Rei and Jadeite walked down the white marble hallway briskly – or rather Jadeite pursued Rei down the hall as she kept her quick pace ahead of him. She was draped in a silky red gown that swirled around her with each step. He wore his Shitennou uniform, his cape flapping behind him.
“I don’t understand why you’re acting like this. It was just a kiss on the cheek,” he protested.
“You know the rules, Jadeite,” she replied firmly not bothering to look back to him. “There is to be no fraternizing between the Prince’s Shitennou and the Princess’s Senshi.”
“That’s not what Kunzite said. He said we need to work together and pairing off wouldn’t be a bad idea until we learned our way around.”
“Don’t patronize me. You know your way around just fine by now, this is hardly your first visit. I can’t imagine Endymion would want someone protecting him who gets lost when he turns a corner.”
“Perhaps I still find certain aspects to be confusing in their nature. I’m only obeying orders.”
“I have no interest in what your Kunzite has to say. I don’t answer to him.”
“Then why are you running away from me?” He reached out and grabbed her arm bringing her to a halt in front of him.
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at his offending hand. “I don’t want another encounter like our last.” They had reached the end of the hall and now stood in the doorway leading out to the Palace gardens. The Earth shone brightly above the moon’s horizon casting the landscape in a warm glow. Her eyes drifted over to see the Royal couple approaching them with Mercury and Zoicite in tow several feet back, allowing the Prince and Princess some privacy. They seemed to have a pleasant banter going on between them, but Rei couldn’t help but to notice the looks Zoicite slipped her when she wasn’t looking. ‘Has the whole moon gone mad?’ she wondered to herself. As Serenity and Endymion neared she curtseyed and Jadeite nodded his head in a modest bow.
“Rei, Jadeite – were you both going for a stroll around the garden?” Serenity asked smiling.
“No, we were –“ Rei started to reply.
“We were just walking through the Palace and Rei was giving me a tour. But since we’re out here we would love to join you.” He held out his arm and smiled charmingly at Rei, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. With mild annoyance she took his arm and they walked alongside the Prince and Princess. Rei could hear Mercury and Zoicite whispering to each other and without even hearing their words she knew that she was the subject of their discussion. At least someone was getting some enjoyment out of this situation.
“So how was the tour Jadeite?” Serenity asked. “I’m almost surprised that you don’t have the layout mesmerized by now.”
“Rei has been a wonderful source of information during my stay. I’m not sure what I could do to thank her for her hospitality,” he smiled broadly at Rei.
“I am simply doing my duty,” Rei replied off-handedly. “Where are Makoto and Nephrite?”
“Sparring again I suppose,” Serenity answered thoughtfully. Endymion seemed to smile with his own secret. Rei’s ears twitched from the sound of Mercury and Zoicite’s continued whispers. Whatever secrets she was holding out on Rei would be sure to extract from her later.
“And what of Minako and Kunzite?” Jadeite asked.
“I don’t know…..”Serenity’s face scrunched up as she tried to remember her last encounter with either of them.
“I’m sure they both have security matters to deal with during our stay,” Endymion replied for her.
“Just forget about your earring, Minako,” Kunzite hissed looking around to make sure they were still alone among the labyrinth of hedges. As they were walking through the gardens she suddenly cried out that her earring had fallen out leaving her unable to do more than to watch it bounce helplessly into some bushes which brought them to their current predicament. She was crawling through said bushes in her gown with her backside sticking out in the air. He had offered to help her look but his build was much too wide to crawl through the underbrush and she refused to let him cut back the hedge with his sword.
“No, these are my favorite earrings,” she protested, her voice visibly upset as it carried from the undergrowth.
“I’ll bring you a new pair the next time I’m here. I promise,” he tried to reassure her.
“What does it say for my feelings if I can’t take care of the first pair you gave me? Now either help me or stop protesting.” Silence ensued for several minutes and he continued to look around nervously. “I found it!” she cried slowly crawling backwards. “Uh-oh,” she mumbled coming to a stop.
“Uh-oh?” he replied calmly kneeling down by her.
“My dress is stuck and I can’t get out of here.” He chuckled lightly in response. “Don’t laugh at me, this is embarrassing.”
“I warned you against crawling around down there.”
“What am I supposed to do now?” she asked, her voice sounding visibly upset.
“You can take off the dress and we can try and pull it free once you’re out,” he suggested.
“Are you making a pass at me?” she flirted with him.
“I’m trying to help you out of your current predicament,” he sighed as she giggled. “I could rip the dress and get you unstuck.”
“And walk back to my room with a large tear down the backside of my gown? Do you know how that will cause people to talk?”
“I will give you my cape to cover yourself.”
“That would be worse yet,” she groaned.
“How could that possibly be worse?” he asked exasperated.
“Because then people would assume that we had been off together.”
“We are off together.”
“Not like that,” she mumbled.
“Oh,” came his curt reply as the meaning of her words sank in. “Then what would you suggest we do?”
“I’ll take the dress off,” she mumbled almost incoherently.
“I’ll give you some privacy,” he started to stand but her hand flailed out reaching for him.
“I need your help.”
“I just want to make sure I understand this first. It’s ok for us to in fact be alone together but it’s not ok for people to think we were alone together when we weren’t.”
“The longer you talk the more likely we are to get caught. Now make sure the dress doesn’t tear as I slip out of it.” There was some rustling in the bushes as she climbed out of the dress. “Here we go….”
“I’ll keep my eyes closed.”
“Well that’s no fun,” she teased.
“You are something else Minako,” he shook his head and pulled off his cape draping it over her back. She slowly pulled herself free of the dress and grasped his cape against her, blocking her nude form from view. He deftly moved at pulling her dress free and handed it to her. Her hand carefully reached out to take the material from him and he diverted his eyes as she pulled the silky fabric over her head.
“I’m dressed now,” she said. He looked back to her as her dress still hung loosely over her shoulders. They were still kneeling on the ground and he found her to breathtakingly beautiful the way her eyes were bright with excitement and her cheeks were flushed. “Weren’t you even just a bit curious?” she asked him.
“I wouldn’t have been a gentleman if I looked,” he smiled at her.
“That’s true. Then you would be just like all of my other admirers,” she smiled teasingly in return. “Can you help me with the back of my dress?” she handed him back his cape and he started to refasten it on his shoulders. “There are two small hooks that I can’t quite reach.”
She stood up and turned her back to him, lifting her hair over her shoulder to expose her back. Two small golden chains hung from the one side of her dress and he could make out the shape of the hooks to fasten them onto the other side. The material hung loosely over her back leaving the better part of her exposed save for the small of her back where the dress was bunched together causing folds to form over the backside of the gown. With bated breath he stood up, towering over her petite form and he could feel her inhale as his fingers brushed skillfully against her skin. He paused after securing the first chain and leaned over to kiss her softly on her neck. She giggled as his breath tickled her skin and he finished clasping the final hook. “Perfect,” he said softly, the admiration evident in his eyes. She turned her head to look at him as his fingers lingered on her back and she gasped, her eyes growing wide with alarm.
“I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Serenity giggled.
Minako immediately turned red and Kunzite stepped back from her. “It’s not what it looks like,” Minako quickly replied. “I dropped my earring and I had to crawl around in the underbrush here to find it.”
“It looks like you have both earrings on to me,” Rei drawled sharply.
“I do!” Minako exclaimed reaching up to feel both earrings. “I found it, but then my dress got stuck and I didn’t want to tear it….and I’m not making this sound any better….” She looked around at the faces of her Senshi and Endymion’s Shitennou. “I have to go,” she stammered. “I’m sure there’s something that the Queen needs me to do…..” With one last glance back to Kunzite she dashed off across the gardens heading back towards the Palace.
“Minako!” Serenity called after her. When the other girl didn’t respond she pulled up her skirts and chased after her.
“That’s it!” Jadeite declared. “If he doesn’t have to be discreet” he pointed sharply at Kunzite “then I don’t have to be discreet!” He grabbed Rei and pulled her against him, pressing his lips firmly against her own. With a sharp shove she pushed him away and stepped back slapping him sharply across his face. Putting on her most dignified expression she turned and walked away following after Serenity.
“Always the charmer,” Zoicite laughed. Mercury at least had the decency to place her hand over her mouth to shield her smile from the others. This had certainly turned out to be an interesting patrol after all. Makoto would be mad that she asked her to trade.
Jadeite smiled as he rolled over in his sleep, the memory fresh in his mind as if it had only just happened. The memory that had been eluding him since the night he pursued Mina on the rooftops finally revealed itself to him. Kunzite had been quick to remind him that there was to be no romantic relations between them and the Senshi. He protested stating that Kunzite was in no position to speak after what they just saw. Even with all of the evidence pointing back at him, Kunzite still managed to win the argument. It was no wonder Endymion sent him out to handle all negotiations. Jadeite found it hard to believe that Kunzite had no relationship with the Golden Senshi – Kunzite had gone as far as to discuss his interest in her with him (and blackmailed him in the process!). She was beautiful to behold and he would have been lying if he said otherwise, it would be highly improbable that she could return his interest and have no intimate relations. This man was not made out of stone despite all of his pretenses. His feelings for Rei were no less intense and he fought with every bone in his body to have at least what little time together that they managed.
His eyes slowly fluttered open but immediately shut from after being exposed to the sunlight. After the time he spent in the darkness this bit of light shining in through the glass door of the balcony was almost blinding. Little by little he cracked his eyes further open trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings. His vision was blurred but he could tell he was lying in a bed definitely not his own with a soft hand brushing a damp washcloth over his face. With a shaking hand he reached up and touched the fingers of the other hand. “Rei,” his voice was weak and scratchy. “You’re here. Thank you.”
“Shh,” came the soft reply. “Just rest.” She gently placed his hand over his stomach and pulled the sheet back over him. As she continued to wipe his face with the cloth she starting humming a soft tune that she seemed to remember from another lifetime.
Minako stood in Kai’s apartment where he left her, still contemplating his words. How could she have been fooled by a fake Sailor Moon? She knows her Princess – she would regardless of the lifetime. The important question is how could Beryl have a “clone” without having found the Princess? Did she encounter her and kill her already? Are they too late to do anything? Without the Silver Crystal they would never be able to defeat the Dark Kingdom. It was too soon to give up hope. There had to be some connection still existing between Endymion and her, but Kunzite told her not to tell anyone. Is he afraid of it getting back to Beryl that they know? It’s bad enough that Beryl held three of her Senshi and three of Endymion’s Shitennou leaving only herself and Zoicite to battle the Dark Kingdom. Mina sat in the middle of the floor with her legs crossed underneath her. Back in the Silver Millennium she remembered that Rei would meditate when she had some problem that needed solving and perhaps if she attempted to do the same the answers would stop eluding her. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She cleared her mind trying to only focus on her Princess. Several more memories of them laughing together and crying together and celebrating together flashed before her eyes. With each day she became more whole from the knowledge of her prior life and this only helped to make her stronger. A warm glow enveloped her and she felt comforted by the touch.
“I knew you would find me when you were ready,” a male voice resounded around her.
Startled she pulled herself from her trance and found herself sitting across from a silver haired stranger.
Zane and Mamoru sat in the living room of Mamoru’s apartment on separate couches. Mamoru on the larger couch with his feet on the coffee table while Zane sat reclined in a plush chair with one leg strewn over the armrest. “What do we do now?” he asked Mamoru.
Mamoru ran his hands through his hair for possibly the hundredth time and Zane wondered if the other man’s hair would start to fall out from the constant contact. “This time I’m not sure,” Mamoru replied. “We’ve worked so hard to come this far but I’m not sure my Golden Crystal can keep operating under this much constant usage. I have a feeling that’s what the Dark Kingdom is waiting for.”
“We need a plan. Sitting here and waiting to be found is not the best course of action.”
“Then it’s your turn to come up with a plan Zane.”
“Really?” he asked surprised. “I used to be good at this, I’m sure I can think of something.”
“You remember being my strategist?”
“I remember you tripping over your own feet to impress the Princess,” Zane smiled.
“At least I wasn’t afraid to express myself when it came to my Princess.”
“She knew. Nothing more needed to be said between us.”
“I always said that about Mina and Kunzite.”
“That day, when he said that there was nothing between them, why did he say that?” Zane started absently swirling the tips of his long hair with his fingertips.
“Because he never allowed for anything more between them.”
“We saw him kissing her and the way he had his hands on her was like that of a lovers touch.”
“I know that they were devoted to each other, but other than the occasional kiss or stolen moment it never went any further – not like with Rei and Jadeite or Makoto and Nephrite. His sense of responsibility was too strong and I can only assume she felt the same way if she allowed things to stay the way they were.”
“He was an idiot.” They both laughed at Zane’s statement.
“Yeah, he was.”
“I have an idea.” Zane perked up suddenly dropping his leg from the armrest.
“Already?”
“Where’s Mina?”
“I don’t know. I’m hoping that she’s ok. Despite what the Dark Kingdom has done to Kunzite I don’t think he really wants to hurt her. Where ever he’s taken her I’m sure she’ll return from it. I want to give her some time before we start looking for her.”
“You’re really not concerned that she’s been kidnapped?”
“I can sense her somewhere nearby in the city. I don’t know how or why but I’m always able to tune in on her.”
“Only her?”
“Yeah.”
“I need her for my plan.”
Mamoru sighed and ran his fingers through his hair again. “We have to wait. I don’t want to go anywhere until I find out what happened to Jadeite.”
“He’s in good hands.”
“Of that I have no doubt,” Mamoru smiled knowingly.
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“I can’t believe that between the 4 of you he was able to escape,” Beryl said angrily sitting on her throne. “At least one of you was supposed to be watching him.”
“Yeah, Kunzite,” Nephrite snorted.
“Where is he?” Beryl hissed.
“Probably turned traitor by now,” Mars replied snidely.
“Silence!” she shouted. “I will not tolerate this! He has ignored all of my summons. Nephrite I want you to find him and bring him back here now.” Nephrite nodded his head visibly and stepped back into the shadows. “Jupiter I want you to find Mercury. Mars – take care of Venus. She has caused far too much trouble for me and I want her gone. I trust that you both know better than to fail me.”
“And what of Jadeite?” Mars asked.
“I will worry about him, not you. Now go.” She waved her hand dismissively and both Senshi disappeared from the room. Frustrated she grasped her staff tightly banging the bottom harshly against the ground.
“I wouldn’t trust their loyalties my Queen,” Danburite kneeled by her throne, taking one of her hands in his and kissing it. “It seems that your influence may be wearing thin over them.”
“Do you really believe that they can escape my influence?”
“Those protected by their Guardian Planets cannot be tamed. You have to give them a demonstration of your power and defeat the opposition.”
“You’re not telling me anything that I don’t already know Danburite.”
“If you want to win them over they must be conquered.”
“And what do you suggest?”
“Kill Sailor Venus. Kunzite is not loyal to you, he is loyal to her. Without her he will no longer fight your control.”
“And how do I know that this plan of your won’t backfire? Suppose I were to capture her and make her my hostage instead.”
“He may try to free her like he did Jadeite.”
Beryl narrowed her eyes hissed with her teeth bared, her face appearing serpentine. “How do you know this?”
“I have been following him since his arrival. He was the last one with Jadeite. Don’t you think it’s more than a coincidence that Jadeite was our prisoner up until the moment you left? I doubt that you were gone for more than a few minutes yet upon your return he was gone. There were only a few people who had access to him.”
“Could it have been Mars?” Beryl asked tapping her nails on her staff.
“No, she is confused. It seems that her memories are on the brink of remembrance. I would be careful with her.”
“It seems that her encounter with the Shitennou of her past seems to be awakening her. Perhaps it is better to have him back alive than rounded up and killed. I have Jupiter fully under my control as well as her lover. Perhaps you are wrong then about killing Venus. If she were back among my ranks Kunzite would have no reason to defect.”
“You can’t trust her not to turn again my Queen. She has been exposed to the Prince’s Golden Crystal for too long.”
“Go and find me Jadeite. I want him here kneeling at my feet.”
“Yes your Majesty.” He bowed his head and rose from his kneeling position to skulk back into the shadows were he appeared from.
