All right, another chapter!  Well we are reaching the climax of the story 
and I feel pretty good about it and life in general about now.

Thanks soooooooo much to all the people who are mailing me and now...on with 
the story!

This chapter is dedicated to...Ti'ana!  Yeah girl, you know who you are!  
Thanks for becoming a pen pal and a great buddy!  Try and figure out where 
this one is heading!  I know you can do it!

People, go check out her stories!  Another good writer is out on the loose!

Disclaimer: It hasn't changed since last week.  (If it had, I would be 
beyond happy!)

Rating: PG-violence, drama


NOWHERE TO RUN, UNABLE TO HIDE
CHAPTER 9


The dark energy in his hands increased.  He'd had enough.  The Dark Moon had 
gotten him more power and a way to the Silver Crystal.  He needed them no 
longer.  But, first he decided that he needed to destroy a certain meatball 
haired princess.

The two brothers of the Dark Moon continued to argue, neither noticing the 
supposedly loyal Wiseman lurking in the shadows of the control room.

********************************************************************************

"I won't believe that!" Prince Diamond exclaimed.  "The Wiseman has done 
nothing wrong, but you," he pointed a finger at Sapphire as he continued, 
"are associating with the enemy!  You are even asking them for help!"

Sapphire's eyes went hard at what his brother had said.  "You're right.  I 
am asking them for help.  But only because you don't see what I do!  You 
don't see what Wiseman's planning!  I needed their help, because they would 
help me!"  He looked at the enraged prince coldly, "And you won't listen."

Diamond opened his mouth, but Serena cut him off, enough was enough, "It's 
the truth, Prince Diamond," she whispered, barely audible.  Her friends 
looked at her in shock.  After he had kidnapped her and tried to force her 
into being his queen, she still wanted to help him.  In another way, they 
weren't surprised.  After all, this was Serena.

Darien was about to step forward and demand that they leave when her words 
from earlier came back.  'I must give everyone a chance...'  He stepped 
forward, rather reluctantly, and confirmed what she was saying.  "They're 
both right.  The Wiseman is up to something.  Right after you left the 
battle he said that Sapphire was just a pawn."

Serena finished for him, "And you are, too."

Diamond walked closer to her and looked in her eyes.  Serena inhaled sharply 
as he began to look at her.  She tried to not let her fear for him show, but 
was unsuccessful.  After earlier, she was terrified of him.

'Her eyes.  They confirm everything.'  He turned and looked at his brother.  
'So do his.  Neither of them is lying.'

He turned to his brother, "Are you certain?  Do all of you swear this?"

Endymion stepped forward and spoke up, "We swear," he answered for all of 
the others.

He turned to the royal family.  Rini was clutching her fathers' pants, fear 
eminent in her eyes.  He saw Serena and Tuxedo Mask looking at him with 
hopeful expressions, although Serena's was more hopeful.  The Sailor Scouts 
were giving him looks that ranged from 'You touch her again and I'll kill 
you,' to 'We believe in you.'  (Gee, who had the first look?)

"Why would you trust-" he was cut off suddenly by a blinding burst of hot 
black light.

Serena's eyes went wide as she realized that the intended target was her.  
Darien grabbed her and hauled her down to the ground, covering her with his 
body.  Rini screamed and Endymion grabbed her and he, too, leapt out of the 
way of the debris that were flying about.

"Damn!" a raspy voice yelled.  "I missed her!"

Serena and Darien stood up, Darien's eyes burned with hate with for the 
person who had tired to kill Serena.

Prince Diamond whirled around and saw what he had expected.  "WISEMAN!" he 
screamed.

The Wiseman laughed evilly.  "It seems that I missed my intended target.  Oh 
well.  I suppose I'll just have to settle for her future self instead."  He 
gave another evil laugh and disappeared.

Endymions' face paled.  "Serenity," he whispered.  In a flash of light he 
was gone.

"What the..." Mask said while keeping a close eye on Rini and Serena.

"DON'T ASK!" Mars yelled.  She turned to Serena, "TRANSFORM SERENA!"

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"

Before her transformation was completed, the two Dark Moon brothers had 
vanished after Endymion, to stop the Wiseman.

All of the Sailor Scouts from the future raised their hands above their 
heads and concentrated.  In a matter of seconds, their emotions fueling 
their desire to save their queen, all of the people in the room, from cat to 
Princess, had disappeared.

********************************************************************************

Wiseman appeared in the room that the sleeping queen lay in.  He laughed 
evilly when he saw her.  "You will not be able to escape me this time, 
Serenity!"

Another flash of light came, and King Endymion emerged from it.  "GET AWAY 
FROM HER!!!!!!!!" he screamed as he brought his sword out.  He was so close 
to saving her; he couldn't let this 'man' destroy the chance he had.  Not 
after all that had been sacrificed, all that had been saved.

"Ah, King Endymion.  So nice to see you well after that little...mishap in 
the control room."  Wiseman laughed again.  Endymion gritted his teeth at 
the memory of the near deadly hit that had been directed to the monitor room 
when the Dark Moon had first attacked.  He had been in the room and so the 
blast had hit him.  He had turned his back in the nick of time, preventing 
death, but not keeping him from all harm.  "Here to watch her die?" he asked 
sinisterly.

"She won't die," came a new voice.  Sapphire and Diamond stepped on either 
side of Endymion.  Sapphire spoke again, "I should have seen it before.  
What are you after, Wiseman?  What do you want of the Earth and Nemesis?"

The Wiseman said nothing.  He didn't speak, or even laugh.  Endymion caught 
his breath and took a step back.  An intense evil power began to fill the 
room.  He was still powering up when a rainbow flash of light revealed the 
nine Sailors, three cats, Tuxedo Mask, and Rini.

Sailor Moon grabbed her head as soon as she entered the room.  The evil 
energy was directed at her; or rather, her future self.  Seeing that he was 
effecting Sailor Moon, the Wiseman released even more of his energy at her.  
It was directed specifically at her and made for her.  The Sailor Scouts 
looked at her with worried eyes.  None of them were quite sure what was 
going on and were extremely worried.

The effect on Sailor Moon was one that all who witnessed it would ever 
forget.  Moon screamed out in agony and fell to her knees as the torture 
intensified.  "STOP!!!!!!!!  PLEASE, STOP!!!!!!!!!!!"  She grabbed her head 
as the pain got even stronger.  "WHAT...ARE...YOU DOING...TO ME?!"

Tuxedo Mask bent down and gathered her into his arms, trying to sooth her 
even though the pain was near agonizing for him too.  The link between 
himself and Serena was too strong to *not* let him feel the pain she was in. 
  He closed his eyes and took all the pain he could away from her.  He 
continued to try his best as the Sailors tried their hand at destroying 
Wiseman.

"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"

"AKYROU TAISAN!"

"JUPITER THUNDER CRASH!"

"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!"

(Remember, I'm calling the twentieth century Scouts by their names, and the 
thirtieth century ones by their planets' names, EX for Sailor Moon.)

Amy's bubbles created a fog, shrouding the entire area in cold, and yet 
warm, darkness.  Mars' scrolls went flying through the air, but missed their 
intended target.  Jupiter and Mina's attacks scored direct hits on the 
Wiseman, but did little, if any damage to him.

"Damn!" Diamond yelled.  He faced his once follower and spoke, "You betrayed 
me.  No one betrays me, and lives!"  A white, hot light emitted from his 
hands, and went charging at the betrayer.  It wasn't countered.  The Wiseman 
simply disappeared.

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were still on the floor even after he was gone.  
They didn't get up.  "He-he's still...here...guys," Moon managed to gasp 
out.  "I can feel...him.  He's so evil...Beryl..."

Endymion and Darien's eyes darkened with remembrance of what Queen Beryl had 
put them through.  Yes, the Wiseman was that evil and was proving it by what 
he was doing to Serena.  He didn't care what happened to people, he cared 
only for himself.  The Sailor Scouts were a nuisance to him, and he, like 
Beryl, would do anything to get rid of them.  Again a kingdom had been 
destroyed, or pretty near destroyed, because someone wanted what was not 
theirs.

Everyone in the room, including the two brothers stood in silence.  The 
Sailor Scouts and Endymion were glaring harshly at Prince Diamond, who met 
no ones' eyes.  He did, however, sneak an occasional glance at Sailor Moon.  
It would take much time before any healing could be done between those two 
parties.

Far more then what they had.

"I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU ONE AT A TIME!" Wisemans' voice raged through the 
room and in a matter of nanoseconds, another blinding black light was seen 
coming forward from the middle of the room.  It lit up everyone's face in 
sickly, death-like black shadows.  The sheer power of the blast was 
obviously more then enough to kill a man.

It was heading straight for Sapphire.

Sapphire didn't move.  He didn't breathe.  He didn't think.  He just stood 
there and excepted his fate.  Nothing could stop what was going to happen. 
'At least now, Diamond knows, and there might be a chance it he takes my 
advice.'  He closed his eyes and waited for the sweet release of death.

It never came.

Prince Diamond saw what Wiseman had planned for his brother.  He wouldn't 
let it happen.  Not now.  'This is for you, Sapphire,' he thought as he 
jumped from where he was standing, directly into the bolts' path.

The energy hit him square in the chest and Prince Diamond fell one last 
time.

Sapphire opened his eyes and saw his brother, lying there by his feet.  
Blood stained his pure white jacket and a small trail ran down his mouth.  
"DIAMOND!!!!!!!!" he screamed as he bent down and held his brother in his 
arms.

Wiseman laughed again, "One down."  He reappeared and faced the scene that 
was being played out before him.

Sailor Moon somehow managed to get up and walk over to where Prince Diamond 
and Sapphire were.  Her breath came in short gasps from the pain of 
Wiseman's torture and the shock of what Diamond had done for his brother.  
She had believed him to be evil, but now saw that he was like the sisters 
and Emerald; he didn't know anything else.  He didn't know better.  The 
whole Dark Moon family was a lost herd of sheep that needed guidance.  
Sailor Moon bent down next to Sapphire and looked at the two brothers.

"Diamond..." Sapphire whispered.  He was in pain.  In pain to see his 
brother like this.  Diamond had done something that, moments before, no one 
would have thought possible.  Including Sapphire.  "Why?  Why did you do 
that?  I am not strong like you!  You should have just let me die!"

Diamond opened his eyes and smiled.  Sailor Moon sucked in a breath when she 
was that his eyes were smiling too.  A true genuine smile, much the same as 
the one that the four sisters and Emerald had worn when they had been 
healed.  "I did this, Sapphire, because you are my brother, and someone I 
care about deeply.  You are much stronger then me because..." Diamond took a 
large gasp of air.  Everyone in the room could tell his time was growing 
short.  It wouldn't be long now...  "you saw...what he was planning.  You 
saw that he would betray us...long before I did.  And no, Sapphire.  You 
should not have died, no one should have died."  Sapphire's eyes were 
filling with tears as were Sailor Moon's.  Diamond looked straight at Sailor 
Moon and looked into her eyes.  "Serena," using her name from the twentieth 
century seemed the correct thing to do at this point "...can you...forgive 
me?" his voice was scarcely a whisper.  "I see my errors...please forgive a 
blind man."

Sailor Moon smiled at him.  That was all she did.  He understood.  She could 
forgive him because he had shown that that wasn't who he really was.  He 
wasn't someone who would take what he wanted; not really.  Evil can make a 
person think that they can take what they want, Diamond understood now that 
he couldn't do that, and never should have.

He understood too late.  'But isn't that what always happens?' Sailor Moon 
wondered.  'It was the same with Nephlite, and even Ann.  She got another 
chance, but...they always see it one second too late.  Always...'

Diamond looked at Tuxedo Mask, who had taken a spot next to Moon, "You..." 
he whispered with a faint smile brushing his lips, "are a lucky man."

Darien and Endymion answered at the same time, "I know."

His eyes began to close, and his body to relax in a way only the dead 
could.*  His breath came out in short, slight gasps, and his head went limp. 
  His last words were spoken so softly, that almost no one heard him, 
"Sapphire...you must stop him.  Please...don't...give...up...my 
bro...th...er..."  And with that, he was gone.

Sapphire couldn't hold back the tears that spilled down his face, nor could 
anyone else in the room.  Even Endymion and Darien were saddened by what had 
happened.  In both of their books was one rule, 'If she trusts him, so do 
I.'

Sapphire clung tight to his brothers' body as it disappeared.  Sailor Moon 
closed her eyes and turned her head.  From that view, she saw a small child 
with big, round cinnamon eyes staring back at her.  'Oh, Rini!  She's just a 
little kid, she shouldn't have to watch stuff like this!'  Looking to her 
other side and saw Darien looking at where Diamond had been with slight 
anger, but also sadness.  He didn't deserve this fate.

A roaring laugh sounded through everyone's thoughts.  All of them looked up 
and saw the Wiseman floating above them with his crystal ball hovering in 
front of him.  "How, touching!" he yelled sarcastically.  "Don't worry, all 
of you will be able to see him soon enough."  He suddenly charged at the 
three that had been causing him the most trouble,  "STARTING WITH YOU 
THREE!!!!!!"

Sailor Moon's eyes widened in shock and terror; as did the two men's beside 
her.  The people in the room had forgotten momentarily that the assassin was 
still in the chamber with them, including Moon.  Her body still ached with 
the attack he was still sending her, but she had forgotten her own misery 
and concentrated on someone else's.  The three of them instinctively got up 
and prepared to dodge.

A scream was heard but a moment before any could act.  A scream that pierced 
the very depths of time and space.  It sounded through the room, and echoed 
back to everyone's ears.  The wail was soon followed by a brilliant, 
blinding white-yellow light.  The pure heat of the aurora light touched only 
the evil that was in the room.  Wiseman retreated mere seconds after the 
scream sounded; it was too white, too pure for him to fight off because he 
had been caught by surprise.

It took a moment for everyone to realize exactly what the word was that was 
screamed.  But when they did, they felt all the pain inside of them 
resurface.  They felt the pain of the little girl as well.

"MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  It was a scream for her mother; both Serena and 
the one trapped in crystal.  Rini couldn't stand it anymore; when the 
Wiseman had attacked Serena she knew she couldn't let that happen.  But even 
though he was gone, Rini knew she could do something else with the emotion 
she had stored up.

The others in the room looked to the source of this power and saw their 
young princess in the middle of the light, with her Crescent moon shining 
brightly on her forehead.  Sailor Moon walked as close to her future 
daughter as she dared and knew what she was doing and what was going to 
happen.  She had to help.  There was no way Rini could hope to do this on 
her own.

Rini screamed that one word that shattered the world.  Sailor Moon's heart 
ached to see her daughter in so much pain.

Rini was just glad that she was finally letting it out.  Her frustration, 
her anger, her fear, her love.  She was letting it out in a moment of pure 
emotion.  The Wiseman had tried to kill her mother, both of them, and she 
wasn't standing around any longer.  As she continued to wail, a dress very 
similar to the Moon Princess dress, of the Silver Millennium appeared.

A similar change was evoked in Sailor Moon.  No longer did the legendary 
heroine of the Moon stand there, but the mythical Moon Princess.  She held 
her arms out in front of her and concentrated hard.  A silver light emanated 
from her body as her concentration increased rapidly.  The Imperium Silver 
Crystal appeared, floating, in Serenity's hands.

The energy from Princess Serenity's crystal and her body merged with the 
energy Neo-Princess Serenity was emitting.

All of this happened in a time frame of less then ten seconds.  When the 
energy of the two Princesses reached its peak, everyone in the room 
unconsciously held their breaths, not knowing if what they were doing would 
work.


To be continued...

Yea!  COMPLETE!  I just love cliffhangers.  I hate to read them, but I love 
to write them!  What good author doesn't?

*- I got this line from Nicole Cherre's "A Promise Kept."  An excellent 
first story!  So the credit goes to you, Nikki!

COME ON!  JUST E-MAIL ME FOR THE HECK OF IT!  I LOVE MAIL!  I WILL RIGHT YOU 
BACK!  I WANT MAIL!  please...

Thanks for reading and thanks to all you people who give me a buzz!  My 
brother thinks I'm nuts because I get all excited when I get mail. ^_^;  
"Who thought of the idea of little brothers anyway?"

Later!
Stefanie
Stefaniecraig@hotmail.com