Realization

 
“Who is this new enemy?  It seems they know everything about us and the ginzuishou.”
“Is this what you three are probably searching for in my mirror, ne?” Michiru asked as she gazed upon her reflection on the mirror.  “Our new enemies… but they never appeared here.”
“We must move fast with the new enemy,” Haruka said immediately.
“Maybe not too hastily….” Ami whispered.
“I know…” Haruka sighed.  “I have only said that because they have struck first.”
Makoto sighed as she stared intently at Michiru’s mirror.  She was hoping that they would appear there, at least.  She never did see his face but she was sure that this time, it would be different.  Dark king as he was, there was something that changed in Nephrite.
“Maybe we should know about their intentions on the ginzuishou first,” Michiru suggested.
“It was probably like the first,” Usagi answered softly.  “Maybe Beryl’s influence is still on them.”
“I-iit doesn’t seem to be that way, Usagi-chan,” Makoto replied.
“Huh? How do you know--?”
“—I-I j-just know… I have met with one of them… something has changed.”
“We shouldn’t trust them easily,” Haruka answered.
“M-maybe they did change because we have defeated Beryl.”
“Minako-chan?”
Minako stared blankly at her fingers.  “M-maybe we should be the only ones who should handle it.”
“We will handle it—“
“Iie… no…” Minako answered softly.  “Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Setsuna-san… only us.  Anyway, we have faced them before.  We know what we shall do.”
“This is all our responsibility.  We shouldn’t stand aside and watch the destruction just as we did during the Silver Millenium,” Haruka answered.
“M-maybe… it is not your responsibility just as it was in the Silver Millenium.  Maybe the reason they did not appear in Michiru’s mirror is that something has changed in them.  Maybe we shall know better why they came back again.  There are probably more possibilities that only we shall know,” Minako answered.
“Possibilities that exist… even in the past…” Usagi answered softly.

******************************

Mamoru held the Golden Crystal in his hand and its beautiful radiance filled the room.  Now he knew why the stones had disappeared.  Somehow, something had released the souls of his comrades back into this world.  It had released them even further up to the last place they were—in Beryl’s own domain.  Mamoru closed his eyes and focused his energies on the crystal.

“Kunzite… Jadeite… Nephrite… Zoisite … minna-san…”
The call had roused the four from their silence back in Beryl’s old kingdom.  The sound of the voice was familiar once more.  The same voice from the battleground.  The power of the voice came from within their minds.  In an empty space full of golden glowing light, there he stood wearing the black robes of a prince.  They could see him clearly as they close their eyes.
“P-Prince… Endymion-sama,” Kunzite whispered.
Mamoru nodded.  “It has been a very long time, my friends.”
“And like it is before… that you have sided with the senshi,” Zoisite replied.  “Even when they are our sworn enemies.”
“Zoisite-kun, Beryl is dead,” Mamoru told him.
“I know.  Her cause is to be proceeded by us.”
“That woman is not your master.  Ever since she has been defeated, you have already been liberated from her evil cause!”
“M-my l-liege… you do not understand,” Nephrite began.  “We have only remembered up to the time where Beryl has lifted us to become agents of retrieving the ginzuishou!  Yet, we know that there is something more in our past than—“
“Don’t you remember what it was like in the past?  When we visited the Silver Millenium?”
Silver Millenium….  “O-our prince, Prince Endymion…” Jadeite whispered.  “Our forbidden and short-lived alliance with the Moon… How shall we remember?”
Mamoru nodded happily.  “The past… shall also be awakened.”

******************************

P-princess… Princess of Mars….
“Phobos… Deimos…”
Both of their hands linked together and their faces shining and sparkling with a different kind of glow.  Their long raven hair swayed gaily in the wind and their expressions were as dreamlike and magical as the rest of the façade. Two moons hovered in the horizon.
“Princess… you are home again,” Phobos had said.
“It is rare that you come back to the kingdom now ever since your return to the Moon,” Deimos told her.
“Where am I?”
They looked at each other in surprise.  “Mars,” Phobos answered.  “You are home.”
“Home….” Rei repeated.
“You have been away since he has returned.  It is a wonderful thing he has done to you.  He has made you very happy,” Deimos answered.
“He?  Who is he?”
“The king from the Far East, don’t you remember?” Phobos was surprised again.
Rei shook her head.
“The divine rule has forbidden you to see him,” Deimos said.
“Who shall I see?”
“You must remember, Princess….”
“You must not forget him.  He has returned.”

He has returned….
The glow from their faces had finally reached her cheeks.  Rei opened her eyes and discovered that the heat of the flames had grown furious.  So that is why she felt the warmth in her cheeks when she awoke.  Riddle upon riddle upon riddle… why does the stranger bring such things?  Who is he?  And now, there is another mystery that is set from her dream.

******************************

“Usagi-chan….”
“Ne, Mako-chan?”
“Do you remember that I was the first to stop you….”  Makoto smiled.  “… whenever you would wish to sneak out to visit the Earth?”
Usagi nodded, smiling.  “You have remembered this long ago, Mako-chan?”
“I-I remember this much, Usagi-chan, but….”
“Mako-chan….?”
“I don’t remember everything.  All throughout our battles… only a few pieces of our past come back unlike yours….”
“….”
“I want to remember everything, Usagi-chan.  Right from the very start….”
“Mako-chan… I think you will.  And it will be wonderful. Just like mine.”
Makoto smiled again.  “Poor Rei-chan….”
“Rei-chan?”
“She still doesn’t know.”

******************************
Within the confines of Beryl’s kingdom, a faint garnet light still emanates, maybe as a reminder that she still lives within them.  Their master, Prince Endymion, has roused part of their old memories to return and it was still Beryl who lived in them.  Now, they had a past—a past that seemed to be brighter and more fulfilling to their spirit than the ones they came to know.  They were Dark kings who swore their allegiance to the evil spirit Queen Metallia in the days long ago, when they were protectors of the Earthen realm of Prince Endymion, and this bond with her continued until the light of Queen Serenity sealed their fates on the new time on Earth. Their fates bound to her until the senshi defeated them.
“It was a mistake,” Jadeite said softly.  “Our mistake happened in our earlier past when we swore allegiance to her instead of our Master, Prince Endymion.”

 “Jadeite… what has happened?  You are not the same….”
 Did I really do that?  This power is not mine.  I feel it getting strong inside of me.
 “Jadeite!  You have attacked one of the guards…. It’s—“
 “You better leave this place and return to the castle!”
 “Nani?”
 The power that she has given me… it’s getting stronger.  “The people of the Silver Millenium are plotting against us!”
 “What are you saying, Jadeite?”
 No!  This is not true!  What has she done?  I must fight it!  “Leave now, Princess!”
 “I can’t….”
 “You don’t understand!  We never thought that the power Beryl gave us would actually cause us to follow her and do these things.  Just now, I almost killed one of the guards of the Princess Serenity!”
 “Beryl?  It is not too late.  The storm has not started.  You mustn’t return to her!”
 “Leave before it’s too late!  Beryl’s power is taking over the rest of us!”
 “There is a way!  The light from the Moon… the Silver Crystal is—“
 “—You must leave, Princess.”  This power… my head… I must fight it.

 “I can’t…” She was trying to control her tears but the sadness in her eyes lingered enough.  How could anyone be beautiful like that?  It was the face that stayed in his memory. Had he promised himself long ago that he would not forget someone as ethereal as that?  It was the same woman Jadeite had remembered from the time he set foot on the surface world again.  Majestic and lovely when she slept… even with those tears in her eyes.
 “What have you been thinking about, Jadeite-kun?” Nephrite’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
 “N-nothing,” Jadeite answered.
 “Nothing,” Nephrite repeated.  There is something, Jadeite-kun.  But of course his friend would not tell.  Earlier, he had come to the surface world and looked the enemy in the eye. Wasn’t she the same one that gathered her lightning bolts against him?  Yet she looked more fascinating in the glimmer of sunset with those chestnut tendrils touching her sweet face.
“So we are enemies?” mused the guardian of Jupiter earlier.
“We are on different sides,” he had told her.  “But you shall always be the same to me.”
She smiled then.  “You sounded exactly the same … when you said your goodbye to me long ago.”
Nephrite had not remembered that part of his past… yet because it seems, the senshi being closer to the Silver Crystal had succumbed to their memories more than they do.  It was more in her kiss, even if it was the first time that he had kissed her, that he felt a tinge of something strangely familiar in her, like a vision of his enemy under the bright blue light of the Earth.  And it was always in the kiss that provoked these memories, as Jadeite had known.
Jadeite stood up and put his fist on his chest.
“You shall go to the surface world again?  It is already dark!” Nephrite reminded.
Jadeite nodded.  There is no better time.  Besides, he had been anxious of seeing the guardian of Mars again.  Even if she was really his proud adversary.

**********************************
“The moon is full.  It is better to tell the future today.  The light will aid us.”  Rei whispered these words as she sat on the steps of the temple.  The ravens, Phobos and Deimos stayed at her feet as usual, keeping close watch of their mistress as she looked at the silver orb above her.  There were some secrets that they know of her, of course, but good guardians always kept silent especially if their wisdom said that it is better that things unfold on their own.
Where is he? She thought.  Is he still alive?  Has the storm swallowed him already?
Rei was very anxious to know these things especially if visions of a strange storm and a woman of darkness always came to her. She recognized the woman that controlled the storm.  She recognized Beryl.  Why had she returned?  The four figures who stayed by her was still a mystery.
“Huh?”  Rei felt a presence coming.  The sound of footsteps on the steps of Hikawa Jinja stirred Phobos and Deimos from their place.  Who would choose to come at this late hour?  “Dare?” Rei asked nervously.  “Who are you?”
The figure grew larger and larger as he neared the top floor of the shrine.  Phobos and Deimos, however, flew and stayed in front of him, as if welcoming him.  That silhouette again?  Like that in the flames…. 
The figure advanced closer and closer to her.  The light of the moon finally revealed the golden strands of his hair and the comeliness of his features.  Was he still keeping his mask on just to annoy her?  But even in that frame of mind, the intruder still saw the anxiety when she realized who he was.  In truth actually, Rei was trying to control her enthusiasm.  He is here!  Strange and mysterious men who don’t reveal their faces interest her?  There must be something wrong with her.
“You have returned,” she said softly, still trying her best to mask her eagerness.
Jadeite nodded.  The enemy was as enchanting as the moonlight that drew soft shadows in her face. He was still feeling guilty about the unpleasant things he had caused the last time they had met.  “The time has come,” he told her, caressing her cheek.  The bruise on her cheek had not yet fully faded and he was still feeling guilty over what he had done.
“It is about time,” Rei answered.  “There have been… many strange things….”
He was not taken aback by this kind of straightforwardness.  It was to be expected.  Someone with a countenance as that and with piercing eyes that tell of her bold character.  The same kind of character she exhibited when they first met.  “Many strange things…” he repeated.
“Please!  What is it you are hiding?  Do you know of these strange events?”
“You are getting impatient….”
“I am!” Rei demanded.  “I have seen… some of these things which I … I need to find out if you know anything…onegai…”
“Dare desu ka?”
“Nani?”
“Who are you?  At least I must know your name.”
“Then… would you tell me what it is that—“
“—Who are you?  Onegai!”
“Rei.  My name is Hino Rei,” she said finally, even if that didn’t seem important.
Rei… he repeated in his thoughts.  To him, it was that important.  After this night, the future seemed very uncertain.  At least then, he would know about her name.  At least her name.
“Now, will you tell me?” she pleaded after that long silence.
Her intruder bowed his head.  “I know about this strange things, Rei-san… Sailormars….”
Sailormars? She gasped.  Who is he?  For the first time, she had feared the worst.  Could this person be one of the new enemies?  Her heart was beating furiously.
“T-the past was unfortunate for us,” he began.  “So we must retrieve the ginzuishou to understand what it is.”
“Ginzuishou…”
“Hino-san, gomen nasai.  This is the way it was even in the beginning.  The Silver Crystal is necessary for us.”
This wasn’t the kind of explanation she expected.  Why is it that she never suspected that he be linked to these supernatural events?  Suddenly, faint images started appearing in her mind again.  The storm….  Four figures stayed by the great woman’s side.  Astonishingly, one of them had been familiar.  Her intruder looked strangely dim under the luminance of the moonlight.  His silhouette and the storm…  They are the same.  Who is he?
“Yamete!” Jadeite shouted.
It was too late.  He was not able to stop her impatience.  The soft tug of her hand had somehow managed to pull the mask from his face.  And after that, everything seemed to move so slowly as if time wanted to delay her discovery.  The mask kept falling steadily to their feet.
“Doshite?” she asked nervously.  His hand was still tightly gripped on her wrist.  It was probably his anger that made him hold her hand firmly than ever. This is what Rei felt, although in reality, it was more of shame that her intruder felt. He was leaning his head down over his right shoulder and strands of his hair still covered his face.
“Doshite?” she asked again.  What is he hiding? Why is he hiding from her?
Of course, Jadeite realized that it was too late now.  The other senshi have already known who they are and it will only be a matter of time before the others will tell her who he really is. Going to her personally and seeing her—this is the better way.  So he readied his will and slowly lifted his head to stare at her face for what could be the last time.
She uttered a soft gasp.  Her vision had now made sense.  The moonlight was very harsh and honest in revealing secrets.  How could she forget?  That was the same face that she saw in the flames a long time ago and caused her to reawaken as the senshi of fire.  What kind of deception is this?  She expected an enemy to look at her proudly and stare at her evilly as he did before!  Why is he looking at her with despair and shame in his eyes?  Why can’t he be the villain he used to be?
Jadeite finally let go of her wrist and calmly stared at her.  Everything would change later on.  They would now be enemies as it was supposed to be.  But he was not ready to see the anger in her eyes.
“Jadeite…” she whispered.
“Gomen nasai, Rei-san,” he whispered.
A strange light came from his aura and gently surrounding him.  She knew he will be gone again and there is nothing to be done.  She doesn’t have the right to go to him and stop him from leaving.  Why should she?  The right thing to do is to transform and shower him with her fire attacks because he had admitted that he would get the Silver Crystal!  Protect the Princess….
But only Phobos and Deimos rushed to him before he completely disappeared.
  
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