The battle was long and hard, multiple monsters tearing through the streets as they hunted their target. Jadeite and Tuxedo Mask had been among the first responders, and their bodies showed it. Both were breathing heavily, their clothing shredding, and each was stained with blood, both their and the monsters.

A deep gash had been clawed across Jadeite's side, and it bled heavily and when he breathed the sound of fractured bones grinding against each other could be heard. Mamoru's right shoulder had been broken to a pulpy mass, splinters of bone visible through the shredded muscle. The arm connected to it hung limp and useless.

Three monster had fallen to their combined power, but the horde seemed unending - all around the echo of explosions and the fierce cry of attacks could be heard, but the two knew well that they were alone, and with their injuries, unlikely to make it out alive.

They fought anyway.

Water and energy whipped about, roses sinking deep into wicked flesh, but the victory was a hollow one, for by the time the creature had fallen so had the two fighters. Jadeite's breath gurgled in his throat, blood flecking his lips as he tried and failed to draw breath into shredded lungs. Above him, Mamoru clutched the golden crystal with broken fingers, blood dripping from a harsh wound in his temple.

"I won't … let you … die," He gasped painfully, the crystal, his star seed, glowing feebly. "Not again."

Mastery of the crystal was still far beyond him, but healing had always felt almost… natural, coming easily. Now, exhausted and bleeding out, Mamoru fought to drag that power to the forefront now.

'Please, please, you have to work with me. I can't let this happen again! Endymion, help me! We can't let this happen.'

But nothing happened, the soft light remained a flicker, and despair poured over Mamoru, dimming the light further. Tears glinted in his eyes and he forced them closed, groping desperately for concentration.

From deep within came a weak whisper, and he realized that with his life force bleeding out around him his connection to Endymion was faltering. Endymion was dying, and so was he.

"…focus… we will do this…"

From beneath his - their - clenched fingers, poured light, first weak and then stronger. Jadeite's harsh breathing grew softer as Mamoru worked. The young man's colored faded the longer he worked and by the time the blonde Shitennou was no longer at Death's door his concentration was weak, his mind unfocused, and the glow faded to nothing, the crystal as dull as simple fock.

"Jadeite… Jade…ite… open your eyes," he begged the man in a voice that was more whisper than anything, broken by hacking coughs that drained still more strength from his broken body. He could feel warmth pooling around him and was dimly surprised that he still had blood to lose. He had healed the body, but he had to know – was the man's soul intact? Had he truly prevented a repeat of their past?

"… dy… mion?"

What could have been a sob of relief escaped Mamoru even as he collapsed against the man. He was awake. He would live. He'd saved him. 'We did it… the past… - we didn't fail them this time.'

There was no answer from the spirit within him, but he had not truly expected one. With the flood of relief that had poured through his body had come acceptance. He was dying, he had known it from the moment the monster had, in its final moments, thrust it's claws through his abdomen.

Dying – again – he could accept that fate, knowing he had saved others. That his Usako was safe, that his Shitennou – no matter that they were still divided – would live on. Grateful, that though his beautiful wife would mourn, she would not be alone – many years ago, in the glimmering palace of Crystal Tokyo he had asked of his future counterpart the day of their beautiful daughter's conception. In eight months a pink-haired Princess would be born, one who could – who would – become her mother's light.

"'m glad… you're alright," he gasped feebly into Jadeite's chest, briefly apologetic for the blood he knew would be coating the other man's skin.

"Wha -no, no!" The shout was oddly distant, as if he were hearing him through water. Mamoru's tired eyes closed and there was another cry, it was not to be heard.

–

"Mamoru you bastard, you aren't allowed to do this to me," Jadeite snarled furiously. The blonde had come around to the sight of the medical student – dying. Blood had pooled around them both, no surprise after the wounds they had received.

Received, past tense. Jadeite's wounds were gone, save pink scabs, where as Mamoru looked like he had been through a grinder at full speed, and coated with blood just to be sure the image was bad enough. Black hair was plastered to his forehead by the red-brown crust of dried blood.

"You aren't allowed to die for us, you can't die for me," he growled, pressing against Mamoru's chest again, magic wreathed about his clenched hands. CPR had never seemed like more of an excellent idea than right now.

Compression, compression, compression, "Breathe damn you, you are not allowed to die for us, that isn't how it works!"

But nothing, not magic, not force, certainly not threats seemed to works. Grief and disbelief shook Jadeite's shoulders as he slowed to a halt, covered in blood up to his wrists. He slammed a hand into the ground beside them and pain lanced through his fist as his knuckles caught an edge of something hard.

Picking it up, swallowing hoarsely as he realized what it is – Mamoru's star crystal. The Golden Crystal, faded, weak … but present. If the man were truly beyond all hope, Jadeite knew for a fact that this small crystal would have faded with him. Clenching his fists around it, wild and desperate hope rising in his chest, he poured his magic, all of it, every scrap and shred of it around the rock before shoving it at Mamoru's chest.

It wasn't his crystal and it didn't want to work for him. It didn't want to work at all, wanted to join its bearer in rest but Jadeite was far too determined to let something like that stop him. He was as connected to this crystal as someone not it's bearer could be and in his chest he could feel his own star seed resonate.

He would not let Mamoru die. He would not.

Slowly, painstakingly slowly and taking more energy than he had ever thought he could stand to lose, the crystal began to glow, a blue-tinge to the vivid golden glow as Jadeite forced it to heal its bearer.

Setsuna would have to forgive him – this was one soul the afterlife would not be allowed to claim.