Part 11.

Haruka found it hurt to breath and she couldn't open her eyes. Her eyelids were heavy, but she finally managed to force them open and let in the bright light. She blinked clearing the bright light from her eyes and the image of Michiru blurred into her vision. Haruka tried to move, but her entire chest hurt, and something heavy was pressing down on her.

"Haruka?" Michiru's voice floated to her and she concentrated on seeing her love's face. "Haruka how are you feeling?"

"Michiru?" Haruka's voice came as a weak mumble. She thought back, clearing her mind, trying to remember what had happened. "What happened to me?" she asked Michiru as she remembered being blasted by the youma.

"You barely escaped with your life, Haruka. The youma severely injured you, if it hadn't been for those mysterious warriors, I don't even want to think of what could've occurred," Michiru said softly.

"Warriors?" Haruka asked weakly.

"Don't talk, you need to rest." Michiru kissed her on the forehead and left the room. Haruka lay back and rested. She didn't remember what had happened after the youma had stabbed her, but she had seen a flash of an unknown attack just before she fell unconscious.

"Is Uranus alright?" Serenity asked Hotaru.

"The youma stabbed her through the side with something. Had those mysterious warriors not appeared there would have been nothing we could've done to save her. The wound is serious, but she'll see through it as long as she doesn't stress herself," Hotaru replied.

"You say mysterious warriors aided you? Do you know who they were?" Serenity asked curiously.

"No Majesty, they attacked and drew the youma away so quickly we had no chance to speak with them. There were two of them; their attacks were unique to anything I've ever seen. They were also extremely powerful; I believe they could've overcome any of us if they had been our enemy. They appeared and disappeared so fast they were like phantoms. I think they may be the same power that destroyed the youma in the Flatland a couple days ago," Hotaru explained.

"Alright then, we'll not confront the pillar again, at least until Haruka is better. Keep your eyes out for these warriors, if they are friendly our only chance may be dependant on their help," Serenity said.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hotaru said, but some how she doubted that these soldiers would show themselves easily. When she had seen them, she got a strong feeling of great power, but reluctance.

"Has anything, yet been discovered what is wrong with the computer?" Serenity asked changing the subject.

"I fear the worst for that situation, Majesty. I believe the evil has probably somehow infected our databanks. It is useless to us now. I think I should shut down the computer just in case," Hotaru said.

"Do everything you feel necessary, but be careful. I wouldn't doubt that it is a youma that's destroying the computer," Serenity said cautiously.

"Yes, your Majesty." Hotaru turned and left Serenity's chambers. Serenity thought as she watched Sailor Saturn leave.

"I fear this evil even more," Serenity thought. "Who are these mysterious warriors? The Starlights perhaps? They disappeared with out a trace. Maybe they have returned? No, it can't be them; Hotaru said that the attacks were different from anything she'd ever seen. Who are they?" While Serenity thought a shadow passed over the room. She looked up and felt the evil that had passed over her kingdom. Serenity hid any fear she had and stood up. "What do you want?" She challenged. Her voice echoed throughout the crystal hall.

"You know what we desire, Serenity, Sailor Moon," a voice replied. The room grew steadily darker, until Serenity could barely see. "You denied us the Ginzouisho a thousand years ago and you paid for it with the lives of your soldiers. No matter how many we have to kill, we will have the Ginzouisho."

"It is you, then?" Serenity said softly. Her eyes flared with anger and the Ginzouisho appeared in her hands. "You stole the lives of my friends, I'll not let you have my Kingdom!" The Ginzouisho glowed brightly sending rays of white light streaking across the room. The blackness backed off and, for a moment, Serenity thought she might defeat it, but the blackness collected in the corners of the room.

"You are foolish, we know how to avoid your power, and anyway you'll die if you use the crystal. Without your soldiers you have nothing." The darkness dodged the rays of light and moved swiftly towards Serenity. "What were those pathetic substitutes that you sent early? They'll die too, you know?"

"I won't let you have them!" Serenity raged. The Ginzouisho shone with blinding light. The doors suddenly burst open and Neptune and Pluto ran into the room. "Stay back you two!" Serenity shouted.

"We have you!" The blackness covered Serenity and the light of the Ginzouisho became a muffled glow from deep inside the center of the mass.

"Serenity-sama!" the two soldiers said with horror. The Blackness spread out and disappeared through the walls before the Senshi could make any movement to save their Queen. "No!" Neptune cried. "Kami-sama, help us now!" Pluto stared with disbelief. Even she hadn't predicted this.

Serenity felt cold within the blackness. Her body was fatigued and she desired to sleep, but the image of her Kingdom and family kept the blackness from coming over her. The Ginzouisho was still in front of her chest, cupped in her hands, but it wasn't glowing as brightly. The evil was all around her and trying to close in to consume her power. Serenity drew the crystal in close to her and curled up. "I'll save them, even if I have to die." The light of the crystal surrounded her and formed a barrier against the advancing darkness. The evil was stopped, but slowly it was creeping through the energy and Serenity knew, sooner or later, it would get to her and the universe would end. "My soldiers? Where are you?" She closed her eyes and fought against the dark.

Minako, Ami, Rei, and Makoto were just nearing the Crystal Palace when they saw the blackness swarm out of it and reassemble with the huge pillar.

"What the…?" Rei suddenly covered her mouth with her hand, and then squeezed her eyes shut against the wave of nausea.

"Rei-chan? What's wrong?" Ami asked quickly. The Senshi surrounded her and helped her sit on the ground.

"Look,” Rei pointed past them at the pillar. They looked up and saw the huge mass. The light of the Ginzouisho was extremely dim from deep within the darkness. "Do you see it? It's goodness," Rei added. They all saw it and felt it calling out to them.

"Your dream, Rei-chan?" Makoto asked quickly.

"Yes, the light strangled within. It's all coming true," Rei said breathlessly.

"No, Rei-chan, we are not going to die," Makoto said and helped Rei to her feet.

"What are you talking about?" Minako asked, fear in her voice.

"The light in the pillar of darkness, I saw all of this in a dream," Rei said quietly.

"You said the dream never finished, Rei-chan. We don't know what will happen," Makoto tried to return confidence to her friends. The Senshi conversed quietly and Makoto took a step away from the group. She didn't know what to do, things seemed bleak against such a powerful foe. From somewhere off to the side she heard a slight movement and she snapped into alertness. Slowly she approached one of the walls of the crystal palace.

"Who are you?" The voice was commanding, but also sounded full of pain. Makoto stepped around the corner, she had little to fear. She saw a short, blond haired woman leaning against the side of the palace. She edged backwards as Makoto made herself entirely visible. The woman held out a clear sword, ready to attack if Makoto became threatening.

"Who are you?" Makoto asked warily and slowly approached.

"Don't come near," the woman said and moved farther back. "I am Sailor Uranus, Leader of the Queen's Royal Guard." Makoto stopped moving forward and studied the woman. She wore a fuku, similar to her own, but the colors were wrong and she carried a clear sword.

"I'm Sailor Jupiter, I was a Senshi a long time ago." Makoto had a feeling the woman was injured by how heavily she leaned on the wall. "Are you alright?" The woman stood up and held her side. Makoto saw the smear of blood on the wall and began to move forward again. The woman didn't raise her defenses again.

"You're Sailor Jupiter? Royal guard to the Princess Serenity so long ago. You can't be, the inner core died long before I came." Makoto wasn't sure what the Senshi was mumbling about, but she got close enough to her to catch her as she fell forward. Makoto laid her gently on the ground just as two more unfamiliar Senshi ran around the corner.

"Haruka?" The two stopped suddenly on seeing Makoto and stepped back. Makoto poised herself on the ground for an attack, while still holding Uranus. She made it apparent she didn't trust either of the two women. "Who the hell are you? What did you do to Haruka?" The green haired woman was angry and frightened at the same time. The woman wearing the black fuku put out her hand to stop any rash actions her companion might have.

"She collapsed, I had nothing to do with it," Makoto said cautiously. She stood up and fixed her gaze on these strange warriors. The green haired woman moved towards the fallen Senshi and kneeled down next to her. Makoto watched with caution and fascination.

"Pluto, she won't survive long," Neptune said desperately.

"Where's Saturn? She could help her some," Pluto replied. Neptune shook her head sadly.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since they took the Queen," Neptune started to cry. Makoto saw no threat from these desperate soldiers and lowered her defenses. She looked directly into the pleading woman's eyes.

"Mercury?" she called without looking away. In a few moments Minako and the others came around the wall and stopped on seeing the unknown soldiers.

"What is it, Jupiter?" Ami asked warily. They watched as Makoto knelt down next to the woman and finally looked over at her friends.

"Can you help her, Ami-chan? She won't live," Makoto asked. Mercury let down her guard and went over to the Uranus. Makoto moved away and, with Pluto's help, Neptune reluctantly followed. Mercury looked over the wounds and placed her hands on the woman's side. Uranus moaned quietly as the light grew around Ami's hands and she healed the stab wound. She finished quickly and stood up.

"Ami-chan?" Minako asked quickly.

"Don't worry, Minako-chan, it wasn't extensive enough to drain me," Ami said with a smile. "She'll be alright once she wakes up," Ami directed her statement to the two unknown sailors. Neptune went back to Haruka's side and cradled her in her arms. Haruka's eyes fluttered open and Michiru hugged her.

"Haruka-chan are you alright?" Michiru asked softly.

"Michiru? What happened?" Haruka pulled herself up and stood by Neptune.

"They saved you, Uranus," Pluto said and nodded towards the inner core. Uranus and Neptune stepped forward showing no signs of malice. Haruka offered her hand to Makoto. Makoto hesitated a moment, then reached out and grasped the soldier's hand and shook it.

"Thank you, for saving her," Neptune said to Mercury.

"I'm sorry about before," Uranus apologized. "They've taken the Queen and everything has gone to hell. I didn't know who to trust."

"It's alright. I can understand," Makoto replied.

"You are the soldiers that helped us earlier, at least you two," Pluto said in her quiet voice and pointed to Venus and Mercury. "Why are you here?"

"We desire vengeance for a battle," Minako said cautiously. She didn't want to reveal too much about themselves to the strangers. She hadn't wanted to concern herself with the unknown soldiers before, but she couldn't have forgiven herself if she'd ignored the situation.

"You said they've taken the Queen. What has happened here?" Rei stepped forward.

"The pillar is evil, it took our Queen and we are not strong enough to stop it. The computer is down and soon the entire city will be consumed," Neptune said quietly. "The fourth member of our team is also missing."

"We need your help. Without the Queen the evil will win. Please, will you help us?" Uranus asked. The inner core looked at each other. They didn't know what to do. They had planned on fighting the pillar themselves, no matter what happened. They hadn't wanted to have someone counting on them. Minako stepped forward.

"We will confront this evil and you may accompany us, but I… we ask one thing of you." She looked back at her friends for reassurance. They nodded.

"Anything," Uranus said.

"When we reach the pillar you must not fight, no matter what we do. If we are lost then you may, but please you can't aid us," Minako told them seriously.

"Why?" Neptune asked softly. They didn't reply.

"You are the inner core, aren’t you?" Pluto said coldly. "You didn't die a thousand years ago. Why will you waste you lives now?" The inner core looked away.

"Pluto, don't," Uranus said quickly. Pluto stepped back. "We'll do as you ask even though I don't understand. But if you are the inner core, then you must know something," the Senshi looked up. "What you go to fight now is the same thing that killed you all a thousand years ago." Uranus watched as rage filled each one of the inner cores eyes.

"What?" Minako said darkly.

"That's why my computer recognized it," Mercury said with equal hate.

"Rei-chan, you said you felt it had a familiar energy," Makoto turned to Rei.

"I hadn't even thought it possible. We destroyed it, didn't we?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," Minako seethed. "We'll save your Queen, but only time will tell if you'll see the inner core again." She turned to leave and the outer core watched helplessly.

"Where is your computer?" Mercury asked before following. "I will take care of that."

"On the far side of the palace. What are you going to do?" Neptune asked.

"If we destroy the evil we'll destroy all of it. For now some of you should protect this palace. The pillar's expansion has sped up and it will be here soon." Mercury followed after the other Senshi and they disappeared around the side of the palace.

"Stay here, then, you two. I'll be back." Uranus quickly followed after the inner core.

"Why are they like this?" Neptune asked softly.

"Because they still believe Sailor Moon is dead," Pluto replied coldly.

On their way Mercury had broken away from them and quickly made her way to the cities’ computer. She slowed as she approached the small building against the palace wall. Mercury touched her earring and the blue glasses spread over her eyes. Her computer listed the data on the city's mainframe. "Everything has been shut down. There's a youma in the computer for sure and it's destroying the city from the inside out." An explosion came from inside the building and Mercury disengaged her glasses. "What the…?" She kicked open the door and readied herself for an attack. The room was dark and the smell of burning plastic and metal filled her nostrils. She heard someone moan from somewhere in the darkness. She fumbled on the wall and found a light switch, Ami stepped back as it sparked when she turned it on. Most of the bulbs immediately blew out, but a few remained and sent an eerie glow across the room, but it was light. Mercury found the form of a young woman lying on the floor; blood trickled down the side of her face. She went to her and helped her up.

"Are you alright?" Mercury asked as the woman staggered to her feet and picked up the long staff with the blade on the end. Ami's hands glowed and healed the wounds on the woman's head.

"Yes, I think so," the woman said softly. "Who are you?" She looked up squinted in the dim light at the person who had saved her. "You are a…Senshi?"

"Yes, Don't concern yourself with it now. What has happened here?" Ami asked as she set Saturn against the wall.

"I tried to shut down the computer, but the youma has complete control and attacked me when I touched the console. I'm not fast enough with computers to override its program," Saturn said.

"Stay here." Mercury got up and went to the computer console. She took out her palmtop and set in on the console, then typed a few buttons so her computer was online with the city's. Saturn watched as Mercury's hands became a blur as they moved across the keyboard. She kept ahead of the youma to keep from being attacked, but Saturn knew if the youma proved quicker, then nothing could save them now. Ami concentrated as she raced against the youma; she felt its evil slowly stealing her energy while she worked. She moved on hand over to her waiting palmtop, both hands worked: one tried to cut the youma off at the main console and the other worked to create a virus on her palmtop. The screen flashed by incredibly fast, but Ami's superior mind broke down every bit of information in seconds. It was the same weapon she had used to defeat the Sailor V game so long ago. "I'll get you youma," she whispered darkly and a smile touched her lips. "I've got you." She touched the enter key and the computer went down. The youma's evil stopped taking her energy and she relaxed, but a blast came from the computer and threw Mercury into the opposite wall.

"Impressive," a voice echoed through the room, calm and intelligent. The youma appeared in a mass of cables running into the computer. He was covered with electronic mechanisms and looked entirely cyborg. "I've never met a human with such expertise in computers.” The tall, thin youma gazed through his visor at Mercury with his intelligent blue eyes. Ami stood up and glared confidently at him.

"I've locked off the city's computer, you can't attack it anymore," Ami challenged.

"It doesn't matter now," the youma laughed. "We have the Ginzouisho and your friends will soon be dead. You may have beaten me in the computer, but now you must die." Cables thrust up through the ground and surrounded Mercury, but before they could touch her, Saturn's glaive cut through them and they fell motionless to the ground. "Nuisance." The youma didn't even look over at Saturn, but brought more cables up through the floor. They wrapped around Saturn's arms and legs, thrust her upwards, and then brought her crashing down into the floor. Ami's anger flared as she looked on Saturn's motionless form.

"Damn you!" she raged. "Mercury…" Before she could release her attacks, the cables wrapped around her waist and threw her into the wall again. Two more cables followed before Mercury could make a movement and tore through her shoulders, pinning her to the wall.

"I told you, you could not defeat me," the youma laughed again. "You couldn't win a thousand years ago, but still you survived to be defeated again." Ami felt weak, she didn't struggle against the cables and allowed the pain to spread through her. The youma approached and towered over her, but she refused to look at him. "I remember the battle a thousand years ago, you all failed to protect Sailor Moon and I never thought that you would've have survived. Your pathetic talents are not even capable of saving a child." Mercury's eyes went wide with surprise and rage. The youma closed his hand and the cables tightened around Ami. "I know your failure, a thousand years ago you couldn't save your friends. Now you couldn't even save an innocent child. With all of your power you can't save any of them," the youma laughed as Ami's tears fell. "I'll send you to mark the path for them to follow. I'll free you of your pain."

"They're not dead and I'll not give you that pleasure!" In a burst of anger, Ami raged out against the cables in her shoulders and they tore out of the wall. The youma took a step back in surprise, but then sent more cables speeding towards her. Mercury dodged the cables, and then stopped to pick up her palmtop and she felt a cable tear across her side. "Now you'll see my pathetic talents!" Mercury slammed the enter key on her computer and the cables went dead.

"What the…" The youma looked around at the silent cables.

"I added a virus to the computer." Ami grabbed hold of one of the cables in her shoulder and clenched her teeth as she pulled it out, then did the same for the other. "The virus infected you and destroyed all of your computer controlled parts. Now you are helpless," she smiled darkly at him.

"Impossible!" The youma stepped back.

"Mercury Winds of Hate!" Shards of ice circled the youma and ripped and tore at him. A cool breeze blew around Mercury and it grew colder until the youma froze solid. The wind increased and the youma was blown away as dust. Mercury leaned against the wall, breathing hard, and then staggered over to Saturn and her wounds. She quickly left, before Saturn woke up to find her friends. "Everyone," she whispered to herself.

The explosion struck in the center of the small group of Senshi and Makoto found herself nowhere near any of her friends. The small clearing was ringed by a few sparse trees that sent the sun’s rays in awkward directions. Jupiter didn't like the feeling of the air, it had been a trap for sure and she had fallen into it with little way to escape. Something unearthly crept over her, it was silent and cold, but it filled her and the illusion began. The cherry blossoms fell all around her and everything was so peaceful and perfect.

"Where am I?" she said to herself. It didn't seem real, but everything around her made her feel warm and caused her to believe. "Is this my forest?" She walked forward and with every step the perfect world became more and more real to Makoto. She came to a tall cherry blossom tree and knelt in front of it. "It is, I'll never forget this tree."

"Why?" a voice as soft as a silvery breeze came from behind Makoto. Makoto turned slowly and her eyes fell on a tall man with long silvery hair and soft eyes. "Do you love the tree more than you love me?"

"No, you…you are…" Makoto's eyes glistened with tears as she gazed upon the doctor. He knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his own.

"I am, Mako-chan," he said and touched her cheek softly as he did Makoto fell deeper into the dream.

"But…" she closed her eyes.

"Don't feel anything, no emotions, nothing. I'm here for you and you can stay with me forever." He embraced her and she hugged him around the neck. Makoto looked over and saw the tree again and her eyes went wide. She saw herself standing against the trunk with her blood flowing into its roots staining the blossoms red, then the true doctor approached and she watched his white energy mix with her blood to make the blossoms pink. The true doctor reached out for her once and the image disappeared. Makoto pushed away from the imposter doctor. "What is it?" he asked.

"You're not him," she said softly and looked away. He stood up and looked down at her. "He didn't know my name." The world shattered and the image of the doctor melted away to be replaced by a youma with long, black hair and a single cat eye and a single human eye. Makoto fell to her hands and knees as the imaginary world fell away and the real world broke through. She breathed heavily and struggled to regain the energy the illusion had taken from her.

"You broke my illusion, there appears to be more to you than strength," the youma looked down on the weakened Senshi, then placed his foot on her shoulder and shoved her roughly into the ground. Makoto's strength was gone, she'd used it all in denying the cruel illusion that had seemed so real to her, "But now you don't even have that." The youma applied more pressure and something cracked in Makoto's shoulder and she felt a burning, tearing sensation from her shoulder joint. She clenched her teeth as the pain increased and the youma pushed her harder into the ground. "You could've lived forever in the illusion of your greatest fantasy, but you destroyed it. He didn't have to be dead, you could've lived peacefully together, even if it was an illusion you wouldn't have had to feel pain or be alone. Why are you so cold? Why fight for a dead cause? If you'd died a thousand years ago or chosen to be in the illusion you could've saved yourself this humiliation, but now it's too late, you'll watch everyone you love die. All that awaits you now is pain. He loved you, I saw it in your mind, but you denied yourself life with him." Makoto's eyes burned with tears as she learned this creature had seen all her sufferings. "He died for you and there wasn't a thing you could do to save him. You've failed in every way, your failure a thousand years ago will be repeated again with the ones you love now. You'll die and the Queen will be sacrificed to the darkness, your suffering was in vain," the youma laughed at Makoto's weakness and all the pains of her life flowed into her and over rid all her physical agony. She squeezed her eyes shut and her tears ran forever into the dust. The youma brought its foot down hard on her back and she felt something warm run down the corner of her eye, mix with her tears and turn them red. "All you can do now is cry for a life of failure." Makoto's eyes darkened as images of her friends flashed through her mind. Her happy memories mixed with her sad ones and replayed over and over as her anger mounted.

"You mock my life! You've killed me!" Makoto cried both desperately and angrily, then pushed off the ground with her good arm. The youma fell back at her sudden movement and Makoto stood up, her arm hung limply by her side, and blood dripped from her chin.

"What do you think you can do now?" The youma sneered. It charged her with its claws and fangs bared. Despite her broken shoulder, Makoto stopped the youma's advance by catching his clawed hands in her own. "I'll kill you for real," the youma growled.

"To you, I'm already dead." The gold antenna rose from the green stone in Jupiter's tiara and the air came alive with electricity. The youma glanced around as the static in the air drew in towards Jupiter. The clouds gathered in the sky and roared with vengeance. Lightening struck all around and traveled through the ground collecting in a ring around Jupiter. "You are nothing to me," she growled. "Jupiter Rings of Vengeance!" The electricity burst from Jupiter in blinding concentric rings that ripped the youma apart in seconds. The rings didn't cease until the youma was turned dust that was carried away by the wind. Makoto's arm hurt and she felt dizzy, but her aching heart was at rest for once. She stumbled over to a tree and sat leaning against its trunk to rest. Makoto looked to the sky as her tears fell, she smiled and everything was silent.

Mercury ignored her injuries as she ran through the small clearing towards the pillar. She suddenly slowed to a walk as she saw someone sitting under a tree.

"Mako-chan!" Her pace quickened as she realize whom it was under the tree. She knelt down next to Jupiter hiding her own pain. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just needed to rest a moment," Jupiter replied and sat up. Mercury, in her concern touched Jupiter's arm and Jupiter cried out.

"What? Kami-sama, your arm!" Mercury stood up when she saw the blood on Jupiter's fuku over her shoulder blade. Jupiter stood up herself when she saw the wounds through Mercury's shoulders and side.

"It's alright, but you?" Jupiter moved away as Mercury's hands began to glow.

"No, I'll take care of your wounds," Mercury cleared the dizziness from her head.

"Ami-chan, you won't last long with those injuries. You need to save your strength, heal yourself." Jupiter wouldn't allow Mercury to touch her.

"But your arm?" Mercury was finding it difficult to concentrate. "I can't take any chances that you'll be killed because of it."

"Ami-chan, it's only my arm!" Jupiter supported Mercury as she began to waver. "You can't be afraid I'll die if you don't heal me. Your injuries will kill you. It's not your duty to hold death back from the rest of the world! It's futile." Mercury looked up into her friend's desperate eyes and thought of the day Korin's friend had died. She had blamed herself for not being able to save him, but she suddenly realized the wisdom in Jupiter's words and the blue light grew around her, healing the wounds inflicted by the youma. "Thank you Ami-chan," Makoto breathed a sigh of relief and helped her up.

"I can still heal you," Ami said.

"No, save your strength," Makoto replied.

"But…" Ami tried again, but Makoto cut her off.

"It isn't important, Ami-chan." Ami finally nodded in acceptance and the two quickly made their way towards the pillar.

The youma's claws tore across her arm and Mars fell back in pain. "Damn it!" she swore to herself.

"I thought you'd be more of a challenge. You always seemed like the vicious one." The youma was a large red wolfish beast with sharp claws and fangs. After the explosion he had surprise attacked Mars and she discovered he was far too powerful to battle in hand-to-hand combat. He came at her again and she dodged to the side while releasing plumes of fire. They enveloped him, but he remained untouched by even the hottest of Mars' flames. "Your pathetic attacks can't hurt me," he laughed as he burst through the flames and pushed her away. Before Mars fell a light brown colored elastic gel came up through the ground and wrapped around her arms. Mars couldn't move as the gel held her and ran negative energy through her body.

"Shit," she cursed weakly. The gel tightened around her arms and she was powerless against it. The youma approached fearlessly and Mars hung her head in defeat.

"You Senshi never were powerful enough to stop us, but now you're nothing. Only a memory that is quickly disappearing. You've become consumed by loss so now you're nothing worth trifling over. You should've stayed dead and never decided to confront us again. You can never win," it said calmly.

"What do you know?" Mars said angrily.

"I know it all because you are the ones dying. You care too much about one another; you believe goodness always conquers over evil. You show mercy to an enemy so that they may come back to kill you again. The last goodness in this world will die and you, soldiers, will all die again."

"We've been dead already for the past one thousand years. Do you think we care now?" Mars said with as smile.

"You do, Senshi. I know you do. You found one another after so long, you don't intend on dying after that. You lost everything when Sailor Moon died. What foolishness, depending on the love of a miserable girl like that. She was your weakness," the youma said darkly. Mars' eyes burned with hatred.

"How dare you! Her love was all we had and you took it from all of us." Mars began to glow a brilliant red and the bindings on her arms began to burn. "You don't know what we became because of what you did." The fire raged and she burned the bindings into nothing. The fire leapt at the youma and enveloped him. He gave a roar of pain and fell back charred and bleeding. Mars walked towards him, her footsteps burning into the ground.

"Not possible, I had you," the youma roared at her. Mars blasted him with a plume of fire that burned the side of his face and shoulder.

"Now you see what we've become," Mars said coldly, "You did this." She blasted the other side of his face charring it black.

"How? The Senshi were never cruel, they showed mercy," the youma said almost pleading.

"Mercy? Mercy!" Rei grew infuriated. "Why should we show mercy? Did you show mercy when you forced us to watch our savior die? Did you show mercy when you left us wounded believing each other was dead? Friendless and forever alone," she glared at him, but before her tears could fall the heat of the fire evaporated them into nothing. "No, none of you deserve mercy."

"The Senshi are good though," his fear covered him. Rei towered over him her eyes burning darkly. She raised her hand and it flared with flames.

"But the Senshi are dead, you killed them," she said emotionlessly. "Mars Blazing Revenge!" The fire burst from her hand and covered the youma burning until there weren't even enough ashes for the wind to claim. Rei stood there her anger still flaming as much as the fire around her. Her despair came over her and her cry echoed throughout the forest. The fire burst from her once more and raced across the land in great waves of flame. She cried as the fire burned everything to the ground as it passed.

Ami and Makoto stopped as they heard Rei's desperate cry, then they saw the burning rage that sped towards them.

"Rei-chan," Ami said quietly. Makoto looked over at her as the flames rushed towards them. "Mako-chan the flame? It's destroying everything what do we do?" Makoto didn't reply, but stepped forward in front of Ami. "Mako-chan!"

"I have faith in Rei-chan," Makoto said softly. The flames covered her, but, even though she felt the heat, Makoto was untouched by the raging fires. Ami relaxed and looked around in wonder as the flames passed over them continuing on its destructive path. The blaze dissipated and the two made out Rei standing by herself surrounded by nothing but ashes.

Rei looked up in surprise when she felt the presence of her two friends, her anger subsided and she allowed the flames of her revenge to pass harmlessly over them. "Mako-chan! Ami-chan!" She ran to them and hugged her two friends tightly.

"Are you alright, Rei-chan?" Ami asked quickly.

"Yes, I'm fine." Rei got control of herself and stepped back, "How about you two?"

"I'm alright, but Mako…" Ami started, but Makoto cut her off.

"I'll be fine," she turned her shoulder away from Rei. "Where is Minako-chan and that other warrior?"

"I don't know I was separated from them. When we were attacked," Rei replied. Their attention was distracted by the sounds of violent battle. "What is that?" Rei asked. They started towards the sound.

Venus struggled against the wires that held her to the tree, but as she pulled against them she only succeeded in having them cut deeper into her body. She stopped as one cut deep into her throat and blood ran onto her fuku.

"I wouldn't struggle Senshi, my wires will cut you to pieces before they'll break." The youma looked human, but was evil through and through. He had caught Venus and Uranus off guard and pinned them against trees with sharp thin wires. Minako grew angry and struggled against the wires despite what they were doing to her.

"Venus, don't they'll kill you!" Uranus said desperately.

"I don't care, what have you done with my friends?" Minako cried angrily.

"They are being dealt with by my companions. You'll be with them soon though." The youma smiled and Minako's eyes darkened.

"Liar," she said venomously.

"Am I?" he said coolly. "If you're not by them, then they're alone. They won't last for a moment against my companions, but don't worry I'll make sure your deaths are equally humiliating." Minako's eyes went wide and filled with tears. "You've failed again as leader, Venus, but then you should be used to failure after all this time." The youma smiled.

"What are you talking about?" Uranus asked as she studied the changes in Venus's features.

"You are naïve, Senshi. Venus was leader of the Senshi, but they all died a thousand years ago under her command. They came back only to lose again to us. The leader of the Sailor Senshi failed to lead a thousand years ago and it killed her and her Senshi. Now she neglected them again so they'll die for her mistakes," the youma said cleverly.

"What?" Uranus realized what the youma was doing. He was destroying the mysterious Senshi by putting doubt in her mind. Uranus could see the hurt on Venus's face and her humiliation, she could only guess the pain Venus had bared over the past thousand years. "She blames herself for everything. He'll make her destroy herself," Uranus thought. "We have no chance, if she dies the Queen will die." Uranus couldn't figure what to do, "Venus! Don't listen to him its lies. It wasn't your fault." Uranus pushed against the wires and ignored the pain as they cut through her fuku into her flesh. Venus turned her head slowly towards her and tears fell from her eyes. "They can't be dead, but they will be if you lose faith in yourself. The team always looks to the leader, without them they're lost."

"Silence!" The youma tightened the wires around Uranus, but she ignored it.

"You found them after all this time, you'd be a coward to give up on them now!" Uranus said angrily. "Damn it!" She squeezed her eyes shut as the wires tightened more. Venus watched both heart torn and angry. Uranus was dazed as her blood flowed out of her wounds and onto the ground. "Please, Venus, it wasn't your fault," Uranus's eyes closed and she went limp against the wires.

"Uranus," Minako said softly, then glared at the youma.

"Minako!" someone shouted from an unknown place. Minako snapped out of defeat and began to glow with a brilliant gold light.

"You monster!" she growled.

"Now you die!" he raged, but the wires didn't tighten anymore. The wires began to glow as Minako took control of them. "What're you doing?" The youma screeched. The wires let go of Uranus and she fell to the ground. Minako raised her hand and the wires shot away from her towards the youma. They ran through the youma impaling him from every direction.

"You underestimated us," Minako said quietly.

"What?" it yelled as the wires tore in and out of him.

"You can't destroy something that's already dead," Minako replied. She closed her eyes and the brightness of the light increased. "Venus Fearful Heart!" The wires thrust outwards, out of the youma and he disappeared as a silhouette on a glowing heart.

"Minako-chan!" The voices Minako heard came closer and she turned to see her friends running towards her.

"They're alive," she whispered to herself, but suddenly remembered Uranus and turned back to the tree. She quickly went to the fallen soldier attempting to determine if she was alive. "Fool," she said quietly. The others approached. "Ami-chan?" Ami knelt down and listened for Uranus's heart.

"She's alive. Kami-sama, help her," she said as she put her hands close to Uranus and began to heal her.

"Will she be alright?" Minako asked slightly frightened.

"Yes, I think so, but she shouldn't fight anymore," Ami said. "I think I know why you did what you did now, Mako-chan," Ami said without looking up. Makoto nodded and didn't meet the confused gazes of Venus and Mars. Ami stood up when she was finished and Minako got control of herself.

Minako knelt down next to Haruka. "Thank you," she said softly, "for everything you gave me." She took the ribbon out of her hair and set it next to Haruka's unconscious body. "Just so you know what you've done, I expect it back someday." Minako turned back to her friends. "You all made it."

"You doubted us, Minako-chan?" Rei said with a grin.

"No," she said finally. "I think it's time we finished this, everyone," Minako said with a grin. The others nodded with equal confidence.