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Scheelite had stood his ground, defending his queen from the attacks that came at them. Until, at least, the crystal left the room and all his remaining strength seemed to drain away with it.

He had to admit, he felt quite a bit of pride that it was Zinkenite he saw teleport away with the crystal.

And at the same time he was really ******** jealous. Once again his partner had beaten him to the punch. And once again his partner was going to be the one earning all the praise while he sat back in a corner and watched. ******** history repeating itself all over again.

So yes, the Negaverse had won. And he'd stand by his Queen until she too decided to depart from the party before he'd drag his tired a** home to sulk. But on some level it felt like a hollow victory.

He'd get over it. Later.

Everything was happening at once.

The shield was slowly dying, the magical attacks aimed in her direction relentlessly tearing away at the dome and at her stamina. Scheelite and Serandite were defending her, other Captains and Lieutenants scattered around their monarch protectively, absorbing various attacks and magic tossed carelessly in their general direction.

The cake was everywhere, icing decorated faces of both the Negaverse and the Senshi; there was no way for the youma to make its way back to its dark mistress, not while dozens of hands were digging deeper and deeper into its depths, clawing and gnawing away at its body. The other youma were fighting with the senshi, terrorizing the civilians - one or two continued to run around aimlessly on fire.

But the moment the crystal left the building, she knew.

Zinkenite.

The young Captain's aura was gone and with it, the coveted crystal. The darkness that infested the teenager's star seed directed Beryl to his location... it was time to leave.

Before she could make her exit, a single icy fist came swinging in her direction. The hand holding up the shield released the hold, moving swiftly down to grab hold of the fist as it came rushing at her.

The force of his body pushed against her, but the tall woman stood firm. The blades of ice covering his fist began to shred into her palm, but the dark Queen refused to relinquish her hold on him, choosing instead to force energy into her fist, crushing the boy's hand within her own. Nails dug into his skin as she clenched her fist, a grim smirk meeting his determined fury as they both heard the sickening sound of fingers breaking.

With a shove, he was sent flying back - a second slam of her staff against the ground sent a forceful wave of energy out, pushing away all those nearby, friend or foe.

"We're finished here."

The words were simple, concise. A triumphant smile and a wave of her free (and bloody) hand was all it took for all officers to disappear from the room. Wolframite, in mid-fight, Lina, in mid-bite; all those belonging to the Negaverse vanished along with their Queen, leaving the Ballroom to the Destiny City police and the remaining senshi that lingered within.

Sailor Ares stiffened at the cat's touch. A part of her wanted to reach down and pet the cat that had been a bastion for them all. But a stronger part wanted to be alone, alone to suffer her failures with no one to rely on but herself. She pulled away from the cat, fighting eye contact with anyone.

As the Negas disappeared, so did Ares. Only she dove headfirst through a mirror, a whisper of sadness rippling off the surface for an instant before it stilled.

She was gone.





One by one, Sailor Taranis put down youma (with the aid of others), trying to pick his way toward the blue-haired general before she could escape him. But she did. She slipped through his fingers again. Just like the night she attacked Dani.

In a whisper, the room was devoid of the Negaverse.

Taranis had watched as Beryl crumpled Castor's fist, too slow to do anything. Out of impulse, he crossed to the senshi's side, crouching. One hand reached out to his friend -- and then stopped.

His blue eyes cooled to ice. "You know," he said, "maybe your Negaverse girlfriend will come back to help you with this. You don't need us. You don't need senshi." Sailor Taranis stood with a flourish, and then walked calmly from the room.

He didn't look back.

Devi stood in shock until Orion started to carry her out. Her body felt limp when the queen had left. Admittedly, her lack of knowledge about crystals or Senshi-Negaverse relations prevented her from really understanding what had just happened. But she knew that whatever had happened, the Senshi failed tonight. And she - or Sailor Requiem, at any rate - was partly to blame. She needed to train, she needed to be more active and utilize her powers. She can't afford to mess up and trap her teammates in a coffin again. But not tonight, she was far too inexplicably tired.

As Sailor Orion carried Devi out, she closed her eyes, only to reopen them when they stopped several blocks away from the scene.

s**t.
s**t.
So close. So damn close. Castor had come that close...but it was for nothing. Watching the Queen vanish as he fell into a heap against a wall, Castor didn't want to look at his hand. He'd heard the sound no human wanted to hear. Bones broken, smashed. Experience told him that shards of his own attack had dug into his skin. He needed a hospital. But as he scanned to room, he couldn't force himself to leave.

And then, Taranis stepped into view. Blue eyes feel to the floor. He knew what he'd done. What he'd prevented. What he'd caused. Watching the senshi he'd call a friend fade, Castor make an attempt to stand. A sharp pain in his side, caused him to stumble back to his knee. That damn Captain. His dagger had gotten his side. And from the suddenly feeling of cool moisture on his pant leg, it was deep.

Castor needed a hospital, but with this many wounds, no hospital staff would write a broken fist and a deep cut to the side as causalities. Not with how they were made. Forcing his body to move, Castor let his legs do the work for him. He'd always called himself a creature of habit. Now, he was heading back to a place he used to frequent. He was heading back to the shadows of the red light distrct, to the places where they didn't ask questions. To where he didn't have to think about how he'd just failed.

He got a few feet before his foot slid on some cake.

It wasn't his night. not at all.

"Bellatrix?" Europa called, uncertain of where the other girl had gone in all the ruckus. Themis was an even bigger issue - she hadn't seen him at all since the fighting had begun. "Themis?"

Luckily, the answer to both questions was the same place, and the scout hurried to join her friends. "Bellatrix!" she exclaimed, sliding under the table. "Themis!"

And then she realized Xavier had powered down. "Oh," she said, backpedalling. "Zay."

She glanced apologetically at Bellatrix and explained, "They're the same person." Xavier would understand her outing him. They were all senshi here. It wouldn't matter.

Wincing at the sight of his arm, Europa said, "We should probably try to get some help - the paramedics should be here soon. We should power down."

In a flash, Europa was Tallulah again.

Everything kept happening like a blur.

Her tiara cut through Serandite's body guard, and while Bellatrix and Neso took the Captain's attention away from her, Chronos was busy being preoccupied with the youma which now headed her way. Tiaras were thrown as she battled, until the energy of the crystal suddenly faded and Beryl announced her depature.

No.

No, no, NO!

While a small voice in her was telling her that it wasn't her Crystal, at least, Chronos pushed the voice aside as it was taken over by anger and fury that they had failed. She grasped onto Neso's arm, just as Flora reached out to take Neso's hand. "Wait."

"Are there any Guardian Cats here at all? I need to talk with any of you!" Chronos yelled over the chaos. She needed information; she wasn't about to let this go. And then to, Neso, "Where's Chibimoon?" I can't lose her! Who knows when I might get to see her again? "Tell Zue or any Zodiacs or Handmaidens you know that you want to see Princess Chronos!"