Once again, I am terribly sorry that this chapter took so long to get out.
I went on a cruise to Alaska, then I went on another short vacation with my
family. However. . .I would just like to say that this chapter took a lot
of thought and I wasn't even sure if I should have done what I did, but I
did. You'll all just have to read it to understand what I'm talking about.
I hope you enjoy this chapter. . .in answer to someone's question, Rei is
19 and Jadeite is 25. The age difference plays an important role. .
.Jadeite is supposed to be extremely jaded, thus his advanced age. Please
read and review. . .try not to give me any flames, please. Thanks again!
As soon as this story is finished, Reaching Out will be revised and posted
again. ~Lady Hino
* * *
He was staring at her when she opened her eyes. He was staring hard into her eyes, his face only inches away from her own. She made to raise her hand to slap his sunken and hard image away, but found she could not move. Her arms had been shackled to something above her head and no matter how hard she tugged and pulled, she could not move. She watched a smile spread over his thin lips and found her stomach curling; how she hated him. "What do you want?" she asked softly.
Sora merely smoothed a hand over her hair, but growled when she jerked away from him. "You do not appreciate my generosity, do you? I keep you alive and well and all you can do is refuse my touch?" he sneered.
Though she was lying flat on her back, a cold wooden table pressed against her, she managed to give him a glare that could freeze his blood. "There is no generosity in you, you disgusting, vain, selfish cad!" She received a slap across the face for her insults.
"You will be thankful that I saved you from that murdering, black hearted miscreant! You would have perished at his hands if I had not come to your rescue!" Sora screamed at her. She felt the heat of his breath fall over her and wanted desperately to turn away from the stinging words, but dared not. She would stare him down until she died.
With an eyebrow raised she responded calmly, "I don't know what you are talking about, Sora."
Sora ground his teeth together and pressed his face even closer to hers so that she could see the black fire sweeping around in the brown mud of his eyes. "You are a fool if you do not know," he whispered.
Rei resisted the urge to spit into his face and let out an unladylike snort instead. "I am not the fool." She watched that black fire burn holes into the brown and wrap around the white until there was nothing but darkness where there should have been windows. She wanted to free her hands and slam them into the side of his head, then push him to the ground where she would nimbly jump over him, grab the children up and scramble away.
Instead, she lay as still as stone as he shifted his body and straddled her hips. She could feel his weight pressing hard into her and the breath left her. "Get off of my, you insolent, daft imbecile!"
Sora smiled wickedly at her and stroked the side of her face with a boney finger. He watched the gooseflesh rise on her arms and reveled in the ability to make her skin crawl. He wanted her screaming and shouting when he came into her. He wanted her to claw his back and he wanted to watch tears stream down her pale cheeks, watch those violet orbs fill to the brim with pain and fear. He hated her for running from him, knew it to be the truth after he had seen Jadeite walking back to the castle after his encounter with that hot-blooded bitch Lily.
"I want you, princess. You are mine," he sneered.
Rei wished she had something to shove into his stomach. She wished she had her brother's knife with her so she could thrust it into his heart and watch him crumple onto the floor, pain wracking his body with shivers. "I am not yours, you cad!" she cried into his face.
He felt the waves of anger wash over him stronger, but dared not let them affect him. "Let us see how several hours on a cold wooden slab will make you feel," he said as he swept away from her. He felt as though she were somehow slipping into his mind and contorting his feelings for her. He felt such strong rage that he could think of little else. Yet he knew that when she had several hours to contemplate her decision to loathe him, she would be begging for his mercy and he would not give it freely. He would love to see her struggle on her knees to please him; he wanted to see the tears shimmering in her eyes as she pleaded for his touch. Yes, she would become the willing servant to her master.
Rei watched him leave and felt a sudden surge of hope. She would wriggle out of these bonds and snatch the children away within seconds. Sora was a fool to leave her alone. Did he realize who she was?
With a smile, she wove her fingers as best she could and drew several small symbols that only the senshi would know and pressed the blazing signs against the steel she felt about her wrists. The light that bounced off was enough to light up the entire room and she was aware of the two small bundles in a far corner. It was an entirely different room than the one she had found the children in. It was larger and smelled even worse than the other. She could see a square window far up a call and mentally cursed Sora for making her escape that much more difficult.
As the light faded, she gave her bound wrists a twist and was surprised when they remained firm in their place. She could feel a small wave of panic tear across her mind, but pushed it aside and closed her eyes. It wouldn't take much to melt the steel. She would just concentrate much harder than normal to ensure that the heat from her fire roared over the cool gray.
She furrowed her winged eyebrows faintly as she called forth the spell to release the pent up fire inside her soul. "Fire of my heart, fire of my soul, roar with your power, free all desire, flow over me and through me, move from land and move from sea to take these bonds and help me flee. . ." she chanted again and again. She felt the fire growing to a heat she wasn't aware she possessed and focused all her energy on pouring that liquid heat over the bonds. The perspiration broke out on her brow and she felt droplets trickle down between her breasts. She gripped the chains above her head and reached deep into herself to build and build until she thought her heart would burst. The steel around her wrists burned and ached so much that she wished Ami were sitting beside her to cool the fire. She wanted to scream with the pain of kindling fire from nothing and wanted desperately to curl up and sleep the night away.
To say she was surprised to feel the steel as hard and firm as ever after she had released the full brunt of her spell was an understatement. She let out a frustrated scream and heaved several deep breaths to try and calm herself. She has used too much energy with that spell and now felt the overwhelming fear engulf her. She was trapped as a bear was trapped by a hunter, only she was the phoenix trapped between the claws of some evil dragon. She could feel the panic stretch over her and fall atop her, almost suffocating her with its weight. There must be something she could do!
Rei glanced briefly in the direction she had sent he children huddled in and nodded her head. She would do whatever it took to get them out of this mess and into the arms of their adoring father. She would push the panic away and free herself and them.
With a resigned sigh, she closed her eyes yet again and reached out into depths unknown.
* * *
Jadeite paused briefly as he raced through the hot forest on his horse. He felt a prickling in the back of his mind and knew instinctively that it was Rei trying to tap into the magic pools of his homeland. He would help her; he would die if only to help her. He would do anything it took to get her back to him safely. He wanted to fall asleep this night with his wife beside him and his children behind him. He wanted his family back.
He glanced to his left and saw Endymion flying on his horse and turned to the right to see Nephrite gliding at the same pace. He knew they would follow him till the end of the earth and knew they watched the road as sharply as he did. He saw Endymion tilt his head in his direction and gave him a silent nod.
Jadeite turned to look at the ears of his stallion and closed his eyes. He urged the horse on as he escaped into his mind to investigate the sharp tickle.
It was easy to tell where her energy lay. It was a bright red, glimmering in the dark and he saw the flickering of it, as if it were a flame being bombarded by harsh winds. She was dwindling fast and it made his heart skip several beats with the thought of her losing. With a great heave of energy, he pounded after her and wrapped the red glow within his own cerulean brightness. He reached out and grasped hold of all the pools surrounding his home and even managed to reach the ones that had been sealed off by his great grandfather. He extracted as much as his mind would hold and poured it into the now faint red fire in his arms. "Rei. . ." he whispered hoarsely.
She tilted her head up at the sound of his voice and he was relieved to see the faint flash of violet within the whirling red flames. They were glazed over and sad, but he knew she recognized him. "Take it, Rei," he whispered gently, "Take it all. . .take all of me. . .if it will ensure your safety, you may use all the energy you need."
No sound fell from her lovely lips as she tried to speak, but he understood her all the same. With a slight smile he pressed a hand against her heart and poured his azure power into her. He saw her eyes widen, saw the faint smile that spread across her lips and felt the quickening of her heart beneath his palm. "I'm coming for you, Rei. . ."
With a smile, she slipped away and he watched the red light fall away from him until he stared at nothing. When he opened his eyes, he caught himself from falling over his horse's sweaty neck. He felt a tightness surrounding his wrists and when he looked down, they were raw. "The bastard," he ground out through clenched teeth.
Endymion turned slightly to look at his friend and was surprised to find that the hardness in his eyes had gotten harder. "Jadeite?"
"The bastard chained her! He put her wrists in steel bands and strapped her to a table!"
Endymion felt his own blood begin to boil. How dare the insolent knave tie up his sweet Rei-chan? She was the sister he never had and to tie up his sister was a mistake that would not be forgiven in his eyes. "How far are we?" he asked in a voice that matched Jadeite's.
Jadeite lost some of his hard look at those words. "I'm uncertain how far it is."
"How can you be uncertain?" Nephrite yelled at him. The thundering of the horses' hooves was deafening.
Jadeite shook his head slightly, "I cannot sense her as well as before. . ."
Endymion fairly growled, "Jadeite, you'd best tap into her energy again else I'll see to it that you're head is served on a silver platter at my wedding!"
Jadeite closed his eyes for a brief instant. When he had helped Rei gain enough energy to break free of her bonds, he had mistakenly pulled more than he intended. He wanted to help her as best he could, but now his senses were muddled and his mind was hazy. He felt as tired as an old man and wished desperately to lay down and fall asleep. The thought of sleeping without Rei brought him back to the present and he desperately searched low and high for her soul.
It was moments before he could feel her heart pounding with his own. They were close. He pointed to the north and caught himself again before he slipped off of his horse. He had used too much energy. . .
* * *
A gasp caught in her throat as she was pulled from her mind. She heard the steel bonds clatter to the floor and a relief unlike any she had known flooded through her. She was free.
Shakily, she sat up and reached for the chains at her ankles. They were easy to remove and were in no way magical. She wondered at that even as she swung her legs off of the table and onto the floor. She had to lean heavily against the cool wood to catch her balance. The blood came rushing into her ankles all too fast and she gritted her teeth against the sharpness it brought. She pushed past that small pain and scanned the room for any signs of the sleeping children. She felt lightheaded and weak for she had used too much energy while she broke the bonds. She gave a silent prayer to Jadeite for helping her, and then resumed her search.
She could barely see her hand in front her face, but dared not produce any sort of light for fear that Sora would come crashing into the room to discover where the light came from. The only way for her to discover the children was to search blindly for them.
With her arms stretched out, she slowly maneuvered her way across the dusty floor in the direction she believed was the corner where she had last stolen a glimpse of bundled blankets. Her heart was racing wildly for she wanted with all her heart to find those children and bring them back to safety. She had never spoken to them, had not spent a moment with them and she suddenly felt that if she did manage to rescue the babes from such terror, she would gladly take the time to get to know them.
As thoughts of laughter and games filled her mind, her foot struck something soft, yet firm. If there were lights shining in the room, one would have seen the utter amazement and joy spread across her face.
Kneeling down slowly, she tentatively reached out a hand to touch the bundles that were curled tightly together. She could feel a head of soft hair and gave a little whimper of gratitude before slowly roving her hands lower until she encountered another smaller head of smooth curls. She knew instantly that the two figures she touched were the children. They were sleeping as soundly as they would have been sleeping if they had been tucked in their father's arms. Not a sound escaped their lips and there was no movement.
Very gently, Rei searched each face until she could safely put bother her palms on either child's forehead. With a small sigh, she closed her eyes and wove a spell that would wake the children from their deep sleep. She called on the gods of night and the sun itself for the power to bring the children into the living world again, but when her calls and her own energy failed to bring even a groan from one of the children, she frowned and tried again. She danced across the stars and knelt at the sandman's door and begged him to take his spell off of the two sleeping babes, but when she received nothing, she felt a bubble of panic rise in her chest. This could not be!
With more urgency than she ever intended to uncover, she raced to the ends of the sky and pleaded with the phoenix of Mars to shed a tear or two so that she could bath the royal brood and wake them from their eternal slumber. With a faint song the phoenix sadly shook his head and Rei was once again catapulted into the dark, dank room with nothing but fear pounding at her senses.
Her mind raced with ideas and they were discarded as easily as they had come. The spell was not of anything she had ever imagined. It was new and complicated and stemmed from something evil, something that all the good she had called upon could not shake. She didn't understand what made it so difficult to break such a small, meaningless spell as this.
There was no choice but to carry them out as swiftly as she could. Something in the back of her mind told her that Sora would storm into the room at any moment. She felt a need to rush and that was something a senshi rarely did. There was never need to rush for when one rushed, they became vulnerable. A senshi must always remain in control, even when the odds are against her.
Rei thought up the only spell she could despite the urgency building inside her and the children lifted easily into her arms as if they weight no more than Eurus did on a hot day. She draped the bigger of the two over her shoulder and rested the smaller on her hip. She wasn't certain which way to turn or where to go once she had escaped the house, for all she knew, she was in a completely different home. She finally spun around and began walking in the same direction she had when she first discovered the children. She tiptoed silently across the dusty floor, the musty scent making her nose tickle. When she bumped hard into the table she knew she had lain on, she cursed and tried to maneuver around it.
When she reached the wall, she stuck out one of her hands and slid it up and down and along the rough wall, searching desperately for a latch. She almost cried out in triumph when she found it nearly six feet from her initial position and was duly stunned when the door swung open at her touch.
She peered out into the brightly lit corridor and almost frowned with that thought. Where was she if the room she had been in was dark and dirty while the corridor that it rested off of was bright and clean? She didn't have time to ponder the thought for long for the faint throbbing in the back of her mind warned her that Sora would be rounding a corner when she least expected it.
She ran on light feet toward the right, hoping against hope that this was the correct route. She didn't want to be trapped in this house any longer than she already had and even that she did not know. She could still feel the harsh warning screaming in the back of her mind, felt the thick, swirling mass of terror nip at her heels as she made her way through the bright hallways. The smell of jasmine hit her hard, as if she had stumbled and fell forward into a bed of jasmine flowers. The scent was overwhelming and clung to her like molasses. She could feel it weighing her down, could feel the humid sweetness filling her lungs. She didn't want to smell it, didn't want to know that this was the scent she treasured. It was the one comforted her when she was ill, or when she felt as though she couldn't continue Queen Serenity's hard training. She would walk amongst the jasmine fields that the queen had planted for her in her own private garden and would instantly be reminded of happier times.
But this jasmine made her head spin and her eyes water. It was as though someone were boiling the delicate flowers until they turned to gray mush. She could taste the death in the flowers and not the sweet life of the flowers she was used to. Despite the panic she could feel spreading through her veins, Rei pushed through the haze and turned left as soon as she could.
She felt a burst of cold air slam into her and an involuntary gasp escaped her lips. She turned around several times to take note of where she was and was surprised to see that she was standing in the same entry way she had walked into when she first began her task of rescuing the sleeping children. She narrowed her eyes and looked around her at the home she once believed to be beautiful. It was clear that the house was nearing its last breath. It was covered in dust and smelled of death, the fresh flowers that had added a sense of reality and cleanliness were wilted and brown.
She wondered briefly how long she had been trapped inside this house before she stepped cautiously toward the door. It opened on its own and Rei had to take a step back away from it. What was going on? Sora wouldn't make it this easy for her to escape, would he? She forced herself to stop questioning what she was given. Perhaps he wanted her away, perhaps she had insulted him so much that he wanted her to leave and never return.
"Jadeite. . ." she whispered before she closed her eyes and slipped a foot across the threshold. When nothing happened, she moved fully out of the house and ran for the trees at the edge of the property. She was free from the house! Her mind still reeled with images of Sora storming out, but when she glanced over her shoulder and saw nothing of the sort, she tapped each child's back and they floated off of her and onto the soft earth.
"Wake up," she whispered to them, "please wake up. . ." She caressed each small cheek and finally allowed herself to look at them.
They were much more beautiful than she had originally thought when she had first seen them in Jadeite's palace. They had lovely hair and delicate features that were relaxed in sleep. She smiled softly at them and moved closer so that she could rest each head in her lap. "Why will you not wake?" she asked gently.
"I told you before, princess, they do not wake because I do not wish them to."
Rei cringed when she heard that voice and slowly turned around to meet the cool eyes of her captor. "Wake them," she said with deathly calm.
Sora crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head with a smile. She was more stubborn than he thought. When she had first escaped those bonds of his, he had been surprised and angry. He had planned on letting her free the next morning. He wanted to watch her run out into the forest with the brats. But then she had escaped sooner than he liked. He knew who helped her loosen the bonds that he had so meticulously forged and he knew that Jadeite was on his way to save his lovely bride, but he would not win. No. . .Sora was the true victor and Rei had played his game just the way he envisioned it, despite the early flight He imagined her playing the hero, imagined her swinging the children into her arms and whisking them away, but did she not know that he wanted her to? Did she not know that he wanted her away from the house, wanted Jadeite to be able to pick up on her scent? He always received what he wanted. . .
He finally heaved a great sigh and waved a hand over the children's pale faces. Their eyes were slow to open and when the blue and green pools glistened in the dim light cast by the sun filtering through the trees, he growled through clenched teeth. The damned beasts did not even show a hint of fear. "Don't you worry, darlings, your papa will be quick to rescue you. I can already smell his disgusting scent. I can feel his goodness seep into me and let me tell you, be prepared to watch his downfall."
Rei narrowed her eyes dangerously at him and then wrapped her arms around the two dazed children. "What are you talking about?" she said.
Sora threw back his head and laughed a laugh that made the hairs on the back of Rei's neck stand on end. It was a laugh of such pure evil and hatred that she wanted to crawl inside herself if only to be rid of the hideous cackle. "I am talking about the death of your beloved husband's soul. The man you love, the man you would risk your life for! That damned bastard!"
Rei shook her head and felt fear wash over her. She would not let that happen. "You are crazed!"
"Hawk. . .where is papa?" the little girl whispered coarsely.
Rei glanced down briefly at the two children who clung to her and sighed with relief. They were all right! "Your father is on his way over to put this bad man in his place," Rei whispered gently to the two children.
Isabelle unconsciously snuggled closer to Rei and clutched her bodice, "I want my papa. . ."
Garrick put out his little hand and held tight to his sister's as he looked up into Rei's lovely violet eyes. "Papa will save us, just as this angel has. . ." he whispered.
Sora let out another harsh, ugly laugh before bending down to shout in the boy's face, "Your father is a worthless piece of offal that I will personally see is burned and stomped into the earth before your very eyes!"
Garrick didn't blink as the crazy man made his comment, merely stared over the brown-haired head and pressed his lips firmly together. This man did not scare him. . .much.
"Leave him alone, Sora," Rei said through clenched teeth.
Sora turned his hard eyes toward her slowly and gave her the most leering look, staring unabashedly at the top of her bodice where her breasts rose and fell with her breathing. "I will do as I please," he said and Rei knew he meant more than watching his language with the children.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked softly.
Sora stormed away from her and paced the small clearing. "Why? Why, you ask? Because it is what I live for!"
"I don't understand," she said.
"You aren't meant to understand."
"I believe I have the right, seeing as how you sent that missive stating that if I weren't handed over to you on a silver platter, you would kill these two innocent lives!"
Sora turned back to her and for an instant Rei thought she saw a flicker of pain chase across his eyes before the harsh coldness snapped back into place. "It is no concern of yours," he forced out.
Rei glared hard at him and then tightened her grip on the two children who clung to her. "You are a coward if you refuse to give even a little explanation," she said.
Sora began to stride toward her with his hands stretched out, a sneer on his face, when an arrow landed before his feet. "What the hell?" he shouted.
Icy blue eyes glared down through the trees and a voice that made warmth filter through Rei's veins blanketed the clearing. "I don't suggest you move one more inch," Jadeite said softly.
Sora lowered his hands to his side and turned to look up into the trees where Jadeite stood holding a silver bow in one hand and a sword in the other. "How nice of you to join us," Sora said with a wicked smile.
Suppressing the surprise and anger he felt, Jadeite jumped nimbly down from the branches and knelt beside Rei and his children. "Are you all right?" he asked Rei, the pulse in his neck throbbing. He was definitely angry.
"I'm well," Rei whispered, not releasing the two babes. "Thank you. . ." she said with tears glistening like diamonds in her eyes.
Jadeite resisted the urge to grab her into his arms and instead, stood slowly and faced the man he had once considered his friend. "I want to know why you are doing this," he said in a voice as cold as the frost that covered the moon in the winter.
Sora smiled evilly at Jadeite's cold stare and let out another ugly laugh before he placed a hand behind his back and swiftly brought it out to reveal a sword of black steel. He had moved faster than Jadeite had thought he possibly could and advanced before Jadeite finished drawing his own sword. "Surprise makes you clumsy, doesn't it? Did you expect it to be me?"
Jadeite stared down at the dark blade that pointed at his neck and vaguely was aware of the gasp that escaped his lovely Rei's lips. He wanted to reassure her that he was fully prepared for Sora's attack. He had trained with this man and knew every step he would take before he took it, but Sora never understood that. While they trained, Sora had always believed that he was discovering new attacks, new strategies, but never once had Jadeite been surprised. No, he wasn't worried at all about the sharp blade that stuck into the soft skin at his neck. "Tell me why you kidnapped my children. . .tell me why you lured the princess here and why you used that bitch, Lily, to do your dirty work."
"Tut, tut, Jadeite. . .you should not speak ill of your dear mistress," Sora said with that same sickly smile that Jadeite wanted to erase, yet he knew that to show strength now would mean living the rest of his life without knowing why his family was put in danger. He had to know.
"I'm sure it was some sort of idiotic plan devised so that you could do something as stupid as claiming the title of the man who slaughtered children," he encouraged.
Something disturbingly malevolent slipped into Sora's eyes and Jadeite could feel Rei lift her chin a little higher and could feel the tensing in her limbs. He also noted that Isabelle had closed her eyes and Hawk had narrowed his, prepared to do battle just as his father did. He wished desperately that Endymion and Nephrite were here to protect them, but they had decided that Jadeite would be the one to find who was holding Rei captive and that they would break apart that house and figure out exactly what they were dealing with.
When Jadeite had first stumbled upon the group, he had been facing Sora and the shock and surprise that passed through his body made him reel back. He felt betrayal seep into his bones and he felt anger bubbling up from deep in his stomach. Rage surrounded his senses and concern filled his heart. He wanted to thrust his sword into Sora's stomach, wanted to watch the life drain out of his eyes and wanted to live his life knowing that his family would not be in danger again. He saw Rei, his two children clinging to her and panic gripped him. He wanted them safe, but he wanted answers first. Why would Sora do this to him? They had been so close after Jason had died! "Tell me why you betrayed me, Sora," Jadeite said with false calm.
Sora sneered at the handsome blonde man and then a grin spread across his thin lips. "Oh, it is quite simple, really," he said quietly. "You killed Jason. You killed my brother! The one man who I would have done anything for. You killed him!"
Jadeite stared directly into Sora's eyes as he spoke, his voice as firm and steady as the ocean, "I did not kill your brother, Sora. Jason was one of my closest friends and he was murdered by D'lnor soldiers. You know that, Sora. . .I stood beside him as he died, yes, but I stood beside him trying to protect him."
Sora shook his head wildly and pressed the blade harder into Jadeite's throat. Jadeite could feel the warmth of his blood trickle out from the wound, but dared not move. "Do not play with me, Jadeite! I know the truth! I know that you let the D'lnor soldiers raid you; I know you let Jason die at your feet! I know you didn't bother to save him! You killed my brother, you bastard!" he screamed into Jadeite's unemotional face. With a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down. He should not be overreacting like this. He would be calm, he would be controlled, and he would seek his revenge. "I was told everything by a very reliable source and I've spent years devising a plan that would allow you to understand the pain I went though when Jason died.
"You see, Jadeite. . .I wanted to take someone away from you, someone you loved so dearly that you would break apart when they were gone. I wanted to see your eyes darken with emptiness and I wanted to watch the horror dance across your disgustingly handsome features and so I lived with you as your dear friend until the perfect time."
"You lied all these years. . ." Jadeite whispered, his feelings of betrayal were so strong they threatened to burst free, but he would not allow Sora the satisfaction of seeing that.
Rei shook her head mutely and felt the children sink deeper into her. She wanted to help Jadeite, pull him away from that blasted sword and thrust an arrow of fire deep into Sora's gut.
Sora merely smiled at the easy control Jadeite wielded and the mixture of anger and love that flitted over the princess's lovely face. He wanted to hurt her in ways that would bring pleasure to him and misery to the prince. "Yes, I lied all these years. I have planned and plotted until my brain has burst trying to get you to open up to me. I have forced hundreds of women on you, I have searched through every item you possessed and I have sent spies to follow you wherever you went.
"When I discovered Lily, I thought that I had found the perfect opportunity to make you suffer the same way I did. I was going to slice her and send her to you piece by piece, all the while standing by your side and letting you cry on my shoulder. But when I went to her, I noticed that there was no way any man could love her for she is as cold as our lovely violet-eyed princess is hot.
"So I tried to find a new victim to torture and soon discovered those lovely children the princess clutches to her breast at this moment. And lovely breasts at that.I wish I had time to stroke them and kiss them and mark them as my own. Tell me Jadeite, would you have looked upon her beautiful body with scorn if you new that I had placed my mark on her? That I had touched her the way you have?" He enjoyed the rage that showed in Jadeite's eyes as he made his speech. Laughing slightly, he continued with his story, "Alas, I did not get my chance. . .and I discarded the children right away for I knew that I had to reach you deep. . .and there came the princess. . ."When I stumbled upon such loveliness in your chamber at the palace and took her to my own, I watched her nude body and I had to force myself to be calm and not take her as I wanted. I was going to keep her. . .train her and make her my own. She would have replaced Jason for me. She would have made me forget your evil ways. Yes, I was going to make her my servant and I was going to love every minute of it.
"But then she escaped and oh, how my beautiful plan was ruined. I searched for her; yes I did, for I knew that she was the only one who could make me happy. She was such a feisty little thing and so beautiful it made my teeth ache. However. . .what do I discover merely hours after she has disappeared? My dearest of dear friends Jadeite has claimed her for his own and what is this new emotion swimming in his eyes? Love. . .damned, heart-felt-soul-completing love. And though I was angry, I knew this was my opportunity. I knew that if I killed this creature that you loved and if I killed those brats that you fathered, your heart and your soul would be lost forever and my revenge would have finally taken effect."
"Then it was you who broke into Lily's home and destroyed it. . ." Jadeite said.
Sora smiled and nodded with glee, "Excellent work, Jadeite. Yes, it was I who stole into that woman's home, my intent was to kidnap the children, but she had sent them off. . .to some old witch's hovel that I could not get into."
"Mrs. Dover is a witch?" Jadeite asked.
"Do you pay attention to anyone but yourself? How do you think Lily knew to give the children to her before I came into the house? That damned old biddy told Lily to get the children out of the house before I arrived and promised to see to their safety."
"But Mrs. Dover told me that Lily said someone was after-"
"Lily only knew because Mrs. Dover told her well ahead of time. And when I got there, they were no where to be seen. I had no choice but to follow you here to this hell. I watched you on that ship, but unfortunately I lost you when you left without the crew and I was forced into hiding until you did appear. Luckily for me the princess has that god awful fire-bird of hers that lights up the night and when I saw him flying toward a cave, I followed and found the two of you glaring at each other before Nephrite gave the cry that they had found you."
Jadeite dared not swallow the lump in his throat, but instead glared hotly at the man holding him at death's door. "You sent the missives. . .you asked for Rei to be given to you. . .you were going to kill her and make me watch," he ground out. He understood Sora's sick plan perfectly now. "You are more daft than I first believed."
Sora roared out his rage and pulled his arm back, preparing to thrust it deep into Jadeite's neck, but before Jadeite could react, Sora had pivoted on the heel of his foot and grasped Hawk from Rei's arms. He pulled the struggling little boy tight against his chest and raised the sword blade so that it lay against the delicate skin of Garrick's pale throat.
Jadeite paused abruptly, his hand already holding his sword at the ready. He had acted just as fast as Sora, but his mind was not focused on the gleam in his eyes and the sudden turn of events shocked him. "Sora. . .do not. . ." he said softly.
Sora merely scoffed and shook his head. "You will watch your family die, Jadeite. . .I will have my revenge."
"I did not kill Jason, Sora. I would rather have killed myself than kill my best friend," Jadeite said with a note of pleading in his voice. "Let Garrick loose and all this will be over."
Rei had stood up after he had taken Hawk from her, Isabelle safe behind her skirts. "Sora. . .there is absolutely no reason to take innocent lives. Do as Jadeite says and you will be given a second chance. . ." Rei reached a hand behind her and stroked the blonde head of the girl who stood behind her, clutching her skirts and whimpering softly.
"You must all believe me to be a fool," Sora said. "I will make you suffer as much as I did. . ."
Jadeite took a tentative step forward and stopped when he saw the thin line of blood seeping from his son's neck. Panic took hold, "Sora, stop this idiocy!" he shouted. He looked into the scared eyes of his son and prayed as hard and fast as he could for Endymion and Nephrite to show their faces. "You will not kill Garrick," he said softly. But as soon as the words slipped from his mouth, the cool, hard gleam came back into Sora's wild eyes and with a fierce growl, he slid the blade across the boy's throat and let him fall to the forest floor.
Red blood pooled around his feet and the shocked and frightened eyes of the dead boy filled him with a sense of accomplishment. He turned his head up in time to see Jadeite charge at him and eagerly held his sword at the ready.
* * *
He was staring at her when she opened her eyes. He was staring hard into her eyes, his face only inches away from her own. She made to raise her hand to slap his sunken and hard image away, but found she could not move. Her arms had been shackled to something above her head and no matter how hard she tugged and pulled, she could not move. She watched a smile spread over his thin lips and found her stomach curling; how she hated him. "What do you want?" she asked softly.
Sora merely smoothed a hand over her hair, but growled when she jerked away from him. "You do not appreciate my generosity, do you? I keep you alive and well and all you can do is refuse my touch?" he sneered.
Though she was lying flat on her back, a cold wooden table pressed against her, she managed to give him a glare that could freeze his blood. "There is no generosity in you, you disgusting, vain, selfish cad!" She received a slap across the face for her insults.
"You will be thankful that I saved you from that murdering, black hearted miscreant! You would have perished at his hands if I had not come to your rescue!" Sora screamed at her. She felt the heat of his breath fall over her and wanted desperately to turn away from the stinging words, but dared not. She would stare him down until she died.
With an eyebrow raised she responded calmly, "I don't know what you are talking about, Sora."
Sora ground his teeth together and pressed his face even closer to hers so that she could see the black fire sweeping around in the brown mud of his eyes. "You are a fool if you do not know," he whispered.
Rei resisted the urge to spit into his face and let out an unladylike snort instead. "I am not the fool." She watched that black fire burn holes into the brown and wrap around the white until there was nothing but darkness where there should have been windows. She wanted to free her hands and slam them into the side of his head, then push him to the ground where she would nimbly jump over him, grab the children up and scramble away.
Instead, she lay as still as stone as he shifted his body and straddled her hips. She could feel his weight pressing hard into her and the breath left her. "Get off of my, you insolent, daft imbecile!"
Sora smiled wickedly at her and stroked the side of her face with a boney finger. He watched the gooseflesh rise on her arms and reveled in the ability to make her skin crawl. He wanted her screaming and shouting when he came into her. He wanted her to claw his back and he wanted to watch tears stream down her pale cheeks, watch those violet orbs fill to the brim with pain and fear. He hated her for running from him, knew it to be the truth after he had seen Jadeite walking back to the castle after his encounter with that hot-blooded bitch Lily.
"I want you, princess. You are mine," he sneered.
Rei wished she had something to shove into his stomach. She wished she had her brother's knife with her so she could thrust it into his heart and watch him crumple onto the floor, pain wracking his body with shivers. "I am not yours, you cad!" she cried into his face.
He felt the waves of anger wash over him stronger, but dared not let them affect him. "Let us see how several hours on a cold wooden slab will make you feel," he said as he swept away from her. He felt as though she were somehow slipping into his mind and contorting his feelings for her. He felt such strong rage that he could think of little else. Yet he knew that when she had several hours to contemplate her decision to loathe him, she would be begging for his mercy and he would not give it freely. He would love to see her struggle on her knees to please him; he wanted to see the tears shimmering in her eyes as she pleaded for his touch. Yes, she would become the willing servant to her master.
Rei watched him leave and felt a sudden surge of hope. She would wriggle out of these bonds and snatch the children away within seconds. Sora was a fool to leave her alone. Did he realize who she was?
With a smile, she wove her fingers as best she could and drew several small symbols that only the senshi would know and pressed the blazing signs against the steel she felt about her wrists. The light that bounced off was enough to light up the entire room and she was aware of the two small bundles in a far corner. It was an entirely different room than the one she had found the children in. It was larger and smelled even worse than the other. She could see a square window far up a call and mentally cursed Sora for making her escape that much more difficult.
As the light faded, she gave her bound wrists a twist and was surprised when they remained firm in their place. She could feel a small wave of panic tear across her mind, but pushed it aside and closed her eyes. It wouldn't take much to melt the steel. She would just concentrate much harder than normal to ensure that the heat from her fire roared over the cool gray.
She furrowed her winged eyebrows faintly as she called forth the spell to release the pent up fire inside her soul. "Fire of my heart, fire of my soul, roar with your power, free all desire, flow over me and through me, move from land and move from sea to take these bonds and help me flee. . ." she chanted again and again. She felt the fire growing to a heat she wasn't aware she possessed and focused all her energy on pouring that liquid heat over the bonds. The perspiration broke out on her brow and she felt droplets trickle down between her breasts. She gripped the chains above her head and reached deep into herself to build and build until she thought her heart would burst. The steel around her wrists burned and ached so much that she wished Ami were sitting beside her to cool the fire. She wanted to scream with the pain of kindling fire from nothing and wanted desperately to curl up and sleep the night away.
To say she was surprised to feel the steel as hard and firm as ever after she had released the full brunt of her spell was an understatement. She let out a frustrated scream and heaved several deep breaths to try and calm herself. She has used too much energy with that spell and now felt the overwhelming fear engulf her. She was trapped as a bear was trapped by a hunter, only she was the phoenix trapped between the claws of some evil dragon. She could feel the panic stretch over her and fall atop her, almost suffocating her with its weight. There must be something she could do!
Rei glanced briefly in the direction she had sent he children huddled in and nodded her head. She would do whatever it took to get them out of this mess and into the arms of their adoring father. She would push the panic away and free herself and them.
With a resigned sigh, she closed her eyes yet again and reached out into depths unknown.
* * *
Jadeite paused briefly as he raced through the hot forest on his horse. He felt a prickling in the back of his mind and knew instinctively that it was Rei trying to tap into the magic pools of his homeland. He would help her; he would die if only to help her. He would do anything it took to get her back to him safely. He wanted to fall asleep this night with his wife beside him and his children behind him. He wanted his family back.
He glanced to his left and saw Endymion flying on his horse and turned to the right to see Nephrite gliding at the same pace. He knew they would follow him till the end of the earth and knew they watched the road as sharply as he did. He saw Endymion tilt his head in his direction and gave him a silent nod.
Jadeite turned to look at the ears of his stallion and closed his eyes. He urged the horse on as he escaped into his mind to investigate the sharp tickle.
It was easy to tell where her energy lay. It was a bright red, glimmering in the dark and he saw the flickering of it, as if it were a flame being bombarded by harsh winds. She was dwindling fast and it made his heart skip several beats with the thought of her losing. With a great heave of energy, he pounded after her and wrapped the red glow within his own cerulean brightness. He reached out and grasped hold of all the pools surrounding his home and even managed to reach the ones that had been sealed off by his great grandfather. He extracted as much as his mind would hold and poured it into the now faint red fire in his arms. "Rei. . ." he whispered hoarsely.
She tilted her head up at the sound of his voice and he was relieved to see the faint flash of violet within the whirling red flames. They were glazed over and sad, but he knew she recognized him. "Take it, Rei," he whispered gently, "Take it all. . .take all of me. . .if it will ensure your safety, you may use all the energy you need."
No sound fell from her lovely lips as she tried to speak, but he understood her all the same. With a slight smile he pressed a hand against her heart and poured his azure power into her. He saw her eyes widen, saw the faint smile that spread across her lips and felt the quickening of her heart beneath his palm. "I'm coming for you, Rei. . ."
With a smile, she slipped away and he watched the red light fall away from him until he stared at nothing. When he opened his eyes, he caught himself from falling over his horse's sweaty neck. He felt a tightness surrounding his wrists and when he looked down, they were raw. "The bastard," he ground out through clenched teeth.
Endymion turned slightly to look at his friend and was surprised to find that the hardness in his eyes had gotten harder. "Jadeite?"
"The bastard chained her! He put her wrists in steel bands and strapped her to a table!"
Endymion felt his own blood begin to boil. How dare the insolent knave tie up his sweet Rei-chan? She was the sister he never had and to tie up his sister was a mistake that would not be forgiven in his eyes. "How far are we?" he asked in a voice that matched Jadeite's.
Jadeite lost some of his hard look at those words. "I'm uncertain how far it is."
"How can you be uncertain?" Nephrite yelled at him. The thundering of the horses' hooves was deafening.
Jadeite shook his head slightly, "I cannot sense her as well as before. . ."
Endymion fairly growled, "Jadeite, you'd best tap into her energy again else I'll see to it that you're head is served on a silver platter at my wedding!"
Jadeite closed his eyes for a brief instant. When he had helped Rei gain enough energy to break free of her bonds, he had mistakenly pulled more than he intended. He wanted to help her as best he could, but now his senses were muddled and his mind was hazy. He felt as tired as an old man and wished desperately to lay down and fall asleep. The thought of sleeping without Rei brought him back to the present and he desperately searched low and high for her soul.
It was moments before he could feel her heart pounding with his own. They were close. He pointed to the north and caught himself again before he slipped off of his horse. He had used too much energy. . .
* * *
A gasp caught in her throat as she was pulled from her mind. She heard the steel bonds clatter to the floor and a relief unlike any she had known flooded through her. She was free.
Shakily, she sat up and reached for the chains at her ankles. They were easy to remove and were in no way magical. She wondered at that even as she swung her legs off of the table and onto the floor. She had to lean heavily against the cool wood to catch her balance. The blood came rushing into her ankles all too fast and she gritted her teeth against the sharpness it brought. She pushed past that small pain and scanned the room for any signs of the sleeping children. She felt lightheaded and weak for she had used too much energy while she broke the bonds. She gave a silent prayer to Jadeite for helping her, and then resumed her search.
She could barely see her hand in front her face, but dared not produce any sort of light for fear that Sora would come crashing into the room to discover where the light came from. The only way for her to discover the children was to search blindly for them.
With her arms stretched out, she slowly maneuvered her way across the dusty floor in the direction she believed was the corner where she had last stolen a glimpse of bundled blankets. Her heart was racing wildly for she wanted with all her heart to find those children and bring them back to safety. She had never spoken to them, had not spent a moment with them and she suddenly felt that if she did manage to rescue the babes from such terror, she would gladly take the time to get to know them.
As thoughts of laughter and games filled her mind, her foot struck something soft, yet firm. If there were lights shining in the room, one would have seen the utter amazement and joy spread across her face.
Kneeling down slowly, she tentatively reached out a hand to touch the bundles that were curled tightly together. She could feel a head of soft hair and gave a little whimper of gratitude before slowly roving her hands lower until she encountered another smaller head of smooth curls. She knew instantly that the two figures she touched were the children. They were sleeping as soundly as they would have been sleeping if they had been tucked in their father's arms. Not a sound escaped their lips and there was no movement.
Very gently, Rei searched each face until she could safely put bother her palms on either child's forehead. With a small sigh, she closed her eyes and wove a spell that would wake the children from their deep sleep. She called on the gods of night and the sun itself for the power to bring the children into the living world again, but when her calls and her own energy failed to bring even a groan from one of the children, she frowned and tried again. She danced across the stars and knelt at the sandman's door and begged him to take his spell off of the two sleeping babes, but when she received nothing, she felt a bubble of panic rise in her chest. This could not be!
With more urgency than she ever intended to uncover, she raced to the ends of the sky and pleaded with the phoenix of Mars to shed a tear or two so that she could bath the royal brood and wake them from their eternal slumber. With a faint song the phoenix sadly shook his head and Rei was once again catapulted into the dark, dank room with nothing but fear pounding at her senses.
Her mind raced with ideas and they were discarded as easily as they had come. The spell was not of anything she had ever imagined. It was new and complicated and stemmed from something evil, something that all the good she had called upon could not shake. She didn't understand what made it so difficult to break such a small, meaningless spell as this.
There was no choice but to carry them out as swiftly as she could. Something in the back of her mind told her that Sora would storm into the room at any moment. She felt a need to rush and that was something a senshi rarely did. There was never need to rush for when one rushed, they became vulnerable. A senshi must always remain in control, even when the odds are against her.
Rei thought up the only spell she could despite the urgency building inside her and the children lifted easily into her arms as if they weight no more than Eurus did on a hot day. She draped the bigger of the two over her shoulder and rested the smaller on her hip. She wasn't certain which way to turn or where to go once she had escaped the house, for all she knew, she was in a completely different home. She finally spun around and began walking in the same direction she had when she first discovered the children. She tiptoed silently across the dusty floor, the musty scent making her nose tickle. When she bumped hard into the table she knew she had lain on, she cursed and tried to maneuver around it.
When she reached the wall, she stuck out one of her hands and slid it up and down and along the rough wall, searching desperately for a latch. She almost cried out in triumph when she found it nearly six feet from her initial position and was duly stunned when the door swung open at her touch.
She peered out into the brightly lit corridor and almost frowned with that thought. Where was she if the room she had been in was dark and dirty while the corridor that it rested off of was bright and clean? She didn't have time to ponder the thought for long for the faint throbbing in the back of her mind warned her that Sora would be rounding a corner when she least expected it.
She ran on light feet toward the right, hoping against hope that this was the correct route. She didn't want to be trapped in this house any longer than she already had and even that she did not know. She could still feel the harsh warning screaming in the back of her mind, felt the thick, swirling mass of terror nip at her heels as she made her way through the bright hallways. The smell of jasmine hit her hard, as if she had stumbled and fell forward into a bed of jasmine flowers. The scent was overwhelming and clung to her like molasses. She could feel it weighing her down, could feel the humid sweetness filling her lungs. She didn't want to smell it, didn't want to know that this was the scent she treasured. It was the one comforted her when she was ill, or when she felt as though she couldn't continue Queen Serenity's hard training. She would walk amongst the jasmine fields that the queen had planted for her in her own private garden and would instantly be reminded of happier times.
But this jasmine made her head spin and her eyes water. It was as though someone were boiling the delicate flowers until they turned to gray mush. She could taste the death in the flowers and not the sweet life of the flowers she was used to. Despite the panic she could feel spreading through her veins, Rei pushed through the haze and turned left as soon as she could.
She felt a burst of cold air slam into her and an involuntary gasp escaped her lips. She turned around several times to take note of where she was and was surprised to see that she was standing in the same entry way she had walked into when she first began her task of rescuing the sleeping children. She narrowed her eyes and looked around her at the home she once believed to be beautiful. It was clear that the house was nearing its last breath. It was covered in dust and smelled of death, the fresh flowers that had added a sense of reality and cleanliness were wilted and brown.
She wondered briefly how long she had been trapped inside this house before she stepped cautiously toward the door. It opened on its own and Rei had to take a step back away from it. What was going on? Sora wouldn't make it this easy for her to escape, would he? She forced herself to stop questioning what she was given. Perhaps he wanted her away, perhaps she had insulted him so much that he wanted her to leave and never return.
"Jadeite. . ." she whispered before she closed her eyes and slipped a foot across the threshold. When nothing happened, she moved fully out of the house and ran for the trees at the edge of the property. She was free from the house! Her mind still reeled with images of Sora storming out, but when she glanced over her shoulder and saw nothing of the sort, she tapped each child's back and they floated off of her and onto the soft earth.
"Wake up," she whispered to them, "please wake up. . ." She caressed each small cheek and finally allowed herself to look at them.
They were much more beautiful than she had originally thought when she had first seen them in Jadeite's palace. They had lovely hair and delicate features that were relaxed in sleep. She smiled softly at them and moved closer so that she could rest each head in her lap. "Why will you not wake?" she asked gently.
"I told you before, princess, they do not wake because I do not wish them to."
Rei cringed when she heard that voice and slowly turned around to meet the cool eyes of her captor. "Wake them," she said with deathly calm.
Sora crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head with a smile. She was more stubborn than he thought. When she had first escaped those bonds of his, he had been surprised and angry. He had planned on letting her free the next morning. He wanted to watch her run out into the forest with the brats. But then she had escaped sooner than he liked. He knew who helped her loosen the bonds that he had so meticulously forged and he knew that Jadeite was on his way to save his lovely bride, but he would not win. No. . .Sora was the true victor and Rei had played his game just the way he envisioned it, despite the early flight He imagined her playing the hero, imagined her swinging the children into her arms and whisking them away, but did she not know that he wanted her to? Did she not know that he wanted her away from the house, wanted Jadeite to be able to pick up on her scent? He always received what he wanted. . .
He finally heaved a great sigh and waved a hand over the children's pale faces. Their eyes were slow to open and when the blue and green pools glistened in the dim light cast by the sun filtering through the trees, he growled through clenched teeth. The damned beasts did not even show a hint of fear. "Don't you worry, darlings, your papa will be quick to rescue you. I can already smell his disgusting scent. I can feel his goodness seep into me and let me tell you, be prepared to watch his downfall."
Rei narrowed her eyes dangerously at him and then wrapped her arms around the two dazed children. "What are you talking about?" she said.
Sora threw back his head and laughed a laugh that made the hairs on the back of Rei's neck stand on end. It was a laugh of such pure evil and hatred that she wanted to crawl inside herself if only to be rid of the hideous cackle. "I am talking about the death of your beloved husband's soul. The man you love, the man you would risk your life for! That damned bastard!"
Rei shook her head and felt fear wash over her. She would not let that happen. "You are crazed!"
"Hawk. . .where is papa?" the little girl whispered coarsely.
Rei glanced down briefly at the two children who clung to her and sighed with relief. They were all right! "Your father is on his way over to put this bad man in his place," Rei whispered gently to the two children.
Isabelle unconsciously snuggled closer to Rei and clutched her bodice, "I want my papa. . ."
Garrick put out his little hand and held tight to his sister's as he looked up into Rei's lovely violet eyes. "Papa will save us, just as this angel has. . ." he whispered.
Sora let out another harsh, ugly laugh before bending down to shout in the boy's face, "Your father is a worthless piece of offal that I will personally see is burned and stomped into the earth before your very eyes!"
Garrick didn't blink as the crazy man made his comment, merely stared over the brown-haired head and pressed his lips firmly together. This man did not scare him. . .much.
"Leave him alone, Sora," Rei said through clenched teeth.
Sora turned his hard eyes toward her slowly and gave her the most leering look, staring unabashedly at the top of her bodice where her breasts rose and fell with her breathing. "I will do as I please," he said and Rei knew he meant more than watching his language with the children.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked softly.
Sora stormed away from her and paced the small clearing. "Why? Why, you ask? Because it is what I live for!"
"I don't understand," she said.
"You aren't meant to understand."
"I believe I have the right, seeing as how you sent that missive stating that if I weren't handed over to you on a silver platter, you would kill these two innocent lives!"
Sora turned back to her and for an instant Rei thought she saw a flicker of pain chase across his eyes before the harsh coldness snapped back into place. "It is no concern of yours," he forced out.
Rei glared hard at him and then tightened her grip on the two children who clung to her. "You are a coward if you refuse to give even a little explanation," she said.
Sora began to stride toward her with his hands stretched out, a sneer on his face, when an arrow landed before his feet. "What the hell?" he shouted.
Icy blue eyes glared down through the trees and a voice that made warmth filter through Rei's veins blanketed the clearing. "I don't suggest you move one more inch," Jadeite said softly.
Sora lowered his hands to his side and turned to look up into the trees where Jadeite stood holding a silver bow in one hand and a sword in the other. "How nice of you to join us," Sora said with a wicked smile.
Suppressing the surprise and anger he felt, Jadeite jumped nimbly down from the branches and knelt beside Rei and his children. "Are you all right?" he asked Rei, the pulse in his neck throbbing. He was definitely angry.
"I'm well," Rei whispered, not releasing the two babes. "Thank you. . ." she said with tears glistening like diamonds in her eyes.
Jadeite resisted the urge to grab her into his arms and instead, stood slowly and faced the man he had once considered his friend. "I want to know why you are doing this," he said in a voice as cold as the frost that covered the moon in the winter.
Sora smiled evilly at Jadeite's cold stare and let out another ugly laugh before he placed a hand behind his back and swiftly brought it out to reveal a sword of black steel. He had moved faster than Jadeite had thought he possibly could and advanced before Jadeite finished drawing his own sword. "Surprise makes you clumsy, doesn't it? Did you expect it to be me?"
Jadeite stared down at the dark blade that pointed at his neck and vaguely was aware of the gasp that escaped his lovely Rei's lips. He wanted to reassure her that he was fully prepared for Sora's attack. He had trained with this man and knew every step he would take before he took it, but Sora never understood that. While they trained, Sora had always believed that he was discovering new attacks, new strategies, but never once had Jadeite been surprised. No, he wasn't worried at all about the sharp blade that stuck into the soft skin at his neck. "Tell me why you kidnapped my children. . .tell me why you lured the princess here and why you used that bitch, Lily, to do your dirty work."
"Tut, tut, Jadeite. . .you should not speak ill of your dear mistress," Sora said with that same sickly smile that Jadeite wanted to erase, yet he knew that to show strength now would mean living the rest of his life without knowing why his family was put in danger. He had to know.
"I'm sure it was some sort of idiotic plan devised so that you could do something as stupid as claiming the title of the man who slaughtered children," he encouraged.
Something disturbingly malevolent slipped into Sora's eyes and Jadeite could feel Rei lift her chin a little higher and could feel the tensing in her limbs. He also noted that Isabelle had closed her eyes and Hawk had narrowed his, prepared to do battle just as his father did. He wished desperately that Endymion and Nephrite were here to protect them, but they had decided that Jadeite would be the one to find who was holding Rei captive and that they would break apart that house and figure out exactly what they were dealing with.
When Jadeite had first stumbled upon the group, he had been facing Sora and the shock and surprise that passed through his body made him reel back. He felt betrayal seep into his bones and he felt anger bubbling up from deep in his stomach. Rage surrounded his senses and concern filled his heart. He wanted to thrust his sword into Sora's stomach, wanted to watch the life drain out of his eyes and wanted to live his life knowing that his family would not be in danger again. He saw Rei, his two children clinging to her and panic gripped him. He wanted them safe, but he wanted answers first. Why would Sora do this to him? They had been so close after Jason had died! "Tell me why you betrayed me, Sora," Jadeite said with false calm.
Sora sneered at the handsome blonde man and then a grin spread across his thin lips. "Oh, it is quite simple, really," he said quietly. "You killed Jason. You killed my brother! The one man who I would have done anything for. You killed him!"
Jadeite stared directly into Sora's eyes as he spoke, his voice as firm and steady as the ocean, "I did not kill your brother, Sora. Jason was one of my closest friends and he was murdered by D'lnor soldiers. You know that, Sora. . .I stood beside him as he died, yes, but I stood beside him trying to protect him."
Sora shook his head wildly and pressed the blade harder into Jadeite's throat. Jadeite could feel the warmth of his blood trickle out from the wound, but dared not move. "Do not play with me, Jadeite! I know the truth! I know that you let the D'lnor soldiers raid you; I know you let Jason die at your feet! I know you didn't bother to save him! You killed my brother, you bastard!" he screamed into Jadeite's unemotional face. With a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down. He should not be overreacting like this. He would be calm, he would be controlled, and he would seek his revenge. "I was told everything by a very reliable source and I've spent years devising a plan that would allow you to understand the pain I went though when Jason died.
"You see, Jadeite. . .I wanted to take someone away from you, someone you loved so dearly that you would break apart when they were gone. I wanted to see your eyes darken with emptiness and I wanted to watch the horror dance across your disgustingly handsome features and so I lived with you as your dear friend until the perfect time."
"You lied all these years. . ." Jadeite whispered, his feelings of betrayal were so strong they threatened to burst free, but he would not allow Sora the satisfaction of seeing that.
Rei shook her head mutely and felt the children sink deeper into her. She wanted to help Jadeite, pull him away from that blasted sword and thrust an arrow of fire deep into Sora's gut.
Sora merely smiled at the easy control Jadeite wielded and the mixture of anger and love that flitted over the princess's lovely face. He wanted to hurt her in ways that would bring pleasure to him and misery to the prince. "Yes, I lied all these years. I have planned and plotted until my brain has burst trying to get you to open up to me. I have forced hundreds of women on you, I have searched through every item you possessed and I have sent spies to follow you wherever you went.
"When I discovered Lily, I thought that I had found the perfect opportunity to make you suffer the same way I did. I was going to slice her and send her to you piece by piece, all the while standing by your side and letting you cry on my shoulder. But when I went to her, I noticed that there was no way any man could love her for she is as cold as our lovely violet-eyed princess is hot.
"So I tried to find a new victim to torture and soon discovered those lovely children the princess clutches to her breast at this moment. And lovely breasts at that.I wish I had time to stroke them and kiss them and mark them as my own. Tell me Jadeite, would you have looked upon her beautiful body with scorn if you new that I had placed my mark on her? That I had touched her the way you have?" He enjoyed the rage that showed in Jadeite's eyes as he made his speech. Laughing slightly, he continued with his story, "Alas, I did not get my chance. . .and I discarded the children right away for I knew that I had to reach you deep. . .and there came the princess. . ."When I stumbled upon such loveliness in your chamber at the palace and took her to my own, I watched her nude body and I had to force myself to be calm and not take her as I wanted. I was going to keep her. . .train her and make her my own. She would have replaced Jason for me. She would have made me forget your evil ways. Yes, I was going to make her my servant and I was going to love every minute of it.
"But then she escaped and oh, how my beautiful plan was ruined. I searched for her; yes I did, for I knew that she was the only one who could make me happy. She was such a feisty little thing and so beautiful it made my teeth ache. However. . .what do I discover merely hours after she has disappeared? My dearest of dear friends Jadeite has claimed her for his own and what is this new emotion swimming in his eyes? Love. . .damned, heart-felt-soul-completing love. And though I was angry, I knew this was my opportunity. I knew that if I killed this creature that you loved and if I killed those brats that you fathered, your heart and your soul would be lost forever and my revenge would have finally taken effect."
"Then it was you who broke into Lily's home and destroyed it. . ." Jadeite said.
Sora smiled and nodded with glee, "Excellent work, Jadeite. Yes, it was I who stole into that woman's home, my intent was to kidnap the children, but she had sent them off. . .to some old witch's hovel that I could not get into."
"Mrs. Dover is a witch?" Jadeite asked.
"Do you pay attention to anyone but yourself? How do you think Lily knew to give the children to her before I came into the house? That damned old biddy told Lily to get the children out of the house before I arrived and promised to see to their safety."
"But Mrs. Dover told me that Lily said someone was after-"
"Lily only knew because Mrs. Dover told her well ahead of time. And when I got there, they were no where to be seen. I had no choice but to follow you here to this hell. I watched you on that ship, but unfortunately I lost you when you left without the crew and I was forced into hiding until you did appear. Luckily for me the princess has that god awful fire-bird of hers that lights up the night and when I saw him flying toward a cave, I followed and found the two of you glaring at each other before Nephrite gave the cry that they had found you."
Jadeite dared not swallow the lump in his throat, but instead glared hotly at the man holding him at death's door. "You sent the missives. . .you asked for Rei to be given to you. . .you were going to kill her and make me watch," he ground out. He understood Sora's sick plan perfectly now. "You are more daft than I first believed."
Sora roared out his rage and pulled his arm back, preparing to thrust it deep into Jadeite's neck, but before Jadeite could react, Sora had pivoted on the heel of his foot and grasped Hawk from Rei's arms. He pulled the struggling little boy tight against his chest and raised the sword blade so that it lay against the delicate skin of Garrick's pale throat.
Jadeite paused abruptly, his hand already holding his sword at the ready. He had acted just as fast as Sora, but his mind was not focused on the gleam in his eyes and the sudden turn of events shocked him. "Sora. . .do not. . ." he said softly.
Sora merely scoffed and shook his head. "You will watch your family die, Jadeite. . .I will have my revenge."
"I did not kill Jason, Sora. I would rather have killed myself than kill my best friend," Jadeite said with a note of pleading in his voice. "Let Garrick loose and all this will be over."
Rei had stood up after he had taken Hawk from her, Isabelle safe behind her skirts. "Sora. . .there is absolutely no reason to take innocent lives. Do as Jadeite says and you will be given a second chance. . ." Rei reached a hand behind her and stroked the blonde head of the girl who stood behind her, clutching her skirts and whimpering softly.
"You must all believe me to be a fool," Sora said. "I will make you suffer as much as I did. . ."
Jadeite took a tentative step forward and stopped when he saw the thin line of blood seeping from his son's neck. Panic took hold, "Sora, stop this idiocy!" he shouted. He looked into the scared eyes of his son and prayed as hard and fast as he could for Endymion and Nephrite to show their faces. "You will not kill Garrick," he said softly. But as soon as the words slipped from his mouth, the cool, hard gleam came back into Sora's wild eyes and with a fierce growl, he slid the blade across the boy's throat and let him fall to the forest floor.
Red blood pooled around his feet and the shocked and frightened eyes of the dead boy filled him with a sense of accomplishment. He turned his head up in time to see Jadeite charge at him and eagerly held his sword at the ready.