Author's Note:

Phew, another chapter done. It feels like I'm going to write enough for a novel by the time this is all done. :) It's about 2 AM here and I have waay too much caffeine in me right now, so I am going to put up a poll on my profile (assuming I can figure out how. LOL) So go vote on the future of Chibi-Usa in this story! :)

Special thanks to my reviewers LoveintheBattlefiend, Jedi Misty, DragonLady, Aya, Thundercrash, and thisisxtasii for keeping m encouraged and inspired. Also thanks to those who recently followed or favorited my little story. Hugs to everyone!

Chapter 12: The Reunion Continues:

Jian could not dismiss the thoughts that insisted on running through his mind over and over again. What had happened back there with the creature? Who was the tux? Why did this nag him so much? He sat on the rooftop of the small run down building he had taken a room in. Crumbly bits from the edge of the roof fell down to the street below when he moved, making little chittering sounds that echoed along the alley.

He held his palm out. At first he had tried to duplicate what had happened before and failed, leaving him to wonder if that whole incident had been his imagination, save for the various scratches, bruises, and tears in his clothes. But over the past hour he had learned the trick, and refined it at least a little, though it still sometimes winked out on him. While he held the blue, swirling energy in his hand it was like he could sense it pulling at deep lines that lay well within the Earth. The word "ley lines" suddenly came to mind, but he did not know the meaning.

Feeling restless still even the night air from the root wasn't calming. Climbing back down he set out into the street. After a few minutes of random wandering he found himself on the same corner where he had met the raven haired fortune teller. He smiled slightly remembering the encounter. She had been feisty and fiery, but also breathtakingly beautiful. A small flickering light in between two buildings caught his eye. It flickered like flame and he instinctively went towards it, curious as to its cause.

When he saw the cause of the flame his pace quickened. There, lit only by firelight, sat the raven haired seer herself. She was wearing a long white shift and had a blanket thrown over her shoulder. Her eyes were partially obscured by long strands of hair. He approached her, careful to make noise with his feet so as not o scare her. She looked up suddenly, grabbing at her blanket and looked ready to either flee or fight, he was not sure. But then she seemed to recognize him. "You." Was all she said, her eyes widening with surprise.

"You remember me? I'm flattered." Jian's eyes lit up with the realization that she had to have thought of him in her mind often enough to remember him.

"Don't flatter yourself so much. Like I'd waste time thinking about someone who considers me a little woman who can't defend herself." She shot a haughty look his way and made an obviously over-dramatized exasperated sigh.

She likes me, he thought to himself with glee. She just isn't ready to admit it yet. He crouched down beside her. "Why are you out here alone making a bonfire anyway?

"To get away from my mother." She said haughtily. "And I want to try to see something that has been bothering me. I can't see enough over the candle flame, so I'm making a real one." She spoke earnestly, the fierceness gone from her eyes. The truth was that something had bothered Rhiannon ever since she had met that man. Every time she looked into the candle and thought of him, strange images flickered through the flames, but she had been unable to make them out or figure their meaning. However Rhiannon was not planning on admitting that to that self satisfied, macho, cute boy sitting next to her. That was for sure.

Jian looked from the flame to the girl with wide eyed curiosity. He had heard of fakes but she seemed to be the real thing. "Can you really see things in the flames? Could you read me?"

"Oh I see now. You're just looking for a free reading!" Rhiannon scolded, pointing a finger at Ji Jian. She teased him, but instantly regretted it when she saw his reaction.

Ji instantly backed up, looking both shocked and insulted. His cheeks became flushed, which Rhiannon thought was adorable.

"N-no! I would never. I would not dishonor my family in that way. I-I will pay you for a reading!" Jian stuttered, feeling both affronted and embarrassed. He could feel the heat rising to his face as he backpedaled. And that feeling was magnified when he reached into his pocket and found only a single coin. His face fell as he realized he would not be able to pay her after all. He went to get up and leave.

Rhiannon grabbed his arm. There was no way she was letting him get away without at least trying to read him. "Oh will you relax? You men and your easily bruised egos, I was teasing! Now come here. I think it will help if you're closer.

Ji Jian wasn't going to argue that. He sat across from her, watching the flames between them dance; casting shadows that made her look even more mysterious. Slowly he watched as her eyes slowly lost focus. She had not let go of his wrist and he could feel the soft warmth of her hand on his skin. It sent tingles up his arm.

All of a sudden her hand tensed and he felt a shiver crawl up his spine. He wondered what she could be seeing. She began to mutter to herself but it was too soft for him to hear, so he leaned forward. The flamed suddenly burst higher nearly singeing his face as he reeled back in shock. And then she began speaking louder and Ji Jian realized to his shock that some of what she was saying was in his native Chinese.

She was speaking more clearly and more fervently now, and he was certain that she was unaware of herself at this moment. Her pupils were dark black void pools that held nothing and saw everything.

What spooked him even more was that he could sense something building even within the ground he knelt on and it seemed to be influencing her somehow, making the vision stronger, and taking her over. It was beginning to frighten him. She yelled out again.

"….Asian Guardian…."

"The Jade King…."

Ji Jian looked somewhat like a frightened rabbit just then, his mouth hung open in surprise and he looked ready to bolt. What did it all mean? It seemed gibberish but he could feel the power pulsing beneath him and somehow she was suddenly resonating with it. Her grip had become tight enough to cut off the circulation in his hand and the energy was still building.

"must awaken…hurry!"

"Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite, Jadeite!"

A strange symbol flickered briefly on her forehead, red in color and looking like it was aflame.

"Jadeite! … Please…awaken and come to me!"

Terrified beyond rational thought he wrenched his hand from her grip just as the connection that had been building suddenly disappeared. He ran without stopping until he was forced to stop for breath.

"Jadeite, wait!" she called out as her hand came free. She fell backwards as the connection broke, the things she had seem flashing before her mind again as she tried desperately to make sense of it. When he broke free and run off she had been momentarily overcome with heartbreaking sadness. Rhiannon just couldn't understand it. Shaking and feeling exhausted from the reading Rhiannon leapt to her feet and broke into a stumbling run. She could feel it, that she was on the brink of the most important moment of her life, as if some mystery were about to be revealed. Her heart pounded in her chest as she chased after the Asian boy, hiding in the shadows when he stopped.

Jian finally stopped running via sheer lack of breath and exhaustion. He shuddered, thinking back on what happened. It had been incredible, and now that it was over curiosity was overcoming the initial reaction of terror. Surely what she said was important, but what was it about? "Jadeite" he said aloud, testing the name. "Asian guardian and Jade king…what does that mean?" The name felt comfortable somehow. It seemed to fit him. He paced back and forth but something was digging into his hip. He reached in to his other pocket and found the knife wrapped in silk, a gift from a family lost to this world, but not to his heart. He pulled out the knife, looking at the shiny hilt with the jade gen at the top. He could see himself in the silvery reflection, but Jian made a start and nearly dropped the knife as he realized it wasn't his reflection he was seeing.

It was his face, but with blond hair and he was clad in a uniform of sorts, smiling and holding one of those energy balls in his hand. "That's….me?" he wondered aloud. He found himself remembering the small note that had come with the gift and Li's words suddenly resonated with new meaning.

"I feel it in my heart that you are meant for something more, something important. And everything I have taught you has been for that purpose. You must rise above this life in the streets. Someday, Jian, you will find what you are meant to do, and people who you will want to protect."

Carefully, he wrapped the blade back up. The night air suddenly was thick with tension and the promise of mystery. He could sense it, the origin of the wave which had passed through them earlier. It tugged at him like a nagging child, pulling at his sleeve. He was on a precipice. He knew he could turn around right now, go back to his tiny one room apartment, sleep and think this all a nightmare in the morning. Or he could go forward and confront this mystery, and possibly find out what he was destined to be. Steeling himself, he went on, heading into the unknown chin held high.

Initially Jian crouched in the outskirts, looking on from a distance at two men conversing in a clearing. He squinted, looking closely at them. "So he is here." Jian muttered aloud to himself. It was tux. Somehow he knew that man would be there. There was something different about him, and he was the only one willing to fight alongside Ji Jian, and even to trust him with his life. Finally Jian stood and walked towards them. When he was closer he could see that tux was no longer wearing the white eye mask. His face was fully visible, and as Juan looked upon it he felt a sudden surge of recognition. He knew this man, had known in him a companion, friend, and someone who he would unquestionably lay his life down for. The realization nearly took his breath away.

The two turned to look at him as he approached. Jian said nothing until he reached them. He reached into his pocket and drew out the jade knife, his only treasured possession in the world, and held it out to tux, hilt out. "My blade is yours" he said simply, dropping to one knee in a sign of respect that simply felt right.

Matai had been overjoyed to find Kunzite, especially since he was someone very close to him already. He was quickly trying to catch him up on what he knew when a second figure appeared. He saw the other from the corner of his eyes hanging back, trying not to be seen at first. Matai continued to watch out of the corner of his eye until he approached. Before him was the same kid who had fought with him against the droid. He looked up at Matai with such serious eyes for one so young as he held out an inscribed blade. Jadeite, it must be Jadeite, he realized. Smiling slightly he handed the blade back to him and offered him a hand up. "Please, there's no need to be so formal. I am glad to have you back Jadeite." He said as he introduced him to Kiral.

Rhiannon arrived just behind Jian and crept from building to building getting closer. She watched the three make introductions. She caught sight of the one in a tuxedo and her breath stopped in her throat. "I saw him in the vision!" she remarked to herself. Gathering her courage she stepped fully out into the clearing. "You….I saw you. Who are you? What is going on here?"

Jian and Kiral instinctively move between Matai and Rhiannon and Jian let out a surprised gasp as her features became clear. "What are you doing here? You followed me?" Rhiannon turned to him, a flash of anger in her eyes. "Yes, and you….don't you ever ask me to do a reading on you again! I still have a headache bigger than Dakota! And how could you just run off on me like that, not even knowing if I was OK?" She hit him with her bag at every exclamation, swinging the purse with gusto.

"Ow! Hey you freaked me out with the whole glowing forehead and trance thing. It's not my fault! Stop it! Okay I'm sorry I gave you a headache! Hey knock that off!" he brought his hands up to fend off the attacks, catching glances of her in between, her hair flying all around her. She looked like a goddess. "You're beautiful when you're angry." He let his hands down, gazing straight into her eyes, leaving himself completely open for her to swing at him. Rhiannon faltered her hand stopping in mid swing as she met his gaze. Not wanting to let him see how much that comment had floored her she hunphed angrily and turned her back on him, crossing her arms. Jian, desperate not to look like she had him wrapped around her finger did the same, turning the other direction.

Kiral watched the whole ordeal with amusement. He did not know who she was but they seemed like a matching pair of stubborn, feisty, and immature. They seemed to belong together. Suddenly soft laughter seemed to echo across the clearing. All eyes turned to a dark alley where a man stepped out, carrying a dusty leather backpack. He had shoulder length brown hair that came down in waves to frame green eyes and a ruggedly lean frame. A smile still played on his face marking him as the owner of the laugh.

"I didn't think this reunion would be quite so lively." He said softly as he reached the group. Nathaniel quickly identified Matai and approached him. "And you must be…" one of the others interjected. "Nephrite." He said simply. "And you are Endymion, prince of Earth. I'm glad I finally found you."

Now there were three. They were only missing Zoisite. A sense of optimism and hope was beginning to fill Matai's heart. Things had looked so bleak before but a dim light in the distance was beginning to cast its rays on them now.

As the reunion was beginning above, their missing Zoicite was deep below. He had made a refuge of sorts in that music store the boys had found and enjoyed the quiet to examine his thoughts. Ever since that day facing the droid Zach had kept to the promise he had made outside of Amy's clinic, to keep listening and searching to find his true purpose. Over and over he tried playing the same songs he had played for the boys that night, in hopes that it would spark those strange visions but had come up empty. Tonight he felt melancholy and frustrated. His fingers slipped into a melancholy song about reminiscing and remembering. Spancil Hill was one of his favorite old ballads. He played with it, inserting chords and runs to compliment the song, slowing it, and making it sound more poignant.

Last night as I lay dreaming of pleasant days gone by

My mind being bent on rambling to Ireland I did fly

I stepped on board a vision and I followed with the wind

And I shortly came to anchor at the cross of Spancil Hill

Zach veered from the song, letting his fingers and heart lead him. He poured into the piano all of his uneasiness, his questions, his desire to know. The room filled up with sound and suddenly the long awaited visions came. It came in bits and pieces, the beginning to a jumbled story skipping in time. But there was one person who it centered around and Zach knew now it was his job to protect that person. This life, even his name was not the real one. The truth pulled at his heart, calling him deeper into the music to find the truth. The whole room seemed to vibrate, though Zach was not aware of it until suddenly it stopped, the vision before him disappearing like a popped balloon. He blinked few times adjusting his vision.

For a moment he had seen the clearing above him where three men spoke, their identities shifting before his eyes, revealing their true selves. He rose and began the climb back out to the surface, anticipation quickening his movements.

Luna surveyed the newcomers feeling a twinge of remorse in the knowledge that these teenagers would soon be walking into danger to save her princess. It was true their actions would also be to aid their own planet, but if it hadn't been for Luna, none of them would be aware of themselves. None of them would have to grow up very fast in such a world as this.

"So we are just waiting on one more, Zoicite right?"Neil asked, hands casually in his pockets. Luna seemed to shrink into herself, looking guilty. "Yes, I hope so." She said but there was hesitation in her voice. "He was the one I ran into when he rescued us from that stasis tube. But he stayed behind to fight a droid so that we could escape. I am not sure if he…."

"Survived?" came a voice from behind her, making everybody jump. Behind her emerged a tall teen with reddish-blonde hair tied back in a pony tail. He walked over to the black cat and crouched before her. "You made it out after all. I'm glad." He said giving the small cat a smile. Zach stood then and approached the others. "I guess I'm the missing link." He said amicably.

Before the reunion could continue Rhiannon spoke up. "Hey, did you all forget about me? I want some answers now!" She stomped her foot down at the last word, fixing them all with a defiant gaze.

"I don't think someone who runs around barefoot in a nightgown should be giving demands." Kiral quipped, raising an eyebrow. Rhiannon flushed scarlet, her body warring with itself over whether to feel embarrassed or angry.

At that moment Luna stepped in, cutting the sudden tension. "Wait a moment. You mentioned something about a vision, and Jadeite, you mentioned a glowing forehead. Young lady, can you tell me how you come by those visions?

If Rhiannon was shocked by a talking cat she didn't show it. This night had been strange enough that she had plain run out of energy for acting surprised. "I…can see things in flames." She offered sheepishly, feeling all eyes on her.

Luna let out a surprised gasp. Her suspicions were very nearly confirmed. Between the way this girl acted around Jadeite, to the fire visions, and Jadeite's comment about a glowing symbol, there was only one person who fit all of those descriptions. "Mars..." She spoke aloud but Rhiannon did not seem to react to it. She leapt up onto Rhiannon's shoulder to get a closer look. The girl started at first as the furry feline's face met her own just a few inches apart. "Hold still a moment." Luna commanded, and it was all the warning Rhiannon got as a light shot from the cat's forehead onto her own. Everyone gasped as a symbol flickered into existence and then faded away.

Rubeus left Emerald in the care of Metallia, quickly heading to his next stop. He stood in front of a dilapidated urban apartment building that had more broken windows than fixed ones. In the central courtyard several laundry lines hung haphazardly crossing each other. It confirmed he was in the right place. His targets ran a small laundry business to make ends meet. He stopped outside the door and knocked soundly on the door. It opened to reveal a tired and work-weary Beth, loose strands of hair flying from her braid in the evening breeze.

"May I help you?" she asked, stepping aside to let him in when realization suddenly struck her. The man who stood before her doorstep was none other than Lord Rubeus, the leader of New Detroit among other places. Anxiety quickly flooded through her. The apartment was a mess and her hair was in such a state. "L-Lord Rubeus?" she stammered out looking three shades paler.

"There is no need to worry Beth. I am not here to judge you. I have a proposition I would like to discuss with you.

Excitement flooded through her as she dared to hope he had come to hire them to work in his palace. The pay alone must be amazing and she began to see a different future for her and Patsy. "Please come in." She quickly brushed stray socks from the couch cushion for him to sit. "Can I get you something? We don't have much but I can make some tea…"

Patsy made her way back from the market, a bag full of bread in her arms. Beth had been so busy and tired that Patsy had pleaded with her to let her go to the market alone. "I promise, I won't have any spells like yesterday, please trust me." She had said to Beth. Patsy felt guilty for being o much trouble to her sister. She knew Beth thought her crazy but loved her all the same. Still Patsy wished sometimes that she didn't have these memories so that she could just focus on being a good sister and carrying her weight. Sometimes she wished that the sadness buried in her heart were gone and that she could just forget.

Feeling proud of herself for completing the trip without a fit she turned the knob and opened the door to the apartment. What she saw there made her drop the bread and nearly bolt out the door. If her sister hadn't been there she might have run away forever. "Beth," she said quietly her eyes wide with alarm. "Beth, can I speak to you please?"

Beth made introductions during which Patsy maintained a pale, frozen fixture on the doorway, unable to make herself move. "Please excuse us a minute. My sister is still recovering from an illness. Let me just settle her in and we can continue. My apologies." She was embarrassed at the sudden interruption right when he began talking about taking the two of them with him to the palace. She rose and stepped outside, pulling her sister along. "Patsy, what is it?"

"Beth, that's….that's Rubeus!"

"I know that silly. Can you believe it? He's going to take us with him! Patsy we're going to be OK. We're going to live like queens!" Beth was so excited her eyes practically shone in the pale moonlight as she gripped Patsy's arms.

"No. No Beth! That's Rubeus! We have to run! The terrified expression on Patsy's face bewildered Beth.

"Why on Earth would we run? Patsy what has gotten into you? You're shaking!"

Patsy knew Beth would not believe her that the kind and generous leader she saw was not the Rubeus Patsy knew. She knew she had strained their relationship with all of her fits and ramblings. Her mind was screaming to run but she would not abandon her sister. Beth was all that she had left in this world. "Beth, I know I make things hard for you and I know you don't believe me. I am asking just this one time for you to trust me. I would never want to see you hurt. Please, as a sister, trust me just this once. I'll never ask it of you again." He waited for a response from her sister. A small nod was all she got, though Beth looked longingly at the door where Rubeus, and their opportunity lay. She placed a hand on Beth's shoulder. "Beth, we need to run. Now!" Grabbing her sister's hand Patsy sprinted into the darkness.

Rubeus had waited long enough. It was possible that Petz was reborn defective somehow, seeing her pale fearful face had made him wonder if she were mentally ill in some way. But that still left Berthier. His patience running thin he jumped up and yanked the door open only to see the pair running off. Cursing under his breath he teleported, appearing right in front of them. Now he was pissed. "You think you can run away from me? I will teach you to obey me again if it kills you! He let loose with a blast of energy from his palm. Patsy somehow knew he would do that and pulled her sister to the side, narrowly avoiding death. Rubeus let out a yell of fury at her defiance and was about to fire on them again when he heard his name called.

Sapphire's instruments had picked up a weird energy spike in the outskirts of the city. He could find no reason for it, and the cameras showed nothing unusual. H decided it still warranted letting Rubeus know, however Rubeus was nowhere to be found. He finally picked up Rubeus' energy signal across town. Setting one of the portals to that location Sapphire stepped through. "Rubeus." He said to get the red haired man's attention. He seemed to be busy beating up on two human girls. Sapphire had not thought Rubeus would sink that low to get his kicks and he looked at the man with distaste in his eyes. "Rubeus, there is a weird energy spike across town. I thought you should check it out.

Rubeus growled under his breath at the interruption but the information Sapphire offered seemed to require more immediate attention. It could be related to that evil black cat. "You can run, but I will find you." He said to the girls. "Run little mice. It will make the chase so much more fun in the end." Rubeus turned away, moving towards Sapphire.

Patsy watched a ghost come out of nowhere right in front of her. Her heart screamed in agony while her mind worried that her sickness had progressed to hallucinations. "Sapphire…" she gasped out, hardly a whisper.

Sapphire turned, curious as to why someone was calling his name, wondering how she would even know his name. He was a secret, the man in the shadows who made the puppets dance for Rubeus. He looked at her curiously for a second or two but there were more pressing matters. Both men turned and stepped through the portal and were gone.

Beth was shaking; terrified at the sudden change in Rubeus, the man she would have crawled on her belly for in order to help Patsy have a better life. For once, her sister had been right and it shook Beth's very foundations and sense of reality. And then Patsy had called out "Sapphire", the name she most often cried out in her sleep and Beth realized she was looking right at the man clad in blue. So Sapphire was real after all. "Oh Patsy, I'm so sorry." she said, sweeping her sister into an embrace, tears on both of their faces.

"Y-You believe me now?" she stammered through her sobbing. "He was real? Sapphire was real?" Seeing him had reopened the wound on her heart that she worked so hard to ignore.

"Yes Patsy, he was real. I believe you. I'm so sorry for thinking you were crazy. Please, tell me everything, again. I'm listening now."

Artemis stumbled down a dusty road, pain jolting him at every step. He had transverse the city streets for almost 12 hours looking for Venus. He had been her guardian for lifetimes. If Serenity had been reborn, then Artemis refused to accept any doubt that Venus was too.

Just a half hour ago he had come upon some youths from a street gang who had taken pleasure in playing piñata with his body and a baseball bat. He hurt everywhere, was weary beyond tired, and his vision was starting to blur when he heard a voice from an open door. The beautiful upbeat voice of a singer called to him, steering his steps towards the tavern. He dared not believe it, but he felt he would know that voice anywhere.

The warm feeling is
C'EST LA VIE; To confine myself to being me
C'EST LA VIE; I want to keep loving you
C'EST LA VIE is the reason to be me
C'EST LA VIE is the reason to be you.

He stepped into the bar and began to make his way toward the stage where a beautiful exuberant blonde with her hair tied up in a ribbon sang on stage. As she finished the song he had almost reached the small stage when someone grabbed him by the scruff, lifting him into the air. "Hey! How did this dirty injured cat get in here?" the man exclaimed, his breath reeked of old beer. The man threw the cat down and yelled "Shoo!" kicking at him with booted feet. Artemis was too tired to dodge and was knocked over by the man's kick, where he stayed too tired to move, eyes fixed only on the singer.

Margaret Stone had just finished the finale song, a happy one with a nice beat to end the night. A commotion attracted her attention and she saw a dirty bedraggled white cat with cuts all over get kicked by one of the brutes at the bar. "Stop that." She said, her voice taking on a commanding tone. She had noticed the cat coming towards her and thought it odd that a cat would enter a tavern, but Margaret couldn't see the poor thing further injured. "I will take the cat." She put her hands on her hips as the men shrugged and backed away, letting her pick the white cat up. She walked out, holding the cat in her arms. Its eyes locked on hers and she could swear that there were little tears at the corners of its eyes, before the cat lost consciousness and fell asleep in her arms.