"Well what do you want me to do, huh? If Metallia has the crystal, everyone's dead, do you understand this? Everyone! Everyone in the whole goddamn world! Raye, we can't go into the Dark Kingdom unprepared, they're waiting for us..." Raye was quaking with rage. "If you think I'm staying here and letting Luna and Artemis die because you're too overly cautious, you're dead wrong. I'll go to get them myself." Their bodies were pressed together, their faces inches apart, both wearing an expression of unwavering resolution. "You will do no such thing," Mina said softly, in another woman's voice. << This conversation has happened before; I know it... >> Raye tilted her head; her eyes narrowed into slits. "Are you pulling rank on me?" Her voice was more accusing than incredulous. The room held its breath. Mina's eyes widened momentarily, then relaxed as she made her decision. "Yes." Raye slapped her across the face, hard. Lita and Matt were up in a second, showing themselves between the two girls. Lita pinned Raye's arms to her sides, but she couldn't stop the black-haired girl from spitting verbal fire. "I can't believe you, you cold-hearted bitch! What the hell is wrong with you? Lita, let fucking go of me!" She struggled in against Lita's forced bear hug. Mina vainly tried to maneuver around Matt's body. "I'm taking that as insubordination, Mars." "Yeah, well take it and shove it up your goddamn ass! I can't believe you're going to just STAND here and let them kill Artemis! For the love of God he's your goddamn mentor, Mina! Nice way to fucking repay him after all he's done for you!" Raye's handprint was pasted across Mina's face in a red fan. She stomped on Matt's foot, effectively breaking his hold on her elbows, and whirled around, disappearing out of the front door, slamming it behind her. Raye shouted after her. "Come over here and-" "STOP IT!" Serena had risen from her seat, and she screamed the command with tears in her eyes in throat. The room stilled. "STOP it STOP fighting!" They streamed freely down her face now, and she neither bothered to wipe them off or stop their flow. "Can't you see this is what she wants: dissention among ranks? We're in trouble this time, guys, and we need to pull together! We can't fight like this or we're going to lose everything, and believe me, we have everything to lose!" "She's right," Darien said softly, not usually one to get in the middle of chickfights lest he lose an eye or something. "We have to put our heads together and come up with a plan, otherwise, we're getting nowhere. We all want to save Luna and Artemis, we just have to think of a way how. We can't give up the crystal, that would be suicide, but we can't let them perish, either." Kevin started towards the door, but Serena held out one shaking arm and stopped him. "No, let me first. I have to talk to her." He nodded. Raye shrugged out of Lita's hold. "God, Lita, why don't you just get me in a headlock next time? You nearly broke my arms." "Because you were about to go after Mina; you were going to break her arms." Lita straightened out her shirt. "Don't get upset with her Raye, she's just doing her job. Someone has to make the tough decisions and think of the big picture, because you're obviously not." "Big picture my ass," Raye mumbled, momentously and silently admitting defeat. She slumped on the couch, stewing. Darien noticed that Jay had been sitting in near silence during the entire episode, a distraught look plastered across his normally sanguine mug. He sat down next to him. "Hey, man, chill. We won't let them hurt your families. They'll have to get through me and my endless supply of wussy roses first." Jay smiled wanly at Darien's attempt to cheer him up. "I know, I'm not worried about that-well, I am worried about that, but..." He swallowed. "Darien, I didn't want her to die! I mean; I wanted her to quit bothering me and following me around like a dog on a leash, but I-I didn't mean for her to die. She wasn't evil, or a criminal or anything. She's still a person, and she didn't deserve this. And it's because-" He had a hard time forming the words. "It's because of me. She thought it was me." "No," Darien said, shaking his head. "Jay, it's not your fault. You didn't have anything to do with her getting killed." "You're just saying that to make me feel better." "No I'm not!" Jay jumped, and Darien realized that he had inadvertently shouted, just as Mina had unintentionally raised her voice with Amy. "You're not responsible in any way for what happened to her. Don't forget whom we're dealing with; the Dark Kingdom is notorious for playing dirty, and if it wasn't her, they would have found someone else and extracted the information from them. Kristen was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was an accident." Jay weakly smiled, trying to recapture a shred of his previous optimism. "Did you have to say 'extracted' like that? Ex-TRACTED. They ex-TRACTED information." He settled back, his eyes focused on nothing, his mind racing with "what if's." Darien watched him mope; finally the concept of consequence had been driven into Jay's brain with a Craftsman power drill, and it would sit and hurt for a while, of that he had no doubt. But the sting would lessen, little by little, day by day, until only a scar remained. Mina wiped her nose wetly against her sleeve as she sniffed, tears running together in salty rills on her cheeks. << Thank God I didn't wear any makeup, it would be all over the place. >> She heaved a sigh and stared back up at the sky, which was just starting to dim into a grayish watery blue, punctuated with the chalky moon, a white crayon circle pressed onto ancient grade-school construction paper. The breeze blew her hair out from her temples; she could smell a hint burnt-dorm smoke in the air. She was surprised that Raye hadn't spit in her face in her rage; she wouldn't put it past the loaded gun that was her best friend. Raye was right; how could she even think of leaving Artemis to fend for himself in the Dark Kingdom? Beryl had looked for a trump card, and she had found it, big time. <> She was right too, of course. It would be suicide to barge in unprepared; Mina had seen that first. All Beryl, well, Metallia wanted was the crystal, she couldn't give two flying fucks about a bunch of girls and their cats. She had thought of the world first, of 6 billion people that would die or be enslaved, and not of her guardian, her mentor, the person (or cat) that had been like a third parent to her. He had listened to more of her problems and more of her complaints than all of the Senshi put together. And she hadn't even given him a second thought until Raye threw it in her face. The door creaked open behind her, stiff and old with rust, and Serena joined her on the roof. "Hi," she said, settling next to Mina, her elbows barely reaching the top of the wall. Mina said nothing. For a long moment, they stared out at the horizon, at the sun giving its final bow before retiring to the other side of the earth. The stars held their breath, waiting to emerge. Serena sighed and tried again. "Please don't be mad at Raye, you know how she is..." "I know," the taller blonde said mechanically. "I'm not mad at her, I'm mad at me." "Why?" Serena's voice remained gentle. Mina sniffed as fresh tears rained down. "Because she's right, Serena." She gasped, sobbing now. "The first thing I thought of when I heard Beryl's voice was of how I would die before I let her get the crystal, before I let her hurt you. I was willing to go to any extreme, even sacrificing someone I loved, just to keep this world safe. I thought of this town, and of this country, and of this whole damn world. I put six billion strangers before Luna and Artemis. And the whole time Raye was yelling at me, I...I knew she was right. What kind of person thinks that way? All I could think of was you, Serena, and how it's my duty to protect you. What if they had you instead of the guardians? You are the one I swore to protect, even if it meant laying down my miserable fucking life. Would I let them kill you if it meant saving the world? What's the right answer, Serena?" Serena hurriedly blinked away her own tears. << Oh, Mother... >> "There is no right answer; there is no answer. I know you have a duty towards me, Mina, and I am eternally grateful for that. And I am grateful that you would let me go to save billions of innocents. I am grateful that you think of many and not just one, and am grateful that you don't follow orders blindly." She vigorously rubbed her eyes. "Mina, I know that I'm not a very good leader, because in truth, I am not a leader at all. You are." "I know. I think I knew all along, but I didn't want to usurp your authority." Serena smiled. "I'm new at it, Mina. There was never a Sailor Moon until now, and I'm still learning the ropes. And there won't be a Sailor Moon in the future." "It all comes back to me." "You bet," she giggled a little. "I remember you during the final battle. I wished I were as strong and as brave as you and the other Senshi. You four were larger than life, you were powerful; watching you fight was like watching a movie and believing what you saw on the screen. All I did was cry a lot and get killed." Mina cringed. Serena patted her on the arm. "Don't feel bad, please, we could have had a nuclear warhead and we still would have lost that battle." A thin breath escaped from her lips. "Serena, I know you're trying to make me feel better-" "No, Mina, I'm telling you the truth." She grabbed her friend and forced her around. "We need you right now, we need your authority. We need you to think with your head. Raye's the one who thinks with her heart; that's why she blew up at you. She is our emotion, you are our reason." Mina smiled a little. "And that is why she is second in command." "Darn right. And that's why you're first. You and Kevin make a good couple." She let her head drop against the wall as she groaned. "Oh, God that's another thing. He's disgusted with me; he couldn't believe that I would degrade myself like that on a national publication..." Serena rubbed her friend's back. "Oh, girl, would you relax? He's not disgusted with you; he's just jealous. It means he really loves you." "You're a fruitcake if you think that." "No, I remember! Remember all those painting and statues of you back in the day? The naked ones?" "Yes. Why must you bring those up?" "BEE-cause, Kunzite got all weirded out over those too, and they were religious icons! He's just being himself." "You do realize you are comparing the printed equivalent of 'The Man Show' with priceless works of art?" "It's all the same," Serena said dismissively. "He's just being typically male and insecure." She smiled. "Feel better?" "Yeah," Mina sniffed and wiped away residual tears. "You must think I'm some leader, huh? Bawling away when there's some serious leading to be done." Serena stretched out her arms and hugged her. "No, I think you're human. I think you're a soldier and a humanitarian at the same time. I think you're just as fallible as the rest of us." She squeezed her princess tighter. "Thank you, Serena. I'd die before I let her harm you." "I know." She paused. "Which one, the psycho bitch or the evil blob of Smuckers?" "Both," Mina admitted. "But I have a thousand year old grudge to settle with Beryl. After I waste her, then I'll make shoe polish out of the evil blob of Smuckers." Guilt had not totally escaped the Senshi of Fire. She had been glowering on the couch, absently watching the news report of the dorm fire with her arms crossed defensively across her chest, when she suddenly burst into tears. Jay, who had been submerged in his own personal funk, reached out and drew her into his arms. "Raye? What's the matter, hon?" Through strangled gasping, the two closest in proximity to her, Jay and Darien, heard only, "I suck." "You don't suck!" Jay assured her, rubbing the back of her head in what he thought was a reassuring manner. Truth be told, he was actually tangling up the black silk into a giant knot on her crown. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed through them. "Yes I do! I yelled at Mina just because she was right!" Amy handed her computer over to Zach and slid in next to Raye. "Raye, Mina knows that you didn't mean it, you were just upset over Luna and Artemis." "No, I-(hic) was just a bitch. She was right and I knew it and, and, and I just screamed at her! I-I even hit her! And she's my best friend!" Jay was completely floored; he had never seen Raye squirt even one tear, not even when drunk or depressed or when watching "Terms of Endearment." "So what? You were just worked up over the situation, and with all this shit going down, none of us are ourselves right now. All of our nerves are overworked." "You got that right," Matt said from the kitchen, chain-smoking his sixth Camel. "Raye," Jay's voice was low and serious. "Raye, look at me. Don't beat yourself up. You just got a little worked up because you're worried and upset and scared. Mina knows you didn't mean it. I mean, do you know how many times Kevin and I have hit each other over the years? If we made a big deal every time we threw a punch at each other, we wouldn't have been friends past junior high. We put it all behind us." "Except for the time you tried to hit me with a shovel." "That's because you-never mind! Raye, please stop crying. We'll beat this bitch, believe me, and then we can live normally again." Raye rubbed at her face and hiccupped, and let herself fall into Jay's embrace. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry everyone. I made such an ass out of myself." "No, making an ass of yourself is singing Bob Dylan drunk in a bar." Kevin's eyes widened. "You showed it to them, didn't you?" He cracked his knuckles and advanced towards the couch. Jay gulped. "Hey, babe, remember when I told you about how Kevin and I would fight? You're about to experience it firsthand." She smiled and stood up. "I have to talk to her. I'll be back." "Hey guys, look!" Lita said, fumbling for the remote control and raising the volume on the television. The skinny newscaster had pulled aside an unshaven, hulking, unibrowed ATO thug, and was in the process of interviewing. "YEAH! Yeah, and then, like, this weird thing just appeared after the fire was set, and I was like, 'No friggin' way!' Anyway, my brothers and I, we chased it down the block and we started like, hitting it with pieces of wood and stuff, and it started to like, die and stuff, so we went and ripped it arms off! We kicked its ass, man! WOO! YEAH! ATO BABY!!" The newscaster tried to retain some of his dignity while the newly ordained youma killer hollered in celebration. The camera moved and focused on what was obviously a dismembered youma, its arms and legs ripped off and its body on fire. Several ATOs were urinating on its corpse. "Look! I'm pissing on its ashes!" Lita's face fell. "No way! We were not just outdone by a couple of frat boys with two by fours!" Kevin shook his head. "Way to fucking go, Omegas." Jay chuckled. "Yeah, who knew those guys were good for something besides overturning cars and impregnating minors?" Raye rubbed her swollen eyes. "How many casualties?" "Don't know yet, hon," Lita frowned. "Let's just hope the number's low." Serena reappeared in the doorway. "What's going on?" "We've been going at this 'kill the baddies' the whole wrong way, Serena," Matt explained, a cloud of gray smoke surrounding him in the kitchen. "Screw magic, what we need are boards with nails in them." "Mina?" She turned around; Raye was standing in the lighted doorway to the roof. The sky had turned from military-ish blue to a darker gray now, and the stars speckled their light across the horizon. "Can we talk?" Raye's eyes were red and puffy, and her hair had twisted into one gigantic tangle. Her hands and voice shook slightly, and the urge to scream at her and tell her off was fading as Mina saw how upset her friend was. "OK," she agreed. Raye joined her at the wall. They were silent for a few minutes, watching lights flick on in the windows of buildings, the acrid aroma of char still hanging in the air like a wet curtain. "Which one do you think will be next?" Mina asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Bedford?" "With our luck, Goshin," Raye smirked. "They'll start it in our room." "On my blue arden b. dress." Mina was smiling now. "Just because it's my favorite." They laughed quietly at the thought of the Dark Kingdom generals ransacking the room, throwing everything with a designer label in the center and pouring accelerant on it. "That's the good thing; they don't know who we are. Still." Mina picked at her cuticles. "They will. When Beryl's lying on the ground bleeding and gasping out her last breath, I'm going to stand over her charred ass and say, 'My name's Raye Hino, bitch. Hope hell's hot enough for you.'" Mina smiled again. "I have shit to settle with her, too. She knows it." They were silent again, lost deep in thought and memory, and never heard the footsteps that were padding up the stairs to the roof, squeaking slightly despite every attempt to be stealth. "Mina, listen," Raye started, choking back the tears that threatened her eyes again. "I-I had no right to go off on you that way. I was wrong; you were right, I know it, and it was totally not my place to even question your authority. You probably would have had me court-martialed back in the Silver Millennium." Mina didn't deny it. "Yep." "I know I was completely out of line, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lost my temper and I'm sorry I hit you. I'll understand if you don't want to have anything to do with me for a long, long time. All I can offer for an explanation is that I could only think of Luna and Artemis, and I'm just so scared and so angry that when you said that you had to think of the big picture..." Her voice trailed off, and she swallowed. "And it scares me to think that if anything ever happened to you, I would be stuck with the position. I couldn't do what you do, Mina; I would have been charging into the Dark Kingdom five minutes after I heard the answering machine and ten minutes before I got killed. You're the only one out of all of us who keeps her head, you know that? I was wrong to question your authority, and you had every right to pull rank on me. And I'm sorry I hit you." Raye dissolved into tears. "I mean, it's bad enough, no, it's catastrophic enough to hit your commanding officer in the face, but, you're my friend. I couldn't believe that I hit you out of stupid anger." Tears dripped off of her chin and hit the grayish cement wall. "I'm so sorry, Mina, you're my best friend, and I never meant to do that. If I could take it all back I would, in a second." Mina blinked out her own tears. "I'm not mad, Raye." Her voice quavered. "I need you to be the emotion for us. You keep me grounded; I didn't even think of the guardians until you brought it to my attention. I need you there to keep me somewhat human." She choked. "You're my best friend, Raye. If anyone understands this, it's you." "I do," Raye sobbed. "I know. I know what you go through, and I wish I could help instead of making everything worse." "You don't make it worse." They turned and embraced each other, both openly sobbing onto each other's shoulders. "You don't make it worse." "I'm sorry, Mina," Raye snuffled. "I love you." "I love you too, hon." "Oh God, please, for my sake, love each other." The voice broke them out of their hysterical crying, and they knocked each other's heads together with shock. Jay and Kevin were standing in the doorway, and had just witnessed the entire scene. "You were watching us all along?" Raye thundered, incredulous. "You ASS!" Jay feigned complete innocence better than a wife-beater wearing perp on "COPS". "Raye, if you feel the need to kiss your best friend, then please, by all means, feel free to do so. I promise I won't stand in your way, just give me a second to run down the street and borrow Gordon's camera again." Raye looked at him coolly, and then tried to jab him in the stomach with her fist. He caught it and swept her into his arms. "Feeling better?" "No! I can't believe you want my to kiss my best friend!" "It was Kevin's idea!" Kevin's look was of pure disbelief. "What?" "It was so! We were walking up the stairs and I distinctly remember you saying, 'I wonder if they'll kiss and make up.'" "I didn't mean it literally!" Mina hugged him. "Hey." "Hey." << Why do we always start off conversations like this? >> "Everything ok?" She snuggled against his chest. "Yeah. For now." "What's next?" Her eyes flew open. "We get everyone up on the roof." * * * * * * * * * * * Luna watched the light in Beryl's globe dim to a muted glow, and she tried to swallow away the lump of fear that had been building in her throat. She moved her paw to the left and touched it with Artemis's. He looked over at her touch and shook his head, his eyes worn and sad. Beryl sat back in her throne, disappointed that she had reached an answering machine instead of the real thing. She had been hoping to deliver her message firsthand, and had been anticipating the pleas of mercy and desperate bargaining that would undoubtedly follow. Instead, she was expected to leave a message, just like some punk kid or telephone solicitor, like a common insignificant human and not the most powerful being in the Dark Kingdom. The cats had been imprisoned in an energy bubble against the wall closest to the throne. Luna's head buzzed, her shoulders slumped, her body still throbbing with a thousand pinpricks. Beryl had tortured them for hours before she realized that it was useless; the Mau cats would rather be plucked bald and roasted over an open fire before giving up the identity of the Moon Princess. She had to settle for half-draining them of their remaining energy and leaving an electronic ransom note. They had no choice to listen to Beryl deliver her threat, and Luna found herself in tears when she threatened their families. She had seen Beryl's globe, had seen Endymion's generals' families carrying on their daily business, unaware that they were being observed by a witch who was using them as pawns in a fatal game. Beryl leaned back and closed her eyes, her hands drifting up to her forehead. Luna was surprised to see that, with her yellow eyes shut and her teeth unbared, she looked very human. And very young. "Artemis?" her voice was so low that no one but a cat could pick up the slight sound waves. "How old was Beryl before she became Metallia's servant?" Artemis thought for a second as he dusted off his mental catalogue. "Oh, well, I would say...about twenty? Around there?" Luna's breath came out in a whistle. "She was young. I keep forgetting that she was just a girl then, too." Artemis's whisper was sharp. "Luna, this is Beryl we're talking about. She's basically responsible for the fall of the Moon Kingdom and for millions of lives, have you forgotten that? So don't kid yourself and feel sorry for her!" She threw him a look. "I'm not saying I feel sorry for her, I'm just saying that she was very impressionable when Metallia got a hold of her. I'm not sure she knew what she was getting into. She reminds me of that girl that follows Jay around." "Well, our girls were just a bit younger, and they helped run the Moon Kingdom!" "That's because they were raised that way, Artemis! Do we even know where Beryl is from? Who her parents were? Where she was raised?" "Wait, hold on." He thought, hard. "I don't remember. I know that she lived in or around the Earth Palace, but other than that, nothing. I think Endymion would know if we asked him." "A bit of good that does us," Luna said, settling back down onto the stone floor, wary of her aching head. Her eyes were halfway closed when a glint of light caught her eye, and she jumped up, her body roaring in pain, and knocked Artemis to the floor. He gave a grunt of protest. "Oh," she breathed, as Beryl's tear caught the light from her globe as it ran down her cheek. She garnered what little courage she had left and stood. "Beryl." Beryl's eyes flew open, flat and yellow, astonished that her prisoner actually had the spine to address her. She stood from her throne and advanced on the cats. "Do you have something you'd like to share, cat? The identity of the Moon Princess, for one?" Luna gulped as Beryl stood above her, seemingly impossibly tall and intimidating. "No, no that's not it." "Then do not waste my time." She turned her back on them. "No, wait," Luna tried again, even though a voice in the back of her head was pleading for her to hold her tongue. Not to mention Artemis swiping at her with his paw every four seconds. Beryl turned. "You don't want to do this, Beryl. You aren't this monster that Metallia turned you into." Beryl cocked her head. "Talk about the Queen that way again, cat, and I will kill you." "Luna, stop!" Artemis hissed. She ignored him. "Why, Beryl? Why did you join forces with Metallia in the first place? What did she promise you?" Beryl's growing anger suddenly waned and her eyes grew cloudy and distant. When she spoke, Luna knew that she wasn't talking to an evil queen of the Dark Kingdom. Beryl the twenty-year old noble was talking to them; a very little fish in the very big pond. Her next words registered barely above a whisper. "She promised me Endymion." Luna froze, unsure of where to venture next, but Beryl kept talking. "She promised me that once the little Moon Princess was out of the picture, Endymion would be mine. Do you know how long I've loved him, cat? Years. Every day of my life I would try to catch a glimpse of him, somehow, somewhere, just so that the day wouldn't be a complete waste. I would lie awake at night, thinking of him, wishing that one day he would look my way, acknowledge me, give me something to look forward to, some shred of hope. But his generals showed him how to break the travel embargo and sneak off to the moon, and then he met HER. They really thought no one knew, but I did. He taught her to sneak onto the Earth, and she would come down at least once a week." She laughed to herself. "She was so...young, and so foolish, she thought no one would notice an obviously Magic Person wandering around the gardens in the dead of night. How could she love him?" Luna had no response. "She didn't grow up with him like I did! She didn't love him for years, waiting patiently for the day when he would realize that I had been in front of him the entire time! She was only fourteen, fifteen years old! She was a baby! She couldn't understand what love was, how it felt to care about someone so deeply that you would sell your soul just to be near him!" She wiped away the tears that sprang from her eyes. "Metallia promised me his love. She said he would only love a Magic Person, and that she would make me one. I thought I knew sorcery then, how foolish! The only people that could perform sorcery were Magic Persons, and they all lived on the moon! Selene kept them there so they wouldn't teach the common people magic, so they could rule above the earth, superior to the rest of us!" "No!" Luna exclaimed, her memories flooding back. "You've got it all wrong! Selene escaped with them to the moon because they were being executed on Earth! They had nowhere else to go!" "Only Sailor Venus was suspicious," Beryl continued, ignoring Luna's outburst. "She was the one who would retrieve the idiot Moon Princess every time Serenity found her missing, and she would stand there and question me like I was afraid of her. Me, with Metallia on my side! Others worshipped her and the others, but I did not. I tore that picture of her from the wall and slashed it to ribbons." "Metallia promised you Endymion, and she promised you magic," Luna said, her voice thin and tired. "But where is it, Beryl? Endymion isn't yours any more now then he was back then, and you're not a Magic Person. The only way you can keep your powers is if you drain the energy of humans, and when they run out, so do you. Metallia didn't make you a true Magic Person. Your eyes don't even reflect." Beryl was quiet for a minute. Her face was relaxed, and for a moment Luna almost thought that she had broken through. "You may have your own idea of what is fair and just, but tell me this: was it fair that others were born with the power that I could only dream of? Out of the billions of people on Earth, only a mere handful was born Magic Persons. And how many of them came out of hiding and were magically active? Four. And only because they were forced to. This is something I've waited for my...entire...life." Her face hardened back into the inhumane mask Luna was used to seeing; she backed away from Beryl until her back was pressed against the wall. "Nothing will convince me otherwise," she hissed, her eyes narrowing. "I've waited too long." And with that, she turned on her heel and left the throne room, leaving the two cats with runaway questions clogging their heads. Artemis lowered his head, confused. "Venus knew Beryl? I didn't even know who she was until she attacked the Moon Kingdom." "Venus was the only one who would retrieve the Princess," Luna explained. "The other Senshi, well, they either didn't know how or didn't want to go. I can't imagine Mercury breaking all those laws and wandering to Earth, not even for Zoicite." Little did Luna know, but Mercury and the others had journeyed to the Earth on several occasions, throwing caution and all of the laws to the wind for the opportunity to trudge in the crunchy, newly-fallen snow around Stonehenge. Or to run her fingertips on the piece-y patchwork bark of an ancient redwood. Or to touch one red-dusted toe to the pool water in front of the Taj Mahal. Or to burn her skin flame-red under the beating sun while running into the blue ocean water. * * * * * * * * * * * * "Why didn't we ever have parties up here?" Matt shoved the roof's door open. "There's lots of room, electrical outlets, and no chance of reeking up our kitchen with mary jane." "You forgot to factor in the ten billion exposed nails," Zach observed, kicking the toe of his Nike against a row of vicious-looking nails poking point-up through the worn tarpaper. The nails went on for rows, covering at least half of the floor area of the roof. Mina was genuinely surprised that she hadn't cut her feet to ribbons when she retreated to the roof. Serena gingerly stepped along the narrow aisles of bare tarpaper making her way to the edge. "Wow, Mina, we're pretty lucky that we didn't step on any of these." "You're telling me." She stuck her leg out to step on a clear area, her body stretched out like she was playing Twister. Darien groaned and kicked at the nails. "So now what are we going to do?" "Find the tool who designed this roof to keep people off and kick his ass." Darien smirked at Matt's simple explanation. "Let's think in the present." Zach tugged at the end of the paper. "Do you think we could pull it all up?" The black sheet ripped in his hand. "Aw, damn." "Wait." Amy gave them a sheepish smile as she tapped away. "I think I have a better idea." "As long as it doesn't involve back-breaking labor, I'm all for it." There was no sweat to be sprouted, just Sailor Jupiter turning the metal door into a giant electromagnet, sending hundreds of iron nails flying through the air like mere filings and clanging against the door with a satisfying "CLONK." The surface now cleared of anything metal and pokey, they dealt for partners with Matt's deck of cards and transformed. "Look at them go." Sailor Moon leaned idly against the wall as she spoke to Mercury, waiting for her turn to spar with Nephrite, an event that she was not particularly looking forward to. Sailor Venus and Jadeite were dueling, Venus with the peculiar sword they had found on the moon. She was also able to switch from her left hand to right effortlessly, and they tangled and turned like two people dancing. "Right," Jadeite said, deflecting several of Venus's blows before switching hands. "Left." She switched to compensate. "Right!" Venus was laughing despite every intention of staying serious. Jadeite had taken to throwing his sword up in the air and catching it with his opposite hand, all the time with a challenging smile on his face. Not one to be outdone, she mirrored him almost exactly until it became less of a fight than of a halftime sideshow contest of who could switch hands the fastest and most frequently. "Left! Come on Venus, show me what you got!" "Right!" she yelled, and the swords sailed skyward. "C'mon, Venus, he's nothing!" Zoicite called gleefully, impressed. This was the best fight he had seen outside of Pay Per View and BU hockey games. Kunzite groaned. "This is getting out of hand." "Leftbehindtheback!" Jadeite caught the handle with his left arm twisted behind his back, and whipped it around in what even Venus would admit was a cool move. She copied and then announced: "Right behind the back!" Soon they were switching hands and tossing swords behind their back almost in synchronization. "I'd try left between the legs, but I'm kind of chickenshit about that area," Jadeite said, spinning and jabbing. In the end, it was Venus's shoes that ended the fight. Her left heel caught under a stray sheet of tarpaper, and she collapsed forward onto her opponent, who caught her inches before her nose slammed onto the concrete. "I win by knockout!" he proclaimed. Venus picked herself up, incredulous. "That's bullshit! My heel got caught!" "Hey, did I tell you to wear do-me shoes?" She tossed her sword to Sailor Moon and fixed her bow. "OK, everyone, that was just for fun. Now let's get serious." Sailor Moon gulped. "Yes, you're next." "Oh, crap," she mumbled, her voice as jittery as her knees. Nephrite pulled out his sword and started swinging it in perfect circles while imitating Mills Lane. "C'mon, Sailor Moon, let's get it on!" The fights went on until a little past midnight, the stars out in their full blinking glory as they surrounded the full moon. Jupiter yawned loudly. "How long have we been out here?" The stars had moved. Nephrite rubbed one of her arms, his eyes cast to the sky. They were practically screaming "DANGER DANGER DANGER" like the lights of a cheap roadside diner sign, obliterating whatever message was hidden underneath. He chewed on his lower lip and wished for a Camel. "Couple hours. Damn it." "What's wrong?" She touched his arm. "Nothing. Something. They're trying to tell me something, but I can't figure it out because the ones in front will JUST NOT SHUT UP!" They obediently blinked off when he screamed, like a cheap electric Christmas toy freezes when one yanks out its Duracell double A's. Nephrite blinked several times in shock, himself being the only witness to the unusual turn of events. "Well, damn." "What happened?" Kunzite asked, holding up one hand to halt the fight with Zoicite. Everyone's eyes were on Nephrite as he leaned back trying to take in more of the sky than just what his human eyes could see. "Prince Endymion?" Tuxedo Mask was startled to hear his friend refer to him with such formality, and was thrown for a definite loop. "Uh, yeah?" Nephrite leaned so far back he almost fell backwards. "You have another transformation." "Yeah, I know. I can transform into Endymion. Where are you going with this?" He straightened. "Maybe you'd better do it." Tuxedo Mask cocked his head. "Now?" Nephrite's attention was back to the sky. "'The key is in the Moon.' Yeah, you already told me that. What the hell does it mean?" It took Tuxedo Mask a few minutes to realize that Nephrite wasn't talking to him. "Could you be a little more specific? OK, fine, stay vague, we'll just get our asses kicked. Whatever! You guys also said Arizona State was going to win that last one!" He snapped his head back, disgusted. "Yo, Tux, would you please up the ante now?" "Sure." He closed his eyes, and touched a part of his mind that usually remained dormant save for several special situations. Endymion was there, even though he had died a thousand years ago; he lived on in Darien, and waited patiently to emerge into being again. He opened his eyes to see all four of his Generals kneeling before him. He cringed, his face reddening. "Oh for the love of God would you get the hell up? Life's too short for this shit!" Jadeite rose slowly, staring at Endymion's black and navy armor. "Uh, yeah, why the hell did I just do that?" "It felt right," Zoicite simply explained. Sailor Moon squirmed uncomfortably. "Yeah, well something still doesn't feel right. Maybe we better practice some more." Endymion pulled out his sword, his eyes blazing like blue flame. A familiar rush entered his body, swarming every cell to capacity. His gaze settled on Kunzite. "Yeah, let's." Kunzite barely smiled, but his eyes were burning too. "Let's see if you can score on me when I'm not zoned out." Ignoring the fight, Sailor Moon wandered to a far corner of his roof, partially hidden behind the nail-studded door. She gazed out at the town below, the wind picking up her blond pigtails and tossing them around her flawless face. <> Serenity smiled down at her daughter. <> <> She fingered the crystal on her chest with one nervous finger. << My dear, you know what to do. I've showed you how to use the crystal, and I'm confident you'll come through. >> She giggled nervously. <> <> <> The question hung suspended in the air, through currents of time. Finally, the Queen spoke. << I was too weak; I expended almost all of my energy to seal away Metallia and the rest of the Dark Kingdom. I could have wished you and Endymion back, and myself, and the others, but what about the rest of the Earth? What about the People of the Moon? And what good would it have done? We would come back to a desolate Earth, an annihilated Moon. We couldn't possibly even rebuild the palace, much less a planet and a satellite. >> Sailor Moon nodded, glancing behind her back at her friends and her protectors. <> <> Unseen, she kissed her daughter's forehead. <> <> "Hey." She swiveled around, startled at the sound. Sailor Jupiter stepped out of the shadows. "You OK?" "Yes, I was just..." Her voice trailed off. "Getting in some down time? I know. I'm all wound up too." The taller girl rubbed her fist. "All I want to do is make them pay, Sailor Moon. I want to hurt them the way they hurt Luna and Artemis, the way they hurt innocents, and the way they hurt us. Do you know how many times I skipped my eight o'clock because I couldn't drag my bruised-up ass out of bed? You ready? Venus and Kunzite think we're done for the night; we're all going to turn in. You staying at Darien's?" "Yes. I-" She looked at her friend, strong and brave and beautiful, unwavering in her resolution of retribution. "Never mind, Jupiter. Go be with Nephrite. Make your time together count." She smiled. "I will, Princess." * * * * * * * * * * * Raye cried again that night. Jay simply held her against his chest, stroking her hair and letting her sob into his shoulder until her body temporarily exhausted itself of the grief that had been holding her hostage. He said nothing. "Oh, Goddess," she breathed into his neck. "What can I do, Raye?" he asked softly, trailing one hand over her shoulder blades and down over the smooth white skin of her back. She pressed her body tighter against his, nestling in the pocket of heat that they had created. Her hair ran over her throat and breasts like a black river. She squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her embrace around his neck. "Nothing. Just be with me." She kissed his hair, his forehead, his face, his lips. Their bodies spooned and joined together. His voice was hoarse. "I would never leave." * * * * * * * * * * * Lita bit her nails compulsively, tears from nervousness and the stinging cloud of cigarette smoke running out of her eyes. "Give me that." "Huh?" She plucked the Camel out of his fingers and stuffed it into an empty Coke can on the bedside table. "You're not supposed to smoke in bed, anyway," she choked between sobs, rubbing the end of the sheet against her swollen eyes. "You could fall asleep and then your bed will catch fire. And then-" "Hey." He rubbed her lower back and backside gently, and buried his face in her downy curls. "Don't cry." He pulled her body closer to his. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying, I'm just a little upset, and nervous, and-" She took his hand and held it in hers against her chest. "And I love you so much it's making me crazy." He turned her over so she was facing him. In the dark, they could only see the glint off of each other's eyes. "I love you. I have forever." * * * * * * * * * * * Zach had confiscated Amy's Palm Pilot and locked it away in his hidden pocket; otherwise, she would still be entering lines of data, trying to solve all of their problems with one swift keystroke. Her PC was unplugged and the cords severed; he had promised to repair it first thing in the morning. They lay in bed together, their hands clasped together, every breath and heartbeat synchronized. Neither spoke. The edges of time blurred in the silence, their bodies melded together into one being. Zach raised her hand to his face and kissed it, inhaling the scent of her skin while tracing her knuckles with his lips. She let her eyelids flutter shut. * * * * * * * * * * * She had lost track of how long they had been awake. They had mulled over every plan and possibility, their minds growing wearier and number with each passing hour, until it seemed they had a solution to every problem in the world from overpopulation to campaign finance reform. Now they simply lay awake together, wondering how silence could seem so loud. She stretched out on the bed and idly touched her face with one hand, letting the dim light from the streetlamps flow across her naked body like liquid heat. He stared at her, unblinking, his memory referencing what his mind forgot. He had seen her before, on oil on canvas and in blocks of white marble, a goddess, an icon. He reached out and touched her to make sure she was still flesh and blood. She smiled at his touch, and sat up halfway, reaching out to touch his face. * * * * * * * * * * * Serena, standing at the window, bathed in moonlight, positively glowed with internal radiance. Darien slid off the bed and joined her, hugging her from behind. "I just saw a shooting star," she whispered, her hair seeming as light as her body. She was one continuous line of silver. "Make a wish." He did, pouring every ounce of his being into the wish, bending his mind with the effort. Every ion in his body raised its voice to the skies and prayed, voices joining together in a biological choir of hope. He jumped when she reached back and took his hand. "I made the same wish."