Chapter Nineteen - Face to Face
Jupiter had been running for what seemed like years. Her body was getting tired and her mind struggled to throw off the invading haze of her surroundings.
The insides of Chaos seemed to be as vast as space, and just as impenetrable. She had made the mistake of looking down only once - not seeing anything beneath her feet had made her stomach flip uncomfortably - she had jerked her eyes up and now kept them firmly focused on what was in front of her.
"Nephrite!?" she called, wandering, oddly, if she would ever get the chance to call him by his real name - whatever it was.
The darkness surrounding her sucked up the sounds she made almost instantaneously.
She paused and rested her hands on her knees, bent over, panting, but still making sure not to look down.
If it were not for years of battles and excellent fighting instincts her head would have been summarily separated from her body by an evil looking sword that suddenly whistled through the air to thud into the ground mere centimeters away from her face.
She had dodged just in time, barely even since her hair was a bit shorter in the front. Already in a fighter's defensive stance and powering up her strongest attack she opened her eyes wide, blinking.
"You?" she asked incredulously and was just in time to hurl herself out of the way of another attack.
Her opponent smiled.
"Do I know you?" he asked, pleasantly.
Jupiter's face contorted in a mask of hurt and disbelief.
"What are you talking about?" she demanded.
"Of course you know me! I came to rescue you!"
Nephrite eyed her in a puzzled manner, hefting his sword for another strike.
"What's wrong with you!?" Jupiter continued, flinging up a hand to protect herself, but unwilling to send an attack his way lest it hurt him.
"Nothing," he assured her, laughing and swinging the sword high.
She rolled out of the way but gasped as a shadow twisted in front of her to become a pair of hands holding her still in one place as Nephrite approached with his sword raised.
She stared in alarm at his face - it was still the same face she knew but it was twisted in expression - his smile had become a snarl, and his eyes were no longer mischievous but menacing. Something was very wrong, she realized.
"Did she turn them again?" Jupiter whispered to herself, "It couldn't happen. They said the bond was broken, the curse is gone."
"Nephrite!" she screamed as he pulled the sword back.
"You aren't bound to Chaos anymore!"
Her voice made him pause only slightly, a vague look of unease settled on his face. For a moment he almost seemed to recognize her, but then he shook his head.
"This won't hurt a bit," he said, and chuckled at his own humor.
By the time Mercury found him, he was already dead.
She knelt beside him feeling for a pulse, but noting with a detached calm, that his lips were blue and his skin was bloodlessly pale. She listened harder than she'd ever listened to anything before, her cheek crushed into the material of his borrowed shirt.
She held her breath, almost willing her own heart to quiet itself so that she could hear his - no matter how slight it might be. But there was nothing.
Mercury stared at Zoisite's face, it was puckered slightly as if in pain, and she looked down to see the oozing wound in his abdomen, covered with dried blood and no longer bleeding.
"CPR," she whispered to herself, "clear the passageway, remove all obstructions, tilt the head back to open the airway - hold the nose, and with a firm pressure -"
She continued to mutter to herself, as she suited her actions to her words - she flinched when she felt something hot and wet on her cheek and realized she was crying.
She was surprised at how cold the air around her was, she could see her breath form crystals and her tears lost their heat almost immediately, leaving a cold trail down her face. As one of them fell she noted in surprise that it froze before it hit the ground.
"It's freezing," she murmured, her hand distractedly brushing his curly hair out of his face.
"Freezing," she repeated, suddenly looking at his blue lips with more attention.
She brought her hands together and rubbed them to create friction and warmth then placed them on Zoisite's face. He didn't stir, and still lay as lifelessly as before, but she thought she saw just a tiny splotch of color, though it might have been her imagination.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," a voice spoke calmly.
She looked up quickly, her heart pounding in dread, as she caught sight of the tall, caped man standing in front of her. He had a sword in his hand which he held with an expert grip. His face was almost entirely expressionless except for the faint hint of a sardonic smile.
"This isn't good," she muttered.
Mars opened her eyes calmly.
"You knew I would come," she said, quietly.
A breeze, from seemingly nowhere, ruffled his hair as he stood before her with a sword in hand.
"Yes, and you knew I would be waiting," he answered.
She noted the lack of personality in his voice, the lack of emotion or passion of any kind. It confirmed her suspicion.
"Let him go," she commanded.
Jadeite's face looked puzzled.
"Let who go, Rei?" he asked, "I think it's time you came to grips with reality. Whatever happened between us is over. I choose Chaos, and that means, unless you want to join me, I'll destroy you without another thought."
"Not very tempting," she mused, wryly, but her violet eyes flashed with anger.
"I'll tell you one more time, Chaos," she spoke, still calm, "release him."
Jadeite's face seemed to waver, until it suddenly broke into a grin that wasn't his.
"What do you think you can do to me, Priestess?" Chaos's asked in Jadeite's voice.
"This is my willing servant, and it was through you that he became mine once more. You are all such fools," Jadeite spat, "the same weaknesses over and over again. I caught him through you before, you know. Really, it is too amusing."
Mars said nothing, but the air shimmered suddenly as her eyes grew warmer and warmer. The violet in them began to swirl, her hair began to twist into a flame of red and her suit began to grow longer, changed in form.
"You tricked me once," she said in a quiet voice, as the air around her shivered with heat, "but I won't let you do it again."
"Do you think, simply because you are in your original form that you can defeat me?" Chaos asked, skeptically.
"Only the Moon Child possesses powers that can harm me."
"That may be true," Mars conceded, "but I'm not here to destroy you. I came for him and I'm not leaving without him."
"You're welcome to-"
"Silence," Princess Mars interrupted, "You can have nothing more to say."
Jadeite's lips shut with an angry snap. He raised his hands as his eyes began to glow red.
"This will be a pleasure." He informed her.
Mars readied herself for battle.
Venus was tired of running and strongly suspected she'd been going around in circles for some time.
"Kunzite!" she shouted, in exasperation, "Where the heck are you!?"
Feeling frustrated, she plopped herself down onto the floor that was not a floor, but possibly the inside of Chaos.
"How am I supposed to find that idiot in this place?" she asked no one in particular.
She took a look at her watch. In about three minutes, Usagi and Mamoru would be closing off Chaos's entrance from the world. She didn't relish the thought of being on the wrong side of that seal. Or of anyone else she cared about being on the wrong side either.
She sighed and pushed herself to her feet once more. She took a few steps aimlessly, then stopped.
"Of course," she hit her head with the palm of her hand.
Closing her eyes she focused on reaching to the core of her memories of her past self - the person who had known the intricacies of what it meant to hold the power of Venus. With a smile she opened her eyes and saw a shimmering red line - almost like a thread - reaching off into the darkness.
With a chuckle she began to sprint.
"I'm sorry!" Jupiter cried.
Nephrite was lying on the ground, groggy after just being hit by a searing bolt of lighting.
He sat up gingerly and brushed the ashes of his cape off of his shoulder in rueful surprise.
"You are more of an opponent than I thought," he announced as he retraced his steps.
"I'm trying to tell you that I'm not your enemy!" Jupiter called desperately, "Can't you get that through your thick skull!?"
"You are not the most persuasive of women," he observed.
"I'd like to wipe that smile off his face with a -" Jupiter muttered under her breath. Still held in place by the shadow hands - they seemed to be a detached piece of Nephrite's power - she had nonetheless called forth a lighting bolt with little trouble. But it was difficult and draining to try to stop him without hurting him. He'd already managed to get two good cuts on her with his sword.
"Don't make me hurt you." she warned him as he circled back for another go.
"Tell me," he said, standing warily before her and shifting his sword experimentally, "who are you? My Queen sent me to dispatch you but I confess that I'm curious as to who I am required to kill."
Jupiter's green eyes glittered with emotion.
"I'm me!" she exclaimed, unclearly, "I'm Makoto, I'm your friend. Remember?"
He only looked more confused.
"You mean you are a servant of the Queen as well? What was your offense, then?"
"No, I'm not Beryl's servant!" Jupiter retorted, angrily, "I'd wouldn't serve that monster-bitch if she gave me -"
She was int erupted by a low, feral growl of rage. Nephrite swung up his sword with a deadly gleam.
"How dare you insult the Queen!?" he demanded in outrage.
"It's the truth!" Jupiter shouted, just as angry, "And if I have to beat it into you so be it!"
She struggled against the shadows but they held firm, and from the look in his eyes he meant to kill her this time.
Nephrite aimed the sword at her heart and sent it flying into the air with a rush of power. Jupiter couldn't move, but never one to panic, she drew on her powers as completely as she knew how and as the sword sped toward her the largest bolt of lighting either of them had ever seen struck the ground directly in front of her, blinding both of them.
The sound of the thunder ripped through the sky making them momentarily deaf. Nephrite blinked, trying desperately to see - relieved and somewhat surprised to find he was still alive.
Finally his eyes adjusted and he discovered that his shadows had fled from his opponent's power, while she appeared to sit slumping on the ground from where they had held her.
In front of her was a puddle of quickly hardening silver, which was all that was left of his sword.
He stood up slowly, very cautiously. If she had the power to melt a sword she was more than capable of destroying a flesh and blood creature. The smoke from his decimated power and weapon was acrid and rank and caused him to cough slightly as he approached her.
But he soon saw there was no need for stealth. Her last attack, calling, as it did, upon all her powers to create a bolt fast enough and powerful enough to stop his attack, seemed to have taken its toll on her. She was panting, not yet able to stand from the effort, and at the moment quite vulnerable. He made no secret of his approach and she looked up at him with a pale face.
He halted as he noticed the sudden, angry tears in her eyes - they cause her eyes to glitter in an odd way - and as he saw, close up, how young she appeared to be.
"Who are you?" he asked, in spite of himself.
She sniffed, and said in a watery voice, "I told you."
He frowned and raised a fist, slamming her with power in one swift movement. He used so much power that he was sure it must tear her apart, atom by atom - that was what the attack was meant to do - to reduce the victim into a shadow - a mere nothing.
Her scream of pain was cut off without warning as his attack mysteriously dispersed.
Suddenly she was bathed in a pale light that, when it faded, revealed her to be dressed in completely different clothing; her appearance was more regal, more commanding.
"You're -" he started at her sudden transformation.
"You absolute ass," she pronounced, catching herself as her transformation left her slightly weak. She shook her head and felt her hair, shimmering emerald tinting it, rustle along the fabric of her gown.
"I don't understand," he muttered, taking a step back.
Nephrite was left confronting an amazonian queen - with a death glare on her face. She no longer looked young and vulnerable, but proud, over-poweringly beautiful and wildly displeased. His brain was reeling in confusion and he put a hand to his brow.
"I don't know why I shouldn't just kill you," she stated, matter-of-factly, crossing her arms.
"Only," she added, "I suppose I would miss you."
"Makoto?" he asked, uncertainly. The fuzz in his brain was beginning to clear, he felt the shadows weaken around his heart.
"No," she answered, crisply, "I'm not simply Makoto, I'm not even quite the Princess of Jupiter - I'm just Jupiter. And frankly, I am extremely unimpressed with you -"
"Oh, my god." He whispered, his face turning pale.
Her brows snapped together in displeasure.
"My princess," he murmured.
"I'm not your princess!" she thundered, and the air around her thundered as well as if in sympathy. Nephrite was nearly knocked off his feet by the sound of it.
"You have betrayed me and forgotten me three times!" she exclaimed, stalking toward him, her gown flowing around her and the air thickening.
"Three chances, and all of them failures. The cycle of your treachery is appalling. Any sane woman would have tied you to a rock and let the harpies eat your liver."
"Tell me why," she said, stopping just in front of him where he knelt looking up at her stern face, "Tell me why I shouldn't put an end to your existence?"
He looked up at her in silence, his pale face blank and his eyes clear as they gazed at her powerful, vivid features. He felt as though an irate goddess stood before him, ready to crush him under her heels - a fate he remembered suddenly that he completely deserved.
"I can't," he managed to murmur hoarsely.
"You can't what?" she asked, sharply. He could feel the hairs on his arms begin to rise because of the electricity in the air.
"There is no reason," he finished, quietly. His eyes were large and sad as they gazed up at her.
"There is no reason you should forgive me, and no reason that I should continue to live."
He bowed his head in total submission.
"Please, release me."
Jupiter gazed down at him for a long moment. Electricity jumped from finger to finger as she stretched her hands and curled them into practiced fists. This was the final argument between them, she sensed; the one they'd been avoiding, the conflict that had lain in the back of their minds and hearts for thousands of years. Now they were both truly whole - finally past and present had united in them both but the conflict remained and it had takne Chaos to effect all of this.
Without the spirit to live, without something to spur him on, she knew that the kindest and most loving thing she could do for Nephrite or the others was to put them out of their misery as they'd requested. But she'd come so far...there had to be a reason, but she wasn't sure she knew what it was.
"One word frees us from all the weight and pain of life..." she murmured, almost absently.
He looked up in surprise, his eyes were cloudy because her words stuck a chord in his memory. On a hot day in a lifetime that had long ceased to exist he had stood with her and said those very words - the day he had told her something important for the first time.
"That word is..."
"Please!"
Mercury had filled the vast gap of space with fog; she had sent wave after wave of icy cold water after her opponent and built a field of ice around herself and Zoisite, still lying on the ground.
But there was a reason that Kunzite was the best of Earth's guard; had been the best of Beryl's generals; he simply could not be stopped.
Every attack she threw at him he absorbed and sent it back to her. Eventually she stopped trying to attack and instead resorted to defense and evasion - which worked fairly well, but she was tired. And Kunzite hadn't even broken his first wind.
Reason, logic seemed of no use on him. She had spent the better part of five minutes arguing with him - trying to convince him that he wasn't Chaos's to command any longer. Nothing seemed to penetrate that icy mask or those soulless eyes. He meant to kill her, and the cold was sapping her strength.
She had constructed a shield of ice around herself and Zoisite as a last ditch effort to prevent disaster. But Kunzite, patient as ever, was hacking through it with his sword, and he was nearly through.
In desperation, no longer caring what happened to her, Mercury was trying everything she could think of to warm Zoisite back to life. She had never been more disappointed with her particular affinity for ice in her life.
"If only Mars were here," she kept murmuring, "there might be a chance."
She rubbed his lifeless arms; she lay curled around him, trying to make her body warm him. He showed little sign of coming back to life - it was simply far too cold.
With a final shattering of ice, Kunzite managed to get his sword through the barrier. In a few moments she would be trapped inside with him.
"Please!" she shouted as he raised his sword.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Mercury held still, afraid that some miracle had taken place and if she moved at all she would disturb it.
Kunzite turned abruptly and stared at something behind him.
"I can't allow you to interrupt," he said to someone.
"Well, this is a cold reception!"
Mercury gasped at the sound of Venus' voice.
"Venus!" she screamed, "I'm in here. Zoisite's badly wounded and Kunzite is -"
"Crazy, yeah, I know!" Venus called back.
"Don't worry, Mercury," she yelled to the ice structure, "take care of Zoisite. I'll handle this guy."
Kunzite raised an elegant brow.
"What?" Venus asked, smiling, "You don't think I can take you?"
"No."
Venus's bright smile faded, and an unusually serious look settled on her features.
"You aren't yourself right now, my love," she said, gently, "I hope you will forgive me when you are feeling better."
Kunzite said nothing, but took a firmer grip on his sword. He watched her, standing in a relaxed pose, his sword angled down, almost negligently, to the floor. But she wasn't fooled. She knew he could strike out in any direction from his current position, and that predicting his attack would be nearly impossible. Which was why she'd decided not to give him any time to attack first.
She powered up, whipped out her chain and sighted the sword. That would be the first thing to go, she decided.
Mars panted in her duel with Chaos. The monster was much more powerful than she, and they both knew it. Though it used Jadeite's attacks they were all much more powerful and with much nastier consequences than his normal power granted them.
She was bleeding already from being thrown to the invisible but quite visceral ground. She didn't allow her injuries or worries to distract her, however, because she knew this fight was beyond her and it would take all her cunning to stay alive long enough.
She had to distract Chaos long enough for Usagi to seal them all away. That was the only thing Rei could be sure of with any certainty. By herself she knew she could never hope to force Chaos to leave the others. Chaos barely responded to any of her powers - in fact the only thing she had ever seen harm Chaos was the crystal.
Mars ducked another attack and rolled away.
Beads of perspiration lay on her brow but she didn't bother to wipe them away. Her spirit was strong and she felt courage at seeing Jadeite still alive, but the manner of his captivity made her blood boil. She wasn't one for losing her temper easily - but when she did lose it...Chaos would feel something before they were all exiled into eternity, of that she was sure.
The memory of Usagi's pale light as it seared through Chaos flashed into her mind. It seemed her senses were trying to tell her something. But what?
She watched Jadetie's dull eyes, remembering how they once flashed with his hidden emotions - how often he used to try to fool her and everyone else into thinking he was calm. She remembered how his eyes always betrayed his feelings for her - even when they'd been in a crowded ballroom or court where no such emotions would have been welcomed or sanctioned, his face had been a mask of indifference and sardonic gallantry, but his eyes had held a fierce fire in them whenever they looked at her.
That Chaos had taken that away from him only infuriated Rei more. She was determined Chaos would release Jadeite before they all died; she would not let him die in the hands of that thing.
Suddenly the image of Usagi's crystal flowed into her mind once more. The shock of the vision made her a fraction of a hair too slow in moving away from Chaos' attack and without warning she was forced to the ground in excruciating pain.
Jadeite approached her, with Chaos' smile.
"I finally pinned you, little firefly."
Mars gasped as she felt the cold metal of the sword that pierced through her shoulder, holding her effectively anchored to the strange floor.
This is it, she thought, sadly. She watched as Jadeite's face peered over her. He knelt down beside her, putting his face quite close to her own.
"What was that, princess?" he asked, mockingly.
Mars' clothing shimmered but she remained in her princess attire - her two pasts were melded know, she realized, she was finally becoming one person instead of two.
"You can't have him," she whispered.
Jadeite laughed and drew the sword roughly out of her shoulder.
"I think you see plainly that I have whatever I want," he replied.
White light - Rei thought hazily, as Jadeite's face swam out of focus - white light that beats away the darkness...but what is it?
Almost, very dimly, she thought she heard a voice in her mind that sounded like his voice. It may have been only a memory.
Rei's heartbeat began to slow.
"I've always wondered," she heard Mina say in her memory, "all of our powers are sort of tied to our deities, but what about Usagi?"
"Her power is different..." someone said.
"Different," Rei repeated, her eyes closed. Jadeite halted in his upward swing.
"What is it now?" he asked, sullenly.
"Her power is stronger, it isn't an element or a concept, it's much simpler than that..."
"Simple," Rei breathed.
Jadeite crouched nearer so that Chaos could hear her words. They were so faint that he had to bend over her until his bangs brushed her forehead to hear her.
"It's..."
"Love." Rei said, opening her eyes wide.
Chaos was caught off guard for a moment and involuntarily let her tight grip of Jadeite's soul slip. In that moment Jadeite gained control over his body again and dipped forward to kiss Rei. It was a simple gesture, there was certainly nothing supernatural about the act, but the sudden well spring of a purer emotion pouring through his body filled the inside of Chaos's host with a pale light that was burning to the touch. With an angry shriek Chaos jerked away from the light filling Jadeite's soul and launched herself out of his body. Her exit left Jadeite reeling over Rei's still figure.
"Sweetheart," he whispered as he stooped over her silent form, "I'm so sorry." Chaos continued to shriek all around him.
When he managed to gain his balance he immediately lifted Rei into his arms and stood up, staggering slightly.
"You tricked me!" he heard the universe around him thunder.
"You tricked yourself!" he retorted, "I told you she's my greatest strength."
Chaos's red eyes seemed to glow from all around him as he turned around trying to find his way out.
He heard a faint cough and looked down to find Rei was stirring. She opened her eyes.
"You're not dead," she said, and smiled.
"Not quite," he admitted. For a moment, looking into her eyes, he almost forgot there was any such thing as Chaos.
"How do we get out of here?"
The two turned to look at the baleful stare of the glowing red eyes.
"That was close," Venus called, and gave a low whistle.
She did not exagerate. Kunzite's blast had nearly taken the entire left side of her body off - she'd done a good job of dodging, but it was still a little too close for comfort, as her left shoulder could attest.
Earlier she had effectively managed to disarm him by using her chain to flick his sword away from him - something which had not seemed to affect him in the slightest. In fact, she thought ruefully, he seemed to fight better without the sword.
Already she could tell he was playing with her - he was testing her strengths and weaknesses - guaging each of her attacks and studying her methods, her reach, speed and stamina, all of these useful particulars he would soon employ in her demise.
So, before that imminent event arrived, Venus had to come up with one hell of a plan.
"I think it's time to act like a princess, " she said thoughtfully.
Her odd phrase served to fractionally halt Kunzite in his steps.
She took a deep breath and let her past self and present self merge.