Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, just the story. I will try to complete the
story as soon as possible.
© 2004
"Give me your sword." It wasn't a question, but a curt order. Rei avoided his eyes as she expectantly held out her hand for the object in question. After all, she was never one for pointless explanations or small talk.
The moon was bright that night, and he could easily see the landscape around him. However, the girl was a mystery. A shadow fell over her face, making it difficult for him to read her expression and thus heed her warning.
Nephlyte laughed softly and crossed his arms. "Funny. There for a moment, I thought you wished to confiscate my only means of protection." He gestured toward the temple behind her. "Shall we get started?"
Rei's temper blazed at his dismissal, but she continued to cloak the rage she was feeling. "You'll do as you're asked." With a slow breath, she calmed herself before she met his eyes. "It will be returned to your hand before the night is over."
One side of his mouth curved upward. "If I refuse?" The moment of silence that followed reverberated with the sound of crickets and the soft movement of the tree leaves as a cool night breeze lifted them.
"Then I will take it from you. This isn't a choice – it's a requirement." Rei did not even blink when he chucked the sword deep into the ground mere inches from her feet. Her annoyance increased when she tried to pull the sword from the ground and found she could not without a heaving effort. She left it in the ground.
The smirk on his face indicated that he'd noticed her difficulty. "Am I allowed to ask for the reasoning behind this…request, Sailor Mars? I daresay I am confused." He hesitated slightly before mentioning the very root of the tension between them. "I thought we would be performing this hypnosis with Lita here." His rich voice reeked with uncertainty and guilt.
"I think you've seen enough of Lita for one day," Rei snarled, biting back a stream of colorful insults. Her eyes rested on the sword in front of her, and her head ached from physical restraint. It was imperative that she retain what energy she could, but her swelling temper was becoming impossible to ignore.
Nephlyte remained silent for a moment. His thoughts zeroed in on his worries. Then, "So you have decided to keep our secret?" His smooth voice did nothing to soothe her surging anger. She found she could take no more.
Careful to sidestep Nephlyte's sword, she marched within an inch of him, jabbing her finger painfully into his chest as she spoke. "This is YOUR secret, jerk, and none other's! I only hold my tongue to spare the hearts of two vulnerable, innocent girls that proclaim to love your traitor's heart. If it were up to me, I would see your cheating carcass castrated and thrown into a pit of lions!" She shook out her hair and took another breath. Backing off, she spoke again, her voice lethally soft when she said, "You may think you have plenty of time to sort it out in your little mind, but you will tell them both the truth before the week is out."
He swallowed hard, torn between the need to tell Lita and Molly the truth and the overwhelming panic he felt at the thought. His eyes became angry. "Are you truly that loyal to your friends, Mars? Or are you just jealous that you aren't among the ranks?!" His eyes glittered in the firelight coming from the temple.
Rei did not sputter. "I certainly wouldn't admit it in public if I were! I would die of embarrassment if I had to say that I even thought I was in love with a brainwashed, Negaverse reject who plays with the hearts of young, innocent girls for a laugh." Nephlyte was left speechless for a moment. None of this was of his doing – not only was he to suffer the guilt and pain of such a secret, but he was to be tormented about it as well?
His eyes grew cold. "What could you possibly understand about what plagues me nightly? You understand nothing about me, nor my past!"
Their echoes resounded about the quiet place. "Are you kidding? Ever since I met you, Nephlyte, I've been having visions that terrify me." In her fury, she easily wrenched the blade from the ground and held it tightly. "Hurting women seems to be a habit you've perfected through the ages. I saw a princess drive a knife into her heart because you were too weak to-"
"She didn't die." His soft comment was uttered with pain.
"-withstand Beryl's brainwashing. And, furthermore-" She stopped suddenly as shock absorbed her body. She dropped the sword. "What did you say?"
He raked a shaky hand through his tangled hair, surprised that she had seen it, too. "She lived…four women revived her somehow."
Rei sat down on the ground, shivering in the chill of the night. Her head fell into her hands. "You saw them restore Sailor Jupiter, the princess's alter ego," she whispered through her fingers. "They needed her, her strength, and her allegiance. And an unbreakable bond tied her to them."
His need for answers became overwhelmingly urgent. "What happened to her afterwards? Did she die a lonely woman or did Beryl kill her?" He resisted the urge to impatiently shake the teenage girl. "What happened?!" Rei lifted her head from her hands, wet from her sudden tears. "…I don't know Nephlyte. That is why I need your sword tonight. I know that Lita is tied to the princess somehow, but scientifically, it makes no sense. But," she muttered, "lately, anything scientific cannot be included among possible explanations. I believe, Nephlyte, that all of the Senshi is connected to that time. I'm just not sure how."
He bent, clasped her hands, and pulled the girl to her feet. An overwhelming force only moments ago, she presently seemed so weak and faded. Gently he walked her to the blazing warmth of the temple and its holy fire. "Please tell my why you need my only weapon." He led her to sit on the floor and sat across from her. She stretched her chilled hands close to the fire and regained some of her strength. "Nephlyte, you are one of the strongest people I have ever placed under hypnosis. However, such an endeavor in ANY case is dangerous and requires constant monitoring. It will be necessary for me to plunge further into your past, Nephlyte, to seek the entire truth."
"I will help in any way I can, Sailor Mars."
She nodded, grateful for his cooperation. "If I go further into your mind, I will be so consumed that I will be unable to monitor you. However, I need you, or something important from your distant past, to open the gateway to visions that are necessary for answers that we need. In this case, instead of probing your mind, I will probe your weapon – an object that seems to be part of your past before Beryl and has surely been with you through many times. I won't have to monitor your weapon, as it is an unfeeling, stable object, and will have the freedom to probe as deeply as I would like."
He nodded. "You're saying that my weapon, probably being a large part of my past, will have memories imprinted within it that are similar to and as strong as my own memories?"
Rei smiled slightly. "Yeah, something like that. To have you here would only be a distraction. I will need you to leave, but rest easily – Sailor Moon will guard you until I return your weapon." Nephlyte shivered slightly, imagining the irritation he would soon endure. Simply being in the presence of Sailor Moon, or Serena as she called herself, annoyed him. "I don't think," he said, turning away from the girl and the temple, "that I will need a babysitter. Please don't impose on my pride further by suggesting that I cannot protect myself. Station Sailor Moon at Molly's home, somewhere that she can be more useful."
She watched him walk into the night, hands in his pockets. Although she fought it, she felt a slight twinge of respect for the…Negaverse reject as she had called him. That wasn't true though…he knew it as well as she. He had simply been a prisoner of the Negaverse for a very long time. Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she focused her attention to the heavy sword she now held in her hands. The hilt of the sword was two-toned, a textured silver and gold design that enabled its master to maintain an expert grip on the sword while in battle. Its edges were dangerously sharp, and she was careful to inspect it without causing injury to herself. She frowned in disbelief as she noticed the utter perfection of the sword. It appeared to have been made mere days ago, not a scratch to mar any visible surface. Rei closed her eyes and gauged its ability to become a spiritual conduit necessary for her purposes.
Ancient energy flowed from the sword and it seemed to swirl around her in warm waves. Minutes, perhaps hours passed, as she held the object, gathering fragments of an ancient world. She slowed the cyclone of images and was able to gather basic information simply from focused concentration. She reverently placed the sword on a silk cloth beside of her. From her pocket, she extracted a small recording device and pressed a button. Speaking quickly and excitedly, Rei began to record her initial findings. "It seems that Nephlyte was a high-ranking general, perhaps a ruler in his own right. He was governed by a superior, a high king of sorts. Three other men hold the title that Nephlyte holds, all of them pledging allegiance to the high king. The year is too far back to trace…it seems that Lord Nephlyte comes from a period beyond the recorded history of Earth. Perhaps Amy can check that out."
She took a short breath and gazed into the fire. "The men seem to possess supernatural abilities…I'm not certain what type or to what degree. They are warriors, but their faces are quite unclear and at this point, I know nothing more of them except for the fact that they are close relations…or devoted friends to Nephlyte. I am preparing to undergo a full-fledged hypnotic analysis of the sword." She stopped the tape and placed the recorder into her pocket. She returned the sword to her lap and closed her eyes.
Rei's chants whispered through the room as she began to fade into the swirling blackness of hypnosis. And she fell.
She was lying on her back, her eyes closed and her body felt slightly weak. Her eyelids opened on their own accord, and she found herself peering up into a covering of dense tree leaves. Sunlight bounced aimlessly around her as the leaves swayed on their branches.
Rei lifted on her elbows and stared at the scene before her. It was like nothing her eyes had ever seen. She slowly stood up, and breathed in the musty, ancient scent of the forest. Around her, rays of the morning sun peeked through the autumn trees, creating playful shadows on the ground. The atmosphere was so very peaceful; she nearly expected to hear flute music in the air.
Circling around the enormous redwood trees were brick-like walkways, all connected to a main walkway the led deeper into the forest. She knelt down and examined the stones and found that they were made of the purest white marble. A faint mist lightly carpeted marble walkways, fading faintly as she stood up and lightheartedly kicked at it. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own, striding confidently down the main walkway that headed toward…well, she didn't know, only that it led deeper into the forest. Rei knew to expect something spectacular – strangely, her heart knew this place. She quickened her pace.
Suddenly, the forest began to brighten and a break in the trees revealed a light so bright that she shielded her eyes for a moment as she came into a clearing. The view of a picturesque white structure took her breath away. Tall towers and small windows with colorful stained glass filled her vision. Five flags swayed in the morning breeze near the entryway, marred only by the passing flutter of leaves that were helpless to escape the wind.
After her eyes got their fill of the enormous marble castle, Rei turned to the right where she heard the melodious bubbling of a nearby creek. The mists swirled about her as she made her way to the far side of the castle, and it wasn't until she heard the crunch of footsteps that she knew she wasn't alone.
A tall man stood twenty feet away from her, breathing in the chilly air and lifting his sparkling eyes to the sky. His thick blond hair rippled in the air currents, allowing sunrays to catch various strands and turn them into magical shades of gold. His chest strained the fabric of his uniform, allowing Rei to see nearly every contour of his muscular upper body.
A feeble sound escaped her lips as she walked to him, helpless to slow her pace, intent on going that direction until she found herself next to the blond. Rei knew that she could not touch him, and that he would not feel her presence, but as if in a trance, her hand reached to stroke his cheek. To her disappointment and assumption, it only met chilly air.
Jadeite. Her heart fluttered at the thought of his name and the certainty that it belonged to him. She breathed the words.
He did not stir but stared intently across the creek into the dense forest. His bangs fell carelessly into his face, but he made no move to brush them away. She had never felt anything so powerful in her life. Her chest hurt as she realized that her heart loved this man. Already weary, Rei placed her fingers on her temples and tried to stay focused. "Jadeite!" Rei jumped at the sound of a man's voice behind her. She noticed Jadeite's startled expression as well. Nephlyte strolled to the handsome man and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "What planet are you on, friend?"
The rich tones of Jadeite's voice sent shivers through her. "I am certain you could make an educated guess about the whereabouts of my mind." He didn't tear his gaze from the woods but chuckled.
Nephlyte lifted his eyes to the dawning sky. "Let's hope its not on the planet Jupiter…I'd have to fight you, Lord Jadeite."
"Unnecessary." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and finally turned to his friend. "Will you be sailing soon? Kunzite and Zoisite will leave for their homelands on the morrow, and I shall be departing within the week."
Nephlyte nodded his head. "Tomorrow as well. And then…I will make my journey to Jupiter."
A dark blond eyebrow rose slightly as Jadeite folded his arms across his chest. "Violence in the north has the king concerned…did you feel it, Nephlyte?"
Rei's trance nearly robbed her of intelligence, but she managed to force herself to listen to the conversation instead of mentally setting the beautiful curves of his lips to memory.
"Prince Darien is concerned about his father and the welfare of Earth, but war seems inevitable. Nothing, Jadeite, seems to deter evil from its mission…"
Jadeite's fierce gaze startled Rei for a moment. "We must protect them, Nephlyte. While our lovely warriors will protect their planets with all of their strength should Beryl choose to attack the planets of the Silver Alliance, they are still vulnerable. The Moon Kingdom is quite overly confident about the situation…and Earth will be easy pickings for such outer universal intruders." His concentrated features hardened further. "Her love is as strong as mine…and she will feel the need to protect us all. Your princess will be no different." He closed his eyes. "There is little hope in such times."
Jadeite turned in Rei's direction and seemed to notice her. His expression darkened with passion. The vision and its atmosphere had changed. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply, laying her down on silk covers that appeared at her back. The backdrop became a candlelit bedroom and she was in the body of a VERY lucky woman.
"Rei…" His breath was warm against her cheek.
He was a wonderful kisser, and it was an acute relief to finally be able to touch him. She kissed him back in the same impassioned manner, loosely noting that she had most certainly kissed this man before. He growled slightly as she lightly bit his lower lip, and as she threw her head back to give him access to her neck, she awoke with startling awareness.
Rei was sprawled out on the floor of her temple, the sword flung carelessly to her side. She sat up abruptly and reached for the weapon, surprised at the cold feel of the hilt. She had not been holding it for quite some time…since the change in memory. The sword had no longer served as her channel for memories – her own heart had. She briefly recalled Jadeite's warm kisses and knew that she, the Negaverse generals, and the other girls were all tied together with ancient bonds. With sharp awareness, she realized that Jadeite was dead to her in this world…and that she, Sailor Mars, had fought against him as his sworn enemy - a Senshi against a Negaverse general. Her heart was consumed with grief, and, like a fire burning through her, she screamed and cried for her loss. Rei thought she was dying, her chest hurt so badly.
And then it stopped. The passion and grief she felt for the general had simply left her body. With confusion, she remembered the attractive Negaverse general they had fought in the name of the Moon and felt nothing – save the frustrating knowledge that it had taken them so long to rid themselves of the nuisance.
She reached for the recording device, only to find that her palms bore long cuts from the sword she had clutched. She took the thick ribbon from her hair and wrapped it around one of her hands and continued with her task. Talking into the microphone was a difficult affair, given the conditions of her hands and the raspy quality of her voice. She was out of breath when she finished and sat in thoughtful silence for a moment.
Amy would be VERY interested in her findings…
Nephlyte's temper was impressive. The room around him seemed to quiver with reverence at the anger pouring out of his body. He sat on the floor of the mansion's bare solarium, – not a piece of furniture in the place - staring up at the stars. This had been THE room, the room that he had called upon the stars and argued with Zoisite. He squinted his eyes and thought he could hear the faint echoes of Zoisite's screeching laughter. With an angry hand he threw an empty glass into the marble floor beyond him. It shattered with a satisfying sound that drove Zoisite's laughter from his mind. His fist closed around a nearby bottle that he had propped up on the floor next to him and swiftly brought it to his lips.
In his Negaverse days, he would brood for days and not even Zoisite would go out of his way to provoke him. It was his youth and passion that spawned such a temper, Kunzite had once reported to an affronted Beryl, and fueled his equally impressive strength. She reconciled her offense at his abrupt nature when she realized its overwhelming benefits. In those early days, she had insisted that the incensed young general lead all battles and work it out of his system. He had killed so many that way… In the early light of dawn, drinking a Scottish whiskey that left a raw taste in his mouth, his past didn't bother him that much. It was the present that threatened to drive him mad. Nephlyte was getting rather intoxicated and he knew it. He chuckled softly and took another drink of the vile tasting alcohol. It would feel like hell later in the morning, but while he was passed out and deeply unconscious, he wouldn't think about his present situation.
He had shut them all out. Questions that Lita may have had after their awkward encounter with Rei remained unanswered. Numerous knocks at the door at varying intervals remained equally unanswered. After leaving his sword with Rei, he'd returned home and padlocked the door. While he didn't fear Zoisite, he did fear the inevitable – the truth. And so, he had brooded and drank for two days, but never once made a move for the door. Swallowing again, he resisted a shudder of disgust. More vile liquid, more numbness…thoughts…worries were starting to fade away.
He chuckled again. Nephlyte…
His head came up in a painfully abrupt jerk, as he tried to locate the sound of a new voice. Another vision…damn that Sailor Mars for opening his mind to this nonsense… Nephlyte…
A clear image flooded him. Startled, his head reeled, but the vision remained. Instead of an empty room, he stared into the eyes of yet another woman. Serenity. The bottle fell from his limp hand with a loud clank, but did not bust. What remained of the thin liquid leaked out of the bottle, and he could hear it rolling into the dark edges of the room. He closed his eyes and fell completely into the floor as a memory swamped him. The sun of a beautiful Lunarian day touched his face and the sight of the earth looming in the sky touched his heart. A slight breeze lifted his hair as he observed her. The pale fabric of her skirt trailed behind her as she ran to him. "Nephlyte!" His lips tingled as he held back a smile and it felt as if he watched a little sister.
Before he remembered to bow respectfully, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the cheek. Despite her friendly affection, her attention remained focused on the transporter behind him. He heard the soft, short breaths of her apparent exertions as she stepped away from him.
Her bright blue eyes narrowed as she continued to stare just beyond his shoulder. "You won't find him, Princess. Battles on Earth have captured Darien's complete attention." With an evident strain in his voice, he pulled a sealed envelope from his pocket and softly confided, "My homeland was attacked this week. Completely destroyed – not a life spared in the heart of the country. I've come to bring another request for a peace treaty with the Moon."
The girl's hand flew to her mouth, her distress over not seeing her beloved prince forgotten. "Nephlyte…your home…" He said nothing as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her eyes dimmed and her shimmering blond hair seemed to diminish somehow. Nephlyte could feel her pain for him powerfully in his chest. Her genuine sadness nearly caused him to break down at her feet and sob with grief at his loss.
She must have lost her bodyguards again, he thought as he tried to regain some control. When the Lunarian guards finally located their princess, they rushed to apprehend him. Still shaken, he only requested to speak with their queen. And later, he remained silent as Queen Serenity sadly denied Prince Darien's request once again, saying the alliance simply wouldn't hear of it. Her pale hand held out the tearstained – but still unsigned - documents for him to retrieve. In the end, the Silver Alliance had been correct – they couldn't trust him as Beryl had already planned to ruthlessly hunt down Darien's generals, attack, and brainwash them.
When she had succeeded, the Earth died.
Weeks later, in the final battle for the Moon, Beryl had ordered them to fight and kill. Amongst the bloodshed, she targeted Darien and the young Serenity, and in her jealousy, blasted them with enough force to kill an entire battalion. The combatants, from the Moon and Negaverse alike, were shaken from the battle by Princess Serenity's utter cries of anguish. He watched her die. And he had laughed.
Serenity… As it was, her fate was to become encircled by Queen Serenity's great silver light and reawaken in the distant future where she would be safe again. Still, he could remember her features, but more than that, he remembered her purity. The guileless and complete way that she loved those around her. That's what their prince had loved so much about her and what Queen Beryl had hated so much about her.
He had laughed at her pain.
His mind and body could take no more. As his solarium dimly interrupted his vision, he vomited. And then he rolled over and cried. He brought his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and cried until he was out of tears, breath, and emotion.
Amy had cried since Greg had left, that morning after the Senshi had recovered the yellow rainbow crystal. She sniffed, fighting the urge to blow her nose yet again and remember with devastation that she had fallen in love.
Fallen in love and had not even known it…until the moment he had gone. They wouldn't speak for at least a couple of weeks due to the complications with moving and, if she was able to talk with him, what could she possibly say? That she loved him and wished he could visit sometime so they could get a milkshake together? No way. Not when her heart longed to beg him to stay, share her first kiss with him, and go though the motions of a loving relationship. Her heart burned and she nearly choked on her grief. She had to think of something else. A knock at the door did the trick. She chose to ignore it and snuggled deep under the covers. She was quite startled when it swung open anyway. "Amy?" Serena walked boldly to the bed and pulled the comforter down until she could see her friend's weary eyes. She folded her arms around Amy as the others circled the bed to do the same. Their support was unbelievably therapeutic. After their initial meeting, when Amy had sobered up enough to get down to business and after Lita passed around the brownies that she had brought (everyone had one except for Serena – who claimed she'd had only two, but after a quick tally, it was discovered that she'd actually eaten four), Amy felt much better. Why had she ever avoided her friends?
Rei had successfully waited until all of the Senshi could gather to reveal what had happened. When she felt that the turf was much more solid, she explained to Luna and the girls her findings the night before. She then played her recording of notes, deliberately stopping short of her encounter with Jadeite.
"I attempted to sketch the castle in my vision, Amy, in case you were familiar with a similar structure. However, I'm convinced that this particular time period is before recorded history. I also sketched the design on the hilt of Nephlyte's sword and some of the designs on his uniform." She had made copies for the girls and Luna and proceeded to pass them out. "As some of you may recall, this is the same uniform that Nephlyte wore when he was fighting the two youmas with the faux Molly." Serena's blank stare required her to explain further. "The day that Jupiter exhausted her powers to the point of near death."
Serena snapped her fingers. "Oh, the day that Nephlyte carried her into the woods and healed her!" Rei and Lita exchanged uneasy glances. Before Serena could ask any uncomfortable questions, Rei finished her story with an effectively shocking revelation. "And, the strangest part of my vision was the second gentleman that I saw – the one that I thought myself to be in love with and the one I kissed." She waited a full ten seconds and took a deep breath – this was harder than she had expected it to be. "It was Jadeite."
"Eewwww!" Serena clapped a hand over her mouth at Rei's look of impatience. "I mean, he was always SO handsome, but his personality didn't add much to the mix did it?" She laughed nervously.
The other girls turned their attention toward Amy. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it was Jadeite you saw?"
"Yes. It was Jadeite that I LOVED."
Amy, feeling much more like herself, gazed at the image of the castle in front of her, and said nothing for a moment. Rei's sketch was quite good. "While it's clear that the markings of Nephlyte's uniform match those on one of the five flags at the entryway of the castle, it isn't clear whether or not Jadeite's uniform markings match one of the flags."
The girls caught Rei in a rare blush. "I didn't notice." She cleared her throat. "My entire focus was on the man himself."
Amy waved it away as unimportant. "My guess is that it did." She examined Rei's hands, which were healing quite nicely, threw back the covers, and walked to her computer. Within moments, she had booted the system up and had opened a file that contained a thorough set of notes. The girls were amazed at Amy's efforts.
Lita inched closer to the screen. "Wow! You have everything, Amy. Notes, possibilities, facts, transcripts from Rei's visions, a timeline of events. This is incredible."
"I wonder how she'll transcribe Rei and Jadeite's kiss?" Serena giggled. "Was it romantic, Rei…was he a good kisser?"
Rei put her hands on her hips indignantly. "I don't think that's any of your bus-"
"Come on, Rei," Serena placed her hands on her heart dramatically. "Please tell us."
When Rei noticed the other girls eyeing her eagerly, she answered. "Yes…YES he was a wonderful kisser. If I think about it intensely enough, I still want to swoon." Rei sat down on the carpet and hugged her knees to her. "It felt like I was home – like it was the most natural thing to do EVER."
Luna cleared her throat, Serena sighed, Amy teared up, and Lita shifted awkwardly. She knew what that felt like – and now, blessedly, Rei did too. It wasn't a usual crush, and she'd had plenty to know, but an all-consuming need that swirled to the tips of ones fingers and toes. Lita shook her head slightly, thinking it couldn't be healthy.
Rei interrupted their mixed reactions by declaring, "I'm going to consult the Great Fire tonight. I simply didn't have the energy to last night after my readings. And here are the remainder of my notes." She pressed a button on the cassette player.
At the mention of Zoisite's name, Lita asked that they stop the tape. "Rei, did Nephlyte say 'Zoisite'? As in Zoisite of the Negaverse?"
Amy snapped her fingers before Rei could answer. "Yes, that's it! Luna, what do you remember about the Silver Millennium?"
Luna briefly described the planets of the alliance, Queen Beryl's attack on earth, and then the fight for the moon. "I know that I was sent here to find the Moon Princess and that if the Negaverse came here to do the same, the Sailor Scouts would then be activated. And, clearly, you are needed. I truly don't have the details that we so desperately could use. My own memories are horribly faded and broken."
With a knowing smile, Amy began typing on her computer. After a few moments, she declared, "Queen Beryl, in that ancient battle with the earth must have won by brainwashing Earth's powerful rulers. Jadeite, Nephlyte, and, as we know now, Zoisite must have been among those rulers. And," Amy said, gesturing in Rei's direction, "from Rei's supernatural abilities and thorough notes, we can conclude that there is – or was - a fourth, Kunzite. Finally, Jadeite may have had a romantic ties with Sailor Mars of that time and Nephlyte romantic ties with Princess Jupiter."
As Amy summed up her findings, only Lita suspected the whole truth – that within each of them rested the hearts and souls of a Sailor Senshi and princess of her respective planet, the same person they were now only without their memories.
Luna digested the new information and revealed some of her own. "Expect a new scout, ladies. After Rei's experience, I am certain that a fifth is coming."
"My gosh, you're drunk!"
Serena stared at Nephlyte for a long moment, taking in the ragged details that had transformed his usually neat countenance into one that left dark circles under his hazy eyes, wrinkles in a stained button-up shirt, and tangles in his beautiful hair. He looked…off-center somehow, and if the slight scent of alcohol hadn't clued her in, his condition would have. The morning light was harsh on his melancholy features.
"Nothing like stating the obvious, Sailor Moon." His words had the bare hint of a slur, but he seemed able to move well enough as he tried to close the door before she could rush into his home and question him.
Sidestepping the door was easy enough, and she followed relentlessly behind him. They wound up going through the house until they met the back door. He didn't bother trying to swing it closed before she could go through it. For a moment, Serena had to shield her eyes against the lush green abundance that struck her eyes. A beautiful enclosed courtyard was spread out before her. She slowly stepped down from the porch as she took in the hundreds of overgrown rose bushes, the cobblestone walkway, soothing fountains, and an enormous gazebo that stood proudly in the middle of it all.
"This is paradise," she breathed, following him to the wooden structure and sitting down inside of it. Her hair swished as looked at her surroundings. "And I am-" she stopped short as she once again evaluated his condition. "And I am with you, and you are drunk!"
Nephlyte laughed softly and turned, refusing to look at the girl glaring at his back. "What is your problem? What would Molly think about this?" She stepped around him so that she could glare at his face, still disgusted by his behavior.
"Molly…hehehe…what would she think…what would she think…" Sitting down, he stared beyond the ancient-looking gazebo into the tangle of red, pink, and white roses. Serena gritted her teeth. Certainly a romantic spot for a couple, but an absurd spot for a drunken man to sit and enjoy the beauty of the morning. Nephlyte, the alcoholic? It didn't make sense. She could tell that he was roaring drunk and ready to pass out. "The lady you love? Remember her?" Serena sat down across from him and folded her arms over her chest. With some irony, she thought she sounded quite like her mother.
Nephlyte's distant gaze caught her attention. "The lady I love…Molly…or Lita…which one is it?" His hazy eyes locked on hers for a moment as if she could answer his bizarre question. He looked genuinely worried. "Which one is it?" He closed his eyes for a moment and whispered an inaudible name, seemingly answering his question.
She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach and understood much more than she wanted to. For a few furious moments she was silent as the situation dawned on her. How could he…how could Lita? When she stood up again, ready to tell him off, he unwittingly stood up as well. She slapped him hard instead, despite of his condition. His world rocked unsteadily as his cheek registered the sting and looked at her. For a moment, she was ready to slap him again and even poised her hand to do so. One for the cheater and one for his mistress…poor, poor, sweet Molly. Her heart was already bleeding for her. At that moment she felt such anger and it robbed her of clear thought. Serena stared angrily at him until a red welt emerged on his cheek. And then, as it had never failed to do so before, a wave of sympathy crashed through her fury, and she sighed deeply. She placed her hand over the angry mark and sent waves of healing energy through her fingers. When she removed her hand, the swelling was gone. Her hand flew to her mouth and she nearly cried at her hateful action. How could she claim to be the scout of love and justice if she used her strength in ANGER? Her blue eyes shone with unshed tears. Nephlyte looked at her face and after a moment smiled, his eyes focusing almost unnaturally. His direct gaze caught her attention and held it. "Serenity…" he whispered as his tanned fingers touched the side of her cheek. "My God…you're alive…all this time…"
She stood still, quite locked in his captive gaze.
Serenity…Serenity. Mentally, she rolled the name around in her memory, certain she had heard it before, but uncertain where or when. Nephlyte didn't appear drunk now, no, he appeared abnormally sober and focused. Nephlyte suddenly fell to one knee and pressed his fist to his heart. His mind burned with broken images from his past and although he couldn't make out a storyline from these random images, he finally remembered the revelation from two nights ago. And he certainly recalled everything that was Serenity, princess of the moon. Uncomfortable with the intensity of the prolonged gesture, Serena ordered him to stand up. He did so immediately. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
He began to laugh. The delicate princess had been reawakened in the form of a rude, clumsy, quite irritating teenager. However, despite these inconsistencies, her eyes were the same brilliant blue, her hair the same glorious blonde rolled up in those strange balls, and her heart the same pure, loving, wholesome force that enveloped those around her. He laughed so hard that his stomach muscles became tired and tears fell from his eyes. His masculine laughter echoed in the woods around them.
The attractive sound was wonderful to her ears, but through it all, an uneasy feeling crept into her mind. She recognized it immediately – Molly. She pointed a polished pink fingernail into his chest. "You're a slimeball." With that degrading statement, she spun on her heel (nearly falling, but quickly regaining her balance) and marched away, her long ponytails swinging behind her.
The cat's sleek white coat shimmered in the moonlight as it walked alongside a young girl. Its footsteps tapped the pavement in the dark as it walked, and no one would have guessed the two were carrying on a conversation.
Long blonde hair swished in the breeze as the girl walked casually toward her destination. "How will we find them, Artemis?"
The white cat took his time in answering. "When the Negaverse attempts another attack on one of the rainbow crystal carriers, you'll feel it. We'll meet them in battle." Artemis stopped for a moment, causing the girl to turn to him questioningly. "Remember, your role is now Sailor Venus, Mina. You are second-in-command only to Sailor Moon." He thought for a moment about Luna's newest information. "There is something going on that you should know about. Have you ever heard the name Zoisite?" The girl shook her head.
"What about Kunzite?"
For a split second, Mina's eyes refocused. In the next moment, she fainted.
Across town, in a magnificent garden bathed in moonlight, Nephlyte took Lita's hand and took a deep breath. "Lita…there's something I must tell you…"
© 2004
"Give me your sword." It wasn't a question, but a curt order. Rei avoided his eyes as she expectantly held out her hand for the object in question. After all, she was never one for pointless explanations or small talk.
The moon was bright that night, and he could easily see the landscape around him. However, the girl was a mystery. A shadow fell over her face, making it difficult for him to read her expression and thus heed her warning.
Nephlyte laughed softly and crossed his arms. "Funny. There for a moment, I thought you wished to confiscate my only means of protection." He gestured toward the temple behind her. "Shall we get started?"
Rei's temper blazed at his dismissal, but she continued to cloak the rage she was feeling. "You'll do as you're asked." With a slow breath, she calmed herself before she met his eyes. "It will be returned to your hand before the night is over."
One side of his mouth curved upward. "If I refuse?" The moment of silence that followed reverberated with the sound of crickets and the soft movement of the tree leaves as a cool night breeze lifted them.
"Then I will take it from you. This isn't a choice – it's a requirement." Rei did not even blink when he chucked the sword deep into the ground mere inches from her feet. Her annoyance increased when she tried to pull the sword from the ground and found she could not without a heaving effort. She left it in the ground.
The smirk on his face indicated that he'd noticed her difficulty. "Am I allowed to ask for the reasoning behind this…request, Sailor Mars? I daresay I am confused." He hesitated slightly before mentioning the very root of the tension between them. "I thought we would be performing this hypnosis with Lita here." His rich voice reeked with uncertainty and guilt.
"I think you've seen enough of Lita for one day," Rei snarled, biting back a stream of colorful insults. Her eyes rested on the sword in front of her, and her head ached from physical restraint. It was imperative that she retain what energy she could, but her swelling temper was becoming impossible to ignore.
Nephlyte remained silent for a moment. His thoughts zeroed in on his worries. Then, "So you have decided to keep our secret?" His smooth voice did nothing to soothe her surging anger. She found she could take no more.
Careful to sidestep Nephlyte's sword, she marched within an inch of him, jabbing her finger painfully into his chest as she spoke. "This is YOUR secret, jerk, and none other's! I only hold my tongue to spare the hearts of two vulnerable, innocent girls that proclaim to love your traitor's heart. If it were up to me, I would see your cheating carcass castrated and thrown into a pit of lions!" She shook out her hair and took another breath. Backing off, she spoke again, her voice lethally soft when she said, "You may think you have plenty of time to sort it out in your little mind, but you will tell them both the truth before the week is out."
He swallowed hard, torn between the need to tell Lita and Molly the truth and the overwhelming panic he felt at the thought. His eyes became angry. "Are you truly that loyal to your friends, Mars? Or are you just jealous that you aren't among the ranks?!" His eyes glittered in the firelight coming from the temple.
Rei did not sputter. "I certainly wouldn't admit it in public if I were! I would die of embarrassment if I had to say that I even thought I was in love with a brainwashed, Negaverse reject who plays with the hearts of young, innocent girls for a laugh." Nephlyte was left speechless for a moment. None of this was of his doing – not only was he to suffer the guilt and pain of such a secret, but he was to be tormented about it as well?
His eyes grew cold. "What could you possibly understand about what plagues me nightly? You understand nothing about me, nor my past!"
Their echoes resounded about the quiet place. "Are you kidding? Ever since I met you, Nephlyte, I've been having visions that terrify me." In her fury, she easily wrenched the blade from the ground and held it tightly. "Hurting women seems to be a habit you've perfected through the ages. I saw a princess drive a knife into her heart because you were too weak to-"
"She didn't die." His soft comment was uttered with pain.
"-withstand Beryl's brainwashing. And, furthermore-" She stopped suddenly as shock absorbed her body. She dropped the sword. "What did you say?"
He raked a shaky hand through his tangled hair, surprised that she had seen it, too. "She lived…four women revived her somehow."
Rei sat down on the ground, shivering in the chill of the night. Her head fell into her hands. "You saw them restore Sailor Jupiter, the princess's alter ego," she whispered through her fingers. "They needed her, her strength, and her allegiance. And an unbreakable bond tied her to them."
His need for answers became overwhelmingly urgent. "What happened to her afterwards? Did she die a lonely woman or did Beryl kill her?" He resisted the urge to impatiently shake the teenage girl. "What happened?!" Rei lifted her head from her hands, wet from her sudden tears. "…I don't know Nephlyte. That is why I need your sword tonight. I know that Lita is tied to the princess somehow, but scientifically, it makes no sense. But," she muttered, "lately, anything scientific cannot be included among possible explanations. I believe, Nephlyte, that all of the Senshi is connected to that time. I'm just not sure how."
He bent, clasped her hands, and pulled the girl to her feet. An overwhelming force only moments ago, she presently seemed so weak and faded. Gently he walked her to the blazing warmth of the temple and its holy fire. "Please tell my why you need my only weapon." He led her to sit on the floor and sat across from her. She stretched her chilled hands close to the fire and regained some of her strength. "Nephlyte, you are one of the strongest people I have ever placed under hypnosis. However, such an endeavor in ANY case is dangerous and requires constant monitoring. It will be necessary for me to plunge further into your past, Nephlyte, to seek the entire truth."
"I will help in any way I can, Sailor Mars."
She nodded, grateful for his cooperation. "If I go further into your mind, I will be so consumed that I will be unable to monitor you. However, I need you, or something important from your distant past, to open the gateway to visions that are necessary for answers that we need. In this case, instead of probing your mind, I will probe your weapon – an object that seems to be part of your past before Beryl and has surely been with you through many times. I won't have to monitor your weapon, as it is an unfeeling, stable object, and will have the freedom to probe as deeply as I would like."
He nodded. "You're saying that my weapon, probably being a large part of my past, will have memories imprinted within it that are similar to and as strong as my own memories?"
Rei smiled slightly. "Yeah, something like that. To have you here would only be a distraction. I will need you to leave, but rest easily – Sailor Moon will guard you until I return your weapon." Nephlyte shivered slightly, imagining the irritation he would soon endure. Simply being in the presence of Sailor Moon, or Serena as she called herself, annoyed him. "I don't think," he said, turning away from the girl and the temple, "that I will need a babysitter. Please don't impose on my pride further by suggesting that I cannot protect myself. Station Sailor Moon at Molly's home, somewhere that she can be more useful."
She watched him walk into the night, hands in his pockets. Although she fought it, she felt a slight twinge of respect for the…Negaverse reject as she had called him. That wasn't true though…he knew it as well as she. He had simply been a prisoner of the Negaverse for a very long time. Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she focused her attention to the heavy sword she now held in her hands. The hilt of the sword was two-toned, a textured silver and gold design that enabled its master to maintain an expert grip on the sword while in battle. Its edges were dangerously sharp, and she was careful to inspect it without causing injury to herself. She frowned in disbelief as she noticed the utter perfection of the sword. It appeared to have been made mere days ago, not a scratch to mar any visible surface. Rei closed her eyes and gauged its ability to become a spiritual conduit necessary for her purposes.
Ancient energy flowed from the sword and it seemed to swirl around her in warm waves. Minutes, perhaps hours passed, as she held the object, gathering fragments of an ancient world. She slowed the cyclone of images and was able to gather basic information simply from focused concentration. She reverently placed the sword on a silk cloth beside of her. From her pocket, she extracted a small recording device and pressed a button. Speaking quickly and excitedly, Rei began to record her initial findings. "It seems that Nephlyte was a high-ranking general, perhaps a ruler in his own right. He was governed by a superior, a high king of sorts. Three other men hold the title that Nephlyte holds, all of them pledging allegiance to the high king. The year is too far back to trace…it seems that Lord Nephlyte comes from a period beyond the recorded history of Earth. Perhaps Amy can check that out."
She took a short breath and gazed into the fire. "The men seem to possess supernatural abilities…I'm not certain what type or to what degree. They are warriors, but their faces are quite unclear and at this point, I know nothing more of them except for the fact that they are close relations…or devoted friends to Nephlyte. I am preparing to undergo a full-fledged hypnotic analysis of the sword." She stopped the tape and placed the recorder into her pocket. She returned the sword to her lap and closed her eyes.
Rei's chants whispered through the room as she began to fade into the swirling blackness of hypnosis. And she fell.
She was lying on her back, her eyes closed and her body felt slightly weak. Her eyelids opened on their own accord, and she found herself peering up into a covering of dense tree leaves. Sunlight bounced aimlessly around her as the leaves swayed on their branches.
Rei lifted on her elbows and stared at the scene before her. It was like nothing her eyes had ever seen. She slowly stood up, and breathed in the musty, ancient scent of the forest. Around her, rays of the morning sun peeked through the autumn trees, creating playful shadows on the ground. The atmosphere was so very peaceful; she nearly expected to hear flute music in the air.
Circling around the enormous redwood trees were brick-like walkways, all connected to a main walkway the led deeper into the forest. She knelt down and examined the stones and found that they were made of the purest white marble. A faint mist lightly carpeted marble walkways, fading faintly as she stood up and lightheartedly kicked at it. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own, striding confidently down the main walkway that headed toward…well, she didn't know, only that it led deeper into the forest. Rei knew to expect something spectacular – strangely, her heart knew this place. She quickened her pace.
Suddenly, the forest began to brighten and a break in the trees revealed a light so bright that she shielded her eyes for a moment as she came into a clearing. The view of a picturesque white structure took her breath away. Tall towers and small windows with colorful stained glass filled her vision. Five flags swayed in the morning breeze near the entryway, marred only by the passing flutter of leaves that were helpless to escape the wind.
After her eyes got their fill of the enormous marble castle, Rei turned to the right where she heard the melodious bubbling of a nearby creek. The mists swirled about her as she made her way to the far side of the castle, and it wasn't until she heard the crunch of footsteps that she knew she wasn't alone.
A tall man stood twenty feet away from her, breathing in the chilly air and lifting his sparkling eyes to the sky. His thick blond hair rippled in the air currents, allowing sunrays to catch various strands and turn them into magical shades of gold. His chest strained the fabric of his uniform, allowing Rei to see nearly every contour of his muscular upper body.
A feeble sound escaped her lips as she walked to him, helpless to slow her pace, intent on going that direction until she found herself next to the blond. Rei knew that she could not touch him, and that he would not feel her presence, but as if in a trance, her hand reached to stroke his cheek. To her disappointment and assumption, it only met chilly air.
Jadeite. Her heart fluttered at the thought of his name and the certainty that it belonged to him. She breathed the words.
He did not stir but stared intently across the creek into the dense forest. His bangs fell carelessly into his face, but he made no move to brush them away. She had never felt anything so powerful in her life. Her chest hurt as she realized that her heart loved this man. Already weary, Rei placed her fingers on her temples and tried to stay focused. "Jadeite!" Rei jumped at the sound of a man's voice behind her. She noticed Jadeite's startled expression as well. Nephlyte strolled to the handsome man and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "What planet are you on, friend?"
The rich tones of Jadeite's voice sent shivers through her. "I am certain you could make an educated guess about the whereabouts of my mind." He didn't tear his gaze from the woods but chuckled.
Nephlyte lifted his eyes to the dawning sky. "Let's hope its not on the planet Jupiter…I'd have to fight you, Lord Jadeite."
"Unnecessary." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and finally turned to his friend. "Will you be sailing soon? Kunzite and Zoisite will leave for their homelands on the morrow, and I shall be departing within the week."
Nephlyte nodded his head. "Tomorrow as well. And then…I will make my journey to Jupiter."
A dark blond eyebrow rose slightly as Jadeite folded his arms across his chest. "Violence in the north has the king concerned…did you feel it, Nephlyte?"
Rei's trance nearly robbed her of intelligence, but she managed to force herself to listen to the conversation instead of mentally setting the beautiful curves of his lips to memory.
"Prince Darien is concerned about his father and the welfare of Earth, but war seems inevitable. Nothing, Jadeite, seems to deter evil from its mission…"
Jadeite's fierce gaze startled Rei for a moment. "We must protect them, Nephlyte. While our lovely warriors will protect their planets with all of their strength should Beryl choose to attack the planets of the Silver Alliance, they are still vulnerable. The Moon Kingdom is quite overly confident about the situation…and Earth will be easy pickings for such outer universal intruders." His concentrated features hardened further. "Her love is as strong as mine…and she will feel the need to protect us all. Your princess will be no different." He closed his eyes. "There is little hope in such times."
Jadeite turned in Rei's direction and seemed to notice her. His expression darkened with passion. The vision and its atmosphere had changed. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply, laying her down on silk covers that appeared at her back. The backdrop became a candlelit bedroom and she was in the body of a VERY lucky woman.
"Rei…" His breath was warm against her cheek.
He was a wonderful kisser, and it was an acute relief to finally be able to touch him. She kissed him back in the same impassioned manner, loosely noting that she had most certainly kissed this man before. He growled slightly as she lightly bit his lower lip, and as she threw her head back to give him access to her neck, she awoke with startling awareness.
Rei was sprawled out on the floor of her temple, the sword flung carelessly to her side. She sat up abruptly and reached for the weapon, surprised at the cold feel of the hilt. She had not been holding it for quite some time…since the change in memory. The sword had no longer served as her channel for memories – her own heart had. She briefly recalled Jadeite's warm kisses and knew that she, the Negaverse generals, and the other girls were all tied together with ancient bonds. With sharp awareness, she realized that Jadeite was dead to her in this world…and that she, Sailor Mars, had fought against him as his sworn enemy - a Senshi against a Negaverse general. Her heart was consumed with grief, and, like a fire burning through her, she screamed and cried for her loss. Rei thought she was dying, her chest hurt so badly.
And then it stopped. The passion and grief she felt for the general had simply left her body. With confusion, she remembered the attractive Negaverse general they had fought in the name of the Moon and felt nothing – save the frustrating knowledge that it had taken them so long to rid themselves of the nuisance.
She reached for the recording device, only to find that her palms bore long cuts from the sword she had clutched. She took the thick ribbon from her hair and wrapped it around one of her hands and continued with her task. Talking into the microphone was a difficult affair, given the conditions of her hands and the raspy quality of her voice. She was out of breath when she finished and sat in thoughtful silence for a moment.
Amy would be VERY interested in her findings…
Nephlyte's temper was impressive. The room around him seemed to quiver with reverence at the anger pouring out of his body. He sat on the floor of the mansion's bare solarium, – not a piece of furniture in the place - staring up at the stars. This had been THE room, the room that he had called upon the stars and argued with Zoisite. He squinted his eyes and thought he could hear the faint echoes of Zoisite's screeching laughter. With an angry hand he threw an empty glass into the marble floor beyond him. It shattered with a satisfying sound that drove Zoisite's laughter from his mind. His fist closed around a nearby bottle that he had propped up on the floor next to him and swiftly brought it to his lips.
In his Negaverse days, he would brood for days and not even Zoisite would go out of his way to provoke him. It was his youth and passion that spawned such a temper, Kunzite had once reported to an affronted Beryl, and fueled his equally impressive strength. She reconciled her offense at his abrupt nature when she realized its overwhelming benefits. In those early days, she had insisted that the incensed young general lead all battles and work it out of his system. He had killed so many that way… In the early light of dawn, drinking a Scottish whiskey that left a raw taste in his mouth, his past didn't bother him that much. It was the present that threatened to drive him mad. Nephlyte was getting rather intoxicated and he knew it. He chuckled softly and took another drink of the vile tasting alcohol. It would feel like hell later in the morning, but while he was passed out and deeply unconscious, he wouldn't think about his present situation.
He had shut them all out. Questions that Lita may have had after their awkward encounter with Rei remained unanswered. Numerous knocks at the door at varying intervals remained equally unanswered. After leaving his sword with Rei, he'd returned home and padlocked the door. While he didn't fear Zoisite, he did fear the inevitable – the truth. And so, he had brooded and drank for two days, but never once made a move for the door. Swallowing again, he resisted a shudder of disgust. More vile liquid, more numbness…thoughts…worries were starting to fade away.
He chuckled again. Nephlyte…
His head came up in a painfully abrupt jerk, as he tried to locate the sound of a new voice. Another vision…damn that Sailor Mars for opening his mind to this nonsense… Nephlyte…
A clear image flooded him. Startled, his head reeled, but the vision remained. Instead of an empty room, he stared into the eyes of yet another woman. Serenity. The bottle fell from his limp hand with a loud clank, but did not bust. What remained of the thin liquid leaked out of the bottle, and he could hear it rolling into the dark edges of the room. He closed his eyes and fell completely into the floor as a memory swamped him. The sun of a beautiful Lunarian day touched his face and the sight of the earth looming in the sky touched his heart. A slight breeze lifted his hair as he observed her. The pale fabric of her skirt trailed behind her as she ran to him. "Nephlyte!" His lips tingled as he held back a smile and it felt as if he watched a little sister.
Before he remembered to bow respectfully, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the cheek. Despite her friendly affection, her attention remained focused on the transporter behind him. He heard the soft, short breaths of her apparent exertions as she stepped away from him.
Her bright blue eyes narrowed as she continued to stare just beyond his shoulder. "You won't find him, Princess. Battles on Earth have captured Darien's complete attention." With an evident strain in his voice, he pulled a sealed envelope from his pocket and softly confided, "My homeland was attacked this week. Completely destroyed – not a life spared in the heart of the country. I've come to bring another request for a peace treaty with the Moon."
The girl's hand flew to her mouth, her distress over not seeing her beloved prince forgotten. "Nephlyte…your home…" He said nothing as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her eyes dimmed and her shimmering blond hair seemed to diminish somehow. Nephlyte could feel her pain for him powerfully in his chest. Her genuine sadness nearly caused him to break down at her feet and sob with grief at his loss.
She must have lost her bodyguards again, he thought as he tried to regain some control. When the Lunarian guards finally located their princess, they rushed to apprehend him. Still shaken, he only requested to speak with their queen. And later, he remained silent as Queen Serenity sadly denied Prince Darien's request once again, saying the alliance simply wouldn't hear of it. Her pale hand held out the tearstained – but still unsigned - documents for him to retrieve. In the end, the Silver Alliance had been correct – they couldn't trust him as Beryl had already planned to ruthlessly hunt down Darien's generals, attack, and brainwash them.
When she had succeeded, the Earth died.
Weeks later, in the final battle for the Moon, Beryl had ordered them to fight and kill. Amongst the bloodshed, she targeted Darien and the young Serenity, and in her jealousy, blasted them with enough force to kill an entire battalion. The combatants, from the Moon and Negaverse alike, were shaken from the battle by Princess Serenity's utter cries of anguish. He watched her die. And he had laughed.
Serenity… As it was, her fate was to become encircled by Queen Serenity's great silver light and reawaken in the distant future where she would be safe again. Still, he could remember her features, but more than that, he remembered her purity. The guileless and complete way that she loved those around her. That's what their prince had loved so much about her and what Queen Beryl had hated so much about her.
He had laughed at her pain.
His mind and body could take no more. As his solarium dimly interrupted his vision, he vomited. And then he rolled over and cried. He brought his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and cried until he was out of tears, breath, and emotion.
Amy had cried since Greg had left, that morning after the Senshi had recovered the yellow rainbow crystal. She sniffed, fighting the urge to blow her nose yet again and remember with devastation that she had fallen in love.
Fallen in love and had not even known it…until the moment he had gone. They wouldn't speak for at least a couple of weeks due to the complications with moving and, if she was able to talk with him, what could she possibly say? That she loved him and wished he could visit sometime so they could get a milkshake together? No way. Not when her heart longed to beg him to stay, share her first kiss with him, and go though the motions of a loving relationship. Her heart burned and she nearly choked on her grief. She had to think of something else. A knock at the door did the trick. She chose to ignore it and snuggled deep under the covers. She was quite startled when it swung open anyway. "Amy?" Serena walked boldly to the bed and pulled the comforter down until she could see her friend's weary eyes. She folded her arms around Amy as the others circled the bed to do the same. Their support was unbelievably therapeutic. After their initial meeting, when Amy had sobered up enough to get down to business and after Lita passed around the brownies that she had brought (everyone had one except for Serena – who claimed she'd had only two, but after a quick tally, it was discovered that she'd actually eaten four), Amy felt much better. Why had she ever avoided her friends?
Rei had successfully waited until all of the Senshi could gather to reveal what had happened. When she felt that the turf was much more solid, she explained to Luna and the girls her findings the night before. She then played her recording of notes, deliberately stopping short of her encounter with Jadeite.
"I attempted to sketch the castle in my vision, Amy, in case you were familiar with a similar structure. However, I'm convinced that this particular time period is before recorded history. I also sketched the design on the hilt of Nephlyte's sword and some of the designs on his uniform." She had made copies for the girls and Luna and proceeded to pass them out. "As some of you may recall, this is the same uniform that Nephlyte wore when he was fighting the two youmas with the faux Molly." Serena's blank stare required her to explain further. "The day that Jupiter exhausted her powers to the point of near death."
Serena snapped her fingers. "Oh, the day that Nephlyte carried her into the woods and healed her!" Rei and Lita exchanged uneasy glances. Before Serena could ask any uncomfortable questions, Rei finished her story with an effectively shocking revelation. "And, the strangest part of my vision was the second gentleman that I saw – the one that I thought myself to be in love with and the one I kissed." She waited a full ten seconds and took a deep breath – this was harder than she had expected it to be. "It was Jadeite."
"Eewwww!" Serena clapped a hand over her mouth at Rei's look of impatience. "I mean, he was always SO handsome, but his personality didn't add much to the mix did it?" She laughed nervously.
The other girls turned their attention toward Amy. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it was Jadeite you saw?"
"Yes. It was Jadeite that I LOVED."
Amy, feeling much more like herself, gazed at the image of the castle in front of her, and said nothing for a moment. Rei's sketch was quite good. "While it's clear that the markings of Nephlyte's uniform match those on one of the five flags at the entryway of the castle, it isn't clear whether or not Jadeite's uniform markings match one of the flags."
The girls caught Rei in a rare blush. "I didn't notice." She cleared her throat. "My entire focus was on the man himself."
Amy waved it away as unimportant. "My guess is that it did." She examined Rei's hands, which were healing quite nicely, threw back the covers, and walked to her computer. Within moments, she had booted the system up and had opened a file that contained a thorough set of notes. The girls were amazed at Amy's efforts.
Lita inched closer to the screen. "Wow! You have everything, Amy. Notes, possibilities, facts, transcripts from Rei's visions, a timeline of events. This is incredible."
"I wonder how she'll transcribe Rei and Jadeite's kiss?" Serena giggled. "Was it romantic, Rei…was he a good kisser?"
Rei put her hands on her hips indignantly. "I don't think that's any of your bus-"
"Come on, Rei," Serena placed her hands on her heart dramatically. "Please tell us."
When Rei noticed the other girls eyeing her eagerly, she answered. "Yes…YES he was a wonderful kisser. If I think about it intensely enough, I still want to swoon." Rei sat down on the carpet and hugged her knees to her. "It felt like I was home – like it was the most natural thing to do EVER."
Luna cleared her throat, Serena sighed, Amy teared up, and Lita shifted awkwardly. She knew what that felt like – and now, blessedly, Rei did too. It wasn't a usual crush, and she'd had plenty to know, but an all-consuming need that swirled to the tips of ones fingers and toes. Lita shook her head slightly, thinking it couldn't be healthy.
Rei interrupted their mixed reactions by declaring, "I'm going to consult the Great Fire tonight. I simply didn't have the energy to last night after my readings. And here are the remainder of my notes." She pressed a button on the cassette player.
At the mention of Zoisite's name, Lita asked that they stop the tape. "Rei, did Nephlyte say 'Zoisite'? As in Zoisite of the Negaverse?"
Amy snapped her fingers before Rei could answer. "Yes, that's it! Luna, what do you remember about the Silver Millennium?"
Luna briefly described the planets of the alliance, Queen Beryl's attack on earth, and then the fight for the moon. "I know that I was sent here to find the Moon Princess and that if the Negaverse came here to do the same, the Sailor Scouts would then be activated. And, clearly, you are needed. I truly don't have the details that we so desperately could use. My own memories are horribly faded and broken."
With a knowing smile, Amy began typing on her computer. After a few moments, she declared, "Queen Beryl, in that ancient battle with the earth must have won by brainwashing Earth's powerful rulers. Jadeite, Nephlyte, and, as we know now, Zoisite must have been among those rulers. And," Amy said, gesturing in Rei's direction, "from Rei's supernatural abilities and thorough notes, we can conclude that there is – or was - a fourth, Kunzite. Finally, Jadeite may have had a romantic ties with Sailor Mars of that time and Nephlyte romantic ties with Princess Jupiter."
As Amy summed up her findings, only Lita suspected the whole truth – that within each of them rested the hearts and souls of a Sailor Senshi and princess of her respective planet, the same person they were now only without their memories.
Luna digested the new information and revealed some of her own. "Expect a new scout, ladies. After Rei's experience, I am certain that a fifth is coming."
"My gosh, you're drunk!"
Serena stared at Nephlyte for a long moment, taking in the ragged details that had transformed his usually neat countenance into one that left dark circles under his hazy eyes, wrinkles in a stained button-up shirt, and tangles in his beautiful hair. He looked…off-center somehow, and if the slight scent of alcohol hadn't clued her in, his condition would have. The morning light was harsh on his melancholy features.
"Nothing like stating the obvious, Sailor Moon." His words had the bare hint of a slur, but he seemed able to move well enough as he tried to close the door before she could rush into his home and question him.
Sidestepping the door was easy enough, and she followed relentlessly behind him. They wound up going through the house until they met the back door. He didn't bother trying to swing it closed before she could go through it. For a moment, Serena had to shield her eyes against the lush green abundance that struck her eyes. A beautiful enclosed courtyard was spread out before her. She slowly stepped down from the porch as she took in the hundreds of overgrown rose bushes, the cobblestone walkway, soothing fountains, and an enormous gazebo that stood proudly in the middle of it all.
"This is paradise," she breathed, following him to the wooden structure and sitting down inside of it. Her hair swished as looked at her surroundings. "And I am-" she stopped short as she once again evaluated his condition. "And I am with you, and you are drunk!"
Nephlyte laughed softly and turned, refusing to look at the girl glaring at his back. "What is your problem? What would Molly think about this?" She stepped around him so that she could glare at his face, still disgusted by his behavior.
"Molly…hehehe…what would she think…what would she think…" Sitting down, he stared beyond the ancient-looking gazebo into the tangle of red, pink, and white roses. Serena gritted her teeth. Certainly a romantic spot for a couple, but an absurd spot for a drunken man to sit and enjoy the beauty of the morning. Nephlyte, the alcoholic? It didn't make sense. She could tell that he was roaring drunk and ready to pass out. "The lady you love? Remember her?" Serena sat down across from him and folded her arms over her chest. With some irony, she thought she sounded quite like her mother.
Nephlyte's distant gaze caught her attention. "The lady I love…Molly…or Lita…which one is it?" His hazy eyes locked on hers for a moment as if she could answer his bizarre question. He looked genuinely worried. "Which one is it?" He closed his eyes for a moment and whispered an inaudible name, seemingly answering his question.
She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach and understood much more than she wanted to. For a few furious moments she was silent as the situation dawned on her. How could he…how could Lita? When she stood up again, ready to tell him off, he unwittingly stood up as well. She slapped him hard instead, despite of his condition. His world rocked unsteadily as his cheek registered the sting and looked at her. For a moment, she was ready to slap him again and even poised her hand to do so. One for the cheater and one for his mistress…poor, poor, sweet Molly. Her heart was already bleeding for her. At that moment she felt such anger and it robbed her of clear thought. Serena stared angrily at him until a red welt emerged on his cheek. And then, as it had never failed to do so before, a wave of sympathy crashed through her fury, and she sighed deeply. She placed her hand over the angry mark and sent waves of healing energy through her fingers. When she removed her hand, the swelling was gone. Her hand flew to her mouth and she nearly cried at her hateful action. How could she claim to be the scout of love and justice if she used her strength in ANGER? Her blue eyes shone with unshed tears. Nephlyte looked at her face and after a moment smiled, his eyes focusing almost unnaturally. His direct gaze caught her attention and held it. "Serenity…" he whispered as his tanned fingers touched the side of her cheek. "My God…you're alive…all this time…"
She stood still, quite locked in his captive gaze.
Serenity…Serenity. Mentally, she rolled the name around in her memory, certain she had heard it before, but uncertain where or when. Nephlyte didn't appear drunk now, no, he appeared abnormally sober and focused. Nephlyte suddenly fell to one knee and pressed his fist to his heart. His mind burned with broken images from his past and although he couldn't make out a storyline from these random images, he finally remembered the revelation from two nights ago. And he certainly recalled everything that was Serenity, princess of the moon. Uncomfortable with the intensity of the prolonged gesture, Serena ordered him to stand up. He did so immediately. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
He began to laugh. The delicate princess had been reawakened in the form of a rude, clumsy, quite irritating teenager. However, despite these inconsistencies, her eyes were the same brilliant blue, her hair the same glorious blonde rolled up in those strange balls, and her heart the same pure, loving, wholesome force that enveloped those around her. He laughed so hard that his stomach muscles became tired and tears fell from his eyes. His masculine laughter echoed in the woods around them.
The attractive sound was wonderful to her ears, but through it all, an uneasy feeling crept into her mind. She recognized it immediately – Molly. She pointed a polished pink fingernail into his chest. "You're a slimeball." With that degrading statement, she spun on her heel (nearly falling, but quickly regaining her balance) and marched away, her long ponytails swinging behind her.
The cat's sleek white coat shimmered in the moonlight as it walked alongside a young girl. Its footsteps tapped the pavement in the dark as it walked, and no one would have guessed the two were carrying on a conversation.
Long blonde hair swished in the breeze as the girl walked casually toward her destination. "How will we find them, Artemis?"
The white cat took his time in answering. "When the Negaverse attempts another attack on one of the rainbow crystal carriers, you'll feel it. We'll meet them in battle." Artemis stopped for a moment, causing the girl to turn to him questioningly. "Remember, your role is now Sailor Venus, Mina. You are second-in-command only to Sailor Moon." He thought for a moment about Luna's newest information. "There is something going on that you should know about. Have you ever heard the name Zoisite?" The girl shook her head.
"What about Kunzite?"
For a split second, Mina's eyes refocused. In the next moment, she fainted.
Across town, in a magnificent garden bathed in moonlight, Nephlyte took Lita's hand and took a deep breath. "Lita…there's something I must tell you…"
