9 days ------------------- "So, let's discuss the terms of your 'employment' with us, shall we?" Mars stared off into the smothering darkness, feeling for the first time like she should have never been born. All the high-horsed speeches and declarations of traitors being cowards she had made flittered across her mind briefly. Pretty damned self righteous. She hadn't failed to grasp the irony of her predicament. Contradictions and broken promises, that's all she would be good for now. The soldier stamped those thoughts out quickly, for they certainly wouldn't help now. If she could turn this around, and somehow find a way to save everyone, wouldn't it be worth it? She had always thought she'd be one to die with her pride and convictions in tact, well, so much for that. The prince had been right. Hell was for heroes. Mars smirked. Good thing she wasn't going to be a hero anymore. She found her voice at last, and tried not to think of the hurt look her actions would bring to Minako's eyes. "You pull this beast out of me. I know you can." "Agreed." "Next rule. No one touches the people I love. If I find so much as a single hair on any one of them harmed, we're going to have problems. Big problems." "Now Mars, I've been offering that since the beginning. I've just been waiting for you to take it, but you were too busy rambling on about how you'd never betray them." "Spare me." the fire soldier growled. "I'm doing this strictly for them, because I couldn't live with myself if I were the one to hurt them. So save the crap." "Oooh, testy." Her guest let out a long, suffering sigh. "I suppose we can manage that, if you behave." Mars choked down her own snide remark, and swallowed hard. "I want the chance to say goodbye." Mocking laughter stung the fire soldier's pride. "How ridiculous! Some warrior you are!" "We keep this up, and the only thing that's going to be ridiculous is how fast I destroy everything. If that truly was your goal all along, you people would have done so. So why wait? You must want something." "I think we've seen enough blood Mars, wouldn't you agree? But it would be fun to watch you beat the hell out of Blondie. Hm, domestic violence aside, it's nice to see the true darkness in your soul. Gives me warm, fuzzy feelings deep inside, and do you know why? Because it shows me that you were never one of them." Rei felt sick. Venus had become her lifeline, and the only thing she could seem to focus on lately. If anything happened to her, Mars knew she would lose what little grasp she had on reality. If she lost that, especially by her own hand, God only knew what she would do. "I was one of them." Mars said quietly. "Apparently you've never been human." "I was, and it was overrated. Oh well, if you're so set on it, I'll give you what you want. I'll let you say goodbye to one person, and if I so much as even think you're going to back out of our deal, I'll snap my fingers and you'll slaughter the lot of them." the helper replied cheerily. "We can't have you breaking any promises." Mars nodded in the affirmative, and tried to control the urge to throw up. Broken promises. There they were again. What was she thinking? This was a bad idea. A horribly bad idea. But frankly, they were running out of options. Endymion had been right about one thing, selling your soul to save someone you love may not be noble, but it beat standing back and watching them die. "Second thoughts, Pyro?" "Don't you ever call me that again." The helper laughed. "In about a day, you'll let me call you whatever the hell I want to call you." Rei's stomach churned. Yep. Definitely a horrible idea. She swallowed her heart, and tried to sound confident. "No second thoughts." "Good. Now maybe we can discuss my terms?" "I'm all ears." Mars commented dryly. "After I pull the monster out, you say your God-awful goodbye, or whatever it is you need to do, . Then you'll be brought to me, here in the Dark Kingdom, where we'll make sure you become one of us. The dark energies you have in you now are nothing compared to what we provide, so there is no turning back. I hope you don't have any foolish notions of trying to keep control and backstab us, because it just won't work. Besides, I don't want to go through all the extra effort of having you kill all the people you love, nice and slow. Takes forever, you know?" The Martian tried to hold onto her courage, clinging to it desperately. She was really starting to have her doubts. What if this didn't work? What if, under their control, she came back and killed everyone anyway, despite any agreements? So many things could go horribly wrong, but Rei felt like this was her last chance. It may be better than rotting in this cell, waiting for something else to drive her into a homicidal rage. "Just out of curiosity." She asked at last. "Why me? Why didn't you go after anyone else?" "Your heart is the darkest." Rei sighed in defeat. "Great. Just great. And why did you release him?" she asked, gesturing in Endymion's direction with a nod of her head. "To be quite honest, I was having so much more fun with you. The level of hatred in your heart made him look like a saint. I wonder whatever happened to you to twist your views." Mars laughed bitterly. "I guess you don't know everything." Funny, but comforting. Very comforting. "I guess you'll see. You'll like it here with me, Mars. It's been along time, and I've been dying to see you again in person." "What? We've met?" "Oh yes. But we'll save it for when you're here. So. Do we have a deal?" Rei swore she could hear Satan laughing somewhere nearby. She rose on unsteady legs, and prayed to anyone that was listening that this would work. The helper burst into giggles. "Prayers won't help where we're going." Mars fixed her face into a snarl. "Don't get cute." "Alright, alright. Do we have a deal?" The Martian took a deep breath to steady herself, focusing her energy into her center to stay calm. "Yes. Yes we do." She wondered how much she'd change. Would she remember everything? Would her heart still beat? When did everything get so horribly screwed up? Tears stung her eyes. It just wasn't fair. She had come so far, and done so much. All the blood, sweat, and tears she had poured into her beliefs were nothing now. She had given up so easily, right when she had found something really worth fighting for. "Perfect!!" As soon as the word left the helper's mouth, Mars fell to the floor in excruciating pain. She swore she could feel all her bones breaking, and she couldn't even open her mouth to scream. She felt cold fingers, like the hands of death, on her shoulder, pushing into her flesh, passing through skin and soft tissue. The icy hand gripped onto something, her heart, her spine, she wasn't sure anymore, and pulled hard. Everything burned, and all the warrior could do was squeeze her eyes shut and ride it out. After several agonizing moments, she heard something snap, and it suddenly felt as though all the weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders. Something hit the wall behind her with a sickly thud that rocked the cell, and she shook her head blearily. The world swirled back into focus, and the pain was slowly ebbing away. The door to her cell was wide open, but no one had come to check out the commotion yet. She stood up slowly, checking her body over. No horns, no tail, and she wasn't bleeding to death. Her thoughts were still her own, and her left arm had returned to it's natural color. The wound in her shoulder had disappeared completely, but long, finger sized bruises covered the skin where her wound had been. "No worries little warrior." the helper's voice echoed faintly in the back of her mind. "You haven't been corrupted yet. But just remember, you pull something, and you'll have that demon rammed into you so fast it'll knock you off your feet. "I know that." Mars hissed. Her eyes traveled around the cell, and she was horrified to discover the remains of a very grotesque monster splattered all over the far wall. "See? That could have been you!" The helper announced cheerily. "He's quite the looker, isn't he?" From what was spread all over the wall, Mars could gather that it was a large dog of some point, with thick horns coming out of what was left of it's head, and thousands of needle sharp teeth. One large yellow eye stared through the fire soldier vacantly, and it's thick, foul smelling blood covered the room. Bone and slimy entrails littered the floor, and it took all she had in her not to retch. She swallowed hard. No wonder she had such a hard time controlling it. It was a beast from the very gates of hell. The helper chuckled. "I went through a lot to yank that bastard out, so you better appreciate it." "Please. Just shut up already." Rei mumbled weakly. "Whatever. Go do your sappy little crap. Ten minuets, and you're out of here. Do you understand me?" "Ten minutes?" she snapped back angrily. "Hey, you never specified a time. It's my show now." Mars wanted to cry. "Just go." The helper obliged, and the soldier was alone with her thoughts at last. She had absolutely no clue about where she should go, or what she should do. She was now no better than the monsters she had spent her life killing, but all she could think about was her lover, and it stung. One thing was for certain though, judging by the sounds of distant voices. She couldn't stay here. She bolted out of her cell, pausing briefly in front of Endymion's. "What the hell is going on? What was all that noise?? How did you get out??" She shook her head at the fallen prince. "I don't have time. But I need you to do me a favor and deliver a message." "What?" "My friends. Tell them, it's always darkest before dawn." "What?? Mars, tell me you didn't!" A man's voice at the end of the hall startled her, and her head snapped in it's direction nervously. "Look! They want me, not them. That damn woman told me so herself. She keeps talking about the darkness of my heart. If I get away from here, you people might just stand a chance. So do it! Tell them!! Promise me!!!" "I promise." he whispered, his voice hard. "They'll understand. They have to." she responded absently, meeting the man's eyes. "You'll understand too. I have to go." "Mars! Wait!" Endymion cried plaintively, but she was already gone. ---------------------- Venus awoke with a start, more than a little surprised to find Mars standing over her. "Rei! What are you doing here? Did something happen??" The warrior smiled sadly and sat on the edge of Minako's bed, taking one of the blonde's hands in her own. "Everything will be alright. I promise. Just remember that." "What are you talking about?" Venus asked sleepily, obviously confused. "Wait. How did you get out??" Rei stiffened visibly. "Mina, please, I need you listen. I'm short on time now." The blonde sat up, and Mars saw for the first time the full extent of the damage she had done to the face she loved so much. The dark bruise and faint cuts gouged through her very soul and scarred her heart. What else could she possibly do to hurt this woman that she loved so much? Yet, here she was, well on her way to beating her down emotionally. The fire soldier turned her head away quickly as tears sprang to her eyes. 'I'm doing the right thing. This confirms it.' Minako laid a hand on the raven-haired woman's cheek, and gently guided Rei's face back towards her. "Don't cry. Please don't cry Rei." Mars felt her heart stop as she looked into beautiful, trusting blue eyes. "Mina, I'm so sorry." she choked out as guilt riddled her soul full of holes. "Don't be." the blonde replied quietly. "You didn't do it. I know you wouldn't do anything like this." Horrible doubts whispered dangerous things to the contrary, and Rei wrapped her arms around Minako and pulled her as close as she could, holding her tightly. She buried her face into the mass of golden locks and let out a shaky breath, wishing she could stay here, just like this, for a thousand years. Just having the warmth of her love so close again, after what felt like eternity down in that damp cell, was more than she could ever ask for. Letting go was going to drive her mad. "Rei," Minako murmured at last, nuzzling her face against the soldier's neck. "Please. Tell me what's going on. I want to help you." "No one can help me now." Mars whispered faintly, kissing the top of the blonde's head. "Hm?" "I love you Mina. I love you so much, I think it's going to break my heart. You have to remember that, no matter what." "What are you talking about?" Venus asked worriedly. Mars shook her head mutely and tipped the blonde's head up, capturing those sweet lips with her own. Her taste, her scent, Rei wanted to etch it all firmly in her mind. It may very well be the last time she would get the chance. Her heart hammered in her chest so hard, she thought for sure it would rupture. Why did it all have to come down to this? After everything she had done, what made her think she deserved this last tender moment? Mars ran trembling hands through soft silk, caressing the smooth skin of the blonde's back. It was time to go Time, time, time. If her heart weren't breaking, she was positive she would have laughed. She pulled away slowly, rising to her feet again, looking into those confused cerulean eyes all the while, knowing that the next time she saw them, they would be filled with nothing but hatred for her. "Funny." Mars murmured faintly. "All I have are screams inside, but when I look at you, they grow silent." Minako caught the haunted look in her eyes and grabbed her hand. "Listen Rei. For so long, I've lived my whole life with my sole purpose being only for the protection of my princess, and for the safety of my fellow soldiers. You, me, the others, we're the armor, and the princess is our heart. I had no idea I would ever find someone like you, to help share the burden and the pain that that entails. And yet, despite all that duty, you still manage to be so full of warmth and love, just for me. I don't want to lose that, so let me help you! You know I love you, so talk to me!" "I'm sorry." Rei replied, voice cracking. "I'm so sorry. Maybe someday I'll see a spark of forgiveness in your eyes." She gently removed her hand from the blonde's grip, and stepped back. "Wait!" Minako cried, her tone edging on complete panic. "Where are going??" "Someplace where I'll be regretting this, every single day of my life." Mars choked out, squeezing her eyes shut when the blonde flew up off of the bed and threw her arms around her. "Goodbye Mina." Rei whispered, shuddering as the sensation of dark energy wrapped around her. "Take care of her." Before the blonde could even blink, Mars was gone. ----------------------- She landed face first in an unceremonious heap on hard tile flooring, elaborately colored, making a beautiful swirled pattern on the ground. How nice. Who knew the dark side had a decorator? 'Ugh. Is now honestly the time to be thinking of that?' Crash and burn, down in flames. But she was still breathing, despite the horrible ache in her chest. She tried unsuccessfully to push all things Minako out of her mind. Focus. Had to focus. She shook her head hard. Now was not the time for stupid thoughts. She had to remain on her toes. She pushed herself up, getting to her feet nervously. She hadn't been attacked, and she wasn't dead. A plus maybe? Her eyes tried to scan the large empty room she found herself in, but the lack of lighting made it difficult. She tried to remember that she had a reason for this, that she was trying to fulfill an ultimate purpose, but all she could think about was her blonde. Her bones ached, and her heart felt heavy. Never in all her life had she felt so tired and old. Footsteps echoed lightly behind her, signaling that she wasn't alone. She could tell by the gait that it was a woman, but she had yet to find the courage to turn around and face the person who had tormented her for so long. "Good. I'm glad I didn't have to punish you. You were always such a petulant child, I was actually a little worried." That voice. The one that had haunted her for days on end. So familiar, yet so murky to her memory. She steeled herself mentally, reminding herself that this was for all the people she loved. She wished to God she had remembered to grab her weapon. "Turn around Rei. I want to see how much you've grown." She braced herself one last time and turned slowly, choking down her fears. Her jaw dropped in disbelief and her heart hit her feet. "I...Impossible!!" The woman smiled. "Is it?" "Mother..." "Been awhile, hasn't it?" "I thought you were dead..." Mars murmured weakly. She had no idea what to even think anymore. Her world had been flipped over, turned inside out, and thrown into a tangled mess at her feet. Her mind flashed back to her home world, and to the first war. Horrible images of carnage and mass murder flittered across her brain, but there was one thing she was sure of. Her mother was dead. She remembered finding her body... "No." Rei said aloud, snapping back to reality. "You're dead. This is a trick. You're not her." If it was a trick, it was a damn good one. She looked just like the woman Mars could recall from her memories. Long ebony locks, porcelain skin, soft, delicate features. Her eyes were even the same shade as the soldier's. She was long, willowy, and beautiful, where little Rei had always been clumsy and bruised. "You're right. I was dead, but I was given a second chance at life." "So you chose this?? What kind of chance is that??" the soldier cried. "Watch your words little warrior. You chose this too." "That...that's different..." Mars floundered uselessly. "How? I did it for the people I love, you being one of them. Wasn't that your reason too?" the woman pointed out coolly. "I don't understand. If you were brought back, why didn't you come to me sooner? I could have helped you! Honestly, what kind of mother would put their child through all of this??" "Everything has a price, and I think it's time you started paying yours." The fire soldier dropped her hands to her side, defeated. This was all so twisted. Had she really expected to keep her mind in check? She had given up everything for this? "Don't worry. We'll talk when this is over." her mother said reassuringly, but the words sounded hollow to Rei's ears. She wanted to laugh, or cry, maybe even scream. Hell. Maybe she should just do all three. Things couldn't possibly get any worse. "I need a drink." "In good time. For now, I want you to recall everything you remember from your time on Mars." "Why?" Rei asked tiredly. "We need you to remember where you came from." "What's all this 'we' crap?" Her mother sighed. "Manners, manners. We'll have to work on that too." Mars scowled darkly, squeezing her eyes shut. It was too surreal. None of this made any sense at all! A hot wind blew across her face, and her eyes fluttered open in surprise. She was shocked to find herself standing on home soil, back on her home world. The city in front of her was spread out majestically, just the way she had remembered back before the war. "It's not real." she breathed. "It's not. It can't be." The scene shifted rapidly, and she was in her family's palace, in the throne room. A door slammed nearby, and she spun on her heels, floored to see a mini five year old version of herself come tearing into the room. The little girl tripped on the edge of a long red carpet, and landed face first on the hard marble floor. Rei winced absently, remembering the pain. Without thinking, she raised her hand to her face and covered her nose. "Bloody nose." she murmured. "I tripped, and had a bloody nose." A cold chill ran down her spine, and she shuddered uncontrollably. This day. She could remember now. "Oh God..." Sure enough, little Rei rose to her feet, and upon seeing the massive blood flow, burst into tears. Mars was sure something in her head was going to explode. Impossible. Just impossible. Her hands clenched into fists, and her arms shook as she watched herself cry. A hand on her shoulder got her attention. "What, does it make you angry to see yourself cry?" her mother questioned. "I don't want to see this." Rei rasped out weakly. "I don't need to see this. Stop it. Now." A ghostly image of her mother flitted into the room now, and scooped Rei up in her arms, murmuring words of comfort and dabbing at her bloody nose with the hem of her dress. "You'll ruin your dress." both versions of Rei mumbled out. "Oh, nonsense. I can buy another one. But we can't buy you another nose, so be careful. No more running in the palace! I mean it!" The child nodded her head eagerly and rubbed her eyes dry on the sleeve of her shirt. Her mother laughed and rolled her eyes. "So ladylike." The ground shook under their feet, and Mars felt her stomach drop. "The attack. This is when it started." Please. I don't want to see it, not again..." She watched the vision of her mother pick her daughter up and run from the room frantically, calling for the nearby guards. Her father met the pair half way and pulled them into a bear hug. Mars jerked visibly. Her father. She had almost forgotten what he had looked like. Thick dark hair, so much like her own. Tall, broad shouldered, well built, but his eyes, even in their panicked state, had a gentle warmth. The lord of war, as some had called him. "We have to get the two of you out of here. That witch is attacking with her entire force, and our allies still haven't sent any help." "Even the Moon??" her mother cried helplessly. "Those damn peace lovers. I warned them! It's too late now!!" the king boomed angrily. Little Rei trembled visibly. "Hey," her father said gently, "I need you to be a big girl and watch out for your mother, alright?" He ruffled her hair affectionately and gazed at his wife. "You two get down to the shelter. We'll hold them off for as long as we can, but if they're storming the capitol, that means we're seriously outnumbered. Make an escape as soon as you're able." Once more, the scene shifted violently. Her father lay dead in the throne room, completely disemboweled. A few stray patrolmen from the dark kingdom roamed the halls, searching for survivors. Her mother entered the room from a hidden doorway, looking frazzled and tired, still carrying Rei. At the gruesome sight of her husband, she gasped aloud and covered the little girl's eyes with her hand. Bodies littered the floor in all directions. "Mommy, what's wrong?" "Nothing baby." she choked on a sob. "Just keep your eyes closed, ok?" "Hey!! Over here! I found one!!" a man's voice cried from the hallway. Her mother rushed back to the passageway and stuffed Rei inside. "No matter what, don't you come out until it's really quiet ok? Then I want you to find a way to go to the moon, and let them know what happened here today. Be brave. No tears. We love you, remember that." she said in a hushed tone, casting nervous glances over her shoulder. The girl tried to protest, but her mother slammed the door. She then grasped the arm of a dead solider and dragged him to the wall, propping him against the small, hidden door to keep it closed. Mars could remember well enough what happened next. Two men burst into the room and grasped her mother by the arms, dragging her out into the hall, her screams piercing the heavy air. The scene shifted again, and a scared frightened Rei roamed the smoldering remains of the palace, tears striking her dirty face. She wandered down the man hall, and caught sight of her mother's limp form, sprawled across the floor. The little girl burst into anxious sobs and ran to the corpse, screaming. "Don't bother." Mars whispered aloud. "It's only going to hurt worse." She was mildly shocked to find that tears pricked her eyes once more. "All these years. I thought I had gotten past this." "You were five." Her mother said calmly. "Why do I have to go through this again?" Rei asked plaintively. "I wanted you to know that all of this could have been prevented, had the moon just sent some help." Mars was trembling visibly. "If Beryl hadn't attacked, it wouldn't have happened either. But look where we are." Her mother shook her head. "But, if the moon hadn't promised help that never came, we would have negotiated. We may be from the war planet, but we're not stupid. We thought, with help, that we would have stood a fighting chance. But it never came. They waited until their precious little Kingdom was under siege, and then it was time to whip out the crystal and seal Beryl." A startled scream from the little girl snapped Rei's attention back to the vision. Her mother had been brutally beaten, and was soaked in blood. A sword jutting from her abdomen pinned her to the floor. Blood. So much blood. The commotion coming from the little girl brought one of the very few remaining enemy soldiers tearing around the corner. Upon seeing Rei, he grinned wickedly and licked his muzzle. A demon. The girl scrambled wildly across the hall, hiccupping weakly and picking up the hilt of a broken sword. "Stay away from my mom!" she demanded as fiercely as she could manage. The demon chuckled at her. "You shouldn't play with that little girl. You'll lose an eye." "Burn in hell!" the five year old retorted, struggling to hold the remains of the heavy blade upright. The monster curled his face into an angry snarl and pulled a dagger out of his belt. He charged at her, rage blinding him, but the child stood firm, taking a protective stance in front of her mother's body. He dove at her, heavy arms grasping her and bring her down to the floor hard. The girl was slammed into hard marble flooring, knocking the air from her lungs. Without thinking, as a mouthful of teeth threatened to end her life, Rei lashed the broken blade out desperately with a force that was impossible for a being her size, catching the beast in the jugular. Hot blood sprayed everywhere, completely drenching the girl, head to toe. With a dying gasp, the demon thrust her dagger down sharply, sliding through the girl's abdomen. Mars cringed internally. Just watching it made her want to throw up. She could almost feel the searing pain in her stomach all over again, and her heart jerked as she watched herself struggle to push the demon off. At last she had worked herself free, but at a price. As the child crawled towards her mother, dragging herself along the blood soaked floor, her wound split wide open. The soldier tried not to look, but she couldn't tear her eyes away as the girl screamed in torment. The child looked back, horrified to see her entrails oozing on the floor, dragging along behind her. She had gone into shock now, trembling violently as she used the last of her strength to climb over bodies and finally collapse at her dead mother's side. "Stop." Mars cried weakly. "Stop. I've seen enough." "If they had only sent some help." Her mother replied sadly. "Look at how my baby has suffered." The fire soldier fell to her knees, bursting into sobs. She had tried so hard to forget. All the pain, all the violence. How did she manage to survive? She should have died that day, but she had survived, and for what? More violence, more death. Everything had become so meaningless. Minako's voice suddenly echoed in her mind. "So, what's you childhood trauma anyway? Why do you have to be so serious all the time?" "And what do you think she'd say if she knew you had killed your first man by the age of five?" Mars snapped her eyes back towards her mother. "I...I don't know..." "I don't think she'd understand Rei. I'm the only one who understands what it's like. I was there with you, she wasn't. She'd probably look down on you, they all would. No one knew the pain and suffering you've been through. They just wanted you to fight, and give even more of your blood. All the moon people are like that." "No, they're not." Rei replied wearily, suddenly feeling very old, and very tired. "Oh? Then why keep it from everyone? You were ashamed right? You were afraid of what those peace lovers would think of you. Tell me Rei. What kind of peace lovers need that many guards? Where were they when you were fighting so hard??" "I don't know." she replied dumbly. Everything was starting to feel really heavy, and hazy. She was struggling with all her might to keep her eyes open, but was losing the fight rapidly. Her mother smiled. "Sleep." Mars frowned, and tried to respond with a witty retort, but could come up with nothing. Her vision blurred as she slumped to the floor, dimly aware of the fact that her mother had knelt down beside her, wrapping her in comforting arms.
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