Hi-hi minna-san!!  I’m back!  School is finally out for me!!!  Ya-ta!  So,
how are you all doing?  I hope you’re all well and I hope you’re still
enjoying the story.  Please e-mail me comments!!  I really like to get
comments!  Otherwise I feel lonely.  So e-mail me when you’re done reading
this chapter please!  As you all know, I don’t own Sailor Moon and I’m not
making any money off of this, so please don’t sue me.  More comments at the
end of the chapter!
In the last chapter, Usagi and Rei just teleported away into the Negaverse
after saying their goodbyes.

New Snow by Chichiri
Chapter 10- Into The Negaverse

Usagi and Rei looked around, having no idea where in the Negaverse they had
appeared.  “Well, we’re definitely in the Negaverse,” Rei commented.
“There’s a lot of bad energy here.”
     “I wish Sailor Mercury was here,” Usagi said, distractedly brushing
her fingers over the Star Locket that hung around her neck.  “We could
really use her VR visor and mini-computer.”  At that moment, a visor
appeared over her eyes and she found herself holding a mini-computer.
     “Whoa!  Where’d that come from?” Rei asked, surprised.
     “Mamo-chan gave me some of his energy,” Usagi explained.  “He stored
it in the Star Locket.  It must have materialized into what I wanted when I
brushed the Star Locket with my fingers.  Now, let’s see if I can figure
out how to use these things...”
     Usagi opened up the computer and all of a sudden she knew how to use
it.  She began typing in commands rapidly.  After a few minutes, she looked
up.  “We’re in the right place,” Usagi said.  “Apparently we’re on the
dominant planet of the Negaverse.  It’s called Tartarus and it’s parallel
to our Terra, so this is where the ruling kingdom is, and that’s where
Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter are.  We’re not too far from the capital, so we
can walk there from here.  However, I suggest that we disguise ourselves so
they won’t recognize us as Sailor Senshi right away.”  Usagi shut the
computer and it disappeared along with the visor.  She pulled out her
disguise pen and shouted, “Disguise Power!  Turn us into Negaverse
royalty!”
     “Um, why royalty?” Rei asked.
     “Because the computer also told me that royalty from all over the
Negaverse are coming tonight because they’re having some sort of meeting,”
Usagi explained.  “Just to throw off suspicion farther, you’ll be the
princess and I’ll be a member of your court.”
     “But if they catch us--” Rei objected.
     “Then we’re in big trouble,” Usagi interrupted.  “But there’s no other
way to get into the palace.”
     Usagi was dressed in a very dark red dress with black lace trimming
the edges.  Her blonde hair was no longer in its usual meatball style.
Instead, her hair hung freely down her back, reaching to just about an inch
above the ground.
     Rei wore a black dress with dark red lace trimming the edges.  Her
raven hair was swept up in an elegant twist at the back of her head.  A few
loose strands of hair framed her face.
     They walked to the palace in silence.  When they reached the palace
gates, a guard stopped them.  “Where are you from?”
     “I am the Princess of Mar--” Usagi stepped on Rei’s foot and she
quickly corrected herself.  “I am the Princess of Marterra, and this is
Lady Sere, a member of my court.”
     “Marterra?” the guard asked.
     “Yes, it’s one of the new moons,” Rei replied without hesitating.
     “I’ll have to check,” the guard said.  He turned to look at a list.
Usagi used her magic to make sure their names appeared on the list.  “You
can go in,” the guard said, opening the door.
     Usagi and Rei entered the palace and looked around the hallway they
were in.  A guard escorted them to the ballroom where the royalty of the
Negaverse were gathering.  They looked around at the swirl of colors that
represented the planets of the Negaverse.
     “This feels familiar, doesn’t it?” Usagi asked.  “I wonder why.  Well,
let’s go blend with the crowd.”
     “No,” Rei said.
     “What?” Usagi asked.
     “I’m the princess and we’ll do what I want to do,” Rei said.
     “But Rei...  We have to blend in with the crowd or we’ll get caught,”
Usagi protested.
     “No, we won’t, come on!”  Rei walked into the ballroom and through the
crowds to the other side.  Usagi followed Rei reluctantly out a door on the
other side.  ‘I knew I shouldn’t have let Rei be the princess,’ Usagi
thought.  Aloud she asked, “Where are we going?”
     “To the dungeons,” Rei replied.  “Let’s just get this over with.”
     “Rei, are you insane?” Usagi asked.  “The dungeons are going to be
very heavily guarded, we’ll get caught for sure!”
     “Oh, we’ll have to fight them anyway, why not now?” Rei pointed out.
     “Because we’re weak!” Usagi said exasperated.  “I fought three battles
yesterday and then we teleported here!  I don’t have enough power to fight
now and you certainly can’t fight alone!”
     “You’re right, I’m sorry,” Rei admitted.  “I’m afraid of being in the
Negaverse, though.  The Dark Crystal came from here and I’m afraid that
being surrounded by all this negative energy will cause my Dark Powers to
emerge again.  I don’t want to hurt you!”
     “Rei, you’ll be fine,” Usagi assured her.  “You have a good heart and
there’s no way I’ll let you be taken over by the Negaverse.”
     “Thanks,” Rei forced a smile.  “Let’s go mingle with some Nega-snob
royalty!”
     “That’s the spirit!” Usagi said.
     Rei led the way back to the ballroom and Usagi followed.  They stood
at the side watching the dancing royalty.  Suddenly, everyone stopped
dancing and a pathway from the main entrance to the throne cleared between
the crowds as an announcer appeared at the top of the stairs.
     “Now, the moment we all have been waiting for,” the announcer began.
“The arrival of our Queen and her four guardians.”  The Four Generals
entered first, each stepped in as their name was called.  “Lord Zoisite,
Lord Nephrite, Lord Jedite, and Lord Kunzite.  And now, Queen Beryl.”  The
announcer stepped aside.
     Usagi had to bite her lip to keep from revealing her shock at the
appearance of Queen Beryl.  Seeing that Rei was about to cry out, Usagi
smacked her hand over Rei’s mouth.  ‘How can she be alive?’ Rei thought to
Usagi.  ‘Didn’t the Generals say that you killed Queen Beryl?’
     ‘How do you know they said that?  They said that to me before you were
reawakened,’ Usagi thought back.
     ‘Well, I have some telepathic powers and I saw a lot of what happened
to you in the Sacred Fire,’ Rei explained.
     ‘Well, they didn’t exactly say that I killed Queen Beryl,’ Usagi
said.  ‘They said that I killed their Queen...’  After a pause, Usagi
continued, ‘They must have meant Queen Metallia!  She merged into Beryl’s
body and when I destroyed her, Beryl must have survived somehow.’
     ‘That’s not good,’ Rei commented.
     ‘No, it’s not...’ Usagi drifted off.
     “...My Generals have not brought us total victory yet,” Queen Beryl
was saying.  “But now that we have three of those five pesky Sailor Brats,
the other two are sure to come for them.  And when they do, they’ll be
sorry.”
     Rei and Usagi exchanged glances.  Beryl continued, “So let us rejoice
for tonight, for our victory is certain.”  With that, the dancers began to
twirl about the room again.
     “Would you like to dance?”
     Rei looked up startled as she realized that the question was directed
at her.  She was even more startled to find herself looking at Jedite and
answering, “Um... sure!  That would be great!”  Rei didn’t know why, but
something felt right about dancing with Jedite.
     Usagi walked around the ballroom and found the buffet table.  Nephrite
was there as well.  Usagi picked up a muffin and began to eat it.  Nephrite
asked, “Are you enjoying the food, princess?”
     “Um...” Usagi was startled.  ‘He called me “princess,” does he know
who I am?’  “Ummm...  I’m not a princess, I’m... uh... Lady Sere, a member
of the Princess of Marterra’s court.  But I think the food is excellent!”
‘Please believe me!’
     “I’m glad you’re enjoying the food.” Nephrite smiled.  “I cooked it.
I love to cook!  Well, even if you’re not a princess, you certainly look
like one.”  Nephrite winked and disappeared into the crowds.
     ‘Does he know?’ Usagi panicked, but she didn’t have long to panic
before Kunzite approached her.  “May I take you on a tour of the palace?”
he asked.
     “Uh... sure!  That would be lovely!” Usagi gushed.  “I can’t believe
that one of the Generals is going to escort me around the palace!  And I’m
just a lady, not a princess!  Imagine picking me of all people!  I’m so
honored!  Well, I think that you’re the most handsome of the Generals and I
just know that you’ll be the one to capture the last of those two pesky
Sailor Wimps!”  While Usagi had babbled on, Kunzite had led her out of the
ballroom and down a side hallway into a library.
     Kunzite stopped suddenly and Usagi was gripped with fear when he shut
the door.  He stared into her eyes.  “Are you a princess?” he asked, a
serious expression in his eyes.
     ‘Oh no!’ Usagi thought.  ‘Do they know?  Would they play with me like
this?  Or would they just capture me and torture me right away?  But this
is torture now, not knowing if they know.’  Then she realized that Kunzite
was waiting for a reply, so she tried to keep her fear from showing in her
voice as she said simply, “No, I am not a princess.”
     “You’re lying,” Kunzite accused.  Usagi nearly died of fright when he
said that, but she bit her lip as he continued, “I have been having a dream
lately about a girl, a princess, who promises that she is coming to save
me.  You look exactly like the girl in my dreams.”
     “I’m sorry, I’m not her,” Usagi insisted gently.  ‘Who on Terra is he
talking about?  He sounded like he was telling the truth.  Wait a
minute...  Minako is the Princess of Venus!  Mina-chan and I look a lot
alike and I’m wearing my hair down now!  And Mina-chan and Kunzite were an
item during the Silver Millennium!  He must mean Minako!’  Aloud she said,
“But I know who she is and I will bring her to you as soon as I can.”  But
when she looked around, Kunzite was gone.

“Where are you from, princess?” Jedite asked as he and Rei danced around
the ballroom.
     “I am from Marterra, it’s one of the newly discovered moons,” Rei
replied.
     “Really?  I’ve read about Marterra,” Jedite commented.  “In fact, I
visited a cousin of mine there last month.  Did your people live there
before it was discovered or after?”
     “What?!” Rei was shocked.  ‘Marterra is a real planet in the
Negaverse?  What are the odds of that?’  “Umm...  My people have always
lived there.”  Rei smiled.  ‘What if the real Princess of Marterra shows
up?  This is bad, I knew impersonating royalty was a bad idea.  They’ll
kill us.  Where did Usagi go?’  Rei looked around the ballroom for Usagi,
but didn’t see her.
     “Who’s Usagi?” Jedite asked.
     Rei stared at him in horror.  ‘Did he hear all of what I thought?
What if he can hear me now?  I don’t like this!  Well, in a pinch, there’s
only one thing to do: distract him!’  With that, Rei leaned forward and
kissed Jedite on the lips.  Rei and Jedite both felt a spark as their lips
met.

~First Flashback to the Moon Kingdom~
     “You’re really from Mars?” Rei asked.
     “Yes, princess,” Jedite replied.
     “I knew it!” Rei exclaimed.  “You’re my soulmate!”
     “Really?” Jedite smiled.  Rei kissed him in reply.
~End First Flashback (it was corny, I know, but the next one is better!)~

~Second Flashback to the Moon Kingdom~
     “Where are you taking me?” Rei asked. laughing.  She had a blindfold
over her eyes and Jedite was guiding her down a hallway.
     “You’ll see,” Jedite said.  They reached the end of the hall and
Jedite led Rei through a door, shutting it behind them.  He gently removed
the blindfold from Rei’s eyes and she looked eagerly around the darkened
room.  Sensing Rei’s confusion at the darkness, Jedite said, “Just a
moment.”
     Jedite began to concentrate on his Martian Fire Powers.  As he
concentrated, the room began to glow softly as a hundred tiny candles
slowly lit up around the room.
     “Oh!  It’s beautiful!” Rei exclaimed.
     “You like it?” Jedite asked.
     “I love it!” Rei assured him.
     “Shall we eat?” Jedite asked.  Rei nodded as she noticed the table set
for two in the center of the room.  After they had eaten, Jedite got up and
asked, “May I have this dance?” as soft music filled the room.  They had
danced long into the night.
~End Second Flashback (wasn’t that one better?)~

     “Rei?” Jedite asked, staring at her.
     “You saw that, too?” Rei whispered.
     Jedite nodded, then said, “We need to talk.  Come on.”  He took Rei’s
hand and led her out of the ballroom and into a hallway.  He took her into
a room and shut the door behind them.  “I’ve been having a dream lately,”
Jedite began.  “About a princess who says she is coming to save me.  You
are that princess, Rei.  The other Generals have been having similar dreams
about your friends.  Rei, I’m sorry that we hurt you.  When we died, we
were reborn into your universe.  Well, not really reborn.  We were given a
new life in your universe, but in the same bodies, and at the same age.
Not long after we began our new lives, the Negaverse recaptured us and
filled us with negative energy again.  When you kissed me, part of the
Negaverse energy left me, but I can still feel it inside me.”
     “Come on!  We have to find Usagi!” Rei said, grabbing Jedite’s hand
and pulling him out into the hall.
     “Who exactly is Usagi?” Jedite asked.
     “Oh, that’s right!  You don’t know her as Usagi,” Rei realized.
“Tsukino Usagi is also known as Serena, but you know her best as Princess
Serenity or Sailor Moon.”
     “Sailor Moon?” Jedite asked and Rei nodded.  She then concentrated on
finding Usagi.  After a while, she and Jedite found Usagi in the library
where Kunzite had left her.  “Rei-chan!” Usagi said.  Then she noticed
Jedite and said, “I hope the evening is going well for you, princess.”
Usagi curtsied.
     “It’s okay, Usagi-chan, Jedite knows who we are,” Rei explained.
Seeing the fear rise up in Usagi’s eyes, she continued, “It’s okay.  He’s
good now.  He and the other Generals were reborn in our world after they
died but they were recaptured by the Negaverse.  They really are good, but
they need to be cleansed of the negative energy they were filled with.  Do
you think you could try using the Crystal?”
     “I am truly sorry, Princess Serenity, for all the pain and trouble we
have caused you and your friends,” Jedite said bowing.  “It would mean a
lot to me if you would cleanse me and the other Generals.”
     “I will try,” Usagi said.  She held her hands in front of her and the
Imperium Silver Crystal materialized between them.  She closed her eyes and
concentrated, then she said quietly, “Moon Crystal Healing Power!”
     Rei smiled when she saw that Usagi had directed the healing power at
her as well as Jedite.  They were both bathed in a silver light.  But Rei’s
smile faded when the silver light around her turned a sickening shade of
black.  Tears sparkled in her violet and she fell to the ground with a
mournful cry.
     “Rei!” Jedite shouted, rushing to her side.  Usagi’s eyes snapped open
and she looked at Rei.  “Rei-chan, I’m sorry...” Usagi whispered.
     Rei lay curled up on the ground, crying softly.  Jedite knelt beside
her and gently rubbed her back.  “If the Imperium Silver Crystal can’t heal
me, then nothing can,” she said miserably as she slowly stood up.  “It
didn’t work when my ojii-san tried to heal me, so why should it work now?
Shall we go look for the other Generals and heal them?  They can help us
get the other Senshi back.”
     “Rei-chan, I didn’t use a lot of power, I’ll use more to heal you,”
Usagi said.
     “Usagi-chan, it’s okay,” Rei replied.  “If you use more power, you’ll
die.  And if you use a lot of the Crystal’s power, you’ll reveal our
location.”
     “Rei’s right,” Jedite agreed.  “I’ll call the Generals to the northern
gardens.  If we stay here too long they’ll be able to trace the energy of
the Imperium Silver Crystal.”
     “All right,” Usagi agreed.

A short while later, Usagi and Rei stood in the northern gardens with the
Four Generals.  Usagi had just used the Crystal to heal Nephrite, Zoisite,
and Kunzite.
     “Thank you very much Princess Serenity,” Kunzite said with a bow.
“You have saved us.  Now we will help you find the other princesses.”
     “No you won’t!  You’re traitors and you know what happens to
traitors!”
     Everyone turned and saw a girl in Sailor fuku standing there.

Another cliffhanger!!  I’m getting good at this!  Now you have to tune in
for the next chapter!  Please e-mail me your comments to
runnerup2001@netscape.net.  I really want comments!  Flames, praise,
questions, comments, confusements, problems, anything!  That’s
runnerup2001@netscape.net.  Thank you SO much to all of the AnimeNoHito for
being such good friends.  And thank you to all of my readers for being so
patient while I finished finals.  Talk to ya later!  Ja ne!
~Chichiri
"Have a fun, fabulous, and kiwi-filled summer!" - That was my yearbook
sign-off.  Yep, I am still aware that I am weird.