other entities. Plot and original characters of Kalkia and Rose are
the property of The Rose Society and Kayla Chavi.
Alpha's Omega
Chapter Thirteen - DRAFT
By: Kayla Chavi and The Rose Society
Rating: R
Alpha Headquarters, Alpha One Enclave
"I hate you." The harsh whisper ripped through the room with
greater force than if they were shouted. Pain blazed in Rose's eyes
before she burrowed herself in Jedeite's side and returned to looking
at Kal.
Nothing was spoken for several long minutes. Emotions flickered
behind Kunzite's eyes, but instead of saying anything he looked at the
mutilated body of his other heart-sister. Endymion was having a hard
time healing her. It seemed that Kalkia's physiology was fighting both
him and Zoicite at every turn. The silver-haired general turned to
leave.
"Rose..." the harsh and weak sound came out of Kalkia's voice
was a pale echo of the women she had been only half a day ago. "Rose,
its not his fault..."
Kunzite stopped at the door and turned to look into the
aquamarine eyes on the woman laying on the couch. His anger at her
returned, but he wisely did not move to hurt her again. He clenched a
fist at the forgiveness in Kalkia's eyes. She hadn't looked at him
like that in years.
"He didn't know," she continued and began to cough. Several of
her wounds reopened and began to bleed. "It's not his fault."
"Kita," Nephlite took one of her hands. "Don't move. We're
trying to save you..."
I'll be fine!" she stubbornly insisted. "Rose..." Tears filled
her eyes, making them seem even more blue. "Rose, please don't..."
Jonathon used his hand to cup Kalkia's swollen cheek. "Kaya,
please, don't move. Let Endymion help to heal you." There was a
stubborn set to his jaw; Jonathon clearly did not appreciate his
soul's mate paying more attention to Kunzite and Rose's problem than
her own injuries. A small part of him was also annoyed that Kalkia
hadn't acknowledged him.
"He promised me that he would never let Esmeraude get her
hands on you." Rose buried her face deeper into Jedeite's side. "He
made a vow to me."
Zoicite looked at Kunzite with disbelieving eyes. "You broke a
promise?"
Jonathon snorted. "What does a promise mean to the top general
of the Inner Circle? He's never been a man of much integrity."
Whirling around, Nephlite spoke bitingly, his anger choking
the words out of him. "All we have left is our honor. No matter what
you might think, we ALWAYS honor our word. Our pledge to Metallia is
based on this. You might think that we betrayed our soul's mates, but
we never, ever vowed to them that we would never join Alpha. They
assumed that our distaste for some of Alpha's practices would bar us
from ever joining Alpha, but it didn't. No matter what you think of
us, honoring our pledges are crucial to us."
Jonathon was about to snap out another disbelieving response
when Kalkia opened her eyes and looked straight at him. "Please don't
fight," she begged in her hoarse whisper. "I--" Whatever she was about
to say was cut off by the start of nearly a half hour of convulsions.
Zoicite and Endymion frantically tried to help her body repair itself
from the damage it had aquired and the new problems it was inflicting
on her. She thrashed around on the bed, her strength making it
difficult for the three men to hold her down and to work at the same
time. Everyone stayed in the room to watch, even Kunzite. No one
wanted to leave, whether it was out of love or morbid curiousity; they
all stayed.
And then just as suddenly as it started, she stilled. After
nearly an hour of fighting to keep her alive, the sudden recovery was
miraculous. Every single one of her internal injuries suddenly ceased
to exist. The superficial wounds closed and stopped bleeding. The
bruises faded as she opened clear aquamarine eyes. Kalkia looked at
Jon and smiled faintly before nodding at Endymion and Zoicite.
There were no protests until she tried to sit up. "Kita!"
"Kal!"
"Kaya!"
She just shook her head at all of them and looked at Rose.
Letting go of Jon's hand, she reached for her friend--her sister.
Rose detached herself from Jedeite and hurled herself into the
redhead's arms. Kalkia grunted once in surprise but hugged her
tightly.
'I'm fine, you silly girl.'
Jerking back, Rose looked at Kalkia. There was something...
different about Kalkia. Their link was much stronger, without Rose's
own tampering. Kalkia's strongest abilities were always centered on
the physical; the link between the two was always tempered by that.
But now...
'What's going on? Are you alright?' Rose wrinkled her brow.
'I just told you, I'm fine. A little stronger than before,
because of Endymion's help, but I'm just fine.' "You should forgive
Kunzite," Kalkia said aloud.
Before Rose could respond, Kunzite scoffed. "I don't need your
assistance in this matter, Skye. Do not try to defend me, I don't need
it." He spun on his heel and left the room. No one turned to watch him
leave, all except Kalkia.
Picking up the medical scanner, Zoicite looked at the
readings. "This is amazing, simply amazing. It shouldn't even be
possible, for everything to be healed at such speeds!" He looked at
Endymion. "Your ability to heal others must be beyond anything we've
ever seen before!"
"I--" began Endymion.
"Of course, he's amazing," interrupted Kalkia. She grinned. "I
helped designed him, so of course, he's beyond anything ever seen
before."
Looking strangely at her for a second, Endymion slowly nodded.
Pulling away, Rose joined Zoicite in running a few scans.
Nephlite drew closer to Kalkia's bed. "Kita..." He looked her
over, slowly, searching every bit of her for any signs of damage.
She just smiled and lightly touched the back of his hand. "I'm
hungry," she told him simply. "Do you still remember how to steal
chocolate?" Her eyes were filled with the mischievious and innocent
glint that hadn't been there for years. Nephlite actually blinked in
surprise before returning the grin and nodding. "As soon as Zoicite
tells me it won't shock your system."
"No fair!" she gave a sweet pout and finally managed to get
Jon and Endymion to let her sit up. "I'm perfectly well enough for
chocolate. Please, Nephy?"
It was just too shocking and too damn comforting to see her
acting like his sister again, that even the cold hearted, powerful
general couldn't deny her whatever wishes she had in that moment. So
he nodded and pulled the gaping Jedeite out of the room with him.
Finally, Kalkia turned to Jonathon and tilted her head. He had never
known her before the Urge, so her behavior was so completely abnormal
for him. But when she looked at him, when she met his eyes and gave a
little secret smile, like he was the only man in the room, he found it
impossible to be annoyed with her earlier dismissal of him.
Without any words or movement, she got him to lean down and
kiss her. It was sweet and loving, something she never showed to any
of the others around her before, not even Rose got to see her like
this. And when Rose watched them kiss, it just solidified the feeling
that something was off with her friend.
She watched silently as Kalkia and Jonathon left the room,
followed shortly by a still amazed Zoicite. The doors whispered shut,
leaving Endymion and herself as the only occupants.
"Aren't you going to join them," asked Endymion as he stood
next to Rose's side.
She stared at the closed door, then turned to look at
Endymion, her brow still furrowed. She tilted her head in
contemplation. 'You feel it too, don't you.'
'She's lying and hiding from us. She's blocking with a
strength I've never seen before. It would do serious damage to try to
break down those barriers that she's erected.'
Rose frowned. 'Too much damage. Leave her alone. She'll tell
us when she's good and ready.' She gave Endymion a weary hug. 'I'm
going to my quarters. Where are you going?'
'I don't know. There is one more artifact to gather before all
have been found. So I have at least that mission ahead of me. I've
just absorbed three, the Eye, the Krystal Moonlight, and the Midnight
Sky. So even though the Heart of the Forest was lost to us, we will
still have a slight advantage.' Endymion smiled as the pair headed out
of Kalkia's quarters. 'I think I deserve some rest, don't you?'
'I think we both do,' Rose answered as she took Endymion's
hand and leaned into his side. They walked towards Rose's quarters,
chatting quietly the entire way.
Endymion politely walked her to her quarters and made sure she
was really intending on going to bed before he even moved to leave. It
had been such a hard day and Rose had nearly lost her only family. He
could tell how hurt she was that Kalkia was hiding something from her.
"Maybe she doesn't know she's doing it," he said towards the end of
their conversation. "You blocked all of us when you were being
tortured. Maybe all she needs is time." He desperately wanted her to
go to sleep without any worries. His protective streak was starting to
emerge again.
Rose was a little surprised at his abrupt change in topic, but
she just smiled and kissed his cheek before pushing him out of her
room. "Endymion, it's late, we're tired, and Kalkia and Jon might just
cause a power outage if we're lucky. Don't think about it. I'm not."
He frowned. "You're not a very good liar." Rose raised an
eyebrow pointedly, her violet eyes showing her tired amusement at his
statement. Endymion wrinkled his nose. "At least to me," he clarified.
"Yes, yes," she gave him another push. 'Go absorb and sleep,
Endy. Maybe tomorrow things won't be as strange.'
'You'll be okay?'
She gave him a soft smile. 'With you here to watch over me, of
course I will be.' The door closed with a swish and he could sense
that she was getting ready for bed. 'Go to bed yourself, silly.'
Endymion laughed before heading off to his room in Rose's
quarters. Yes, everything would be fine. Kalkia was healthy, she and
Jonathon were probably going to have some fun, and everything would be
back to normal in the morning. Well, at least as normal as things
could get in Alpha.
Omega Cell Headquarters, Alpha One Enclave
With new eyes, Serenity looked at the environment around her.
She ran through a range of her powers, letting Demando take all the
measurements he needed.
"It's spectacular," he mumbled. "The Heart has really done you
a great power boost." He eyed the various scorch marks and bits of
debris littering the training room floor. "Incredible."
Smiling, Serenity walked over to Demando's side and looked at
the readings. "Are the power levels quite satisfactory?"
"More than satisfactory," he said with a smile. "The only
thing that would make this better would be for you to assimilate more
human behavior and emotions along with it. Sadly, the only artifact
that can give you that is the Krystal Moonlight." He looked down at
the data and felt a little sad. He had tried to talk to Serenity about
the Enclave Six Incident, but had gotten absolutely nowhere.
And there was nothing more she could learn by reading his
thoughts and feelings the way she had when he had first made her. It
was as if she had plateaued on her humanity's progression. That
saddened him more than he could ever explain to her. None of the other
members of the Resistance seemed too keen on sharing parts of their
souls with the science experiment either.
"You should stop worrying about me," Serenity said, breaking
into his thoughts as she took the data pad away from him and set it
down on the nearby table. "I am only a weapon, remember?" Her bright
blue eyes were unable to hide her own pain at that statement. "Minako,
Rei, Ryo, all of them. That's why they wanted me. I am a weapon. I
will be their savior and then I will be discarded like all weapons in
a time of peace."
"Serenity..."
She shook her head to stop whatever he might have said out of
pity for her. "We should concentrate on finding the last artifact. I
know that Endymion has found all but Neptune's Tears. He doesn't know
where it is, which means that there is still a chance for us to get
it." The small girl-child squared her shoulders and gave her mentor a
forced smile.
In the darkness of her quarters, Minako sat in a chair,
staring off into the distance. For the past day, she had scoured the
official news broadcast, searching for any sign that Kunzite was hurt,
or worse. As a top general of the Inner Circle, surely there would be
some news if anything happened to him. When the first few hours proved
to be a fruitless search, she had felt something in her loosen. It
wasn't that she didn't trust Serenity...
Hell, that's exactly what it was. Omega had killed defenseless
children for no reason other than they MIGHT pose a future hinderance
to the Cause. It was entirely possible that Serenity killed Kunzite
and merely lied to her in order to keep Minako from doing something.
Somewhere, in her gut, Minako knew that Kunzite was alive. It
was faint, very faint, but buried deep within her was her connection
with Kunzite. As soulmates, it used to be extremely strong. But, over
the intervening time span, with all that had happened between them, it
had faded and sometimes, Minako could swear it wasn't there anymore.
Only that one mission, when she and Kunzite were so close to each
other in physical proximity, did the connection flare to life. Only
Rose's interference had kept Kunzite from detecting her.
But even that metaphysical bond didn't keep her from wanting
some outside, tangible proof that Kunzite was alive.
Minako screamed in frustration. Why did she give a flying fuck
if Kunzite was alive or dead. Really? With all honesty, Serenity had
brought up a very important point. She did care and she really
shouldn't. But logic wasn't a very strong defense against her
emotions.
If Ami were still alive...Minako sobered at that. Ami was dead
because of Kunzite. Perhaps not directly because of him, but he was a
part of the very organization that had ended up killing one of
Minako's oldest friends.
There were very few people that Minako confided in. Makoto,
Ami, Rei...but since she was the leader of Omega cell, it was very
difficult to confide in those she had to order into death. Ami was a
good listener and a support staff. She was centered on medicine and
research and Minako had taken that for granted. She lost focus of the
ugly reality that they were all warriors. At any time, they could die.
In her mind, she knew that more people were going to die.
There was only one more artifact out there and then, it would be time
for a final confrontation with Alpha to get access to all seven. Then,
and only then, could Omega occur. All over the world, Resistance cells
were gearing up, recruiting heavily and gathering all the weapons and
supplies possible. They were in enough numbers to prove a challenge to
the vast army of Alpha. But, in the end, they would be no match. It
was all dependent on Serenity.
Minako laughed bitterly. Their fate, the fate of the world was
dependent on a powerful weapon in the form of a small woman. But after
Enclave Six, Minako had a hard time thinking of Serenity as a person.
More like a monster, or sociopath.
More than anything she wanted to blame someone else for the
failure of humanizing Serenity, but the longer she tried the more
obvious it became. It was her own fault. As Serenity's commanding
officer, she should have been able to see the dangerous direction that
the child was heading. That thought chilled her so much so that she
shivered and stood. She paced the room in an attempt to get warm.
What would Ami do?
The thought came to her suddenly. She frowned and thought
through it again. What would Ami do? Hell, what had Ami done before
she had been killed? As Minako went through the last few weeks after
Enclave Six, she realized that of all the people in the Cell, Ami had
not shunned Serenity for what she had done. Of course, she hadn't
condoned it, but she had patiently tried to explain to Omega what was
wrong with her actions. Serenity had never seemed to understand, but
Ami had at least tried.
Minako was startled out of her thoughts when the chime
announcing a visitor loudly beeped. Not thinking, she granted
permission for her visitor to come in. She found herself shocked to
see Serenity standing there. The blonde weapon stood there, her face
unreadable, but polite, waiting for Minako to respond to her.
"Come in, Omega." Minako walked back over to her chair and sat
down, waiting for her visitor to do the same.
"Serenity," she small girl corrected.
"What?"
"My name. It's Serenity. We're not in a briefing or on duty.
I'm your subordinate, so you can call me Serenity." Her soft chiding
made the captian clench her jaw, but otherwise she gave no indication
of her annoyance with her. "Demando wanted me to tell you that I've
successfully absorbed the artifact and that I'm performing better than
expected."
"You came all the way to my quarters to tell me that?" Minako
raised an eyebrow and looked at her levelly. Serenity shrugged but
didn't say anything for a few moments.
"Demando seemed to think that it was the more personal and
human thing to do," she finally answered. "He's very concerned with my
humanity. As is everyone else," she added, almost as an afterthought.
"Why wouldn't we be concerned with your development?" Minako
leaned back in her chair in an attempt to not show her confusion.
Omega sighed quietly and again it took a little while for her to form
her answer.
"Why would you be concerned with the humanity of a weapon you
plan to discard the moment it is no longer useful?" Serenity met
Minako's eyes which caused the older woman to give a minor flinch.
"Further more, why would it bother you so much that I have no
conscious past that of a two year old child? You expect me to behave
as if I have the life experience of a twenty year old woman. And when
I don't, you try to emotionally punish me instead of attempting to
explain or show me what you think I've done wrong."
"Serenity, you have to understand--"
"No. I don't have to do anything. You made me with the sole
purpose of taking over the world. You can call it saving the world, or
freeing the people from Alpha, or whatever you like, but the truth
still remains. You are using me to reshape everything into the image
you want. How do I know you're not going to turn around and give these
people another tyranny to suffer under?" Serenity had clenched her
hands into fists, but that was the only indication of her anger. Her
voice was still calm and reasonable. She continued.
"Every citizen of Alpha I have come across doesn't hate their
way of life. It was only until I went to the lower levels that I could
understand the darker side to the government. But you are trading one
kind of evil for another. How can I know good from evil if you are
giving me no real standard to objectively stand by?" Serenity did not
allow Minako to voice her protests, or even speak as she continued
again.
"What is going to happen to the people who oppose you? Are you
going to kill them? Their children? Will you throw them into the lower
levels to starve and die like the people we saw?" Tears had filled
Omega's eyes by this point and her entire body was shaking. "And if
you do, how is that any different than what I did? At least I was
quick about it. They only suffered moments compared to the years and
decades that you would have given them."
"So I ask you again, Minako. Why do you blame me for my
inhumanity, when you have never shown any yourself?"
"How dare you," growled Minako. "How dare you question my
humanity? I would never kill children. I am not trying to become a
tyrant! I call it a movement of freedom, because that's exactly what
it is! I am trying to give these people a chance to determine their
own lives, to live as they see fit. Why should we follow everything
that Alpha dictates? People deserve to have freedom. Anyone that
opposes Alpha is killed. We don't."
Serenity snorted. "You don't, do you? Those Alpha soldiers
that are trying to earn a living by serving the military, they are
killed daily by your Resistance movement. They oppose you and you kill
them. Can you deny this? And what happens when you gain power and
knock down Metallia? Most people out there accept what Alpha does. If
they don't like the 'freedom' you bring to them, what will you do
then? They are in significant enough numbers to pose a threat to you.
And I have knowledge about your past, before Alpha. You were killing
this planet with your technology and freedom. Millions were starving
and disenfranchised but no one gave a damn because they were all 'free'
to pursue their own goals. At least with Alpha, all have a chance to
work, all have a role in life. Those that were underground were
escapees and rejects, yes, but their numbers pale in comparison to
those in the old society."
Minako narrowed her eyes. "We would try to convince them and
if that proved fruitless, we would ensure that they would not be in a
position to threaten a budding new democracy."
"You sound like you're going to enslave them, or lock them up,
for their 'own good.'" Serenity arched a flaxen brow.
Gritting her teeth and clenchin a fist, Minako began to glow
faintly. "Look, SERENITY," she bit out, "as you pointed out, you are
only a child, so let me clear some things up. Alpha is evil. Metallia
is evil. We are the good guys. We will bring freedom and choice to the
people of this world. What they choose to do with it will be their
own. When this is all over, we'll have the luxury of teaching you how
to be human, but as of now, just concentrate on the mission.
Dismissed."
Serenity sat there, very still for a long moment before slowly
standing. "No. There will be no mission. I will not give you Omega
only so you can be Alpha. I can't trust you, Minako. When you are
ready to treat me as an equal, to explain things to me so I can
understand. I am not going to bring these people more misery."
She went to the door and waited for it to open. She looked
over her shoulder at the seething blonde. "When good people stop at
nothing to achieve their goal, then all is lost. Alpha may be evil,
Minako, but I am not convinced that we are good."
The doors silently hissed shut behind her. Serenity paused in
the hall, unsure where to go or even where to turn. She had only said
what was in her heart. Trying not to think, she went back to her room.
'Would Endymion think well of me now?' was the only thought that
stayed coherent. And it was a hollow comfort.
Alone in her quarters, Minako was left with the resounding
silence of Serenity's wake.
Serenity lay in bed, waiting for sleep to overtake her. It was
hard, being around people that you cared about, feeling their
disappointment in you. Worse was the fear she could feel in them. At
first it was a fear of her, Serenity, at what she could do, of what
she was capable of. Even though she did this to protect them, the
people that she loved, they still refused to understand. Anger and a
feeling of resentment burned in her heart. Minako, Demando, Rei...
they were the people that were closest to her, but they refused to
understand her.
'That's because they don't want to understand, or rather, that
they understand too perfectly.'
She whirled around, taking a fighting stance. 'Who's there?'
A figure appeared. 'Endymion? What are you doing in my
quarters?'
Smirking, Endymion waved a hand around. 'Take a good look
around you. You're dreaming. We're connected in the dreamscape.' He
put his hands up. 'We can't fight each other. Well,' he paused. 'We
can, actually, but it wouldn't get us anywhere. So you might as well
calm down, Serenity, and try to talk to me.'
Slowly, Serenity lowered her fists. Her heart beat, perhaps
not physically, but in her dream body, sped up. He was still smiling
at her, not looking at her with loathing or hatred. 'What did you mean
earlier?'
'About our connection? We're soulmates so we are always
connected. Since we're both sleeping, you obviously lowered your
shields enough so that we could connect on a mental level.'
Serenity shook her head. 'No, I mean, what about them
understanding too perfectly? Did you hear what I was saying?'
He nodded. 'They fear what you did because, somewhere, deep in
their hearts, they have wanted to do the same thing. Strategically
speaking, it is so much easier to eliminate your enemies, while they
are still helpless. That way, you can overpower and defeat them. They
fear themselves, that dark part of themselves, and when they look at
you, that's all that they see. So they fear you.'
She looked away. 'It hurts, you know? I love all of them,
almost as much as I love--' Oops, can't let him know the depth of her
emotions for him. 'But they reject me now. Just because I don't fit
into a definition of humanity that they accept.'
Placing a hand on her shoulder, Endymion look out into the
same murky distance as Serenity. 'Humanity is not a given. It's more
of a desire to be liked by those around you. You refrain from doing
certain things because you want people to like you.'
'Much how I regret the Enclave Six Incident because of you,'
Serenity thought to herself. She sighed and looked up at him and
studied his expression for a moment. 'The way that Minako talks about
it, humanity is supposed to be something more than just programmed
social responces. To her, being human is something you either are, or
something you're not.'
Endymion shrugged and met her clear blue eyes. 'She's wrong,'
he said simply. 'Humanity is a process. Its something you strive for.
That's what Rose keeps telling me, anyway.'
'Rose. The doctor that's making everything difficult for us.
Did you know she actually tells us who we can and cannot kill in the
Alpha heirarchy?'
His lips quirked into a slight smile. 'She's very protective
of her friends, Serenity.'
'Well, I don't go around telling her that she can't allow
Alpha to kill Rei or Haruka. She'd never listen to me.' The blonde
wrinkled her nose and looked incredibly childish. It was an aspect of
herself that rarely got expressed anymore. 'She let Ami die.'
Endymion was surprised to find himself stricken by the sadness
in her voice and his own guilt at that situation came to the
forefront. 'Serenity...' He watched as she tensed. 'You know that Rose
isn't responsible for this. She doesn't want to kill anyone. We tried
everything, did everything we could...'
'But she still died.' Tears began to well up in her eyes.
Endymion felt his heart ache. 'All of us, even you and me, are
just pawns in a war that was not of our own making. We all try our
best to prevent or head off such death and destruction, but Fate has a
way of waylaying even the best made plans.' Guilt was really gnawing
at his insides. With all his powers, he could have done something. But
in the end, it would have shown that he was not as Alpha had intended.
He would have been destroyed or punished, and while he was willing to
accept that, others would have tried to stop it. Too many people would
also be on the line and he wasn't willing to let that happen.
Serenity sighed. 'Logically, I know that one person is not to
blame, that one particular person is not targeted or singled out. And
somehow, because you love her so much, that Rose isn't to blame. But
that doesn't change the fact that Ami is dead, nor does it help me to
stop being angry.'
'There will be more deaths, more sacrifices, before all this
is over, you know that, right?' He turned his head to look at her.
She didn't meet his gaze. 'Yes,' she said softly. 'And I'm
beginning to realize that it won't be over until one of us dies,
possibly both.'
They were both silent for a long while. Finally, Endymion
broke the silence. 'We have to do what is right, Serenity. That's all
we can do.'
She turned to stare at him. 'How do you define what is right
or wrong? Everyone in the Resistance tries to tell me what is right
and wrong, but everyone has different ways of envisioning it.'
Endymion took a few moments before answering her. 'I've come
to realize that's the way it is everywhere. Most people have their own
definition of right and wrong, but there are still a few things that
most can agree are truly evil.'
'Like killing children.' She had turned away from him and
crossed her arms over her chest as if she were cold. Endymion's
expression softened and he reached out to lightly put his hands on her
shoulders. He had seen Jon do this with Kalkia several times, and
normally it helped. She flinched at first, but didn't tell him to stop
touching her.
'Serenity...'
'I don't feel guilty about it, you know,' she whispered. 'The
only reason I regret doing it was because of the look in your eyes
before I jumped off the building. You hated me and that hurt more than
anything.'
'Perhaps that's better than nothing. Why has no one ever
helped you develop a set of morals?' He shook his head. 'I was never
meant to have one, but surely someone helped to integrate one into
you?'
She turned to look at him, his arms now loosely at his side.
'No, they never thought about it. I'm thought of as a weapon for
achieving their goals. At least, that's how they originally thought of
me. Even though some of them love me, think of me as a person...' She
wrapped her arms around him, luxuriating in his warmth. They might not
have been together in a physical sense, but his love for her took on
a temperate nature in this dreamscape, and she needed all the love she
could get at this moment. She pressed her ear up to his chest and
listened to the calming thump of his heartbeat.
Draping his arms around Serenity's waist, he placed his chin
on top of Serenity's head, right in between the two buns of hair. He
was angry, but not at Serenity. Why hadn't they give her a sense of
morality? The disaster of Enclave Six could have been avoided with
such a simple act. But, he could understand why. Rose and Kalkia were
the head scientists on Project Alpha and Rose especially was feeling
very guilty about designing a weapon that would keep Metallia in
power. And Rose knew that there was danger in creating a being without
morals. So she gave him one. But if Serenity was always considered a
weapon first, and a person last, then, it was conceivable that no one
had even realy thought of morals.
'Do you trust me?'
Serenity lifted up her head and looked into the smiling blue
eyes of the dark-haired man who was her soulmate. She held his gaze.
Eventually, she replied, 'Completely.'
'Then let me help you gain those pieces of humanity that you
don't have.' He laid a gentle kiss upon her forehead. 'Open your mind
to me and let me help guide you.'
She nodded and clenched her fingers in the fabric of his
shirt, as she willingly opened herself to him for the first time. She
was nervous and shy with the mental aspect of it. Her powers had yet
to grow in that area. Physically she was stronger than Endymion, but
mentally...she definitely lacked. Endymion gently went into her and
carefully watched for any sign of pain or discomfort. She shifted
irritably a few times before relaxing all of her barriers.
Even when she did that, he was slow as he showed her how to
determine good and evil. He gave her the knowledge of what it felt
like for him when something was wrong and right. She clung to him
tightly as they went through this slow, melding of minds. She
whimpered a few times and he always stopped to make sure he wasn't
hurting her. Finally, when he felt sure that she had enough
information to develop her own sets of morals, he began to break the
connection.
Serenity panicked when she felt his mind start to leave hers
and clung to him more tightly. 'Don't,' she whispered, shaking in his
arms. 'I don't want to be alone yet.'
'I wasn't leaving you, Serenity,' he said in an attempt to
placate her. He was about to say something else, when he felt a surge
of desire for the blond go through him. It was something of a
surprise, considering they weren't physically together. It was just
mental but for some reason he hadn't maintained his normal level of
control around her.
'Please,' she murmured, her lips brushing against the skin of
his neck. 'I don't want to wake up yet.'
He felt his own arms tighten around her body as he lifted her
off the ground a little and buried his face in her neck. He could feel
her heartbeat against his chest. He could smell her simple and clean
scent even though he knew it wasn't real. He murmured her name in a
choked whisper. Later he would be embaressed that he lost control so
easily. He was supposed to be helping her and being her friend, not
wanting to make love to her, even if it was only in their minds.
'Sere--'
'Damnit,' she grumbled and he felt her shudder and start to
push away from him. 'Someone is trying to wake me up.' Endymion swore
under his breath as well, realizing the same thing. 'I...'
'We'll talk more later,' he promised. As something of an after
thought, he tried to reestablish his link to her. It was a surprise to
find that she wasn't agreeable to that idea. The blonde shook her head
as she painfully extracted herself from his embrace.
'It would be wrong. They trust me. Rose and Kalkia trust you.
We can't.' Then she was gone. Endymion stayed in the dreamscape for
several long moments before opening his eyes. He looked up at the
amused expression of Kalkia.
"What are you doing out of bed?" he demanded, feeling his
cheeks heat as she gave him a very pointed look at his waist. "You
nearly died--"
"I'm fine. It really was nothing that a good night of sex
couldn't fix. We need to get a look at your power levels and run some
tests." She turned on her heel and prepared to at least leave him some
privacy to dress. She paused at the doorway and he heard her giggle
quietly. "You know," she said over her shoulder. "Sometimes its better
when you're away from each other. Things can get a lot more
interesting."
"Kalkia!"
Her laughter echoed all the way out of the room and down the
hallway. Even then, he couldn't begrudge her that. It had been a while
since she had really laughed. As he showered and dressed, Endymion
found that Serenity had been right. He couldn't betray Rose and
Kalkia's trust by allowing Serenity access to Alpha. He really did
love those two strange doctors way too much.
Entering his room, Kunzite removed his sweaty shirt, peeling
it from his sweat-soaked body. He had just spent most of the night
beating the crap out of some of the other officers in a few rounds of
training. When a lot of them ended up in the medical bay, he growled
his frustration and went to the holographic room to go kill something.
He picked up a data pad and brought up a list.
When he became a general of the Inner Circle, one of the
fringe benefits was that a lot of women were extremely eager to join
him in his bed. Because of the nature of his work, all were given
background checks. They were complied into a list with pictures and
biographies. Basically, they were willing to be called at any time,
any place. They were willing to drop everything, even husbands,
boyfriends, girlfriends, wives, on the off-chance that he might call.
All the generals had them. After all, there was political gain for
anybody seen with a member of the Inner Circle.
Scrolling through the list, he settled on a woman. Kunzite
didn't really feel like spending his off hours alone. He gave his
personal computer his orders and stepped into the shower. By the time
he had finished and thrown on some comfortable black pants, the woman
had arrived and was waiting outside the main doors to his quarters.
"Enter," he said as he toweled off his hair.
A woman entered his quarters and looked around the corners,
looking for where he was. "In here." She followed the sound and
entered the room, wearing a curve-hugging mini-skirt and plunging
neckline. He vaguely recalled that she was some local governmental
officer's daughter, about 19 years of age. Her face was artfully
enhanced with makeup, the subtle colors bringing out the delicacy of
her facial features and the soft arching wing of her dark brow. As she
drew closer, her inviting cleavage exposed for all to see, a soft
scent of her expensive perfume reached his nose. It was sultry; a mix
of sexy spices meant to inflame passion.
He frowned. "Change your scent." He looked her up and down.
"Go into the cleanser, whether you use the sonic shower or regular
water is fine with me, just make sure you don't smell like the perfume
that you're wearing right now. And change your clothes."
Her violet eyes widened in surprise, but she said nothing, not
wanting to ruin her chances with him. She hurried off into the
facilities area, clutching the clothes that he had flung at her.
She was changed and ready in minutes. Kunzite looked her over
and finally nodded in satisfaction. She looked exactly how he wanted.
Modest. Innocent. Exactly like her. Without further ado, he brought
her back into the bedroom he used for activities such as these. The
only woman who had ever managed to be in his personal chambers, was
Minako. He didn't want any other woman's scent left on his sheets. Not
even Rose saw his bed, no she saw this room, just like every other
woman.
As far as actual sex went, it wasn't spectacular. This woman
wasn't his normal type, but she caught on quick to how he wanted her
to respond. Kunzite wasn't one who really cared what the women in his
bed felt with him. Again, that attention and care had only been
extended to Minako and sometimes Rose. Most women had no complaints,
and this black-haired bitch was no exception.
As she lay beneath him in exhaustion, him not slacking in the
least, he forced her to look up at him. "Tell me you love me." When
she didn't respond right away, he jerked his hips hard against hers
and she gave a little cry of pain.
"I...I love you," she managed uncertainly. Again he gave
another hurtful push. "I love you," she said again.
"Again." He gripped her wrist tightly and pressed it against
the bed.
"I love you."
"Open your eyes." With his other hand, he wrenched her chin up
and made her look up at him. "Again."
"I love you." She tried not to wince as he showed her no
tenderness, no care as he continued to fuck her. She watched his face
alternatingly fill with emotion and then close off. She repeated the
words everytime he told her to and didn't look away.
"Mean it," he growled. "Say it like you mean it."
With her free hand, the woman touched the side of his face.
Her fingers trembled as she wiped the sweat off of his cheek. She
pulled his head down and buried her face in his throat. With all the
feeling she could muster, she said it.
"I love you, Kunzite."
He stiffened and then gave one last thrust before climaxing
into her with a blinding rush. He rolled off of her a moment later and
sat up on the edge of the bed. Exhausted, the woman laid there and
tried to recapture her breath. Slowly, he stood and headed towards his
bathroom. "Get out. I don't want to see you in here when I'm
finished."
She stared at his retreating naked back and smiled. She was in
pain, somewhat, and unsatisfied, but she wasn't here to get a lover.
Well, not really. There was a small part of her that hoped the general
would like her enough to make her his mistress, but over the years,
there had never been any rumors of a love interest for Kunzite. She
got what she wanted: bragging rights. She threw off the sheets and
began to dress, smiling the entire time.
"You've gotten reckless."
Kunzite blinked in surprise at the sound of her voice. He had
gone out into his living room and had felt like he was completely
alone in the apartment. He had even waited until he felt the woman
leave so there would be no confrontation. Instead, he had Kalkia
sitting in his favorite chair.
And it wasn't even the Kalkia that he expected. Her hair was
down and in the natural, tight, spiral curls that she had been unable
to control in her youth. The auburn length fell to her waist, tumbling
over her shoulders, and still very much in the familiar disarray. Her
face was free of any make-up and in the modest off-duty Alpha uniform.
She looked like the little girl he had befriended a decade ago.
It wasn't until now that he realized how much he missed this
side of her.
Immediately that thought and feeling was replaced with anger
and fury. She was manipulating him and she knew it. His rage at her
deception with regards to Minako was just as strong as it had been two
days ago.
"Excuse me??" he bit out.
"I shouldn't have even heard about that slut, let alone seen
and talked to her. And if I was able to see her, Rose definitely felt
it. Very déclasse, Kunzite." She paused and tilted her head. "Not to
mention vulgar.?
He forced himself not to cross the room and take her by the
throat. The need to crush her neck was a wonderful image to him. "What
are you doing here, Skye??He attempted to sound patient with her, but
he knew it might snap at any moment.
"We needed to talk.?
"I don't want an apology for what you did with Aino. And I'm
sure as hell not going to apologize for giving you to Esmerade.?His
aura began to concentrate in his fist, the glow starting to become
visible to the naked eye.
Kalkia glanced at his hand and sighed softly. Against his will,
Kunzite felt his entire body relax. His fist unclenched and became
slack against his side. His legs weakened and he felt the need to sit.
He even could breathe easier. All the tension in his back and
shoulders also was released. Kunzite tried to clench his jaw in
defiance, but even that action drained away.
"Sit," Kalkia murmured softly. He glared at her and silently
refused. She wrinkled her nose in irritation with his disobedience,
but didn't push it. The relaxation that had suddenly come onto him,
stopped.
"I am not here to apologize and I don't care about what
happened with Esmerade. She didn't hurt me anyway.?
Kunzite snorted and leaned against the opposite couch. He
wasn't going to sit, but that didn't mean he wanted to be embarrassed
if his legs gave out.
"Do you really think that she is capable of truly hating you?"
Kalkia leaned back comfortably in the chair and watched him closely
through calm blue-green eyes. When he refused to answer, she tried a
different question.
"Did Rose ever give you a reason for making you promise never
to give me over to the Enforcer??
That got more of a reaction out of him, for he looked a little
stunned by the topic. "She never gave me any details. She was crying
when she begged for that promise and I had just..." he ran a hand
through his damp silver hair in irritation. "I just assumed that she
was trying to protect you."
That got a laugh out of her. Shaking her head, she said, "Rose
knew that I could take care of myself, especially with how well and
how quickly I gained control over the offensive power of the Urge. No,
Rose was more worried about me killing Esmerade and the result being
that I would be made the Enforcer. She also knew that if that were to
happen, I would, without hesitation, use any and all excuses to get
you into the playroom. She had no doubt that I would have killed all
of you in a long and painful event that would not have stopped until I
had devoured the entire world.?"
"Metallia would have stopped you." The response came quickly
in the attempt to hide the sudden fear and shock that managed to chill
him. Her tone had been blunt and direct, but with a quiet, seductive
murmur. Kalkia gave him one of her teasing smirks.
"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" She arched an
eyebrow at him. Before he could answer, she quickly continued. "But as
you can see, Rose's fears have not come to pass. Unfortunately,
Esmerade is still very much alive."
"Why? You seem well enough. Are you not as strong as Rose
seems to believe," he taunted.
Her lips once again curled up in an amused smirk. "No. I'm
stronger. I've been hiding a lot from everyone, even Rose. But after
my event with Esmerade, she knows. I no longer have to hide from
anyone."
Slowly, Kalkia stood and walked over to the general. Gently,
she placed her palm against the bare skin over his heart. He had to
shunt away the memories of her doing the same thing in the past. It
had been a gesture of comfort between them. She had done it whenever
he had suffered from a broken heart, which was a lot more often than
the boy in him had cared to admit.
"I forgive you, Kunzite. For everything. From giving me to the
Urge, to treating me like shit for the past seven years, to giving me
over to the Enforcer. I, forgive you."
His gaze snapped down to hers and he glared at her. He gripped
her wrist tightly, hoping to either break it or active the Urge. It
was just a reaction he had developed with her over the years. However,
she didn't flinch, her bones didn't break, and there was no sign of
the Urge.
"I don't."
"Yes, you do." Effortlessly, she pulled out of his grip.
"I'm still pissed about Minako."
Kalkia shrugged. "Anytime you want to try taking me in a
fight, I'm totally up for it. However, I strongly suggest you get over
it."
When he didn't answer or acknowledge her, she turned to leave
him. She was almost out the door when his voice stopped her. "Kal?"
She looked over her shoulder at him. "She still hates me."
Kalkia's expression became sad and melancholy.
"If you care so much, then maybe you should do something about
it." She paused, as if carefully weighing her next sentence.
"Something that isn't fucking some whore who looks like her. You're a
mature, grown male, Kunzite. Stop acting like a petulant, selfish
child."
"Kalkaylakia," he warned. His anger was suddenly back in full
force, even though his body was still too relaxed to do anything about
it.
"Have you talked to Minako yet?" she interrupted whatever
tirade he was about to start on. "Have you given her any thought? Have
you asked her if she hates you?" Once again she managed to stun him
into silence. "It's time to grow up, heart-brother, and time to stop
punishing others for your mistakes."
Then, she left him alone.
Scanning the results, Rose quickly ran the numbers through
some mental equations. Math. Math was good. She shut her mind and
ignored all else.
Raising an eyebrow, Endymion knew exactly what Rose was
blocking out and trying to avoid thinking about. He sincerely hoped
that she wouldn't vomit on him. Well, he felt a similar level of
disgust, so he couldn't really blame her.
"How long are you going to continue to do this?" Kalkia
interrupted herself. She had been trying to explain to her friends
what some of the results had meant. "You're starting to echo at me,
Rose, and its giving me a headache."
Startled, Rose nodded before she gave off a golden glow for a
moment. With a small surge of power, she locked away any knowledge of
what she had sensed. With a confused look, she looked around, as if
confused about what she was doing, before she noticed the data pad in
her hand and resumed her calculations.
With a quick look over his shoulder to make sure that Rose was
too preoccupied, Endymion sent to Kalkia, 'I know what you did with
Kunzite.'
She blinked at him in surprise. 'Does Rose know then?'
'No. She's walled off her link with Kunzite right now. She
only knows about that woman because Rose usually hears all the minds
that are present in a certain radius. She doesn't know about your
visit.' He gave her a mental smile. 'But I do. And you did a
remarkable job. It's was a lot more restrained than I would have been
capable of.' He frowned, slightly. 'I just can't figure out how you
were able to do what you did with Kunzite. I know that you won't tell
me and short of breaking into your mind, I won't find out, but I wish
you would confide in me.'
'Endymion,' she sounded faintly exasperated and a little
chiding. 'When have I ever confided in anyone? Not even Jon gets into
my head the way that you and Rose seem to think you're entitled to.'
She gave him a slight smile and lightly touched his shoulder. 'You're
being much too concerned over this. I just have a new perspective now,
that's all it is.' She paused and suddenly got a positively wicked
glint in her eyes. 'How are things between you and Serenity?'
His eyes widened and it was comical the way he looked
completely horrified that she knew about not only the first
dreamscape, but also the last two nights he had spent with her.
'You're guessing.'
She giggled and poked him playfully. 'Oi, I wish you would
confide in me,' she teased. She was very effective in turning his
attention away from her conversation with Kunzite. If it hadn't been
for the feeling that this was exactly how she was supposed to be,
Endymion would have had serious doubts to Kalkia's sanity after the
torture.
"What are you two giggling about?" Rose broke in, shooting
them a look of mock hurt.
"The new Resident that seems to have taken a liking to you,"
Kalkia responded without missing a beat. Again, it was very worth it
to see her friend blush.
Light banter and laughter filled the room. It had been a long
time since they had all been so light-hearted. But, as always, there
was an undercurrent of worry.
'Kalkia IS happy,' commented Rose.
'But it's such a drastic change. Most people don't change in
such a short time,' Endymion returned.
'Leave her alone, Endy. We can't interfere in the paths of
others. She's an adult; let her make her own choices.' Rose frowned.
'I still don't know how much of a good thing it was for you to bond
with Serenity in Dreamscape.' She waved a hand to halt his protests.
'She needs a moral compass, true. But how much have you changed her
fate?'
'I don't know. But I know that I want to be there for her. I
love her.' He cringed slightly. 'It's surprising, but I love her, no
matter what she's done.'
There was a small, wistful smile from Rose. 'Such is the curse
of soulmates. You two will always be connected, no matter what the
other person does. That's why it's so hard. But the rewards can be
greater than you can ever imagine. Love: it's a curse and a blessing.'
'And the sex is pretty damn good too,' Kalkia cut in,
surprising both of her friends. She just smiled sweetly, like she
hadn't known that she wasn't supposed to be hearing most of their
conversation. 'And don't worry about the fate thing, Endy. It doesn't
exist anyway.'
He wrinkled his nose and looked between the two women. That
really was the main difference between them. Kalkia didn't believe in
fate or destiny, while Rose did. He quickly jumped in before they
could start debating. One time he could have sworn that there had
almost been blood over it if Zoicite hadn't come in to stop them.
However, he did ask, "Why did you help create me if you don't believe
in Fate?"
"Oh that's easy," the red head said outloud with him. "Because
I don't believe that Omega has to end the world or even Alpha. I don't
believe that is written in stone. I created you in response to that.
Against Destiny."
Rose rolled her eyes. "You created him because you were bored
and you made me help because its never enough for you to be bored by
yourself. You always have to involve me."
"I was not bored." Kalkia glared at her friend.
"Were too."
"Were not!"
Endymion laughed under his breath. If forever was like this,
then he'd have no complaints.