Jovian Chronicles: Book One

The Present: Chapter Six

Tanaka walked into the SeeD's ball that was held for the newly recruits that passed their final exam test. He was dressed in a nice pure black tuxedo with a dark blue vest that complimented his eyes and a black bow-tie. He left his hair down while he looked for the girl that had caught his eye over a week ago. Then he stopped when he saw the stunningly dressed girl talking with Headmaster Cid in a long strapless black dress that fit to her every curves until it reached an inch above the ground. Out poked her pointed black high heels. She had adorned her arms with black gloves that went to her elbows with a white band around the top and diamond jewelry.

Her long auburn-brown hair was pulled up while curls came from the French-twist to stop just before touching the skin on her neck. Makoto's green eyes shown brightly against her soft skin and she let out a laugh that made his eyes look towards her luscious pink lips. A hand slapped on his shoulder that made him turn to see Seifer standing next to him with a dazzled smile over his lips. He had decided to dress in a black pin-stripped tuxedo with a matching black vest and black tie. Tanaka watched as Seifer let his eyes look over Makoto's entire figure before letting our a low whistle.

"She is a beautiful girl but, that's what you expect out of any princess now-a-days," he said while giving a pat on Tanaka's back. Anger quickly rose in him but he quickly stopped before he used the dark energy he needed to finish the deed. Makoto caught the aura and looked around the room but her eyes stopped at the two men where she excused herself from Headmaster Cid's presence and walked toward them, catching looks with her long, graceful stride towards them both. Her attention went to Tanaka, whom she hadn't seen since he left on his mission and she gave him a warm hug.

"How was your mission?" she asked while pulling back to take a look at him then gave him a reassuring smile of his stunning looks. "You look wonderful tonight but be sure to leave a dance open for me."

Tanaka grinned and bowed before her while kissing her cloth-covered knuckles.

"I do my best to impress you. Lets dance right now so I may tell you of my travels," said Tanaka while giving a sly glare towards Seifer whom noted it. Makoto excused herself from Seifer's presence and was led to the dance floor by Tanaka where the two of them danced gracefully to the waltz. "It was a simple mission and did not take more than an hour to complete. All I had to do was catch bandits in the act of their crime and be sure to punish them. The items they had stolen were returned to the people and then I left back here to be sure to make it to the ball. I didn't want to miss a chance of seeing you in all your might...and I missed you terribly while I was gone."

A blush crept up to Makoto's cheeks while she gave him a smile for his flattery. Yes, he was using it in the right manner and it was getting him somewhere. For an odd reason she seemed connected to him as if a part of her had already been with him yet it was distant enough that feelings didn't come when she thought of herself with him. Instead, she just felt as if she had a crush on him at one point and it left quickly through the realization of him being close to her like that didn't feel right.

"Why would you miss someone like me?" she asked only to receive a smile.

"Who wouldn't miss a beautiful woman like yourself? You're different from other girls I have met before and there's nothing wrong with you being strong, it will turn you into a good ruler," said Tanaka only for Makoto to feel as if she heard the words before. (Yes, The Present: Chapter 4 paragraph 2 sentence 7 and I quote "There is nothing wrong with being a strong woman and that will make you a powerful ruler.")

"You are too kind," she said, her smile becoming weary as she tried to think about it. Then she noticed; his frame in black like that represented the outline of a man she saw in her dreams. The long hair helped to prove it but her mind was blocked from completely making the link and she wanted to cry out since she knew it was something important to her.

"Please come with me to the beach for a moment, there's something I would like to show you. It will only take a moment and you will be back to the ball in no time," said Tanaka. For some reason, she agreed but when he wasn't looking there was some kind of worry on her face. She noticed Seifer watching her as he became worried as well only for Makoto to smile, give him a wink, and then blow a kiss. It had been too noticeable for Seifer to just stay in the ball while that girl was being led away. If he wanted to, he could call her his girl since he had another vision of some activities they had in a cave. Quietly he followed with the hopes of not being seen by anyone else that would follow.

Tanaka lead Makoto to the beach with a smile over his lips while he saw her looking at the beauty that surrounded her. The moon was full, the water was sparkling, and there wasn't any wind but the night has graced them with warm. Makoto felt his arm go around her wait and smiled up at him only for him to take it as an invitation.

"Ma petite feuille douce de érable," said Tanaka in her ear softly before his hand moved her jaw up and his lips took hers. Tightly, he pushed her against him while he let the dark energy enter her through the kiss and everything came into realization as Makoto felt the pieces come together. The man she was married to was Tanaka in the past and the general that she fell in love with was...Seifer? Her feelings from the past swarmed her while she tried to pull away, all her love was felt towards Seifer and there was nothing that could change the way she would feel towards him.

But each time she pushed away, her body became weaker? Something was getting to her and she knew the exact energy that could only make her feel that way. Dark energy from the nega-verse. But still she tried to push him away and managed to get her mouth away enough to give out an exclamation of distress which Seifer took as an invitation to pull Tanaka from her. Tanaka glared at Seifer while Makoto sat in the sand, her body no longer wanting to hold her erect. A man appeared next to Tanaka and pushed him back.

"I will handle this," he said and threw dark energy suddenly at Seifer which made him crumble to the floor and his eyes close. Even though he looked to be passed out, his body just couldn't move. Instead, he could still hear but couldn't do anything to defend her, his princess.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she asked with a weak voice only for the man to let out a sigh.

"What do I want? Everyone wants something. You, princess, wanted to know your past and it seems you've found it. Tanaka wants you as his wife and I want Jupiter's life-crystal," said the man. Makoto glared at him while she sat there helpless.

"I won't let either of you have it without a fight," said Makoto with a glare. The man just laughed again while he hid behind the cloak, making her scowl once more. She felt as if she had met him before in the past but wasn't sure when. "Who are you?"

He knelt before her and smiled, then removed the cloak only for her to gasp. A past foe that she had defeated when she first became Sailor Jupiter and he was known as Nephrite, a dark general to Queen Beryl. His long chocolate-brown waves moved down his shoulders and his blue eyes pierced her. He had once been one of her suitors for when her and the other senshi went down to earth and tried his best to woo her but instead she turned him down since she was still mourning over the death of Tanaka. Nephrite grabbed her arm and pulled her up to her feet except to feel her fall to the ground.

"You did a good job using the dark energy Tanaka," he said and then look at him with a glare. "Too bad you used it all on her to where you can hardly defend yourself from my grasps. Jupiter's kingdom will belong to me along with the death and torture of the princess."

Tanaka glared.

"Backstabber!" Nephrite threw dark energy at him and let Makoto hit the ground while Seifer uncontrollably continued to let his anger rise over what he was hearing. Makoto let herself fall to the ground next to Seifer's ear and quickly whispered while the fight between Nephrite and Tanaka slowly started.

"I know you are only stunned by the nega-energy. In my room in the nightstand in a communicator and I want you to use it to call my friends from another time. Have them come here and help since they know what to do when it comes to defeating those that use the nega-verse," she said. Quickly, she looked up to see Tanaka fallen on the ground and Nephrite laughing. He turned to her and quickly picked her up with a large grin before disappearing.

Seifer felt shaky when he finally was able to move. He went to his feet and looked over to see Tanaka slowly moving to his feet with scrapes and bruising starting over his body. Tanaka looked up at Seifer as if his eyes had been opened to everything that went on. The past had been revealed and he thought it over at what happened while he looked at Seifer, the one that held Makoto's heart.

"I was stupid to trust him...I'm sorry," said Tanaka only for Seifer to give a nod while Tanaka took to his feet. "He took me to where he lives and I remember the way there. We should leave now instead of doing others things. Who knows what could happen to her by the time we call her friends..."

Seifer agreed and started to walk toward Balamb with Tanaka following beside him. It had been silent through the entire walk there and still when they silent when they entered the town. Tanaka ordered the tickets and they boarded the train while it quickly went into action since they were the last call. Seifer sighed while he sat there thinking about the girl. She finally had her memories and yet things would once again be ruined for her. The strength started returning to his body while he thought of what could be happening to her but quickly stopped since all that filled his mind was bad thoughts that angered him even worse.

"I had to leave her back then since she was only eleven when I married her. Our marriage wasn't allowed to be consummated until she reached sixteen and five years was too long to wait. Instead, I went out during the night so I could get it out of my system before I was going to attack her yet every time I looked at her she became more and more irresistible. At that time, she didn't know what she was doing by her looks, her growing chest, and talk. I was only going to be gone for two years and then come back but I knew her father wouldn't let me leave that long so I had to fake my death," said Tanaka. Seifer looked at him with a raised brow until to get some understanding out of it. Why was he telling him? Was there a point to it all?

"But, I feel into the grasps of evil as I did once again. Instead, it was promised that I could travel into the future quickly so I could claim her as mine but I had to perform a simple task. That was, to hand over the crown once I returned to the castle. Instead, I refused but I had already signed the contract and something took over my body. I'm not sure what it was but it had a big enough effect to change who I was and control me. But, what I did was a mistake and I apologize for it. I would rather hand her over to you than to anyone else General Seifer. You are a man of great honor and she needs someone like you," said Tanaka, his past-self speaking through him once again. Seifer smiled.

"Thank-you, it means a lot to me to know you are allowing us to be together," said Seifer. Tanaka gave a smile and leaned back knowing that he was content now that he had said what he should have said in the past instead of getting angry about it. He watched as Seifer longed for her safety as he did as well, hoping she would be alright. But those hopes were slipping since he had seen the basement that belonged to him where all sorts of devices were stored. Most of it was for killing and others were for slow torture and he could image while Nephrite would do to her after he go the crystal. Who knew how long it was going to take before he would get it but Tanaka knew she would be strong and protect her planet no matter what.

Seifer knew it would only take a half hour to get to their destination but who knew what could happen by then. His body ached and there was nothing else he could do except think about them being together while they were training and how she tricked him by using seduction to have him warm her up after training for so many long hours. But, this was what it had came down to; him saving her and hoping not to get hurt in the process.

AN: Well, here's nothing one. It's past AM and I've been lazy with this chapter since I was reading manga! Well, I wasn't able to put the links in the review as well...grrrrr-ness to that. Oh well. I'll get working for the next one after this. Thanks for reading! ;D