Such a pity, that those so young have had to fight such bloody battles. I wish it had not come to this, to a point where I fear for the students' physical and mental recovery. I pray to whatever holy power that can hear my plea: Allow those who can't be saved to forget this war. No one should have these memories...not even Cody and me.

Her silver hair caught in the breeze, revealing slender and delicate looking shoulders from beneath their natural shroud. She gazed over the bleak grounds that had been transformed, some she feared beyond repair, by the ferocity of the recent battle. Moist eyes studied every painful detail. Where there were once flowing streams and flowering fields now were pools of lava and steam that rose from a blistered and scorched earth. The only thing in sight that had been left unmarred was the Academy, an ancient seeming place that time had never touched. Maru felt down to her bones that the Academy was in even more danger than was apparent. The Path was nothing if not thorough, and stubborn.

"Lady Maru?" a deep masculine voice broke her away from her thoughts. She turned and gave the boy, no, the man who addressed her a brief smile. She thought back to when she first met him, and the impatient cocky youth he had been. His nature had at one point led him to walk a darker path, where he seduced her students and fought against the Senshi of the Academy. Quite different was he now, with eyes that looked as though they had returned from the caverns of despair and a body that was scarred with mementos from his battles. Looking at him, she knew that long after his physical wounds were healed, the scars on his heart would be forever with him. For a moment, she felt a pang of regret for her part in his involvement in this whole business, and almost despaired.

As always, he knew her thoughts. "You know I would have chosen this for myself even if I had been given a choice." His eyes were bright, determined now, showing he possessed a faith in her that she had long since lost in herself. "And you know I would have given anything to fight by your side."

She turned away, avoiding his eyes. "Knowing that does not make these battles any easier on my mind." In response, he stepped to her side and lightly draped a powerful arm over her shoulders for comfort. She moved so he could hold her in a tender embrace. They remained silent for a moment.

"We will beat them." His voice wavered a bit, but she could hear its edge. She dared not argue.

"Have they informed us of when the challenge will take place?" Her eyes met his steadily.

He nodded. "Kori just told me. This evening, sunset."

So soon? She thought to herself as she nodded absently, then rested her head on his shoulder. "You weren't too harsh with her, I hope?"

Cody smiled, glad for the reminder that she was still the same Maru he had fallen in love with; always caring about everyone, even the enemy in their camp. "Of course not, love. She's been a good person, her origins aside. You know I got over that weeks ago."

Maru sighed, and he felt a thrill at the pressure of her body against his. He considered kissing her, but she spoke before he could act on the impulse. "Any word about Simon?" Her voice was soft, and if Cody hadn't known better, he would have mistaken her tone for that of a wistful lover grasping for information of their beloved no matter how grim it may be. That argument happened some time ago.

"He is well, all things considered. Faia's fireball didn't hurt him too severely and his wounds are mostly healed. He will be there this evening." He stroked her hair in a gesture of affection.

Maru broke his embrace and backed away, forcing him to drop his hands back to his sides. She stared off into the distance, distracted. He knew she was worried, but there was also something else she was thinking about, and he didn't like it. "Is it about Kurosu?" he asked quietly, doing his best to mask the anger and annoyance he felt as he waited for her response.

"You know I never tried to hide anything from you," she said softly after a moment. Now her tone was that of a wistful lover, and it stirred the resentment buried none too deeply in Cody's heart. He turned and walked away, willing himself not to say anything he might regret or didn't really mean. Maru was hurting enough as it was, he knew, but that knowledge did nothing to quell the flames of rage and hatred and jealousy that threatened to consume him. Not quite knowing why, he went to look for Kori.

	*		*		*		*		*		*

Maru watched helplessly as Cody walked away. She wanted to call out to him, to say everything would be all right, but she couldn't and had to bite her lip to keep the tears from falling. He didn't deserve the pain she was causing him, not even a fraction of it, and she willed herself not to cry. At the same time, she reasoned with herself: how could she have known that Kurosu would come back? Quite simply, she couldn't have, but it had happened anyway. And the feelings he evoked in her she could not deny.

Ah, Kurosu… Almost of its own volition, his image appeared in her mind. His smiling face, always seeming to be hiding some personal amusement in his thoughts, long ash colored hair tied back neatly at the base of his neck, his trimmed, impeccable goatee, his body as he leaned over her… She shook her head, tears again threatening to fall. It had been so long since she had lost him. So long…and yet not long enough.

Her mouth tightened into a grim smile. No, not long at all…but long enough for things to have changed. Maru thought back to when she first “met” Kurosu, when he was still truly young and just coming into his full powers as the Protector Senshi. She had watched him, from her home in the 5th dimension, saw where his life would take him, the paths he would choose. That was her purpose in those days; to watch, but never interfere. Until she saw the day that the galaxy would forever change, and change for the worse. A day that would forever haunt her as she realized that she had no choice but to demand the Council of Elders to intervene. And when she found the moment of time that would allow the simplest change, in effect when she first began watching this man called Kurosu, she knew what had to be done.

It had taken everything, every favor she was owed, some she had begged, supporters she persuaded, even blackmailed, but finally she made her petition to the Council. When they moved to dismiss her without even hearing her full plea, she threatened them with their own destruction. In the end, they had agreed to give Kurosu a choice. The price she paid was that she must be the one to deliver it to him, and never again return to her home, her family, or her friends, no matter what his final decision.

Kurosu, after hearing Maru’s seemingly fantastical tale but believing in her none the less, made his choice, and time erased itself. It was the first and only time her race interfered so directly with the universe’s course of events, but she knew it was what needed to be done, despite the costs. Indeed the only comfort she could take was in the knowledge of having done a good deed for the universe. That and, in his gratitude, Kurosu promised to train her as his apprentice, so that she might use her now far limited powers to become a Senshi, and fight the evil she had so far only been able to watch. After a time, she began to get used to her frail, humanoid body, and became his most apt student. Student, friend, confidant…and then, almost suddenly, his lover.

Maru smiled at the memory, forgetting for a moment her current settings as she became lost in the past. There had been a battle, and she was gravely wounded, Kurosu had feared mortally. She had told him there was no fear of death in her, and she would gladly give her life to the fight against evil. His response was never forgotten.

“Maru, for all my teaching and counseling, you seem to have missed the most important lesson. The reason we fight evil is so that the good may live! And of all the good people in this vast universe, you are the one I wish to live the most.”

And just like that, she felt the joy of being loved, as well as the fearful and stomach twisting realization that she loved him back. He leaned in, ignoring her cuts and bruises and dried blood, and when she did not push him away, kissed her deeply. It had healed her, to a point where she knew she was not threatened with death. Over the weeks of her recovery, she slowly let down barriers that she hadn’t even known existed within her, and learned of the depth and hopes of her love. When she was finally completely healed, both body and spirit, Kurosu had shown her the physical side of his passion for her. He had been gentle, and slowly she came to understand everything about him, and he her.

The years had gone by, neither of them forgetting that their first duty was to the galaxy, but always they put each other second. The Great Senshi had become extinct over time, but that was because the galaxy no longer needed them to defend her. Life, in general, was very good. Until the day they first knew of the existence of a new evil.

The warning came from an old friend, one that still kept in contact with Maru despite the prohibitions of the Council. He could only tell her that a great force was approaching the galaxy, and that the Great Senshi would be needed before the battle could have any hope of victory. For the second time in her life, Maru felt a compulsion to do everything in her power to fight evil, no matter the cost to herself.

She had used her power to create an island within time, one that would house the Academy she would administer and teach at, with the intent of training new Senshi into becoming as powerful as the Great Senshi of old. Maru had left Kurosu then, with little regret because she knew that this work would be even more important than what she could even hope accomplish with him. Both were saddened by the separation, but neither resented it. Their first duty was to the galaxy.

As the years went by in the outside world, Maru did not know what became of her lover until years after the fact. Her island had not only kept out evil personified, but also any news that might adversely affect her teaching. Somehow though, even before she heard the tale from one of her students, Maru knew that Kurosu was no longer roaming the galaxy. His presence had…stopped. Not vanished, no, but had held still for far too long. When she learned of his battle against the dark wizard, the end did not come as a surprise. Kurosu had been lost, but it was a death that would be forever remembered, and honored. Maru missed him, mourned him, but knew that there was nothing she could or would have done even had she known before.

Now, somehow, Kurosu was alive.

The crystal cave had been terrible, and she never expected Cody and herself to make it out with breath still in their bodies. The Path had truly outdone themselves in this challenge, and it seemed there was no reason to hope. Just as she had been about to give up, to lie down her weapons and accept her fate despite all of Cody’s insistence that not all was lost, the voice spoke to her.

She and Cody stopped dead in their tracks, reaching out with their power to find this being who invaded their very thoughts. “Who are you that claim to be a teacher?” Maru had cried out to the empty air.

“I am disappointed, beloved. Has it been so long that you have even forgotten the sound of my voice?”

Cody’s ire had been instant. “Who are you, that addresses Lady Maru so informally? Show yourself, coward! Fight me like a man!” But by then, Maru had guessed the identity of the being who spoke to them, and she winced at Cody’s tone and the justified anger that would soon come.

“No, beloved, I have not forgotten.”

She had spoken softly, hoping for some reason, that Cody would not hear the words. But his battle senses were on full alert, and how could she have expected to fool him for long? His sword arm dropped to the ground, and he whirled on her. “You…you…”

She hid her conflicted feelings. “Hush, darling, and I’ll explain.” But she need not have bothered.

“Darling?! Who is this boy, Maru? Is he…no…”

The voice trailed off, and Maru turned towards the empty cavern once again. “It has been a long time, Kurosu. I thought you were lost.”

Suddenly, he appeared out of the very emptiness that had seemed a shelter when she and Cody had first stumbled wearily into it. Same as she remembered him, with long silver hair and piercing eyes. But he was not whole, she could sense that right away and almost gasped at his weakness. Her memories of him had never been anything but of his strength. “What…happened?”

“It is a long story, beloved, but one I hope I can tell you soon.” He drew closer to her as he spoke, his eyes drinking her in. “I could not believe it was you they sent to this dungeon. And I thought I would never find you, so large as it is. But I have and now…” Kurosu reached out, and caught up one of Maru’s hands in his own. “Now I have my bright hope again.” He smiled, reached out to touch her cheek…

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Cody was suddenly beside them, pushing Kurosu away from Maru, still denying what was happening in the cavern. “Lady, how do we know this is not some sort of Path trick? He could be one of them in disguise.”

Maru looked closely at Kurosu, conflicting feelings disabling her ability to make a rational decision. “I…Cody…I don’t…” He whirled on her a second time, meeting her eyes with his own, tortured ones, trying to grasp what she was feeling but at the same time denying the truth. His anger redoubled. “We’re leaving.”

He said it with such a calm voice that for a moment Maru thought he might only have been pretending to be angry. But no, for the next thing he did was to grab her up in his arms and run from the room. Outside the cavern they met with some of the creatures they had been hoping to loose in the large crystal room. Instead of sparing the time to destroy them, he passed them by, his only focus on leaving this place that had become a legacy of betrayal. The creatures began to give chase.

Maru shook her head, trying to forget the last parts of the memory. She and Cody had escaped the crystal cave (much to the surprise of Lord and Lady Chaos of the Path), but things had become…difficult between them. Cody now knew who Kurosu was, and why Maru still loved him. He was trying to be rational about things, but both of them knew that something would have to be decided soon. Would Maru leave him for the chance to once again be with her true love? Or would she stay with Cody, whom she suspected of being her one and only soul mate?

This, on top of the war, was giving Maru a headache.

Maybe I should hope that Lady Chaos wins our duel. At least then I would not have to choose which man to hurt…

A hand dropped onto her shoulder. “Maru, beloved, what is wrong?”

Her heart leaped, and pounded in her chest. “Kurosu!” She spun towards him, not sure whether she should back away or thrust herself into his arms. He saw the conflict on her face, but only nodded, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

“Ah, Maru, you have not changed in all the years that have gone by. You are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” His eyes locked with hers, drinking her in, and Maru felt her inner conflict begin to resolve. Here was the man she loved, truly, and deeply. There should be no conflict.

What’s happening… Maru began to feel light headed. “Kurosu…beloved…”

He smiled, and her heart turned over. “Come, we should talk.”

She nodded, thinking that was the best course of action. He took her into the command tent, and did she not object as he led her to one of the two chairs at her table. After she was settled, Kurosu slid gracefully into the seat across from her. Now that he wasn’t touching her, her head cleared a bit, and she smiled genuinely. “I’m not even sure where I should begin.”

Kurosu leaned onto his elbows. “Please, allow me.” When she did not object, he continued. “Maru, I am…not the man I once was.” He glanced to the side, seemingly to gather his thoughts and to avoid fully admitting to his weakness. “The battle with the dark wizard tired me greatly. It had been a terrific energy clash, but I was sure it was something I could win. And I did.” He met her eyes briefly, and she caught a glimpse of his regret. She also saw something else there, but couldn’t be sure what it was. “But he had a trick up his sleeve. When I cast my last attack, he also cast his. Mine destroyed him, and rightfully his should have done the same to me. But somehow, I survived.” Maru nodded and leaned forward, knowing he was about to answer her chief question.

“My henshin ring shattered, and was scattered to the four winds. Although my body died in the wizard’s fortress, my essence is still contained within those shards. Over the time since the battle, some of them have managed to…wander…back together through various means. Warps, wormholes, unwitting carriers suddenly gripped by wanderlust when they find one, the general course of events…” He sighed. “One day, a shard fell into the hands of the Lady of the Path. She was powerful enough to resist the gathering power within it, and instead of taking her shard to join the others, she stole them all and encased them within the crystal cave. In truth, my henshin shards are what power the cave, and that is why very few make it out alive. You remember the extent of my power.” His voice had slowly gained strength over the time of his speech, and now he seemed very much like the old Kurosu, always analytical and clear headed.

“I remember.” Maru had been enraptured by his voice, and was glad for the chance to reflect on his tale. If she thought it odd that she had listened so closely to Kurosu, to the discount of everything else going on around her, she attributed it to her weariness. “So…how are you here now?”

Kurosu grinned. “You have freed me, beloved. Well…” His expression sobered. “Part of me. Your presence has awakened connections that I may use to visit the world outside the crystal cave. To be truly free, I don’t know what must be done.”

Maru rose to her feet, her voice taking on a tone of conviction and determination. “Whatever it is, I shall find out, and not rest until you are free.” She noticed the room spinning slightly as Kurosu also stood.

He stepped to her side, and smiled. “I knew I could count on you. Of all the people in this galaxy, you are the only one I can trust to free me. It is only with great reluctance I leave you now, but I cannot stay long outside my prison.” Impulsively, he reached for her hands, taking one in each of his own. “Maru…” Her heart once again beat rapidly, and she found herself wishing that he might stay a while longer. “I do not know what is between you and that boy you appeared with in my cavern but, I just want you to know, I do not trust him.” She opened her mouth to object, but he shushed her with a single finger pressed against her lips. “Just be careful. I will not force any decision until I am proven right, but please…trust me.” He looked deep into her eyes and she felt herself agreeing with him, believing him. She had only known Cody for a handful of years after all, and he had betrayed her once already. Kurosu had been her companion for decades, and he had always been a good judge of character.

She became aware that Kurosu was still gazing at her, his finger still resting on her lips. Slowly, he slid it across her cheek, to twine a piece of her hair around it like he used to do so many years ago. This time, there was no one to force them apart, and Maru felt a giddy twist of anticipation mount within her. Time seeming to stand still as his face lowered to meet hers. Softly, sweetly, he kissed her. Maru responded in kind, reaching her arms to loop around his neck and pull him closer. Their bodies came together, and she felt a spark of something like electricity run through her. If he wanted to turn this into something more, she would not object.

A rustle came from outside the tent. “Lady Maru?” Cody’s voice called out. “Are you in there, Lady?”

She flew away from Kurosu, trying to calm her rapid heart beat and shallow breathing. “A moment!” she called towards the opening. The events of the past minute crashed into comprehension, and she turned to face Kurosu and tell him never to touch her without her permission. But she found that he had gone, probably out the back when she turned to call out to Cody. Probably for the best she thought, nodding to herself. I don’t know what came over me. Must have been a result from my conflicting emotions. After the challenge, I will have to give this some serious thought.

“It’s been more than a moment, Maru, I’m coming in.” The flap parted, and Cody stepped into the dimness of the fabric room. His eyes adjusted rapidly, and he took stock of Maru’s flushed cheeks and shallow, rapid breathing. Unthinking, his hand went to his sword even as his eyes raked the room. “Where is he?” Maru almost replied, where is who? But she knew better.

“Gone, a moment before you stepped in.” Their eyes locked.

“The moment you asked for?” Maru paled, and nodded. “He’s still here?” She shook her head, and gestured towards the back. Cody stalked through the partisan between the command tent, and Maru’s personal space. As he passed through towards the other doorway, he found himself greatly relieved that her pallet was still neatly made. If she and Kurosu had been sporting… He pushed away the thought.

But clearly something had been going on. Cody glanced out the back of the tent and saw no sign of Kurosu, or his departure. Not that he’d expected to, but it might have been fun for a chance to chase down the bastard. He was most certainly not what he claimed, Cody was sure of it. Nothing that had to do with the Path could be trusted. Well, he amended silently, except maybe Kori. Clearing his thoughts, he went back into the command room and found Maru hugging herself tightly as she stared into nothingness.

Concerned, he came to her side and wrapped his arms around her. His mind raced to find words to speak that might comfort her, but she interrupted before he could. “Oh Cody, he was so…” she seemed to stumble for words. Finally, she decided to explain.

“He said his henshin ring is what is powering that crystal cave, and that is why he’s trapped there. He…” Her voice faltered. “He wants me to free him.”

Lady… Cody felt his heart go out to her. “If he is truly trapped there, yes, we must free him. But Lady…” She looked up at him, and he saw the anguish within her. Resigning himself to whatever fate might decide, he quieted his doubts. “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head, then nodded and looked away, and then shook it again. Clearly, something was troubling her a great deal. “He kissed me.”

Cody felt his heart stop.

After a long moment, it started back up. He nodded to her. “You think I will be angry with you?” he asked softly.

Maru raised her eyes to his, surprised to not find any anger in his expression. “You…aren’t?”

He smiled, hiding any bitterness he felt. “Lady, I know what troubles you. I do not know why these things have come to pass, but I cannot fault you for being true to your heart. And as for kissing him…” Cody gestured into the empty air. “So long as it was nothing more, I will not be angry.” No, he thought to himself, I’ll just wait for dear Kurosu to show us what he really is. And then, when Maru knows I am right, I will destroy him. Nothing will come between us; most certainly not some half-dead ghost.

Maru looked at him with slight concern. Realizing his thoughts had wandered, Cody grinned down at her just before wrapping her into a tight embrace. “Besides, I can beat the kiss of a ghost any day.” He pulled away just enough to kiss her deeply, and with all the passion he could summon. As she responded to him, knowing that he was only choosing not to be angry but grateful to him for it none the less, the world and its troubles melted into the distance. It was a long time before either said another real word.

	*		*		*		*		*		*

Hateshi listened to her messenger with great interest. “So, she has agreed to come?”

Simon bowed briefly, and then assumed a wide stance and crossed his arms. “She has.”

“Then she is not so much a coward as I thought.” Hateshi, better known as Lady Chaos or Mistress of the Path, smiled coldly and leaned back into her throne. She was sitting on an obsidian dias, and her throne was carved out of black marble, giving the impression that all light was being sucked from the room into the being that sat upon the throne, or into the empty air of the throne beside it. The room itself was like a tomb, made of steel and rock but not without a powerful kind of beauty. Nor was Hateshi without beauty, or power. “But bravery and honoring her duty will not help her. In the end, it will be obvious who has the right to the Power of the universe.”

Simon remained silent, though silently rebuking the Mistress for her conviction of Lady Maru’s weakness. Despite Hateshi's confidence, having seen both women in battle, Simon could not say that any outcome could be certain.

“I wonder if she’s been having visions yet.”

Hearing something out of the ordinary, Simon’s ears pricked up. Visions? Apparently, Hateshi had forgotten he was still in the room. It was a classic error made by one convinced of their immortality and importance. His respect for the Mistress went down another notch.

'Simon?'

Doing his best to keep his face unresponsive, Simon reached out for Kori.

'I’m here. Best be quick. Your mother is lurking.'

'I understand. Cody has just informed me of what took place in the crystal cavern.'

'Yes, everyone seemed quite surprised when he and Lady Maru made it out alive and relatively unharmed.'

'Simon, that’s just it. The cave is not just a playground for Mother’s various pets. It is a tomb of fears and false hopes. Crystal Dungeon gives them form, and can even reach beyond its physical boundaries to influence those that it has ensnared.'

Simon’s thoughts were silent a moment.

'Your Mother just mentioned she wondered if Lady Maru had begun having visions yet.'

Kori’s sharp fear reverberated through his empathic chip.

'Visions are not good. They do the worst damage of anything the dungeon can stir up. It is not something I would wish on anyone, even the leader of my enemies.'

'You have warned Cody, I assume.'

'Yes. He would not tell me the specifics of the form the dungeon’s power has taken, save that both he and Maru saw “him” when they were in the largest cavern.'

Him? Simon could imagine what Cody’s fear might be.

'You only mentioned one being. Is it possible that their two fears have combined into one form?'

Silence reigned on the channel for a moment. 'If it has, that could be very bad. It’s never happened before.'

Just what we wanted to hear… 'I’ll let you know if your Mother says anything more.'

'Very well. I’ll let you get back to your work.' He was about to respond when Kori interrupted. 'Are you feeling better, Simon? I heard about your injury.'

Inwardly, he smiled. 'I am doing well. No visible scars or disfigurements. Really, Kori, it would take much more than a mere fireballs attack to kill me.'

He felt her laughter. 'Okay, tough guy. I’ll let everyone know that nothing has managed to bruise your male ego, so you’re completely intact.'

Simon felt a blush rise at her implication, which was only made more apparent through the workings of their empathic connection devices. 'Ah, well…thank you Kori.'

Her smirk was unmistakable. 'Take care.' Abruptly, the connection was lost, and Simon found himself under Hateshi’s scrutiny.

Luckily, he had always been a good actor. “Pardon me, Mistress. I seem to have been daydreaming on my feet again. Might I take my leave of you now? I’m sure you have many important things to do before this evening.”

She waved him off with a look of disgust. He bowed again, spun neatly on the ball of his right foot, and walked briskly from the room.

Hateshi studied his retreating form. Was probably daydreaming about one of the girls. Men! They’re so easy to manipulate. I hope the girls haven’t been too…rough with him. If only these stupid rules could be ignored!

Grimacing, she stood and stalked out of the room. The rules of conducting a proper Challenge were, of course, ancient and observed without error. The Path did nothing that was without the blessings of fate, and Challenges were always the best way to allow fate to make its wishes known. But this tedious need of an Observer. She sighed. At least this one was relatively handsome. If he had been ugly, it would have been very hard to tolerate him, indeed.

Thinking of the Observer from the Senshi, her thoughts turned to their own Observer within the enemy’s camp. Her daughter, Koriru, or Kori as she had grown to be called. Absently, she wondered if the report had come in yet. Kori would know about Lady Maru. Smiling again, Hateshi went in search of the Master, knowing he would have the latest information provided by their daughter.