Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Hearts of Swords ❯ Chapter XIII - Resolutions ( Chapter 13 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

* * * R E C A P * * *

They were different as night and day, Usagi and Rei; cold, stoic and unyielding
Usagi. Warm, passionate and devout Rei. Two opposite poles drawn together by
love. They were star-crossed lovers: destined to be apart even as they yearn
for each other's embrace. They would forever be enslaved by each other's hearts
even though their bodies were enslaved by another party.

How utterly...tragic.

But she could not dwell or spare sympathy for such souls as these. Usagi was on
the brink of death, Rei on the brink of madness and herself on the brink of
betrayal. Nothing but pain surrounded all of those involved with the one known
as Tsukino Usagi. It was all they knew, ruined childhoods and lives. Forever
left bereft of any normalcy, all they would know is pain and isolation.

Such was their curse.

She was Mizuno Ami. Dead parents, dead family, a warrior enslaved by the clan
that was the antithesis of her beliefs.

Hino Rei. Dead parents, dead brother, a girl ravaged and left abandoned for the
vultures to claim.

Kino Makoto. Dead parents, dead sister, knowing nothing but betrayal and still
loving nonetheless.

And...Aino Minako. A geisha. Deceptor, manipulator, temptress, lover and a
woman destined to lead. Minako, in a sense, *was* dead. She possessed the same
"dead eyes" as Usagi, the eyes of those who had seen too much and done too much
to ever be normal again. Scarred mentally, physically and emotionally for life,
they were the only ones left to break.

Her cerulean blue eyes drifted to their surroundings. It was an open clearing,
the dry grass crunching underneath each movement and providing fuel for their
fire. The trees were bare and gaunt, the wind biting and nipping at them. It
was a very desolate place to camp. Rarely would men come out in this weather to
seek trouble. It was not worth it.

The perfect place to set up a camp for the night. Not an intruder within miles
of this clearing, surrounded by the gaunt forest around it. It was a natural
death trap.

"Mizuno-san...did you know Usagi well?" Rei queried, bringing the older girl
away from her reverie.

"Yes. I knew her very well. She was my friend, my confidant, and my lover for a
short time," Ami replied. "Passionate, tender and trusting. She was so vibrant
before. But now...now only a dead corpse walks in her place, wearing her face.
That doppelganger will die soon."

Rei could only stare silently at the fire to the response.

* * * * *

Usagi strode into her room, placing the katana gently next to the door. She
changed into her kimono, having slightly damaged her gi from the spar. It could
easily be repaired tomorrow, she mused.

The fabric slid smoothly against her skin as she fastidiously and swiftly
donned the cloth. The rich kimono was blue this time, the pink of the cherry
blossoms printed on it contrasting and accentuating her skin and eyes. This was
a far cry from the picture of death she had painted just a few minutes ago.
This sensuous goddess that she was was not Tsukino Usagi. She was playing the
role of a long dead girl, Matokori Usagi, a girl whose innocent ambition had
all but left her.

Her lips lifted into a easily practiced smile full of seduction, false light
and cheer. This was the smile that she knew how to smile; to hide the darkness
within. She stepped lightly out of her room and sedately walked down the
hallway to make her way to the main room.

She was not expecting the company that stood there.

And for the first time, she dropped her facade to show real surprise.

"...Kunzite?"

The white haired man turned to face her, his handsome face stoic and neutral.
And more memories surfaced unbidden as she remembered him and his colleagues,
Zoicite and Nephrite. The three of them had been one of the ones who had been
responsible for many of her nightmares.

"Hello Usagi." Kunzite greeted formally.

* * * * *

Setsuna's hair flew behind her as she rode the brown mare through the plains,
knowing the path to Kamakura would directly lead her to Ami, Rei and Minako. It
had been two years since she had last trodden this path. It was as if she was
walking down memory lane, each step bringing her closer to her greatest fear.

"Mark my words Aino Minako. You *won't* hurt them. Not while I'm still alive,"
she vowed coldly.

"It's time I show you just what the Ukita clan stands for."


* * END CHAPTER XII * *

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H E A R T S O F S W O R D S

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"Tired of livin' this life everyday it's a gamble
Puttin' pieces together that don't even assemble
Feelin' like somebody I don't like but I resemble
I'm so sick up in here and it's time to make moves..."

Chapter XIII - Resolutions
[Sengoku Period, 1512]


Usagi stared blankly at the white-haired man. Her hand was trembling, she knew
this well. Even after all this time, she still couldn't control the absolute,
unadulterated *TERROR* she felt in his presence. His eyes bored into her soul,
mocking her and promising pain beyond death.

"I didn't expect to see you here. Have I interrupted anything?" she queried.

He shook his head. "No, not at all. Sit down, Usagi. I have much to discuss
with you in regards to...Mamoru-san."

"I know you have no reason to trust me, after all, I *am* the one responsible
for your...current state, and I cannot apologize for my actions. I have no
right to ask for forgiveness or any explanations for my deeds. All I ask is for
you to listen and *heed* my warning," he murmurs quietly.

She looked at him warily, weighing the pros and cons of what he asked from her.
From all of her years under his watchful and astute gaze, she knew that it
could very well be a trap or he was speaking the truth. However, there could be
benefits to sitting and listening to him. So she sat down and gazed at him
expectantly.

Kunzite nodded and began to speak. "Mamoru-san. He's become different since the
day you left Kamakura. Always looking at that painting of you with such longing
and sorrow. All that he's done so far to get you back here, it's been for you.
It sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth. You should have died a long time ago,
when the manhunt was still going on. You know it and I know it too. But he made
sure that the hunt went in the opposite direction so that they wouldn't catch
you in time--"

"Yes, I know," she interrupted. "I was in the woods when the manhunt went in a
whole new direction."

"There are so many things I have to tell you, listen to me and *don't* ever
tell anyone that I told you this." Kunzite said sternly.

"Why are you so willing to help me now? Where was all your helpfulness as you
watched indifferently as I screamed and begged for you to stop?!" she hissed
darkly.

"Because..."

"...you're the only hope we have to save ourselves..."

And Kunzite began to tell the story of an embittered young man named Ryuujin
Jadeite and the history of the Fukushima clan.

* * * * *

She cursed under her breath as she vainly tried to dodge the deadly arrows
being shot at her from behind. This was a skilled archer that was shooting at
her, and she wanted to know *how* she had been followed so easily.

Ami wrenched her neck around to find a very familiar figure riding on a brown
mare and firing arrows at her. "Setsuna?"

"You stop then I'll stop, Mizuno-san," the woman shouted.

The two of them gradually came to a stop and Setsuna's horse trotted alongside
her. Rei was sitting on the horse, eyes wide with surprise. The crimson eyed
woman offered her a half-smile. "I've learned a trick or two through life."

However, Ami knew that it was not *just* a trick picked up on the streets. This
woman was a warrior, a skilled archer. Most likely with the Ukita clan, their
archers renowned for their prowess with the bow and arrow, as well as stealth.
Probably that was the reason why she could not sense that there was someone
trailing them.

"I wish to come to Kamakura with the two of you," Setsuna began quietly. "I too
have unfinished business that I should tie up."

"You mean Minako," Ami stated flatly.

Rei watched the two intently, Setsuna shifting her stance, eyes guarded with
ill-ease while Ami watched the older woman sharply. What was going on? What did
Setsuna have anything to do with this? Just then, Setsuna began to speak again.
"It's...complicated. Minako and I parted on bad terms but what she's about to
do...it's something I'd like to absolve her from."

"What is she planning to do?" Ami queried, sorrow reflected in her soft-spoken
tone.

"She's going to condemn Usagi to her death, and I'd rather not see her die. Not
when there's so many people depending on her."

"Depend? She's hardly dependable," Ami pointed out.

"We depend on her to give us a pillar of strength when we don't have our own to
use. She's easily the most composed of us all, and yet the most broken person.
To have gone through such horrors and still walk with her head held high, it is
the testament of her inner strength, a strength that we all envy."

"I can't argue with that. Well, let us go then. We've delayed the journey long
enough."

The three woman mounted on two horses and ran off, heading towards the horizon
in the direction of where the beginning of the end would take place. The birds
flew overhead, cawing as they headed towards warmer climates. The sun painted
the sky a brilliant glowing orange and amber; flecks of gold teasing through
the darkening sky slowly fading away.

* * * * *

Jadeite stood in Mamoru's room, the younger man sitting with his geisha. He
stared at the woman, her blue eyes beckoning him, filled with the promise of
heat and passion. A lovely young thing, she was but alas, he had no desire to
touch her. She belonged to him.

"Where is *she*?" Jadeite demanded.

"My Lord, there is no need to concern yourself. Usagi is outside by the gardens
meditating," Minako answered politely.

He could not decide whether she was mocking him or being sincere, so he let the
matter rest. For now. Acknowledging them with a curt nod, he strode out of the
room and back into the halls of the mansion. His ash blond hair was ruffled as
his quick strides took him outside to find the said samurai sitting with her
back to him.

Suddenly she turned to face him, her blue eyes boring into his jade green. She
was...beautiful. Granted that he had never seen her face-to-face but now that
he had, he realized why they all fell into her trap.

Usagi was like an unearthly goddess, an angel among mortals. Her burning blue
eyes and slight, curvaceous figure with the creamy, pale skin was an enticing
offer waiting to be taken. But behind those eyes lay a demon, a blood-thirsty
demon of destruction and chaos. To be masked behind such innocence and purity,
it was a mockery and dangerous.

"Ryuujin Jadeite," she said, stating his name as a fact.

He recoiled in surprise. How did she know his name? He had never revealed
himself to her! How?!

"So you are the *illustrious* leader of the Fukushima clan," she continued, the
inflection on the word 'illustrious' clear and sharp. He snarled. "I think that
I should be honored, but I am not. I do not care for you or your plans."

"You insolent child!" he growled. "You do not know who you are speaking to!"

She shrugged. "I do not care who you are. You will die, and that is all that
matters to *ME*."

Tension was palpable between the two, jade green boring into the icy blue of
his half-sister. But no, he would not tell her of his relation to her just yet.
That would ruin all of his plans and he didn't want that.

"You're wrong. It is *YOU* who will die and I'll be there laughing as you fall
to you fate with your *PRECIOUS* lover," he retorted, his voice tight with
repressed fury.

Usagi whirled around, her wakizachi singing and ready. "You will *NOT* touch
her, Ryuujin."

"We'll see about that," he answered smugly.

* * * * *

"The city is near, we'll be there by nightfall," Ami announced.

Setsuna nodded quietly and remained silent. The night had been plagued with
visions and she could not shake them from her mind. It was terrifying to know
that the future of everyone that surrounded her. Each of them were touched by
Fate in some irrevocable way, but to be cursed with the knowledge of what was
to come...it was sadistic.

'Fate must have a cruel sense of humor,' she thought dryly.

Her gaze lingered on the youngest of them all, brought here against her will
and treated as a captive. She didn't deserve this kind of life and neither did
Usagi. Both of them were the gentlest of souls forever condemned to live a life
of pain and loneliness. They could only be complete with each other, none other
would understand the profound depth of Usagi's selfless nature or Rei's
unyielding loyalty and coldness. Not even she could understand their convoluted
relationship.

If Fate could spare them from any more pain, she hoped and prayed with all that
she was that they *would* be spared. She could feel the danger, the tantalizing
closeness of the edge that separated one from madness and sanity, death and
life. She could almost taste the longing that the diminutive blond held, the
longing for her own death. And she shuddered because she could understand only
too well why she longed for death.

Someone needed to help her, to let her see the good in herself instead of the
bad. She was nothing but a young, eighteen year old girl that had been scarred
by the harsh cruelties of life. The countless deaths on her conscience, the
blood on her hands and the festering darkness within her heart, it would soon
consume her and drive her to madness and then finally suicide.

Would these girls ever be innocent?

It was a question only Time could tell.

And Time definitely wasn't on their side.

* * * * *

[***1510, Kamakura, Japan. Kanagawa Prefecture.***]

She looks at me, eyes begging for mercy. Behind the curtains of reality, this
is where I rule her. She belongs to me behind reality while the young master
Chiba rules her in the house.

Temptation.

A seductress guised in the skin of a killer.

I walk across the room to her, she recoils from my approach. A soft, fearful
whimper escapes her. I care not about her pain; she is mine. Here and now, she
is *mine*.

I wear the skin of the abuser, the evil man who wants to rape her and ravage
her, all for my Master. I heed his command and I do whatever I am told to do,
because I serve him and only him. She does not deserve this; truly she is only
a scarred young girl trying to find justice and redemption before she dies.

But I can only offer her the purest of absolution; death.

I let my fists rain down on her slight body, I pretend to revel in her cries of
pain when my soul screams against the wrongness of it all. I scream at her all
the obscenities I can muster, I pour out my anger, my frustration and my fear
into the punches, the kicks, the slaps and the metal rod held in my hands.

Her crystalline tears fall from her eyes, her body bruised, battered, bloody
and broken. But her spirit is strong and defiant. It will take more than this
to break her. I push her abused body against the floor, pinning her down with
my weight. She whimpers in protest and pain, and once more my spirit rages at
the injustice.

I let my hands dance across her sullied skin, let my actions announce what was
to come. She knows, and she shudders against me. Her feeble protests and pleas
for mercy fall from her lips like the tears. I hear it, I feel it but I will
not give in. This is my duty.

"I'm going to break you." I whisper huskily.

And I feel her shudder against me, and I wish for nothing to retch in the
sheer revulsion I feel for myself, but this is my duty. To serve my Master
without question.

And I break her.

* * * * *

The fog lifted from her mind and once more she could see clearly. The horrible
nightmares were back. Everything was raging within her mind, she wanted to
scream and scream until she could not scream any longer. The faces, the blood,
the fires, their horrified expressions...all of it was still perfectly crystal
clear in her mind.

She cursed her luck of perfect memory.

She remembered every fight, every face that lay on the cold, hard ground, each
life that she had taken without permission. Each drop of blood that fell upon
their graves, each drop of blood that had once decorated the edge of her katana
and her hands. She remembered each village that had been burnt to the ground,
the voices of all those who cried out for help but never received it. All the
lives that she couldn't save...she remembered them all.

Usagi wanted nothing but to fall asleep forever and to leave this life and stop
existing. But she knew that there were people who depended on her, people who
were waiting for her to make her way back home to them. Lives that truly cared
about her wee-being, lives that loved her and needed her love. Her unyielding
determination to fulfill her promises is what kept her living. What kept her
breathing.

Was there a word that could describe her? Any word? Monster seemed too nice;
she mused. An abomination? Death? What was she? Preserved within the hollows of
her mind was the unending guilt and the inner child that screamed within her to
be set free. The child that could still love, laugh and smile. The same child
that only one person had ever been privileged enough to see.

Hino Rei.

How the girl must hate her for abandoning her! But she deserved the hate, the
malice and everything else in between. But never the love; no, she could never
be deserving of such pure, untainted love.

Tsukino Usagi had made people mad. Furious. Conniving. Manipulative. She had
made them scream, made them laugh, moan, whimper, groan. She had made them do
and say almost everything imaginable. Everything evil and sinful under the Sun,
someone had done it because of her.

But she had never, ever made someone cry.

Nothing was more despicable than making a young, hapless innocent cry. There
weren't too many things that topped *that* kind of dishonor. Only betrayal and
bringing dishonor upon your own family name were the only ones she could think
of.

So she resigned herself to the fact that she would never know love or ever
understand the intricacies of it. But in a way...it was just what she deserved.

"God is in His Heaven...and all is right with the world," she murmured quietly.

She stood up and began to disrobe. She would play the part of her former life
for the night. To know that just this once, she would not be alone. It didn't
matter that she would most likely end up dead in this battle against the Shogun
or the fact that she would never get to see Rei again.

She just needed to feel *human* tonight.

Even if it degenerated to whoring herself to Mamoru or even Kunzite, she would
*not* be alone. As much as she desperately wanted to shun them and keep them
away, she was terrified of dying alone. She had lived alone, traveled alone and
had been left alone. But she didn't want to die alone. She was sick and tired
of being the isolated one.

Sometimes, she hated the fact that she was cursed to be the hand of sin, the
hand of darkness.

But there was no other part that she was fit to play.

Usagi stood up, the ornate Prussian bringing attention to her luminous blue
eyes and her pale alabaster skin. She deftly tied the obi around her waist and
stepped lightly out of the room. Her strides were long and confident, she was
oozing sensuality as she walked through the house.

Yes, she was death. She would bring death to all those around her.

Such was the curse.

* * * * *

She gawked at the large estate that she was standing in front of. She had never
seen a house so large in her life! Ami stood next to her, the blue-haired woman
had a look of grim acceptance etched into her elfin features. Setsuna calmly
strode ahead of the two, leading the two mares towards the stables. Rei could
only follow her captor to the Main House.

The estate was a large, sprawling place even in this bitter cold weather. It
was a miracle that they had reached here so fast. With the might of Winter just
around the corner, they were very lucky indeed. The two met with Setsuna at the
front doors.

"Shall we?" Ami queried softly.

"Yes." Setsuna answered.

Rei stepped in front and opened the large oak doors and the three women stepped
into the Fukushima Estate. There, they were met with a young, black haired
woman. She bowed. "Okaeri nasai, Mizuno-sama. Chiba-sama is in his chambers
awaiting the presence of you and your guests."

Ami nodded sharply. "Arigato Nanami."

The young woman known as Nanami bowed once more before she left the hall. Ami
directed the other two to walk forward. Setsuna had been in this place before
and knew how to reach the young okashira's chambers. Rei wondered what would
happen here.

Just as they were about to reach the door, they stopped in surprise as they
found Usagi and Mamoru, each holding a wakizachi in their hands and scowling
at each other. She hissed darkly, "You pitiful coward!"

"You immoral whore!" he spat.

She lunged at the older man and he met it with his own parry before going on
the offensive. He launched his fist forward to hit her, but she ducked under
his punch and came up with a harrowing upper-cut to his armoured stomach. The
chainmail did nothing to protect him; he expelled his breath painfully as he
recoiled.

"Stop this now," another voice cut in coldly.

All of the occupants in the hall turned to find a tall, white-haired man. Ami's
eyes widened. "...Kunzite? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to stop this petty fight," he answered. "Mamoru, you should not have
risen to her bait. Will you always let her goad you into brawls?"

Usagi stood up and replaced the wakizachi to its rightful place. She smoothed
out her kimono and answered the man. "I did not goad him into anything. He was
the one who started this mess."

"...Usa?"

The blond whirled around in surprise and faced the owner of the meek voice. No.
It couldn't be.

"...Rei?"

Rei stepped out from behind Ami and looked at them. She looked at the dark
haired man who stood up and met his blue eyes. So that was Mamoru. The same man
who had spurned and hurt Usagi so. Ami bowed respectfully. "Okashira. I have
brought back the person you requested."

"Excellent. You are dismissed Mizuno-san. Minako is waiting for you in your
quarters," Mamoru said with a malicious edge.

Ami bowed once more and left Setsuna and Rei with Usagi, Mamoru and Kunzite. If
anyone could see the fury in Usagi's eyes, they would have ran for the hills.
"How...*DARE* YOU!" Usagi growled.

Kunzite and Setsuna both flinched and recoiled at the sheer ice in her voice.
It was truly the voice of Ice itself. The smaller girl's frame trembled with
barely restrained rage as she glared hatefully at the older man. Kunzite could
only stand by and watch helplessly as Usagi finally reached her brink.

"I've done *EVERYTHING* for you! I *LOVED* YOU! I *KILLED* for you! I *WHORED*
MYSELF FOR YOU! I GAVE UP MY SOUL FOR YOU!!!" she screamed. "I bent and twisted
my own MORALS for you, and THIS IS WHAT YOU THROW BACK AT ME?!!"

Usagi spun on her heel sharply and walked away. "You will *DIE* Mamoru. I will
kill you. Your days and nights are numbered," she snarled darkly.

Rei quickly shuffled after her; that left Setsuna and Mamoru in the halls. The
older woman sighed quietly and walked in the general direction of the baths. It
would be a long night.

* * * * *

"Usagi..."

The blond had her head down, leaning against the wall as if her strength had
fled her body. "You...you aren't supposed to be here..."

"I had really no choice," Rei quipped dryly. "Mizuno-san kidnapped me."

Kidnapped. So this was Mamoru's grand plan. "You...it was a mistake to have met
me. You've been touched by the vile curse, this plague that festers inside me.
It kills. It has killed everyone I loved all around me. That's why...that's why
you should *never* have met me."

"Damn you!" Rei hissed.

The younger girl slammed her hands around Usagi's head, heated amethyst glaring
into azure blue. "How could you say that?! I'm nothing without you. I love you
more than anything. I would have been miserable if I hadn't met you. Please. I
want to help you."

Too much. It was too much for her to know that Rei's fragile soul would have to
witness the gruesome end that her past would bring. There would be many, many
deaths on these grounds soon. Nephrite, Kunzite and Zoicite. The Three Horsemen
as she and Ami had once called them.

Usagi slumped to the floor, one hand covered her blue eyes. "I...I'm tired of
this. Tired of living this half-life."

Rei pulled the other girl into her embrace and together they sat in the quiet
hall, holding each other. The two of them drifted off to a light slumber,
unaware of the pair of sharp eyes that narrowed hatefully as he observed their
moment of intimacy.

'She will die. And I will have her.' he vowed.

Jadeite whirled around and stalked down the hallway, the trailing tail of his
kimono silently following him. Fury radiated from him in waves as he walked to
his quarters. Zoicite was waiting for him. It would be terribly rude to keep
the younger man waiting.

When he reached his quarters, Zoicite was waiting for him as expected. A slow,
sensuous smile curved his lips as he regarded the younger man. While Zoicite
was only two years his junior, the man was built waif-thin and yet held a
delicate mix of masculinity and feminine characteristics. Zoicite's cat green
eyes stared into his own jade green eyes.

"Master."

"Zoicite."

The younger man kneeled submissively in front of him, and he smiled. He let a
hand caress his cheek before he motioned for him to stand. Zoicite did so and
stood still as his Master's eyes raked over his form in appraisal. Soon, he
found his breath exploding out of his lungs as he was thrown quite violently
against the wall. Jadeite's eyes were narrow and intense like a burning fire,
and it made him shudder.

"Don't EVER forget who you BELONG to, Zoicite. Unlike your traitorous Kunzite,
YOU had BETTER not forget your place," Jadeite hissed.

Zoicite winced as he felt nails digging into his skin through the thin fabric
and nodded weakly. He could already feel the blood that was running from his
forearm. Jadeite smiled triumphantly as he gripped the smaller man tightly
before pushing him against the wall. He felt the trill of lust racing up his
spine as he felt the silky lips of his Master against his neck.

'Why?' he wondered. 'Why do I submit to this man, when I know that all I will
receive is pain?'

But there was no answer to his internal questions as the lips traveled lower
and the barrier of cloth was removed. Soon, there was nothing obstruction his
Master from reaching his goal. And again, Zoicite felt the pain and pleasure
racing through his body knowing that it was never truly *his* own body.

In the halls of the Fukushima Estate, a lonely piercing scream rang through the
abandoned corridor of their Master's quarters.

And within the same estate, Usagi jerked awake at the sound of the scream,
disturbing her sleeping lover. "Usagi, what is it?"

The blond's eyes were distant and cloudy with dark emotions as her unseeing,
glazed blue eyes passed over her. "Just...a nightmare. A horrible, horrible
nightmare."

Rei frowned as she scrutinized the older girl. She had beads of sweat rolling
down her face and her hands...her hands were trembling. There was something
about this atmosphere that made her normally stoic lover tremble in fear and
paranoia. She knew without a shadow of doubt that something horrific had taken
place within the grounds of this estate. Everyone here, every single member in
this house always had an air of death and despair around them. Even Ami and
Setsuna, she had noticed, changed when they stepped onto the grounds. It was as
if they became an extention of...death.

Usagi closed her eyes and inhaled, knowing that jumping at shadows was a waste
of her time and energy. However, she knew that scream. She knew the voice and
the pitch of that scream intimately...

...because she too, had once screamed like that. That tight scream of nothing
but pure terror, pain and anguish. Knowing that you belonged so completely and
wholly to someone who would kill you without hesitation. The knowledge of the
fact that there was nothing else *to* do but to acquiesce. That horrid feeling
of helplessness.

*THAT* was what that scream was.

A cry for help, for salvation.

"What is it about this place that makes you like this love?" Rei murmured
softly to her lover. "All I can feel around you and everyone else here is death
and despair."

One hand came up to caress the younger girl's cheek. "It's best that you let
sleeping dogs lie. You don't want to know what transpired here, nobody ever
wants to remember what they went through here. It's...a wound that festers and
burns until it is given the chance to heal. But this wound cannot heal. It is a
mark that we will carry for life."

"What is this mark?" Rei queried.

"The mark of those who are destined..." Usagi trailed off. Rei did not press
her any further.

'...destined to die,' Usagi finished silently.

* * * * *

Her words still echoed in his ears, a cruel reminder of what he had done. All
of the actions that had driven her away would never bring her back to him. That
*GIRL* had her now. How could he lose her...to a mere *child*?!

No. He would not accept this. Usagi was *HIS* and he would claim her again. It
did not matter that she hated him, wanted to kill him or even wished him to
Hell. Life was Hell without her. Without her sunshine, her smile and her
tranquil presence was what kept him alive, what had determined his will to go
on. He lived for her and breathed for her. She was his life.

But no, she would never stand at his side now. Not after the history they had
shared together. She would never be able to look upon him without feeling the
pain and the anger. The passion, the love they had shared would be lost in the
overwhelming wave of pain and betrayal.

*That* was the pith of this labyrinth of deceit and pain. Betrayal. One after
another piled on top of each of them, forever ruining any chance of trust. They
would live a life of aloofness and loneliness, too afraid to trust again and
too scarred to ever properly re-integrate into society. And the root of all of
their problems lay in a simple word. Betrayal.

So how to rectify this situation?

To kill Rei would alienate Usagi even further. To remove Rei would yield the
same results. The only way to do this was to manipulate the Key to move away
from the Core on its own free will. Yes. That would be the best course of
action.

A knock at his door alerted him of yet another messenger. "Enter."

To his surprise, it was Nephrite that entered the room. His ocean blue eyes
met Nephrite's unfathomable obsidian. "She has been delivered."

Mamoru smiled. "Excellent. We should...properly greet her."

Nephrite remained silent but nodded his assent. The older man waited patiently
as Mamoru stood up and smoothed out his expression and his clothes. The younger
knew that this person would be crucial to their Master's plans. As soon as they
entered the room, a pleased smile lit up both of their faces.

She was merely a child, perhaps nine or ten years of age. No older than that,
and looked very timid. Her deep, obsidian violet eyes peered at them in stark
terror and apprehension. She knew that they were strange men and that scared
the poor child.

While he would never show it, Nephrite sympathized with the girl. He too had
been absolutely terrified when they had met the previous Master. The older man
had been terrifying and brutal, but had underestimated Jadeite's strength and
cunning mind, resulting in a horrible, grisly death. In his darkest moments, he
could still smell the stench of burning skin and see the old man's entrails
dribbling slowly from his gaping stomach...

"What do we have here?" came Mamoru's smooth voice, cold and clear as ice. The
girl whimpered and recoiled in fright. "What's your name, child?"

"T--Tomoe Hotaru," she whispered tremulously.

Midnight blue eyes raked over the trembling form of the child, and the younger
man nodded. "You're related to the Hino family, are you not?"

"H-hai," she whimpered. "H-Hino is the name of my uncle, my mother's brother.
Her name was Hino Reika but married my father, Tomoe Soujirou."

He nodded. "She is the one. Go find Rei and Usagi."

Thirty-two years old Nephrite nodded in assent to the twenty-one year old Chiba
Mamoru and left the younger to his questioning. As he made his way to go find
the former lover of the "okashira" he bumped into Aino Minako, the twenty-one
year old geisha that served Mamoru. "Aino-san, could you perhaps direct me to
our guest's quarters?"

Minako's eyes narrowed at the word, but civilly said, "She's in the West Wing,
fourth door on the left, Nephrite-san."

"Doomo arigatou, Aino-san," he replied before walking away from her.

She watched him leave before making her way to Mamoru. She carried orders from
Jadeite that he was to undertake. A small, pleased smile graced her lips as she
entered the small room. Soon. It would be very soon when the final act would
begin.

* * * * *

A knock on the wood of the shoji rustled the two girls from their slumber, Rei
sleepily called out, "Enter."

Both of them became instantly alert as the tall, white haired Kunzite walked
into the room. Usagi immediately stood up, her blue kimono silkily caressing
her with each flex of muscle and sinew. "I am assuming that you are here to
fetch us for a gathering?"

He chuckled. "You assume correctly, Tsukino-san."

"I merely stab at the dark, Kunzite-dono," she answered distantly.

'I don't need to guess what you mean by that, Tsukino-san,' he mused morosely.
'I know all too well as to what you do in the dark.'

She smiled, the corners of her lips turning up ever-so-slightly; but the
supposed warmth never quite reached her eyes as it should. She motioned with a
wave of her hand. "I shouldn't keep the okashira waiting. Lead the way."

"Of course," he answered formally.

This pretense of the charitable and charming host and her preordained role as
the submissive guest strained her self-control. The aura of death and evil
permeated the air here, she needed to flee from this place, run as far as she
could from Kamakura. But the bonds that tightly bound her to this place could
never be denied. Her existence had once begun and ended here, this was the
final resting place of one Matokori Usagi, presently known as Tsukino Usagi.

Kunzite led the two women down the halls and stopped at the door. He knocked
and announced his presence. The muffled answer came through and he slid open
the shoji. Rei gasped in surprise and Usagi's eyes narrowed as they entered the
room.

Mamoru sat in the middle of the room, Minako and Ami sitting at his left while
a young girl sat at his right. The two lovers, Minako and Ami, were wrapped in
each other's embrace. The young girl was trembling visibly in fear, her skin a
stark white from terror. Rei knew that young girl. "Hotaru-chan?"

Young Hotaru's eyes became wide with surprise and trepidation. "R-Rei-san?"

Usagi's eyes seared into Mamoru's ocean blue, and her words, whispered hatred
as they echoed in his soul. "You illegitimate, pathetic...mongrel!"

Rei shivered at the voice. It was an animalistic growl that hinted at much fury
and retribution to come. The slight blond's hand wavered dangerously close to
the hilt of her katana, as if daring them all to strike her. Mamoru's eyes were
tumultuous with anger and hurt. His hand rested on the flat of a kodachi, the
point aimed directly at the younger girl at his right.

"You or your *lover*," he spat the last word like a curse, "make a single move
and she dies."

Ami, Usagi and Rei both tensed at the threat. Rei's eyes were wide with fear
and uncertainty. What was going on? Why was Hotaru dragged into this mess? Ami,
however, felt nothing but self-loathing. There was nothing that they could do
to help the young Tomoe girl. She was a part of this clandestine situation, and
she would ultimately die paying the price for her actions.

"I thought I had seen the most evil deed done in the world," Usagi murmured in
a low, icy tone, "but never had I thought that you would go as low to... to...
*MANIPULATE* an innocent to get to me. You disgust me, you *SICKEN* me. When I
kill you, I will feel nothing but *ELATION* for extinguishing your miserable
existence!"

He growled darkly as he answered, "If I die, I'm going to take you and your
friends down with me!"

His attention turned towards Rei. "And you. You *DARE* claim what is not yours
to have?"

"I own nothing of yours!" Rei hissed.

"*YOU* are the reason why Usako will not return to me!" he roared in fury.

"SHE IS NOT YOURS!" Rei screamed in response. "SHE BELONGS TO NO ONE SAVE
HERSELF!"

A resounding slap and a shrill whistle cut through the room, bringing everyone
to a tense silence. A large red welt was on Rei's face, while the end of a
katana dripped a small trill of blood. A tentative hand came up to soothe the
angry welt while Mamoru nursed the thin gash that ran up his bare arm. Usagi
gently caressed the younger girl's throbbing cheek while glaring daggers at the
bleeding older man.

"Touch her again and I will slice your neck clean off your head," said Usagi.

Minako stood and stared at her with cold, hard eyes. "A guest should act
accordingly to their host, Tsukino-san."

From within the folds of her kimono, Minako drew her own katana, the blade
glinting in the faint lighting. Usagi merely replaced hers in the saya and
turned. "You have made your ultimatum, Chiba-sama. And I shall act accordingly
to it."

Everyone in the room focused their attetion on the small blond with surprise.
Her back was turned to them, but her stance was relaxed and they could sense a
hint of a smile. She tossed a wry look over her shoulder after a pause. "After
all, should I not respect the last wish of a man who will die?"

"You traitorous bitch!" he hissed.

Usagi laughed lightly, the sound whimsical and melodic. Ami and Minako could
not help shivering in fear at the cold, mirthless chuckle. Hotaru's small form
still trembled in fear, eyes conveying confusion and stark naked terror. Usagi
abruptly turned around with her arms spread wide. "Well? What are the
conditions of this ultimatum?"

Hotaru looked at the woman. She was not tall, but very beautiful. Her lustrous
silver-blond locks fell in waves despite the hairstyle it was put into. The two
buns atop her head made her look younger than her years, but the eyes betrayed
her true age. Her feminine, elfin features were alluring and sensuous. This
woman called "Usagi" radiated sexuality and a mysterious aura that made her
shiver. It was truly a dangerous beauty. Her full, pouting lips and diminutive
build of sensuous curves and compact muscles was no doubt the death of many men
and women alike. Hidden strength lay in those muscles and sinew, and Hotaru
suddenly understood why they feared her. Usagi's Prussian blue eyes met her own
deep violet and she knew.

"Trying to run the show without me, Mamoru?" an amused voice queried; a tone of
chivalry and menace.

All attention was suddenly fixated on the owner of the voice. Seven sets of eyes
turned to find the Master of the house, Ryuujin Jadeite standing at the door.
His cat-green eyes were filled with humour as he stepped into the room. "How...
rude of you to not include me in this little meeting, Mamoru-kun."

"Sumimasen, Ryuujin-sama. I was informed by Nephrite that you were busy with
other pressing duties," Mamoru apologized formally.

"Kunzite, should you not be at your post?" Jadeite asked, the tone more than
implying the veiled threat.

Throughout the exchange, Kunzite had stood still and watched the debacle unfold
before him. Suffice to say that he was now in fear of the young blond that he
had wronged two years ago. It was clear that she would not hesitate to risk her
life to kill Mamoru and even Jadeite. But the question still remained...

...when?

Jadeite smiled. "Kunzite, I will take over from here. Return to your post."

He bowed. "Hai, Jadeite-sama. Sumimasen."

The white hared man walked out of the room, the shoji shutting smoothly behind
him. "Now that he has left, I can talk."

Jade green met Prussian blue. Tension mounted another level as the silence
choked them all. Ami and Minako could only watch silently as the two tried to
stare the other down. Minako smoothly sheathed her katana and sat down at her
okashira's side.

"It is settled."

"Jadeite-sama?" Mamoru questioned.

Ryuujin Jadeite smiled darkly. "She will die, and Rei-san will become my wife."

"Nani?!" Ami gasped.

He turned towards the cowering young girl sitting at Mamoru's side. "And if
Rei-san does not comply, then Tomoe Hotaru will be executed."

Usagi's eyes went wide. "You dare..."

"*YOU* are in no situation to issue threats, Usagi," Jadeite's voice cut in
sharply.

Rei stood still, her throat dry. 'This isn't happening...oh God, this is not
happening...It's him...oh God...oh God no...'

Jadeite turned towards Rei. "Don't you remember me..."

"...Calypso?"

"No...no..."

"It's been so long Calypso. Very long indeed."

Tears filled Rei's amethyst eyes as she slowly backed away. "No...no...no..."

"Oh yes Calypso. It *IS* me."

"YOU ARE MINE."

* * * * *

[***1509, Kyoto, Japan. Kanagawa Prefecture.***]

I carefully made my way through the streets, making sure to stay hidden. I am
one of the few that tries to survive on the streets. I have nowhere else to go.
Ojisan died shortly after smuggling me to Kyoto and now I'm alone in the world.

Today is the day that my family died before my eyes. I can still hear their
dying screams and the blood that spills from my mother and my brother. The
katana sings as it kills and I try my best not to cry.

My kimono is stained but still very clean. I straighten the obi before I step
out onto the main street, carefully keeping my expression neutral.

There!

I hide a smile before I make my way to my target, and then bump into them. The
man is big and burly. Just as I bump into him, I take the pouch hanging from
his obi. I just smile demurely and apologize politely, hiding the sack that I
stole.

Then I make my way.

"That's a fancy trick you've done, but you won't get away from me," I hear.

I whip around and pale. It's the man. He caught me!

Trembling, I try to run but he grabs my wrist in an iron grip and then sneers
at me. Something incredibly hard slams into my stomach; my breath is taken from
my body. More hits rain on my body and I can't move.

"You're mine...*Calypso*."

Everything turns to black shortly after.

----------------------------------------------------------- --------------------
E N D C H A P T E R X I I I
--------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------

Author's Notes:

And after all this time, Chapter 13 makes its debut in the new year. Yes, this
is truly the beginning of the end. Did I not make everything come full circle?
Muwahahahaha...*cough* Yes, anyways, Rei and Usagi are reunited here. Setsuna
has sort of faded out from this chapter, but she becomes a more prominent
character in the next chapter. :) This chapter was one of the longest and the
hardest to write.

During the time I wrote this, I was watching "Noir" and some of the angst and
craziness came from its influence. -__-;; My apologies.

Chapter 14 is the 2nd last chapter. An epilogue will follow this story and a
sequel will also be written up. However, the sequel will *not* be my main
project. After Chapters 14, 15 and the Epilogue, my attention will be focused
on my Slam Dunk fanfiction and a one-shot piece for Noir. The sequel will not
be written up for awhile.

Despite all of the chaos here, it is not the end of the twisted revelations. A
shocking revelation is still awaiting you at the end, so please be patient with
me as I reach the end of this fiction.

It has been a long, strenuous journey up to this point, and I thank Byakko Rei
from the bottom of my heart for all her support. Without her, I would not have
been able to get past some of the personal problems I have been recently facing
and am STILL being plagued by. Doomo arigatou gozaimashita, Byakko Rei. You
truly are an angel to me.

And to all the readers, thank you.

Note: "God is in His Heaven...and all is right with the world." - the motto of
NERV from "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (Shin Seiki Evangelion).

[E-mail: sherazard_@hotmail.com]
[Website: http://ashura.br0ken.org]
[Weblog: http://ashura.br0ken.org/blog/index.php]

1st draft: Completed. (02.15.2003)

TRANSLATION:

[name]-san - An honorific attached to names to be polite. Mostly used from one
person to a stranger or an acquaintance
[name]-kun - An honorific attached to names to address males, but also used to
address friends
[name]-dono - An honorific attached to names to be polite. Not as formal as
"-sama" but more formal than "-san"
okaeri (nasai) - "Welcome home". The counterpart sentence to "tadaima"
(doomo) arigatou - "Thank you" or "Thank you very much"
okashira - Leader
wakizachi - The short sword of the daisho combination. It is shorter than the
katana and is used during an indoor battle due to the excessive
length of the katana
geisha - an entertainer at teahouses or for private sale
saya - scabbard, sheath
kodachi - a sword sword, smaller than katana. (ie/ Shinomori Aoshi wields the
twin kodachi in "Rurouni Kenshin")
sumimasen - "Excuse me" or "I'm very sorry". Depends on context
(When Mamoru says it, it means "I'm very sorry". When Kunzite uses
it, it means "Excuse me".)
shoji - A screen door made with a wood frame and rice-paper

Resources:

http://home.austin.rr.com/scajapan/ HISTORY.HTM
http://victorian.fortunecity.com/duchamp/410/shogun.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/glossary.htm