Chapter 21-What Could Be Lost
Twelve figures waited in silence before a skyscraper that was so tall it seemed to loom over them. Its shadow was cast ominously over the ones below, and the streets were empty and quiet, save for those twelve. The wind rustled restlessly, sending hair and clothing rippling. Distant sounds of traffic were heard from the distance, but the bright lights of the more populated part of the city seemed dimmed and artificial. Faraway from the crowds and the lights on that eerie night stood those twelve people. Their attention was riveted by the building, and they stood perfectly still, almost as if they were in breathless attendance for some anticipated, momentous event.
One of them was dressed in military-style, with a uniform of light gray. Standing right beside him was one of the seven short-skirted, sailor-suited figures. This particular one had raven hair cascading down her back and a red skirt and red heels on. General Jadeite's trademark smile was not upon his face, and his azure blue eyes were fixed upon the building so forcefully that it looked as if he was trying to stare his way through solid brick and glass. Every so often, he shifted slightly and shifted his glance to the senshi of Mars, who stood behind him. She would shrug apologetically, as if one of her thoughts had accidentally strayed into his mind and disrupted his inward musings. Sometimes, she would be the one to direct her gaze towards him. For the most part, Jadeite remained still, and the moonlight shone brightly on his gleaming blonde head. However, he had never been good at hiding his emotions, and disappointment, apprehension, regret, and worry flickered across his face and shone in his eyes by turn.
Rei held herself a careful distance away from him. There was still undiscussed friction between the two of them, private issues that were not to interfere. She admitted to herself that she did care for him, still. He knew it. But they both knew that love was not supposed to get into the way of things: if she was hurt, his primary instinct would be to go to her, but in truth, his first priority would have to be to defeat the evil before them. If he was hurt or lost, the senshi of Mars would go on without him. As the shadows of the night grew deeper, the moon blotted out by moving clouds on occasion, she sighed quietly to herself. If it came to yet another rebirth...she didn't know if she could go through the pain of living a normal life, them remembrance of the past, and the knowledge that he would not be beside her. But she knew that no matter what, she would go through an infinite number of hells just to get him back. It would always be that way for them, as it was for the other five pairs of soulmates: Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, Kunzite and Venus, Nephrite and Jupiter, Zoicite and Mercury, and the senshi of Neptune and Uranus.
Usagi was the epitome of her past self that night, with a serene expression on her face. Her white princess dress flowed down her slim form, and the Ginzuishou glowed softly. She kept her face impassive, as she had learned to do in the past, but inside, her thoughts tumbled about in turmoil. She didn't know what she would do that night: she didn't know how to handle Endymion, she was worried about Ami and the guardians and what might have happened to them, and she knew that her control over the crystal was much diminished from what it had been in her past life. As the night went on, however, inner peace descended upon her as well, and her guardians were comforted by her presence. To her right was Venus, on her left was Mars. Next to Mars was Jadeite, and beside him was Saturn, then Uranus, then Neptune, and then Jupiter closed the circle. They didn't leave spaces for those who were not present, but they felt their absence keenly.
Setsuna was not present that night; she was watching from the Gates of Time. She would watch the knot in this particular path unravel itself, and she would right the wrongs if it came to that once more...
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune clumped together within the larger circle of senshi (and one Shittenou). Hotaru shivered slightly, the breeze ruffling her hair and chilling her bared skin. Her luminous purple eyes held anxiety: she didn't like the feeling in the air, the dark, foreboding feeling that foreshadowed death. Her glaive, shining a dangerous, sharp silver in the wavering moonlight, was held firmly in her hand as she began to pray that she wouldn't be called upon to end the world that very night. Neptune and Uranus were both composed and seemingly confident, but their thoughts were intertwined as their hands could not be. They resented Jadeite, and they doubted the abilities of the younger Inners. They also did not know the full scope of the Knights' powers, and the disturbance of their elements unsettled them.
Earlier that day, Makoto had felt a change come over her counterpart. It had cheered her, briefly. It had given her hope, and hope shone fiercely in her emerald green eyes. She stood tall, straight, and proud...and secretly, she didn't want to face the entity inside the building. Or, rather, she could face the entity, but she didn't know how she would deal with Kyosei–Nephrite–if she was given the chance to talk to him again. With Jadeite's explanation had come more understanding, as well as pity. But even comprehension did not grant him full forgiveness in her mind, and that night, Jupiter was more mentally prepared for battle than she had ever been before. The old impetuousness had melted away to present a clearer, better study of her true character, which shone through comfortingly.
Venus stood next to her princess, her features set. She alone was the one who had first sensed the need to wait, and she continued to turn her face to the side in expectation. Her memories of the times of the Silver Millennium demanded that she feel respect and pride in her senshi for the way they were handling themselves during the impossibly-long wait that seemed to drag on for eternity. However, Minako's heart ached more for their loss for what had never been. Briefly, she had been able to get to know Kouseinou as he would have been in this life. And yet, even then, he had been a little lost to her, a little distracted, as his prince and brothers-in-arms opposed him. Rei and Jadeite had barely discovered their bond, and the others had not been given sufficient time. But she would not bow her head in acknowledgment of what being a senshi had cost them–all of them.
Another group of four stood to the side, like a tiny wing. The first of their number was blond-haired, blue-eyed, and clad in a silvery-white uniform with a small golden insignia stitched on the pocket on the left side. At any other time, he might have been recognized as the rising star actor, Torit Sukareru. But that night, he would be General Ace, the Knight of Venus–and none other. The expression on his face was hard and determined. On his right side was Urawa Ryo, the Knight of Mercury. His visage was pale and drawn but just as decided as his commander's. Next to him was Kumada Yuuichirou, the Knight of Mars. His eyes kept drifting over to the larger cluster of fighters beside them, and his gaze tended to rest resentfully upon a certain blond-haired general. Shinozaki, the Knight of Jupiter, merely stood stolidly with resignation plain on his face.
The tension between the two parties was perceptible, but none of them showed their discomfort. They had to be united to win. At last, the long wait was over: General Kunzite strode down the empty street. No words were exchanged, but he nodded to Venus. It could have just been his way of saying thank-you, since she had waited for him. Perhaps it was more. She smiled back, but the sorrow in her eyes was heightened.
Kunzite looked the way he always had in the Silver Millennium–before the end, that is–but he wasn't the same. He admitted that young Kouseinou had been preferable to the man he had been before he had met Minako in the past. Even then, as her influence wore away the years of barriers he had built around himself, he had never been completely restored to the way he should have been, had not years of duty, training, and leadership been forced upon him. The same thing had been shoved onto Mina's shoulders, but her personality had never been diminished because of it. Kunzite, however, reacted to things differently than his soulmates. Sometimes it was for the best; sometimes it wasn't.
As they entered the building in twos, penetrating the invisible barrier easily, the thickening clouds began to block the moon's light out, and everything but the darkness of the building was shadowed into obscurity...
~*~*~
"It's pitch-black in here," Minako commented offhandedly, glancing at Jadeite's back; he held a sphere of azure-blue light in his hand that illuminated the hall they were walking in. Her eyes scanned the empty corridors that were inadequately lit by the ball of light. She had, with some doubts, ordered them to split into two groups. Her reasoning was that if they were walking into a trap, she preferred to have them enter from two sides instead of one. As the two generals were the only ones who knew their way around, each led a group.
Kunzite was in charge of Mars, Serenity, Uranus, and Neptune, as well as the Knights of Mars and Mercury. Venus trusted her senshi, especially the powerful Outers, to keep an eye on the princess. She wasn't sure how Rei would feel working alongside Yuuichirou, but Minako had needed to separate herself from herself and Rei from Jadeite. She had decided that Mars and her knight were a much safer combination. Unfortunately, by the same logic, she was stuck with Ace. He was walking directly behind her, and Shinozaki and Jupiter close behind. Jadeite led the way; Saturn guarded their backs.
The blond-haired general started, as if jerked out of a trance. His expression was hard to read as he turned to face her, a faint, ironic smile on his face. "We all thought it was a little dark in the beginning...but it's always like this once everyone's left. After awhile, we just...got used to it."
Minako bit her lip, feeling a headache coming on. Against her better judgement, she placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, sensing a deep sadness in him. So she didn't know him, and her memories were a little foggy, but if they were going to die anytime soon, she might as well have done something nice before she died.
From behind her came a soft hiss, presumably from Ace, and she turned around to glare at him. When she did, however, she noticed Saturn rubbing her arms as if she was cold, and suddenly, Minako also felt chilled. She directed her gaze to the ceiling, where she felt a sharp gust of frigid air, and her eyes narrowed when she noticed icicles forming on the air vents. "Jadeite," she called softly. About to turn the corner, he stopped at her call of his name and arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Do you feel cold?"
"Now that you mention it...yes. I think we haven't noticed it before, because the temperature's been dropping little by little."
As the others glanced up to see what Venus was looking at, Ace smiled twistedly and murmured, "You think it's a problem with the thermostat?"
The brunette senshi glared at him and pulled at the tips of her shoulder-length gloves nervously, trying to decide if she should speak up. Finally, she blurted out, "I think–Venus, I think it might be Mercury."
The blonde cursed, and Jadeite looked at her quizzically. "If she shows herself...do we attack? Mamoru must surely have her by now, and she, too, may be brainwashed."
Venus didn't reply, her eyes flitting around to take in every crevice in the dark hall.
Hesitantly, Makoto whispered, "If we find Zoicite–do you think it would help? He might be able to...like Rei and Jadeite.."
"What, help us?" Minako cut her off quickly, "Don't be silly. You think that Zoicite would help us? If he's lurking around here, which is very likely, he'd probably help her scare us to death."
Grimly, Jadeite muttered, "Not to death, Venus. Mamoru wants us alive to toy with a bit more. He likes living things; dead corpses are less fun."
Looking slightly green, Saturn looked determinedly away from the shining, sharp blade of her glaive. As they turned around the corner, she suddenly felt a funny prickling sensation on the back of her neck, and she turned around again. On the window at the end of the hall they had just been in, glittery, white-frost letters gleamed icily, written in very distinctive, very familiar, and very neat handwriting: Welcome.
~*~*~
Contrary to Venus's expectations, Zoicite was nowhere near them. He was paying a visit to his old friend Kunzite...
The silvery-haired general jumped when he heard a tell-tale whoosh about an inch away from his throat. As he turned to shout out a warning to those he was leading, Kunzite's eyes widened when he realized none of them were hurt. They narrowed to a hard, steel gray a minute later when he realized that they were being toyed with. Zoicite's aim had been impeccable; Kunzite had trained him himself. If he had really wanted to kill him, Kunzite would probably be dead right now. He must have put a lot of effort into aiming it perfectly and making sure no one else got hard. Another gleaming, sharp-edged projectile flashed by his temple, and everyone behind him instantly swerved into each other or the walls to avoid it. As they picked themselves off the ground, muttering apologies and assorted curses, Kunzite cleared his throat and commanded, "Show yourself, Zoicite."
For a few minutes, there was no response. Mars caught the gen's eyes, and when her question of whether or not she should rekindle the ball of flame she had been holding had been communicated, Kunzite shook his head firmly. At last, Zoicite replied, "I'm so glad you recognize me, Kunzite. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I don't have the liberty to show myself quite yet."
"And why not?" the Mercurian knight inquired snappishly, unable to see Kunzite's glower in the dark.
"Because," he said, his voice full of superior, dark humor, "you're not going the right way."
~*~*~
They had met no more booby traps along the way, and because of this, they were feeling more than slightly nervous. Ami–or Mercury–seemed to be guiding them along via window messaging. Her pleasant missives tended to be wonderful, cheerful things like "We're waiting," "Enjoying your stay?" and "One corridor down, only three more to go."
Distractedly, Venus turned to Jupiter and murmured, "I seem to have underestimated Mercury. Was she this powerful before? Did I not allow her to play to her strengths?"
Before she could reply, Jadeite cut in, his eyes still fixed on a point before them, "No, Venus. This is Mercury's darker side. At the point you were training her, she was still young. As you get older, your powers develop. But because darker emotions like anger and sadness are now present in her mind, they make her more powerful. If you recall, on the Moon, if you got angry as a child, before you had a tight control on your magic...it might have escaped you, and bad accidents may have happened. It did to us on the Earth."
"But what brought out her darker side? And how could she have submitted to Mamoru? Ami couldn't have–she never would have..."
Still staring ahead fixedly, the blond general said softly, "Maybe he made her an offer...that she just could not refuse."
Hotly, Jupiter retorted, "No! She would have done anything for Usagi–Serenity. There was nothing he could have offered her–nothing!"
Even before he responded, Venus felt as an icy-cold wind blow through her–she knew the answer. Jadeite shook his head regretfully. "I wish it were true. Can't you think of what he could have offered her?"
"No. She wouldn't have. She wouldn't have betrayed us for him! She wouldn't have turned her back on us!"
Venus turned away. Quietly, she said, "We don't know what happened, Makoto. Maybe he captured her and held her against her will. Zoicite could have been the one used to lure her in... Maybe she thought she would be able to beat him or trick him somehow. Ami has always been the brains of our operation, but we've always thought her to be just that: brains and nothing else. Her powers may be mostly defensive, but she can fight. I realize that now. And I can't believe it took something like this to make me realize it." She was lost in doubting herself, and before she could voice the thought that plagued her all her days, that she might not be the best commander for the senshi, the long-awaited action began happening.
All of a sudden, the coldness spreading through her no longer seemed like a normal reaction to fear and anxiety. It was as though frigid, biting cold had manifested into fingers that gripped her throat...and then a white glove materialized as she twisted away, choking, spluttering, and trying to free herself from her unseen adversary.
Before the others could come to her aid, they were caught up in a drafty, icy whirlwind of frosty blue caught them up in a teleportation spell.
When they arrived–not by choice–at their destination, the sight that met their eyes shocked them: Ryo and Yuuichirou, the Knights of Mercury and Mars, were pressed hard against the wall, kept approximately a foot off the ground by Nephrite and Zoicite. Rolling around on the ground was Kunzite, a truly furious expression on his face as he struggled to get free of his bonds: he was wrapped in ropes infused with dark energy, and the angry silver pulsing against it seemed to be fighting a losing battle. The senshi of Neptune, Uranus, and Mars had once more formed a protective circle around Serenity, who was protesting vociferously.
Venus, whose throat had been released, looked into Ami's calculating, challenging gaze, and tried to take in the scene before her. She had three options: one, save the knights, two, untie Kunzite, and three, protect the princess. Her light blue eyes darted between the figures, seemingly frozen in place, awaiting her decision. And without her knowing it, she began to pit the thoughts and wishes of Minako against the brutal judgement of Venus.
~*~*~
AN: Erm...I apologize for the long wait? ^^;; I know no one's really been fighting or anything yet, but hopefully the end is good (I have part of it planned it. I've been winging it so far)...I'm not too good at action scenes, but I'll try in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!!
Paths of Thorns
