(no subject)
Gah! I have to got to bed. I really do. But those two have minds of their own. And now I have no idea how we are going to resolve the Beryl issue. None, unless Jadeite proves beyond a doubt that he trusts her. And the way they are going, that might happen before the issue is discussed! Does part of this qualify for the Noir theme?
Here it is, unfinished. I hope to finish it tomorrow.
ed: I think this needs to be divided, but I have no clue where. It is basically done. They are both demanding an entry to attempt to get nomed for the Best Adult cat. but I don't know if I can write it. If I do, it will be in a different story. I think I clarified some parts int he earlier story, and the next part was about as long as the first. *shakes head*
Title: Highs and Lows - Redemption part II
Author: Ree
Theme: Favorite Character - Beryl
Genre: General
Version: Anime/ Manga - Fates/Tainted Gifts storyline- Crystal Tokyo
Rating: G
Most of these characters belong to Takeuchi Naoko. I just borrowed my daughters paper dolls again.
Highs and Lows
Redemption part II
AN: Previous Part- I am the enemy
Kameko = Beryl
Kameko wandered into downtown Crystal Tokyo. Her feet led her down small twisting streets that were closer to being alleys than anything else, while her mind wandered down dark corridors inside of her own soul. The air around her was filled with the darkness, anger, and hopelessness that she felt. As she walked, people parted in front of her. The homeless people watched her pass by, and were glad that they weren't her. The pimps that cruised the area looking for new girls shied away.
Eventually, Kameko's steps landed her in a run down dive. Opening the bar's door, she located a small empty table. Heading for it, she sunk down into the chair. The waiter caught her attention before her mind could lead her back into the darkness.
"Whatcha want?" His tone was pleasant enough, but Kameko heard the tiredness and uncaring under it.
Casting him a cursory glance, she considered getting a drink. 'Can't get much lower than I feel right now anyway, and it might just dull the ache.' She checked to make sure she had money before she answered. "A red wine."
The waiter raised an eyebrow, but jotted it down on a order pad as he left. A few moments later, the wine was sat at her elbow. Picking up the glass, she examined it. 'None to clean of a glass, but... with a place like this what can you expect.' Swirling the wine. she admired how the red reflected the lights.
'Life used to be simple. I studied hard, I kept up with the information in my field, I applied everything I could to make people safer. And then...' She closed her eyes, blotting out the smoky haze that was filling the room. 'I used to be obsessive compulsive, everything had to be done perfectly. I would latch onto things and not let them go. I...I...' Her fingers clutched the stem of the glass. 'I have a nasty temper. I know all this. But I learned to control it. Mom and Dad helped me through the anger issues, psychiatrists helped with the obsessive behaviors.' She set the glass down with exaggerated care. 'I'm not like Beryl! I'm not! I don't want the king. Sure I was attracted to him when we first met, but what girl isn't. The newest maids are still going on about him. I don't want to control the Shitennou. Well... maybe Jadeite, but... but I don't want to control him so much as be with him.' Her cheeks flushed slightly at the thought. 'But I don't want to make him want to be with me. I...I...I...' Raising the glass to her lips, to took a small sip of the wine. A feeling of melancholy slipped over her as she thought of leaving her position. The only thing that was holding her back was that they had hunted her down for a reason, and it might, just might, have been a good one. Staring deep into her wine, she blotted out the world and let her mind go blank.
Drifting in that emptiness that surrounded her, she let herself disconnect with reality. Underneath the emptiness, her subconscious was working it's way through the tangle of thoughts, fears, and uncertainties. After what seemed like hours, a voice cut through the darkness.
"They have to come down." The intensity of the man's voice caught Kameko's attention.
"Yeah. They've ruled long enough." His companion sounded just as intense, and very confidant in how his statement would be accepted.
"Sure have, and what makes them so fit to rule us. They don't know our pain, what we go through everyday." When the third man had finished speaking, Kameko had pin pointed the table.
Pretending to still be drowning in her own problems, she strained her ears to hear what else was being said around her. At the table closer to the window, a group of women were huddled discussing how the Queen let her husband rule her. That all of her decisions were overridden by a power hungry king. The table closer to the bar held a group of men complaining that it was the Moon Queen that was keeping the King of the Earth from ruling his land. About the rest of the room there were smatterings of similar conversations. 'Normally, I would blame the alcohol, the level of people, and a host of other factors for the conversations, but the majority of the room discussing the same topic, that smacks of rebellion. But...' Her thought cut off as someone sat down at her table.
Raising her eyes from her wine glass, she focused her dazed looking eyes onto her new companion. She almost lost her act. Jadeite's slightly smiling face met her gaze. Blinking her eyes a couple of time just to make sure he didn't disappear, she carefully nodded her head towards him, acknowledging him. 'He is dressed casually tonight. You can hardly tell who he is. I wouldn't know except that he dresses similarly when helping me with the computers.'
Jadeite stared briefly into her pale green eyes, and saw the pain that was written in them. Frowning, he scanned the room to determine who had hurt her. Seeing no one he thought would do it, he knew he had to get her out of the bar before she blew his cover. "Meko?" He tilted his head as if trying to identify her. 'Please... Please let her play along.'
Kameko felt a warm flush rising inside of her. He called her a nickname. Afraid her voice would crack or give away what she was feeling, she nodded her head instead of speaking.
Pulling a bill out of his pocket, he dropped it onto the table. Scooping her lax fingers away from her glass, he pulled her to her feet. Giving her a slightly leering smile, he pulled her towards the door. 'Don't let her resist me. I don't want her here. This place isn't safe, especially to those loyal to the King and Queen.'
The flush crept to Kameko's cheeks and started brightening her eyes, as he leered down at her. All thought of Beryl were blown out of her mind. 'Does he really think of me that way? Can he really intend...' His next words answered the question before she had a chance to finish thinking it.
Jadeite leaned close to her ear, and whispered loud enough that the nearest patrons could hear him. "Let's find some place quiet, where no one will hear you when you..." He let the sentence hang as he trailed his fingers down her cheek and then entangled them into her hair. His steps were taking them closer to the door.
Kameko's eyes glowed as her heart jumped up into her throat. 'He... he is moving fast. Do I want to do this? Do I want that type of relationship with him?' She felt him leading her to the door, and knew she had mere seconds to tell him no. His fingers caressed the back of her neck sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine. 'I can't hide away forever. If this is as fast as he wants to go... Okay. I might get burned, I might end up hurt and broken, but... but it will be worth it.' Gazing up at him, she let the love she had been hiding for the last couple of months show.
Using all senses except for his eyes, Jadeite tried to determine if anyone was suspicious. When he felt the shiver course through her, he focused on her. The warmth of her eyes, the flush on her cheeks, and the parting of her lips dragged him in. Tightening his grip in her hair, he pulled her to him, accepting the invitation clearly written on her face. As he lowered his head, a chair scrapped the floor behind him. Stop! I've got to get her out of here, not molest her. Although...' He looked down into the warm green eyes peering back up at him. Walls, barriers erected to protect his heart, his soul, from hurt melted in the warmth of those eyes. Emotions that he had been hiding from himself flooded his mind, drowning out their surroundings.
Kameko felt a mew of disappointment try to escape her as he cut off the kiss before it began. Her heart contracted as his eyes filled with emotions she had never expected to see. It was deeper than desire, deeper than lust. As she raised her hand to his face, Jadeite closed his eyes. Her fingers stopped, hovering right above his cheek.
Struggling for control, trying to maintain the character he was playing, Jadeite drew in a settling breath. That was almost his downfall. The air smelled of her. The heat of her body wafted the scent of her to his nose. Forcing himself to step back from her, he let the stench of the cigarette smoke and cheap alcohol jar him to his senses. Relaxing his grip on her hair, he let his fingers drift down her neck, across her shoulder, down her arm until he reached her hand. Lacing his fingers through hers, he tugged her out the door. As the door closed, he tried to think of where they could go.
The cool air brushed her skin, bringing to her senses. 'I shouldn't do this. I ... I...' She tightened her grip on his hand. 'I need some answers. I need to know what is going on.'
Jadeite felt her hand tighten around his. Turning his head to look at her, he noticed she was about to speak. Placing a finger against her lips, he silenced her. 'If she calls me by name, all will be lost. No one here knows who I am. I have to get us off the road, and in somewhere that no one will bother listening. She is going to be demanding some sort of explanation soon.' Tugging her hand, he led her though the twisted alleyways until they reached a slightly less seedy part of town. Spotting a hotel, he headed for it, and with in minutes, he had her behind closed doors.
The bed behind them called to him, begging him to continue what had started in the bar. As he reached for her, Kameko stepped away.
Dipping her head slightly, Kameko fought the blush that was attempting to stain her cheeks. 'Sometimes babbling was the best thing to do. It lets you clear the air, and give you a moment to think. So, let's start babbling.' Opening her mouth, she let the first thing slip out, and when she heard it, she wished she had thought a bit more first.
"Why did you all hire me?" Her tone was confused and uncertain.
Startled, Jadeite shrugged. "Because you were good at what you do?"
'In for a penny, in for a pound.' She frowned at him. "No. Well maybe, but that wasn't the whole reason. The day of the security meeting, I left the new camera in the room. I overheard yours, Venus' and Mercury's conversation when I came back to get it." Looking him straight in the eyes, she asked the question that was bothering her the most from that memory. "Why do you think I need to be watched?"
Jadeite felt his heart freeze when he heard the question. But it was the knowing look in her eyes that chilled him even more. 'Mercury said that there have been attempts to hack into the computer system. She couldn't find any traces of it being successful, but...' The look in Kameko's eyes told him that she knew about Beryl.
Drawing himself up, he tried to think of a way to broach the subject without letting her know what he suspected. The only road he could see was to tell her what Mars had told them. Watching her closely, he started in a matter-of-fact voice. "Sailor Mars had a vision. Something horrible happens to the royal family. Chaos and destruction is rampant in the country. She said the only way to prevent this was to hire the reincarnation of Beryl to be the head of surveillance." Pain, uncertainty, and cautious hope flashed one right after another over Kameko's face. "You are her."
"Who was this Beryl?" The question tore out of her before she could stop it. She needed to hear it from him, but she dreaded it at the same time.
He waited for the pain, but none came. He had defeated it a while ago. "She was our enemy. She was obsessed with Endymion, and sold her soul to the devil to win him. She used her ill gotten powers to control me and the other lords. But she was defeated, first during the Silver Millennium, and again before the awakening."
The pain Kameko thought was buried burned brighter. "Then, why? Why take me in? I am your enemy!" The last came out as a cry, begging to be denied.
Jadeite grinned wryly. "That was what we all thought when she suggested it. But then you came." He reached a hand out and gently brushed her hair. She tensed. "You, with your red hair washed by the power of moonlight, eyes the color of soft grass, the color of healing, soft spoken, and well in control of yourself. You are not Beryl, you are Kameko. You are what she could have been if she had matured. If she hadn't obsessed over things, if she had learned to control her temper."
He stepped closer to her, until their bodies were almost touching. His fingers slid through her hair, and cupped her chin lifting her face until their eyes met. "Neo-Queen Serenity told us the day of the interview that you were healed. But..." He gave a heartfelt sigh. "But we didn't believe her. So we haunted you footsteps. We watched you." His thumb brushed over her check and jaw. "We needed to learn for ourselves." Lowering his head until all he could see were her eyes, he continued. "And we did. I was the slowest one, the one least incline to believe, but I do. You are Beryl's reincarnation, but you are not Beryl." He watched her eyes as she slowly digested what he was saying.
'I'm healed... Beryl was healed? Neo-Queen Serenity said that?' A tiny spurt of anger flashed through her. 'Why didn't Mercury include that in her file? It would have saved me a lot of heart ache, a lot of worry.' The anger died as fast as it appeared.
He saw the moment she accepted the truth. Now he was waiting for the moment that she noticed how close he was to her. He let his thumb drift over her lips.
Focusing on Jadeite's eyes, Kameko lost herself in the warmth that was spreading through them. Through his hand under her chin, she could feel his belief and trust. They washed over her heart, soothing the uncertainty and healing the aches. Right behind the trust was passion, desire, and lust. There were many more questions she wanted answered, but at that moment they would all wait. Sliding her hands behind his neck, she pulled his head the last couple of inches down until their lips met.
Next Part: The morning after
Here it is, unfinished. I hope to finish it tomorrow.
ed: I think this needs to be divided, but I have no clue where. It is basically done. They are both demanding an entry to attempt to get nomed for the Best Adult cat. but I don't know if I can write it. If I do, it will be in a different story. I think I clarified some parts int he earlier story, and the next part was about as long as the first. *shakes head*
Title: Highs and Lows - Redemption part II
Author: Ree
Theme: Favorite Character - Beryl
Genre: General
Version: Anime/ Manga - Fates/Tainted Gifts storyline- Crystal Tokyo
Rating: G
Most of these characters belong to Takeuchi Naoko. I just borrowed my daughters paper dolls again.
Highs and Lows
Redemption part II
AN: Previous Part- I am the enemy
Kameko = Beryl
Kameko wandered into downtown Crystal Tokyo. Her feet led her down small twisting streets that were closer to being alleys than anything else, while her mind wandered down dark corridors inside of her own soul. The air around her was filled with the darkness, anger, and hopelessness that she felt. As she walked, people parted in front of her. The homeless people watched her pass by, and were glad that they weren't her. The pimps that cruised the area looking for new girls shied away.
Eventually, Kameko's steps landed her in a run down dive. Opening the bar's door, she located a small empty table. Heading for it, she sunk down into the chair. The waiter caught her attention before her mind could lead her back into the darkness.
"Whatcha want?" His tone was pleasant enough, but Kameko heard the tiredness and uncaring under it.
Casting him a cursory glance, she considered getting a drink. 'Can't get much lower than I feel right now anyway, and it might just dull the ache.' She checked to make sure she had money before she answered. "A red wine."
The waiter raised an eyebrow, but jotted it down on a order pad as he left. A few moments later, the wine was sat at her elbow. Picking up the glass, she examined it. 'None to clean of a glass, but... with a place like this what can you expect.' Swirling the wine. she admired how the red reflected the lights.
'Life used to be simple. I studied hard, I kept up with the information in my field, I applied everything I could to make people safer. And then...' She closed her eyes, blotting out the smoky haze that was filling the room. 'I used to be obsessive compulsive, everything had to be done perfectly. I would latch onto things and not let them go. I...I...' Her fingers clutched the stem of the glass. 'I have a nasty temper. I know all this. But I learned to control it. Mom and Dad helped me through the anger issues, psychiatrists helped with the obsessive behaviors.' She set the glass down with exaggerated care. 'I'm not like Beryl! I'm not! I don't want the king. Sure I was attracted to him when we first met, but what girl isn't. The newest maids are still going on about him. I don't want to control the Shitennou. Well... maybe Jadeite, but... but I don't want to control him so much as be with him.' Her cheeks flushed slightly at the thought. 'But I don't want to make him want to be with me. I...I...I...' Raising the glass to her lips, to took a small sip of the wine. A feeling of melancholy slipped over her as she thought of leaving her position. The only thing that was holding her back was that they had hunted her down for a reason, and it might, just might, have been a good one. Staring deep into her wine, she blotted out the world and let her mind go blank.
Drifting in that emptiness that surrounded her, she let herself disconnect with reality. Underneath the emptiness, her subconscious was working it's way through the tangle of thoughts, fears, and uncertainties. After what seemed like hours, a voice cut through the darkness.
"They have to come down." The intensity of the man's voice caught Kameko's attention.
"Yeah. They've ruled long enough." His companion sounded just as intense, and very confidant in how his statement would be accepted.
"Sure have, and what makes them so fit to rule us. They don't know our pain, what we go through everyday." When the third man had finished speaking, Kameko had pin pointed the table.
Pretending to still be drowning in her own problems, she strained her ears to hear what else was being said around her. At the table closer to the window, a group of women were huddled discussing how the Queen let her husband rule her. That all of her decisions were overridden by a power hungry king. The table closer to the bar held a group of men complaining that it was the Moon Queen that was keeping the King of the Earth from ruling his land. About the rest of the room there were smatterings of similar conversations. 'Normally, I would blame the alcohol, the level of people, and a host of other factors for the conversations, but the majority of the room discussing the same topic, that smacks of rebellion. But...' Her thought cut off as someone sat down at her table.
Raising her eyes from her wine glass, she focused her dazed looking eyes onto her new companion. She almost lost her act. Jadeite's slightly smiling face met her gaze. Blinking her eyes a couple of time just to make sure he didn't disappear, she carefully nodded her head towards him, acknowledging him. 'He is dressed casually tonight. You can hardly tell who he is. I wouldn't know except that he dresses similarly when helping me with the computers.'
Jadeite stared briefly into her pale green eyes, and saw the pain that was written in them. Frowning, he scanned the room to determine who had hurt her. Seeing no one he thought would do it, he knew he had to get her out of the bar before she blew his cover. "Meko?" He tilted his head as if trying to identify her. 'Please... Please let her play along.'
Kameko felt a warm flush rising inside of her. He called her a nickname. Afraid her voice would crack or give away what she was feeling, she nodded her head instead of speaking.
Pulling a bill out of his pocket, he dropped it onto the table. Scooping her lax fingers away from her glass, he pulled her to her feet. Giving her a slightly leering smile, he pulled her towards the door. 'Don't let her resist me. I don't want her here. This place isn't safe, especially to those loyal to the King and Queen.'
The flush crept to Kameko's cheeks and started brightening her eyes, as he leered down at her. All thought of Beryl were blown out of her mind. 'Does he really think of me that way? Can he really intend...' His next words answered the question before she had a chance to finish thinking it.
Jadeite leaned close to her ear, and whispered loud enough that the nearest patrons could hear him. "Let's find some place quiet, where no one will hear you when you..." He let the sentence hang as he trailed his fingers down her cheek and then entangled them into her hair. His steps were taking them closer to the door.
Kameko's eyes glowed as her heart jumped up into her throat. 'He... he is moving fast. Do I want to do this? Do I want that type of relationship with him?' She felt him leading her to the door, and knew she had mere seconds to tell him no. His fingers caressed the back of her neck sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine. 'I can't hide away forever. If this is as fast as he wants to go... Okay. I might get burned, I might end up hurt and broken, but... but it will be worth it.' Gazing up at him, she let the love she had been hiding for the last couple of months show.
Using all senses except for his eyes, Jadeite tried to determine if anyone was suspicious. When he felt the shiver course through her, he focused on her. The warmth of her eyes, the flush on her cheeks, and the parting of her lips dragged him in. Tightening his grip in her hair, he pulled her to him, accepting the invitation clearly written on her face. As he lowered his head, a chair scrapped the floor behind him. Stop! I've got to get her out of here, not molest her. Although...' He looked down into the warm green eyes peering back up at him. Walls, barriers erected to protect his heart, his soul, from hurt melted in the warmth of those eyes. Emotions that he had been hiding from himself flooded his mind, drowning out their surroundings.
Kameko felt a mew of disappointment try to escape her as he cut off the kiss before it began. Her heart contracted as his eyes filled with emotions she had never expected to see. It was deeper than desire, deeper than lust. As she raised her hand to his face, Jadeite closed his eyes. Her fingers stopped, hovering right above his cheek.
Struggling for control, trying to maintain the character he was playing, Jadeite drew in a settling breath. That was almost his downfall. The air smelled of her. The heat of her body wafted the scent of her to his nose. Forcing himself to step back from her, he let the stench of the cigarette smoke and cheap alcohol jar him to his senses. Relaxing his grip on her hair, he let his fingers drift down her neck, across her shoulder, down her arm until he reached her hand. Lacing his fingers through hers, he tugged her out the door. As the door closed, he tried to think of where they could go.
The cool air brushed her skin, bringing to her senses. 'I shouldn't do this. I ... I...' She tightened her grip on his hand. 'I need some answers. I need to know what is going on.'
Jadeite felt her hand tighten around his. Turning his head to look at her, he noticed she was about to speak. Placing a finger against her lips, he silenced her. 'If she calls me by name, all will be lost. No one here knows who I am. I have to get us off the road, and in somewhere that no one will bother listening. She is going to be demanding some sort of explanation soon.' Tugging her hand, he led her though the twisted alleyways until they reached a slightly less seedy part of town. Spotting a hotel, he headed for it, and with in minutes, he had her behind closed doors.
The bed behind them called to him, begging him to continue what had started in the bar. As he reached for her, Kameko stepped away.
Dipping her head slightly, Kameko fought the blush that was attempting to stain her cheeks. 'Sometimes babbling was the best thing to do. It lets you clear the air, and give you a moment to think. So, let's start babbling.' Opening her mouth, she let the first thing slip out, and when she heard it, she wished she had thought a bit more first.
"Why did you all hire me?" Her tone was confused and uncertain.
Startled, Jadeite shrugged. "Because you were good at what you do?"
'In for a penny, in for a pound.' She frowned at him. "No. Well maybe, but that wasn't the whole reason. The day of the security meeting, I left the new camera in the room. I overheard yours, Venus' and Mercury's conversation when I came back to get it." Looking him straight in the eyes, she asked the question that was bothering her the most from that memory. "Why do you think I need to be watched?"
Jadeite felt his heart freeze when he heard the question. But it was the knowing look in her eyes that chilled him even more. 'Mercury said that there have been attempts to hack into the computer system. She couldn't find any traces of it being successful, but...' The look in Kameko's eyes told him that she knew about Beryl.
Drawing himself up, he tried to think of a way to broach the subject without letting her know what he suspected. The only road he could see was to tell her what Mars had told them. Watching her closely, he started in a matter-of-fact voice. "Sailor Mars had a vision. Something horrible happens to the royal family. Chaos and destruction is rampant in the country. She said the only way to prevent this was to hire the reincarnation of Beryl to be the head of surveillance." Pain, uncertainty, and cautious hope flashed one right after another over Kameko's face. "You are her."
"Who was this Beryl?" The question tore out of her before she could stop it. She needed to hear it from him, but she dreaded it at the same time.
He waited for the pain, but none came. He had defeated it a while ago. "She was our enemy. She was obsessed with Endymion, and sold her soul to the devil to win him. She used her ill gotten powers to control me and the other lords. But she was defeated, first during the Silver Millennium, and again before the awakening."
The pain Kameko thought was buried burned brighter. "Then, why? Why take me in? I am your enemy!" The last came out as a cry, begging to be denied.
Jadeite grinned wryly. "That was what we all thought when she suggested it. But then you came." He reached a hand out and gently brushed her hair. She tensed. "You, with your red hair washed by the power of moonlight, eyes the color of soft grass, the color of healing, soft spoken, and well in control of yourself. You are not Beryl, you are Kameko. You are what she could have been if she had matured. If she hadn't obsessed over things, if she had learned to control her temper."
He stepped closer to her, until their bodies were almost touching. His fingers slid through her hair, and cupped her chin lifting her face until their eyes met. "Neo-Queen Serenity told us the day of the interview that you were healed. But..." He gave a heartfelt sigh. "But we didn't believe her. So we haunted you footsteps. We watched you." His thumb brushed over her check and jaw. "We needed to learn for ourselves." Lowering his head until all he could see were her eyes, he continued. "And we did. I was the slowest one, the one least incline to believe, but I do. You are Beryl's reincarnation, but you are not Beryl." He watched her eyes as she slowly digested what he was saying.
'I'm healed... Beryl was healed? Neo-Queen Serenity said that?' A tiny spurt of anger flashed through her. 'Why didn't Mercury include that in her file? It would have saved me a lot of heart ache, a lot of worry.' The anger died as fast as it appeared.
He saw the moment she accepted the truth. Now he was waiting for the moment that she noticed how close he was to her. He let his thumb drift over her lips.
Focusing on Jadeite's eyes, Kameko lost herself in the warmth that was spreading through them. Through his hand under her chin, she could feel his belief and trust. They washed over her heart, soothing the uncertainty and healing the aches. Right behind the trust was passion, desire, and lust. There were many more questions she wanted answered, but at that moment they would all wait. Sliding her hands behind his neck, she pulled his head the last couple of inches down until their lips met.
Next Part: The morning after