Chapter X
Life Between Worlds Index
Neph wakes up the next morning from strange, unformed dreams in an empty bed. He blinks and sits up, the warm blankets falling to his waist. When he looks around for his lover, he finds her in that light robe, speaking quietly but angrily, to, he’s guessing, Cal in her own language.
I wonder what’s wrong…
He slides out of the sheets and teleports his red silk robe on. When he goes to stand behind HLM, the glare Cal sends him tells him exactly what the problem is. He gives the other man a small smile and nods in greeting.
Ah, not to worry, Sir Cal, he thinks sadly as he rests his hands gently on HLM’s shoulders, this relationship can’t have a future…much to my dismay…
HLM smiles up at him briefly, melting his heart, just before closing the meeting and shutting the communications crystals down. She stands gracefully and slides her arms around his shoulders.
“Is everything all right, M-chan?”
She nods, smiling softly as he puts his arms around him. “Yes, everything is running smoothly at home.”
“Then what upset you, sweet one?”
She sighs softly, tilting her head back to gaze more deeply into his eyes, her hair lightly brushing his hand.
“Ah…Cal could always tell when I’d made love the day after I did. This time, however, he was jealous.”
Neph raises a brow questioningly.
"This is the first time I’ve been with anyone since we separated three years ago…” She pauses, then continues reluctantly. “…and he has a prejudice streak that I didn’t know about until now…”
“I see,” he responds softly, wondering why exactly this is having such a strong effect on him. “I trust you do not feel the same way.”
“Of course not!” She gives him a wide eyed look. “I love you!” She covers her mouth and steps back, face flushing with embarrassment. She turns and looks out the window, in shock over what she just blurted out.
I’m so sorry, M-chan…
He gently turns her and looks into her eyes. “Oh, M-chan…I love you too.”
She leans up and places a gentle kiss on his lips. Just as his arms tighten around her waist, Kunzite’s voice intrudes into his mind.
"Nephrite.”
“What is it, Kunzite?”
“Meet me in your cathedral in fifteen minutes.”
“Hai.”
He sighs and looks down into HLM’s eyes, who sensed the telepathic conversation as soon as it began.
“You have to go?” she asks softly.
“Hai…Kunzite wishes to speak with me about something, koibito. Take your bath, and I will see you at the meeting later today, alright?”
“Alright…”
They share one more fierce kiss.
“Your lovely image will be in my mind for every moment until then.”
She gives him a warm smile when he gently takes her hand and kisses the back of it before teleporting his uniform to his quarters. With one last smile, he follows his clothing in a second teleport.
HLM gazes at the place he occupied just a few moments later with a small smile on her face. She shakes her head slightly to clear it before going into the bathroom and drawing her bath.
As she slides her robe off, she thinks about the previous nights events with a shiver and gentle smile. After she adds the salts, she settles into the warm water. She closes her eyes and tips her head back to wet her hair before resting against the built in chair back. She sits there in the gently scented water and smiles softly. Images play behind her closed eyelids.
At first, the images are of a fantasy life with her and Neph living happily together in a strange world with odd stone buildings that touch the sky and metal structures that rush down pathways with strangely organized madness. Eventually, these unusual pictures are replaced with ones of herself as she is now, but slowly growing with child.
Her eyes blink open and her brows furrow slightly.
I’m…no…I can’t be…
She presses her hands to her lower belly and triggers her energy seeking powers, the soft green glow of her hands illuminating the surface of the water from below. She senses her own life force, or course, vital and bright, but she lets it go to the border of her attention. She gasps in shock when she finds the tiny glimmer of foreign energy deep within herself.
“…gods…” she whispers softly.
She concentrates more intently on the little star in her womb. Since Neph was the only one she’d been with in a long time, she already knows he’s the father. However, there’s something strange about the little one she’s carrying. When she delves deeper into the reading, she finds a bit of her essence, the essence unique only to the child and finally, Nephrite’s. There’s a dark evil about his essence, though.
“…oh…gods…is he part of that place now? Or is it just signature it left? …please…no…”
She covers her face with her hands and curls up in the water, sobbing helplessly.
That night, there’s a ball thrown in celebration of the four generals’ arrival. Neph watches HLM, robed in a shimmering gown of silver and gold silk, as she chats with Serenity. He feels the agony in his heart grow more with every passing minute.
Curse Beryl for making me do this…
There’s a touch on his shoulder, and there stands Zoisite, illusioned to look male, hiding the sex change Beryl put her through.
“Kunzite wants to hold a meeting with us,” she tells him.
“Now?” The auburn haired general raises a brow.
“Hai.”
They join Kunzite and Jadeite. Nephrite can’t help feeling irritated at this. He wants to spend as much pleasant time with HLM as possible before the warfare starts.
Impatiently, he says “Can we make this quick? I’d like to get back to M-chan before the attacks.”
Kunz nods. “This is basically to reaffirm what’s going to happen.”
“Hai,” Zoi picks up, her voice lowered as Kunzite’s is. “We give the telepathic signal and the attack happens here as well as in the Black Hole Worlds, as Beryl ordered.”
“This will happen two hours from now, so prepare yourselves,” Kunzite finishes.
The rest nod.
The silver haired general sighs. “In the meantime, try to have some fun. This may be the last chance you get in a while.”
With that, Jae and Neph head off to find their respective loves.
“Hmm…that’s odd, Pharaoh…my dreams haven’t stopped either,” Diana was just saying as Jae wraps his arms around her middle and pulls her close against his chest.
“Well hello there,” the red haired young woman giggles as she looks up at him.
Nephrite kneels on one knee and holds a hand up to HLM, resting the other over his heart.
“Would the lady care to accompany me on a walk in the gardens?” he asks her, despair hidden behind and unreadable look.
I knew it, HLM thinks to herself, something is terribly terribly wrong.
She puts her hand in his, smiling slightly at him. “I’d be greatly honored.”
With a nod to Jae and Diana, Neph and HLM start down the path. The young pharaoh rests her head on his broad shoulder and gazes up at him, savoring the warm feeling of his strong arm around her still slim body. He glances down at her and smiles gently. Behind the smile, though, she can see a dark sadness that never seems to leave his eyes anymore.
“Neph?” She asks softly. “Is there something bothering you?”
He stops and turns to face her with that charming smile of his. “Iie, dearheart, of course not. Nothing is wrong. Why do you ask?”
“Ah…” she smiles gently, “I just thought you’ve been looking a little down lately.”
“That’s alright.” He looks up. They’re standing under the statue from HLM’s worlds. This reminder adds an extra sting to his heart. When he looks back to the one he waited so long to find, he sees her resting a hand on her flat belly.
I should really tell him…I mean…he’s going to be a
father in ten months…or maybe nine since the baby’s half human…oh
gods…so much has happened, though…
“M-chan…?”
She looks up at him. “Hai…?”
He smiles gently and puts his arms around her. “Now it’s my turn to ask. What’s wrong?”
She gazes up into his eyes.
No…I can’t tell him…not yet…
“Oh, a slight upset stomach is all. Nothing to worry about,” she answers with a smile.
I’ll tell him later tonight, she promises herself as she leans up to give him a kiss. I just wonder, why couldn’t I have gotten pregnant with the heir on my worlds before coming here?
For the next two hours, the two starbound lovers stroll through the gardens, chatting and sharing the occasional round of kisses. HLM has yet to tell Neph that she’s carrying his child.
He looks down at her in surprise when she freezes, becoming as still as a statue of granite.
“M-chan?” he asks, worry coloring that one word. He was just about to send the telepathic command to his far away troops to attack.
“N…Neph…my worlds are under attack,” she utters in a soft voice. With a sudden flash of sparkling darkness, silken skirts of lovely silver and gold are replaced with the fierce black and green of her armored battle uniform.
“You can sense that…?” he inquires in a voice ravaged with devastation and shock.
HLM nods soberly and gives him one last soft kiss before stepping back.
“I know you’re not free of the bitch queen. I love you, Nephrite. Even if you can’t truly return that love,” she tells him in a soft tone. “I just wanted to let you know that if I never see you again.”
She bites her lip, gazing gently at him one last time before disappearing in a vortex of shimmering pitch blackness. Neph is left staring at the place last occupied by his love.
“But you’re wrong, M-chan. I do love you. Even if I can’t in the Dark Kingdom.”
With a heart shattering like the perfect tree statue from HLM’s worlds when struck with the first force bolt of battle, he sends the order to attack.
Chapter
VIII
Chapter X
Life Between Worlds
Index