"Blood Moon- Part 13"





Blood Moon- Part 13
by becca-oneechan
4/17/97

Well, it's done. No, actually, it's not. If you get to the end and want to kill 
me, just rest assured there's an epilogue to be soon forthcoming. And a happy 
ending will be had by all - honest! 



--Blood Moon--

"Pt 13- Final Strike"
*becca-oneechan*



"Holy SHIT!!" Mako, of course, got the first words in. Her curse was echoed by 
several from Jadeite, who clapped a hand to his pistol handle, though it was 
doubtful the weapon could do any damage to the powerful evil being looming over 
them.
"You shouldn't have come back, bitch!" Kunzite said, the hard anger of the words 
sounding strange spoken in Artemis's warm voice.
Metallia laughed wickedly, sure of herself and her strength in this new, evil 
body. "I could say the same thing to you!" she sneered, and unexpectedly shot 
lances of brilliant red power toward the pale man.
Swifter than thought, he raised the Star Sword, but the Night Saber was already 
there, and its black blade absorbed the evil magic. Usagi stood a little 
straighter, the weariness leaving her face, her slumped shoulders squaring. A 
fire burned in her eyes, as she fixed her gaze upon Metallia.
"Darkness in the hands of Light. Light in the hands of Darkness. Your time is 
up, and you shall be returned to Chaos." Usagi's voice was even harder than 
Kunzite's had been as she intoned these words, cold and deadly, making even her 
friends to shudder.
Metallia gazed down at the small girl, uncertainty and no small amount of fear 
flickering across her beautiful face. "That's what you think," she snarled, 
though there lacked any true force behind her words. 
She struck again, and again. Bolt after bolt flew at the two before her, only to 
be absorbed by the Night Saber. With each bolt Usagi seemed to grow in strength, 
but she also grew more distant, as though she was far, far away, even though her 
body was standing right there.
"What's Metallia doing?" Jadeite muttered in frustration, squinting his eyes in 
the glare of the red bolts. "She must know she can't get through the blade--"
Then his question was answered. Without so much as a flicker of her burning eyes 
to warn them, Metallia suddenly tossed two bolts over Usagi and Kunzite's heads. 
There wasn't time to block them, hardly time to blink.
There was a loud scream as one of the bolts hit Luna square in the chest, 
blowing her tiny body backwards. But it was Mako who had voiced it, for Luna was 
dead before she hit the ground with a sickening, crunching thud. There came a 
second scream, so mingled with Mako's that they were nearly one, as Minako fell 
to the floor, her left thigh spouting blood, where the second bolt had struck 
her.
Metallia's mad laughter filled the air around them.
Mako threw herself toward Luna's body, even though it was clear from the lolling 
of her dark head, as well as the deep, fist-shaped hole burned through her 
cheery yellow dress and into the flesh of her chest, that there was no hope. 
Jadeite swore, standing over Minako and firing the pistol at Metallia, once, 
twice, three times. 
Red wounds blossomed in the evil queen's chest and torso, but healed over in a 
second. Jadeite snarled and began summoning crackling power about his fingers, 
his bright blue eyes fixed on his foe.
"No, don't!" Usagi suddenly barked, startling him so that the power scattered. 
He blinked at her. Behind him, Ami, her face set, worked desperately to fashion 
a tourniquet from the shredded remains of Minako's pant leg, her gloves soaked 
with blood to the wrists, while Minako groaned in pain and grew steadily more 
pale. Further still, Mako cradled Luna's body, weeping bitterly.
"What the hell--" Jadeite snarled. 
Usagi turned slightly to face him, and he stumbled back a pace, nearly falling 
over Ami, at the expression on her face. She tossed him the moon stick, then 
turned to face forward once more.
Before Jadeite could recover, before Metallia had stopped her hideous laughter, 
Usagi struck.
In a furious blur of golden hair and flashing black blade, Usagi was on the dais 
beside the evil queen. The Night Saber sang as it swung, and it was Metallia's 
turn to scream in anguish. The saber sliced deeply into her side, and this time 
the wound did not heal, but instead streamed bright blood. With a whimpering 
snarl, Metallia fled in a warp of swirling red and black. Usagi howled in anger, 
diving after her, but she was too late. Metallia was gone.
On the floor, Jadeite had pressed the moon stick into Minako's fingers, his face 
carved into an expression of agonized worry and furious fear. Minako was white, 
her breath rasping, surrounded in a thick pool of her own blood. Ami had slowed 
the bleeding, but not before the damage had been done. However, the ginzuishou 
glowed gold, and the wound closed, Minako's gasps becoming easier. Jadeite 
cradled her against his chest, letting a few tears streak his cheeks. Ami sat, 
staring blankly at her bloody gloves. Mako had risen, Luna's limp body held 
tightly to her chest, her face pale but her eyes burning.
With a tiny cry, Ami stripped her gloves off, throwing them away as though they 
revolted her. She turned eyes too wide, too dark, to watch as Mako lowered 
Luna's body to lie near her. Then she fainted.
Usagi was quite visibly shaking as she stepped down from the dais, though 
whether it was from fury, grief, or something else entirely was unclear. Her 
knuckles were white and shiny as she gripped the handle of the Night Saber, and 
her jaw was clenched, her teeth gritted. Even Kunzite dared not approach her as 
she stalked stiffly to where Mako sobbed once more over Luna's corpse.
She didn't so much kneel as let her knees loosen to drop her body. Jadeite 
winced at the crack of bone against the stony floor, but Usagi didn't even 
flinch. She stared down at Luna's face, her thoughts impossible to divine as her 
face was set in a hard, blank expression. A dark trickle of blood ran from one 
of Luna's nostrils, but her features were peaceful.
Mako lifted her head and looked beseechingly at the frozen girl. 
"Usagi-chan...."
Usagi raised her burning eyes to Mako's. Mako flinched, but didn't lower her 
swimming gaze. Slowly Usagi shook her head, as though every movement cost her.
"There's nothing I can do. She's dead. And this time, dead is dead." The words 
were flat, but there was an undertone of complete and utter anguish that was 
unmistakable. Mako burst into harsh guttural sobs, more from sympathy for 
Usagi's pain than in reaction to what the girl had said, for she had already 
known in her heart that there was nothing anyone could do.
Kunzite knelt next to Ami's sprawled body, his uniform knees gaining spreading 
stains from Minako's blood. He gathered the small girl up and attempted to call 
her back to consciousness. Jadeite rested his cheek against Minako's head. She 
was weak, but still alive, and the longer she held the ginzuishou, the more she 
revived. 
Usagi still had not shed a tear. The fury in her heart and the darkness of the 
Night Saber burned that ability from her. She stood, stiffly and awkwardly, as 
though her body had forgotten how to move.
"Here," Minako croaked, holding the moon stick up toward her in a hand that 
trembled like a leaf in a storm. Her whole arm and body shook with the strain, 
and Jadeite was about to voice a protest, when Usagi took the stick, her own 
hand steady, but her fingers cold and white. He glanced at her face, then winced 
and kept his mouth shut.
Usagi held the moon stick in her left hand, and as Ami revived and turned to 
watch, she stretched it out over Luna's prone corpse. Ami let out a strangled 
moan and struggled weakly in Kunzite's arms as Luna's body began to fade and 
dissolve into a soft pastel mist. This flowed upwards, and was embraced by the 
golden glow of the ginzuishou. Then Usagi slumped once more to her knees, the 
Night Saber ringing as it struck the floor beside her, the moon stick falling 
from her limp fingers.
As Usagi stared blankly, still not weeping, and Ami gave in to a fit of wild 
hysterics, Jadeite hesitantly picked up the moon stick and, after glancing at 
the catatonic Usagi, pressed it once more into Minako's hand. She accepted it 
willingly enough. Meanwhile, Mako quickly shook off the worst her own grief and 
numbness and moved to help Kunzite in attempting to calm Ami.
After about five minutes, Ami was once more in control of herself, though she 
was hoarse from screaming and crying, and her pinched face was white, her dark 
eyes more than a little glazed. Mako was recovered still more, for fierce anger 
was beginning to override her sorrow. Minako had healed enough that she was able 
to stand, although she avoided putting too much weight on her left leg and she 
leaned heavily on Jadeite's arm. Kunzite gave Ami over to Mako's care, and 
crossed to Usagi. On his way past Minako, the blonde handed him the ginzuishou. 
He nodded briefly, his face drawn into tight lines.
"Usagi, come. It's time." 
She started, then raised her eyes to his. He looked back soberly, not frightened 
by the intensity they held, although the others were forced to glance away. She 
stretched out her left hand. He grasped it and raised her to her feet, then gave 
the moon stick into her ready fingers.
"Let's go wipe the bitch out," she said, her voice low, but finally throbbing 
with real emotion.
"Hai."
* * *
Metallia slumped to the hard seat of Beryl's throne. The throneroom was the 
center of the Dark Kingdom, and was thusly the place where Metallia had the most 
power.
She groaned as the wound in her side jolted fire through her body. It had been 
so very long since she had felt pain, real, physical pain. The awful slice was 
beginning to close, but was slow to heal, for the Night Saber had absorbed much 
of her own power, and held its own dark magic besides. She cursed the saber, its 
creator, the Presence that had allowed its release, and, most of all, its 
bearer. She now knew where the real danger lay. The former king was a nuisance, 
nothing more, and the rest of the little band less than that, but the girl.... 
That damned little bitch had the power and strength to truly destroy Metallia, 
and not only that, but she had the knowledge and the will.
Still, though they were not truly a threat, the others were a tool she could 
use. Both the kings were beyond her reach, corrupted by the goodness they had 
chosen to embrace. But when she could not come from within, she could strike 
from without, and the more of her friends and companions Usagi lost, the more 
weakened the little bitch would be. 
Metallia did not know that the more of Usagi's loved ones she killed, the 
greater would burn Usagi's rage and the stronger would be her hatred, which in 
turn fueled the darkness of the saber. And so, as she sent a mass of hastily 
created, yet deadly constructs off to take care of the annoying mortals, she 
laughter wickedly and confidently.
* * *
"I still say we should risk warping," Jadeite said, his voice taut. His opinion 
was flavored more than a bit by the way Minako staggered next to him, her face 
drawn tight in lines of pain, her steps faltering.
"If you want to be crushed like a bug, or dragged inside out, be my guest," 
Kunzite snapped shortly, watching Usagi's stiff back closely as she led the 
group in striding across the dark plain. "You know the minute you open the star 
gate Metallia will know it, and will act against you!"
Jadeite snorted. 
"I'm all right, dearheart," Minako assured him, her voice low and strained.
"Like hell," Mako muttered next to her, where she led Ami carefully along. The 
dark-haired senshi was still lost in a state of shock, but at least she was no 
longer hysterical.
"I--" Jadeite began, but just then Usagi shrieked and spun, her blade flashing. 
Mako cried out and fell to the floor in a dark smatter of blood, her fuku nearly 
raked from her back by the claws of the dark creature which had appeared without 
warning behind the group.
"Mako!" Ami cried. The tall girl lay limp. More of the creatures loomed from the 
darkness. They were bulky and misshapen, but fast, formed of the same stuff as 
the floor, with long black claws, sharp yellow fangs, and blazing orange eyes. 
Jadeite swore and sheering claws swept through the air where his head had been 
as he ducked, knocking Minako to the floor. She cried out in pain, but was 
mostly unharmed. Summoning her power, she blasted the head off an approaching 
construct, then staggered back to her feet. 
Now there were too many to count, and more appearing all the time. Soon the 
group was entirely surrounded. Jadeite used his bright blue-white power to blow 
them apart. The one which Minako had beheaded continued fighting on until she 
blasted it into bits. Usagi leapt into the fray, saber swinging. Wherever it 
struck, the constructs dissolved, sucked into the blade the same as Metallia's 
bolts had been. But there were more coming at them all the time.
Ami stood over Mako's limp form, her face drawn into a dreadful rictus of insane 
fury. Somehow she had managed to snatch the knife from Kunzite's waist, and she 
wielded it in hands that glowed with nearly blinding ki-power. It did not so 
much seem that the blade held her captive, as it had Usagi, but that she used 
its strength and knowledge to her own ends. Her eyes blazed with darkness, more 
than half mad. Blood ran freely down one side of her face, and her left arm hung 
limp, but still she fought on.
Minako stood back to back with Jadeite, it being the most they could do to keep 
their attackers off themselves. Kunzite wielded the Star Sword, the white blade 
crackling with star power. It had almost the same effect as the Night Saber, 
except that the constructs he struck burst into dark powder. However, he was in 
a strange body, and this made him just awkward enough that his silvery-white 
uniform was now marred in several places with bloody crimson gashes. Still, none 
of the wounds were disabling. He struggled to reach Ami and the prone Mako, 
sensing that there was the most need, but there were too many of the beings.
Usagi was a mad whirlwind, and she was absorbing at least five constructs with 
each swing of her saber. The constructs finally stopped growing in number, then 
began rapidly to decrease.
Mako groaned and struggled up onto her elbows, her hair trailing in her eyes. 
Her back burned with fiery agony, but she ignored the pain as the sounds of a 
battle penetrated her senses.
She gasped in shock as she was finally able to focus her eyes. 
The second to last construct fell to Kunzite's sword. The very last loomed over 
Ami. 
"AMI!" Mako cried. The construct struck. There was a grisly crack, and Usagi 
leapt over Ami's collapsing form to cleave the last construct in two.
"NO!" Mako howled, flinging herself at the fallen senshi with a sickening sense 
of deja vu. 
"Ma-Mako?" Ami coughed weakly as Mako gathered the smaller girl into her arms.
"Shush, Ami-chan, I'm here. It's going to be okay."
"No... not...." 
Mako bit back a hot sob, knowing Ami was right. The life was already fading from 
her dark eyes. Even had the blow to her ribcage not collapsed her lungs, the 
crack her head had taken as she hit the floor would have been enough to do her 
in. Mako moaned deep in her throat.
"No, Ami, you can't die, you can't!"
"Go-gomen," Ami managed choke up, along with a gout of blood. Then she fell 
limp, her rattling breathing ceasing to shake her slim chest.
"NO!" Mako screamed, throwing her head back, then huddling around Ami's battered 
body, rocking it, too agonized to even weep.
Minako stood, leaning against Jadeite, her eyes wide and shock- filled. It was 
questionable whether she was even able to take in what had happened.
Kunzite knelt beside Mako, silent but sympathetic. Usagi stood where she had 
landed after destroying the last construct. Her eyes were burning blue holes in 
her white face. Her body was taut. The Night Saber flamed and flickered with the 
powerful emotions she dared not release, that the saber would not allow her to 
release. For if she were to let herself lose control, let herself weep, she 
would lose everything, and would be of no use to the blade or to the group. But 
she still felt the pain, couldn't block out the pain.
Kunzite was nearly reeling with the strength of her agony, but he forced himself 
to focus outward. She was shielding him, as much as she could, but still, he had 
to blink several times before he could make out Mako's shuddering form through 
the red haze that covered his sight.
"Mako-chan...." The warmth and affection in his voice reached the grieving girl 
as nothing else could have done. Releasing Ami's body, she let out a broken cry 
and flung herself into his ready arms. He embraced her tightly, as though the 
strength of his arms was necessary to keep her from flying apart. And it seemed 
to work. She was able to weep, and she sobbed bitterly against his shoulder as 
he held her and soothed her with softly spoken words.
Usagi used her moon stick to absorb Ami's body, as she had done Luna's. If any 
of the others wondered why she did that, none dared to ask her. She stood, 
proud, stern, untouchable, as cold as a statue made of white marble. But a 
statue could not bleed, and she felt as though her heart had been broken inside 
her body.
"Ku-Kunzite," Jadeite finally husked, his cheeks suspiciously damp. "Kunzite?"
The king looked over his shoulder, shaken from the semi-trance he and Mako 
seemed to have lulled one another into. "Ne?"
Jadeite cleared his throat and tightened his arms about Minako's waist. "We 
should-- I think I-- In my lab, there's--"
"Of course." Kunzite nodded, understanding. "Weapons. Explosives."
Mako raised her head, fire flickering into life in her green eyes. "Explosives?" 
she croaked.
Jadeite nodded soberly. "Guns, cannons, shells. It may not kill the bitch, but 
maybe we can put a dent in her hide."
Mako pulled out of Kunzite's arms and rose swiftly to her feet. "Yes!"
No one smiled. Jadeite reluctantly gave Minako into Kunzite's care, and he and 
Mako took off at a mad dash toward his laboratory. Minako bit back a protest and 
watched her love and one of her best friends disappear into the darkness with 
anxious eyes. They'd already lost two. The thought that she might, even 
possibly, never see one or both of them again was almost more than she could 
bear.
"It'll be all right," Kunzite assured her softly. She almost believed him.
Usagi stalked past them, the Night Saber flaring, her eyes bright and unholy 
with a dark light. Kunzite shuddered, wondering if she would ever recover from 
what the blade and the deaths were doing to her. He could only pray as he took 
Minako's arm and led her after the dangerously silent girl. For Usagi and for 
all of them.
Behind them, the knife lay, blade broken, gleaming pale and useless on the dark, 
blood-stained floor.
* * *
Metallia sat in shock, her side still throbbing angrily, her mind thrust into 
confusion. After all the constructs she had sent to wipe out the small group, 
the energy she had expended, only one more of the pitiful little band was dead. 
It was impossible! The casualties should have been higher than that! 
And now, the group was split, two of the weak ones on their own, where she 
should be able to easily dispose of them, but she was too drained. The 
constructs had taken more out of her than she would have liked, and most of her 
power was tied up in mending the damage the Night Saber had done to her new body 
anyway. 
She snarled and cursed, feeling the blade moving closer and closer to the 
throneroom, and unable to do anything to stop it. She was missing her last 
chance to fight back before it reached her, but there was nothing she could do 
but wait, her dread and fury growing with every passing second.
* * *
It worried the others a little that they encountered no more resistance as they 
made their way to the throneroom, but Usagi continued on confidently. The two 
groups met in the hallway outside the blocked doorway to the large room.
Minako threw her arms joyfully around Jadeite, so glad to see him still living 
and unharmed that she took no note of the walking arsenal he had become. He 
could only wrap one arm about her in return, for the other was supporting what 
was unmistakably a machine gun, but he held her tightly.
Mako carried a huge bazooka, loaded and ready to fire. It was so heavy she could 
barely heft it and walk at the same time, but her eyes gleamed with 
determination, and she wasn't about to release her prize.
Jadeite unslung the pack he bore and opened it. Usagi refused any weapon other 
than her saber, and Kunzite declined as well, but Minako took a second machine 
gun. She grimaced, for she preferred to fight with her crescent beam or a simple 
blade, but in this case necessity outweighed personal preference.
Jadeite shifted his gun into position and turned to look at the doorway, which 
Metallia had pragmatically blocked. He frowned. "Kunzite, how are we gonna--"
Usagi stepped up and touched the tip of her saber to the lumpy surface. There 
was an explosion, and when the dust cleared, they saw that the way was now open. 
Without a word or a glance, Usagi strode through.
"Shit!" Jadeite yelped, jumping after her. Mako was right at his heels, and 
Minako behind them, but Kunzite made it through before any of them, the Star 
Sword naked and cold in his hand.
The throneroom, now empty of the massed youma that had always before filled it, 
was wide, so wide that they could barely see the huge throne set across the way. 
They moved as quickly as they could, anxious to reach their goal before Metallia 
could throw anything else in their way.
It was a vain hope, of course. They hadn't gotten beyond twenty feet into the 
throneroom when the first of Metallia's defenses kicked in.
The large monster that rose suddenly from the stony floor might have looked like 
a dragon, had its hide been metallic scales, rather than scabby, peeling brown 
flesh, and its head had not resembled so closely that of a carrion crow. It 
opened its dark maw to scream at them, its tongue flickering pale. Mako blew off 
her bazooka straight into the wide mouth.
With a loud shriek it exploded, knocking them off their feet and spattering them 
with unspeakable gore. Mako, ignoring her badly bruised shoulder, swiftly 
reloaded her weapon with a shell from Jadeite's pack. Her back was bleeding 
sluggishly, she could feel the blood trickling hot, and she knew a second firing 
of the bazooka while she held it would probably break her collarbone, but she 
wasn't going to give up until she saw Metallia dead, and Ami and Luna were 
revenged.
They made it another ten feet or so before running across the next menace. There 
came an eerie, keening howl, then another, and another, and suddenly they were 
surrounded by a pack of... things. The creatures were low and lean, with 
disproportionately long bodies, and heads that were sleek and small, only large 
enough to hold their glowing slitted eyes, and wide jaws full of sharp white 
fangs. The creatures circled the group for a moment, their numbers swelling to 
well over three dozen, then, without warning, they attacked.
Minako and Jadeite's machine guns spat and twisted bodies fell to the floor, 
writhing in agony before dissolving into the stone. Mako used her ki attacks to 
fry the things, with the same results. Kunzite's blade flashed white, and 
Usagi's black saber fed once more.
However, as they fought, they slowly became separated . Usagi and Kunzite 
remained close, and Mako managed to stay with them, but Minako and Jadeite were 
herded apart. Finally, they ran out of bullets, and began using their powers to 
kill the creatures. But Minako was still weakened, and her crescent beams 
weren't as strong as they should have been. They had disposed of most the 
creatures attacking them, when she moaned and fell to her knees, totally spent. 
Jadeite spun, seeing the last, largest, most ferocious of the evil creatures 
leaping right for the girl, its fangs bared.
With a mad yell, he threw himself between his love and the beast. There was a 
bright flash of his power, killing the creature, but at the same moment its jaws 
closed. There was a spatter of bright blood, and Jadeite fell limp upon the 
remains of the dissolving creature.
Minako screamed, and grabbed at him, but it was too late. The blonde man's 
throat had been torn out, and he was already dead.
Minako didn't weep, she didn't shriek out the unbearable pain in her soul. She 
calmly laid Jadeite on his back, folded his hands over his crimson stained 
chest, brushed his bloody bangs from his forehead, kissed him gently, then 
reached and drew his pistol. If she had calculated right, there should be just 
one bullet left.
The others were in time to see her raise the gun to her temple, but were too far 
away to do anything to stop her. Mako screamed in horror, and there was a loud 
crack, then Minako slump over Jadeite's chest, almost seeming to embrace him one 
last time.
"No-No-No!" Mako started moaning, her whole body shaking. The bazooka shifted 
and almost fell from her hands, and this drew her out of herself before she 
could utterly lose control. Suddenly she snapped upright and shouldered the 
outsized weapon. She turned to Kunzite, who was weeping silently but openly, and 
Usagi, who looked even more distant than ever. There was very little sanity left 
in Mako's eyes, and even less in Usagi's. 
"Come on!" Mako snapped, and she strode quickly toward the throne.
Kunzite hurried after her, but Usagi lingered a moment to use her ginzuishou 
once more. Then she moved swiftly after the other two, leaving behind her a pool 
of dark blood and a spent pistol on the cold floor.
* * *
Metallia was beyond belief, and utterly terrified. She didn't even see the two 
who approached her throne first. Her glazed red eyes were focused beyond them, 
on the blazing black blade, and the slim strip of white light that bore the 
darkness. Perhaps it had once been a girl, perhaps she had once been Sailor 
Moon, and before that had been named Tsukino Usagi, and before that Princess 
Selene. But there was none of that left now. Instead of being consumed by the 
Night Saber, she had become a force equaling it. She was bright with the white 
light of purity, of the heart of every star in the universe, while the saber 
pulsed with all the gathered darkness that opposed the light. There was a 
perfect balance there, and it struck more fear into the evil being that was 
Metallia than she had ever before felt in her long existence.
Mako reached the throne before the others, coming to stand firm and straight 
before the dais. She absently noted the fact that Beryl's dead body still lay to 
one side, but didn't spare her much thought. Beryl had been nothing compared to 
Metallia, she knew that now.
Kunzite was still quite a ways behind her, Usagi further behind him. Mako 
leveled her bazooka at the tall woman standing before the throne. She felt a 
little cheated that Metallia didn't even glance at her, but at least that way 
the bitch couldn't stop her.
She squeezed the trigger.
"SHI-NE!" she howled, staggered from the impact of the barrel against her 
shoulder. Her collar bone did indeed snap. She heard it more inside her head 
than with her ears, which were ringing with the blast of the bazooka.
Metallia's eyes flickered, and she raised a hand. Mako swore.
* * *
Kunzite watched in silent horror as the shell from the bazooka rebounded off the 
shield Metallia had raised, and flew back at Mako. The young girl stood tall and 
proud, and the shell impacted. Kunzite was flung to the floor hard enough to 
bruise by the rush of hot air, and when it cleared, there was merely a darkened 
crater where Mako had stood, and nothing left of the last senshi to even mourn 
over.
Kunzite moaned, shaken by sobs. Usagi came up, and stood over him, her body as 
stiff as stone, her face a blank mask. Kunzite was afraid. There was nothing 
left of the Usagi he knew. There was nothing in his mind but a hot white fire, a 
deep, passionate hatred, combined with a strong sense of justice.
She slowly lowered her head to look at him, her eyes blazing. She didn't even 
look human anymore.
Kunzite knew, finally, what was needed, what he had to do. Shaking off his grief 
over Mako's death, he rose. He stood before Usagi, his back to Metallia, but he 
was not afraid. There was nothing the evil bitch could do to him now.
He held Usagi's burning gaze with his own, and slowly raised his sword hand.
* * *
Metallia watched with a sense of doom, knowing she witnessed the last action in 
her enemy's movements against her, but unable to interfere, unable to do 
anything but look on with fear in her mind.
The traitor king in his borrowed body stood, his back to her, and lifted the 
Star Sword. The blade sparked with cold white fire. If it had not been eclipsed 
by the girl and her saber, the power of the sword in the man's hands would have 
been enough alone to shake Metallia.
The king moved his white blade to rest against the black of the Night Saber. The 
ruby set in the center of the black blade suddenly flared, burning Metallia's 
eyes. She looked away, missing the great blast of raw power that would have 
struck her blind in an instant.
When she looked back at her enemy, her heart froze within her.
Where before had stood a man and a girl, each holding a elemental blade of 
opposing powers, there now burned a single figure, rising from the burned, 
blackened hole the shell had ripped before the throne.
It was the girl, yet not the girl. She stood tall, almost as tall as Metallia. 
Her naked body burned with an inner fire, the white flesh looking like nothing 
more than the thinnest of veils drawn over the brilliance of the cosmos. Her 
hair streamed golden over her shoulders and back, each strand gleaming as though 
a beam of clear sunlight had been captured within it. Her face was cold and 
beautiful, her eyes deep and blue, as bright and endless as a summer sky. Her 
hands were empty, and springing from her shoulderblades, arching above her, were 
wings of the purest black. It was as though the night and all its power had been 
captured in the glossy feathers. And set within her pale breast, burning with 
golden radiance, was the ginzuishou, now a part of the powerful being facing the 
evil queen.
Metallia choked. Her mind reeled. 
The girl raised blazing eyes to Metallia's, pity and understanding in their 
liquid depths. She held out a thin white hand, the fingers spreading. "Come," 
she said, her voice soft and gentle at the same time as the word rang like a 
gong. "Come back to the Whole. Back to where you belong."
Metallia took a step, down off the dais, before she could help herself. There 
was a compulsion in that voice, and it filled her with a bitter longing. But she 
wasn't ready to give up yet what she had worked so hard to gain.
"No!" she croaked, her voice sounding harsh and broken.
A hard, yet mournful look crossed the lovely white face. "Come, daughter. You 
were never meant to have form, hold the power that you hold. You are a part of 
us."
Metallia took another step, almost within reach, but she still struggled. "No!"
The hand was withdrawn. "Oh, daughter...."
Metallia took another step, bringing her face to face with the Power. 
Suddenly she slashed out with a sharp blade of red magic.
At the same moment, a white hand darted forward.
The blade struck the gem set in the slim white chest.
The fingers brushed the evil queen's brow.
The ginzuishou shattered.
Queen Metallia howled as she was dissolved from within, returned to the chaos 
which had spawned her, utterly consumed, returned to the darkness of the 
universe.
Usagi sighed softly as she fled back into herself and died.
The Dark Kingdom collapsed within itself, and became no more.
End Part 13