Crystal Tears Epilogue: Crystal Tears
By Aisuru
aisuru_chan@yahoo.com


Amethyst stepped out of the swirl of purple fog and ran to the crystalline shell entrapping Jadeite in an eternal isolated consciousness. He stood frozen, his hands held protectively in front of his face, his face a mask of horror. His eyes were open, staring fixedly in front of him, unseeing.

"Don't worry, Jadeite-sama," she cried, throwing herself against his crystal-encased legs, hiding her face against the cool surface. "I have gathered energy, and I will use it to free you. You won't be alone anymore!"

Then Amethyst stood, her hands trembling as she stepped back and grasped the purple stone that had been her unseen companion during her own isolated consciousness. She gripped the crystal in her right hand, the hand with the purple starburst design, and held it up to her forehead, feeling the swirling energy it contained. She then stretched her hands out towards Jadeite, palms towards him, the purple crystal floating in front of her. The energy radiated outward, focused by her purple stone, and bombarded the crystal shell. Under her relentless attack the crystal shuddered, and then microfractures appeared on its surface. "This has to work!" she cried in desperation, putting a bit of her own energy into the purple beam shooting from the crystal.

"It will never work," a voice said behind her. She had never heard Kunzite teleport into the chamber, yet here he was, walking towards her with sure, arrogant steps.

She refused to look at him, trying to keep all of her attention focused on the task of freeing the man that had been her only friend.

Kunzite's laugh was cruel. "It will never work," he repeated, "because Queen Beryl will not allow it. Even if you succeed in freeing him, where could he go that the Dark Kingdom couldn't find him?"

Amethyst hadn't thought beyond freeing Jadeite. Now she knew that Kunzite's words were true. Queen Beryl would make it her personal mission to track them down. Then Jadeite would once again be trapped in eternal isolation.

"Eternal isolation..." Amethyst murmured as a thought came to her. "No!" she cried. "He will not be eternally alone. I will be with him!" With these words she grabbed the levitating purple crystal and rushed towards Jadeite. She remembered all that he meant to her, and tears fell from eyes that had forgotten what it was to cry. The starbursts on her forehead and right hand glowed brilliantly as she channeled the last of her own life-force energy into the crystal encasing Jadeite. The purple glow became a brilliant light, encasing Amethyst and forcing Kunzite to shield his eyes with his arms.

When the light had dimmed, Kunzite lowered his hands from in front of his face. Jadeite was still encased within Queen Beryl's prison, his eyes still staring unseeing into emptiness, his face still reflecting the horror of his last moment in front of Queen Beryl's throne. The sting had been taken out of Queen Beryl's attack, however, because Jadeite was not, in fact, alone. The little child was clinging desperately to his form, a small smile on her face, encased in the crystal beside Jadeite. That smile told Kunzite everything - she had connected to Jadeite's consciousness. Neither of them would ever be alone again.


*****

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If you liked this story, email me and tell me to work on "A Love of... Science?" and "Source of Strength," two other first season Sailor Moon fics I have been working on. These both have romantic curiosity and discoveries between Usagi/Mamoru and/or their super-hero alternate identities, but one of them actually gives the senshi viewpoint of the battles against Amethyst's summoned creatures, but of course without ever seeing Amethyst. Interested? Let me know!