Part N - The Death of the Nega Scouts

[note: takes place right after Selene's death.]

	Serena stumbled out of the opened portal, Rini in tow. Her mind 
seemed to wander out of and back into reality. A psychologist would say 
that she was so tired that her mind was moving into and out of REM 
sleep while she was still awake. But for Serena, she was just 
incrediblly drained both mentally and emotionally.
	The portal started wavering slightly, then violently. Then in a 
bright flash of light it subsided to a bright dot in the air, and got 
smaller, and smaller, finally shrinking out of existence. Only Rini saw 
this. Serena never bothered to look back, instead she looked at the 
recovered brooch that she held in her right hand. The Silver Crystal, a 
beautiful cosmic treasure, worth more than all the diamonds in all of 
the universe, and just as pure, shined brilliantly in what little light 
there was in the theater. It was almost as if the jewel knew that it 
was where it needed to be, and required nothing more than the radiated 
love and innocence of the beings around it in order to exist..
	But that wasn't foremost on Serena's mind. It was something that 
commanded more attention. What was Nega Moon saying before she 
dissentigrated, why was that thought whispering through her mind, so 
clear, yet so garbled that she couldn't make sense of it. Why did she 
feel like those words were among the most important things she had ever 
heard even if they were uncomprehensable. And why did her head hurt so 
much?
	She walked forward, dragging her feet, until she reached a corner 
seat in the first row slightly off center-stage and sat down. Rini, 
saying nothing, sat down one seat behind her. The young girl didn't 
need to say anything, her mind and heart informed her of that. Serena, 
Sailor Moon, her true protector, needed some quiet time.
	Serena quietly slipped the brooch into the inner pocket of her 
tattered pink jacket, then gently rested her slightly bruised and 
scratched face into the palms of her hands. No emotion came into her 
eyes. No smile or frown spread across her lips. All she was able to do 
was contemplate. The image of Nega Moon's final moment of life flashed 
into her mind again. Serena didn't smile, or respond in any way. 
Inwardly she was a desparate mess of confused emotions, as her brain 
frustratingly tried to re-sort itself into something comprehensable. 
	But she didn't have time to comprehend anything. She was 
interrupted by a slow rustling sound, like fabric on unwaxed wood. She 
knew instantly who it was. Looking up, she saw Nega Mars. Because her 
mind had not fully regained control of itself, she jumped up, startled. 
Her breath cought in the back of her throat, she wanted to scream but 
for some reason she couldn't. 
	"I'm sorry if I startled you, Serena." Nega Mars broke the 
silence, caughing severely after she finished her sentence. She managed 
a weak smile. Finally Serena let go of her breath, it was a sigh of 
relief.
	"You're still good?" Serena asked, cautiosly.
	Nega Mars closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them 
again lightly, Serena could see the abundance of tears reflecting off 
both her eyes and her cheeks. When Nega Mars realized just what Serena 
had queried, she responded, "Yes," her voice cracked with weakness, 
"but not for much longer. But don't worry about it. I'll be dead 
before, then." Again, another series cough, this time lighter than the 
first.
	Serena got up and walked forward to the edge of the stage until 
she was beside her fallen adversary. The stage edge came up to Serena's 
chest and she was eye level with Nega Mars. She made note of the Nega 
Scout's condition. Nega Mars was in a severe situation. There was a 
fresh blood red stain on her civilian shirt, evidently the paralyzing 
wound on her back had refused to heal and was oozing slowly. She looked 
into Nega Mars' eyes. There was a slight fire, but the starlight 
remained. The good side of Nega Mars was impressivly strong for being 
so repressed a little more than a day ago.
	But Serena could show no fear of betrayal, her heart wouldn't let 
her, and this time, her instincts abdicated their position and were now 
siding with her heart. With a quick movement of her arms, she managed 
to bring her feet up parallel with the ground and roll onto the stage. 
Kneeling down at the clones side, Serena looked towards the center of 
the stage and the three other Nega Scouts that lay there. They were 
still unconsious. But maybe that was best. They hadn't been through 
what happened between Nega Mars, Raye, and Serena, and when they woke 
up they'd probably try to attack, and more than likely kill themselves 
out of sheer weakness. 
	She then noticed that they were all perfectly positioned next to 
each other, with their hands crossed over their hearts. They had no 
expression on their fact, but they seemed to be in some sort of serene 
state, aside from their physical condition. It was then Serena noticed 
the small areas of wood around them that had been stained red, and then 
looked back down to Nega Mars. "Did you move them like that?"
	"Yes, they're all ready to be healed. Remember?"
	Serena fought back a flurry of emotions that surfaced in protest 
of attempting to heal the Nega Scouts. She knew what that would do to 
them. They didn't have enough good in their hearts to sustain their 
bodies, but the good was there, and it was being repressed. Indeed, the 
Nega Scouts would become a threat once more to the Sailor Scouts, even 
if that threat was small, and they would die before they gave up on 
their quest for misguided triumph. One of those threats was right next 
Serena, and both of them knew it. But they had potential. Nega Moon had 
already died, and that whisper, an innocent whisper placed into her 
mind when Nega Moon dissentigrated inside the blood red atmosphere of 
the Negaforce constantly made Serena think *No! There has to be another 
way!"
	"Nega Mars, I want to help you. But I just."
	"Please. Don't call me Nega Mars."
	Serena blinked in shock. "What?"
	"Don't call me Nega Mars." 
	Serena sat still for a moment as her brain tried to find some 
sort of question to ask in response. Then she found one. "The Negaverse 
gave you names?"
	Nega Mars shooke her head. "No. I named myself," she coughed 
slightly, several times, and glanced at the middle of the stage, "and 
my friends."
	Serena's eyes glimmered slightly. Something about that comforted 
her. Nega Mars was really, truly, seeing her comrades as friends. "What 
is your name, and theirs?"
	Nega Mars smiled a weak, but innocent smile. "My name's Enyo."
	"Enyo?"
	Nega Mars nodded. "It's something I saw while we were at the 
library," she paused, "spying on Amy." A phrase of apology crossed her 
mind, but she dismissed it when she realized her pause had conveyed the 
apology to Serena perfectly. "It was in a mythology book."
	"And your friends?"
	Nega Mars strained to get up despite being paralyzed. Serena 
jumped slightly, startled, but quickly snapped into action to help 
Enyo. She helped the clone first to her knees, and then to her feet. 
Enyo put both hands on Serena's left shoulder, and then wobbily turned 
herself around to face the center stage. Realizing that if she let go 
of Enyo, she would fall, Serena put her left arm around the clones 
waist. She could feel blood from the wound on the clone's back stick to 
her arm, but she didn't care. Enyo needed help. Together, in a clumsily 
graceful effort, they walked towards the other Nega Scouts.
	When they were a few feet in front of them, Enyo lifted her left 
hand weakly, and then, coughing a little, pointed towards Nega Mercury. 
"Meet Caloris." She pointed to Nega Jupiter, "Elara," then to pointed 
to Nega Venus, "and Tessera."
	Serena smiled and looked at Enyo. It was ironic that a week of 
hell had culminated to this point. Never mind that she had just stared 
down the negaforce, the face of pure evil. This moment was just as 
powerful. Serena's enemy, and still very much so, had finally realized 
that she had a good side, and with the help of Serena and Raye, was 
able to break through the hatred, lust, and greed to let it surface and 
flourish without barriers, if even for a day or two.
	"Serena, Sailor Moon," Enyo looked towards Serena, Eyes sparkling 
with fresh tears, "princess. Please heal us." Enyo put her left hand on 
Serena's right shoulder and looked into her eyes. The added weight of 
Enyo's body didn't phase Serena, she was too focused to let it. "I 
can't live with this evil any longer. I'm afraid for you, my friends, 
and your friends." 
	Serena could hold it back no more, her eyes became moist as tears 
threatened to flow. "But what about your life? You'll die, Enyo. And so 
will your friends. There has to be another way."
	"No. Serena." The clone closed her teary eyes. "There is no other 
way. And," another cough, this time it was severe enough to almost make 
Enyo loose her balance, Serena had to put her arms underneath Enyo's to 
keep her from falling. "there's no way we can truly apologize to your 
friends."
	"My friends will accept your apology, just give them time."
	Enyo shook her head weakly. "Look at us Serena. We're clones, of 
your friends. We were placed here to destroy your friends. There's no 
way that I can live on this earth with the knowledge that any time my 
evil could resurface and end up killing one of your, of one of our 
friends. Please heal us."
	A pause ensued. It was then the whisper inside of Serena's mind 
made itself known again. The image of Nega Moon's death at the hands of 
the Negaforce shot through her mind. This time though, the whisper 
became more pronounced. Finally, in one last second of thought, it 
spoke clearly. "This is so you'll never forget." Serena blinked. 
Something clear surfaced in her mind. A reason, a clear reason. 
	To live for only a second with pure happiness in your otherwise 
evil heart. This was what the Enyo wanted for herself, and as a gift to 
her friends. It was all she asked, and it was all she felt they needed. 
She was afraid of herself and what she her friends would do to the 
Sailor Scouts if they ever had the chance again. She wanted to 
sacrifice herself as an apology to the Sailor Scouts, whom she felt she 
was friends with even if they didn't know that was how she felt.  
	Serena looked into Enyo's dark eyes and a smile spread across her 
face. She whispered slowly, so that Enyo could experience her answer. 
"Okay."
	It was then that Enyo did something that Serena definitely was 
not expecting. In defiance of the calm of the night both inside and 
outside of the theater, the clone threw her arms around Serena and 
hugged her tightly. Whimpering audibly, she managed to squeak "thank 
you, Sailor Moon," before letting her hold on Serena weaken. In return, 
Serena returned the hug, closing her eyes and letting her own tears 
fall into the clones hair.
	They stood there for a minute, Serena waited patiently while Enyo 
took in the sensation of a closeness, an almost maternal closeness that 
she had never felt before. The irony of the moment appeared in her mind 
and she smiled. Then slowly, Enyo withdrew her arms from around 
Serena's shoulders. When she was free enough, she started slowly 
lowering herself to the floor. Serena knelt down to help her. 
	When Enyo was totally down, Serena backed up a step and watched 
Enyo crawl towards the rest of the Nega Scouts, slowly, though 
triumphantly, dragging her useless legs along the wooden panneling.
She stopped when she reached the side of Tessera. She willed the pain 
to the back of her mind as she rolled onto her back, crossed her hands 
over her heart, and closed her eyes.
.	Serena sighed slightly, and then walked back a few paces. This 
was it. The time when Sailor Moon defeats her enemies. Though this time 
her enemies wanted to be defeated. Of course that irony never crossed 
Serena's mind as she withdrew the brooch from her coat pocket, held it 
up in the air, and yelled, "MOON PRISM POWER!" The transformation took 
hold and in a few seconds Sailor Moon stood over the Nega Scouts. She 
closed her eyes for a second, allowing herself to be calm. She couldn't 
be hysterical when she asked the crystal for it's healing power. She 
was doing this for Enyo, the Nega Scouts, and the Sailor Scouts. Her 
friends.
	"Sailor Moon?"
	Sailor Moon looked down towards Enyo. "Yes?" She asked quietly.
	"I know about the whisper in your mind."
	A pause, "You do?"
	"I could sense it when I was close to you... Listen to what the 
whisper has to say."
	Sailor Moon nodded and smiled slightly. "Okay." She held out her 
hands, palms facing each other, towards her brooch. 
	The clone, Nega Mars, Enyo, caughed one last time and then spoke 
quietly, "Her name is Selene."
	Moon blinked in surprise. *The whisper had a name, but that could 
mean. The scene appeared in her mind again. Nega Moon, in the hellish 
red fog of the Negaforce, her body quickly being torn apart as the 
Negaforce reclaimed all the negative energy it had given her. What was 
Nega Moon thinking at that time, her only possible ally, betraying her 
by sucking at her life force until there was nothing left. Was there 
any good in Nega Moon at all. Maybe there was. Just enough for a small 
difference. Maybe only a "whisper." Sailor Moon moved her lips to form 
the word slowly, without exhaling. 
	When she closed her eyes, she could hear the whisper. It was 
quiet, and in the back of her mind. She could hear it best when she 
cleared her thoughts. It was trying to tell her things but her mind was 
too active. But now it was getting louder, and all Sailor Moon had to 
do was to close her eyes in order to hear it. It was Selene. 
	*Do it Sailor Moon. Help them. And do not forget this night.* The 
whisper spoke. There was no sinister sound, no serpentine tint, and no 
mocking tone. Just a simple whisper.
	Sailor Moon felt something brush up against her skirt. She opened 
her eyes and looked down to see Rini. The entire time Sailor Moon had 
been talking to Enyo, Rini had looked on amazed and awe struck by the 
site she saw. From her vintage point, it was more than just a stage 
play. The pink haired child smiled at Sailor Moon. "Go ahead, Sailor 
Moon. Help them."
	Sailor Moon looked up towards the Nega Scouts, and willed the 
crystal out of its resting place into her brooch. Once again, she felt 
that it knew what it was about to do. Nevertheless, she spoke the words 
she knew she needed to speak for it to accomplish what she needed it to 
do. It needed a confirmation, so that her sincerity would be evident. 
"Please silver crystal. Give me your power. Help me rid these poor 
souls of the evil in within their hearts."
	There was a slight pause, and then the crystal started glowing. 
It got brighter, and brighter, until the air around it started to emit 
its own light. A bright haze inched forward until it was over the Nega 
Scouts. Then it slowly converged upon them. Their bodies started 
glowing, brighter, then brighter, until only their blurred forms could 
be made out in the light. But Sailor Moon was slightly surprised to 
find that when she closed her eyes, she could see their faces through 
the light. Tessera, Caloris, Elara, and Enyo, were all smiling. 
	Slowly, the light subsided. It flowed down the sides of the stage 
like a mist. The spots where the Nega Scouts where were not empty, 
though. There were four bright spots in the light, they were positioned 
exactly like the Nega Scouts were. That was not the most amazing thing, 
though. Each spot was sparkling and pulsating with a unique rhythm all 
its own. They lingered there for a while until all the light from the 
mist had dissapated. Then, they too started fading out, but not before 
Sailor Moon could hear four voices in her mind, coming from the 
direction of the orbs. They sounded relieved, almost angelic as they 
sung only a simple "thank you," subsiding as gently as the light of the 
orbs. Then, nothing.
	The crystal in Sailor Moon's hands dissappeared, only to reappear 
in her brooch and then hide itself as it had done countless times 
before. Saying nothing, Sailor Moon looked down at her gloved hands. 
*It is done.* Her mind stated matter-of-factly. There was a bright 
flash of light as Sailor Moon transformed back into Serena, then looked 
down at Rini. 
	Rini was looking towards the center stage with tears in her eyes. 
That was all Serena needed to see to understand that Rini was 
comprehending fully what had just taken place. Rini stopped staring at 
the center of the stage when a hand in front of her face forced her to 
refocus her eyes abruptly. She looked up at Serena.
	"C'mon Rini." Serena spoke softly, with a smile on her face. 
"Let's go find our friends."
	Rini slowly took Serena's hand and followed as Serena helped her 
down the front of the stage. Then they walked towards the front door. 
Opening the center doors and then closing them. 
	All activity in the theater ceased at that moment.
	Then, the door opened again, as Serena peered in. The stage was 
totally empty, which was to be expected. No one but her, Rini, and her 
friends would know of what had transpired on the theater that night. 
The theater seemed to be saying `go on, they're welcome here as long as 
they like.'
	The last sound heard in the old theater that night was the 
shutting of a door, then a silence ensued. This time, though, it was a 
silence that had a story to tell.