Hello! If anyone is actually reading this, I am sorry that I have not updated in forever, but I have been bitten by a terrible case of writer's block, not to mention the fact that I have become completely addicted to minesweeper. (Does anyone other than me have this problem? I get on the computer intending to type at least one page and I end up playing that stupid game the whole night! #$%'#! sigh…) finally though I got back on track and told myself that I wouldn't be allowed to play any more minesweeper until I finished at least one chapter. (Unfortunately, I still played for about half an hour today before I started writing….. %#$ MINESWEEPER!!) I found some good writing music though, so it kept me on track. (The soundtrack for Escaflowne: The Movie. Though personally I thought the anime series had a better plot….I was so mad when YTV took it off! Probably because Hitomi used Tarot cards and she tried to commit suicide) anyway, this is the longest chapter that I have ever done, and I am immensely proud of it. It would be nice though if you people could review it after you are done reading, and let me know if I am depicting (the word of the day) their personalities correctly.
I drew a picture of Zoicite with his hair down and even coloured it on the computer using Photoshop. I showed it to my sister and she told me it was creepy, and looking at it today I decided she was right, because he has blood on his face and looks evil(which was kinda the image I was going for). I'm a little afraid that if I post it somewhere people will think I'm a creepy psycho. If you would like to see it just e-mail me and I'll send it too you. Be warned, he looks very scary!
I have currently stopped working on "By your side" my other story because I honestly do not know what direction that I want to take it in. I originally did have an idea, but I have mulled it over a lot and decided that it frankly did not make a whole lot of sense. I will work on it again when I have figured out what I am going to do with it. For now, though I'm going to concentrate on 'Second Chances'.
On a side note, if I have reviewed any of your fanfiction and spelled "storey" like this, I am sorry. It is because I am a simple-minded fool who obviously needs to use spell-check more often.
Disclaimer: I have a job now, but I am only making about $25.00 a week Canadian, and I spend most of it on Manga (which costs me around $16.00 a book). So unless your particularly fond of Ceres or Chobits, there really is no point in suing me for something which I claim no ownership. Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor moon, and pretty much all of the characters and locations that will be used in this fanfiction.
Second Chances
Chapter 1: Rebirth
By: EmeraldSong
No man is born evil. He can do great evil in his life, but no man is beyond Redemption and every man deserves a second chance.
The seeker just stood still, completely awed by the site before him.
It was a vision of the future, a haunting city of crystal, completely void of Life. In the Streets, millions of crystal statues stood their expressions of pain and terror so real, that you could swear that they had once been alive.
It was a possibility that could not be allowed, an outcome that had to be changed. Light from a long dead moon, reflected off the spires, casting unholy lights upon the faces of a sea of imprisoned people.
The laugh of a woman echoed across the city of silence, uncaring and callous. He pulled a crystal blade out of its sheath on his waist, and ran off in the direction he had heard the sound coming from.
"Gather with the Lords of Earth and go to Japan. For that is where the final battle will occur to decide the future of Earth. Only then will you be free of your destiny."
It was a dream that he had been reborn to Destroy.
To be honest it had started out as a perfectly normal day for Nathaniel Stanton. He had gotten up and eaten breakfast, started a load of laundry then headed out for his morning classes at the local community college. After that, he went to the local gym, and worked out for an hour or two.
It was something that normal people his age did. That was the problem. No matter how hard he tried, it just did not feel right. He was not normal and never would be again. Over six feet tall with long curly brown hair, and dark chocolate eyes, Nate was strikingly handsome. An aura of mystery surrounded him, making him unapproachable.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered as he got into his car and began to head home. Why couldn't he forget and get on with his life? Why did he feel imprisoned by imaginary memories? Only three years ago, things had been so simple!
He had been a senior in high school when it had happened, only a few months short of graduating. Just as handsome then as he was now, Nate had been a carefree flirt, and jock. He had many friends but three whom he had known since childhood and had always felt an inseparable bond between, things had been just too good to last.
It had been Jason's idea to go the party only a couple of miles out of town on that fateful night so long ago. A few hours past midnight saw them driving home on an old country highway. They had not been drunk, it should not have happened, but all Nate could remember of that drive home had been the blinding light.
He had been the first to snap out of the coma, only a couple of months after the accident. However, he had snapped out of it as a different man than the boy who had first entered it, literally. Nate had been a man who was born, raised, loved and killed over a thousand years in the past. He was a warrior who had served under a strong and noble prince, and a man who had loved one woman with all his heart and soul.
Those first few days had been a nightmare, memories from two short life times battling for control. It had taken weeks but eventually Nate had won out over Nephrite, casting him into the corner of his mind. A few months in therapy, and many drugs later, he was back to his old self; or so it had all seemed.
Then Zack had woken up, bringing the enemy back up to the surface.
It had begun once more, the battle, and the war over his soul. Nephrite was once again subdued, but not without cost, it was as if parts of man had merged with him, and no matter how hard he fought, the soldier of the stars gained strength. Often giving him strange visions when he slept at night of a man with coal black hair and dark blue eyes he was drawn towards.
Sometimes he caught people staring at him, and wondered why until he realized it was because he was acting like Nephrite. Nate had always been a bit of a recluse, a bit shy, but not Nephrite, who had held himself aloof. It was disconcerting, to say the least when he had caught himself thinking in another language, an ancient tongue that he could find no record.
It had only gotten worse when Keith had woken up, giving Nephrite even more control over Nate's body and mind. Giving Nate only more memories in return. Now when he slept he dreamt of a woman instead of the man. Green eyes looked at him mournfully under curtain of light brown hair.
Thinking he was crazy, Nate had kept this to himself. However, when Keith had finally recovered after four months, Nate had decided to confess it all to both him and Zack.
Only to find that they too, faced their own inner battles, unfortunately it also seemed that the closer they were, the stronger the voices of the generals within them. A mutual decision on all their parts to help salvage what was left of their sanity, kept them apart.
The drive back to his apartment was uneventful, which was normal. This was not Japan, where monsters popped up on a regular basis. However, he had a bad feeling about today; and Nate was learning to trust his feelings and to prepare for what might lie ahead.
Nothing could have prepared him for the message that he found on his answering machine, though.
"Nate look, I know we haven't spoken in forever, but…."Zack's voice was drawn out, and slightly strained. "Jason's awake" he choked out, and said no more. He did not need too.
For a second he just stood there, and then he slammed his fist into the answering machine, sending pieces of it flying in all directions.
"Damn you Jason!" Nate cursed, as once more Nephrite roared to life within him. "Why couldn't you just stay asleep forever?"
Zack slowly put the phone back on its hook, doing it carefully so that his quivering hands would not drop it. It was so bad that he had tried to dial Nate's apartment five times before he had finally managed to punch in the right numbers.
"Mr. Greene?" a cautious voice asked. Zack turned his head to the left, to see a young nursing student about his own age looking at him with concern in her brown eyes. "Are feeling alright? Is there anything I can get for you?"
"I just need some extra-strength Tylenol and a glass of water. If you don't mind?" he flashed a tired smile, ruffling a hand through his short reddish hair. She nodded, and walked away, making him slightly grateful.
He took a few steps then plopped himself down into the nearest chair, staring at the hospital room across from him as if it held his worst nightmare waiting inside. Inside of him, the muted presence of Zoicite could not help but agree.
Zack was Jason's cousin, so of course he had been the first to know. It had been approximately one hour since his Aunt Miriam had called; blubbering about God finally answering her prayers.
Zack had already decided that when he finally stopped through those doors he would not be alone, when he confronted the ghosts and demons of long buried memory that lay within that room.
Maybe ten minutes later, the nursing student returned with his Tylenol and water, then left, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
It was strange, he knew that he felt terror (and for good reason) but he also could also feel this nagging sense of anticipation, as if something important was about to happen; and he had never been good at waiting for things to happen, as far as he knew in either lifetime.
Zoicite grumbled impatiently in his head, as Zack stared at the clock and watched the hands as they slowly moved around the face. He did his best to give an outward appearance of calmness, when inside he felt like screaming and running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
Finally, the Tylenol kicked in, and Zack could no longer hear the voice of Zoicite in his head. He sighed in relief, closed his eyes and waited for Keith and Nate arrive.
He stared at his feet, willing them to move. His hands gripped the steering wheel, white-knuckled they were also unwilling to move.
Keith Draper was a handsome man in his early twenties, good enough looking that he had been scouted several times by modeling agencies because of his very pale hair, tanned skin and icy blue eyes. At a little over six feet tall, he looked like nothing could intimidate him.
Perhaps a thousand years ago that had been true, but not now. The great general of the North, Lord Kunzite of the House of Stone, was a nervous wreck. He did not look it, his outward demeanor was as still as stone but inside he could feel the turmoil bubbling towards the surface, threatening to break free.
Keith slowly pried his fingers off the steering wheel, grasped the door and swung it open. Not quite shaking as he put his first foot down, he refused to let this get the better of him. With a face that could have been carved from stone, he took his first step forward, and continued into the hospital with no further trouble.
He did not need directions; he had visited Jason hundreds of times before, looking for answers to questions, he did not know. Foregoing the elevator, Keith leisurely walked up the stairs to the second floor, where the formerly comatose man had resided.
In the waiting room, two men stood waiting for him. The former Lords of the East and South respectively were silent, and the expressions on their faces were almost identical. Whether they realized it or not, both Anticipation and fear were evident upon their faces for someone who knew them well.
Nate glared at him, his deep brown eyes almost golden, in the early evening light. Keith met his glare head on, and Nate was the first to look away.
Zack just stood there, the only thing giving away his true emotion were the way his hands twitched: a habit that had carried over from his personality in the Silver Millennium.
"Let's not keep him waiting." Keith spoke, breaking the unbearable silence, which lay between the three men. He was the leader; he needed to be strong.
"He can rot, for all I care." Nate's eyes shone with an unhealthy light. "Why the hell didn't he just stay the way he was?"
"Stop being a coward." Keith put it bluntly, starting to get more than a little frustrated with his golden-eyed friend.
"I'm not a coward." Nate bit out between clenched teeth.
Zack wisely chose to say nothing, just stared longingly at the stairwell.
"Then stop running away!" Keith closed the gap between them and grabbed the other man by his shoulders, shaking him. "Haven't you ever wondered 'why me?' or 'what the hell happened?' You're afraid damn it! We're all afraid, we all want this over and done with, and the only way that is going to happen is if you grow a spine, and walk though that Damn door!"
Nate glared at him then slumped over defeated. "I just want my life back." He muttered.
"This is the only way that will happen" Keith said as calmly as he could pull his iron grip off Nate's shoulders. His hands would not stop trembling. As he stepped forward and opened the door that led to all the answers.
Jason jerked awake quickly, from the dream that had held him. He shivered at the haunting version of the future that had lain before him, the emptiness that had filled the city. It was too horrible to even contemplate doing nothing about. He heard the door suddenly swing open and looked to see the faces of the men intruding his domain.
Inside him, he felt the soul of Jadeite suddenly start; as he gazed at the men, he had shared a strong fraternal bond with in both of his two lifetimes.
Glowering at him almost resentfully stood the general of the South Nephrite, known in this life as Nate a.k.a. Nathaniel Stanton. His Chocolate brown hair fell in waves past his shoulders, and his normally brown eyes now held a deep golden hue.
In the centre of the trio stood Kunzite, Lord of the North. Keith Draper's hair was at least two shades lighter than it had been the last time he had seen him; almost the same shade that it had been in the Silver Millennium. However, the icy grey blue eyes were still unchanging, perceptive and alert, for a second Jason almost thought he saw fear within those cold grey depths, but knew that he must have been mistaken. (This was Kunzite after all, a.k.a. the world's only breathing piece of rock.)
Last of all was Zack Greene, his cousin in this lifetime; Zoicite the slightly annoying Ruler of the East in the past. Appearance wise, the only different thing about him was his hair, about a foot shorter than what it had been previously. Apparently, he had finally figured out how much his long reddish blonde hair had made him resemble a girl.
Memories filled him of each man. Smacking Zack with his bottle when they were two, Breaking Nate's telescope in sixth grade, running Keith over with his bike in junior high; Keith beating him into a bloody pulp as soon as he regained consciousness. Those were the days.
It felt like hours, as they just stopped and stared at each other. In fact, it had only been a few minutes, but Jason hated awkward silences, so he did the one thing that he had always done best.
"Zach, what have you done to your hair?" he swooned; doing his best to become the most annoying creature that the Universe had ever seen "Now, you'll never get a husband!" he stared mournfully at his cousin, whose face was getting redder and redder by the second. 'Perfect' he thought then turned to Nate and Keith.
"You two on the other hand" he said gesturing at the remaining two "Should have no problem at all. Nevertheless, you people should be wearing more pastel colours. A powder blue blouse would contrast gorgeously with your skin Keith." He looked admirably at his shocked friend, and then switched his attention to Nate who looked ready to kill somebody. "And you need to wear more pink my friend that black ensemble is sooooo out!"
Keith's left eye began to twitch, and Zack's face was as red as a cherry tomato. Nate on the other hand was muttering under his breath "Must not kill him. Must not kill him. Must not kill him. Must not kill ….ect."
"Seriously though, I shouldn't be the one giving you guys advice, I've been wearing the same hospital gown for 3 years now." He laughed nervously, trying to pretend that the three death glares he was receiving were directed at the wall behind him. He had realized just a little too late that this was definitely not the time for acting like an idiot.
"Tough crowd." He muttered, staring at his feet rather than meet the faces of his once trusted comrades. "You guys are about as much fun as three corpses."
"Speaking of corpses" Nate cleared his throat, seeming to have calmed down a bit. "Why the hell did you wake up?" more than a trace of anger was still evident in his tone of voice and the way that he held himself.
"Gather with the Lords of Earth and go to Japan. For that is where the final battle will occur to decide the future of Earth. Only then will you be free of your destiny." He whispered almost to himself, but loud enough so that they could all hear.
Time seemed almost to freeze, as the impact of his statement dawned on them.
Jason grinned grimly at them. "I don't know anything about any final battle, but I do know that I'm going to Japan. If nothing else, then to find answers to the questions that have been plaguing me ever since I first opened my eyes."
"And so it begins" she whispered, her deep red eyes glowing. "Destiny will be rewritten, Death overruled, and Discord will hold the Universe within her hands"