Chapter Three
The emptiness stretched on into oblivion, so long and deep it felt as if nothing had ever existed to begin with. The raven twilight was like nothing and everything. The energy of the world could still be felt through the cascade, though distant, smothered and hushed.
Hino Rei shifted up from the floor, turning curious eyes all around her. The others were nowhere in sight. It was so dark she couldn't make out the shocking white of her gloves through the din. The curtain of coal black hair was a ghostly touch against her sodden face.
The rumble of an unsettled stomach breached the silence, echoing off into the void as she struggled to stand. It was too much; the vision of Usagi's blood-spattered hand and the deadness of her eyes still haunted the young priestess as if it had been freshly done. The young girl crumpled back down to her knees, shaken and afraid.
It was too soon to be fighting a new enemy, not after all they had sacrificed in the war against Beryl. The vision of Jadeite, the memories both tame and smoldering, still charred the back of her mind; again, it was old, dusted and cobwebbed. They were uncomfortable aliens now, marked with cruelty and bitter laughter; the sound of the Shitennou mocking them from beyond the grave.
The others would never know, but this solemn quiet gave rise to the dead, to their whisperings and their threatening and their darkness. She had hoped, many times, to make sense of their ill-fated past. It was a difficult task with the smoke-like faces haunting from above a midnight bed; their blackened, hollow eyes feasting….
The Miko shuddered, gasping for breath as the memories rose one by one from the mist. Perhaps she should have mentioned to the others the true extent of her gifts; the reality of a ghostly plane stretching, yawning alongside their own. The sweeter memories were swallowed in it all, gobbled down and forgotten in the face of the second sight.
No, now was the time to focus on the present; the real world held more dangers than the spirit. Try as she might, the stubborn loyalty that dredged her focus onward refused to accommodate the sickening sensation of him.
It wasn't a thought of hatred or bitterness; more the realization of the inevitable. She knew more than anyone what it was like to be rejected by Terra's high prince and no amount of time could heal the scar. Granted, the few dates they'd shared were initiated by Rei herself, but there had been hope….
In the end, they were too similar, and the darkness craved light more than anything. Perhaps that was why, even after all that had passed before the multifaceted violet eyes, one thought could still be heard above the din.
Save Usagi.
Not for the world–those bastards would never understand the true value of the little blond, but for herself, for redemption, and for honor. For forgiveness of a life before time when Mars fell just a few hundred feet short of her charge and watched in horror as it all came to a bloody end.
She could still feel the dagger enter her skin from behind, the rough pull of Jadeite ripped against her neck to push the blade deeper. She had watched from the ground while the scene split between obsidian locks, and had screamed her rage to the uncaring heavens, even as that sharpness slid across her neck.
She shuddered, gasping at cool air as the memories licked her millennia into the future. Her fate was sealed in that moment of pain and anguish.
Even as a rival of the princess these days, the jokes were made and the jabs thrown, but it was a deeper reflection of self-loathing. She knew that. The spirits would never allow her to forget it.
Again, she struggled upward, nursing her ankle with some care. The figure began to shuffle into the darkness, careful to avoid the ghostly whispers that caught her ear. There were few benefits of being a Senshi of two planes; she'd spent her life as an outcast and a freak among mortals.
But here, locked within the icy embrace of the Dream Cascade, those eyes pierced the world in pieces and left the tricky pockets easy prey. She could do this; she could break the system and find her princess before it all fell apart.
More importantly, she could find her broken friend among the rubble and take her home to mourn properly. She would stop the cold bite of a steel death long before the heavenly creature could reach for her end. She would be stronger.
Each shift of weight brought more turbulent memories to bear–she squashed them violently, as she did all such thoughts and emotions. There wasn't time to focus on the past, especially not in enemy territory surrounded by shifting voids.
Now was the time for vengeance.
But perhaps Fate had more in line for the priestess. Her eyes were sharp and wary, but her ankle weak from falling. It was, trapped inside these thoughts of darkness and despair, this moment when her heel decided to break.
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….
"Usa!" Makoto called halfheartedly, wondering why her tiny friend was out roaming the wilderness at this time of the morning. Even the crickets had gone to bed, though the lushness of dawn still crept beyond the horizon. It was quiet and still; a moment of silence for the both of them. Makoto drew in a deeper breath, loving the scent of evergreen and flower so thick tonight. Her hands stuffed in each pocket casually, the tall brunette sauntered her way up the hill, enjoying the feel of crushed grass beneath her feet, the draw of a nearby tree.
The wind seemed strange, though, filled with whispers. The lightning Senshi tried not to listen; it would be all too soon before she'd need to draw on her powers again. For now, let it all lie still and quiet like the velvet night. For now, let it just be Usagi and Makoto, the unlikely duo. A fond smile passed her upper lip for a moment, something unheard of a year before. She'd never get over how different things were now.
"Oi, Usagi-chan!" she tried again, knowing that smile had warmed her tone considerably.
"Makoto, go home!" The words, so harsh and mean, were given with the tone of a laughing pixie. It seemed odd for a moment, because there was no easy way to figure out who Usagi was talking to. Certainly not Makoto. The childlike demeanor would never have allowed such a thing to be said without reason.
Brown velvet curls drifted over her shoulder as she neared, the wind howled ravenous like the wolf. There was a chill in it, biting, terrifying and lonely. She stilled in the grass, just inches from her dear friend, and waited for the moment to pass.
"Go home, Mako! We're waiting for you," she whispered mechanically, turning her face slowly in the light of a cold moon.
The terrified screech barely had time to shatter from Makoto's mouth before Usagi shoved her over the edge and into the void.
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…..
Darkness is simply a lack of light. Negative space is just air. There is no true vacuum no matter how deep one travels through space and time. There is always matter and the changing of state.
This world is a shift of matter, but not of state.
This darkness is only the lack of light.
A dream cascade is nothing but the illusion of nothing.
The blinking screen chirped and light began to pulse between her hands. The floor was a sheet of obsidian black, more likely the use of stone rather than illusion. No need to waste resources when the energy output was greater than could be indefinitely sustained through the use of crystals.
A graph slid into the screen, the blue beam emitted from the back of her contraption waved carefully through the darkness before chirping once more.
There was more to this than a game, and the strange newcomers' intentions had been quite clear. The thoughts began to form one by one, lining up like toy soldiers as the ice Senshi stood.
Get the girls together.
Break the shift in matter.
Achieve maximum proximity to the target and acquire necessary data for the breach.
Find interface and lock down.
Mizuno Ami was not a woman to be trifled with on a mission; her brain was a surgical steel blade easily pulled from the sheath and sharpened for the task at hand. She did not bother with rashness or turbulent emotions: there was no time to be distracted by them right now.
After all, that was Usagi's department; as was finding trouble.
All thoughts aside, each step frosted the ground and left a trail cold as revenge in her wake.
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…..
"We never should have let this happen." The blond curled her companion closer, knowing as she did that if Artemis had been here, he would need that comfort too. The pitch-colored fur ball purred without comment, her pelt still rigid at their lack of surroundings. All sides reflected back in hallways and passages made of nothing but illusion. Yet cold air continually pumped across the duo, raising the hairs on Venus' arm just as much as Luna's back. No amount of stroking the fur could calm either of them as they trudged onward, guessing and second-guessing each choice.
"We'll need to locate the others." The feline finally broke, shuddering uncomfortably as the shadows flickered past them.
"Not so fast, Luna. If I know them, they're on the war path. We should focus instead on finding Usagi." The tone could only be that of Serenity's lead guard, all forward business. It didn't fool her Majesty's most trusted advisor; Minako was worried sick for Usagi. That said, there was no better person to have on your side than Venus right now, especially when the bond between both prince and princess was so raw and tangible. It would take them no time to reach her side.
"Perhaps you're right."
"Of course I am! I'm not leader for nothing!" Venus flicked a wrist expertly, pausing mid-stride to glance around one more time. Everything continued on unchanged far into the distance. It was like walking through a fun house of fractals and broken lines. It was disorienting and frustrating, because she couldn't seem to stretch her mind enough to touch either her ward or public enemy number two.
"Let's avoid Mamoru at all costs, shall we?" Luna shifted uncomfortably. She found the conversation in his apartment to be nothing less than disjointed and terrifying. There was so much more going on than the Terran allowed past his shell.
It had been nearly an hour's worth of argument and him standing around doing nothing while Usagi slipped further and further away. Despite all the hatred bleeding from his mouth, their picture still held the coveted position on his nightstand. Luna had been privy to enough coming down the Tsukinos' stairs earlier that night, but she'd seen that same exact hollowness, that precise level of self-loathing and detachment seconds before jumping through his bedroom window.
For a moment, the cat found herself wishing Usagi had been there to interpret those schooled features.
"Don't want us siding with the enemy, hu?" the blond grunted like an accusation, feeling that frustration bubbling up in her chest. But no, for now, it was more important to make sure Usagi got home unscathed. After this enemy's defeat, she and Senshi would be making a house call.
"I don't think they need another reason to keep her hostage," Luna remarked quietly, still puzzling over a few of the words Mamoru had chosen.
"I don't know; that Diamond fellow might hold him down for us so we can tear his eyes out." Venus grinned wolfishly, pumping a fist as if ready to do the grisly job herself given the chance. Luna shuddered again and licked at her paw uncertainly.
"You're not as sweet as we think you are."
"Nope."
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AN: Alright everyone, hold me to it now! Ch 19 of SoulBound hits the web next Friday, leaving just one tiny epilogue left….le sigh! In other news, we're about finished with the Spanish translation of Surrender ch1, so hopefully we'll have that up for the fans down south to enjoy in their native language! WOOT WOOT! Oh man, life is good!
Sorry it's been spotty on the updates, I really have no explanation short of working on the original so much. Love you guys! Loving the comments on this baby! This is the last of what I call the 'lead up' chapters, so be ready for some gore and horror to come!
Big time thanks to Antigone2 for helping me with some styling on the rewrite of Surrender, definitely taking more work than I thought it would :S
As always and seriously forever, HUGE shout-out and thanks to slightlyxjaded for being my editor and making sure I sound super awesome!
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