Chapter 8: A General's Pain

Jadeite took her sword down off the wall. She set it on the desk, then took out the enchanted whetstone. She oiled up a clean cloth, and set it to the side.

The sword was double edged and seventy centimeters long. A twisting, knotted fuller weaved down most of its length. Its edges were concave, giving them a longer surface, while decreasing the overall weight and centering it closer to the tip. The weapon was forged of Terran Iron and Neptunian Titanium, specifically for the female general. The bronze crosspiece was square, intricately carved with the runes and sigils that held the spells enhancing the sword.

Her care for the blade was more habit than necessity. The air in the Dark Kingdom fortress was painfully dry. Beryl's magic drain the life force of even the most minuscule bacteria and viruses, sparing only her servants. And the preservation spells, both on the blade and in the castle, meant no dust or debris fell onto the sword.

Still, she picked up the sharpening stone, and ran it down the length of the blade.

"That is really all you desire?" Beryl addressed the female general with a hint of doubt.

"Well, if that is not enough," Jadeite frowned slightly, "I suppose I would like to know what you promised Kunzite to get him to betray the king."

"Just Kunzite?" the duchess prompted.

"Nephrite is a true believer in the crusade you pretend to support," Jadeite answered. Beryl gave her a look of shocked indignation in response. Jadeite only grinned.

"Do try to pull that on me," the blonde continued, "I can see right through you."

Beryl's lips twitched up, and she included her head towards the younger woman in defeat.

"And Zoisite would follow Kunzite to the end of the universe, though Hell itself," Jadeite said, "So yes, the only one I am curious about is Kunzite. What did you promise him?"

"Ouranos and Neptune," Beryl answered simply, though her voice was regally smug.

"The planets, or the Senshi?" Jadeite countered. She knew that he and Zoisite had an open relationship. Which was say Kunzite would sleep with whatever strapping young lad or lovely young lass he fancied, and Zoisite would accept it. Jadeite had even allowed herself to be seduced by Kunzite once, so she could almost understand why Zoisite would let his lover stray. Almost.

Beryl answered the question with a knowing and slightly dark smile, and said, "Both."

"That's fine," Jadeite shrugged, "He can have the two of them. Just so long as I am able to kill at least one of those arrogant, self-superior, self-righteous bitches…"

Jadeite stopped the whetstone, deliberately ignoring the single blemish her sword bore. A slight nick in the edge, just past halfway down its length. The tiny notch was a mark of honor, the reminder of her enemy's power and skill. And more so of the general's ultimate victory.

"Jadeite," Sailor Venus gasped in dismay, "When they told me I couldn't believe…"

"And why is that Iris?" the general cut her off darkly, her sword pointed at the younger woman's heart.

"Because I know you," Venus pleaded, "All the times we dueled. Facing those pirates. You are my friend and rival…"

"We were never friends," Jadeite snapped, hatred dripping from her words, "And rivals? Who ever could rival the great Sailor Venus? Princess Iris of Venus, the girl whose beauty is already said to rival Queen Selene, even though she is still just a teen. The leader of the Inner Senshi, and the greatest sword fighter in the Silver Millennium…"

"That is only because Gaia refuses to compete in tournaments," Iris protested weakly.

"I have skipped sleep," Jadeite ignored her, "Practiced my swordsmanship until my fingers bled. Trained my magic until I passed out. And none of it matters. Because I was born with an ordinary Star Seed instead of a Sailor Star, I will never be able to match any of you… At least, that used to be the case."

Jadeite swung an overhand blow. Despite her doubts and despair, Venus drew her own blade and caught Jadeite's attack. The general put her weight into the blade, trying to force the bluette down to her knees. Venus shifted the angle of her sword, redirecting Jadeite's power to push her off to the side. Her left hand slipped off her sword's grip, and Venus brought it up, pointing her palm at the side of Jadeite's head.

"Tidal Crash!"

A burst of water, curling forward like a wave, shot out of Venus's hand. Just before it hit Jadeite's ear, a flash of clear, faceted crystal appeared between them, and the liquid broke and scattered.

"Did you think I wouldn't be prepared for your spells?" Jadeite asked dismissively. She rotated, bringing her blade around. She slashed at the Senshi's stomach, and at the same time unleashed a trio of crystal spikes at Venus's leg. Iris shifted her leg, trying to avoid the projectiles and turn into Jadeite's blade. But the lowest spike clipped her leg. The Senshi leaned into the slash, catching it with her weight. Venus's action kept her upright.

"What's wrong, Senshi?" Jadeite mocked, "Where is the power and skill you showed in the last tournament? Weakened by the loss of your planet's life? Or are you distracted by the fact that everyone you know and love are dead? And that I am the one who killed them?"

Venus's eyes widened, then she snarled. She twisted her sword away from the General's weapon.

"Aqua Boost," she declared. A layer of water wrapped her arms and legs. She jumped, putting her full weight into the downward stroke. Jadeite caught the attack on her blade. She stayed standing, but Venus's increased strength forced her to take a step back. Iris pushed, cutting a notch into the general's sword. Jadeite released the hilt of her sword with her right hand, and grabbed Venus's wrist. The blonde threw herself backwards, dragging the bluette down after her. Jadeite rolled up into a ball, and thrust her feet into Venus.

"Spike!" Jadeite incanted, crystal spears stabbing out of the soles of her boots as they drove into Venus's stomach. She continued to press up, throwing the Senshi over her. Jadeite kipped up, even as her opponent crashed to the floor. The younger woman's blood stained the marble tiles, mingling with the water from her earlier attacks. One hand holding her split belly, Iris reached weakly for her sword, but it was just out of reach.

"No, no," Jadeite chided scornfully, "That is my prize."

Shifting her own sword into an underhand grip in her left hand, Jadeite bent slightly to claim Venus's weapon. The Senshi's eyes hardened, and she focused her power.

"Viviane!" Iris commanded. A tiny, winged woman sprang out of the water. The Sprite was less than a foot long, and translucent as the liquid that formed her. She looked at the injured Human in concern.

"Take it, hide it," Venus hissed out weakly, pointing at the sword. The Sprite looked surprised, and Jadeite snarled at them both. The spirit nodded quickly, and dove into the blade. Her body became water and wrapped the sword. There was a flash, and Sprite and weapon were gone.

"You think that she will be able to hide from me?" the Jadeite mocked, though there was a bitter edge underneath the amused scorn, "Not that it will matter to you."

Raising her sword over her head, Jadeite stepped over the dying Senshi.

The ritual of caring for her sword, and the self-indulgent trip into her memories had not calmed Jadeite like she had hoped. Instead, the annoyance and suppressed dread only sharpened like the blade.

Jadeite took the scabbard down from the wall, and pressed it against her belt. The magic in them fused, and she slipped the sword into place. The blonde strode out of her room, taking the most direct route to the portal inside the castle's gate.

When they had first broken the seal, four of the original two hundred of paths had been intact. Instead of connections all across the Earth, and three on the Moon, they had been able to travel to what was now called Australia, England, Minnesota, and Tokyo. The first portal had collapsed as soon as they had sent the first youma through. The second and third portals had endured a handful of trips, before failing as well. Only to pathway to the small island nation had survived, and Nephrite and Kunzite had quickly done all they could to reinforce it.

As she approached the portal, she found the brunette man leaning against the wall. She ignored him, but his eyes traced the curves of her blade.

"Where are you going?" Nephrite asked softly, just after Jadeite passed him.

"To make sure my youma are collecting life force for Beryl," Jadeite did not meet his eyes.

"Then why do you have Joyeuse?" he pressed. She stopped, but said nothing.

"If you do this, she will kill you," he told her. She barked a laugh.

"If I succeed, and return with the life and mana of the Senshi," she patted the hilt of the sword as she said that, "I will be rewarded beyond measure. And if I fail, the death the Senshi will give me will be less painful and more honorable than anything I can expect if I stay."

"So you are going to betray us?" he asked, "Betray our Queen?"

Now she whirled around and glared up at him.

"Our Queen?" she snapped, "I betrayed our King for this…"

One hand tightened around her weapon, while the other gestured at the teleportation circle.

"… do you even remember why you joined Beryl? Or has she got her hooks so deep into you… Metaphorically, as she doesn't have 'hooks' anymore."

Nephrite bristled for a moment, but then looked thoughtful.

"I could stop you," he said.

"No, you couldn't," she smirked, "You may be our strategist, but you were always the weakest fighter. And you don't even have Atgeir."

She turned and walked away.

"So long," he said as she vanished. He waited a moment, and then left for the throne room.

Jadeite spent a little while walking around this 'Tokyo'. It was a monstrosity of metal, glass, and fake rock, stripped of nature, except in a few small areas. It was no wonder the magic was so weakened. Even though Earth's population was not even half what is had be when the blonde was born, these pathetic, degenerate excuses for Humanity felt they had to resort to this.

Despite her dark thoughts, Jadeite felt a twinge of guilt. What little she had been able to learn of the first ten millennia after they were sealed, lead the general to believe that the actions of Beryl, the Shitennou, and their youma creations had caused a backlash against magic. One that continued to this very day.

She found a reasonably large park, with a broad empty field of grass, a few trees, and some odd metal contraptions set in a large box of sand. She took a position in a flat section of the greenery, and raised both her hands. She began to focus, and glowing runes flowed out of her gloved fingertips.

Mizuno Ami finished double checking her math work, and reached for her English paper. Her hand slipped off the page, and she nearly fell out of her chair. A wave of powerful magic washed over her. She could feel it tugging at her, physically and mentally. Pulling her to leave her home, and head in the direction of her school.

The bluette resisted the call, and instead reached for her cellular.

Hino Rei stared deeply into the holy flame, and then flicked the shimenawa between her eyes and the fire. She sent her magic out, letting the flames both scatter the mana and pull it back in. The returning power carried with it impressions, which she sifted through. She wanted to show up the lazy blonde Senshi, but she could not find any trace of a new youma.

Suddenly her spell was hit by another, stronger magic, and shattered. The new power was like an invitation. And it felt subtly similar to the power of the monsters she had faced since meeting her new comrades. Rei set her wand aside, and stood, reaching for her locket.

It was a six tatami mat apartment, but looked even smaller due to the piles of cardboard boxes. The new resident had her head and chest buried in one of said boxes, when her entire body shuddered. It was like getting the chills and touching a static charged blanket. Her long, brunette ponytail shook, as she pulled her head free and looked around. Her bright green eyes could not spot anything wrong or out of place, so the tall young woman returned to unpacking.

Tsukino Usagi snored loudly, a string of drool flowing out onto her pillow.

"Tux-shedo Kamen-shama," she muttered happily out of her dream.

Luna, on the other hand, was tapping away at the girl's laptop. She was scouring the internet, hoping to find the Dark Kingdom's next plan in the same way her host kept doing. Then she felt it. An ancient spell she knew all too well. It was a challenge, a call to a duel. It was not direct at her, but she could still sense it. Even as the Cait Sidhe's head jerked away from the screen, the sleeping girl muttered fretfully.

"Usagi, wake up!" Luna hissed as loudly as she dared, "Usagi. Sailor Moon!"

"Five more minish," the girl groaned, pulling her covers up over her head.

Then the girl's mobile phone rang. Usagi sat bolt upright, and darted across the room.

"Hi-ya, Aim-chan," she said, sounding fully awake. Luna groaned, but then braced herself.

Jadeite frowned as the three white clad girls came into view. Partly for the confirmation that there was a third Senshi active. But mostly because they looked so young. They couldn't have been more than ten or eleven. But any guilt she might have felt was washed away at her restored rage over seeing those Sailor fuku once more.

"So you did come," the female general announced with a nasty grin, "I was worried you might have been too fearful to face me. Or that you would not recognize my challenge. Hestia of Mercury; you are shorter and less feminine than I remember, but I would recognize that face and that hair anywhere. I hope I will see it twisted in pain and terror again very soon."

Jadeite paused, and looked over the other Senshi.

"I don't recognize you two. I suppose you might be Sailor Mars, given your coloring, but you look nothing like Demeter. And you…"

"Enough Jadeite," Luna cut her off verbally, as she stepped forward, 'What is the meaning of this?"

"Ah, Selene's little pet fae," Jadeite snarled, "I should have suspected. I would have thought you would have appreciated my use of the Duelist's Seal to drive the civilians away."

"Why are you attacking people in the first place?" the unidentified Senshi with the yellow and purple edged sailor fuku and odd silver hair demanded. But her voice was deep with uncertainty and fear.

"The degraded simians in this era barely qualify as 'people'," Jadeite sneered, "But their life energy, weak as it may be, will still help to restore Queen Beryl."

Despite her growing disrespect for the Dark Kingdom's ruler, the general was not about to let her enemies see it.

"Beryl is injured?" Luna sounded confused.

"You don't remember Selene's final attack?" Jadeite actually sounded surprised, "That light burned away at our Queen. She had to reclaim most of the power she gifted us, and my fellows are being forced to spend most of their magic to support her. But once I kill you three Senshi, and feed your energy to her, she will be mostly restored. And nothing will stand in our way when we harvest the rest of the life she needs from this disgusting city."

The Shitennou decided she had said enough, given them enough. She drew Joyeuse and jumped forward, channeling magic into her legs. Jadeite shot forward faster than the metal coffins the roared down the city's streets.

"Mars Guardian."

The green haired Senshi reacted faster than Jadeite expected, confirming her identity and summoning a stone knight in unusually styled armor. The construct held a thin, curved sword; a katana if she remembered the modern name. The two swords met, and the much heavier statue was forced back. Still, it kept Jadeite away from the girls.

"Moon Spark!" the twin-tailed Senshi incanted, and a half-dozen spheres of lightning thundered towards Jadeite's head.

'Moon?' the general thought to herself, 'Kaguya's heir has finally appeared?'

"Mercury Ember!"

The shorter girl fired polygons at her legs. Jadeite forced the construct back, and brought her blade down, knocking the Sparks and Embers into the grass.

"Luna, what can you tell us about her?" Mercury asked, summoning her computer and visor.

"Jadeite was one of the greatest swordmasters at the end of the Silver Millennium," the Cait Sidhe answered, "Only Sailors Venus and Ouranos were more skilled with a blade. In terms of magic, she is an expert of increasing her strength and speed. And she specializes in using her magic to create diamonds at short range to attack and defend, sometimes shooting them out… Sailor Mars!"

The granite katana shattered, and Jadeite slipped past the statue. She charged at the Senshi of stone, and brought her broadsword down. Mars twisted out of the way, but still took a deep cut on her left bicep.

"Mars Senshi Shot!" the young miko growled, thrusting out her right palm at the adult woman. A dozen tiny rocks blasted at the general's chest. Jadeite's left hand released her sword and clawed at the air. Four runes flared in the air between them, and crystals intercepted the stones. The diamonds shattered, but the rocks also vanished, their energy spent.

"Moon Senshi Spark!" Sailor Moon attacked again, forcing Jadeite to defend instead of capitalizing on the damage to Mars and her Guardian.

"No fair!" the silverette complained, "Your sword's metal, why isn't that shocking you!"

"Attacks on Joyeuse are not transmitted to me," Jadeite smirked.

"Guardian, renew!" Mars commanded.

"Ember!"

Mercury bought Mars a moment to retreat, and the statue stabbed the end of the broken blade into the ground, withdrawing it restored. It slashed at Jadeite again, but the woman caught the heavier sword one handed. Then her free hand sketched runes into the air again, this time creating knife shaped gems and firing them at the girls.

Mercury knew diamond would burn. But she had never scanned the heat of her spells, so she didn't know if she could reach the roughly one thousand degrees needed to ignite them. Her visor tracked the razor sharp crystals flying at them, and helpfully informed her that the spell would pierce the magical cloth of their uniforms. So it wasn't a matter of if she could do it. Mercury knew she had to do it.

"Mercury Ignition!" she shouted, focusing the heat on the flying jewels. They began to melt away, but even with the support of her computer, she had not been able to hit them all.

"Railgun Pinball!" Sailor Moon called out, and her spinning, sparking tiara bounced between the remaining diamonds, cracking and deflecting them. But at the same time, the construct's sword was breaking again.

"Sailor Mars," Mercury said, "Have your Guardian hold her there for a moment."

The miko gestured, sending more power into the statue. It leaned in, throwing weight and downward pressure into its slashes. Jadeite dodged and parried easily, but was could not take a step while maintaining her defense. The general was reminded again that the wild strikes of an amateur could be harder to predict than those of a master.

"Mercury Backdraft," the red-head Senshi built up her power, forming the shell around Jadeite. Unfortunately, that blocked Mars' vision. Before Mercury could complete the spell, the broadsword slashed through the flames. Jadeite dove through the gap, darting forward to impale Sailor Mercury.

"Moon Tiara Railgun!"

The point sliced through Mercury's fuku and into her skin. Then the hypersonic headwear collided with the sword, forcing it to the side. The result was a long but shallow cut across the slightest Senshi's skin. And the tiara spun around the blade, then stuck for a moment, before falling off.

Jadeite jumped back, frowning at them.

"You really are just children," she shook her head.

"Hey, we're fifteen!" Moon protested.

"I'm actually fourteen," Mercury said softly.

Jadeite blinked, and looked over them again; looking at the tops of their heads and their chests.

"I am so sorry," the general said with apparently sincere sympathy, "I had no idea this era had devolved so far."

"MARS SENSHI SHOT!"

The newest Sailor soldier shouted the incantation angrily. But Sailor Moon looked thoughtful, as she pulled her tiara back again.

"Amiiiircruy, Mars," Sailor Moon mused, "I think I have an idea. But can you keep her busy for a minute or two? Or three?"

Mars just snarled and her statue started stabbing and hacking at Jadeite again.

"What are you thinking?" Mercury asked. Moon shook her head, but looked to the side. The red-head followed her gaze, and pursed her lips in consideration, too.

"Mercury Senshi EMBER!" the youngest woman channeled her power. Instead of a handful of burning cubes or pyramids, she sent out a steady stream of the geometric shapes. Jadeite sped up, blocking both of their attacks without seeming pressured. But the general was well aware that Sailor Moon had retreated. She smirked at the other two.

"Your friend appears to have abandoned you," Jadeite taunted them.

"Sailor Moon would never do that," Sailor Mercury countered confidently. Then pointed.

The twin-tailed Senshi had moved over to the playground. The metal cage had been ripped from the ground, and was hovering next to her, crackling with lightning. Moon looked at the other blonde, and grinned viciously.

"Moon Jungle Gym… RAILGUN!"

Mars and Mercury dodged as the mass of metal rocketed across the park. Jadeite's eyes widened in surprise and fear. But she sent power into her sword and muscles. She stepped into the projectile, turned her body to narrow her profile, and brought Joyeuse down. The blade cut the weaker metal as easily as butter. Jadeite allowed herself a small smile, until she noticed that Sailor Moon did not appear concerned.

"Magnet Crush!" Moon declared, flooding even more power into the climbing frame. The jungle gym collapsed, crushed around Jadeite's sword. Clinging to it. Even with her enhanced strength, the mass tore the sword out Jadeite's grip and crashed loudly to the ground.

Jadeite knew that she could lift the sword, if she spent enough mana. But even then it would be slowed by the metal clinging to it. And she didn't know any spells to demagnetize the blade. Mars' Guardian was swinging at her neck, forcing her to make a choice. She abandoned her attempt to recover Joyeuse, and covered her hand in diamond gauntlets. Jadeite caught the blade. She increased her strength and also pressed in with the gemstones magically. The granite sword snapped. Jadeite kept hold of the end, jumped onto the statue's shoulder. Rotating the katana tip so it was edge out, she prepared to dive at Mars.

"Crumble," the brunette commanded. The samurai and katana turned from stone back to dirt, and collapsed. Jadeite did not have time to push off before her foothold was gone. But the general was able to right herself in mid-air, maintaining a graceful, foot first fall. Unfortunately, that still left her unable to maneuver or dodge.

"MARS SENSHI SHOT!"

"MERCURY EMBER IGNITION!"

A hailstorm worth of pebbles flew at her from the front, while a dozen white hot icosahedrons burned through the air to her left.

"Gemfall!" Jadeite called as she drew the runes, angry and mortified that she had been forced to speak the incantation to get the spell to work.

'How could they have pushed me this far?' she cursed silently, as the cloud of defensive diamonds appeared around her again, 'Even with as weak as magic has become…'

Mercury's attacks burned right through the crystals, but were at least cooled down to red in the process. And most of Mars' stones were stopped again, but there were so many and they were so small that a few snuck through. The rocks were moving faster, so they hit first, striking Jadeite's chest and stomach. The Shitennou's uniform absorbed most of the force, but she still felt her skin bruising, and one rib crack. Then the burning polygons hit her arm and side. Her uniform had not recovered from the first attack, so the spell burned it away. Jadeite's skin was severely scorched, blood seeping from cracks in the blackened flesh. With the left side of her coat consumed, a substantial amount of her skin was revealed to the cool night air. Jadeite was unconcerned about anything as trivial as modesty. She was concerned with the loss of her uniform's protection.

"MARS…"

"MERCURY…"

"Moon…"

Jadeite landed, sparing a moment of attention for the third Sailor. The electrokinetic still had one hand pointed at Joyeuse, keeping the magnetic field in place. But about her other hand, Moon's tiara was starting to spin up again.

Panic gripped her. Despite her words to Nephrite, in that moment Jadeite found she was not ready to die.

'I'm only thirty-one,' she thought, 'I should have centuries left…'

"Facet Mirage!" the general shouted, jumping backwards. In the air, she split in three, though two of the copies had obvious crystals sticking out of their bodies. Then all three versions turned and ran in opposite directions. The move confused and distracted the Senshi, and Jadeite was disappearing into the city before they could fire.

"Come on," Mars shouted, as she stopped her spell, "We can't let her escape."

She started to move in the direction of the real looking duplicate. But Mercury consulted her computer, and shook her head.

"The source of the spell is the one heading north," the flame haired girl said as firmly as she could.

"But she looked the most… fake…" Mars trailed off even as she tried to argue.

"Hence the trick," Luna nodded, "Come Sailor Moon, we cannot allow Jadeite to escape."

"But what about her sword?" the silverette whined.

"Leave it," the Cait Sidhe ordered, "We will return for it later. We cannot risk splitting up. She may be injured and tired, but I doubt any of us could defeat her alone."

"Okay," Moon agreed dubiously.

Jadeite waited until they were out of sight, and then gave it another twenty count to be safe. Then she released the dome gem that had concealed her. Before she could stand, she was interrupted by a slow clapping.

"A simple optical illusion, and suppressing your own magic to prevent Sailor Mercury from detecting you," A deep voice called out in amusement, "A ploy worthy of Nephrite. Though it would have not worked on our Sailor Mercury. This new one does not appear to have learned sonar detection yet."

A tall, well-built man emerged from the small stand of trees on the far side of the part. He had long white hair, and wore the same uniform as she did.

"Kunzite," Jadeite said carefully, "How long have you been here?"

"I arrived not long after the Sailor Senshi," he said, stalking steadily closer.

"Then why didn't you help me," she demanded.

"That is not what I was ordered to do," he smiled condescendingly, "And besides, what you told the Senshi was true. Most of my power is tied into keeping our Queen alive. The best I could have done was distract them for a matter of moments before being forced to flee or dying."

"So are you going to take me back?" she staggered back to her feet, her left arm hanging useless at her side. He reached her, standing next to Joyeuse. He looked down on her, both literally and metaphorically. Then he gestured at the ruined jungle gym. He placed one hand on Joyeuse's grip, and easily pulled the sword free from the demagnetized metal.

"I think not," he said, extending the sword, as if to give it to her, "After all, if I do, Beryl will just torture you for her pleasure, before killing you."

"Thank…"

Her gratitude was cut short as he suddenly reversed his grip on the sword and plunged it into her breast.

"You did an excellent job on the draining enchantment," he told her, even as Jadeite's own magic began to suck her life force into the blade.

"Bastard," she gasped. It was Jadeite's last word, before she died. A few seconds later, her entire body crumbled to dust. Kunzite regarded it fondly for an instant, then he gestured and a soft wind scattered the remains. Placing the sword casually over his shoulder, the leader of the Shitennou faded from view as he turned back towards the portal.

"See, I told you!" Sailor Moon complained. After the clone had shattered, the Senshi had returned to the park, only to find the sword gone.

"How did she do that?" Mercury asked Luna.

"I do not know the spell," the cat shrugged, "I suspect it may have been an original creation of Jadeite's. She must have taken magical tracking into account when she devised it."

"So she got away," Mars grumbled, "And she got her sword back."

"This is not a loss," Luna told all three of them, "She told us that all of the Shitennou and Duchess Beryl survived, and that her three comrades are trapped in keeping Beryl alive. You were able to injure Jadeite, and now have experience fighting her. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, you showed greatly improved flexibility in your powers…"

Usagi high-fived Ami with a huge grin.

"… though still not up to the level of your past selves," Luna deflated the girl.

"Now what?" Rei demanded, slightly mollified.

"If Beryl is half as smart as she thinks she is," the cat considered it, "She will make Jadeite one of her caretakers, and send one of the other generals to face us. Both so Jadeite can recover, and so we will not be as familiar with our enemy. But that is for another day. For now, you should all go home and get some rest. I will restore the park."

"This might not have been a loss for us," the cat told them sternly, "but it was a signal that this fight is far from over."

"So, Jadeite couldn't even do this," Beryl's voice hissed over them painfully.

"To be fair," Kunzite tried to placate her, "During the Silver Millennium, Jadeite would not have been to defeat any of the Senshi without your blessing. Which she did not have. And she was outnumbered two to one. That she was able to injure them, drain some of their life and magic for you, speaks to her skill."

"Or these new Senshi are as weak as the rest of this era," Zoisite said dismissively.

"And when she saw she could not win," Kunzite ignored his lover, "She chose to fall on her own sword, to contribute her energy to our great Queen."

Nephrite looked at him dubiously, but said nothing.

"Deliver it," Beryl commanded, her voice dripping with anticipation.

As Kunzite approached the throne, the light emitted by Joyeuse illuminated the remains of the traitor Queen more thoroughly than she normally allowed. Her eye and heart were more withered than they appeared in the shadows, and her sclera was yellowed.

He placed the blade across the throne's armrests, and then quickly retreated back. A noxious mass of crimson and violet leaked out of Beryl's organs, settling over Joyeuse. The sword's glow began to weaken. At the same time, her heart began to fill out, and beat more steadily. Her eye plumped, and regained a healthy shade of white. The incomplete nerves and veins connecting them and her brain regrew. The stub of her spinal column, cut off just below her cerebellum, stretched out to the length of an average person's mid-back. As the sword itself started to rust and crumble, a single lobe of a right lung regenerated next to her heart. Even as Beryl took a breath, Joyeuse collapsed like its master.

"So Jadeite did have a use after all," Beryl said, her voice more real, more human.

"Barely," Nephrite countered. The other two generals looked at him incredulously.

"Explain," Beryl ordered. Though she was not screaming yet, the three men could all tell that the brunette general had better have a good justification.

"Even if the Senshi's injuries only account for five percent of the life energy you just regained, that means we would need at least two hundred Jadeites to fully restore you, my Queen. And Jadeite is worth at least one hundred of those modern humans. Finally, if we drain them completely, that many disappearances would attract much more attention. If we only drain part of their life, as Jadeite did…"

Nephrite trailed off. The math was simple enough.

"And have you come up with a better plan, my dear Nephrite?" Beryl said encouragingly, convinced.

"Yes, but also no," he answered carefully, "I do not have a permanent solution, but I have a stopgap."

Nephite paused to gather his thoughts, but continued before needing to be prompted.

"Gathering life energy to restore you will take too long," he said, "We are drying with a hand towel in a deluge. Your greatness is too much for this era, my Queen. But if we had a vessel that could keep you alive, allowing you and your loyal generals to expend their power to regenerate rather than maintain, or to search for other answers…."

"What manner of vessel did you have in mind, Nephrite?" Kunzite asked.

"There are over three billion human females in this world," Nephrite answered, "If tens of thousands were to disappear from Tokyo, it would be noticeable. But one, or two…"

"You want to put our Queen into one of those apes?" Zoisite interrupted, enraged.

"Not permanently," Nephrite countered quickly, "But in all the millions in Japan, there must be a handful that can serve as an adequate, temporary vessel for our Queen. She might burn through them, but if each one can buy her months, or even weeks… My Queen if you had real blood, a body that could eat food and more properly recover your mana…"

"And how will you find these hosts?" Beryl asked thoughtfully.

"My youma will find the most exceptional young women in Tokyo," he offered, "And push them to their peak, to break through their limits. Once they are as perfect as they can be, I will bring them before you."

"That sounds like you want to make Phages," Kunzite commented dryly.

"Perish the thought," Nephrite barked, glaring at him darkly.

"I see merit in your plan," Beryl told Nephrite, "Thanks to my recovery, I can release some of your power back to you. Go. Bring me a vessel, that we might test your theory."

"Of course, my Queen," he bowed deeply, and exited the throne room.

"Zoisite," Beryl looked at the golden haired man, "What was your plan again?"

"The crystal that did this to you," he answered, "We do not know what it was, or where Serenity gained it, but it possessed unfathomable power."

He took out a small shard, contained in a powerful spell.

"It appears it was broken, this fragment was sealed along with us," he continued, "But if we can find the pieces, and restore it, it should have more than enough power to restore you, my Queen."

"You plan to use this piece to scry for the others," she noted.

"And if we can find enough of them," he nodded, "we can create a spell to summon the rest."

"Prepare your scrying," she ordered, "Even if Nephrite's plan will buy us time, we need a permanent solution."

Also bowing, the second general left.

"And if the Senshi have to split their focus between the two of them?" Kunzite said, conspiratorially.

Beryl said nothing, but a soft chuckled echoed through the chamber.