Chapter Ten
Prison of Ice
She was warm, but the cold air against her cheek made her shiver. She fluttered her eyes open. As she sat up, she noticed a black jacket draped over her. She smiled as she glanced over at Tuxedo Samurai. He quietly sat next to the dying fire but glanced over when he noticed the Sailor staring at him.
Sailor Mars lazily opened her tired eyes. "You're better?"
Tuxedo Samurai smirked. "I'm a fast healer."
She scooted closer to the fire and handed the jacket back to Tuxedo Samurai. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He took the black jacket back and put it on. He gazed at the fire for a moment then looked back to Sailor Mars. "Is your ankle still sore?"
Sailor Mars nodded.
"Perhaps I can heal it. Let me see you ankle."
Sailor Mars shifted and stretched out her leg. Her foot rested on Tuxedo Samurai's lap, and he placed his hands on her leg. Blushing deeply, she glanced away from the masked warrior as his hands touched her bare leg. The small dark cave started to glow with a bright white light. Sailor Mars looked back over at Tuxedo Mask. The crescent moon on his forehead was glowing brightly and her leg was surrounded with light. The swelling reduced, and she was able to flex and bend her ankle again. Soon the white light stopped.
"It's better." Sailor Mars smiled in awe.
"Good. I'm glad." He smiled back.
"Well, I guess I should go." Sailor Mars continued to blush as she pulled away from Tuxedo Samurai's hands.
He blushed and removed his hands from her leg. "Sorry."
The Sailor of Fire stood up from the ground. She walked to the corner of the cave towards her backpack. The masked warrior stood up and looked over at the Sailor. "Yes, I should go too."
Sailor Mars grabbed her bag and threw it on. She walked over towards the masked warrior. "Well, I suppose this is goodbye until next time."
He nodded and glanced down for a moment. Then looking back up, he leaned in and placed a kiss on the Sailor of Fire's cheek. He backed away and looked into her eyes. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
He turned around and started to walk out, but he looked back and smiled just before leaving the cave. Sailor Mars smiled and waved as the dark warrior left. She stood there for a few moments. She shook her head and faintly laughed while heading for the exit.
Her arms ached from hanging above her head. She glanced up and the chains that bound her hands. She shifted to keep her bottom off the cold floor. Her legs ached from lying still for hours if not days. She hung her head low from lack of strength. She jerked her head up a few minutes later as whispers echoed in the ice cavern.
Soon, the door screeched open. Ami looked up. The two guards, grinning from ear to ear, walked over slowly and hovered over the prisoner. One of them unlocked the handcuffs while the other grabbed a hold of her arms. Once she was unlocked, the guards threw her into the floor. She was jerked back up and thrown against the wall. Her back crashed into the wall, but before falling forward, she was pinned against the wall by one of the guards. He crushed her against the wall with his body while his lips went to her neck.
Ami's hand came up and slapped the guard. He backed away for a moment, flabbergasted by the gesture, but shoved her back against the wall in anger. Her head smacked into the wall, and from already being weak, she started to go dizzy.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Ami screamed.
"SHUT UP!" The guard screamed back, placing his hands on her shoulders and shoved her into the wall again.
"What do you want with me? Leave me alone!"
The guard grabbed Ami's wrist to keep her from moving. He looked back toward the other guard. "Is anyone coming?"
"No," The other guard apathetically said. "What are you worried about, Zeolite? Beryl said we could do whatever we wanted with her."
Zeolite looked back toward Ami. "You're right." His sinister grin sent shivers up Ami's spine.
The other guard crossed his arms over his chest. "Hurry up, would you?"
"Don't worry! You'll get your chance after I'm done."
"No you won't!" Ami stomped her foot into Zeolite's foot then kneed him, hitting him in the leg. She punched him in the face, and starting running for the gate. The other guard jumped in her way. Getting into a defensive stance, she was ready to attack, but Zeolite grabbed her shoulders from behind and threw her backwards. The other guard quickly grabbed her from behind and grasped her arms tightly.
"Hurry up! Let's stop playing games!" The guard said.
Zeolite rubbed his sore jaw and approached with fury steaming from his breath. He angrily grabbed a hold of Ami's school uniform and tore it violently. "You're going to wish you were never born when I'm done with you!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Ami screamed. Frantically, she tried to back away from her attacker, but the other guard had pinned her tightly. The other guard pushed her down to the ground, keeping her arms above her head and still pinned. Zeolite towered above only staring at her with his cold eyes while removing his guard jacket.
Ami tried to squirm again but it was to no avail. Realizing what was happening, Ami tried to squirm harder and break free, but Zeolite quickly jumped on top of her to pin her with his weight. Tears instantly started to stream down the young girls face as a hand started wandering over her midriff.
"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! PLEASE! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Ami kept squirming and screaming. Zeolite quickly reached up and grabbed a handful of Ami's hair. He picked up her head and shoved it right back into the hard ground. Her thoughts jumbled into one big headache in an instant. She tried screaming again, but it was silenced by his lips. More fear seized her as he pulled his attention away. The jingling of the metal on his belt made her heart skip a beat. She screamed the names of her friends in her mind, but no matter how hard she thought of them, they were still dimensions apart. The tears were hot and heavy. She closed her eyes. There was no hope.
"What's going on here?" A voice barked.
"None of your business!" Zeolite hollered while stopping.
The other guard was staring forward towards the door. "Uh, Zeolite, you might…"
Before Zeolite could even look, he felt himself being lifted up off the ground. Soon his body flew through the air with impressive force and crashed into the wall. He hit the wall so hard that his head cracked against the wall, and he died from the impact.
The other guard let go of Ami and stood up trembling. "Please, Sire, we didn't mean you any disrespect. Queen Beryl said we could do whatever we please with her…" He was quickly silenced with a blade slashing across his chest. He however, was still alive, and would live if someone ever found him deep in the ice cavern prison, but chances of that were slim.
Through her cloudy teary eyes, Ami looked up. Towering above her, the dark blue haired man stood with his sword. He sheathed his sword then kneeled down. Ami soon felt an arm behind her neck and under her knees. He lifted the girl into his arms and walked out of the cell with her.
One by one the Sailor scouts passed around the dark red stone. It was the color of the finest rubies in the entire world.
"How's this supposed to help us?" Lita asked, examining the crystal closely while squinting one eye.
"I don't know." Raye shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe just having it in our possession will help?"
"Hmmm, I doubt it. Every time we find something new or we morph to a different level, it's quite a flashy show." Mina stroked the top of Artemis' head as he sat in her lap.
The Sailors nodded and agreed with Mina's statement.
Luna, who was batting the computer keys with her paws, searched for an answer but seemed to find none about using the Planet Crystals. "I don't know either. Ami's computer has nothing."
"Have you been able to lock in a location on Ami's whereabouts?" Artemis raised his head.
"No, I have no signal."
"Does that mean…" Serena trailed off.
Lita slammed her hands against the table. "If those Nega-scum hurt her in any way, I'll…I'll…" Tears started to run down her face.
Raye nodded solemnly while looking at Lita. "We all feel that way, but we can't get her back by just sitting here."
"What do you think we should do?" Serena asked.
Raye crossed her arms, slightly annoyed that the Sailor's leader wasn't making a plan, but proud because everyone looked to her for advice. "Well, I'm going to try and read the fire. Maybe I can get some answers there."
"Yeah, I suppose I should go home and arrange a time to go to Osaka and get my Planet Crystal," Mina said.
The Sailors agreed on a plan of action and spilt up from Raye's room. Mina and Lita went to work on travel plans while the two cats kept searching for files on the computer. Serena, of course, went home to take a nap.
Changing into her miko uniform, Raye glanced around her empty room while processing her thoughts from the day. She was completely exhausted—sleeping in a cave wasn't comfortable, but other thoughts brought her tired lips into a smile. Looking around the room, her eyes settled on the picture of Daita in his soccer uniform. She pondered at the picture for a few moments then thought back to the mysterious warrior. She shook her head from her childish thoughts. "I'm sure Tuxedo Samurai and I aren't like Darien and Serena at all." She looked back to the picture of Daita. "I just need to stop living in a fantasy world. Nobody lives happily ever after." She looked back over toward her bed. On the floor, her backpack rested. Remembering the other items, she walked over and pulled them out of her bag—the book and the doll. She gazed over the ratty doll for a few moments. She had never seen it before. She laid it on her pillow and turned her attention toward the book. Unwinding the piece of leather on it, she curiously opened the cover of the book. On the inside cover was a sketch of a cherry tree with branches stretching over the cover's blankness. On the bottom, in kanji, read Sakura Himura. Raye gasped. She quickly flipped through the pages that revealed art and many words of writing. It was her mother's diary.
She looked back towards the front cover. She read the date and quickly did the math in her head. This journal was almost 20 years old. Her mother was 18, just like her, when she wrote this journal. Quickly, Raye scanned through the pages.
Nov 18
Dear Diary,
I don't understand why father has to be so difficult. Why is he always trying to hire any girl that looks pretty?
Raye smirked as she read the line. "Same old grandpa."
It's really embarrassing. Anyway, I guess I'll just have to put up with the man. After all, I know he loves me.
Raye skipped ahead in the diary towards the end.
May 4
Dear Diary,
Am I doing the right thing? It's not the thing I want to do, but I really believe for the greater good it must be done. I can't believe this is happening. What misfortune has come upon our family? Being forced to unite with the Hino family or losing our beloved temple? I don't want to marry Ryo. I barely know him, and what I do know of him is terrible. But if I don't, Grandpa will lose the temple. This temple has been in our family too long. I can't let that happen. I will just do what is best for our family. If this is the way I can serve, then I will. It was on arranged marriage this temple was founded, and it will be on arranged married this temple will be saved. I will not let my family be disappointed. Perhaps somehow I can learn to love Ryo-san. I don't know if it's possible, but at least I know I did my duty.
Raye stopped reading the journal. Tears started to form in her eyes. She closed the book and wiped away her tears. She stuffed the journal under her pillow then picked up the small doll. It was sown out of a cloth material and stuffed with wool. It had a red dress and long black hair. It was small—it just fit in her hand. She stood up from the bed and walked out of her room with the doll.
He stormed angrily out of the courtroom. Azariah was praised for her efforts for defeating Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Samurai while he was scolded for his failure. It was one thing to fail, but to fail to Azariah, was another. As he charged down the long and dark hallways, the person he wished to see the least appeared in his path.
"Get out of my way!" Kaiba hissed.
She grinned, the same grin that made his skin crawl. "What's the matter, Kaiba? Sad that I got all the glory, and you didn't?"
"What glory? You didn't even kill them! You got lucky!"
Azariah crossed her arms. "The fact is they're dead all because of me—no matter if it was luck or not."
"Just get out of my way!" He charged past her.
"Kaiba!" Azariah laughed. "Come on! Why do you have to be so grumpy all the time?" She disappeared and reappeared in front of Kaiba.
Kaiba stopped himself to keep from crashing into the Fire General. "Would you leave me alone?"
Azariah wrapped her arms around the Ice General's neck. "You're tense. You want me to give you my…" She giggled just before kissing his earlobe.
"Get away from me!" He screamed, pushing the girl to the floor.
Surprised, she looked up at him rubbing her sore elbow from hitting the hard ground. "What was that for?"
"I told you to leave me alone!" Kaiba stormed off.
Azariah shook her head and stood up. Brushing off the dust from her clothing, she pondered deeply while staring off down the hallway where Kaiba disappeared. "He's never refused me this long before. Something is wrong."
The Ice General stormed into his room. Angrily, he punched into an ice stalagmite and shattered it into a million pieces. Any items in his way were quickly turned to pieces. In frustration, the warrior would frequently scream and grab his head. Falling onto his bed, he curled into a fetal position and kept screaming while holding his head. Soon screams became gasps for air as hot and heavy tears poured from his eyes.
She laid their silently hardly able to move, but constantly conscious of the pain of the Ice General. He had put her in the corner of the bedroom and left her there. The floor was cold and hard, and she was barely wearing anything but the tattered remains of her clothing. After a few minutes, the General grew quiet. She sneezed—the sound echoing through the room. It was an accident, she didn't mean to sneeze, and her worse fears came true when she heard footsteps coming closer. The Ice General had crawled off his bed and started walking towards her. Her heart started to pound as if it was going to leap out of her chest. Surely, she would die here if since she hasn't been killed yet by the Negaverse. Glancing up, she saw the General, with red puffy eyes, studying her with his eyes. He soon bent down and picked her up into his arms. Not knowing what else to do, she closed her eyes as if she fainted. One arm cradled her head while the other went under her knees. He took her into his arms and carried her across the room. The next she knew she was laid on a soft and warm surface. It was the bed.
"Oh, gods, no!" She mentally screamed. She faintly opened one eye when she heard his footsteps move away. His back was turned while he dug around in a set of drawers made of ice. She closed her eye again when he turned back around. She felt a hand go around her wrist and her arm raised. Kaiba threw her arm around his neck and lifted Ami's upper body up off the bed. He tucked her other arm into a warm piece of cloth then did the same for the other. He buttoned up the long sleeved jacket then laid her upper body back down. He took off the shoes she was wearing and replaced them with heavy socks. She was mortified as he ripped the remaining portion of her skirt off, but he replaced it with a pair of pants that matched the jacket he put on her. She looked fit to be a Negaverse General, but it was a lot warmer that her tattered school uniform. Lastly, he grabbed a hold of the blanket and ripped it out from under her body. He then covered the girl up and tried to tuck her in, not doing a very good job. As he leaned over her, he stopped for a moment to study the delicate features on the Sailor's face. Ami almost twinged from Kaiba's warm breath against her face, but she managed to hold still. He pulled away and walked to the other side of the room. He threw off his trench coat and undid the belt that held his sword, the Excalibur. The bed was large so when he got into the other side, he was a safe distance away from the girl; however, Ami blushed deeply because she was sharing a bed with a man.
Raye walked into the kitchen for dinner holding the little doll that she had found. Her Grandfather, as usual, was reading the newspaper while Kyoji stood over at the stove cooking. Frequently, Raye and her Grandfather would fight over the cooking, but their new Priest enjoyed cooking greatly and did it almost every night. As much as Raye couldn't stand the idea of having the boy there, she had to admit that he was an excellent chief of Japanese cuisine.
The young Priest served his master first then his master's daughter, taking what was left for himself, which usually Raye made sure it wasn't the best of the dishes. She would take all the shrimp and not eat it just to spite the boy, but he never seemed to mind at all. He looked perfectly happy with what was left. Nevertheless, she'd find a way to irk him and drive him out of her temple somehow.
"Pass the tea, boy," Grandpa said.
Kyoji laid his chopsticks down and poured his master a cup of tea then resumed eating after he was finished.
"How is school, Raye?" Grandpa asked, continuing to read the paper.
"Fine." She mumbled, with rice in her mouth.
Grandpa turned the page. "Kyoji, how is school?"
"Fine, sir."
"Fine?" Grandpa laid down his paper. "What does fine mean?"
Kyoji shrugged his shoulders. "It's fine. Almost the end of the semester."
"Ah, yes, it is December isn't it?" Grandpa pondered for a moment. "Raye, it's perfect!"
Raye looked up from her rice bowl. "What's perfect?"
"You have a date for the Winter Formal this year!" Grandpa looked over at Kyoji. "She came home crying her eyes out because nobody asked her last year…"
"Grandpa!" Raye hollered.
"You can take her this year, Kyoji."
Kyoji looked up from his rice. "What?"
Raye threw down her chopsticks and crossed her arms. "Excuse me, my BOYFRIEND will be taking me to the Winter Formal."
"Ah, yes. That blockhead called five times yesterday. Something about your date…"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Raye hollered.
"I didn't know where you were." Grandpa shrugged his shoulders. "I was looking for you all last night, and I couldn't find you. I figured you were off with one of your friends…you know that really pretty one…"
"Serina?"
"Yeah, that's her."
"Yes, I was at Serina's house!" Raye lied. "But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't give me my phone messages!"
"You'll get over it. Besides, you don't need any dates. I got you a man right here." Grandpa slapped Kyoji on the shoulder. The boy coughed hard since he was slapped while swallowing.
Raye wrinkled her nose. "You can forget it." She picked up her chopsticks again and started eating.
They sat in silence for a few moments until Kyoji curiously stared over at the doll on Raye's seat. Grandpa saw Kyoji staring at something then looked over himself. "What in the world?" HE reached over toward Raye.
"What?" Raye asked.
"That doll," Grandpa marveled.
Raye picked it up and handed it to her Grandfather. "I found it in the back of the property by the woods. Do you know who's it is?"
Grandpa cradled the doll in his hands. Faint tears started to form in the old man's eyes. "Your grandmother made this for your mother when she was a little girl." Grandpa wearily got up from his seat and headed out of the kitchen. Raye and Kyoji looked at each other in wonder, and Raye got up to follow her grandfather. She found the old man in the living room sitting next to the fireplace with the doll.
"Grandpa?"
He didn't answer.
Raye stood in the archway of the living room while she watched over her Grandfather. Kyoji came up behind her. "Raye-san, is your Grandfather alright?" He whispered.
She glanced back with an annoyed look on her face. "It's none of your business. Go away!"
Kyoji nodded and walked away.
Raye looked back toward her grandfather and rested her head against the wall.