AN: Wow, a timely update! It's a Christmas miracle.
Disclaimer: Still not mine, never will be, you know the drill.
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"Stop walking away from me."
After what had happened with Serenity and Endymion, Venus had decreed that the Shitennou would be making more frequent public appearances with their Senshi counterparts. In most cases, this was not an issue. For Mars and Jadeite, it was.
"Learn to keep up," she suggested, voice all but dripping acid.
He huffed, pulled up next to her, and quickly took her arm in his, knowing she couldn't pull away without making it obvious. She did glare daggers at him, but that was so par for the course he hardly noticed.
"Now, my lady," he said cheerfully, delighting in the way she bristled, "where are we going again?" He knew the answer, of course, but he enjoyed putting her through her paces.
Mars shot him another dirty look, but she knew she needed to play her part. They couldn't risk the planets flat-out refusing Earth a place in the Silver Alliance, and her own aggressive people would be looking for any excuse.
With a sigh, she relented, pasting on a pleasant expression. "I was asked to attend the dedication of a new temple, and to light its holy fire."
Jadeite hated the polite façade, but he was just as aware of the precarious situation. As such, he resisted the urge to antagonize her further and let the conversation stay civil instead.
"I'm not too familiar with your people's rites, being not particularly religious myself. It's an honor to be asked to attend."
She wanted so badly to say that she hadn't asked and had in fact stringently protested when Venus deemed it necessary. "The real honor is being allowed to assist with the fire. We have never allowed an outsider to take part before."
They entered through a side door that led into what looked like a small office and were greeted by an old man. Jadeite assumed he would be the head priest of the temple after its official dedication.
He bowed deeply to Mars. "High Priestess," he murmured respectfully.
She returned the gesture with an austere dignity. "Thank you for the invitation."
"You are more than welcome here, your highness."
"I know we discussed the ceremony previously, but I have asked Lord Jadeite to assist with the lighting of the fire."
A flicker of surprise crossed the old priest's face. "That is your right, my lady, though I have never heard of someone not of the temple touching the sacred flames."
"He is the fire priest of his people," she said briskly, "and I would like to honor the children of our sister planet."
The priest bowed again and left, murmuring about a need to greet the worshippers beginning to assemble.
"High priestess?" Jadeite asked, fascinated.
Her attitude had returned since they were no longer in the public eye if the look she gave him was any indication, but she answered nonetheless. "I was dedicated to the temple before I was even born, and I have served it all these years."
"I knew the royal children went to the temple, but I thought the heir was the exception."
"I was not supposed to be the heir. The crown was meant for my eldest cousin, but when I was born, the Mars Crystal came to me. By our oldest laws, I am heir unless I choose to relinquish the claim and elect only to serve the crown. Indeed, that is what most of my people hope I will do when I officially come of age."
"Will you?"
"No. I love my family, and my cousin would be a good king, but I am Mars. I will continue to serve the temple no matter what, but it is my world and my people. I can feel them with me all the time, and I will not relinquish the throne to someone who cannot say the same."
She looked impossibly regal even in her plain robes, and Jadeite once again got that overwhelming sense that she was an integral part of his fate. He wanted to say something, anything, to convey that to her, but he was interrupted by an acolyte knocking and saying they were ready to begin the ceremony.
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Mars had already gone over the protocol with Jadeite before they departed, so at least he was confident he wasn't making a complete fool of himself. Finally, three acolytes laid out a massive bonfire, sprinkling the wood with blessed oil before stepping aside. The princess took up her position, with the prepared logs between her and the audience.
"Fire is creator and destroyer, life and death. The wood used here is meeting its final end, and in so doing, magic rises. Thus is born the sacred flames."
She and Jadeite lifted their arms. She would call forth her fire first, and would hold it suspended over its bed as he summoned his, with both setting the bonfire alight at once.
Or so it had been planned.
Mars' flames came at her call, but hers weren't the only ones. The general's came as well, twisting around hers in a near-hypnotic spiral. He could feel it drawing on his power, but he was not the one in command.
"Soul-fire," one observer gasped. Jadeite heard it repeated through the vast room, gaining power.
The princess's eyes, clearly alarmed, flicked to his, then down, silently telling him to carry on with their task. Pulling his magic back under his control, Jadeite joined Mars in lowering the flames to their resting place.
"Death and life as one," he said, low and clear. "The sacred fire is lit."
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"What was that?" Jadeite demanded when they were safely back in the palace.
"I need to return to my duties."
He caught her shoulder and wrenched her back around, ignoring her snarl. "No, you need to tell me what just happened."
She directed another angry glare his way but relented. "It was soul-fire. It can happen when two people are meant to play an important role in each other's destinies."
"What sort of role?"
She frowned and looked away. "It's seen most often with lovers, though that is obviously not the case here."
"Obviously?" he repeated angrily.
"I feel nothing for you, so yes, obviously."
It was Jadeite's turn to snarl. "Stop lying. You are so concerned by your vision, you are letting it control you. Fire-sight shows a future you can change. Do you really believe I would pursue a dark path? That I would choose destruction and death?"
He was completely floored when she actually responded. "No, of course I don't! I don't think you're capable of malice, but that just worries me more. There is no clear reason your path should turn that way."
"Whatever is coming, I can make my own choices. I've known you were my destiny since we met. That feeling has only grown stronger the more time I spent with you." She tried to draw away and opened her mouth to respond, but he ruthlessly cut her off. "But, you know what? Who cares? Destiny, visions, all of that, I don't care. I care about the stubborn woman who's totally devoted to her people, who does things she'd rather not out of love for her princess. I care about the warrior who's also a priestess. And none of that comes from some grand cosmic fate dictating what will happen."
Mars looked away. "You don't know what you're saying."
"Every word I just said was completely true."
She faced him again, wanting to be angry, but he saw right through that to her fear. Whatever she saw in return had her pull free and run, and for once, he didn't give chase.
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Mars found him in her shrine later, quietly watching the sacred fire there. It immediately made her think of the one they'd made together only a few hours before.
She waited for him to say something. He always did; it was like he couldn't bear the silence. What she got was a quick, considering look before she was once again left staring at his back. She felt her temper rising, well aware he was deliberately forcing her to speak up, but she bit it back.
"Every time I looked to my own future," she said in brittle, halting words, "all I Saw was Serenity. I thought I was destined only to serve."
Jadeite turned her way again and stayed there, but still he said nothing. He'd already told her what he'd needed to say, and that was all he would offer until she'd done the same.
"Then I met you and you just kept showing up with two completely different paths and no indication of which would come to be or how. I do not like uncertainty. I prefer to know, for good or ill, and you just did not fit."
Still he didn't respond, and his face kept his reaction to her words a mystery. She reached out with her senses, but he was closed off to casual searches and she couldn't, wouldn't, trespass in his mind, especially after how mad she'd been when he'd inadvertently used his power on her.
Finally, she admitted, "I didn't want to care about you."
"But you do," he said, utterly certain.
Mars' eyes squeezed shut as she nodded. "Gods help me, I do."
Jadeite approached her, and slowly, his normal Cheshire cat grin slid back into place. "There, now, darling, was that so hard?"
Her gaze snapped up to his and she growled. "I despise you."
He hummed as he considered. "You know, I don't think you do. Shall we find out?"
Before she could demand an explanation, he hauled her into his arms and kissed her. If their first kiss had been a scorcher, this one was the bonfire they'd created together. She pressed up into him unthinkingly, pouring in just as much heat, needing him more than her next breath.
He pulled back just a bit. "I chose," he whispered against her lips. "What about you? Do you want this?"
Mars had lived by her visions all her life, had believed her choice to guard Serenity was the only one she needed to make. She hadn't really considered anything else.
"Regardless of destiny," she told him quietly, "I choose this.
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AN: These two are so hard, especially with most of the narration coming more or less from Jadeite's point of view. I have no idea if Mars came through properly, or even if he did, because getting these two maniacs together is way more difficult than having them already as a couple. Well, whatever, I think this came out okay, so here it is. As always, I love hearing what people think, so please let me know! Till next time!