And here we go with the next-to-last chapter.  Enjoy.  Or not, if you
want.

C&C is of course welcome, and previous chapters can be found on my
website or Fanfiction.Net


           Aaron Nowack
"Never let reality get in the way of a good hypothesis."
http://www.geocities.com/anowack/

Shades of Gray
A Sailor Moon Fanfic
By: Aaron Nowack

Chapter 14:  All Things Revealed

        "Before I horribly dismember you and your friends, protocol
         requires me to explain the entire plot to you."
                -Lord Saffron, Ranma 1/2


***********************************************************************
Disclaimer:  Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi, whose creative
talents far exceed my most humble own.  Distribution and other rights to
Sailor Moon belong to lots of different companies that I do not own.  I
make or imply no claim to ownership of Sailor Moon or its characters.
However, the text of this fanfic and all original characters presented
within are mine, and should not be used without permission. Thank you.
***********************************************************************

        For what seemed the first time in quite a while, Sailor Pluto
was calm.  She sat before the gates of time, eyes closed as her
supernatural senses revisited the immediate future for what seemed the
thousandth time.  There were so many possibilities, so many things that
could go wrong.  And then, a blank wall, a barrier of even greater
possibility through which even she could not decipher what was to come;
yet through familiarity this no longer shocked her as it once had.
        There was nothing more she could do.  Her decisions had been
made; her preparations were complete.  What she could do, was done.
What she could not do herself, she had to leave to chance, as much as it
galled her.  Her lips twisted at the thought, but after a moment they
smoothed.
        She did not need her future self's words to know that the events
that would soon play out at Castle Charon were of supreme importance.
So much had happened since the Death Busters' defeat, and all those
events were now building to a climax.  Pluto's fingers momentarily
tightened on her staff.  There were too many ways the coming
confrontation could turn ill, and far too few possibilities with
acceptable results.
        Pluto relaxed her hold.  There was nothing she could do now, she
had to remember that.  All she could do was wait for the battle to
begin.  At long last, this war would end.  That much was nearly certain.
Her sight could tell her that much, even if there was too much it could
not.
        At least she no longer had Chronus's power blurring her vision.
His influence no longer shielded the Champions from her foresight.
Pluto smiled briefly at the methods the Champions were sure to be using
to try and keep her from knowing what they planned.  She knew all their
options, at least until they hit the barrier of possibilities that
obscured the coming battle.
        If only she could say the same of the Dark Kingdom.  There her
vision had grown even more clouded as Metallia's strength grew.  Even in
the best of the times it was difficult to observe past the seals that
guarded the Dark Kingdom, but now they were completely opaque, even in
their vastly weakened state.
        She forced her mind away from that.  Worrying about it would
change nothing.  She could only be prepared for the worse, and that she
felt she was.  She had spent the past days strengthening the wards
around Castle Charon until she was sure that no youma would survive more
than a handful of seconds within the walls.
        Pluto's eyes snapped open at a sudden noise.  She swiftly rose,
trying to place the noise, her ears alert for any further sounds.  A
quick survey of the courtyard determined that it was empty, save for
herself.
        The ground trembled, and the towers overlooking the central
courtyard swayed.  "An earthquake?" she muttered as a second tremor
shook Castle Charon.  This was surely no natural occurrence.  Her senses
searched for the quake's cause, but no answers presented themselves.
        The castle shook yet again, and the tremor was far stronger this
time.  Pluto was nearly thrown to the ground, but she managed to keep
her feet.  When the third tremor passed, the castle was once again
silent.  When she was convinced that the quakes were over, she looked
over the courtyard to insure that nothing was damaged.
        A thin, hairline crack ran through the center of the Great Seal.

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

        The battle had begun.  In all probability, it would be the only
battle in this war.  If Scalae was victorious, Jadeite would have no
more armies to send against her.  If by some miracle the former General
triumphed, he would still be in no position to attempt a counter-
invasion of Scalae's domain.
        A miracle, however, did not seem to be materializing.  With
Nyxan's apparent death, Jadeite's army was demoralized, and the lack of
the leadership of either of Jadeite's two generals was swiftly becoming
evident.  With no one he trusted to aid him, Jadeite was forced to try
and manage the massive battle alone.
         Already, portions of his left flank were collapsing under the
first waves of Scalae's assault.  Perhaps two of the Dragon's youma fell
for each of Jadeite's, yet Scalae had more than enough soldiers to pay
that price.  Wave after wave of monstrosities swarmed over Jadeite's
lines, an unending torrent of flames and claws.
        Towards the center, one of Jadeite's overlords, most likely
hoping for a promotion to Nyxan's vacated position, ordered his youma
forward.  The unexpected counterassault broke through Scalae's lines,
and for a moment took the pressure off of Jadeite's forces, allowing
valuable time to regroup.
        Yet this lasted only a moment, as the attacking unit was quickly
obliterated in a massive firestorm.  Scalae's forces renewed their
attack as yet another wave of youma poured into the melee, and soon
Jadeite was forced to call a retreat to the next line of hastily-
prepared defenses.
        As the center gave way, Jadeite's flanks struggled to manage an
orderly disengagement.  The left flank, already on the verge of
breaking, found its retreat turning into a rout.  Conversely, the right
flank was too slow to disengage, and soon saw that it was cut off from
Jadeite's main unit.
        Even as the collapse of his flanks was sinking in, Jadeite's
position worsened further.  Flame fell from the red sky like rain, no
doubt called by the Dragon of the South.  A wave of white fire poured
over his defenses, followed by Scalae's youma.  Soon, even Jadeite
himself was in the melee, struggling to force the attackers back.
        At first it seemed that he might succeed in this endeavor, but
Scalae ordered her last reserves thrown into the fight.  The fresh
troops overwhelmed the defenders, and all seemed lost for the army of
the Dark Kingdom.  Youma began to break and run, and those few Overlords
whose units were intact began to pull away from the battle, no doubt
hoping that this act would gain them some mercy from Scalae.
        Only Jadeite's personal guard held fast, valiantly holding off
Scalae's soldiers.  Yet even they could not hold for long, and Jadeite
was about to order the retreat when Scalae's youma pulled back.  The
reason for the reprieve quickly became clear, as Jadeite spotted a small
group of youma approaching.  At their head walked what appeared to be a
human woman.  As she drew near, she smiled at Jadeite, a soft glow in
her red eyes.  Scalae had come.
        His throat dry, Jadeite ordered one last assault.  If she was
here, his only hope was to try and slay her, for there was no chance of
running fast enough to evade her flames.  His forces charged at his
command, and Jadeite soon found himself face to face with his greatest
foe.

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

        Motoki waved goodbye as his sister vanished into the Crown
Arcade.  It was somewhat earlier then they usually arrived at the Crown,
as they had to begin making up for all the time they had lost recently.
With a rueful shake of his head, Motoki stepped through the arcade's
automatic doors.  The way things looked, he might have more time to make
up soon.
        Motoki quickly relieved the person with the previous shift, and
settled into the familiar routine.  The arcade was somewhat busier than
normal, and Motoki guessed that it was do to the new Super Sailor
Fighter II machine.  He idly wondered whether the Senshi got any
royalties from the game's makers.  Probably not.
        "Hello, Motoki."
        Motoki looked up to see Ms. Farrel standing before him, an
unfamiliar man standing next to her.  They must have entered through the
service entrance while he was distracted.  "Good morning, Ms. Farrel,"
Motoki said, glancing at the stranger.  He was a large man, and his
features could only be described as non-descript.
        Allana smiled. "This is my cousin, Orin Farrel.  He's come to
Japan to help me out a little."
        Motoki gave the bulky man a shallow bow.  "Pleased to meet you,"
he said as he straightened.
        Orin grunted in response, seemingly more interested in observing
the crowd of young children that was clustered around the new machine.
Alanna elbowed him in the gut with what must have been surprising force,
as Orin stumbled under the blow.  "Be nice, cousin," she said, glaring
at him.
        Orin's face twisted into a snarl, then quickly smoothed.  He
bowed to Motoki.  "I am pleased to meet you as well.  My apologies, but
I am not yet used to Japan."
        Motoki nodded.  "No need for apologies.  I am sure your first
days in this country have been very disorienting."
        Orin smiled a disturbingly toothy grin.  "I suppose they have."
He turned to Allana.  "I'm going to go check the back room."  When his
cousin nodded, Orin wasted no time in doing so.
        "It's awfully busy here this morning," Motoki said.
        Alanna nodded.  "The new game's attracted quite a crowd."  She
smiled.  "There's apparently a rumor that after two thousand matches,
Ares is unlocked as a playable character, and there's four or five kids
trying to prove it."
        Motoki chuckled.  "I see."
        "I need to go check on Orin," Alanna said, turning to leave.
        As she left, Motoki stifled a yawn.  It seemed he needed more
sleep.

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

        "I am worried."
        Nyxan turned to Ishamanar.  "Obviously," he stated, a hint of
irritation in his voice.  "You haven't stopped pacing for hours."
        "I have reason," the four-armed Overlord replied.  "It was
foolish of you to come here.  If Jadeite were to discover your
deception-"
        "He will not," Nyxan interrupted.  "And even if he did, we need
not worry.  Our legions patrol the palace now, not his.  And without the
Flame Diamond, he could not stand before us."
        Ishamanar sighed.  "I suppose.  I still worry though.  There are
too many things that could go wrong.  If Asphara fails..." Ishamanar
trailed off.
        "We have had this discussion before," Nyxan stated.  "I have no
desire to argue about the risks again.  There is nothing more we can do,
save wait."
        "Wait, and trust in Great Metallia," replied Ishamanar, and as
one both sets of eyes went to the chrysalis.  It was larger now, and
sometimes light would flare from its murky interior.  Metallia's
presence lay over the room like a smothering blanket, but for now the
dark goddess was quiet, and gave no sign that she heard her servants'
conversation.
        "It won't be much longer," Ishamanar said after a long silence.
        "Days, maybe," Nyxan agreed.  After this exchange, the two youma
fell into silence once again, but after a while Nyxan spoke once more.
"You should probably go make a round of the palace."
        Ishamanar nodded.  "I suppose you're right."  He turned to
leave, only to freeze briefly as he saw the figure that sat stilly
against the hidden chamber's wall, like a puppet whose strings were cut.
The eyes stared straight ahead, blank and unseeing.  Ishamanar repressed
a shiver, then strode out of the chamber, sealing the door behind him.
        Inside, Nyxan had turned to observe the silent figure as well.
The ebony Overlord walked up to the figure and grabbed the chin in one
of his hands.  He forced the figure to look him in the eye, though the
was no sign of any recognition in its eyes.
        "I could kill you now," Nyxan hissed.  "How many youma have you
destroyed?  Now, you are helpless."  Nyxan smiled toothily.  "There is
something pleasant about that thought."  His hand twitched, and he
fought the urge to extend his claws and draw blood.
        After a moment, Nyxan released his grip.  He looked down at the
figure for some time.  There were so many possibilities for problems,
and quite a few of them rested on this... thing.  As did many methods to
deal with other difficulties.  Ishamanar was right.
        All they could do was trust in Metallia.

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

        "Usagi, please, tell me what's wrong."  Mamoru winced as the
words left his lips.  He knew exactly what was wrong with her, but she
refused to talk about it.  It wasn't healthy for her to keep the grief
she had to be feeling bottled up like this.
        Usagi shook her head.  "I," she began, but she quickly faltered,
then shook her head a second time.  "Please, Mamoru, don't-"
        Mamoru resisted the urge to curse, knowing that Usagi would take
it entirely wrong.  It seemed like karmic retribution, for he could
remember far too well the times he had tried to keep his own problems
from Usagi.  He glanced around the small cafe - not the Crown, for once
- in search of some inspiration, but there was none to be found.
        After a moment, he reached across the table to grasp Usagi's
hand.  For a while, there was only silence, save for the background
chatter of the other patrons and a neglected television in a nearby
corner.  Mamoru searched for words, but couldn't find any.  Eventually,
he gently squeezed Usagi's hand and released it.
        The two stared at each other for some time, then Mamoru sighed
softly.  "Listen, Usagi, if you really don't want to talk about it, I
won't try and force you.  I just want you to know that I'm always here
for you."
        "Mamoru," Usagi began, a hint of wetness in her eyes.  "I guess,
I guess I need to tell someone."
        Mamoru sat back in his chair and waited, but Usagi seemed
reluctant to start speaking.  However, he felt that the critical point
was past, and that the best he could do was wait for her to be ready.
It did not take too long before his patience was rewarded.
        "It... isn't just Hotaru," Usagi said, playing idly with the
straw in her soda.  "Since just before... before that, I've been hearing
voices."
        "Voices?" Mamoru asked.
        "Not quite voices.  Thoughts or dreams, maybe."
        Mamoru thought he understood, remembering the fragmentary
visions he had received after Chibi-Usa first arrived, and after a
moment he said as much.  "What do they say?"
        Usagi grimaced.  "They don't really say anything.  It's more of
a feeling."  Usagi suddenly shrank back, seeming for a moment very small
and fragile.  "There's something coming, Mamoru.  Something powerful.
Something evil.  And it knows me and it hates me, and it wants me to
know that."
        Once again, Mamoru found himself searching fruitlessly for
words.  He had opened his mouth to attempt a reply when Usagi silenced
with an uncharacteristic, harsh hiss.
        "Listen," she said, a tinge of panic in her voice.
        Mamoru strained his ears, but he could hear nothing out of the
ordinary.  The other patrons of the cafe continued to talk normally,
while the television was merely spouting a news story about minor
disruptions in satellite communications due to sunspot activity.
"Listen for what, Usagi?"
        Usagi frowned.  "I... I don't know.  There was something..."
        She was cut off by a sudden ringing, and it took Mamoru to
realize it was his cell phone.  He quickly answered it, wondering who it
could be, as the only person who normally called him on it was seated
across the table from him.  This was answered as Ami's voice came out of
the phone.
        "Mamoru?" she asked, a hint of stress in her voice.
        "Yes, Ami?"
        "Have you talked with Motoki lately?"
        "No, I haven't," Mamoru replied.  "Why?"
        Ami yawned.  "Sorry.  I've been working all night on trying to
figure out the Champions' identities.  Listen, keep an eye out for any
suspicious behavior from him or his sister, ok?"
        "Unazuki?" Mamoru asked incredulously.  "You can't be serious."
        "I'm too tired to explain right now, but trust me, I am
completely serious." Ami yawned again.
        "All right.  I'll drop by the Crown later today and see what I
can."
        "Just keep your guard up, Mamoru.  Don't let either of them get
you alone."
        "I suppose you're right."
        "Good," Ami said with another yawn.  "Call me later this
afternoon, all right?  I'm going to get some sleep."
        When he had hung up, Mamoru's attention quickly turned to Usagi.
"Sorry.  Ami wants me to check on some of the Champions' identites."
        Usagi nodded silently, her eyes distant.  "There was something,"
she said after a moment.  "I wish I could remember."
        Mamoru shook his head slowly.  "I didn't hear anything."
        "Maybe it was... just the voices," Usagi replied, but doubt was
evident in her own voice.
        "You need to talk to somebody about those," Mamoru said.
        "Who?" Usagi asked.  "Luna doesn't know what they are, and I
can't get in touch with Setsuna."
        Mamoru sat back in his chair.  "I wish I knew."

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

        "Can we really do this?" Ikawa asked.  He resisted the urge to
furtively glance over his shoulder.  If Pluto were spying on his
apartment, there would be no way for him to tell.  He could only hope
that her attention was elsewhere.
        Across the room, Meno nodded.  "I think so." He paused.  "I've
been studying the target the best I can from here.  The focal point is
definitely in the castle."
        Ikawa grimaced at the poor euphemisms.  If Pluto were listening,
she would surely guess their plan.  "All right.  Will transport be a
problem?"
        "I think we've all regained enough control of our powers to
teleport there in one or two stages and still be capable of fighting,"
Meno replied.
        Ikawa smiled for what seemed the first time in ages.  "Good.  I
think we can assume the target will be in the courtyard.  That would
provide the best possible security."
        "I agree," Meno said after a moment.  "That means our main
problem will be getting through the Halls."
        "We'll have to split up," Ikawa said.  "We won't have the time
to try and force our way through the defenses.  If we achieve surprise,
Pluto'll only be able to defend one."
        "We can't count on that."
        "I know.  This could be very dangerous.  Even if we only face
Pluto, I don't know if Teritan will be able to take her one on one."
Ikawa grimaced.  At the dawn of the war, Pluto had defeated Teritan,
Genitas, and a squad of skilled assassins.  It was far too likely that
she would be able to deal with him now, at the heart of her power.
        "Are you having second thoughts?" Meno asked after a moment.
        Ikawa grimaced.  "Of course I am.  What you've proposed is
horrible."
        "The alternative may well be worse," Meno replied.  "I, for one,
do not trust Pluto's vision of the future.  I am all too certain there
is no place for us in it."
        "I think we can count on that," Ikawa said, then was silent for
a moment.  He held up his right hand in front of his face, then sighed.
"I suppose we will do what we must.  After all, what is a little more
blood on the hands of the Betrayer of Peace?"
        "On my hands, as well," Meno replied.  "On all our hands."
        Ikawa slowly lowered his arm.  "When shall we strike?"
        Meno smiled weakly.  "Why wait?"
        "Tomorrow, then."
        Meno nodded.  "Tomorrow."

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

        Scalae and Jadeite stood, silently facing one another.  Mere
meters separated the two, but neither one seemed willing to make the
first move, as though they thought that by doing so they would somehow
concede some advantage to their opponent.  All around them the battle
raged, the lines surging back and forth past the standoff, yet no youma
dared come between the two.
        It was all Jadeite could do to keep from trembling with equal
parts fear and rage.  It had been well over a thousand years since he
had last seen Scalae, and all those intervening centuries had done
nothing to dull the familiar emotions that she created in him.  He could
hardly remember what had caused the Fire Dragon to turn on him, so many
millennia ago, but the memories of that confrontation were still seared
into his very soul.
        Scalae, for her part, seemed perfectly calm.  Her red eyes gazed
at Jadeite, and a slight, amused smile graced her lips.  Her simple red
dress was perfectly clean despite the dust and gore of the battle, in
marked contrast to Jadeite's stained uniform.  The Fire Dragon's smile
widened, and she spoke.  "Are you afraid, Jadeite?"
        "Hardly," Jadeite replied, but he was sure the Dragon could hear
the lie in his voice.  Scalae's grin widened even further, and Jadeite
knew he had been right.
        "Then strike me," Scalae said.  "Slay me as you did Mordrangar."
        Almost involuntarily, Jadeite's arm rose, a ball of flame
forming in his open palm.  Yet, after a moment, the ball vanished, and
Jadeite's arm returned to his side.  "I am not so foolish anymore,
Scalae.  You would turn my own flames back on me."
        A predatory gleam appeared in Scalae's featureless eyes.  "So,
you did not bring the Diamond with you?  That was foolish, little
Jadeite."
        "How did you-" Jadeite begun.
        Scalae laughed, cutting off Jadeite's question.  "You do not
think that I would not feel the Flame Diamond being used?  Where is it?
You may as well spare me the effort of finding it once I kill you."
        Jadeite scowled at his foe.  "Even if I knew, I would not tell
you, Dragon."
        Scalae frowned in puzzlement.  "You do not have it?  Then
who..." For a long moment, she was silent, then she spoke again with a
shake of her head.  "No matter.  I will find it, and kill the one who
bears it."  A smile returned to Scalae's face as she raised her hand.
"As I will you."  Flames wreathed her outstretched hand, gathering and
gaining in strength.
        Jadeite summoned all his defenses, but they did not avail him.
A line of white fire streaked from Scalae's hand, its light seeming to
rival even the brightest of stars.  The thin beam pierced Jadeite's
magical shields as easily as it would have iron ones, and when it struck
the former general he burst into flame.  Jadeite collapsed, his screams
echoing over the roar of the battle.
        Scalae gestured, and the flames died out, leaving behind a
seared shape that was barely recognizable as Jadeite.  The Dragon slowly
approached her foe as he struggled to rise.
        Jadeite grimaced, holding back a scream of pain.  His charred
flesh made even the slightest movement an agony, and he glared up at the
woman who stood over him, white flame dancing in her hands as she looked
down at him.  "I can't see how you ever managed to defeat Mordrangar,
Jadeite.  Do you have any last words, before I end your miserable
existence?"
        "What could I say that would mean anything?" Jadeite asked,
allowing himself to fall back to the ground.  It was over.  He had no
tricks to play.  "I never stood a chance," he said, not quite realizing
he spoke out loud.
        "No you didn't," Scalae said with a smile.
        Jadeite laughed ruefully, though he regretted it as his chest
erupted into pain.  "You didn't even have to use whatever weapon you
created."
        Scalae frowned.  "My weapon?"
        "Surely you don't think I didn't notice the surge?" Jadeite
asked.
        "So it was not you who caused it after all," Scalae said.  "It
matters not.  I suppose it is time to finish you off."  The flames in
the Dragon's hands strengthened until they were too bright to look at.
        Despite the pain, Jadeite forced himself up to his knees.  If
the surge hadn't been Scalae's it had to be... no, not Loriel.  When
they had met, the Water Dragon had been far too nervous for one with
such power to command.  Then, who?
        The answer came to Jadeite with such suddenness that it was an
almost physical shock.  He... he had been used... used and betrayed.
Jadeite snarled.  It all made a hideous sense, all the little things
that had nagged him.  He could not die now, not without avenging this
insult.  Reaching into reserves he hadn't realized he had, Jadeite
teleported away in a burst of flames.
        Scalae smiled at the scorch mark where Jadeite had laid,
allowing the flames in her hands to die out.  She turned to Chresk, who
had approached.  "My lady," he began nervously.
        "I wondered how long it would take that fool to escape," the
Fire Dragon said with a smile.
        "My lady?" Chresk asked, puzzled.  Why would Scalae have wanted
her foe to survive?
        "Jadeite did not cause the surge... but he knew who had.  I saw
it in his eyes."  Scalae smiled.  "What a wonder, that he would still
have a use."  Scalae's eyes glowed, and Chresk took a step back.  "I do
not know who else could have caused such a surge, but Jadeite will lead
me to him."
        Scalae glanced over the battlefield, and saw the rapidly
disintegrating remnants of Jadeite's army.  "Deal with this, Chresk.  I
have work to do."  With those words, the Dragon of Fire vanished.

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

        "Hey, Motoki!"
        Motoki looked up with a yawn and spotted Hoshi approaching the
counter.  He nodded at Hoshi's friendly wave, and when he arrived asked,
"What's up?"
        Hoshi's smiling face suddenly turned grim.  "Ikawa and Meno have
finalized the plan, and they want to go tomorrow."
        "Tomorrow?" Motoki replied a little too loudly.  "Why so fast?"
        "They don't see any reason to wait.  Every moment gives Pluto
more time to discover the plan, if she hasn't already."
        "I guess," Motoki said dubiously.  "I think we still need to
think this through more, though.  We need to be sure we want to go all
the way with this before we start."
        "Do you?" Hoshi asked.
        "I don't know, honestly," Motoki replied after a moment.
        Hoshi shrugged.  "Do you want me to tell Ikawa you've got a
problem?"
        Motoki thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No.  We
agreed to this at the last meeting.  Tell him I'll be... where and
when?"
        "We'll meet at Ikawa's apartment at eight o'clock tomorrow
morning."
        "All right.  I'll tell Unazuki.  Anything else?"
        "Not really," Hoshi replied, relaxing.  He turned around.  "This
place is awfully busy today."
        Motoki chuckled, then explained about the new machine.  Hoshi
soon let out a short laugh of his own.  "A few years back, I might've
been waiting my turn too," he said.  He suddenly frowned.  "Who's that?"
        Motoki looked to see Mamoru striding over to the counter with a
friendly wave.  "Chiba Mamoru," he replied.
        Hoshi raised an eyebrow.  "Endy-"
        Motoki cut him off with a quiet affirmative.  Hoshi nodded
curtly, and Motoki could feel him tense slightly.  In fact, he had to
concentrate to avoid doing so himself.  Mamoru was one of his oldest
friends, but Endymion was another matter.
        "Hello, Motoki," Mamoru said to Motoki once he was nearer.  He
turned to Hoshi, seeming to notice his presence for the first time.
"How's it going, Hoshi?  I didn't know you two knew each other."
        "It has been going... poorly, I suppose," Hoshi replied with a
forced smile that seemed more like a baring of fangs.
        "I'm sorry to hear that," Mamoru replied.  "Is there anything I
can do?"
        Hoshi hesitated, then said, "I believe I must be going."
        Mamoru turned to watch as the man left.  "Do you know what's
bothering him?"
        Motoki frowned, searching for an answer.  "He... took Tamori's
death poorly."
        "Oh," Mamoru said softly.  He winced slightly at the memories
Motoki's sentence brought.  He still hadn't quite come to terms with the
fact that Tamori had not only been his enemy, but was now dead.  He
supposed that, at some point when all this was over, he would feel grief
over his friend's death, but not now.  Mamoru lowered his gaze slightly,
uncomfortable at the thought that a man who barely knew Tamori felt so
much grief at his death, while he felt none.  Was it his imagination, or
had he heard a slight accusation in Motoki's voice?
        Hoshi and Motoki's apparent friendship seemed odd.  Surely he
should have known of it, unless it was extremely recent.  That didn't
seem to make any sense though.  If they had become friends only
recently, why would Hoshi apparently confide in Motoki, yet back off as
soon as Mamoru approached?  And why would Hoshi take Tamori's death
poorly?  He knew that they had known each other less then a month.
Unless... they were Champions.
        "Do you want something?" Motoki asked suddenly, and Mamoru was
sure this time that he wasn't imagining a tiny undercurrent of hostility
in his voice.
        Mamoru searched desperately for an answer.

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

        Asphara stared at the still growing ball of energy, making rough
estimations as to its size.  This particular ball was, though
impressive, far from the largest she had ever seen.  Indeed, she herself
had procured larger amounts of energy at times, though not by much, and
it had taken days rather than hours.
        And this particular globe represented far more than just an
impressive quantity of the Dark Kingdom's unofficial currency.  Far
more, indeed.  It represented the last bit, the last portion of energy
needed for Beryl's great work to finally be completed.  Completed, in
part, by her.
        Asphara smiled in pleasure at the thought.  Back when Beryl had
reigned, she had been a non-entity, consort to a third-rate Overlord who
had no connections to either the Queen or her Generals, and thus, not
the slightest bit of real power.  But now, now her consort was a General
himself, and with her aid, he was at last going to make the millennia-
old quest of all youma finally come true.
        It was a heady feeling.  Metallia would finally be free, finally
return to the children she had created so many years ago.  And she would
usher in a new age of darkness, and this detestable Earth and its
defenders would at long last lie defeated, the humans prey for even the
weakest youma.
        "And Great Metallia will reign forever," Asphara softly hissed,
remembering the ancient prophecy Ishamanar had shown her.  It was a
grand dream... but it was not yet here, was it?
        "So shall it be," Orinas replied in his grating voice.
        Asphara almost started at the sound from the companion she had
forgotten she had.  She had been working alone for so long that she was
almost annoyed that she had to deal with a partner, even if it was at
her own request.
        That thought reminded her of the reason for her request.  The
new device was shielded as best she could manage, and she had no small
skill and a great deal of experience with such cloaking magics, but this
fast an energy drain could not remain undetected for long.  It would be
safest to leave now, but she could not be entirely sure that she had not
overestimated the energy amounts, or that Ishamanar and Nyxan had not
underestimated the requirements.
        Asphara voiced her thoughts, and Orinas grinned toothily.  "What
if we set the device on full drain before we leave?"
        The female Overlord pondered Orinas's suggestion briefly before
nodding.  The energy-draining machine would be detected almost
instantly, but the amounts of energy it could drain before being
destroyed would give her a reasonable margin of error.  It was worth the
risk, for surely they could open the portal and escape before the Senshi
or Champions could react to the discovery of the operation.
        At her nod, Orinas's toothy grin widened, and he hurried to
machine's control panel.  A moment later, it was done.

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

        Mamoru and Motoki stared at each other, both trying to keep any
sign of suspicion from their gaze, yet failing ever so slightly.
Motoki's question hung unanswered in the air, and to the two the ever-
loud bustle of the arcade seemed strangely muted, the endless cacophony
of beeps, explosions, and cheers fading into the background.
        Suddenly, the room wavered before their eyes, and both men found
themselves clutching at the counter to keep themselves standing.  It
took only a moment for them to recognize the all too familiar feeling of
an energy drain.  Mamoru struggled to turn around, and saw dozens of
children strewn about the floor, lying where moments ago they had stood.
        Mamoru let his eyes to close, allowing him to concentrate his
other senses on the task of locating the source of the drain.  He slowly
reached inside his jacket, and his fingers clenched around a rose that
hadn't been there a moment ago.  He felt his clothes shifting around
him, and a surge of power that to some extent countered the effects of
the ongoing attack.  A moment later, he hurled the rose with unerring
accuracy at the spot he knew had to be the source.
        There was an explosion, and the feeling of weakness in his limbs
immediately vanished.  Tuxedo Kamen opened his eyes to see his rose
sticking out of the side of the new Super Sailor Fighter II machine, and
he smiled as he noticed the fallen children already beginning to stir.
He turned around, and was surprised to see Motoki gone.
        Tuxedo Kamen quickly noticed that the back door to the arcade
was open, and an instant after that he heard a scream from the back
rooms, though he could not tell whether it was a cry of anger or pain.
He quickly raced through the open door and followed the sounds of
fighting that soon started.
        A moment later he arrived at the scene of a battle between Zeus
and two youma.  One of the youma was a huge bulky beast, like some sort
of ogre, and Tuxedo Kamen could swear that he'd seen the youma before
somewhere.  That one was currently pummeling Zeus with his massive
fists.  The other youma, a human-seeming woman with membranous, bat-like
wings sprouting from her back circled the melee, black lightning
crackling in her hand.
        She quickly noticed Tuxedo Kamen's arrival and hurled the ball
of electricity at him.  He raised his cloak to block, but the blast
still sent him flying, and before he could rise the female youma
pounced.  Her surprisingly sharp nails raked at Tuxedo Kamen's face, and
the bloody trails they created burned as though they were poisoned.
        Not far away, Zeus neatly sidestepped a wild blow from the other
youma.  The Champion snorted.  "This ends now... 'Orin'."
        The youma snarled in response, unleashing a powerful punch that
nearly knocked his foe to the floor.  "My name is Orinas, human."
        "It hardly matters."  Zeus's blade crackled with electricity,
and he counterattacked with a swift strike that left Orinas's right arm
hanging useless by the youma's side.
        The beast stumbled back, bellowing in pain.  "Asphara!" he
screamed as Zeus pressed his attack.
        The other youma looked up, her face twisting into a sneer.
"Worthless," she said as she leapt off of Tuxedo Kamen.  As he rose, she
vanished in a flare of darkness.  An instant later, Zeus's sword
separated Orinas's head from his neck.
        As the corpse slowly dwindled away to first a pile of dust and
then nothing, the two warriors faced each other silently.  Zeus's sword
did not leave its ready position, and Tuxedo Kamen could feel a rose
ready to appear between the fingers of his right hand.  From the front
of the arcade, nothing could be heard but the moans of slowly stirring
children, not yet quite conscious.
        Tuxedo Kamen's eyes were dry, he realized.  The painful
throbbing of the red lines on his face was nothing but a dull sensation
on the edge of his thoughts.  He supposed he had been lucky the female
youma had fled when she did, for it might have taken only a few more
moments for her to rip out his throat.  Somehow, the thought did not
bother him.  All he could feel was a dull anger, a cold rage that was
more a fact of nature than an emotion.
        "Why, Motoki?" he said finally.
        Zeus's mouth twitched.  "Why do you love Serenity, Endymion?"
        Tuxedo Kamen felt a growl in his throat, remembering all the
times the Champions had put Sailor Moon in danger.  "Answer the
question!  How could you do this?  You know us.  You are... you were my
friend."
        Zeus shuddered, but his sword stayed ready, electricity running
up and down the blade.  "I was Chiba Mamoru's friend.  Not Endymion's."
        "They are one and the same."
        "Perhaps." Zeus smiled.  "But by the time I knew that, it was
far too late.  Do you think I enjoy this, Endymion?  Do you think I love
this conflict?  If you do, you give a man you once called friend far too
little credit."
        "I think you do," Tuxedo Kamen said.  "You Champions want this
war.  You could have ended it at any time.  How could you, how could any
of you do this?  The youma at least I can comprehend, but not you."
        "You cannot understand us, Endymion.  Not until you have watched
helpless as the greatest evil you have ever seen, the evil you were
created to fight, ordered her loyal servants to destroy all that exists.
Not until you have watched countless billions die at the hands of the
Senshi of Death.  Not until you have been witness to civilizations that
were destroyed before they were born at the will of the Senshi of Time."

        "What?" Tuxedo Kamen asked incredulously.  "That never-"
        Zeus snarled, interrupting him.  "Oh, it happened.  And you see,
we swore an oath, our first oath, that we will never break, sworn on the
souls of all who had died, on heroes and sinners alike.  We swore that
it would never happen again.  Never again."  Zeus's eyes hardened.  "And
we failed.  We will not fail again.  If you will stand in our way,
protect Pluto from our judgement, then what will follow will lie on your
head."
        "No.  It will be on yours, Champion," Tuxedo Kamen stated.
        Zeus grimaced.  "Deinas is right.  Janus's plan is the only
way."
        "Janus's... plan?"
        "I suppose it does not matter, since I can't let you leave here
alive now that you know who I am.  Tomorrow, we leave for Pluto, where
we're going to unlock the Great Seal.  We will free our fleet, and bring
it to Terra."
        A sickening feeling rose in Tuxedo Kamen's gut.  "And then?"
        Zeus told him, and Tuxedo Kamen reacted without thought, rose
coming to his hand in an instant and soon sent sailing toward the
Champion.  Zeus's crackling blade moved, and the rose fell to the ground
before him, neatly split in two.  "If that is the way it must be...
defend yourself!"  The Champion leapt forward, and Tuxedo Kamen barely
dodged the strike.
        Zeus snorted as Tuxedo Kamen blocked the next blow with his
cane.  "You limit yourself, Endymion.  Show your true self!"
        Tuxedo Kamen could feel his clothes shifting once again, tuxedo
becoming black armor and cane shifting into a powerful sword.  The
sudden change in the weapon's balance threw him off a moment, but then
he launched a series of attacks that drove Zeus back.  "Much better,"
the Champion said as he counterattacked, regaining the ground he had
lost.
        Endymion soon found himself hard pressed, and he quickly
realized just how desperate Sailor Uranus's duels against Ares must have
been.  For, if the little he could remember from his past life was
correct, Ares was the greatest swordsman among the Champions, but Zeus
was far better than any he could remember fighting in either life.  It
was only luck that was keeping him unwounded, and that luck would soon
run out.  Endymion began to try and break off and retreat, but Zeus
pressed his assault.
        "Leaving so soon, Endymion?  Let me give you a parting gift,
then!"  Zeus launched a furious attack, batting Endymion's blade aside,
then driving his own through the dark armor as easily as though it were
cloth.  Endymion could only grunt in shock and pain as the sword tore
through his chest.
        After a moment, Zeus withdrew the blade, and Endymion collapsed.
A moment later, his armor and blade faded away, and it was Chiba Mamoru
who lay bleeding on the floor.  An instant after that, it was Furuhata
Motoki who stood over him.
        Motoki knelt by Mamoru's side, a sickening tremor in his
stomach.  It shouldn't be this hard!  But yet... it was.  It was all the
pain from the first days of the war, all over again.  Motoki realized he
was crying.  He had to stop. If there was to be any chance to end this
without further death, he had to be resolute.  There could be no sign of
hesitation or remorse, or the Senshi might try to call their bluff...
and the Champions might not be bluffing.
        For all his words on how they could not bluff if the time came,
he doubted even they would know whether they were or not until the very
moment that decision came.  When they had to choose to bring destruction
at their own hands or to surrender themselves to whatever Pluto had in
store.  This horrid plan was the only way to stop her.  They could not
kill her, and only Serenity could order her to stop.  And this was the
only way to force Serenity's hand.
        Motoki clenched his fists, and the tears would not stop.  He
stared as his friend's body, and the spreading pool of blood he lay in.
After a moment, he cursed, and made his decision.
        And with that decision, an infinity of possibilities ended
before they were taken, and another infinity came into being.  It could
not yet be said yet whether this change was good or bad.  It could not
be said whether the choice would even be noticeable in the long run.
But it was still a decision, and to at least two people, it was
important.

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

        Time had turned back on itself.  As she lay dying, her body
spent from the effort of defeating Queen Beryl's shell, infused with
Metallia's power, Princess Serenity had made a fateful wish.  Serenity
and her companions were reborn, and all the pain they had suffered was
wiped away, but at long last, the prophecy had begun, and she had
laughed.
        One of Fire had emerged from Ice to lead the youma.  Jadeite,
the very least of Beryl's Generals, had returned from the eternal sleep,
and made his bid for power.  As his arrival at the same time unified and
threw the Dark Kingdom into chaos, the prophecy's gears had been
turning, and she had laughed.
        Her enemies had fought among themselves, and were driven before
her armies.  Senshi and Champions, once again at each other's throats.
If they had even the slightest inkling of her coming vengeance, they
would have dropped that struggle and united to futilely attempt to stop
her.  The prophecy's words had become glorious reality, and she had
laughed.
        The bull had triumphed over the plague, yet fallen to her
servants' hidden hands.  Such a puny, insignificant thing to be
foreseen, she had once thought.  Yet, it had lead directly to
Mordrangar's defeat, and had granted her servants the chaos necessary to
carry out her work.  When this became clear, she had laughed.
        The sky over Terra had turned to flame, even if only for the
space of a few short hours.  And for those hours, Terra had gotten the
slightest taste of her wrath as he youma had poured through the streets
of one of its cities, sowing destruction in their wake, and in pure joy
she had laughed.
        Now, the last part of the prophecy was fulfilled.  Not
literally, to be true, but such was not the way of prophecy.  When it
came to her, it was in visions and dreams, the words filled with
metaphors and symbols.  But yet, in a very real way, the dead walked,
and she laughed.
        And now all had come to pass as she had foreseen, so long ago in
the darkness.  The prophecy was at last complete.  That for which she
had struggled for so long was at last arrived.  That which had been cut
off so long ago would at last begin anew.
        She, Metallia, would reign forever!

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

        Usagi slowly slipped into the hospital room, tears already
filling her expressive eyes.  The other Senshi were already there.
Michiru and Haruka had taken their normal positions by the door, and as
it became clear that it was Usagi that was entering, they relaxed
slightly.  The others were clustered closer to the bed, and when the
stirred it became obvious they had been shielding Ami's computer from
sight.
        Usagi slowly walked over to the other side of the bed and saw
Mamoru's still and weakly breathing form.  "What happened?"  The
whispered question hung in the air a moment.
        Ami bit her lip, a puzzled frown on her face.  "They say Motoki
brought him in, and said he was hurt in a youma attack on the Crown.  If
he had gotten here a little later, he might have died from the blood
loss, but they say he's stable now."
        Usagi could hear the doubt in her voice.  "But?"
        Ami shook her head.  "I'm fairly certain that Motoki is Zeus."
        Usagi blinked.  "What?"  She couldn't quite believe what Ami had
just said.
        Ami simply nodded.  "And I'm fairly certain that it was Zeus
that did this to him.  He was the only Champion my computer detected
transforming during the attack, and well... the wounds on the face," Ami
said, gesturing to the bandage on Mamoru's cheek, "could be from a
youma, but the body wound is almost certainly from a sword."
        "But if Zeus is Motoki, why would he do this to him, why would
he then save him like this?" Makoto complained.  It doesn't make any
sense.
        "He... saved me?" Everyone started at the weak voice, and all
eyes turned instantly to Mamoru.
        "You shouldn't talk," Ami said worriedly.  "We ought to call one
of the doctors."
        "No... this is... important," Mamoru slowly gasped out as he
weakly raised his hand, which Usagi quickly clutched.  "Motoki... he
said the Champions... were going to Pluto... tomorrow."  Mamoru wheezed
for breath.  "Hurts," he muttered before continuing.  "He said... they
were going to break the Seal... free their fleet... and then...
terrible..."  Mamoru sighed, and his eyes closed as he slipped back into
unconsciousness.
        Usagi clutched her future husband's hand a moment longer, then
released it and turned to the other Senshi, the tears on her face
already drying.  A cold determination blazed in her eyes.  "We're going
to Pluto."

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

Author's Random Ramblings

1) Naught but a single chapter and the epilogue remain.  And there was
much rejoicing among all two people who read this fic.

2) Previous chapters of the fanfic can be found at my website (
http://www.geocities.com/anowack/ ), at Fanfiction.Net, in the RAAC
archives, and at MoonRomance.  If for some reason you don't wish to or
can't access any of those, send me a private e-mail and I'd be thrilled
to provide them.

3) As is ever the case, credit and thanks goes to my prereaders, without
whom this fic would be far poorer: Angus MacSpon, Chaeotica, and Rebecca
Nowack.

4) And, of course, C&C, negative or positive, is always requested and
appreciated, be it a line-by-line commentary or a one sentence e-mail
letting me know you read the story.

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