielo and Katarina, eyes quiet and face stolid except for the tracks of his tears. "You said it take quite a bit of energy to heal a psi- shock." "Yes. There's a lot of damage to undo, and the mind needs a jolt to recognize that it's healed," Katarina replied. "But how much does it take to shock one person?" Hielo's eyes darkened slightly, in contemplation, and he replied after a moment, "Not a lot, actually. Even the most rudimentary of telepaths can shock a person; it's one of the first weapons we learn to use." "Darien...why ask?" Pluto whispered softly, fearing the answer. He looked down, and there was a tense pause. Finally, he said quietly, "I want to join her." "No..!" Pluto stifled her cry, and the Duo flashed towards him. He held up a hand to stop them all, though, and looked up, eyes speaking of things not to be trifled with. "I spent five years without her. I don't want to ever do that again," he began, voice low and emphatic. "Pluto says the healer won't come for a long time, and what do I do between, knowing that MY Serena is lying in some hospital bed, comatose..." he broke off, emotions being squeezed back down with a swallow. "No! My Prince, you cannot..." Pluto started, but Wesley touched her arm. She looked at him frantically. "I can," he replied. "And I will." "But..." He laid her on the floor, and she tensing for one brief moment before touching the ground and going limp. He took her hand in his own, glove to glove...and an aura appeared around the both of them. Katarina gasped, and Wesley looked hopeful, but all that happened was that the two of them became normal again. Darien slumped over her, his body and soul exhausted and hurt. "Please," he whispered, "spare me the pain." Katarina looked to Pluto, Wesley to Hielo. Quietly, the last of the Dark Trio stood, his hands beginning to radiate black. "I will do it," he said. "I can't watch," Pluto murmured, turning away. "Lady?" She looked back, and Darien offered her a soft smile. "Take care of them all," he whispered. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He looked at Hielo, whose eyes had closed. "Do it," he whispered. The Senshi and Generals nearly awoke together, their eyes flickering open just a few seconds apart. It took a bit for them to gauge their surroundings; it didn't take much longer than that to find each other. The room was soon filled with the sounds of a joyful, tearing reunion. Raye and Jared almost knocked each other over, laughing and crying and kissing all at the same time. Nathan and Lita were only slightly better; she did knock him over completely, kissing him into they both blushed. Mina found Kevin as he sat up, and she held him as he cried against her. Zach held Amy as they both cried, until they both quieted and just enjoyed the warmth. Pluto and Hielo waited. Katarina and Wesley had their own mission to accomplish, and would return soon. For now, they stood, watching, guarding. Waiting. Finally someone--no matter who--noticed the two, and called out to her. The eight converged on her loosely, exchanging greetings cheerily. Raye and Amy were a little apprehensive about the silent Hielo, yet he made not a move, and the distance between him and Setsuna was one of trust. Pluto answered tersely to all of their questions, and again, someone caught on to her mood. "Setsuna, where's Serena?" Lita finally asked. "And Darien?" Kevin queried. As one, they stepped aside. Serena and Darien lay there, hands joined, looking completely relaxed. Their chests rose and fell in separate rhythms, but beside that, they were still. The faces of the eight paled abruptly, and as Raye and Jade and Zach and Mina rushed forward, Nathan turned to Pluto. "Are they...dead?" he whispered hoarsely. "No...please...she didn't die healing us," Lita said. "They aren't dead," Hielo replied quietly. "They are merely...in coma," Pluto added. "What?" Raye asked. "Coma...no..." "How did this happen?" Kevin demanded. "Selene," Hielo said. "And Darien...chose to be with his Princess," Pluto finished. They stared, shocked, at the two of them; suddenly, Amy shrieked. "We're...we're not Senshi!" she yelled. "Oh my God...!" "It's all right, Amy," Zachary replied. He quickly shifted to Zoicite, and back again. "We all still have our powers." It was at that moment that Wesley and Katarina re-entered the room. "We have to go, now!" he yelled. "Quickly, grab them," Pluto ordered, and Jade and Hielo quickly hoisted the two up. She aimed her staff at the wall, whispered a word, and rays of garnet shot through it, tearing a hole into it. "Follow!" she yelled, and quickly all of them ran to it. Well, as quickly as they could, considering the coming-back-to-life-grogginess that most of them had. From the hall behind them, the sound of explosions burst through. Everyone but the four who knew of the plans paled, and put on the speed. Soon, they reached the opening...and stopped, looking down at the docks, floating peacefully a good twenty feet below. "How the hell did we get to a second story?" Wesley muttered. "It doesn't matter," Hielo replied. "Kat, help me." His fingers turned black as hers turned white. Instinctively, everyone flinched away from them, but nothing happened. Or, at least, nothing happened to them. Swiftly, a grayish platform formed in front of them, just as the floor began to shatter behind them. All leapt onto it, and it wavered beneath their weight; the Duo staggered, but managed to kept it upright and float it away from the rapidly crumbling building. Soon, they had touched the ground about a block away, turning back just in time to see the warehouse buckle in on itself; within a moment, a tongue of flame had shot up from the center, and the flames swiftly began to consume it. Now Kevin turned to Pluto, and watched as she detransformed wearily. "What did you say about our lieges?" She sighed softly, and looked at Wesley, Hielo and Kat. Then, quietly, she said, "Listen, it'll be suspicious if the.." she mentally counted, "twelve of us are standing here watching a fire, especially with those two in their condition." She didn't need to indicate; they knew who she meant. "Why don't we go back to the apartment, and get some rest...and then everything shall be explained. There was a quick conference--barely a minute--before Kevin nodded his agreement. Slowly, the twelve began to walk back to Setsuna's home, dreaming of blankets and couches and actual rest. As they walked, Katarina kept close to Hielo, making sure she touched him a little, and getting smiles in reward. Jade and Raye exchanged a tender glance. Lita and Nathan walked in a hug. Wesley took Setsuna's hand ever so gently, and she gave him a soft look. Amy and Zachary walked close, watching each other, tiny blushes on their face. Mina and Kevin had their arms linked, hands intertwined. Behind them, the sun rose.