Hello everybody! And happy holidays to you all! As a gift from me to you, here are the next two chapters! It's been a long time coming but the end is in sight everyone! Now, I admit I'm not entirely sure how I feel about these chapters but then, Mars has always been difficult for me. So please let me know what you think and I promise you'll hear from me again in the next decade. ;)

The hospital was dark, possibly even abandoned, with lights continuously flicking off and on like something out of a bad horror film. It left an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She squeezed the roses in her arms closer and continued forward, the light clacking of her mary janes echoing down the hall.

There was something...familiar about this hospital. Rei couldn't determine what that was but she knew this was a place she did not want to be. Still...she had come here for a reason. She had roses to deliver to room 608. The nice lady at the front desk had told her so. She picked up her pace, her small little legs propelling her on.

She checked the numbers on the wall.

627…

625…

It was such a big hospital. What if she got lost?

"Stupid dad," Rei grumbled, "Stupid meetings."

Well she'd show him! She didn't need him or anybody else, only…

Rei's breath caught when her eyes landed on the numbers 608.

She had made it! She hadn't gotten lost!

She rushed to enter the room but then remembered where she was at the last minute. After taking a moment to calm down, Rei slowly opened the door, flinching slightly at its long drawn out creak.

Inside the simple room was a rather large bed that a frail woman laid upon and a single, uncomfortable looking chair by its side. Rei swallowed, the feeling in her stomach growing stronger, but took a few steps in anyways.

"Mama?"

She moved a little closer.

"Mama?"

Rei shifted on her feet, not sure if she should risk disturbing her mama.

"Ma—"

"He's at a meeting isn't he?"

Fear squeezed her heart. Her mama sounded so sad and so weak! And it was all because of her stupid father!

Rei marched up and around the bed.

"It's okay mama, I'm here!" She lifted the roses in her arms. "And I brought your favorite flowers! See?"

Her mama managed a weak smile but Rei could tell her heart wasn't in it.

"Thank you my—" Her words were cut off by a strangled cough. Rei waited for them to die down, used to them now, but grew concerned when they didn't seem to be stopping.

"Mama?"

Her mama wheezed, grasping at her sheets.

"Mama?" Rei called again, tears beginning to sting her eyes. "Mama what's wrong? What can I do?"

Her mama began to make choking noises and her hands flew to her throat.

"Mama! Mama!" Rei pulled away, eyes darting around the room. Her gaze landed on the open door.

"HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"

No one came and Rei watched in horror as her mother's coughs slowly subsided and the life in her eyes faded away. She grappled for her mother's clammy hand and tried to pull her closer.

"Mama! Mama no! Please don't leave me! Mama! Mama! Please, Mama! MAMA!"

Rei screamed and collapsed on the bed, her muffled shrieks the only noise in the room until a firm knock on the door alerted her to an intruder. She snapped her head up in the door's direction and spotted her father with his hand outstretched towards her.

"Come along now Rei. It's time to go to your grandfather's."

Rei turned away from her father, preferring to stare at the hole in the ground where her mother laid. She tossed the roses in and then allowed her father to guide her away.

"Now you be good for your grandfather, Rei. He'll take care of you." She pursed her lips but remained silent. "I'd take you with me but I'm very busy and I'll only…"

Rei scowled, ignoring the rest of what he had to say. It didn't matter. He hadn't been there for his wife, why did he think she would expect him to be there for his daughter? She'd prove that she'd be just fine on her own.

She slid her hand from his and looked up to stare in his hazel eyes. Such a strange mix of browns. So unlike the Japanese men she'd met all her life but still familiar. Still the eyes of a politician.

"You could have married me," she told him.

Kaidou looked at her with pity and it made her want to scream. Instead she remained silent but in control. She would not shed her tears for him. For someone who would just leave like all the rest.

She turned away and proceeded to leave but paused in the door frame.

"I hope you make your wife happy."

She knew he wouldn't but still, she couldn't wish her mother's life on anyone. A rough, wet cough came from behind her grandfather's door, catching her attention, and she moved towards it in alarm. Rei rapt her knuckles against the wood frame gently.

"Grandfather?"

Her grandfather didn't respond but merely coughed harshly some more. She shut her eyes tight and gave a quick prayer for his health and then walked off to make some tea. The warmth would soothe his throat. Nevermind that it wouldn't restore his health. Nothing would at this rate. He'd been coughing frequently for months now. Soon she would lose him too.

Rei wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

It was cold. So cold. She was drenched to the bone and the winds were sharp and angry. She wanted to curl up by a fire but she couldn't. There was something she needed to do, someone she needed to find. She rubbed her arms roughly and tried to ignore her discomfort.

Where was he?

"JUN!" she called out, eyes darting up and down the river. "Jun can you hear me?"

She trudged forward a little more and caught herself when she stumbled.

"JUN!"

Something large caught her eye, a dark shape that continued to bob up and down the river. She moved closer and noticed a pale human hand attached to the bobbing figure. Rei gasped and ran towards the body, paling when she noticed the man laid face down in the water.

"No, Jun!"

She flipped him over, towed him to shore and began pumping furiously on his chest, ignoring the pale blue eyes staring lifelessly towards the sky. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't! She had so much she wanted to tell him! So much she wanted to say! How could he just leave her like this?!

"JUN!"

Rei woke with a start and took note of her immediate surroundings. She was in her room, safe where she belonged. Good. That meant it was just a dream. A nasty one but manageable. She could handle a dream. She pressed a hand to her forehead and cringed when she felt how sweaty her skin had become. It would seem that resuming her sleep was not an option.

She frowned and looked at the time. It was late, nearly two in the morning but she should be getting up soon anyways. The men would be returning in a few hours and she needed to be ready to go. It was time to finish what they'd started. She could analyze her dreams another time.

oOo

Rei was the first thing he saw upon returning to Tokyo and that fact made him smile despite the small frown gracing her lips. He wasn't sure what had earned her ire so early in the morning but then again, it might be the early hour that had put her in a foul mood in the first place. He moved to join her and nodded in greeting.

"Morning, I hope you slept well."

This was apparently the wrong thing to say because Rei gave him an odd look and seemed to physically withdraw although she made no real movement to do so that he could see.

"I slept fine, thanks."

"Okaaaay…" Jadeite drawled. He tried another tactic. "Are you ready for today? I know I—"

" I just want to get this over with," Rei told him bluntly.

"Ah." Jadeite rubbed the back of his neck. "It will be nice to relax once all of this is over."

She didn't reply and Jun rocked back and forth on his heels before excusing himself to gather their packs. He wasn't sure what her problem was but something had clearly occurred since he'd last seen her. When he returned, Mars was standing stiffer than before, with her hands clasped tight together, far away from the rest of the group.

"Is everything alr—"

"Mars!" Venus called, jogging up to them. "So I imagine your powers are still overcharged, right?"

Jadeite could see Mars expression grow dark at her statement but Venus kept marching straight ahead.

"Since you're probably uncomfortable using your powers right now, let Jadeite transport you both there."

"Oh?" Mars transferred her gaze his way—the first time she had really looked at him since he'd arrived—and he flushed automatically under her scrutiny.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. I can do that. Definitely. No problemo."

Venus snickered and then shoved him closer to Mars. "Well good luck you two!"

"So how do we do this?" Mars asked him, her tone a little friendlier now than earlier.

"Ah, well," He rubbed the back of his neck some more, "It'll help if you hold on to me and visualize where we need to go, since I've never been there before."

Mars grabbed his arm. "Like this?"

"More like…" Jadeite adjusted Mars so that her arms went around him. He then slipped his arms around her and pulled her a little closer, so his arms weren't so uncomfortable. "To transport others, they need to be within our physical space." He explained, "So I need to have my arms around you in some way."

Mars nodded in understanding and Jadeite thought he even saw a light blush but dismissed it immediately. It was probably just wishful thinking.

"Alright, ready?"

Mars nodded again and Jadeite's consciousness traveled inwards, tapping into the source of his power before they faded to what he always called the "Dark Realm". It wasn't very original but he had no other name for the space he and the rest of the Shitennou traveled through. Though if anyone would know, Mercury probably would. He made a mental note to ask her the next time he saw her.

Jadeite took a moment to peek down at the woman standing silently in his arms. Could it have been nerves that had put her in such a bad mood? He hadn't missed the flash of relief that had graced her face when Venus suggested having him do the transporting. His thumb stroked her side lazily and she stiffened even more if possible. The poor woman was going to get knots as hard as rocks if she didn't relax. He sighed and focused on getting them to their destination as fast as possible and was happy to see the light indicating their target was near.

They faded back into the world at the base of a large red cliff, with a temple nestled tight between the crags and a city at its feet. It could only be Neriene. There were two other sacred cities but Neriene was the only one exposed to the surface and tended to be the place the nomadic people of Mars would congregate when performing a sacred ritual. The images hadn't done it justice.

The temple itself, two large pillars guarding entrance to Olympus Mons in the back, loomed over the rest of Neriene as imposing as the Notre Dame but on a scale that sought to emulate the gods. If the planet had ever had an atmosphere, the towers had surely soared pass the clouds. The city itself was an intricate gridwork that blossomed outward from the temple in dark reds and greys, spiking in places and gently sloping in others until it reached the thick outer wall that protected the city from the outer elements.

A small gasp came from where Mars stood in his arms and he glanced down at her at first in curiosity and then in concern. Her skin was pale and clammy and her eyes were wide and glazed over. Was she having a vision? He had seen Nephrite read the stars once, his eyes had been similarly cloudy but these other side effects were foreign to him. Whatever was happening didn't appear good but he also had no idea how to help.

His gaze darted helplessly around his surroundings, finding nothing. Sighing, he bent down and scooped Mars into his arms.

oOo

Mars turned around a few times, studying her surroundings. How had she ended up here? She had been aiming for the city of Neriene. And where was Jadeite? Her eyes narrowed as she inspected the nearby landmarks closer, her gaze zeroing in on a cave a short distance away.

"I've seen this before…" she muttered.

Her eyes widened.

She spun around and spied Olympus Mons in the distance, which meant that she was at Pavonis Mons, just like her vision. Her vision that had ended with her nearly being assaulted by Chaos. She jerked her gaze back towards the cave, raising her hands to a fighting position. If Chaos was here, Mars would show her that she picked the wrong planet to rest on.

"Chaos!" Mars clamped her fingers together and completed the first few sequences. "Come out and fight me you coward!"

The planet rumbled and groaned beneath her feet and then her surroundings blurred away until she was no longer on Mars but back on Earth. Startled, she dropped her hands and looked around the space. Was she in a vision and hadn't realized it?

Several screams rang out behind her and Mars turned to find the city up in flames as people passed her, running for their lives.

"Mars!"

Jadeite stumbled from the flames, one side melted and raw, his eye stuck shut from the blood drying on his face.

"Mars stop this!"

Mars took a step back, shaking her head. This was a vision, a vision and nothing more. This wasn't real!

"Mars!"

"I can't!" she screamed, surging forward and slamming her forehead into something hard.

"Sonofabitch!"

Mars' eyes flew open to find Jadeite leaning over her while rubbing the blossoming red mark on his forehead. She leaned back, relieved, and rubbed her own bruised temple.

"Sorry."

Jadeite shrugged. "I've had worse." His eyes narrowed as he looked her over. "How are you though? It seemed like you were experiencing an intense vision."

Tokyo and its people being eaten alive by her flames flashed through her mind. Was it a warning of things to come if she didn't regain control? She didn't understand why she was seeing this though. Did it mean she wouldn't succeed in her mission? And then there was the matter of Jadeite. She glanced up at him, taking in his concerned expression. He had been harmed in both her dream and vision. Was this a sign she was getting too close?

Mars pursed her lips and looked away.

"Jadeite, why is my head in your lap?"

Jadeite raised a brow and leaned back, granting her the chance to escape.

"There weren't exactly an abundance of pillows lying around."

"I see...thanks." She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, ignoring the presence of the male beside her and focusing her thoughts on a cave seven hundred miles away. Outside of her visions it was unknown to her and she doubted it would aid her in restoring control of her power. In either case, she'd investigate it after her trial.

"So is everything okay? Did your vision show you something bad?"

"It was nothing," she stood, dusted herself off and then walked to the outer wall of Neriene.

Jadeite followed hot on her heels.

"It didn't look like nothing." He jogged a little closer, "In fact, judging by your attitude I'd say it was definitely something."

Mars scoffed and picked up her speed, "What attitude? It was nothing so I said it was nothing!"

"If it's really nothing then why are you running away?"

"To get away from you!"

Jadeite paused in his chase, offended, but was right by her side again the next second.

"Well that's just rude and after you used my lap as a pillow too!"

"You put my head there!" Mars snapped, whirling around to face him. "I would have been just fine if you'd left me standing!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that!" Jadeite threw his hands in the air and Mars fought the urge to punch him. He was absolutely insufferable.

She huffed and turned away to face the wall again. In the past, visitors to the city would enter through the gates but considering those were no longer manned, she'd have to take a shortcut.

Mars dashed off into a sprint and leapt to the top of the fortification with ease. With a single expectant glance back at Jadeite she dropped to the other side and began making her way towards the temple towers.

Jadeite landed next to her a few moments later, clearly annoyed but thankfully silent for once. They made their way through the city quickly, the gridwork working in their favor. All paths in Neriene led to the temple.

When they finally reached the towers Jadeite whistled, craning his neck. "How long do you think it would take to build something this size back on Earth?"

"Longer than I'd care to watch," Mars muttered.

"Right. Well…" he glanced around the courtyard. "So which tower do we search first?"

"We're not searching the towers."

"We're not?"

"No." Mars pursed her lips, debating how much to tell him. "How much did you learn about my culture? About our confirmation rituals?"

Jadeite frowned, crossing his arms as he thought. "I know it's a type of coming of age ceremony, although the details were vague on what prompted the ritual. I know it's not just based on the years you've lived. I know that you also come to Neriene, to this temple, to begin the process and I know that once you've completed the ritual, you're viewed as a Master or something along those lines?"

Mars nodded and then began walking between the towers towards the narrow opening in the cliff side.

"The ritual is sparked by a change in our power." She touched the center of her chest, where her crystal resided, and looked at him, "The power of my people start off like embers, constantly burning but weak and easily snuffed out. However through training, those embers would grow, sometimes into a steady flame, sometimes into a raging fire."

"Sooooo," Jadeite tilted his head back and forth. "You're saying the ritual was prompted by the ember becoming a flame?"

Mars smiled.

"In a manner of speaking."

Jadeite nodded along and then froze before snapping his head in her direction.

"You're not thinking you need to do the ritual?"

"I am."

"But...but…" Jadeite gripped his hair. "The ritual is stated to take weeks because magic is forbidden! We didn't plan for that. Besides, haven't you done the ritual before?"

Mars stopped within a foot of the volcanic entrance and turned to Jadeite, shaking her head. "I've never performed it. I never felt the spark before...but now…" She turned to face the entrance again, "I'm sure now is the time. Besides," She turned back to him, "It won't take me that long. I can easily travel that distance in a couple of hours as long as I go at a full run."

Jadeite scowled and crossed his arms. "Why do you say that like you're going alone?" His scowl deepened as Mars gave him a look. "Oh no! You're not leaving me here. We're supposed to stay together!"

Mars pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"The ritual is meant to be performed alone."

Jadeite scoffed. "And like I said before, we're supposed to stay together! Do your ritual, I won't interfere."

Said the man who was currently interfering! Mars clenched her fists and then glanced down when she realized her fingers were hot. She examined her gloved hands closely and frowned. It was slight but she thought she detected smoke rising from the material.

She willed her grip to relax and then turned to march into the entrance. "Fine but if I tell you to do something, you do it. Do I make myself clear?"

Jadeite gave her a sharp salute. "Yes ma'am."

Mars rolled her eyes and moved farther into the tunnel, not bothering to see if he followed. She knew she wouldn't be getting rid of him that easily.

oOo

Jadeite wiped his brow for what felt like the two hundred and eighty ninth time and cursed whoever thought performing a sacred ritual in the middle of a giant ass volcano was a good idea. Every inch of him was hot and slick with sweat and he was pretty sure they'd die of dehydration long before they ever made it to the center of the damn volcano. Oh sure, it could have been worse. Mars could have insisted on walking the entire way. This way, they were just hastening their deaths.

How nice.

Jadeite lifted his arm to wipe the sweat from his eyes, again, and noticed his uniform was soaked through. Chapped lips pulled back into a painful grimace that made his lips bleed. He would definitely look like a prune after all this, if he didn't look so already. He wiped his brow despite his disgust and then turned his attention to his partner.

Mars looked like she had barely broken a sweat despite how far they had come or that she was wearing heels. Really, she and the others wore terrible footwear. It was amazing that it never appeared to affect their battles. He focused his gaze on Mars' stride, watching as she rolled her weight on the ball of her foot before shoving forward and then doing the same thing on the other foot. One, two. One, two. A steady cadence.

"Stop staring at my ass," Mars hissed, slowing her speed to fall behind him.

Jadeite blanched and dropped his speed to match.

"I wasn't I swear! I was..." Jadeite trailed off. Somehow telling her he'd been staring at her feet didn't sound any better.

A red stiletto swung into his peripheral, reminding him what had started it all.

"I was just trying to figure out how you run in those things." He pointed to her shoes, "It's quite impressive."

Mars eyed him like she didn't believe him but then shrugged, looking as elegant as one could after two hours of running at full speed.

"You learn to adjust."

"You mean you didn't choose your uniforms?"

"I...don't know…" Mars frowned. "I didn't have a choice in this lifetime and I can't remember making a decision on it in my previous one."

"Ah." Jadeite replied awkwardly. Probably best not to press that subject. Mars never did like being in the dark on anything. "Well, maybe you'll find out soon?"

He hadn't meant to make it sound so much like a question but Mars apparently understood what he had meant because she smiled and nodded before picking her speed up once again.

It wasn't until an hour later that they reached the summit and decided it was best to take a break before continuing any further. Blessed Mercury had packed their supplies in a storage cube, a refrigerated storage cube, and Jadeite had downed an entire gallon of water before polishing off a few of Jupiter's snacks. He didn't have room in his stomach for more than that, his belly was swollen and filled with water. God he was tired. Sure he had been training with Kunzite for the past several months but this had been a different type of torture.

Jadeite dumped the little water that remained over his head and stretched out on the ground, shutting his eyes. He would just rest for a few minutes while Mars finished preparing for the ritual, and then he'd be ready to go. Just a few minutes, that's all he needed. Just a few minutes to rest his eyes. He yawned. And then he'd be back in the ga...

…

Burned bodies littered the floor all around him, their skin dripping off of their face as the fire melted their hair and clothing. Jadeite turned to its source, his beautiful Mars, looking as cold as her fire was warm. God he hated this dream. He knew what would happen. They would fight, a woman would scream—the princess—and then he would regain control of his mind and limbs just as Mars burned him to ashes.

Jadeite went through the motions, not caring how blase the taunts coming out of his mouth sounded. It would be over soon enough. He dodged a particularly nasty blow and stretched his senses out, anticipating the woman's scream. It never came. Instead his partner twisted and shot several flame arrows at once and Jadeite had to phase between worlds in order to avoid them all. He appeared behind her and put his arm around her, embracing Mars like a lover, before thrusting his blade up under her ribcage and twisting it around.

Mars gasped, blood gurgling past her lips, and collapsed backwards into his arms. It was only then the dream released its control over him. Only then that he realized what he'd done and could feel true horror at hurting his beloved. Hands shaking violently, he lowered her as gently as he could, chanting 'it's just a dream', repeatedly as the princess finally screamed in the background.

When he finally opened his eyes again, Mars was no longer dead and covered in blood. They were still surrounded by bodies but the space was dark and blissfully silent except for the small choking sounds coming from Mars as she struggled for air that his hands were strangling out of her. He pushed a little harder as Mars dug her nails into his flesh, struggling to get him away, but her efforts were weak and ineffective. Jadeite grinned as Mars' hands slowly slipped away. His Queen would be so pleased…

Jadeite shot forward with a gasp and clutched his racing heart.

'It was just a dream. It was just a dream…'

He attempted to take a few deep breaths and eventually managed to hold one for twenty seconds before managing to calm down. Really, he was getting worked up over nothing. Those things had never happened and Mars was perfectly al…

Jadeite turned, wide eyed, and scanned his surroundings.

Mars was nowhere in sight.

"Damn it Mars."

He should never had taken his eyes off her.

He ran to the lip of the volcano and stared into the abyss. It was difficult to see with the heat distorting the air in front of him but he thought he could make out an uneven path that ran along its perimeter down to the base of the Volcano. Mars must have taken it. He couldn't see her anywhere along the immediate path though, so it was safe to assume she was closer to the bottom.

Jadeite quickly stored his things in his pack, flung them on his back and then began his trek into the heart of the volcano.

oOo

Mars looked over her shoulder, feeling a bit paranoid the closer she grew to the base of the volcano. She didn't doubt Jadeite would follow her once he awoke but she hoped that she would have already finished what she came to do before he could accost her.

Well that wasn't fair. It wasn't as if he really bothered her. She'd just been having so many visions of him dying or getting hurt...it was better this way. Without him she only had to worry about herself.

She glanced once more over her shoulder and then continued forward, cursing when her foot slipped between two rocks and nearly twisted itself. Really who had designed her outfit? She traveled the rest of the way a bit more carefully and was relieved when she no longer had to scramble over rocks as she reached the base. Lava bubbled lazily across the expanse, making it easy to see the broken path of hardened magma amongst its steady glow.

Mars tested her weight on the floating material and was pleased when it seemed steady. She walked onto it fully and then tested the next piece of hardened magma the same way. She continued this steady pace until she reached a small island in the volcano's center with a small arch acting as an entrance to the island. Mars frowned, noting that it looked like those of her shrine but didn't know how that was possible here.

She brushed her concern aside and passed under the arch only to be transported into an endless grassy plain. There were snow capped mountains in the distance and a few Japanese maples nearby that could provide shade though the clouds that were growing provided ample protection from the sun's rays.

"Where am I?"

"The heart of Olympus, obviously."

Mars snorted at that and then turned to eye the veiled priestess behind her.

"This doesn't look anything like the rest of Neriene." She crossed her arms and raised her brow expectantly.

"My," the priestess chuckled, "You are indeed your mother's daughter."

Mars felt a sharp twinge in her chest but did her best to ignore it, even as her throat squeezed painfully when she spoke.

"My mother, the Queen, was nothing like me."

"Ah but I wasn't speaking of the Queen," the priestess corrected. She waved a pale arm at the expanse around her. "This space is a reflection of your heart. Neriene and the life you knew before are no longer a part of that."

"I—"

"I was not condemning you for it." The priestess said gently, "A fire burns what was away, clearing the way for new growth. It is only right to follow the cycle of life. Your people would not blame you for doing the same."

"I see." Mars looked towards the sky, noting the clouds had grown dark. "You're wrong though, I am nothing like her either. She was everything lovely but wasted away waiting for my father's love. I have no desire to waste my time on useless men."

"It's true your mother put her faith in the wrong man but who raised you to hold the values you have today? Surely not your absent father?"

Mars started at this.

"I...I suppose not." She shook her head, disoriented. "But I'm not here to talk about my childhood."

"No, you're here because you've lost control of your powers."

"Yes, can you help me?"

oOo

Jadeite stared at the lava below and judged that he was probably two thirds of the way there. He'd yet to catch a glimpse of Mars but that was expected, considering the haze had only grown thicker the deeper he went.

He was stumbling down another set of rocks when a low roar started to grow and the ground began shaking. His eyes snapped to the lava below that had begun to boil angrily.

Shit. He needed to find Mars!

He bit his lip, debating. Magic wasn't allowed during the ritual and they probably enforced this by using some sort of dampening device, but he needed to find Mars quickly.

"Fuck it."

Jadeite stared at the path fifty feet ahead and focused on transporting himself there. When he came away unscathed aside for some mild queasiness—courtesy of a dampener no doubt—he decided it was worth the discomfort and did it again, this time a little farther along the path. He did it again and again and again until he reached the bottom of the pit and leaned heavily along the volcanic wall. God this sucked.

He brushed the sweat from his eyes and then looked around, hoping for a glimpse of Mars but saw nothing save a lone island of hardened magma in the center of the volcano with no way to reach it. He squinted, wiping the sweat from his brow once more, and for a second he was just able to catch a glimpse of long pale legs.

He looked around for a visible path but saw nothing. How the hell did she manage to get out there?

oOo

The priestess stared at Mars for a moment before directing her gaze to the sky.

"Do you know what I see when I examine the scenery around me?"

Mars pursed her lips, weary of where this was going, but admitted she did not.

"I see a heart with endless room for love and possibilities but guarded from all sides." She gestured to the mountains and then to the growing storm just as a droplet hit Mars' cheek. "There is much beauty in you Lady Mars but I'm afraid the growing storm indicates some internal struggle."

Mars' brows knitted together as she struggled to make sense of the priestess' words.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"No you wouldn't," the priestess chuckled and then drew back her veil to reveal Mars' own reflection. "Do you know my name?"

Mars swallowed but dipped her head in a sign of respect.

"No my lady. It is deemed best that no one knows until the beginning of their preparations. My change came too late. As you know, there was no one here left to guide me."

"I am the Seer," she said simply. "I've seen the visions you struggle with."

"Then you know how I can prevent it."

"I do," the Seer nodded. "However, it is not something I can tell you. You must simply learn it on your own."

"No, please!" Mars gasped, moving closer to the other woman. "If I can't control my powers, horrible things may happen! People could get hurt!"

The Seer pursed her lips.

"Very well, if you must know, it is fear that holds you back."

"What? But it wasn't until I lost control of my powers that I became afraid!"

The Seer chuckled and dismissed her comment with a wave of her hand.

"It's not the fire that you fear."

"Then wh—"

"My dear, you are a passionate woman," The Seer tucked a piece of Mars' hair behind her ear, "But you are your mother's daughter. You are not weak for being afraid." She took a step back and gestured to the closest maple where a man slept under its branches. His blond curls were recognizable even from that distance. "However you are also Sailor Mars. Your people are only capable of loving with all that you are."

"No," Mars whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. "I won't let it consume me."

The Seer smiled at her sadly and then stepped closer until they were face to face. "My dear, if you don't," She placed a hand on Mars' cheek and pressed her lips to Mars' forehead.

"How will you make room for the new?"

oOo

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"

Jadeite pressed himself as close as he could to the volcanic wall, praying to every god and goddess he'd ever heard of to spare him this one measly time. The volcano was erupting!

The volcano was erupting!

The volcano was erupting and he still wasn't sure where Mars was. Had he really seen her out on that island? And if so was she still there?

A particular large bubble of lava popped directly in front of him and Jadeite spun to protect his face, unfortunately exposing his cape to the burning substance.

"Shit!" Jadeite cursed again, waving his cape to extinguish the flames. He needed to get out of there. He needed to get Mars out of there.

He squinted across the angry sea of lava, noting the island in the center had remained unaffected, merely rising with the lava as it did. There was no other choice. He said a quick prayer and then transported himself to the island, stumbling against the arc's pillar.

"Mars!"

Jadeite squinted again, spotting Mars strewn across the ground through the haze, and stumbled towards her.

"Mars," he called. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook. "Mars wake up!"

Mars' remained dead to the world and Jadeite couldn't help but grumble that she chose an awful time and place to take a nap.

He slipped his hands under her figure and began to lift her up only to find that she was lighter than he would have guessed. In fact, she felt like she weighed nothing at all. His eyes snapped down towards her in concern but she was no longer Mars. Her body had gone translucent, a tornado of flames swirling within her delicate frame as she continued to slowly rise up and out of his arms while the air darkened around them.

The island too was rising, as was the lava rushing all around him, and this should have concerned him—and would have—if he could ever manage to take his eyes off Mars. As it was, she was the only thing he could see. Wild and powerful, a goddess in every sense of the word. He couldn't tear his eyes from her and he sure as hell didn't want to miss a second of whatever the fuck was happening.

Mars lifted her arms as she and the lava reached the peak of the volcano, causing it to surge upwards and out, erupting all around them in a spectacular display. Jadeite stood and watched it all. He would always watch it all.