Hey people, I'm back! Yes, another chapter in 'Ladies-in-Waiting'. I know
y'all are just dying to know who'll hook up with whom next, so I won't keep
you in suspense.
Disclaimer: I own anything I made up, that includes the plotline. Thanks
Chapter Summary: Rei and Jadeite are a couple, so who's next? What happened with Nephrite's brilliant idea? And what about Mina and Kunzite? How did their little stroll end up? Poor Ami, left all out. Not exactly.
Chapter 5-Ah, Young Love
Mina and Kunzite were walking through a hedge maze that was Endymion's special pride. He was the only one who knew all the ways out, and he often said that if anyone else could find them all, he'd eat his pants. Mina had heard the rumor, and was determined to find all the ways out. She eagerly led Kunzite through twists and turns, until coming to the very center of the maze. Mina ran over to the exquisite rose garden Endymion had placed there in honor of his wife. There were roses of every color imaginable, as well as lilies, snapdragons, dahlias, among myriad other flowers. Mina sat down on a bench next to the roses and breathed in deep.
"Z, come sit here. It smells heavenly." Mina said, tilting her head up to the sun.
Kunzite did as asked, and breathed in. "It does smell nice."
"Nice? It smells better than nice! You have no sense of smell."
Kunzite chuckled. Mina opened one eye and looked at him quizzically.
"Did I say something funny?"
"No."
Mina opened both eyes and gave Kunzite a sunny grin. "Spontaneous laughter! All is not lost!" Kunzite leaned over and kissed Mina again. He wasn't sure how to work the whole kissing thing, so he settled for giving her a quick peck on the lips.
"Spontaneous kisses are even better." He said, smiling at Mina's astonished face.
"Lady Mina, I need to speak with you!" Nephrite called out. He had been searching for her forever.
Mina looked slightly relieved. "Yes, General Nephrite, is there something I can help you with?"
"I need to speak with you privately." He said, glancing at Kunzite.
Mina stood and dusted herself off. "If you'll excuse us, General?" She curtsied to Kunzite and followed Nephrite to a hidden alcove. "Can I help you, Nephrite?"
"I need to find a way to..." Nephrite trailed off as he thought about the proper term he was looking for.
"Make Lita fall for you?" Mina supplied.
"Yes, exactly."
"Well, I think a trade-off is in order. I help you win Lita, and you help me win Kunzite."
"Agreed. Any ideas?"
"Make her realize her feelings for you. Here's what we'll do..." Mina lowered her voice to a whisper, and laid out the master plan. Nephrite nodded; it would take some acting, but they would be able to pull it off.
Ami was in the library, reading a book on quantum physics, and really getting into her read, when a bouquet of lilies was thrust into her field of vision. She looked up, startled. "General Zoicite, what in the world?"
"They're for you. Mina said you liked lilies, so I got you some." Zoicite said, becoming very interested in the carpet. Ami blushed and buried her face in the sweet-smelling flowers.
"They're lovely. Thank you."
"It was nothing Lady Ami."
"Ami please."
"It was nothing, Ami." Zoicite fidgeted with his shirt button.
Ami cocked her head to the side and looked up at him. "Is there something else?"
"I was wondering if you would do me the privilege of being allowed to court you."
Ami blushed, and buried her face in the flowers again.
"I understand perfectly if you do not wish to be courted." Zoicite said in a rush.
"I would like it very much if we were to court." Ami said softly. Zoicite grew an ear-to-ear grin.
Lita was walking the halls, thinking, when she saw something that made her freeze in her tracks. Nephrite and Mina were having what looked like a very intimate conversation. Nephrite brushed a lock of gold from Mina's face, and she pulled away and shook her head. Lita tiptoed a bit closer, just enough to hear the conversation.
"Why not, Lady Mina?"
"I thought you were still interested in my sister, Lady Lita."
"She has made it perfectly clear that she has no interest in me, and honestly, you have captured my attentions."
"I do not want your attentions, General Nephrite."
"Most women would kill to be in your position."
"I'm not one of them. Good day, General." Mina swept away, headed for Lita's corner. Lita turned and ran for her room, where she flopped down on her bed and cried.
Mina heard the footsteps swiftly retreating, and she turned and winked at Nephrite before hurrying to her and her sisters' room. She opened the door and walked in. Lita was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest and her face buried into a pillow. "Lita? What's wrong?"
"I heard your and General Nephrite's conversation."
"Oh." Mina sat down next to her sister and smoothed her hair down. "I thought you didn't like Nephrite."
"I do!"
"Why don't you tell him? The only reason he even looked my way is because he thought that you hated his guts."
Lita sniffed. "Really?"
"Really. Go find him and talk to him."
Lita looked up and wiped her face. "You think I should?"
"No, I KNOW you should. Go wash your face and I'll pick out something for you to wear. I want you to knock Nephrite's eyeballs out."
Lita giggled and ran to the bathroom. Mina ran to her closet and plucked out a green-black dress she had been saving for this moment. It had a low v-neck that should reveal enough of Lita's attributes, and the skirt was slim, with a slight flare to the bottom. The sleeves were short, and both the sleeves and neckline were adorned with pale pink ribbon. Lita came out of the bathroom, face shining pink from her enthusiastic scrubbing. Mina thrust the dress at her, and Lita put it on. Mina had chosen well; the dress looked very nice on her sister. Mina brushed out Lita's slightly wavy auburn hair, and tied a ribbon around her head as a headband.
"You look gorgeous, Lita, now go talk to him! He's probably in the astronomy tower."
Lita kissed Mina once on each cheek before she walked out of the room. Mina smiled softly at her sister's retreating back.
Lita made her way up the spiral stairs to the astronomy tower, her nervousness growing with each step she took. She finally reached the door that was adorned with a sign that read, 'Astronomy Tower', in Hotaru's neat calligraphy. She straightened her dress and hair, and tapped softly on the door.
"Come in."
Lita took a deep breath and entered. Nephrite was looking up at the dusky sky with his telescope. "General Nephrite, may I speak with you?"
Nephrite jerked away from his telescope in surprise. "Lady Lita, may I help you?" He cleared away papers and scrolls from a stool and motioned for her to have a seat. Lita sat, and folded her hands in her lap.
"I need to ask you something, General Nephrite."
Nephrite's heartbeat quickened. He forced his face to an expression of puzzled curiosity.
"Do you think that two people who hadn't gotten along well in the past could fall in love?"
"Depends on the people, I think, milady."
Lita became very interested in her hands. "You and I for example."
"Since one of us is already in love with the other person, I believe it very likely."
Lita's head shot up. "How did you know?"
"That I was in love with you?" Nephrite's voice was low and gentle.
Lita's face flushed. "Oh, that's what you meant."
"Is there something else you wished to ask me?"
"Are you really in love with me?" Lita's voice was a whisper.
"Yes."
Lita became interested in her hands once more. "I-i-I think I love you too." Strong fingers gripped her chin, pulling her face up gently. Chocolate brown eyes met her emerald green ones for a long moment.
"Then I was mistaken that you hated me?"
"I think I might have always felt something for you." Lita said shyly. Nephrite broke into a face-splitting grin. Lita couldn't help but giggle.
"You're beautiful; you know that?"
Lita leaned forward and kissed him gently. The kiss quickly became more passionate as Nephrite pulled Lita into his lap. His tongue teased her top lip softly, and Lita was only too happy to deepen the kiss. She ran her hands through Nephrite's long auburn hair, and he responded by rubbing his hands lightly up and down her waist. Electric shocks ran down Lita's spine one after the other, causing her to tighten her grip that had slid to Nephrite's neck. When at last the kiss was over, both people were out of breath.
"Lady..."
"Lita." She interrupted.
"Lita, does this mean that I'm courting you?"
Lita rolled her eyes and pulled him into a kiss.
In the woods, in a clearing under a willow tree, two people were jolted awake by a loud peal of thunder. Rei's face went white. Jadeite tugged her hand and pulled her away from the tree. "Rei, under a tree in a clearing is the worst place to be during a storm. Come on!"
Jadeite led Rei to the horses, both of whom were spooked a bit. They loaded up everything and galloped away. The horses needed no urging; they ran like the hounds of hell were after them. They reached the stables in record time. After brushing down the horses, Rei and Jadeite collapsed on a clean pile of hay. Rei curled up to Jadeite, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I hate storms."
"Why?"
"It was storming when my father left, and when Ami's parents died. I liked Ami's parents. They were so good to us." Rei shivered, and Jadeite pulled her closer. She smiled slightly, and closed her eyes. Soon, the couple was asleep again.
In the library, Zoicite was reading a fairytale to Ami, who was sitting in his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder as she listened to Zoicite read the story. His voice was very soothing, and she was quite enjoying herself.
"And they lived happily ever after. The end." Zoicite read in his quiet baritone.
Ami sighed happily. "I haven't listened to someone read a fairytale in years."
"It's nice to let someone read to you sometimes." Zoicite said, resting his cheek on top of Ami's head. His reply was the soft sound of Ami's rhythmic breathing. Zoicite chuckled, and leaned back. His breathing soon matched Ami's.
Mina was in the hall, watching the rain fall idly. All of the large windows were equipped with window seats, so Mina was sitting in one of them with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her thoughts wandered to Kunzite, and what Nephrite had told her to do. It wasn't much help, but it was the best he could give. {Just be myself huh? That's what I've been doing. At least it's working.} She twirled a lock of golden hair around her finger. {Maybe he's just shy. Yeah, that's it! He's gotta be shy.}
"Mina?" A soft bass asked.
Mina jerked her head up. "Kunzite?"
"Is this seat taken?"
"Of course not. Please, sit down." Kunzite sat, just as lightning flashed right outside the window, illuminating Kunzite's person. Mina stared. Though the flash was brief, it made his silver hair shine, and his eyes reflected the lightning beautifully. Automatically, her hand reached out and began tracing the contour of Kunzite's angular face. She ran her hand lightly down his forehead, traced his eyes, ran her fingers over his cheek, and brushed by his chin before coming to rest on his lips. Lightly, she traced his well-shaped lips, and he responded by kissing her finger softly. A golden glow started at Mina's finger and spread to encompass her whole body. Mina closed her eyes and was lifted into the air, while Kunzite watched.
Nephrite was showing Lita the finer points of stargazing when she began to glow. A deep green light covered her entire body and lifted her up into the air. A particularly loud peal of thunder sounded.
Zoicite was jolted from his sleep by an intense cold, deeper than anything he had ever felt before. He opened his eyes, to see the still-sleeping Ami glowing icy blue, and hovering in the air a few feet above his head.
An uncomfortable heat was what roused Jadeite. Rei was glowing red, and floating in the air, while the horses whined and nickered in discomfort. She appeared to be sleeping, and Jadeite didn't know what to do.
Trista gasped and ran out of her room and down the hall. She met up with Hotaru, who looked wild-eyed and shocked. They clasped hands and ran for the throne room. Trista ran into the deserted throne room and reached behind her throne, pulling forth two dusty volumes. She and Hotaru sat down and flipped through the books. Trista stopped at a certain page and began to read, her voice echoing and swirling through the palace.
{Four children, abandoned.}
Simultaneously, the four cousin's eyes snapped open. Mina's eyes were bright gold, iris, pupils and whites, and swirls of orange ran through them. Lita's eyes were completely green, with sporadic lightning flecks running through them. Ami's eyes were entirely deep blue, with jagged icy blue lines running through them. Rei's eyes were wholly red, streaked with yellow.
{A shunned girl, a lonely princess.}
Hotaru's eyes turned black flecked with lavender. She began to glow black. Trista's eyes became garnet red, flecked with deep black-green. She started to glow garnet red.
{These six, more power than the world could ever guess.}
The lights began to glow in intensity.
{Child of Metal.}
Mina's ordinary dress became an entirely different outfit, a short gold skirt and a white shirt. She wore gold sandals that wound up her calves, and a metal chain of hearts was around her waist.
{Child of Lightning.}
Lita's clothes shimmered and changed. They became a pair of dark green leggings, with a long pale green tunic. On her feet were brown boots, and a silver gauntlet was on her wrist. A quiver of lightning bolts appeared on her back, while a bow that appeared to be made of the very stars appeared in her hand.
{Child of Ice.}
Ami's plain dark blue dress transformed into a pair of loose- fitting dark blue pants, and an icy blue sleeveless shirt, with a clean ice-white long sleeved shirt underneath. Her shoes were sensible ankle boots, and a pair of crystal daggers was in the belt of her pants.
{Child of Fire.}
Rei's clothes became a knee-length dress, bright red, with short sleeves, and a pair of black leggings underneath. She wore no shoes, and carried a saber sheathed across her back.
{Child of Time.}
Trista's dress became a kimono-like outfit. It had short sleeves and a Mandarin collar, and was dark red in color. She wore a pair of stiletto-heeled black sandals, and an ebony staff topped with a fist sized garnet was in her hand.
{Child of Death.}
Hotaru's nightgown became a form-fitting pair of pants, and a loosely fitting sleeveless shirt, both light absorbing black. A pair of black stiletto-heeled boots was on her feet. A long staff with a g-shaped blade on the end floated next to her. The book was still in her hands, and she began to read.
{Metal-daughter, the man of metal and moonlight will be yours.}
The moon rose into view behind Kunzite, illuminating him in a silver glow. Although the moon was behind him, his eyes flashed silver.
{Child of Lightning, the stargazer belongs to you.}
Nephrite's eyes flashed with blue-white lightning, while the stars reflected in his eyes.
{Lover of Ice, you share a bond with the nature-lover and water controller.}
Zoicite's eyes turned blue, and the petals of a thousand flowers swirled around him, filling the library with their sweet scent.
{Fire-maiden, your counterpart shares your fire, both inside and out.}
Jadeite's blue eyes turned red-orange, and sparks flew from his hands.
{Time protector, you are protected with the love of the darkness and void.}
In his room, Demando's eyes opened, completely dead black, neither reflecting nor showing light.
{Child of Death, you are under the care of the energy controller.}
From his balcony, Rubeus' eyes turned white as the marble he stood upon.
{Daughters of the Elements, let them be separate from you for a while.} Trista read.
{The ambassador of pure evil kidnaps them, and only through the Element Crystals may they be free.} Hotaru intoned.
{Join the crystals with pure light, to destroy the evil and set your soul mates free.} Trista said, her voice rising and falling.
{Metal.}
{Lightning.}
{Ice.}
{Fire.}
{Time.}
{Death.}
Now the women spoke as one. {You know your destiny, now fulfill it!} There was an earth-shaking boom, and the six elementals floated to the ground and came awake.
Now that the light had gone, subtle changes in the six girls' looks could be noticed. Mina's hair was streaked with gold, yellow, and orange; Lita's hair had grown down to her waist, and had thick bands of silver running through it; Ami's hair was icy blue, with white streaks in it; Rei's hair was streaked with all shades of red and black; Trista's hair was the same length, but streaked with red; and Hotaru had back length hair, completely black. The six girls fainted as one.
Rei's father cringed. His mistress would surely hurt him now. The powers had been awakened, and soon the time would come for the apocalypse. The elemental women needed to be destroyed, and their soul mates taken, and soon. He brightened slightly. At least three of the six crystals were with his mistress; therefore, all was not lost. His slight smile turned into an all-out laugh. He would finally rid himself of his daughter, and be free from his wife's never-ceasing voice.
*************************************************
Well, that's that! What did you think? By now y'all should know the drill, read review, no flames, peace out! (Thanks J.G!) As for the next chapter, think traveling. Lots of traveling.
Isis A. Tomoe
Disclaimer: I own anything I made up, that includes the plotline. Thanks
Chapter Summary: Rei and Jadeite are a couple, so who's next? What happened with Nephrite's brilliant idea? And what about Mina and Kunzite? How did their little stroll end up? Poor Ami, left all out. Not exactly.
Chapter 5-Ah, Young Love
Mina and Kunzite were walking through a hedge maze that was Endymion's special pride. He was the only one who knew all the ways out, and he often said that if anyone else could find them all, he'd eat his pants. Mina had heard the rumor, and was determined to find all the ways out. She eagerly led Kunzite through twists and turns, until coming to the very center of the maze. Mina ran over to the exquisite rose garden Endymion had placed there in honor of his wife. There were roses of every color imaginable, as well as lilies, snapdragons, dahlias, among myriad other flowers. Mina sat down on a bench next to the roses and breathed in deep.
"Z, come sit here. It smells heavenly." Mina said, tilting her head up to the sun.
Kunzite did as asked, and breathed in. "It does smell nice."
"Nice? It smells better than nice! You have no sense of smell."
Kunzite chuckled. Mina opened one eye and looked at him quizzically.
"Did I say something funny?"
"No."
Mina opened both eyes and gave Kunzite a sunny grin. "Spontaneous laughter! All is not lost!" Kunzite leaned over and kissed Mina again. He wasn't sure how to work the whole kissing thing, so he settled for giving her a quick peck on the lips.
"Spontaneous kisses are even better." He said, smiling at Mina's astonished face.
"Lady Mina, I need to speak with you!" Nephrite called out. He had been searching for her forever.
Mina looked slightly relieved. "Yes, General Nephrite, is there something I can help you with?"
"I need to speak with you privately." He said, glancing at Kunzite.
Mina stood and dusted herself off. "If you'll excuse us, General?" She curtsied to Kunzite and followed Nephrite to a hidden alcove. "Can I help you, Nephrite?"
"I need to find a way to..." Nephrite trailed off as he thought about the proper term he was looking for.
"Make Lita fall for you?" Mina supplied.
"Yes, exactly."
"Well, I think a trade-off is in order. I help you win Lita, and you help me win Kunzite."
"Agreed. Any ideas?"
"Make her realize her feelings for you. Here's what we'll do..." Mina lowered her voice to a whisper, and laid out the master plan. Nephrite nodded; it would take some acting, but they would be able to pull it off.
Ami was in the library, reading a book on quantum physics, and really getting into her read, when a bouquet of lilies was thrust into her field of vision. She looked up, startled. "General Zoicite, what in the world?"
"They're for you. Mina said you liked lilies, so I got you some." Zoicite said, becoming very interested in the carpet. Ami blushed and buried her face in the sweet-smelling flowers.
"They're lovely. Thank you."
"It was nothing Lady Ami."
"Ami please."
"It was nothing, Ami." Zoicite fidgeted with his shirt button.
Ami cocked her head to the side and looked up at him. "Is there something else?"
"I was wondering if you would do me the privilege of being allowed to court you."
Ami blushed, and buried her face in the flowers again.
"I understand perfectly if you do not wish to be courted." Zoicite said in a rush.
"I would like it very much if we were to court." Ami said softly. Zoicite grew an ear-to-ear grin.
Lita was walking the halls, thinking, when she saw something that made her freeze in her tracks. Nephrite and Mina were having what looked like a very intimate conversation. Nephrite brushed a lock of gold from Mina's face, and she pulled away and shook her head. Lita tiptoed a bit closer, just enough to hear the conversation.
"Why not, Lady Mina?"
"I thought you were still interested in my sister, Lady Lita."
"She has made it perfectly clear that she has no interest in me, and honestly, you have captured my attentions."
"I do not want your attentions, General Nephrite."
"Most women would kill to be in your position."
"I'm not one of them. Good day, General." Mina swept away, headed for Lita's corner. Lita turned and ran for her room, where she flopped down on her bed and cried.
Mina heard the footsteps swiftly retreating, and she turned and winked at Nephrite before hurrying to her and her sisters' room. She opened the door and walked in. Lita was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest and her face buried into a pillow. "Lita? What's wrong?"
"I heard your and General Nephrite's conversation."
"Oh." Mina sat down next to her sister and smoothed her hair down. "I thought you didn't like Nephrite."
"I do!"
"Why don't you tell him? The only reason he even looked my way is because he thought that you hated his guts."
Lita sniffed. "Really?"
"Really. Go find him and talk to him."
Lita looked up and wiped her face. "You think I should?"
"No, I KNOW you should. Go wash your face and I'll pick out something for you to wear. I want you to knock Nephrite's eyeballs out."
Lita giggled and ran to the bathroom. Mina ran to her closet and plucked out a green-black dress she had been saving for this moment. It had a low v-neck that should reveal enough of Lita's attributes, and the skirt was slim, with a slight flare to the bottom. The sleeves were short, and both the sleeves and neckline were adorned with pale pink ribbon. Lita came out of the bathroom, face shining pink from her enthusiastic scrubbing. Mina thrust the dress at her, and Lita put it on. Mina had chosen well; the dress looked very nice on her sister. Mina brushed out Lita's slightly wavy auburn hair, and tied a ribbon around her head as a headband.
"You look gorgeous, Lita, now go talk to him! He's probably in the astronomy tower."
Lita kissed Mina once on each cheek before she walked out of the room. Mina smiled softly at her sister's retreating back.
Lita made her way up the spiral stairs to the astronomy tower, her nervousness growing with each step she took. She finally reached the door that was adorned with a sign that read, 'Astronomy Tower', in Hotaru's neat calligraphy. She straightened her dress and hair, and tapped softly on the door.
"Come in."
Lita took a deep breath and entered. Nephrite was looking up at the dusky sky with his telescope. "General Nephrite, may I speak with you?"
Nephrite jerked away from his telescope in surprise. "Lady Lita, may I help you?" He cleared away papers and scrolls from a stool and motioned for her to have a seat. Lita sat, and folded her hands in her lap.
"I need to ask you something, General Nephrite."
Nephrite's heartbeat quickened. He forced his face to an expression of puzzled curiosity.
"Do you think that two people who hadn't gotten along well in the past could fall in love?"
"Depends on the people, I think, milady."
Lita became very interested in her hands. "You and I for example."
"Since one of us is already in love with the other person, I believe it very likely."
Lita's head shot up. "How did you know?"
"That I was in love with you?" Nephrite's voice was low and gentle.
Lita's face flushed. "Oh, that's what you meant."
"Is there something else you wished to ask me?"
"Are you really in love with me?" Lita's voice was a whisper.
"Yes."
Lita became interested in her hands once more. "I-i-I think I love you too." Strong fingers gripped her chin, pulling her face up gently. Chocolate brown eyes met her emerald green ones for a long moment.
"Then I was mistaken that you hated me?"
"I think I might have always felt something for you." Lita said shyly. Nephrite broke into a face-splitting grin. Lita couldn't help but giggle.
"You're beautiful; you know that?"
Lita leaned forward and kissed him gently. The kiss quickly became more passionate as Nephrite pulled Lita into his lap. His tongue teased her top lip softly, and Lita was only too happy to deepen the kiss. She ran her hands through Nephrite's long auburn hair, and he responded by rubbing his hands lightly up and down her waist. Electric shocks ran down Lita's spine one after the other, causing her to tighten her grip that had slid to Nephrite's neck. When at last the kiss was over, both people were out of breath.
"Lady..."
"Lita." She interrupted.
"Lita, does this mean that I'm courting you?"
Lita rolled her eyes and pulled him into a kiss.
In the woods, in a clearing under a willow tree, two people were jolted awake by a loud peal of thunder. Rei's face went white. Jadeite tugged her hand and pulled her away from the tree. "Rei, under a tree in a clearing is the worst place to be during a storm. Come on!"
Jadeite led Rei to the horses, both of whom were spooked a bit. They loaded up everything and galloped away. The horses needed no urging; they ran like the hounds of hell were after them. They reached the stables in record time. After brushing down the horses, Rei and Jadeite collapsed on a clean pile of hay. Rei curled up to Jadeite, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I hate storms."
"Why?"
"It was storming when my father left, and when Ami's parents died. I liked Ami's parents. They were so good to us." Rei shivered, and Jadeite pulled her closer. She smiled slightly, and closed her eyes. Soon, the couple was asleep again.
In the library, Zoicite was reading a fairytale to Ami, who was sitting in his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder as she listened to Zoicite read the story. His voice was very soothing, and she was quite enjoying herself.
"And they lived happily ever after. The end." Zoicite read in his quiet baritone.
Ami sighed happily. "I haven't listened to someone read a fairytale in years."
"It's nice to let someone read to you sometimes." Zoicite said, resting his cheek on top of Ami's head. His reply was the soft sound of Ami's rhythmic breathing. Zoicite chuckled, and leaned back. His breathing soon matched Ami's.
Mina was in the hall, watching the rain fall idly. All of the large windows were equipped with window seats, so Mina was sitting in one of them with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her thoughts wandered to Kunzite, and what Nephrite had told her to do. It wasn't much help, but it was the best he could give. {Just be myself huh? That's what I've been doing. At least it's working.} She twirled a lock of golden hair around her finger. {Maybe he's just shy. Yeah, that's it! He's gotta be shy.}
"Mina?" A soft bass asked.
Mina jerked her head up. "Kunzite?"
"Is this seat taken?"
"Of course not. Please, sit down." Kunzite sat, just as lightning flashed right outside the window, illuminating Kunzite's person. Mina stared. Though the flash was brief, it made his silver hair shine, and his eyes reflected the lightning beautifully. Automatically, her hand reached out and began tracing the contour of Kunzite's angular face. She ran her hand lightly down his forehead, traced his eyes, ran her fingers over his cheek, and brushed by his chin before coming to rest on his lips. Lightly, she traced his well-shaped lips, and he responded by kissing her finger softly. A golden glow started at Mina's finger and spread to encompass her whole body. Mina closed her eyes and was lifted into the air, while Kunzite watched.
Nephrite was showing Lita the finer points of stargazing when she began to glow. A deep green light covered her entire body and lifted her up into the air. A particularly loud peal of thunder sounded.
Zoicite was jolted from his sleep by an intense cold, deeper than anything he had ever felt before. He opened his eyes, to see the still-sleeping Ami glowing icy blue, and hovering in the air a few feet above his head.
An uncomfortable heat was what roused Jadeite. Rei was glowing red, and floating in the air, while the horses whined and nickered in discomfort. She appeared to be sleeping, and Jadeite didn't know what to do.
Trista gasped and ran out of her room and down the hall. She met up with Hotaru, who looked wild-eyed and shocked. They clasped hands and ran for the throne room. Trista ran into the deserted throne room and reached behind her throne, pulling forth two dusty volumes. She and Hotaru sat down and flipped through the books. Trista stopped at a certain page and began to read, her voice echoing and swirling through the palace.
{Four children, abandoned.}
Simultaneously, the four cousin's eyes snapped open. Mina's eyes were bright gold, iris, pupils and whites, and swirls of orange ran through them. Lita's eyes were completely green, with sporadic lightning flecks running through them. Ami's eyes were entirely deep blue, with jagged icy blue lines running through them. Rei's eyes were wholly red, streaked with yellow.
{A shunned girl, a lonely princess.}
Hotaru's eyes turned black flecked with lavender. She began to glow black. Trista's eyes became garnet red, flecked with deep black-green. She started to glow garnet red.
{These six, more power than the world could ever guess.}
The lights began to glow in intensity.
{Child of Metal.}
Mina's ordinary dress became an entirely different outfit, a short gold skirt and a white shirt. She wore gold sandals that wound up her calves, and a metal chain of hearts was around her waist.
{Child of Lightning.}
Lita's clothes shimmered and changed. They became a pair of dark green leggings, with a long pale green tunic. On her feet were brown boots, and a silver gauntlet was on her wrist. A quiver of lightning bolts appeared on her back, while a bow that appeared to be made of the very stars appeared in her hand.
{Child of Ice.}
Ami's plain dark blue dress transformed into a pair of loose- fitting dark blue pants, and an icy blue sleeveless shirt, with a clean ice-white long sleeved shirt underneath. Her shoes were sensible ankle boots, and a pair of crystal daggers was in the belt of her pants.
{Child of Fire.}
Rei's clothes became a knee-length dress, bright red, with short sleeves, and a pair of black leggings underneath. She wore no shoes, and carried a saber sheathed across her back.
{Child of Time.}
Trista's dress became a kimono-like outfit. It had short sleeves and a Mandarin collar, and was dark red in color. She wore a pair of stiletto-heeled black sandals, and an ebony staff topped with a fist sized garnet was in her hand.
{Child of Death.}
Hotaru's nightgown became a form-fitting pair of pants, and a loosely fitting sleeveless shirt, both light absorbing black. A pair of black stiletto-heeled boots was on her feet. A long staff with a g-shaped blade on the end floated next to her. The book was still in her hands, and she began to read.
{Metal-daughter, the man of metal and moonlight will be yours.}
The moon rose into view behind Kunzite, illuminating him in a silver glow. Although the moon was behind him, his eyes flashed silver.
{Child of Lightning, the stargazer belongs to you.}
Nephrite's eyes flashed with blue-white lightning, while the stars reflected in his eyes.
{Lover of Ice, you share a bond with the nature-lover and water controller.}
Zoicite's eyes turned blue, and the petals of a thousand flowers swirled around him, filling the library with their sweet scent.
{Fire-maiden, your counterpart shares your fire, both inside and out.}
Jadeite's blue eyes turned red-orange, and sparks flew from his hands.
{Time protector, you are protected with the love of the darkness and void.}
In his room, Demando's eyes opened, completely dead black, neither reflecting nor showing light.
{Child of Death, you are under the care of the energy controller.}
From his balcony, Rubeus' eyes turned white as the marble he stood upon.
{Daughters of the Elements, let them be separate from you for a while.} Trista read.
{The ambassador of pure evil kidnaps them, and only through the Element Crystals may they be free.} Hotaru intoned.
{Join the crystals with pure light, to destroy the evil and set your soul mates free.} Trista said, her voice rising and falling.
{Metal.}
{Lightning.}
{Ice.}
{Fire.}
{Time.}
{Death.}
Now the women spoke as one. {You know your destiny, now fulfill it!} There was an earth-shaking boom, and the six elementals floated to the ground and came awake.
Now that the light had gone, subtle changes in the six girls' looks could be noticed. Mina's hair was streaked with gold, yellow, and orange; Lita's hair had grown down to her waist, and had thick bands of silver running through it; Ami's hair was icy blue, with white streaks in it; Rei's hair was streaked with all shades of red and black; Trista's hair was the same length, but streaked with red; and Hotaru had back length hair, completely black. The six girls fainted as one.
Rei's father cringed. His mistress would surely hurt him now. The powers had been awakened, and soon the time would come for the apocalypse. The elemental women needed to be destroyed, and their soul mates taken, and soon. He brightened slightly. At least three of the six crystals were with his mistress; therefore, all was not lost. His slight smile turned into an all-out laugh. He would finally rid himself of his daughter, and be free from his wife's never-ceasing voice.
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Well, that's that! What did you think? By now y'all should know the drill, read review, no flames, peace out! (Thanks J.G!) As for the next chapter, think traveling. Lots of traveling.
Isis A. Tomoe