Disclaimer: I'm not even gonna try.... Standard disclaimers apply..*sobs* Oh and there's a fun rant at the end!

EAMIL! Please...if you have a soul...(melodramatic ne?) inspiredthoughts@hotmail.com


Chapter Five

Jadeite looked up as Kunzite stalked into the throne room. He licked his lips. If Kunzite was making an appearance here there must be something wrong. With an imperious wave from one manicured hand Jadeite dismissed the petitioners who plead their cases before the throne, the emperor's throne. Kunzite bowed, mockingly to anyone well acquainted with court manners, and Jadeite carefully lifted one golden eyebrow in response. His leader made a great show of being patient as
the peasants and lower nobles filed out, followed by the bodyguards who were also waved away until they were left alone. Kunzite scowled.

"Get off that throne," he snapped. Jadeite shrugged and stood, stretching, before removing the emperor's coronet from his brow and setting it carefully on the velvet cushion of the chair.

"Where's Sol?" Jadeite shrugged as he trotted down the five marble steps before he came to stand in front of Kunzite, a very tall Kunzite. He scowled as he tilted his head back to look at the other General.

"Damn it Jadeite this is serious!" Jadeite pursed his lips and Kunzite growled, exasperated.

Of all the Generals he was least sure of Jadeite. Zoicite, he was sure of Zoicite's loyalty and trust now, after so much had happened. Not because the man particularly liked Kunzite but because he was interested in history and magic and lore. He hadn't the time for ambition or personal gain or the trapping of the court, rather like Kunzite in that respect, but Kunzite was a leader and as such he had learned to be political, he had had to. Thus Zoicite stood with Kunzite on all issues and allowed Kunzite to speak for them both. Nephrite stood mostly apart, aloof from the others, but, perhaps since he saw so clearly into the future he held tighter onto the past, he still pulled stunts like the other day, when he had asked for help with that twice be damned princess. They weren't friends anymore, but he sometimes still acted like they were. Old habits were hard to forget. Kunzite's mouth curled into a bitter rendition of a smile. Jadeite though, by nesscity of his position as Sol's co-ruler of Earth, was Sol's man through and through, his right hand, in most things. Sol trusted Kunzite but only Jadeite would ever be allowed to guard his back in a fight.

"How serious Kunzite?" Kunzite glared.

"Serious enough that Beryl is lying in the infirmary. Serious enough that we need the Link." Jadeite cursed darkly, roundly. Finally he answered the question.

"He's in the capital, wooing a new toy..." Kunzite wondered a bit at the acidic tone in the man's voice but shrugged it off, later...

"Link him." Jadeite's cerulean gaze narrowed a fraction.

"Is that an order?"

"Yes." Jadeite watched his acknowledged leader for another moment, then bowed stiffly, his arm across his chest, before straightening and unbuttoning his left sleeve. Kunzite's jaw tightened as he turned away.

"Its just magic Kunzite." The older man sniffed.

"Its unnatural." Jadeite chuckled dryly.

"Perhaps, but necessary." The blonde haired General looked down at his left wrist where, imbedded in his flesh, was a golden glowing stone. A matching one lay in Sol's wrist and Zoicite's. It allowed them, when they chose, to communicate with their Emperor or he with them telepathically. He and Zoicite couldn't speak to each other though, Sol was wary enough to make safe guards against that for where there was utter privacy there were secrets, but each could talk to their liege.

Nephrite and Kunzite chose not to wear them. Personally Jadeite didn't understand their distrust. If it had been a magic created by Beryl instead of her simply performing the needed spell he might have hesitated but Zoicite had recovered the information out of some dusty volume of forgotten lore. They always needed a more reliable way to keep in touch than simple human or written messages so the Link had been deemed perfect.

He knew why, or thought he knew, why they refused to wear them. Nephrite was a private man, a proud man, and he had his own personal magic, mysterious great, that set him apart from the rest of mankind. He needed and wanted the distance the stars gave him. It was his birthright and by sharing his thoughts, even if they were with his lord, he was taking away from what was rightfully his.

Kunzite though had an innate distrust for all magic not his. He didn't fear it, a weakness that great would have gotten him killed, but he did not rely or like anything other than his own considerable, though rarely used, powers. The Link was an utterly alien device to Kunzite and what more; it would have been installed by Beryl. None of the Generals cared much for the Sorceress but Kunzite positively detested her, almost as much as Nephrite did, perhaps more.

Unfortunately their refusals did more than limit their communications. In Sol's mind by agreeing to the Link Zoicite and Jadeite had proclaimed their unwavering loyalty. They shared each other's thoughts, at least in theory. Jadeite knew, intimately, and had discussed the fact to some great length with Zoicite beforehand, and knew that the Link was simply words sent and received by mind. You could lie and more importantly your thoughts were still your own, and still private. Sol knew this as well but still, somewhere in his power hungry soul, the other's refusal to bind themselves tangibly to him meant that he would never be able to trust them implicitly, not like he trusted Jadeite. Zoicite he trusted but he trusted him as he trusted Kunzite, his sword defender, with distance always between them.

'Emperor Sol?' he sent gently. There was a moments pause before the stone warmed and flashed.

'What General?...' Jadeite winced at the delicate threat in the mental tone. Earth help him, Sol trusted him but he would hardly hesitate to kill him.

'Zoicite is needed...'

'Why?' Anger in that single word, cold anger, anger that belied his fiery name. Jadeite looked to Kunzite for the words. The silver haired General knew Sol and Jadeite well enough to know how badly the conversation was going, or could go.

"The foreign princess had magic, magic enough to drain Sorceress Beryl of almost entirely of her power. She can't control her well. We need Zoicite's expertise." Jadeite nodded sharply and related all of Kunzite's words to the Emperor. There was silence and then...

'Very well. I shall call him and I myself shall come.' There was no praise for his actions, but no threats either. The stone cooled abruptly and flickered out as Sol deliberately severed the mental ties. Jadeite frowned as he glared at the older man.

"You owe me." Kunzite smiled mirthlessly and bowed his regal head in silence, eyebrows raised at the waspish tone of his fellow.

"As you will." Jadeite snorted derisively.

Zoicite glared at his 'secretary' and 'servant' through slitted green eyes, mouth pursed. Lena smirked and crossed her long legs before tossing what was left of her brunette hair over one shoulder. The mouth sunk into a glower. Lena smiled sweetly in return.

God he hated that woman. And what galled him more, he respected her too. He knew how difficult he could be. He knew every single one of his better, and less admirable, traits. He had taken her away from Mercury on a whim. She was a puzzle and Zoicite, great mind that he was, could never resist a puzzle. He had suspiscions about what he thought she hid from him and the world and damn it all, he just couldn't leave it alone.

And he still felt that way, like the woman he saw was a façade, most of the time, unless she was being particularly insufferable and then, then he knew he was seeing her true face. But it was a face without a name. A face that was sure, as sure of herself as he was of himself.

She didn't fear him, gods help her. He wasn't often kind to his servants and in truth he wasn't particularly kind to her as well but as much as he sensed a puzzle he sensed power. Not magic so much as personal strength. Like she was a fine blade, only he knew, innately, that she had been tested as well, by the fires of hell. He saw it in the haunted flickers that passed in green eyes that by shademirrored his own. The depths hers reached he knew he could never match. And he respected that about her as well. When he might have hit another he stayed his hand, and in some cases his fist, for her tongue was as sharp as her personality. And in the confines of the sky carriage it was loosed more often than was proper for any woman in the company of a man of his position of power, let alone a mere servant. A mere servant that occupied his thoughts more than his supposed conquest of Pluto.

"You know that if I ordered it I could have you killed with the flick of my wrist?" Lena raised one eyebrow and lowered the pad she was taking notes on about magic.

"A little morbid tonight ne?" Zoicite growled.

"Is that all of a response that you'll give me?" Lena sat straighter.

"I've been around powerful men all my life General Zoicite. Threats don't bother me much anymore. If there is true danger then I will either triumph or fail." His gaze grew calculating.

"And when you came, poor, to Mercury was that a failure or a triumph?" Lena blinked slowly before giving him a lazy smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm alive."

"That's not an answer." She stretched slowly.

"It's the only one you're going to get."

"Damn you." She shifted suddenly, sitting straight to look him in the eye, her own gaze dangerously cold.

"Too late," she whispered in a voice that chilled him. Greatly daring he leaned forward.

"Who are you?" Her chin trembled slightly but she didn't back away, this woman would never back away from *anything*.

"Exactly who you think I am General Zoicite. A woman with a secret. A woman who wears masks. A woman born high and brought low. A woman who you'll never understand, no matter how hard you try, because I bear my soul to no one, not my lovers, not friends, not anymore, and you're neither." Shaking hands reached up to touch her chin as he studied her.

"You bared your soul once before Lena. You have to be burned before you're that afraid of fire." She drew back, but in surprise, not fear. Lena clenched her small, roughened hands into fists on her lap until her knuckles turned white.

"Burned twice General Zoicite and if you weren't a man of power I'd hit you right now."

"Is power all that's stopping you?" Emerald eyes burned brighter. "Or is it more of your masks? After all what servant would hit her master?"

The sky carriages in General Zoicite's entourage to the Earth, brought by the Emperor's command at top speed, stopped on Mars long enough for a furious servant to leave her master's sky carriage and enter another. The carriages rose and continued on their trip to the Earth. Inside his empty carriage General Zoicite cautiously rubbed the stinging hand print flaming red on his cheek. He smiled. He didn't know who she was yet but he would.

Lita wrapped her arms around herself as she stared at a place she had sworn she would never see, at least not alive. Wind chilled her and she drew her tattered cloak closer, her shaking hands going to the four necklaces she wore close to her heart. Her throat tightened and she stood, rooted to the spot beside the sky carriage, her feet refusing to move. She felt eyes on her and turned to meet Zoicite.The man walked up to her, gaze unwavering, and for the first time since they had known each other, five weeks, she couldn't meet his eyes. The Palace of Earth towered before her, over her, shadowing her in its oppressive darkness, which was incredible, because it was made of shining white marble. Her curls blew forward, covering her face, and the tears, which sprang into her eyes and threatened to roll down her chapped cheeks.

"Zoicite, thank goodness! Sol has been going mad with impatience!" That voice... it shocked her out of her panic and made her legs want to do something entirely different, run. Nephrite strode up to Zoicite and clasped arms with his comrade. "We're not sure how much longer Beryl can hold that damned Venusian... Did you know that the princesses have magic?!" Lita's hands convulsed on the necklaces as a new emotion gripped her.

A Venusian... Princess... Mina... Oh Jupiter... Magic! The green fire that had briefly warmed her that night so long ago at Alan and Ann's rekindled slightly in her body, warming her, reassuring her. Zoicite kept his eyes glued to her.

"No," he murmured softly, "I didn't. But I had my suspicions..." Panic gripped Lita again as drawn by Zoicite's interest, Nephrite turned to look at the servant standing not three feet away. Short auburn curls were his first impression, and a heart shaped face framing green eyes, emerald eyes, eyes that he knew. That he knew from a dead wife's pictures... Eyes that he knew from the accusation and pain burning inside them. He reached out to the stricken woman.

"Jupiter..." he whispered. Zoicite bowed his head in acknowledgment, for some reason pained by the discovery of his mystery woman.

"Aye Nephrite. I brought you a present." The two Generals stared at her for a long minute as she stared mutely back, tears burnt away by the knowledge of what would happen to her. It was Jadeite who broke the spell cast by the princess from another world who walked, knowingly into their trap, a trap they didn't even know they laid, a trap that used her friends as bait.

Lita only had time to curse her own stupidity and arrogance, arrogance for assuming that she could handle men who had conquered the universe, before Jadeite's magic wrapped her in a cocoon of darkness and for now she knew no more. As she collapsed to the ground Zoicite dashed and caught her, shocked by the vulnerability on the face of a woman that showed the world only strength.

"I'm sorry Lena," he whispered. "I don't know why but I am..." He touched her cheek, troubled. He knew war, he knew its consequences, he knew people who weren't killed were often wounded more terribly than their soldiers and he knew he had just dealt this impossibly strong woman a blow which she may not ever recover from. Zoicite looked up, pained. Nephrite swallowed and turned away.

"What's her name?" Nephrite clenched his hands by his side, uncomfortable by the wounded expression on Zoicite's face.

"Lita, Princess of Jupiter, last of the Royal Houses." Zoicite hesitantly smoothed curls away.

"I'm sorry... Lita." Jadeite watched the whole exchange quietly, disturbed. He knew that had Sol seen his Generals right now he'd be furious. They showed mercy and pity to the enemy, they showed less than total certainty when it came to the moral rightness of what the Earthen Empire was doing... Yet he was a General first, Sol's man second. When his mother's death had nearly destroyed him it had been Endy and Nephrite and Zoicite and damn it, even Kunzite who comforted him awkwardly. But they had tried and knowing, knowing that someone cared, that they all cared, had made a difference, a difference between sanity and madness.

By right he should go report his observations to Sol but he wouldn't. They had caught the last princess. That was enough. After all, what was left now to stand in the way of Earth?

Author's Notes(Rant): Well if you noticed some of the words weren't spelled right sorry... My *lovely* spellchecker managed to tell me which words weren't spelled correctly, stupid red wiggly line, but couldn't tell me what the right word was. So I got ticked and said nope, not doing it, after twenty minutes, and I just went ahead and posted it. Sorry.. but I think you'll survive. I don't know if my word program will but... I mean seriously how hard is it? Bill Gates makes enough money, he's tons smarter than I'll ever even want to be...And you know what else?! The stupid grammar checker doesn't work! Oh sure it tells you if you have a fragment, etc etc etc but does it tell you when you need a comma? If you have a run on maybe but otherwise noooooo. Do you know how many points I've gotten off on English papers because my teacher loves commas, I'm awful with them, and I have to rely on Word and those stupid wavy green lines?! *breath* Better... Oh visit my web page...and submit stories!(please!!!)

http://www.geocities.com/keitree

I'm done! ;)