I don't know how many of you have seen The English Patient, but it's a personal favorite of mine. The very end, the exchange about the ring, is almost a word-for-word quote from the movie. In the film, they're talking about a thimble he bought her ages ago, and he notices it on a thong around her neck as he's carrying her away from a plane crash. He says, "You're wearing the thimble." To which she replies, "Of course. I always wear it. I've always worn it. You idiot, I've always loved you." <sigh!> It gets me every time. :)

Cycle of Our Souls: Heart of Ice
Part V
M is for Mars

Scriber notae amo! Vide:
Just a little Latin to get you started off right. Of course, I don't know the word for "notes" in Latin, so I just used a feminine form of the English word. And I think I used the wrong declension. Oh well, I'm sure Lyle'll let me know if I did it wrong. :) Anyway...
I believe this is the last chapter of Cycle of Our Souls!! Can you believe it? It's been, what, two years? A bit more than that. Damn I'm slow!! But here we are. <sniffle> I've enjoyed it, for the most part, and hope that I can continue to write SM stories. I've got one in the works that might turn into something, but don't hold your breath. :) Maybe I can end up getting back to Welcome Me and You and Me of the 10,000 Wars!
The song lyrics are, of course, by Shawn Mullins. I recently introduced my friends Marc and Vanessa to the beauty of his music, and they're both hooked. You should be too! Eggshells is the best, but his new greatest hits collection, The First Ten Years, gives a nice overview of his stuff.
ANYway, I'll let you get to the story now, since you've waited so long and so patiently for this moment. I'll just go... cry a little... and then have a party. :)

"There are two of us,
There are two of us --
It's the cycle of our souls.
Yet we try and change and rearrange the way the story goes.
That's the way the story goes."
--from "Cycle of Our Souls" by Shawn Mulllins

"Oh, Gods," she whispered dully, staring blind-eyed at the wall. "Oh, Gods, what have I done?" How could she have been such a fool? Zachary was Zoisite, and without Zoisite's help, Serena would die... and perhaps the rest of them as well. Look what had happened last time she'd turned away from him, blinded by her own fear! Jumping up from the bed, she threw on some clothes and rushed from her apartment.
He wasn't home. She knocked and knocked and knocked, but to no avail. Where could he have gone? They didn't know any of the same people, didn't hang out at any of the same places... how was she going to find one man among the millions of people in Tokyo? With a heart-broken sigh, she sank down at his door and sobbed.
It was her fault, her own stubbornness and cowardice that had caused this in the first place. And it had been her fault back then, too. Was it because of the prophecy or curse or whatever it was that the Moon Kingdom had been destroyed? If she had overcome her fear and admitted to Zoisite how she felt, would it have made any difference? Why did she have to treat him so coldly, then and now?
Her head ached abominably, and she knew she had to talk about all of this with someone. The first person who popped into her head was Raye -- for all her temper, she was generally level headed and, after all, a miko. Rubbing at her wet eyes, Amy rose on shaky legs and headed for the elevator.

Surprisingly enough, Raye wasn't out sweeping the temple steps. It was her favorite chore, Amy knew, especially in the morning when the early sun made everything look so new and fresh. Wading through a small pile of brown, crackly gingko leaves, she stopped to say a little prayer and ring the bell before entering the temple.
She wasn't sure what surprised her the most -- the sight of Zachary Sorenson kneeling before Raye's sacred fire, the fact that Raye had left him there alone, or the fact that he was half naked. She stopped, eyes wide, and stared at his bent back for a long time. The silence was heavy, and he leaned so close to the fire that at times she was afraid he'd go tumbling right in.
"I know you're there," he said at last, startling her anew. "I can hear you breathing. What is it now? There are no proper doors to slam here; perhaps you'd prefer to throw a few rocks instead?"
She bowed her head. "I deserve that, I suppose. I came here to talk to Raye, but I was looking for you earlier. I wanted to apologize."
"Apologize? I'd say you've already done enough of that, Anderson-san. Do you think a simple 'I'm sorry' will heal the hole you've created in my heart?"
"Nai," she said softly. "I know you probably never want to see me again, and I can't say that I blame you, but I want you to know that I was wrong." The muscles in his smooth, slender back tensed, and she longed to run a hand along his skin to soothe him.
"Wrong about what?" he asked in a small voice.
"Wrong about everything, Zachary. I was wrong when I ran away from that kiss, I was wrong when I told you I only wanted to be friends, and most of all I was wrong when I slammed the door in your face this morning. The ring... the ring scared me most of all."
"I could see that. I thought kissing you nearly gave you a heart attack -- that was nothing. I didn't mean to push you, Amy."
"It's not your fault!" she said hurriedly, kneeling down beside him and resting a small, pale hand on his bare back. "It's mine, totally mine. That ring just reminded me of... of something someone gave me a long time ago."
His bright green eyes suddenly went wide and he lost his balance, falling away from the fire and landing on his rear. "You dreamt it too, didn't you? The ball and the lake... did you dream the battle, too?"
"I dreamed it all, Zachary. Do you know what it means?"
He ran a hand through his loose golden curls and shook his head slowly. "Only that you and I knew each other once before. I know it's true; the dreams are too real to be mere specters of my subconscious."
She nodded slowly. "You're right about that much at least. I suppose if you remember the battle, then you remember..." She let out a long sigh. "I guess you remember the betrayal."
He looked away, unable to meet her eyes. "I had hoped that part was inaccurate."
"No," she whispered, "it's true. You've never met my friend Darien, have you? But you have seen Serena... she's his girlfriend and--"
"The princess! The princess from my dream is your friend Serena?"
"Yes... and also Sailor Moon. My friends and I are the sailor senshi, Zachary, just as we were back in the Silver Millennium. Darien is Tuxedo Mask, as well as Prince Endymion reincarnated." She said it slowly, hoping to give him some time to digest this strange information.
He buried his face in his palms for a moment before saying, voice muffled, "I take it you're Sailor Mercury. That figures." He looked up with a small, weary smile. "It suits you; I always said you were like a little water sprite."
"You're taking this better than I thought," she said after a small silence.
Zachary shrugged and rose to pace. "I've had the dreams, Amy, have been having them for months now. I'd like to meet your friends... and the other generals, too."
"They'll accept you. We all understand that you were forced over to Beryl's side."
He suddenly went very still. "Forced. Yes. Though some might say 'coerced'."
"Not I, and not any of the rest of us either!" Amy said forcefully, jumping to her feet in protest.
"Pretty words, Amy, but are they really true?"
"Yes! Ask any of the girls. Ask Darien! The other three are trusted allies now, and you will be as well." She looked away from his penetrating gaze and fiddled with the zipper pull on her light jacket.
"Something else worries you," he said quietly, moving a step closer.
She glanced up sharply, then away, then back again. "I love you, Zachary," she said at last, her voice so soft he barely heard.
Once the words registered, he found himself laughing. "Is that all, Amy my dear? You're worried over loving me? Don't ever worry about that, love, because I'll spend the rest of my life loving you."
"That's not all, Zach... what of Malachite?"
"Malachite? What does Malachite have to do with-" He broke off abruptly and his face went pale. "Oh, Gods, Amy, no wonder you look scared to death! I had forgotten, forgotten completely..." He trailed off with a long sigh and took her hands in his. "Amy, I love you. I can tell you that a thousand times and it won't make a bit of difference. You're just going to have to trust that you are the only one I have ever loved like this, ever will love like this. Malachite was, was... a port in the storm. We were both alone and lonely and surrounded by such darkness that we reached out to the only thing we could - each other. I cared for him deepply, and he cared for me, but I love you."
She looked up into his pleading green eyes and knew he was telling the truth. This, she thought with a contented sigh as their lips met, is truly meant to be. Why did I fight it so long? Before the erstwhile constant inner voice could answer, a small sound interrupted them.
"Took you damn long enough," a voice said, accompanied by the sound of a muffled giggle. "I thought we might all die of old age in the time it took you two to make up your minds!"
Amy pulled away hastily and turned to face the speaker. Filling the doorway stood her friends, all of them minus Serena, and it was Raye who stood at the front of the small group, arms crossed over her chest, face trying to maintain stern lines even as she dissolved into an impish grin.
Darien elbowed past her and offered his hand to Zachary, who took it with a blush. "It's good to meet you. I'm Darien Chiba, Tuxedo Mask and Prince Endymion all rolled into one. Shall I introduce you to everyone?" At the smaller man's wordless nod, he continued. "The dark-haired miko is Raye Hino, Sailor Mars, and with her is Jay Dalinger, Jadeite. The brunette is Lita Kino, Sailor Jupiter, and her companion is Neil Forrester, Nephrite. The little blond is Mina Aino, Sailor Venus, and the tall chap with her is Malachy Levinworth, or Malachite. The cats are Luna and Artemis. You've met Serena, I suppose, and I'm sure Amy has told you about her."
"Not everything," he said at length. "What, truly, is wrong with her? Is it the prophecy come true?"
"You know of the prophecy?" Raye asked breathlessly, stepping forward and taking his arm.
"I dreamt it. If what it says is true, then the spell should be broken now, shouldn't it? I mean, we're all together now. What else is there to do?"
Amy touched his shoulder gently, and he glanced down at her with a slightly distracted smile. "The ring," she said softly, holding out her hand. "The prophecy mentions something about 'completing the cycle,' doesn't it?"
Jay's mouth twitched at the corners. "How very literal of it," he remarked drolly, earning himself a glare from Raye that shut him up immediately.
Zachary didn't seem to hear him, and it was suddenly like the rest of the world had fallen away, leaving only the two of them standing alone, together. With a soft smile, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the shining blue band. "I had thought to throw it into the fire." He slid it onto her finger, and their shining eyes met above their joined hands. "I love you, Amy, and now the entire world knows it."
She laughed brightly, color staining her smooth white cheeks. "I love you too, Zachary, and I'm not afraid anymore." As their lips met again, a great shrieking began somewhere far in the distance, and the entire temple seemed to quake.
"Get into a doorway!" Lita cried unnecessarily -- it was Japan, after all, and earthquakes were fairly common. Before anyone could move, however, the shaking stopped, and the shrieking grew louder.
"What is that?" someone called over the din.
Suddenly everything went so still that they all wondered if they'd been struck deaf. Each girl was clinging unashamedly to the hand of her beloved, and it took Darien a minute to realize that someone was clinging to his hand, too. Eyes wide, he stared down at the small, peaceful form of Serena. She looked up at him with a wide, happy smile. "Hi, muffin. I'm hungry; wanna go get some food?"
He looked like he was about to faint, and Malachy rushed quickly to his side. "Serena?" he managed, squeezing her hand so hard she let out a yelp.
"Yes, ow! Don't squeeze so hard! What's the matter with you? And who are all these hot guys? Hi, Jay! Are these friends of yours?"
"I don't think she remembers a thing," Mina said, her voice soft with wonder.
"Remember what? Why are all of you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my shirt?" She stared down at her clothing, inspecting everything, before her face went slightly pink. "Hmm. I seem to be in my pajamas. Were we having a sleepover?"
"Um, sort of," Lita said, taking her friend by the arm and steering her to a nearby chair. With that, she began to explain the events of the past few months, starting with Raye and Jay and ending with the strange shriek they'd heard only moments before.
The little blond sat back in her chair with a long, deep sigh, and suddenly the look on her pretty face became that of someone much older than her fifteen years. "Well. If this curse, or prophecy, is intended to effect Darien and I, why didn't it start working the moment he and I got together?"
"We were all kind of wondering that, too," Mina said, plunking down on the floor and dragging Malachy with her. "Maybe it has to be more than just the prince and the princess -- maybe it had to be the start of all of us coming together."
"All right, then," Serena continued, "why didn't it happen when Raye and Jay first met?"
"This prophecy was made millennia ago, Serena. Perhaps the lapse of time made it lose some of its power. When it became evident that Mina and Malachy were falling in love, and that Raye and Jay already had, it was finally able to take effect."
They all sat in silence, pondering Amy's quiet suggestion, until Neil spoke up. "So the question, at least in my mind, is whether Beryl recruited the four of us in order to merely help her cause, or because she wanted to ensure that the cycle would never be complete."
"Regardless of her reasons, she was damn successful at it, which makes me wonder if it couldn't happen again... or if it could happen to the senshi, as well," Zachary said, his voice tight.
"But all of you regained yourselves at the end," Raye insisted.
"At the end, yes... when it was too late," Zachary countered.
"No," Serena said forcefully, startling them all. "It wasn't too late. The cycle was completed as each of you died, thus saving us from the prophecy. What would have happened had it been fulfilled with the Moon Kingdom in such a weakened state? Would Queen Serenity still have sent us to the future? If she had, would I have been reborn? Who knows what would have occurred. That it happened here, now, when the eight of you were in a position to stop it is for the best. And now, after all," she said, her voice suddenly returning to its normally bright, merry tones, "the cycle is complete, and the ten of us will face the future together. What could be better than that?"
Chaos ensued, everyone chattering and laughing all at once, but Zachary managed to grab Amy's hand and pull her into a fairly secluded corner. "What could be better?" he murmured into her hair, running his fingers through its thick silkiness.
"I can't imagine a thing," she answered with a soft, loving laugh, feeling for the first time in her life a sense of true and abiding peace.
And for once, it seemed, the two souls contained within each young woman and the man she loved found contentment, and melted together to become one, and the cycle, as Serena had said, was at last complete.
End V

Yay! Yay! Yay! I'm done. I can't believe it. I never thought I'd finish this thrice blasted story. I hope none of you are disappointed or anything, as I've worked really hard and tried to make it as good as it can be. I know that it's weak in some areas, but most things are, and perhaps over time it will be edited and re-edited into something worthy of the lovely universe Takeuchi-sama created.
For now this is it, the "Cycle of Our Souls" series, in toto. Hope you enjoyed the ride! See ya later. :)