Part I: Glowing Dim as an Ember
Inspired by Once Upon a December – Anastasia OST
That face. She’d seen it three days ago and she knew that it was someone she knew, but the name eluded her. His casually aristocratic air cut her trademark courage off at the knees; there was no way to approach such a man and ask how she knew him, and where from. Surely she had never traveled in the same circles as he. Why then did her mind’s eye insist on picturing his arms around her, sweeping her around a ballroom with practiced ease, as though they had danced together countless times? Why then, did her heart ache at the very sight of his face? Why then, did she long to reach out and feel the length of his chestnut hair as it blew slightly? And why, then, did he seem to be watching her?
Makoto couldn’t place the face, but she knew it would haunt her for the rest of her days.
Part II: Come Please, I’m Calling
Inspired by Savin’ Me – Nickelback
Alone in the shadows of an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of Tokyo he sat, a glass of rich red wine - something he’d missed - in his hand, but he wasn’t drinking it. In truth, he’d forgotten its existence as he stared at the image projected in front of him. It was true that his crystal could help him focus the stars, and see the person whose energy levels were about to reach their peak, but that wasn’t its primary function. Unlike his fellows, he had not been tricked by the disguise Beryl had donned when she’d found him in this life. He had not seen the pretty face with the bright green eyes and softly curling brown hair and fallen into bed with her. Instead, he had looked for signs that it was she; a certain smile she saved only for him that was absent, a mischevious twinkle in those green eyes that indicated she knew that his favorite part was not to bed her, but to lie with her in his arms when they were both sated and stare at the stars above under the dim light of the Earth. Those signs were not there, and she had known that she could not trap him that way.
The glamour had fallen away to reveal the witch, and he had instead been offered her in truth. If he would side with her once more in her battle to rule the Earth with Endymion at her side, she would give him what it was he longed for: Sailor Jupiter. Only for that would he have given up his soul – the chance to hold her in his arms again. As yet, all he had was the projected image of her, a method he knew would not keep the loneliness at bay. What he wanted – what he needed – was the warmth of her body beside him when he woke in the dark chambers of this house; or better, the sight of her beautiful smile somewhere far away from this place where they could live quietly together.
If she could see him now, he knew, she would reject him. Once more he had sold his soul to the devil and she would turn her back on him now as surely as she had then, but he had done it only for the chance to see her again, to hold her close and see her smile. Surely, she would forgive him his sins if she only knew that he would turn his back on this life for her. As he watched her image, seeing where she was, she looked up, as though sensing his presence.
“A storm is coming,” she whispered, as though to herself, and he knew, with a sudden certainty that he would be gone before she could rescue him from his miserable existence.
Part III: Hold Me Now
Inspired by The Gift – Seether
He would never know how she did it. How she managed to forgive him his multitude of sins in the midst of this crystalline utopia – it was more than he could grasp. He could sense the stars and the paths of the planets in the sky, but not her forgiveness. He had done so many horrible things in his past; he didn’t belong in the perfection of Crystal Tokyo, and certainly didn’t belong in her arms.
But there he was, her long, slender arms firmly wrapped around him as she slept, her face relaxed and a faint smile gracing her lips. She was everything he’d come back for, and yet he was so afraid of her, so afraid that she would still reject him when she knew the extent of his crimes. He buried his face in her hair, suddenly overcome with fear that she would never truly accept him that he wrapped her up tightly in his arms and pulled her hard into his chest, clutching her as though she were the only thing that anchored him to this life.
“Nephrite?” she said quietly, her face turned up to see his.
“It’s nothing, Makoto,” he whispered, unsure of his voice if he dared speak any louder. “Go back to sleep.”
“Not until you do,” she replied, dropping a light kiss on his cheek. “Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”
“Why don’t you hate me?” he demanded suddenly. “How do you forgive me so easily?”
“Nephrite, I had decades to accept the fact that you were returning,” she reminded him, all traces of sleepiness gone from her voice. “I had memories of two lifetimes telling me what kind of person you were, as well as Usagi-chan’s stories about what you did for Naru-chan. How could I not forgive you?”
He let her love wash over him as he pulled her tightly against him again, the silk of her hair tickling his bare chest and just held her, reveling in the arms wrapped around him, the kiss she placed on his chest, the sound of her whisper in the darkness.
“I love you.”
