Zoycite went into her room, slammed the Black Crystal into a corner and let herself fall onto the bed.

"Let me guess," Malachite, who was just reading, said. "You weren't very successful today."

"Our enemies have Two Rainbow Crystals and we just have one," Zoycite wailed. "And three of our seven Shadows were destroyed. You can bury me now."

Malachite laid his papers away and stood up, smiling.

"Don't see it that black," he said. "The Scouts have still not won."

"If it would only be the Scouts," Zoycite went on, "but there is also still that cape boy, who is also, because of a reason I don't know, very keen on these crystals." Zoycite began to sniffle: "They are just too much for me!"

"Zoycite," Malachite said, and took his girlfriend into his arms. "Don't let it bring you down. You still have your strong will."

"Queen Beryl will kill me!" Zoycite said, crying.

Malachite wiped Zoycite's tears from her face. "I won't admit that she will kill you, my love," he said, calming her down.

Zoycite buried her face into Malachite's chest and cried.

"Have you ever thought about a new scheme?" Malachite asked. "Maybe that would help you."

"What scheme?" Zoycite replied. "I never use schemes."

"Maybe that is your mistake," Malachite said. "Perhaps you would get the crystals much better, if you had a scheme, like Nephrite had."

"Don't remind me of that guy!" Zoycite said angrily.

"Sorry," Malachite said.

Zoycite looked up, directly into Malachite's face.

"Lord Malachite" she asked. "May I go out for a little? I want to see this world a last time, before I die."

"Zoycite...", Malachite said very sadly.

"Please," Zoycite begged. "I need space."

Malachite was silent and Zoycite teleported away.

* * * * * * * *

Lita walked along the streets. The city was full of people who wanted to go shopping. The sun was shining and Lita very happily looked around. Suddenly she saw in front of the café two persons, she thought she knew them: A red haired girl with a half ponytail and a auburn haired man with long curls.

'Isn't that...?' Lita thought. Then she looked more closely. 'Yes, they are!' She was glad.

Joyfully, Lita crossed the street.

"Hey, Molly! Mr. Stanton! Pleased to meet you!" she shouted.

The two persons turned around.

"Hello Lita," Molly said, surprised.

Lita gave Molly her hand. "Hello Molly!" she said. Then she turned to Nephrite. "Hello Mr. Stanton." Lita's eyes sparkled when she watched him.

"Hi!" Nephrite said, smiling at Lita, which made Molly feel insecure again.

'Oh, come on, don't make a fool of yourself!' Molly scolded herself mentally. 'They don't know each other, since they met in the jewelry store the first time two days ago. Where should Nephrite know her from? Probably Lita is just in love with him.' Molly's face grew sad. 'Exactly like me.'

"Bye, Molly!" she suddenly heard Lita's voice.

Irritated, Molly looked up. Lita waved to her and Nephrite and then walked away down the street. Molly quietly waved at the new girl in her school.

"Lita is a nice girl," Nephrite said. "But you have been rather quiet," he said, wondering.

Molly cracked a smile. "Let's go in."

They entered the café.

In contrast to outside, inside it was rather cold. The rooms of the café were dark and full of people.

Nephrite and Molly sat at a table by a window. A waitress came and Nephrite ordered a chocolate parfait.

"So what's up with you?" Nephrite asked Molly, who silently sat on her chair. "The last few days you somehow looked sad. Did you have trouble at school?"

"No," Molly answered. "Not directly." Then she looked into his eyes. "Nephrite, did you actually have a girlfriend in the Negaverse?"

"What?" Nephrite said, surprised. "No, as I told you, in the Negaverse we didn't know love. We betrayed each other and everyone fought everyone." Nephrite thought back to the time, Zoycite had tormented him and Beryl had killed Jadeite for his failures, as if it would be nothing. "Wait a minute." he suddenly said. "That's not quite right. Zoycite and Lord Malachite didn't treat each other this way."

"Zoycite and Lord Malachite?" Molly asked.

"Yes," Nephrite said. "Zoycite was the pupil of Lord Malachite. They both started a love relationship. I knew about it. Everyone knew about it! But everybody kept quiet about it in front of Beryl, our Queen." Nephrite's face grew angry. "And Zoycite wanted to kill me because of my love for you, that witch!" Nephrite breathed deeply and then again looked at Molly. "But why are you asking?"

Molly looked down. "I just was curious. It was to me, as if you knew Lita already," she said shyly.

Nephrite stared at her. He even still stared at her, when the waitress put their chocolate parfait on the table.

"You think that I'm interested in her?" Nephrite asked finally.

"Well, ... yes," Molly answered.

Nephrite looked into her eyes. "So she was the one you had a problem with?"

Molly only nodded.

Nephrite smiled and took Molly's hand. "To me, Lita is a nice girl, but nothing more, Molly. I would never exchange you with her."

Molly smiled. "I'm sorry. That was childish," she said.

Nephrite took a spoonful of the chocolate parfait.

"No," he said. "That was the nicest complement you could have made me."

* * * * * * * *

That night, Zoycite stood in front of a house. She looked at a little paper.

"Yes, the address is right," she noticed and again looked to the house. "That's the place where that artist lives." Zoycite thought. "I could ring on the bell and tell her I am an art connoisseure, like Nephrite did all the time. Or shall I attack her, when she sleeps?" Zoycite shook her head. "No, what good will a sleeping Shadow do me?" She thought again. "And if I would turn myself into a friend of hers? No, for that I would need to know her friends." Zoycite got impatient: "Oh, come on, Zoy! Think! Think! Think! You need a scheme!"

"Mum, look, there is a woman in uniform," Zoycite suddenly heard the voice of a child.

The mother of the child held it more tightly by the hand and passed the Negaverse general wordlessly, looking at her uncomprehendingly.

"On the other hand," Zoycite murmured, grinning evilly, while she watched the two people. Then she looked again at the house of her victim. "Rainbow Crystal, I'm coming!"

High-spirited, she jumped to the closest window of the house.

* * * * * * * *

The moon and the millions of stars lit up the dark park a little, while Lita tiredly walked through. Her hair was tousled and her body looked spent. Suddenly she saw a man with long auburn curls sitting on a bench.

"Mr. Stanton?" she asked.

Nephrite jerked and looked at her. "Oh, Lita, it's you."

"What are you doing late at night in the park?" Lita asked.

"Watching the stars," Nephrite said. "They are fascinating to me. But why are you still walking out here?"

Lita hesitated with the answer. "I was just taking a walk, before I go to bed."

"Aren't your parents afraid that something could happen to you?" Nephrite asked.

Lita's face grew sad. "I don't have parents any more."

Nephrite closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Well, I'm still alive," Lita said, cracking a smile. "And I will hold my own."

"That's a good attitude," Nephrite said.

"Mr. Stanton," Lita said.

"Yes?" Nephrite asked.

Lita briefly smiled. "Is Molly your girlfriend?"

Nephrite blushed a little. "Yes, she is," he answered.

"How long are you together now?" Lita wanted to know.

"Since Tuesday," Nephrite replied.

"How did you become acquainted with her?" Lita asked curious.

Nephrite didn't want to answer any more. "That's a long story," he just said.

"Did you instantly fall in love?" Lita asked.

Nephrite shook his head. "No, I needed a long time to realize that I can't live without her."

"That sounds romantic," Lita said and sighed. "I instantly fall in love, every time I see a boy that looks like my ex-boyfriend."

Nephrite looked deeply into Lita's eyes. "But wouldn't it be better for you, if you accept your ex-boyfriend as part of your past?"

Lita gulped. "Mr. Stanton," she began. "I have to confess, that you very much look like this boy to me. It's as if you could even be him."

Nephrite panicked. He didn't know if he should stand up and go, or stay.

"Mr. Stanton," Lita said. "I need to tell you a secret."

Nephrite watched, how Lita, a green fountain pen with a strange sign on the cap in her hand, held her arm into the air and called: "Power of the Jupiter hazes, make up!"

Surrounded by a green light and flashes, Lita turned in front of Nephrite's eyes to a Sailor Scout. Nephrite's eyes grew big.

When Lita was ready, she said: "Mr. Stanton, in front of you stands Sailor Jupiter, one of the Sailor Scouts."

Nephrite couldn't keep his mouth closed any more. He cleared his throat and then said: "Lita, I also have to tell you something."

He closed his eyes and concentrated. On his forehead appeared a strange sign Lita didn't know. His eyes flashed, when he opened them. The sign on his forehead freed a ray of light, which changed Maxfield Stanton's shirt, jacket and trousers into a uniform.

Lita was shocked. "Mr. Stanton, you have the same uniform like the one the other Scouts and I are fighting against."

"I was one of them," Nephrite said. "I left the Negaverse for Molly. My real name is Nephrite."

"Nephrite," Lita murmured.

"Sailor Jupiter," Nephrite said.

No-one said another word. Silently Nephrite and Lita fell into each other's arms.

Nephrite closed his eyes. He felt that he and Sailor Jupiter had once been lovers. He felt that in another life he had hurt her very much. Nephrite supposed that because of that Lita always fell in love with boys who reminded her of a boy, who had disappointed her. Her life before had influence on her present life. She didn't want to lose again any more.

"I was a bad boy," he finally said to the girl in his arms.

Lita looked up. "Yes, but I have found out, in the meantime, that you aren't the only one in this world."

"So you forgive me my mistakes?" Nephrite asked.

"Yes," Lita said, nodding. "You said yourself, that I have to accept that it's part of my past now."

'Molly!' Nephrite suddenly remembered. He turned to Maxfield Stanton again and pulled himself out of Lita's arms. "I should go now," he said uncertainly. "Molly surely is worried about me."

"Yes," Lita whispered and turned back to her regular form. "I understand that."

Nephrite turned away and briefly waved. "Bye, Lita."

Lita also waved. "Bye, Nephrite."

Nephrite walked through the park. The moon and the stars lit his way. He felt the coldness of the night. Strange, before meeting Lita, he hadn't even noticed, how cold the night was.

He was relieved, when he was out of the park. The many trees and the stony paths. It all had made him nervous. He thought on the way home: 'I will tell Molly, that I was taking a walk in the park to watch the stars a little, like I did in the Negaverse. During this I forgot the time. That's even the truth.' Nephrite energetically shook his head. 'Oh, Nephrite, what are you thinking?' he scolded himself. 'You act as if you have just betrayed Molly. I've just met my ex-girlfriend again. No, she isn't even my ex-girlfriend in this life. She was my ex-girlfriend in a different life.' Nephrite thought. 'That just somehow wasn't quite logical.'

He sweated when he arrived at Molly's house. 'What are you worried about?' he asked himself. 'Everything is okay.'

Determined, he rang the doorbell.

Mrs. Baker opened the door.

"Oh, there you are finally," she said in a friendly voice. "Molly has been worried about you."

"I was walking a little in the park," Nephrite said, and entered the house.

He looked around and found Molly in the living room. When he saw her sitting there, he instantly forgot his experience with Lita. Molly looked up, when Nephrite came in.

"Nephrite!" she gladly said and threw her arms around his neck. "I was worried about you."

Nephrite held her tight. "You didn't need to," he said. "I was watching the stars in the park a little. In the Negaverse I watched the stars all the time."

"Really?" Molly asked and looked into his eyes.

Nephrite gulped. 'Does she guess something?'

"Why didn't you take me with you?" Molly said.

Nephrite breathed, relieved.

"I needed some time to be alone," he answered. "Molly, I feel tired. I'll go to bed now."

"You're right," Molly said. "It's very late now."

Nephrite took a look at the clock in the room. It was quarter to twelve.

He went out of the room. "Good night, Molly," he said.

Molly smiled. "Good night, Max."

Max?

"Good night, Mr. Stanton," he heard Mrs. Baker's voice.

Oh, yes, in front of other people he was Maxfield Stanton, and Molly called him Max.

"Good night, Mrs. Baker," Nephrite replied.

He went upstairs and closed the door of the guestroom behind him.

* * * * * * * *

From his bed Nephrite could see to the balcony door, which had no Venetian blind. The moon and the stars were clear to see and lit up the dark room, which made it full of shadows.

'Why didn't you tell her about Sailor Jupiter?' Nephrite asked himself. 'She has the right to know about your ex-girlfriend.' Nephrite thought. 'Maybe it also would just make her sad. Sailor Jupiter was only a girlfriend in your life before. The present is what's important. You would just hurt Molly again.'

Nephrite grabbed his pillow.

'You lie to her again,' he realized. 'You lied to her when you tried to get human's energy. You lied to her when you tried to find out who Sailor Moon is. You lied to her when you wanted to get the Silver Imperium Crystal. You lied to her when you told her you wanted to join the Sailor Scouts.'

Nephrite bitterly squeezed his eyes together.

'And you lie now again by keeping Sailor Jupiter a secret from her.'

Nephrite felt hot tears rolling out of his eyes and over his cheeks.

Tears? He couldn't remember the last time he cried. It must have been a long time ago.

'Do you want to hurt her, like you did Sailor Jupiter in your life before?' he asked himself. 'Can't stop lying, can't you? How cowardly of you.'

Despairing, he buried his face into the pillow.

'You're such a damn, cowardly liar!' he scolded himself.