.Mercury.
The senshi were never allowed love. That was one of the Three Laws driven into their minds since birth. The way their tutors had seen it, Princess Serenity was cursed with love; cursed to be drawn towards a man, recklessly; To fawn over him; and in the end, to suffer in the heart because if him. There were many stories about tragedy and love, the two seemed to always go hand in hand.
Ami had read all the books about love; the old Greek and Japanese folklore from the past. When she was little, they entranced her. A woman or man willing to give everything away, just for a silly emotion that many experience more than once in their lives. Now, as an adolescent, the guardian of Mercury found the tale of Romeo and Juliet to be tedious and ridiculous. Love at first sight was a myth, and Love in itself was a waste of time.
"Makoto's just looking for heartbreak. Absolutely needless..." Ami muttered to herself as she continued her study on several types of heart surgery. Tucking a stray lock of short, black hair behind her ear, Ami's eyes flicked back and forth, focusing on the screen of the Library computer. At nine in the morning, the sanctuary of books was almost completely vacant of human activity. She was alone, and it was peaceful.
"You can't believe that all love is needless, Mercury." A voice, smooth as flowing water, spoke up from behind her, and the black-haired Mercurian gasped in surprise. Sapphire eyes narrowing in suspicion, Ami glared at the blond invader of her peace.
"I'm warning you, one small push of a button, and the other senshi will be here instantly!" Her quiet and friendly voice froze so quickly that the blond teenager swore it burned, and his smile widened. Anxiety flashed in Ami's eyes, only for a moment, but it was enough. She remembered how his words had captured her in the past. At one time, the guardian of Mercury had been just as cursed as the Moon Princess.
"I mean you no harm, Princess and Guardian. I only wish to talk." Zoisite smiled warmly and presented a light blue rose, white at the tips of each petal, and a silver ribbon tied at the stem. Ami regarded the flower cautiously.
"Fool. The royal title always comes second to the Guardian of Serenity." Mercury stared at the rose longer than necessary, and Zoisite knew he had her entranced, no matter how hard she struggled.
"NO! No words could ever redeem your actions to me and mine!" Ami protested, and the blond boy smirked. In an instant, he closed off the small distance between them, and his lips captured Ami's. Chaste, but not meaningless, Zoisite pulled away from the speechless young girl, leaving her with her eyes wide, filled with confusion.
"Accept that as the beginning of many apologies. And I assure you, none of them shall be with words... Your highness."
.Venus.
Minako strutted down the busy street, overflowing shopping bags in one arm, and a white cat walking alongside her. The sidewalks were filled with other shoppers, and Minako smiled at the noise and action around her. She always felt most at home while in the middle of cluttered shopping sprees. Turning a corner, the Guardian of Love glanced around her surroundings, and almost dropped her highly expensive haul of the day while trying to wave.
"Ami! Ami, over here!" Minako called, not aware or just not concerned about the attention she was drawing. She was a model, attention was what she was about.
The shy, blue-eyed sensei smiled, and made her way towards the loud blonde. While Minako was dressed for the weekend, wearing an orange sundress, Ami was in her school clothes, her blue skirt swinging modestly as she walked.
"Hello Mina, Artemis." Ami spoke softly, and knelt down to stroke the white cat's head. Artemis purred, trying not to blow his cover. People tended to freak when animals started talking...
"So Miss Mercury, what are you up to? Don't tell me you go to school on Sundays too?" Minako joked, and Ami blushed slightly.
"No. I'm heading towards the library. I'm... well I'm meeting someone." Ami's blush deepened, and her blonde companion squealed in delight.
"A boy? what's his name? when did you meet him? Do I know him?" As Minako questioned, Ami's watch beeped, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"I'm sorry Minako, but I'm late! I'll talk to you tomorrow. Ja ne." Ami ran off, and Minako stared at her questionably.
"What was that about? She could have at least told me if it was a boy or not!" The blonde asked herself.
"Maybe she didn't want to be questioned by the Venus Inquisition." Artemis joked resulting in Minako sticking her tongue out at him.
"Oh har har. You're so funny. C'mon, I want to see who she's meeting." Adjusting her hold on her shopping bags, the hyperactive blond ran after her shy friend, the white cat having no choice but to follow. The Venusian and her cat bolted down the street, earning themselves stared from passers by. It wasn't everyday you saw a young woman running with the weight of thirty shopping bags in hand. Before long, the blonde beauty ran ahead of her tiring feline, and distance was quickly created between the two. Reaching the library, Sailor Venus stopped in her tracks, horror evident in her eyes.
Ami was standing at the entrance of the large and old library with a boy. His hair was long and blond, and he wore a familiar gray uniform. What left Minako speechless, was that Ami didn't seem distressed at his presence. She was even smiling! Anger clouding her mind, Minako stepped forwards, ready to attack the attack the follower of her former enemy. Before she could take another step, however, a hand fell onto her shoulder, and squeezed lightly. The Venusian whipped around, and snarled at who she saw.
"Kunzite!" Minako's eyes hardened at the sight of the man with eyes like ice. The silver haired man was as she remembered him, and the senshi's heart ached with hate and old memories.
"My intentions are peaceful, I assure you." He held his hands up, a safe gesture. Minako relaxed her stance, but her eyes were still fierce.
"If you had sent Zoisite to hurt Ami, I swear I'll kill you where you stand!" The guardian of Venus proclaimed and Kunzite just chuckled.
"The Senshi of Love doesn't believe in the love of two enemies. How ironic." He was challenging her, and she knew it. "Let them be, Minako." His voice now held a commanding tone, and the Venusian' broke.
"I can't! They can't be together, just as we can't be together!" They were yelling now. Both their bodies defensive, and they were drawing a large crowd of onlookers, but neither the Guardian of Venus nor the middle eastern commander cared.
"And why is that?"
And then it happened. Minako's self control shattered, and she fell into her compulsion. Stumbling forwards, she pressed herself against Kunzite's broad chest, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Tears clouded her vision and her body trembled as she tried to suppress her sobs.
"Because you killed me." She spoke quietly into his chest, but still he heard, and the silver-haired man held her to him as her knees decided to drop her weight. Together the two of them knelt on the ground, Minako a dead weight in his arms due to grief.
"You drove a sword through me in my last life. And in this one I am cursed to remember not only that moment, but all of the moments before, when I had loved you." Her voice shook, and he held her tighter. It was too much like that night, when the Sailor Senshi had died at the hands of those they had loved.
"I killed you. And when my senses returned to me, I held you like this." Kunzite thought to himself as he leaned down to place a kiss on his blond haired love's lips. "Exactly like this."
.Mars.
Rei stared deep into the flames, her mind empty as she meditated. The room around her was dark, and the shadows of the fire dances all around her. She was at peace. She often meditated to clear her head... or to calm her temper when Usagi was being a twit... or even for something to do when Oji-chan was having a nap. The fire spoke to her, it's voice often a quiet murmur that she had to strain to hear. Listening often took time, concentration, and discipline, and while under all three she preformed her best. She was the only child of a politician, and was raised to be a priestess. Concentration and discipline were her best friends, teaching her how to be someone her Grandfather would be proud of, and the warrior her enemies feared.
"Silence your thoughts, Rei." The violet eyed priestess scolded herself for letting her mind wander. She had gone to consult the fire to see what move the enemy was making, not to muse about her upbringing. Shaking her head quickly to clear it of unwanted thoughts, the Guardian of Mars brought her attention back to the crackling fire. On her knees, she stared deep into the fire as figures and shapes danced before her eyes. The dark beings were blurry and unfocused as always, nothing had changed. Rei was about to lean back, and retire from her relentless watching, when something within the fire moved.
A figure stared back at her, clear as anything. His grey eyes stared out at Rei, as though he knew she was watching, and the ebony haired woman fell back in surprise. It was the first time the fire had spoken to her so loudly. It was the first time someone in the fire had acknowledged her.
Coming to her senses, Rei lifted herself up from the ground, and leaned far towards the fire, until her nose was in danger of being singed. The clear figure of the man was gone, but she knew who it was. She had seen his face before, in person. Jadeite, of the Negaverse, was one of Queen Baryl's minions, and the man who had killed her.
Rei visibly snarled at the memory of the blond haired boy as she stared deep in the fire, begging his face to return as clear as before, but it never did. The fire didn't call out to her again, and the Guardian of Mars was left frustrated and confused.
"He can't be back!" Rei insisted to herself. "I watched him die!" The black haired teenager thought back to when she watched Jadeite as he was consumed by her flames. She was sure he had died.
Rei sat back, away from the fire. She drew her legs to her chest, and wrapped her arms around herself as she sat on the wooden floor. Placing her head on her knees, the Martian princess felt a heavy grief sweep over her, consuming her body like fire. She remembered clearly watching Jadeite dance as his body smoked from the flames that licked at his skin, but she also remembered past that, on the moon.
She and the other Senshi had tried so hard to protect the princess, but their mistake came when they decided to split up, and face Earth's four commanders on their own. Rei had found herself matched up with Jadeite, his eyes grey eyes that once held love for her, were cold with hate. He drew his sword, and she hesitantly readied her fire.
"I don't want to fight him!" She had thought to herself as her eyes bled salty tears. She loved him greatly, but he didn't know her. The Sailor of War fell quickly, as the blade of her new enemy sliced deep into her side. She had stared up at him, even as he removed his sword from her body. His eyes were strangely empty, and it was then that her heart broke.
Rei shivered as she remembered falling to the ground, her body ice cold as she felt her blood seep down to the ground, staining her skin an ugly red. The faintly recalled the loud clang his sword made as he dropped it, and the fact that her body had never touched the ground. Someone had caught her, and it made the Senshi's skin crawl to think who it had been.
The black haired girl let in a shuddering breath, and she realized that she had been crying. Despite all that he did to her, she still felt guilt at killing him. In her mind, Jadeite didn't deserve to die at her hand, as she had died at his.
Without warning, the young miko found herself being pulled into the arms of someone unknown beside her. A familiar scent filled her nostrils, and she didn't fight as she felt his hands encircle her back, and held her tightly. Jadeite had entered her small sanctuary while her mind had wandered. He had come back from the dead, just to sooth her.
"The enchantment had lifted after that..." Jadeite's soft voice filled Rei's ears, and the priestess felt hot tears build as she pressed herself harder against him. He always knew what she was thinking, even if she never said... like he could read her mind.
"I thought you were gone." She murmured into his chest, not wanting to move away to look at him properly, in case it was all just a dream that she would destroy. The blond haired man continued as though he hadn't heard her.
"All the hatred I felt, it disappeared, and all I felt was loss. You were dying." He stopped to take a breath, and Rei took the time to sit more comfortably in his lap. "I caught you before you landed, and I begged to take it all back. In the end, I wanted to follow you."
Rei stayed there, with her head resting against his chest, and his hands rubbing up and down her back. She didn't know how he had come back, she didn't know how he found her again, but she was happy. She knew that neither of them would be able to take back what they had done to each other, and in a way, she still hated him and what he had accomplished. But she didn't want their moment to end. Somehow, in some way, Rei loved him still, and knew that he felt the same...
.Jupiter.
Makoto enjoyed her walks home from work. The streets were always busy, and avoiding running into someone was now something like a second nature to her. She could focus on her thoughts and not worry about accidentally pushing someone to the ground. It also helped that most people moved out of her way anyway, she was tall for a girl of fifteen.
The guardian of Jupiter walked wearily through the crowds. Along with schooling, the tall tomboy had two part-time jobs to help pay for her rent. Her Godfather also helped, but she didn't want to ask too much of him. She was independent, and didn't want to be a bother. So she worked both as a waitress after school, and in a flower shop on weekends. It was something only Minako knew, the Sailor of Love also being a working girl. Usagi and the others were in the dark about her working, and Makoto wanted it to stay that way for a little longer. They wouldn't understand. They lived with their families, not on their own.
The clouds above rumbled darkly, and all around her the pace quickened. People didn't like to get caught in thunderstorms, but Makoto didn't mind. It was her element, and she took comfort in the crashes and streaks of light that would flash above her head. She only wished that she could join them in the clouds.
Rain came hard and suddenly, and the people around her scrambled for cover. Many ran down the street with newspapers over their heads, other used their briefcases. Along the sides of the roads, under shop signs, many huddled together. Nobody liked to get wet, but Makoto ignored the rain. It was the only thing that made the thunderstorms less than perfect, but it wasn't enough to make her shy from her element. She stayed, walking down the sidewalk in her waitress outfit, quickly getting soaked. A smile graced her lips as thunder rolled above her.
"You should get inside. You'll get a cold." A voice spoke firmly from beside her, and Jupiter looked over to see a man. He was tall enough to force her to look up to see him (a feat most men can't accomplish), and he stood under a large, black umbrella. Makoto felt a blush dance over her cheeks This man was beautiful, and here she was in a soaked outfit, her hair lank and tangled, and the small amount of makeup she put on for the day probably smudged.
"I don't get sick often, and I love storms." She admitted, walking in step with the strange man. She noticed his hair was long and brown, running down his back. It entranced Makoto. He seemed familiar. The man chuckled at her comment, and the Jovian princess felt her blush deepen. He didn't seem to mind her disheveled appearance.
"I know the feeling. Thunder storms are always so powerful. Their a beautiful wonder to the world." He looked Makoto in the eye as he spoke, and a feeling of recognition swept her over. She remembered his face, his hair, and his voice so well, but she couldn't say from where. Before she could stop herself, the question was flowing from her lips.
"Do you want to come over?" Her eyes widened slightly at what she had said, and quickly fought to correct herself. "I feel bad for making you lend me your umbrella. You're just as soaked as I am, and probably a great candidate for the flu or something." She spoke quickly, her eyes avoided his, and the man chuckled once more. Makoto liked his laugh. It was light and easy.
"I would love to. It's not everyday that a man is blessed with the company of such a lovely young lady." The man gave a smile to Makoto and the thunder princess returned it back to him. The stranger reminded her of her last boyfriend in a way no other boy had. While others had reminded her of a small part of his appearance or personality, this man was like a living replica. It made her happy to be in his presence.
They weren't far from her apartment, and they arrived quickly, just as the rain was starting to worsen and lightning was flashing brightly in the sky. Jupiter lead the stranger up the several fleets of stairs to her floor; she never used the elevator, preferring to get some exorcise every day. It took several moments to unlock her apartment door (the lock tended to stick), but once she did, the door opened to a dark, but fairly comfortable home. Stepping inside, the Jovian warrior was quick to turn on the lights and turn on the small, portable heater in the living room.
"Feel free to use that to dry off your coat. It doesn't burn clothing all that easily." Makoto chuckled nervously and offered her guest some tea.
"I would love to. Arigato." He smiled in appriciation and the tall brunette got to work.
"So what's your name?" She questioned as she pulled on a white apron with yellow ruffles over her head. Her waitress uniform was still soaked underneath it, but she didn't mind. The man leaned against the kitchen door frame, his arms crossed but his body posture relaxed.
"Nephrite."
Makoto dropped the mug she was holding in shock. She knew that name, though only in a memory. Dropping down to pick up the shattered remains of the mug, Jupiter tried to correct her slip up.
"Stop that. It could be a common name. It's only a coincidence." She snapped at herself as she busied herself with the broken fragments of coffee mug, but wasn't paying attention to what she was doing. With a hiss of sudden pain, Makoto had sliced her hand open on a sharp shard of porcelain. The man moved quickly from the kitchen door frame to her side, and cradled her small, bleeding hand in his own. Makoto marveled at how much larger his hands were to hers, when his voice demanded her attention.
"Kami, Makoto. You need to be more careful." He spoke with such strong concern in his voice that the sailor of protection almost missed what he said, and her eyes searched his in confusion.
"Who are you?" She hated the fear in her voice, but Nephrite didn't answer. Instead he brought her bleeding hand to the sink and turned the tap on. His face, just moments before carefree and amused, was now grim and stony.
"I didn't expect you to remember me. You were so broken that night I'd imagine that you'd try to block it from your memory. As for the last time we met, you were too busy attacking to take a good look at me, or ask questions. It was your first time transforming I believe." He spoke mostly to himself than her, but Makoto noticed how hurt he seemed at the idea that she didn't know him. Memories of a recent fight flashed before her mind, and the Jovian nearly gasped in surprise.
He was the man from the wedding shop. The man she had attacked, and turned to a stone of nephrite. As she realized this, older thoughts and memories threatened to overtake her, and she allowed them, not that she had much choice. They were so strong.
Memories and feelings of a past life overflowed to her, and Makoto clutched her heart as her head swam in memories of days of horseback riding and challenges, and nights of dancing and secret kisses. She had been courted by a man with flowing hair the colour of rust, and eyes so deep and blue she could drown.
Jupiter flushed heavily as she leaned back into her kitchen counter and stared up at the man she had once loved. She remembered clearly the disastrous night that the Moon Kingdom had lost, and the fate that had befallen her comrades. She didn't dwell on it. She knew that he wasn't in the right of mind, he didn't know what he was doing.
"He lost his love too." Jupiter thought to herself. She had Nephrite were lovers in the Moon Kingdom. It was as forbidden as the love between Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. Looking up at the tall man before her, Makoto felt the familiar love that was constant during her years as the moon princess's friend and companion.
Stepping forwards quickly, Makoto's hands reached out to Nephrite's face, and brought his lips down to hers. She kissed him passionately, as if she was making up for all the years they had spent apart. The Heavenly King wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her high in the air, making the Jovian princess laugh with glee.