**First meetings**, chapter 4: Fear
by Lily.
lilian413@yahoo.com
An: never fear, chapter 4 is here!. Or something... hope you guys like, and email me with C&C!!.
***************
Zoi was now leaving the Ball Room, having already made sure that none of his
friends saw him while doing so.
One look around, and he was headed towards the Moon Gardens. He walked
slowly, deep in thought.
{What is it about the Mercury Princess that makes me feel this way?}.
Before Romantic could answer on his own little irritating way, he began
thinking again.
{I must admit I've felt a little lonely in the past
months, but that's no excuse to feel so excited at the sight of a young
girl. How old may she be?. Fourteen, fifteen?. And what would an old 22
year old lonewolf like me be doing with a kid like her?. Come on Zoi, wake
up!}.
The night was quiet, no birds sang. On the other hand, he wasn't sure there
were actual birds on the Moon.
A soft breeze caressed his hair and cape, and the
roses and flowers offered his distracted eyes a wonderful sight.
He was walking in between a rose bush and some strange blue flower that he
hadn't seen before.
{Hmmm, blue flowers. Strange. What substance may they
use for survival?. Even though they are new to me, they are beautiful;
deep blue, just as her hair. This would be a perfect comparison for her. As
marvelous as she is---Zoi, shut up!. You are starting to get romantic in here.
Forget about her!. She is a Princess, and you are just Endimion's guardian}.
This were the thoughts that crossed through hs mind, as he walked,
heading North.
He was a Terran. Terrans were not very welcomed on the Moon.
Hence, he had no idea about the little problem on the North side of
the gardens.
So, he never did notice how his cape no longer flowed gracefully around
him, always held in mid-wave by his powers. It was one of the first tricks
important people on Earth learnt.
To look cool wherever they went.
So entranced he was, that the dead weight around his shoulders and the fact
that his cape was now hindering his arms movement never did register.
He was now entering a pretty little open space. In the middle of it, a
fountain. Silvery water spread into the night's air, and a rhytmic sound
filled his ears. The stars shone in the sky, making the water shine with
them. It was a very calm place, and he felt at peace in there.
He walked towards the fountain, and sat on the edge. He looked at his
reflection in the water, and saw his face, smiling back at him.
And for the first time, noticing the sadness. His eyes, they were so
old--- he was no longer the youth he was back when he and Kunzite hit on
the ladies on their home village.
Yes, he was only 22, but the life expectation of a healthy, normal
terran, wasn't above 40.
And he was by no means, a normal terran.
His magic granted him powers others only dreamed about--- but they
also took something from him.
His life.
Magic wielders did not live a day past 35.
And it was coming closer.
{Boy, am I getting depressed or what?}.
His mental whine went unheard.
As he stared intently at himself, he started when all of a sudden, the water
rippled all by itself, and then, another face was looking at him.
It was a little face, with pink lips, and blue eyes. Blue-black hair armoniuosly
framed it, and her big, pleading eyes, seemed to call for him---
SPLASH.
His hand was quick to erase the face from existence.
{That's it. I've crossed the limit now. Imagining her face in the water...
ha!. You are worse than Jaedite with his horrible poetry when he falls in love.
Now stop thinking about her!. You are going home right now!}.
But before he could whisper the single word that
would take him home, footsteps interrupted his concentration.
Curiosity made him back-off, hiding in the fountain's shadow.
{Who may be here at this hour?. Everyone should be at the party. Let's see who has come
here to join me}.
He impatiently waited, until a figure entered the
clearing. The shadows of the trees hid it's face. It was wearing a light
blue dress, and was rather small. A little flame of hope was turned on in
his heart. And then, as quickly as it had appeared, it moved into the
light.
Surprise almost made Zoisite to fall into the fountain, but her face
made him forget his thoughts. It was Lady Mercury, but not the one he had
seen in the welcome ceremony, with a beautiful face; this one seemed to be
at the edge of fainting, and at the peak of human terror. Her pretty eyes
were shining, looking everywhere for a possible way for escaping. Her
breathing was hard and quick, evidence of a long run. Her dress was torn,
all full of holes, an unmistakable proof that she had slashed it with the
bushes, in her desperate escape.
She was at the edge of crying, by the way water sparkled in her eyes. She
run to the fountain, not noticing Zoi standing in the dark. She splashed
her face in the crystalline water, and seemed to calm down a lot. She
breathed deeply, and sat where Zoi was just seconds ago. She looked around,
and for the first time, discovered she wasn't alone.
Mercury only saw a male body, and jumped away, her hands in front of her.
"You won't get me that easy, Ren".
Discovered, Zoisite stepped into the light, and whispered to her.
"Excuse me, M'Lady, but I think you are mistaking me for someone else".
At the sound of his voice, she relaxed.
"You are not Ren. Who are you and what are you doing here?".
Zoisite tried to calm his one-thousand-times-per-minute beating heart,
to no avail. She was so close--- so close--- if he just reached out, he would
touch her hair---
"Excuse me, Lady Mercury. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Zoisite, Lord of
Crystal, one of the four Generals of Prince Endimion of Earth".
He bowed, as only earthlings knew how to do it, and smiled reassuringly at her.
Anything to try and mask the strange feelings running through him.
God, just a breath away....
For the first time, she smiled.
It was all the reward he needed.
"I am Princess Mercury, as you already seem to know. Also the Mercury
Senshi, and one of the Inner Senshi, sworn to protect Princess Serenity of
the Moon Kingdom".
She bowed gracefully.
Gosh, she even had sexy feet!.
"But I think I don't make such an impression with this dress".
It took him just a second to digest the joke, and smiled earnestly.
She smiled back, and he felt as if in heaven.
It was then that he noticed the small branch on her hair.
His hand unconciously reached out to her, trying to get it out---
"NO!".
Her small jump backwards striked him harder than her crying.
Then, he noticed the shivering.
The fear.
It was all back.
His hand fell limp to his side, where it reamined, numb.
"Don't--- don't touch me".
As a General, he had years of traning for stressful situations.
Hostages. Negotiations. Making someone spill information.
They all went out the window, at her panicked whisper.
"I'm--- I'm sorry, your Majesty. I--- I was just--- I was trying to---".
Ami was no longer listening to him.
"Don't touch me don't touch me don't touch me don't touch me....".
A quiet mantra.
She was even rocking back and forth a little.
God!. Who had done this to her?.
If it was that little weazel, Ren, he was going to pay.
"Princess?".
"don't touch me don't touch me..."
"Princess?"
"don't touch me..."
"PRINCESS!"
That snapped her out of her nervous break down.
She was still terrified, but at least, in control of her body.
"I'm sorry-- I'm so sorry--- I'll--- I'll just leave now".
As she turned around, and prepared to run away, he spoke.
"No. You will not. You will sit here, and tell me what the hell is
going on".
Ami was in no condition to argue with that.
She sat on the fountain, her dress barely brushing the ground, her eyes
fixed on some point within the water.
Zoisite was still impressed. He had raised his voice at Royalty, for
God's sake!.
His throat *and* brain had closed in on him ever since his last outburst.
So, he remained quiet, trying to think up something resembling an apology.
He didn't have to.
She spoke first.
"He's after me. And he will get me. It doesn't matter where I go".
He sat next to her, as far away as he could, while still listening
carefully. She seemed thankful at his behaviour. She was in no condition to be
near any male right now.
"Who?".
"Ren. He will come. He always comes".
"Face him, then".
Her terrified eyes stared at him, long and deep.
"W--what?".
"Stand up to him. Whatever he did, *you* are much stronger than he
ever will be".
"N-no. I can't. he--- he--- God, I'm scared!".
Silent sobs began rocking her body, as the angst of the last
days caught up with her.
Zoisite had never had any telephatic ability. That was Nephlite's
bussiness.
And so, he wasn't prepared for what he saw, when he reached out to her.
Mentally.
'fearterrorpainI'mscaredGodspleasegoawayleavemealone'
'Make me'
'nonononononotlikethisnotlikethisnotwith*him*'
'I can't wait to see it'
'firstkissmyfirstkisswithhimnogodsnotwithhim'
He couldn't stop the gasp of pain or the sudden urge to kill Ren that
overwhelmed him. And he understood.
The Princess had been scarred.
Maybe for life.
She, who had never dealt in prior basis with men, who was just
blossoming into the woman she was meant to be.
She, who was innocent, and naive, and full of dreams and hopes and
desires.
She, had been marked.
As Ren had forced himself upon her, he had also imposed himself as the
male prototype in her mind.
He had forced her to relate to things she had never considered before.
Pain, and men.
Fear, and closeness.
That's why she couldn't stand up to him.
That's why she couldn't face him.
Ren, had become her master, in a sick, twisted way.
He was everything she feared, everything she hated.
He had become an icon always to be related with pain.
Oh, he was *so* dead!.
"Princess, listen to me. You need to hold your strengh. You *must*
confront him!".
Again, the deer-like look.
Scared.
Wide.
Shaking.
"N-no. I can't. I won't".
"You have to!. Or he will always haunt you!".
"No, no!. Shut up!. Just shut up!"
She had raised from her seat, her panicking frame shaking with uncontrolled
emotions.
"My, my. Isn't this heart-breaking?. My little princess with this useless
Earthling. Well, Mercury, I thought you would wait for me to get cozy".
Not ever had Zoisite seen such a cataclysmic reaction.
She paled, her movement frozen in one grimacing expression.
It broke his heart.
Standing in one of the vegetal corridors that led to the fountain, with a
hand in his waist and the other on a tree, was Ren, the Prince of Saturn.
He smiled devilly, and looked intently at the both of them. .
The anger that had been welling inside of him, exploded.
Literally.
"Zoi!".
At his cry, power erupted in him. Furious wind appeared from nowhere, and
surrounding the Prince, transformed into a huge and strong wall of crystal. As it
solidified, Zoisite could hear whimpering.
Princess Mercury was not moving.
She was a deer caught in the light of a train, waiting for death to strike.
He would have none of it.
The good thing was, he had managed to trap Ren on the other side of
the wall. However, he knew it wouldn't last long. The Prince reeked with power... power
he knew he wasn't strong enough to fight.
He ran to Mercury, and grabbing her hand, ran away, entering one of the passages
that led away from the clearing.
Big blasts of energy could be felt behind the crystal wall, chunks of ice flying
all over the place. It wouldn't hold much longer.
Problem was, he couldn't move very fast. The Princess was completely limp. Even
her arm, under his strong fingers, was tense and cold, shock overloading her system.
It wouldn't be a surprise if her mind had departed too. One look into her
wide, unseeing eyes, and he knew she was gone.
Buried away, hidden inside herself, hoping against hope for Ren to go away.
Zoisite knew that at least in this situation, hoping and praying would not help.
They need to move. Now.
"Lady Mercury, answer me. We can't escape from him if you don't help me. Wake up!".
Her lips whispered something---
"Go away go away, please go away..."
Recognizing shock, he braced himself for what he was about to do.
Muttering an apology, he slapped her. Hard.
SLAP.
The noise echoed as thunder through the night.
And it hurt him.
But it worked.
She opened her eyes again. This time, they were crystal clear.
Her finger on his lips prevented him from apologizing further.
"You are excused, lord Zoisite. I understand. And I--I thank you".
Her voice was still shaky, but at least, she was speaking to him.
BOOM.
A suddem gust of wind threw them some feet backwards.
"Hand over the princess, and I'll kill you quickly".
Ren's voice was deadly quiet.
Zoisite did not falter. He stood between the Princess and Ren, shielding her with
his body.
"Never!. First you'll have to kill me".
Ren only smiled and this time, Zoisite's stomach jumped in his abdomen.
"That's something that can be arranged".
He raised one hand, and pointed it to Zoisite. The General pushed Lady
Mercury aside, but instead, she caught his arm, and whispered, so low that only
Zoisite could hear.
"When I give you the word, move".
Surprised, he looked through the rim of his eye at the girl behind him, and saw
her moving her hands, and muttering some magical words. Hesitantly, but with no other
choice, he stared at Ren, who has laughing maniacally, and saw that his hand
was shining.
{Whatever you are doing Lady Mercury, do it quick. Ren will
fire any moment now}.
Dry sweat wetted his back, but he stayed in place.
{I will protect her. I will not fail her, now that I've gained her trust}.
Just after this thoughts crossed his mind, Ren yelled, and fired black
energy at him.
"Die, you pitifull Earthling!".
At the same time, Lady Mercury screamed.
"Move Lord Zoisite!".
He threw himself aside, and turned back to look at her. The energy beam was
moving at incredible speed, and was aimed directly to her heart. However,
the young princess just closed her eyes, stretched her arms in front of her,
and called the magical words:
"Mercury Reflex Mirror... APPEAR!".
She opened her eyes in a sudden, quick move, and light blue energy surrounded her.
Time slowed down, as an ice shield formed in her arm. She covered her chest with
it, and the black energy crashed the ice. It held together, and with a sizzle, reflected
the beam and fired it back to Ren. He couldn't do a thing
to protect himself, and the energy hit him square in the chest.
He was sent back flying, and landed unconcious on the floor.
When she was sure Ren wasn't moving, Mercury stopped concentrating, and the
ice shield dissapeared.
Zoisite stood up, and walked towards her.
"My God, Lady Mercury. That was amazing. Are there any other tricks I should know
about?".
Mercury shrugged.
"No. And you won't have another chance to see anything else, either".
Now that adrenaline was slowly beggining to dissappear, Mercury's former
fright was returning.
Not if he could help it.
He was going to stick with her, protecting her until she did not need him
anymore. Until she could face her demons on her own.
Then, he would go. But until then, he would be her strengh, her support---
his job now was, to return Princess Mercury's lost confidence in herself.
His lips tight in a firm line, he grabbed her hand, and sauntered off,
leaving an unconcious prince and a lot of mayhem behind them.
His voice echoed into the night.
"Come on, your Majesty. Ren will come to it soon. We must
move fast".
Mercury didn't reply.
She just went along.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, in the ball room, music had stopped. It was time for
dinner. Jupiter, Venus, Mars and the rest of the princesses were
sitting in the left side of the long table, facing the Earth court. Of
course, Princess Serenity and her mother were hosting the eating, royally
sitting on the front.
Next to princess Serenity, sat Venus. Jupiter followed,
then an empty seat, with gold letters placed in the chair's back. The inscription read
'Mercury'.
Mars came next, to then pass onto the Outer Princesses. As their leader,
Uranus was first, then Neptune, in the middle Saturn, and closing that side of the table was
the Guardian of time, Pluto.
On the Queen's side, was Prince Endimon, sitting next to Kunzite, followed
by Nephlite. Next to him, was an empty chair, and then Jaedite. The rest of
the guests were in order of royalty. Dukes and duchesses, counts and
countesses, and so on.
The first few moments of inane chatting passed, and the empty chairs
became obvious.
From the back, and all the way up to the front, a low humming sound began
spreading: gossiping.
The Queen and princess of the Moon were looking at each
other, and talking quietly. Queen Serenity stopped, and looked at Pluto. She was
in the dark, sitting silently. However, the frown in her eyebrows was
visible, and the governor of the Moon knew that when Princess Pluto was
worried, it was a matter of time continuance.
Knowing that if she didn't do something soon, the party would be wrecked,
the Queen softly asked:
"Lady Venus, where is Lady Mercury?".
The blonde and leader of the Senshi looked down, ashamed.
"I don't know, your Majesty. About an hour ago she was with me and Lady
Jupiter, but when---".
Venus was often depicted as an airhead. Yet there were times in which she displayed uncommon sparkles of brightness.
As she spoke, the dots began connecting in her head. The puzzle suddenly became crystal
clear in her head. And she paled.
"Oh my God, Queen Serenity, I think I know what happened last night at
Mercury's chambers".
Hearing this, the Queen raised her hand, signaling for silence. This
was no place to discuss such matters. There were eyes and ears everywhere--- many
of them, *not* friendly.
She rose from her seat, and motioned the servants to begin serving.
That way, not many noticed her departure, or that of the Senshi.
Those who did, though, had a concern of their own.
Zoisite was also missing.
When they where in a private room, away from peeping eyes and unwelcomed ears,
Queen Serenity told Venus to continue.
"Well, My Queen. Before the party was over, Lady Mercury was with us, until
the Prince of Saturn approached us. He asked for her, but when
we turned around she had fled. I remember seeing him getting angry, as if
she had escaped. I think he entered Lady Mercury's room yesterday night,
and tried to take advantage of her. Jupiter and I may have interrupted him,
when we knocked on the door".
Everyone gasped in shock.
"You mean--- *that*?. But why didn't she tell us?".
"It's highly likeable, that Ren threatened to kill her and everyone else if
she said anything".
Mars' frown did not dissappear. If possible, it turned deeper.
"There's something wrong here. Mercury knows we can protect ourselves. Ren is
no match for us. Why does she fear him so, then?".
Pluto walked in, her presence quieting the chittering.
"She's suffering from post-traumatic stress symdrom".
"What?".
She did not relent.
"Mercury was hurt much deeper that you even fathom. Her very innocence
was scarred. It will take a lot of willpower, and a great deal of inner strengh
to recover from it".
Uranus was the first to catch up with her.
"You mean--- she's so scared she can't even think straight when he's around?".
"No. I'm saying that when he's around, she can't think at *all*.
Her mind shuts down, and she flies some place else".
"Oh, God!. Imagine what he may have done to her if he has already
found her!".
A shudder ran down everyone's spines at the mention of Mercury's
possible fate.
Jupiter did not loose hope, though.
"No. Ami is not like that. She will work through it. She will fight"
Everyone transformed, leaving behind the Planet Princesses, and appearing
as the Pretty Soldier Sailor Suited Heroines. When they finished, Uranus
smashed her right fist in her left hand, and said: "At last, some action to
do". She was followed by Jupiter, who said: "Yeah, let's go and kick
Ren's butt". The rest of the Senshi looked at her in amazament, but Jupiter
just shrugged, and said: "I'm no longer a princess remember?. I'm a warrior now. I can say
what I want. Now, let's go". They all ran into the palace, dividing in
groups of three, and searching everywhere they thought Lady Mercury could
be in . . .
*****************
TBc......
by Lily.
lilian413@yahoo.com
An: never fear, chapter 4 is here!. Or something... hope you guys like, and email me with C&C!!.
***************
Zoi was now leaving the Ball Room, having already made sure that none of his
friends saw him while doing so.
One look around, and he was headed towards the Moon Gardens. He walked
slowly, deep in thought.
{What is it about the Mercury Princess that makes me feel this way?}.
Before Romantic could answer on his own little irritating way, he began
thinking again.
{I must admit I've felt a little lonely in the past
months, but that's no excuse to feel so excited at the sight of a young
girl. How old may she be?. Fourteen, fifteen?. And what would an old 22
year old lonewolf like me be doing with a kid like her?. Come on Zoi, wake
up!}.
The night was quiet, no birds sang. On the other hand, he wasn't sure there
were actual birds on the Moon.
A soft breeze caressed his hair and cape, and the
roses and flowers offered his distracted eyes a wonderful sight.
He was walking in between a rose bush and some strange blue flower that he
hadn't seen before.
{Hmmm, blue flowers. Strange. What substance may they
use for survival?. Even though they are new to me, they are beautiful;
deep blue, just as her hair. This would be a perfect comparison for her. As
marvelous as she is---Zoi, shut up!. You are starting to get romantic in here.
Forget about her!. She is a Princess, and you are just Endimion's guardian}.
This were the thoughts that crossed through hs mind, as he walked,
heading North.
He was a Terran. Terrans were not very welcomed on the Moon.
Hence, he had no idea about the little problem on the North side of
the gardens.
So, he never did notice how his cape no longer flowed gracefully around
him, always held in mid-wave by his powers. It was one of the first tricks
important people on Earth learnt.
To look cool wherever they went.
So entranced he was, that the dead weight around his shoulders and the fact
that his cape was now hindering his arms movement never did register.
He was now entering a pretty little open space. In the middle of it, a
fountain. Silvery water spread into the night's air, and a rhytmic sound
filled his ears. The stars shone in the sky, making the water shine with
them. It was a very calm place, and he felt at peace in there.
He walked towards the fountain, and sat on the edge. He looked at his
reflection in the water, and saw his face, smiling back at him.
And for the first time, noticing the sadness. His eyes, they were so
old--- he was no longer the youth he was back when he and Kunzite hit on
the ladies on their home village.
Yes, he was only 22, but the life expectation of a healthy, normal
terran, wasn't above 40.
And he was by no means, a normal terran.
His magic granted him powers others only dreamed about--- but they
also took something from him.
His life.
Magic wielders did not live a day past 35.
And it was coming closer.
{Boy, am I getting depressed or what?}.
His mental whine went unheard.
As he stared intently at himself, he started when all of a sudden, the water
rippled all by itself, and then, another face was looking at him.
It was a little face, with pink lips, and blue eyes. Blue-black hair armoniuosly
framed it, and her big, pleading eyes, seemed to call for him---
SPLASH.
His hand was quick to erase the face from existence.
{That's it. I've crossed the limit now. Imagining her face in the water...
ha!. You are worse than Jaedite with his horrible poetry when he falls in love.
Now stop thinking about her!. You are going home right now!}.
But before he could whisper the single word that
would take him home, footsteps interrupted his concentration.
Curiosity made him back-off, hiding in the fountain's shadow.
{Who may be here at this hour?. Everyone should be at the party. Let's see who has come
here to join me}.
He impatiently waited, until a figure entered the
clearing. The shadows of the trees hid it's face. It was wearing a light
blue dress, and was rather small. A little flame of hope was turned on in
his heart. And then, as quickly as it had appeared, it moved into the
light.
Surprise almost made Zoisite to fall into the fountain, but her face
made him forget his thoughts. It was Lady Mercury, but not the one he had
seen in the welcome ceremony, with a beautiful face; this one seemed to be
at the edge of fainting, and at the peak of human terror. Her pretty eyes
were shining, looking everywhere for a possible way for escaping. Her
breathing was hard and quick, evidence of a long run. Her dress was torn,
all full of holes, an unmistakable proof that she had slashed it with the
bushes, in her desperate escape.
She was at the edge of crying, by the way water sparkled in her eyes. She
run to the fountain, not noticing Zoi standing in the dark. She splashed
her face in the crystalline water, and seemed to calm down a lot. She
breathed deeply, and sat where Zoi was just seconds ago. She looked around,
and for the first time, discovered she wasn't alone.
Mercury only saw a male body, and jumped away, her hands in front of her.
"You won't get me that easy, Ren".
Discovered, Zoisite stepped into the light, and whispered to her.
"Excuse me, M'Lady, but I think you are mistaking me for someone else".
At the sound of his voice, she relaxed.
"You are not Ren. Who are you and what are you doing here?".
Zoisite tried to calm his one-thousand-times-per-minute beating heart,
to no avail. She was so close--- so close--- if he just reached out, he would
touch her hair---
"Excuse me, Lady Mercury. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Zoisite, Lord of
Crystal, one of the four Generals of Prince Endimion of Earth".
He bowed, as only earthlings knew how to do it, and smiled reassuringly at her.
Anything to try and mask the strange feelings running through him.
God, just a breath away....
For the first time, she smiled.
It was all the reward he needed.
"I am Princess Mercury, as you already seem to know. Also the Mercury
Senshi, and one of the Inner Senshi, sworn to protect Princess Serenity of
the Moon Kingdom".
She bowed gracefully.
Gosh, she even had sexy feet!.
"But I think I don't make such an impression with this dress".
It took him just a second to digest the joke, and smiled earnestly.
She smiled back, and he felt as if in heaven.
It was then that he noticed the small branch on her hair.
His hand unconciously reached out to her, trying to get it out---
"NO!".
Her small jump backwards striked him harder than her crying.
Then, he noticed the shivering.
The fear.
It was all back.
His hand fell limp to his side, where it reamined, numb.
"Don't--- don't touch me".
As a General, he had years of traning for stressful situations.
Hostages. Negotiations. Making someone spill information.
They all went out the window, at her panicked whisper.
"I'm--- I'm sorry, your Majesty. I--- I was just--- I was trying to---".
Ami was no longer listening to him.
"Don't touch me don't touch me don't touch me don't touch me....".
A quiet mantra.
She was even rocking back and forth a little.
God!. Who had done this to her?.
If it was that little weazel, Ren, he was going to pay.
"Princess?".
"don't touch me don't touch me..."
"Princess?"
"don't touch me..."
"PRINCESS!"
That snapped her out of her nervous break down.
She was still terrified, but at least, in control of her body.
"I'm sorry-- I'm so sorry--- I'll--- I'll just leave now".
As she turned around, and prepared to run away, he spoke.
"No. You will not. You will sit here, and tell me what the hell is
going on".
Ami was in no condition to argue with that.
She sat on the fountain, her dress barely brushing the ground, her eyes
fixed on some point within the water.
Zoisite was still impressed. He had raised his voice at Royalty, for
God's sake!.
His throat *and* brain had closed in on him ever since his last outburst.
So, he remained quiet, trying to think up something resembling an apology.
He didn't have to.
She spoke first.
"He's after me. And he will get me. It doesn't matter where I go".
He sat next to her, as far away as he could, while still listening
carefully. She seemed thankful at his behaviour. She was in no condition to be
near any male right now.
"Who?".
"Ren. He will come. He always comes".
"Face him, then".
Her terrified eyes stared at him, long and deep.
"W--what?".
"Stand up to him. Whatever he did, *you* are much stronger than he
ever will be".
"N-no. I can't. he--- he--- God, I'm scared!".
Silent sobs began rocking her body, as the angst of the last
days caught up with her.
Zoisite had never had any telephatic ability. That was Nephlite's
bussiness.
And so, he wasn't prepared for what he saw, when he reached out to her.
Mentally.
'fearterrorpainI'mscaredGodspleasegoawayleavemealone'
'Make me'
'nonononononotlikethisnotlikethisnotwith*him*'
'I can't wait to see it'
'firstkissmyfirstkisswithhimnogodsnotwithhim'
He couldn't stop the gasp of pain or the sudden urge to kill Ren that
overwhelmed him. And he understood.
The Princess had been scarred.
Maybe for life.
She, who had never dealt in prior basis with men, who was just
blossoming into the woman she was meant to be.
She, who was innocent, and naive, and full of dreams and hopes and
desires.
She, had been marked.
As Ren had forced himself upon her, he had also imposed himself as the
male prototype in her mind.
He had forced her to relate to things she had never considered before.
Pain, and men.
Fear, and closeness.
That's why she couldn't stand up to him.
That's why she couldn't face him.
Ren, had become her master, in a sick, twisted way.
He was everything she feared, everything she hated.
He had become an icon always to be related with pain.
Oh, he was *so* dead!.
"Princess, listen to me. You need to hold your strengh. You *must*
confront him!".
Again, the deer-like look.
Scared.
Wide.
Shaking.
"N-no. I can't. I won't".
"You have to!. Or he will always haunt you!".
"No, no!. Shut up!. Just shut up!"
She had raised from her seat, her panicking frame shaking with uncontrolled
emotions.
"My, my. Isn't this heart-breaking?. My little princess with this useless
Earthling. Well, Mercury, I thought you would wait for me to get cozy".
Not ever had Zoisite seen such a cataclysmic reaction.
She paled, her movement frozen in one grimacing expression.
It broke his heart.
Standing in one of the vegetal corridors that led to the fountain, with a
hand in his waist and the other on a tree, was Ren, the Prince of Saturn.
He smiled devilly, and looked intently at the both of them. .
The anger that had been welling inside of him, exploded.
Literally.
"Zoi!".
At his cry, power erupted in him. Furious wind appeared from nowhere, and
surrounding the Prince, transformed into a huge and strong wall of crystal. As it
solidified, Zoisite could hear whimpering.
Princess Mercury was not moving.
She was a deer caught in the light of a train, waiting for death to strike.
He would have none of it.
The good thing was, he had managed to trap Ren on the other side of
the wall. However, he knew it wouldn't last long. The Prince reeked with power... power
he knew he wasn't strong enough to fight.
He ran to Mercury, and grabbing her hand, ran away, entering one of the passages
that led away from the clearing.
Big blasts of energy could be felt behind the crystal wall, chunks of ice flying
all over the place. It wouldn't hold much longer.
Problem was, he couldn't move very fast. The Princess was completely limp. Even
her arm, under his strong fingers, was tense and cold, shock overloading her system.
It wouldn't be a surprise if her mind had departed too. One look into her
wide, unseeing eyes, and he knew she was gone.
Buried away, hidden inside herself, hoping against hope for Ren to go away.
Zoisite knew that at least in this situation, hoping and praying would not help.
They need to move. Now.
"Lady Mercury, answer me. We can't escape from him if you don't help me. Wake up!".
Her lips whispered something---
"Go away go away, please go away..."
Recognizing shock, he braced himself for what he was about to do.
Muttering an apology, he slapped her. Hard.
SLAP.
The noise echoed as thunder through the night.
And it hurt him.
But it worked.
She opened her eyes again. This time, they were crystal clear.
Her finger on his lips prevented him from apologizing further.
"You are excused, lord Zoisite. I understand. And I--I thank you".
Her voice was still shaky, but at least, she was speaking to him.
BOOM.
A suddem gust of wind threw them some feet backwards.
"Hand over the princess, and I'll kill you quickly".
Ren's voice was deadly quiet.
Zoisite did not falter. He stood between the Princess and Ren, shielding her with
his body.
"Never!. First you'll have to kill me".
Ren only smiled and this time, Zoisite's stomach jumped in his abdomen.
"That's something that can be arranged".
He raised one hand, and pointed it to Zoisite. The General pushed Lady
Mercury aside, but instead, she caught his arm, and whispered, so low that only
Zoisite could hear.
"When I give you the word, move".
Surprised, he looked through the rim of his eye at the girl behind him, and saw
her moving her hands, and muttering some magical words. Hesitantly, but with no other
choice, he stared at Ren, who has laughing maniacally, and saw that his hand
was shining.
{Whatever you are doing Lady Mercury, do it quick. Ren will
fire any moment now}.
Dry sweat wetted his back, but he stayed in place.
{I will protect her. I will not fail her, now that I've gained her trust}.
Just after this thoughts crossed his mind, Ren yelled, and fired black
energy at him.
"Die, you pitifull Earthling!".
At the same time, Lady Mercury screamed.
"Move Lord Zoisite!".
He threw himself aside, and turned back to look at her. The energy beam was
moving at incredible speed, and was aimed directly to her heart. However,
the young princess just closed her eyes, stretched her arms in front of her,
and called the magical words:
"Mercury Reflex Mirror... APPEAR!".
She opened her eyes in a sudden, quick move, and light blue energy surrounded her.
Time slowed down, as an ice shield formed in her arm. She covered her chest with
it, and the black energy crashed the ice. It held together, and with a sizzle, reflected
the beam and fired it back to Ren. He couldn't do a thing
to protect himself, and the energy hit him square in the chest.
He was sent back flying, and landed unconcious on the floor.
When she was sure Ren wasn't moving, Mercury stopped concentrating, and the
ice shield dissapeared.
Zoisite stood up, and walked towards her.
"My God, Lady Mercury. That was amazing. Are there any other tricks I should know
about?".
Mercury shrugged.
"No. And you won't have another chance to see anything else, either".
Now that adrenaline was slowly beggining to dissappear, Mercury's former
fright was returning.
Not if he could help it.
He was going to stick with her, protecting her until she did not need him
anymore. Until she could face her demons on her own.
Then, he would go. But until then, he would be her strengh, her support---
his job now was, to return Princess Mercury's lost confidence in herself.
His lips tight in a firm line, he grabbed her hand, and sauntered off,
leaving an unconcious prince and a lot of mayhem behind them.
His voice echoed into the night.
"Come on, your Majesty. Ren will come to it soon. We must
move fast".
Mercury didn't reply.
She just went along.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, in the ball room, music had stopped. It was time for
dinner. Jupiter, Venus, Mars and the rest of the princesses were
sitting in the left side of the long table, facing the Earth court. Of
course, Princess Serenity and her mother were hosting the eating, royally
sitting on the front.
Next to princess Serenity, sat Venus. Jupiter followed,
then an empty seat, with gold letters placed in the chair's back. The inscription read
'Mercury'.
Mars came next, to then pass onto the Outer Princesses. As their leader,
Uranus was first, then Neptune, in the middle Saturn, and closing that side of the table was
the Guardian of time, Pluto.
On the Queen's side, was Prince Endimon, sitting next to Kunzite, followed
by Nephlite. Next to him, was an empty chair, and then Jaedite. The rest of
the guests were in order of royalty. Dukes and duchesses, counts and
countesses, and so on.
The first few moments of inane chatting passed, and the empty chairs
became obvious.
From the back, and all the way up to the front, a low humming sound began
spreading: gossiping.
The Queen and princess of the Moon were looking at each
other, and talking quietly. Queen Serenity stopped, and looked at Pluto. She was
in the dark, sitting silently. However, the frown in her eyebrows was
visible, and the governor of the Moon knew that when Princess Pluto was
worried, it was a matter of time continuance.
Knowing that if she didn't do something soon, the party would be wrecked,
the Queen softly asked:
"Lady Venus, where is Lady Mercury?".
The blonde and leader of the Senshi looked down, ashamed.
"I don't know, your Majesty. About an hour ago she was with me and Lady
Jupiter, but when---".
Venus was often depicted as an airhead. Yet there were times in which she displayed uncommon sparkles of brightness.
As she spoke, the dots began connecting in her head. The puzzle suddenly became crystal
clear in her head. And she paled.
"Oh my God, Queen Serenity, I think I know what happened last night at
Mercury's chambers".
Hearing this, the Queen raised her hand, signaling for silence. This
was no place to discuss such matters. There were eyes and ears everywhere--- many
of them, *not* friendly.
She rose from her seat, and motioned the servants to begin serving.
That way, not many noticed her departure, or that of the Senshi.
Those who did, though, had a concern of their own.
Zoisite was also missing.
When they where in a private room, away from peeping eyes and unwelcomed ears,
Queen Serenity told Venus to continue.
"Well, My Queen. Before the party was over, Lady Mercury was with us, until
the Prince of Saturn approached us. He asked for her, but when
we turned around she had fled. I remember seeing him getting angry, as if
she had escaped. I think he entered Lady Mercury's room yesterday night,
and tried to take advantage of her. Jupiter and I may have interrupted him,
when we knocked on the door".
Everyone gasped in shock.
"You mean--- *that*?. But why didn't she tell us?".
"It's highly likeable, that Ren threatened to kill her and everyone else if
she said anything".
Mars' frown did not dissappear. If possible, it turned deeper.
"There's something wrong here. Mercury knows we can protect ourselves. Ren is
no match for us. Why does she fear him so, then?".
Pluto walked in, her presence quieting the chittering.
"She's suffering from post-traumatic stress symdrom".
"What?".
She did not relent.
"Mercury was hurt much deeper that you even fathom. Her very innocence
was scarred. It will take a lot of willpower, and a great deal of inner strengh
to recover from it".
Uranus was the first to catch up with her.
"You mean--- she's so scared she can't even think straight when he's around?".
"No. I'm saying that when he's around, she can't think at *all*.
Her mind shuts down, and she flies some place else".
"Oh, God!. Imagine what he may have done to her if he has already
found her!".
A shudder ran down everyone's spines at the mention of Mercury's
possible fate.
Jupiter did not loose hope, though.
"No. Ami is not like that. She will work through it. She will fight"
Everyone transformed, leaving behind the Planet Princesses, and appearing
as the Pretty Soldier Sailor Suited Heroines. When they finished, Uranus
smashed her right fist in her left hand, and said: "At last, some action to
do". She was followed by Jupiter, who said: "Yeah, let's go and kick
Ren's butt". The rest of the Senshi looked at her in amazament, but Jupiter
just shrugged, and said: "I'm no longer a princess remember?. I'm a warrior now. I can say
what I want. Now, let's go". They all ran into the palace, dividing in
groups of three, and searching everywhere they thought Lady Mercury could
be in . . .
*****************
TBc......
