AN: Yeah, this has been sitting mostly written in my notebook since September or so, and I have no excuse. Sorry?
Disclaimer: Don't own, will never own, blah blah blah.
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Jadeite sought Mars out, as he so often did since their arrival on the moon. Her continued rebuffs did nothing to deter him.
Destiny, he'd called her the first time they'd met. He still couldn't determine whether it'd be for good or ill, only that whatever came, she was sure to be part of it. Destiny. It was almost like the word, the best he could find in the many languages he knew, mocked him.
She wasn't with Serenity or the court, and when he'd tried to ask Venus, she'd only laughed and flirted until Kunzite, who was on duty with her, looked almost murderous. Finally, Princess Serenity took pity on him and sent him in the direction of the Shrine of Mars.
To accommodate the Senshi who were so rarely able to return to their home worlds for any length of time, the Moon Queen had ordered the construction of shrines to each of the planetary gods near the prayer room dedicated to Selene. It allowed visitors a place to worship and to remove themselves from the foreign culture for a time. Few dared venture into the shrines not meant for them.
Jadeite, as usual, proved the exception to that rule. He slipped silently into the Martian shrine and lingered at the back to watch.
Princess Mars stood at the altar, clearly conducting a ritual of some sort. She wore robes very like Mistress Cassandra's, rather than a gown or her Senshi uniform, loose red and white that almost swallowed her petite frame. He jolted a little when she clapped her hands and summoned a pillar of flames.
"You do not belong here," she said coldly.
"I was only looking for you," he returned.
She scoffed. "Did it never occur to you that I did not want to be found?"
Jadeite studied her and shrugged as she faced him. "It did. I didn't care."
"Why are you here?" Mars demanded. "This is a sacred place. You should not intrude."
"I wanted to see you."
"I certainly cannot say the same," she said hotly. "Leave."
She wanted to cause a fight, he knew, wanted them both to burn with anger until one walked away. He felt that truth rattling through his bones even as his gut clenched at the half-lie she'd just spouted.
"Why do you always push me away?"
She froze. "I don't know what you mean."
Lie. "You do. Tell the truth, and after, if you still want me to, I'll leave."
"What do you mean 'if'?" Still lying. Still trying to fight.
"Tell the truth," he insisted. A tendril of his power seeped into the words.
Mars' eyes narrowed, and his magic crashed into an impenetrable wall. "Don't try to toy with my mind," she hissed as fire spilled out around her.
"I'm sorry," he said immediately, honestly. "It was unintentional."
"Inexcusable."
"Yes," Jadeite admitted. "I know better than to slip, but it's growing. Sometimes it acts of its own accord."
They stared at each other across the empty space, Mars still defensive, Jadeite repentant. Slowly, her flames dropped off as she read the regret in his eyes.
"I have Seen you," she said finally, answering his half-forgotten question.
"You're a Seer?" he asked before remembering Hyperion saying as much so long ago.
"The strongest alive," she replied. "I Saw you after we met, and I did not like what the vision showed. There are two paths, from what I can tell. One is good and happy, a fairy tale brought to life. The other is death, destruction, and pain."
"So whatever you Saw is only a possibility. Did you ever consider that pushing me away is what makes your vision come true?"
"No. Now leave."
"I will if you can tell me you honestly want me to."
"I honestly want you to."
The half-truth seared through his chest. "You do and you don't. Which is it?"
"You do not get to decide if I am lying or not. Now get out before I lose my temper."
"You hate that I can read you," he goaded, ready for that fight she'd been wanting since he'd appeared. "That is the real reason you want me to go, not some vision you never actually explained."
"Why do you think you can read me at all?" she challenged. "You don't know me. You don't know anything about me."
His eyes sparked with heat. "I know when you lie. I always know when people are lying. Why don't you stop lying to both of us, darling?"
"Don't call me that," she snarled.
"Tell me what you really want!" Jadeite commanded.
Mars sniffed derisively. "I already did."
She moved to slap him. He blocked the blow automatically, disappointed that she'd done something so clichéd, only to get kicked in the knee and punched in the gut simultaneously. He growled, about to return the favor, when instead he found himself pulling her close until she was plastered against him, and kissing her.
The kiss was as wild and fiery as the arguments they usually had. She was clearly inexperienced, but that didn't stop her from fighting him for dominance, pressing back as aggressively as he did. Jadeite lost himself in the embrace, knowing only that it was right.
Abruptly, Mars pulled out of his grip, looking horrified. The expression quickly turned to anger, and she stomped viciously on his foot even as he reached out to kiss her again. She ran out of the shrine as he struggled to regain his balance.
Cursing, Jadeite made his limping way back to the Terran diplomats' wing and the sitting room where he hoped to find Zoisite or Endymion. Neither was there, but Sailor Mercury and the Moon Princess were.
Mercury shot up as she took in his limp and pained expression. With preternatural strength, she took most of his weight onto herself and eased him into the nearest seat.
"What happened?" Serenity asked.
A blue visor slid over the Senshi's eyes as she replied for the injured general. "Mars broke four – no, five – bones in his foot."
"How did you know it was her?" Jadeite asked in bemusement as Mercury started mending the fractures with cool blue magic.
"Some of her power is still clinging to you," she responded, eyes flicking up to his somewhat swollen lips but kindly not remarking on it. The faint marks there vanished along with the pain in his foot.
Serenity huffed. "That is not very friendly when we are trying to make peace."
"Oh, it was my fault," Jadeite said. "I riled her up."
The blonde girl pouted. "Still, she should know better. She is going to be queen someday and needs to keep her temper under control."
"Either way," Mercury said, "you might want to consider not angering her further. Her wrath can grow quite terrible if pushed too far, and it is clear she is already losing her patience."
He just nodded, thanked Mercury for her help, said his goodbyes, and left to find Nephrite.
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"What do you mean, are visions always accurate?"
Jadeite rolled his eyes at the older man. "I think the meaning was clear in the question, Neph. I'm still waiting on an answer."
Nephrite sighed. "I get that. I'm not sure why you have a sudden interest in the Sight, though. It's always been something you use when it's convenient and ignore any other time."
"Just answer the question."
Realizing his younger brother wouldn't be any more forthcoming, Nephrite huffed out a tired chuckle and took a seat, gesturing for the blond to do the same. "You know I don't really have the Sight, as such, but everyone who uses it knows the basic principles, so I'll tell you what I can. Basically, the different sources of the Sight can cause different types of visions and influence the accuracy. I can't pick what I See, for example. The stars do, and it's usually a warning of something I have to get involved in to avoid a bad outcome. Fire reading tends to be similar, but it can be invoked where the starsong can't. Dream visions, the sort of Sight that crops up the most, depends on the strength of the Seer and can either be entirely literal or more… I don't know, interpretive? Symbolic?"
"What type of Sight does Princess Mars have?"
Now the older general nodded, understanding where the question was coming from. The men had all noticed his rapidly escalating interest in the Martian Senshi, and he didn't doubt the two had had yet another explosive argument brought on by Jadeite's inability to let things be.
"I don't know Mars very well, so I can't comment much on her abilities, but everyone knows she's a fire reader. She's supposed to be really good."
"But that means her visions are changeable?"
He frowned. "Jadeite, there's no such thing as a vision that can't be changed. Visions are just a likely outcome, but we all have free will, so nothing is inevitable."
Jadeite nodded, looking contemplative. "Thanks, Neph."
He wandered off, leaving Nephrite sitting there, absolutely baffled.
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AN: Writing these two getting together is HARD. Like, honestly, when I have them actually together it feels very natural, but it's always so awkward trying to get to that point. Stubborn little jerks. Well, as always, I want to hear what people think, so please let me know. Till next time!