You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control.

Megan Chance

'You've taken what's mine. Now I have taken yours.'

'I don't know what you speak of. Who are you?'

'Faithful time, little peasant. Faithful time'

'No! Who are you?'

'Faithful time...'

"Faithful time, Ami-chan?"

A warm hand woke Ami up from her musing. Startled, she saw Zach's form leaning towards her, his hand caressing her cheek. "Are you okay?"

She has the decency to blush beet red, getting caught during one of her musings where she would lose herself from the world around her. Still, in the middle of a date with the most vain of all men. 'I must be in dire need of help,' she thought to herself.

"I'm sorry. I'm just tired." She smiled at him and focus her eyes on the exhibit in front of her. It was a depiction of an abandoned warehouse. Why it would be in an exhibit, Ami couldn't think of. But as she stepped and looked closer, Ami could tell that something was off with the picture.

"Uhm, Zach?"

"Yes?" He was beside her in an instant, having noticed the edge in his companion's voice. Touching her arm softly, he asked. "Is everything okay?"

'Tell everyone so I can kill everyone.'

"Ami?"

'His green eyes looked at you with contempt. Tell me peasant, that isn't love, right?'

Ami felt herself getting light headed. She was aware of Zach lightly tapping her, calling her, trying to get her back to the little conscious that she had. Still, the moment her eyes focused on the painting before here, her body seized to move. She knew she were still standing inside the stuffy museum as Usagi called it, but as she tried to expand her senses, a shiver ran through her skin. Someone was beside her, aside from the man. Whispering. Laughing. And why was Zach's voice getting weaker and weaker? Ami tried to tilt her head to the direction of the voice but found her neck as stiff as a board.

'Love doesn't ran a sword through your chest.'

Stop. She wanted to say but all she was able to do was heaved. She tried clenching her fists, but her hands were numbed and cold. The kind of cold that the Senshi of Ice despised the most. A darker cold.

'Like the coldness you saw in the General's eyes when he gutted you.'

No. Stop.

'Let's see how long before he decides to kill you again.'

No.

'You are long gone.'

Stop.

'You are mine.'

A scream ripped itself from Ami's mouth before she collapsed in Zach's arm.

The sacred fire blazed higher and higher as the priestess' chant got louder and louder. The great fire licked its mistress hair and cheeks, but the priestess seemed not to mind the harm that the fire can do. Instead, she seemed to relish to the touch and warmth the fire provided. Another set of chants made it ablaze again, this time the fire almost roar and the logs crackled and ashes went flying all around.

Sitting behind the priestess was Jade. After his chores around the shrine, he sought for Rei to ask her out on a date, only for him to feel a shiver, a very unwanted feeling making him dash inside the shrine to look for the said girl, only to find her already kneeling in front of the sacred fire, with the element seemingly angry at something and out of control.

'Just when I'm about to ask her out on a date, this creepy what-not just had to happen.'

"Jade."

"Yes?" He snapped out of his stupor.

"You're noisy. I can't focus."

The blonde general blinked. 'How was I noisy?'

"Stop thinking. Because I am not going on a date with you until this creepy what-not is dealt with." Rei snapped, eyes still closed and trying to meditate, but then later grimaced when she cracked an eye open and saw Jadeite taking a seat beside her, Cheshire grin plastered in his stupidly, handsome face.

"So..." he drawled, and Rei answered with a scowl.

"Not a word Jade. Not a word."

His grin turned into a smirk, irritating the temperamental priestess, a reaction he so love to invoke. Moving fast enough for Rei not to see, he planted a wet, soundly kiss on her cheek. He winked and almost had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing at the scandalised look on the priestess' face.

"Jadeite," Rei growled, feeling her ultra thin patience thinning again. 'The jerk had the audacity to wink.'

"Yes, I had the audacity to wink. And no Firebird, I am not sorry that I kissed you." Jade dismissively said, catching her off guard. He smiled at her, not the flirty one, but the smile that she so rarely see in him. Her favourite smile.

"Now, what about the creepy what-not that I felt earlier?"

His question seemed to put the miko back on track and she looked at the fire again. "Yes, there is something. But no matter how I try, all I can see is the fire getting doused under the rain."

"Fire under the rain? Sounds like a threat to you Firebird." Jade said off-handed. "Maybe little Mercury-chan just getting you to cool down. After all, that temper of yours is a force to be reckon with." He added with a chuckle to which he just received a glare.

"Or a storm," Rei added. "But Jade, I didn't feel threatened. Usually, I'd feel even a fraction of malice in it. This one...feels pure."

The blonde raised a brow at her. "If you're saying that the power you felt was pure, then there can't be anything wrong with it. But Firebird, there are lots of pure in this world. Pure love. Pure warmth. Pure good. Pure malice..."

"Pure evil." She finished for him. "I know. But I felt nothing of it. Just...pure."

"And why was it dousing the fire?"

Rei, for a second, was lost for words. Why was it dousing the fire? Should or shouldn't it be dousing the fire? "I don't know Jade. I should be able to feel it, but this vision is too vague. And I hate this...pure thing...feeling."

"Oho? Says the priestess who had a vow of chasti..."

"I dare you to finish that sentence, General Jadeite." The fiery priestess growled at him, little flames igniting in each of her pretty fingers.

Jade smirked at her reaction. His spitfire was really amusing to piss off, and her fiery personality just makes him adored her more. "Well, you really used to have that vow until I..."

"Fire Soul!"

"Firebird!"

Jade only had a few seconds to duck before a raging inferno whizzed past where he was seated, and blasted the sliding door behind him, quickly making work and turning it into ashes. He looked back and saw Sailor Mars standing strong in front of him in all her blazing glory. She was glaring at him, in her eyes he could see raging fire. Hell, she was really pissed.

"Mars, you look lovely today. And hot." He winked. "And I am not fixing that." He added flatly, pointing to the still smoking left over of the sliding door.

Sailor Mars felt her temper rising again as the blonde general seemed to just revel in her anger. "Hot? How about I show you hot?"

"Oho, skipping foreplay are we now, Firebird? I knew you would eventually see things my way." He cackled suggestively as he readied himself for another world of fire and pain.

Mars blushed upon hearing him. "You are incorrigible!" She stomped her heeled foot, sparks flying everywhere.

"Careful there. Wouldn't want to accidentally burn down the shrine. On the other hand, you are always welcome at my place. You will like it there. I know I would." He teased, wiggling his brows.

The Fire Senshi mentally counted till twenty and sighed. 'I'm not giving in. I am not giving in. Mars, you can hold your temper now. You're no longer a school girl.' She repeated it over and over with her eyes closed and her breathing getting even. 'Jade is a prick. Jade is a prick. He is a big prick.'

Said person was watching her patiently as Sailor Mars calmed herself out. Then her transformation began to glow and within seconds, a calm Rei was standing in place of the temperamental Senshi. 'Good girl. That's it. Hold that temper steady. Let go.'

A few more minutes has passed with the priestess eyes still closed and breathing evenly that Jade decided to sat in front of the sacred fire and tried to think of Rei's vision by himself. He closed his eyes, one hand tussling his already tussle down hair. Another hand came up and pinched the bridge of his nose. As Rei seemed to come out of her meditation, she took the time to watch the emotions flickering in her lover's face. One time he will be in deep concentration, the next his face would crunch up and he would scowl. Then his eyebrow would rise and he would shake his head. Rei stifled a laugh.

"Jade stop it. You'll go crazy with that."

Cracking an eye open, he smiled charmingly at her. "And they said I'm already cracked in the head. You already centered now?"

Rei smiled sheepishly, sitting beside him. "I am. Thank you."

"We still have a long way to tame that temper." He chuckled, earning a light slap on the back of his head.

"You said it was my temper that first drawn you into me."

At this, Jade let out a full blown laughter, making Rei blushed.

"Jade!"

Wiping his tears away, the now whizzing blonde looked at her with his goofy face. "Firebird, believe me. I'd rather you keep that nasty temper of yours to a T. But you are now the Head Priestess and a lawyer. We can't have you biting heads and burning bodies left and right. Excellent lawyer as you may, but that doesn't put you on a high pedestal above the law."

"Hmmp." Was all the reply he heard and he shook his head. His Firebird has conceded.

"So we're back to square one. What to do with my vision." Rei quietly said.

"Oh, that? On a serious case Firebird, no matter how I want to flirt with you, I just have the idea. Give me your hands."

Rei looked warily at him and narrowed her eyes. "I swear I will..."

"Rip my balls out, grill it and feed it to me while you enjoy skinning me alive. Honestly Rei, is my balls your only concern...no sorry. That was a poor joke. Don't kill me."

"Jadeite!" Rei exasperatedly screamed at him, eyes flashing with fire.

"Please Firebird. Listen to me first. Remember my powers? I'm just like you."

"No we're not. I'm not a pervert."

"Okay. The pervert's only me. But Rei, I just want to try meditating with you. Maybe I can help with your vision." He explained.

Rei looked at him thoughtfully. "Back in the days, we used to meditate together. On the Moon. On Earth. On Mars. But you were not helpful at all. And why do you need my hands?"

Jade sighed. He then arranged himself so that his whole body was facing her whilst kneeling. His hand softly reach her face and he stroke her cheek gently. "I know Firebird. That time I only wanted to be with you. Even just to seat beside you and you stare out on the fire all day that I sometimes got jealous and just wanted to ask little Mercury-chan to doused the fire." He chuckled at the memory and at Rei's gaping face. "But seriously I want to share my powers with you, to give you a boost? Or a push as you would call it so that your vision could come to you more clearly. Trust me Rei. I only wanted to help."

"Jadeite..."

"And the faster we solve this mystery creepy what-not, the sooner we could go on our date." He added cheekily, making Rei laugh. "I take your laughing as a yes." Without waiting for her answer, the hand that was stroking her face slid down and took hold of her hand. "Remember Firebird. I will only give you a push. And if I'm lucky enough and you allow me, maybe I can take a look at your vision myself. You can cut me off whenever you want."

His voice was so soft and endearing that Rei felt bad for throwing fire at him earlier. But, she reminded herself, this was Jadeite. Pissing her off was top on his to-do list. So, she's not saying sorry.

"Ready, Firebird?"

"You know you are going to fix the damned door later, right?"

He laughed again. "Of course love. Now, ready?"

Rei heaved deeply. "I am."

The Knight of Patience and Harmony smiled reassuringly. "Then fly, Firebird. Fly."

Rei felt the familiar heat before she saw the fire. In a centre of what looked like a barren field, a golden blaze crackled and roared. She realised that Jadeite's idea worked. Before she could only see the fire, but now she can clearly see the golden colour. The priestess also felt the searing heat and overwhelming power the golden fire in front of her possessed.

'Jade.' She mentally called, and a few seconds later, his voice filtered inside her mind.

'I hear you Firebird. Man, you really love fire. No wonder you're hot.'

Choosing to ignore his quips, Rei mentally nudged him in the direction of the golden fire. 'It's gold.'

'Was it not before?'

'It was only fire before. Not gold.'

'And now the rain starts.' Jade replied as they both saw the drops of water starting to fall. 'Really this little rain has nothing on Jupiter's...' He tilted his head up to assess the heaviness of the downpour that was to douse the blazing golden inferno, but what he saw froze him mentally.

Rei, sensing Jade had gone silent also tilted her head up and a sudden scream of terror escaped her.

"Rei, snapped out of it. Rei!"

A not so painful slap on the cheek brought her out of her stupor to find her boyfriend's face ashen white. His hands were clammy and his lips were deathly pale.

"Jade," Rei reached to him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Jade,"

"It's okay. We're fine." He tried to assure the shaking priestess, stroking her hair gently and planting a kiss on top of her head. They kept in that position for sometime until Rei's shaking subsided and Jadeite's hands were not so clammy anymore.

"Are you alright, Firebird?" His question was more that a whisper, tightening his arm around her petite waist.

"I am not." Rei answered. Her voice was muffled, her face flushed against his chest. "What did you saw, Jade?"

Rei felt his body stiffened at her question and she had the feeling that he will do all it takes to not disclose the information she wanted. "Jade, remember. We promised no secrets."

"That's unfair Rei. To used our promise against me." Then again, he thought, he was the one who had them made such promise. 'Damn me quickly biting myself in the ass.'

"Jade, I saw myself. A very twisted version of myself. And I was so scared of her. And from the tips of my fingers the water was dousing the fire." Her voice was so small and it quivered with every word she utter. "Jade, I was killing myself. I was killing fire."

Jadeite again tightened his hold on Rei, afraid that he'll lose her if he even as slackened his hold. He could feel that she was scared, that what she saw had shaken her down to her core. "Hush, Firebird. It's alright. I'm here. I..."

The remaining sliding door to the meditation room suddenly flew out of its place, landing a few meters away from the sacred fire, making the both of them jumped to defensive positions, Rei's hand slipping in her haori for her henshin pen while Jadeite stood protectively in front of her, only for them to see a paled face, fully transformed Zoisite emerging inside the room, an unconscious Ami in his arms.

"Pardon my intrusion on your tender moments, but I need help. Ami collapsed and won't wake up."

'You've taken what's mine and now I have taken what's yours.'

'Stop.'

'Look around little peasant. Look.'

'What do you want?'

'Everything little peasant. Everything.'

'No. Stop.'

'Faithful time little peasant. Faithful time.'

She snapped her eyes opened, taking in lung full of air as her eyes take in her surroundings. She listened attentively, but found no vile voice that mostly clung in her nightmares. She remembered she was with Zoisite in an exhibit. She remembered looking at a picture. But she doesn't remember how she had gotten in the Hikawa Shrine. Dr. Ami Mizuno closed her eyes and bit her lip. She had been dragged inside her never ending nightmare again.

A slow movement at her feet caught her attention and Ami saw Luna looking intently at her. She smiled at her and motioned for the Mauian to get on her lap.

"Are you alright Ami-chan?" Luna asked after she settled herself in her lap and the genius woman began stroking her fur. "I volunteered to look after you while Rei and Jadeite briefed the others about a new vision. Seems like the Senshi are back into business."

"Luna, what happened to me?"

Ami's question made Luna look at her. 'Zoisite is right. Something is really wrong. Ami's not herself.' "Zoisite said you collapsed inside the museum."

Ami nodded, eyes glazed and still stroking Luna's fur. "Must be the heat."

Luna eyed her carefully. "Ami-chan, the museum was well ventilated. Add to that that the whole building's air-conditioning is top notched and just got checked recently for the exhibit. You were not supposed to collapsed."

Eyes still glazed, Luna caught something on her forehead. Ami's Mercury sigil was glowing and fading, like pulsing and Ami didn't seem to noticed it. 'What in Selene's name is going on?'

"Maybe I collapsed because of fatigue? Yeah that should be it. I'm lacking in the sleep department." Ami absently said, now scratching Luna's ears while the poor cat, intent on her observations, tried not to purr.

"Then how about you try to sleep again? Rei-chan already called your mother. Go on. Try to get some sleep as much as possible. We'll be outside if you need us."

Leaving no room for argument, the cat leaped out of Ami's lap and strutted out of the room, not noticing Ami's fists clenched.

"Zoisite is right. Something is wrong with Ami."

All talkings ceased once Luna appeared inside the meeting hall. "And no. She didn't tell me anything, but what I saw was enough to prove what Zoisite thought."

"What happened Luna? Is Ami-chan okay?" Usagi tearfully asked, her hand clasped within Mamoru's larger one.

"Ami-chan's mother said she was not sleeping well. The reason? Well, she said it was Ami-chan's to divulge."

"Ami asked me what happened to her. Which is wrong for her."

"Isn't that the natural question to ask of you suddenly woke up inside another person's house?" Makoto asked, entering the room after fixing them a late dinner. "Dinner in twenty so make it snappy." She added, plopping down beside Nephrite.

"Yes, thank you Mako-chan. Now Luna you were saying?" The leader of the Senshi, Mina asked.

Luna promptly answered. "Why, yes. Thank you. And welcome home by the way, Mina. As I said, for a logical thinker like Ami, the question was very wrong for her. She should have asked on how did she ended here', implying that she at least have knowledge about her prior engagements. To ask 'what happened' mean that she has no idea whatsoever on what happened to her, thus her being open to any ideas we tell her. We can tell her she got drunk that she ended by the Shrine and she would've readily believe it"

"But this is Lady Mercury. Its impossible that she has no idea with what's going on with her." The leader of Mamoru's guard, Kunzite, now named Almir Keith said.

"So you're saying that Ami-chan is withholding information from us?" Makoto asked, looking at her boyfriend beside him and back to the stoic man, challenging his claim. "And why would she do that? I know Ami-chan. She's not selfish."

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I am not implying that she is doing so. All of you Senshi always say that even before you ladies can understand the problem, Lady Mercury would be there with answers and solutions at hand. All I'm saying is that I found it impossible that she doesn't have any inclination with what's going on."

"I agree with him, Lightning," Sanjouin Masato added, trying to appease the Jovian Princess. "After all, back in the Silver Millennium, Lady Mercury was known to be the most intelligent being that ever existed."

"The most brilliant mind that ever graced the Silver Alliance. That was what she was called on Earth." Mamoru said, putting an arm around his wife. "And believe me I was more that shocked when Serenity introduced us to her Senshi. We just thought that Sailor Mercury and the Lady Mercury just happened to share titles."

"Why don't you just admit it that we all thought that the famous Lady Mercury was an old hag?" Jade sniggered, prompting Rei to slap his head. "Ouch."

"You know tact?" Rei snapped at him.

"That was the truth Firebird. I mean, how do you expect us mere Earthlings to accept the fact that the most intelligent - having unsurpassed knowledge and wisdom - person alive was younger than the Peacock over there? And he was the youngest of us Shitennou."

"Walking up memory lane is good , but were getting side-tracked."

"It's walking down, Mina," Rei coughed.

The leader of the Senshi chose to ignore her and continued. "Yes, Keith does have a point. Ami-chan isn't stupid. And have you forgotten what Rei-chan said a while ago? She said Ami-chan's mother said that she wasn't sleeping well. And the reason is for Ami-chan to divulge. So we can say that there's something that she's not telling us."

"Or that she doesn't know what's going on that's why she can't tell us." Usagi, the ever optimistic one added.

"Or that she herself doesn't even know what to tell us." Makoto dropped. When all eyes turned to her, the tall senshi blushed and added. "I mean, Ami-chan is someone who'll only divulge information when she's hundred percent sure of the data. She doesn't do anything half-assed. That's why she's the brain of the group."

"All of that is certainly enlightening to us who doesn't know Lady Mercury well. But now, we're back to the start. What is going on? What is she not telling us? Zoisite , what else have you noticed back in the museum?" Keith asked the silent Shittenou.

Zoisite, who was leaning by the wall, shrugged. "She was unfocused. A few times I literally had to tapped her back to reality. And I know tired when I see one. She was. But she insisted that everything was okay. She also kept repeating 'faithful time.' Until...of course. Why did I not noticed it right away. There was a painting."

"What painting?" Mamoru asked.

"Faithful time?" Rei whispered, exchanging knowingly glances with her lover.

Zoisite looked at his liege, then at everyone around. "There's this painting that she kept staring before she collapsed. I tried tapping and shaking her arm but she just wouldn't wake up as if she was in a sudden trance. Then her eyes became glazed and she was deathly cold. Then she screamed and collapsed."

"Did you felt anything ill about it?" Masaro asked. "I think it's impossible for a negative energy to only affect the targeted ones, especially if you are with someone that also possess powers."

"Highly improbable. But not impossible." Rei said, eyes boring holes on Zoisite, waiting for confirmation.

Zoisite shook his head. "No. I didn't feel anything at all. Just Ami getting cold. A different kind of cold."

Jade glanced at Rei and nodded grimly. "The type of cold that you know for sure is just wrong for Mercury-chan , right Zoi? You know the feel of her ice and cold, and that it was so wrong."

"How'd you know that?" Mamoru asked, eyes narrowed at the younger Shitennou.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen. I think the Senshi are getting called back to business." Rei flatly said, creating a fire from her fingertips and tossing it nonchalantly on the hearthstone, igniting the sacred fire once more.

"And don't forget the Shitennou Firebird. We don't plan on missing out all the fun." Jade grinned at her.

"And I'm also not forgetting the doors." Rei deadpanned.