Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Redemption ❯ Taking Sides ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

TAKING SIDES


Just over a year ago: Standing tall and proud despite his
haggard, unkempt appearance -- an appearance that blends in
with the twisted, grotesque populace of youma within the
Negaverse -- a redheaded, humanlike male scans carefully
around the apparently deserted cavern. His voice barely
audible, even to himself, he looks upward, violet eyes
focused past the gloom-embraced ceiling of the cave.
"Free... The seal's been broken... I can go *home*."

His dark hair is matted, so badly untended that the color
remains nearly indeterminable, and the rough, gray-colored
trousers seem to hug his lower body far tighter than could
be considered comfortable. Even so, the body beneath the
cobbled-together suit of battered and dented youma armor
shows signs of being strong, straight and athletic. His
words remain hushed sounds in the darkness: "Vortex Mirror
Return."

As a helix of deep red light erupts from the cavern floor to
spiral upward and obscure the man's form, an expression of
jubilation crosses his face.

In a round chamber of black stone easily recognized as the
Hall of the Mirror enshrouded in a thick layer of gray dust,
dim light and grave-like silence, the dull surface of the
Mirror momentarily regains its formerly unearthly shine, the
reflective blackness rippling and dancing like a disturbed
pond. The surface then flows outwards, propelled from
behind; the youma-armored, dirt-encrusted male steps into
the Hall -- and freezes, his horror obvious. Violet eyes
wide, he gazes around, face suddenly pale under the streaks
of grime clinging to his skin, a soft gasp escaping from
between slackened lips. Then he shakes his head and slowly
turns around to stare at his reflection in the lusterless
surface of the Mirror; a grimace of complete disgust settles
on his face. Recoiling from the sight of himself after a
thousand years in hell, he turns and darts out of the Hall.

He searches the Tower room by room, his steps slowing, his
posture taking on one of sorrow and defeat as each chamber
is revealed to be as empty, as dusty, as... untouched as the
Hall of the Mirror had been. Behind his form, the only
signs of life are his own bootprints in the dismal shroud of
dust that covers everything. His entire aura one of a man
who realizes that his trip to hell hasn't ended yet, the
redhead returns to the Hall.

His scuffed-up boots making silent steps across the
dull-colored Zodiac carpet that covers the floor of the room
where the Vortex Mirror resides, he trudges listlessly
toward the dais where the Mirror and velvet-padded obsidian
stone throne next to it rest. Reaching the short flight of
three steps, a dim sparkle in the near-darkness catches his
attention. Looking down, he notices, at last, the
inch-wide, spherical, faceted gemstone of deepest black
sitting on the floor before the Mirror, tiny sparks of
darkest green barely visible in the jewel's depths.
Groaning in sheer agony, the tall man in the
horridly-fitting armor falls to his knees, violet gaze
locked on the stone, his expression truly hopeless. "My
lord... Cosmos, Obsidian... Even you? Gods... even you..."

He swallows audibly, eyes blinking rapidly as he lifts his
gaze to stare at the dimmed Mirror, no reflection visible
now on its smooth surface. Again, his words are a harsh,
barely-heard whisper. "I've failed you, Lord Obsidian.
I've failed us all. All that I have left now is my
revenge." His expression remaining agonized, he bows his
head and closes his eyes.

************************************

High up in the topmost floor of the Obsidian Tower, caught
in that pocket dimension between all realities, a lone
figure stood silently next to the table upon which rested
the dull, gray stones of the race of beings that had once
inhabited Lithos. Lavender-tinged silver hair glimmered in
the light of the illumination crystals as Kunzite looked
over the small, dead jewels arranged there in loose groups,
the shattered remains of Beryl's stone scattered amongst
them like morbid confetti. *Nephrite... Where could he be?
And Tanzanite, of course... No one's known what's happened
to her in half a billion years. But why can't I shake the
feeling that there's someone else missing after all?* His
frown deepened as he continued to stare at the table. *Lord
Obsidian and Zoisite should be returning at any moment from
retrieving the Sapphire. For her sake, I do hope Zoisite's
not done anything foolish...*

Behind Kunzite, a liquid ripple crossed the eerily
reflective surface of the Vortex Mirror as the
seven-foot-tall Symbol of Space glimmered with a
blackish-green light. The ripple then abruptly shattered as
a black-gloved hand broke through, to be swiftly followed by
the rest of the incoming person. Clad in motorcycle
leathers, the tall, slightly stocky form made a dark shadow
there in the brightly lit chamber; framed within a thick,
shining mane of wine-red hair, the man's handsome, youthful
face took on a look of utter astonishment, violet eyes wide,
as he froze in virtually the same spot he had before, when
he had first tried coming home over a year ago.

The sensation of someone passing through the Mirror had
caught the Fire Warrior's attention. Fully expecting it to
be the two that had left earlier on Lord Obsidian's task,
Kunzite casually turned his body to greet his lord and his
former lover.

"*You*!" The shriek that rent the hushed atmosphere of the
Hall of the Mirror was unexpected, noticeably male, and
filled with a tone of white-hot fury. The newcomer's right
hand clenched convulsively into a fist as he wound up his
black-clad form like a champion pitcher's, the gloved fist
starting to shine with an ominous, deep crimson light.

For a seemingly eternal moment, the Southern Commander stood
there in shock, pale lavender eyes wide and mouth hanging
slack, stunned into inaction seeing someone else there at
the Mirror, a someone so obviously enraged.

With a violent burst of motion, the redheaded man uncoiled
his athletic form, bringing his right arm around in a swift
motion that seemed like a punch directed at empty air, his
right hand half-clenched around a blazing sphere of
sparkling wine-and-amber light. Punctuating the motion was
the newcomer's enraged scream: "*Kunzite*!"

As the sphere raced through the air of the Hall of the
Mirror, a comet-like tail streaking behind it and its
brilliant light reflecting off the contents of the circular
chamber, the taller man braced himself by taking a step
back, hands coming up into a guarding position. Expecting a
burst of energy, Kunzite concentrated a moment; a
barely-seen sphere of violet-pink light snapped up around
his form.

That was a mistake, for the attack was far more than merely
energy. As expected, the absorptive shielding sucked up the
kinetic energy of the sparkling sphere -- but the mass of
tiny, sharp-edged granules, like the abrasive surface of
sandpaper, was able to pass through the Fire Elemental's
ward. Just like that, Kunzite's eyes, nose and mouth
received a cruel baptism of stinging, crystalline dust;
hundreds of minuscule cuts scored his face.

The tall, silver-haired Gemlord shouted in pain, the sudden
agony making his pale shield crumble into nothingness as his
hands instinctively went to his face to try to rid himself
of the particles that scoured the sensitive tissues of his
face. Taken completely by surprise, Kunzite had no hope at
all of countering the entirely mundane roundhouse that the
younger man followed the blast with.

Having leapt into action right behind his crystal and energy
attack, the redhead smirked in satisfaction as his gloved
fist made the caped Gemlord's head rock back under the force
of his punch. He was able to launch two more hammer-like
blows before his silver-haired victim's discipline
reasserted itself. Kunzite let a third blow land, even
though it was a shock that rattled his teeth and made the
crystalline grit in his mouth grind even more against gums,
cheeks and tongue, then grabbed the other man's extended
arm. Blinded by the effects of the abrasive dust, the
Southern Commander used his grip on the other's arm as a
reference point to begin striking back; his fist slammed
solidly into the other person's sternum. Then Kunzite's
feet were violently kicked out from under himself; he
tightened his grip, forcing his attacker to fall with him to
the Zodiac-carpeted floor.

The struggle between the two males rapidly degenerated into
something that resembled a schoolyard scuffle, both
combatants grunting and swearing as they landed blows and
scrambled for some sort of advantage over their opponent.
Reduced to trading punches and futile wrestling, the
undignified brawl could have gone on for a tedious length of
time.

Up on the dais next to the green-padded, black stone throne,
the Mirror once again glimmered to life, the unearthly
surface rippling again, distorting into oblivion the
reflection of the Hall. The hand that first broke through
this time was adorned with a distinctive gold ring topped by
a black stone carved with the signet of a compass star; the
rest of Lord Obsidian swiftly followed as the dark lord
strode out of the gateway of the Mirror and into the
circular chamber. Attention immediately caught by the
furious tussling near the table upon which his destroyed
people lay sleeping in death, the Lord of Lithos was
momentarily stunned by the surprising scene. Then he
recovered, expression shifting into one of annoyance. Voice
booming, thundering through the sacred chamber, Obsidian
shouted, "What's going on here?"

The struggling and scrapping men instantly froze into a
tableau of startled guilt. As Kunzite panted, eyes still
badly effected by the grit obscuring his vision, the redhead
looked up at the source of the shout. Seeing who it was
standing there, the color completely drained from his
handsome face.

The red-haired man had thought he'd never see the Lord of
Lithos again. Tall, athletic, his nearly-black hair
spilling loosely over his shoulders in soft waves, clad in
clothes whose darkness was only relieved by the glitter of
gold trim and the lining of his cloak, the familiar, noble
figure was alive, vividly so. Appearing to loom over the
two still paused in their somewhat juvenile brawling as he
stepped down the three stairs to stand next to them, the
Guardian of Space frowned at the pair, the light of the
illumination crystals glittering off the glossy ebon stone
in the center of the golden circlet that adorned his brow.

"Lo -- Lord... Obsidian...? Sir...?" stammered the redhead.

Once more the golden-brown eyes swept over the two, the
frown still there. The man that had hesitantly addressed
him was pinning the Fire Warrior to the Zodiac carpet, face
down, holding the Southern Commander's left arm twisted
against the lavender cloak. In return, Kunzite had reached
up with his free hand, grasping the other man's dark red
hair in preparation for either an attempt at a throw or just
a simple infliction of pain. As the other man's grip on him
slackened, Kunzite considered taking advantage of his
opponent's distraction; however, one look at Obsidian
through his painfully swollen and watering eyes convinced
the pale-haired commander that doing so would be a bad idea.

Remaining silent and glowering, Obsidian's brow furrowed as
he stared at the man pinning Kunzite; the deep brown eyes
continued to be focused on him while the Fire Warrior turned
loose of the fistful of wine-red hair in his one hand and
yanked his other arm free. Still stunned, the leather-clad
male slid off Kunzite's back; the Southern Commander
immediately began to sit up once his attacker's weight was
off his tall form. That the man was here indicated that he
was a Gemlord, yet Obsidian was sure he had collected them
all save for Nephrite and Tanzanite. However, the longer he
stared at the man, the more he was convinced that that man
was a Gemlord somehow overlooked.

"Lord Obsidian?" once again the redhead asked, smooth, deep
voice holding a tone of inquiry.

*That voice...* A spark of memory came to life, a momentary
flash of an image of this same man, much younger and
kneeling before him in humble awe. The Guardian of Space's
stormy expression softened. "Lord Garnet?"

At the sound of Obsidian's words, Kunzite blinked rapidly a
few times, the tear-filled lavender eyes beginning to return
to some semblance of normalcy. Peering past the dark Terran
clothing and struggle-tousseled mane of his attacker, the
Fire Warrior's lips became set in a straight, grim line.
*Garnet... Of course...*

"I thought you were dead." The younger Gemlord shifted his
violet glance to glare at Kunzite. "*Both* of you." An
angry frown creeping across his handsome face, Lord Garnet
looked back up at his people's ruler. "My lord, what in
Cosmos is this... this--"

"Traitor doing here?" Kunzite interrupted sharply, giving
the other Lithosian as stoney a look as was possible with
puffy, bloodshot eyes. Still affected by the numerous tiny
cuts from the facefull of garnet crystals, his swollen nasal
passages distorted his deep voice, making him sound like he
was growling underwater.

"Exactly so," Garnet confirmed, allowing himself a bit of a
smug expression. After all, it wasn't everyday someone got
the drop so *well* on the Southern Commander.

Obsidian replied, his voice tinged with a matter-of-fact
tone, "I brought him here. Since Metallia's hold on him is
broken, he's being given a chance to restore my faith in
him."

Neither one of the other two Gemlords noticed the tiny wince
Kunzite gave at the Lord of Lithos's words; it was a flinch
swiftly smoothed into oblivion. "The question *I* have,"
the Fire Warrior softly said, "is how did *you* manage to
get here, Garnet? You're supposed to be dead."

"So are you. Hasn't slowed you down... much." Another smirk
as the redhead watched, amused, as the pale-lavender-haired
warrior's lip curled in a snarl at Garnet's taunting
reference to the slow reaction of his appearance.

Before the conversation could go further, a new figure burst
forth from the shimmering, rippled surface of the Mirror.
Three pairs of eyes focused on the slender form clad in
violet-blue, soft, wavy, copper-gold hair swirling around
head and shoulders like a silken cloud. As Zoisite stopped
dead in her tracks, large eyes going huge at the sight of an
unexpected man there, Garnet's own violet eyes narrowed. So
his senses were correct after all. He didn't know whether
to be jubilant or disgusted.

"Hey, Zo'! Hi there! How's it going?" the leather-clad
Gemlord quipped, his flippant tone contradicted by the lines
of icy fury on his face. "So nice to see you. *Alive*,
that is." His countenance shifting to one of contempt,
Garnet turned his attention back to the dark lord standing
nearby. "Let me guess, my lord. She's another
second-chancer."

"Yes," came Obsidian's flat response, even as Zoisite's
exquisite face blanched deathly white, the slender fingers
of her hand coming up to touch her trembling lips.

"Garnet? You -- you're--"

"Alive too?" the athletic redhead interrupted, cutting off
Zoisite's stammered words. "Apparently so, wouldn't you
say? But I gotta be honest; I'm actually doing better than
either one of you." He paused, coldly glancing from the
shocked Western Commander to Kunzite, who was wiping his
eyes with extreme caution. "I never died in the first
place."

"But -- but you *did*! I know you did," the ponytailed woman
blurted out, strident voice almost a shriek. "We scanned
for you -- all of us -- and you weren't *there*." She could
feel it again, that soul-numbing panic and regret that had
burned there far under the surface of the dark power that
had become her master. The thought of him being lost had
*hurt*, though at the time Metallia had drowned it out,
keeping her from feeling it at all. Now the pain and the
shame were back, reflected within the depths of her
violet-blue eyes.

"Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Garnet
paraphrased, low voice deadpan.

"But *how*--?"

"What, you want me to tell secrets? I don't *do* that, Zo',
remember?" With a soft grunt, Garnet rose from the floor.
Straightening out his leather jacket, which had gotten
somewhat twisted in the struggle, he then reached down to
offer Kunzite an assist up.

Glaring up at the redheaded Gemlord, the Southern Commander
looked as if he'd sooner bite off Garnet's hand at the wrist
than accept his aid. However, under Lord Obsidian's chill
and watchful gaze, Kunzite took Garnet's hand and allowed
the younger man to help him to his feet.

Recovering from her shock, Zoisite finally took a good look
at Kunzite and softly gasped, noticing the swelling and
watery eyes that marked his elegant beauty. Abruptly
indignant, she rounded on Garnet, demanding, "What did you
*do* to him?" She impulsively took a step forward,
determined now to do *something* to the man that dared
attack her love like that, but the sharp glare she got from
Kunzite made her stop in her tracks. Glaring sullenly, she
watched as the leather-clad Gemlord shrugged in reply, a
slightly sheepish expression on his face.

"Lord Garnet, perhaps you'd like to tell me what happened to
you?" Obsidian's soft words were delivered in an inhumanly
calm tone. There was one thing the Lord of Lithos had
figured out, however; apparently Garnet's power to become
forgotten by those not continually exposed to his presence
affected even himself. After a thousand years, even
Obsidian himself had "overlooked" the young Gemlord's
existence in his memory, though seeing him here now had
brought everything back.

"Of course, sir," the redhead answered immediately, snapping
to attention.

In the slight pause that followed, Zoisite bit nervously at
her thumbnail, Kunzite feigned indifference and continued to
carefully wipe the irritating garnet grit from his eyes, and
Obsidian merely raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"I had completed my reconnaissance of the apparent spatial
disturbance and was on my way back to the Tower when I
stumbled across an advance unit of Beryl's soldiers," Garnet
began, his voice filling the room with the quiet, rolling
cadence that he had always used in his detailed reports,
violet eyes drifting half-shut as his amazing memory
summoned up images from the fall of Lithos.

He went on to describe how, reluctant to teleport and run
the risk of having his aura or the ripple in the psychic
atmosphere thus made alert anyone to the fact that the
invading forces had been observed, he had taken on the
Negaverse creatures. After a swift but vicious fight, he
had ended up destroying the patrol, but he too had been
wounded and had suffered a dangerous loss of time. Anguish
seeped into his voice as he related how he had struggled to
the crest of the last hill overlooking the City, just in
time to see the furious battle in the heart of the
settlement as Lieutenant Emerald was struck down by the
traitorous Elemental Guard.

Just as he had made the decision to teleport to the aid of
his lord and the Tower Guard as they struggled against
Beryl, the Elementals and the Seven Shadows, another assault
caught him from behind -- one deliberately calculated to
bring him down. Already wounded and tired from the earlier
combat and never one for an extended fight to begin with,
Garnet held his own just barely long enough to see
Lieutenants Ruby and Sapphire fall before he was battered
into unconsciousness.

His voice grew cold as he told about awakening to the chill
sound of Zoisite's feminine laughter, of attempting to move
only to find himself securely bound. Wounded in body and
spirit, he had listened in bitter silence as the five
traitors had gloated over their relatively successful
campaigns against both their own race and the Silver
Millennium, feeling ill at how gleefully Beryl and her
generals had celebrated the fall of the Moon Kingdom.
Garnet had quickly learned that his own capture had been
effected simply to gain access to the wealth of information
that he was privy to; despite his normally low profile, even
among his fellow Gemlords -- he was believed to be just your
run-of-the-mill intelligence gatherer under the auspices of
Lord Hiddenite -- his true duties were well known to the
Elemental Guard, especially his cherished younger "sibling",
Zoisite. Garnet made sure to shoot a darkly furious glance
to the youngest Gemlord as he recounted that part of his
report.

At least Zoisite had the good graces to flush bright red in
embarrassment and look away in shame at Garnet's withering
glare.

"The Elementals-turned-Generals did whatever they could to
make me talk, but even they had to admit that they couldn't
push me past my endurance just then," the redheaded spy
continued, pointedly ignoring Zoisite's abashed stance. "I
was too exhausted and too wounded to hold up to much at all.
So instead, they gave up their efforts and ordered me
escorted under armed guard to a cell to await a time when
the interrogation could be resumed after I had recovered my
strength. However, along the way, I succeeded in slipping
my bonds, disposing the guards and faking my own death." To
his credit, Garnet didn't shoot the pair of Elemental
Commanders an obnoxious smirk.

"Seems as if you had a reserve of energy left untapped that
we didn't know about." Reddened eyes narrowed at the
younger Gemlord, Kunzite drew himself up to his full height.
"Next time, I'll know better."

Obsidian turned his attention to the Fire Warrior, a scowl
on his handsome face. "There had better not be a 'next
time', understood?"

Kunzite flinched from his lord's angry stare and bowed his
head, submissively. "Of course, my lord."

Her violet-blue eyes still fastened on Garnet, Zoisite
demanded," But how did you *do* it? We *talked* to one of
those guards, yet *you* just said--"

"I know," the leather-clad man replied, finally smirking.
"Bet he looked and sounded a lot like this, didn't he?"
Turning away for a moment, Garnet let his posture abruptly
shift. Slumping forward from the hips and twisting to the
left, he let the arm on that side hang loose, giving it the
illusion of jointlessness, and then contorted his right arm
upwards in order to place a claw-fingered hand to his chest.
He turned back to face the others suddenly, his entire body
seemingly grotesquely warped, and essayed several shuffling,
sliding steps forward. His voice now modulated into a
high-pitched, hissing warble -- quite different from his
normal tones -- he whined, "Beggin'... szzzz... pardon, Yer
Majezzty..."

Obsidian raised an eyebrow at the performance, rather
impressed once again by the young man's talent. Next to him,
Kunzite stiffened even more and Zoisite softly gasped as
both former Negaverse generals realized that they *had seen
this before*.

************************************

Another look into the past: Zoisite stands beside Kunzite,
playing with the end of her copper-gold ponytail and
restlessly shifts her weight from one foot to the other.
From the look on her face, she'd be far happier off doing
something else than just standing there in Beryl's throne
room. The tall, silver-haired warrior's face hold much the
same expression.

On the other side of an invisible aisle in front of the
throne, Nephrite casts a brief, contemptuous glance at the
fidgeting youngest General. Jadeite stands next to the
auburn-haired man, amber eyes flicking from person to person
gathered there.

Catching the other's look at her and taking a quick look in
the direction of the silent, withdrawn and motionless figure
of Queen Beryl sitting upon the twisted throne of dark
stone, the ponytailed woman risks slyly and rather rudely
poking her tongue out at Nephrite. As Jadeite lifts a
white-gloved hand to his face to hide a snicker, Nephrite
only smirks at the childish Gemlord. From Kunzite's
expression -- or rather, sudden lack of one -- he's doing
his best to ignore the others in the room.

The chilled silence in the room continues on for a few
seconds longer before the timid, creeping entrance of a
crudely armored figure breaks it. Moving in a slow,
awkward, shuffling slide, the figure limps heavily on its
left leg. The grating, whining voice is made even more
annoying by the slight echoing its partially concealing helm
makes. "Beggin'... szzzz... pardon, Yer Majezzty... the
prizzzner..."

In response to the intrusion, Queen Beryl's cold, red-irised
eyes open slowly to glare at the twisted figure. "What
about the prisoner?"

"Szzzz... prizzzner izzz... gone."

From the sudden startled expressions on the four generals'
faces as they focus their attention on the youma, something
within them still cares, even now, days after the
destruction of Lithos and the Silver Millennium. Though the
three males remain silent, Zoisite's impulsive shriek rends
the air, "*What*?!"

"Prizzzner... fought, tried ezzzzcape," the annoying,
hissing voice goes on to say, the creature gesturing
slightly with its twisted arm. "Foughtzz good, but too near
edge of... szzzz... pit." The thing laughs, a harsh and
choking sound. "Prizzzner fallzz. Skreemzz, all down to...
szzzz... bottom. Then no more skreemzz, heh, heh."

Even though she wears the grey uniform of Metallia's
warriors, Zoisite's slender form stiffens as if she's
suddenly hurt. Abruptly chewing on the tip of a finger of a
white glove, she looks as if she's going to actually cry
there before Beryl's throne before she apparently recalls
where she is and who she is now.

"Where is the rest of your patrol?" Beryl inquires almost
idly, her strident voice echoing in the dark chamber as her
claw-like hands caress the crystal ball atop her scepter.

The youma gestures again with its twisted arm. "All gonzz.
Prizzzner good fighter, like szzzaid."

As Kunzite and Nephrite exchange glances at one another,
Beryl nods, her flame-like hair glimmering in the dim light
as she accepts the creature's report.

"Very well. You are dismissed from Our presence."

After an awkward bow, painful merely to watch it, the youma
shambles from the chamber. Though the four generals stare
after the creature until it disappears through the twisted
archway that was the only apparent way in or out of the
throne room, the redheaded queen closes her eyes again,
going back to her silent contemplation.

************************************

"That was *you*--" Zoisite breathed, realizing just what had
happened all those long years ago.

"Obviously so, Zo'. Had you forgotten everything I'd every
taught you? Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain
view." Garnet's scholarly tone was completely ruined by the
obnoxious grin he was wearing.

It was a grin that Kunzite suddenly felt a blinding need to
smack off the younger Gemlord's face. He had long thought
that somehow, some way, all the mysterious sabotage and
other annoying little occurrences could be the work of the
slippery and supposedly dead Gemlord, but he'd never had the
evidence to conclusively show that Garnet still existed.
Then again, what with Siolan giving them all one hell of a
pain in the ass until Queen Beryl wisely got rid of the
redheaded warrioress, it was hard to tell what was Siolan's
work and what was the work of this mysterious and elusive
agent. However, the only outward sign of the Fire Warrior's
sudden rage was the hand he curled into a loose fist.

"I've heard enough for now," Lord Obsidian quietly said,
turning his dark gaze to the pale-lavender haired Gemlord.
Continuing to stare at Kunzite until the other man
unclenched his fist, the Lord of Lithos added, "Commander
Zoisite? Be so kind as to show Lord Garnet to his
chambers."

"Sir, I know my wa--" the redheaded spy began to protest,
only to immediately shift his sentence when Obsidian's stern
gaze flicked over to him. "--it'd be great if Commander
Zoisite showed me. My memory's seemed to have gotten a bit
foggy. Sir."

Surprisingly, the Water Warrior made no protest at the
Guardian of Space's command. Her gaze set on the carpeted
floor, she walked toward the doorway opposite the Vortex
Mirror that lead out of the circular chamber.

Glad to have the dark lord's withering gaze elsewhere other
than on himself, Garnet followed after his younger sibling's
slender form.

At the doorway out of the Hall of the Mirror, however,
Zoisite stopped dead in her tracks to take one last look at
Kunzite. The tall, lavender-cloaked Gemlord had gone back
to carefully wiping out the remaining garnet grit from his
eyes and wasn't even watching the two others leave the
sacred chamber. Lifting a hand to bite at her thumbnail, a
hurt expression in her eyes, the slender Water Warrior
abruptly darted through the door.

Behind her, the big, leather-clad Gemlord nearly ran right
over Zoisite before pulling up short, but by the time he
actually had stopped, she was moving again. Softly sighing,
Garnet rolled his violet eyes upward in mild exasperation
and started off once more, following in her wake.

Neither one of them spoke as the Western Commander lead the
redheaded spy through the Tower on a route he could have
retraced in his sleep. Their footfalls echoed slightly on
the obsidian stone steps as they descended the slow spiral
that ran along the inner side of the outermost wall of the
circular structure. Down past the floor immediately below
the Hall, where Garnet knew the four members of the
Elemental Guard had their luxurious quarters, down past the
next floor, where the fabled Tower Library was housed, the
two Lithosians went. Garnet knew that the floor after that,
the twelfth one up from the ground floor of the Tower, was
where they were heading. Even after he'd received his
circlet as a full-fledged, adult member of the Gemlord
society, the big redhead had never moved out of his
student's studio apartment, simply because it hadn't seemed
worth the effort, not without *her*. Frowning, Garnet tried
shoving that thought aside, like he'd always done, then
found himself staring at Zoisite's backside as they
continued the slow descent to the twelfth floor.

*So much like her... Perhaps more glamorous, certainly more
temperamental, and absolutely male at times.* Feeling the
old, familiar ache, Garnet closed his eyes and shook his
head slightly, trying to get her out of his mind.

Once they were to the large landing from which the entrance
to the students' quarters was accessed, however, Zoisite
suddenly stopped in mid-stride and gracefully whirled.
Expecting an attack -- after all, he was well aware of how
vicious and sneaky the ponytailed warrior could be after
that horrid stint in the Negaverse -- Garnet planted his
feet and braced himself. That turned out to be a good idea,
for Zoisite flung herself against his broad chest, her arms
wrapping around his ribs, and hugged him so tightly that he
thought he felt something creak. Astonished, Garnet's jaw
dropped, then slackened further when he realized that the
slender woman was... crying. At first only quiet shaking,
Zoisite was swiftly building up into a full-fledged sobbing
fit.

"Hey now... Shhh..." he tried to comfort her into stopping,
putting his arms around her, just as he had so many times
before. "Zo', please, come on. Don't cry..." Feeling her
shaking against him, he bowed his own head -- and realized
that his own vision was getting swimmy as he started to
identify words in Zoisite's sobs.

"Missed you... Missed you so *much*... I'm so *sorry*. I
screwed up badly, got in over my head and I couldn't *get
out*..." The youngest Gemlord huddled against Garnet, her
hands clutching his black leather jacket tightly as a
millennium's worth of brutally repressed emotion was finally
allowed to well up and be expressed. How could she ever
explain that it was like there was someone else in her own
body, reacting and doing things as she stood next to the
dark invader and could only watch, helplessly. She hadn't
known it was a trap at the beginning, and by the time she
had realized it, it was far, far too late.

Garnet's blurry vision cleared suddenly as the cause of it
spilled down his cheeks as a glittering tear; his arms
tightening around Zoisite as she leaned into him, her words
muffled by his chest. All the dark thoughts of exacting
painful revenge that he'd nursed over the last millennium
simply faded away. After all, this was the Gemlord he'd
considered a little sister, dammit, and that relationship
was far older than a mere thousand years. "I missed you
too, Zo'," he murmured, pressing his cheek gently against
the young woman's copper-gold hair.

"I'm no good... Everyone must hate me... Lithos is gone,
they're all *gone*, I did it... Kunzite hates my guts now...
Obsidian doesn't trust me anymore... I let you down..."
Zoisite continued to sob, working herself up into a fit that
bordered on the hysterical. Within her, she could feel the
odd, burning sensation of her Element out of focus, the
continuing effects of her own actions of disrupting the
mystic Fountain in Mariner Castle. She knew she was out of
balance herself, but it was too hard to maintain her focus
as long as her Element was crippled. Lord Obsidian had
promised that it was only temporary; she *had* to trust him.
After all, he was the Guardian of Space, and the Center of
the Elemental Binding.

"Zo' hey... come on," Garnet almost begged as he held the
sobbing woman; seeing his little siblings cry was always
something that made him fall all over himself trying to make
them happy again. He hugged Zoisite's slender body against
his own stocky form, patting her back gently with one big
hand while the other lightly stroked her coppery-gold hair.
"Shh, listen... let's go to my room and you can let it all
out, okay? Just say everything that's on your mind, Zo'..."

Without waiting for an answer, the redheaded Gemlord picked
up the Water Warrior as if she weighed nothing at all,
cradling her against his broad chest. Still crying, Zoisite
wrapped her slim arms around her big brother's neck and
pressed her cheek against him as he carried her the rest of
the way to his old quarters. Finding his arms full of
sobbing Gemlord, Garnet prudently turned to his powers and
opened up the door through some well-focused telekinesis.

His quarters were exactly the way he had left them, just as
immaculately tidy as they had been that last time he was
here in the Tower, just over a year ago. At least this
time, he didn't have the heartrending sight of everything
covered in a millennium of powdery dust from abandonment.
With the Guardian of Space awake and active, the Obsidian
Tower was back to doing its almost magical thing of
maintaining itself from dust and the like. Decorated in
shades of deep red and violet-red, Garnet's spacious, studio
apartment within the Tower was almost obsessively neat, with
everything spotless, organized and flawless. Stepping
through the opened doorway, flanked on either side by a
bookcase sporting a collection of books perfectly
alphabetized by author and a well-ordered worktable, the
leather-clad man strode over to his wrinkle-free bed and
carefully set Zoisite down on the edge of it; sitting down
next to her on the dark red covers, he slipped an arm around
her shuddering shoulders. It was a scene played out
hundreds of times before: Garnet the protector, watching
over and comforting the Gemlords he considered siblings,
especially the youngest one of them all, when they were
children.

Holding her the best he could, Garnet pulled off his black
biker jacket and condescended to just tossing it onto the
chair at his bedside. That done, he hugged Zoisite gently
against himself, letting her cry all over his shoulder and
chest, not minding the damp puddle she was making out of his
violet-red T-shirt. He knew, from long experience, that
trying to make the emotional Western Commander calm down
before he or she was good and ready to become calm again was
a completely futile gesture. It was always best to let
Zoisite vent completely before doing more than offering
quiet, soothing murmurs and comforting cuddles.

However, that was only bringing back that underlying
awareness of Zoisite as something far more alluring than
just a "little sister"; the longer he held onto her and
listened to her cry, the longer her slim form was pressed
against him, the more he was made aware of that old, old
attraction between them. He'd always wanted to protect her
from everything, including himself -- and there were times
he'd felt like his desires to shift their relationship to
something more intimate than what it currently was was a
betrayal of that even more ancient desire for his now-lost
love.

Of course, the fact that Zoisite and himself were attracted
to one another that way, and had been for centuries, was no
matter. After all, Lithosian culture reflected the fact
that the Gemlords had no biological ties to one another.
All their relationships were decided by conscious choice of
the parties involved.

Still murmuring softly to the blonde woman, Garnet waited
for Zoisite to cry herself out.

************************************

*Cosmos... What the hell am I going to
do?* Sighing softly to himself, shifting his nude body under
the covers enough to glance over at the young woman in his
bed,
Garnet couldn't help but smile faintly.

Zoisite was asleep, her beautiful features looking adorably
angelic at the moment, her shimmering hair unbound and
spilling over her, Garnet's chest and the dark red blankets
that covered them both. If nothing else, he'd made her
happy again, giving her the love and reassurance she'd
craved. He took a moment from his troubled thoughts to
gently brush a stray lock from her face, then cuddled her
closer as she sleepily snuggled against him. It was every
bit as good as he'd ever imagined it would be, even if he
couldn't shake the fantasy of it being someone else, someone
that looked very similar.

His violet gaze returning to focusing on the ceiling of his
faintly-illuminated room, Garnet once more wondered what he
should do. The story his sister-now-lover -- it was a good
bet that they'd be repeating this, not that he minded at
all; Zoisite was very talented, as it turned out -- had
sobbed out to him was nearly incredible. Lord Obsidian was
systematically striking out at the Senshi that guarded the
Sol system, robbing them of their powers at the same time he
was hunting for a set of stones that seemed to be the key to
restoring both their shattered homeworld of Lithos and the
rest of their race. And he was forcing Kunzite and Zoisite
to deliberately interfere with the Elements at their
command. Not only that, but Lord Obsidian also apparently
had one Senshi imprisoned in a crystalline structure there
in the Hall itself. Garnet frowned at that. He'd sort of
noticed the black stone crystal, but hadn't really had a
chance to investigate. That it apparently contained Sailor
Andromeda only made him feel slightly queasy.

None of what Zoisite had told him made sense. It just
didn't sound like the Lord Obsidian he knew and considered a
close friend, yet Garnet realized that it was the truth. No
matter how much of a conniving brat the youngest Gemlord
could be, Zoisite wouldn't make up something like that, and
the disturbing sense of her aura being unbalanced only lent
weight to her tale.

It was one hell of a quandary. He was bound by law and
loyalty both to obey Lord Obsidian, yet what his ruler was
doing was unacceptable and just not like him. Closing his
eyes, he absently snuggled in closer to the slender woman
sleeping next to himself. He'd come to some sort of
decision later. Right now, sleep sounded very enticing. It
had been one hell of a day.

************************************

Nephrite had been hoping that he'd be able to spend a quiet
evening at home. Rattled by both seeing his attempt at
making amends to Peter Fisher go horribly wrong as well as
literally ramming into someone he'd believed to be dead for
so long, he needed the peace and quiet of his familiar,
comforting home to relax and try to find a way to salvage
his second chance.

That quiet evening just wasn't meant to be.

The auburn-haired teen had been reading the paper, his
attention caught up in the various doings of the world trade
markets, when the unexpected knock on his mansion's front
door had come; still shaken by the day's previous events, he
had found immersing himself into the information needed to
indulge in his love of money and finances soothing to his
frayed nerves. The sound that drifted through the still
atmosphere of the dark, seemingly empty mansion was
startling for two reasons. The first was that someone had
actually gotten the nerve to come up the winding driveway
through the admittedly spooky forest that covered the hill
upon which the mansion was perched. The second was that in
order for him to have heard it, that "knock" must have been
actually one hell of a pounding on the sturdy, oak door.
Startled, Nephrite pursed his lips together, his
astonishment swiftly shifting to mild annoyance. *Just what
the *hell's* that all about?*

Another round of pounding drifted through the area.
Apparently this person wasn't going to just go away.
Sighing, the teenager set the paper down on the mahogany
endtable next to the comfortable, leather-upholstered couch
upon which he was sitting, then rose to his feet. Almost
storming out of the library, Nephrite was in quite the
confrontational mood by the time he stalked through the
house and made it to the front door.

Yet another barrage of the quite insistent sound greeted him
as he approached the foyer. *For Cosmos's sake, hold your
damned horses,* he mentally growled, jade-green eyes
narrowing in irritation. Grasping the ornate, brass
doorknob -- not truly a doorknob, but rather a trigger-like
latch above a smooth, brass curve that acted as a handle --
he depressed the latch with one hand as his other hand slid
the security chain from its latched position. Yanking the
oaken door open, Nephrite took a deep breath to give the
rude caller an earful... and froze, his breath escaping in a
strangled sound.

*Lita...*

The ponytailed brunette was alive, apparently all in one
piece -- and angry to boot. "Well, just the person I was
hoping to see. Good! That means I can get right down to
business." With that announcement, Lita stormed off the
covered front porch of the huge house, through the door and
proceeded to deck the flabbergasted boy.

Pain erupted, filling the now-mortal Gemlord's awareness.
Head rocking back with the force of the blow, the auburn
haired teen crumpled to the polished, wooden parquetry floor
of the foyer. Before he could even recover from either the
astonishment or the punch, Nephrite became muzzily aware of
a strong hand grabbing his shirt and literally hauling him
back up to his feet. Trying to gather his focus, he really
couldn't decide which was worse: the fact that this body
seemed to be very vulnerable to physical harm compared to
what he was used to, or that he was too stunned to even
defend himself.

"Now that I have your attention, Nathan, maybe you'll be
willing to explain a few things to me?" the athletic girl
said, her voice firm. "Like what the *hell's* going on?
What are you up to? Why are you running around talking to
your former victims?"

*Your former victims... ?* Panic started to twine with
punch-induced shock. She'd figured it out, just like he'd
been afraid she had. Staring at her -- and slightly
surprised he didn't see two images of her; he still felt
that rummy -- he held his hands up in a gesture of
submission. "Lita, I swear on anything you hold sacred that
I wasn't out to harm anyone! If you hadn't've interfered..."

Lita's forest-green eyes narrowed in irritation. Determined
to remind the slightly taller teen who was in control at the
moment, she gave the boy a brisk shake, her hand still
clutching a handful of his expensive, ivory-colored dress
shirt. "It's still your fault, Nathan. Or should I call
you '*Nephrite*'? If you hadn't been wandering around--"

At least his own temper was returning. The anger felt good,
since it gave him something to center his focus on. "Call
me whatever you want, just *let go*."

So he didn't deny the identity. Lita made a mental note on
that as she looked him over. He was gazing back at her, the
stunned expression in his jade-green eyes giving way to an
angry, sullen light, his body bent back slightly, the soft
shirt's material tight under her formidable grip, his hands
lifted in apparent surrender as he warily waited to see what
she would do next. That he hadn't started fighting back
made her wonder slightly; either he couldn't or he wouldn't,
but she was going to be damned careful until she knew which
it was for sure. "I still haven't gotten any explanations
out of you yet," she pointed out.

"I'd be far more inclined to discuss anything you want if we
were carrying on a far more civil conversation."

"I dunno... I have a feeling you'd be far more truthful
being held hostage like you are at the moment."

"Hardly. I can barely think straight as it is right now. I
swear, Lita, I'll answer your questions as truthfully as
possible," Nephrite responded, hating the almost begging
tone that crept into his low, mellow tenor voice. "Please...
Just trust me for once..."

The athletic brunette almost growled, almost shook him again
and shouted in his face that there was no way in hell she
was ever going to trust someone that had been -- and still
could be, for all she knew -- a general of the Negaverse,
but the pleading look in his gorgeous green eyes made her
relent. After all, the teen was still dreamy... and there
was something about him that made her want to believe that
she could trust him again. *Again? Where did that come
from?* Frowning, she pushed aside her bewilderment at that
stray thought and focused on her captive once more.

Nephrite had only a quick moment to wonder about the odd
flash of confusion he noticed in Lita's forest-green eyes
before he found himself drug just a bit closer to her.
Their noses almost touching, making it hard indeed to keep
his gaze focused on her, he fought down the impulse to just
punch her back. After all, he wanted to be at peace with
the Senshi, not start another round of enmity, and he *did*
deserve everything he was getting in the first place for
being *stupid* enough to let himself get caught in
Metallia's trap.

"I really shouldn't bother trying to actually trust you
after what you've done, but I'm going to go against my
better judgment and do just that." With that almost
imperious declaration, Lita abruptly let go of the other
teen's now-rumpled shirt.

"Thank you," the athletic boy replied, his gratitude
heartfelt. Focusing on smoothing down his clothing,
Nephrite couldn't make himself meet her gaze. "How about
going to the parlor, having something to drink and talking
things over like two civilized beings?" he suggested,
tugging down his shirt. "We'll be more comfortable doing
that than standing out here in the foyer glaring at one
another."

*It's got to be a trick, but he seems so sincere at the
moment.* Once again, Lita frowned, but this time she
reluctantly nodded. "All right. I'll let you play the
gracious host, as long as you keep your promise to tell me
the truth."

"I will." Stepping back, Nephrite turned and walked over to
a door off to his visitor's left. Turning the faceted
crystal doorknob on the mahogany door, he pulled it opened
and gestured for her to step inside. "I have no intention
of going back on my word. Now... What would you like to
drink? I have a number of choices..."

Still glaring at him, still half-afraid that he was somehow
leading her into a trap despite the fact that he was so
obviously surprised at seeing her there on his doorstep to
begin with, Lita sighed at her apparent lack of discipline
and strode across the parquetry floor, wondering what she'd
like to drink as she grilled her subject on the events of
the past few days.

************************************

One by one, the soft-soled, black-booted feet made silent
steps along the detritus-covered hillside. Heel first, then
smoothly rolling forward to the ball of the foot, each step
was calculated to bear the person's weight efficiently, to
keep the small twigs and other forest-born debris from
snapping or otherwise alerting potential witnesses to her
presence. Of course, that was assuming that anyone around
had only the five normal senses one assumed with Terrans.

She was dressed all in black -- an outfit that she usually
referred to as her "working gear" -- a smooth, lithe shadow
that glided from trunk to trunk underneath the canopy of
massive evergreens that covered the hill. That her mane of
deep red hair slightly ruined the effect didn't bother her
in the least. After all, she was here to satisfy her
curiosity, not do a job. Thank the Dragons for that. She
wasn't sure *what* she'd do if she had been hired to carry
out a job here on the top of this hill, especially since she
was almost certain he'd be here.

*Nephrite...* After five centuries of being at his side in
one capacity or another, she was sure she knew his habits
well enough to know him. Steadfast, stubborn, the
auburn-haired Negaverse general had always preferred to be
surrounded by comfortable places holding familiar things and
possessions. True, she had often badgered him about being
so *damned* predictable; now she was fervently praying that
he had kept that little personality quirk over the centuries
they've been separated.

Just over a year ago, she had known when this mysterious
mansion on the hill had suddenly appeared as if by magic on
the outskirts of the city of Tokyo, the curious,
heartbreakingly familiar sensation of his power prickling on
the edge of her mental awareness. Though she had searched
until she had located this place, the gloom of the Negaverse
clinging to the shadows and deep shelter under the canopy of
evergreen boughs, she hadn't dared to contact him. Given
his abrupt assumption of the command over the Negaverse's
operations on Terra, that redheaded *witch* would have been
watching him too closely to risk it. Having come far too
close to death on a number of occasions already, Siolan
hadn't been keen to take the chance. After all, she had
been sure there would be time enough to wait for Beryl's
watchful eye to turn its attention elsewhere and give Siolan
the chance to reunite with her lost lover.

*In retrospect, I should have risked it,* she mentally
growled to herself, continuing to edge carefully up the
hill. *The danger might have been worth it to be with him
again. I might have been able to save him from that brat
Zoisite's machinations...* Another growl, this time a soft,
almost feral sound, rumbled from her throat as she shoved
the thoughts away. She needed to concentrate now on the
task at hand, to get close enough to the big, spooky mansion
on the apex of the hill and determine if her former lover
truly *was* there in one form or another.

Finally, after much care and patience on her part -- skills
learned long ago more or less on the job -- she found
herself at the edge of the trees. Pressing her black-clad
form against the rough bark of a tree trunk, her antique
gold eyes scanned over the grounds. Seeing the grand
mansion right there, her heart took on a hard rhythm that
was slamming so hard against her ribs that she actually
thought for just a wild second that there was a chance
someone around could actually *hear* it.

She discovered that she was standing near the southwest
corner of the building; the front doors, facing south, were
set back from a broad front porch lined with graceful
columns that supported a second-floor balcony. She could
glimpse French doors opening out onto that balcony, below a
large circular window; starlight glinted on that window,
dimly revealing that it was actually a gorgeous rose window
of stained glass, like something from a cathedral. A wide
verandah ran along the western side of the house, with a few
doors spaced along it. A detached garage stood at the
western edge of the circular terminus of the driveway. Idle
curiosity getting the better of her she edged cautiously
along the treeline, then glimpsed inside the small building
through the crack of a partially opened door.

The Ferrari Testarossa was red -- flame red, blood red,
cherry red, take your pick. The golden eyed redhead smiled
involuntarily, recalling the few times she'd seen Nephrite
in his mortal guise behind the wheel of the sexy car.
Spying it here, now, was just the sort of confirmation she
had been hoping for when she had realized that if the child
that had run from her was truly Nephrite, he'd go to ground
at someplace he considered comfortably safe and familiar.
Her heart beat faster yet as she moved on silent feet, a
shadow among shadows, from the garage up to the rail of the
verandah. Prowling along it, she crept toward the windows
where light streamed out into the darkness; stepping back
far enough to avoid the illumination that spilled across the
stained wooden planking of the verandah, she moved sideways
to peer through the window, her keen gaze easily scanning
the room beyond.

It appeared to be some sort of drawing room or parlor,
sparsely furnished and arranged so that three or four groups
of people could be comfortably seated and carry on
conversations. Despite the lack of furnishings, the quality
alone kept the room from being Spartan, giving it a refined
and elegant atmosphere. The walls were painted above the
wainscoting in a pastel blue that matched the rose printed
wallpaper underneath, lending a peaceful feeling to the
chamber. Antique chairs, love seats and a divan -- all
made of what looked like light-stained oak and upholstered
in rich, deep blue velvet -- were set up to take advantage
of the room's four corners, creating four sitting areas.
Covering the hardwood floor in the center was an Oriental
rug loomed in shades of white, off-white and blue.

Despite the richness of the chamber, what caught Siolan's
attention was the pair of people in the room. The boy that
had slammed into her earlier was here, just as she had hoped
and prayed, sitting stiffly on the divan, his entire body
language one of guardedness. Positioned dead center on the
backless sofa pushed up against the wall, the fluffy, blue
velvet pillows to either side ignored, the auburn haired
teenager was drinking what looked like a can of diet soda.
*Odd... I never expected something like that would appeal to
him...*

The other person in the room was a tall, athletic-appearing
girl, her rich brunette hair pulled up into a topknot
ponytail and fastened in place with a holder decorated with
two large, plastic green beads. Her entire stance one of
almost belligerent control, the pretty teenager was sipping
from a clear glass filled with what looked like lemonade,
her gaze focused witheringly on the boy. Siolan frowned
slightly, not exactly enchanted with the apparently hostile
atmosphere. Both youngsters were in profile to the
black-clad redhead, giving her the view she needed to watch
the expressions on their faces as they continued their
conversation.

"So let me get this straight," the brunette girl was
responding, after taking a sip of her lemonade, while the
redheaded eavesdropper shifted herself into a comfortable
position. "I'm supposed to believe that you've been running
around the city revisiting the victims of your
energy-gathering escapades just so that you can somehow make
it up to them? Seems rather incredible to me, Nephrite."

Antique-gold eyes stared at the profile of the boy on the
divan. Just hearing the other female speak that name made
Sonya's heart leap again in her chest. Would he confirm or
deny the identity? Would she at least *know* one way or
another if the impossible was somehow true?

"Believe whatever you want, Lita, but it's the *truth*," the
auburn haired teenager sullenly replied, his jade-green gaze
focused on his can of soda, the eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"I was never out to hurt anyone, not this time." He fell
silent, a pause of both embarrassment and anger. "Are you...
all right? Is Peter?"

"Hmph. You're not going to fool me with that fake show of
sympathy, Nephrite," Lita shot back, her voice still
reflecting her anger. "I know that, deep down, you really
don't *care*."

"Damn it! Look, if I didn't care, I wouldn't ask in the
first place. What? Are you so myopic that you need
glasses?" The boy shifted his position, seriously
considering jumping up and making the altercation physical
after all. "Please, just tell me if you and Peter are all
right!"

The tall female frowned, catching the almost desperate
sincerity in Nathan's voice. Sighing, deciding to give him
the benefit of the doubt, Lita nodded, her ponytail swaying
gently with the movement. "Yeah, we're both fine. A bit
shaken up, but not really hurt. I think Peter's going to
end up with a few bruises out of the deal."

"That's good news," Nephrite responded, feeling a sudden
weight lifted from his shoulders. "I was so scared that I'd
blown it..."

"You said that you were given a second chance, that you're
going around trying to atone for what happened. If that's
the case, then why the hell were Peter and I almost blown to
pieces? Huh? Answer me that, Mr.
I'm-A-Reformed-Negaverse-General."

Jade green eyes glared back at the brunette teen. "You
interfered, if you really want to know. That energy wasn't
meant for you, just Peter, and it was attuned to him. The
moment you touched it, it exploded."

"Hold on right there, bub! You also said you were human
now. If that's *really* the case, then you shouldn't be
able to do anything at all like what happened," Lita
protested.

Still sullen, Nephrite shrugged his shoulders. "I *can't*,
save for one thing. I *can* call on one ability; I'm able to
leave a mark on someone that essentially ties them in,
subconsciously, to the very flow of the universe. The end
result is that they can sense the flow of time and events at
the very core of their soul, and that leads them to
subconsciously choose the most favorable course for their
circumstances."

Lita glared back. "Mind putting that into terms I can
understand?"

"Very simply, then..." Ignoring the girl's nasty expression,
Nathan took a sip of his soda, then lowered the can. "They
will appear to have the most extraordinarily good luck
compared to everyone else. Things of a beneficial nature
will seem to always be happening to them and they will be
accused of always 'lucking out'."

"Okay, whatever you say," the athletic girl responded, her
voice still sounding very skeptical. "And I suppose you
have *no* idea at all why General Blondie is running around
causing trouble."

"General *who*?" Nephrite echoed, youthful face taking on a
startled look.

"Oh, you know: Tall, silver-haired, pretty slick with a pair
of purple energy boomerangs . . ."

Jade green eyes stared at Lita for a long, silent moment.
*Only one person she could be talking about, but...*how*?*
"Kunzite? Do you mean *Kunzite*?"

"Yeah, sure... *Play* stupid with me and see how far you
get, Nephrite." Growling softly to herself, Lita strode
sharply over to an endtable next to the divan and set her
glass down on the surface of the polished wood. Turning to
glare at the other teen, she folded her arms over her rather
ample chest. "Maybe I should just punch your lights out
again on general principle. *Yes*, I mean Kunzite.
Apparently he's just as dead as you are."

Out on the verandah, Sonya narrowed her antique gold eyes
and *glared* at the ponytailed girl. Suppressing the growl
that tried to well up in her throat at the thought of anyone
punching the boy Nephrite had somehow become, let alone some
upstart child with an overblown sense of self-importance as
this girl seemed to be, the redheaded eavesdropper shifted
her position slightly. The time was to be watchful and
patient, not to rush into a situation hastily, no matter the
provocation.

"I thought he was dead..." Nephrite frowned, confusion and a
sense of foreboding washing over him.

"So did I," Lita growled, continuing to drill the other teen
with her cold, forest green stare. "And not only that, but
he's apparently picked up a new friend as well. Some guy not
quite as tall, with dark hair and dressed all in black."

"Yes, Kunzite would be slightly taller," Nephrite mused,
leaning against the wallpaper-covered surface behind his
athletic body.

Lita immediately narrowed her eyes in suspicion, catching
the reaction of the other teenager. "You know who that guy
is, don't you?"

Dark hair glimmered with auburn fire from the room's
illumination as the boy nodded in reply. "Yes, I do. And
that guy is most likely the reason why Kunzite is alive
again. I knew that he'd Called all of us back to
himself..."

The tall brunette frowned in irritation. She didn't like not
getting what the former Negaverse general was telling her;
apparently a big piece of the puzzle was still missing. "Who
*is* he?" she insisted, frustration tinging her voice with a
soft growl.

Nephrite calmly took a drink of his soda, using the action
to mask his internal apprehension. Something was up; there
was no reason for Lita to even know about Lord Obsidian,
even if she were a Senshi, as her knowledge about Nephrite's
own former identity had proven. The Lord of Lithos,
historically, had little interest in what happened on the
third planet of the Gemlords' home star system; Obsidian
usually had far more cosmic concerns on his mind. Lowering
his hand, fingers still curled around the cold, aluminum
can, Nephrite gazed at the annoyed girl. "He's my people's
ruler, the one in charge of us all."

Outside, the redheaded eavesdropper perked her ears up.
This was something unexpected. She had always assumed that
Nephrite was a denizen of the Negaverse, though she had
often wondered how there could have been an individual so
untwisted and actually pleasant-appearing among the hordes
under Beryl's command. That the former general had come
from elsewhere actually made more sense, but now Sonya
couldn't help but wonder who that ruler and those people
were.

"Does this 'ruler' of yours have a name?" Lita shot back,
not liking the somewhat evasive answer.

Nephrite looked at his rather unwanted guest and smirked.
"Of course he does. It's Obsidian, Lord of Lithos, Guardian
of Space."

The ponytailed brunette blinked, frowning. For some reason,
that name rang a bell; it meant *something*, caused some
shadowy memory to stir. For a fleeting moment, she could see
herself standing up on a dais, resplendent in royal robes of
green and silver, emeralds twinkling at ears, throat and
within her intricately-styled hair, looking down at a
handsome, royal-appearing man dressed all in black and gold
as he knelt before Queen Serenity's throne.

Sonya too recognized the name. Putting up a hand and leaning
against the wall in shock, feeling suddenly light-headed,
she could only think, stunned, *By the Great Dragon, the
*Guardian of Space*? But then that would mean that...*

Just then, the insistent beeping of some sort of pager-like
device sounded, breaking through Sonya's mental reverie.
Shattering the uneasy silence of the drawing room, Nephrite
fixed Lita with his jade green gaze. "Sounds like someone's
trying to get a hold of you. There's a phone out in the
hallway on a table about three doors down from here."

Relief flooded through the tall girl as she realized that
the other teen was assuming that the sound was that of an
ordinary beeper. The last thing she wanted the former
Negaverse general to know was that she was one of those
Senshi his comrade generals fought against. Dreading
answering the communicator -- she was certain she was going
to get an earful for not being with the others -- Lita gave
Nephrite a cool smile. "Thanks. I'll be right back. Don't
go anywhere." Glaring at him for a moment to make sure he
understood she meant it, the ponytailed teenager strode over
to the door and disappeared through it, pulling it shut
after herself.

"I wouldn't dream of it," the auburn haired boy muttered to
himself, sullenly leaning back against the wall. Though he
was tempted to get the hell out of there while Lita was
otherwise occupied, the fact remained that it was *his*
house and *his* space that had been invaded. If anyone was
going to retreat, it would be her. *Just as soon as I find a
way of getting rid of her without getting beaten up, that
is...*

*I wonder what she's doing?* Sonya mused to herself. Had
she been the one in there interrogating the boy Nephrite
apparently was now and was the one so totally in control, no
amount of paging would have diverted her attention away from
getting the answers she'd wanted. She would have let the
damned thing beep, then would have turned it off. Figuring
that the page must be something rather important then, the
redheaded eavesdropper rose from her crouch and silently
padded along the verandah.

Though she had never taken the chance of letting that witch
Beryl know that she was very much alive and keeping an eye
on the stargazing general, Sonya had come to Nephrite's
house on the gloomy, pine-covered hill those few times she'd
seen him out driving the Ferrari and had looked over the
place. From what she recalled of the layout of the mansion,
the kitchen was at the rear of the house, with the verandah
running along this side and around the corner to form the
back entryway into the kitchen. Slipping around said
corner, the black-clad woman knelt down before the door and
made a quick assessment of the lock on it. Sliding her hand
into the pocket of her pants, Sonya fished out some of her
tools of the trade. *I'm sure I have the right one for
this. Here's hoping you're confident enough in no one coming
up here to bother you that you don't have an electronic
alarm, Nephrite...*

Out in the hallway, Lita took one last, long look around
before striding over to the phone she saw just where her
captive audience at told her it would be. Pulling the
communicator from her pocket, she frowned and steeled
herself to face the music. After all, she was supposed to
have stayed with Amy and Serena. Knowing that she wasn't
exactly following directions, she had turned the
communicator off as she had trailed behind the suspected
ex-Negaverse general, but had decided to be prudent and turn
it back on again right before she had pounded on Nathan's
front door. Facing the door to the drawing room and keeping
a wary eye on it, the ponytailed girl touched the button
that would connect her with whichever of the Senshi that
were trying to reach her. "Lita here."

"Where *have* you been?" The voice that growled back at
her was Raye's; the fiery priestess's expression was furious
indeed over the small circular viewscreen, though Lita did
catch the brief look of relief that crossed Raye's face
before the priestess opened her mouth. "We've been trying
to reach you for quite a while."

"I'm sorry, Raye, but something came up..."

"Never mind that. Get to the temple now. We've got
problems," Raye's voice cut through any on-the-spot
explanation the athletic brunette could try to offer.

"Something's happened, hasn't it?" A deeply guilty,
sinking feeling settled in the pit of Lita's stomach. She'd
been derelict in following directions and someone else paid
for that. Even so, she had been so *sure* she had been
doing the right thing. After all, Nephrite could have been
doing something awful to his former victims.

"Just get here," Raye shot back. "We'll tell you all about
it."

"Okay. I'm on my way. Sorry, Raye. I was sure I was
doing the right thing..." Even to herself, her words
sounded lame, inadequate.

"One more thing, Lita," the tall brunette heard over the
communicator as she started to disconnect and slip it back
into her pocket. "Zoisite's back."

Forest-green eyes narrowed at the sound of the
supposedly-gone Negaverse general's reappearance. As Lita
let that sink in, another pair of eyes narrowed as well.
Crouching in the shadows at the end of the hall, her ears
tuned for the slightest whisper, Sonya felt a jolt of
vindictive anger rush through her. Zoisite was responsible
for Nephrite's death. Zoisite's youma and Zoisite's
machinations had taken from her the one person that meant
the world to herself. *That petal-throwing, ponytailed brat
had better not cross my path again,* the redheaded sneak
silently vowed. *Or she's going to *pay* for everything she
did to Nephrite. And if she tries hurting him again, she'll
wish she'd never been born.*

"I'll be careful. I'm on my way. Lita out." Taking a
breath, the tall girl put the calculator-like device back
into the pocket of her snug-fitting pants, then eyed the
drawing room door again. She should just leave right now
and let Nephrite stew in there, wondering when she'd be
back. Even so, she didn't want to be quite that rude.
Swiftly crossing the space once more, she pulled open the
door and glared at the boy still sitting on the divan.
"Something's come up and I have to go. Believe me, Nephrite.
We are not finished with this conversation."

"What's going on?" Whatever the page had been about, it
looked like it was some serious business, judging from the
expression on the other teen's face. As he looked at her,
the light from her rose earrings caught his eye again, and
once more the memory of himself handing Princess Jupiter a
pair of glittering earrings just like them filled his mind.
Feeling oddly lightheaded, Nephrite slowly stood up.
"Jupiter?" he softly whispered, not sure whether he hoped
she would affirm his sudden suspicion or deny it.

For just a fraction of a second, Lita's shock was evident on
her pretty face. Then the tall brunette swiftly recovered,
a cold, dark expression on her visage. Without another
word, she firmly shut the door, cutting the boy from her
field of vision -- and cutting him from any accidental
discovery that his soft word had shaken her equilibrium.
*No, don't think about *that*, Lita. Keep your mind focused
on the fact that something's up and Zoisite's out there.*
Pivoting on a foot, she dashed over the carpet-adorned,
hardwood floor and threw open the front door.

Even after the heavy oaken door had shut, Sonya remained in
her crouched position, waiting, watching. It didn't take
long at all for the youth she now knew was Nephrite to step
from the drawing room and glance around. Just as she
started to move from her position and let him know how
grateful she was to have found him again, her impulsive
desire was cut short by the boy's own actions.

"I just know something's wrong," Nephrite muttered to
himself, a quick glance confirming his suspicion that Lita
had left. Swift strides took him to the main entry; he
tugged the door open and looked around into the
night-darkened yard. Not seeing her right away, he sighed
and stepped out onto the porch, absently pushing the catch
to lock the door as he shut it behind himself. Lita was
probably already on her way down the tree-lined driveway
that wound up the forested hill. Guilt stabbed at him,
spurring him onward. If she was, somehow, Princess Jupiter,
he owed her. Weak human that he was, he still was obliged
to help her out somehow. In a very real sense, Princess
Jupiter had been his first victim, and deserved recompense
even more than any of the others who had had their energy
stolen. Only Molly came close to having an equally
deserving debt. Steeling his nerve, he descended the
stairway from the porch, then loped after his departing
guest.

So close, Sonya growled to herself as the door was
symbolically slammed in her face. Fluidly rising from her
hunched-over position, she quickly crossed the length of the
hallway, then operated the catch.
Pulling it open, she carefully peeked through the exposed
crack to the area beyond, then softly swore when she
realized that Nephrite had already left. Slipping through
the doorway, the black-clad redhead tugged the door closed,
her keen hearing listening for any audible clue. There...
the sound of footsteps on the winding, gravel driveway.
Zeroing in on the sound, Sonya slipped over to the margin of
vegetation lining the circular drive and began stealthily
following Nephrite once more. Heart pounding in her chest
at the mere thought of a reunion, she was determined to make
that come true -- but her curiosity in what was going on
made her want to wait and see what was happening. After
all, it was much better walking into a situation knowing
about it than being ignorant.

************************************

**Zoisite! Attend me, please. At once.**

Violet-blue eyes flew open as the mental summons cut through
her sleeping mind. Instantly awake, the slender Gemlord sat
up; her long, loose, copper-gold hair gave her upper torso
the only covering at the moment as she turned her gaze to
the man lying next to her. A sweet smile crossed her face,
remembering just how *good* he had made her feel. For a
short time, it didn't matter that her Element and herself
were out of balance, or that she was mistrusted, or that she
was someone responsible for a large number of evil actions.
For that time, Zoisite was wanted, loved and important. Even
if, deep down inside, Garnet had pretended she was someone
else.

**I'll be there immediately, my lord,** she responded,
carefully slipping from the comfortable bed. Even so, the
redheaded man stirred slightly, rolling onto his side.
Still, he seemed still very much asleep as Zoisite stood up
and gracefully stretched her nude form. A moment of
concentration and a shimmer of violet-blue light, and once
again her slender body was clothed in a short tunic,
knee-high boots and short cape, her silver and tanzanite
circlet glimmering from under her silky bangs. Another
moment of concentration and she was gone, teleporting from
Garnet's room in a swirl of cherry blossom petals.

Violet eyes opened then, watching the last of the Water
Warrior's floral confetti mystically fade to nothing. Garnet
frowned slightly; something was up, obviously, because it
wasn't like Zoisite to just leave. No, she had to have been
called away. In light of what she had told him -- of
Obsidian apparently hunting down and robbing the Senshi of
the Sol system of their powers, of gathering together gems
apparently guarded within the sacred centers of the Senshis'
castles, and of Obsidian willing to smack Sailor Mercury
silly -- Garnet knew something was wrong. And it was
apparently about to get worse...

************************************

The dark ruler of the Tower was already there before the
eerily reflective surface of the Vortex Mirror when Zoisite
teleported in. As her shimmering pink petals faded around
her, she noted that Kunzite was standing off to the side,
his back almost against the table of soulstones. At the
Fire Warrior's stony expression, Zoisite could feel the
hurtful alienation welling up within herself once more. She
just knew; it was going to be a very long time before the
proud, silver-haired Gemlord would forgive her.

"Zoisite..." Obsidian murmured in acknowledgment of the
Water Warrior's appearance. Still standing before the
seven-foot tall Symbol of Space, his back to the youngest
Gemlord, Obsidian's reflection showed that he was looking at
her image in the depths of the Mirror.

The woman addressed saluted. "Yes, my lord?"

"Watch and the next target will appear."

Kunzite frowned slightly, focusing his gaze on the
dark-haired man. "So soon, my lord?"

Unseen and unnoticed, his aura tightly cloaked with his
ability to be "invisible" to the telepathic senses of his
fellow Gemlords, Garnet appeared in the vestibule just
outside the majestic Hall of the Mirror. Back plastered up
against the black stone wall, he carefully leaned forward
and peeked through the archway leading into the circular
chamber. There, on the opposite side of the room, he could
see the Guardian of Space before the shimmering slab of
obsidian that was the Gateway between all places that exist,
the bright copper-gold hair and violet-blue clothing of
Zoisite's figure standing a respectful distance behind him.
Off to the side, almost hidden by the stones of the
entryway, stood Kunzite; the Fire Warrior seemed to almost
be standing guard over that long, low table that had somehow
become the morbid focus for *something*.

Obsidian turned, long gold-trimmed sable cape swirling
around his form, and glared at the tall, silver-haired
Gemlord. "Are you *questioning* my authority, Kunzite?"

"No, my lord..." Kunzite's slight frown deepened almost
imperceptively. Lowering his head in obeisance, he added, "I
was surprised, that's all."

In the vestibule, Garnet blinked in startlement. Again, the
redheaded spy couldn't shake the feeling that something
wasn't quite *right* with the Lord of Lithos. Obsidian
didn't usually have such a hair-trigger temper.

"I see." Apparently mollified by the other's answer,
Obsidian turned his attention back to the reflective surface
of the black glassed Mirror. Bowing his head and
concentrating, once more he began to draw on the powers of
the Symbol.

Garnet continued to watch from his unseen observation point
as the ruler of the Gemlords intoned an ancient command in
his rich baritone voice. "Great Mirror of the Vortex, to
whom all ways are open and no place unknown, hear my
command." At the words, the shimmering surface of the
Mirror began to glow with its characteristic deep,
blackish-green light, and the swirl of gathering energies
began to be felt by Garnet's psychic senses. Neither
Zoisite nor Kunzite seemed to think that whatever Obsidian
was about to do was anything unusual; though he couldn't see
his little sister's face and could only see the Fire Warrior
in profile, the young spy could tell from their relaxed
stances that this was something expected. Tightening his
own cloaking ability -- it was, hopefully, a good bet that
the other three assumed he was still sleeping -- Garnet
continued to watch the unfolding events.

At Obsidian's graceful gesture with his hands, the Mirror
shone brighter, the rising energies whirling in the circular
chamber becoming strong enough to manifest in a breeze that
ruffled silken hair and made capes ripple. "Gaze beyond the
realms of shadow and illusion. Turn aside false reflections,
cut through magic and power. Show me the true image I seek,"
the Guardian of Space chanted. Garnet frowned at the words,
recognizing them as a focus for pitting the strength of the
Mirror to show a place that exists against the power of
something used to distort reality. With a sudden feeling of
dread in the pit of his stomach, the redheaded Gemlord
realized that he was watching his ruler -- his *friend* --
preparing to ambush another of the Senshi that guarded the
Solar system, using the might of the Symbol he guarded to
strip away the protective illusion that kept the Senshi from
being known by the general population.

The Vortex Mirror took on the glimmering, watery appearance
it always did when it was energized enough to span the
distances between its location and wherever it was its
master wished it to focus on. With Garnet still watching in
dread fascination, Obsidian lifted his head and gazed into
the liquid depths of the Mirror, calling out the final
phrase to send the energies gathered out into the Cosmos to
find the object of his search. "Show me the Soldier of the
planet Jupiter!"

His body now glowing with the same blackish-green light as
the Symbol of Space, Obsidian held his pose as the surface
of the Mirror rippled and shimmered, the psychic wind still
swirling within the confines of the Hall of the Mirror.
Violet eyes narrowing at the breeze blowing into his face,
Garnet kept his focus on the glowing rectangle of black
glass, breathlessly waiting for the image to appear.

Darkness greeted the sight of the Gemlords watching, a
darkness that soon resolved itself into the shadows of a
night-shrouded scene. The figure of a lone girl took shape
within the depths of the Mirror, a tall brunette of athletic
build and determined expression, her topknot ponytail
swaying gracefully as she ran along a city sidewalk. Whoever
she was, she looked like she was in a hurry. And there, on
her forehead, glowed the green glyph of the planet Jupiter.

Violet-blue eyes getting huge, Zoisite gasped in
recognition. She *knew* this girl, remembered how the
brunette had gotten a lucky strike in and punched her in the
mouth. *Well, well... Time for a bit of payback then. Maybe
this wouldn't be so bad after all.* Her sensual lips curling
into a sly smile, Zoisite's eyes narrowed as she stared at
the Terran's image.

The Western Commander's reaction wasn't unnoticed. Turning
around, Obsidian looked over the blond woman standing behind
himself. "You know her?"

"Let's just say that our paths have crossed before, my lord.
Yes, I had an encounter with her when she wasn't Sailor
Jupiter," Zoisite replied.

Obsidian gave her a stern look. "Same orders as before,
Commander. Understood? She is not to be harmed save what it
takes to take her into custody."

Zoisite saluted in acknowledgment. "Of course, my lord. I
shall do my best to carry out my orders."

Turning back to gaze at the image of the running girl,
Obsidian considered the circumstances for a moment. "Go
then, Commander. At the moment, she seems relatively alone."
Stepping away from the front of the Mirror, taking up a
position next to the vitreous prison of Sailor Andromeda,
the Guardian of Space kept his gaze on Zoisite.

"As you wish, my lord." Another respectful salute and she
was gone, graceful form almost leaping through the watery
gateway of the Mirror to disappear into the depths of the
scene being shown.

Still peeking through the archway, it took most of Garnet's
will to force himself to stay there and not say or do
anything. It was one thing to hear Zoisite's tearful words
of the assaults, but to actually *see* it happening... He
could hardly believe it, even seeing it with his own eyes.

Obsidian then looked over to the lavender-caped Gemlord
standing by the table littered with the soulstones of their
people. "Keep an eye on our dear Western Warrior. I
recognized the look on her face when she saw the Senshi.
She's got a score to settle with that one."

Kunzite nodded. "Yes, she does. I recall Zoisite returning
with the first Rainbow Crystal and complaining about some
brute of a Terran that socked her in the mouth and made her
bleed."

"Ah... Yes, that would be the sort of thing Zoisite would
expect to avenge," Obsidian acknowledged. "Very well. I
leave it up to you to make sure that your charge doesn't
forget herself and disrupt my plans with her pettiness."
Gesturing toward the Mirror, the dark lord added, "Go,
Commander. Let Zoisite handle it herself, but intervene if
it looks like she's going to cause problems or lose the
quarry."

"As you wish, my lord," Kunzite responded, with a salute.
Swiftly covering the distance between the table and the
Mirror, the tall Fire Warrior disappeared after his former
lover into the depths of the Symbol of Space.