Chapter 11: All Are One

Part One

     Later that night, Damien and King Mercury sat down and had a 
little conversation.  "Okay, Merc," he began, "Let's get this out 
in the open.  First of all, I'm a Star Guardian, correct?"  King 
Mercury answered, "That is correct, Damien."

     "Fine.  Next, we have the other Star Guardians: Prince 
Darien, Prince Nakorru, Prince Andrew, and somebody else."  He 
paused for a moment before asking, "Am I right so far?"

     "Clear as a bell," King Mercury nodded.

     "Now, we go to the Sailor Scouts and their pairings.  Darien 
and Serena, that's a given.  Then, there's me and Amy, Nakorru and 
Raye...unfortunately, and Lita and Andrew.  Got all that?"  King 
Mercury nodded and Damien continued.  "Good.  Now, riddle me this: 
Out of all of the inner planets represented in this little picture 
I just painted for you, who's missing?"  King Mercury wasted no 
time in answering: "Venus."

     "Venus," Damien repeated as he got up and began to pace the 
room.  "The final Star Guardian is from the planet Venus as well, 
right?  Right.  Fine; we've established that fact.  Now, I recall 
in one of our earlier conversations, we broke down the Star Guar-
dian hierarchy.  There's me, then there's Darien, then Nakorru, 
then Andrew.  I'm beginning to get a bad feeling about the fifth 
Star Guardian."  King Mercury looked at him and pondered, "Why is 
that?"  Damien looked at him and answered, "Because I think I know 
who he is.  As a matter of fact, I've known him for quite some time 
now."

     "Are you sure about this, Damien?"

     "Yeah.  I didn't wanna put two and two together, but in 
thinking about it, I dreamed about the five Star Guardians, and 
the Venus Star Guardian did look awful familiar.  I see him
every time I go to football practice."  He then hung his head and 
said, "I don't think he's ready for this.  I think we should leave 
him out of it; recruit another Venus Star Guardian."  King Mercury 
walked over to Damien and put his hands on his shoulders.  "Do not 
worry," he responded, "I am sure Prince Donovan will understand 
his role.  As a matter of fact, I am sure he will take it well." 

             *             *             *             *             *

     Malachite paced around in his chambers in a furor.  He was 
finding it hard to believe that everyone was losing to a bunch of 
confused humans.  Humans who, if it wasn't for their intervention 
wouldn't even know who they were.  He felt if they would have left 
them alone in the first place, probably none of this would have 
ever happened.  Then again, he reasoned, Prince Damien did start 
having his mental lapses when he first "ran" into Sailor Mercury.  
So, maybe their intervention wouldn't have mattered one way or the 
other.  He would have continued on that train of thought longer if 
it wasn't for a knocking at his door.  "Enter," he called out, his 
voice booming through the sudden quietness of his chambers.  The 
door opened and in walked Jaedite, followed by Zoicite, Neflyte, 
and Kunzite.  "What is this," he asked, "A lynch mob?"

     "No," Neflyte answered, "More like a helping hand.  You see, 
we have noticed that you have not put much effort into finding 
Prince Donovan."  Zoicite nodded and added, "You were more helpful 
in helping me find Prince Nakorru than you have been on yourself."  
Kunzite chimed in, "What is the matter, Malachite?  One little guy 
is hampering your progress?"

     "No," Malachite answered.  "I just do not see a need to rush 
this investigation.  If I find him, then I will.  I am not going 
to go out and hunt for him, if that's what you mean!"

     "That is one thing you do not have to worry about," Jaedite 
answered.  "For we have done the hard work for you.  You see, 
Queen Beryl has not been pleased with our efforts lately.  So, we 
have decided to help each other out in our common goal.  We did 
some research on Prince Damien and his normal alter ego, Damien 
Gordon, and we have discovered that he is good friends with a 
human named Donovan Crawford."

     "And," Zoicite continued, "After a careful comparison, we 
have discovered that this Donovan Crawford is the same Prince 
Donovan from the Silver Millennium."

     "Now," Jaedite added, "The key to all of this has been Prince 
Damien, for it is he who has led us to all of the Star Guardians.  
The way we see it, since Prince Damien is close friends with 
Prince Donovan, it is quite logical that he will lead us to him 
as well."

     "How can you be so sure," Malachite asked.  Kunzite stepped 
forward and answered, "Watch and see."  He held up a globe and in 
the picture was the conversation between Damien and King Mercury.  
When it was all said and done, Malachite grinned and said, 
"Tomorrow, then.  Tomorrow we will have the newest Star Guardian 
right in our grasps."

             *             *             *             *             *

     The next day, Damien managed to pull himself away from Amy 
long enough to catch up with Donovan to have a little one-on-one 
talk with him about his destiny.  "Donny," he began, "For once, 
I'm gonna play the serious role.  Um…" Donovan looked at him and 
said, "If it's that hard for you to do, then just blurt it out.  
It works for me!"  Damien shook his head and said, "It's not that 
easy.  I could blurt it out, but what good would that do?  I have 
to do this right, and yelling it at the top of my lungs would only 
give it all away."

     "Give what away, Damien?"  Donovan looked at him crossly and 
said, "You ain't funny, are you?"

     "Don't make me smack you, Donny."  Donovan shrugged and 
asked, "What'd I say?"  Damien looked at him and said, "Don't make 
this harder on me than it already is."     "What?"

     "You know how I've been acting really weird lately?" Donovan 
nodded, urging him to continue.  "Well, that's because I've changed."

     "In what way?"  Damien swallowed hard, this being the hardest 
thing for him to do, and said, "For starters, Amy is mygirlfriend 
now."  He waited a few moments before continuing, "And the dreams?  
They're real.  All of the dreams are real.  Everything actually 
happened."  Donovan looked flabbergasted.  He never imagined 
Damien would ever hide anything from him, much less something as 
serious as this.  Damien knew this, but he still wasn't finished.  
There was still more to tell.

     "There's more," he said, "The scar on my arm?  I didn't cut 
it while I was wrestling with Amy.  I was attacked by something 
not of this world.  That's why I wasn't at practice the other day; 
I was recuperating from a loss of blood.  In short," he summa-
rized, "The Damien Gordon I used to be is pretty much nonexistent.  
I now lead a double life."

     "This is a joke, right?"  Donovan was used to Damien's jokes 
and games.  It was practically a ritual for them to play practical 
jokes with other members of the team.  "What are you," he laughed, 
"Some sort of super-secret agent?  Secret Agent #7 or something 
like that?"  He was hoping the laugh would ease the tensions that 
suddenly appeared between them.  Damien wasn't laughing, 
though...not at all.  "This is no laughing matter, Donny," he 
said.  "My alter ego is that of Prince Damien, Defender of the 
Planet Mercury.  And, coincidentally, you have the same alter 
ego."  Donovan looked at Damien, shook his head, and said, 
"That's bull, man."

     "What?" This wasn't the reaction Damien was expecting.  "You 
have finally gone off the deep end," Donovan clarified.  "Some-
thing is dangerously wrong with you, and I think you need to be 
checked out."

     "Donovan, nothing is wrong with me.  I found it hard to 
believe myself.  But, I finally had to accept my fate."  He 
thought about it for a second before adding, "You don't believe me, 
do you?"

     "No."

     "Fine."  Damien extended his hand to him and said, "Shake my 
hand."  Donovan blanched at the sight of his best friend going 
crazy and asking him to go with him.  "What?"  Damien thought he 
made himself clear, but he repeated himself nonetheless.  "Go 
ahead.  Shake my hand, and see the truth."  Unbeknownst to Damien 
and Donovan, an ominous figure was hiding in the shadows, waiting 
for this moment to arrive.  He grinned as Donovan hesitantly 
reached for Damien's hand.  "Go ahead," Damien said, "It'll only 
hurt for a second.  It'll be over before you know it."

     "Hurt?" Donovan whined as he brought his hand back.  "You 
never said anything about causing me pain!"  Damien frowned for a 
moment before realizing that he had him right where he wanted him.  
It was time to test the "punk" theory.  "You ain't a punk, are you,
Donovan?"

     "What did you call me?"  Donovan was fuming.  He hated being 
called a punk about as much as Damien hated being called a jock.  
"I ain't no punk!"  Damien smiled, his hand still outstretched, 
and said, "Prove it." 

     "Fine!" Donovan grabbed Damien's hand and Malachite smiled.  
It was all over for Donovan after that.  The final fragment of 
Damien's memory kicked in, and jumpstarted Donovan's own memories.  
Donovan's eyes grew wide as he watched the memories of the Silver 
Millennium come in fast and furious.  He also saw Damien standing 
in front of him, a weird smile coming across his face, as if to 
say "I told you so."  Malachite ducked behind a wall and grinned 
devilishly.  "This is perfect," he whispered to himself.  "Prince 
Donovan has been found, and pretty soon it will be time to destroy 
him like the pitiful rag doll that he is."  His mind flashed back 
to when he destroyed him during the Silver Millennium.  "This will 
be too easy..." With that, he disappeared back to the NegaVerse.  
This sudden change in atmosphere didn't escape Damien.  "Did you 
feel that?"

     "Feel what?" Donovan asked.  "Outside of you opening my mem-
ories, I didn't feel a thing.  Why?"  Damien looked around with an 
angry scowl and said, "Something evil was here."

     "How do you know?"  Damien shrugged and said, "It's kind of 
hard to explain.  You see, when you get used to the powers of the 
Silver Star and the Star Fragment, you'll be able to tell if 
something's not right in your immediate surroundings.  However," 
he said as he thought about it, "I've always had this sense.  It's 
something like a danger sense.  You might get it, and you might 
not.  Anyway," he said, getting his train of thought back, "You 
have got to meet the others.  I think they'll be excited that 
we're a complete team now."

     "What about football?  I know you ain't gonna just up and 
give that up, are you?"  Damien looked at Donovan as if he just 
told him that he was dating Amy, and said, "What kind of fool talk 
is that?  Of course I ain't givin' up football!  Donny, I told you 
when I first met you that the only thing that would cause me to 
give up football would be if my #1 fan died.  And, as far as I 
know," he said, looking around cautiously for a second, "My dad is 
still alive and well.  So, as long as he has oxygen in his lungs, 
I will continue to wear number seven for the UAB Blazers.  'Nuff said."

     "Why'd you look around like that for?"  Damien shrugged and 
said, "Just in case somebody had any ideas...anyway, you haven't 
been to my apartment at all, have you?"

     "No," Donovan replied.  "As a matter of fact, I was beginning 
to wonder if you were ever going to invite me over.  I mean, come 
on; I am your best friend, right?"  When Damien purposelywavered, 
Donovan scowled and growled, "Right?"  Damien looked at him, 
grinned, and disparagingly replied, "I don't know...I guess so..."

     "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!?!?!"

     "It's a joke, Donny!" Damien managed to sputter through the 
laughter, "Lighten up!"  Donovan began to ease up before laughing 
himself, and they laughed all the way to Damien's apartment. 

             *             *             *             *             *

     When Malachite returned to the NegaVerse, Zoicite and Queen 
Beryl greeted him in his chambers.  "I see you have found Prince 
Donovan, Malachite," Queen Beryl said enthusiastically.  "Now, 
what are your plans for capturing the Venus Star Fragment from 
him?"  Malachite looked at Queen Beryl, then at Zoicite, and 
answered, "When I dealt with Prince Donovan during the Silver 
Millennium, he was enthused about his engagement to Princess Mina.  
Now, seeing that I was once head general of the warriors serving 
on the Royal Court of King Endymion of Earth, I was privy to 
information not given to the commoners.  Like, for instance, the 
vulnerability of the Venus Kingdom, the susceptibility of the Mars 
Kingdom,  and the wide-openness of the Jupiter Kingdom."

     "Unfortunately, you were not as prepared for the Earth 
Kingdom and the Mercury Kingdom," a voice intervened from the 
distance.  "Yes, that is true, Jaedite," Malachite continued, not 
skipping a beat, "But, those losses were not my fault.  I did not 
tell Kunzite to try his UltraStrike attack against a wary Prince 
Darien, nor did I tell you to be greedy and attempt to take the 
Mercury Kingdom for yourself without first eliminating Prince 
Damien.  The stupidity of yourself and Kunzite allowed Prince 
Darien to sound the alarm over the planets and allow Prince Damien 
to destroy the planet Mercury and the Mercury Star Fragment!"

     "Yes, it is true that Prince Darien turned my UltraStrike 
attack on me," Kunzite said, appearing from behind, "But it is not 
right for you to place the blame on us.  After all," he began to 
morph into Prince Darien, "It was because of your jealousy of 
Prince Darien and myself that allowed you to be more self-
conscious of yourself, not to mention putting me on the hot seat!  
If you would have told me that he had been training in the 
mystical arts, we could have secured Earth for the NegaVerse!  
Instead, your bitterness allowed you to hide things from us for 
your own personal good.  If you would have told us everything, we 
would have had the Silver Star!  But, you didn't," he began to 
morph back into himself, "And that allowed our enemy to better 
prepare themselves for our attack."  Queen Beryl looked astonished 
and asked, "Is this true, Malachite?"

     Malachite turned to face Kunzite and said, "Yes, it is true,
my queen.  But it is also worth noting that nothing would have 
stopped Prince Darien from defeating Kunzite because Kunzite was 
more worried about his own protection instead of that of the 
others!  It is not my fault alone, nor will I accept blame!"  
Malachite then walked up to Kunzite and said, "If you would have 
been able to control your doppelganger abilities, you would not 
have lost.  Instead, you tried to impersonate the one person you 
knew you could not pull off, the end result being your downfall!"  
As added insult to injury, he added, "It is a good thing we did 
not have the power to revitalize you earlier, Kunzite.  You would 
have failed the most miserably of us all."  Kunzite started to 
blurt out a retort, but Queen Beryl had seen enough.

     "SILENCE!" she beckoned, "BOTH OF YOU!  It appears
that even after a millennium of rest, the bad blood between you two 
has yet to clear up.  I think you two need to focus on getting your 
respective Star Guardians, and not at getting revenge on each 
other."  Before either one could say a word, Queen Beryl con-
tinued, "I do not wish to hear another word about the subject from 
either of you.  You both need to end the petty squabbling and
concentrate on the task at hand.  Malachite, go ahead with your 
plan to defeat Prince Donovan, and do not fail me this time."  
Malachite looked at her and bowed obediently.  "Yes, my queen."  
Everyone left the chambers, everyone, that is, except for Kunzite.  
He waltzed up to him and whispered, "I have made empires crumble 
before me.  You are no exception to the rule."  That being said, 
he turned and disappeared into the darkness, his last words 
echoing through the chambers.

     "I have made empires crumble before me.  You are no exception 
to the rule..."

Sailor Moon: Legend of the Silver Star copyright 1997 Joseph Keith Seltzer and 2-Hype Productions. All rights reserved.

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