Rei looked at the blank landscape laid out before her and tried to steady
her erratic heartbeat. All around her snow lay, pristine, hiding the
secrets of this place. A cold wind howled through, raising the hairs on
the back of her neck with its eerie call.
She knew this place. It was the place her last vision had shown her. At first she had been to blind to focus on anything other than her anger at Jadeite. But the picture in her head hadn't gone away, not like the other visions had once she had told them to Serena. Every time she had closed her eyes it had been there, haunting her and teasing her until she had slowly began to notice the details of the vision. They were little things, hidden in the background behind the painful image of her old lovers face, but she had begun to finally notice them. It had taken her awhile to piece the clues together and even longer to believe that she was actually right. But it was hard to deny in the face of this place.
Jadeite was here. Somewhere in this place, trapped and...asleep. Or something like sleep. She didn't understand what had happened to him really but she figured that she could ask him when she found him.
She had a lot of things that she wanted to talk to him about.
Taking a deep breath of the frigid air, Rei took her first steps forward.
As she moved, it was like the wind itself fought her movement, pushing against her. The deep snow impeded her further and she cursed the fact that the power of Mars hadn't given her tall boots like Sailor Moon. Then again, on Mars there had never been any need to deal with these kinds of barbaric conditions. Mars was a warm planet. Only a truly twisted personality would think that cold weather and snow was a good thing.
Slowly, step by frozen step, she fought her way forward and gradually she began to see a dark shape looming on the horizon. As she focused her attention on it she could make out the outlines of some sort of cave and she knew that was where she wanted to go. Knew with a certainty that defied all logic.
She approached the cave cautiously, wary of this entire place. It reeked of an old evil. If her guess was right and this was indeed one of Beryl's old fortresses then there was no telling what remained here, even after her defeat. If she was not careful she may find herself facing the remains of that evil legacy all by herself.
Once she entered the cave, the wind died suddenly. It was as if someone had flipped a switch and turned it off. The sudden loss caused her to stumble forward into the all-encompassing darkness of the cave. Every step echoed off of unseen walls as Rei groped her way farther forward.
Rei stopped and look back at where she had come from and was dismayed to realize that she could barely make out the cave entrance, even though she had gone only a few steps inside. She needed some sort of light to see by if she wanted to go any further.
Cupping her hands together, she called forth the fire that lived in her core as a warrior of Mars. Tapping into that inner fire, she called it forth into the world the way she did when fighting. But instead of grabbing on to the great roaring power of the fire and ripping it into this plane, this time she gently coaxed a small ball of fire to materialize in her hands.
She had never done anything like this before. When she opened her eyes to see the small fire burning in her hands she gasped, waiting for it to burn her hands. But the pain never came. The fire cheerfully danced in her hand, the warmth no more than pleasant. Actually, now that she noticed, she was no longer cold at all. And best of all, there was light. She could now see the tunnel around her and the path forward.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity of walking, Rei saw something instead of the cold rock walls. There was a light up ahead, still faint but growing stronger with every step forward that she took. And she saw something else. It took her awhile to figure out what it was that she was looking at. It wasn't until she was right up to it that she realized what it was.
Laying in front of her, encased in transparent black rock was Jadeite. Rei stared down at him, taking is every detail and comparing it to the picture in her head. They were the same, down to the last fall of eyelashes on his cheeks and the curve of his lips. Looking at him brought it all back - all the suppressed memories, all the pain and the joy, the love and the betrayal.
"Damn it!" Rei screamed, throwing the fire in her hands at the wall, as her anger demanded some form of outlet before she burst.
The fire hit the wall, but instead of disappearing, it grew till it was a column of flame blazing before her. Rei stared in shock at the fire, and felt the warmth of it, almost painful, on her skin.
"Rei, Princess of Mars, Priestess of the Fire, the time has come to choose." A voice said. It was not loud but there was something about it that filled the room with its authority, as if, even in a crowd this voice could whisper and all would still hear. It was the voice of the sacred fire that she had cared for all her life. But she had never heard it as clearly as she did right now.
"Choose?" Rei asked, bewildered.
"The man before you has been trapped there by his old mistress and the evil that was allowed to consume him soul. Denied the freedom of death, unlike his fellows, he has not been granted the Moon's mercy or the Silver Crystals gift of a new life. Now it is time for you to choose his fate." The Voice of the Fire stated.
"No." Rei shook her head in denial, "You can not make me this man's judge."
"Choose his fate." The Voice repeated.
"I..." Rei looked down at the face of the man placed into her hands and choked on the words she was going to say.
It would be so easy. All she had to do was choose. Any fate she wanted would be this man's. She could have him die, or simply be leave him forever trapped in this cave. But Pluto had said that they needed him to fight with them in the upcoming battle. She couldn't betray her princess. Not when the stakes were so high. Not when Serena was depending on her to come through. And a traitorous part of her whispered that there was a chance for a future between them. That they could be together once again like Ami and Zoicite seemed to have managed to do.
But what right did she have to determine this man's fate? She was no goddess to stand in judgment over man. What if she chose wrong? She was too emotional to be an impartial judge. Wasn't this illegal? Too many conflicting feeling were fighting each other in her head and heart. Anger and regret pounding at her in unending waves, washing away her ability to make any sort of decision.
Slowly she fell to her knees beside her lover. Suddenly it was all too much. The emotions broke through her carefully constructed walls to overwhelm her. This last choice was too much for her. She was sick of fighting, of being strong and wise and all that other stuff that people expected her to be as a priestess, as a scout. She couldn't do this anymore. Not and stay sane. She needed something...some sort of support.
Rei closed her eyes, trying to find some sort of inner peace, where she could think about her decision. Years of practice at meditation seemed to abandon her when she most needed the calm it offered. A single clear thought broke through the tangled mess.
I wish Serena were here.
Her Princess always seemed to be able to make these decisions. Even when everyone else doubted, Serena had always chosen the right path. Rei knew that the blonde would have been able to do the same here. But instead the choice had been put onto her shoulders. Her too emotional shoulders. But Serena always listened to her emotions. Maybe...maybe Rei shouldn't be trying to judge impartially. Maybe she should try what Serena did. Make her choice with her heart rather than her head.
And her heart had already decided what it wanted. Rei was surprised by how easy the answer was once she stopped thinking of all the maybes and what ifs. It was an answer that she had been looking for ever since she had remembered who she was.
The fire flared up, as if sensing that she was ready, "Choose."
Rei lifted her head proudly, "Free him of all that has bound him. From the spells and the prison so that he may choose his own fate once again. I will not choose his fate for him. Each must choose their own."
"So be it."
The fire flared up once again and shot straight at the place where Jadeite lay. For a moment the flames engulfed him. She could almost see the fire burning away the fetters that had bound him.
* * * * *
Mina raced ahead of the others towards the buildings that Zoicite had claimed held Malachite's readings. She knew that she must look like a mad woman, narrowly dodging the people crowded on the street. Behind her she could hear Zoicite and Darien following at her heels. They all knew that time was short. They had already lost precious hours narrowing down where exactly they were headed. Zoicite's computer readings were only able to give them a general direction at first. They were finally close enough though to be able to get a better reading.
"Where?" Mina gasped out, stopping as Zoicite looked down at his computer.
"There." Zoicite said, pointing straight in front of them at a tall building, reflecting the sun off of a thousand windows and shiny chrome doors.
"Right." Mina said, charging forward again.
As the trio ran forward, she glimpsed the startled look of the security at the front desk. Angry shouts followed them as they continued to the stairs.
"Up!" Zoicite yelled, running with his eyes glued to the screen, which was now making all sorts of interesting beeping noises.
Behind them, there were more angry shouts and the sounds of booted feet pounding up the stairs after them. Let them try and keep up, Mina thought with a smile, putting on an extra burst of speed. Darien ran at her side and she couldn't help grinning mischievously at him. He just shook his head in mock exasperation.
Not that he could really say anything. This was his plan after all. Run in, grab Malachite and get out and back to Serena as fast as possible. They could talk to Malachite while running. A simple smash and grab job. Hopefully the person they were stealing would be cooperative.
"Here!" Zoicite yelled and without breaking stride Mina turned and burst through the door out of the stairwell into a richly appointed hallway, full of men and women in business suits and carrying papers importantly back and forth from the different offices. The ones closest to the stairs turned in surprise to stare at the three strangers. Mina didn't even spare them a glance. They weren't who she was looking for.
"Left!" Mina took the turn and barely missed slamming into a young intern who muttered as Darien and Zoicite ran around him.
"There." Zoicite said, pointing at an office at the end of the hall.
A woman behind a desk barely had time to stand before Mina had hit the door. She ignored the secretary's indignant squeak.
And then, suddenly, she was in Malachite's presence. It was like someone had just thrown a cold bucket of water on her. Up until this moment she hadn't allowed herself to think about what it would be like to see him again.
He rose slowly, the picture of perfect control and calm as he regarded her. His platinum hair was pulled tightly back into a tight ponytail, leaving his face bare as he looked at her with a look that she remembered from the past. It was a look that he had used to have when she asked him to do something that he considered beneath his dignity - skeptical and indulgent. Something low in her stomach clenched as that look was turned on her again after all these years.
Behind her Darien had slammed the door shut and locked it, "We have to hurry."
"May I help you?" Malachite smooth voice washed over her, the Russian accent coming through as he spoke flawless Japanese.
"Mina, the window." Darien said pointing and she shook herself out of her stupor. Behind Malachite was a huge window and best of all, it looked over several rooftops. They could leave that way instead of risking the wrath of the secretary outside. Having a secretary of her own, Mina knew that there were few things as scary as that and would have preferred to face the security guards that were also undoubtedly also waiting outside for them or would be soon.
Zoicite ran forward and opened the window, glancing around, before announcing with satisfaction, "Easily done."
Mina stepped towards Malachite and grinned. This entire trip was making her feel like some sort of little kid, knowingly getting into trouble but still having a lot of fun. Seeing Malachite again only increased that. She had always enjoyed messing with the man's over abundant pride. It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed.
"Time to go." she said, still grinning.
"I think not." The older man said, still maintaining that perfect poise.
"Plan says we talk while we run." Darien said, grabbing the businessman by the arm and jumping out the window.
Mina and Zoicite followed, landing gracefully on the next roof. Malachite didn't get a chance to recover as Darien started running across the rooftop, dragging him along with him, Mina on one side and Zoicite on the other.
"Don't worry, we just want to talk to you." Mina said as they jumped to the next roof.
"Who...who are you people?" Malachite gasped out as they landed. He stumbled a step but Darien held on to him and he regained his footing.
"Complicated question." Darien muttered, continuing running. They had to get far enough away from the site of the kidnapping before they stopped to talk.
"Which we will be glad to answer." Mina said, bracing herself for another jump.
"Preferably on the ground though." Zoicite said, grinning at his old friend who was looking a little less than calm as he watched the ground flash by under his feet as they sailed through the air before landing on yet another rooftop.
Mina glanced at the sky and wondered how the others were doing and how much time they had left.
* * * * *
Lita glanced over the edge of the building at the people that were still surging around the building. The crowd seemed to have grown, held back by police barricades and the shield that Serena and Ami had constructed. Police in riot gear were testing the shield, looking for any way inside the building.
Serena watched her friend. Lita had been pacing, trying to get rid of some nervous energy. So far there had been no news from any of the others. Even Pluto was still absent but Serena had faith in the Guardian of Time. If she had promised to fight with them, then she would.
Nephrite walked over and whispered something to the brunette scout and Serena was glad that the pair was together. It seemed like every hour that they were together strengthened the bond between them. There were still rough patches to be overcome in the future but they would do it. She knew it.
Serena glanced up into the sky, still darkened by some magic and hoped that she would be around to see everything work out. She had been thinking about the future a lot over the last couple hours, and how the past affected the future. It seemed sometimes like her life was trapped in some sort of never ending cycle of fighting and pain, joy and love, sucking those around her into the cycle with her.
The silver crystal seemed to be the thing that held everything together. It was the thing that held them all to life and gave them the power to fight, but it was also what brought their enemies to them, those who desired its power without understanding what it truly was. The crystal wasn't just some tool to be used. It was like it was alive, with its own plans and thoughts and only helped those it chose to. The Generals rebirth was a perfect example. Serena knew that she had not done that. At the very most she had wished for the crystal to put everything back to the way it had been. But she had been too tired to think clearly enough to do anything about it. And yet the crystal had, seemingly on its own, brought not only her scouts but the generals as well back to life and gave them all new memories to replace those of fighting and Beryl and the Moon. The generals had gotten more false memories than the scouts but it had still been the same idea. And, from what she could tell by talking to Zoicite and Nephrite, the crystal hadn't stopped at just playing with their memories but had also given new and false memories to others to help them fit in to the world.
The thought scared her a little. If the crystal could do that, what else could it do? What was it going to do in the future? She knew that her mother had once been able to use it, drawing on more of its power than Serena could. But she had died before Serena had been able to learn the kind of control she had over it. Maybe someday she would unlock some of its secrets but she knew that it would be a gradual process and that there was no way she would ever learn them all. Too much had been lost when the Moon fell.
And now she was forced to use this weapon that she barely understood to fight against her own daughter who had come from the future to fight against her. Pluto had claimed that her daughter had been tricked and corrupted by magic but Serena couldn't help but wonder what had happened in the future. Maybe there was a good reason why her daughter wanted her dead. Maybe it wasn't all corruption. Maybe something had happened in the future that shouldn't have happened and it was all her fault.
Serena grimaced at herself. Thoughts like that were pointless. The future could be changed. If she had learned anything, nothing was truly impossible and she was going to make sure that she saved her daughter from whatever had gotten a hold of her.
* * * * *
AN: Hey all, once again, sorry it took me awhile to get this out to you. Mercurial kicked me and told me to write so you have her to thank. Hope you are all well and, if you're back in school like me, surviving the evil profs and over abundance of readings. Oh! And thenks to Bluejello for certain ideas for this story when I had been stumped. Without her I'd still be frowning at my computer screen, waiting for inspiration.
Kouriko - hee hee. I used to watch Sailor Moon as a kid. It was on before I went to school (which for my school meant 6am, a time slot in which a lot of stupidity can be found funny). I loved the fact that it had a more complex story line than any other cartoons I had seen. Now, as a college student desperatly clinging to my childhood (can you say Peter Pan sysndrom?) I started writing and fell in love with it all over again. It is always cool to hear that I am doing the old story credit.
lazzykane - I MISSED YOU!!! hee hee. I do occasionally notice when people drop off the face of the earth. Glad to see not only you, but your computer as well, are alive again.
dreams-of-julie - woo hoo! Don't you just love the suspense? Except of course when the stupid author doesn't write the next chapter in *forever* and just leads you dangling there...oh, wait...nevermind.
Usako4life - hee hee. Hey to you too. I love your reviews, they always make me smile. Well, I hope this answers some of those questions.
minimoon4me - I am getting to the final battle, probably starting in the next chapter. But, like most SM battles, it will be complicated and drawn out.
the caffiene fairy - I GOT A "SPIFFING"!!! Too cool. (I know, I know, easily made happy...)
crystal-cherry - this chapter is a bit longer than my norm. I know that they tend to be short, and I'll admit to not working too hard to make them longer. I usually set a goal of 5pgs on Word, and then find a nice place to end after that before I post. But I will see what I can do. Maybe increase that goal a bit.
blackunicorn - A lot of people have said they like the realism in this and I'm glad. I'm not a super nice person like Usagi/Serena in the anime and have a hard time thinking like that at times. I identify better with Rei and thus my version of SM had to have some harder edges to her. I'm just glad no one is trying to lynch me for this. ;)
S. L. Butterworth - hee hee. Thanks. I thought the last chapter would count as an x-mas gift to the people who read this. Hope your x-mas and holidays were fun!
Bluejello - hee hee. One, but she retracted it right away, thinking she was wrong. I was amused. Well, you will have to let me know what you think.
roswellachick - eating out of the palm of my hand, hmmm? *looks at her palm and finds a starburst* okay, you can can have a yellow one or an orange one, but my roommate ate all the pink ones. hee hee. I just wrote that and even I am not sure what I'm babbling about. Ah well...
Energeezer - Thank you. I am glad you did check back. I know that I sometimes take a bloody long time to update so I can understand giving up on me. And I am really glad that you have enjoyed the story thus far.
Kail Ceannai - I want to thank you for the critisism. Especially since you were able to tell me what it was you didn't like, which I know can sometimes be hard. I think I know what you didn't like in the last chapter, which I will admit was on the shorter side. There wasn't anything really happening either. Anyways, I can't promise anything but I will try and do better. Thanks again!
Phoeaix - Oh man, a DBZ marathon? Were you still sane at the end?
Miko633 - *hugs* Thanks for understanding on the Pluto thing. And you shouldn't doubt yourself. You were right. Jadite is exactly where you guessed.
Kitsune Moonstar Still not quite to the Jad/Rei confrontation yet. Or the Mina/Mal one either. But the next chapter should be fun. Well, if you like angst and fighting.
missaw - the fluff fans are always so easy to spot, their the ones giggling. Not that I'm a fluff fan...well, maybe a little...oh damn.
Adyen - okay...so much to say. I totally agree with you on the past/future time lines thing. But I am thinking that Rini so believes that SM needs to die that she is willing to die as well to accomplish it and isn't thinking about paradoxes. I will try to fix the timeline though when I am done screwing with it.
avalon - thanx! Hope this holds up to expectation.
Jedi Master Calriel - Congrats!!! You get a cookie!!! And this t-shirt that says 'I know waaaaay to much SM trivia'. You better watch out or I'll be e-mailing you next time I can't figure out what new hell I want to put my characters through.
happygolucky111 - Thank you. The praying is something that I think of when people are really in trouble and out of their depth. Appealing to something greater than yourself for help. And SM has always had this angel thing going on. Yea. Anyways. I'm babblig. I'll stop now.
Lil-PrincessK - Don't worry, there wasn't much of a hint in the chapters where Jadite was. Just in the old SM story.
BenRG - Hmmm...good point. Neph is a quiet one but Zoicite was with Mina. At least, I think so in the section you were talking about. Either way, I needed someone to have those ideas and all the others were busy. Basically, Neoh was the only one to volunteer when a desperate author called.
Chicken Stars - And Happy belated New Years to you!
ConstantElation - Ja? German? Or just sleep deprived? I know I am...
Jabba1 - sorry, I'll work on that fluff. I think some is needed to keep the poor characters sane, don't you? hee hee
She knew this place. It was the place her last vision had shown her. At first she had been to blind to focus on anything other than her anger at Jadeite. But the picture in her head hadn't gone away, not like the other visions had once she had told them to Serena. Every time she had closed her eyes it had been there, haunting her and teasing her until she had slowly began to notice the details of the vision. They were little things, hidden in the background behind the painful image of her old lovers face, but she had begun to finally notice them. It had taken her awhile to piece the clues together and even longer to believe that she was actually right. But it was hard to deny in the face of this place.
Jadeite was here. Somewhere in this place, trapped and...asleep. Or something like sleep. She didn't understand what had happened to him really but she figured that she could ask him when she found him.
She had a lot of things that she wanted to talk to him about.
Taking a deep breath of the frigid air, Rei took her first steps forward.
As she moved, it was like the wind itself fought her movement, pushing against her. The deep snow impeded her further and she cursed the fact that the power of Mars hadn't given her tall boots like Sailor Moon. Then again, on Mars there had never been any need to deal with these kinds of barbaric conditions. Mars was a warm planet. Only a truly twisted personality would think that cold weather and snow was a good thing.
Slowly, step by frozen step, she fought her way forward and gradually she began to see a dark shape looming on the horizon. As she focused her attention on it she could make out the outlines of some sort of cave and she knew that was where she wanted to go. Knew with a certainty that defied all logic.
She approached the cave cautiously, wary of this entire place. It reeked of an old evil. If her guess was right and this was indeed one of Beryl's old fortresses then there was no telling what remained here, even after her defeat. If she was not careful she may find herself facing the remains of that evil legacy all by herself.
Once she entered the cave, the wind died suddenly. It was as if someone had flipped a switch and turned it off. The sudden loss caused her to stumble forward into the all-encompassing darkness of the cave. Every step echoed off of unseen walls as Rei groped her way farther forward.
Rei stopped and look back at where she had come from and was dismayed to realize that she could barely make out the cave entrance, even though she had gone only a few steps inside. She needed some sort of light to see by if she wanted to go any further.
Cupping her hands together, she called forth the fire that lived in her core as a warrior of Mars. Tapping into that inner fire, she called it forth into the world the way she did when fighting. But instead of grabbing on to the great roaring power of the fire and ripping it into this plane, this time she gently coaxed a small ball of fire to materialize in her hands.
She had never done anything like this before. When she opened her eyes to see the small fire burning in her hands she gasped, waiting for it to burn her hands. But the pain never came. The fire cheerfully danced in her hand, the warmth no more than pleasant. Actually, now that she noticed, she was no longer cold at all. And best of all, there was light. She could now see the tunnel around her and the path forward.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity of walking, Rei saw something instead of the cold rock walls. There was a light up ahead, still faint but growing stronger with every step forward that she took. And she saw something else. It took her awhile to figure out what it was that she was looking at. It wasn't until she was right up to it that she realized what it was.
Laying in front of her, encased in transparent black rock was Jadeite. Rei stared down at him, taking is every detail and comparing it to the picture in her head. They were the same, down to the last fall of eyelashes on his cheeks and the curve of his lips. Looking at him brought it all back - all the suppressed memories, all the pain and the joy, the love and the betrayal.
"Damn it!" Rei screamed, throwing the fire in her hands at the wall, as her anger demanded some form of outlet before she burst.
The fire hit the wall, but instead of disappearing, it grew till it was a column of flame blazing before her. Rei stared in shock at the fire, and felt the warmth of it, almost painful, on her skin.
"Rei, Princess of Mars, Priestess of the Fire, the time has come to choose." A voice said. It was not loud but there was something about it that filled the room with its authority, as if, even in a crowd this voice could whisper and all would still hear. It was the voice of the sacred fire that she had cared for all her life. But she had never heard it as clearly as she did right now.
"Choose?" Rei asked, bewildered.
"The man before you has been trapped there by his old mistress and the evil that was allowed to consume him soul. Denied the freedom of death, unlike his fellows, he has not been granted the Moon's mercy or the Silver Crystals gift of a new life. Now it is time for you to choose his fate." The Voice of the Fire stated.
"No." Rei shook her head in denial, "You can not make me this man's judge."
"Choose his fate." The Voice repeated.
"I..." Rei looked down at the face of the man placed into her hands and choked on the words she was going to say.
It would be so easy. All she had to do was choose. Any fate she wanted would be this man's. She could have him die, or simply be leave him forever trapped in this cave. But Pluto had said that they needed him to fight with them in the upcoming battle. She couldn't betray her princess. Not when the stakes were so high. Not when Serena was depending on her to come through. And a traitorous part of her whispered that there was a chance for a future between them. That they could be together once again like Ami and Zoicite seemed to have managed to do.
But what right did she have to determine this man's fate? She was no goddess to stand in judgment over man. What if she chose wrong? She was too emotional to be an impartial judge. Wasn't this illegal? Too many conflicting feeling were fighting each other in her head and heart. Anger and regret pounding at her in unending waves, washing away her ability to make any sort of decision.
Slowly she fell to her knees beside her lover. Suddenly it was all too much. The emotions broke through her carefully constructed walls to overwhelm her. This last choice was too much for her. She was sick of fighting, of being strong and wise and all that other stuff that people expected her to be as a priestess, as a scout. She couldn't do this anymore. Not and stay sane. She needed something...some sort of support.
Rei closed her eyes, trying to find some sort of inner peace, where she could think about her decision. Years of practice at meditation seemed to abandon her when she most needed the calm it offered. A single clear thought broke through the tangled mess.
I wish Serena were here.
Her Princess always seemed to be able to make these decisions. Even when everyone else doubted, Serena had always chosen the right path. Rei knew that the blonde would have been able to do the same here. But instead the choice had been put onto her shoulders. Her too emotional shoulders. But Serena always listened to her emotions. Maybe...maybe Rei shouldn't be trying to judge impartially. Maybe she should try what Serena did. Make her choice with her heart rather than her head.
And her heart had already decided what it wanted. Rei was surprised by how easy the answer was once she stopped thinking of all the maybes and what ifs. It was an answer that she had been looking for ever since she had remembered who she was.
The fire flared up, as if sensing that she was ready, "Choose."
Rei lifted her head proudly, "Free him of all that has bound him. From the spells and the prison so that he may choose his own fate once again. I will not choose his fate for him. Each must choose their own."
"So be it."
The fire flared up once again and shot straight at the place where Jadeite lay. For a moment the flames engulfed him. She could almost see the fire burning away the fetters that had bound him.
* * * * *
Mina raced ahead of the others towards the buildings that Zoicite had claimed held Malachite's readings. She knew that she must look like a mad woman, narrowly dodging the people crowded on the street. Behind her she could hear Zoicite and Darien following at her heels. They all knew that time was short. They had already lost precious hours narrowing down where exactly they were headed. Zoicite's computer readings were only able to give them a general direction at first. They were finally close enough though to be able to get a better reading.
"Where?" Mina gasped out, stopping as Zoicite looked down at his computer.
"There." Zoicite said, pointing straight in front of them at a tall building, reflecting the sun off of a thousand windows and shiny chrome doors.
"Right." Mina said, charging forward again.
As the trio ran forward, she glimpsed the startled look of the security at the front desk. Angry shouts followed them as they continued to the stairs.
"Up!" Zoicite yelled, running with his eyes glued to the screen, which was now making all sorts of interesting beeping noises.
Behind them, there were more angry shouts and the sounds of booted feet pounding up the stairs after them. Let them try and keep up, Mina thought with a smile, putting on an extra burst of speed. Darien ran at her side and she couldn't help grinning mischievously at him. He just shook his head in mock exasperation.
Not that he could really say anything. This was his plan after all. Run in, grab Malachite and get out and back to Serena as fast as possible. They could talk to Malachite while running. A simple smash and grab job. Hopefully the person they were stealing would be cooperative.
"Here!" Zoicite yelled and without breaking stride Mina turned and burst through the door out of the stairwell into a richly appointed hallway, full of men and women in business suits and carrying papers importantly back and forth from the different offices. The ones closest to the stairs turned in surprise to stare at the three strangers. Mina didn't even spare them a glance. They weren't who she was looking for.
"Left!" Mina took the turn and barely missed slamming into a young intern who muttered as Darien and Zoicite ran around him.
"There." Zoicite said, pointing at an office at the end of the hall.
A woman behind a desk barely had time to stand before Mina had hit the door. She ignored the secretary's indignant squeak.
And then, suddenly, she was in Malachite's presence. It was like someone had just thrown a cold bucket of water on her. Up until this moment she hadn't allowed herself to think about what it would be like to see him again.
He rose slowly, the picture of perfect control and calm as he regarded her. His platinum hair was pulled tightly back into a tight ponytail, leaving his face bare as he looked at her with a look that she remembered from the past. It was a look that he had used to have when she asked him to do something that he considered beneath his dignity - skeptical and indulgent. Something low in her stomach clenched as that look was turned on her again after all these years.
Behind her Darien had slammed the door shut and locked it, "We have to hurry."
"May I help you?" Malachite smooth voice washed over her, the Russian accent coming through as he spoke flawless Japanese.
"Mina, the window." Darien said pointing and she shook herself out of her stupor. Behind Malachite was a huge window and best of all, it looked over several rooftops. They could leave that way instead of risking the wrath of the secretary outside. Having a secretary of her own, Mina knew that there were few things as scary as that and would have preferred to face the security guards that were also undoubtedly also waiting outside for them or would be soon.
Zoicite ran forward and opened the window, glancing around, before announcing with satisfaction, "Easily done."
Mina stepped towards Malachite and grinned. This entire trip was making her feel like some sort of little kid, knowingly getting into trouble but still having a lot of fun. Seeing Malachite again only increased that. She had always enjoyed messing with the man's over abundant pride. It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed.
"Time to go." she said, still grinning.
"I think not." The older man said, still maintaining that perfect poise.
"Plan says we talk while we run." Darien said, grabbing the businessman by the arm and jumping out the window.
Mina and Zoicite followed, landing gracefully on the next roof. Malachite didn't get a chance to recover as Darien started running across the rooftop, dragging him along with him, Mina on one side and Zoicite on the other.
"Don't worry, we just want to talk to you." Mina said as they jumped to the next roof.
"Who...who are you people?" Malachite gasped out as they landed. He stumbled a step but Darien held on to him and he regained his footing.
"Complicated question." Darien muttered, continuing running. They had to get far enough away from the site of the kidnapping before they stopped to talk.
"Which we will be glad to answer." Mina said, bracing herself for another jump.
"Preferably on the ground though." Zoicite said, grinning at his old friend who was looking a little less than calm as he watched the ground flash by under his feet as they sailed through the air before landing on yet another rooftop.
Mina glanced at the sky and wondered how the others were doing and how much time they had left.
* * * * *
Lita glanced over the edge of the building at the people that were still surging around the building. The crowd seemed to have grown, held back by police barricades and the shield that Serena and Ami had constructed. Police in riot gear were testing the shield, looking for any way inside the building.
Serena watched her friend. Lita had been pacing, trying to get rid of some nervous energy. So far there had been no news from any of the others. Even Pluto was still absent but Serena had faith in the Guardian of Time. If she had promised to fight with them, then she would.
Nephrite walked over and whispered something to the brunette scout and Serena was glad that the pair was together. It seemed like every hour that they were together strengthened the bond between them. There were still rough patches to be overcome in the future but they would do it. She knew it.
Serena glanced up into the sky, still darkened by some magic and hoped that she would be around to see everything work out. She had been thinking about the future a lot over the last couple hours, and how the past affected the future. It seemed sometimes like her life was trapped in some sort of never ending cycle of fighting and pain, joy and love, sucking those around her into the cycle with her.
The silver crystal seemed to be the thing that held everything together. It was the thing that held them all to life and gave them the power to fight, but it was also what brought their enemies to them, those who desired its power without understanding what it truly was. The crystal wasn't just some tool to be used. It was like it was alive, with its own plans and thoughts and only helped those it chose to. The Generals rebirth was a perfect example. Serena knew that she had not done that. At the very most she had wished for the crystal to put everything back to the way it had been. But she had been too tired to think clearly enough to do anything about it. And yet the crystal had, seemingly on its own, brought not only her scouts but the generals as well back to life and gave them all new memories to replace those of fighting and Beryl and the Moon. The generals had gotten more false memories than the scouts but it had still been the same idea. And, from what she could tell by talking to Zoicite and Nephrite, the crystal hadn't stopped at just playing with their memories but had also given new and false memories to others to help them fit in to the world.
The thought scared her a little. If the crystal could do that, what else could it do? What was it going to do in the future? She knew that her mother had once been able to use it, drawing on more of its power than Serena could. But she had died before Serena had been able to learn the kind of control she had over it. Maybe someday she would unlock some of its secrets but she knew that it would be a gradual process and that there was no way she would ever learn them all. Too much had been lost when the Moon fell.
And now she was forced to use this weapon that she barely understood to fight against her own daughter who had come from the future to fight against her. Pluto had claimed that her daughter had been tricked and corrupted by magic but Serena couldn't help but wonder what had happened in the future. Maybe there was a good reason why her daughter wanted her dead. Maybe it wasn't all corruption. Maybe something had happened in the future that shouldn't have happened and it was all her fault.
Serena grimaced at herself. Thoughts like that were pointless. The future could be changed. If she had learned anything, nothing was truly impossible and she was going to make sure that she saved her daughter from whatever had gotten a hold of her.
* * * * *
AN: Hey all, once again, sorry it took me awhile to get this out to you. Mercurial kicked me and told me to write so you have her to thank. Hope you are all well and, if you're back in school like me, surviving the evil profs and over abundance of readings. Oh! And thenks to Bluejello for certain ideas for this story when I had been stumped. Without her I'd still be frowning at my computer screen, waiting for inspiration.
Kouriko - hee hee. I used to watch Sailor Moon as a kid. It was on before I went to school (which for my school meant 6am, a time slot in which a lot of stupidity can be found funny). I loved the fact that it had a more complex story line than any other cartoons I had seen. Now, as a college student desperatly clinging to my childhood (can you say Peter Pan sysndrom?) I started writing and fell in love with it all over again. It is always cool to hear that I am doing the old story credit.
lazzykane - I MISSED YOU!!! hee hee. I do occasionally notice when people drop off the face of the earth. Glad to see not only you, but your computer as well, are alive again.
dreams-of-julie - woo hoo! Don't you just love the suspense? Except of course when the stupid author doesn't write the next chapter in *forever* and just leads you dangling there...oh, wait...nevermind.
Usako4life - hee hee. Hey to you too. I love your reviews, they always make me smile. Well, I hope this answers some of those questions.
minimoon4me - I am getting to the final battle, probably starting in the next chapter. But, like most SM battles, it will be complicated and drawn out.
the caffiene fairy - I GOT A "SPIFFING"!!! Too cool. (I know, I know, easily made happy...)
crystal-cherry - this chapter is a bit longer than my norm. I know that they tend to be short, and I'll admit to not working too hard to make them longer. I usually set a goal of 5pgs on Word, and then find a nice place to end after that before I post. But I will see what I can do. Maybe increase that goal a bit.
blackunicorn - A lot of people have said they like the realism in this and I'm glad. I'm not a super nice person like Usagi/Serena in the anime and have a hard time thinking like that at times. I identify better with Rei and thus my version of SM had to have some harder edges to her. I'm just glad no one is trying to lynch me for this. ;)
S. L. Butterworth - hee hee. Thanks. I thought the last chapter would count as an x-mas gift to the people who read this. Hope your x-mas and holidays were fun!
Bluejello - hee hee. One, but she retracted it right away, thinking she was wrong. I was amused. Well, you will have to let me know what you think.
roswellachick - eating out of the palm of my hand, hmmm? *looks at her palm and finds a starburst* okay, you can can have a yellow one or an orange one, but my roommate ate all the pink ones. hee hee. I just wrote that and even I am not sure what I'm babbling about. Ah well...
Energeezer - Thank you. I am glad you did check back. I know that I sometimes take a bloody long time to update so I can understand giving up on me. And I am really glad that you have enjoyed the story thus far.
Kail Ceannai - I want to thank you for the critisism. Especially since you were able to tell me what it was you didn't like, which I know can sometimes be hard. I think I know what you didn't like in the last chapter, which I will admit was on the shorter side. There wasn't anything really happening either. Anyways, I can't promise anything but I will try and do better. Thanks again!
Phoeaix - Oh man, a DBZ marathon? Were you still sane at the end?
Miko633 - *hugs* Thanks for understanding on the Pluto thing. And you shouldn't doubt yourself. You were right. Jadite is exactly where you guessed.
Kitsune Moonstar Still not quite to the Jad/Rei confrontation yet. Or the Mina/Mal one either. But the next chapter should be fun. Well, if you like angst and fighting.
missaw - the fluff fans are always so easy to spot, their the ones giggling. Not that I'm a fluff fan...well, maybe a little...oh damn.
Adyen - okay...so much to say. I totally agree with you on the past/future time lines thing. But I am thinking that Rini so believes that SM needs to die that she is willing to die as well to accomplish it and isn't thinking about paradoxes. I will try to fix the timeline though when I am done screwing with it.
avalon - thanx! Hope this holds up to expectation.
Jedi Master Calriel - Congrats!!! You get a cookie!!! And this t-shirt that says 'I know waaaaay to much SM trivia'. You better watch out or I'll be e-mailing you next time I can't figure out what new hell I want to put my characters through.
happygolucky111 - Thank you. The praying is something that I think of when people are really in trouble and out of their depth. Appealing to something greater than yourself for help. And SM has always had this angel thing going on. Yea. Anyways. I'm babblig. I'll stop now.
Lil-PrincessK - Don't worry, there wasn't much of a hint in the chapters where Jadite was. Just in the old SM story.
BenRG - Hmmm...good point. Neph is a quiet one but Zoicite was with Mina. At least, I think so in the section you were talking about. Either way, I needed someone to have those ideas and all the others were busy. Basically, Neoh was the only one to volunteer when a desperate author called.
Chicken Stars - And Happy belated New Years to you!
ConstantElation - Ja? German? Or just sleep deprived? I know I am...
Jabba1 - sorry, I'll work on that fluff. I think some is needed to keep the poor characters sane, don't you? hee hee