Part XIV

All of the sudden there are warm arms around her and she's pulled against a strong chest.

She inhales the scent of the one holding her and discovers that it is indeed Jae.

"Jadeite," she whimpers softly, leaning into his embrace and returning it with desperation.

"Diana," he whispers, stroking her braided hair and holding her tightly, "Oh koibito."

They huddle there on the floor, sobbing with the joy of being with each other again and with the sadness of knowing they're fighting on opposite sides of the same war.

"Oh, beloved," Jae whispers after the sobbing has stopped for them both.

"Love," she whispers, pulling back and gazing up at him, "it's so good to see you...hold you.."

Jae nods and leans down, kissing her tenderly, longingly.

She returns the kiss, twining her arms around his neck.

They pull apart long enough to take in each others' features for the first time in entirely to long.

She sees his beautiful golden blonde hair just as she remembers it. She notices the gray uniform with the red piping that he now dons, wincing very slightly at how pale his skin is. Almost transparent from lack of sun. Lastly, she looks into his gorgeous sapphire eyes, seeing how haunted they are now, and the hunger in them. The hunger for her and the hunger to give her the pent up love within him.

 He sees her red hair, totally braided back, save for the tendrils that always come loose to curl around her face. A face with cheeks pinkened from the battles under the blazing sun. A face showing a shallow, mostly healed cut from brow to jaw. He notices she's in full battle armor still as he gently moves his gaze down her powerful form. He looks in her bright green eyes, seeing weariness and pain there, as well as the haunted quality that war gives any fighter. More than anything, though, is the love and desire. Her love and desire for him.

As one, they lean in towards each other and share a hungry, passionate kiss.

He teleports both of their clothing off and lifts her into his arms, and with sadness, they both know instinctively that this is the last time they'll make love to each other in this life.

The next morning, Diana wakes up in Jae's arms with her hair fanned out on the pillows and the chest of her lover.

She looks up at him and smiles gently, seeing he's already awake.

He returns the smile as she traces the line of his jaw with her fingertips.

"Sleep well, beloved?" he asks softly as he runs his fingertips along her bare back, causing goosebumps to rise.

"Better than I have since the war started, you?" Diana answers softly, shivering.

Jae grins, whispering, "Of course, you're in my arms. Cold? I know how to warm you up."

He feels her breasts pressing against his chest, nipples erect as he pulls her hard against him.

"You're excited," Diana observes in a very soft voice, moving her body against his.

Jae moans softly, "Damn strait."

He kisses her fiercely, holding her tightly against him.

Diana mms softly, kissing back.

Jae suddenly pulls back and sighs.

"Beloved? What is it?" Diana asks softly.

"It's Beryl," Jae whispers softly, "I have to go back."

"Oh no," Diana whispers, hugging him hard.

"I have to," he says softly, wrapping his arms around her and sitting up.

She kisses him passionately, running her fingers through his soft hair.

He kisses back before releasing her.

"Beryl doesn't like to be kept waiting," he softly tells Diana, standing.

One minute he's nude, the next he's dressed in his Dark Kingdom uniform.

Diana stands by him, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I'll try to come back to you," he says softly.

"I love you," Diana whispers softly.

"And I you," Jae whispers, "farewell, beloved."

"Ja ne, love," Diana whispers, tilting her head into his touch as he caresses her face one last time before disappearing.

"My Queen," Jadeite says humbly, bowing before Queen Beryl.

"I have been waiting for you, Jadeite," Beryl says in an icy voice.

"I truly apologize for my tardiness, my Queen," Jae says, keeping his eyes on the floor, "I was detained."

"Yes, I know."

Jae looks up, startled.

Beryl moves her clawlike hands over her staff and an image of Diana, looking over maps alone in the war room, appears in the crystal ball. Jae's eyes widen, seeing the image of his beloved.

"Tell me, Jadeite, do you still have feelings for this human?"

"Of course not," Jae says with a silent apology to Diana.

"Then why did you spend the night with her?"

"To gain her trust in order to get information from her."

Beryl arches a brow.

"Bring her to me."

"Yes my Queen."

 Jae bows once more before vanishing.

"Diana."

 She looks up, startled, and turns.

"Jae?" she asks, disbelieving.

"Hai," he says, taking her into his trembling arms.

"What's wrong?"

"I must bring you to Queen Beryl."

"What?! No!"

She struggles, but his grip is like steel.

"Diana, I'm sorry."

She stops and leans into him, looking up at him.

"I know," she says softly, "let's get this over with."

Jae nods and teleports with her.

Jae appears before Beryl with Diana at his side.

Jae bows, Diana doesn't. She simply glares at Beryl.

"Diana. You have not changed," Beryl snarls, eyeing her. "I have a few things to return to you."

Diana stays silent, steadily keeping her glare on Beryl.

Beryl motions with one hand, and Diana's armor is suddenly gone, leaving her in a tunic belted at the waist and breaches that fit close to her legs.

With the same motion, she levitates the two arrows that Diana had shot her with, the points and part of their shafts caked with her blood
still.

As soon as she's sure both Jae and Diana had seen all this, she sends the arrow to imbed themselves in Diana's shoulders.

Diana curses at Beryl as the force of the arrows throws her back.

Beryl goes over to where Diana lies, passing a wide-eyed Jadeite on the way.

She places a foot on Diana's chest, adjusting the placement so she can dig the spike heal of her shoe painfully into one of Diana's nipples.

"My blood is poison to you, little whore. Remember, as my poison eats its way through your weak little body," she presses down with her heal
more, Diana keeping her silence, gritting her teeth, "destroying you," Beryl digs her heal in more, "it was I who killed you. I who destroyed your life. I who took your lover away," she puts all her weight on the foot on Diana and finishes in a hissing whisper, "I who broke you."

By now, beads of sweat are rolling from her face into her hair. Despite the pain she's in, she spits on Beryl's dress and simply responds in a harsh whisper, "I'd say 'fuck you' but you'd enjoy that to much, bitch queen."

Beryl growls, taking her foot off of Diana's chest and kicking her in the side.

She then turns to Jae, fixing him with her gaze and says in a loud voice, "This is what happens to people who weaken themselves with stupid human emotions, Jadeite, you would do well to remember that," she leaves before Jae can respond.

"Is she gone?" Diana whispers.

Jae rushes over to Diana and pulls her into his arms.

Diana groans in pain, "Love...get the...arrows out."

"But...y...you'll bleed to death," Jae chokes the words out.

"I'm...going...to die anyway," Diana gasps, "I'd rather...not do it...looking like a....pin cushion," she grins very weakly.

Jae cringes, "This is going to hurt."

"I know," Diana whispers.

Jae grips the arrows and pulls them out one after the other, trying to ignore Diana's grunts of pain.

Diana gasps for breath, finding it harder and harder to breath with the burning increasing by the moment.

"I'm not...going to last much longer," Diana breaths.

"Diana...no..."

"I'm sorry...but I...can't help it...I love you..."

"I love you, too," Jae whispers, stroking her hair.

"My last request...please...please promise..."

"Anything..."

"Don't forget how to love...or how to be loved..."

"I promise, oh gods, Diana I promise. I love you," he sobs.

"I love you, too," Diana whispers before crying out, arching her back and hugging close to him before gasping one last time and desolving into stardust in his arms.

Jae doubles over, hugging the last of the shimering star dust to his chest, and inhaling her scent. He stays that way, tears flowing freely down his face before transporting to his room.

Part XIII
Beginnings and Endings Index