Chapter Eleven – Love in Transcription
Rei had been stunned in silence for almost a minute. It was the hollow void inside of her filling up that demanded her existence for the moments after hearing that the one she had come to love so fiercely was still alive. Her dreams seemed to have prepared her for this, but even dreams had little power over the scandal of real life. Suddenly, the world seemed benevolent in its mercy. Despite the fact that Yamito was not like any of the others, it was entirely too cruel to deny him the return that had come to the others. He deserved to be alive and she deserved to be with him. Now, it seemed as if Fate was returning to her the object of her suffering.
"Alive?" she whispered, her eyes still widened as if blinking could possibly rob her of the truth.
Usagi could barely contain her crying, for she had not seen such a look on Rei's face. It was as if the heavens themselves opened. There was nothing that could uplift the heart and release the spirit as uniting forlorn lovers, so Usagi felt a bond with her in that regard. Just moments ago, Rei had been celebrating with Usagi over the return of Mamoru. The sight of him returned, albeit silent in the confines of his bed, had turned Rei back towards the smiling child that had seemed to be lost during the recent tragedies. Usagi had been restored to her glory and her eyes were glowing once more with the light of the power that had endured a thousand years of dark ages. Love had come back to Usagi.
Their positions had now been reversed, as Usagi could barely contain the knowledge of Yamito's state within. The look upon Rei's face was something that only truly happened after times of sorrow and anguish. It was returning hope. It was the hope that the love she had fought so hard to find was stronger than mere death. It was the proof that even the darkest powers and the most devious designs didn't have the ability to deny love. It was, beyond all other things, the evidence that the human heart held the most powerful force that people could share – hope. In that hope, Rei was able to believe again. She was able to defy the darkness that had claimed her lover and remain as the pure child of Mars. It was hope that let her fall forward into Usagi's embrace and weep, clinging tightly to her princess and let loose the fear and doubt that had fed upon her.
Eve, in the meantime, was silently waiting away from the others. All great mothers were able to turn chaos into control in order to contribute to their offspring's future. As ironic as her creation was, she felt compelled to do everything she could to nurture the slumbering god within her. Anubis was vulnerable, just as she was. She needed protection and a guiding soul for her to embrace. Watching the scene before her, she quickly decided that this exceptional entity known as Yamito would be the answer to all of her problems. There was no better choice. Any person that could affect so much influence over the mighty Sailor senshi, not to mention of the Scion of his own people, was worthy of her love.
The expression over Eve's face became more and more venomous, for she was now going to betray all of the goodness given to her by the senshi in order to fulfill the one burning desire festering in her mind. On the outside, she was neutral and very sincere about her desire to stop her maddened general. However, on the inside she was turning white, void of any shade at all beside the one desire in her heart.
The Moon and Mars princesses continued to console one another even as the other senshi arrived to Mamoru's apartment. Usagi had contacted each senshi at the request of Eve, for Usagi was blinded at the moment at her sudden good fortune. It was the common enemy that united the different, but rarely did it ever provide stability. Each senshi arrived, adverse in the idea of even accepting Eve's presence. In reality, however, they all recognized the need to deal with Kage, though the one senshi that would find that idea the hardest challenge had yet to arrive. Each of them felt pity for the girl that had found a crusade in saving one of the most tragic figures any of them had ever known. With the story of Kage's madness and his dangerous instability, all of them individually decided that stopping Kage may mean hurting one of their own.
All became quiet as Makoto pushed open the door. They knew it would be her since all of the others had come already. The sun was just peeking up through the hazy East and the cold of the night air was crisp on the windows of Mamoru's apartment. The cold storm that had blown through earlier that night was just disappearing over the horizon, giving the sun a bleeding color through the haze. They had all expected her to arrive with much the same appearance, but they were all shocked as Makoto walked into the apartment a transfigured girl.
Despite the trend of her moping expression, Makoto appeared older and far freer than the day before. Her hair was the same, her clothes were the same, but her eyes were different. She wore an eloquent smile on her face, though the meaning it proclaimed was lost on all of the onlookers. In every gesture and movement, she claimed that something incredible had taken her and refused to let go. She was simply glowing. In one night, Makoto had become a woman.
"Everyone is here?" she said, closing the door quietly with an inquisitive expression. The others moved awkwardly in the room, for the situation was like no other. Eve was present. Rei had been crying. Mamoru was returned. Yet there was the ominous reminder that there were still things that needed to be resolved. One of those things threatened to destroy this new Kino Makoto.
"You are the one that causes the chaos in him," said Eve's voice from out of the crowd and Makoto finally realized she was there. It was surreal to hear the voice of your enemy from within the ranks of your loved ones, but Makoto was facing that reality all too quickly. Instantly, she was agitated and on edge, that beautiful sheen apparent on her now bristling along her skin like armor. Eve was the reason Kage had gone so far according to Makoto, so seeing her here made the Jupiter senshi very irate. Eve smiled darkly and stayed strategically on the other side of the room. "Had it not been for you, he would have been a very good puppy dog," she cooed, more or less to infuriate Makoto.
"What did you say! Kage is a person and because of you he's had to endure so much pain and suffering! Why are you here anyway? Probably so I can knock your…" Makoto began but was quickly cut off by Haruka, who held her back and looked to Eve with almost as much annoyance.
"Wait a moment. Although I disagree with her being here also, we do have a common problem," she said, looking back to Makoto in an effort to quell her rage. "We need to stop Kage and she is the only person who can take us to him."
Makoto almost felt betrayed, mostly because only hours earlier she had been laying in her bed with him, totally engrossed with the touch of him. She had lay for an eternity with her arms around his trembling body and found that beyond that feral appearance and ferocious eyes, there was a frightened little boy that had never been able to progress past the horror in his past. They had merged, him giving her a small piece of his torture and her giving him a sliver of hope. From that point, she was dedicated to him; devoted to the task of saving his tormented soul. It was the moment in her life where she understood that love was not the collection of words in a novel or the kiss on a television screen, but rather the devotion and perfect understanding two people felt for one another beyond any imperfect attempt to describe it. The love she had always sought was not something she could say in a thousand words, but rather the simple smile it brought on her lips when she merely thought about him. It was the ability to complete another person and be completed. That, she knew, was why she truly loved Yamamori Kage.
Suddenly, the room seemed full of enemies. It was a strange feeling, being so taken with someone that even those you held dearest could seem so wrong. Even with the obvious concern in Haruka's eyes, Makoto felt that the others only wanted to harm Kage. She knew how fragile he truly was and became defensive, pushing Haruka's hands away and flaring her chest out angrily. "None of you understand what Kage has been through. He's in pain because she turned him into some kind of monster! But I know now that he doesn't want to be this way! We can't help her destroy him!" she cried passionately, looking to Usagi for some support.
Usagi was surprised at this reaction from Makoto. Had it been different circumstances, she could have suspected the truth. However, too many things were going on for her to notice the truth and she simply smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Mako-chan. Eve will only help us get to Kage. After that, we can all remind him that he has people who care for him," she said. It seemed to calm Makoto down, but she still glared at Eve with no intention of accepting her. The entire room became lighter. Others quickly became more active in the matter at hand.
"If our intention is helping Kage, shouldn't we bring along Kurai-kun and Suteki-kun as well? They are his friends, after all," suggested Ami.
"That's right. They should be there when we get Yamito back too!" Usagi added with a cheerful smile to Rei.
While Rei smiled with uncontrollable laughter in her throat and the others also admired the merit, Eve was quickly formulating her plan. In order to succeed, she must not have any of the distractions that could cause her to lose her desired goal. To that effect, she chimed in with a charming tone that quickly grabbed everyone's attention. "I'm not sure if that is a good idea, my friends. My general is very unstable and providing two elements of the past that plagues him so could cause him to spin out of control. We must remind him of the present and the 'intimate' reasons for him to remain calm," she cooed, giving Makoto a glance as if a small bird on her shoulder had been speaking secrets to her.
Makoto flared once more, but Rei quickly diffused the situation when she rose and spoke, her eyes locked onto her Mamoru resting on his bed. "She's right. The others will be something that will agitate him. We must concentrate on keeping him in the now." Rei's eyes were still. Mamoru had returned and was only able to speak long enough to tell Usagi of Yamito's existence. For some reason, Eve was eager to help them regain control over Kage. Though it was obvious to her that Eve was in danger, there was also something else in her that was warning her about Eve.
However, much like Makoto, Rei was being controlled by her intense feelings and desires. More than anything, she wanted to see Yamito for real. If that meant trusting this vessel for Anubis, then Rei would take the risk. For her lover, anything was worth trying.
Turning to them, she said, "We need to move now. There is a person that Kage truly hates and that person is in great danger. We have to stop Kage before he hurts Yamito." With very stern eyes, she looked from Eve to Makoto, for the energy between their lovers was spectacular. Both girls looked at each in a new way, for love had taken them both and the lines of war snared all those nearby. It was the love they felt that put them at these bitter odds, though the bond of friendship and loyalty still remained taught in a sort of cruel game of their hearts. Though it was only Kage and Yamito that reined the hate, it was Makoto and Rei that truly felt the pull.
"Very well," Eve said, pulling her arms from around herself and gathering all of their attention in one point, "I shall take you to my palace so you may stop him. We will enter the chamber where the Scion of Mars slumbers, so that your hearts and souls may congregate about him and save this poor soulless creature that has run mad. And when you have saved your friend and revived the lost love of Mars, you may truly see me for what I really am." Eve raised her arms out as if to invite the embrace of all, though it was her eyes that revealed her true form. Her lips had spoken sweetly while her eyes were burning with ash.
Soon, she would remove all things loved by the Scion of Mars. The deaths would lie upon the one who despises him so. Then, Eve would use her trump card and avenge the deaths of Yamito's beloved few, thus securing herself in his graces. The humans born of Scion would also meet their end, leaving none but Eve to embrace him. Yamito would fall right into her arms, where she could hold him forever and afford the possession that would make her the wealthiest creature in the Universe.
She would own the only seraphim in existence.