Sailor Moon raced to the ice boulder and frantically peered inside. She could barely make out two shadowy figures. Beating her fists against the hard surface, she called out her friend's name as she tried to break through. "Jupiter? Jupiter! JUPITER!!!!" she screamed hysterically. Her fists began to leave bloody prints as she relentlessly pounded them on the ice, not making a single crack. This can't be happening, she thought in a panic. God, don't let my friend die! Suddenly, someone grabbed her roughly and literally had to drag her away before she hurt herself.
"Stop it!" Tuxedo Mask shouted, shaking her to make her quit struggling against him. "That won't do anything!" To his surprise, she abruptly sagged in his grip, her expression sorrowful and helpless.
"We have to save them," she said pitifully.
"I know, but....."
Soku laughed heartlessly at their distress. "Nothing can shatter through my ice. They will die in that freezing tomb." She lifted her finger and pointed it at the other teens. "And all of you are going to join them!"
So cold....dark.....what's happening?
Jupiter's brain was numb and she could barely think. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't do anything. She couldn't recall where she was or what had happened. The ice was painfully cold and it drained the warmth she had away from her. Tired, she thought dully. I want to lie down. Why can't I move? She could sense her friends nearby. They were calling her. They wanted her to come back, but she had no energy to try. She wasn't even aware that death was looming over her, ready to swoop in.......
My body......I can't feel it.....am I dying? All that Sage could see was shifting patterns floating in his field of vision under his eyelids. The ice had seeped into his armor, biting at his skin. His memory was unclear as to why he was freezing. He felt so weak and just wanted to go to sleep. He didn't care about anything else. Sage started seeing scenes flowing past, like a movie. His friends, family.......all the happy times they had spent together. He wanted to return, to be with them, but he couldn't. Sage was slightly sad as he sent a silent message to his teammates. I'm sorry, guys. Forgive me....
His soul was ready to give up, to leave his body. But then a noise came to his ears. Huh, he thought drowsily. What's that? A thumping sound pounded into his head, making him want to scream. Why was it so loud? He tried to cover his ears, but his arms wouldn't cooperate for some reason. He was forced back into awareness and noticed that he could feel the throbbing noise through his armor. It thudded lightly against his chest, and Sage was suddenly wide awake when he realized what it was. A heartbeat! He knew it wasn't his, so then it must be....
Jupiter! His memory came rushing back to him. That Soku had imprisoned them in a block of ice. But I'm not dead, so Jupiter must be alive too! His relief was brief as he felt her pulse getting fainter. Don't go! Jupiter, Lita, stay with me! But his own life was slipping away from him, taking his strength. No, I won't let it end like this! Jupiter, wake up!
Huh? Jupiter could barely hear who was speaking. It....it was trying to say something to her. She strained to catch the words.
Jupiter, wake up!
Sage? She wasn't sleepy anymore as she recognized his voice. Sage! He had saved her from the blast but they were both trapped by the ice anyway. No! Did he die saving me? Then she felt it. His heart, beating near hers. It was very small and feeble. He wasn't gone yet. Sage, I hear you! I'm still here! Help me!
Please, Armor of Halo! Give me your power so I can save Jupiter! You can have my life, just don't let her die!
Guardian Jupiter, lend me your strength! I don't care what the price is. Let me help Sage!
Their pleas reached deep down inside their souls, and summoned forth a strange, hidden power for them. They both felt it, and sensed the other doing it. Sage and Jupiter's spirits reached out to each other, struggling to connect. Finally, the energy from each person linked together and surging electricity began to build up........
"We gotta get them out of there!" Mars aimed her hands at the ice. "Mars Celestial Fire....."
"No!" Rowen shouted. "If you try to blast it apart, you might hurt Jupiter and Sage!"
"Then how can we get them out?" Kento demanded.
"You can't," Soku scoffed heartlessly. She raised her hand and a swirling wind appeared in front of it. It quickly became clear that she was going to finish them off now. "This is the end!"
The scouts and the Ronins braced themselves for the blow, then Sailor Moon gasped. They turned at the sound and saw a small green glow inside the ice prison. It intensified with each passing second, growing brighter and brighter until the ice suddenly cracked.
"What?" Soku exclaimed in disbelief. Another crack appeared, and another. Then without warning, the emerald light burst through, blinding everyone. When they could look again, an amazing sight met their eyes.
The ice was gone, most likely vaporized by the intense radiance. Jupiter and Sage stood as they had been before the icy gust had struck them. A green-colored energy shimmered around the two. Sage released Jupiter and they both turned to face Soku. The sign of her planet and the kanji of Wisdom blazed on their foreheads. Their expressions were serene as Sage calmly pulled out his sword. Then to the Ronins astonishment, he held it out to Jupiter. She took the handle and gripped it firmly with her right hand, and he did the same with his left hand.
"Jupiter!" Sailor Moon was relieved that her friend was all right. But Jupiter didn't answer; she was focused entirely on the enemy.
"It's happening again!" Mercury said, her eyes widening as the power readings on her visor skyrocketed to incredible rates.
"Just like when Kento and Venus combined their powers!" Cye exclaimed.
Stunned, Kento asked, "Is that what it looked like?"
"Wow," Venus breathed.
"Uh, guys?" Rowen said urgently. He was edging himself away from the green glow. He glanced up as dark storm clouds gathered above their heads. "If what occurred last time is happening now, then I would suggest we get out here!"
The others looked at him a moment before they got what he was saying. "Move it!" Tuxedo Mask yelled, grabbing Sailor Moon and bolting away. Mercury sprinted as fast as she could, and Cye made sure she was with him at all times. Venus and Kento were running like the devil was after them. Ryo had Mars's wrist in his hand as he pulled her along. He and the other Ronins had reverted back to their sub armors to make the running easier. They finally caught up with everyone else, and turned to watch Jupiter and Sage at a reasonably safe distance.
They both raised the sword they held and pointed the tip up in the air. The blade itself started pulsating in a glittering brilliance. A blast of emerald electricity shot from the weapon into the sky. It ripped into the dark clouds and energy surged around the cumulus. The sound of thunder crashed at a deafening volume.
"You little brats!" The ice demon shot an icy wind at Jupiter and Sage, but it didn't even faze them as it struck the green light surrounding them.
Unlike Kento and Venus, there were no preliminary words before the attack. Jupiter and Sage simply narrowed their eyes, and shouted out without hesitation. "Lightning Twister!" At those words, a jagged bolt of lightning streaked down and rammed into the ground. Instead of fizzling out, the electricity kept coming from the heavens. It built up as the energy began spinning around wildly. A literal tornado formed from the intense power and it tore along the ground toward Soku, a black path scorched into the earth. She didn't even have time to blink as the attack engulfed her. She let out an agonized scream, but was cut off abruptly as her body was incinerated on contact. What was left of her floated down to the earth as ashes, and the cyclone disappeared.
Soku, Trem thought without sympathy. You served your purpose well. He had guessed that this conclusion would happen. His goal had not been to destroy Sailor Jupiter. An evil smirk spread on his face as he silently applauded his own deviousness. What he had really wanted to do was to wear her and the rest of Alosha's allies down. Then they would be at a disadvantage when his minion possessed their friend. And that time had now come. "Hicoyu?"
The summoned man appeared and bowed. "Yes?" he said raspily.
"It is time."
Hicoyu smiled coldly in anticipation at his next job. "As you wish." Then he was gone. Trem could have laughed out loud. He was really going to enjoy this......
There was a long silence as the other Ronins and Sailor Scouts stared in amazement at what had just happened. The green glow faded away and the two teens suddenly blinked, as if becoming aware of their surroundings for the first time. Sage's sword fell from Jupiter's grip as she collapsed to her knees. Sage himself sat down heavily with a thud, his armor and weapon vanishing. It was a miracle they hadn't passed out after all they had gone through.
"Why?" Sage weakly lifted his eyes to look at Jupiter when she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why did you protect me? You could have been killed."
Somehow, Sage raised his head all the way. His tone sounded stronger than he actually was. "I will die first before I let anything happen to you."
Jupiter stared at him in surprise. What did he mean? "But why?" she asked, saying that same word again for the third time. "I don't understand why you would do that for me."
Sage started to speak, but then they were interrupted.
"Jupiter! Sage!" Sailor Moon shouted their names as she and the others ran up after getting over their shock. "Are you guys all right?"
Sage sighed in slight annoyance and stood up shakily. "Yeah. I think so." No sooner had those words exited his mouth that his legs gave out and he nearly crashed to the ground. Luckily, Rowen caught him and put Sage's arm around his shoulder to support him. Kento went to the teen's other side and did the same.
"Easy, Sage," Kento warned. "Those combo attacks take a lot out of you."
"No kidding," Sage agreed.
Cye shook his head in astonishment. "But you two did it! That was awesome!"
"Yes," Mercury said. She finally put away her computer, confident that she and her friends were safe now. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars helped Jupiter to her feet, but she shrugged them off and stood up on her own to show she was all right.
"At least everyone's okay," Tuxedo Mask said in relief. But one person was not `okay`, so to speak. And he was going to make it quite evident as to why he wasn't.
"Could you guys leave Jupiter and me alone for a while?" Sage asked abruptly. He looked at the others in dead seriousness. "I need to talk with her."
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Rowen asked worriedly.
"Yes." He pulled away from Kento and Rowen. His legs shook a bit, but he didn't fall again. "Don't worry. We'll catch up later."
Ryo caught the tone in Sage's voice and motioned to the Ronins and the scouts. "Let's get back to the camp, guys."
No one bothered arguing and they walked off, leaving the two by themselves. Sage watched them go, his back to Jupiter. When they were out of sight, Jupiter waited for him to say something, but he remained silent. He sighed abruptly, suddenly detransforming back into his normal clothes and stuffing his armor orb into his pocket. Jupiter followed his example, not knowing what else to do. Minutes passed, then finally when she thought she should speak up, Sage beat her to it. "Do you think you could tell me why you took off like that?" The emotion in his voice was unreadable to Lita.
"Well, I....." She fumbled for an excuse, but was unable to come up with anything that would be believable. She finally gave up. "Forget it. It doesn't matter."
His reply to that was angry and quick. "Don't give me that crap, Lita!" Sage said furiously, turning to face her. He wasn't that tired anymore. If his gaze was piercing before, it literally stabbed through her now. He was mad. No, not just mad. He was downright pissed off. The question was if it was Lita he was infuriated with. "You don't get to run away and recklessly put yourself in danger like that, and then just brush me off when I try to figure out why!"
Lita was startled by his sharp tone for a moment, then her own eyes sparked with indigence. "It's not any business of yours why I did it!"
"The hell it isn't!" he retorted. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? What if I had gotten here one second later than I did? You'd be dead!"
"So what? Since when do you care?"
Sage cringed inwardly when she said that. Her question hurt him very much, but he was too mad to dwell on it. "How can you say that? Why do you think I'm out here? It's because I care that we're even having this conversation!"
While he was saying, or rather yelling this, Lita's trembling hand had unconsciously begun to tighten into a fist. Then she suddenly lashed out violently at him. Her punch caught him in the face and caused him to stumble backwards. But he didn't fall; he merely regained his balance, but he didn't come out unscathed. His eyes were wide with shock as he gingerly put his fingertips to the red mark on his cheek. "Lita...."
"Just shut up!" she said venomously. "Don't say you're concerned about me, or that you care. I don't want to hear it again!" She didn't notice that her own voice was shaking as she shouted at Sage. "I've heard that line thousands of times already. It didn't mean anything then and it doesn't mean anything now. No matter who says it, it's always a lie!" Tears were blurring her vision, but Lita didn't notice. "You don't know anything about how I'm feeling! How could you? Someone says they care about you, and then they rip your heart out and leave without even a reason. You don't know anything!"
Sage was stunned. He hadn't known about any of that. Was that the reason she was acting this way? It occurred to Sage right then that Lita had been running from him. She was scared, and she was hurting inside. If he had known, he wouldn't have gotten on her about taking off like that. I'm such a jerk, he thought. Why didn't I see it? I'm the one who should have been the most understanding about this. "I...I'm sorry."
That apology only further infuriated her. "Liar!" In her fury, she swung at him again. But Sage was ready this time and ducked under her fist. She kept trying to strike at him, and he kept dodging her blows, never once attempting to fight back. When she kicked viciously at him, he back-flipped out of the way. He landed quickly and prepared himself for an attack, but wasn't surprised to see Lita simply standing there with her hands tightly balled up. Her tears were visible now as they streamed down her face, and her breathing was short and ragged. All of her fight was gone, siphoned away from her.
Sage's heart wrenched inside of him. He could practically feel her sorrow clawing at his soul. How could anyone dare to hurt a person as sweet and kind as her like this? It just wasn't right. He slowly stepped toward her. "Lita, please, don't do this. I can't stand to see you cry. It just kills me."
Her eyes widened, the ache in her chest getting worse. She wanted to believe him, God how she wanted to believe his every word. But could she really? An involuntary sob escaped her, provoking a barrage of tears. Her legs gave out as she began to weep, and she started to sink to the ground. But Sage was there in a second, his arms around her as he pulled Lita back up. He swore he wouldn't let her fall, not now or ever again.
Lita hugged his neck as she cried, putting her cheek on his shoulder. Her sobs amazingly subsided after a short time while Sage held her in a strong but comforting hold. It was like he took away her sorrow and made it disappear. She felt safe and warm in his embrace. Lita became quiet after a few minutes and closed her eyes as she leaned against him. "I'm sorry," she finally whispered, almost sheepish.
He chuckled in a light manner, speaking softly in her ear. "It's all right." His words settled deep into her soul. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. I just want to make you happy."
Lita lifted her eyes and looked at him, her face filled with wonder. "You would do that for me?" He nodded and she smiled joyfully. "Thank you," she said.
Sage blinked, puzzled. "For what?"
"For caring." Lita's face was a bit concerned as she reached up and gently touched the ugly red mark her punch had given him. Sage winced, but he didn't really mind the stinging sensation. "I wish I could heal that for you the way you fixed my hand," she said, her voice full of guilt.
"You can," he said quietly. As she looked at him in bewilderment, his palm came up and held her hand to his cheek. He smiled handsomely as a faint green aura came from his fingertips. Lita gasped softly as a extraordinary warmth seeped into her hand, coursing down her arm and spreading through her entire body. She shut her eyes, marveling at the experience. She could actually feel Sage's emotions. His kindness, his affection, and his compassion. And somehow, she knew he could sense hers. She realized that a similar energy began emitting from her, and she could control it. Lita had only to decide how to use it. Then she suddenly felt a slight pressure on her lips, and she knew exactly what it was without even checking. Sage had leaned forward and was tenderly kissing her. It was incredible, and after a brief second of shock she responded in kind. No one had ever kissed her like this before, and vice versa for Sage, even though he was one who initiated it.
Lita was right; he could feel her emotions as well. She was positively radiating all sorts of wonderful feelings, including....... Sage's eyes flashed open in astonishment as he pinpointed what it was. Was it possible? Could she really.....? She must have; it was emanating so strongly from her. Sage closed his eyes again, smiling faintly as he contemplated inwardly. To find the girl he had always been looking for on another world.....Well, fate, destiny, or whatever it was had an ironic sense of humor.
They finally parted, looking at each other. Sage released her hand and she lowered it from his face. Her eyes widened when she saw that the red mark was gone, along with the cut he had gotten. "How....?"
"You did that," he answered. At her confused expression, he explained, "I can control my energy for healing. If our powers are similar, I'm guessing you can do it too, at some extent. You just don't know how." Sage shrugged a little. "So I helped you to learn, so to speak. You just had to want it to happen."
"Oh." Wow, she thought, that's really cool. Lita abruptly reached up and carefully pushed away the fey lock of hair covering Sage's other eye. He was startled for a moment and his hand involuntarily moved as if to stop her. Then he relaxed, though he was slightly anxious about what she was doing. Lita peered at his uncovered face and asked in puzzlement, "Why do you hide your eyes like that?"
Sage blinked in surprise at the question, then his expression became thoughtful. "When I was younger, my classmates were frightened by my eyes. Apparently, I had a very intimidating gaze even as a child." He chuckled at the memory. "My grandfather suggested I do something with my hair to hide my eyes' intensity, so I arranged my hair to conceal one of them. It's been like that even since."
Lita nodded in understanding. "Well," she said, letting the lock of hair fall back into place, "they don't scare me. I think you have beautiful eyes."
Sage was stunned by her declaration before replying gratefully. "Thank you."
Lita paused for a second, then blushed slightly. "Sage," she said with a bit of nervous hesitation, "I think I love...."
"Shhh..." He stopped her by placing his finger to her lips. "I know. Me too." His spirits were lifted as he watched a radiant smile light up her expression. He knew he would do anything to keep seeing that smile on her face. It was such a lovely moment, but then it was broken.
Sage, being the most capable to sense things, was suddenly overcome with an intense feeling of dread. He reeled back and put a hand to his head. "Sage?" Lita asked, alarmed. "What's wrong?"
He had a horrified look on his face. "Something's coming," he whispered. "Something terrible." He grabbed her arm and started running. "Come on! We got to get back to the others!"
Hicoyu watched the young people walk under him as he camouflaged himself in a tree's branches. They were out of their armors and sailor outfits, and seemed very tired. Perfect, he thought. That would make it a simple task to take possession of the fighter. He waited patiently until the one his master had chosen passed beneath him. Grinning evilly, Hicoyu let his body change into a dark mist and drifted down upon the unsuspecting person. He quickly entered the teen's mind before the warrior even knew what was happening. The consciousness presently occupying the body cried out silently and tried to fight back, to push the invading presence out. But Hicoyu effortlessly pushed it aside and mentally chained it down, sedating it. It would not cause him any problems now. Without any obstacles to stop him, Hicoyu seized control of the body. He settled in easily, then opened the eyes of the body he was inhabiting, but now they were his eyes. A faint, unnoticeable smile spread across his face as he scanned the mind of this person. Memories, knowledge, and weaknesses were all revealed in an instant. Hicoyu found some very interesting information and decided to put it to good use....
Ryo stopped walking and turned back as he heard someone running up. He was mildly relieved to see Sage and Lita join them. "So there you are!"
Sage caught up with him and took a few breaths before speaking. "Ryo, something's wrong!"
Ryo had no idea what he was talking about, but then Raye gasped. He turned and looked at her questioningly. Her hands were at the sides of her head as she winced in pain at the overwhelming force she was sensing. "He's right. There's an evil aura here with us!"
"What?! Where?" Rowen asked, searching around the area.
"Not again!" Mina exclaimed incredulously.
Kento narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Don't we ever get a break?"
"It would seem not," Amy replied.
A black fog rolled in from the trees, billowing over their feet. It crackled with evil energy as it separated into several different forms and shaped into figures. Ryo's eye widened in horror and disbelief when he recognized them. "No way......"
Sage's face had gone pale. "It can't be..."
Ten dynasty soldiers solidified and stood, their spears and swords gripped in their hands. Their eyes glowed in a red light as they advanced upon the teens.......
I so love my work!!!! I did so much revising to this chapter, and I think I finally got it just right. Big thanks to smcrossover for helping me think up the combo attack for Lita and Sage. See ya in the next chapter!
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