Every story has two sides to it. This is my take on why the Dark Kingdom needed to retrieve energy and the silver crystal. There is a Jadeite/Nephrite relationship, and Zoisite and Nephrite are friends, oh yes, Queen Beryl is nice . . . 0.0 oh my . . . but don't worry, it won't last! I don't own any of the Sailor Moon characters, so don't sue me, I've got nothing to my name right now!

ENJOY THE STORY! ^_^

The Queen slumped in her seat, awaiting the arrival of one of her most trusted advisers. She rubbed her temples gently, trying to rid herself of a headache she had for the last few hours, but stopped when she felt the presence of a familiar energy. She looked up wearily to acknowledge the silver haired man before her.

"You summoned me, Majesty?"

"Yes, Kunzite. Please, make yourself comfortable, we have much to discuss."

"Yes, Majesty." He replied and sat on the lower step of the throne.

"Kunzite," started the queen, "we have a serious problem within the kingdom."

"My queen, if you speak of the results from the decreasing energy levels and overall physical deterioration of the kingdom, then I am well aware of the problems already. Myself and the other generals are working on rectifying these tribulations."

"I was referring to the over population." Kunzite looked at her inquiringly.

"I was not aware of such issue." The queen sighed and handed him a folder.

"Take a look, the population has increased drastically, however, the female to male ratio is illogical."

Kunzite thumbed through the pages fairly quickly, but got the gist of most of the population problems.

"How is this possible?" Kunzite's eyes widened as he read on.

"Eighteen out of twenty citizens are female? My queen, with this increase and ratio, the kingdom will be in serious trouble for future generations. At this rate, repopulating will mean . . . every male will have to take on nine females, and that is not counting any minority groups."

"Kunzite, what am I to do?"

"Off the top of my head, what about Metalia?"

"She needs human energy. Unfortunately human energy turns her into a less pleasant creature than she already is. She goes power hungry and will take us all down with her. I'd rather not awaken her."

"Oh yes . . . I forgot." Kunzite thought for a moment then looked up to the queen.

"Queen Beryl, what about the Ginzuishou?"

"We need energy and Metalia's help to find it."

"What if we gave Metalia the energy she needs in order to find the crystal, then once we have it, use it to return things to normal?"

"It would be a good idea if I did not know Metalia would turn us all." Beryl sighed and looked through some more papers, trying to figure out what to do. Kunzite stood and began to pace as he read the papers the queen handed to him.

"Do the others know of this?" he asked absently, still pacing.

"No, not yet. I will be telling them separately. If you wish to warn Zoisite ahead of time, you may."

"Thank you my queen, I doubt he would be able to hide the initial reaction." There was a short silence before the queen sighed and threw the papers on the floor in front of her.

"How could I let this happen to my kingdom? I should have paid attention more closely!"

"Queen Beryl," Kunzite started, trying to come up with some comforting words

"Report back tomorrow morning, I'll tell Nephrite. In the mean time, try to come up with a plan."

"Yes my queen."

Nephrite materialized in the hallway next to his quarters. He stared at the door for a while, debating on whether or not he should share the recent news about the kingdom. How can I tell him? I can't just blurt it out as if he were Kunzite or even Zoisite. Damn it! Why the hell can't Beryl tell him? He gained his composure and opened the quietly, slipping into the dark room, closing the door behind him even more quietly. He slowly made his way to the bed and knelt next to the occupant.

"Jadeite, are you awake?" he whispered as he brushed strands of blonde out of the man's face.

"Hm . . ." was the response.

"Jadeite, wake up, I need to tell you something important." He whispered again.

"Nephrite, it can wait until morning . . ." Jadeite said sleepily, then rolling over so his back was to the other. Nephrite pulled off the covers and scooped up the smaller man, carrying him into the bathing room.

"HEY! Put me down! What are you doing? It's one in the morning!" Jadeite protested as he was dropped into the bathing pool.

"I told you, it's important!" Nephrite retorted, standing a few feet away from the edge of the small pool.

"Okay, you've got my attention, what is it."

The crystal glass almost shattered into dust when it hit the floor, spilling its contents in a good three feet radius. Zoisite snapped back into reality and bent down to clean the mess, but cursed to himself as he cut his hand picking up a small shard. Kunzite walked over and stood him up, taking Zoisite's hands in his.

"My love, I will take care of it later. Right now we need to come up with a plan. We mustn't let the kingdom fall. At least not while we're still alive."

"How could this happen, Beryl is a good and attentive leader, how could she overlook this?" asked Zoisite. Kunzite shook his head, not knowing the answer. He kissed the smaller man's good hand and led him to the bathing room.

"Let's clean up your hand first, then we will figure out how to save the kingdom."

"What about waking Metalia?"

"She needs human energy which unfortunately turns her."

"Oh, I forgot about that."

"I suggested the Ginzuishou, but we still need Metalia for that as well."

"Nephrite,"

"Hm?"

"What if we can't save the kingdom?" Nephrite stopped and thought for a moment. He motioned for Jadeite to come sit with him and then wrapped his arms around him, holding him close.

"I'd rather not think about those possibilities just yet." He chocked out quietly.

"We'd probably venture to the Earth realm, stay there until we find something else."

"But we can't use our powers out in the open on Earth."

"We will have to adjust until one of us finds a new realm or planet for us to live."

"Kunzite, how long do you really think we will last on Earth? Do you really expect us to join an Earth army? And if we don't, how will we support ourselves? We have no special training in any area."

"I don't know . . ." Kunzite said leaning against the desk with his head in his hands for a few moments. "Zoisite, our only option is the Ginzuishou."

"But,"

"I know, but it's the only thing able to replenish the energy in the kingdom."

"Kunzite," Zoisite placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and stroked his silver hair with the other.

"I know we need Metalia's help, but Zoisite, I think we could do it by using our own magic."

"Kunzite, if you really think we can, then propose it to Beryl. We do have Nephrite's astrological powers, but they might not be enough to find it."

The four sat in a circle around a pile of rice and wine. Occasionally one would take some rice, but for the most part, they concentrated on the wine. Zoisite rested against Kunzite as he watched the other two play their games of sexual tension.

"So how are we going to do this?" Jadeite asked once he noticed Zoisite's stare.

"We each have enough power where combined we can be stronger than Metalia. Even if Nephrite's astrological powers are not strong enough, we can enhance them with our energy." Zoisite replied lazily. He slid so he was lying down with Kunzite's lap as his pillow.

"Comfortable?" Nephrite asked sarcastically, but Zoisite ignored it, not wanting to start one of their friendly games. He sighed silently as Kunzite began to stroke his hair lightly.

"What about Beryl?" asked Jadeite to whoever was listening.

"We'll tell her the plan and if she wishes to be a apart, all the better. If she would rather oversee it, then we will have to adjust." Kunzite said. Nephrite looked at the silver haired man as if he were to ask a question, but turned to Jadeite instead, still saying nothing. He just stared into the blonde's deep blue eyes, thinking about the outcomes, if any. What if something was to happen and Jadeite dies? I wouldn't be able to live without him. What if I were to die? I don't know if he truly cares, and if he does, the thought of him being miserable . . . and the other two. Zoisite and I may have our petty little fights, but that's what keeps us together. I wouldn't know what to do if Kunzite died, leaving poor Zoisite a mess. He's our leader and keeps us sane. Jadeite moved closer to Nephrite, placing an arm around him with a concerned look.

"Nephrite, don't worry just yet. Right now we need to work on Kunzite's plan." He whispered into his ear, then gently turned his face to his and kissed him softly. Zoisite's eyes widened in shock at a realization as he sprung up like a jack in the box.

"What if the crystal isn't in one piece?" Everyone, a little surprised Zoisite ignored the open affection Jadeite towards Nephrite, looked at him as he began to pace around.

"The plan won't work, we'd need more time, which we don't have! If it is in more than one piece, we would need to split up to cover more ground and most definitely need Beryl's help as an extra source of power. If Beryl refuses, the kingdom will not make it through to the next year."

"How do we know the stupid thing is or isn't in one piece?" asked Jadeite a bit nervous of the answer.

"Before Serenity put Metalia in a deep sleep, she trapped all the shadows within the Ginzuishou, did she not?" inquired Nephrite and the others nodded.

"The damn thing had to have exploded!" Kunzite said quietly as the others turned their attention to him.

"So now what?" Nephrite scanned the other for some sign of hope, but found nothing more than weary expressions.

"Absolutely not!"

"But Queen Beryl, how else will we be able to find,"

"Find another way! I am not and will not awaken Metalia again!"

"But Queen Beryl,"

"Does your memory fall short of you Kunzite? Do you not remember what happened when I awoke Metalia the first time? Do you?"

"Yes my queen."

"And do you remember what happened?"

"Yes my queen."

"So my answer still stands!"

"But your majesty, if the"

"I do not care if it is in one piece or a thousand, you will figure out another way to find it!"

"Yes my queen."

"So how long have you and Jadeite been . . ."

"That isn't important! How did your meeting with Beryl go?" Kunzite hesitated and looked away.

"Well, how did it go?" Nephrite asked more impatient than usual.

"She refuses to awaken Metalia." Kunzite replied solemnly. He pulled out a chair and sat before his comrade. He couldn't bear to look him in the face, but he did anyway.

"So what can we do?" there was a long silence before an answer was given.

"Somehow trick Beryl into doing it I suppose." Kunzite more or less slumped out of the chair and walked towards the door. He stopped when Nephrite began to speak.

"If this fails, it'll be our fault for the destruction of the kingdom."

"I know . . ." he responded even more solemnly than before and then left. Nephrite sank back in his seat and though for a while. There has to be another way . . .

Beryl lay comfortably on her bed, gazing out her open window at nothing in particular. She sighed and rolled onto her side, trying to go to sleep. Eventually she found herself staring in the mirror.

She made me so hideous. Why did I ever think any good would come from her? She touched a scar on her shoulder from where a spike once grew. Bringing herself back into reality, she slid out of bed and over to the window. She leaned over the edge, looking out at her kingdom. She did give me a lot of power though.

She shook the thought out of her mind and climbed back into bed, finally dozing off after 20 minutes or so.

The children began emerging from their homes and playing in the streets. The market places had the buzzing sound of merchants, customers, and entertainers trying to make money. The sky was bluer than it had ever been before and the air seemed to be cleaner as well.

The kingdom has returned to normal! The queen looked around ecstatically as her four top advisors and generals walked beside her down through the main square.

"Metalia has done it!" exclaimed Zoisite, still a bit shocked. Kunzite placed an arm around the smaller man, a smile of pure pleasure crossing his tanned face.

"I told you it would work."

"Yes, but don't forget my astrological powers did help." Nephrite said in a haughty voice.

"Yeah, they helped as much as a flee helps a dog." Commented Jadeite under his breath. Nephrite jumped at Jadeite and playfully put him in a headlock.

"I didn't see you help much!" he came back with.

Beryl stood in the middle of the square and breathed in the fresh air, looking around. She looked in the fountain water and gasped. I-I'm beautiful! She touched her shoulder where a scar once was. It's gone . . . and my skin . . . is white again. She looked up at her advisors and smiled.

Zoisite massaged the base of Kunzite's back as he went through an old book about dreams.

"Are you going to convince her through a dream?" he asked, lying back on the bed. Kunzite placed the book on a table next to the bed and embraced Zoisite.

"Mm . . . later, tonight I want nothing more than to hold you." He kissed the smaller man's forehead and then buried his face it Zoisite's long copper hair. He took in the sweet sent of cherry blossoms and let it drift him to sleep.