OK, I know this may not be what you're used to, but I gotta write it anyway. In this fic, Malachite and Zoisite are both male, and not lovers. The Senshi are going by their American names, but as a group will be called the Senshi. There are no outers, and everybody knows everything about identities. That includes villains. Queen Beryl is not in this. Think of this a version where Malachite and Zoisite are the supreme rulers of the Dark Kingdom, and all main villains are in this, with the exception of Jedite. There is still hostility between Zoisite and Nephlite, as well. And, there is a relationship between Nephlite and Lita/Sailor Jupiter. Oh, and this may get a little suggestive, thus the reason for a PG-15 rating. Now, on with the copyright info: Sailor Moon and all related characters are not mine (sob). But, the character of Black Warlock does. So now, on with the story! Chapter 1 The young blonde ran as fast as her little legs could have possibly carried her. Her vision was foggy, her body was beaten, and her sailor uniform was torn. Tears were streaming from her eyes. She could hear the laughter behind her. And she could also hear the blood-curdling screams. One thought ran through her mind. Escape. The little girl that was Sailor Moon continued running toward that vortex which would lead to her world, where the power of the Dark Kingdom would not be nearly as strong as it was where she was now. She was stopped short of the vortex by slender man, who had a pony-tail. It was Zoisite, one of the men who had beaten the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen to a bloody pulp. "Not so fast, Sailor Twit!" Zoisite glared at Sailor Moon with evil eyes. "Your fate cannot be escaped. You must die!" Zoisite laughed maniacally. Sailor Moon tried to turn and run. But, she was cut off by another figure, who appeared from nowhere. "Sailor Moon, leaving so soon?" This was Malachite, the other of the two men. His light-blue hair seemed to glow with the satisfaction of knowing he was about to rid himself of all his troubles. "I don't think so!" He blasted Sailor Moon into a wall. "Unnhh...." "Now, Sailor Moon," snarled the younger Zoisite, "prepare to see your friends again.... in hell!" Zoisite held Sailor Moon tightly by the throat, and soon her world became dark... and then nothingness...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena shot up in bed, gasping for air. She suddenly came to the realization that it had just been a dream. But it had felt so real.... She felt like it was more than a dream. Like it was more real than life itself... It was such a weird feeling. Serena looked over on the night-stand, where a picture of Darien stood. She smiled, knowing he was out there... Knowing that he would always protect her. For a moment, she even forgot about the nightmare. A smile slowly appeared across her face. She decided to lay back down, and try to get some sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zoisite looked very disgusted, as did Malachite. They both wanted Sailor Moon to be scared. Too scared to fight. Their plan, however, had been set back. She had escaped her nightmare by waking up. "This could be tougher than we had originally thought," Malachite muttered. "Definitely. Sailor Moon obviously has willpower, even though she has never displayed it in her eating habits." "I am beginning to think we should just finish her off as Serena Tsukingo." "And spoil the game? This is too much fun, and will be so much more glorious." Zoisite, who sat on the eastern, blue throne, rose up. "That Sailor Moon is going to go down, all right. And it is going to be as Sailor Moon." Zoisite disappeared in a whirl of pink flower petals. "Nephlite, come," said a calm Malachite. Within seconds, a man with blue eyes and wavy brown hair appeared before the monarch. "Yes, Malachite?" "Nephlite, what is your report on Black Warlock?" "He is growing stronger. So, Sailor Moon will not be able to escape her dreams." "That's good to hear. And I am trusting that you have control over him." "Sir, what happened with the chaos demon will not happen this time." "It had better not. I don't want another incident where I am being attacked by one of my own." "I assure you, that will not happen. I will die before that happens." "Or shortly after.... Go now." "Yes, your highness." Nephlite disappeared. Malachite stood from his black throne, which was lined on the outer edge of the back with scarlet. He narrowed his eyes. "Do not fail me, Nephlite. I still need you for my plan." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lita sat on her bed, wearing a negligée, waiting for her lover to arrive. She was nervous. She knew he was bad, but she still loved him. It was almost like reason had no control over her on this matter. Finally, after nearly twenty minutes of waiting, he arrived. His brown, wavy hair flowed down to his back. His gray uniform was straight, without even the slightest wrinkle. No one had seen him enter the apartment, but then, he had just appeared there, out of thin air. "Hello, Lita." "Hey, Nephlite. You're late," Lita commented with a mischievous grin. She then patted a spot next to her on the bed, indicating where she wanted Nephlite to sit. He obliged. "Lita, I don't know if we should be doing this. I mean, here we are, lovers, yet I am a sworn enemy of you, and you of me." Lita put her index and middle fingers on Nephlite's lips. "Shh. Don't think about it." Lita moved in, kissing him. her lips parted as his did. His hand moved to the back of her head, as they gently fell to the bed, suddenly not caring what was right or wrong..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rei Hino, the Shinto priestess, sat in front of the Great Fire. She was wearing her red and white robe, and her raven-colored hair flowed like a river down her back, ending at the small of her back. She was in meditation, but that was soon broken by someone knocking on the door of the temple. She grumbled. She hated having late visitors, but this was actually an early visitor, since it was 6:00 in the morning. Rei suddenly realized that she had not gone to bed! "Coming!" Rei hated not having her grandfather around anymore, since he had passed on in his sleep, nearly a year ago. Her school had given her a pardon, since her duties at the temple prevented her from school, not to mention the Sailor Senshi. Rei opened the door to see Lita. She had changed out of the negligée and into a white T-shirt and a pair of brown shorts. Her hair was long and flowing, not in the usual single pony-tail. "Rei, I need to talk to you." "Lita, sure, come on in." The two girls walked to the room with the Great Fire; it was warmer in there. Lita immediately started talking. "Rei, for quite some time now, I have been seeing this guy... And I know he's bad, but I still want to see him. It's.... Well, it's Nephlite." Lita raised her eyebrows, fully expecting to hear a scream from Rei. But, no. "I know," was all she got. "What? H-How?" "Lita, you weren't the only one who lost a love to the dark forces. I lost Jedite, and now he's dead, which actually makes it a little easier. But anyway, I know." "Well, you'll want to know this. We discussed it, and all either of us wants is to be friends." "Friends? I know you both too well. And let me tell you something. You two will never be friends. You'll love each other till it kills you both. You'll love... and you'll hate... and you'll shag and you'll ram swords down each other's throats...... but you'll never be friends." Lita was silent. She only had a single tear in her eye, as the realization hit her..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lita walked entered her apartment again at nearly seven o'clock. School would start in an hour. She had to hurry, and get this out. "Nephlite, are you still here?" Nephlite only appeared from the kitchen, not saying a word. "Lita, I'm here. Look, I know things are getting complicated, but we can still--" "No, we can't. We can't go on like this. And we can't be friends. Not now. Not after.... everything that has happened. We love each other, and it's going to kill us eventually." "Lita, there must be a way we can see each other more." "There is." Lita's eyes were full of tears, but they were not allowed to flow forth. "Look me in the eye, and tell me you don't love me." Her lips were quivering as she said this. Nephlite only looked at her, then hung his head, clenching his fist. He closed his eyes. Lita silently withdrew from the apartment, after picking up her books for school. Nephlite disappeared, leaving only a tear from his left eye to fall graciously on the carpet. "Darling can't you see This is killing me We could never be Just friends." -John Michael Montgomery. Hello! This is another installment of Nightmare, my newest (as of December 1998) fanfic. I know, last chapter was not focused on any nightmare, but I called it this because it will become the plot sooner or later. Well, at least part of the plot. I already said all the copyrights. Chapter 2 Lita entered the school building, still holding back the tears. She had changed into her uniform in a bathroom, since she didn't want to change where Nephlite was still standing when she had left. When she got there, she saw Serena. "Hey Serena," she said, trying to hide the pain. Trying, but failing. "Hey Lita," Serena replied. "What's wrong?" Lita took her seat next to her companion. Her countenance was readable by Serena. "Guy trouble?" "Yeah. We broke up this morning." "Lita, you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend after Nephlite went to the evil side." Now Lita was stuck. How could she tell her best friend that she was talking about Nephlite? She couldn't. So, she came up with the first excuse that popped in her mind. "Yeah, it was Freddy again." Great. Now she had hidden the truth by making herself look like some dome girl who keeps going back to the same no good guy over and over. Serena merely nodded, not saying anything. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nephlite stood in a dark room, with only one other being in the room. It was Black Warlock. They only stood there for a while, letting the time pass. The dark room was lit well enough only to distinguish who the two beings were, but nothing more. Walls were not illuminated, save the very top of them, where the torches burned. "How is the plan coming along?" Nephlite asked, barely moving his lips to utter the words. "Right on schedule," commented Black Warlock. "Soon Sailor Moon will be so scared of us she will be pathetic." Nephlite let in a large breath of air, then exhaled the entire quantity. It was a heavy sigh, to be sure. "Good. I want results. And as long as you produce them, I will be happy. But if I am not happy, then...." Nephlite said nothing more of that topic, but, rather, changed it to that of an order. "See that Sailor Moon receives the nightmare again tonight, but spice it up a bit." He then vanished, with no trace of any smoke. "I'll see how well you like it spiced up. Soon enough." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ School let out, and immediately Serena was running out, with all the vigor of a young colt. She met up with Amy outside, who naturally took her time leaving school. "Amy! Hey, I was gonna head over to the temple for a few minutes. Wanna come?" "No thank you. I have a lot of homework in Calculus and Physics. I think I'll just go home and study." "OK, suit yourself." Serena walked hurriedly to Rei's temple. As she approached the entrance door, her steps grew quicker. She reached the door soon enough, and knocked on it. After nearly two-and-a-half minutes, the Shinto priestess Rei Hino answered. "Serena, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in detention?" There was a hint of sarcasm in that remark, which was ignored by Serena. "Actually no. I need to talk to you." The sincerity in Serena's voice was amazing. So, being the natural friend of Serena, Rei invited her in, and asked to hear all about it. Serena told Rei about the nightmare she had dreamed. About how Malachite and Zoisite had killed everyone, and were about to kill her, but she woke up just then. Then, logically, Serena asked what it could mean. "I have no idea. Maybe you're just starting to think about it more than you used to. But I don't think it means anything." Serena felt calmer now. She smiled slightly. "Thanks Rei. I have to go now. See ya later!" Serena hasted to the door, picked up her bunny backpack, and started home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Black Warlock closed his ice-blue eyes, thinking about his own agenda. He knew the dangers of this, as he knew the dangers that would await in carrying out this plan. However, he liked for no one to be the boss of him. "In four and twenty hours, it will happen." His eyes opened, as something inside him told him to shut up. Suddenly, Nephlite appeared. "Black Warlock, I trust you have a good present for Sailor Moon when she rests tonight?" "Yes, commander. All is ready." "Good." Nephlite stood with his hands crossed in back of him. "She will be asleep soon enough. Do not fail me." Nephlite disappeared. "I'll make sure everything is taken care of." Black Warlock, who looked like a mere shadow with eyes and a mouth, smiled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Malachite sat on his black and scarlet throne, staring at the empty space before him in the Dark Kingdom. He sat, unflinching, for nearly twenty minutes. Zoisite, who sat on the blue throne, which was to the left on the black and scarlet one, stared ahead as well. Only his gaze was not fixed upon the emptiness which occupied the space of the Dark Kingdom. No, his gaze was fixed on a lone figure, which walked toward the two thrones. "Halt! Who goes there?" Zoisite said with complete firmness in his voice. "It's me, Zoisite." The harsh voice which answered could only have belonged to one person. Nephlite. "So how is the plan proceeding?" Malachite broke his gaze to glance at Zoisite, merely moving his eyes to see him. "Right on schedule. Sailor Moon will be having another rough night." "Good," said Malachite. "Now go." Nephlite did as told. He vanished into thin air. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lita sat on her sofa, thinking about what had happened between her and Nephlite. She wanted so bad to be able to be friends with him. She knew they could not go on as an item. It was just too difficult. She started remembering what had happened the day Nephlite went bad. Flashback...... Lita and Nephlite were strolling along the beach, hand in hand. They were so happy together. It seemed as if nothing could come between them. Then, suddenly, it happened. Out of nowhere, two figures appeared. They were none other than Malachite and Zoisite. "Hello, Nephlite! We have been watching you for some time now, and we have decided that you are the perfect choice. Someone such as yourself is truly a great find. All the properties of an untapped sorcerer." Nephlite's first instinct was fear, then to protect Lita. But, he would need not to. Malachite and Zoisite were not after her. "Just come with us," said Zoisite. Then, they disappeared, along with Nephlite. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Lita's cry pierced the sky like a blade through a piece of paper. But no one would be there to help her... End Flashback... Lita felt a tear stream down her face. There was a simple answer for that. So simple, Lita never thought of it. Nobody would have thought of this answer. The heart can not be controlled. Not by any power on this earth or in the cosmos. The heart must be wild and free. For that is the way of the heart. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena fell asleep a little past 10:30 p.m. As she did, her last thoughts were about Darien, and how he would always be there to protect her. And then she drifted off to sleep.... That's it for part 2. I hope you liked it. And remember, I am screwing around with the history a bit (or maybe a lot), but that's why it's called a fanfic. I can do what I want with it. And remember to send those comments to cowboys@wwd.net Thank you, and have a nice day. :) Hey, all! OK, OK, I know this is looking like it's focusing on Lita, but oh well. So what if it is? Anyway, let's get on with the show. Shall we? Chapter 3 Serena ran through the forest as fast as she could. There was no telling what was up ahead, and she certainly didn't want to know what was behind her. But she could hear footsteps behind her. They kept drawing closer, little by little. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of running, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It jerked her backward, and slammed her to the ground. She skidded on her back some twenty feet. The first thing Serena noticed when she stopped was that her back felt moist. This was not due to the dew on the forest ground, but the fact that her back had been cut in several places upon the skid. Serena saw a shadowy figure loom over her as she looked up, through the haze of the tears in her eyes. It seemed to be reaching down for her. It was. It grabbed her throat with both hands, and lifted her violently upward. It started shaking her, and spat in her face. Finally, her vision became clear enough to see the figure. It was Zoisite. "Be afraid. Be very afraid." Zoisite threw Serena away, into a tree. As she made impact, she bent backwards, and a flash of whiteness came... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena shot up in bed. The nightmare had come again, but it was different this time. It was still as real as daylight; however, it was scarier this time. No one was there to help her. No one was there to even try. In this nightmare, she had been alone. Abandoned by all her friends. Serena looked at the little black cat which slept at the foot of her bed. She had awakened also, and was staring at Serena. "Serena, is everything all right?" The little black cat spoke with a British accent, which was odd for her to be living in Tokyo. Of course, most people would say it was more odd that the cat was talking at all. "Oh, sure Luna. I just had a bad dream. But I'm fine now." "Are you sure?" "Of course, Luna. Just go back to sleep. Got a big day tomorrow." "Serena, tomorrow is Saturday." "I know," Serena said slyly. "Well, get some sleep." Luna closed her eyes, and being a cat, was asleep instantly. Serena lied back down, and closed her eyes. She snuggled in for some rest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Black Warlock opened his eyes as his ability to end dreams to Serena suddenly stopped. He knew she had awoken. And now, he decided was the time to strike with the big blow... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zoisite sat on his blue throne. Malachite was not with him; he was meditating in his private chambers. And so Zoisite was alone. But not for long. A shadowy figure appeared before him, some twenty or twenty-five feet away. It did not move closer. "Who's there?" Zoisite asked, trying to make out the figure. It raised a hand, and seemed to be pointing at Zoisite. His intuition told him to move, and to move quickly. So, he jumped up, going nearly thirty feet high. The second he jumped, his throne had shattered, due to the force of impact from a dark blue ball of negative energy. "What the hell is this?" The figure's blue eyes opened, and two small beams shot from them, heading straight for Zoisite. Zoisite dodged, but didn't see the blue beam that was sent right behind the first two. It hit him, and froze him on impact. Zoisite's ability to remain airborne was lost. He fell to the ground, and the shadow turned away. All the shadow heard was the sound of shattering ice, and it had the satisfaction of knowing that Zoisite was in a thousand pieces. Phase one was complete. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Black Warlock appeared before Malachite, who was still in solitude. He had not been witness to the attack on Zoisite. So, Black Warlock would fill him in. "Malachite, your highness. I have a matter to discuss with you." Malachite did not open his eyes, trying to remain in meditation. "Can it wait?" "Sir, this is of the utmost importance." Malachite opened his eyes. "All right, you have my attention." "Sir, I just saw the most dreadful thing. Zoisite was killed." Malachite's eyes widened, knowing perfectly well that there were only three beings that could have had the power to do it. And he was one of them. "I am assuming it was not you, since you are the reporter." "Sir, it was Nephlite. If you don't mind my saying, he needs to be dealt with. The ample punishment is death." Malachite knew Nephlite was a strong warrior, and could not believe that he would do anything of this nature. "I'm not so sure." "Sir, I am the first to defend him. He created me! But, if the security of the Dark Kingdom is jeopardized, then he needs to be done away with. Otherwise the entire plan to get rid of the Sailor Soldiers will be all for nothing. I implore you sir, do not let him get away with this, or you could be next." Malachite pondered the situation briefly. "He will be... dealt with. But do not get his suspicions up that you know of this. Which, by the way, how do you know this?" The reply came with no hesitation. "I saw it. From the shadows. He must not have seen me, or surely I would have met the same fate." "Very well. Go now, and say nothing to Nephlite. He doesn't need to know I know about this." "Of course." Black Warlock finished his visit with a bow, and a disappearing act. < Nephlite, I thought I could trust you. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darien and Serena strolled down a beach, hand in hand, watching the sun set. Serena felt so happy, to be with the man of her dreams, but for some reason, it felt different. The dreams had already started to take effect on her mind. The one where she had been all alone had done it to her. She felt like he wasn't really there. She felt like she was about to wake up to find herself alone. "Darien?" Serena said, not really looking at him. "Yes, sweet Serena?" "Darien, you love me, right?" The tow stopped right then and there, as Darien turned Serena to face him. "Serena, it hurts me to think that you would have to ask such a question. Of course I love you. I always have, for a thousand years, and I always will. I will love you through the end of time. Nothing can change that." Serena looked into Darien's caring, sincere eyes. She could tell he meant what he said, so why did she not feel any comfort? Was it the dream? Serena did not know. All she knew was that she felt no comfort. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rei and Lita sat on a park bench, talking about a certain relationship. Needless to say, it was the one between Nephlite and Lita. "Rei, I don't know what to do. I love him so much, I can't stand to be away from him. I know he's a danger, but he loves me too." "Lita, I know this is difficult. But you have to be strong." "But what's gonna happen when we meet in battle?" "You don't wanna hear this." The pain was starting to get to Rei. How could she say this? "You'll have to kill him." Lita knew Rei was right. She knew her duty as a Sailor Soldier. She only wished she knew her duties as a lover..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Be Continued...... Well, if it isn't another part, I don't know what it is. Anyway, I hope you liked it. And, the plot thickens (so it is now 1 centimeter thick) ^_^ And, since I am sending this out on December 18, 1998, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and may everyone have a safe and happy holiday season. OK, everyone, hope you read the other parts and remember something about them. Why? Because I just do. Anyway, you know the copyright drill, I put it in the first part. Anyway, for those that decided to skip to this part, here's what happened.... Stuff. Read the other parts to find out what. :) Chapter 4 Lita stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. 50 feet below was nothing but rocks and water. She held her eyes closed, so as not to let any tears escape. She felt so alone, and so bad. She felt as if she was abandoning everyone in her life, but what choice did she have? She loved Nephlite so much, she could not bare to think that she might have to kill him. She didn't have the strength to do it. As she was about to say her final farewell to the world, she felt a presence behind her. She did not turn around. "Lita, get away from the edge." The harsh voice belonged to Nephlite. "What are you doing here?" "I can tell where you are, by my powers. I wanted to make sure you were okay." "Nephlite, go away. You're not making this easier." "Lita, no one said this would be easy. But you can't just ignore this. You can't just run away from it." "But if I don't run away then I'll have to kill you! And I can't do that. It is better this way." "No it's not!" Nephlite's voice cracked as the tears began pouring forth. "Can't you see that without you, I can't go on? If you die now then there is no point in anything that is going on. And I can't bear to think that you would want that to happen." Lita turned around to see that Nephlite had moved closer. They both saw the tears in each other's eyes. Nephlite didn't want her to die. He didn't want her to be involved. "Nephlite, I'm sorry." Lita's tears fell to the ground, and she stepped backward, and fell into the place of her doom. "LIIIITAAAAAA!!!!" Nephlite ran toward the edge, only to see Lita smack into the rocks below, and her body be washed away by the ocean current. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three days had passed since Lita's death. Her body had been found washed ashore later on the same day. And so, now her funeral would be taking place. At the church, the minister had droned on and on about what a great person she was. All who were there; Mina, Rei, Serena, Darien, and Amy; knew he was just saying what he had to. But, after he had finished, he stepped down, and Serena had to give the eulogy. Serena stepped up, and looked at the faces. "Dear friends, we all know what Lita was like. She was a great friend, and a caring human being, and the dearest person to all of us. She touched the lives of all whom she encountered. And I could go on and on about Lita, but what would be the point? We all knew her, and we all have lost her now. But if she lives on in our hearts, she will never truly be dead." Soon after, the funeral procession went to the local graveyard. After everyone was out of their cars, they all gathered around the hole in the ground. Soon, Lita's friends would be talking to her from this spot. The preacher began. "Almighty God, by the death and burial of Jesus, your anointed, you have destroyed death and sanctified the graves of all your saints. Keep our sister, whose body we now lay to rest, in the company of all your saints and, at the last, raise her up to share with all your faithful people the endless joy and peace won through the glorious resurrection of Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever." "Amen," was said by all others who were there. Even Rei, who did not even belong to this religion, but still had a great respect for it. The preacher then read a lesson from the Bible. "And Jesus answered them, 'The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.' (John 12:23-26)." The coffin was lowered into the grave, and earth was cast upon it as the preacher finished the service. "Since Almighty God has called our sister, Lita Kino, from this life to himself, we commit her body to the earth from which it was made. Christ was born to rise from the dead, and we know that he will raise up our mortal bodies to be like his in glory. We commend our sister to the Lord: May the Lord receive her into his peace and raise her up on the last day." Again, all who were there said "Amen." Soon, the service was over, and all the coffin had been covered with earth, and the hole was there no more. The minister finished with "Let us go in peace." All departed, after saying one last farewell to their beloved friend. The dark clouds, that had been looming over the graveyard that day, began to emit a gentle mist of rain, and the last person, Serena, left. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Malachite called for Nephlite, who promptly appeared. Malachite looked at Nephlite with cold eyes. "Nephlite, you are a traitor." Nephlite tried to say something, but Malachite would not let in a word edge-wise. "First, you kill Zoisite, and then I see you trying to save a Sailor Senshi! Now, I'm afraid your time is up!" Malachite sent a blast toward Nephlite, who had no time to dodge. The blast collided with his body, sending him backward nearly thirty feet. Malachite blasted again, and again, until Nephlite was slipping into death. "I hope you remember the look on Zoisite's face, you bastard. And remember, that I allow for no treachery!" Nephlite's life force slowly slipped away, as he breathed his last breath. His last words were to no one in the room, but to one that was beyond. "I'm coming... Lita......" Nephlite slowly faded away, as Malachite tuned away. It was now down to two members of the Dark Kingdom. Malachite wished he didn't have to do what he had just done, but as Black Warlock put it, if the security of the Dark Kingdom was put in jeopardy, then he must be dealt with. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Be Continued..... I know, it's a short chapter, shorter than usual, maybe. But I had to get this part out before Christmas, as I am taking a break for about a week to get ready for Christmas. And, for those of you who are wondering, the funeral took place under the process of the Lutheran way, since I am a Lutheran. I hope no one is offended, because that was not my intention. My intention was to make someone cry. (So I'm a little demented. Big deal.) Anyway, I hope you will all continue to read this story. Religion really isn't the point, but I needed a funeral, so I picked my own religion. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some thank-you's to send out to: rush, Tiga Shadow, Mystic Kitty, Lady Michika Tenshi, Rei Hino, and anyone who has taken the time to let me know how they feel about my stories or about me. (That means you, Alexis and FernieK86). Fernie, buddy! Email me sometime! Well, that's all. Bye bye. PS -- Thanks, Derek! You're the best friend in the world! Welcome all who wish to read this! Anyway, as we say in the business, let's start. Chapter 5 Rei sat alone on the temple floor. She remembered the death of the first person she cared about, her Grandpa. He had merely been resting, and a Dark Kingdom youma had come looking for Rei. Instead, it found only Grandpa, and so, he had been killed as a message. Then, Rei remembered what had happened to her love, Jedite. He had come, and seeing that Rei's grandpa was killed, felt guilty. He had sent the youma! He only wanted to make Rei come over and join the Dark Kingdom, so they could be together. But, in his confession, Rei lost it. She became Sailor Mars, and killed him. Then it hit her. She had killed the one she wanted to be with. And now, Lita was dead. Three people that she cared about deeply were gone. Her tears were not to be denied, and so she let them pour forth with these memories. Rei wanted to die. But, she knew that the earth still needed her. She wasn't going to let anyone else that she cared about die. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena and Darien were sitting in front of the TV at his apartment, passing time. They were still sad because of Lita's death. They wished that they could wake up, but no. They would have to live out this nightmare, and cope, somehow. Their thoughts were interrupted by Serena's communicator beeping. She pulled it out of her pocket, and answered it on the third beep. It was Rei. "Serena, get over to the temple. I'm calling an emergency meeting of the Sailor Senshi." "Sure, Rei." With that, the connection was lost, and Serena and Darien were on their way. What this was about, they had no clue. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena and Darien were the last to arrive at the temple. Amy had only beaten them by a couple of minutes, however, and Mina by only thirty seconds. "Good, you're here," Rei stated. "Now, to get down to business. The Dark Kingdom is planning to get rid of all of us, one by one. They started with Lita." Of course, Rei was only assuming this, never dreaming that Lita would commit suicide. "Now, we have to go in and take care of them. Otherwise, we will all get killed." "I agree," Mina said solemnly. "We have to do it." "Right," said Amy. "Let's do it for Lita." "For planet Earth," said Serena. "Then let's do it," said Darien. He then transformed into Tuxedo Mask. Rei, Amy, Mina, and Serena each turned into their respective Senshi forms. They were going to teleport to the Dark Kingdom, and it was gonna be over soon. One way or the other. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Malachite stood in front of his black and scarlet throne. He had Black Warlock standing at his right side. "They are coming," Black Warlock said. "I can feel them." "Let them come. They will die. And the Dark Kingdom will rule the world." Black Warlock knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to finish what he had started, and let Malachite handle this himself. And if Malachite should win, then he would approach the problem with his alternate plan. The darkness began to glow in one spot, where the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask finally appeared. Malachite only watched for a moment, before speaking. "Hello, girls. And, hello, cape-boy." "You're one to talk, Malachite," Darien retorted quickly. "At least my cape is worn in good taste. But that is not the issue here. The issue is your doom!" Malachite unleashed a hellish attack toward the Senshi. They all dodged, making Malachite madder than ever. "Mars Fire Ignite!" The attack flew toward Malachite, who disappeared. The attack fried the throne. Malachite appeared behind Sailor Mars, and he grabbed her head, in a choke-hold. Sailor Mercury started to use her bubbles, but was stopped. "You make it so I can't see, then Mars here dies. It would be so easy to snap her neck right now." Sailor Mercury backed off. All the Senshi did. Malachite whispered into Mars's ear. "Say hello to Jupiter for me." With that, he snapped her neck, and her lifeless body fell to the floor. Malachite looked at the rest of the Senshi. "Well, whaddya know? It was easy." Sailor Moon knew there was only one thing to do now. She took out the Silver Crystal. "You bastard. You have killed two of my friends, and now I'm gonna make you pay." "Oooh, I'm shaking," Malachite said sarcastically. Serena took the crystal, and made a wish with her heart. That wish was that the dark Kingdom to be destroyed, and her friends to be brought back. The crystal began glowing, and it emanated a bright light. It filled the dark Kingdom, and soon everything began crumbling. The remaining Senshi were teleported out. The power of the Silver Crystal destroyed the Dark Kingdom, and Malachite. However, one soul managed to escape.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Senshi appeared right outside Rei's temple. Suddenly, to their astonishment, two girls appeared before them. "LITA! REI!" Serena shouted. "YOU'RE BACK!" "You better believe it, girl," Lita said. "I couldn't stay dead for long. It was too boring." "Same here," Rei commented. "What about the Dark Kingdom?" "Destroyed," said Tuxedo Mask, who then turned into Darien. All the Senshi de-powered into their normal forms. "That's good to hear. We finally won." All the Senshi were happy to be back to normal. Now, their lives could be a little more like everyone else's. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (In the time of Crystal Tokyo, on a far, distant planet) Black Warlock appeared outside of a palace, that looked very exquisite. He didn't know who lived there, but he was determined to find out. He entered, and somehow found his way to the head of the palace. "Who goes there?" asked a man sitting on the throne. Black Warlock only moved closer. He saw the man sitting on the throne. He was wearing a white/light blue suit, with a cape. His hair was light colored. "What is you name?" asked the man. Black Warlock, not wanting his true identity exposed, decided to tell him a new name. "My name, sir, is Wiseman." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yes! This story is finished! I know this isn't in accordance with the series, but it is my story, so I can do with it what I want. This is how I think would have been best for the Wiseman to have come about. Anyway, send your comments to me at cowboys@wwd.net Thanks to all who helped, and to all who posted this!