Chapter 10

Earth does not have a senshi. I noticed this many centuries ago, but I never questioned the fact. After all, Endymion had the golden crystal. He was the Prince of this planet and frankly the subject never really came up. Why would it? We were all too young and busy to worry about something as trivial as an inconsistency. However, Venus mentioned the gods and how the fate of this planet is a result of some kind of sacrifice.

No sacrifice is without a story. History will always be bitter to those that have felt the darkness stemming from the monarchs who reign victorious. I never trusted the events written in books because they only ever told one side of the story, and I am always interested in hearing what everyone has to say. There is no doubt that this particular story is one that has gone untold for many centuries.

Jadeite's fists are shaking. It seems to be more of a nervous reaction than one of anger. "My ancestors once served as stewards for the kingdom of Terra."

Mercury and I exchange looks.

Jadeite continues. "Tragedy is what this planet has seen and I know it won't change."

I step forward. "Jadeite, you're trembling."

"I'm sorry. I just…" He pauses. "The truth is; the golden crystal is not Endymion's rite. It never was and never will be. It was once a symbol of peace between the gods and their servants. It was the crystal meant for this planet's senshi, and when her power was stolen she was preyed upon by the darkness in her heart." He turns away. "I have seen her many times. It took me so many years to realize that she and Metalia were one in the same."

Mercury shakes her head. "That's impossible. How would you know what she looked like?"

He sighs. "For her, time will always stand still. I didn't realize it was her until she touched him."

"Who?"

"Endymion." He pauses. "She seduced us with promises of freedom. Metalia is both a ghost and a woman scorned by the greed created from the west. She refuses to die before her revenge is carried out."

I shake my head. "I don't think I have understood you correctly. You mean to tell us that Metalia was this planet's senshi? We've never even seen her, Jadeite. How can you be so sure that this is right?"

He turns. "You haven't but I have. There is something about the darkness I once felt. It was like we were one for such a short amount of time. I have felt her weep. You would too if you asked the gods to abandon your own planet. For her there is no surrender."

Jove has always given me strength. It is through him that I believe, but nothing would ever make me forsake him. "That's not true, Makoto." Jove's voice whispers. "You doubted me once with the death of your parents. Do you remember?"

Yes, I do.

Mercury crosses her arms. "If this is true then we'll have to manipulate the playing field to our advantage. Perhaps we should return what was once hers."

I shrug. "Amy, that could go badly. The golden crystal is an amplifier of power and if she is as strong as I sense she is then that plan could come crashing down on our heads."

Jadeite bows his head. "She had every rite to attack us. My family's secrets rest in my possession."

I sigh. "That might be true, but times have changed and this is no different. Why are you trembling, Jadeite? We'll get through this together."

His words are spoken just above a whisper. "You don't understand, Mako. The things she can make you see are more than terrifying. You can't just attack someone who is that strong. I'm not afraid of what she'll do to me, but of what she might do to Mel. The path my family has walked is one of traitors."

The temperature in the room drops. "She won't get that far. I'll die first."

In that moment I watch as Mercury leaves the room. The anger in her voice was uncanny. Neither Jadeite nor I move for several moments. The silence calms the tension that previously filled the room.

"Jove will watch over us."

Jadeite shakes his head. "No, Jove will watch over you and your family. I've already accepted that Earth is on its own. We've done it to ourselves. The peace of the Silver Millennium was built on so many lies. Where does that leave us now?"

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Now, we make our own peace. There must be more to this history. Is that everything you know?"

He bows his head. "There is no way we can win without the gods on our side."

I sigh. "Faith, Jadeite. I'm not giving up and neither should you. Now, please... focus."

His silence is a painful one. For me to devise a strategy, I need to know as much as possible, but this man is not the same one I had come to know. Perhaps it is because I lack the sympathy or maybe it is because I have never been touched by her darkness, but I find Jadeite's behavior bordering on pathetic. I know my perception is harsh, but that is what I see. In this moment I grab his collar and pull him towards me. "If you've given up then what good are you to Mina?"

But he doesn't say a word.

Mercury had been looking out the window for at least ten minutes before I entered the room. I had passed by twice, noticing her lack of movement, when I let curiosity get the better of me. I know she can sense my presence. Her power has created an aura that is impossible to ignore.

"My daughter, do you know where she is?" She turns.

I sigh. "She's on Jupiter with Sapphire."

She looks up. "Sapphire?"

I nod. "Yeah."

A smile creeps onto her face. "So you love him, then?"

"More than any other man."

She steps forward. "Freddy included?"

I laugh. "I hadn't thought about him in a long time."

"Really?"

I nod. "Yeah, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Anna about how boy crazy I used to be."

"Anna?"

I pause. "My daughter."

Both of us are searching through memories. I recognize the blank look in her eyes. We had grown apart, but right now it doesn't seem to matter. Nostalgia, it is familiar in more ways than one.

She twists the band on her left ring finger. "I want answers, Lita. I want to know why my husband is not with our child. He knows how precious she is to the two of us. I don't understand."

I look out the window. "Her name is Amelia, right?"

She nods. "Yes."

"I would love to meet her one day." The slight drop in temperature is enough to draw my attention. Mercury's first tear freezes the moment it slides off her cheek. "Amy?"

She dries her eyes. "Look at us. Best friends since middle school and neither of us attended the others' wedding, and if it weren't for this evil, our daughters would never know each other."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "I've learned to look forward where I can. You should too."

"Do you hate her, Lita?"

I pause. "You mean Serenity?"

She steps away from me. "Who else would I be talking about?"

Though I can't see her eyes, I know they're still crying. "I want to say that I don't, but I wouldn't be telling the truth. I will always hate her for putting her own happiness above the greater good. She is no leader in my eyes, not anymore."

"I still believe in her." Her words are spoken just above a whisper.

I turn away. "You and I are willing to make sacrifices where she won't. You know that-"

"Of course I do, but I need to continue believing. I am not one to break the oath I took all those years ago."

I clench my fists. "Duty and loyalty are two very different things, Amy. She rid herself of my loyalty and threw away my duty. I am here for Rini, that's all. It is her that you should believe in. She's the one who will do the right thing."

"Lita…"

Lightning dances around my fingers. "Once this is over, I'm going back to Jupiter. That is where I belong."

Mercury steps past me. "Remember when we died the first time? Serena cried for you. She was-"

"A different person. Both you and I, we were different people, Amy. Earth is a planet for you and her, but not for me."

She shakes her head. "And yet here you are."

I clench my fists. "I told you-"

"It was for Rini. I know." She lets out a sigh.

I am no stranger when it comes to working with people, but my gut is telling me that something is wrong. Maybe it's just that I haven't really spoken to Amy in so long… I don't know. Her gaze rests on the ground between us. I turn away and head towards the door. "I'm going to pray to the Gods. Would you watch over things for me?"

She looks up. "Where are you going?"

I sigh. "To make amends for the sins I have committed. Maybe if I do it right, I'll come back with help."

And with those words I exit the room.

"You shouldn't let your thoughts trouble you, Makoto. There is a greater storm in your future." Jove's words are less than comforting.

I close my eyes and listen to the wind. "Everything points to a future of continuous sacrifice. Is that my destiny?"

I stand in the heart of what was once known as the Hikawa Shrine. So many memories are let loose by the mere thought of this place and how it has evolved into what it is today. The arches have long since eroded into fragile skeletons of stone. I was young when I first walked up the temple steps. I have climbed them thousands of times since, but this moment holds enough weight for a lifetime.

I scan the area in front of me. Who I am looking for doesn't seem to be here. I take a few slow steps forward until it is just me and the moon hanging over my head.

"We always admired those that were given the title of Queen Serenity's Jovian Senshi. You are brave in coming here alone, Empress of Thunder. Have you forgotten the rage of Ares?" The voice is unfamiliar to me.

Before I can speak a second voice joins the conversation. "You have no place here. Your relationship with Jove is the only reason you are still standing."

I turn, but there is only darkness. "I come only to pray."

"Ares is not your god-"

I nod. "No, but his servant is in danger. We have a common goal. I know that I have offended these grounds in the worst possible way, but Ares must know that I speak the truth."

In that moment both Phobos and Deimos land on the ground in front of me. "This planet was doomed from the beginning. We warned Raye, but her loyalty to her Princess always clouded her judgment. You can only beat the odds so many times before fate strangles you in darkness."

I step forward. "Raye made her choice just like I am now making mine. All I ask is for help."

All I hear is laughter. "Help? Blood must be repaid in blood. Those are the laws that Mars had lived by for centuries. Do you understand this, Jupiter?"

I shake my head. "Tell me what it is you want me to do."

"Every drop of blood spilled will be repaid in full. That is the word of Ares."

I draw one of the blades of Jove. "So, it's my blood your god wants?"

There is no answer. I look up to the stars and wonder what it is they are thinking. I have never had the gift of prophecy, but I do know many who had. The moment I make the cut across my wrist, the wound heals.

"Jove, give me strength."

I press the blade through my flesh until I feel metal against bone. My body attempts to heal around my sword, but the wound is propped open. My eyes rest on Phobos and Deimos. It's as if we're at a stalemate. My hand starts to go numb, but I don't falter.

"What is it that you think I can offer you, servant of Jove?" The voice is rough.

"Ares?" Both Phobos and Deimos fade into the darkness leaving a large, looming shadow in their place.

"You are not my equal. Kneel before a god."

I do as he says.

There is a warm wind in the air. My wound still bleeds with each passing second. "Jove was wise in choosing your bloodline to wield his powers, but he forgets how much his arrogance has wounded the rest of us."

I cringe as my blade pushes further into my bone. The silhouette of a man in armor stands shadowed. He raises his hand and my blade continues to dig. "I mean no offense, by coming here. I seek only the means to save your senshi and-"

"You speak as if I don't know this. I am well aware of the recent events that have transpired on this planet, and to be honest I am appalled by how the guardians have fallen. Raye has disgraced me. She has lost my favor."

I shake my head. "How can you say that? She has been loyal-"

"Know your place, Lita Kino! I have watched you grow just as I have watched her. Even if I did want to aid you, I cannot. I am bound by the ancient laws of governance. Your enemy was once a servant like you and I respect the pact made by all gods. That is the judgment of years past."

I try to pull the blade from my flesh, but it doesn't move. "So you abandon her to the darkness?"

"No, I choose now to guide her daughter."

I push myself to stand. "Then this was a waste of time."

I turn only to be pulled back to face him. "Do not turn your back on me. Our discussion is not yet over." He steps forward. "I have seen the future that is to come. A thousand years of torment for only one. Are you strong enough to condemn someone to a life of agony?"

"What kind of question is that?"

He lowers his hand and my blade exits my wound. "A new generation will soon fill the void of this one. You coming here makes no difference. You've spilled your blood for nothing."

I drop to my knees. "You mistaken my intention. I came only to pray for the means to save my friends."

He laughs. "That sounds strange coming from you, Jupiter. It's not that I won't help it is that I can't. I sympathize with your enemy and that makes me a liability. I am afraid that that is all I can say."

In this moment I watch as even a shadow fades until what is left on the temple ground is just me and the blood that I had spilled. My vision blurs slightly, but I pay little attention to it. Several explosions echo in the distance. I should move to intercept them, but I don't. I look down at the blade covered in my blood and pray; not to Ares or Jove, but to the stars. They were once my allies. I hope that hasn't changed.

Guns ring through the air. The sounds of war may change, but the blood is always the same. I hear the clashing of blades in the distance. My personal guard fights with Mercury and Juno. Jadeite stands on the balcony with his bow in hand. Even if he's scared it seems he hasn't given up quite yet. Still, he is an archer without his eyes. He must be trying to sense the energies.

The shadows outnumber the people, but skill is winning. The storm echoes overhead as I join the fight. Thunder crashes with each opponent I face. Several moments pass before Mercury is caught off guard by a shadow's attack. She falls and her opponent takes full advantage. A sword is raised. This is the meaning of war. People die and no mercy is given. Doesn't matter if you were a friend or an enemy; death is what waits for all of us.

My lightning flies and hits the shadow square in the chest. It falls and I am on top in seconds. Behind me are the cries of soldiers and men alike. My fists rain down like the lightning of my storm. Each strike covers my armor in a coat of crimson. Is this blood?

"Jupiter, stop!" Mercury's voice falls into the background. I can't stop. We won't win by being gentle.

I am alone in these moments. I don't even know how much time goes by. Before I know it the body fades until I am pounding loose gravel. Why can't I end this? Why do they keep running away? I've reached my limit. My scream of frustration echoes louder than the thunder.

"Empress…" The captain of my guard grabs my fist.

I turn into him. "What-"

My words are lost as the scene unfolds before me.

"We've repelled them with the help of-"

I push past him and head straight to the group of men behind. Their eyes are cold. "How dare you come back here?" I don't recognize anyone, but the man in black armor. "Endymion…"

He steps forward. "Lita-"

My fist crashes into his face before he can say anymore. Within seconds I am surrounded. The energy I feel reminds me of the other senshi.

One of the men draws his sword. I reach back for my own blades when Endymion stands, holding his nose. "Stand down."

The man does, but I don't falter. "What, did you expect, a warm welcome?"

He shakes his head. "Get out of my way, Jupiter."

Lightning dances around my fingers. "I don't think so."

The two of us stare directly into the others eyes. There he stands, the King of Earth in all his glory, but I have no faith in him. Our reunion is just as I had imagined it would be. The anger I feel is fueled by his absence. If he thinks he can just return without answering for his actions then he is mistaken. I have no sympathy for him, especially not now.

"I won't ask you again."

I don't back down. "I said no."

He clenches his fists. "This is my planet."

"If you have so much power, then move me."

Thunder cracks over our heads. We stand at equal height, but not strength.

"Gladly."