THE FOUR LOVERS: STRANDED
by: Guess who?
CHAPTER FIVE
MAR'S LOSS, JUPITER'S GAIN
Dawn broke in rays over the dry and dusty plain, it's warming
and comforting sunshine spreading light and bringing to life
the beautiful morning. Plants and animals began to awaken all
around it, and with them came the others forms of life who just
happened to be on this plain.
"KIYA!" Mars shouted as she sliced through another imaginary
opponent. Flipping backward, she swung around and fiercly
kicked another. Then she jumped away, landed in a crouch, and
swept someone.
And heard the faint pitter-patter of clapps behind her.
"Very nice, Lady Mars," Jaedite called out as she stood and
brushed the hair from her face.
"Thank you, Lord Jaedite," she replied courteously. Though
the argument that had put her at odds with Venus was days
behind them now, she still felt uncomfortable with the
Generals. Well, except with this one; she'd warmed up to him
internally, even if she still held a grudge against the group
as a whole.
He nodded in reply, smiling a little, then asked, "I was
wondering, Lady, if I could perhaps spar you?" In the crimson
morning, she couldn't see the faint blush on his cheeks as he
asked; she still daunted him somewhat, though she'd grown from
the cold warrior to the lukewarm, nearly warm sometimes warrior
in the last days.
"Of course you may," she replied. "But I spar without my
powers."
"Of course, Lady Mars," he said, voice sharper now. "Perhaps,
maybe later, you could demonstrate yours and we could compare
them to mine."
"Perhaps, Lord Jaedite. Perhaps." They squared off against
each other, the two lone figures on a blood red plain. Mars
studied him intently, sizing up his lean figure and studying
his face and the short, curling hair around it. His eyes were
the same clear blue, yet somehow brighter now, as if
anticipating the challenge. she
thought uncharacteristically. He also sized her up, noting the strong legs and
graceful form; again, he let his eyes follow her raven hair
into her violet eyes.
"Ready?" she asked.
"When you are," he replied.
A pause, and the fight was on.
At first, the battle was Jaedite's easily. Mars was surprised
to find a block for every move she made, and a counter move
right beside that. However, Mars wasn't about to let herself
lose to this man, despite how she thought he looked or the
little pangs she felt around him. So she altered her attack
style to dance more, and present him a moving target. She
managed to score a few hits on him, and the tide began to even
out. He now admired her choice of footwear; besides making her
legs look great, it HURT when they connected.
Finally, the battle began to take its toll on both, though
neither could think of any non-injuring way to stop it. Mars,
hitting upon an idea, summoned enough energy to flip away a few
times, raise her hands, and yell, "MARS FIRE...EXPAND!"
The fire raised from her hands and, being pointed up, spread
harmless around her. Jaedite got the message for what it was,
and both trotted toward each other, breathin' fast and feeling
worn.
"No powers, I thought," Jaedite breathed out first.
"Just trying to get your attention," she replied heavily as
she sucked in air.
"Don't worry...Lady...Mars," he panted. "You...already...have
it."
The remark ripped her attention away from breathing, and she
cautiously made eye contact with him, wondering,
he thought. Casually he remarked, "Good
fighting, Lady Mars."
"Oh no, Lord Jaedite," she replied, caught off guard and still
locked in eye contact. "Your fighting was excellent as well.
Superb, in fact. Honestly, I couldn't believe you..." she
caught herself on the statement, but couldn't look away from
his blue eyes. Purple joined the red on her face as she
finished, "..fight so well."
He chuckled inside, but gently took her hand instead and
replied, "I thought so too about you, Lady Mars, but you proved
me wrong."
"I..uh, thank you, Lord Jaedite," she replied, surprised at
the warm contact of his hand. It was then, and only then, that
she noticed the scratch on his cheek, inflicted by a high heel
during the fight Truthfully, he'd become so accustomed to
injury that he barely felt it himself, but the redness that
marred his face hit a nerve deep within her. "You're hurt,
Lord Jaedite!" she exclaimed, reaching up to touch it, proving
to herself that yes, it was a REAL scratch. Somehow, touching
it made it less painful to him, and moreso to her.
"Lady Mars, please, its just Jaedite," he replied warmly.
"And its only a scratch."
"It look painful. Maybe we should let Mercury look at it,"
she said, worriedly. she thought.
Unknown to either, or anyone else, Mars and Jaedite had fallen
prey to a peculiar form of love at first sight--the only one
that didn't overwhelm its owner. Cupid's arrow had become a
slow syringe, injecting at a snail's pace its elixer of love
into their hearts. It could be sped up, though, by events
bringing the two close together. The rare moment or two they'd
shared in the past days had tapped the plunger; the fight,
though a fight, had also hit it a bit. But her concern for him
and his awareness of her abilities had caused the plunger to
descend to the rim as if it had been hit with a hammer. The
sudden shock of feeling hit them both, and caused Jaedite to
place his hand over her slight touch and say, "With your hand
here, I feel no pain."
Now, silence. Only eye contact and body language could speak
between them without ruining the moment. His hand slowly
removed hers from his cheek, and in a moment unexpected to
both, he lightly kissed it. She gasped softly, and stepped
away in shock. His grip tightened and tugged as his heart
(slighty) panicked, and she found herself sliding effortlessly
into his arms. Looking up, she could see the scratch was much
worse than he let on or she'd seen; gingerly, her fingers
touched his face, and the soft touch of her fingers sent chills
through him. They slid down as if they were unaware of what
they were doing to touch his lips, running lightly across their
pale thinness. she screached inside, then
finally snapped to herself,
Meanwhile, he'd somehow managed to kiss her fingers lightly,
teasing her. She pulled them away and slid her arms instead
around his neck, gazing up at him with a half-smile on her
lips.
he thought,
uncharacteristically poetic. He usually left that to Zoicite,
but gazing down at her violet eyes and half-curved, full lips,
he couldn't resist it. His next thoughts were of drowing in
those eyes, and his mind cried out a half-dozen things those
lips could do, most of them insanely naughty. And when he
finally touched his lips to hers, he felt like it was his first
kiss and last kiss in one heart shapped moment.
The kiss, though nothing but a feather's touch, sent shocks
through her, and she applied the pressure to part his lips
under hers. Her stomach was doing triple sommersaults while
her heart did backhandsprings, somewhat imitating the motions
of his own inards. A thought jolted through the completed
circuit:
came a frantic call froom Jaedite's mind.
Abruptly, he cut the kiss off and ported away from her, body
shaking as the emotions of complete surprise exploded onto her
face. Her eyes flew open in shock, and she called, "Jaedite,
what's..."
"Princess...Lady Mars...I'm sorry! But I...I'm.." he gave up
on words, shook his head in frustration, face reddening to the
same crimson shade they'd fought on. "Don't be hurt!" he burst
out. "Please...don't be hurt.."
"Jaedite!" she called hopelessly, feebly, heart wrenching
inside her. "Wait!"
He shook his head, ignoring those foolish, demanding impulses
inside him, and ported away.
"At least tell me what's wrong," she finished in a whisper.
He materialized back at the camp, near his quarters, and
leaned against the pole. "What was THAT, Jade?" he asked
himself. "What were you thinking?"
"Habit of talking to yourself, Jaedite?"
He nearly leapt on top of the pole, and felt his heart clang
against his ribs in surprise. "Only this morning, Nephrite,"
he gasped out.
"Jade, you're up awfully early," said the auburn haired man
coming into view, tying his hair up with a length of green
yawn. Emerald green, in fact, to match Jupiter's eyes; a
subconcious decision, but something Jaedite would've normally
caught and commented on. But his thoughts were on a pair of
violet eyes, ruby lips, and their touch.
Nephrite noticed immediately that his friend wasn't really
where he stood, and it sent a spark through his brain. "What's
wrong, Jade?" he asked cautiously.
"Lady...Lady Mars," he said, managing not to let his voice
warble.
"The shrew?" He had apologized, and never referred to her that
way in public, but his private grudge still held some footing.
"Don't let her bother you, Jade."
The blond chuckled unintentionally at his friend, the nervous
feeling channeling themselves into the laugh. "Oh no, not
that. Something totally different, my friend."
"What? Come on, Jade, tell me what happened."
He struggled for a second for where to begin, but finally just
skipped the middle and said, "We kissed."
Nephrite was stunned for a moment, and he slowly began to
understand why his friend was rattled. "And then what?"
"I broke it off and took off," he said. He thunked his head
against the pole. "Nephrite, what was I thinking?!"
"Um, does she kiss like a pig?"
"No! It was fine!"
"Then you were thinking that she's an attractive, free lady."
"Much more, Nephrite. Much more. Incredible fighter, smart,
a fire reader...and a Royal Senshi of the COURT Guard to boot!"
he sighed, ticking off her good attributes in a bell-like,
dreamy tone. "And gorgeous."
"And gorgeous. Yes, Jaedite--say it with me--you are..."
"...an idiot," he replied in unison with his friend. "I know,
I know. But don't you think it's rushed?"
"You sleep with half of your 'girls' on the first date; you
think a little kiss is going to hurt?"
"I've only known her a few days!"
"You and her fellow Martian noblewoman--the one from the Ice
Cap--were all OVER each other in hours. A personal record, you
said." He leaned in close. "Are you just afraid to fall for
her? Or has that already happened?"
He stared at his friend, then thunked his head against the
pole again, one hand entangling itself in a thatch of his hair.
"I didn't think about that," he said quietly, "but I guess I
am. No, I am. I have. I'm in love with the Princess Mars,
and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it." He blew out a
rough sigh. "Timing is perfect, too. Right in the middle of
our mission to find the prince, and I go and fall for her."
His eyes closed delicately. "The best, worst thing about it is
that I feel like a youngster again. As if this were my first
relationship. Worst of all, I don't even know what _she_
thinks of me."
Nephrite smiled; it was interesting to watch his friend
struggle with getting serious for once. "Did you ask her?"
"Uh..no."
"Then we'd better take a walk and call on Lady Mars. I'm sure
she wants to talk to you."
"All right, Nephrite," he replied, his face starting to
brighten. "And maybe I can patch this little mishap up."
"Of course. And maybe I can do the same with Lady Jupiter,
too," Nephrite replied, voice and face a little graver.
He looked up at his friend, pacing by his side, and his keen
eyes narrowed. "You have a thing for her, don't you?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe." A pause. "Oh, Nephrite?"
"Yes, Jade?"
A characteristic I'm-a-rascal smile broke over Jaedite's face.
"Why are you wearing green yarn in your hair?"
"And then he kissed me."
Mars and Jupiter sat inside Jupiter's quarters, Mars having
awakened her best friend to fill her in. The bleary eyed
Princess of Jupiter had been barely awake until those words.
"He what?"
"He kissed me!"
"Oh. Congratulations! Then what did he do?"
"Apologized and took off."
"Really? That much out of practice, Lady Mars?"
She blushed the same purple-red of that early morning and
replied, "I hope not. He sure isn't....I hope he enjoyed it
as...as...as much as I did." The blush deepened.
"Why Lady Mars! What's all this teenage stars-in-the eyes
blushing nonsense? This is not what I expect from the women
who has tackled--literally--half the men in the Queen's court."
"He...just thinking of him makes my knees quiver and my heart
turn to slush."
"You know, you two aren't such a bad match," Jupiter said
sagely. "He's Royal Guard to the Prince, and you're a Court
Guard to the Princess. You two are each other's counterparts.
It's fated."
Mars nodded. "It's so strange; all this time I've been so
drawn to him, and I fought it every step of the way. But this
morning after the fight and I saw that gash on his cheek...adn
being in his arms..it was just right to me."
Jupiter laughed and produced her pen. "If you don't mind, I'm
going to get dressed."
"No problem," Mars replied, both standing and she moving back
to the door. The green crystal piece with the wreath on it
flashed, and she watched the electricity spark as her friend
donned the normal Senshi uniform, nightgown melting away.
"I was just thinking, Mars," she said as she emerged, fresh,
"that if you and Jaedite are counterparts, that would make
Nephrite and I counterparts, too. I mean...he's probably not
such a bad guy. In fact, he seems like a perfect gentlemen."
"You could use a man in your life, Mako."
"Why do you persist in using my name, REI?" she replied,
emphasizing the name.
"Because..."
Her words halted as the chimes clattered, their bell-like
tones ringing through the air. Both turned to the door, and
Jupiter called out, "Who comes?"
"Generals Jaedite and Nephrite to see Lady Mars and Lady
Jupiter," came the brisk reply.
"Oh!" exclaimed Mars softly. "And I'm a mess!" Her pen
appeared and she flicked it, sending a flare out. Swinging it
around her, Jupiter watched in amazement as the fire roped
about her, forming a sheet that covered her from head to toe.
When it disappeared, she emerged sparkling and clean. "Okay,"
she whispered to Jupiter, and they stepped outside.
Jaedite's eyes nearly came out of his head as the two Senshi
appeared, and he stilled his face carefully. Was it really
possible for her to look ten times more lovely now than she did
this morning? He was able to get off a "Good morning, Lady
Jupiter. Lady Mars, again" rather freshly; it covered the
coiling nervousness within him.
"You as well, Lord Jaedite," she said, and the use of his
title sent a flurry of questions through him--all of which he
tamped down with a sledgehammer.
"If I may say, Ladies, you outshine the sun this morning,"
Nephrite entered smoothly, voice a touch deeper than normal.
"Thank you, Lord Nephrite," Jupiter replied, her voice a touch
smoother than his. To Jaedite, "Excuse my lack of greeting,
Lord Jaedite. Good morning to you."
A bit of a pause, letting a breeze through to sweep up some
dust and blow a few strands of hair around. "Umm..." Jaedite
started, and Nephrite shot him a look of confidence and
courage. "Lady Mars," his voice intoned, "can I speak to you
in private? I believe we have something to discuss."
"As you wish, Jaedite," she replied softly, the half-smile
flashing onto her face for a fraction of a second. "Lead the
way."
He smiled slightly now, and offered his arm. She took it with
grace, and the two stepped off toward the forest area. Jupiter
and Nephrite watched them till they disappeared, then looked at
each other.
Automatically, they blushed.
Unlike Nephrite and Mars, or Jaedite and Mars, Nephrite and
Jupiter never chanced to heal the bad blood between them.
However, neither one could continue denying the strong, yet
strange, attraction that seemed to surge up when they met. Yet
they never got around to saying what they needed to say.
It was Jupiter first. "A few nights ago, I offended you," she
started bluntly. "I apologize greatly. I was upset and
distraught and plagued with four millions types of mental
anguish."
"Forgiven," he replied lightly. "Though I must say..."
"Forgiven," she said quickly. "I don't like long apologies.
They make me nervous."
He smiled at this, and she smiled back, and for a minute or so
they were caught up in their eyes smiling at each other. Then,
Nephrite said, "Jupiter, do you know how to cook?"
"Yes....fairly well. Why?"
He started to walk now, a slow pace leading toward their
'cooking' area. She followed, intruiged. "I myself love to
cook--it's a hobby I've had since I was young--but the other
Generals can barely make a piece of toast. Very few others in
the Palace can even identify their fork from their spoon. So I
rarely get to exchange recipes." His eyes sparkled. "Would
you like to?"
She smiled brightly. "I'd love to, Lord Nephrite."
"Please, Nephrite. Or Neph, it you want to shorten it."
"Neph then. Call me Jute."
He nodded his approval as they broke from the quarters into
the 'kitchen' area--if you could call it that. Though not
really roughing it, they had to cook all of their meals through
the fire, or over it, or in it. However, unlike the Princess
and her companion, they had a few more conveniences. This
morning, the fire was arranged but unlit, and Nephrite frowned.
"Zoicite usually lights it," he said, puzzled. "Is there
anyway you could..."
"Step back," she replied, and he obeyed, wondering. She stood
over the fire, and called out "JUPITER LIGHTNING...." as she
stretched out her hand over the well-made pit. Her middle
finger contacted with her thumb, and with a loud "SNAP!!!!"
she snapped her fingers. From the clear sky fell a bolt of
lightning, easily starting a fire from the dry materials.
"Bravo," he said. "It's rare to find power and beauty
together."
"Thank you," she replied modestly. "Now, I believe you wanted
to show me some of your recipes?"
He nodded, and indicated that they needed the materials before
they began to cook. She agreed, and they scrounged up whatever
they could find for supplies that fit with a breakfast theme.
Carefully, he went step by step through each preperation,
making her repeat it after him. After they finished (and ended
up with two cheese omlettes), she turned the tables and
instructed him, being surprisingly patient. When both dishes
were completed, they scrounged up the other materials they'd
need to eat, and proceeded to sit and feed each other. It
started from Jupiter's need to show him the correct way to wrap
cheese around a fork; it escalated into each taking turns.
They turned to more dishes after they'd finished, making food
for the whole camp and then some, just to cook. She found he
was a delight to cook with; he liked her easygoing, almost
rough manners. It was a partnership made in heaven.
When Mercury and Zoicite happened upon them, dragging Venus in
tow, they found the two peeling the brown skin off a local
fruit to reveal a sweet, blue fruit underneath. "They're like
strawberries," Jupiter announced when she saw them.
"Only better," Nephrite agreed. She nodded emphatically, and
both laughed. The three others, still tired and not quite
alive, wondered what had come over the two of them. "Are we
interrupting something?" Venus asking drily as she watched
Jupiter playfully pop the fruit into his mouth.
"Nothing but breakfast," Nephrite replied. "More, Jute?"
"I couldn't, Neph. I just couldn't," she replied.
"Looks good," Zoicite said.
"There's plenty for all," Jupiter said.
"And healthy too, I suppose. If you feel up to it, you can
eat," Mercury pronounced.
"Thanks for your permission," he said, moving to take part in
the festive breakfast, Senshi and General taking turns pointing
out what was good and what was merely okay.
"They look cozy," came Kunzite's voice from behind Venus, and
she straightened in surprise. "Did I scare you?"
"Slightly," she replied. "Finally hoist yourself out of bed?"
"I heard lightning."
"Twas Jupiter lighting the fire. By the way, have you seen
Mars?"
"No, nor Jaedite."
"They went for a walk," Nephrite popped in. "They had to
discuss..."
It was then that a scream reached the camp.
What had happened in the woods was this.
The two had walked silently through the camp and into the
forest that bordered on the edge of it. Jaedite had been
trying to coax from his brain a way to start the conversation,
and had stalled. Finally, she took the initative.
"You want to speak with me, Jaedite?"
He stopped then, and turned, slipping his arm out and grasping
her hands. "Yes, Lady Mars, I do need to talkwith you. I
sincerely don't want anymore anger between us." He took a deep
breath, pausing to center himself.
"Yes?" she asked quietly, expectantly.
"I like you alot, Lady Mars, yet I don't know why. It's not
that you don't have your qualities; to put it simply, I usually
prefer blonds. You're unique, however, and beautiful. Yet
what I did this morning was uncalled for and I apologize," he
said quietly, and she read the truth in his clear blue eyes.
"I already have, Jaedite. I know from long experience that
men cannot control the impulses inside them." She smiled a
hazy, nostalgic smile, and added, "Though it was a pleasant, if
unexpected, surpise."
"Really?" he asked, a little stunned. She was as well,
wondering how and WHY she let that loose.
"Yes," she replied as she let her hands drop and slid closer
to him; she embraced him them, and his arms slid around her
waist in reply. "I would've kicked your butt if it wasn't."
"Don't be so cocky, Mars," he said. "Not unless you have a
reason to be."
"Do I?" she asked quickly, inching closer in his arms.
Abruptly all the smart comments he could've said vanished,
leaving him to blurt out his only consistent thought all
morning, "You're beautiful."
"So are you," she replied, touched.
It seemed like she could never be close enough then, and he
tugged her until she laid her head upon his chest and he could
stroke her hair. "Never felt this way, Mars," he confided in a
hushed voice. "Never. And I've had women from..."
"I understand," she interjected quietly, smiling gently at him
with the understanding bright in her hidden eyes. He smiled
back, a good feeling developing in his mind of what she meant.
he thought, eyes
twinkling. She looked up at him to see her merriment reflected
back at her; both smiled. Leaning down, he brushed her lips
once again with his, and felt a murmur of bad feeling go
through him as she stiffened.
"What?" he asked.
"I feel something....evil," she said, eyes pinched in an
attempt to feel out the feeling. "Don't worry--it's not you."
"That's a relief," he said, letting her loose so that she
could search out this "evil" feeling.
Of course, she didn't have to look long.
Jaedite had started searching around the clearing, trying to
see if he could figure out what activated her intuition, when
an inhuman screach filled it. He whirled around and saw Mars,
stepping back, looking for space. Her persuer was an ugly
reptile thing, bristling with claws and a mouth crammed with
teeth. Before he could move, it crouched, hunching on his
legs, and sprung at her.
"No!" he yelled, blue-white energy flying from his hands and
slamming the beast back. "Mars, get outta there!"
She was wordless as she sprung away; the beast, however, gave
a cry of pain, snarled, and sprang forward, yowling. It was on
him before Jaedite could muster another blast or a shield,
claws raking across his chest. He screamed; Mars screamed; the
beast chuckled. It was that sound that prompted Mars to send a
flying kick to it, knocking it down. Anger, rage, and pain
flashed through her, more than she expected, and she raised her
hands as she called, "MARS FLAME WALL...."
The beast raised it's head.
"...SMASH!!" she yelled, bringing down her hand and creating a
wave of fire that tore into the beast and incinerated it. She
took a breath, paused, and whispered, "Jaedite." Spinning, she
came back and dropped down by him. "Jaedite," a pause, "love,
are you still with me?"
"I'm here, Lady Mars," he replied, his voice strangled and
soft. "Though a bit less of me then what there was before."
"You're hurt," she said, looking over his chest. The beasts
claws had raked deeply, leaving three bloody gasges across his
chest. She vainly tried to cover them with material, but there
wasn't enough left on his chest to do so. She produced her
pen, sparking, and looked at him with it. His eyes widened,
and she whispered, "Do you want me to cauterize it?"
"No...I'd probably go into shock from the pain..." he replied
softly. "And I'd rather not watch you cry, or have you watch
me cry."
The crystal disappeared, and she asked in puzzlement, "Why?"
"Because it'd hurt me not to be able to comfort you," he
rasped.
She looked down, and nodded, and tore a piece of her skirt to
wipe his face clean."I have to get you help, Jaedite," she
finally said, fraily.
"Lady Mars, please, stay with me. Stay here with me as I..."
he coughed.
"Oh no, Jaedite," she said firmly. "You can't...."
"Die? I haven't gotten a final kiss, how could I?" he quipped
lightly.
She took his face in her hands and kissed him slowly.
"There's more of that if you stay alive," she whispered
fiercly, passion twisting with hopelessness in her voice.
He attempted nod, or chuckle--she wasn't sure--and instead
began to cough. "Deal," he finally spat out.
"All right," she replied. Taking his hand, she said softly,
"Don't leave me, Jaedite."
"Jade."
She paused for a second, seemingly about to say
something...something person. Suddenly, footsteps sounded like
cracks of broken branches, and in burst Venus and Nephrite.
"HERE!" Venus yelled, waving; Nephrite ran forward.
"What happened?" he growled as he slid to a stop near them.
"NEVER MIND!" Mars snapped back. "We have to get him OUT OF
HERE!!"
He nodded, and a whirl of smoke enclosed the three of them.
* * * *
"Star power, show me the way out of here!" he called to the
grid that appeared in front of him.
A picture of Jupiter appeared.
He gritted his teeth and canceled the vision. he thought bitterly.
Disgusted with himself, he decided to go for a walk, be by
himself for awhile. His footsteps took him to the plain, the
very same plain that had turned crimson this morning, as if
predicting the future of its two participants. He could still
see his friend, bandaged and angelic looking, Mars by his side,
hand in his, and Mercury and Zoicite hovering around him. It
had stamped itself cruely into his brain, his last look before
Jupiter had kicked him out some time ago. His head was low and
his step light, but his thoughts would not clear of this
vision. Actually, the vision DID dissipate, but the pieces
melted in Mars again, sitting by Jaedite, stroking his hand and
watching him with a spiritual calm on her face. Then, it
shattered into Jupiter in the doorway as he looked up from the
bedside, pale and nearly fragile looking at her green eyes
trembled at Mars. This faded to Zoicite and Mercury exchanging
small, worried glances.
"This trip is a failure!" he roared to the dead plain, barely
realizing his voice was coming out. His hands lit with fiery
rage, flaming, and a strangled growl escaped him. His fury
channeled itself, whether that built from this trip or from
before, into a flurry of power that ripped into the ground.
When the dust had settled, a streak of exposed ground lay
before him, twice his height and a quarter of that deep.
He inhaled, and looked at his work. he
thought harshly. He immediately rescended the thought,
turning miserable.
In fact, he was so preoccupied with this newfound yet
comfortable motion that his feet began moving again, taking him
to the scrub at the edge before the actual forest. His outside
was so into his inside that he nearly tripped over Jupiter.
"Oh!" she cried out, coming to her feet quickly. It managed
to jar him from his bitter self-dressing down, and he stepped
back.
"Sorry Nephrite," she quickly apologized with a sniff.
"I..I uh, wasn't watching my steps, Jupiter," he replied.
"It's all right," she said, quicker than she probably
should've. Not that he noticed.
Or maybe he did. Something in her tone set off a warning bell
in his head, and he took a closer look at her...and surprised
himself.
"Lady Jupiter, have you been crying?" he asked.
"What?" she replied half-heartedly, slowly looking down.
"Yes...yes...I guess I let it loose."
His finger cautiously lifted her chin, and now he could see
clearly the thick tear tracks down her face, the redness
rimming her now dull emerald eyes, and the sad lines of her
face. "You have been," he pronounced. "On Earth, we say that
pretty girls like you shouldn't cry."
"Well, those girls probably have no reason," she tried to snap
back, but failed. Her lips began to quiver, and she turned
away from him and used her long legs to make long strides away
from him.
"Jupiter, wait," he said, and groused at himself again as his
feet moved after her. Then, we a silent flourish, he
teleported in front of her, hand out and saying imposively,
"STOP!"
She glared at him as best as she could, but failed.
"Nephrite, what else can I do? Mercury says Jaedite...Jade,
has such little hope, and it will kill her. Absolutely kill my
best friend Mars, though I couldn't tell you why or how I know
that. And the Princess is gone, with those...those THINGS out
there. I'm..I'm lost; absolutely lost. I just don't know what
to do."
"I know, Jupiter."
His reply stunned her; he was so together, so calm, so not
frazzled, even at his best friend's bedside. She looked at him
again in disbelief, and asked, "What do you mean?"
He beckoned her with his hand, and guided her swiftly over to
the furrow and said, "You cry. I try to make a farm field."
He sighed softly. "I feel as helpless as you, Lady Jupiter.
Jade and I have been friends for years, and the Prince..he's
not only our liege, but our good friend and we've sworn to
protect him. But now..."
"I understand," she replied. "We've both lost, and scared,
and alone." Unconciously, she moved closer to his turned back,
and fingered the emerald tie in his hair.
"It reminds me of you," he said heavily. "And your eyes." He
turned around, and looked at her. "Perhaps we aren't so alone
then..."
"Maybe we aren't," she replied, moving closer.
The stars shone bright that night over their master...and his
new mistress. His only mistress.
---------------------------------------------------------------
WHOA! What next? Well, Chapter Five and a Half features Venus
and Kunzite talking...and talking...and talking. And Six finally
gets the Princess and the Prince together. Sort of.
All DISCLAIMER APPLY. No time for long intros.
Address applies, too.
Enjoy.
THE FOUR LOVERS: STRANDED
NINX
CHAPTER FIVE AND A HALF
V & K
Venus sat on a cliff, far, far, out from the two ships and the
lover's hospital and the lover's plain. She had no counterpart
here; she never would; she was the Leader; she stood alone.
And now more alone than ever.
The night of Jupiter and Nephrite had passed into the day, and
into this night of Venus alone. The two had been as
inseperable as Mars from the hand of Jaedite, or Mercury from
the data Zoicite provided her. She was the Leader; she wasn't
blind. Her Senshi and his Generals were falling in love.
He stood behind her. He'd been standing behind her for some
time now. She understood his grief, his loss. She could feel
comradeship with him, and worked well with him, and regarded
him as a friend. A stoic friend. A good looking friend. But
a friend, nontheless.
He'd stared at her back for the longest time now. Actually,
it was her hair that interested him--the length of blond that
streamed from her scalp, always free and flowing and blood,
never more than dusty, never more than slightly dusty. In some
way, like his own white hair, though it tended to tangle more
than he liked. He could put her together in his sleep now, the
way he was accustomed to her face and her blue eyes with the
silver flecks. He felt, somehow, that she could do the same.
Finally, she broke the silence with, "Are you going to sit or
stand?"
He responded by sitting next to her and staring down at the
choppy water. She had a couple of questions to ask him, but
let the first go first, "How did you find me?"
"Easy enough."
"Cryptic, aren't you?"
"I don't feel like using words now. No one else does
anymore."
"We didn't at first."
He nodded; she could see his head bob from the corner of her
eye. "Mercury mentioned it to me. She called it a 'rapport'.
I think she was just trying to approve of my decision," she
continued.
"You need approval?"
"No. Nice to be backed up occasionally." Pause, then a
softer voice. "You approve of what's going on?"
"I can't say no, and I dare not say yes."
"That makes sense." Her voice was dry as the dirt they sat on.
Below, the water crashed several time against white rocks
before he spoke.
"The Earth and the Moon don't get along, but I trust my
Generals to make decisions for themselves." He looked at her
profile, and his will made her turn to look at him. "As you
trust your Senshi."
"As I trust my Senshi..." she echoed, looking back, then at
him again. "Understood, Lord Kunzite."
He took a breath, and it exhaled in a light snort. "Why
continue with the formality. I'm Kunzite, you're Venus."
"All right. Always thought 'Lady' went better with 'Venus',
though," she replied.
"If you put a 'the' in front of it, it sounds positively
marvelous," he said drily. "The Lady Venus."
"No, no, no, don't even start. They announce me as that when
I return home." She looked up now, away from his intent eyes.
"Home. Home. You know I'm not the only Venusian at court?"
He nodded, and then said, "Yes."
"Amazing what gets to Earth."
He shrugged. "It was a miracle."
"How cliched. I know that already. Tell me something else
that I know," she bit back, tone harsh.
It normally rolled off him; this didn't. He felt a little
sorry to be so normal; she felt bad that her emotion poked
through. Immediately, a "Sorry, Kunzite. I guess I haven't
quite seeped all the frustration and other emotions to the sea
yet."
"Perfectly all right. I'm used to Zoicite's irregular bursts.
Did you know he has the worst temper of any man I ever met?"
She looked from the starry heavens to him. "No, I didn't.
Did you know that you can never beat a mad Mercury? DON'T piss
her off. She'll turn you into an ice block. I saw her do it
once."
"That never escaped to Earth."
"Like they'd care."
"True. We take care of such an ecletic bunch."
"Uh-huh. Kunzite, did you ever feel like stepping down?"
It was more than a casual question to both, but to be treated
as one. "Yes, I have," he replied heavily. "When Jaedite and
Nephrite ganged up to become silent, or crystals were hung by
horsehairs above my bed, or the Prince gave me a look with his
blue eyes black. Then, I felt that there was no way I could be
a Leader anymore. But there are moments in my service I
wouldn't trade for anything. Not life, not love, not
anything."
"I get your point. Mars and I could kill each other--
sometimes Jupiter might help, too. Or the Princess is unruly,
and I want to crawl in a hole and die. Yet, when she
smiles..." she smiled. Then, an addition, "You've been in
love?"
He looked at her; she was staring at him, almost doe-eyed.
"Once," he admitted heavily. "Once. Long ago."
"Myself too," she replied. "Not something I'd care to
repeat."
"Me neither." He stood now, stretching and enjoying more
breeze from his height. "I hate to leave you here alone with
those out there, but I have to sleep. We actually have to
continue the search tomorrow."
"No problem," she said, dismissing him with a wave of her
hand. "I am Venus, hear me roar. I could take on one of those
things."
"I'd prefer you didn't."
"Why?" Genuine curiosty.
"Because your second-in-command is Mars, and I don't think
she'd up to it."
She smiled at the ground and said, "Go to bed, Kunzite."
He disappeared noiselessly; the smile still remained on her
face. It was nice to be in the company of another Leader
sometimes, someone who understood her. Someone good looking,
too. She pushed that thought down, tamped it under her
Leadership thoughts, and stared at the sea some more.
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