Yep yep!  No Truths, Family and Friends this week, minna.  I have 
so much inspiration on this that it's not even funny!  Soooooooo...
Truths is on hold for the time being, hopefully I can write my 
way out of the block soon!  *ducks many flying objects*  GOMEN!

Enjoy!

E-mail: stefaniecraig@hotmail.com

Website: http://home.att.net/~stef_chan/index.html

ICQ: 634674320
If you add me to your ICQ list, please tell me why, and who you 
are! ^_^

RATING: PG for drama and some swearing.

DISCLAIMER: *Stef-chan is pushed on stage by some very pushy guys*  
Ah quit your shoving!  I know what I have to do!  *grumbles curses 
and reads from a paper*  Last week I said owned Sailor Moon but 
then took it back.  Then I said I owned Dragon Ball Z.  Now, I do 
not own Dragon Ball Z.  I never have never will.  I also do not own 
Sailor Moon.  I do not own either of these things and I am doing 
this on my own free will...like hell I am!  I OWN IT ALL! 
MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  *several cute looking men in white coats come 
and drag Stef-chan away*  ALL THE CUTE ANIME MEN ARE MINE, YOU HEAR?! 
MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!!

Quote of the Week: "Where there is light, there is darkness. The 
darkness calls to the light, and the light calls again to the 
darkness."
Chaos- Manga act 52

FINAL AWAKENINGS
CHAPTER 21

__________Count Down to Apocalypse__________

Artemis sighed and scanned the screen one more time.  Nothing.  
Nada.  Zero.  There was no information on King Onyxious that they
didn't already know, and it was frustrating Artemis to no end.  With 
an angry glare at the screen, he shut down Central's database.

Clicking the communicator, Artemis called for Luna.  "Yes?" her 
voice called from over the speaker.

"Bad news, Luna," Artemis spoke with a serious tone.  "There is no 
more data on Onyxious other than where he came from and what he 
did to become imprisoned.  Sorry."

Luna sighed heavily.  "You're sure?"

Scowling Artemis fought back the urge to snap at her.  "I'm 
positive, Luna.  Looks like the girls are pretty much on their 
own for this."

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

Amara frowned slightly at the news that Luna and Artemis were 
reporting.  "So there's nothing?  Not even a weakness?" she 
questioned them.

Artemis dropped his head and nodded.  "Not even a weakness.  
Everything that was there, we already knew and it's no help anyway." 
He looked up at the ten girls that were seated around the main room.

Rini nodded.  "So we just have to fight and win then?"

"It seems that way, Rini," Luna whispered solemnly.  "But I have 
faith in all of you!  We can beat this if we really try."

Michelle looked at her mirror and sighed.  "We don't know when he's 
going to attack, but when he does, Malachite will go after the 
Princess without mercy."  Her eyes softened slightly and she 
clutched the Deep Aqua Mirror tightly to her body.  "We can't be 
there all the time, can we?  How can we protect them?"

Amara wrapped an arm around Michelle's shoulder, attempting to calm 
her nerves.

Mina clenched her fists.  "WE may not be able to be by them at all 
times, but Darien has been so worried about Serena lately that he 
has barely left her side.  Together, they stand a bigger chance 
until we get there, but..."

"But we still need to be there because we can't fail," Raye finished 
quietly.  Her head was bent in concentration as she did her daily 
prayers.  Her eyes fluttered open.  "I can't sense anything.  Maybe 
Malachite decided to wait a while before attacking."

"That would be beneficial to us, we can plan more appropriately 
given our lack of information," Amy put into the conversation.

Something suddenly hit Hotaru and she gasped.  "Amy!  Can your 
computer track Negative energy readings from far away?" she gasped 
out.

Amy thought about it for a moment.  "Well...yes, but it's quite 
difficult for me to get a strong lock on those readings.  Why do 
you ask, Hotaru?"

"I see!" Trista exclaimed.  "It may be possible to track Onyxious' 
energy to where ever their hide out is!"  'Why do we always have to 
take the hard way?' she asked herself as she remembered that only 
a few weeks ago she had taken the Outers to where both King Endymion 
and Prince Endymion were being held so that they and Serenity could 
get away.  'But that was also in the future.  He could have a base 
in the twentieth century.  (AN: Refer to chapter 15, "Love, Hope 
and Devotion.")

"That's what I was thinking, Trista," Hotaru said softly.

"Great idea!" Amy exclaimed as she grabbed her computer and began to 
furiously type into it.  "This could take a while, but we need to 
find their base."

Lita smashed her fist into her other hand.  "And get this over 
with!" she growled.

Amara repeated Lita's motion and everyone laughed slightly.  They 
were very much alike.

"What's so funny, everyone?" a small voice asked as a pair of 
footsteps that hadn't been heard till that moment stopped.

Turning, the girls and cats saw Serena and Darien standing behind 
them.  Darien had an arm around her waist and an almost smile on his 
face.  "Hello, everyone," Darien greeted.

"Hey there, Sere and Dare!" Mina giggled when she realized what she 
had said.  "I'm a poet and I didn't sew (AN: as in stitching) it!"

Several groans were heard and everyone sweatdropped.  "Yeah, Mina.  
Have you taken your medication today?" Rose asked.

Mina laughed and then suddenly stopped.  "What is that supposed to 
mean?" she asked darkly, causing even more laughter.

Hotaru giggled once more and then turned to Serena.  "Are you feeling 
better, Princess?"

Serena and Darien sat down next to Rini and Rose.  "A little.  
Onyxious hasn't tried to invade my dreams anymore," Serena 
explained.

"I'm glad," Raye told Serena.

Darien looked over to Amy and saw her furiously typing on her 
computer.  "What are you trying to do, Amy?" he asked her.

Not looking up, Amy typed furiously on her computer.  "I'm trying 
to find Onyxious' operations base.  If we can find that, we can 
take him by surprise and end this war."

Serena looked up in surprise.  "Could it be that easy?" she asked 
herself out loud.

Amara had her arms crossed and shook her head slightly.  "Who 
knows?" she half whispered.

Amy looked up.  "I'm going to Central Control to use the Moon 
Kingdom's computers.  Luna, Artemis, are you coming with me?" she 
asked the cats.  "I can use all the help I can get!"

"Of course we will, Amy," Luna assured her.  Artemis nodded and the 
three of them stood up, and got ready to go.

As they were leaving, Amy called over her shoulder.  "If we find 
anything, we'll contact you on the communicator!"

Serena yawned and stood up.  "Well, I'm going to the Crown Arcade, 
anyone coming with me?" she yawned out.

Trista stood up and shook her head.  "I have some things I need to 
attend to at the Time Gate."  A portal appeared behind her and she 
turned and walked through it.  "I'll see you all later," her 
fleeting voice called.

Darien gave Serena a squeeze.  "I'll go," he volunteered.

"Me too!" Rini giggled as she stood up.

The Outers and Inners exchanged looks.  They were *not* going to 
leave the three of them alone with a vengeance hungry maniac out on 
the loose.  "We'll go too!"

Raye's voice, quiet for once, spoke up from the ground.  "You guys 
go with out me.  I need to meditate.  The war has given me less 
time with my prayers," she explained.

Serena blinked and smiled at her friend.  "Okay, Raye.  We'll see 
you later," she smiled while leaving.

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

Sailor Pluto watched as Amy, now Sailor Mercury continued her 
analysis.  She had found the Dark Energy, but tracking it was 
something else.  Shaking her head sadly, she banished the image and 
wished her comrade luck as she stepped into another portal to the 
thirtieth century.

She arrived in a room with all the Sailor Soldiers.  "Forgive my 
tardiness, there were other matters I had to attend to in the past," 
Pluto spoke softly as she took her seat next to Mars and Saturn.

"That's okay, Pluto," Earth said with out a smile on her face.  She 
had no reason to laugh at that moment.  "We just started."

Endymion sighed.  "We have found their base, is that correct?" he 
asked any who would answer.

"Yes, King," Uranus answered.  "But we aren't sure if that a real 
base-"

"Or a false one," Neptune finished.  "This could just be a decoy.  
The true base could be anywhere."

"It could even be in the past," Saturn whispered almost too quietly.

"Or divided up between the two," Mercury sighed and rubbed her 
temples.

Jupiter pounded her fist onto the table.  "Damn them!  Why can't 
they just stay in one freaking time and not make this so hard?!" 
she yelled.

Endymion was thoughtful for a moment.  He was thinking about his 
family, and what he would do for them.  But if they attacked the
base in the thirtieth century, and it was just a decoy, then 
Onyxious would most likely relentlessly attack the twentieth 
century for them trying to find him.  Rubbing his eyes, Endymion 
sighed.  "Maybe a joint attack.  We should attack together."

"They don't know where to attack just yet," Pluto told them grimly.  
"But they will, I hope."

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

Malachite floated over the city of Tokyo, his cold eyes searching 
desperately for any sign of Sailor Moon.  King Onyxious had forbade 
him from using anymore of his precious youma, so he was on his own, 
for now.  A shriek came from somewhere down below him and he looked 
down.  His eyes shot open in shock at what he saw.  A girl, probably 
no older than eight or nine, skipping ahead of a group of people.  
But what caught his attention was her hair.  Cotton Candy Pink.  
'The Rabbit,' he thought with a smile.

Gazing at the others accompanying her, he saw the unmistakable twin 
hair buns on another girl who had her arms around a tall man with 
black hair.  Malachite studied them for a moment before it hit him.
'Serenity and Endymion!'

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

"Come on!" Rini called to all the others behind her.  "I want some 
more ice cream at the Crown!"  Rini skipped further ahead of the 
group and began humming.

Darien winked at Serena.  "What makes you think you're getting 
anything else so close to dinner time, Rini?"

Rose rolled her eyes at her brother and hit him in the head.  "Don't 
tease your daughter, you nitwit!" she hissed at him.

The others laughed a little and Darien turned to glare at them.  
"Ah, it's all in good fun, Darien," Amara said while laughing.  "And 
when was the last time we were able to let our hair down?"

Michelle looked at Amara out of the corner of her eye.  "When was 
the last time you had hair to let down?" she asked her.

Amara blushed a little and turned to Michelle, only to find her 
laughing along with everyone else.

Something flashed in Rose's eyes and she stopped.  "What is that?" 
she asked herself.

Lita turned and saw that Rose wasn't moving anymore.  "Rose?  What 
is it?" she inquired the girl, causing the others to stop.

Her eyes continued to dart around the area, looking at every person 
before she looked up.  Her eyes widened in shock, surprise and 
horror.  "MALACHITE!" she yelled as she spotted the white haired 
man floating directly above them.

Not one second after she yelled it, a white energy blast came down, 
directly towards Serena and Darien.  "LOOK OUT!" Mina yelled as she 
hit the two in the back, and knocked them down just before the 
energy hit them.  It instead slammed into a sidewalk, sending debris 
flying everywhere. 

All the people on the street ran away screaming, all but the 
Soldiers and one boy with brown hair who hid not too far away from 
the girls as he watched them get into defensive stances.  'Since 
when does Rose know how to fight?' Tim Jameson asked himself.  
Even from the distance he was, he could hear what they were yelling 
out.

Malachite touched down on the ground and smiled evilly at the group.
"Hello, Sailor Soldiers," he hissed.   "And a special hello to you, 
Serenity!  It will be the last one you get in this life!"  Power 
erupted from Malachite's hands and struck Serena in the chest.

She stood slowly, with the help of her friends, and glanced around 
the street.  Seeing no one around, Serena took her brooch out of 
her pocket.  "Everyone, transform!" she yelled.

Tim's eyes widened as he heard those words.  "Transform?" he asked 
himself.

"MOON CELESTIAL POWER!"

"MOON PRISM POWER!"

"URANUS PLANET POWER!"

"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!"

"SATURN PLANET POWER!"

"VENUS COSMIC POWER!"

"JUPITER COSMIC POWER!"

"EARTH COSMIC POWER!"

Tim shielded his eyes as a bright flash of light came from where 
they were standing.  When it dimmed, he could see them, but it 
wasn't them.  "Rose is..." he gazed at where she had been standing 
and now saw a girl who looked like her, but held an aura of power, 
"a Sailor Soldier?!" he cried out.

Malachite gazed down at all of them.  "Two of you are missing," he 
stated aimlessly.

"MARS FIRE IGNITE!"

Malachite easily dodged the small fireball that came towards him 
and chuckled evilly as Sailor Mars touched down right beside Sailor 
Moon.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Sailor Mars pressed her emergency 
button on her communicator.  "I'd worry about living through this 
battle if I was you!"

"We'll see about that, brat!" Malachite snapped.

"Hey, I thought you were meditating, Mars?" Jupiter said to her.

"I was!" Mars called over her shoulder.  "That's how I knew about 
this!"

"EARTH MAGMA BOIL!"

"DEEP SUBMERGE!"

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

Sailor Mercury brushed her hair out of her face.  She had been in 
the Control Room for two long hours and she had only narrowed down 
a few possible hideouts.  She felt like crying, she was so 
frustrated.  Just like when they were looking for Beryl's Dark 
Kingdom base.  But that had been the first place she had checked, 
and there was no trace of Negative activity.  "Luna, Artemis," 
Mercury called to the two cats, who looked up from their own work, 
"have you found anything?"

Luna shook her head and Artemis sighed.  "Not a thing, Amy," he 
answered.  "But don't worry!  We'll find that base sooner or 
later!"

Mercury nodded and went back to her own work.  "Let's just hope it's 
not later," she murmured to herself.  A sudden series of beeps 
brought the young soldier out of her thoughts and she gaped when 
she saw the computer screen homing in on an area of the Solar 
System.  When it finally stopped, Mercury gasped and wondered why 
she hadn't thought of it before.  She was about to reach for her 
communicator when it started going off, signaling that the others 
needed her help.

Jumping up from her seat, Mercury ran off, leaving Luna and Artemis 
in the dust, wondering what had gotten into her.

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

Meanwhile, the battle was still fiercely underway between the 
Soldiers and Malachite, who simply refused to budge.

Uranus jumped and attempted to kick him in the face, but was only 
blocked and practically thrown down onto the ground.  "Uranus!" 
Neptune yelled as she ran to her partner.

"Damn," she hissed under her breath.  "This is no good!"

"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"

A thick fog covered the battle area and Malachite swore viciously, 
causing even the foulest mouth of the group to cringe.  (AN: Yep, 
that'd be Uranus!  She swears more than anyone else.)  Neo-Moon 
sighed and reached for her Tiara while Malachite was distracted in 
finding them.

"NEO-MOON TIARA MAGIC!"

A small grunt came from Malachite but was followed by a laugh.  
"Cute toy!" he yelled as the disc came back at Neo-Moon and slammed 
into her chest.  Even at half strength, the disk was still powerful 
enough to render Neo-Moon half conscious and throw her across the 
street.

Sailor Earth was closest and ran after her, signaling to Tuxedo Mask 
and Sailor Moon that she'd take care of her.  When she arrived, 
there was somebody kneeling over her niece's body.  Earth ran faster 
and used her staff to hit them in the chest and send them flying 
five feet into a wall.  "Don't touch her!" she hissed.

A groan was heard and the man stood up, causing Sailor Earth to get 
a good look at him.  "I was really only trying to help..." he said 
softly.  She gasped when she heard his voice and inwardly cursed 
herself.  "Is she going to be alright?"

Earth looked away, not wanting to gaze at Tim's beautiful green 
eyes.  "I hope so."  She picked Neo-Moon up and checked her pulse.  
"Normal."  She turned around and saw her friends were still 
battling Malachite.  She was needed.

"Go to them," Tim instructed her gently.

Earth shook her head.  "I can't.  I have to take care of Small 
Lady," she told him.

Tim smiled at her and leaned down.  "I really think you can trust 
Rini with me, Rose," he whispered.  Earth's eyes opened wide and 
she looked up at him, startled.  "I'll stay right here, I won't
move.  But the others need your help."

Earth looked at Rini and nodded.  She passed her to Tim and quickly 
kissed his lips before running back to the battle.  "I'm sorry for 
not telling you sooner," she whispered to him.

Sailor Earth re-joined the battle and got a look from Tuxedo Mask.  
"Why aren't you with Neo-Moon?" he demanded.

A stream of energy came at them and they easily dodged it, landing 
back by Mars and Saturn.  "Because!  Let's say that we have a new 
friend to trust!"

"THAT'S IT!" Malachite screamed in rage at the stalemate.  "I WON'T 
LET YOU LIVE!"  A wave of dark energy crashed out from him, and 
struck all of the Soldiers, throwing them all over the place like 
rag dolls.  Quickly, Malachite teleported himself to where Sailor 
Moon was.  "You die now, Serenity," he hissed.

Sailor Moon's eyes froze over.  "It's the same as last time, 
Malachite," her voice was low as she spoke.  "I've killed you once, 
I'm not afraid to do it again," she told him.

A sword of purple energy appeared in the General's hand.  "Prove 
it!" he yelled as he charged her.

Sailor Moon dodged and looked around for something to fight him 
with.  "PRINCESS!" Uranus yelled, causing Sailor Moon to turn 
towards her with just enough time to catch the Talisman sword she 
through at her.  Turning, Sailor Moon blocked every advance that 
Malachite made while the others recovered.

'He's too strong,' Sailor Moon thought.  Taking a deep breath, she 
jumped backwards, so that she was with the Soldiers.  "We need to 
do a Sailor Planet Attack!" she whispered softly.

"Giving up so soon, Serenity?" Malachite laughed out.  "I never 
thought I'd see the day you backed out of a battle!"  He began 
walking closer, but jumped back as he barely missed being hit by 
the Terra Sword.

"I will fight you, Malachite," Tuxedo Mask hissed as he charged 
the general once again.  Malachite fought back, parrying and
dodging all of Tuxedo Mask's attacks, as Tuxedo Mask did the same 
for his own.

All of the Soldiers lined up and followed Sailor Moon's 
instructions.  "Hold hands, as tightly as you can, and concentrate!
We have to power up as quickly as possible!" Sailor Moon told the 
others.  Closing their eyes, all nine of them concentrated as hard 
as they could.  A rainbow of colors appeared, one for each Sailor, 
and a silver color for Sailor Moon.  "NOW!"

"MERCURY COSMIC POWER!"

"MARS COSMIC POWER!"

"JUPITER COSMIC POWER!"

"EARTH COSMIC POWER!"

"VENUS COSMIC POWER!"

"URANUS PLANET POWER!"

"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!"

"SATURN PLANET POWER!"

"MOON CELESTIAL POWER!"

Tuxedo Mask jumped out of the way of another of Malachite's attacks.

"SAILOR PLANET POWER!!  ATTACK!"

Malachite turned just in time to watch the energy come from the 
Soldiers and slam into his chest.  They held out and he attempted 
to fight it.  But he could feel it inside of him...and he screamed 
in pain.  "NO!  This can't be!  I won't let it be!  I won't!"  There 
was a bright flash of light as Malachite's body disappeared to 
never be heard from again.

The Sailors let go of each other's hands and watched as the remnants 
of Malachite faded into to nothingness.  "ALRIGHT!  YEAH!" they 
screamed in delight.

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask quickly left the others and ran to 
where Neo-Moon had landed.  "Neo-Moon!" Sailor Moon called out.  
She saw a man holding the young girl, who had apparently just 
regained consciousness and watched the others destroy Malachite, 
and ran even faster.  "Let go of her you-YOU?!" she yelled in 
surprise when Tim's face came into the light.  "Oh no, not another 
one," she whispered as Tuxedo Mask put his hand on her shoulder.

Tim smiled at them slightly.  "She'll be okay, I think.  It just 
stunned her."

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

In the control room, all of the Sailors stood, detransformed, and 
listened to what Amy told them of her findings.  All but Rose, 
who was busy telling Tim the story of the Soldiers.  Amy finished 
and turned to the others.  "We could get there, but I don't know 
how."

Rose and Tim walked over to join the group.  "So it's where again, 
Amy?" Rose asked her friend as Tim slipped an arm around her waist.
He had been surprisingly understanding, and hadn't been that upset 
with Rose's explanation of what she hadn't told him.  It did make 
sense.  Though it would take him a while to come to terms with who 
Rini really was.  That was just a little weird to him.

Amy sighed.  "Nemesis.  The Dark Moon, what ever you want to call 
it.  But that's where I traced them back too, and it's not an old 
link.  It's very fresh, so that's definitely it."

The group remained in thoughtful silence for a few moments before 
a beeping came from a round, familiar, floating object.  "Luna-P?" 
Rini whispered as the ball floated away from her and moved to the 
middle of the group of Soldiers.  It flashed briefly before an 
image began to take shape inside of it.  The tall figure of King 
Endymion was the site that greeted all of them.

"DADDY!" Rini yelled as she ran as close to her "father" as she 
could.

Endymion smiled at his daughter.  "Hello, Small Lady," he greeted 
his daughter.  "How are you?"

A familiar head of hair suddenly came into to view, blocking 
Endymion.  "Rini!" Sailor Earth exclaimed.  "How you doing, brat?"

"Auntie Rose!" the girl giggled.

Endymion grabbed Earth by the braid and glared at her.  "Rose, 
we're here to set up a battle plan, not make me look bad," he told 
her.

"You mean we can't do both?" Rose of the twentieth century asked 
with a smirk.  The only response was a glare from both the present 
and future Darien's before they moved on.

"What do you mean by "battle plan" your majesty?" Amara cut in 
before there was more fighting.  Though she knew that they were 
only trying to lighten the mood, it wasn't exactly the right time 
to do so.

Endymion's stone face resumed, and he spoke again.  "We have 
discovered Onyxious's base.  The Sailor Soldiers and I are going 
to attack it and hopefully end this war once and for all.  However 
because of that-"

"Pardon me, King," Amy cut in.  Endymion motioned for her to 
continue.  "We have also just recently discovered a Dark Kingdom 
base on the Dark Moon, Nemesis."

Serena blinked her eyes.  "Two bases?" she whispered.

"One's probably a decoy," Hotaru pointed out.

Endymion sighed, "Plan B it is then," he murmured.

"Plan B?" Darien questioned the King.

Endymion nodded and began to explain what they were going to do.  
"We'll each leave, at the exact same time, and arrive on the 
Nemesis of each of our times.  It's most likely that Onyxious has 
spread out his strength so he can attempt to defeat at least one
of us."

The explanation went on, but there was only one thing that the 
Soldiers needed to know: DO NOT FAIL.

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

Serena sealed the envelope and forced back her tears.  She couldn't 
confront her family with what she was going to do.  There was a 
strong chance that she wouldn't be coming back, and she couldn't 
let herself tell them.  As cowardly as it seemed, she just wouldn't 
let her family know ahead of time.

"Serena?" Luna's concerned voice called softly from her bed.  Serena 
looked up and turned to her old friend.  "Are you sure of this?"

"Luna, I won't let them worry about me," she murmured quietly. 
"Give this to them when they start asking about me."  Serena picked 
up her locket and glazed at it.  "It should be over by that time."

Luna gaped in shock.  "You aren't expecting to come back from this, 
are you?!" she demanded her Princess.

Serena's only answer was, "I only hope that Rini makes it out, 
Luna."

"My mommy once told me," Rini spoke from behind her mother, "that 
if you enter a contest and you expect to lose, then you leave it 
as a loser, even if you win."

"Rini..." Serena whispered to her daughter.

Rini held up her own locket and smiled.  "We can't lose, Meatball 
Head!  This is too important!"

Serena smiled.  'She's right...everything depends on this.'  "I 
know.  Luna, please give this to them as soon as I leave."  Serena 
took Rini's hand and the two got ready to jump out the window.  
"I'm still too scared to say it in person," she and Rini gracefully 
jumped out the window and ran off into the night.

"Is she gone, Luna?" Ilene asked as she entered the room.  She had 
been listening out side the door the whole time.  She knew what was 
going on, and what her daughter would be doing.  She knew that her 
daughter wouldn't say goodbye.

Not turning to look at her, Luna nodded.  "She left a note for you, 
Ilene," her voice was soft as she spoke.

Ilene took the note from Luna and opened it.  She smiled as she read 
it aloud.  "I'm sorry I was too much of a coward to say this to you, 
but there's only one thing I can say, and that's because no matter 
what happens during this battle, it's true.  I'll be back soon, I 
promise.  Good bye is forever.  That's why I've never said it
before.  I love you all very much."

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

"You're sure I can't come and see you off?" Tim asked Rose as he 
walked her to the Temple.

Rose stopped, they were almost there.  "I'm sure.  It wouldn't be 
good for you to be there.  I'm afraid of what Amara and Michelle 
will do if they see you again.  They're rather secretive."

Tim nodded.  "Rose, just...promise you'll come back, okay?"

Rose shook her head.  "I live for one reason, and that is to protect 
my Princess.  If she dies, then so must I.  There is no reason for 
a soldier to live if she has nothing to protect."

Tim grabbed Rose by the shoulders, and started her straight in the 
eye.  "I want to be your reason to live," he whispered into her ear, 
shocking Rose.  Tim kissed her.  He kissed her fully and 
passionately, and only let her go when he couldn't breathe anymore.  
"Come back to me, to this world, Rose," he choked out as he turned 
and ran off.

Tears came to the young girls' eyes, but a steady hand on her 
shoulder stopped them.  "He's your reason to live, and you aren't 
going to die, my sister," Darien whispered.

"I know, Dare.  But that doesn't mean I have to like leaving."

Darien chuckled.  "If you did, I'd leave you here because that 
would mean that there is more mental health issues than I thought 
there were originally."

"Shut up."

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

Sailor Jupiter sat outside of Ken's window.  With a sigh she 
fingered her earrings.  He had given her those earrings a long 
time ago as a symbol of their friendship.  Ever so cautiously, she 
removed one of them and set it on the windowsill.  "It's my
promise, Ken.  I will be back."

In his sleep, Ken stirred, but did not waken.  Heaving a sigh, he 
seemed to reluctantly return to his dreams.

Sailor Jupiter dashed off, her mind focused on her target, and that 
was to make it back to the shrine on time.

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

Andrew sighed as he watched his girlfriend walk off.  He didn't 
know why he was letting her go, he wanted to just grab her and hold 
her for all eternity, but he couldn't.  It was her duty to protect 
two friends of his.  Andrew shook his head, two friends of his that 
may also get killed.  "Just watch yourself, Mina.  I'll pray for 
you."

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

Amy walked towards the Temple, her mind much more clouded then 
possible for her.  It was...unusual for her to feel this way.  
"Amy," a male voice called out to her.

Stopping, Amy turned to the familiar voice.  "Hello, Greg.  I 
figured you'd know what we were doing."

Greg nodded and walked closer to her.  "Good luck, Amy.  I don't 
know if I can do or say anything else to you."

Amy nodded.  "Greg..." tears came to the girl's eyes, "I-"

In one swift motion, Greg wrapped his arms around Amy and hugged 
her as tight as he could.  "I know, Amy.  I know."

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

The three Outers and Mars were worriedly waiting for the others.  
They weren't surprised when all of them arrived at the same time, 
already transformed.  "Let's get this over with," Tuxedo Mask 
half-whispered half-commanded.

In their minds, as they held hands and powered up, each of them 
heard the words that King Endymion had said to them only a few 
hours before.  'At exactly ten at night, in both times, we will 
all transform and teleport to the Dark Moon.'

"MERCURY COSMIC POWER!"

"MARS COSMIC POWER!"

"EARTH COSMIC POWER!"

"VENUS COSMIC POWER!"

"JUPITER COSMIC POWER!"

"SATURN PLANET POWER!"

"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!"

"URANUS PLANET POWER!"

"MOON PRISM POWER!"

"MOON CELESTIAL POWER!"

Once there, analyze if there is a threat and how big of one.'

Tuxedo Mask lifted Sailor Moon's hand and kissed it.

'It is most likely that Beryl and Onyxious would have split up and 
one is running the war in each time.'

Uranus and Neptune exchanged a look of understanding.  The Prince and 
Princess were their only concern.

'Small Lady will accompany you if she wishes.'

Sailor Neo-Moon squeezed her father and aunt's hand.  She had to 
save her mother.

'Don't do anything unnecessary.'

The group of Inners all looked to the Outers.

'Good luck, to all of us.'

"SAILOR TELEPORT!"

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

The light from the teleport faded inside the Dark Moon base.  
Immediately all of the Soldiers were on their guard as Mercury 
pulled out her computer.

"Anything, Mercury?" Jupiter asked as her eyes darted around the 
cavern.

There was a lump in Mercury's throat and she began to shake.  "N-no.  
Nothing."  She looked up.  "There isn't even a single sentry posted 
here, everyone."

"NO!" King Endymion yelled as he heard Mercury's report.  "That 
means that-"

"They will face the entire army, King," Pluto spoke softly as a 
portal appeared behind her.  "And I shall join them.  I am sorry, 
but they are destined to fight that battle in that time.  That 
includes Small Lady, King.  I am locking the Time Gates, so that 
none of you may follow.  I'm sure you understand."  Endymion ran 
as fast as he could, in hopes of making it to the portal before it 
disappeared.  He wasn't fast enough and the portal was gone, as if 
it had never been there.

The Sailors barely held their emotions in check as the portal 
disappeared.  Uranus was seething and clutched her fists so tight 
blood was drawn.  Jupiter punched a wall and Earth ran to her 
brother.  Mercury closed her eyes and breathed deeply while Mars
did some calming exorcises.  Neptune closed her eyes in pain and 
Saturn clutched her staff to the breaking point.  Venus watched as
her King collapsed to the ground.  She knew he wasn't hurt, but 
could feel the pain that was tearing at his heart because he wasn't
able to go back and protect them.

Endymion slammed his fists to the ground.  "DAMN YOU, TRISTA!" he 
screamed into the air.  "DAMN YOU!"

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

Onyxious smiled as he felt the familiar energy of the Sailor 
Soldiers arrive.  Opening his eyes, he gave a chuckle.  "Well...
it seems we have unwanted company, Beryl."

From his side, Beryl too smiled evilly.  "Yes, my King.  Shall I 
take care of them?" she asked him.

Onyxious nodded.  "All but, Serenity and Endymion, and the child.  
I want to make them suffer."  Before Beryl could open her mouth, 
Onyxious continued.  "And no, you may not keep Endymion.  He must 
die like the others."

Beryl's gaze turned ice again and she bowed as she left.  "Yes, my 
master."

Onyxious laughed again.  "You will suffer, Serenity.  I will kill 
you a thousand times over and watch you suffer as I kill your lover 
and child.  You will pay!" he screamed at the air.

To be continued...

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  I LOVE DOING THAT!  So, we are nearing the 
end of the loooooooooooooooooooong story of "Final Awakenings."  
Hopefully 3 or so more chapters.  *HOPEFULLY*

Ja ne, Minna-chan!  *waves with feet because those stupid but cute 
guys won't let me out of this straight jacket*

Stef-chan

E-mail: stefaniecraig@hotmail.com

Website: http://home.att.net/~stef_chan/index.html

ICQ: 634674320
If you add me to your ICQ list, please tell me why, and who you 
are! ^_^