He was close, he could feel it. The quiet throb echoing in the bottom of his satchel was his first clue. His only clue really. It was all he ever had to go on, the other shards. There were seven in his bag with five left to go. Possibly eight, as his figure launched a long shadow across the sands of Mars. Dusty cyclones whirled their ferocities at him, tossing at the desert garb he was clad in, as well as the several layers to protect from the cold.
But, how much farther was it? He always looked forward to a good long night after each shard was found. That meant he was one step closer to his goal and Ceres could be laid to rest, once and for all. The endless turmoil would cease and the guilt could lessen. He sighed, though it came muffled from within the array of clothing.
Gloved fingers reached beneath his hip, slipping into one of the many folds and pockets, his hand closing over the thin shards that lay haphazardly in a pouch. Lub dub. Lub dub. It was like a steady heartbeat as he trod on that would increase the nearer he came to the next piece.
Throughout the five years he had spent searching out these first seven, he had wondered how it had happened that Ceres' heart crystal had so splintered and scattered itself across the galaxy. What god had she angered, what fate? He could hardly imagine because, in his eyes, she was a wonderful woman. She'd never have done anyone harm, though he had his doubts. As he had traveled, secrets his twin had kept were revealed to him through the mouths of others. He learned things about her that he never, ever expected. Sometimes, he even wondered why it was worth the effort to put her back together.
Because she's your sister, Pann. Her body will remain in that desolate state between Life and Death. Torment for any being, no matter their circumstances… Damn the logic. The truth. The throbbing increased in rhythm, creating the echo of a horse trot. He frowned, halting. The beat continued. His gaze threaded through the columns of sand, hoping for something, a glint in the dying sun, a rock formation, anything.
He started forward again, but the beat changed, switching back to the quiet pulse of a heartbeat. Again, he halted, took the several steps back until the beat returned to it's original horse trot. He took two steps to the right and it slowed. Back to center, the beat returned. Two steps to the left and the beat continued. A few more steps, still it continued to throb. Left, then. He looked off in that direction. More sand and cyclones. He couldn't help but wonder again, how much farther…
Are we there yet?…
--------------------------------
Luck was a cruel mistress and was hardly favoring Nuala, or so she was assuming. It seemed that suddenly, the mysterious so-called Sailor Metis had disappeared from the face of the planet. Nuala had even given up her own Senshi disguise just in hopes to catch the thief off guard. Ten days later, she was on the verge of giving up. That is, until she finally caught her.
She spotted the thin figure and a flash of blue, as she had often seen on television. She reached for the golden charm about her throat and as she stepped down the same dark ally that Metis had, her clothes melted into her Senshi uniform. Gold, violet, and black traced her frame as she darted after the woman. It did not take her long to come upon her. However, this was not what she had expected.
With a sudden ferocity, silver and blue flashed the distance between them and cold steel was pressed against Nuala's throat. It was a short sword, she noted, glancing at it once, then twice, also noting the interweaving pieces of steel and something very blue and very shiny. That is, until it jutted sharply into her flesh. She swallowed roughly. "Sailor Metis. Isn't that what they call you?" She asked, a little unsteadily.
A pale brow lifted. "Yes. And what do they call you?"
"Sailor Mnemosyne." She replied, quickly.
"Ah. A fellow Senshi lover. I suppose, perhaps you're here to stop me as well? Which organization is it this time? Which planet wants me for petty theft and robbery?" She asked, sarcastically, though her desperate press on Mnemosyne's throat lessened.
She shook her head. "Actually, I wanted to know about you. Hopefully, to stop you, but most importantly to learn about you."
Sailor Metis stared her down, viciously and unabashedly. She let out a scoffing laugh, lowering the short sword, shaking her head. "You are pathetic, Sailor Mnemosyne. Such a liar and a bad one at that. I like the outfit though. They did a good job at putting you together. Much better than the others." She took a step back. "But, take this with you, to remember me by."
With a quick swipe, the unusual sword slashed at Mnemosyne, who swung to the right, reaching for Metis' arm and yanking her further forward, taking advantage of her momentum and running her knee right into her stomach. Metis sucked in air, sharply, admitting pain as she snapped her elbow back, releasing it from Nuala's grasp and into her cheekbone where it cracked sharply. She also slipped her foot behind Mnemosyne's ankle and pulled, causing the woman to lose her balance.
She began to topple, but not without reaching for a fistful of Metis' hair. She resisted, grabbing the black clad arm to try and twist it from her hair with a shriek. Mnemosyne used this as leverage and regained herself, landing another blow against Metis' jaw, who groaned and leapt away from her as the hold on her hair weakened. She stared at the dark woman from ten feet away, glaring, then wiping at the blood on her lips, she smiled.
"Impressive. Not only are you the only one to get in the first punch, you're also the only one to draw blood. But, I have things to do. I'm done with your game. I hate to leave you so hurt, so I'll leave you frozen." She held the sword out, tip parallel to the earth beneath them and pointed right at Mnemosyne. The intertwining pieces of the weapon began to glow at the base and the light rolled up it's length to the tip, where it gathered. With a flash, it flared into life in a blast of cold air and immediately a blaze of blue ice so thick it was almost suffocating.
However, Mnemosyne immediately caught on, her fingers began to itch as the sword came to life. Flame leapt from her fingers as she stretched her hands out, as if to catch the ice, pressing it away from her with a violet gold brilliance. After several seconds, though to each it felt like minutes, the ice began to die down as did the flame and the pair were left huffing with a sheen of sweat on their brows.
Metis gave her a perplexed stare. She had half a mind to ask, but the flames still licking at the woman's fingers and lower arms were clue enough. A slight smile formed across her face, as her sword fell to her side, sliding into the sheath at her hip. And then, she bowed, arms outstretched to Mnemosyne. As she rose, she found herself delighted by the darker woman's slight frown.
Mnemosyne studied her. Metis was taller than herself, which wasn't a surprise, considering her own slight size. Her hair was silvery and blue, much like most of her, bobbed short at the shoulders and straight as a pin. Her flesh resembled someone who spent all their time in the dark, as pale as she had ever seen it, but not unhealthy, while a pair of icy blue eyes continued to stare her down. More ice blue covered her in the form of her above knee length shorts and mid shin length boots, while silver adorned her upper half in a belly baring top with winged shoulders and fingerless gloves that ran to her upper arms.
What caught Mnemosyne's attention the most where the two overlapping silver circles on her left leg with a set of what looked like double darker blue n's set in them, as well as the blue symbol on her forehead. It was a straight line down the center of her forehead to just above the eyebrows and what looked a jagged sideways z running through it, or what could translate into two n's stacked one atop the other with that line running through them.
Her fingers went to the golden tattoo on her own forehead. An s with a line through it. Both bore a similar mark. All of these realizations happened in the moments between Metis' bow and rise, which didn't give the other woman time enough to realize what had just passed across Mnemosyne's mind. She was smiling. "I am sadly mistaken, Sailor Mnemosyne. It seems you are more than a match for me. It seems you are at least my equal, a Senshi."
Mnemosyne nodded. But, it was all she could do as she turned from Metis. The other woman frowned, moving after her. "Wait. I just conceded to you. Shouldn't you at least acknowledge me? Tell me to come with you, something?"
The white haired woman stopped, turning back to the other, giving her a blank stare. She reached up and touched her first two fingers to Metis' forehead where she bore the markings. She flinched, but allowed the shorter woman to touch her and both markings flared into life, then died again. Her fingers fell after the flare died, information having passed between them.
"We're not the only ones, Sailor Metis."
"We have to find them."
"We will be the last, all of us."
"We will right more than a world."
"We'll right the universe."
