Part IX

"Take her," Diana hears through the veil of sleep. "Join me and she will be yours.

"Mmph...?" Diana murmurs, eyes blinking open to see Jae and Beryl standing over her. Jae's eyes are disturbingly glassy. Beryl smiles evilly as Diana sits up. Jae pounces on her.

"Jae!" Diana exclaims, trying not to go into a panic attack.

Flashback:

Diana's Silver Millennium Death.

Through the veil of increasing pain, she looks over to Jae, her one true love.

"This is what happens to people who weaken themselves with stupid human emotions, Jadeite," the purple-clad demon roars at him before leaving.

Jae lays on top of her, kissing her hard and holding her painfully tight. Beryl watches with an evil smirk.

"Touch his third eye! Hurry!" the sword screams into her mind.

Diana brings a hand up and presses two fingers to his third eye.

Almost immediately, both their bodies jerk as the memory is transferred.

This triggers many many more memories within his mind. He groans and grabs his head in pain. Soon, he seizes as Diana  did. Unfortunately he's still on top of the poor girl. He then passes out.

Beryl disappears as soon as Jae grabs his head.

"Jae...Jae...c'mon...wake up," Diana whispers, gently rolling him off of her and leaning over him. She shakes his shoulder.

He moans softly, and opens his eyes.

"Oh...beloved," he murmurs, gently pulling her close and burying his face in her fiery hair, inhaling her oh so familiar scent. "We're finally together again!" He kisses her lovingly.

"All right you two, break it up. We've got to go save the others," the sword speaks up mentally, startling the two apart.

"What? Who?" Jae asks in confusion.

"That was my sword," Diana answers with a grin as she stands.

Jae blinks, looking at her in her oversized muscle shirt before standing by her.

"Jadeite. Do a mental scan of the area and find where Beryl is now," the sword telepaths.

After a moment he tells them, "She's with Kunzite and Zoisite on the other side of the mansion."

Diana swears softly and grabs Jae's hand. She touches the soul stone in the hilt of her sword with her other hand.

In the span of time it takes to form a thought, they appear in Zoi and Kunz's room.

Kunz and Zoi stare at Beryl, eyes glassy.

"Shit," Jae swears softly.

Beryl turns and smiles evilly at the couple who has just appeared.

"If you won't join me, I will be sure you join the Grim Reaper," she cackles.

She turns back to Zoi and Kunz. "They are your enemies! Destroy them!" With that, Beryl disappears, leaving Jae and Diana to defend themselves
against the mostly brainwashed Kunz and Zoi.

Diana ducks a kick thrown by Zoi

Flashback:

The four guardians plus Diana are training. The heart of each warrior is swollen with good cheer as they seemingly dance in the bright sunlight. Each and every one of them know, deep within their souls, that as long as they remain the people they are, the love they hold for each member of their little family will prevent them from willingly hurting one another.

"That is the memory! Do to them what you did to Jae!" the sword tells her.

Diana reaches for Zoi's third eye and is blocked. She blocks the counter move and knees Zoi in the stomach, aiming to distract her only long enough to touch two fingers to Zoi's third eye, transferring the memory.

Emerald green eyes widen in shock as the domino affect takes place within her mind. At Zoi's cry of pain, Kunz looks over to see his beloved doubled over at Diana's feet.

"Zoisite! What did you do to her, girl?!" he roars in fury and dives at Diana viciously.

"Do the same to him as you did to her! That memory should work for him as well!"

Diana barely gets out of the way in time.

"Easier said than done!"

He turns, amazingly fast for his size, and hurls spikes of ice at Diana. She has no choice but to dive out of the way as Jae checks on and protects his sister from spare crystals.

Diana yelps in surprise and pain as a crystal pierces her thigh.

She touches the fire stone in her sword, melting the crystal, but increasing the bleeding as the heat expands her blood vessels marginally.

"Crap," she mutters, touching the soul stone and becoming spirit form. "Looks like I'm stuck like this for a while."

"You have to be solid!"

"I'll die!"

"No you won't! Just DO it!"

Diana growls and zooms to him, getting as close to him as she can before solidifying.

Even as she feels Kunz's arms suddenly around her in a crushing embrace. As a rib pops, Diana reaches up and touches her two fingers to his third eye and transfers the same memory to him as she did to Zoi.

He lets her go, in shock, and falls back, holding his hands to his head, eyes wide with pain. The memories awaken.

Diana gasps, sitting on the floor and just trying to catch her lost breath and ignore the agony ripping through her body.

Jae rushes to Diana's side and kneels by her.

"Koibito...once Zoi wakes up, she'll heal you," he whispers to her while wrapping her bleeding thigh with a piece of fabric he tore from the bottom of one leg of his boxers.

Diana groans softly and rests a hand on his bare arm. "No...you all need to save your strength for the battle against Beryl and Metallia.

As soon as Kunz and Zoi reawaken, we have to find Neph and HLM."

Jae nods, tying the makeshift bandage off.

"Diana...it would be best to take your spirit form and conserve your body's strength now," the sword tells her softly.

"In a moment," she tells the sword.

With that, Diana leans up and presses her lips to Jae's. She feels his arms slide their way around her waist as her own make their way around his neck. Jae groans gently in the back of his throat as their tongues twine with each other.

Zoi and Kunz's moans force them apart.

Diana smiles at Jae as she takes her spirit form. Kunz and Zoi sit up looking disoriented.

"Why do I feel like I just overdosed on Ginkgo?" Zoi asks, still groggy.

Jae chuckles softly, as does Kunz who makes his way over to Zoi to hug her close.

"M-chan! AAAAHHH!! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!?" Neph's scream sounds from the other room, followed by the sounds of things breaking and insane laughter.

Part VIII
Part X
Beginnings and Endings Index