"What did you get?" Mars asked Mercury.

The latter typed on her computer and examined the findings. "Ace left traces of origin. If we put them together with the stronger traces I found in Minako's room, I'll be able to pinpoint his real location."
"And we can use teleportation?" Mars quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes."
Jupiter smiled – a particularly unfriendly look – and punched one fist into her other palm, "And then we can get rid of the lying jackass."
"Watch your language," someone ordered, and the three women turned. There stood Sailor Venus, proud and tall, her hair a mass of gold that seemed to reflect and create a shimmer about her – or maybe that was just the magic. Her feet were planted the width of her shoulders and her head was held high – regal.
Beautiful.
Behind her stood four men in full regalia, swords bared in hand.
"Let's get Psyche back," Mars agreed, a little breathless.
Shortly thereafter, all eight stood in the ballroom, summoning their powers and rushing to an unknown place. They arrived in a glossy black hall, lighted by dark candles on the walls. It was different from Minako's dream area, because there sound had been muffled and absorbed by the surroundings. Here things echoed and their shoes clicked as they moved toward a lighted double-door.
Inside the door was a high, dark room covered in soft animal skins and touched by the firelight in a great brick fireplace. A silvery-blonde child lay on her stomach on a bear rug in front of the hearth, looking through a picture-book. A man beside the child picked himself up and approached the group entering. He frowned darkly but didn't say anything.
"Give me Psyche," Venus stepped forward and demanded of the man. Kunzite put a hand on her left shoulder, uniting the two, but they were soon joined by the other six.
"We're not letting you face this alone," Mars murmured to Venus. Jadeite nodded silently, his hands slipping to Mars' waist.
The man was silent for a long moment before he spoke. "Look at that little girl," he murmured, gesturing to Psyche, the firelight dancing over her as she devoured her book. Her pale hair looked almost white in the dim light, though the fire brought out its golden undertones. "I'm not stealing her – I'm simply claiming what was always mine."
"She is not yours," Venus hissed, her calm breaking.
"How do you know?" He looked at her – infuriatingly rational.
"Because I never slept with you." She glared.
He simply smiled. "How do you know?" Venus was confused, still glaring. "I've visited you in your dreams every night for years now. How do you know that I didn't visit you when you were living in that little hovel of an earth town?" He glanced at Kunzite conspiratorially. "For that matter, how do we know that you didn't sleep with any of the men there? You're Venusian, after all, and it wouldn't be a crime. And there was that good-looking fellow that seemed so fond of you." Ace smiled wanly and looked at Kunzite. "Did you never consider that option? Or did you just take the little bitch's word for the truth?" Kunzite growled and shifted dangerously, but the man just glanced at Psyche again and suddenly his voice held such simple conviction that it left them all blinking in surprise. "No, I wouldn't if I were you."
Why hadn't they thought of this before? Minako runs away, sleeps with an earthling, has his child, blames it on Kunzite, and comes back to become leader again. Entirely irresponsible, if you thought about it.
"How could you do this to us, Minako?" Mercury was saying, tears running down her cheeks. "We trusted you."
"Ami," Venus replied, holding up her hands in a protective gesture. "I didn't–"
"Didn't what? Betray us? No, I think you've done enough of that already," Jupiter spat, disgust twisting her features.
Venus whirled, trying to find a friendly face, but everyone was looking at her with accusation – except that Kunzite wasn't looking at her at all. He had averted his face, as if ashamed of her. Venus touched his shoulders, scared. "Kunzite?"
"Don't talk to me," he snapped. "I think I've had enough of your treachery. All this time, and Psyche isn't even mine – I wish you had never come back. I can't believe I trusted you!"
"Kunzite," she whispered, eyes stricken. Then . . . her gaze slowly darkened and her brow furrowed. Looking at him strangely, she turned and faced Ace. "This is you."
"Why would you think that?" he asked, honestly confused.
Venus jumped at Ace, clawing at him with her nails and letting out a strangled cry of fury. "Give me my baby! Let us go! Let me go, let me go!" The last was in response to his harsh grip on her wrists. Tears were falling and she fell to her knees, head bent and wrists still in Ace's harsh, stunned grip. He stared at her for long moments as she sobbed, ignoring everyone else in the room but the golden creature at his feet, the beautiful woman that had once been his . . . Ace knelt and grasped her to him, his face in her hair and cheek against her wet one. She was soft and trembling from the emotion of her outburst.
"I loved you," he murmured into her hair, nothing in the room mattering but the two of them. Venus raised her tearstained face to his and looked into his gentle, sad eyes. "I've loved you since before you even knew me." Venus shook her head, but it didn't have the conviction of her earlier statements. "You betrayed me. How was I supposed to react? What was I supposed to think – feel?" "And you still believe that I betrayed you on purpose?" he gripped her arms and tears fell from his eyes. "I would kill myself before harming a hair on your head now." He touched her tenderly. "Please Minako, princess, darling, please come back to me." Venus looked at him, sad. "You're not the same man I knew. Even if you wouldn't harm me directly, you've hurt me terribly by putting my family through what you have." His voice raised to a hysterical pitch, "I had to get you back, and I only did it the way I knew how! Please, darling, don't judge me by what I've done here – it's only for you – always for you. Everything I do is for you!" He was gripping her so hard that it hurt, and his eyes were frantic. "Ace," she began, but he stood up and backed away from her, wild with the fear of what he'd seen in her eyes. Pity. "Please, Minako!" His voice was painful to listen to. "Please!" He was gasping for breath, and as his eyes landed on Psyche, Venus knew what he was going to do. She let out an ear-piercing shriek as he lunged for her daughter, producing a knife from somewhere and holding it to the child's throat, who had not been paying attention before. Now she was. "Mommy!" Psyche cried, eyes wide and scared. "Daddy!" she gasped when the blade pressed close to her delicate skin. "You will be my wife, Minako, and we will be a family! We will be happy!" He was deranged with fear, hands shaking so badly that Venus had an entirely different worry for her daughter's safety than Ace's intentions of harm. "Okay!" she cried. "Just put Psyche down!" She heard a stirring behind her, but didn't look. The room around them flickered and Venus realized what was happening. Ace was so distraught that he was losing his hold on everything. "Please, Ace!" she stood, speaking calmly and loudly. She moved slowly toward him and his breathing seemed to even out the closer she came. "Please. You don't have to do this. I'm yours – just let my daughter go." It was insanity – it was a lie – but it was the only way she could think of to get her daughter to safety. And to save her daughter, Venus would sell her soul and body to the devil himself, if needed. She held out her hand and for a long moment he just looked at it. Then he slowly dropped a sobbing Psyche to the floor and drew Venus into his arms. She didn't realize the tears still trickling down her cheeks until Ace was kissing her.
And then he was ripped from her by an act of sheer violence. A heavy fist connected with his jaw and Ace found himself sprawled on the floor. Kunzite stood above him, free from the spell that had held them all, white fire in his eyes. He bit out, "You will not touch my wife. You will not touch my child. And I shall rip your heart out and stuff it into your mouth if you ever try to do so again."
Venus gazed up at him from the ground, nose red and eyes puffy. "Kunzite?" she breathed, uncertain. He looked down at her and bent to sweep her up into his arms, kiss her, and hand her to Jupiter. Venus noticed that Nephrite was holding Psyche. "I'll be along in a minute after I'm finished here," he told the others, cracking his knuckles.
"Kunzite," Venus protested softly, worried. What if he got hurt? Kunzite turned to look at her and in that moment, Ace surged up behind him.
But as he did, a lance of fire arrowed through Ace's midsection and his body locked up in pain, stopping mid-lunge to fall to his hands and knees, gasping in pain.
Mars had always been a good shot.
Blood splattered from his lips and he gripped the ragged wound in his stomach. Kunzite swirled and Nephrite hid Psyche's eyes as the man drew his sword.
In one swift, downward stroke, it was over.