Painful Memories


By Kathy L

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters I am just using them for the story so do not sue me.

Notes:
Who's Who

Jedeite = Jedite
Nefrite = Neflyte
Zoicite = Zoicite
Kunzite = Malachite
Prince Endymion = Prince Darien
Princess Serenity = Princess Serena
Sailor Senshi = Sailor Scouts
Queen Metallia = Negaverse


"Why did this always happen to him?" drifted a loose thought. Weither it was his own or 
some unknown beings he didn't know but it didn't matter. He failed for the last time and paid 
the price. But why? He could have saved himself by telling Queen Beryl the true identities of 
the Sailor Senshi, if she had listened. She didn't so he was trapped and Nefrite was in his 
place. Why did he have to be so weak? Compared to Nefrite, Zoicite, and Kunzite, he might as 
well be a youma when it came to strength. They would probably defeat the Sailor Senshi, if they 
would stop fighting amongst themselves. Was that why he was the loner of the four? Was he just 
afraid to fight? So many were hurt because of him. "My heart hurts, it hurts so much. Why?"

A battle appears before him, humans fighting legions of youma the best they can. He 
spots Nefrite as he destroys a youma and realizes that he's on the human side, but why? The 
answers quickly flood his memory of Prince Endymion, his friend and prince of Earth, Princess 
Serenity, Endymion's love and princess of the Moon, Nefrite, Zoicite, and Kunzite, his friends, 
the Sailor Senshi, their loves, and Sailor Mars, his love. He was fighting against Queen Beryl 
to save his planet with his friends. He wished Sailor Mars was by his side as he blasted a youma 
with his magic. "I've never been good at love," he thought," maybe that's why I messed up 
telling her good-bye."

The scene changes to a rose garden where Jedite paces nervously. Sailor Mars rushes 
over to him and they hug.

"Please don't go," she cries softly not letting go of him.

"I must. It's my duty to protect my kingdom as it is your duty to protect your kingdom," 
he says soothingly while gently stroking her long black hair.

"But Jedite, something bad is going to happen to you. I can feel it."

"I'll be fine, the other generals will be fighting with me."

"I know but they can't protect you."

The words fall like daggers into his heart. He stops what he is doing as anger fills 
him. All his life everyone wanted to protect him, as if he was some defenseless child that was 
to pitied. He never wanted to be told that he needed to be protected, that he was weak, from 
someone he loved so much. He felt betrayed.

"Jedite? I didn't mean it like that," she tried to apologize her voice wavering with 
fear. She knew what mistake her tongue had made.

Jedite abruptly pulls away from their embrace showing Mars that the words came too late. 
"You didn't mean it that way. Then what did you mean Miss Mars? I'm not a complete weakling, 
I don't need protection for everything I do," He tells her hotly.

"Jedite, please. I know you're not weak but his enemy isn't either. You weren't trained 
to fight any thing like this like the Sailor Senshi were."

"Like you were? Miss Mars I may not be the fighter you and your friends are, but I'm 
more than capable of handling a few dumb monsters. Now if you don't mind I have a battle to 
fight."

With that Jedite storms off leaving Sailor Mars alone. "Good-bye my love," she whispers 
near the brink of tears.

Back at the battle Jedite destroys another youma then glances at the colliding armies 
to see the legion of youma beginning a mass slaughter of his army. A youma attacks Jedite as he 
stands staring in shock at the carnage but it's destroyed by Nefrite before it reaches him.

"Jedite what is the matter with you?" Nefrite snaps at the younger general as he 
reaches his side.

"Nefrite... our army," Jedite barely whispers.

"The army?" Nefrite asks then notices for the first time the youma army moving as a 
wave destroying all in its path. Nefrite becomes pale and stands in shock and fear with Jedite. 
"No. The youma. Our soldiers... gone," he whispers to himself as Jedite watches the carnage 
with him in silence.

"She was right," Jedite thinks," Oh Mars, I'm sorry, you were right. You were right."

"I assume you two are the other 'mighty' generals of Prince Endymion," A female voice 
jeers behind them.

The two men face the woman behind them that is a tall figure with long red hair, 
inhuman eyes, and holding an arcane staff.

"Who are you?" Nefrite asks readying for an attack.

The woman smiles wickedly responding," I am Queen Beryl, your new master." She then 
encases them in glowing, transparent black spheres of energy and they disappear from the 
battlefield. The last thing Jedite remembers is looking at Beryl's face and hating it. Then his 
world goes black.

"Jedite," a voice softly says," Jedite are you up?"

Jedite then groans and painfully opens his eyes. At first everything is bleared until 
his eyes focus on the figure sitting next to him.

"Zo, Zoicite?" he asks staying on the ground.

"Yes it's me, and Nefrite and Kunzite are here too. Can you move?" he asks 
sympathetically.

"The pain. Wh, where are we?" he stumbles a response.

"We're not sure Jedite," Jedite hears Kunzite's voice from not far away," but it has to 
be somewhere in Beryl's lair."

"Jedite, you didn't answer my question," Zoicite says worried," Can you move?"

"It hurts so much," is all he can say.

"Beryl must pay for this," Nefrite says from somewhere else in the cell. "I hope 
Endymion got away."

"I'm sure he did," Kunzite responds," He's probably getting the Sailor Senshi ready for 
an attack."

"I hope so," Nefrite responds.

Zoicite watches over Jedite with a worried expression and looks to be on the brink of 
breaking down. He then blurts out in the silence," Why are we being left here to rot?! Doesn't 
she want to do something to us?!"

"Zoicite," Kunzite softly speaks," we have no idea why we're here. We're all suffering 
still from what happened on the battlefield and what might happen to us. We must stay together."

"We can't," Jedite gasps closing his eyes hard.

"Jedite, what's the matter with you?" Nefrite asks him his voice betraying him to sound 
somewhat fearful.

"Something, something terrible is going to happen to us, I know it. Mars warned me," he 
struggles out through deep breathes. "Why do I hurt so much?" he silently thinks to himself.

"Jedite here we must have hope," Kunzite begins before Jedite interrupts him.

"No, no hope here. Never can there be hope here."

Then there is an awkward silence until the sounds of foot steps are heard coming towards 
the cell. Then four youma walk to the door of the cell.

"Are you the ones to dispose of us?" Nefrite says, voice full of anger.

"Silence human! Queen Beryl spared your puny lives for a reason. We've come only for 
them," the boxer vulture youma says pointing to Jedite.

"No please he's hurt, take someone else," Zoicite pleads.

"We were ordered to take him and only him," the cat youma answers," Don't worry you'll 
have your turn soon enough." With that the youma enters the cell with the boxer vulture and 
move towards Jedite leaving the other two to guard to door.

As they near Jedite, Nefrite attacks them, but in one swift motion the vulture whacks 
him into the nearest wall watching him crumple to the floor. "What a foolish effort. His turn 
is next," it says while the cat youma drapes Jedite over its shoulder.

The youma exit the cell when Jedite takes a last look at his friends. Nefrite is 
unconscience with Zoicite tending to him. He meets the eyes of Kunzite, the group's leader now 
rendered helpless to save his friend in this hell. Jedite can only look sorrowfully at him and 
close his eyes.

"He's last, and he'll hear us all suffer before he must succumb to this evil," Jedite 
thinks woefully," and he knows it." Once again Jedite's world goes black.

When Jedite awakens he finds himself chained by his wrists and ankles to a wall. He 
feels stronger than before but there is a dull pain across his chest that he doesn't understand. 
He looks down to see the cause and finds that he's bare chested with whip lashes across his 
chest still fresh and bleeding.

"It's good to see you're up," Jedite looks at Queen Beryl full of hate as she stands 
before him, the two youma that retrieved him from the cell stand behind her. "It wouldn't be 
any fun if you unconscious for this."

"What are you going to do to me?" Jedite asks vemonately.

"It's not what I'm going to do, but what you're going to do," Beryl responds calmly.

"What's that?"

"You will pledge your loyalty to me and become my general. You know you can't win."

"Maybe, but I won't go down without a fight."

Queen Beryl smiles evilly, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

The youma loom in towards him and Jedite prays silently," My friends, forgive me. I'll 
try to be strong." Then the torture begins.

Hours later Jedite hangs battered, bruised, and bleeding. The cat youma goes to strike 
him with his claws but is stopped by Beryl's command," Enough! It's time he faces his fate."

The two youma leave when Beryl walks over to the beaten Jedite. "You're not as weak as 
you look, but you're still pathetic," Beryl takes out a red piece of jade and continues," It's 
time you joined Queen Metallia Jedite."

"What's that?" he painfully gasps.

"The thing that shall give he power and separate you from the humans. It's like a new 
heart and it'll insure your loyalty to me past death," she explains then places the jade on his 
chest and it begins to bury itself through his skin and muscles.

Jedite screams at the pain the jade makes as it slowly moves towards his heart and an 
evil energy begin to flow through him, taking over his mind. "I wish I listened to you Mars," 
he struggles to think as the pain worsens and the energy becomes stronger," I love you, please 
forgive me for I don't think I ever could."

The pain stops once the jade reaches the middle of his heart and the energy takes over 
his mind completely. Queen Beryl then smiles and asks," Jedite who are you and what is your 
purpose?"

"I am Jedite, general of the Dark Kingdom, my purpose is to serve you, my Queen," he 
answers in monotone.

Days later, the four generals are gathered at a battle scene on the moon. Kunzite 
speaks," Queen Beryl has ordered us to deal with the Sailor Senshi. Jedite, you're to battle 
Sailor Mars, Nefrite, you battle Sailor Jupiter, Zoicite, you have Sailor Mercury, and I'll 
fight Sailor Venus. Understand?"

"Crystal clear Kunzite," Zoicite answers.

"Then move out," Kunzite orders and the generals separate.

Jedite moves through the battle killing any human that gets in his way until he reaches 
the empty Moon Palace. He enters the palace and moves through the empty corridors then walk 
into a rose garden where he stops.

"So you scum have already reached the palace," a female voice behind him says,"Well 
don't plan on staying long, for I am Sailor Mars, and on behalf of Mars I will punish you."

"Sailor Mars," Jedite says turning around to face her," Just the girl I wanted to see."

Sailor Mars looks at Jedite in shock then in hope. "Jedite. I thought you were dead. 
You came back."

He looks coldly at her saying," What game are you trying to play Sailor Mars. I've 
never met you in my life. You, are my enemy."

"Jedite?" Sailor Mars looks unbelievingly at him," Who are you?"

"I am Jedite, general of the Dark Kingdom, my purpose is to serve my Queen, Beryl."

"That's what happened. She didn't kill you, she turned you against us. Jedite, I'm 
sorry. Mars Striking Flame!"

The garden is consumed by fire taking Sailor Mars and Jedite with it. All that's left 
after the attack is the red jade from inside Jedite. It glows an eerie light then follows three 
other jade pieces like it into the prison created for Metallia and Queen Beryl.

In his crystal prison, he feels a strange warm energy pass over him and realizes what 
has happened while he has dreamt. Nefrite, Zoicite, Kunzite, they're all gone now. Rest in 
peace. Queen Beryl, she's gone too. Have fun in hell. Endymion still lives. Be happy with your 
princess. And Sailor Mars, no she's Rei Hino now. She has a second chance to live. She deserves 
it. He still loves her yet he doesn't believe he deserves her. That's why it hurts. "I 
understand," another thought says. Jedite knows that it's his thought and how much it matters.

Return