It's another one of these long chapters! Heh enjoy.
The Mars Saga
Chapter 25: Changes
by Candy aka solarsun
Her hand flew up to her mouth as she choked back another sob. Tears blurred her vision as well. The logical part of her brain was screaming at her to stop such non-sense she was pulling. That in a wrong turn the way she was running she could be hurt especially with the fact that there was snow and ice on the ground.
Slowing down her pace she halted in the middle of a street she didn't recognize. Part of her told her was because it was night and she didn't like wandering the streets of Tokyo on so cold and desolate night.
Her gloved hand reached up and wiped a few more tears from her eyes as she was trying to catch her breath. Amy knew she shouldn't have ran. Something told her that she should have never ran away from Zac...er..Zoicite. The thought of the man brought a rush of emotions once again. These weren't the positive variety that she had grown accustom to with the man in question when mentioned or thought about. Amy's head swirled with confusion, pain, hurt, and the feeling of betrayal. Turning her head from side to side she checked to see if the man in question had caught up to her yet. Sure she had heard him take after her once she began to run. Somewhere in-between her apartment complex and where she stood now she had lost the man or he had given up on chasing her.
Now she didn't know what to do. Frankly right now Amy didn't want to think about what she would have to do next.
Was he just playing her like a fine tuned instrument?! Did he know that she was Sailor Mercury and this was some big Negaverse joke on her?!
Biting her lip she slammed one of her hands on the wall as she leaned her forehead upon it allowing herself to cry. Cry for everything that had happened. How brainless she had truly become when the mention of the man. How he could have KILLED her before she even realized what was going on. Amy hated herself for being so stupid and air-headed about this all. With the mention of a chance for love all her logic went out the window. Never once did she suspect that Zach could have been a human counterpart of Zoicite!
Never once!
Sliding down upon her knees she buried her face in her hands. How...how..
How the hell was she going to tell the others about this?! Anyone for the matter! Her mother loved Zach as much as herself and talked about the man often in their conversations. There wasn't a study session or scout meeting where the girls didn't mention the man.
"..Amy!" Zoicite's voice called out in the darkness which shot Amy's head up as she glanced around looking for where the voice was coming from so she could run the opposite direction away from him again.
Standing up from her knees she turned quickly not caring which way she should go, just as long as she was away from him.
"..Please! Amy! Listen to me!" He shouted his voice becoming louder. Amy turned her head to see a shadowy figure running under the streetlights toward her. Maybe she should have taken cover in an ally way for the time being. He wouldn't have been able to see her so easily.
Another stupid thing Amy cursed herself for.
Quickly Amy turned to run but someone caught her wrist. Her head shot around to see Zoicite standing there out of breath looking at her.
"...Pl...please Amy....please listen...." He stumbled out gasping for air in-between words never loosing his gaze upon her face.
Just looking at the man's face made anger swell up in Amy who's only thoughts at the moment where to get away from the man who was causing so much pain. The hand that Zoicite did not have a grasp upon swung and landed squarely across his cheek though he never flinched nor let go of her wrist.
"Just let me go!" Amy cried out trying to yank her wrist from his grasp but again it did nothing to remove it from his grasp actually it had the opposite effect and he gripped it tighter.
"Not till you listen to me!" He shouted. "You can't run from this Amy!" Tears began to threaten to spill from his eyes. He did not go through all that torture just to loose her in the end. No! He was going to explain everything to her so she would realize what had happened and why he was doing this! That seemed to quiet and still the blue haired girl as she stood there, tears still spilling from her eyes. "I came to you because I can't lie to you anymore! I can't..." Sniffing he reached up and rubbed a tear away. "You can't punish me for coming forward with this."
"...why...why...?!" Amy mumbled. "Was this some joke on me?! Did you know all along?!"
"No!" Zoicite yelled. "I didn't know you where Sailor Mercury till a few days ago...and today I found proof I needed to make me realize that you where. Jeadite told me that you where and I didn't want to believe it..." He rattled on.
"..Jeadite..you mean Serena's Jeadite...the same Jeadite that works for Beryl?" She said her tears stopped as she looked at the mans face who looked tired and worn out even more so since this morning. Pity began to fill her senses for him.
What if he didn't know? What if this was one big coincidence?
A solum nod came from Zoicite.
"..We..we where sent by Beryl to gather energy and if possible to find the Rainbow Crystals before you guys did...but...things happened...and we don't work for Beryl anymore..." He muttered quietly as scared of the words. If there where any of Beryl's spies lurking around following him it was out and Beryl would probably have them killed soon.
"..What do you mean?! Your one of her generals! You can't just quit!" She screamed trying to pull her wrist again from his grasp.
"..Well I am! I can't work for her and love you! It just would never work!" Zoicite screamed.
....There it was....he did love her...and he still...Amy was so confused. Her knees began to buckle out from under her. If it wasn't for the fact that Zoicite saw it and caught her half way down easing her down slowly, his eyes never wavering from hers.
There they where kneeling on the icy, snowing, sidewalk of Tokyo, Zoicite keeping Amy from falling all the way back as he clasped her shoulders.
"..I'm leaving her for you Amy...no one else.." He whispered. "I...Jeadite..he's talking with the prince...and going to set up so Sailor Mars can heal us...so we can be free from her for good..." Tears where flowing like rivers across his cheeks as he said that with a smile came upon his face as the look on Amy's face washed from pain and hurt to an understanding.
"..for good.." She muttered quietly.
"..Yes Amy for good." He said smiling from ear to ear hoping it was going somewhere way better then it had been going.
"..Your...your doing this...for me?" Amy asked her eyes locking with his hope bubbling up in her chest replacing all the other emotions. Zoicite answered with a firm nod of his head.
"..Yes Amy. I would give up everything for you, don't you understand. I love you and even though Zach was a lie Zoicite isn't and I still love you. That never changed!"
Amy looked in his eyes and knew that it was the truth. He was going to do something that could very well get him killed, for her. For Her! Any doubt that she had in his sincerity was washed away as she gazed into his blue eyes. Tears of joy this time graced her eyes as she pulled him in an embrace choking back happy sobs.
He wasn't evil. He did love her and she loved him enough, Zach or not, to forgive this aweful twisted mistake!
"..Thank you," Zoicite muttered quietly in her shoulder as he as well cried.
"..Anything for you," Was all she responded as they where kneeling in an embrace crying on each others shoulder over what could have happened if she would have just left and he didn't pursue her.
Amy knew then and there she had truly found the man who had been placed on Earth for her. The genius whom thought she was going to be alone for eons had found him!
Her prince. The man she would share her life with.
And that was something to celebrate about.
Hearing a door slam and voices in the living room Darien resisted the urge to go back to sleep and just assume that it's Zoicite back from what he had to do with what Jeadite had mentioned but he still didn't know if he should trust Jeadite.
Well head proven himself with the fact he hadn't turned in any of the scouts...especially Serena since Darien was sure that Jeadite knew that she was Sailor Moon.
But in the end Darien grumbled sitting up out of his bed pulling the blankets off his legs and slipped off his bed quietly, his feet going into the slippers right at the edge of the bed. Yawning he picked up the robe laying on a chair next to his door and slipped it on. Jeadite better hope that it is just Zoicite and him talking in the living room. If there was some ambush they where planning he wouldn't have any mercy.
Opening the door he saw a small lamp on in his living room as he walked past the kitchen seeing the two men sitting in the chairs, in human forms of course. Blinking he recognized the one who he assumed was Zoicite.
"..Your Zach?!" He exclaimed looking shocked at the man. He knew Zach because of pictures Amy loved to show the girls.
A shy smile adorned on Zach's face as he laughed nervously.
"Well I was him, yeah." He stated.
"Does Amy know?" Darien's accusing glare turned toward Jeadite who was in his Jake form at the time.
"Calm yourself prince," Jeadite said. "That's what Zoicite was doing. He told her before calling me which then I gave him the address to your place."
"...So what are you guys talking about?" He then asked growing weary of what was going on. Darien was still a bit crabby.
"Just what's going to happen tomorrow," Jeadite said. "If we can get the scouts to heal us, that is."
"Amy is going to talk to the rest of the scouts for us as well," Zoicite smiled saying. "She also said she would explain the situation so they won't jump on us tomorrow." The pride gleamed in his eyes as he spoke about her.
Darien sighed realizing that the way Zoicite was speaking of Amy he knew that he would never do anything against her. That meant killing him or any of the other scouts.
"Did she say when I was suppose to bring you two around?" Darien asked yawning deciding after the question was answered to head back to bed. At least tomorrow he had off. That meant he could sleep in.
"Yeah she would call a scout meeting tomorrow after school. She said that anytime after five would be a good time to show up." Zoicite said. "..I just can't believe I'm doing this...I never thought when accepting this assignment from Beryl that I would.."
"..Yeah yeah yeah," Jeadite said waving his hands about. "Till then we've got to hide and make sure nobody from the Negaverse sees us."
Yawning Darien glanced between the two men.
"Well you two will have to buy your own beds and such to live in the extra room," Darien muttered. "Anyway I'm going to bed. You guys can fight over the couch."
Jeadite and Zoicite waved goodnight to Darien as he went back to his room yawning.
"You are sure you want to do this, right?" Jeadite said his voice a whisper looking at Zoicite as the two continued to sit there in Darien's room as the hallway light to his room shut off signaling they where alone once more.
"..Yes..." Zoicite said. "..I just can't loose Amy." He turned his head out toward the small balcony in the living room. "You where right. Beryl would have never allowed me to have a relationship with Amy, even if she could somehow take her scout powers away." Jeadite nodded as he began to yawn again.
"Well...lets hope that we aren't caught or Beryl catches wind that were taking off," said Jeadite whom fluffed the couch pillows beside him. "We should probably head to bed as well. We could probably go and pawn everything off in our apartment tomorrow, sending Beryl the last energy ball so she is non the wiser. Then we can buy at least a set of beds and some clothes, giving Darien rent as well."
Though the plan seemed dangerous in Zoicite's mind he knew that without money it was going to be hard to live on Earth. They couldn't expect Darien to just let them stay a month free till they got jobs. Zoicite nodded with the plan. As long as no creature came to check on them that was allied with Beryl they would be fine. Plus they had paid their landlord at the other place all the money for the lease already so they could just leave and he wouldn't care. Actually it would be better for him so he didn't see the landlord giving them any problems. Leaning back on the recliner he curled up on his side.
Yes tomorrow would be better.
Yawning Hotaru stood beside Raye as they where walking to the private school that they both went to. Rubbing the side of her head she felt a dull pain of a headache that had been with her since she woke up. Also she had weird scratches upon her chest she had noticed once getting undressed in the bath house that morning to take a bath. She had been meaning to ask Hades about them...if he had been the one to cause them...though she knew that Hades would never do something so mean and hurtful while she slept. Though the cat was quiet and kept to himself most of the time he wouldn't hurt her or the others without good reason. Glancing down she pulled her gray vest down and her white shirt underneath it up.
"..Are you ok Chelsey?" Raye asked beside her. Glancing up she saw Raye's smiling and calm face looking at her. She didn't know what to really say about it.
She seemed fine.
Glancing down she kicked a pebble lightly as they continued to walk down the streets by themselves. Normally they would be in the company of the other girls but there was something at their school that meant they had to go in early. So here Raye and herself walked by themselves.
Reaching up she rubbed the side of her head once again feeling the dull pain once more ache throbbing lightly causing her to frown. She really should have taken some aspirin before she left the temple a few minutes ago.
"..Raye, do you have any aspirin on you?" Hotaru asked looking up at Raye who nodded then opening the folder she used for school and handed her a bottle she kept inside. Opening the cap Hotaru pulled out a few of the tablets and threw them in her mouth swallowing them instantly. Sighing she shook her head a bit. "I woke up with a headache this morning."
Handing the bottle back Hotaru let out a sigh and saw the fences of the private school and the guard who always watched them go inside. Today she really didn't want to be in school. Today bothered her for some reason. It just didn't feel right. Well it didn't matter anyway, they had to go to school wether she felt like it or not. That was one of the luxuries of being a kid still.
Raye hummed lightly as she began to head down the hall away from Hotaru who was still in sixth grade which meant she was in a different part of the school. She waved goodbye to her of course and headed to her homeroom.
Sitting down in her desk all the girls around her began to chatter to her like they always did. Sighing Raye normally just ignored half of what the girls talked to her about, normally nodding and smiling when needed to keep them happy.
"..Hey I saw you with a super cute guy last weekend!" A girl to her right said clapping her hands sending all the girls around her in an uproar as she tried to hide her embarrassment from the girls. Could she have a regular day without someone mentioning the date with Darien!
"..Really?! Who was he?" Another girl said looking directly at Raye whom wished not to really talk about it but sighed.
"..He's been a good friend for quit a while," Raye said smiling.
"Yeah you went to see the movie I went to see with my boyfriend," The same girl said to her right that had mentioned seeing her with Darien. "That's how I knew it was you. What made you guys decide to go out on a date like that since you're friends and all?" Rolling her eyes Raye just looked at all the girls who where glued to her every word.
"..I don't know...things I guess just seemed to change lately," Raye shrugged which was true. Never in the other time line did she feel such passion and feelings toward the masked man then now...but things had to change. Raye knew that. If Raye continued to let those feelings rule her the others would assume she was the princess and she did not want that at all. So Raye after thinking about it this morning devised a plan to stop dating him...though she wanted to of course just to prove to the others that she could not be the princess. Raye was also sure that Darien probably wouldn't come around asking for a date anyway. The other one they where forced into anyway by Hotaru.
Speaking of Hotaru..
She had to get back at that girl for doing that to her. Laughing lightly her eyes twinkled at the thought of the date.
"..But.." Raye then added to her last statement. "I don't think I'll be going out with him anymore. I guess it just didn't work out like we had hoped." Sighing she looked down at her pencil and picked it up staring at it as she thought about what she had just said. She had to do this. To prove to the others it had to be this way.
The teacher came in to their classroom shutting the door of course signaling that class was about to start as the classroom hushed down and the girls around Raye became quiet and sitting forward in their chairs..
Glancing over toward the left Serena looked for the tall scout of Jupiter from the corner of her eye. It wasn't that Serena was trying to cheat on this English test. No. Serena wouldn't even think of such a thing but she wanted to see how well Lita looked to be doing. She could at least see that about her friend but a couple of people sat in her way so she couldn't just glance at her to see what her body language told her. Sighing lightly Serena gazed back down at her test, some of the words still hard for her to remember. If it wasn't for the fact that this was a required course at Crossroads she would have just dropped out of the class and went into Art at this hour. At least that was something she could understand!
Writing a few things down on the test she continued on with the exam.
Lita across from her whom had studied once she had gotten home last night late into the morning hours was feeling really sleepy at the moment. Yawning she looked down at the test once more, the focus going in and out as she sat there hunched over, only a hand keeping her face from falling upon the page.
Ok maybe she shouldn't have talked so much about guys and finding boyfriends last night and spent a whole lot more time studying during regular hours. Then at least she wouldn't be falling onto her test every five minutes. Stifling another yawn she began to write more answers down that she could read. She better at least get a B on this blasted thing for what she had to go through to study. If she didn't there was going to be a few broken egos by her mouth!
Amy and Mina weren't haven't hardly any trouble at the test at all.
With Mina's experience back in Britain helping the police there she knew plenty english to pass this test with flying colors. The thought of helping her friends study for such a test crossed her mine a few times but then was quickly replaced by the thoughts of boys and other matters that had to be dealt with, like the princess. Yes the princess whom was destined for Darien. All the scouts figured that whom Darien felt a connection with strongest would be her but non of that would be proven until they had all seven of the rainbow crystals. That was another problem as well. Tapping her pencil on her desk she frowned at how many problems they where having right now. Not only that but they had the Heart snatchers to deal with! Hotaru's own father wanted them all dead! Gazing down at the word 'book' she wrote the definition of it in the line proved next to it and gazed at the room quickly noticing Lita almost asleep at her desk and Serena hard at work on the test. Mina couldn't see Amy unless she turned around which would be a clear give away to the teacher that she was looking around. Of course Mina wasn't going to try and cheat. She didn't need to with the subject of English but she wanted to see how many people where having problems. Mainly though it was how many boys who would probably need a cute study partner to pass this class. A quiet giggle came from her lips as she gazed down at her paper again continuing on.
Amy was the genius of the group, she had learned english during her cram school after school on Fridays. So this was going to be a breeze to her like so many other things. Right now though her mind was on other things.
One of them of course being Zoicite and how she was going to tell the others after school about what had happened the night before. She was sure it would be taken pretty well considering nobody was holding the fact that Serena and Jeadite, whom was Zocite's partner on Earth, had kissed already against the blonde though they where a little confused as to why it had happened. She would have to get Raye to heal them so Beryl couldn't kill him for being with her. A dreamy look crossed her eyes as she thought about what he had done to stay with her. How he had chosen her over his own queen which could cause great pain or even and more likely death. Of course she would take on the queen herself if it meant saving Zoicite from her. Amy really did love him and it was proven to herself last night.
Sighing she picked up the pencil and began writing on the test hoping to get it done as quickly as possible. Though it wouldn't help speed up her day to the point it was after school and they where all at Cherry Hill Temple once more, she figured it would at least make it seem like it was going faster.
All the girls finished the english test but Lita ended up going to the nurses office and playing sick the rest of the day so she could catch up on her sleeping. It didn't bother her that much, with the fact that she was slowly regaining the memories from the other time line, it meant she wouldn't nearly have as much trouble in certain classes as she did at the moment.
Turning her back from looking out the doorway that the nurse had lead her in and left she gazed at the small room in front of her. Reaching up she yawned once more and walked over to the bed. It would do with as much sleep as she really needed. Crawling in she grabbed the blanket that sat on a chair beside it and pulled it over herself. Sighing happily she began to drift off to dreamland.
(dream)
Her eyes gazed around the hazy green area looking for something though she didn't know what she was looking for.
'Hello?' She called out hearing a faint echo calling after her. Sighing she wondered what this dream could possibly mean. Waving her hand in front of her she tried to move the green haze trying to look around closer at what it was all suppose to mean, if something was hidden with in the fog that is.
That's when it began to lit up to her right slowly. Lita turned toward the light squinting at it trying to see anything if there was something within the fog. The girl could sense something was indeed in the fog as she stood there, watching her...and a feeling of waiting.
What could the person/creature be waiting for? For her to screw up? Lita didn't understand this at all. Taking a step forward she felt a pull toward her right, like something was beckoning her to follow it's pull. Deciding to take a chance she turned to her right and began to follow the pull of whatever it was.
Step upon step she took in the seemingly endless tinted green fog trying to wave it and move it out from around her, so she could at least see once more. Grumbling Lita was about to stop when she stepped right out of the haze/fog. Blinking she turned her head right and left seeing what looked to be a wall of fog behind her and a very clear room in front of her.
The room itself was quite lit up, a window in the middle of the wall of fog across from her. Walking over there Lita looked though the window trying to figure out what this all meant! It was really aggravating her!
Outside the window was a gigantic sun across the horizon, frozen in mid rise against the land. Raising a hand up Lita squinted trying to look out and see what was out there in the bright light.
"..Hello.." A cheerful voice called out though the brightness of the sun. "I knew you would find me here." Then a giggle echoed though the room as the window she had been looking through vanished.
Now Lita stood there in the light as the green haze/fog seemed to also vanish around her leaving her alone with the voice...
..Well she wasn't alone. Lita was determined to find the keeper of the female voice but with all the light and heat she was now it it was hard. For moments there she really thought she would go bind staring in the sun trying to find a figure of any sort!
Footsteps began to echo toward her, coming slowly in front of her. Lita's head snapped straight forward from where she was standing and saw a very shadowy figure walking through the light toward her. Though even as she came closer to her the shadows didn't let up. All Lita could make out from her was violet eyes that stared out from the shadows as bright as they could get.
"..Are you her?" Lita asked finally giving up hope of seeing another distinct feature of the woman. No matter how much she moved from side to side she couldn't get a glimpse of skin color or even hair color which seemed to be very long in her back..it was like she was covered in a giant shadow blanket..with only an opening for her eyes to show through.
"..Yes.." She responded. "I am her. The one you seek."
"Where are you?" Lita then asked hoping maybe she could try and find some clue to look for or at least search for in the scouts.
Another giggle came from the shadow.
"Now is not the time...when it is time I will reveal myself to you..." She said. "Till then you can not know."
"..Why..?" Lita asked frustrated. Maybe she could attack her and forcibly pull the shadowy blanket from her then everything would be solved and who ever was the princess could take their rightful spot at the head of the team once more.
"..Because I have issues to work though now. To be exposed now for you all to see would destroy me, that's why." The shadow said.
Lita blinked.
Issues?
From what she was told, Serena as well had issues when she had first found out she was the princess they where all looking for. For a while she denied even being the princess...even offered the wand and jewel to Raye who didn't take it. Eventually, as she was told again, Serena realized that she couldn't run from it and accepted her position. So whom ever it was couldn't handle it right away like Serena could...Of course looking at the shadow, she didn't hold Serena's trade mark hair style but then again if her hair was down it could be her....but the shadow had violet eyes as well.
That's when Lita began to feel herself waking up. It must be the end of school for the day.
"..See you soon," The shadow waved as everything began to fade around her...and she woke up.
Nephlite walked down the streets in his human form, which really was his regular form with a shirt and jeans on and the weird hair holder that always was in his hair was also gone so he right then and there just had shaggy red hair that feel to the sides. Glancing around he was taking the constellation Orion's advice and decided to walk around the streets trying to feel any abnormal energies about him. Maybe a crystal carrier would be out but with Tokyo so big he doubted that he could find it so easily.
"..O come on! It wasn't THAT bad!" A girl's voice caught his attention out of the crowd. Turning slightly he saw a four girls walking down the street in school uniforms, three of them matching and the fourth and taller of the group held a brown school uniform. Blinking he stopped walking feeling something....odd...about them. He didn't know what to think of this weird feeling he got by just looking at them. One held a funky hair style where her hair was up in two buns. Another had her blonde hair tied slightly back with a big red bow. Another of the girls held short blue hair and the last of all the girls, the tallest and the one with the different uniform held brunette hair held back in a pony tail. All of them gave off the same vib. Part of him wondered who the girls where.
Not that many crystal carriers could be friends. There just wasn't any way that could be possibly logically. The chances of that would be so high that he could see himself sprouting wings before such an event happened. Turning as the girls passed him without even noticing his prying stares he continued watching them, his eyes falling upon the brown haired girl most of the time.
Shaking his head he took a deep breath. That couldn't possibly be what the constellation Orion had wanted him to see. A bunch of teenage girls?! No. There was a crystal carrier in the crowd and he was going to find them one way or another. Walking the way the girls had come he continued on in his search for something...anything that would alert him to a crystal carrier so he could get the recognition that he wanted from Beryl.
This morning Kunzite had come to him telling him about his trial run with the score he was writing to find the princess and saying it had hit someone, though at this stage in the writing he couldn't find her yet though as the score grew and more and more of the spell that had weaved the song together to make it a weapon became apparent that whom ever the song was attacking would feel it more and more and he would start getting readings from the girl. Then Kunzite said that with a promising beginning that he had seen and felt that he was going to rely on himself (Nephlite) to find the Rainbow Crystals once he talked to 'his queen' and got permission from it.
Of course Nephlite wasn't stupid. Beryl would give him the permission he sought from her. Beryl would be more then pleased to hear that he had devised a working plan to kill the princess, or at least make her life a living hell, so they had more time to search. So with Kunzite soon not going to be helping him search for the Rainbow Crystals, though he had never lifted a finger to help before this Nephlite added, it would all fall on him. Maybe Beryl would allow Kunzite to leave or himself to go and do their separate missions by themselves. He was sure once Kunzite got back from the Negaverse that that would be cleared up as well. Till then he would search, as he had planned to do before the silver haired man had come to him with his plan.
Turning his head he noticed a man in a hat and green shirt. Something about this man peaked his interest...maybe he was a crystal carrier? He definitely didn't have a normal human feeling about him but neither did those girls. This boy's feeling though was not like of the girls.
A grin spread across his face as he knew that this boy was what the constellation had been speaking of when it told him to walk the streets of Tokyo. Victory was all his mind read for the seconds he stood there with the grin upon his face. Yes he would get a rainbow crystal for Beryl so the scouts couldn't use theirs without some sorta confrontation with him to find the princess...well that is if the princess was still alive of course.
Somehow the day seemed to grow brighter for him as he pulled out a card. Gazing at it for a second a star appeared upon it's glossy surface, erasing the number that it had been. Whispering an incantation that he had learned by listening to the stars he threw it at the boy's bag that he was holding closely.
Yes...when the time was ready for the retrieval of the crystal then and only then would the card and spell take action.
The scouts would be a hurting unit once that did happen.
Maybe even dead.
A whistle came upon his lips as his hands when into the pockets of his jeans as he began to stride away, happy with himself. Yes Beryl would be just as happy with him. Lingering thoughts about the strange girls pushed far back almost forgotten in his mind. He didn't have time to deal with such things when he had found a strategy that worked.
A raven haired woman walked down the halls of the palace that Beryl lived in with all her growing army of followers. Well...she didn't know if they where growing anymore. More and more did Destanance here of deserters through the palace, idle palace gossip for people who really didn't have anything to do around there or any lives to live. Of course herself used to be that way, before hate and anger toward what the gods had dealt her for a life. She would spend hours with her sister, before their marriages that is, and just chat about what she had heard going to the canals that day or while she was in the library with her studies.
Before she had gotten sick.
They where just kids then though and there wasn't much a princess of Mars could do at the time. They weren't allowed outside of the palace walls though her sister and herself had found ways to sneak outside the palace wall a few times back then. Almost got caught once. But once her sickness set in she couldn't move from her room unless being carried or pushed in a wheel chair by someone.
When that happened her sister Raydance would come in every night and tell her all that happened that day as she laid there in bed, only thing she could move was her eyes. But one day she grew tired of it. Tired of being sick, tired of only being able to move when someone else moved her. Anger at that grew in her heart and poor Raydance who had come in that night to talk to her was the one who got the tongue thrashing she gave. Destanance still didn't know how she had gotten the energy to even talk, much less yell at her sister but somehow the energy she needed to do so was given to her.
Maybe Beryl had something to do with that..and her sickness. A frown came across her features once more. If she found out if the witch had anything to do with her sickness and the anger that she had felt...well she was paying anyway. Destanance was getting the revenge she so seak slowly but yes it was happening.
After that day of course Raydance didn't come around to often to visit her which angered herself even more. Nobody but her mother would show and that was most of the time a pop in and out of the room at the time she just figured it was to check and make sure she was still breathing. The loneliness of the room caused her still working mind to wonder to a territory of the human mind very few went as deep as she did. A place where a normal powerless human could think of death and destruction and feel good about it. But of course she wasn't any ordinary human. She was of Martian royalty. By just a few choice words to her father and mother she could have whole countries and worlds destroyed.
Maybe that was another reason why they had decided to give Raydance the thrown and not herself. The fact that everything that did come out of her weak mouth was full of hate and anger nobody would want her in charge in fear that she would destroy and kill just because they looked at her wrong. In those years Destanance couldn't remember a time when she actually spoke a nice thing, well when she could speak that was.
Of course after Raydance had taken the thrown so many years later her energy began to come back to her. After a year or so after Raydance started being queen she was fully recovered. The doctors who had watched her deteriorate so slowly in the first eight years where astonished how fast she recovered. Yes for fifteen years Destanance had been more worthless then a doll. At least a doll knew when to keep her mouth quiet.
There where side effects of course for being sick for so long. She didn't find out till after her nieces where born that because she had gotten sick before she had reached puberty that nothing had matured correctly which meant she was forever going to be baron. This did not sit well with the council of planetary royalty who had agreed with her sister that her children, not Raydance's would be the heirs to the thrown since she was suppose to be queen before she had gotten sick. Destanance had pleaded with them and her sister after she had gotten well that they allow her children to be the heirs to make up for the fact that she should have been queen and could have been if they would have just waited. Joy leapt in her heart once she had heard the declaration. At least she would have that much. It didn't take long for her to find a man of royal blood that had an interest in her and they had planned to have kids right away...well six years past and her two nieces where born. Raydance voiced a concern to her one night when she was visiting the palace about an heir. That angered herself and she stormed out of the palace and went back to Neptune with her husband, to his palace not talking to anyone for a few months after that besides the royalty of Neptune of course.
One day she had gotten a summon to a council meeting where she found out that she was baron and the council then declared that Raydance's oldest girl, not her children, would be the new heir to Mars whom was only about three at the time and her sister just newly born.
After that her world did crash down on her..or she destroyed it. Destanance grew even more cold and bitter snapping at even her husband who didn't know what to do. He had even called up the best Mercurian doctors to try and help her conceive at least even if it would be to late to be considered an heir of Mars. She snapped at him and the doctor when they came in one day with a plan. After that she decided to leave the Neptune palace and go live on her own, leaving her husband behind questioning what had happened.
Now Destanance wanted to change that. He was a really sweet man and she had loved him at the time..but something else seemed to have taken over completely. She wondered how he felt about everything and when he probably got word that she had went over to Beryl's side declaring war upon his planet and all the others in the solar system.
It wasn't long after her leaving, maybe about a year, that Beryl showed up one day in her ship offering a place in her army for her and the chance at the Martian thrown once again and revenge that she so desperately wanted to seek but without the power she was refused she could not.
Destanance sighed thinking about it all again.
'Your thoughts where twisted then,' The voice said to her. 'I'm sure Beryl had something to do with it all.' Destanance knew that at least the voice was partially right. She didn't know what exactly had Beryl stepped in to interfere with her life so she could mold her and twist her to her side. Destanance figured that a lot of her "loyal subjects" where turned like she was at some time in their life, or at least their parents.
"I understand that," Destanance said quietly to herself answering the voice. "But it doesn't change the fact that there had to be something in my heart where she could start the cycle from." The voice was quiet for a while as she had stopped in a hallway that was restricted to Beryl's higher generals and assistances. That meant she could go here to think a whole lot because she didn't see anyone around most of the time, unless Beryl had some major plan going on that required the use of the forbidden library.
A place that was created after the destruction of the Silver Millennium with the books and knowledge that Beryl acquired by destroying it all but it was a rare find to see the queen herself in the library. Destanance figured it was a place Beryl created as a sort of trophy that she did destroy the Silver Millennium.
Sighing she thought about the curse she had made for her niece to drink to doom her and how somehow it didn't work. Which was good now since she had seen what she had truly become and who Beryl really was and what she really wanted. The witch just used people around her and then destroyed or had them killed so she didn't have to fulfill her end of the promise. Before Beryl's curse became really apparent to everyone around her she would have to seek out her niece, even though she couldn't remember who she was or what she looked like and apologize. The fact that nobody could remember who she was was probably a precaution that her sister took while sending them all to the future insuring that nobody would kill her before she even realized that she was different which insured that she would have a normal childhood.
It also had its problems though. It meant that nobody, not even the girl herself, knew who the princess was. That meant that nobody could slip up and accidentally give the identity away. It also meant it would be a while till they found out who she was and really the only way that would confirm who she was bringing the crystal together and then it would tell everyone in the room whom she was.
"...Didn't you hear?.." A female voice around the corner muttered to someone she couldn't hear or see. Echos of two people walking filled her hallway as she glanced about not wanting to be seen by anybody, even if she could be in the hallways.
"What?" Another woman's voice said.
Quickly Destanance ducked in the shadows of an open doorway staying close enough to listen to the woman's conversation. They where probably a bunch of low level maids whom where there to probably do their weekly cleaning of the most used areas around the halls.
"..It seems General Kunzite has found a song to destroy the princess...even before they know who it is." The one woman said who had started the conversation. "Beryl was very pleased at hearing this. He said he had gotten the song in a dream. He swears that Metallica came to him in a dream giving him the song."
"..Wow!" The other woman exclaimed. "..I can't believe it."
"Believe it. I was in the thrown room cleaning when he came asking permission to pursue this lead full time leaving the Rainbow Crystals to his partner in this General Nephlite." The two woman giggled. "If he could destroy the princess before anyone could possibly have an idea of who she is and on a psychic level like he described...nobody would be able to stop him. Non of her guardians could. This means if he can get that song done before all the crystals are found Queen Beryl is guaranteed to win!"
Destanance was wide eyed as she heard the news. Kunzite couldn't have possibly stumbled upon such a song!
Could he?
The footsteps of the woman echoed a few minutes later from where they where and seemed to disappear after a while. Taking a chance Destanance came out of her hiding spot behind the door and looked about. This wasn't good at all! If Beryl could have her killed before her curse had set in then there would be no use for all her trouble. Earth would be doomed and her nieces would be dead!
...Wait a minute...
The maids had talked as if Beryl and the others thought there was just one girl to kill even though SHE knew herself that she had two nieces. That meant two things...probably both where being attacked since they came from the same blood even though the older one of the two was the heir AND she had to figure out soon enough whom the girls where. She had to warn the scouts.
But she couldn't, not now. Not with Beryl breathing down her back enough as it was. It was obvious that Beryl didn't trust her, not one bit.
'But you have to do this,' The voice said inside her.
"..I can't.." She hissed. "..Not alone that is..."
'And what's your plan exactly?'
"..I don't know...I figured what I had done was enough..now this..." She muttered gazing down trying to figure out what she was going to do. Kunzite was a formidable foe when it came to enchanted songs. Herself had some knowledge in such matters but very little compared to the silver haired general in question. She could never write a song to combat the attack he was going to start on the princesses. If what Kunzite said was true, the song came from Metallica herself...which meant it was WAY out of her league. The creature known as Metallica had existed for eons before finding it's way to the Negaverse. Queen Beryl had just recently come into power in the Negaverse. Before that she was a powerful shaman living on the North Pole on Earth. She remembered reading a paper about that in a classified report that only planetary royals where allowed to read when she had been on Neptune.
'Jeadite might help..' The voice cut her off. It really annoyed her at times when the voice was talkative how it could just pop in on her train of thoughts.
"Jeadite doesn't want anything to do with me right now..remember? Or do I have to show you..you where there weren't you?" She said out loud.
'..Yes...I understand that..but that was the revenge you wanted to inflict...not about the princess...Maybe..maybe if you tell him about this he could do something.' The voice rambled though Destanance knew that even if she told the man about what she had heard he could do nothing to help. He won't know any counter spells to an enchanted song given to Kunzite by one of the oldest beings alive in the entire universe. Hell she didn't know how to.
"..No...it won't work.." Destanance finally said. "He won't be able to do anything to help." Leaning against the wall she let a breath go as she gazed up at the ceiling. This was a major situation. Herself only knew spells and incantations. How does one fight a psychic attack? Her sister would know, she had been trained in the art of psychic things, herself trained in spells and incantations. If only her sister was alive. If only she hadn't helped to kill her.
If only everything was going well in the plan.
If only..
"..Mesa heard it your majesty! Besa she talking to hers selfs!" The creature hissed hiding in the shadow Beryl cast in front of her as she stood upon the steps looking at the deformed creature who kneeled before her. "Mesa hid in thes shadows and shes never knows mesa there! Shesa sounded like shesa losted her minds."
"..Thank you for telling me," Beryl said waving the creature off as he bowed and began to hop away from the steps back into the darkness. Frowning Beryl glanced about looking at all the people who stood in front of her waiting for her to command them to do something.
She did not like what she had just been told. No. Destanance had never talked to herself before, not in the many years that she had worked under herself. Maybe the spells she had cast for herself where taking a toll upon the sorceress. It didn't matter to Beryl much if she eventually lost her mind. All she cared that is that Destanance was there to turn over the crystal to herself when the time came. Then and only then could Beryl finally kill the woman. She hated seeing a child of the royal line always standing there beside her. It disgusted her.
The first thing she would do when she finally had the crystal under her control was to kill the entire royal lines of every planet. All that could oppose her would die.
Noticing that a quiet hum of voices had started up in her thrown room she glared at the shadowed figures.
"Enough of this!" She shouted. "What one does on their own time as long as it doesn't go against me is fine enough. The woman could speak to herself all she wants." Beryl huffed turning around and leaving the company of the thrown room taking refuge in her quarters which where behind the thrown room and down a hallway.
It didn't matter anyway. The woman could speak to herself all she wanted. Just as long as there wasn't anything she was speaking to that would go against her.
Walking in Beryl shut the door quietly and flipped on her light. She yearned for a bath right now. Yes that's what she wanted, a bath.
"..So...please Raye could you help...?" The voice of Amy who had filled the ears of the girls in Raye's room had finally stopped. It had shocked the girls once Amy had told them who Zach really was. Lita was the first to tell Amy to dump him..Raye had been half inclined to say the same thing..but the look in Amy's eyes as she pleaded with the scout of Jupiter to reconsider saying that he was a good man, was going to do this just so he could be with her was enough to keep Raye quiet about the situation. It wasn't her place to tell Amy what to do and what not to do.
"..If he really wants this.." Raye said finally after a pause had come and went. "If he really wants this I'll do it but if this is some trick of the Negaverse's to get close to us then it's going to be your hide I'll be going after AFTER we kill them." Amy nodded smiling happily like a school girl that she was but rarely showed to them.
"..It isn't a lie," A voice from the doorway said. All the girls turned their head to see Jeadite in uniform standing there along with Darien and Zoicite beside him who walked over to Amy giving her a brief hug. Jeadite then continued. "What Amy said was right. We are here to be healed and leave Beryl and our past behind us, that is if you would allow us to." His eyes settled upon hers as she glared at him. How could he even think that she wouldn't give him the life he wanted away from the murderous witch! Then her eyes turned and gazed at Darien who was talking to the others about living arrangements.
"..I told Amy I would do it," Raye stated firmly standing up from the table they where sitting at, in the middle of a study session. "...I mean it's two less people we have to worry about on Beryl's side anyway."
Everyone seemed to nod, even Lita who had heard Jeadite seemed to cave in.
"..I just can't believe it!" Serena squealed walking over to Jeadite. Her hands wrapped around the general's as he blinked in surprise at the girl. "..I'm really happy that your doing this."
Raye noticed a faint blush that crept upon Jeadite's cheeks. So they where still human in some aspects. She couldn't help but giggle quietly at it all. The way it looked it wasn't going to take long for Serena and Jeadite to hook up like Zoicite and Amy who where already dating. That meant a few things of course in Raye's mind.
Serena wasn't the princess. This was the proof they where all looking for if the transformation pen wasn't enough to prove to them that she wasn't. The fact that Darien didn't seem to hold any interest, well romantic interest that is, toward the blonde and Jeadite did. That also meant that Amy wasn't the princess.
Clearing her throat she caught the glances of her team mates.
"..Well should we do this or what? The sooner your broken free from Beryl, the sooner I can trust you." Raye laughed reaching in her kimno and pulling out her brooch. Jeadite and Zoicite nodded firmly as they stepped away from their loves.
Darien turned and shut the door locking it and standing in front of it just in case someone with a key decided to barge in. Lita had walked over and shut the curtain and taking her place in front of the window as well..just in case.
The rest of the girls and cats formed a circle around the two men holding out their pens, well Hotaru had a brooch as well.
"Mars Prism Power!"
"Saturn Prism Power!"
"Moon Power!"
"Mercury Power!"
"Jupiter Power!"
"Venus Power!"
Darien didn't transform though, just stood there watching as the flashes of light came and went. His eyes settling upon the scout of Mars who now held the scepter in her hands.
"..You guys are going to have to help me on this...if you would so be kind to," Raye said looking about everyone who nodded.
Darien's gaze didn't waver from the scout of Mars as the light formed around them all as they began to feed Raye energy so she could heal both men. The way her raven black hair danced around her form was breath taking to him he realized. The passion that burned within her twin orbs of violet singed him every time he was gifted enough to have her just glance at him...let alone have her stare at him. Then he was in heaven.
He knew of course what Raye was denying.
How could he not?! A flame inside him, given by her, burned for her. The feelings for all the other scouts couldn't compare to the feelings he held for her. He wasn't mistaken when he had given her the two roses, he was glade that Hotaru had tricked the young woman in on a date with him. If she hadn't it would have never been proven to himself that he did care for her beyond friendship. Beyond any expectation he held. The only reason he didn't tell the other scouts was that he knew Raye. He knew that the woman would deny everything, even if she was feeling the same. Only time would change her mind, not anything else.
..But that didn't stop him from asking her out again...maybe just as friends so she wouldn't say no to it like she was trying before with Hotaru. Maybe he could get Hotaru to help him again.
"..Ok!" Raye said powering up visibly. The light she shed upon him was like a sun...a sun that he craved like water. "Mars Phoenix Fire!" The flames leapt from the top of the large staff upon the two men who began to glow red.
A minute or so flew by as the flames didn't seem to end. But finally the flames did die out...of course Raye fell instantly. The healing powers where still to strong for her to handle. Of course she didn't hit the ground. Darien had dove and caught her before she could. Her outfit had disappeared leaving her in her normal temple garb as he kneeled there gazing down at her face lost in the beauty that was held in his arms. Looking up he saw Jeadite and Zoicite not in their general uniforms anymore. They looked the same as they had in the uniforms..just now the feeling that they gave off wasn't evil.
Amy didn't wait long to embrace Zoicite from behind hugging him dearly like he had just come back from the dead or something. The blue haired scout began to giggle happily as tears trailed down her cheeks.
It had been the first time that Amy in front of them all was crying. Not only that it was because of a boyfriend.
Jeadite turned toward Darien who had now been standing up and smiled at him.
"..Finally we are free," Jeadite said happily. "I thank you."
"Don't thank me," Darien said. "It was Raye who did it." Turning Darien slowly set the miko on her bed, covering her up with the blankets upon it. For a second he just stood there, bent down, gazing at her peaceful sleeping face. Yawning though he stood up and stretched. So much for asking her out later tonight with it being his only night off this week.
"I'm glad that's over!" Serena said smiling at the two guys. "At least we don't have you two to deal with."
"...Well I still have to deal with you," Jeadite said laughing as the scout of the Moon grew angry at the man for saying such a comment. A fist went up and hit him in his shoulder as Serena began to beat his arm for saying such a thing like that.
Mina and Lita smiled at each other also knowing what was probably going to happen between the two blondes in front of them.
"..Now all we need is to get boyfriends," Mina laughed.
"Yeah," Lita laughed turning her head to see Amy and Zoicite talking quietly about something. Even with the fact that the man had lied to her Amy still had found it in her heart to forgive him. She hoped one day that she could find a love like that. Someone to forgive like that. Sighing she turned her head toward the window and pulled the shades up.
"..We should celebrate!" Demos said hopping on the table. "With half of the generals now gone it's just a few more steps till we get to Beryl herself!"
A quiet cheer went though the room. They didn't want Chad walking in while almost all of them, not including Raye, was dressed in their sailor uniforms well trying to walk in since the door was locked.
Luna sighed aggravatedly and Hades rolled his eyes. Things weren't ever going to be this easy. There was always something that would come up. Artemis on the other hand was napping quietly in a corner. He hadn't stayed awake long enough to watch Raye heal the two generals. The others though had stayed out of it as well, the girls could handle healing the two men by themselves though Luna was going to have a talk with Amy about her "boyfriend".
Hotaru sighed looking down at the scratches on her chest as Hades stood behind her, his back to her.
"..That's what happened last night Hotaru." He said. "I would never do that to you."
"..I know that," Hotaru sighed walking over, putting her shirt down and sat on her bed. "Have you talked to Luna, Artemis, and Demos?" A shake of the head came from the cat who climbed up beside her looking at her in the eyes.
"Not yet," He said. "With the thing that happened with the generals I couldn't get the change to even talk to them about it..though if something like that did happen to Serena I'm sure Luna would have said something during the meeting today." He twirled around and laid down beside her. "I will have to tell the others about this though. They should know."
"..Don't." Hotaru muttered looking toward Hades who was now looking at her puzzled. Sighing Hotaru looked ahead at the locked door now since she was in her regular form. "We don't need them worrying about some weird dream I had."
"..It wasn't a dream.." Hades muttered. "Something was being brought with that song Hotaru and if that is the case we are dealing with something much stronger then a simple nightmare."
"Don't!" Hotaru almost screamed. "Raye doesn't need to worry about me now. She's got other things to worry about now."
"You mean the fact every time she uses that staff/scepter she passes out?" A nod came from Hotaru who turned and laid down on her bed lightly beside Hades. "That just takes time to get used to." She didn't care though. Her hand touched her chest where the marks where. This she was going to try and deal with on her own. The other scouts didn't need to be brought into it all.
Hades didn't think it was such a good idea to not tell anyone but he would listen to Hotaru's wishes unless something did come up that it would threaten her life.
Within a few minutes Hotaru's breathing changed to one very steady and rythmic telling Hades that the girl had fallen asleep.
Once more he would try the new pages out. Once more he would inflict a half pain on the princess somewhere out there. And with that he was a little further to his goal of having Beryl to himself.
Touching a B flat key he started the piano up again as a light chuckle passed through his lips. He really wished he could be where ever the princess was at the time to see her squirm.
Yes soon t his song would be done and the half pain it did inflict now would be what it was truly written to be.
Nephlite glared at the door as he tried to cover his ears. The man should really pick more appropriate times to play that blasted song before he did something to him or the song that might get him in trouble with Beryl.
Wow, this story did get long Oo. Heh well I guess it's a special treat. I can't wait till what is really going to happen with Hotaru is finally revealed! Cheers Anyway please review before you go and as aways thanks for taking the time to read one of my stories.