And now, chapter 11 of Suiseiki. C&C welcome.

	Chapter Eleven

	The darkness of night accentuated the carnage that Jadeite had
wrought. The battlefield was a cacophony of flickering shadows and
eery crimson, orange, and pale yellow illumination cast by the great,
towering infernos that engulfed a large portion of the city,
providing a backdrop for the imminent conflict all too reminscent of
various portrayals of Hell. Less than a kilometer away, the
silhouettes of JSDF troops and tanks could be seen, wavering in the
heat of the flames. The street fronting the Palace was completely
blocked off by the defense force.
	The group of eleven warriors spent a moment taking in this scene
before scowling up at the evil general. His powerful dark aura
crackled menacingly as he sneered down at them. 
	"Well, well...Endymion. And the Sailor Whores. And another little
punk..." 

	Sailor Saturn whirled to see General Dosei standing beside her, the
Gravity Lance held at ready. "You shouldn't be here," she said.
"Serenity-sama said for everyone but the Senshi to go to the
sub-levels..."
	"Everyone *without* powers," Dosei said. "That doesn't include me. I
refuse to go into hiding when you're out here putting yourself in
danger."
	Saturn shook her head. "You don't even know how to use your powers
yet."
	"Gotta learn sometime," Dosei said. "Might as well be now."
	"Baka..." Saturn muttered.

	"I shouldn't be surprised that goody-goodies like you breed like
cockroaches," Jadeite said, smirking.
	"And you've got the personality of one," Serenity retorted, rising
into the air with two powerful beats of her great, feathery wings.
"You will not be forgiven for your transgressions against this city."
	Jadeite made a great show of yawning. "Yes, I've heard it before, in
the name of the moon, you'll punish me. I don't think so." He
extended one hand before him, and a thick, black energy beam shot
forth. Serenity frantically dodged it. 
	"Serenity-sama! Be careful!" Mars called.
	Jadeite laughed. "Even now, you are too feeble to threaten me, Your
*Highness*," he said, the last word dripping with sarcasm. 
	The Ginzuishou began to pulse, fueled by Serenity's anger. "Your
sentence is banishment back to whatever rock you crawled out from
under! Crystal Millenium Royal Decree!"
	The wave of silver light that signified Sailor Serenity's attack
flooded the battlefield, momentarily erasing the shadows cast by the
blazes. As the light faded, a voice cackled maniacally. The Senshi,
Endymion, and Dosei gasped as they looked up to see Jadeite floating,
unharmed, a pulsating barrier of darkness strobing in front of him.
"Masaka..." Serenity said, floating closer to the ground.
	Jadeite smirked. "The Ginzuishou, I take it?" He snorted. "Pathetic.
Absolutely pathetic. Give up, moon slut," he sneered, "your pitiful
little rock is no match for me." He spat in her direction. "Wait your
turn. I'll kill you after I finish with Endymion." 

	"Okay, how the hell did Jadeite get that kind of power?" Mars
wondered.
	Mercury's visor was already in place and flashing. After a few
moments, her eyes widened behind the translucent blue device.
"Minna...we've got to subdue Jadeite as quickly as possible, and
force him to bleed off as much of that energy as we can. If we
don't..."
	"What is it, Mercury?" Endymion asked.
	Mercury looked grim. "Jadeite's power is unstable, and it's feeding
on itself. The more power he generates, the more unstable it
becomes."
	"So what you're saying is..." Jupiter prompted.
	"Jadeite's literally a time bomb," Mercury said. "If we don't drain
him soon, he's going to blow, and he could take at least half of
Tokyo with him."
	"Just perfect," Venus muttered.

	Jadeite glared down at Endymion. "Are you prepared to die?"
	Endymion glared back. "You should ask yourself that, Jadeite."
	Jadeite chuckled menacingly. A black lightning bolt lashed out,
striking Endymion full in the chest and sending him sprawling onto
the street.
	"MAMO-CHAN!" Serenity shrieked. Glaring up at Jadeite, she took to
the sky again, the Ginzuishou strobing with brilliant silver light.
Not bothering to make a speech or call an attack, she extended her
hands before her, directing a pure beam of power towards Jadeite. The
evil general smirked, pushing his barrier forth with both hands. The
strobing dark energy folded around the beam, and began pushing
against it. Serenity's brow creased, and she closed her eyes,
straining to break the dark forcefield. 
	Mercury's eyes widened. "Serenity-sama! Break off!"
	The ensnared end of Serenity's attack began to bulge, swirls of
blackness creeping into the silver-white light. Suddenly, the bulge
rocketed backwards through the beam, causing the beam to terminate in
its wake, and slammed into Sailor Serenity, sending her flying
backward, to collide with the front wall of the Crystal Palace. 
	"SERENITY-SAMA!" the Senshi cried in unison. Their winged leader
slid down the wall slowly. The Ginzuishou began to throb with bright
light, which spread out over her body. A similar light began to pour
from the palace wall, amplifying the power of the Ginzuishou. By the
time Serenity hit the ground, she was encased in a thick,
silvery-white cocoon of light. Sailor Mars dashed over to the fallen
queen, deep concern evident in her eyes.
	"USAKO!" Endymion shouted as he stood up, seemingly unharmed except
for the burn marks on his shirt. He glared up at Jadeite. "You die,"
he snarled. His clothing shifted, becoming a gleaming lilac-white
suit of armor. The sheath which hung at his side widened, and he drew
forth from that sheath a double-edged broadsword, which seemed to
shine with a pure, bright light all its own. With an incoherent yell
of rage, Endymion leapt towards the Palace, striking the wall
feet-first and springboarding off, launching himself straight at
Jadeite. As he approached, he took a swing with his sword, attempting
to behead the man that had once been one of his most trusted
protectors.
	Jadeite floated back a few paces, smiling nastily. "You missed," he
said, before striking Endymion with an energy-covered fist. Endymion
shouted in pain and surprise, losing his grip on his sword as he
plummeted to the ground.
	"Endymion!" the Senshi gasped.
	Jadeite cackled maniacally. "Now, you insufferable bastard," he
said, glaring menacingly down at the fallen king, "you *die*." Bolts
of dark energy began crackling between his hands.

	"We've got to get Jadeite on the ground," Mercury said. "There's no
way we can stop him as long as he's up there."

	"Do you know what I'm going to do?" Jadeite gloated as he hovered
over Endymion, gathering his power. "After I kill you, I'm going to
kill your moon slut. Then, I'm going to kill your little sailor
whores." He grinned nastily. 
	Endymion rose shakily to his hands and knees, glaring defiantly up
at Jadeite. "You'll die first," he spat.

	Dosei blinked. "I've got it, I think," he said. The Senshi turned to
him. "Let me try something..."
	"It better not be something like what Endymion-sama just tried,"
Saturn said.
	Dosei shook his head. "Just watch. I think I just figured out an
attack..."

	Jadeite chuckled. "Really? Who's going to kill me? You?" He snorted.
"You're pathetic, Endymion. And your moon slut is just as pathetic.
So are the Sailor Whores. You're all pathetic losers." He narrowed
his eyes. "And you're all going to be *dead* losers." He unleashed
his power, sending a dozen narrow, deadly bolts of dark energy
surging towards Endymion. The young king let out a strangled cry,
writhing in agony as the evil general's attack buffeted him.

	"Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast, kid!" Uranus said.
	 Standing apart from the group, Dosei raised his naginata over his
head and began spinning it. As it spun, the blade and buttcap seemed
to glow darkly, leaving a circle of energy in their wake. "Gravity
Ring!" he called, halting the spin and pointing the Gravity Lance at
Jadeite. The dark ring of power created by his weapon shot off in the
direction of the evil general, whose efforts to kill Endymion left
him wide open. The ring encircled him, and he gave a cry of surprise
as he suddenly dropped to the ground. His aura seemed to shrink
slightly as the ring faded away, its energy spent. As the surging
dark energies broke off their assault, Endymion slumped to the
ground, unconscious.

	"Saturn! Go help Endymion," Venus instructed. Saturn and Dosei
dashed down the palace steps to examine the fallen king.
	"He's weakened, but alive," Mercury reported, her visor flickering. 
	"What about Jadeite?" Jupiter asked.
	Mercury's visor flashed as she scanned Jadeite. "He's lost about ten
percent of his power," she said incredulously. "I'm reading an area
of higher gravity around his body." 
	Uranus whistled. "The kid's not too shabby," she said.

	As Saturn examined Endymion, Jadeite picked himself up off the
ground. "Nice trick, you little shit," he said, glaring at Dosei. "I
hope you enjoy watching your entrails pour out onto the ground when I
rip you open for that."
	Saturn stood in front of Dosei, brandishing the Silence Glaive with
clear menace. "Over my dead body," she said. Dosei moved to stand
beside her, holding the Gravity Lance at the ready, consequently
barring Jadeite from a clear shot at Endymion.
	"That can be arranged, little girl," Jadeite sneered. 

	"Enough of this shit," Jupiter said, running over to join the fray.
"STATIC COMPRESSION!"  
	Jadeite laughed, arcs of his power stabbing out to slash the mass of
electrified vines attempting to ensnare him. Jupiter's attack fell
short, the broken vines withering and crumbling as their power faded.
"You like electricty, I take it?" he asked. "Here, have some!" He
gathered a tightly compressed disk of dark lightning, similar to
Jupiter's own Sparkling Wide Pressure, and flung it at her. 

	"SHABON SHIELD!" Mercury shouted. Several large bubbles sprayed
forth from her raised hands, encasing Jupiter, Endymion, and the two
teens just as Jadeite's attack was about to hit. The static disk
exploded as it struck the bubble, which wavered slightly, but held,
leaving Jupiter completely unharmed. 
	"Thanks, Mercury," Jupiter said. 
	"No problem," Mercury said. "That'll protect you for a little
while."

	"Okay, you..." Venus said, facing Jadeite. "Nobody attacks my
friends and gets away with it. VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY NET!" Venus
whirled, raising one hand to the sky, and a flurry of glowing orange
hearts circled her, far too many to be the familiar Love-Me Chain.
She brought a hand to her lips, as though blowing Jadeite a kiss. The
flurry of hearts flew forth in a wide spray. As they approached
Jadeite, they formed into a massive net. The evil general ducked to
one side, but the glowing web tracked him, ensnaring him and knocking
him to the ground. He struggled against it to no avail. 
	"My turn," Uranus said, raising a fist above her head. "WORLD..." A
ball of golden energy began to form around her raised fist. "PRESS!"
She opened her hand, and the sphere rose straight into the air,
vanishing among the stars. It reappeared right above Jadeite, who had
nearly succeeded in freeing himself from the Love and Beauty Net, and
had risen to his knees. Uranus' attack then dropped straight down,
slamming Jadeite back to the ground hard. The impact had an effect on
Venus' net as well, as the glowing hearts began flickering. Like a
string of firecrackers, the hearts exploded one by one, each
detonation causing Jadeite's dark corona to flicker wildly. 
	"He's losing power," Mercury said. "Keep it up!"
	"DEEP TRIDENT!" Neptune shouted, raising her arms skyward, then
flinging them forward. A giant, glistening trident, seemingly made
entirely of water, launched forth from her outstretched hands. The
trident struck Jadeite, flinging him several meters away. At this
point, the bubble shields Mercury had conjured wavered and popped. 

	Jadeite rose to his feet, scowling. "You Senshi have always been an
annoying pack of bitches," he spat. His aura intensified, a large
black ball of energy forming between his hands. "DIE!" he roared. The
sphere quickly expanded away from Jadeite, sending a wave of dark
power in all directions. The group scrambled to evade the attack, but
it tore through them, knocking everyone to the ground, with the
exception of Saturn, Dosei, and Endymion, all of whom were protected
by a hastily erected Silence Wall.
	Jadeite glared at the two teens. "Shouldn't children be in bed at
this time of night?" he sneered, flinging bolts of dark power at
them. The two warriors of Saturn scrambled to evade Jadeite's attacks
without compromising Endymion's safety, their efforts made more
difficult by the fact that they were fighting on the palace steps.

	Unnoticed by all, Endymion groaned, rising shakily to his hands and
knees. 

	At one point, as Saturn and Dosei ducked and dodged Jadeite's bolts,
the blades of the Silence Glaive and the Gravity Lance came into
contact with one another. There was a strange spark, and the two
teens stared at one another, wide-eyed. 
	"Did you--?" Dosei asked.
	"Yeah," Saturn said. 

	"DIE!" Jadeite bellowed, preparing to fire a massive bolt at them.
Just as he was about to release the blast, there was a strange
tinkling sound, and he lost control, the bolt dissipating back into
his aura. "What--?" He glanced at his left hand, which was bleeding,
then at the ground before him. 
	A crystal rose struck the street below, embedding its stem in the
pavement. Its glassy thorns were stained with grey-green blood. 
	Jadeite spun, to find Endymion standing behind him, his sword held
at the ready. "I'm your opponent," the king said, "not these
children." 
	Jadeite smiled darkly. "As you wish, Endymion," he said. A large,
black crystal sword formed in his uninjured right hand. "En garde."

	"We need to check on the others," Saturn said.
	"What about Endymion?" Dosei asked.
	Saturn looked over at the two combatants, warily circling each
other, each waiting for the other to make the first strike. "He'll
have to hold Jadeite off for a bit. We've got to make sure the others
are alright." With that, she ran over to Mercury, kneeling over the
blue-haired Senshi and placing a hand on her neck. "Cover me," she
said to Dosei, who nodded. 

	Endymion and Jadeite glared at each other as they circled, the very
air around them charged with their anger and hatred for one another.
Endymion's sword shone with a bright aura, while dark, angry sparks
arced and snapped along the length of Jadeite's blade. 
	Finally growing weary of the standoff, Jadeite charged, bellowing
wordlessly. Endymion met Jadeite's initial strike, and the clang of
the two swords rang out across the battleground.

	Sailor Saturn's hand began to glow with a pale violet light as she
concentrated. She could feel the slow yet steady beat of Mercury's
heart, could feel the expansion of her lungs as she continued to
breathe. Gently, she urged Mercury's body to recover from Jadeite's
assault. Her power flowed through Mercury's body, undoing the most
serious damage from Jadeite's assault. 
	Mercury groaned softly, and her eyes fluttered open. She looked up. 
	"Easy, Mercury," Saturn said.
	Mercury sat up despite Saturn's insistence, glancing around. She
gasped as she saw Endymion and Jadeite facing off, the clash of their
blades louder than any bell. "We've got to help Endymion!" she cried,
struggling to stand.
	Saturn placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her back down. "You're
not strong enough to fight yet. That blast took a lot out of you."
	Mercury resisted for a moment, then her shoulders slumped. "You're
right," she admitted. Reactivating her visor, she scanned the other
Senshi. "Everyone's unconscious," she said. "I can't get a reading on
Serenity-sama, though. Whatever the Ginzuishou did is interfering
with my sensors." Looking back at the two combatants, she gasped. 
	"What is it?" Saturn asked, glancing in that direction. 

	Jadeite made a quick feint, his blade sliding to the left of
Endymion's parry. A loud crunch reported the impact of the black
sword against Endymion's shoulderguard. The pristine armor held, but
sported a nasty crack, which crackled with dark energy. 
	Gritting his teeth, Endymion brought his blade up, angling for a
slash at Jadeite's throat. Jadeite dodged badly, and Endymion's sword
rent a deep gash in his left shoulder. 

	Dosei cheered as the king landed a solid blow to Jadeite. Mercury,
on the other hand, was frowning.
	"What's wrong, Mercury?" Saturn asked. 
	"Jadeite's power...it's replenishing itself," Mercury said.
"Everything we threw at him...it didn't do any good." 
	Saturn glanced over at the dueling men, noticing the increasing
number of sparks flowing around Jadeite. "I need to revive the
others," she said. 

	"You have some skill, Endymion," Jadeite seethed. "I'm surprised."
He jabbed at the king's abdomen.
	Endymion deflected the strike. "More than enough skill to destroy
you," he said.
	Jadeite chuckled. "I seriously doubt that." He rushed Endymion,
delivering a hard slash to Endymion's side. The king managed to move
enough to lessen the damage, but was not able to completely evade the
strike, which tore a gash in his armor. He grunted in pain, dropping
to one knee. 

	Jupiter and Venus, recently revived by Saturn, gasped, struggling to
stand and intervene. 
	"We gotta do something!" Jupiter said. "He's gonna get killed!" She
tried to summon her power--even a little bit--but collapsed back to
the ground, spent and exhausted.
	"Shingo! You've got to help Endymion!" Venus called. 
	Dosei grimaced, holding his position. "I can't," he said. "Anything
I try to do to Jadeite, I risk hitting Endymion-sama too." 

	Jadeite cackled, raising his sword overhead. His eyes gleamed
maniacally as he sneered down at Endymion. "Say goodbye," he said. 
	"Good-BYE!" Endymion shouted, suddenly rising from the ground in a
swift motion, catching Jadeite completely by surprise. Jadeite swung
downward...
	
	All the Senshi were now awake, and struggling to stand, to attack,
to do anything. Saturn and Dosei were already in motion, seemingly
prepared to bodily tackle Jadeite...

	Twisting to the side, Endymion brought his sword up, swinging it in
a manner reminiscent of a baseball player. The edge of the blade made
contact with Jadeite's left elbow...

	The crystal blade of Jadeite's sword sank into the landing, jagged
cracks ribboning down the steps almost halfway to street level. The
evil general caught himself on its hilt as he pitched forward. His
eyes were wide with shock and surprise.

	Silence filled the air as Endymion's sword came to rest at his side,
broken by a soft, meaty thud.

	On the steps, half a meter below the stunned general, lay an arm,
severed at the elbow, clothed in a ragged, stained grey sleeve.
Greyish-green blood pooled around the jagged, torn flesh. 

	Jadeite stared at the stump of his left arm in disbelief. He then
slowly stood, turning his incredulous gaze to Endymion. His look of
confusion twisted into a scowl of rage, his evil, black aura flaring
around him. "YOU'LL PAY DEARLY FOR THAT!!" he bellowed, green eyes
burning with hatred. 

	"Finish him, Endymion-sama!" Dosei yelled. "Hurry!" 

	Endymion brought his sword back up to a ready stance, eyeing Jadeite
warily. 
	
	Mercury's eyes widened as her visor flashed a warning.
"Endymion-sama! Look out!"

	With all eyes fixed on the two combatants, nobody saw the shimmering
coccoon of light resting against the Palace wall fade away. Sailor
Serenity stirred, blinking her eyes open.

	Jadeite's fierce gaze locked upon Endymion's wary one. Endymion's
muscles suddenly locked up. He would have given a shout of surprise,
but his vocal cords refused to respond. 

	Standing closest to the battle, Dosei immediately saw what was
happening, and made his move. "GRAVITY RING!"
	The dark ring sped towards Jadeite. The evil general's sword
suddenly rose from the ground, spinning in the air. Dosei's attack
was deflected into the sky. 

	Jadeite laughed maniacally. "Fool," he said. "Nothing can stop me!"
Fixing the frozen king with a look of pure menace, he snarled,
"Now...*DIE*." 

	Serenity rose shakily to her feet, glancing around. She saw all the
Senshi struggling to stand, saw Saturn and Dosei ahead of the pack,
running towards Jadeite, who stood farther away, facing Endymion. She
saw the black crystal sword stop spinning, pointed directly at her
husband. 
	She took to the air, crying out as she used all her strength to
carry her across the battlefield.

	None of the Senshi noticed Serenity's cries, transfixed as they were
on the spectacle before them.

	Arcs of dark power surged around the black sword as its point aimed
itself directly at Endymion's heart. Jadeite leveled his remaining
arm at the stricken king. 
	The dark crystal sword shot forth, faster than the eye could follow.

	A terrible sound rent the still air, a mixture of glass shattering,
metal tearing, and the crunch of abused bone. 

	The paralysis broke, and Endymion pitched forward, eyes widened. His
face went pale, and a small stream of blood flowed from his mouth. He
looked down to see the dark crystal hilt of Jadeite's sword sprouting
from his chest.
	The end of the blade, jagged and cracked, emerged from his back,
between his shoulderblades. 
	Endymion fell to the ground. Jadeite laughed cruelly, a small storm
of dark lightning erupting around him.

	All of the Senshi cried out in despair. Serenity froze, dropping to
the ground in shock, staring incredulously at the fallen king.
"No..." she sobbed. "No...NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

	Jadeite strode slowly forward, planting a booted foot on Endymion's
neck. Sneering at his fallen foe, he grasped the hilt of the dark
sword with his remaining hand, and pulled it free of the body.
Crimson blood dripped from the shattered blade, joining the swiftly
spreading pool on the ground. 

	Serenity stood, her head bowed, bangs obscuring her eyes.
"Mamo-chan..." A single tear fell to the ground. 
	"Mamo...chan..." Two more tears joined the first.
	"You...killed...Mamo...chan..."
	Everyone turned to watch the young queen, not willing to gaze upon
the body of Endymion.
	Serenity slowly raised her head. Her crystal blue eyes were filled
with dark stormclouds of seething rage. Those eyes locked onto
Jadeite, radiating more hatred than anyone present could begin to
imagine. Saturn and Dosei quickly cleared out of the blast radius,
and the Senshi that had regained enough strength to move scrambled
away from their angry queen.
	"YOU BASTARD!!" Serenity screamed. The Ginzuishou began to glow
brightly, illuminating the gloating general and the body of his
victim in strobing silver light. 
	
	Jadeite sneered at her. "It's your turn now, moon slut," he said.

	The Crystal Palace began to glow, strobing with the same light as
the Ginzuishou. Everyone felt the hair on their necks stand on end as
raw power surged across the surface of the edifice's central spire. 
	A narrow beam of energy lanced from the Ginzuishou, striking Jadeite
squarely between the eyes. His laughter stopped, and his dark aura
seemed to recoil away from the pencil-thin ray of light. 
	"Your sentence is death," Serenity whispered quietly. 
	Suddenly, a massive beam of pure energy ripped away from the Crystal
Palace, slamming into Jadeite with the force of a bullet train. The
evil general was lifted off the ground and blasted into the distance,
driven into the distant horizon by the power of the beam. 
	As abruptly as it began, the wave of energy stopped, and the Palace
resumed its normal appearance. the Ginzuishou's furious strobe
settled back to its normal, quiet glow. 

	"What the--?" Uranus gasped.
	"The true power of Serenity," Pluto whispered in awe.
	"Incredible," Neptune said.
	
	Having recovered their strength, all of the Sailor Senshi rose,
moving to stand behind their queen. Shifting out of her Senshi form,
Neo-Queen Serenity slowly, shakily strode across the battleground,
kneeling beside the body of her husband. "Mamo-chan..." she said
softly, cradling his head in her lap.
	Endymion's eyes opened slightly, and he coughed wetly, a small spray
of blood issuing from his mouth. "U...sa...ko..." he rasped. "I...I'm
sorry..."
	"Mamo-chan..."
	The king lapsed into a coughing fit, spitting out more blood.
"The...Earth...calling me...back..." He trailed off, wheezing as he
took a deep, shuddering breath. "T...take...care...Usako.
L...love...you..."
	"Mamo-chan! Don't leave me!" Serenity pleaded. The Ginzuishou's glow
brightened. 
	Endymion smiled gently. "I...I'm always...with you...
See...you...five...hun...hundr...dred...years..."
	A fit of ragged, wet coughs seized him then. Blood covered his mouth
and chin as he gazed up at his wife one last time. Then, with one
last, painful, rattling breath, the light in his eyes died, and King
Endymion was no more.

	"NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Serenity screamed. Not relenquishing her hold on
Endymion's body, she raised her hand to the crystal upon her chest. 
	The Senshi gasped, moving in around her. "Serenity-sama!" Pluto
said. "You mustn't...you can't risk it..."
	"Mamo-chan," Serenity whispered. The Ginzuishou began to strobe...

	*****

	"Is it over?" a troop asked the JSDF major in charge of the
situation. 
	"Looks like it," the major said. 
	Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. Multiple shouts of confusion
rang out as troops scrambled to maintain their footing.
	"What the--?" 
	"An earthquake?"
	"I have a bad feeling about this," the major said. Indicating three
of his best men, he marched purposefully towards the crystal steps.
Checking their weapons, the men followed.

	*****

	"Usagi...please...don't do it..." Mars pleaded.
	Serenity was beyond hearing. The crystal flared, bathing the
battered remains of Endymion in soft, ethereal light. 
	"Mamo-chan...come back..." Serenity pleaded softly.

	Four uniformed, armed men ascended the landing, settling into wary,
defensive stances. "What's going on up here?" the obvious leader
asked.
	Sailor Mars moved to intercept them. "You should leave this place,"
she said.
	"Can't do that," the major said. "The government has appointed me to
investigate this situation." 
	"Major," one of the men said, "take a look at this." The man
indicated Serenity, cradling her husband's body, the silver glow of
the Ginzuishou bathing both in strobing, pure light. 
	"What the--?" The major started to move in that direction, but was
brought short by the two sharp spears thrust in his face by two
angry-looking teenagers. "Move aside," he commanded.
	"You will not approach Serenity-sama," said General Dosei.
	"I'm authorized by the Japanese government to assess the situation,"
the major said sternly. "You are impeding an officer of the Japanese
government."
	The two teens held their ground. "Our Queen has just lost her
husband," Sailor Saturn said quietly. "You will give her the respect
she is due, and leave her be."
	"Queen?" The major asked, raising an eyebrow.

	Behind them, the light of the Ginzuishou abruptly faded, and
Serenity cried out. All argument ceased, as every eye was trained
upon the young woman with the feathery wings. Tears spilled from her
eyes, as the crescent moon upon her brow shed a subdued glow. The
body of Endymion began to lose the pallor of death, instead taking on
a hue remeniscent of the earth in the fields. Before their very eyes,
the body of King Endymion slowly crumbled to dust, carried away by a
sudden breeze. 
	Neo-Queen Serenity stared, mouth agape, as the remains of her love
floated away with the winds. She uttered a lone, strangled cry of
anguish, and collapsed. 
	
	"SERENITY-SAMA!" the Senshi shouted in unison. Sailor Mars and
Sailor Mercury ran to the unconscious woman. 
	"She's very weak," Mercury said after a moment. "She'll recover, but
she needs rest." She sighed. "Her body will recover, anyway. Her
heart..."

	The four JSDF troops glanced at each other, unsure how to proceed.
"Anou..." the major said.
	Sailor Pluto stepped forward. "Major," she said, "as you can see, we
are presently in a state of crisis. If you would be so kind as to
hold off any further investigation here, at least until Her Majesty
has had a chance to recover..."
	The major gestured at the unconscious woman being carried away by
two of the Senshi. "I assume you're referring to her?" he asked.
	Pluto nodded. "Neo-Queen Serenity, ruler of this Crystal Palace. Her
husband, King Endymion, has just been slain in battle. I'm sure
you'll understand that all things considered, now is not the time to
badger her with a lot of questions."
	The major gave this some thought, then nodded. "I will return
tomorrow afternoon," he said. "At that time, I will demand answers,"
he warned.
	"Of course," Pluto said. "Give the regards of the Crystal Palace to
your superiors." With that, she turned and joined the other Senshi,
disappearing through the front wall of the Palace. 

	*****

	"The brilliant shine of the brightest star in the heavens has become
dim and weak."
	"Something horrible must have happened."
	"To see such a shining star fade..."

	*****

	As the major and his entourage arrived at their jeep, another jeep
pulled up to the Palace, its markings identifying it as a group of
seismologists. 
	The major walked over to the new arrival as four scientists climbed
out of the vehicle, carrying various equipment. "You shouldn't be
here," he commented."This is a restricted area."
	"We have clearance," said one of the seismologists, holding up a
security badge. "Unusual seismic activity has been detected in this
area."
	The major nodded. "We felt the quake."
	"There shouldn't have been a quake," said the scientist. "And
especially not with its epicenter right here. That's what we've come
to investigate."
	"Are you sure it wasn't a result of the battle up there?" the major
asked.
	The scientist snorted. "Don't be stupid. A quake is a quake."

	*****

	*Usako.*
	Serenity floated in a void, nude except for her great, feathery
wings. 
	*Usako.*
	She looked up, to see the face of her lover, her husband, her
companion through two lives. His image was translucent, wavering. 
	*Usako. Please listen.*
	*Mamo-chan...*
	*My soul has become part of the Earth.*
	*I...couldn't save you...*
	*The Earth prevented you from restoring me with the Ginzuishou. It
is meant to be this way.*
	*But...but...*
	*Please, do not despair. My spirit will always be with you, will
always guide you. In time, I will be reborn, and I will return to
you.* 
	Silence.
	*I must go now, my love. I cannot remain here, and neither can you.
I will always love you, Usako. We will be together again. Farewell.*
	*Mamo-chan...*

	*****

	"Her shine is faint now. She has suffered a grave tragedy."
	"You long to be with her."
	"I cannot. My place is here."
	"Your heart betrays your words. Your heart knows where your place
truly is."
	"But..."
	"You are needed there now. She will need you. Go to her."
	"But..."
	"Your presence will be missed here, but things will be fine in your
absence. Go to her."
	"Thank you."

	*****

	While the Senshi held vigil over their queen inside the Palace, and
the JSDF and seismologists began setting up equipment at street
level, a small speck of darkness appeared over the gardens. Dropping
roughly to the ground, the black haze cleared to reveal the battered,
bleeding form of Jadeite. Pushing himself to his feet with his
remaining hand, Jadeite staggered over to the spot where he had slain
Endymion, gritting his teeth. "Cursed...moon...bitch..." he spat.
"If...it takes...my own death...to destroy you...then...so...BE IT!" 
	The weakened vortex of dark energy surrounding the evil general
surged suddenly, arcs of energy flowing from the black corona into
Jadeite's body. He chuckled grimly as he stood in the slowly
coagulating pool of Endymion's blood, turning his power inward. "Burn
in hell, Serenity," he hissed. 
	
	*****

	The JSDF men and the scientists were thrown off their feet as a dome
of blackness swelled at the top of the steps. A deafening roar
shredded the still night air. Bits of charred, seared flesh and cloth
began raining down on the street below. 
	The dark dome suddenly rushed in upon itself, shaking the ground and
shattering windows for kilometers around with a tremendous sonic
boom. 
	"WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT!?" the major bellowed, straining to be
heard over the deafening roar. 
	
	*****

	The Senshi looked up, startled. "What the--?" Venus asked.
	"What else could *possibly* happen on this night?" Luna grumbled. 
	Mercury's visor flashed as she linked her sensors to the Palace to
determine the cause of the sound. She gasped. "Everyone, get down!"
she shouted.
	Before they had time to comply, the ground beneath them bucked
violently. 

	*****

	Troops who couldn't scramble away quickly enough were crushed as
tanks and jeeps overturned. The entire assemblage of troops lay
scattered about the street like toppled bowling pins. 
	The ground continued to shake. Cars, police call boxes, public
telephones, vending machines, and lightposts collapsed. Buildings
began to groan, bits of stone raining down. Wide cracks opened in the
street, pulling loose debris down into the yawning abyss. 
	Still, the sudden, violent earthquake continued. People screamed in
panic as the buildings they took refuge inside began to collapse
around them. 
	The rumble of the shaking earth was punctuated by small explosions,
the crackling of fresh blazes, and the occasional rush of water
erupting from broken pipes. 

	For fifteen minutes, the earth shook. When the incredible earthquake
finally ended, the only thing in Juuban that remained standing in one
piece was the Crystal Palace.

...tsuzuku...

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