Author's Note: If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, don't hesitate to contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
The Resurrection Dilemma
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Epilogue: The Renewal
Sailor Venus couldn't stop the tears.
Sitting under the shade of a cherry blossom tree a mile away from the destroyed Kimura farm, Venus felt like a lost soul. Once the danger had ended, her thoughts had been ruthlessly pulled back to the nightmare she endured while under Dharsite's thrall. The memories of the things Dharsite had done to her, the touching, the caressing, the kissing, all of which Venus passionately enjoyed sickened her to the very core of her being.
Venus' eyes burned from crying, yet the tears still flowed, as if from a bottomless reservoir. The pain in her heart was greater than any physical suffering she ever experienced in her life. Venus felt used, dirty, guilt ridden, and it hurt with a force that staggered her. She thought about her friends, how she ran from them as fast as she could, ashamed to be in their company. But the Scout of Love knew she couldn't run from the cold, hard truth Dharsite cruelly revealed when she read her mind.
I don't know who I am anymore, thought Venus. I don't know what I am. I hurt so much and feel so alone. I just don't know what to do.
"Hey, babe. Feel like some company?" a voice softly asked from behind Venus. She turned around and saw Sailor Jupiter staring down at her, a look of deep concern on her face.
Venus turned away. "I'm surprised you want anything to do with me. I tried to kill you."
"You weren't the first. And you won't be the last." Jupiter sat down next to Venus, put an arm around the distraught blonde's shoulders and pulled her close. "Why did you run off? The others are worried about you. God knows I am. What's wrong?"
With a sigh, Venus rested her head on Jupiter's shoulder. "Everything. It feels like my whole world has crashed around me. My life's such an unholy mess right now. I can't help but feel terrible about everything that's happened."
"For Pete's sake, Mina, it wasn't your fault. You were brainwashed. Just like Darien when Beryl turned him into her puppet a year ago. You're not to blame," Jupiter argued.
Venus snapped her head up and glared at Jupiter. "It's not just that, Lita! There's other things too! Things even worse than what I had done to you and the others!" Venus then told Jupiter all about what Dharsite said to her, most of all, about her secret, innermost desires. Jupiter's face was impassive the entire time Venus spoke.
"I'm not buying it," the Scout of Thunder growled. "Not one damn word. That looney tune was probably lying to you."
Venus shook her head. "No, Lita. She wasn't. It's all true. I have thought about being close to another girl. About....loving another girl. And yes, I've dreamed, even prayed that girl could be you. After all the times I've had my heart broken by boys, I figured if I went steady with a girl, she'd be more considerate of my feelings. At least that's the theory. I just don't want to be hurt anymore. Some Scout of Love I am. You must think I'm an absolute freak, don't you?"
Jupiter gave Venus a warm smile. "Nope. Not at all. Despite everything that's happened, my feelings for you haven't changed. If anything, they've grown stronger." Jupiter then pulled Venus into an embrace and kissed her. Venus, shocked at first, wrapped her arms around Jupiter and gave in to her feelings. Once the kiss was broken, Jupiter, still smiling, lovingly caressed Venus' cheek.
"You're my best friend, Mina. My partner. And I love you with every beat of my heart. More than anything in the world, I want to be with you," said the Scout of Thunder in a soft voice. "You were there for me when I was in need, now, it's time I return the favor. I know you're hurting, but you don't have to deal with this alone. Not anymore. I will always be by your side. Today. Tomorrow. Forever."
"Oh, Lita!" cried Venus, burying her head on Jupiter's shoulder. Her emotions burst out of control as her body shook from deep, wracking sobs.
"Go ahead, darling, cry. Cry as long as you want, as long as you need," whispered Jupiter, her own tears flowing as she held Venus tight and lovingly stroked her hair. "I'll never let you go. Never."
"So? Where do we go from here?" Sailor Mars asked Jedite in an openly suspicious tone an hour later. The Scouts stared at the ex-General who had an arm around both Miko and Toshi.
"Are you wondering if we're going to pick up where we left off a year ago?" Jedite asked back. He paused to shake his head and chuckle. "After what just happened, you mean to say you still don't trust me?"
"Why should we? You are from the Negaverse!" Jupiter shot back.
"Not anymore. My last link to the Negaverse died with Dharsite, as did my powers when we blew away the neutron pulse," said the ex-General. "My days of violence are over. I'm just an ordinary man now. A man who only wants to live out the rest of his days in the company of a loving woman and her son."
"Jedite's right. There's been enough fighting. Enough bloodshed. We only want to live in peace," said Miko.
The Scouts contemplated the words Jedite and Miko spoke. Still, it was difficult for them to put aside their feelings for the man who represented their worst enemy. However, one Scout was easily able to do just that.
"I believe you, Jedite. Wholeheartedly," said Sailor Moon, startling the others. "You've earned the right to enjoy your life with Miko and Toshi. You fought alongside us for the noblest cause of all. You fought for love. Just like Nephlyte had. And that's good enough for me."
Moon then held out her hand and smiled broadly at the ex-General. "Welcome to the human race."
Jedite returned Moon's smile and clasped her hand. His throat tightened from emotion. "Thank you, Miss Moon. That means a lot to me."
"What will you do next?" Sailor Mercury asked.
"Well, the rural life's grown on me since I've been here. We're going to rebuild the farm and start over," Jedite replied happily. "It'll be a struggle to put our lives back together, never mind making ends meet, but it's all part of the challenge life has to offer. I'm looking forward to it. Besides, I'm dying for Toshi to teach me how to play basketball!"
"Yay! I can't wait, Jedite!" Toshi yelped joyfully.
"And what about you?" Miko asked the Scouts.
"It's time we return to Tokyo. I'm sure there's more monsters waiting there for us to fight," said Moon, almost ruefully.
Jedite nodded, his face solemn. "I can imagine. All too well. I don't envy your lot in life, Sailor Scouts. But I'm glad you're out there fighting for the world that's adopted me. Godspeed....my friends."
Now all the Scouts smiled fondly at Jedite and his family. "Take care," said Moon. then, with a playful smirk, she added: "Oh, and Miko? Convince Jedite to lose the beard. Trust me on this. He looks more handsome without it!"
"That's a good idea! It tickles me when I kiss him!" joked Miko and everyone broke out laughing while Jedite, for the very first time, blushed from embarrassment, then joined in on the mirth.
Leaving Jedite and his family, The Scouts thought about how their own lives had changed. While they successfully overcame their paralyzing fear of combat, they also knew they had collectively lost another piece of their youthful innocence after their nightmarish experience with Dharsite.
Yet, they were alive, and, more importantly, they were together like never before. As the Scouts called upon their teleport power to take them home, the girls felt confident they could handle anything their enemies threw at them. In the end, the Scouts would endure. And triumph, as they always do.
One Year Later....
"We came as soon as we got your message, Raye," said Mina as she, Lita, Amy, Luna and Artemis stared at Raye as they stood before the main hall at the Cherry Hill Temple. "You sounded upset when you called. What's up?"
"I'll tell you as soon as 'Rena gets here. If she ever gets here!" said Raye, dressed in her Priestess robes. Scowling, she stamped her foot from frustration. "I swear, that girl would be late for her own funeral!"
"I heard that, Raye!" shouted Serena, rushing up to the group like a track star. "For once I'm not to blame! I had to run some errands for my mom! What's the trouble? Some more Negacreeps to fight?"
"Not quite. This came in the mail for me today," said Raye, holding up a cardboard box wrapped in brown paper and bound by twine.
"So you know someone who can write and use the post office. Big deal!" Lita groused.
Raye glared lasers at the auburn amazon. "Smartass. Check out the return address. It's from Jedite."
"Interesting. I wonder what he could've sent you?" Luna wondered.
"And how did he know where you live?" Artemis asked.
"Jedite worked here once. That's how I wound up with you clowns," Raye answered. "I can't believe that was two years ago!"
"Should I transform and scan the box with my visor?" Amy asked.
"Aww, c'mon, Ames! It's not like Jedite sent a mail bomb!" Serena grumbled. She then snatched the box out of Raye's hands, snapped the twine and tore off the paper before the Shinto Priestess could stop her. After opening the box, Serena's eyes widened and her jaw fell open. "Wow!" she said.
"Well? What is it? What's in there?" Raye wanted to know.
Serena broke out in a huge grin as she pulled something from the box to show the others. It was a framed, 8 X10 color glossy of a clean shaven Jedite, Toshi and Miko who held a baby boy in her arms.
"Wow is right! That's way cool!" Lita cried happily.
"Doubly cool! That baby is so cute!" Mina squealed delightedly.
"Yeah! There's one here for each of us! And a note!" Serena unfolded the sheet of paper and began reading.
"Dear Raye: Since you're the only Scout who's address I knew from my brief stay at your temple, I trust you'll pass these pictures out to your friends. Three months after you left, Miko became pregnant, and last week, she gave birth to a strong and healthy boy whom we've named Shigeiru. Don't take this the wrong way, but I think he'll grow up to be a world beater. We've rebuilt the farm and, after a lengthy struggle, we've managed to prosper. Thanks to the Sailor Scouts, life is very good for me and my family. I hope all is well for you and the others. We'd love to have you girls visit sometime. Especially Toshi. He's become a fan of yours. Just don't bring any monsters with you. Sincerely yours, Jed Kimura.
"How wonderful," said Amy, her voice thick with emotion as she wiped her eyes. "It's things like that which makes me proud to be a Sailor Scout."
"That's the truth," said Raye. "Say, guys! Why don't we take Jedite up on his offer? I'd love to spend some time out in the countryside."
"Count me in!" said a cheerful Serena. "I hear the food they cook on farms is totally awesome!"
The others let out a collective groan, then, with Raye leading the way, they proceeded to chase Serena all over the temple grounds.
THE END
CLOSING NOTES: Well, now that "The Resurrection Dilemma" has been completed, it's time I make a heartfelt confession about this work to you: It was never my intention for it to have been so dark, ugly and violent.
When I first began plotting this story in September of 1999, my original plot was to have the resurrected Jedite be the principal villain, released from eternal sleep and hungering for revenge against The Sailor Scouts. But I scrapped that and decided to go in another direction. "Dilemma" was my first story where I'd use bad guys lifted from the TV show, but I chose instead to do something different, break free from the usual 'Sailor Scouts versus the Negaverse' fare that's prevalent both here and on other fanfic websites.
That led me to the idea of Jedite losing his memory after being freed from eternal sleep and winding up in the compassionate hands of widower Miko Kimura who would fall in love with the ex-General as he fell in love with her. Just like with his fellow General, Nephlyte, Jedite's wakening emotions made him fully human as he discovered a new path for his life. As for the story's actual antagonist, that was where Dharsite came in, a truly disgusting character that I must admit I enjoyed writing about.
From the very beginning when I created Dharsite, I wanted her to be a monster. My goal was to make Dharsite unique from any other villains you may have read about in other stories. I wanted her to stand out from the crowd, so I plumbed the depths of my imagination and some truly dark and disturbing things surfaced. Such as Dharsite's rampant sadism, the sexual enjoyment she got from inflicting pain on others, and yes, her homosexuality. That last facet of her personality I debated for weeks on end about including.
By the time I got around to chapter four where Dharsite seduced the captive Mina, the story was, to quote a saying all authors use, writing itself. As it was, I'm surprised no one raised a stink about Dharsite french kissing Mina, even my skin crawled while I wrote that scene. Then there was the scene in that same chapter where a naked Dharsite was in the throes of an orgasm while Lita was being tortured, or chapter six when Dharsite and Venus woke up in bed together. I can't help but wonder how you, the readers reacted to it all.
Did I go too far with Dharsite? Probably. That was why "Dilemma" was rated 'R'. For a time, I thought about toning down Dharsite's personality, in hindsight, I'm glad I didn't. If I had, she wouldn't have been anywhere near as compelling, and as depraved as she turned out to be. Several years ago, I took a correspondence writing course, and one lesson about creating antagonists was to give the bad guy a redeeming virtue or two. I gave Dharsite none. I purposely set out to make her TOTALLY evil. What did you think of her?
Next comes the matter of Lita and Mina. From chapter three onward, I planted seeds that suggested the two of them may have become more than mere friends. Lovers? That depends on how you, the reader interpreted things. Admittedly, this too was an unexpected offshoot of the plot, something I hadn't planned on doing, it simply developed as I wanted to explore certain aspects of the girls' personalities, stemming from the fact that both Lita and Mina had been badly burned in the past when it came to romance.
As SM fans know, Lita had been cruelly dumped by her old boyfriend while Mina, from what I've read has bounced from one relationship to another. I examined that and wondered what would happen if Lita and Mina sought companionship, perhaps even intimacy with each other. The stage had been set for that scenario when Lita was severely injured during the battle at the North Pole, and how that devastated Mina who sat by her bedside until Lita woke up. From there, the girls discovered the true depth of their feelings for each other.
Lastly, is Mina gay as Dharsite implied? While I've found no evidence, either in the manga or the anime that even remotely suggests Mina prefers her own gender, again, I just went with the flow of the story. The fact that Lita had no problem with Mina having confessed her desire to love another girl before kissing her established the beginning of a possible relationship. How far that goes will depend on you. If you'd like to see this develop further in a future story, fine. If you think I'm crazy for doing this, let me know.
Like I said in the beginning, I never intended for this story to be as dark as it turned out. In the end, that was why I went out of my way to give it a happy ending, to balance things out. Still, I derived a great deal of pleasure out of writing it, moreso than my first two efforts. In closing, I hope you enjoyed what I've done and will continue to support future stories that I write. Take care, everyone and have a great day!
Jeffrey C. Branch
June 2, 2000