Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who deigned to review little old chapter 43! IssaLee (let's just say this isn't a good day for Nephrite) kuyaga (yeesh! Little harsh on poor Makoto! And you know, Haruka's house did just blow up…) Lysia Croft (I wanted it to be sad, so I guess I'm kind of glad you were sad) cardcaptor eternity (hold on! We'll get back to them! That part is really important) Elmedir (thanks for the encouragement), and aiisha (I tried to surpass your expectations :-P)
Blistering heat raced up and down her arms, her legs, her neck and face. But wherever his hands went burned hotter, until she could not understand how her nerves did not just melt down from the pleasure.
This is it, Sailor Mars mused dreamily. This is how my world ends, in flames and passion…in his arms.
Her fingers twined through his hair, his tongue traced the contours of her mouth, and she fell back onto the grass, dragging him with her.
This is how we end, Jadeite.
The roaring, freezing gale slammed into the buffer of fire. The flames quelled and shrank. Red twisted, forming a dome around the lovers as the black wind shrieked around them.
"Nani?" Jadeite shouted in alarm. "What is this?"
"The Abyss!" Mars screamed. "Something has happened!"
"Sweet Sol," he whispered. "Has it opened?"
A face reared up out of the dark, gaping holes for eyes, a billion teeth dripping with blood as it roared.
"REI!"
Jadeite threw himself on top of her, shielding her with his body.
"Gods help us!" he yelled.
She wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life.
Iie! This is not how I want to die! she cried inside. I won't be fodder for evil!
"Jadeite!" she shouted into his ear. "I can't die this way!"
He pulled back, his blue eyes sharp and determined. "Who says we are the ones who are going to die?"
Grinning, she grabbed him by the back of his neck and dragged him down for a brief kiss. The wind wailed, as though enraged by their love.
"Whatever could I have been thinking?"
"What exactly are we going to do?" Jadeite asked.
Rei shrugged. "What we can. Are you ready?"
"Wherever you go," he promised, "I will follow."
She closed her eyes, focusing again on the flames. "On the count of three, get ready to run!"
Jadeite rolled off her, gathering his legs underneath him. "Ready."
She fed her rage into the fire. "One!"
She fed her determination into the fire. "Two!"
She fed her passion into the fire. "Three!"
The flames reared up, directly into the horrifying face. It screamed as the fire seared it, a screech that threatened to shatter their bones.
Jadeite yanked Mars up, and took off running before her feet found the ground. She staggered, caught up, and held on to his hand as they plunged into ultimate night.
The fire leapt to shield its mistress. It set the ground ablaze before them, pushing the darkness back just enough for one stumbling step after another. The Abyss pressed in on all sides, but Jadeite's hold on her hand tightened, and she fueled the fire with the love coursing between their intertwined fingers.
"You cannot stop us!" Jadeite shouted. "Just give up!"
"YOU WILL BE THE ONES TO GIVE UP!"
"Apparently, it doesn't know us very well!" he laughed.
"THERE IS NOWHERE TO RUN, CHILDREN! WE ARE EVERYWHERE!"
"SHUT UP!" Jadeite shouted back.
"WE WILL NOT DIE FOR YOU!" Mars screamed.
The flames flared, growing brighter, from red to gold to blinding white. She turned and threw her arms around Jadeite, dragging his face down into her shoulder.
"DON'T LOOK!"
If this is how it ends, I want to be right here, with you.
She felt the heat of the flash, a nuclear furnace of power. Her tears evaporated before they hit her cheeks. Jadeite covered her head with his arms. She heard him praying against her ear.
"Gentle Lord of the Underworld, treat us with compassion."
The screams of the wind cut short. Silence lay across them, and a gentle, cool breeze.
She felt him lift his head, but could not bear to do the same.
"Is it beautiful?"
"Nani?"
"The afterlife. Is it beautiful?"
"Ano…it looks a lot like where we were two minutes ago, only about three meters away."
"HUH?"
Mars' head shot up from his shoulder, and she looked around in shock. Indeed, they stood in the middle of the street, not far from where they had finished their own battle. The only difference now was the large circle of burnt grass, the smaller trail leading to singed concrete, and the busted light of the streetlamp.
"Wha…How… I don't…"
"The Abyss hasn't opened!" Jadeite cried, throwing his arms around her. "Ow!"
"What's wrong?"
"I think you broke my wrist!"
Mars reached for his wounded arm, then gasped. "Iie!"
Jadeite spun to follow her eyes.
The wave of darkness had not been defeated, merely weakened. The black storm still raced off to the south, rippling over houses and through trees.
"Serenity protect us!" Mars moaned. "Come on!"
She seized his hand and they began to run again, this time chasing the evil.
"Minna!" Luna's voice shouted.
"Luna? What is it?" Ami answered.
"Setsuna's gone mad! She's gone after Usagi!"
"Nani? I'm on my way!"
"Minako! Rei! Makoto!" Luna cried "Where are you?"
"We have worse trouble!" Minako shouted. "Something escaped from the Abyss!"
"And it's headed south!" Mars added. "Straight towards Haruka and Michiru's—Kyah!"
A brilliant flash of turquoise lit the sky. Debris flew through the air in a deafening explosion. The ground shook hard enough to make Mars and Jadeite, two blocks away, stumble.
"Their house just blew up!" Mars screamed.
"Nani?" Minako yelped.
"Haruka and Michiru's house just blew up, and that darkness is going right over it! It's still going south!"
"That's the direction Setsuna went!" Luna wailed. "Goddess!"
"What do we do, Luna?" Ami asked.
After a long pause, Luna said grimly, "Go after the darkness."