The darkness inside the throne room was oppressive. The absence of the Elementals was marked by an uneasy silence, which was occasionally broken by the insane mutterings of the figure that huddled at the base of the throne.

Spirit was furious.

His crimson eyes darted around the throne room. "Curse her... curse them all," Spirit rasped. "I can't be beaten. She's nothing but a girl..." A reedy laugh escaped him. "They were all fools, to be defeated by a bunch of mere girls. But I am not a fool... I will not be beaten..."

Spirit's frantic laughter echoed shrilly off the high marble walls.

Cassie Starr shivered convulsively and hugged her knees closer to her chest. She was curled up on a park bench overlooking the lake, and she stared out over the water absently. The slight breeze ruffled her red-gold hair, and the water lapped gently against the shoreline.

A wonderful sense of peace permeated Cassie's soul. She had accepted her fate -- whatever the outcome of her final confrontation with Spirit, she would not be on Earth much longer.

Should Spirit win, Cassie Starr would cease to exist. She would either be completely destroyed, or used as a puppet, her free will totally suppressed by Spirit.

She would rather die.

Still, even if she managed to win against Spirit, Cassie would not be able to savor the victory. As soon as the Star Empire was liberated, she would have to take the reins. She had tried to shield her people from Spirit and his Elementals by sealing them off separately, but there was only one way to find out how successful she had been.

Cassie would have to leave Earth and return to the Star Empire.

She had no doubt that Peter would come with her, provided they both survived. He had told her as much all along. At least she would not be alone. The only regret Cassie had was leaving her father. She would miss his goofiness, his waffles, and even his early morning serenades.

Calmly, Cassie unfolded herself and stood. If she truly had such little time left on Earth, she intended to spend as much of it as possible with her father.

The lights of Tokyo glittered in the distance, creating the illusion of a sparkling jewel on the horizon. Atop a hill well outside of the city, six sailor senshi, a tuxedo-clad man, and a Guardian waited in tense anticipation.

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask stood at the head of the larger group, with the other inner senshi fanning out behind them in a large V. Andromeda and Peter clustered a few yards ahead of the others, at the crest of the hill.

Spirit had returned. Cassie had sensed his return to Earth hours earlier, and alerted the other senshi. Determined to keep the confrontation on her own terms, Cassie had assembled the senshi here, outside of the major city. Spirit would come to them.

Tuxedo Mask shifted restlessly. He alone knew were Spirit was, he and Andromeda, through her link with the Elemental. Spirit was releasing his fury on the Earth. Deep in his blood and bones, Tuxedo Mask could sense the havoc Spirit was causing. Forest fires in the American southwest, earthquakes in Osaka, floods in northern Europe -- he could feel them all, and they all felt wrong. The catastrophes grated on the Earth prince's core being, and he fought back the urge to cry out in shared pain.

Andromeda had warned them of this. Spirit had lost was little grasp on sanity he had once had. Instead of immediately confronting his foes, he focused his wrath on the closest and most convenient target: Earth.

"We must not interfere,"Andromeda had insisted, focusing her attention on Tuxedo Mask. She knew how acutely he would feel the damage, and emphasized her urgency accordingly. "We must let him come to us. Anything he does before that will be negligible, compared to the damage he will do once he faces us. Better to let him exhaust himself before our final confrontation."

As logical as it sounded, Tuxedo Mask still resented the inaction. People were dying, the whole planet was suffering, and they could only stand by and watch.

Tuxedo Mask cut off a strangled cry and raised his head to lock eyes with Andromeda. She was watching him closely, tears streaming down her face. Although she could not feel the destruction as he could, Sailor Andromeda shared his grief and accepted the guilt for it as her own.

As she and Tuxedo Mask stood locked in shared horror, Andromeda sucked in a sudden sharp breath.

"He comes!" she whispered hoarsely.

The gentle breeze around them died, and the ground began to shake. The air crackled with static, and a soft, ominous purple glow swirled around their feet.

Spirit appeared as a misty figure at first, and as he became more solid, his angry mutterings grew louder.

"Children of Gaia, foolish little Earthborn weaklings, why have you sheltered my fondest enemy and most terrible desire? You mock me, expending your meager lives to protect a girl that does not even hail from your galaxy..."

Spirit lifted his head, letting the thick locks of ebony hair fall away from his burning eyes. With a start, he spotted the senshi, and he began to giggle like an amused child.

"Even now you defy me," he cackled. "As powerful and omnipotent as I am, you still choose to forfeit your lives."

Spirit's eyes fell on Andromeda, and he began to laugh harder. "Beautiful little Star Princess... Chaos curse the day I first heard your name. All of my efforts to persuade you, to dominate you -- all have fallen to ruin. Curse you, Cassiopeia... curse you all!" His voice rose until he was howling shrilly at the senshi. "I curse you all to face the return of Chaos in your pitiful lifetimes! Though you may escape me, Chaos will claim your souls!"

"Escape you?" Andromeda's voice was soft, and Spirit paused in his mad laughter to catch her words. "We will not escape you, Spirit. We will destroy you."

A spark ignited in Spirit's malevolent gaze, and he seemed to regain some of his sanity. "Will you, Empress-Heir?" His voice had turned oily and wheedling again, and Andromeda shuddered convulsively.

"You do not threaten me, little Cassiopeia," Spirit purred. "You are nothing -- a fluke of chance that produced a girl with a pure spirit. You cannot defy me. You will not defy me." He laughed softly. "Nay, you will help me. Give me the Star Sapphire. Surrender yourself to me. Join me, my Queen."

Andromeda choked, and her breathing became labored. She could feel her heart constricting, and one hand involuntarily crept up to clasp the Sapphire at her throat. One sharp tug would pull it free, and she could relinquish the burden and responsibility of carrying it...

"No..." she gasped through clenched teeth. "You have no power over me. I would rather die than submit to you."

"Very well, then," Spirit spat maliciously. He raised a hand and purple fire licked at his fingertips.

"No!"

Sailor Moon leapt forward, shielding Andromeda with her own body. One hand clutched the brooch at her chest, and she glared up at Spirit defiantly.

"You will not cause any more harm to this world, Evil One!" Sailor Moon cried. "In the name of the moon -- you're punished!"

White light exploded from her brooch, and Sailor Moon shifted forms in a flurry of silver. Princes Serenity stood before them, the Silver Crystal hovering in her hands. With her delicate face set in determination, Serenity set herself to face down Spirit.

The Elemental stared at her for a moment, and then began to laugh once more. "You little insect! Do you actually think that the pretty little trinket you hold could defeat me? You are less than nothing, and I tire of this entertainment."

With a flick of his wrist, Serenity flew backwards. She slammed into Tuxedo Mask, who caught her reflexively. Serenity moaned, and crumpled in Tuxedo Mask's arms. Her white dress faded, and she was Sailor Moon once more.

"Pitiful," Spirit snorted. "That is the best the Earth has to offer? I'm surprised the Dark Kingdom lost."

He raised his arm, the purple fire now engulfing him. "No matter. I'll finish what they started so long ago!"

Living flame leapt from his hands, and arched toward Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.

A wall of sheer crystal blue energy sprang up around them, holding Spirit's deadly fire at bay. The Elemental howled in fury, and turned on Sailor Andromeda. She was chanting to herself under her breath, sweat beading on her forehead as she struggled to hold the barrier.

"You little imperial bitch!" Spirit raged. "I should have killed you a thousand years ago!" Waves of malevolent energy pulsed from his body, and Andromeda staggered under the strain.

Silently, Peter slid up to her side. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close, and the sword of light flared into his outstretched hand. He held it in front of them, parallel to the ground. The blade swirled with blue, as it helped channel the power of the Star Sapphire.

Stunned, Andromeda barely caught the words Peter whispered in her ear:

"We are not the only pure spirits. Call on those that would help us, princess, lest you sacrifice yourself in vain. Two gems are better than one"

Suppressing a surge of elation, Andromeda threw back her head and laughed gaily.

*/Serenity! Endymion! The Silver Crystal! Together we can defeat him! Four pure spirits combined.../*

Dazed, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask exchanged a puzzled look. They had both heard Andromeda's voice in their heads, but were unsure of what she wanted them to do.

The air around Andromeda and Peter shimmered and blurred, and they shifted forms subtly. Princess Cassiopeia cupped the Star Sapphire in her hands, and the deep blue dress she wore swirled as she looked up to lock eyes with Xander. He was wearing armor -- the ancient armor of Earth, similar to that of Prince Endymion.

*/There are four pure spirits to fight this threat,/* Cassiopeia urged, smiling. */Call upon the Silver Crystal, both of you, and we can finish this!/*

The four planetary senshi seemed to hear her as well, for they formed a ring around Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask, Cassiopeia, and Xander. Each senshi glowed softly, contributing her power to the pairs in the center.

Sailor Moon got to her feet, shifting forms as she stood; Tuxedo Mask followed. With a bewildered look, Serenity held out the Silver Crystal, and Endymion slid an arm around her waist.

Silver met blue as the two gems flared brighter. Spirit was caught in the middle, unable to escape both the Silver Crystal and the Star Sapphire. He shrieked wildly.

"No! You can't do this! It's -- it's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible with the combined powers of the two most powerful artifacts in the known universe," Cassiopeia replied steadily. "Why do you suppose the Moon Kingdom and the Star Empire have been allies for so long? With both gems, nothing can threaten us. The Silver Millennium will rise again, with a new Queen Serenity, and a new power base: Earth. And always, it will find allies in the Star Empire.

"Leave this place, Spirit. You have become tainted in your wanderings."

In the base of their skulls, the senshi felt something crumble and crack.

"The seal! It's breaking!" Xander shouted. "Behold, the glory of the Star Empire!"

The familiar landscape of Tokyo fell away, and they stood in the center of a large throne room. It seemed to have fallen into despair, but as they watched, the shadows vanished, the slime receded, and the marble shone brighter than ever. The Star Empire was being cleansed and reclaimed.

Spirit shrieked once more, and then vanished.

The light of the Silver Crystal and the Star Sapphire faded, and died. The two stones were once more dormant, and Cassiopeia and Serenity shared a smile.

"Thank you... Cassie..."

Startled, Cassiopeia looked up into the faces of the Four Elementals. Blaze, Marine, Terra, and Breeze smiled back at her.

"Thank you for freeing us from our prison we were never meant to inhabit human bodies now we can try to repair the damage Spirit has caused."

Cassiopeia clenched her fist. "Spirit -- is he --?"

"He is disembodied, as are we," the Elementals answered. "He had been corrupted somehow, during his travels through the universe. Now that he has been cleansed and freed, we can try to keep Chaos at bay. Already, it may be too late.

"We will try... if we cannot stop Chaos, you will know... Sailor Moon..."

And just as suddenly as they had appeared, the Elementals vanished.