Ami closed her eyes as she felt tendrils of magic whip and lash at her face, Makoto's arms surrounding her like a big, warm blanket. "Where are we?" Ami shouted over the rush of magic and time. Makoto said nothing, only tightening her grip on Ami possesivly. Taking that as a sign to, 'Shut-up, or we die.', Ami closed her mouth and simply enjoyed the feel of weightlessnes that was found in this odd void. The sight of the two bodies, Rei and Usagi, drifted into her mind and tears spilled from her eyes again. Her heart ached and every beat of it sent small daggers throughout her body. 'What if that'd been Makoto and I?' She didn't dwell on that thought. After an eternity of drifting in the sea of time, Ami felt gravity take over and her feet cushioned by cold sand. She blinked and gazed up at what she'd thought had been a temple. "Oh my stars in Heaven," she whispered in awe. "Yeah," Makoto chuckled. "It is pretty somethin isn't it?" The palace was golden, a jewel in a lifeless desert to be sure. But as the moon climbed to its peak in the midnight sky, Ami remembered why they had come here in the first place. "Makoto, we need to find them!!" she gasped. Makoto grabbed the blue haired woman's hand and concentrated on Usagi's energy signature. With a flash, they teleported to where Usagi's energy was strongest. :::---::: "I hate you!" Rei roared even as Jadeite, one of Endyimon's most trusted bodyguards bound her wrists in chains. "I'll hunt you down and tear out your heart Endyimon! Mark my words!! I'll hunt you down to your last descendent!" Jadeite yanked harshly on the chains, a reprimad that made Rei's blood boil. "Such fire," the blonde man chuckled as he ran a finger down Rei's cheek. The girl growled and bit the man's finger, not letting go even when the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. He shrieked and something slammed into Rei's back, making her gasp in pain and realease Jadeite's finger. "Disgusting wench!" Jadiete spat, holding his bleeding digit away from the girl. She smirked and sneered, "If you can be brought down by a bite to the finger, I'd hate to see you in battle with an armored warrior!" Zoisite laughed until a few tears slipped from his eyes, obviously enjoying his comrade's humiliation. Nephirite snorted back his laughter. Kunzite's face didn't even twitch. Enyimon chuckled. "I'll give you a choise. Be one of my warriors and give up Usagi." He crouched until he was nose to nose with her. "Or suffer my curse. What will it be?" Rei's answer was to spit blood mixed with saliva at his eye. Endyimon snarled and yanked her up by her hair. "A foolish choice!" he hissed. Rei stared him down. "I've made many foolish choices in my life Endyimon," she began. "I've made so many mistakes; I have so many regrets." Her voice was getting stronger with every word. "But the greatest choice in my life was to be with Usagi. I would not change that for the world!" Endyimon chuckled and drew the scimatar from its sheath. "Brave words for the dead." He raised the curved sword high in the air. As he swung down he snarled out, "Die!" A hand shot out and grabbed the Pharoh's wrist, tightening to a vise before flinging him back to hit a wall. The black haired man grunted in pain and slumped to the floor. Rei was hauled to her feet by a smirking Makoto. "Still need me to save your life?" the brunette said to her desert sister. Rei growled and drew the scimatar from the scabard, turning to face Jadiete. A small smile spread across her face as she felt the familiar warmth of her long time partner at her back. Jadeite snarled a curse and grabbed a spear with a long, curved blade at the tip. He twirled it expertly, the shaft of wood appearing a blur. Makoto crackled her knuckles and raised her fists at the battle ready Nephrite. "Just like old times eh?" Makoto threw over her shoulder. Rei allowed a small grin. "Just like old times." With that, she charged towards Jadeite. The blonde man smirked and thrusted forward. The raven haired girl flipped over the spear and twisted in air to land behind the guard. But her plan backfired as Jadeite swung the spear around in a horizontal slash that would have split her had she not sucked in her stomach as far as it would go. Rei dropped to the ground and swung out her leg, only to have Jadeite jump over it and raise the spear over his head, bringing it down with a mighty cry. She leaped to the side and rolled to her feet, barely managing to block the spear's blade as it crashed against her own. Icy blue met firey violet. "You would have made a wonderful bride." Jadeite smirked. Rei growled and a flash of crimson sparked through her eyes. "Only in your fantsy!" She roared, allowing herself to be pushed to the ground. She slammed her feet into the man's stomach, lifted him over her head and sensing him flying into to rack of spears, head first. She allowed the sickening squelches and the sound of his pained shrieks to guage the effectivness of her move. "Jadiete!!" Nephrite screamed. He rushed to his comrade's aid, only to be stopped by a quick punch to his jaw by Makoto. He slammed into the wall and slid to the ground. The brown haired man turned to his other comrades. "Pleae! Kunzite! Zoisite! Help him!" he pleaded. Zoisite shrugged his shoulders. "It was his own folly to underestimate the girl. The Master cannot be protected by a fool." Kunzite closed his eyes and said a brief prayer to the gods for his comrade's soul. Zoisite noticed this and gently ran a hand through his lover's silver hair. "He shall be avenged." the slightly feminine man said to the stoic general. "Now that that's out of the way," Zoisite stepped up to face the desert child. "I belive I shall end this quickly." He reached into the pounch at his side and withdrew a handfull of pink flower petals. "Prepare to die!" He screamed as he flung them at Rei. Warning bells rang in her head and Rei dived to the side. Makoto noticed this and laughed. "C'mon Rei, you scared of a few petals?" "Look closer fool!" Rei snapped. "Do you not recognize the flower for what it is!?" Makoto blinked and turned her gaze back to the flower petals. She gasped as the spot where Rei had just been began to melt. "The Poison Lotus," Makoto hissed. Rei cursed savagely under her breath. "It seems like the game has just begun." the desert child murmured.
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