Cycle of Our Souls: Heart's Love (3/?)
by M is for Mars
E-Mail: MCW717@hotmail.com
Rated PG
Disclaimers and the like: The characters mentioned in this story do not
belong to me, and I'm not making any money with this.
As promised, we're finally beginning to get some plot. I noticed quite
suddenly as I was writing how much more the original "Cycle of Our Souls"
centered on the "relationship" aspect than this one does. I guess that's
because I just don't relate to Mina as well as I do Raye, so instead I'm
having the relationship as more of the backdrop for the beginnings of the
main plot that will flow through all the remaining sections. The point is,
if you were hoping for something more like the original, with no "Scout"
activity and just whole bunches of personal stuff, then you're gonna be a
little disappointed. There is the romance, of course, but I had to do
*something* to keep this one from being just like the other one!
Ok, I wrote that little bit ^ before I wrote the actual story chapter, so now
I'll say that Part 3 is an exception. I didn't realize this was gonna end
up being an entire section, but it is... so *next* time will be more plot,
less romance. Woops. :)
As always, The stuff between the lines of "@-" symbols is all Silver
Millenium, the text between lines of "*" symbols is Mina's thoughts and takes
place between SMR and SMS, and everything else is just a few weeks prior.
Also, and this is just for my own sake, a little note about the title. After
I decided definitely to do sequels, I thought about it and wished I had named
the original "Cycle of Our Souls: Heart's Fire". Oh well. Anyway, each new
section will be named "Heart's such-and-such": Heart's Love, Heart's Thunder,
and Frozen Heart (different because I thought "Heart's Ice" sounded kinda
silly). See? That way all y'all can figure out which chapter belongs to
which Scout.
If you go to the Sailor Moon section of my website -
www.oocities.org/area51/corridor/8809/sailormoon.html - you'll see the first
part under its new title. See how confusing I can be when I try really,
really hard? :)
Write me!
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Cycle of Our Souls: Heart's Love (3/?)
It was the first question from everyone's lips: "Where's Serena?" No one
knew the answer, not even Darien. "I heard her scream..." he explained in a
shaky voice, "and I knew all of you would be here."
"Here" was Raye's temple. Yes, it was the middle of the night, but some
things were more important. "I heard it too," Jay said softly, "I don't know
how or why... but I knew to come here, I knew that it was Serena screaming."
"Mina?" a voice said from the shadows. "Is that you?"
Her spine stiffened as she recognized the voice. It was Malachy Levinworth!
"Malachy? What are you doing here?"
He stepped into the pale light of paper lanterns and shook his head. "I
don't know. Something woke me up and it's like... it's like there was a
compass pointing me to this temple. I've never even been here before."
Before anyone could reply to this, Amy came running up the temple steps.
"Has Luna gotten here yet? Isn't it strange that they're *both* missing? I
only felt Serena scream, so why hasn't Luna come here in a panic? I tried
scanning for her, for both of them, but I've found nothing. I can do a more
in-depth search from the Command Center." Just then she noticed Malachy and
her faced turned bright red. "Oh... ha... hello, Malachy! We were just...
ah... playing a sort of game... a role-playing type game... So how come
you're here in the middle of the night?"
"He felt it too," Mina said softly.
"Oh?" Amy replied. Then, as it sunk in, "Oh!"
"Exactly," she said, running a hand through her long blond hair. It felt
strange to be not wearing her bow, but she'd run out of the house so
quickly... oh well, maybe she could borrow some hair something from Raye.
"So where do we begin? I don't think going to Serena's house in the middle
of the night is a good idea."
"May I ask something?" Malachy said, his voice tight and strange. "What the
hell is going on here?"
Mina smiled sadly. "Don't worry about it for the moment, Mal... just follow
along. I think you'll figure it out before everything's said and done."
He frowned. "Mina..." He shook his head slowly and looked carefully at each
one of them - Raye, her face pale and scared; Amy, still blushing from her
slip; Darien, nearly crazy with worry; Lita, angry that someone would *dare*
mess with her friend; Jay, his azure eyes kind with understanding; and lastly
Mina, his beautiful Mina. His gaze settled on her and he smiled. "Alright,
Lady Love, I trust you. I just... I just hope you'll explain this to me
sometime."
She smiled. "Hai, I promise. Now shall we go search for Serena? I think we
should start at the Command Center, as Amy said."
"And how are we going to get in?" Lita asked.
Mina shrugged. "Luck? Magic? Venus Crescent Beam Smash? Does it really
matter? Let's go."
"Should we... should we change?" Raye asked hesitantly, glancing at Malachy.
This quiet question, so unusual for Raye, stopped Mina mid-stride. She, too,
looked at Malachy. "I... I guess so." With a sigh she pulled out her
henshin wand. "Venus... Star... POWER!" she cried.
"Jupiter... Star... POWER!"
"Mars... Star... POWER!"
"Mercury... Star... POWER!"
Each girl transformed as, in a flash of light, Darien became Tuxedo Mask and
Jay became Jadeite, complete with silver and red uniform. Darien smiled.
"It's been a long time since you've worn that, ne?"
He grinned back rather sheepishly. "I didn't even know I could until the
other day. It's just like the one I wore in the Silver Millenium... I hadn't
realized how much I missed it."
Malachy looked to be on the verge of fainting. "M... Mina?" he stuttered,
staring at Sailor Venus with eyes as round as saucers.
She bit her lip and turned away. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Mal... I...
you... if you hate me, I understand. I should never have lied to you..."
Wiping angrily at a tear, she faced him with a shrug. "I should have told
you, honestly... but I... gomen nasai, Malachy," she whispered.
"We'll go on ahead," Mars said, understanding this moment and recognizing
their need to be alone. "Come on, minna," she told the others, taking off at
a run in the direction of Crown Arcade, otherwise known as the Command
Center.
"I would have understood, Mina," he said at last.
"Would you have?" she questioned, unusually somber. "How could anyone
understand? This life... it's unlike anything that can be imagined."
"Jay understands. Darien understands."
"Jay and Darien are part of it!" she countered. "Darien is Tuxedo Mask and
Jay is Jadeite, one of Prince Endymion's protectors from-" she stopped,
suddenly realizing something. "Oh my Gods!" she breathed, her bright blue
eyes widening. How could she not have seen it before, especially after he
and Jay both responded to the call of Serena's scream!? The same way, she
supposed, Raye had never seen it in Jay: she didn't *want* to see it, didn't
want to acknowledge that the man she loved had been her enemy, had betrayed
her. "Malachite!" she cried softly, staring up into that darkly handsome
face that was now - and had once been - so familiar to her.
@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-
"I was wondering... well, I mean, I was hoping... that is... could you...
would you... ah... might you consider accompanying me to Queen Serenity's
ball tomorrow evening?" Malachite asked his own reflection.
"I've heard of narcissism, Mal-san, but isn't this a little extreme?" a
sarcastic voice said from behind him.
"I was practicing, Zoisite," he growled, not even turning around.
"Practicing... of course. Are you planning to ask Lady Mina?"
"You know he is," Jadeite said teasingly, striding into the room flanked by
Nephrite and Prince Endymion. "He hasn't been able to take his eyes off her
pretty blond head since we got here."
"Just like you and Lady Mars. You're planning to ask her, ne?" Malachite
replied. "She's a bit too prickly for my taste."
"She's tough," Nephrite defended. "I like her."
"Not as much as you like Jupiter's Princess," Endymion said with a grin.
"And not as much as you like Queen Serenity's daughter!" the four chorused at
him. He grinned and blushed, but didn't deny it, and the Generals were
heartened to see their melancholy Prince so happy for once.
"I should say you need a bit more practice," Zoisite told his commander with
a grin.
"I don't see you winning any confidence contests when it comes to asking Lady
Mercury," Malachite tossed back.
The younger General blushed and smoothed his blond curls. "I will. I just
haven't had the time yet, that's all," he said defensively.
"Oh no?" Jadeite asked. "You've only spent every moment with her since we
got here. You can't tell me chess is that absorbing."
"It depends on the company," he said with a wry smile.
"I don't think any of us have room to talk," Endymion said. "None of us have
asked our respective ladies to the ball yet, have we?" His gaze encompassed
the small group, and no one would meet his eyes. "I thought not. I have a
perfectly good reason, of course, but none of the rest of you do, so go on
and do it! Consider it an order from your Prince!"
-------------
She stared up at the beautiful, blue Earth and gave a long sigh. It was a
dark night, but the Moonscape glowed with its usual silver light,
illuminating what should have been a stark, barren land. "One must find
beauty where she can," she told him, "and I guess Queen Serenity understands
that better than anyone. Look what she did here... the flowers, the
fountains, the buildings... it's paradise."
A silver brow rose and he replied, "You've never been to Earth, I take it."
"Nai, but could anywhere be more wonderful than here? Except Venus...
sometimes, on a night like this when everything's so quiet, I find myself
missing my home... my *former* home, I mean, because the Moon is my home
now."
"Is it? Or is the Moon just the place where you live?"
Minako looked up at him, startled. "I... never really thought about it."
There was a long, comfortable silence before she said, "And what of you,
Malachite? Where is your true home?"
"With you," he replied softly, simply.
She blushed and smoothed imaginary wrinkles from her skirt. "Malachite, I...
that is... may I ask you something?"
He looked startled for a moment, but then he nodded. "Of course, Mi'ko-chan,
you can ask me anything."
She smiled, but then turned away. "Well, you see, tomorrow night, as you
know, Queen Serenity-"
"Is having a ball. Yes, I remember."
"Of course you do. I was wondering, actually-"
"Would you like to-" he interrupted.
"Go to the ball with you? Naturally, silly, that's what I've been trying
to-"
"Get up the courage to ask-"
"All afternoon!" she finished with a bright grin, turning to face him again.
"You really do need to stop reading my mind, Mal-chan. It's disconcerting."
He grinned, impressed. "'Disconcerting', hmm? You've been friends with Lady
Ami too long!"
She laughed. "Truly told. So... shall I see you tomorrow evening?"
He bowed, his gray-violet eyes twinkling. "If not sooner, Lady
Love."
-------------
Minako stopped just short of the entrance to the ballroom and took a deep
breath. She had run all the way from her room, and it wouldn't do to enter
breathing heavily. After a moment she had control of herself again, and with
an elegant gesture to the guards, entered the glittering room. "Oh!" she
gasped, her azure eyes wide as she gazed all around her.
Had there ever been a more beautiful sight in the Universe? Had there ever
been ladies as elegant, men as handsome, food more temptingly presented?
Minako couldn't imagine that there had been - or would be again - and her
smile was even more dazzling than the shimmering jewels most of the women
wore.
Just then Zoisite appeared at her side, and, with a lavish bow, asked her to
dance. "And where is Ami-chan?" she asked teasingly.
He grinned brightly and gestured across the crowded, noisy ballroom.
"Dancing with Jadeite, as you can see. She left me all alone," he pouted,
"and as far as I can tell you're the most beautiful woman in the room besides
Ami, so here I am."
"I'm sure you've said that to every woman in here, but they were all smart
enough to turn you down. Ami-chan may seem gentle and meek, but I pity
anyone foolish enough to make her angry!"
He laughed. "Surely you're brave enough."
She took the hand he offered and smiled brightly. "I'm sure I am."
As he danced her around the room, she managed to ask, "You haven't seen Lord
Malachite, have you?"
He grinned knowingly at her. "Look over there at your friend Makoto!"
"Oh dear... how's Nephrite taking this?"
"Pretty well, I should think: he just snatched up Lady Rei!"
Minako laughed, realizing quite suddenly that she was having the time of her
life. "You, Lord Zoisite, are more fun than I thought you would be! Do you
do anything besides play chess?"
"I delight in making lovely ladies such as yourself laugh," he quipped. Just
then the music began to fade and he let her go. "One lovely lady in
particular, so if you will excuse me..."
Minako grinned and curtsied in response to his elegant bow. "Certainly, Lord
Zoisite. I had a marvelous time." She turned away from him and went to find
Malachite, whom she nearly knocked into in her haste. "Oh! Gomen, Mal-chan,
I wasn't paying attention."
He smiled fondly. "Something on your mind, Lady Love?"
"Nai," she said with a shake of her head, "it's just a bit warm in here."
"Perhaps a stroll then?" he suggested in a deceptively mild voice.
"That would be lovely." It wasn't long before they were away from the
crowded, stuffy atmosphere of the ball and Minako was up to her usual chatter
once again. "Did you see Ami-chan with Lord Zoisite?" she was saying.
"They've hardly stepped away from one another all evening! Isn't it marvy,
Malachite? It's so nice seeing everyone happy!"
He shrugged. "Hai, Zoi-kun does seem rather smitten with Lady Mercury... and
Nephrite with Lady Jupiter... and Jadeite with Lady Mars."
"Poor Jadeite. Rei-chan can be... well, stubborn."
"I've heard," Malachite said dryly.
They came to a bench set among an arbor of roses and she settled down on it
while he stood with his back to her, staring up at the full Earth. "So I ask
as I did yesterday, Lord Malachite, what of you? Is there no one *you're*
smitten with?" she said, struggling to keep her voice light so he wouldn't
know how much his answer meant to her.
There was a long silence, and she noticed his gaze never wavered from the
crystal blue orb of his home. "Do you really have to ask that?" he said at
last. "Haven't you guessed by now, my sweet Senshi no Ai?" He turned to her
then, eyes a deep, dark, stormy purple.
Minako blushed deeply and looked away from his intense gaze. "Hai, well, I
thought maybe it was just-"
"Wishful thinking? Nai. Minako, I-"
"No," she said softly, "don't say anything. I know you understand how things
are, Malachite. I am the leader of my Princess' Guardians... and you the
leader of your Prince's. Our duty-"
"Duty, Mi'ko-chan?"
"*Duty*, Malachite. I can't forget that Princess Serenity comes first. You
understand, I know you do... Doesn't Prince Endymion come first to you?"
He frowned and shook his head. "Minako, there's more to life than duty!"
These words gave him pause, for he had never thought to hear himself utter
them. "More to life than duty... oh, Minako, before I met you I never would
have said that! But I can say it now, and I can believe it," he said,
sitting down beside her and taking her small, pale hands in his large dark
ones. "I do love you, Minako, with all my heart. I don't understand it,
honestly... I don't believe in love... but, damn it, some part of me
understands that you *are* love, and that pretending to feel something other
than what I truly do would be wrong and just plain stupid."
Startled, Minako realized this was the longest she had ever heard him speak
at a stretch. Her own eyes traveled across the Moonscape and up into the
dark, starless sky to settle where his had once rested. "We are so
different, Malachite. I belong here, on the Moon, with my Princess, and you
belong..." she trailed off, but as she turned back to him her eyes spoke
volumes and he could see the light of his home planet reflected in their
sapphire depths.
"Don't, Minako," he whispered, "please."
"Mal-chan, you know we can't-"
"We must," he said, his voice softly urgent.
"Nai... you know we have a duty to perform."
"Duty be damned!" he cried, the angry words carrying him to his feet.
She stared helplessly at his broad, straight back, desperate to make him
understand.