Chapter 9: The Question of Faith Resolved
Jupiter ran down the halls, barely aware of her surroundings. Her desire for revenge blinded her to everything else at the moment, even reason. Wiping away tears, she tripped on a chunk of uneven flooring. She skidded for a distance before stopping, scraping her body in several places.
A pair of hands gently lifted her off the floor, brushing stray hairs away from her face. "Stop for a moment," Ganymede chided. "If you face Nadomus in your current state, you will be defeated."
"What do you care, Ganymede?!" she yelled, throwing his hands off her. "What is at stake for you?" She glared at him, waiting for an answer.
"More than you realize, Jupiter," he said softly. "There is a lot at stake for the both of us."
"I guess I am to take that on trust or faith," she said, her tone rich with sarcasm.
"Take it however you will, Neo-Sailor Jupiter," he said, anger seeping into his voice. "I am not your enemy here. The real enemy is waiting for you. You know that and you are scared."
"How dare you suggest that I am scared!" she cried, raising her hand to slap him.
Ganymede saw the motion and grabbed her wrist before she could complete the action. "It's okay to be scared, Jupiter, but only if you are brave enough to admit to yourself."
He released her wrist, which dropped limply to her side. Sighing, Jupiter leaned against a wall, watching Ganymede warily. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.
"You're right," she said softly, looking at the floor. "I am scared."
He stepped toward her, making her met his eyes. "That's why he visited you in your dreams, Jupiter. He's scared of you. He wanted to intimidate you before you had a chance to fight him."
He inched closer. "He has no power over you, Neo-Sailor Jupiter. Remember that and you will win." Before she even realized it, he kissed her. He pulled away, smiling shyly. "For luck, which you will not need."
"Will you go with me?" she asked without thinking.
"As far as I can," he promised.
With renewed strength, she walked down the corridors with Ganymede, prepared to face her enemy.
* * * * *
"This is the antechamber," Jupiter explained. "The larger room beyond is where I meet Nadomus in my dreams."
"It must have been beautiful," Ganymede murmured, glancing at the remains of the room's furnishings. "The people must have been prosperous here."
"It's so sad that it was destroyed. So many happy lives gone forever."
"For you, Leda, happy times are gone forever," Nadomus smirked, appearing before the pair. He eyed Ganymede with contempt. "I really hadn't expected your friend to survive, Leda. I must have underestimated him."
"You have underestimated about a lot of things, Nadomus," Ganymede said, his voice cold with challenge.
"Maybe," Nadomus conceded, "but such mistakes are easily remedied."
Ganymede expected to be attacked but the circle of light surrounded Jupiter. She screamed, pain coursing through her body. Nadomus began to laugh.
Ganymede ran to the circle, using his weight to throw Jupiter out of light. Yet, he became trapped in the light, pain enveloping everything. Suddenly, Nadomus snapped his fingers, glaring at the pair, both panting for breath.
"That was NOT how it was to happen. I am NOT pleased with you, Leda, or your friend."
Ganymede saw Nadomus make a gesture toward them. Instinctively, Ganymede place himself in front of Jupiter, taking most of the blast. The force of the attack knocked the two into a wall and they fell to the floor.
Jupiter recovered first, noticing that Ganymede's mask was on the floor. His face was hidden from her by his back. She rushed to him.
"Paul, are you okay?" The question startled the both of them. "It is you," she said in disbelief, staring at him as if he was a stranger. "I should have known, because of your eyes. No one has your eyes."
Paul slowly rose to his feet, turning to face her. "I am sorry that you had to find out this way," he said.
"It's okay," she said, smiling. "I'm glad it was you."
"I do hate to break up this happy little reunion, but there is still some unfinished business, Leda." He summoned a ball of gray energy. "But first, let's remove the interloper."
Nadomus threw the ball, which grew in size as it approached Paul. Paul cried out in pain as he became encased with the ball, black flashes of light burning various parts of his body.
"Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!!" The unexpected attack hit Nadomus in the shoulder, burning him.
"That was not nice, Leda. I am VERY disappointed." He threw a ball of energy, which she dodged, and disappeared.
The ball around Paul disappeared and he fell to the floor. She knelt besides him. Like she had with her sisters, she realized sadly. Burns covered so much of his body that she was afraid to touch him.
"Don't cry, Leda," he said hoarsely, calling attention to her unnoticed tears. "Not over me."
"I will cry over whoever I want to, Paul," she said between sobs. He smiled, laughing weakly. "Besides, if I shouldn't cry over you, who should I cry for?"
"I am sorry about everything," he said, ignoring the question. "I just wanted to help you and your sisters."
"Oh, Paul, you have. You saved us several times. We wouldn't have made this far without you."
"You are so very beautiful," he told her, brushing a lock of her hair from her cheek. He closed his eyes, the hand falling limply to his body.
"Paul, wake up! You are not getting away from me so easily!" She shook him gently for a minute before he opened his eyes again. "I love you, Paul. You have to know that."
"I have always loved you, Leda." He smiled at her even more weakly this time. Then, he pressed one of his stars into her hand. "And I always will," he whispered and slipped into unconsciousness.
"Rest, Ganymede," she whispered, kissing him. "Then, come to me."
She rose, turning to face the entrance of the main chamber. Nadomus was waiting for her, she thought. She looked at Ganymede's star where it rested in the palm of her gloved hand. The words of a new transformation came to her mind.
"Jupiter Moon Crystal Power!!"
Sailor Jupiter Moon appeared where Neo-Sailor Jupiter had stood. Her uniform was like Sailor Leda except there were smaller pink bows on top of the navy ones. Her tiara had a large center green stone with smaller blue stones. Her hair was in two wavy pigtails and cascaded to her knees.
Her gray eyes stared steadily into the awaiting room. "I am ready, Nadomus. Let the battle begin."
Jupiter ran down the halls, barely aware of her surroundings. Her desire for revenge blinded her to everything else at the moment, even reason. Wiping away tears, she tripped on a chunk of uneven flooring. She skidded for a distance before stopping, scraping her body in several places.
A pair of hands gently lifted her off the floor, brushing stray hairs away from her face. "Stop for a moment," Ganymede chided. "If you face Nadomus in your current state, you will be defeated."
"What do you care, Ganymede?!" she yelled, throwing his hands off her. "What is at stake for you?" She glared at him, waiting for an answer.
"More than you realize, Jupiter," he said softly. "There is a lot at stake for the both of us."
"I guess I am to take that on trust or faith," she said, her tone rich with sarcasm.
"Take it however you will, Neo-Sailor Jupiter," he said, anger seeping into his voice. "I am not your enemy here. The real enemy is waiting for you. You know that and you are scared."
"How dare you suggest that I am scared!" she cried, raising her hand to slap him.
Ganymede saw the motion and grabbed her wrist before she could complete the action. "It's okay to be scared, Jupiter, but only if you are brave enough to admit to yourself."
He released her wrist, which dropped limply to her side. Sighing, Jupiter leaned against a wall, watching Ganymede warily. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.
"You're right," she said softly, looking at the floor. "I am scared."
He stepped toward her, making her met his eyes. "That's why he visited you in your dreams, Jupiter. He's scared of you. He wanted to intimidate you before you had a chance to fight him."
He inched closer. "He has no power over you, Neo-Sailor Jupiter. Remember that and you will win." Before she even realized it, he kissed her. He pulled away, smiling shyly. "For luck, which you will not need."
"Will you go with me?" she asked without thinking.
"As far as I can," he promised.
With renewed strength, she walked down the corridors with Ganymede, prepared to face her enemy.
* * * * *
"This is the antechamber," Jupiter explained. "The larger room beyond is where I meet Nadomus in my dreams."
"It must have been beautiful," Ganymede murmured, glancing at the remains of the room's furnishings. "The people must have been prosperous here."
"It's so sad that it was destroyed. So many happy lives gone forever."
"For you, Leda, happy times are gone forever," Nadomus smirked, appearing before the pair. He eyed Ganymede with contempt. "I really hadn't expected your friend to survive, Leda. I must have underestimated him."
"You have underestimated about a lot of things, Nadomus," Ganymede said, his voice cold with challenge.
"Maybe," Nadomus conceded, "but such mistakes are easily remedied."
Ganymede expected to be attacked but the circle of light surrounded Jupiter. She screamed, pain coursing through her body. Nadomus began to laugh.
Ganymede ran to the circle, using his weight to throw Jupiter out of light. Yet, he became trapped in the light, pain enveloping everything. Suddenly, Nadomus snapped his fingers, glaring at the pair, both panting for breath.
"That was NOT how it was to happen. I am NOT pleased with you, Leda, or your friend."
Ganymede saw Nadomus make a gesture toward them. Instinctively, Ganymede place himself in front of Jupiter, taking most of the blast. The force of the attack knocked the two into a wall and they fell to the floor.
Jupiter recovered first, noticing that Ganymede's mask was on the floor. His face was hidden from her by his back. She rushed to him.
"Paul, are you okay?" The question startled the both of them. "It is you," she said in disbelief, staring at him as if he was a stranger. "I should have known, because of your eyes. No one has your eyes."
Paul slowly rose to his feet, turning to face her. "I am sorry that you had to find out this way," he said.
"It's okay," she said, smiling. "I'm glad it was you."
"I do hate to break up this happy little reunion, but there is still some unfinished business, Leda." He summoned a ball of gray energy. "But first, let's remove the interloper."
Nadomus threw the ball, which grew in size as it approached Paul. Paul cried out in pain as he became encased with the ball, black flashes of light burning various parts of his body.
"Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!!" The unexpected attack hit Nadomus in the shoulder, burning him.
"That was not nice, Leda. I am VERY disappointed." He threw a ball of energy, which she dodged, and disappeared.
The ball around Paul disappeared and he fell to the floor. She knelt besides him. Like she had with her sisters, she realized sadly. Burns covered so much of his body that she was afraid to touch him.
"Don't cry, Leda," he said hoarsely, calling attention to her unnoticed tears. "Not over me."
"I will cry over whoever I want to, Paul," she said between sobs. He smiled, laughing weakly. "Besides, if I shouldn't cry over you, who should I cry for?"
"I am sorry about everything," he said, ignoring the question. "I just wanted to help you and your sisters."
"Oh, Paul, you have. You saved us several times. We wouldn't have made this far without you."
"You are so very beautiful," he told her, brushing a lock of her hair from her cheek. He closed his eyes, the hand falling limply to his body.
"Paul, wake up! You are not getting away from me so easily!" She shook him gently for a minute before he opened his eyes again. "I love you, Paul. You have to know that."
"I have always loved you, Leda." He smiled at her even more weakly this time. Then, he pressed one of his stars into her hand. "And I always will," he whispered and slipped into unconsciousness.
"Rest, Ganymede," she whispered, kissing him. "Then, come to me."
She rose, turning to face the entrance of the main chamber. Nadomus was waiting for her, she thought. She looked at Ganymede's star where it rested in the palm of her gloved hand. The words of a new transformation came to her mind.
"Jupiter Moon Crystal Power!!"
Sailor Jupiter Moon appeared where Neo-Sailor Jupiter had stood. Her uniform was like Sailor Leda except there were smaller pink bows on top of the navy ones. Her tiara had a large center green stone with smaller blue stones. Her hair was in two wavy pigtails and cascaded to her knees.
Her gray eyes stared steadily into the awaiting room. "I am ready, Nadomus. Let the battle begin."
