Disclaimer: Another kinda short chapter but its here. Rejoice! ;) Um yeah...LOL... I give up. I don't own Sailormoon. Standard disclaimers apply. Please please email me! I respond, I truly do!

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Chapter Eight

Lita desperately wished for a minute to wipe the sweat away that was beading on her face but she didn't dare. She blinked quickly,trying to keep it from getting in her eyes, and cursed as the slender, deadly sliver of metal darted toward her thumping heart. Her failing magic saved her, wrenched her away with a flash of emerald. Even then it kept her from death, nothing else.

The blade bit deeply into her shoulder, eagerly tasting her blood, and she hissed, falling heavily to her knees. Instinct saved her as Kunzite followed through with another deft thrust. As the metal whistled overhead she ducked and rolled hard, bringing herself up on the other side of the table where Mina lay, closer to the witch named Beryl.

They had been fighting for ten minutes, give or take a few, and Lita magic was already almost drained. She didn't have any of her battle magics back yet but her defenses were shattered, leaving her with only skill. She was a learned warrior, strong and brave, but she wasn't even a match for Kunzite. Next to him... He was a master of fighting. She cursed the fates that made him her enemy. In the Silver Millennium he would have been her teacher, on Earth he was only to be her murderer.

Lita faced that thought and quailed before it, not before death but before the thought of dying here, in the Earthen Palace, where none of her people would ever discover her fate. Where the winds of Jupiter would never spread her ashes to the corners of her green world, where she would never return to the giant oaks or junipers. Tears moved to cloud her vision as Kunzite advanced but suddenly, her spirit rebelled.

"NO!" she screamed, in denial of the death she was to be handed. Lita surged upward and met the sword with her bare arms, forearms circled by flowing emerald bands of sparkling light that pulsed, unwavering. Kunzite's silver eyes, inches from her own, widened. Lita felt Jupiter's spirit ebb, a sense of regret deep in its thought, as it started to fade from her mind.

It lacked power enough to provide her with constant magic and it knew that without it she would die. Her planet's spirit touched her goodbye as she sank slowly under the weight of Kunzite's sword; grief for it's soon to be lost warrior there, as comfort, as solace for its failure to protect her. But Lita was Guardian of Jupiter for a reason. Her planet was not tame, was not cultured. It had raw elemental power and so did she, so she must to control its gifts. Lita bared her teeth in a wolf's snarl and fought back, clung to her planet's essence, fought like the hell cat that she was to hold onto the magic that kept her, and thus Mina, alive. "You will not win!" she gasped as she stood straighter, forcing back the sword with all her might.

Kunzite broke off and stepped back, perspiration for the first time shining on his own noble face. "I hope not," he replied softly, hawkish face sad. Before she had time to puzzle that out Kunzite rushed again. Unquelching, unafraid, true to her training, the wounded Guardian of Jupiter moved to meet him.

Nephrite felt panic within his breast as he entered the room and saw Kunzite advancing on a bloody, unarmed Princess Lita. Without stopping to reconsider, to even think, he flung his own considerable magic around Kunzite. The man, more surprised than unable to break free, paused. Lita did not. His heart stopped.

He meant to break up the fight but by immobilizing Kunzite... If Lita had a knife and she killed his friend, his leader in cold blood? Nephrite expelled it as she moved past the cursing Kunzite and next to Mina's side. Nephrite winced as he noticed limp that favored an ankle, slashed nearly to the bone. Lita's shoulder dripped blood and one long slash ran across her right cheek, but she stood tall by Mina's still form, arms crossed in a show of defiance. She clearly had no idea what was going on but she knew whom she had to protect. He couldn't help but see the small trembling of her hands. The green eyes were still, hard, uncompromising. They were nothing compared to Kunzite's.

Nephrite faced his leader and slowly released the magic that held him. Silver glinted coldly as they studied him. He swallowed but refused to look away. Kunzite carefully, easily cleaned his vermilion sword on the edge of his uniform before sheathing it, his gaze never leaving Nephrite. Zoicite and Jadeite watched intently.

"You just committed treason General Nephrite, you know that, don't you?" Nephrite licked his lips as he thought frantically. In a flash he acted, using a boost of power to vault himself over Kunzite's head. His leader, not realizing his intent, couldn't stop him in time as Nephrite landed lightly next to the heavily breathing Beryl. He drew a long knife and pressed it against Beryl's sleeping throat.

"I know," he murmured as his friends regarded him in mute shock. 'There is no going back,' he thought, 'after this I must align myself with the princesses or face death from the hands of my countrymen...' Jadeite stepped forward, face white.

"Nephrite, what are you doing?" Nephrite frowned.

"What I, what we, should have done long ago. I'm taking a stand against Sol. Now would you like to hear my list of demands in exchange for Beryl and the babe's lives?"

Kunzite snorted. "You don't have the guts, you're bluffing." Nephrite bowed.

"If I was the same man you use to know that'd be true, old friend, but I'm not. The death of another friend and a wife will change a person." He pressed the knife closer, until a single bead of blood formed and slid down Beryl's ivory neck. "Care to test me?" he barked. Kunzite growled but moved no closer.

"I was willing to let Beryl die fifteen minutes ago Nephrite. I was going to kill Princess Venus in cold blood and thus destroy Beryl and the babe. Why should I care if you do it for me?"

"Because Kunzite, that would have been an acceptable loss. A powerful princess for a powerful sorceress. The child is negligible right? But now Earth would loose greatly because I guarantee you that if I kill Beryl I will defend Mina until my last breath and you know Ihave better control over my magic than any of you."

"Your terms?" Jadeite asked, his voice shaking with shock and betrayal, for, despite all their differences, the Generals were friends, were colleagues, were one. Nephrite thought fast.

"Guarantee of safety until we leave Earth..."

"We?" '...she was born to love you lover. She is your one true love. She doesn't want to be and she'll fight it every step of the way but her heart beats with yours and no one else's.'

"We," he affirmed, "Lita and I." The princess looked up.

"What in the hell?" Kunzite broke through her question, silver eyes glinting hard with anger and something else Nephrite couldn't even begin to describe.

"That is all? A powerless princess and your safety?"

"Yes," he replied simply, ignoring the furious Lita as she moved even closer to Mina.

"And you will leave this Earth forever, until your natural deaths or until Sol orders that we hunt you down and kill you like the traitor you are?"

"I swear." Kunzite, ignoring the objecting looks on both of the other Generals faces, nodded.

"Agreed then, on behalf of Earth and its liege, Emperor Sol. I shall go and inform Sol of these new developments. Please collect your 'companion' and be prepared to depart in all haste. Zoicite, please accompany me. Jadeite, stay here and guard Beryl." Kunzite turned his heel and left with Zoicite, following baffled, in his wake.

Zoicite whirled on his leader the minute the heavy oaken door closed. "What are you doing? He is... He is... He is our friend! We cannot allow this! And the 'powerless princess', don't you dare deny the magic you saw in her!" Kunzite grabbed the other man's arm and met him, face to face.

"Dare to tell me that you approve of what Sol has done. I know you'll support him but dare to tell me you agree." Zoicite opened his mouth and closed it abruptly, emerald eyes darkening as he considered Kunzite's words.

"That princess has shown no hint of power. Right?" Zoicite let a small smile curl on his lips.

"Aye, no power what so ever." Kunzite dropped his arm.

"Good, call Sol through that damned contraption on your arm then. We have a hostage situation here."

"What game are you playing?" Lita hissed angrily as Nephrite moved to stand next to her. Her hands clenched into white fists as unconcernedly he tore off strips of fabric from his uniform to bind her wounds. As he reached for her arm she flinched and tried to back away but firmly, gently, his held her and bound her shoulder as she glared but moodily allowed it.

"No game," he murmured as dark eyes looked up from the ugly wound to glance at Jadeite who fumed silently on the other side of the room. Using a bit of magic he soothed the inflammation already tryingto start. Nephrite saw Lita swallow as coolness followed his touch.

"Then what? And why in the hell do you think I would go with you? You saw what I did to Kunzite and I know he's better than you." He raised one dark eyebrow.

"Lose?" She stiffened under his hands and he cursed his sharp tongue. "Look," he hissed, "right now they're planning on killing all of you, every single princess. You screwed up, you got caught, this is your salvation."

"Maybe I want to die with my friends," she replied bitterly.

"Maybe you want to live to avenge their deaths."

"Maybe you aught to mind your own damn business."

"I didn't know princesses knew that kind of language."

"I didn't until I became a hunted fugitive. We couldn't exactly be picky about where we stayed." This time it was Nephrite who flinched.

"Why?!" she hissed, "Why now? When it's too late? When we've lost? When your magic won't help us because there is no us! Why couldn't you have come earlier?!" Nephrite closed his eyes.

"Because," he whispered, "I was a fool." Lita wrenched herself away.

"Or a coward or..." She never finished. Nephrite grabbed her again and pulled her up through a gasp of pain so that they were eye to eye. The experience was disturbing to the tall princess.

"You don't know courage until you choose to stand by oaths that bind you to a blood thirsty monster." Lita growled.

"I saw your face when you thought I was going to kill Kunzite General. Imagine living through that!"

"I have!" Lita snorted.

"What? Rose and Endymion? Serenity, Serena, Rose, Horatu, Michiru, Haruka, and Ken! All dead because of you!" Nephrite dropped her suddenly, face tired.

"I am not Sol and I am not Earth Lita. And we did not shoot down the sky carriage. It fell, and in one tragic stupid accident the world as we knew it ended." Lita frowned and looked away.

"I know," she whispered, "I know you're not Sol or Earth. And that's why I can't hate you, no matter how hard I try. I couldn't hate you when you took Rose away or when I saw you mourn her as deeply as I did or when you stood by your honor and duty. I hated the others. They were nameless, faceless for the most part. They were the Generals but I knew you. The first time Rose sent me a picture or you I knew I could never truly hate you. The love she put into that picture made sure of that. And the gods know I've even tried to resent her for that. But I couldn't, gods help me I couldn't.Why do this though? Why?" Nephrite touched the princess's shoulder.

"Because Rose asked me to." Lita looked at him, emerald eyes narrowed in speculation

"You don't mean before she died do you?" Nephrite coughed.

"No." He waited for denial or hysterical laughter or anger but instead Lita seemed transfixed by something standing next to him. He turned and thought he saw a flash or golden hair and twinkling blue eyes and, a cool non touch on his own broad shoulder. When he looked to measure Jadeite's reaction he found the other General staring intently at the space next to him, a line of concentration creasing his forehead.

Lita moved closer to him and stood on her toes to whisper fiercely in his ear.

"All right Nephrite. I'll go with you but swear by all you ever held dear that you aren't lying, that you'll help me, until we die, in fighting the Earthen Empire. Swear that if you have to kill Sol yourself you will. Swear on your mother's grave, and Endymion's, and Rose's." Her strong voice wavered and broke at the end.

'She is your one true love...'

He touched her chin with rough hands and looked deeply into green eyes. "I swear." Unsettled by the touch and intensity in his cobalt gaze Lita drew away, but not out of reach. One shaking hand reached and gripped a small umbrella charm and, despite their situation, Nephrite smiled.

Ken fought the tears in his eyes as he went to stand beside Rose. "You don't have to watch you know," he said softly to the woman who let her own tears flow unnoticed down her cheeks as she watched those whom she had left behind.

"I know," she replied evenly enough, "but I feel like I should. They were my best friends Ken. This is right." He knelt beside her.

"It doesn't make it any less painful though, does it?" Rose laughed bitterly.

"No my friend, it doesn't." Ken nodded.

"Then I will stay with you. Pain is always less when it is shared." Rose looked up and smiled radiantly.

"Yes, it is." Ken sat and together they watched the unfolding events that would eventually mend their torn home and let their loves find happiness in the arms of others.

Endymion held Serena closer. "Sere we have to go. The future is calling us. We're done with this life, its time to move on." Serena shook her head.

"No Endy, not yet. Lita still needs me and so does Rose and Ken." The Earthman sighed and hugged her harder.

"What if I go on without you Sere? I can't hold out much longer. We might loose each other forever..." His voice shook and Serena smiled before kissing his already transparent cheek with lips much firmer than his. The hug that he put so much strength into was barely that. She could hardly feel his shadowy arms around her waist. The future called them both but she had more reason to stay behind than her love did. The thought scared her but she was firm.

"There is no forever Endy. You are my true love. The stars won't keep us apart, they can't. We're two halves of one soul." Sapphire eyes darkened.

"Life without you, my love, is no life at all."

"I will always be with you lover. Even if only in your dreams. I promise you will never loose me completely. If you're reborn before me, without me, always remember that somewhere out there is the person who completes you. You found me once, you'll find me again." Endymion sighed at the utter surety in her voice and cupped her cheek lightly, content to hold her while he could.

Author Notes: More action coming up, like the story should actually start coming along and moving. The last two chapters have been kinda slow I know, more character development and sentimental spector stuff. I like spirits... I really didn't plan on putting them in but then, this story wasn't planned. =) EMAIL! I luv email! I even go and dance whenever I get some. Junkmail just gets a 'yeah!' though. Bizarre ne? hehe Oh and I am eventually going to do something with the rest of the Scouts. They're not gonna pull the Sleeping Beauty routine forever... *humm.. mulls idea over* Nah... Too much work.

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