The scenes from this chapter are taken from Episodes 41-42 of the PGSM Live Action.
Chapter 20 PORTRAIT OF DEATH
The feeling of dread overcame me suddenly. In that instant, I had known that Usagi had once again made use of the Ginzuishou and the Earth itself had been groaning under the overwhelming power. Ice ran cold in my veins even as I tried to stifle my initial impulse to go to her. I had to trust that she could control herself. Regardless of how much I wanted to, I could not be there for her all the time. I had told her that I would believe in her and I would do that.
In a few minutes, the feeling of dread passed and I knew Usagi had succeeded. But the momentary relief I had felt then did nothing to allay my fears for her and the extreme test of willpower that she had to undertake. I wished I could do more for her.
It was then Jadeite came to my room.
"Master." He had a peculiar expression on his face.
I turned to him. Without warning, he had abruptly planted a black crystal against my chest.
I was rigid with the sudden pain that erupted from the contact, and my legs gave way with the unexpected loss of strength. The excruciating pain increased as the crystal wormed itself into my body. It was as if I was being flayed with white-hot fire, burning me alive.
"I don't care what happened in the past. I am only loyal to Queen Beryl." Jadeite had declared tonelessly. The feeling of betrayal only made the pain more unbearable.
The torture seemed to go on endlessly, until with a last sharp throb, it finally ended. The crystal had been completely absorbed into my body. I collapsed onto the floor, drained. It was only when I managed to catch my breath and struggled to stand again that I notice that Jadeite had left. Mio was there instead, smirking at me from her position on my bed.
"Mamoru. This is what happens when you don't listen to Queen Beryl." Her tone had been mocking. "From now on, any time that you think of Usagi-chan, you will feel that same pain again. More than that..." she trailed off, looking at me to ensure that she had my full attention, "look at that painting on the wall."
I stared at the direction she pointed at, and finally saw a painting that had not been there before, hanging above the fireplace. It was an oil painting of a forest but there had been a strange white smudge of paint beneath the foliage of trees. Icy tendrils of foreboding slithered into my consciousness.
Mio laughed, a playful sound that was totally incongruous with the situation, before deciding to continue, "That is you, Mamoru. The pain you feel is the pain of your life force being sucked away. Into this painting. You do know you have to stop being so naughty, don't you?" Her tone was one of an adult admonishing a young child.
I had gritted my teeth and refused to reply, my fists clenched in impotent fury.
Mio's laugh had echoed in the hallway as she skipped away. I laid flat on my back, as my panting slowed and strength slowly returned. Mio's words reverberated through my mind.
Stop thinking of Usagi? Is that even possible?
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I was still weak the next day, recovering from the effects of the life-sucking crystal when I had felt Usagi again. The familiar dread spread through my heart, but it had not been as strong as the previous premonition. Instead, there had been a sense of danger.
Usagi's in danger.
There had been no time to think; following my link to her, I had simply teleported to where she was. An energy blast from the youma had been heading towards her, and she had been prepared to take the blow, unable to defend herself as she focused on keeping down the power of Ginzuishou.
I warded off the blast. She had looked up, surprised at my appearance. The Ginzuishou's power had finally been suppressed.
"That's the way. Control your power." I was proud of her and her face had lit up in joy.
At that moment, Mio had appeared. She was forever trailing me, spying on me.
"Mamoru-kun. I think I've already told you what would happen if you go near Usagi-chan again, didn't I?" Her voice was full of innocence as she sauntered towards us. By then, I had been with her often enough to know that she was at her worst when she was pretending to be nice. I tensed.
Sure enough, I had been brought down to my knees once again as the agonizing pain struck me in its full intensity, but what had pained me more was the look on Usagi s face as Mio cheerily explained to her what was happening to me.
"The more he thinks about you, the faster his life will be sucked away. If he dies, it's going to be your fault, Usagi-chan." Mio had looked positively gleeful at the prospect.
"Mamoru!" Usagi's expression fragmented into one of terror and fear.
"Usagi! Don't... bother... about me. Be... careful!" I had managed to gasp. I wanted to warn her, in case my agony triggered off the Ginzuishou again and I had wanted to reassure her that it was not her fault, but before I could do so, I was teleported back to the Dark Kingdom, where I thrashed about in bed as I struggled with the pain.
When the pain finally subsided and I laid on the bed, gasping for breath, my eyes had sought out the painting.
The white smudge had increased in size. Narrowing my eyes, I decided on one thing.
I am not losing to that.
And that was a vow to both myself and her.
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