Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
'blah' means thoughts
"Really, Darien?" Serena asked. It had been an hour since Darien had invited Serena to his apartment and forty-five minutes since he pitched his idea. His girlfriend couldn't seem to understand how important it was to him. "Why would you want to revive our enemies?"
"I told you, Serena. They were brainwashed into following Beryl much like I was. Please, Serena, understand how important this is to me. You have your court, let me haqve mine."
"Oh, Darien. Of course, I'll let you, but we'll have to tell the girls. It wouldn't be good to have them attack potential allies."
%%% AT RAYE'S TEMPLE
"So, Darien, what's the reason you called this meeting for?" Raye asked.
"I ask for no interruptions during my explanation." After receiving the nods of affirmation, Darien launched into his tale. "It started about two months ago. I started having the same dream every night. They were my memories from before the Silver Millennium. I had four bodyguards, but they were more than that. They were my friends, my confidants, my mentors, my court. During my adolescence, they trained me in different areas from battle tactics to weaponry to hand-to-hand battle to diplomacy. When I visited the Moon, my bodyguards interacted with the scouts. Two guards developed feelings for a couple of particular scouts and the remaining two guards developed friendships with the other two scouts-one intellectual, the other close. One of my guards, the only female actually, would split her time between Earth and the Moon. Each of my guards had powers which originated from the planets as yours do."
A pause followed Darien's tale as the girls made sure that Darien was finished.
"Where are these guards now?" Amy asked.
"Well, they're basically in a coma and need our help to wake up."
"Darien, you never mentioned the names of these guards," Lita commented.
At Darien's lack of response, Raye spoke up, "Is it because one of them is Jedite?"
"And Nephlite," Lita added.
"And Zoicite," Amy continued.
"And Malachite," Mina finished.
Serena's mouth dropped open, and Darien asked, "How did you know?"
"I had dreams with me ice skating with someone. It started out hazy, but before too long, I could make out who my partner was," Lita said.
"It was the same with me, except I was playing chess," Amy mentioned.
"I was on a picnic," Mina chimed in.
"I was at a masquerade ball," Raye put in.
"How long have you had these dreams?" Serena asked.
"Off and on for about two months," Amy answered.
"Same."
"Same."
"Same."
"Lately, though, the dreams aren't memories. It's just the generals and I talked," Darien spoke up. "They want us to resurrect them so they can resume their roles in my court."
"What makes you think they want to be our allies?" Luna questioned.
"How can you say that?!" Darien exploded. Suddenly, he stopped, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke one word before opening his eyes. "Luna." He opened his eyes and took another breath. "I understand they used to be the enemy, but before that they used to be allies."
"You mentioned resurrecting the generals. How is that possible?" Artemis questioned.
"Well, each one is named after a mineral, and after each one died, their souls entered a physical representation of the minerals they were named after. When I was brainwashed by Beryl, she gave me the stones to keep, even Malachite's before his death. I have all four of the soul stones in my apartment. They usually rest on a table in my living room except for whenever one of your planets can be seen from Earth. Whichever planet can be seen I place the corresponding soul stone on the windowsill." Darien took another breath. "To resurrect them, I need the power of the Silver Crystal and the power of one of the planets."
"I'll help Nephlite," Lita agreed at once.
"I'll help Jedite," the raven-haired priestess added.
"I'll help Malachite," said Mina.
"I don't mind lending my powers to help Zoicite, but can we do it on Saturday? I have a test tomorrow, and I want to get a good night's rest so I can do my best," Amy mentioned.
Darien smiled. "Of course, Amy. We can meet up at my apartment on Saturday at two o'clock in the afternoon."
%%% THAT NIGHT
Darien was standing in a black void with a white mist swirling about his ankles. A flurry of cherry blossoms caught his attention. Zoicite appeared in mid-air with her legs crossed, her left hand on her knee, and her right hand twirling a lock of hair hanging in front of an ear. Still dressed in her Negaverse uniform, she looked down at Darien with a smirk on her face and giggled. "Hello, Darien."
"What do you want, Zoicite?" Darien retorted, playing along.
A minute of silence hung in the air before Darien spoke up. "Where's Malachite? He usually initiates these dreams."
"Oh, he's visiting Mina, and Jedite and Nephlite are visiting their girls," Zoicite supplied.
"Why aren't you visiting, Amy?"
"Aside from someone having to be here for you, she had a big test tomorrow, and I don't want to disturb her. I will see her tomorrow night."
"That's right. She wanted me to wait till Saturday."
"Wait till Saturday for what?"
A big grin appeared on Darien's face. "The girls and I are going to resurrect the four of you Saturday afternoon."
A genuine smile graced the female warrior's face. "That's wonderful, my Prince!"
"Then, I'll see you and the others on Saturday. Oh and Zoicite, don't let me see you wearing that uniform again. I understand why you did today, but from now on I want you to wear either civilian clothes or your guard uniform."
Zoicite nodded, and instantly her clothes changed to a mid-tigh length black pleated skirt with a green trim around the edge, a green tank-top, and a black jacket with green piping along the edge. Knee-length black boots with a small heel adorned her legs and feet. A silver circlet lined in green graced her forehead, her coppery-blonde hair flowed to her waist in loose waves.
Darien smiled. "Much better. I will see you and the others on Saturday."
Zoicite nodded. "Sweet dreams, my Prince."
Zoicite and the dreamscape faded from Darien's mind, replaced by pleasant dreams of marrying Serena and ruling Crystal Tokyo.
%%% SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Ding dong.
Darien opened the door, revealing Serena and the girls. "Oh, good. You're on time. Come in."
The five girls and two cats followed Darien inside his apartment. Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina immediately went over to the table where the four soul stones lay. Seemingly in response to the girls' prescence, the stones started to softly glow, and in return, the planetary signs appeared on the girls' foreheads. Almost on instinct, Mina picked up the green malachite stone and carried it over to Darien. Amy did the same with the green and pink zoisite stone. Raye and Lita followed suite with the other two green stones.
Darien held the stones for Malachite and Zoicite in his right hand and Jedite and Nephlite in his left hand. Each scout pulled out her transformation pen and still holding it, placed the tip against each stone.
Serena pulled the Imperium Silver Crystal out of her locket. She held it over the stones. "Cosmic Moon Power!"
"Mercury Star Power!"
"Mars Star Power!"
"Jupiter Star Power!"
"Venus Star Power!"
Darien closed his eyes and focused his energy on the four stones he held. The energies combined and entered the stones, which absorbed the three distinct energies of their prince, the Imperium Silver Crystal, and their planetary power. A beam of pure energy shot up from each stone and a pulse of bright white light caused the five girls to shield their eyes to prevent being blinded. When they could see again, there were four more people in the room.
There were three males and one female. One of the males had short blonde hair, red stud earrings, cobalt blue eyes, and was wearing a black uniform with red trim and black knee-length boots. Another male had waist-length wine colored hair, yellow stud earrings, cobalt blue eyes, and was wearing a black uniform with yellow trim and black knee-length black boots. The last male had shoulder-length star-kissed hair, blue stud earrings, silvery blue eyes, and was wearing a black uniform with a blue trim, a white cape, and black knee-length boots. The lone female had waist-length coppery-blonde hair, verdant stud earrings, emerald green eyes, and was wearing a mid-thigh length black pleated skirt with a green trim around the edge, a green tank top, a black jacket with a green trim, black kneee-length black boots with a small heel, and a silver circlet lined in green graced her forehead.
Darien gently placed the stones back on the table before approaching the quartet. The four guards each dropped to a knee and had their fisted right arm laying diagonally across their chests. Each one spoke in turn with Darien replying after each recited their oath of loyalty.
"I, Malachite, do hereby pledge my loyalty to my Prince Darien. I vow to protect and serve him forever more. So mote it be."
"So mote it be."
"I, Nephlite, do hereby pledge my loyalty to my Prince Darien. I vow to protect and serve him forever more. So mote it be."
"So mote it be."
"I, Jedite, do hereby by pledge my loyalty to my Prince Darien. I vow to protect and serve him forever more. So mote it be."
"So mote it be."
"I, Zoicite, do hereby by pledge my loyalty to my Prince Darien. I vow to protect and serve him forever more. So mote it be."
"So mote it be." The second the words left Darien's mouth four silver flashes were seen around the guards' necks. When the flashes subsided, there were identical medallions around the generals' necks. Each medallion was hung off a fine yet strong silver chain, and the coin part had a design. The top half of the Earth, and below that was a crown, inside which rested double bladed crossed swords.
"Rise, General Malachite, General Nephlite, General Jedite, and Lady Zoicite."
The quartet of generals stood as their prince commanded. A smile crossed Darien's face, and he said, "All right, you four. Relax and mingle."
The girls, having put away their transformation pens, walked over to the generals. Lita hugged Nephlite, and Jedite kissed the back of Raye's hand. Unable to contain her exuberance, Mina gave Malachite a huge hug, while the First General had a look of shock on his face. Zoicite noticed the look on her boyfriend's face and giggled, while she wrapped an arm around Amy's shoulders and gave her a slight squeeze. Fortunately for Malachite, Mina released her hold on him, because her attention had been diverted. The second-in-command of the scouts addressed the female general. "Zoicite, what's the deal with the tiara?"
Zoicite reached up and briefly touched her circlet. "It's a circlet, and it shows my status as a Master Healer."
"You're a healer?!" chorused Serena, Raye, Lita, Mina, Luna, and Artemis in disbelief.
"A Master Healer," Malachite corrected. "The highest level."
"Such a feat was never before attempted by someone her age," Jedite mentioned.
"Just because you're a year older doesn't mean you get to keep pointing it out, "Zoicite retorted.
"My apologies, Zoey, but you know I'm right," Jedite said.
Malachite slid an arm around Zoicite's waist. "He meant it as a compliment, my dear."
"I know. I'm sorry, Jedite, but you know that's a sensitive subject," Zoicite replied.
"She's right," Nephlite spoke up. "I'm the only one who gets to tease her."
Lita punched him in the shoulder. "Be nice."
"I am."
"Well, it's his approximation of nice," Zoicite threw in. This comment was met by a round of laughter from the scouts.
"So, how did you four end up on the Negaverse's side?" Artemis asked.
"We were brainwashed," Malachite answered.
"Much like I was," Darien murmured.
Three of the four generals looked at Darien in shock and then just as quickly looked at Malachite, who closed his eyes and turned his head away from the confused eyes of his fellow generals. Jedite went over to Darien. He held up his right hand. "May I, your highness?"
Darien nodded, and he sat down on the floor while Jedite knelt down in front of him. Jedite lifted his right hand and placed his index and middle fingers on the prince's forehead. While that was occurring, Zoicite was staring at Malachite, but the others could tell there was something else going on.
The only ones not confused by these actions were Nephlite, Amy, and Raye. To clear up the others' confusion, Nephlite said, "Jedite is psychic, and Zoicite is telepathic."
"Jedite gets his ability from Mars," Raye clarified.
"Zoicite was trained in telepathy during her time as an apprentice healer," Amy added.
"How do you know that, Amy?" Serena asked.
"She told me a couple weeks ago in my dreams."
It wasn't long after that that the connections were ended. Malachite knelt before Darien. "My Prince, please forgive me for my treatment of you while you were brainwashed."
Still sitting down, Darien leaned forward and placed his hands on Malachite's shoulders. "Malachite, do not beg for my forgiveness. You already have it."
Both Darien and Malachite stood up.
"Could you elaborate on the brainwashing? Were you captured? Were you in a group or was it one-by-one?" Luna asked.
Zoicite ducked her head. "It was the promise of power. I was the one who fell first. With my brain washed, Malachite was next. Jedite and Nephlite followed soon after. So, my Prince, my fellow generals, I am so sorry." Zoicite fell to her knees, tears falling from her verdant eyes.
Malachite and Darien were too surprised to go comfort the female general. Jedite and Nephlite weren't sure of what to do. The four Inner Scouts didn't know what to do, and neither did the two cats.
A bright silver light flashed a few feet in front of Zoicite. The hem of a white dress entered her field of vision.
"Lady Zoicite," said a very familiar female voice.
"Princess Serenity, forgive me," the dual kingdom general cried.
"Do not despair. Prince Darien and Generals Malachite, Jedite, and Nephlite do not blame you. My court and I do not blame you. The evil side can be very deceptive. Abandon these depressing thoughts, and enjoy the support you have from your friends. Dry your tears, and do not beg for forgiveness for you already have it."
Overcoming his shock, Malachite walked over to Zoicite and knelt down next to her. "Listen to the princess, my love. No one blames you for the past."
Malachite gently wiped the tears from Zoicite's face and then conjured a thorn-less pink rose, which he then placed above her ear. He stood up and held out his hand to help her up, which she accepted, "Thank you, Malachite."
Malachite hugged her, and, to everyone's astonishment, Jedite and Nephlite came over and hugged the female general, making it a group hug.
The Silver Crystal gave another brief flash, transforming Princess Serenity back into Serena, who joined her friends in watching the group hug. After a couple of minutes, the hug ended, and Lita asked a question most people had on their minds. "Nephlite, why are you and Zoicite not antagonizing each other?"
"We don't despise each other. We good-naturedly tease each other. The Negaverse took the negative aspect of our relationship and amplified it," Nephlite replied.
"Speaking of relationships, how, in such a negative place, could love exist?" Mina questioned.
"The world is full of opposites. Yin and yang, light and dark, good and evil, love and hate. One cannot exist without the other," Malachite answered. Zoicite smiled and snuggled against Malachite's side.
"Since this seems to be a question and answer session, I have one for Jedite," Nephlite asked. "How did you get out of Eternal Sleep and into your stone?"
"That is a good question," Darien interjected. "When the stones were given to me, Malachite's was the only one that was unoccupied."
"While I was trapped in the crystal, I could still hear. I would get a visitor every couple of days, and she would confide things to me. After a while, she stopped coming by, and I was alone. All of a sudden, I was freed from the crystal. Before I could get my bearings, I was blasted by Beryl's staff, and I died," Jedite responded. "Even though I couldn't see while I was in the crystal, I knew my visitor had been Zoicite. There wouldn't have been anyone else who would have confided in me."
"The only reason I stopped coming by was because Beryl killed me," Zoicite said. Seeing everyone's eyes on her, she continued, "Even though we were brainwashed by the lure of power, the connections we had with each other were still guiding our actions."
"What connections are you talking about?" Amy asked.
"Well, Malachite is my boyfriend, Jedite is my confidante, and Nephlite is like a combination of a big brother and a rival," Zoicite replied.
"Zoicite is my girlfriend, and both Nephlite and Jedite are like little brothers to me, although Nephlite can give me some competition," Malachite supplied.
"Zoicite is like my little sister, Malachite is like an older brother, and Nephlite is like a crazy cousin who is willing to be weird but will still scold you if need be," Jedite put in.
"Malachite is like an older brother, Jedite is like a younger brother, and Zoicite is a combination of little sister and rival," Nephlite summed it up.
"So, it's like you're one big family," Serena commented.
The generals looks at each other in slight astonishment. The Healer-General spoke next. "I guess we are."
Malachite wrapped an arm around Zoicite, and, taking their cue from their fellow generals, Nephlite and Jedite wrapped an arm around Lita and Raye, respectively. Darien wrapped his arms around Serena. Amy and Mina picked up Luna and Artemis, respectively.
Artemis looked around at the group gathered; generals and scouts with the prince and princess. It really did look like a family. 'Family never gives up on each other for it is the most important thing in the world.'
