Cycle of Our Souls: Heart's Thunder
Part II
M is for Mars

Disclaimers and the like:
The characters mentioned in this story do not belong to me, and I'm not making any money with this.
I meant to have this out several weeks ago, but I've been really, really busy and really writer's blocked. I had auditions for A Midsummer Night's Dream last week, but I won't find out if I have a part till the first of June. Also, I'm stage manager for Godspell, the auditions for which being May 22... I barely have time to breathe! <deep breath> Anyway, I did finally manage to sit down at my computer and hammer a few more words out on this. I actually have some really great ideas for the later parts of the
story, my problem is just getting there. :)
Speaking of... I read Sexylyon's "Interludes" and "Relativity" just the other day, and kinda went, "Damn... my stories suck." So if you're looking for a really good Serena/Darien read, check out her web site, or you can look on A Sailor Moon Romance under "Hentai." On a little side note, I'm not the biggest fan of
Serena/Darien stories because there're so many of them, but DON'T let that turn you off from reading these. Trust me. :)


"They say patience is a saintly virtue,
But why should I wait
Till the clouds go rain on some other sucker's parade?"
-from "Some Other Sucker's Parade" by DDel Amitri

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"It's just that I'm tired of worrying about it," Princess Rei of Mars told her friend, Makoto of Jupiter. "They'll be here, everyone will talk and bow and carry on, and then they'll leave. What's the big deal?" The Guardian Senshi of Princess Serenity of the Moon were on their way to the receiving hall of the Moon Palace to meet Prince Endymion of Earth and his guardian generals. All except Rei seemed thrilled by this idea, and the dark-haired Martian wasn't one to keep her opinions to herself.
Makoto rolled her eyes. "I saw the look on your face when Ami-chan showed us those pictures. You were just as impressed as the rest of us."
Rei made an indignant little noise. "You're acting as if the men we have here on the moon aren't good enough or something. Why should we have to drool over these guys just because they're from Earth?"
"We aren't drooling over then because they're from Earth, Rei-chan," Minako, the Venusian Princess, explained, "we're drooling over them because they're completely gorgeous!"
Makoto giggled. "Come on, Rei-chan, you can't fool us. Aren't you just a teeny bit interested in Lord Jadeite? Or maybe... Lord Zoisite?"
Rei arched a dark eyebrow. "And why not Lords Nephrite or Malachite?"
"I have dibs on Malachite!" Minako cried.
"And Nephrite..." Makoto blushed. "Nephrite seems the most interesting to me."
"I'm looking forward to speaking with Lord Zoisite," Ami, the quiet Mercurial, spoke up. "His intelligence is rather legendary... and I've heard he isn't too bad at chess, either." She grinned at her friends and blushed slightly.
They had reached the receiving hall by this time, and they fell in to a quiet line before Queen and Princess Serenity. Minako leaned over and whispered to Mako, "Do you think they're as kawaii as everyone says they are?"
"Nai; no one's as cute as everyone says they are." Or even as cute as a picture would have us believe, she thought. Just then the five men appeared before them in a flash of light and Makoto muttered, "I was wrong." She stared at each one in turn, wide-eyed, and was barely able to make a proper curtsey when Queen Serenity called her name. As she had suspected, it was Nephrite who drew her eye most often: tall, regal, and commanding, he seemed the perfect match for her sometimes brusque, forceful ways.
The queen volunteered the senshi to show the generals around, and Princess Serenity was only too quick to agree. They all wandered around for a bit, uncomfortable and nervous, but eventually Makoto "found" herself next to Lord Nephrite. She said nothing at first, just stared at the ground as though paving stones were the most interesting creatures in the Universe. Finally she glanced up at him and smiled. "I'm Makoto... and you're Lord Nephrite, ne?"
A smile flashed through his sapphire eyes. "Hai, but, please, don't call me 'Lord'. I hate formalities."
"Oh, me too! It just seems like a big, silly, waste of time to me." She kicked at a rock and glanced up at the dark sky before looking back at him. "We have a wonderful planetarium with a huge telescope. Would you like to see it?" The surprise was evident on his face, so she said, "I've heard that you have great interest in the stars. I'm not confusing you with someone else, am I?"
"Of course not. The heavens are my area of expertise as much as roses are Jadeite's. I would love to see this planetarium of yours."
They made their way past the lavish gardens and beautiful fountains in complete silence, and Makoto realized that she was going to have to be the one to get the conversation rolling. "So... is Earth not good enough for you?" she asked.
"Excuse me?" he said, a little astonished at the sudden, strange question.
Makoto's green eyes widened as she realized how harsh that must've sounded. "I mean... Gomen nasai, that's not what I meant. I only mean, why the stars? What makes you want to look beyond your own world?"
He smiled a little, embarrassed. "Earth is a beautiful place, but so are many others planets in the Universe. This is the first time any of us besides Endymion have ever left our home planet, so in the mean time I've had to explore the only way I could -- with a telescope and my imagination."
She glanced up at him -- that was actually a wonderful feelinng, being able to look up to a guy -- and said, "On the Moon, and Jupiter too, actually, we believe that the stars can tell your future, and the alignment of them at your birth can tell a lot about the person you are."
He nodded. "Hai, we believe the same thing on Earth. The movement of the stars controls everything, Makoto-san, remember that."
His intense tone startled her, and she looked away quickly. "Well, here we are," she said with a gesture to the magnificent blue crystal building rising before them. It seemed to shimmer in the strange, silver light of the moon, and the full Earth was reflected like a sapphire mounted on black velvet.
Nephrite drew in a breath. "Well, if the inside is anything to compare to this, then you Lunars truly do know how to build a planetarium."
She blushed as though the compliment had been directed solely at her, and said, "Well, let's see, shall we?" The doors opened at their approach, and guards nodded respectfully to the Princess of Jupiter. "I come here a lot late at night," she whispered to Nephrite. "It's so much nicer to be alone. I point the telescope at Jupiter and..." she trailed off, blushing furiously.
"And what?" he asked, fascinated by this tall, blunt, beautiful (though he would never admit it) girl despite himself.
"And just... talk. Sometimes. Well... it's just that I get homesick a lot here. The Moon is so much different than Jupiter, the people are so gentle and tiny... fragile like little birds... and everyone is so damn formal and quiet and serene. Sometimes I miss the hectic, loud, bustling world I come from. No one is quiet, formal, serene or gentle there." Her grin stretched from ear to ear and he couldn't help but return it.
"I know that feeling quite well. Elysian, the center of the Golden Kingdom, is a truly beautiful place, but--"
"It's not home," she said with a smile.
"Exactly," he agreed.
"So where is your home?" she asked after a moment.
"I'll show you... how does this telescope work?"
She showed him and then grinned happily. "Ami-chan would fall over backwards to see me working a computer so well. She thinks I don't pay attention to a word she says, but it's just because she bores the hell out of me."
He laughed. "Hai, the four of us are constant strains on poor Zoisite's patience. We know anything and everything about the things we like... but hardly anything about the things he likes!" The telescope was moving slowly into place, centered on Earth, the planet's surface covered in lovely white clouds, blue oceans and brown landmasses.
Makoto gave a little sigh. "It's so lovely. I've never been there, but I would give almost anything to visit for just one day!"
Nephrite looked over at her and smiled. She stood just in front of him, hands clasped, head back as she stared up at the huge projection screen. Frankly, he couldn't imagine anyone much more beautiful than she was at that moment... and nothing surprised him more. He cleared his throat and looked back down at the computer screen, cheeks on fire. "Ah... yes, it's a very nice place to live." As though by divine inspiration, he glanced up just as she was turning around to look at him and he said, "Perhaps... perhaps one day I could take you there."
Mako's eyes widened and she felt as though she were about to lift up off the ground. "I... I would enjoy that, Nephrite-san," she was finally able to spit out.
They stood there, blue eyes staring into green ones, for a long time until finally he broke the connection as his eyes moved back to the view screen. "There... do you see that very large landmass to the right? That's North America, my homeland. I am prince there."
That was something Makoto hadn't known. "If you're a prince, why do you call yourself 'General' and work for Endymion-san?"
He grinned. "The same reason you call yourself 'Senshi' and work for Queen Serenity-sama, I suppose: for the good of your kingdom."
"Unity is Strength," she murmured, quoting the motto of her home planet. She turned back to him again, a gentle smile lighting her pretty face. "The Silver Millennium and Golden Kingdom are not so different. I hope this trip will help everyone see that."
"As do I, Makoto-san," he said quietly.
She frowned slightly and blushed. "My... my friends call me 'Mako-chan'."
He grinned and ran a hand through thick, wavy auburn hair. "I'm honored, Mako-chan."
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"How is she?" Lita heard Mina ask from the main room of the temple.
"No change," Raye replied in a subdued voice.
"I talked to her mother today," Amy said hesitantly.
Lita groaned inwardly and turned her ears away from the conversation. Ikuko and Kenji Tsukino had been the two biggest challenges in this whole thing, naturally. How could they explain to Serena's parents that some dark energy had taken control of their daughter's soul? Amy had been put in charge of
Operation Parental Deception, and she was not happy about it.
The brunette shook her head and stared down at her blond friend's immobile form. It had been nearly a week since that nightmarish evening when they'd discovered her nearly lifeless body, and the strain was beginning to show even in cheerful, perky Mina. Lita herself felt as though she was being torn in two. What were they going to do? Raye reported that the Darkness was growing stronger every day... and Darien was a basket-case! Not that she could blame him; they were all on the verge of losing it.
No one had ever realized how important Serena was to the group. She was the one link they all had to one another. She was Sailor Moon, the Princess... and they hadn't been able to protect her. Lita blamed herself more than anything. She felt so stupid and helpless... Amy was the doctor, Raye the spiritualist, Mina the moral officer... and she was just Lita. All the physical strength and delicious food in the world wasn't going to help Serena, and those were the two things she knew best.
Suddenly the small room seemed to shrink around her, and the air became thick and hard to breathe. Gods, I've got to get out of here before I go crazy! Lita thought, jumping up from her cushion beside the futon. She hurried into the main room of the temple and past her astonished friends. "Need a walk,"
she mumbled, nearly stumbling in her haste to get away.
On the porch she took long, deep breaths of fresh air and relaxed slightly. Frankly, she didn't know if any of them were going to make it through this situation alive. With a sad sigh, she made her way down the steps and through the cherry orchard, the trees all gone to leaf in the summer heat. She hummed a little tune under her breath and closed her eyes as she walked, just enjoying the heat of the sun on her upturned face. Suddenly her foot hit something and she went flying to the ground with a cry.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" a voice cried.
Lita lay there in the grass and suddenly burst into tears. Neil Forrester... oh, Kami-sama, do You really hate me so much? Why him? Why now?
There was a long, uncomfortable silence while she cried, and finally Neil said, "I... hey... come on... don't cry... gomen nasai, it was my fault. I saw you and I didn't move, and... are you hurt? Here, let me help you up."
His tone was concerned, but she only heard mocking as he reached down to take her arm. She wrenched away from his grasp and sat up sharply. "I'm fine," she hissed. "Please just leave me alone."
He ran a hand through his long, wavy auburn hair and frowned down at her. "I've seen fine, Kino-san, and it didn't look anything like you do right now." He knelt down beside her and offered a strange little half smile. "I know I haven't been very nice to you so far, but... well, I don't like to see anyone cry. Did you hurt yourself, or is it something else?"
She turned her face away and wished she had her hair down to hide behind. "I'm not hurt," she finally told him, her voice still edged with anger. "I just wasn't looking where I was going."
Clearing his throat, he offered her a hand, which she took grudgingly. Standing up, he said hesitantly, "Kino-san... I... I mean... well... you don't have to pay me for that telescope. I have another one almost just like it, and the money isn't really important anyway. I was just angry at having my plans spoiled."
She jerked her hand from his and frowned. "I'll pay you, Forrester-san, you don't have to worry about that. I broke the blasted thing... technically... so it is my responsibility... technically."
He grinned a bit sheepishly. "Yeah, well, technically I shouldn't've been hiding in that bush to see what the hell a girl like you would have to throw rocks about."
Lita stepped back, eyes wide. "What are you talking about?"
"Uh... well... it's just that I saw you coming, see, and you were really angry, as I'm sure you remember, and I just... wondered what had pissed you off so much. I never thought it would lead to what it did."
"So you were eavesdropping on me!" she cried.
"Technically," he admitted.
"You jerk! Here I thought I had ruined your precious telescope and wounded an innocent man--"
"You did ruin my telescope!" he said, indignant.
"Only because you were hiding in the stupid bush to watch me! Of all the moronic, rude--"
"And throwing rocks is the intelligent, polite thing to do?"
"You could have left!"
"I didn't want to!"
"Then don't blame me for your bruised arm and broken telescope!"
"Why shouldn't I? If you hadn't looked so damned... so damned beautiful, I never would've stayed!"
Lita opened her mouth to retort, but then shut it again with an audible clack. A hint of pink made its way across her cheeks, but she wasn't sure if it was from anger or... happiness. "You are the biggest idiot I have ever met, Neil Forrester," she finally said, but the words came out with less conviction than she would've liked.
"Yeah, well, at least I don't walk through cherry orchards with my eyes closed."
"At least I don't intentionally trip people."
"I didn't--" he began.
"You said you saw me coming," she told him with a smug grin.
He laughed and conceded defeat on that point, but then his sapphire eyes became dark and serious. "Kino-san... I didn't mean to make you cry. Honestly."
She smiled slightly. "It wasn't your fault... you were just kinda the last straw. It's been a really crappy day."
"Anything you want to talk about?"
Hesitating, she finally said, "Just... a really good friend of mine is very sick. No one knows what to do to help her and we're all going a little nuts with worry."
He nodded slowly. "Hai, I understand how that is. Gomen nasai."
"Arigato," she said after a moment, taken aback by his sincerity. Was this the same Neil Forrester who had been arguing with her only moments before? She almost couldn't believe it was. "Well... anyway... I should be getting back now. My friends will be wondering where I am."
She turned to go. "Ah, Kino-san, matte... I was wondering... you remember that meteor shower I was telling you about?"
"Hai," she said, amused. How could she forget, after the fuss he'd put up about the telescope?
"Well, I was wondering if you would care to come watch with me this weekend. I'll be in the park, like I told you before, and... I would like some company. Your company, namely... if you'd be willing."
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He asked me to go watch that silly meteor shower with him and I said I would think about it. See? I told you I'm a moron. I'll think about? Why didn't I just say yes like I wanted to? Damn stupid pride. He pissed me off, and then he called me beautiful... and I didn't know what to do. No one has ever called me beautiful before... at least not a guy... and definitely not like that.
And another thought occurred to me. I know I had never seen Nephrite before, but... well, it seems an awfully strange coincidence that Raye meets a guy and he's Jadeite, then Mina meets a guy and he's Malachite... and then I meet a guy? It was weird to think that Neil Forrester might be my soul mate the same way Malachy is for Mina, Jay is for Raye and Darien is for Serena. I didn't want to think about it. I just wanted to go to that stupid meteor shower with him and have fun.
But how can anyone have fun with a guy as infuriating as Neil Forrester?! He argued with everything I said, teased me constantly, and wouldn't call me anything but "Kino-san". That probably annoyed me the most. Was he above calling me by my first name or something? Baka.
But those eyes... that hair... that laugh... he didn't laugh much back then, but when he did it was magical. So I'm back to square one, ne? Being a moron... and I am the world's biggest moron when it comes to guys.
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End II