The Sun is the Moon - 20
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Chapter 20
Tuxedo Mask gaped at the barren landscape before him. The rugged horizon met the blackness of space that was broken only by the diamond dusting of stars and the jewel like Earth in the far distance. Craters, wide plains and dust all shone with a distinct silvery light that had never been shown in NASA photographs.
“Wow!” he said stupidly.
“That pretty much sums it up,” a voice behind him agreed. He turned to find Sailor Mars standing behind him with a raven on either shoulder. Behind the strange trio stood the ruins of what could only have been the Moon Palace several thousand years before. Lunari clapped his free hand on Tux’s shoulder and smiled wistfully as the younger man took in the scene before them.
“The outer balconies were destroyed as were the grounds and gardens but some of the subterranean chambers survived whole. The pillars over there used to lead into the Throne room, at the back of which the throne stood. Behind the throne was a passage to the chamber with the prayer tower. The entrance to the royal control room and libraries can be found in there,” Lunari sighed, “The Guardians should be in there with Malachite and Zoisite.”
“The scouts are in there as well,” Mars told them.
Tux looked at Lunari. “Should we take Nephrite and add him to our growing collection of tame generals?”
“Why not? Come on, the twins can find their own way.”
Mars stopped and turned to Tux. “How long have you known who they are?”
Tux shrugged slightly, careful of his side. “I found out this morning, a bit over a week ago.”
She looked at him as if he’d gone mad. “Huh?”
Lunari chuckled as he led them through the crumbling skeleton of the ancient palace. The younger man barely noticed the cracked and broken pillar of crystal that they walked past. Tux forced himself to restrain his snicker when he saw the scowl the priestess had directed at him. “Long story, Raye, get the Meatball Head to explain it-”
“Tuxedo Mask!” Venus exclaimed as they descended into the planning room near the main library.
Saturn looked up from where she was working on Mercury, watched over by two ravens and the Moon Cat he recognised as Hermes. “Where are the twins?” she asked softly.
“They’ll be along shortly,” Lunari answered, “But for now T-”
*Don’t,* Tux sent, *Mercury needs her help more than I do.*
*Thorn-*
*I’m fine, it’s nothing serious. I can take care of it myself, either that or I’ll get the Meatball Head to look at it.*
*If she doesn’t kill you first.*
Tux raised an eyebrow. *Why are you and Trav so certain that that’s what she’s going to do?*
Lunari looked at him inscrutably. *If you haven’t figured it out then you’re less perceptive than I thought.* “Where’re Malachite and Zoisite?” he asked aloud and left Tux to ponder his last comment.
Venus jerked her head in the direction of one of the room’s exits. “That way. They’re with Luna, Artemis and Io in the control room. Luna said something about doing some checks and fine tuning to the computers to make sure that Central Command will function well here.”
Lunari nodded and gently lay Nephrite down. “Can you get me something to restrain him with?”
Venus grinned and her love-me chain started to glow in her hand. “LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!” The dark haired general didn’t stir as the glowing chain coiled around his ankles and wrists. “There!” she chirped happily, “That OK?”
“That’s fine,” the knight told her in approval.
“Where’s everyone else?” Tux asked Mars. Venus checked the general over as she talked to the Lunarian knight softly.
“Luna and Artemis got sick of Jupiter and Uranus stalking Malachite and Zoisite so they sent them to find the sleep capsule that was supposed to have been left up here. Khonsu’s? Neptune was asked to keep an eye on them. Grandpa and Chad are in another room where Saturn made them go to sleep. We brought them with us after the last battle, don’t ask. Atlantia, Rhea and Terran went with them. Terran refused to let Rhea loose on her own without someone to keep an eye on her. By the way, none of the others know who Terran is, he looks a lot different than he normally does and they haven’t connected him with the Meatball Head’s dog. They also haven’t been told who the twins are and Darien...” her strange tone caught his attention
“What?”
She looked to one of the ravens on her shoulder before she looked back to him. “I know where we can find the Imperium Silver Crystal,” she told him softly.
He gaped at her but before he could say anything Jupiter called out, “Mars! Tux!”
The three scouts and three Guardians were descending into the room via a narrow staircase. The two wolves conspicuously ignored each other while the falcon perched on Neptune’s shoulder with a martyred expression that matched her ward’s. Jupiter’s face was cheerful as she saw him and Uranus seemed unnecessarily focused on her burden, perhaps in an attempt to ignore the large, silvery Guardian which padded at her feet. As soon as he saw Tux, Terran dashed away from the group as if they had the plague.
Tux smiled at the scene as Terran moved to his side and glared at his sister. He merely raised an eyebrow when Uranus scowled at him. “Where do you want it?” she asked crankily, referring to the sleep capsule in her arms.
Lunari looked up from where he was talking with Venus and a wondering smile lit his face. “Khonsu?”
“Yeah,” Jupiter told him happily, “Found him buried under a pile of rubble. The big wolf, why won’t he tell us his name by the way, says that the capsule’s in pretty good nick.” She stopped and coughed lightly. “The other wolf, Rhea, says that he wouldn’t know because he couldn’t tell an ant from an elephant and the big one said that it was her with the defective eyesight, not him-”
“Jupiter, please don’t,” Neptune sighed, “None of us need to hear it for a second time.”
Tux looked down at his Guardian beside him. “Argumentative today, aren’t you Furface?”
The wolf gave a peeved shrug. “What can I say Endy, we don’t get along!”
“Lovers’ quarrel?” Venus asked from Lunari’s side as they both moved to investigate the capsule.
Two identical snorts came from the two almost identical wolves.
“What?” Rhea snarled which caused Uranus to jerk nervously and slowly begin to edge away from her.
Terran’s face was almost comically disgusted. “OK, I’m just grossed out now.”
“You two aren’t like Luna and Artemis are you? Denying feelings for each other?” the bubbly blonde scout questioned curiously.
Lunari smiled mischievously at Terran whose face had become even more outraged. “That pretty much sums it up,” he told the younger senshi calmly.
Choking noises from Tux’s side prompted him to elaborate. “The Furface,” he carefully avoided mentioning Terran’s name. He believed that the twins would want to see the scouts’ expressions when they found out who Sol and Sun were. “Is Rhea’s younger brother-”
“And you will never get either of them to admit that they feel more for each other than annoyance,” the Lunar Knight paused before he added, reflectively, to himself, “Bit like the twins and Sammy really.”
None of the scouts seemed to realise the significance of this remark which reminded Tux that none of them, with the exception of Saturn, knew the twins all that well yet. Tux saw a seat, walked over and gently lowered himself onto it. Terran walked with him and looked at him in concern when he saw the careful way he was handling himself. Tux wished that he could power down into Darien. It would be a lot easier to get at his side with only the jogging outfit that he’d worn that morning on.
“So have all the other Guardians been caught up on everything?” he asked Terran quietly while he tried to heal his side through several layers of material.
The wolf nodded. “Pretty much. Luna and Artemis began to brief them when Jim went back to help you. I finished up when they took off with the generals to help the scouts.”
“The move went OK?”
“No hitches, the old centre’s been cleared out. All the equipment was transported as soon as it was given the all clear. The main computers have been brought online and we’re up to full capacity for the first time in centuries.”
“Good.” He winced and gave up. It seemed that he still needed to practice before his ability to heal was dependable. Then again, maybe it was only, really meant to be used on the twins.
The wolf frowned. “Are you-”
“I’m fine. Just a scratch, nothing major. I’ll have to get Serena to look at it.”
“And the twins?”
“Behind us. They wanted to give Beryl a going away present.”
“Poor Beryl.”
Tux thought about the errant duo and smiled in agreement. A loud hiss caught his attention and he looked up to find Lunari reaching into the, now open, sleep capsule and pulling out a slender golden shape. The watching scouts looked on in fascination as the Guardian began to awaken.
“W... wh...” the cat trailed of into an unintelligible groan.
“Khonsu?” the armoured man holding him asked.
“Father?” Luna’s voice whispered from the doorway.
“Father!” Tux muttered in surprise.
Terran shook his head slightly. “There’s no actual blood relationship between them. They just grew very close while he trained her... he’s going to be surprised that the princess is the next senshi but also very pleased to learn that Luna’ll partner the Lunarian avatar after all. The function of a Guardian is to accompany a senshi, not cater to royals. Of course I think he might have had an inkling for a long time. He did insist that Luna learn all the protocols of Central Command.”
“Gold Guardian are you well?”
“Gold Guardian?”
“Gold Guardian?” the various ravens asked. Their words surprised Tux, he had expected their voices to be rough, as were any raven’s cries but instead each of the Guardian birds sounded melodic and smooth.
The moon cat struggled to look around. His confusion was obvious. Everything around him seemed to bewilder him. “Who...”
Saturn stood and left a much healthier looking Mercury to the care of Hermes. “May I offer my assistance Quill?”
The man smiled gratefully at her and lowered his arms so the scout could see her patient better. Luna was still in the doorway and behind her were the last two Moon Cats as well as the generals. Luna watched the golden cat like a hawk until Artemis got sick of her delay and nudged her. The black Guardian wasted no further time and darted to her friend. She didn’t notice Nephrite as she leapt over him but the generals did and they looked at Tux in query.
“He’s alive,” he told them.
Zoisite smiled wryly. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”
Terran looked away from the others and met the woman’s eyes. “Is there something wrong?”
“No,” Malachite sighed, “It’s just that there’s always been a lot of friction between Beryl’s servants. Zoi and Nephrite were worse than most.”
“How much of that would be because of the coercions in your minds?” Tux asked. He reviewed what he’d found when he’d combined with the twins and their uncle to free the generals. A lot of the violence and hatred that they felt did not originate in their own minds.
The generals looked at each other and shrugged. “I guess we’re going to find out,” Zoisite remarked. She sighed, “We’d better get him ready for it. Maybe tie him to a chair?”
“Where?” Tux looked around the room. Along the edges there were several benches and in the centre there was a large table for maps and planning but nowhere where the unconscious man could be tied. “If you use anything in here, he’ll fall off.”
“Especially if he thrashes the way you two did,” Terran added, “It’s a painful procedure.”
“What about the control room?” Artemis suggested and leapt to sit next to Tux on the bench. “There’re plenty of chairs in there, and you’d have the added benefit of some quiet as all the scouts are gathering in here instead.”
The two generals looked to Tux. He thought a moment and nodded. “Fine, just make sure that he can’t discover where we are. We don’t want him telling Beryl.”
“It might be best if he doesn’t regain consciousness until after he’s been freed,” Malachite mused as he stared at his former comrade.
Artemis looked at him in surprise. “Could you do that?”
The general nodded. The three looked at Tux who motioned for them to get on with it. Zoisite grabbed Nephrite by the legs, Malachite got a grip on the man’s shoulders and between the two of them they hauled him into the control room after Artemis.
“My prince? Luna?” Tux turned to see Khonsu straightening in Lunari’s arms while Luna peered down from the knight’s shoulder. Saturn stepped back to watch the reunion with the other scouts. “Quill!” The purrs from the two cats rose in volume, in contrast to Lunari’s silent savouring of his friend’s presence.
Suddenly a shiver of anticipation ran through Tux and he realised that the twins had arrived.
“They’re back,” Terran said a split second later and Tux nodded in acknowledgment as he looked up to the stairs that they’d come down on. A part of his mind noticed that Mars, Saturn, Lunari, Luna and even Khonsu had also noticed their presence. He started to stand up but the ache in his side flared, only fading when he relaxed again. A sudden wave of anger washed over him and he started. “What the-”
*Watch it Bro. Twis is PEEVED, majorly peeved. We’re talking capitals here.*
*Why- uh...* By then everyone had sensed that something had happened. Mercury had risen, Hermes in her arms, and both stared at the stairs in confusion. Io ran to Jupiter’s side and grew until she was the size of a panther. Uranus and Rhea mimicked the ready position of the Jovian scout and Guardian, personal issues put aside. Four ravens took to the air and Atlantia mantled on Neptune’s shoulder as she moved to stand next to Uranus.
Two sets of boots could be seen descending the steps and several shuffled nervously. This place was supposed to be safe and yet the atmosphere had become decidedly tense. Amon flew into through the room, darted straight for the entrance to the control room and the raven Guardians decided to follow suit. One of the sets of boots jumped the last few steps and revealed the Solar Knight as he hastily got out of his sister’s way.
“Young prince-” Khonsu started to say in surprise but was cut off by the youth in question.
Sol found Tux almost immediately and warned, “You’re in trouble.”
“Why?” Venus tried but at that moment Sun had finished descending.
Her eyes were frozen chips of sapphire and they met his instantly. Tux frowned, not understanding and her face darkened as she began to stalk towards him. Uranus made a half-hearted effort to try and stop her but was prevented by Rhea who grabbed the back of her skirt in her mouth and yanked the scout off her feet. “Moon eruption,” was all the Guardian whispered as she tried to nudge her ward towards the control room. The other Guardians seemed to understand. Even Terran began to back away from his master. Luna reluctantly prepared to jump down, probably to calm her ward, but was stopped by Lunari and Khonsu. The knight quietly retreated and escaped into the control room gratefully.
“Ah-” Jupiter reached out but let her hand fall as Sun ripped her hood back to reveal her silvery white wealth of hair. The Jovian scout started to edge backwards, joined by Uranus and Neptune.
“I think,” Mars started as she caught Venus and nudged her to move.
“We should-” Saturn tried but trailed off when Sun yanked her mask down to reveal her face. The scouts gasped in shock and Sol gulped.
“Go!” he shouted and grabbed Saturn, “Get out now!” The young couple wasted no more time and ran to the control room. The other scouts took one more look at Serena’s furious face and followed suit, joined by the remaining Guardians. The door slammed shut and Tux tried to stand only to be stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder.
“You idiot,” the woman railed at him, “You complete and utter idiot.”
He flinched at the venom in her voice but defended himself regardless. “I did what had to be done-” He stopped in shock when she knelt, pushed his jacket out of the way and started tearing at the buttons on his vest. He stared at her in shock as she struggled with his clothing. Finally she yanked his vest open, ripped his shirt out of his trousers and held several layers of material away from his side.
“You almost go yourself killed,” she snarled and tore the glove off her free hand with her teeth.
Her tone was at odds with the gentle manner in which she then laid her hand on his wound. He watched in consternation as a silvery radiance surrounded her hand and was infused into him. He finally understood. Her gaze was locked onto his injury and he watched the play of expressions on his face as the burns and bruising faded from his side. Tenderly, he reached out and cupped her cheek. He felt her tremble beneath his touch. She looked up to meet his gaze and her eyes were no longer filled with anger, instead they shone with fear, pain and love. When he identified the last emotion he showed no sign of the exhilaration it caused other than to let out an ecstatic breath.
“I will always be there for you,” he whispered, “Not even death can make me leave you.”
The magic faded from her hand until all that was left was her skin against his. He cupped her chin gently and leaned forward slowly. He noticed absently that his side no longer protested but that was not important. When they were nose to nose he slipped off the bench so that he knelt in front of her. Her breath was uneven, her eyes wide and he smiled gently before showing all of his own emotions on his face.
Her hand became a brand, its warmth almost burning him. “Do you remember the night, years ago, after you destroyed the youma...”
“You kissed me,” she breathed.
“Yes.” He leaned forward and closed the gap between them. Her lips opened beneath his and he gave in to his longing. Her hand moved from his side to his back to be met by its fellow, a trail of superheated skin left in its wake. Her mind brushed his and he immediately opened his shields for her. There would be no more hiding. For either of them.
next
Chapter 20
Tuxedo Mask gaped at the barren landscape before him. The rugged horizon met the blackness of space that was broken only by the diamond dusting of stars and the jewel like Earth in the far distance. Craters, wide plains and dust all shone with a distinct silvery light that had never been shown in NASA photographs.
“Wow!” he said stupidly.
“That pretty much sums it up,” a voice behind him agreed. He turned to find Sailor Mars standing behind him with a raven on either shoulder. Behind the strange trio stood the ruins of what could only have been the Moon Palace several thousand years before. Lunari clapped his free hand on Tux’s shoulder and smiled wistfully as the younger man took in the scene before them.
“The outer balconies were destroyed as were the grounds and gardens but some of the subterranean chambers survived whole. The pillars over there used to lead into the Throne room, at the back of which the throne stood. Behind the throne was a passage to the chamber with the prayer tower. The entrance to the royal control room and libraries can be found in there,” Lunari sighed, “The Guardians should be in there with Malachite and Zoisite.”
“The scouts are in there as well,” Mars told them.
Tux looked at Lunari. “Should we take Nephrite and add him to our growing collection of tame generals?”
“Why not? Come on, the twins can find their own way.”
Mars stopped and turned to Tux. “How long have you known who they are?”
Tux shrugged slightly, careful of his side. “I found out this morning, a bit over a week ago.”
She looked at him as if he’d gone mad. “Huh?”
Lunari chuckled as he led them through the crumbling skeleton of the ancient palace. The younger man barely noticed the cracked and broken pillar of crystal that they walked past. Tux forced himself to restrain his snicker when he saw the scowl the priestess had directed at him. “Long story, Raye, get the Meatball Head to explain it-”
“Tuxedo Mask!” Venus exclaimed as they descended into the planning room near the main library.
Saturn looked up from where she was working on Mercury, watched over by two ravens and the Moon Cat he recognised as Hermes. “Where are the twins?” she asked softly.
“They’ll be along shortly,” Lunari answered, “But for now T-”
*Don’t,* Tux sent, *Mercury needs her help more than I do.*
*Thorn-*
*I’m fine, it’s nothing serious. I can take care of it myself, either that or I’ll get the Meatball Head to look at it.*
*If she doesn’t kill you first.*
Tux raised an eyebrow. *Why are you and Trav so certain that that’s what she’s going to do?*
Lunari looked at him inscrutably. *If you haven’t figured it out then you’re less perceptive than I thought.* “Where’re Malachite and Zoisite?” he asked aloud and left Tux to ponder his last comment.
Venus jerked her head in the direction of one of the room’s exits. “That way. They’re with Luna, Artemis and Io in the control room. Luna said something about doing some checks and fine tuning to the computers to make sure that Central Command will function well here.”
Lunari nodded and gently lay Nephrite down. “Can you get me something to restrain him with?”
Venus grinned and her love-me chain started to glow in her hand. “LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!” The dark haired general didn’t stir as the glowing chain coiled around his ankles and wrists. “There!” she chirped happily, “That OK?”
“That’s fine,” the knight told her in approval.
“Where’s everyone else?” Tux asked Mars. Venus checked the general over as she talked to the Lunarian knight softly.
“Luna and Artemis got sick of Jupiter and Uranus stalking Malachite and Zoisite so they sent them to find the sleep capsule that was supposed to have been left up here. Khonsu’s? Neptune was asked to keep an eye on them. Grandpa and Chad are in another room where Saturn made them go to sleep. We brought them with us after the last battle, don’t ask. Atlantia, Rhea and Terran went with them. Terran refused to let Rhea loose on her own without someone to keep an eye on her. By the way, none of the others know who Terran is, he looks a lot different than he normally does and they haven’t connected him with the Meatball Head’s dog. They also haven’t been told who the twins are and Darien...” her strange tone caught his attention
“What?”
She looked to one of the ravens on her shoulder before she looked back to him. “I know where we can find the Imperium Silver Crystal,” she told him softly.
He gaped at her but before he could say anything Jupiter called out, “Mars! Tux!”
The three scouts and three Guardians were descending into the room via a narrow staircase. The two wolves conspicuously ignored each other while the falcon perched on Neptune’s shoulder with a martyred expression that matched her ward’s. Jupiter’s face was cheerful as she saw him and Uranus seemed unnecessarily focused on her burden, perhaps in an attempt to ignore the large, silvery Guardian which padded at her feet. As soon as he saw Tux, Terran dashed away from the group as if they had the plague.
Tux smiled at the scene as Terran moved to his side and glared at his sister. He merely raised an eyebrow when Uranus scowled at him. “Where do you want it?” she asked crankily, referring to the sleep capsule in her arms.
Lunari looked up from where he was talking with Venus and a wondering smile lit his face. “Khonsu?”
“Yeah,” Jupiter told him happily, “Found him buried under a pile of rubble. The big wolf, why won’t he tell us his name by the way, says that the capsule’s in pretty good nick.” She stopped and coughed lightly. “The other wolf, Rhea, says that he wouldn’t know because he couldn’t tell an ant from an elephant and the big one said that it was her with the defective eyesight, not him-”
“Jupiter, please don’t,” Neptune sighed, “None of us need to hear it for a second time.”
Tux looked down at his Guardian beside him. “Argumentative today, aren’t you Furface?”
The wolf gave a peeved shrug. “What can I say Endy, we don’t get along!”
“Lovers’ quarrel?” Venus asked from Lunari’s side as they both moved to investigate the capsule.
Two identical snorts came from the two almost identical wolves.
“What?” Rhea snarled which caused Uranus to jerk nervously and slowly begin to edge away from her.
Terran’s face was almost comically disgusted. “OK, I’m just grossed out now.”
“You two aren’t like Luna and Artemis are you? Denying feelings for each other?” the bubbly blonde scout questioned curiously.
Lunari smiled mischievously at Terran whose face had become even more outraged. “That pretty much sums it up,” he told the younger senshi calmly.
Choking noises from Tux’s side prompted him to elaborate. “The Furface,” he carefully avoided mentioning Terran’s name. He believed that the twins would want to see the scouts’ expressions when they found out who Sol and Sun were. “Is Rhea’s younger brother-”
“And you will never get either of them to admit that they feel more for each other than annoyance,” the Lunar Knight paused before he added, reflectively, to himself, “Bit like the twins and Sammy really.”
None of the scouts seemed to realise the significance of this remark which reminded Tux that none of them, with the exception of Saturn, knew the twins all that well yet. Tux saw a seat, walked over and gently lowered himself onto it. Terran walked with him and looked at him in concern when he saw the careful way he was handling himself. Tux wished that he could power down into Darien. It would be a lot easier to get at his side with only the jogging outfit that he’d worn that morning on.
“So have all the other Guardians been caught up on everything?” he asked Terran quietly while he tried to heal his side through several layers of material.
The wolf nodded. “Pretty much. Luna and Artemis began to brief them when Jim went back to help you. I finished up when they took off with the generals to help the scouts.”
“The move went OK?”
“No hitches, the old centre’s been cleared out. All the equipment was transported as soon as it was given the all clear. The main computers have been brought online and we’re up to full capacity for the first time in centuries.”
“Good.” He winced and gave up. It seemed that he still needed to practice before his ability to heal was dependable. Then again, maybe it was only, really meant to be used on the twins.
The wolf frowned. “Are you-”
“I’m fine. Just a scratch, nothing major. I’ll have to get Serena to look at it.”
“And the twins?”
“Behind us. They wanted to give Beryl a going away present.”
“Poor Beryl.”
Tux thought about the errant duo and smiled in agreement. A loud hiss caught his attention and he looked up to find Lunari reaching into the, now open, sleep capsule and pulling out a slender golden shape. The watching scouts looked on in fascination as the Guardian began to awaken.
“W... wh...” the cat trailed of into an unintelligible groan.
“Khonsu?” the armoured man holding him asked.
“Father?” Luna’s voice whispered from the doorway.
“Father!” Tux muttered in surprise.
Terran shook his head slightly. “There’s no actual blood relationship between them. They just grew very close while he trained her... he’s going to be surprised that the princess is the next senshi but also very pleased to learn that Luna’ll partner the Lunarian avatar after all. The function of a Guardian is to accompany a senshi, not cater to royals. Of course I think he might have had an inkling for a long time. He did insist that Luna learn all the protocols of Central Command.”
“Gold Guardian are you well?”
“Gold Guardian?”
“Gold Guardian?” the various ravens asked. Their words surprised Tux, he had expected their voices to be rough, as were any raven’s cries but instead each of the Guardian birds sounded melodic and smooth.
The moon cat struggled to look around. His confusion was obvious. Everything around him seemed to bewilder him. “Who...”
Saturn stood and left a much healthier looking Mercury to the care of Hermes. “May I offer my assistance Quill?”
The man smiled gratefully at her and lowered his arms so the scout could see her patient better. Luna was still in the doorway and behind her were the last two Moon Cats as well as the generals. Luna watched the golden cat like a hawk until Artemis got sick of her delay and nudged her. The black Guardian wasted no further time and darted to her friend. She didn’t notice Nephrite as she leapt over him but the generals did and they looked at Tux in query.
“He’s alive,” he told them.
Zoisite smiled wryly. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”
Terran looked away from the others and met the woman’s eyes. “Is there something wrong?”
“No,” Malachite sighed, “It’s just that there’s always been a lot of friction between Beryl’s servants. Zoi and Nephrite were worse than most.”
“How much of that would be because of the coercions in your minds?” Tux asked. He reviewed what he’d found when he’d combined with the twins and their uncle to free the generals. A lot of the violence and hatred that they felt did not originate in their own minds.
The generals looked at each other and shrugged. “I guess we’re going to find out,” Zoisite remarked. She sighed, “We’d better get him ready for it. Maybe tie him to a chair?”
“Where?” Tux looked around the room. Along the edges there were several benches and in the centre there was a large table for maps and planning but nowhere where the unconscious man could be tied. “If you use anything in here, he’ll fall off.”
“Especially if he thrashes the way you two did,” Terran added, “It’s a painful procedure.”
“What about the control room?” Artemis suggested and leapt to sit next to Tux on the bench. “There’re plenty of chairs in there, and you’d have the added benefit of some quiet as all the scouts are gathering in here instead.”
The two generals looked to Tux. He thought a moment and nodded. “Fine, just make sure that he can’t discover where we are. We don’t want him telling Beryl.”
“It might be best if he doesn’t regain consciousness until after he’s been freed,” Malachite mused as he stared at his former comrade.
Artemis looked at him in surprise. “Could you do that?”
The general nodded. The three looked at Tux who motioned for them to get on with it. Zoisite grabbed Nephrite by the legs, Malachite got a grip on the man’s shoulders and between the two of them they hauled him into the control room after Artemis.
“My prince? Luna?” Tux turned to see Khonsu straightening in Lunari’s arms while Luna peered down from the knight’s shoulder. Saturn stepped back to watch the reunion with the other scouts. “Quill!” The purrs from the two cats rose in volume, in contrast to Lunari’s silent savouring of his friend’s presence.
Suddenly a shiver of anticipation ran through Tux and he realised that the twins had arrived.
“They’re back,” Terran said a split second later and Tux nodded in acknowledgment as he looked up to the stairs that they’d come down on. A part of his mind noticed that Mars, Saturn, Lunari, Luna and even Khonsu had also noticed their presence. He started to stand up but the ache in his side flared, only fading when he relaxed again. A sudden wave of anger washed over him and he started. “What the-”
*Watch it Bro. Twis is PEEVED, majorly peeved. We’re talking capitals here.*
*Why- uh...* By then everyone had sensed that something had happened. Mercury had risen, Hermes in her arms, and both stared at the stairs in confusion. Io ran to Jupiter’s side and grew until she was the size of a panther. Uranus and Rhea mimicked the ready position of the Jovian scout and Guardian, personal issues put aside. Four ravens took to the air and Atlantia mantled on Neptune’s shoulder as she moved to stand next to Uranus.
Two sets of boots could be seen descending the steps and several shuffled nervously. This place was supposed to be safe and yet the atmosphere had become decidedly tense. Amon flew into through the room, darted straight for the entrance to the control room and the raven Guardians decided to follow suit. One of the sets of boots jumped the last few steps and revealed the Solar Knight as he hastily got out of his sister’s way.
“Young prince-” Khonsu started to say in surprise but was cut off by the youth in question.
Sol found Tux almost immediately and warned, “You’re in trouble.”
“Why?” Venus tried but at that moment Sun had finished descending.
Her eyes were frozen chips of sapphire and they met his instantly. Tux frowned, not understanding and her face darkened as she began to stalk towards him. Uranus made a half-hearted effort to try and stop her but was prevented by Rhea who grabbed the back of her skirt in her mouth and yanked the scout off her feet. “Moon eruption,” was all the Guardian whispered as she tried to nudge her ward towards the control room. The other Guardians seemed to understand. Even Terran began to back away from his master. Luna reluctantly prepared to jump down, probably to calm her ward, but was stopped by Lunari and Khonsu. The knight quietly retreated and escaped into the control room gratefully.
“Ah-” Jupiter reached out but let her hand fall as Sun ripped her hood back to reveal her silvery white wealth of hair. The Jovian scout started to edge backwards, joined by Uranus and Neptune.
“I think,” Mars started as she caught Venus and nudged her to move.
“We should-” Saturn tried but trailed off when Sun yanked her mask down to reveal her face. The scouts gasped in shock and Sol gulped.
“Go!” he shouted and grabbed Saturn, “Get out now!” The young couple wasted no more time and ran to the control room. The other scouts took one more look at Serena’s furious face and followed suit, joined by the remaining Guardians. The door slammed shut and Tux tried to stand only to be stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder.
“You idiot,” the woman railed at him, “You complete and utter idiot.”
He flinched at the venom in her voice but defended himself regardless. “I did what had to be done-” He stopped in shock when she knelt, pushed his jacket out of the way and started tearing at the buttons on his vest. He stared at her in shock as she struggled with his clothing. Finally she yanked his vest open, ripped his shirt out of his trousers and held several layers of material away from his side.
“You almost go yourself killed,” she snarled and tore the glove off her free hand with her teeth.
Her tone was at odds with the gentle manner in which she then laid her hand on his wound. He watched in consternation as a silvery radiance surrounded her hand and was infused into him. He finally understood. Her gaze was locked onto his injury and he watched the play of expressions on his face as the burns and bruising faded from his side. Tenderly, he reached out and cupped her cheek. He felt her tremble beneath his touch. She looked up to meet his gaze and her eyes were no longer filled with anger, instead they shone with fear, pain and love. When he identified the last emotion he showed no sign of the exhilaration it caused other than to let out an ecstatic breath.
“I will always be there for you,” he whispered, “Not even death can make me leave you.”
The magic faded from her hand until all that was left was her skin against his. He cupped her chin gently and leaned forward slowly. He noticed absently that his side no longer protested but that was not important. When they were nose to nose he slipped off the bench so that he knelt in front of her. Her breath was uneven, her eyes wide and he smiled gently before showing all of his own emotions on his face.
Her hand became a brand, its warmth almost burning him. “Do you remember the night, years ago, after you destroyed the youma...”
“You kissed me,” she breathed.
“Yes.” He leaned forward and closed the gap between them. Her lips opened beneath his and he gave in to his longing. Her hand moved from his side to his back to be met by its fellow, a trail of superheated skin left in its wake. Her mind brushed his and he immediately opened his shields for her. There would be no more hiding. For either of them.
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