The air was stuffy. Molly shivered and carefully opened her eyes. Over her she could see Nephrite, who was sweating and nervous. He asked: "Molly, are you hurt?"

Before Molly could answer, Nephrite broke down, gasping. His body was covered with blood.

"Nephrite," she whispered.

Suddenly a cloud of cherry blossoms whirled in the air. A woman appeared. She had blonde hair and wore an uniform with green decorations.

Molly jerked. "Who are you?" she asked, frightened.

"That doesn't matter," the woman replied. "I hope you have the Black Crystal with you," she said to Nephrite.

Nephrite, exhausted, looked behind him. "Zoycite!" he gasped.

The woman laughed. "You should see yourself, my dearest Nephrite," she said, sneering. "Don't you feel like a fallen hero now?" Then she opened her hand. "Now, come on, and give me the Black Crystal!"

Nephrite sighed and reached into his trousers pocket. Molly, nearly in tears, watched the situation. "Okay, you vamp," Nephrite said, trying to be quiet. "Here it is!" With the last of his power he threw the Black Crystal as far away as he could.

Zoycite looked helplessly after it. "You bastard!" she shouted. "Kill them!" she commanded her three demons who had attacked Molly and Nephrite in the park, and started to search for the Black Crystal.

Nephrite looked to Molly. "Run away," he begged.

"No," Molly answered.

The demon who had rammed the branches into Nephrite was starting a second attack, when a female voice shouted: "Stop!" The demons looked around.

Three persons appeared between the trees of the park. "Why do you torment the young lovers? We won't permit it!"

"The Sailor Scouts," one of the demons said.

Sailor Moon said. "In the name of the moon we will punish you!"

"We will avenge their young love now. Beware yourselves!" Sailor Mercury promised.

"In the name of Mars we'll teach you a lesson!" Sailor Mars said.

All three demons began to attack the Sailor Scouts. "That will be hard for you, because we have the evil power!"

The Sailor Scouts tried to get out of way as best as they could.

Molly looked at the dying Nephrite and, determined, pulled again on the branches, which still stuck in his body and drew his energy out of him.

"No Molly, no!" Nephrite screamed. "Rescue yourself!"

Again Nephrite's energy went through Molly's body and made her shout in pain.

"Please, Molly, go," Nephrite begged.

"No!" Molly shouted in tears. "I won't let you alone!"

The Sailor Scouts were fighting against Zoycite's demons.

Sailor Mercury attacked: "Soap bubbles ... fly!"

The wood was wrapped up in haze, so the three demons couldn't see anything more. "Damn, where are they?" one of them asked, angry.

Sailor Moon used the chance to attack the demons. "Moon stone!" she shouted.

Sailor Mars created fire in her hands. "Fireball ... fly!"

Sailor Moon threw her moon stone. "Fly and win!"

Fireball and moon stone came together and flew to the three demons, who made horrified faces. There was a bright flash of light. The demons screamed. Then there was nothing left of them but black dust floating up the sky."

Sailor Moon looked around, worried. "Molly!" she shouted. She saw how Molly still pulled on the branches in Nephrite's body.

When the Sailor Scouts came closer, they noticed that Molly had the branches almost out.

"Don't think you will make it!" a well-known voice screamed.

The Sailor Scouts looked up.

Zoycite sat in the air. She had found the Black Crystal Nephrite had thrown away and was now very angry. "You're going to pay for what you did, Nephrite. Zoy!"

A red rose flew through the air and hurt Zoycite's hand, so that her attack missed its target. "Damn, who was that?" she asked.

Sailor Moon knew instantly who it was. "Tuxedo Mask," she said gladly.

Tuxedo Mask smiled at Zoycite. "You should go now, Zoycite. This isn't a place for you any more."

Zoycite grumbled. "We'll talk to each other again, Tuxedo Mask," she promised, and disappeared.

Tuxedo Mask looked to Molly and Nephrite. When he came closer he barely believed his eyes. With a few more small pulls, Molly had the branches out of Nephrite. The man with the auburn hair gasped and fell into the grass.

Tuxedo Mask jumped to him and held his head. "Are you okay?" he asked carefully.

Nephrite, exhausted, opened his tired eyes. "Yes, I think so," he whispered and looked thankfully to Molly.

There was a big hole in Nephrite's chest, but it almost couldn't be seen because of the quantity of blood which poured from him.

The Sailor Scouts ran to them. "What shall we do?" Sailor Moon asked, almost crying.

"Let me handle that," Tuxedo Mask said kindly.

He laid one hand on Nephrite's chest, murmured some mystical words and in front of Molly and the Sailor Scouts Nephrite's wounds were healed.

"Now, try to stand up," Tuxedo Mask said to Nephrite.

Nephrite propped his arms in the grass and raised his body up. Carefully Molly wrapped one of Nephrite's arms around her neck and grabbed his shoulders. Slowly she pulled him up.

The Sailor Scouts watched it all amazed.

"Tuxedo Mask," Sailor Moon said. "You've healed Nephrite's wounds."

"How was that possible?" Sailor Mars asked.

"This will be my secret," Tuxedo Mask answered and went away.

"Wait a minute," Sailor Moon begged. "Who are you, Tuxedo Mask?"

"This is also a secret," Tuxedo Mask replied. "But you'll soon find it out. We'll meet again." With these words he leaped into the air and disappeared.

"He's so nice," Sailor Moon raved.

Sailor Mars took a look at Nephrite and Molly. "You've surprised me, Nephrite. I never thought you would do something like this."

Nephrite breathed deeply. "Believe me, I never thought myself I would someday do something like this."

"What are you going to do now?" Sailor Mercury asked.

Nephrite thought. "I will stay here on earth," he said. "I'll have to change my name again, so that the Negaverse can't find me, and I'll search for a job." He smiled. "But this time for a useful job."

Molly had an idea. "You could work in our jewelry store. My mother can always use help."

"That's great!" Sailor Moon cheered. "Nephrite could even live in your house."

"What?" Molly asked, blushing.

"He could sleep in your guestroom," Sailor Mercury suggested.

"How romantic!" Sailor Moon shouted.

"Would you please stop it!" Molly commanded Sailor Moon angrily. "You're almost like Serena."

Nephrite gulped.

"You simply have no manners, Sailor Moon," Sailor Mars said.

"How can you say that? I have very good manners!" Sailor Moon replied.

"Like a monkey," Sailor Mars said.

Sailor Moon cried. "You're so mean, Sailor Mars!"

Sailor Mercury went between them: "Please, Sailor Mars, Sailor Moon, calm down."

"Shall we go?" Nephrite whispered into Molly's ear.

"Yes," she answered. "I think that's best."

They walked on. The park was dark and between the trees the stars could be seen.

"Beautiful," Molly said.

Nephrite pointed to a bench by the lake of the park. "Let's sit down for a while."

They sat on the bench and looked, fascinated, at the lake and the stars that shined in the lake.

"I'm glad I've met you," Nephrite said low. He wrapped an arm around Molly's shoulders and Molly laid herself on Nephrite's healed chest.

"What Sailor Moon said ... I mean," Molly whispered. "You could really live in our house."

Nephrite looked down at her. "It would be okay for you?" he asked carefully.

Molly looked up at him. "Yes, and ... you could use our guestroom for the night."

Nephrite turned his head shyly to the lake. "Thank you," he said.

Molly looked down. "I hope they won't find us."

"Who?" Nephrite asked.

"The people from your evil society, from this Nega ... eh ... "

"Negaverse," Nephrite said. "Yes, I also hope they won't. I will have to search for a new name, so I will have an new earth identity."

"It's a pity," Molly said. "Maxfield Stanton sounded so nice."

Nephrite thought. Suddenly he smiled. He turned his head around and asked Molly: "How about Max Baker?"

Molly smiled at him. "That sounds just right."

* * * * * * * *

Zoycite knelt in front of Queen Beryl and sank her head submissively.

"I'm sorry to say that general Nephrite is dead, majesty. He had betrayed the Negaverse and was killed in an accident, when he tried to save the life of a young girl," Zoycite lied.

"An accident," Beryl said slowly.

"Yes," Zoycite answered. "There was nothing we could have done."

"Oh, yes," Beryl said to this. "I've seen what a good job you've done."

"What?" Zoycite asked, frightened.

Beryl just laughed gloatingly. "You don't think that you can betray Queen Beryl, Zoycite, do you? Remember, the Negaverse sees everything." Her face grew angry. "And now give me the Black Crystal you've stolen from Nephrite!"

"But...", Zoycite gasped.

The mad look on Beryl's face showed her that there would be no discussion about it. Wordless, she reached into her trousers pocket and let the Black Crystal fly to Beryl. The Queen grinned, pleased, when she caught it.

"You may go now," Beryl said, to Zoycite's surprise, sounding friendly now.

Zoycite looked helplessly around, stood up and bowed once again to Beryl. "Yes, my Queen." Intimidated, she teleported, surrounded by cherry blossoms, away.