Dancing with Darkness - Chapter 7 Part 2

[alizep]

Title:  Dancing with Darkness
Chapter 7 Part 2
Summary:  In a twist of time and fate, the Senshi find themselves enslaved to Metallia while the Shitennou were reborn to fight alongside of Endymion. Not everyone is who they appear to be, or fighting for what they claim but they are all seeking the Silver Crystal.

“I’m not apologizing,” Jadeite crossed his arms stubbornly as he sat in an opposing chair across from the Martian Princess.
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” she countered.
“Then why have you asked for this private meeting?” His hand gestured widely as if trying to show the importance of being asked to her room. Despite the light shining through the windows, the room still had a dark appearances - this was mostly accentuated by the dark maroon colors that decorated her bed and even covered the seats they were currently occupying. Under normal circumstances the room would have a very alluring appearance, but Jadeite’s frustration blocked out any other thoughts than those immediately at hand.
“Because you are leaving soon.”
“I thought there were rules against you Senshi having male visitors in your bedrooms.”
Rei hesitated before answering. “Not completely. The Moon Princess may not have anyone in her rooms save for her Guardians. Us Senshi on the other hand are permitted to do as we choose as long as we are not….flagrant in our actions.”
“And what about the ban on us?” he gestured to the both of them with his free hand.
“I still don’t care about what your Kunzite has to say. I don’t answer to him.”
“What do you want from me, Rei?” he asked standing from his seat. “You hold me at a distance but when I am ready to give up you pull me back in.”
“It’s not that simple, Jadeite.”
“That’s not my name really.”
“It’s not?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
“No. Much like the Senshi these are our official names.”
“Am I the only one to not know about this?”
“You are the only one to know about this. None of the others have shared this with the other Senshi.”
“Then why are you telling me this now?”
“Because I want to be with you, Rei.” He walked over and kneeled in front of her, holding both of her hands in his. “From the moment I met you I’ve had these feelings, but I’m not sure if I should pursue them any further. It’s up to you, Rei, what should I do?” His blue eyes had softened, yet still held a sense of urgency and intensity as he watched her.
“I’m not ready to let you go, but I can’t accept us. I made a promise that my Princess would be the only one in my heart.”
“It seems like that promise has already been broken.” He leaned forward and gently kissed her. “We’re not doing anything wrong despite your sense of duty.”
She looked at him with her dark eyes and mentally fought with herself over her next action. How could she let him go? Although how could she break her promise to her Princess? The reasons in her head battled back and forth and she finally decided to silence the voices by leaning forward to capture his face in her hands and kiss him passionately. He pulled her towards him, sweeping her to her feet and then deftly back off of them and into his arms. She ignored the voice of reason in her head and wrapped her arms around his neck, not allowing either of them to break the kiss. He carried her over to her bed and gently laid her down, resting himself on top of her. “Jadeite….” Her voice trailed off.
“No, don’t call me that. Not while we’re here, not when we’re like this.” He whispered into her ear and her eyes widened.
“That’s your name?” she asked breathily.
He nodded his head in the affirmative and captured her lips in another searing kiss, allowing his fingers to become entangled in the dark strands of her hair.

Jadeite awoke hours later to find himself in a room he didn’t recognize and wearing only a pair of sweatpants. Although after the past couple of days he was starting to become accustomed to this constant change. He rubbed his eyes and sat up looking around trying to find anything familiar about his surroundings. The smell of the ocean drifted into his nostrils and he looked over to sliding glass door that had been left open, a light breeze carried in the scent of salt water. Cautiously he stepped out of bed, his legs still feeling weak but holding his weight all the same. He walked over to the door and out onto the balcony to notice that the sun had started to set. A lone figure sat on the sand and Jadeite recognized him to be Endymion. Slowly he walked out the door and down the beach to sit next to his Prince.
Mamoru looked over at him and then leaned back to rest his weight on his arms. “You snore like a wildebeest.”
“I think I earned it.”
“I’m sorry for what happened to you, Jadeite. I thought I’d be able to get to you sooner.”
“What happened to Rei?” Jadeite’s voice was soft and he sounded concerned.
“Rei?” Mamoru asked.
“Mars. She saved me, I wanted to thank her.”
Mamoru sighed and shook his head, continuing to look out over the ocean. The waves roared as they rolled inland and crashed against the sand, dissipating back into harmless swirls. The sky had been overcast earlier, but now the sun had begun to break through the clouds warming the beach.  “She didn’t save you.”
“She came to me and teleported us out of the Dark Kingdom. When I came to she was sitting with me. I don’t believe that she would have abandoned me now.”
“That was Mercury that rescued you, not Mars.”
“I was sure that I saw her….” His voice trailed off.
“I’m sorry Jadeite, she is still under Beryl’s control. You must have been dreaming.”
“So where is Mercury now?”
“Gone. She had her own battle to fight.”
“And Zoicite?”
“He ran off to save her.”
“He always was trying to be a hero. So what have I missed?”
“Mina’s gone.”
“You lost her too?” He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Kunzite took her and that was the last that she was seen. I’m getting concerned about her, she’s been gone for a while now and I can’t locate her.”
“I hadn’t realized that she came equipped with a GPS.”
Mamoru couldn’t help but to laugh at Jadeite’s comment. “Something like that.”
“So then Kunzite is….?”
“Still under Beryl’s control.”
“So he and Mina are….?”
“Dancing a fine line between their loyalty to each other and the need to kill one another.”
“That leaves us with the dynamic duo of Jupiter and Nephrite.”
“Nephrite is gone. I don’t know what happened to him but I can sense the loss of him. If I had been quicker to find him than maybe I would have been able to help him.”
“That leaves you and me then. Where do we start?”
“We need the Silver Crystal. It’s the only way to save Serenity from Beryl.”
“Then we start looking.”
Mamoru scooped up a handful of sand and watched intently as the grains slipped though his fingers. “Maybe we need to work on rescuing Serenity first. She must have the Silver Crystal but doesn’t know it. I’m not sure what shape it would have taken, it could look like anything.”
“Between the two of us I’m sure we can figure something out. I just want my rematch against Kunzite.”
“You’re going to have to get in line behind Mina.”
“I thought she was gone.” Jadeite frowned.
“Where ever one of them is the other is never far behind.”
“So just to clarify, we need the Silver Crystal to save Serenity, but to get the silver crystal we have to capture Serenity, but before we can do that we need to fight Kunzite who can’t be found without Mina who just plain can’t be found.”
“It’s a vicious circle. My plan for now is to lay low and wait until you’re ready to fight again.”
“I’m fine.”
“You could barely walk the distance from the door to here. Trust me on this one Jadeite. I have a feeling about this that waiting is the best plan of action.”
“So where is here anyway?” Jadeite asked looking around.
“My beach house. I’ve been meaning to sell this property for some time now. I guess it’s fortunate that I held on to it.”
“Should we be concerned about your neighbors?”
“Not really. The house down there is vacant most of the year,” he pointed to his left where a pale blue house sat about a quarter of a mile down the beach. “And that house,” he pointed to his right where a tan stucco house with a pink tinge rested about an equal distance away, “is inhabited by some young girl. She mostly keeps to herself so I wouldn’t be concerned about her coming over here anytime soon.”
“Duly noted,” Jadeite chuckled. He sighed and laid down on the warm sand with his hands folded behind his head. “So how long are we going to work on this waiting thing?”
“For as long as it takes.” Endymion watched as another handful of sand slipped through his fingers. Once his palm was empty he clapped his hands together trying to get rid of the remaining grains embedded in his skin. “I’m going to make some lunch. Are you coming in?”
“I’m going to stay out here for a while longer. I missed the sun.” Jadeite allowed his eyes to close and reveled in the feeling of the warm sun against the bare skin of his chest. Endymion cast him one last glance before retreating back into the house.

“Artemis?” Venus asked nervously. “What did I do?”
“What were you thinking of when you transported us?”
“I thought that I wanted to go someplace safe. That I wanted to find my Princess.”
Artemis squeezed her hand reassuringly and pulled her forward down the stone path. All around her buildings lay in ruin; most of the remaining marble fixtures were buried in dust. “You’re on the Moon, Minako. You brought us back here.”
“Is there we will find her?”
“It’s not that simple. The crystal was fragmented and you need to reassemble it. One of the pieces is in you.”
Venus’s hand flew over her chest as she frowned. “I don’t understand. How could I be in possession of the crystal? I thought it could only be used by the Queen or the direct descendant of.”
Artemis sighed and shook his head, his silver hair flowing over his shoulders with the motion. “I don’t know why you do Minako, but you do. It’s why you were able to be released from Beryl’s control. It’s the reason that you are so powerful now. Your powers as a Senshi are drawing off the Crystal.”
“Is that why I was Sailor V? Because of the Crystal?”
“No,” he answered shaking his head again. “That was a different lifetime for you. You have to understand that the time that passed since then was not spent in the Dark Kingdom. I know it’s hard to grasp after everything but you died fighting the Dark Kingdom. You were brought back by Serenity’s wish and the silver crystal. My best guess is that something went wrong when she tried to bring everyone back and she split the crystal trying to keep it safe.”
“Endymion has the other piece,” Venus answered clenching her fist.
“Why would you assume him? He doesn’t have the Senshi powers nor the Millennium blood to power the Crystal.”
“But he does, Artemis. His Golden Crystal is a match to her Silver Crystal. She left it in his trust and I’m willing to bet that he’s been drawing on the power of the Crystal too whether he realizes it or not. It all makes sense now. It’s how the Dark Kingdom is able to find me - every time I activate the Crystal I’m acting as a beacon for them.”
“It would serve to make sense I suppose.”
“So how do I extract the pieces of the Crystal from us?”
It was Artemis’s turn to frown as he released her hand and continued to walk. “I don’t know if you can. Somewhere out there the Princess must have a mortal body. Maybe if you could find her and bring her in contact with both you and Endymion the Crystal would activate itself.”
“Maybe….” Venus’s voice drifted off and she wandered off the stone path over to a pile of ruins. “Artemis?” She asked softly. “Why don’t I remember my life prior to all of this? I remember pieces from the Silver Millennium but nothing after that. Where did those 6 years go?”
Artemis followed after her and embraced her, bringing her body against his. “We shouldn’t be here, Mina. Let’s go.”
“You’re right. I need to speak with Endymion. How will I find him?”
“Focus on the crystal and it will help you to find him.”
Venus closed her eyes and the familiar golden glow surrounded them. As she focused on her destination silver threads began to intermingle with the gold weaving around their bodies. With a bright flash they vanished from the moon and its desolate landscape. Not far from where they once stood overlooked the field where Venus and Kunzite had fought back in the days of the Silver Millennium. There was nothing to mark this grave site, nor anything to indicate the battle that had been fought there save for the Senshi of Time whose sole responsibility was to remember as she stood guard at her gate.

Kunzite hovered over the roof of the neighboring building so that he could continue to watch through the glass door of the balcony into his apartment. Mina stood frozen where he left her and somehow he felt remorse for having left her alone. It needed to be done though, she had to find the Princess and deliver the Silver Crystal. As he stood there alone he could feel a familiar set of eyes on him and he growled in response. This was not the time for him to deal with Danburite’s foolishness.
“Is there anywhere I can go that you will not? Or do you plan to follow me around like a lost puppy while I clean up your messes?” he asked out loud waiting for Danburite to make his appearance known.
Without fail Danburite appeared next to him. “I’m on a mission for Beryl. But I thought that I would drop in and see how my blonde acquaintance was doing. It seems that your fascination with her may be distracting you from fulfilling your duties.”
“Did I not make myself clear to stay away from her?” Kunzite asked with annoyance evident in his voice. “I have plans of my own that I do not need you to interfere with.” He turned to face Danburite, who hovered next to him, his arms crossed with an air of arrogance.
“Your plans seem to be causing distress to my Queen.”
“Your Queen’s plans have not been successful. Now it’s my turn to shape our destiny.”
“Are we to blindly trust you when you show no regard for anyone around you?”
“I have had success while all any of you have had is failure.”
“I see. Then I suppose I’m wrong to be suspicious of your actions. You come and go as you please while fraternizing with our enemy. Although I suspect it’s more than just fraternization that you have planned for her.” Danburite smiled smugly. “When we are done here you will need to kill her.”
“I will do as I please with her. You will stop making it a concern of yours.”
“Another order I suppose….” His voice trailed off as a flash of light caught his eye. As the glow faded he could see another aftershock of color and he wondered if Mars had been successful in her attack. “Was this part of your plan? To have her disappear under your nose?” he nodded his head towards the now empty apartment.
“Danburite, when she returns I will find her. And I can assure you that she will deliver to me the Silver Crystal when she does.” Kunzite teleported away and Danburite quickly followed eager to see where the other man was now headed. If Mina did return with Kunzite’s prize, Danburite wanted to be sure to intercept her. As quickly as they vanished from sight, Sailor Mars appeared on the opposing roof, anger evident in her pose.

Kunzite returned to the Dark Kingdom and stood in the study. Several monitors lined the back wall with different images displayed on them. He walked over to a plush chair and swept his cape to the side before sitting down in one swift motion giving him a regal appearance. Despite knowing that what he was looking for would not be found on any of the monitors, he continued to watch anyway as different scenes played out before him. The people of the city were drab and boring in their daily lives. Their evolution had left them as simple beings with no more importance than that of a cockroach to him. His ears suddenly perked at the soft clicking of approaching footsteps. A set of cool hands rested on his shoulders behind him and he could feel the piercing of sharp nails as they dug into his skin through his uniform.
“Why have you been ignoring our Queen’s summons?” a cool voice asked.
“I’ve been busy.” His voice sounded disinterested and he only enforced that further by refusing to turn his eyes from the monitors in front of him.
“When I give you an order I expect you to obey,” the voice hissed into his ear and he could see the strands of blonde hair falling onto his lap from the corner of his eye.
“We’re alone now. Must we continue with this charade?”
“Charade?”
“I see you want avoid the question.”
“Where have you been, Kunzite?”
“Tying up some loose ends.”
“One of your brothers has been lost to us.”
“And which might that be?”
“Beryl sent Nephrite out to find you when you ignored her summons. It seems that something has happened to him that has caused him to be unable to return to us. I don’t suppose you know anything about this?” her hands unclenched from his shoulders and began to instead use her fingers to knead the muscles in his neck.
“Why would I know anything about this?”
Her hand brushed against his hair and pushed the strands behind his left ear. As she leaned over to speak into his ear, the remainder of the hair from her odango spilled into his lap. The golden color reminded him of his Minako and he resisted the urge to touch it by telling himself whose hands really rested on him now. “He thought that perhaps you had something to do with Jadeite’s escape.”
Kunzite laughed. “You had him trapped and yet you still managed to lose him? Is this what happens when I’m not around to supervise this kindergarten?”
“So then tell me what happened.”
“I’m not interested in what happened to Jadeite.”
“Then what about Nephrite?” she asked, walking around to sit on the edge of his chair with her legs seductively crossed, allowing him a generous glimpse of the length of her legs from her dark boots down to where the ends of her skirt rested.. “Maybe you are interested in what happened to him?”
“Not in the least.”
“He is your brother.”
“He is nothing to me.”
“Then what is it that you are interested in?”
“With finding the Silver Crystal as we’ve been ordered.”
“So then I can expect you to deliver it into my hands?” She crawled from her perch to sit on his lap. “I do enjoy receiving such delightful gifts.”
Kunzite smiled. “I will deliver it to our Queen myself.”
“But I would like it more.”
“I’m not interested in your wants,” he frowned at her.
“We could be so good together, Kunzite.”
“May we never find out,” he looked away from her and back up to the monitors.
“I could kill her,” her voice took on a harsh tone.
“And I could kill you.”
“I suppose it would make for an interesting game,” she laughed.
“You already have a loyal dog sniveling at your feet. Perhaps you should pursue his affections rather than mine. Now if you’re done….” he responded with annoyance hoping that she would understand his meaning.
“I’m not interested in Danburite, compared to you he is nothing,” she breathed into his ear. With a seductive smile she turned his cheek so that he faced her and kissed him.
Exasperated he pushed her off his lap and stood up from the seat, completely disinterested in the disheveled heap that she collapsed into. With one last look of disgust he peered down at her sitting on the stone floor and walked out of the room, his cape fluttering in his wake.

A short while later Mamoru walked out onto the porch overlooking the ocean with a bowl of noodles and a pair of chopsticks in hand. His eyes skimmed the beach for Jadeite and he nearly dropped the bowl when he discovered him missing. Taking a deep breath he put the bowl and chopsticks on the glass patio table and walked out onto the sand where he last seen Jadeite. He knew that the other man couldn’t have gotten very far on his own and he doubted that anyone from the Dark Kingdom would have been able to find them so quickly. A feeling of dread started to wash over him despite his efforts to push it out of his mind. “Jad - er Joel!” Mamoru yelled, trying to correct himself from calling the wrong name. “Joel!” he yelled again. When there was still no sign of him Mamoru looked around in the sand for any sign of distress or a fight. What he found instead was a set of footprints leading away from his property and over towards tan stucco house next door. Mamoru groaned internally and wondered if Jadeite really would have wondered off to go and speak with this young girl. As he stood there debating whether or not it would be worth following the trail he noticed a lone figure emerging onto the beach from his neighbor’s house. Jadeite slowly crossed the distance back to Mamoru’s beach house. “What the hell were you thinking?!” Mamoru yelled louder than he intended.
“I wanted to make sure that your neighbor wasn’t going to be an issue.”
“And?”
“And she wasn’t home.”
“What were you thinking taking off like that?”
“I’m standing here now.” Jadeite spotted the bowl on the table and started walking up towards the balcony hoping that the contents were for him - Mamoru was quick to follow. He grabbed the bowl and the chopsticks and sat on one of the patio chairs practically inhaling the food. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” he mumbled with his mouth full. “Is there more?” Mamoru frowned and nodded his head. Jadeite continued to slurp his noodles as he got up and walked inside to get more.
Mamoru turned back towards the ocean and put his hands on the patio railing. He didn’t mean to be angry, but now that he was down to his last Shitennou he had to be more careful and taking unnecessary risks was no longer an option. In the center of his chest he could feel a tugging sensation and he perked up feeling Mina’s presence nearby. He quickly turned to find her and a tall silver haired man standing before him. For a moment he was taken aback by her appearance. “Mina,” he said softly, staring at her intently. “You’ve changed.”
“My uniform has changed to reflect my power.”
“No,” he couldn’t bring himself to stop looking at her. “It’s more than that. Your features are different.” He reached out and cupped her chin much to Artemis’s annoyance. However Mamoru didn’t seem to acknowledge his presence any longer. “You’re stunning. It’s almost like you reverted back into your old form, I’m not sure how else to describe it.” Mamoru let his hand drop and he stepped back trying to clear his head. He remembered Venus from the Silver Millennium along with the myriad of stories surrounding her. It was no surprise that men on Earth chose to worship her so whole heartedly. Her hair seemed to shimmer on its own and her blue eyes were a deeper shade of blue. Something in her facial features seemed to have changed as well giving her a more angelic appearance.
“We have some things to discuss, Endymion - alone if you don’t mind.”
“Of course,” he replied.
Venus looked over to Artemis and he nodded his head before turning and walking out onto the beach, leaving the couple alone. “As it turns out,” she started, “things are not as we originally thought.”
“How so?”
“I spoke with Kunzite. He told me some things about Serenity that we needed to know.”
“And you trust him?”
“It seems to make sense.”
“Who’s that that you’re with?”
“Artemis. He is my guardian from the Silver Millennium. I’ve learned a lot from him as well.” She paused trying to decide how best to tell her story. “The Serenity that you see now, that Sailor Moon, it’s not -. “ She stopped midsentence to consider what she would say next. “We are in possession of the Silver Crystal.”
“What do you mean?” his eyes narrowed skeptically.
“There is so much to say that I’m not sure where to start. We’ve fought this battle once before and we defeated Beryl. She’s no real threat to us. Artemis thinks that somehow in our last battle the Crystal split into several pieces for safe keeping. One piece is in me and I believe that the other is in you.”
“It would make sense. You and I have some connection to each other and I can’t understand any other reason for this to be so.”
“It’s because you can feel her in me, and I think my piece of the crystal in turn calls to you.”
“Where are the other pieces?”
“I’m not sure. My hope is that once we find Serenity she will be able to use the Crystal.”
“Find her?” Venus stared at Mamoru for a moment before turning away. She attempted to take several steps away but was restrained by him grabbing her arm. “What do you mean find her? Shouldn’t that have been ‘rescue’ her?”
“That’s what I meant.”
“What else do you know Mina?” he asked suspiciously.
“Nothing,” her voice was firm.
“I have trusted you throughout all of this; don’t hold back on me now.”
Venus could still hear Kunzite’s voice as he warned her not to share this secret with anyone else. If she told Endymion he would surely tell Jadeite and Zoicite, and if either of them were ever taken by Beryl then they may not have a chance to find the real Princess before their plans were revealed. Despite her instincts telling her to trust him she still held back. “I think we can deduce now that our powers are quite limitless. The more we use them the more powerful we will become. If we fight together we will defeat Beryl.”
“And Serenity?”
“We may be able to do this with or without her.”
Endymion frowned at her answer and pulled her in close to him so that they stood practically nose to nose. He spoke with his voice low to ensure that they would not be overheard. “I hope that your intentions here are meant for the better. If I find out that you have any thoughts of double crossing me then so help me I will deal with you in whichever way I see fit.”
“I can assure you that in a fight of me against you there would be one obvious victor whether you choose to accept that or not,” she replied with no less confidence that he had expressed.
They stared off against each other for several moments before Endymion finally broke the silence, his voice still low and calm. “I don’t know what happened to you or what Kunzite did to you, but I’m hoping that because you came here to share your information with me it means I can still trust you.”
“Kunzite didn’t hurt me; he wouldn’t ever do anything to harm me. He knows that Beryl is evil.”
“Just because he knows she’s evil doesn’t mean that he isn’t himself.”
“I trust him, Endymion.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Venus suddenly felt cool air swirl around her and she tensed sensing what would be coming. “I’m disappointed in you, Mina. I leave you alone for a few hours and now here you are in the arms of another man.”
She stepped back away from Endymion, although he still held her arm tightly within his grasp as though he were wary of Kunzite disappearing with her again. “How did you find us?” Mamoru asked Kunzite coolly.
“I can always find my Minako when I want her. She and I are bonded together - there is nowhere she can go that I can’t follow.” He turned his attention to Venus. “So have you figured it out yet?”
“Not yet,” she responded carefully.
“That’s a shame. I came here with a gift for you assuming that you would have put all the pieces together. ” He paused to sigh. “Although I suppose I could still share this with you anyway.” His hand reached under his cape and pulled out a small leather pouch, quickly tossing it to her. A slight smile appeared across his features as she caught it, eying up the item suspiciously. “You can open it.”
Endymion released her arm so that she could open the pouch. Four stones rolled out onto her palm and she gasped in recognition of what they were. “Did you do this?” her face paled as she spoke.
“It had to be done, Mina, I think you understand why. Mercury hardly put up a fight, I was rather disappointed. Zoicite on the other hand didn’t know when to back down or when to understand that the battle was lost.”
“And the other two?” Endymion asked angrily.
Kunzite laughed. “That was a surprising turn of events even for me. As it turns out your little Mercury was able to defeat Jupiter.”
“You killed two of your own, Kunzite,” Endymion spat.
“That’s where you are wrong. Zoicite killed Nephrite, I killed Zoicite. To me it seems like I was avenging one of my own. Now there is one more standing in your way. I think you understand,” he looked at Venus knowingly.
Her eyes remained fixated on the stones in her hands. An unnatural light seemed to radiate off of them keeping her mesmerized. Endymion’s hand fell on her shoulder bringing her attention back to her surroundings. She looked at Kunzite and back to the stones, sadness evident in her eyes. Movement from the beach caught her eye and she noticed Artemis in the distance with something in his arms. Realization dawned on her and she carefully put the stones back in the pouch before handing it to Endymion. “I can’t help you anymore, Endymion. Everything you need is here. Protect her.” Venus walked towards Kunzite and Mamoru’s hand dumbly fell off her shoulder, not understanding her words or this final sacrifice. She held Kunzite’s hand with both of her own and looked up at him. “Take me back with you. I want to be on the winning side.”
Kunzite chuckled at her admission of defeat and wrapped his arm around her, his cape draping itself over her shoulders. Mamoru finally found his voice to speak up before they could teleport away. “Minako.”
“The next time I see you, Endymion, you’re going to have to kill me.” She looked up to Kunzite and murmured, “Let’s go.” He happily obliged her by teleporting them away. Endymion continued to stare at where they once stood.
Jadeite opened the porch door and stepped out onto the patio, the same dazed look on his face from hearing the exchange. “I don’t understand what happened there. She shouldn’t have done that.”
Artemis approached them slowly but remained on the sandy portion of the beach rather than stepping onto the patio. “You don’t see it either do you?”
Endymion jerked his head to look over at Artemis. “She went back to him after she swore her loyalty to me.”
“You are blind then if you can’t see what is right in front of you.”
“Two of my loyal guards are now dead. I am certainly not blind to that.”
“Then perhaps I can explain. Although I think that there is someone you should meet first. This is my wife, Luna,” he held the cat in his arms forward. “I think she may be able to bring some clarity to our situation.”

Venus and Kunzite lay in his bed tangled in white sheets sans their clothing. Her arms were wrapped around his chest while her head rested on his shoulder. His arm rested against her back and he gently kissed the top of her head. “I want you to stay with me,” he mumbled into her hair.
“I want to stay with you, but I can’t,” she looked up at him, resting her chin on his chest. “You can return with me.”
“I can’t do that either,” he replied reaching out to run his fingers through her hair.
“You were right about us,” she said sadly. “We were better off as we were before. I don’t think I can be without you now that I’ve had you.”
“It wasn’t worth it?”
“No,” she answered quickly. “I would never do anything to take this moment back. It’s just hard to know that we can never be together. My responsibilities to Serenity are eternal. Even when my time as a Senshi has finally passed, you will have been long gone from this world.”
“I’ll never be gone, Minako.” His arms wrapped around her and he held her tightly. “I love you.”
Her eyes widened at his words and she quickly jumped up into a sitting position. “You do?”
He sat up leaning back on one arm and intertwining their fingers with his free hand. “I do. Should I not?” he chuckled.
“No! I just never thought that you would say those words.” She leaned forward wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed him as they fell back against the bed. He rolled her so that he laid on top of her, tangling their bodies even more so in the linens. “I love you too,” she said breathily, kissing him again.
His hands cupped her face, holding her close to him. Suddenly he felt a pang in his chest and for a moment felt dizzy as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He pulled back from her and looked into her eyes. “What just happened?”
“Now you will be eternal like I am.”