Note: I have nothing to do with Sailor Moon and its characters except to be a fan who enjoys the series and the movies very much. This story is my extrapolation of the storylines as received in North America. I apologize if this story doesn't quite fit into the Japanese series.
"Serena," Jed said, trying to pull away, "I don't think this is such a good idea."
Serena tightened her grip on his arm. "You said you wanted to find out more about Nephlyte, right?" she asked. "Well, the person you should talk to is my friend, Molly. She's the girl who touched Nephlyte's heart, and she's the one he was protecting when Zoisite killed him."
She wasn't entirely certain why she trusted Jed. Sure, he had once been their enemy, but there was just something about him--besides his totally dreamy eyes--that told her she could count on him. And of course, Darian and Andrew trusted him, and she trusted their judgment. Except that Andrew was in love with Rita, which was a minus for Andrew, but she still liked him.
And of course, if Rei were determined to dislike and distrust him, then it would totally irritate her if her sworn nemesis, Serena, took an instant liking to him. Except that Rei had decided to let bygones be bygones and had apologized to Jed.
It had surprised them all when Rei explained why she'd changed her mind.
"What's to explain?" she had said crossly. "I watched him keeping that boy distracted and entertained. I seriously doubt the old Jedite would have done that, and I sensed Jed's concern about the kid and pleasure in being helpful. And there's absolutely no way the old Jedite would have felt that way. So it's plain that Jed is no longer Jedite, and I apologized. All right?"
Serena shrugged the matter aside. At least Rei wouldn't be trying to attack Jed anymore. But back to the business at hand: arranging a meeting between Jed and Molly at the park.
"Now remember, Jed," she said. "I'll come down the path with Molly and Melvin. You step out and ask to speak to Molly alone about Nephlyte, only make sure you call him 'Maxfield Stanton.' That's the name he went by and the name Melvin would know him by. He doesn't know that millionaire tycoon Maxfield Stanton was really Nephlyte the Negaverse general."
Jed frowned. "But how can I talk to Molly alone if you and Melvin are there?"
Serena waved her hand. "That's where I come in." She pulled him down towards her so she could whisper in his ear. It was ridiculous since they were all alone, but it felt more secretive this way.
"I happen to know," she whispered, "that Melvin is dying to ask Molly out on a real date. I'll help him plan it while you talk to Molly."
"I don't know, Serena," Jed said doubtfully. "Maybe we should wait until Molly is alone."
"Don't worry about it," Serena said confidently. "It will all be fine." She turned away. "Even if it means I'm stuck with Melvin for a while."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing," Serena said immediately, waving the matter aside. "Now you stay here and wait while I get Molly and Melvin, okay?" She didn't wait for his response but instead skipped away down the path.
It didn't take her too long to find her friends. Although they were nominally "together," Melvin's weird interests and hobbies could still bore and frustrate Molly, who had shown surprising patience where Melvin was concerned. And today, as usual, Melvin had found something to occupy his attention, and he was trying to encourage Molly's interest as well.
From the looks and sounds of things, Melvin was explaining something only he would know: how to build a bird's nest. Serena was arriving just in time.
"Hey, guys," she said, cutting Melvin off. "I didn't expect to see you here today."
"Serena!" Molly said, sighing with relief. "So, what's up?"
"Hey, Serena," Melvin said. "I was just explaining how birds are impressive architects. Do you want to know how they start off their nests with just two blades of grass?"
"About as much as I want a root canal, Melvin," she snapped. "Come on, let's go get something to drink."
"I'm with you, Serena," Molly said.
The two girls turned and started back the way Serena had come. After a few steps Melvin caught up with them.
Serena kept the talk to minor things, like Miss Haruna's new boyfriend and how cheerful and lenient she'd been lately. Which, for Serena, was a good thing because she stayed out of detention and had more time to spend with her friends.
Finally, they rounded the corner she'd pointed out for Jed. Sure enough, his tall figure stepped away from a tree and into their path.
"Excuse me," he said politely. "But would you by any chance be Molly?"
Molly stepped back in surprise. "Well, yes, my name is Molly. Why do you ask?"
"I understand you knew a friend of mine, Maxfield Stanton?"
Serena saw Molly stiffen. Even though over a year had passed since his death, Molly was still sensitive about Nephlyte's death. He'd been her first true love, and she'd always feel a little guilty about being indirectly responsible for his death, and a little guilty for finding happiness--however strange and bizarre it might be--with Melvin.
"Yes, I knew him," Molly said slowly. "How did you know him?"
"We had the same employer," Jed said. Serena smiled inwardly. It had been her idea for Jed to pass himself off--initially, at least--as a businessman, much as Nephlyte had done.
"The same employer?" Molly said, frowning. "You mean you were--"
"I'd like to talk to you about his death," Jed interrupted smoothly. "An acquaintance of mine told me you were fairly close to him." He held out his hand. "Would you please walk with me for a little while?"
Serena watched as Molly hesitantly took his hand. Then she snagged Melvin's arm as he started forward.
"Hey, you can't--" he began.
"Hush, Melvin!" Serena hissed. "Let them go. You and I need to talk."
This immediately distracted Melvin. It made Serena slightly uncomfortable to have his attention focused on her, but at least it gave Jed time to lead Molly away.
"What do we need to talk about?" Melvin asked.
"Oh, just some silly thing," she said, tossing her head like she couldn't really be bothered with the subject. "I though we could talk about when you're going to take Molly out on a real date."
She blinked as Melvin turned beet red. Fortunately, it also shut him up. With any luck, he'd stay quiet the entire time she was stuck with him.
She just hoped Jed would make it quick.
* * *
Jed had no idea how to begin, but Molly broached the subject for him.
"So you knew Nephlyte?" she asked quietly.
Jed stiffened at hearing Nephlyte's name spoken so casually, then remembered that was the whole reason for talking to the girl. "Yes. We were both generals in the Negaverse. So what I said earlier is true, in its way. We did have the same employer."
"But if you were a friend of Nephlyte's, why are you only now asking about him."
Jed hesitated for a moment, then spoke, choosing his words carefully.
"Well, first of all, we weren't really friends," he said. "I don't know how much Nephlyte told you about the Negaverse, if anything at all, but there was no such thing as friendship there. There was only power, and those that were weakest obeyed the strongest. Nephlyte and I were two of the strongest. So we were more rivals than anything else."
"Was there a woman there also--" Molly began, but broke off.
Jed smiled grimly. He had a feeling he knew what Molly wanted to know. "There were two worth mentioning. One was our queen, Beryl. She was the strongest of all, but she herself was a servant to the Negaverse itself. But there was also another woman who was a Negaverse general like Nephlyte and myself. Her name was Zoisite. I think you met her."
Molly nodded silently.
Jed sighed. "She's the one that killed Nephlyte. I know. There were four of us, and we were all rivals seeking greater power and glory. The other one was a man named Malachite. He and Zoisite were lovers." He paused, then allowed a hint of secrecy to enter his voice. "And if it's any consolation," he whispered, "Nephlyte and I couldn't stand either of them."
Molly blinked. "Really?"
Jed nodded. "Malachite was an arrogant, pompous bastard who didn't care who he hurt so long as he attained his goals. And Zoisite was a jealous, ugly witch who always tried to undermine anything Nephlyte or I did. So those two were perfectly matched together." He sighed. "But Nephlyte and I...well, we weren't friends, but I can honestly say I respected him. He at least had a code of honor and decency that set him apart from anyone else in the Negaverse."
Neither said anything as they pored over their memories. Molly broke the silence first.
"You know, you look familiar somehow," she said. "Have we ever met before?"
Jed blinked. Actually, the same thing had been bothering him. The girl beside him seemed familiar to him, as though he'd had some sort of contact with her before. Then he remembered. "We have met, once before," he said. "I remember now. A little while before you met Nephlyte you were on a fitness kick, right? And you and three of your friends came to the health club where your teacher had been working out."
Molly's eyes widened. "Now I remember! You're Jed!"
Jed shook his head. "I'm Jed now, and that was the name I used at that time. But back then I was called Jedite. And about that time, Molly," he continued, sighing, "I'd like to apologize to you for using you."
"Using me?" Molly suddenly looked fearful.
"It was all part of an energy-collection operation," he said quickly. "After you exhausted yourself upstairs on the equipment I took you and your friends downstairs to these 'relaxation pods' to relax in. The truth is that those 'pods' drained your energy for the use of the Negaverse. And I'm apologizing for that. I didn't feel that way then when I was still part of the Negaverse, but I know it's wrong now, and I'm sorry."
Molly shook her head, smiling a little. "It's okay," she said. "Nephlyte was the same way, but he was actually a really nice guy, you know? And I think you're a nice guy, too, to come and talk about him."
Jed felt his heart lightening a little. "Well, to be honest, I came today to find out more about what he was like toward the end. You see, circumstances kept me from finding out what really happened to him--to the entire Negaverse, really--until just recently. I'm trying to put my past behind me, but I'd like to know more about how Nephlyte changed."
"Why?" Molly asked curiously. "What happened?"
Jed hesitated before answering. He had to keep Darian, Serena, and the other Sailor Scouts' real identities secret. "Well, I failed in my assignments one too many times and Queen Beryl imprisoned me in crystal. Actually, that's why Nephlyte was sent. His job, like mine, was to gather energy for the Negaverse."
"How did you get out of the crystal?" Molly asked.
"Well, Sailor Moon freed me," he lied. "We were enemies once, but she released me from my prison and gave me another chance at life. Without the Negaverse to influence me, I can honestly repent for my crimes and try to live a good life. The Sailor Scouts are willing to help me, and it's through them that I've already made some ordinary friends. They don't know anything about my background with the Negaverse, and it's been a good opportunity to learn how to be human."
"To be human?" Molly asked, frowning. "You look like a human being to me."
Jed shook his head. "I was born a human being and was one until I joined the Negaverse. I guess I still am. But I need to relearn how to be good and kind, tempering the darker emotions that the Negaverse valued with those that ordinary people value. Things like love and generosity." He sighed. "The Sailor Scouts have done what they could, but ultimately it's up to me to learn. And I thought that if I could learn more about how Nephlyte came to change that I might be able to do the same."
Molly shook her head. "I don't know what to say," she said softly. "I don't think Nephlyte really changed, not until the very end. All I know is that he rescued me from that woman--I think you called her Zoisite--and her cronies."
Jed sighed. "Well, you knew him better than anyone else, right? Surely there were some outward signs that he'd changed. What was he like when you first met him?"
"Oh, he was so handsome!" Molly said, sighing at the memory. "We were at the tennis courts and he just jumped right over the fence!"
"Tell me more about him," Jed urged. "Tell me all you can remember."
He listened in silence as Molly poured her heart out to him, telling him everything she could remember. She told him how Nephlyte had become the absolute focus of her life, even causing her to fight with her best friend because Serena had tried to warn her about trusting Nephlyte--she'd called him Maxfield Stanton, though--because he seemed too mysterious and dangerous. She described the red car he'd driven. She told him about the day she'd gone to the department store to meet someone named "Tuxedo Mask" who she was absolutely certain was really Maxfield Stanton. Then she hesitated.
Jed understood why she was reluctant to continue. They hadn't had much time together before Zoisite lured Nephlyte to his death. And even though she'd moved on, Molly couldn't help but feel pain when she thought about Nephlyte dying and disappearing in her arms.
"It's all right," he said softly. "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to tell me how he died."
She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. And you'd understand more about how he died than anyone else would. You see, he just disappeared from my arms. I was holding him and he just faded away."
Jed nodded. He'd seen other Negaverse operatives die and vanish the way Molly was describing. He remembered--regretfully, now that he thought about it--how Tytus had died. Her particular power had been related most strongly to water, and when she died she'd transformed into some sort of miniature waterspout that merged with and dissipated into the ocean water. Serena had told him how Nephlyte had become strange sparkles of light that had risen up towards the stars. Appropriate for Nephlyte, given his mysticism and reliance upon the stars for direction in his life.
"He came to my rescue," Molly was saying. "One of those weird women kidnapped me and left some sort of ransom note on my bed. They wanted this crystal that Nephlyte had with him. I don't know what it was for, but they killed him for it." She stopped and took a deep breath. "I've never been so scared in my entire life," she said. "One had this arm that looked like it was made of wood, only it could grow and extend and it seemed to work just like a normal arm."
Jed nodded. He vaguely recognized the description.
"Nephlyte came and rescued me, but he was hurt in the process," Molly continued. "We took shelter in the park and I used a part of my pajamas to bind his arm. Then those women attacked again. The one with the wooden arm stabbed Nephlyte through the chest. He didn't die, but the woman said that he'd lose all his energy and disappear." Molly paused, then continued in a softer voice.
"I tried to pull them out, Jed," she whispered. "It hurt, but I tried to pull them out."
"It's all right," Jed said softly. "I'm sure Nephlyte was grateful that you were trying."
"But I failed," Molly said bitterly. "All I have left of him are memories. And this." She reached into her bookbag and took out a tattered strip of orange cloth, its ends knotted together. There were some curious green stains all over it.
Jed suddenly remembered that not all the Negaverse's generals had come from Earth, just as the human members of Queen Serenity's court had no immediate genetic ties to the humans of Earth. And Nephlyte's blood, as he recalled, had been green.
"This is what you bandaged his wound with," he said quietly.
Molly nodded. "It was all that was left when he vanished." She sighed, then held it out to him. "You can have it if you want. I'll still have my memories."
Jed shook his head. "No, this is something dear to you," he said. "I could never take it from you."
Molly smiled, but then tore the strip of cloth in half. "You're more human than you know," she said. "But here, take half of it. That way we'll both have a part of Nephlyte with us. I'll have my memories of him and you'll have a reminder of what you're living for."
Jed looked down at the cloth she held out to him. Slowly he reached out and took the cloth. "Thank you," he whispered. It wasn't really all that much, but the blood on it and his own memories were all that remained of the Negaverse. And it would remind him and renew his determination to achieve what he was striving for. Renew determination, because now he had two souls to live for: his own and Nephlyte's. He would do all he could to succeed at what Nephlyte had been prevented from accomplishing.
"Nephlyte was a lucky man," he said. "He found a girl who could see past the evil that consumed him to the spark of goodness and humanity that remained at his core. I hope that someday I'll be as lucky."
Molly ducked her head, blushing, then straightened. "I'm sure you'll find someone who will be more than willing to help you, Jed," she said. "I'd introduce you to my best friend, Serena, but she already has a boyfriend."
Jed hid a grin. Little did Molly know that he already knew Serena and her boyfriend. And that they were both already willing to help him.
He shook his head. "It isn't that important, Molly," he said. "I don't need a girlfriend right now, just true friends." He paused, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I'd like to be your friend if you'll let me," he said shyly.
Molly stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Anytime."
Jed blushed again, but he only nodded.
"You know, Jed," Molly said, "you may not consider yourself Nephlyte's friend, but I think that, if circumstances had been different--if there hadn't been any Negaverse to work for--you would have been great friends."
Jed felt himself flushing, but forced himself to remain calm. "Thanks, Molly," he said. "That means a lot to me." He held out his arm. "Come on, we should probably get back to your friends. They might be worried about you."
Molly took his arm but shook her head. "There's no reason to worry. I trust you, and I'm sure they'll trust you, too."
"I'm not too sure about that," Jed said. "That boy you were with seemed pretty upset when I asked to talk to you."
She waved her hand. "Oh, that's just Melvin. I guess he's my boyfriend, but he's never really asked me out on a date. We just do things together--like walk in the park--and I took him to the amusement park once, but he's never really returned the favor."
"Well, he's making a big mistake," Jed said. "If he's not too careful someone with a bit more sensitivity might steal you away from him."
Molly's eyes glittered. "Someone like you?"
Jed blushed and shook his head. "Maybe, but I'd be competing with Nephlyte's ghost. I don't think I'm up to that."
"Oh, I think Nephlyte would be happy that I was helping you break away from the Negaverse." Then she laughed and squeezed his arm, letting him know that she was just kidding. "Really, though, if you can play along for a bit, maybe we can get Melvin to declare his true feelings."
Jed nodded. "Sure, what are friends for?" He wouldn't mind helping this girl to happiness.
He hoped that Nephlyte--wherever he was--wouldn't mind either.
* * *
Far to the north of Tokyo where snow and ice lay upon the ground year-round, four pinnacles of faceted, crystalline ice rose from the wasteland. No one lived nearby, so no one knew that those towering peaks were actually grave markers. Once upon a time five warriors had journeyed into the snowy wastes in search of the greatest threat to life on Earth. They had encountered resistance, and one by one the four lesser warriors had sacrificed themselves to ensure that their leader would reach her final destination.
Their battles with the forces of darkness had been huge and titanic, causing those giant outcroppings to explode from the ground. A year's time had erased the signs of battle, but the peaks remained. And if one were to follow them from peak to peak, they would eventually lead the traveler to the destination of that fifth warrior: a huge volcanic crater that now lay shattered and exposed to the sky and a final peak of ice and crystal whose top had spilt open to form an unnaturally smooth platform.
It was here that Sailor Moon, transformed once more into Princess Serenity, used the combined powers of her friends, the Crescent Moon Wand, and the Imperium Silver Crystal to withstand the attacks of a radically changed Queen Beryl. And it was there that she had used the power of the crystal to rescue all her defeated friends and allies and return them all to Tokyo. That battle had completely drained the energy of the Crystal and blocked out the memories the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask had of themselves and each other. Eventually, though, they'd recovered their lives and continued their battles against evil.
The Sailor Scouts gave no thought to the destroyed Negaverse base. When Sailor Moon's titanic battle ended, the entire base had vanished, its foul denizens sealed away once more into the Negaverse. The place could no longer threaten them or the world.
Or could it?
* * *
"You sensed it too, didn't you?" a woman with two black eyes said to the three ranged behind her.
As one the others nodded. "Somehow he's returned," one said.
"But I can't sense him now," said another.
"Something's changed in him," the third said.
The first one nodded.
They were a raggedy bunch. What passed for their clothing was torn and ragged from a year of basically struggling to survive from one day to the next. They had once had wings as well, but those had shriveled from the constant exposure to the cold. Those that had wings, anyway. One woman had lost all her wings entirely and could not regrow them in this arid, frigid climate. Another had only lost those on her left side. The third and fourth had all their wings, but they were torn and battered from their hardships in the snowy wastes and for other, more violent reasons as well.
There had once been five of them, but their sister had been killed, decapitated by an energy blast that her prisoner shouldn't have been able to use. Now there were only four of them, and over the long months since her death the drive for vengeance had faded before the desire to survive.
But now they had a reason for living. Now they had a reason to finally head south to confront their enemies. Because somehow, one that should have been an ally to them had returned from the prison he'd been sentenced to, and he'd apparently renounced his allegiances.
The leader of the four women smiled grimly. Well, he'd soon pay for turning traitor. "Come, sisters," she said. "It's time we paid an old friend a visit."
"We're going to Tokyo."
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