Most people make resolutions on New Years, but I'm late.  Let's call
this a tax day resolution.  I hereby resolve to use as few of the
cliched Sailor Moon plot bits as possible.  And any of the
aforementioned plot bits that get used will have a twist added on to
them.  

It sounds pointless, but it is something that I find myself needing to
demand that I do if I want to keep this story interesting.  Especially
in this part where I'm borrowing heavily from the original series.

This part is based off episode 19, "Usagi kangeki! Tuxedo Kamen no love
letter"  but, I assure you, you probably don't need to be familiar with
it to enjoy (or not enjoy, to each is own) the story.

Drop me a note and tell me what you think.  If you've got ideas about
how the story should go, I'm open to ideas, too.  Not that I'm going to
just change the story for any reason, but who knows?  Some of the best
twists that this story was taken are due to the suggestions of FFML
members.  Some day, I'll get around to writing up a credits list... if I
can remember everyone...

Disclaimer goes here. (Sailor Moon)

Part 15

        General Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom arrived in Queen Beryl's throne
room just as the last of the cleaning crews was leaving.  The hall was
eerily empty, most of Beryl's court having been seriously wounded or
killed by a mysterious explosion the day before.  
        Rumor had it that someone had taken out General Jadeite and then
attached a very powerful fireball to the summon spell that Beryl had
sent after him.  The rumors seemed to be substantiated by the fact that
he was being called to the throne room.
        He kneeled before the throne as was customary.
        "Rise, General Nephrite."
        Nephrite did as commanded and snapped his heels together smartly. 
"Hail, Queen Beryl."
        "General Nephrite, General Jadeite has failed and paid the price for
that failure."
        "My Queen, am I to take his place gathering energy for the resurrection
of our great ruler?"
        "Nay, your task is to kill the Sailor Senshi.  They have insulted me
greatly by doing damage to my court and this I cannot forgive.  Bring me
the head of the one known as Sailor Moon and you shall have anything
that you desire.  Fail me... fail me and you will join General Jadeite
in hell."
        "Yes, Queen Beryl!"  Nephrite saluted and took a couple steps before
teleporting to his base on Earth.
        Once there, he began to prepare his equipment for a star reading.
        "The Sailor Senshi may be powerful warriors, but even the strongest
warrior has a weakness that a clever foe may exploit for their
downfall."  His musings were interrupted by the arrival of General
Zoicite.  
        "My, you certainly seem full of confidence, Nephrite.  So very much
like Jadeite was... but we both know where that got him."  Zoicite
smirked at the slight growl that Nephrite gave him.
        "Don't you have a mission of your own, Zoicite?  Or do you consider
your own orders so poorly as to spend your valuable time here tormenting
me?"
        "I have agents searching for the Silver Crystal even as we speak.  I am
not concerned about failure."  He raised on eyebrow gracefully and gave
Nephrite a meaningful look.  "Perhaps you should worry about that
yourself."  
        Nephrite grumbled as Zoicite vanished in a shower of flower petals and
then returned to his work.  Sailor Moon's weakness would soon be known.
        

***

        Usagi checked her mailbox on her way home from school and found, much
to her surprise, a letter addressed to her.  
        She showed it to Serenity, who was walking beside her, and opened it.
        "Well, what's it say?"  Serenity asked.
        "Umm... it's really weird..." she replied, still reading.  "It's a love
letter from Tuxedo Kamen.  It says that he wants me to meet him in the
MS department store in Shinjuku tomorrow night."  She looked up at her
counterpart.  "But why doesn't Mamo-chan just ask me in person?"
        "Oh, I know." Serenity smiled mysteriously but wouldn't say any more on
the matter.
        Later, she called Mamouro.
        "Chiba residence."
        "Mamouro?"
        "Nope, Endymion, that you Serenity?"
        She giggled lightly.  "Nope, it's Usagi.  O' clone of mine went over to
the shrine to make sure her spells are holding.  Is Mamo-chan there?"
        "Yeah, he's just getting out of the bath, here, lemme go get him."
        She waited for a few moments before Mamouro answered the phone.
        "Yeah, what's up, Usako?"
        "I was just wondering what you've got planned for tomorrow night."
        "Sorry, but I've got an exam at seven.  Can't do anything tomorrow, but
I'll make it up to you Saturday."
        "Then why did I just get a love letter from "Tuxedo Kamen" asking me to
meet him tomorrow night?"
        "Dunno.  Does it look like my writing?" 
        "It's typed, and no signature."
        "Sounds like a trap to me.  Just try not to get in trouble before nine,
okay?"

***

        A heavy bag of groceries in each arm, Makoto doing her best to walk
home when a television display in the window of an electronics store
caught her eye.  There wasn't any sound, the televisions being on the
other side of a thick pane of glass, but the closed captioning was
enabled on a couple of the sets.
        "And again, the mysterious Sailors V and J have thwarted a monster
attack on a subway train in London.  Police are baffled at the origins
of both strange creatures that have been causing havoc throughout the
London area for the last two weeks and the mysterious figures that have
arrived to combat them."  Throughout the anchor's commentary, hazy video
of two girls in Sailor fukus, one orange and one green, was being
shown.  
        "Similarities to the so called Sailor Senshi that have appeared in the
Juuban area in the midst of a rash of unexplained disasters is
striking."  Here, the video switched to some black and white footage
from a surveillance camera that had been at the gem show a couple weeks
before.  "Authorities are speculating that the two groups may have a
common origin, but so far, no evidence has come forth to support..."
        Makoto's arm was starting to cramp up from having to hold the bags for
so long and she decided that it would be better to just catch the late
night news replay and get home.  No sooner had she turned around than
she found herself imbedded in someone's chest.
        Her bags dropped to the ground and she stumbled backwards, as did the
man she had run into.  "I'm so sorry," she said as she recovered and
bent down to reclaim her fallen groceries.  
        "It was my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going."  The man,
though startled by the run in, recovered quickly and scooped up the
bags.  "My, these are heavy." 
        He seemed to grow thoughtful for a second or two.  "Please, allow me to
help you carry these home.  It's the least that I can do for causing a
lady as beautiful as yourself so much trouble."
        //But it was my fault...// Makoto gently shoved the voice of reason
into the back of her mind and locked it in its room.  "Oh, thank you."
        After all, how often did she get a chance to offer a nice, older man a
home cooked meal?  Especially one that reminded her so much of someone,
probably just her old senpai.

***

        The next day at school, Usagi gathered from the general gossip that she
was, by no means, the only person to have gotten one of the letters.
        It was really starting to get to her since Serenity refused to talk
about it, Naru and Makoto were so busy discussing some Sanjouin guy that
they had both met the day before that they were impossible to talk to,
and everyone else just flat-out didn't know.
        Finally, Ms. Haruna began class with an announcement.
        "I understand that many of the young women in this class have received
letters from someone calling himself "Tuxedo Kamen."  Other students
have received similar invitations, and it is clear that this is all just
a prank.  I urge you to just forget about them.  Now, with that out of
the way, let us move on to Chapter 3 in your..."
        Class was underway but Usagi was still contemplating who had really
sent out the letters.  

***

        After school, Naru walked to the MS department store to see what was
going on.  Much to her delight, she found Sanjouin Masato there,
watching the entrance.  After a few seconds of hesitation, she walked up
to him.
        They had met very briefly the day before when she'd bumped into him on
the street. //He probably doesn't even remember me,// Naru thought.
//But this is no time to back out.//  
        "Masato... Masato-san, my name is Osaka Naru and we met yesterday...
and I was just wondering... umm... are you Tuxedo Kamen?"
        Masato looked surprised for a moment then smiled smoothly. //She
shouldn't have been able to figure out that I was the one who sent those
letters.  That must mean that she's someone special... someone like
Sailor Moon.  Yes, she just might be the one that Queen Beryl is looking
for.  I'd better make sure that she's there tonight.//
        "Naru-chan, you're very cute," he said suavely.  "I'm glad that you
remembered my name."  He stood up and turned around to leave.  After a
couple steps, he turned his head and said, "See you tonight."  With
that, he smoothly glided away from her and was soon lost in midst of the
other pedestrians.
        Naru could barely keep herself from shouting out in joy.  She would
definitely be there.

***

        Curiosity finally got the better of Makoto and she made the trip to the
Department store.  
        When she had gotten the letter that morning, she had gotten a strong
feeling that it was from Sanjouin Masato.  She didn't know why, but
something about it had called out to her.  What was causing her the most
trouble was the fact that he'd signed it as "Tuxedo Kamen."  
        No one, besides the Senshi even knew who Tuxedo Kamen was, but, in the
end, Makoto wasn't one to listen to reason when her instincts were
telling her something, so here she was.
        She wasn't alone, either.  Naru was there well ahead of her.  They had
spoken earlier in the day about Masato, and Naru seemed convinced that
he was the one that had sent the letters.  Makoto hadn't tried to
dissuade her of the notion because of the feeling she kept getting that
Naru was right and the fact that she couldn't explain who Tuxedo Kamen
really was.
        Now, here Naru was, calling out to Tuxedo Kamen in a deserted
department store far too late at night.  Makoto hid herself behind a
large display and settled in to watch.
        Naru called out again, and this time was answered from the top of the
escalators.  "So, you have arrived, Sailor Moon."  A figure clad in a
black tuxedo and cape moved out of the shadows.
        "Masato-san, what are you talking about?" Naru asked, puzzled.
        "Don't try to deny it anymore.  Transform, my love, so that we may be
together."  Meanwhile, Nephrite's was growing even more sure that he had
the right target.  She had recognized him his voice alone.
        "I'm not Sailor Moon..."
        "They why are you here?  Sailor Moon would have come to be with her
darling Tuxedo Kamen."
        "I...I'm here because I like you, Masato-san.  I was hoping that it was
you that sent the letters..."
        //Damn.  Better get her out of the way before the REAL Sailor Moon
shows up.// He bounded down the escalator and stood before her.  "I have
no time for this," he muttered and reached out to drain her energy.
        Makoto spared the room a quick glance to make certain that she was
unwatched and transformed into Sailor Jupiter.  Nephrite had only just
started draining Naru by the time Jupiter stepped out from the darkened
displays.
        "Who are you to play with young girls' hearts?  Wearing the false mask
of a man of good and pure heart to commit your evil deeds.  I am Sailor
Jupiter and in the name of love lorn girls everywhere, I shall punish
you."
        Nephrite let Naru go, still amazed at the amount of energy she had
given up in so short a period of time.  "Oh, well.  This trap was set
for Sailor Moon, but you are as good a victim as any."  He dismissed the
glamour that was his costume.  "I am General Nephrite of the Dark
Kingdom and your destroyer."
        "N-Nephrite-chan?"  Jupiter, like Rei before her, was faced with a
ghost from her past.  Certainly, they had figured out that the four
Generals were also the four Guardians, but knowing and seeing were two
different things.  "Is that really y-you?"
        "Who else would I be?  Now, prepare yourself!"  He drew back his hand
to build up an attack, but stopped when he saw that his opponent seemed
frozen.  "Come on, prepare yourself."
        "They said that you were alive, but I didn't know..." Makoto was
babbling by this point, tears streaming down her face.  "Jadeite came
back and then..."
        "What are you talking about?  Jadeite is dead.  He died for his failure
to Queen Beryl."
        "No, he's alive," she gave him an odd look.  "Don't you remember?"
        "Remember what?" but he didn't really need to ask.  Something buried
deep inside him was trying to force itself out.  He screamed in pain as
he felt himself being torn in two.  
        The girl had moved closer to him and his muddled mind focused on her as
the creator of his torment.  He gathered what energy he could and
launched his Starlight Attack.  She didn't see it coming and took it
full in the chest.  She flew backwards and crumpled into a heap on the
ground but that did nothing to stop the hideous tearing sensation and
soon he was blinded by the pain.
        Finally, His vision cleared again and he was able to focus on the world
again.  The first thing that he saw was the body of his beloved, the
Lady Jupiter laying on the ground before him.  
        Immediately, he wondered who had done such a hideous thing but he
already knew the answer.  He had.  He screamed in a mixture or
frustration and rage as he ran to her side.
        She was already coming around, his blast having been far from full
power, by the time he reached her side.  

***

        Serenity, who had been hiding in a darkened corner of the MS department
store for several hours, sighed in relief as General Nephrite's drab
uniform shimmered and twisted and transformed into Guardian Nephrite's
armor.   She had been ready to step in on this encounter more than once
already, but was now glad that she hadn't.
        The last, desperate attack forced by Beryl's controlling spells had
packed little more than a punch and done Makoto no real damage.  She had
been right about the strength of the love that Nephrite held for Jupiter
being strong enough to overcome Beryl's control.  After all, his love
for Naru in their own world had made him turn against her in the end.
        Things seemed to be working out just fine.
        That is, until Nephrite screamed again.  
        Serenity snapped her attention back to the others and saw that Nephrite
was slowly fading from view, just as Jadeite had.  Hurriedly, she
chanted the anchoring spells that would hold him in place, but when she
went to attach another fireball to the summoning spell, she couldn't
find it.
        Nephrite fell over and Serenity finally decided that it was time for
her to do a thorough examination on him.  She dispelled the obfuscation
magics that she had woven about herself and rushed over to him.
        Makoto was already crouching above him, trying to wake him up but
having little success.
        When Serenity drew to within arm's reach, Nephrite's eyes snapped open
and Serenity immediately sensed that something was wrong.  She threw
herself against Sailor Jupiter, knocking both of them to the floor
several feet from the prone figure.  
        "Queen Beryl says: Only fools use the same trick twice!" the thing said
in a monotone voice.  "She sends her greetings."  Serenity flipped over
to face the thing and chanted a containment spell as fast as she could.
        The... thing that looked like Nephrite exploded into a shower of mist
which rushed outward until it met the barrier that Serenity had hastily
erected around it.  It condensed on the shield and ran onto the floor
where it hissed and ate at the tile.
        "What was that thing?  Where is Nephrite?" Makoto asked, nearly
hysterical.
        "Gone.  Beryl has him again.  She tricked me."  Serenity hung her head
in shame.  She had tried to let the younger Senshi fight their own
battles and this was the fruit of that decision.  
        //God help Nephrite's soul,// she prayed silently.

***

        Queen Beryl's satisfaction at putting one over on the mysterious
sorcerer that was working with the Senshi went a long way toward easing
the anger she felt at having her controlling spells broken yet again.
        She looked at the prone form of Guardian Nephrite that was hovering in
the air before her throne and began the long task of returning him to
her side.  Her bond with the spells allowed her to read their tattered
remains to find what had caused their breakage.  //He always was the
strongest willed of them,// she thought, //first, I have to find out
which of his accursed memories was strong enough to break my seals.  And
destroy it.//
        Guardian Nephrite seemed to shiver in his sleep, somehow sensing the
agony that was about to begin.

END