She's My What?
By: SilverLunarStar
Chapter Twelve: Remembering the End
Warning: Err… I'm not sure if this is necessary, but just in case. There's quite a bit of violence in this chapter; I don't think chapter ten even covers what happens here. A bit (bucket-loads) of bloodshed and major, um, burns… I don't think it's too detailed…
"Princess Venus," a man with pure white hair greeted.
"General Kunzite," the light blonde princess acknowledged.
"What are you doing out so late, Princess? As our planet and the Moon get closer to war, it gets more and more dangerous to wander around."
"Thank you for your concern General, but I assure you, I can take care of myself." Her eyes gleamed.
The General couldn't help but smirk; he was very much aware that the blonde Goddess could take care of herself. After all, all the royalties of the Solar System, sans the Moon, had been trained in combat since birth practically. The four Inner Scouts were some of the best fighters around, but it didn't make him worry any less. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter had had a treaty with the Moon long, long ago, even before Queen Selenity's time which stated that the first born of the four planets would make a blood pact to protect the heiress of the Moon. Even without the pact she'd made, he knew she'd do anything to protect Princess Serenity, or Serena, as she liked to be called.
The same could be said of the other Scouts. It had nothing to do with the blood pact they'd made on each of their sixteenth birthdays. These girls had been raised together and had created a bond stronger than any long-ago contract.
That's what worried him so much. She cared for Serena very much and he knew that she'd protect her with her own life, if necessary. Of course, he was guilty of the same; he'd protect his Prince, even if he had to give up his life in return. Before, this wasn't a problem, however, now he had, not only his Prince to worry about, but the princess of his heart.
This was why it was forbidden on Earth for a general/guard to fall in love, so their loyalties would never falter. However, they'd been very careful. In fact, only their Prince, Princess, the other Scouts, and Generals knew. The Princess and Princess knew that their duty to them wouldn't weaken; the two were very happy for their friends, just as they were happy with each other and their other friends were in the same boat. He had a sneaking suspicion Queen Selenity also knew, but he wasn't completely positive.
"Kunzite," Venus snapped.
"I am sorry, Princess," he mocked. "You were saying?"
He couldn't hide anything from her though. "I know you are worried about what is to come, but you have to have faith."
Uncaring of any guards that might pass by, he grabbed her hand and tugged her close to him.
Venus gasped lightly. As much as she loved him, she knew he was never one to show much emotion; that was usually reserved for when they were safely behind closed quarters. For him to be holding her in such an intimate embrace out in the open… "Ar-" she started to speak his true name, but was interrupted.
"Please, unless Serenity's life is at stake, please do everything you can to come out of this alive," he pleaded.
'He must really be worried if he is asking me this.' Hugging him tightly, she tip-toed in order to reach his ear. "I promise, if you do the same."
"No matter what," he stated. The 'sans our friends' rang silently.
"No matter what," she repeated firmly.
With that, he planted his lips on hers.
Both were oblivious to the pair of glaring red eyes watching from afar.
"Ares! Stop! Why are you doing this?" Sailor Venus raised her sword to defend herself and his sword clashed with hers.
"I do not know who this 'Ares' you speak of is, but I am not him! I am General Kunzite. You creatures think you can enchant us and our Prince so easily. My comrades and I have finally seen through your bewitchery with the help of Queen Beryl. Soon, she will also make our Prince awaken from his dulled state of mind!"
The two continued their swordfight; the man once known as Ares of Kunzite continued to attack the heiress of Venus and there was little the woman could do but defend herself.
The Scout refused to attack her beloved. No matter how much her heart constricted in pain as her soul mate continued to attack her, she refused to harm him. Instead, she defended herself, constantly trying to reach him. Finally, however, she was able to gain the upper hand and disarmed him.
The white haired man wasted little time as he conjured two white whips and snapped them in her direction.
Venus shielded herself with her sword once again.
The whips grasped the sword, but a golden chain snapped at Ares' hands, forcing him to loosen his grip, which allowed her to break her weapon free. He soon continued his attack, though.
At first, Venus still refused to do anything more than defend herself. Even as his whips reached her skin and marred the once flawless skin, she remained stubborn, refusing to harm him. However, as she heard her comrades and friends fall one-by-one, his words came to mind, 'Please do everything you can to come out of this alive. No matter what.' Taking in a deep breath, she hardened herself.
He was shocked when she suddenly went from defensive to complete attack mode. He hated to admit it, but she was a worthy opponent; she gave as good as she got.
A woman's scream filled the air.
'The Princess!' the two thought at once, however, one was full of glee, while the other was anguished; her princess had just lost her Prince.
Noticing the blonde was distracted, he took this time to use his whips again and wrapped them around her neck.
Venus' automatic gasp made her choke. Her baby blues stared directly into his cold steel blue ones. She didn't know what hurt more: the fact that she could feel the life of her friend leaving her as she started to join her own soul mate or that the love of her life was taking hers. 'Ares,' she pleaded as she tried to reach him one last time.
Maybe it was the fact that they were both touching the whips or that they were now basically the only two left on the battlefield, but whatever the reason, he heard her.
His eyes narrowed. 'What sort of bewitchery is this?' he thought; he ignored the fact that she had called him by that name again.
'No bewitchery, Ares. Even you, as brainwashed as you are, should know there is only one reason I can hear your thoughts and vice versa.'
Anyone with a brain knew only soul mates, or those who formed close bonds with others, were able to hear each other's thoughts.
He refused to believe either was possible, but… Using his whips, he drew her in a bit closer, still keeping a couple of yards of distance between them. His eyes bore into hers and, suddenly, a name came to mind. Smirking, he claimed, "Think what you like Aphrodite, but I was not conned into anything. What I do is of my own free will." He didn't know why, but he knew what he stated would hurt her more than any physical injury he could give her. The fact that he'd used the Scout's real name would add to the blow.
Looking into his emotionless eyes, she set her last resolution. Her once loosened grip tightened on the hilt of her sword. Making sure she didn't call any attention to her plan, she made his whips draw her in closer until there was only a foot between them. She knew she had shocked him and this pleased her. Making sure she didn't send out certain thoughts, she said, 'Goodbye, my love,' in her mind.
He knew she was up to something, but before he could even throw her off, precious metal embedded into his abdomen. Shocked, he opened his mouth, but nothing except a trail of blood escaped. Using the last of his strength, he had his whips literally squeeze the life out of her.
As one, the two fell into a heap onto the ground.
Lifeless baby blues stared at nothing.
Knowing he would bleed to death anyway, he removed the sword and more blood gushed out. Since he had held some form of respect towards his opponent, he reached out to close her eyes. Once her eyelids were down, the back of his hand skimmed over her purpled face. 'So soft…' Because of the blood loss, Ares was gone right after thinking that.
What he didn't know was, had Aphrodite still been alive, he might have been able to survive…
"Enyo! I said I was sorry!" Hephaestus ducked. He stared at the object that had been about to crash on his head. "That could have killed me!"
Silence.
Taking the fact that she was simply simmering to his advantage, he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"You're impossible to live with, you know?"
His grip tightened. "How should I have done it, then? I've never done this before – never wanted to do it because I never thought I'd love anyone as much as I do you. Tell me what to do to make it right," he pleaded.
Her breath caught in her throat. This was the first time he was ever directly serious to her. Everything always seemed to be one big joke to him. Earlier, what he had said…he hadn't even had the balls to ask! So, finally, she told him so, "Asking would have been nice."
Hephaestus stiffened. The reason why he had simply stated it was because he was terrified of what her response might be. He loved her so much and, while he liked to think nothing could affect him, anything that had to do with his little spitfire did. Taking in a deep breath, he knelt on one knee.
Suddenly, laughter surrounded them.
Startled, they looked around and saw their friends and fellow comrades coming through the hall, from dinner apparently.
When the group finally spotted them, they all had an 'Oh crap' look on their faces as they took in the position Hephaestus was in.
He looked up at the dark-haired Princess; her cheeks were red, but she held a defiant look. Gulping, he spilled out, "Princess Enyo of Mars, second-in-command of the Moon Princess' Royal Guard, and the woman I never want to live without, will you…marry me?" He brought out a gorgeous golden band with a ruby stone delicately set on it.
Everyone held in their breaths and looked at Enyo expectantly.
"You, General Jadeite, have been the only man who has ever driven my stark crazy, made me sad, made me fight with you, hate you, given me strength, made me long for you, and love you all in one. I know my life would be empty as soon as you're gone and-and I could never live with anyone but you. Of course I'll marry you, Hephaestus."
Slipping the ring onto her finger, he was dumbfounded. Sure, he knew she loved him, even though they had greatly disliked (to put it mildly) one another when they first met. It had eventually turned to love, but she had never expressed it with such words! He snapped out of his thoughts when everyone started clapping. Standing up, he looked at his fiery fiancée; her eyes glistened with something he could not quite identify. Hugging her close, he brought her in for a deep kiss, his last coherent thought being, 'We're lucky it was only our friends who caught us,' before he lost himself.
If only he had known that would have been the least of his worries…
"I told you, you shouldn't have gone!" Sailor Mars cried out.
Swords clashed.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Princess, but I've had enough of your whining!" General Jadeite shoved with all his might and made her soar through the air until she crashed on a crumbling column which cracked even more with the force.
Groaning in pain, she quickly got up, not wanting to give Hephaestus the upper hand. She was totally enraged with herself for putting herself in this weak position. 'If I had just continued to despise him like I did before, I wouldn't even hesitate to end his life.' She knew she was lying to herself, but the thought made her stronger. She knew what she had to do.
"There you are." He had spotted her amongst the rubble and was making his way towards her.
Looking up, she stood before the man she had given her all to could catch her off guard. Looking straight into his enraged jade eyes, she knew he wasn't the same man. His aura had been manipulated and that made him a totally different person. It hurt that this evil spirit wore the face of her love, but she knew her duty.
Suddenly, he hovered before her. He tried to decipher what was going on through those dark eyes of hers, but all he found was a firm decision and an overwhelming amount of sadness. Wary now, he made to back away; he might have taken his opponent too lightly, he realized.
He was too late to get to a safe distance, though.
Enyo, Princess of Mars, the Scout of Fire lived and died true to her Pyro name as she summoned the largest mass of fire she had ever created and it brought her and her once love to its fiery hell.
All that was left of Hephaestus, General Jadeite of Prince Endymion's Royal Guard and Enyo were ashes, which lay as a combined pile where the two once stood. A ring, its stone glistening with its own light was the only solid object left.
The irony of it all was that it had been Hephaestus who had taught her to control her innate flaming gift and that only the fruit of his hard work for his love had survived. The ruby would forever hold the passionate flames of their love.
Minako showed up at the Shrine unusually early.
Rei wasn't surprised at all when she felt the blonde come up behind her.
"Is it true?"
"Hai." She had counseled the Great Fire since before dawn and looked…and looked, seeking any falsehood. She found none.
Taking in a sharp breath, she slowly exhaled. "I knew it. Those feelings couldn't have been created out of nowhere." Love, sorrow, anger, faithfulness, betrayal, and even forgiveness all rolled up into one. "What do we do?" the Goddess of Love asked after a period of silence.
Rei contemplated, knowing what she was truly asking. While it'd be unfair to keep this from their sisters, would they willingly want to put them in the situation the two of them were in now? After a few more minutes, she finally said, "Iie, if they're meant to find out, they'll find out on their own." Agreeing, the two stared into the Fire.
A dash of romance, a dash of fluff, a cup full of drama, and a truckload of tragedy/angst. The works meant only for my dear readers.
This chapter took approximately two to six months to finish. I know, that bad. I just wasn't sure how to write up a part of their past. I've read so many fics that have gone in different, but similar nonetheless, ways and I really wanted to add my own touch to it.
Okay, I'll admit it; I had a bit of help with the Hephaestus/Jadeite and Enyo/Rei scene. Thank you Celine Dion and Luciano Pavarotti for your "I Hate You Then I Love You" song! A song which I only own in mp3 format, thank you very much.
Tell me what you think!
My reasons for their Greek names-
First off, I KNOW the Shitennou were not at all close to Gods themselves, but I liked the representation. Now…
Aphrodite: I think that's pretty self-explanatory, but for those who are not invested in the myths, she's the Goddess of love, lust, and beauty. Venus is the Roman version.
Ares: God of war, murder, and bloodshed. Ares is said to have had an affair with Aphrodite. I also think, as head of Prince Endymion's royal guard, he should know quite a bit about war. Hah, I just realized I made him bleed to death and he's the God of bloodshed… *sweat drops*
Enyo: Goddess of destructive war. She can either be identified as the sister or companion or Ares (who's Roman version is actually Mars). However, let's go with neither here, as my Ares was born on Earth.
Hermes: God of flight, thieves, mischief, commerce, and travelers. (Roman equivalent is Mercury and, again, no relation.) I kept having Disney flashes with this one and was extremely hesitant. In fact, I didn't change it until I got to his explanation. Previously, it was Hephaestus, God of fire and the forge. Jadeite was probably the hardest to find an alternate name for. I was also going to give him Enyalius at first, who was a minor God of War, but then it was either an alternate name to Ares or he was their son, so yeah… I liked the trickster part, though. Huh, I just read that Hephaestus is an inventor of fire… Interesting… No wonder he's so attracted to the Senshi of Fire! ^_^
(All of this information, and more, can be found in Wikipedia's entry "List of Greek mythological figures." That, or you can simply input the names.)
Okay, done!
Um, I don't know if I'll be able to update for a few weeks… I swear I'm not abandoning this story! *Dodges any attacks* What can I say? Life gets in the way… I have a TON or two of schoolwork to do. Add in family affairs and such; we have one busy and crazy/mad, driven-up-the-wall Eli. I WILL try my best though! If no update is done next Friday, I will DEFINITELY have chapter thirteen up by no later than March 5th, maybe even the 4th or as soon as I'm done with all my work. I'm REALLY sorry!
Keep surviving and I'll try to do the same,
~*Eli
