"Who are you?"
In principle, Jeffrey knew exactly who the shadowy man was. He had seen his face in the picture. But that man was dead. This man could not be him. Even with everything he had seen, he couldn't quite bring himself to believe that. And what was more, something inside of him was moved. He could not tell if he felt relief or fear. Every part of him felt the tinge of anticipation. He could not tell if his fate was blessed or cursed.
For his part, the man paid no attention to him. His eyes never left Janny's. His free hand covered both of theirs, and a faint glow emanated from their joined hands. Janny closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When she opened them, a tear slid down her cheek.
Jeffrey felt as though he were intruding on something private, almost sacred. His work had always forced him to listen and watch for that which was not meant for him. But somehow, this was different. In spite of himself, he looked away, just for a moment.
"There there old friend. I'm so sorry I had to ask this of you."
His form was solid enough to take Janny into an embrace. His touch had tenderness that bespoke a long friendship. Jeffrey looked on and wondered just how much about Janny he did not know.
"I'm counting on you Pluto."
Janny drew herself up to her full height and looked back into the stranger's eyes proudly. Her only answer was a nod.
"Good luck. May the Goddess be with you."
And just like that, he was gone.
"Janny?"
She didn't respond immediately. Jeffrey's concerns returned. Hesitantly, he moved towards her.
"Allright there Janny?"
Slowly, she turned to face him. This time, when he looked into her eyes, there was fire, determination, and a glimmer of something else that he could not place. It both scared and heartened him.
"Gather the others. We need to prepare."
A few moments later, the men were all assembled in the corner of Kemal's room, close enough to monitor the prisoner, but far away enough that the could converse freely.
None of the men spoke. If Jeffrey's cryptic instructions weren't enough, there was something in Janny's demeanor that told them all to tread lightly.
"We don't have much time."
No one dared ask what she meant.
"I have received a message, and had certain secrets revealed to me. Secrets which you must know to fight your coming battle."
The men all tensed. To their minds, each word she said, each secret revealed, shut doors behind them and opened hundreds more before them.
"There is only one force that could have changed the world. It has done so many times before. It is called the Ginzuishou. It is a force of tremendous power, meant to be held by someone truly pure of heart, so that it may protect this world."
Janny looked over to the sleeping prisoner. Her expression was guarded, but she did not look away for a long moment.
"We have been blessed. For a thousand years, the Royal Family of the Moon has held this power. And the universe has prospered because of it."
"Janny I'll admit I've been gone from the continent a long time now, so my politics might not be up to snuff, but the who now?"
Janny looked back to him. There was pain in her eyes now. It was obvious. Jeffrey was unprepared for this raw display of emotion from her. She looked away again.
"I wish we had more time," she said softly, almost to herself.
"Janny…"
She looked back to him again. She took another breath, as though preparing herself.
"Do you trust me?"
Jeffrey looked in her eyes again. And he found his answer.
"With my life."
Janny's face showed what he might have called in anyone else resignation at that pronouncement. She offered her hand, and he stepped forward to take it. When the were joined, she put another hand on his brow.
Instantly, he felt something. He had only ever felt this way once before, back at the temple. But this time, the voice in his head was comforting, and moved gently inside his mind. It felt like warmth spreading throughout his whole body. He felt lighter, more energized, as though some heavy weight was being lifted off of him.
"Jeffrey."
He hadn't even realized his eyes had closed. Her voice had enough authority to ground him again.
"Do you remember?"
"Endymion…" he whispered.
"Yes, very good. Try to take it easy. You shouldn't move to qui-"
She was cut off as Jeffrey grabbed his head in pain. She quickly got a hold of him and put a hand to his forehead.
"Easy, rest now."
Her words were like a spell as Jeffrey's breathing slowed, and he drifted into sleep.
The other men moved forward to take him. They set him in a chair.
"He just needs a few moments. You all should be prepared. You're next."
It was only a few moments later that the four men emerged from unconsciousness. As their eyes opened, Janny captured their attention with her eyes. She spoke in a tone that brokered no arguments, and demanded obedience.
"Name," she demanded, looking directly at Kemal.
"Kunzite," he responded. A moment later, shock registered on his face, as though he could not believe what he just said.
The other men were equally shocked, but slowly, they responded as well.
"Nephrite…"
"Jadeite…"
"Zoisite…"
"Mission," Janny demanded again.
Kemal looked directly at her, eyes still wide.
"We guard Prince Endymion."
Nathan was the next to speak. "We betrayed him…"
Jeffrey looked down at his hands as he spoke. "We betrayed the entire Silver Millenium…"
Zacharie shook his head in disbelief. "A thousand years ago… and then we were reborn!"
Kemal looked back to the sleeping prisoner. "The witch found us before we could find him, but the Senshi defeated us."
"But how did we end up here?" Nathan asked. "Beryl found me when I was sixteen, but I have memories of my life from then on. How can that be?"
Janny looked him square in the eye.
"Those memories are real… to an extent."
"Janny, is this explanation going to make me wish I was more hungover?"
"You know the power of the Ginzuishou. It can change almost anything; time, space, life, memory. All through the power of a pure heart's wish."
"I do not understand," Kemal began. "Why would the Moon Princess wish for this world?"
Janny took a deep breath.
"She did not. She is in great peril, and that is what has caused this."
"Why can it never be something simple," muttered Zacharie. "Like, someone forgot to change the password, or we need to set up a new network, or we will burn down the building with them inside!"
Janny paid him no mind. "There was an attack; an enemy from long ago returning for revenge. In the battle, the Prince was wounded and the Senshi were captured. The spells of the enemy made the Moon Princess believe they were all dead. In her heart, she is feeling despair, which is at war with her true self; the side of her that believes that good will always win out. It is those conflicted feelings that have created this world."
"What about the dying River?" asked Jeffrey.
Janny looked down. "Serenity loves Endymion. She has for a thousand years." In anyone else, Jeffrey would have described that tone as wistful. She looked back up towards the men. "She does not want to live without him. If you remember, the Silver Millenium ended when she took her own life to be with him."
The memory was a painful one. Particularly because, in their eyes, the men had the blood of both the Prince and the Princess on their hands.
"Now, with the taint of the enemy poisoning her pure heart, her wish for her not to live in a world without him is slowly coming true. The enemy desires the end of all things; an end so permanent that it is not merely an absence of existence, but a thing, in and of itself. A true void. But no evil has the power to unmake this world, only to corrupt it."
"Dear God…" whispered Jeffrey.
"That thing, inside of her," Zacharie gasped, looking over to the sleeping girl.
"Yes. You both have seen the face of the enemy, as it were," Janny said.
"How can we fight that?" asked Zacharie.
"You can not. At least, you can not face it and hope to win. Only Serenity has that power."
"So we must help her then?"
"Endymion is the only one who can help her now."
"Endymion... in this life, he was Chiba Mamoru, was he not?" asked Kemal.
Janny looked him in the eye. "He still is."
"He's alive?" asked Nathan?
"I saw him then..." whispered Jeffrey.
"Yes. He was never dead. The enemy only made Serenity believe he was. He has been trying to reach her, but has been unable to break through yet. The spells of the enemy are preventing Serenity from seeing the truth."
"What do we do then?" Zacharie bit out. "We are not powerful enough to fight the enemy on our own! The only woman who can fight it is under a spell, and the only man who can break that spell doesn't exist!"
"Endymion is already doing what he can. He needs our help to start to reverse this spell. If we can release the Senshi from the spell, that will be a good start."
"I do not understand why the Senshi are in the service of the enemy," said Kemal. "Are they not loyal to the Princess?"
Janny looked at him. Hard. The last time she had looked at him like this was early in their mission, when he was still being groomed for his purpose.
"What do you remember of the end of the Silver Millenium?"
The intensity of her gaze and the seriousness of the question forced him to look away.
"My memories are incomplete. But I know we four betrayed the Prince and fought with Beryl against the Moon Kingdom."
She looked at him intently for a breath before advancing towards him.
"The devil is in the details, as they say. Remember."
The last word was spoken as an order, as her hand settled upon his brow. And as it did, Kemal found himself somewhere else in time.
All around him was the heat and chaos of battle. Sword rang upon shield, and voices were raised in fervor, terror, malice, desperation and death.
A spear can hurtling towards him. It was so fast he could do little more than throw his hands before him in fright. However, the spear went right through him and found purchase in a man who fell to the ground dead in an instant.
Kemal patted himself and found no wound. He was not truly here. He was merely an observer. His confusion only heightened when he looked across the field to find himself in bloodstained armor, marching onwards to the burning ruins of a mighty palace. A few stray defenders tried to halt him, but he quickly dispatched them with his blade. Kemal followed himself, pausing only briefly to think how disconcerting that was, but found it was no stranger than anything else he had seen in the past week.
His counterpart traveled a short distance to the palace gate and stopped short of the last defender.
Kemal knew her. It was Venus, as he remembered her. Not the cold and beautiful femme fatale from the alley, but the proud warrior and defender of the Moon Kingdom. Here, in the past, it was much plainer to see how beautiful she was, how bright her eyes were, how pure and untainted her spirit was.
She was crying, and the sight broke his heart. Her face was not meant for tears.
"Why?" Even through the din of battle, her whisper echoed in his ears, cursing him and damning him.
His counterpart drew his sword. Venus did not move. Her eyes followed his blade before returning to his eyes. She held his gaze for a moment before closing her eyes, as if in resignation. His counterpart closed the distance and seized her by the shoulder and impaled her on his blade without mercy or hesitation.
Kemal felt as though the blade had riven him through the heart.
His counterpart attempted to pull the blade from her chest, but Venus held him tightly, embracing him in spite of the blade. She tried to speak, but no words would come out. She could only mouth them. Kemal watched her lips. And his whole world shattered.
I forgive you.
She brought a hand to his cheek and pulled him down for a kiss. As their lips met, a light shined between them briefly, and then her body went limp. His counterpart dropped her and began screaming in pain, clutching his head. The light grew brighter and shined all around him.
And it moments, everything went still again. His counterpart opened his eyes, as though emerging from a daze. When his eyes focused again, they found Venus's body.
"Oh Goddess..."
He scrambled over to her and hugged her body, rocking back and forth.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Venus! Oh Goddess what have I done?"
The mighty warrior who had been so unstoppable only minutes before suddenly cried like a newborn babe over the fallen body of this woman. Kemal desperately wanted to look away, but he could not. His vision blurred and he could feel himself physically gagging, but he could not look away from her lifeless form.
His counterpart slowly rose, taking her body in his arms. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and hugged her to his chest before marching on into the fire.