The webiste: http://members.xoom.com/sailmoonSol/solitair3.html CHAPTER SIX ******************************** Moon Kingdom ******************************** Endymion couldn?t help but stare at the statue-like figure beneath the balcony he was standing on. It was growing to the point of infatuation - her felt like he hated her, yet there was something there that he knew he couldn't help but be attracted to. Yes, she was more than beautiful, but the powerful sadness that she unconsciously emanated was a challenge to erase. None of the others had succeeded to do it, making it even more tempting for him to try, with the rewards of such a feat being the greatest prize he could think of. He was more jealous than having hatred towards her, but he couldn't let himself be jealous of his generals for the sake of this stranger. Endymion watched as the woman lifted the champagne flute to her mouth, the drink slipping between her lips. It was sweet torture to watch her. But the moment could only last for so long, as Endymion noticed the powerful frame of Malachite stand against a pillar in the background. Endymion knew he would not have to see for himself that Neflite was watching her too, the three of them all focused on her. Sometimes Jaedite would look to her as well, and it was only Zoicite that remained apathetic to her flawless beauty. Neflite approached Malachite as he watched the woman's figure on the other side of the ballroom. "Malachite - " he called to the senior general, but without a response. He blocked Malachite's view of Solitaire. Malachite's gray eyes met with his, yet Neflite tried to not be intimidated. "What?!" Malachite asked annoyedly and angrily, trying to avert Neflite's gaze, however persistence was written all over Neflite's face, which Malachite respected and could not ignore. "I know how you're feeling. " Neflite said sadly, knowing that he was on a mission. He felt he had to prevent both Solitaire and Malachite from getting hurt by eachother so that both of them could have hope in their future. Surprisingly, Malachite avoided hiding the subject from Neflite, unlike in the past when his feelings would be known only to him. "How could you possibly know what I feel?" he demanded angrily, his anger not directed at Neflite, however, but towards the things that he had no control over. Neflite raised a brow to Malachite, who suddenly realized that Neflite did infact know exactly how he felt. Malachite mumbled something along the lines of an apology to Neflite. "You have to understand that she's not doing this on purpose." Neflite reminded Malachite, who continued to look over his shoulder in search of Solitaire. "Right now I don't understand anything." Malachite sadly replied. He tried to be understanding of Neflite - he didn't know if Neflite still loved Solitaire. "Did she mention anything about the future?" Neflite asked. "What? No. I don't know." Malachite frustatedly replied. His anger began to mount again. "I know she had to have said something along the lines of it; she doesn't know that I know." Neflite replied. "Know what? What are you talking about?" Malachite demanded. Neflite realized Malachite was as clueless about Solitaire's situation as he was about his own emotions. He must really not see why Solitaire refused to be with him, that there was a driving force behind her rudeness, behind her coldness. Then again, Malachite could not foresee the future like he could, and he certainly had little talent in dealing with people's emotions. "Think about it. Why was she named Solitaire?" Malachite stared at the other general. He had no clue what Neflite was talking about, but he sensed Neflite was only trying to help him. And strangely enough he found himself actually thinking about what Neflite was suggesting. Why was she named Solitaire? He had never even thought about it before. "I...I don't know. She never explained it to me." Had he been more sensitive, he would have tried to sense the pain in Neflite's words, but what had just happened with Solitaire overwhelmed him to the point of selfish introspection. Neflite understood, nevertheless - Malachite was is friend, and Solitaire he was forced to love as a sister - his actions were all to prevent the both of them from getting hurt, because he knew that neither of them were capable of protecting themselves when it came to others. "She never told me either, but I thought about it." Neflite replied. Malachite failed to answer, as his thoughts centered around the name. But when Neflite's voice broke his thoughts, they morphed into a new one - why did Neflite leave Solitaire? Could it have been Solitaire had left him, and all this time he had been angry at Neflite for behaving so irresponsibly? Had she done the same thing to Neflite that she had done to him. And now, they seemed as such good friends. Is that what Solitaire meant that someday he would understand? "Solitaire" he whispered, trying to find the connection between the name and her actions, while Neflite watched his expression change between varying degrees of comprehension. Neflite knew that shouldn't try to press the issue any more. He was convinced that no matter how angry or frustrated Malachite would get, he wouldn't direct his feelings towards Solitaire. And he had to try to make Malachite see why Solitaire was doing this while keeping her secret. He didn't realize that Malachite was on the verge of forgiving him for a crime that he indeed committed - it was infact he who had refused to love Solitaire, but Malachite would not understand the reasons why until several weeks later. ********************************** 20th Century Tokyo ********************************* Darien listened to her, occasionally adding something to the conversation. When she looked away from him - when he didn't see her eyes, and only heard her voice, he was convinced she had finally returned to him. It was only when he looked so deeply into her eyes - something that he had done so often in the past, even though what he saw what not always necessarily happiness - he noticed the difference. It was an energy that he knew had never been there before. Solitaire could not look into his eyes for very long. It was as if Beryl was turning her head away, for the fear that she might realize what she was doing, and that she might not be able to follow through. Her soul was aware of what she was doing - it was crying out to her body to stop, but Beryl?s spell was too strong. The pain of being with Darien again, but to be here to take him to Beryl, was unbearable and only made the real Solitaire yearn harder to break free of the spell. Darien's mind couldn't concentrate on her words. If he had heard them, they might have seemed somewhat strange, but he was oblivious. Her hands were on his chest unbuttoning his shirt, moving past the fabric onto his skin. He closed his eyes, lost to the sensation that he had been missing for so long. She was here, she was alive and with him. He wanted to forget about everything else in the world, past and future, and exist only in the here and now, with her. The only thing that was wrong was that look in her eyes. He was about to open his and take another look into hers, but already her lips were on his, and he was lost to his emotions and sensations. He could almost say he felt whole again. ******************** Rei wondered about what Serena had said earlier about her "going on and on" about Darien. Is that what she had been doing? She had almost even forgotten about ever "dating" him. Deep down she knew he was only an excuse not only others, but also perhaps to herself. She didn't want to admit, that somehow, for some really weird reason, she felt herself liking Chad. He was the exact opposite of what she had imagined for herself - uncontrolled, infantile, uncoordinated and worst of all was that hair and that accent! He lacked any sort of sophistication and charm - he was tactless, mannerless, and yet she felt safe around him. Something emanated from him that made her calm in his presence, like he would never betray her, like he would always be there for her. Rei wondered where this sudden need for trust and loyalty came from - Grandpa had never even allowed her to date so no one had ever been there to break her heart. Besides, she was way too busy anyway. Darien was just an excuse that she still held strongly to dodge Serena's menacing efforts to play matchmaker, especially that she had been able to sense that there was something between her and Chad. She wondered if she had ever even really liked Darien, or had she just seen him as an object that she wanted in her possession. Unconsciously Rei walked with Ami towards the apartments where he lived. Suddenly a gust of wind blew through them. "Did you feel that?" Rei asked, putting her hands together and closing her eyes. "Feel what?" Ami asked, perplexed, the rain still dripping off the edges of the umbrella. "I sense something evil here. It must be the Negaverse." Rei continued, opening her eyes and looking toward the sky. She noticed a strange silver haze coming from one of the apartments in Darien?s building. "Look!" she shouted, pointing to the balcony. "It must be. I'll call Sailor Moon." Ami replied, fishing the communicator out of her purse. The two began to run towards the entrance. "Serena - " "What is it Ami? Is something wrong?" a surprisingly collected Serena answered through the communicator. "Yes. Its the Negaverse. Get here as fast as you can..." Ami replied, continuing to giver Serena their location. as they moved up the elevator. As they reached the corridor, Rei could make out a painful yell that she knew was Darien's coming from the room across them. ******************************* Nemesis ****************************** It had been two days since Diamond was gone. The palace seemed all the more dark without him to Solitaire, but she knew he would be back any minute now. Yet she felt restless, like something was wrong. This was not at all an uncommon feeling for her, and she decided to do what she had always done, which is seek comfort in the presence of the black crystal. She passed Sapphire in the corridor as she headed to the chamber where the crystal was kept. She tried her best to ignore him; he reminded her of the man in her dreams. Sapphire stared after her, wondering what Diamond still saw in this woman. Her initial kindness and warmth had faded - now she was not much different from Emerald. But then Sapphire forgot why being "like Emerald" was so bad to begin with. Solitaire meanwhile found herself encased in the crystal's warmth. She knew if she touched it she would feel even stronger, and more of her dreams would become memories. She placed her palm on the glowing dark mass. "What are you doing?" an angry voice came from the doorway. Solitaire didn't even bother to turn as she addressed the voice - "Leave me, Wiseman! I want to be alone." "Foolish woman! Don't you realize it? Every time you go near the Dark Crystal you take away its energy. I knew all along you where here to stop our plans!" Wiseman replied. He was telling the truth about her draining the crystal's energy, but Solitaire had been unaware that she was doing so. "What are you talking about? This is my crystal anyway, and I'll do with it what I want." Solitaire angrily replied. She hated Wiseman, and she especially hated Wiseman telling her what to do. Sapphire had meanwhile entered into the room. "I won't let you keep Prince Diamond from succeeding. It was you all along who drained away the crystal's energy so that it would not be strong enough to use." Wiseman continued. "I knew you where old, but now I realize you're also senile." Solitaire replied. She had had enough of this. Energy began to flicker at her hands and a powerful wind blew through the room. Wiseman saw the energy coming from Solitaire, and decided that this was the perfect opportunity to do away with her now that he had Sapphire as his witness. "Selfish girl! I won't let you destroy it!" Solitaire's eyes widened at the accusation. Although she had long forgotten about restricting her actions and emotions like she had always done, Wiseman's words were by far the harshest she had ever heard. Meanwhile, Wiseman had already unleashed his own powers, and Solitaire was too shocked by what he had said to try to save herself. She could feel her body losing its strength, her energy weakening as she felt herself collapse on the ground. There was no silver crystal to protect her. Sapphire watched the scene apathetically. ******************* Solitaire knew she wasn't dead - she could hear voices coming down the hall. One of them made her feel safe once again, even though she knew it was too late. "What do you mean she was sabotaging our plans? She was the one who *gave* us her crystal. True, we took it at first without her acknowledgement, but when I asked if she wanted it back, she said no. What where you thinking? Wiseman, you better pray that nothing happened to her, do you hear me?" Diamond ordered. "Yes my Prince. I was only trying to defend you best interest while you where gone." Wiseman replied "I didn't tell you to do anything. Leave me. I?ll deal with you later." Diamond replied. Wiseman told him that there had been a misunderstanding earlier, and that he hadn't meant to hurt Solitaire, who was now resting in Diamond's room. Diamond didn't infer the severity of Solitaire's situation - that Solitaire was dying. He opened the door to his chamber, and his heart nearly stopped beating. She was lying on the bed, bruised and aching. He could see she was hardly breathing. "Solitaire!" he called to her, rushing to the bed and trying to hold her. He only saw her wince in pain as he touched her. He didn't know whether to be angry at Wiseman or to focus entirely on her. "Please, Solitaire!" Solitaire's eyes opened with the last bit of strength she had. He could barely make out the words. "I'm sorry, Diamond. I didn't know." "Shhhhhh." he replied consolingly, brushing his hand across her forehead and trying to smile. He realized she was going to die, the crescent moon was gone from her forehead, but there would be time to be angry after she was gone. "Its alright. I know you didn't mean any harm. You where the only one who ever loved me, Solitaire. This is all my fault." Solitaire smiled as she listened to his voice. There was nothing more she could want than to be in his presence and listen to his voice. "I hope you'll forgive me." Diamond tried his best to hide his anger towards Wiseman. He would have felt much better if he could punish Wiseman accordingly, but he knew he needed Wiseman's help to carry out his mission. Otherwise, Solitaire's sacrifice would have been meaningless. To him, she would live on in the black crystal. "No, I should be asking for your forgiveness. I should have never left you alone." "Diamond, I'm sorry..." Solitaire replied. Diamond knew he was too late to do anything. "Let me come back to you when you're happy." she begged him. Diamond winced. He knew he couldn't lie to himself - he knew he couldn't pretend that she was going to live. Tears began to from at the corner of his eyes for the first time in his life. "I won't ever be happy until you're with me again." Solitaire tried to reply, but her words were silenced by the pain and her eyes shut. "I love you." Diamond said, closing his eyes and leaning to kiss Solitaire. The pain washed away from her body as Diamond transferred his energy to her. Sadly, that was all he could do for her now. For a moment he felt her lips, but then when he opened his eyes she was gone, only the wind blew with a silver shimmer. Diamond could see the haze being carried by the wind out of the room. He knew where it was going. ****************************** 20th century Tokyo ****************************** The inner Solitaire was trying to put an end to this. And yet she could feel herself doing what she was doing - holding him and he holding her. Its what she had wanted for so long, and to resist the temptation to give in to her emotions was a feat that she only could be capable of, having practiced it all her life. Even so, she was defenseless against Beryl, and she continued. A tear formed at the edge of her eye, and she almost managed to whisper "Darien" before her lips merged with his. She swore she would try to fight what Beryl was making her do, but how could she when she herself had wanted the same for so long? This was what she had been thinking about every day since she 'died'. And knowing that regardless of what would happen today, Solitaire now remembered Serena, who's destiny was to love Darien, only making her want to be with Darien right now even more. She stopped fighting Beryl for only a moment, saying goodbye to Darien (one way or another) with one last kiss that was truly hers, the last chance she would ever get. Darien kissed Solitaire along her neck, but all she felt was the sting in her fingertip as she cut it on a nearby piece of paper. She wouldn't let herself lose her control and stop fighting Beryl - she regretted even doing it just now, even if only a moment. Hadn't she learned that she only made things worse when she succumbed to her feelings? The pain in her finger was nothing to the pain she felt inside when she held the wound to her mouth, letting some of the green liquid flow between her lips. She knew what would happen next, and yet she had no way to stop it. Solitaire lifted Darien's face to hers, looking him straight in the eye. All what she could see was the love emanating from his warm gaze. Her soul was torn - she would remember that look forever as the way he looked at her before she betrayed him. She would never be the same again, even though she knew she was helpless against Beryl. Beryl didn't let her look at him, knowing that Darien would realize something was wrong. Kissing Darien, Solitaire pushed the liquid down his throat, pulling away from him abruptly and smiling wickedly. He was surprised for a moment, until his whole body felt the pain of ingesting the evil that she had given him. A silver shimmer surrounded the room a Solitaire transformed into the black silken dress of the Negaverse. It was all part of the drama she was forced to act out, but had no control over. "Welcome to the Negaverse, Darien" she snickered as Darien fell onto his knees because of the pain. It was a more complicated process for Solitaire to transform Darien than Neflite had transformed her - she had less evil in than Neflite, and she could pass less evil to Darien. Therefore Darien fought back much longer, and he was especially resistant. Had he been weaker, the process would have gone smoothly, like it had done with Solitaire; his resistance made it only the more painful for him. He looked up at her as the energy flowed around him, and he finally understood what the look in her eyes that he could not get over was. "Why?!" he managed to utter as his sad and pain-filled eyes met her satisfied gaze. "It makes me happy. It makes me happy like you never could." She replied coldly. Suddenly the door flew open and Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury entered the apartment. "Oh my God! Darien!" Rei yelled, her face changing from terror to anger and determination. She looked away from him, noticing the woman who was standing above him. She paused for a moment, thinking the same thoughts as Ami "She looks just like Sailor Moon!" Ami exclaimed horrified. "Whoever she is, she's got to be part of the Negaverse." Rei quickly added. They had no time to waste. "Mars Fire Attack!"; her attack was launched, but Solitaire easily countered it with negative energy. She didn't care anymore - she had already done the damage she sought to avoid. She hated herself - she hoped the Sailor Scouts would kill her. But Beryl refused to let her off so easy - now she had to go against the scouts. "Pathetic! You're no match for me, Rei. You never where." Solitaire teased. "What? How did you know my name?" Rei asked angrily. Ami meanwhile tried to help Darien, but she could not stop the energy that he was engulfed in. Slowly his eyes began to glaze over. Steps were also coming from down the hall. Solitaire smiled superiority at Rei, but her smile melted as she saw the figure ahead of her. "Serena." she spat, her face full of contempt. "That?s right! I'm Sailor M - whoa! You - you look just like me! How did you know my name?" Sailor Moon asked surprised. "Watch her, Sailor Moon, she's more than she appears to be!" Rei warned, trying to help Ami figure out how to stop the energy that trapped Darien. "Darien!" Sailor Moon shouted, as she had turned to face Rei and noticed him collapsed on the ground. "Sailor Moon! You've got to heal him! We'll take care of this Negatrash!" Ami said "Right..." Sailor Moon replied weakly. She was still wondering about Solitaire, but quickly she noted the pain in Darien's expression - a twofold pain that was both physical and mental. She initiated her healing attack while Mars and Mercury continued to try to weaken Solitaire, but she blocked all of their attacks. "Mercury Bubbles Splash!" The attack shrouded the room in its cold and misty cloud "Surging Silver Glare Shatter!" Solitaire shouted, her attack smashing Mercury against a wall as the mist cleared out with the wind she had initiated. "Don't give me trouble. Its not you I'm after." "Sailor Mercury!" Rei shouted, her face turning crimson with anger. Serena had meanwhile managed to heal Darien, and she rested his body against the bed. He kept on repeating the phrase "why", but Serena ignored him as she focused her attention back onto Solitaire. "Sailor Mercury!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, as she flushed with anger. But looking back at the opponent she could not move. She sensed that there was something wrong - that the woman was not who she appeared to be. "You'll pay for that! In the name of the planet Mars! Mars fireball Ignite!" "Mercury Ice bubbles - Freeze!" The attacks came repeatedly and over and over again, but Solitaire's wind extinguished Mars' fires and Mercury's water with a smile. She had always excelled in warfare, whether in combat or tactics. Like Mars passion, which was indeed like fire, and Mercury's smooth and flowing love, Solitaire had the emotions of the wind, which blew away any feelings that she had. It was the great equalizer. "Sailor Moon!" Rei angrily shouted as Serena continued to stand dumbfounded watching Solitaire. Who could this woman be, who looked so much like her? And why was she from the Negaverse? Why was she attacking Darien? Serena struggled to understand, but came up with no answer. "Sailor Moon! What wrong with you!? Why are you standing there?" Rei demanded, watched Serena's vacant expression as she stared at Solitaire. "Use you tiara!" "No." Serena replied solemnly, as Solitaire blocked another of mercury's attacks. "No?!!" Rei shouted. "Serena!" ?Rei - there's something in her - I can't explain it. Its like looking into a mirror." Serena replied in a monotonous voice. "Moon Healing - Activation!" Rei had was meanwhile to angry at Serena to listen to her. She initiated another Fire Attack. Serena's energy headed towards Solitaire. There was nothing to do that could block it, as it paralyzed her with its warmth. True, Serena would have not been strong enough to free Solitaire, but the timing of Mars' attack allowed the fireballs to penetrate her, knocking her through the glass of the balcony door and against the cold concrete of the balcony. "No!" Darien yelled from bed, stretching an hand towards Solitaire. He collected the strength to stand up, but collapsed by her by the time he reached her. Rei turned to Ami who had since recovered from Solitaire?s blast, shocked. She didn't understand what possessed Serena and Darien to act so strangely. Why where they protecting the enemy? Sailor Moon stood watching the scene play out before her. "Solitaire?!" Darien called pleadingly to her limp body. "Darien?" a faint voice came through Solitaire's lips. Her eyes opened partially, the single tear escaping their expanses. "I wish it didn't have to be like this. I...I'm so sorry." "No - its all my fault, its always been my fault. I should have never left you." Darien replied, his sad eyes filled with pain as he remembered the morning over a year ago. He refused to let Solitaire die twice in his arms. Solitaire smiled a motherly smile. "No, its not your fault. How could you think it was your fault? Besides, it wasn't meant to be. I know realize that - one day you will too." Solitaire sighed as it became increasingly more cumbersome to breath. Darien didn't want to hear her anymore. He wanted to return to the pleasure and satisfaction of a few moments ago, before. Her words sounded too much like something someone would say before they die. What was she talking about? He now understood that she had been under someone else's control, but her mere presence was enough to make him yearn for more. Now he could see she was free of that evil (he didn't realize that he shouldn't have known why, but his being Tuxedo Mask allowed him understand things he otherwise wouldn't, even though he didn't realize he was Tuxedo Mask) - he wanted to be with her again. "Solitaire, please! You can't mean that! I know you didn't mean what you said, about this making you happy- " "No, Darien. You're the only one who ever made me happy. Everything...everything I said was a lie." Her words comforted him, brushing away the frustration he had felt for her betrayal. Darien noticed the blood coming from her back and arms where the glass shards sliced into the skin. The blood was red. "We have to get you to a doctor." "I'm...alright." Solitaire replied. It was not the glass that was killing her - it was Mars' attack, that penetrated her as it would nay ordinary human while she had been under Serena's energy. She tried to smile, but winced as she felt the aching in her body. Sailor Moon continued to stare at Solitaire's face. Rei thought she would vomit, watching Darien care for the other woman so tenderly. She thought to herself, this HAD to explain so much. Ami meanwhile took her computer out to scan Solitaire's body. She looked at Serena, Serena looking back. Ami shook her head from side to side. Serena kneeled next to Solitaire. Solitaire smiled at her sister. All of her memories from the Moon Kingdom had returned with Neflite's work. "Promise me you'll take good care of him, Serena." "Take good care of who? How do you know my name? Who are you?" Serena asked. Solitaire's face was confused for a moment. She wanted to say something, but her lips only parted before her face was distorted with pain. A few seconds later, however, her moment of clarity came and all the pain washed away from her body. "Darien. Love him for me." she breathed as her body relaxed. Her eyes closed and her head fell to the side. Serena was completely shocked. "Solitaire! No!!" Darien shouted, as he tried to hold her closer. Another silver shimmer began to engulf the room his arms tightening over nothing. He cried into the air. Even Rei felt his pain. Serena and Ami were crying, it sounded to passionate and sad. As he inhaled again, he felt the silver air sooth his lungs and his throat. He let out a muffled sob, "No", smashing his fist into the shattered glass on the ground. Her rubbed his face with his hands, blood smearing onto his cheek. He glared at Rei, the blood on his face emphasizing his anger and frustration "You - you did this to her!". Darien tried to stand up, but could only stand holding the rail. Rei stepped back, terrified. Serena meanwhile stood, her eyes filled with tears. She didn't understand why she was crying - it was not only because of Darien's pain, but their was something deeper there, something from the past. She looked at Darien for an explanation. Darien turned to her, his chest heaving and his eyes filled with tears an pain. Looking into her eyes he saw Solitaire - Solitaire innocence. He couldn't explain it - her eyes were comforting amidst his pain. It was like having Solitaire looking at him on one of those rare occasions when pure innocence emanated from her eyes. Serena too felt something when she looked t Darien. While Darien was too preoccupied to notice Solitaire's using the scouts' real names, Serena had understood well and wondered what this strange (and yet familiar) woman was telling her when she said for e to love Darien. Instinctively, Serena put her arms around Darien, who melted into her embrace and cried into her, staining her uniform with blood. How would she act the next time she saw Darien as Serena? Would he remember what Solitaire said? "I'm sorry, Darien" she whispered, comforting him. Ami and Rei watched as the wind blew into the room through the balcony. Rei wondered jealously why Darien was getting so comfortable with Serena, and it had hurt her so much when he yelled at her angrily. Ami was meanwhile trying hard to figure out how Solitaire had known their names. She knew that this was not the time to try and discuss it with everyone as she watched Darien relaxing in Serena's embrace. Solitaire's attack wore him out terribly - regardless of what he was feeling, he would soon collapse. Perhaps he would think the whole thing was a dream. ************************** Crystal Tokyo ************************** It had been several years since Solitaire had driven, but she soon fell back into the addictive pleasure of having control over the machine. That beautiful car was in her hands - she decided how to take the curves, how fast to go. She went fast. Somewhere under her emotionless mask there was a passion that had been building for several years. The consequences of releasing it could be invitingly dangerous. Solitaire had always liked driving Darien's car - it always took her mind off how helpless she felt in her own life. But the familiarness of the open road had little comfort for Solitaire now; the car had just become another means of escape and repression. Slowly the light trickled under the horizon of the city, showing off its crystal splendor in all its beauty. Solitaire watched it from the top of the plateu over the city. But her mind was obviously elsewhere. So much had changed in these few moments. Solitaire learned that everything she had thought about in her life had changed. Had the war with Beryl truly been her fault? If only she hadn't kept that crystal, perhaps her mother would have been able to repair it. Nothing good had ever come from her keeping it - infact, Diamond was going to use it to destroy earth. She had never been able to use it for anything - other than as a shield both physically and mentally. Having that crystal, especially after it was strengthened, made her feel superior - not only was she beautiful, but she was intelligent and now more powerful than any other woman. Only now did Solitaire realize that her insecurity over her own feelings had caused her to keep it for so long, thinking that it somehow made up for the fact that she couldn't find love. She now saw it was not that she would never be able to love because of destiny - it was that she *couldn't* love - and she couldn't handle being loved either. It had been so smothering to be with Darien in 20th century Tokyo - all he ever thought about was making her happy - all she thought about was gaining control - over anything that she could. All this time she thought she would never find love because of her destiny, but now it was unclear how much of her actions could be blamed on destiny alone. She realized she was naive, if not even vain. Why did she do this to herself? It had been so painful to keep that Silver Crystal - it always bonded her to her mother and her family - and now solitaire realized not only had it been pointless to do so, but infact she had ruined the lives of so many others with her selfishness. What could she do now? Her own feelings of loneliness and lovelessness where overshadowed by the guilt of what she had done. Why did she have to keep that resentment against Serena and Queen Serenity? Why did she try so hard to distance herself from her family? If only she had returned that Crystal...her mother and thousands of others would not have had to die. Solitaire had to bear the weight of an entire war. The car sped along the thin two-lane highway over the straight road. Recklessly Solitaire sped through the lanes, her anger and frustration mimicked by the car's quick and abrupt movements. Slowly she calmed as her mind began to settle on her thoughts and organize itself into solving her problems. The car slowed to a safe speed as the wind danced violently through her hair. Normally Solitaire would be devising some sort of plan for solving her issues, indeed with the efficiency of wartime when she was posed with any problem. But now there was just nothing she could do - Beryl died long ago, her mother even longer than that. As for her own happiness, Solitaire felt not only did she not know what love was, but she would never be able know - there was nothing else out there for her; no duty or honor to uphold. There was no course of action - already it was too late. All her sadness and frustration condensed into a droplet in her eye, for there was nowhere else for it to go. The road grew blurry, and a sensation of pain pierced through Solitaire's eyes as the tear slowly slipped onto her cheek, then it was carried into the air by the wind. There was no one here to see her cry, and there was nothing else she could do. She tried to fight the tears, but as usual her emotions got the best of her (even if only for a moment) and she was helpless. Slowly her throat loosed, and her body relaxed. Solitaire remembered her time with Darien. It was a mix of pain and pleasure to recall his love for her. Another tear slipped onto her cheek, dried off by the wind that had always been a representation of her masking her emotions. But wind was only a force that shifted hot air into cold; and Solitaire could only shift her sadness from her mind to a much more dangerous place - her heart. Wind had no internal energy - it was what balanced the air scorched by the sun with the one cooled by the water. It was nothing more than an elegant and graceful movement. Then there was Diamond. Solitaire thought how selfish she had been with him. If she couldn't have Darien, she would have the next best thing. Diamond was more lust than anything else - he was simply someone there when she needed him. He didn't know any better - he didn't know what love was, and he had nevertheless managed to truly love her with the same devotion as Darien had. Solitaire didn't realize, however, that her life on Nemesis had been influenced by the evil force there, and, like with Darien, she might have succeeded to have truly love Diamond if that force disappeared. Each thought brought another tear, and with each tear Solitaire's heart freed some of the pain that was inside it, until her memories flew through her mind like the car sped across the road. It had been easier to keep them locked away inside her - she refused to think about things that she couldn't control, but there was nothing else she could do now. There was no overwhelming duty for her - a duty and honor that went above her personal feelings and prevent her from letting them mature in her mind. The scouts had in a way all wished that they did not have their duty and honor to abide by during the Moon Kingdom. Solitaire flourished in it. It was an integral part of her existence that masked her lack of emotions and her troubles. Indeed, she had grown to be the authority on diplomatic and wartime tactics - the energy that others devoted to their personal feelings entirely focused on another goal for Solitaire. She wondered what she thought about while she was growing up, for she was not always so unusually cold and distant to her feelings. Solitaire couldn't remember; only the constant feeling oh hopelessness dominated her life, although she never allowed herself to dwell on its origins extensively. She had grown increasingly less inclined to show her feelings to others. And yet when she was with Darien in the past these trends where not always the norm. With Diamond they had all but disappeared. Was she too exhausted to try again? More importantly, did she deserve a second chance? But on Nemesis there was her duty to Diamond's cause that had prevented her from focusing her attention entirely on herself. Only when she was with Darien in Tokyo was there a complete absence of responsibility. Solitaire wondered what might have happened if she wouldn't have died, but she realized that her life on Earth and Darien's was inevitably controlled by their ones on the moon. Darien would have eventually fallen for Serena, one way or another. Just like Neflite would have loved Lita, and Malachite Venus, Jaedite Mars, and even Zoicite and Ami. But then again, what had controlled their lives on the moon, if there was no such things as destiny? Why did Serenity say she would never find love? It didn't matter really - she didn't deserve love from anyone after what she had done. The road drew increasingly closer to the edge of the cliff as Solitaire took the quick curve. Solitaire stared at the sunset for a moment, mesmerized by its beauty. Her eyes lost the road and focused on the golden clouds and the sparkling city as her soul twisted in her sadness. The car drifted partly into the other lane. For a moment she almost thought she saw three suns - the water in her eyes had blurred the headlights of the oncoming car, not to mention the glare from the sun ahead had made it nearly invisible. Solitaire was focused only on the rays of light as the thoughts in her head pooled together into another wave of sadness, blocking out everything else as another tear caressed her cheek. What was that awful noise? It had started as brief bursts, but had grown increasingly loud and steady. Solitaire did not slow down until the other car was in plain view and it was already too late. She slammed the breaks, twisting the steering wheel back to the right as the wheels smashed into the soft earth, spinning. Fortunately for her, the car did not turn over as it finally stopped in the field. A minute later Solitaire lifted her head from the wheel, tears flowing full-force out of her eyes as her chest constricted. Her terror had helped to unlock more of what was inside her, as her sadness moved freely around in her mind. She could not try to suppress these feelings anymore. "Dammit lady! Why don't you watch where you're going!" A voice came from behind her. Solitaire turned, noticing the other car smashed against the railing of the road. She felt she couldn't care less. Suddenly it occurred to her, however, that she had almost managed to kill another person, adding it to the thousands of lives she felt responsible for. "What do you think you're doing?" the man asked angrily as he approached her. She looked up at him apathetically, until his face reminded her of something from her past. Its anger and frustration forced Solitaire to say something, even though she wanted to forget her mistake and be alone. "What?" she whispered. The man's voice softened as he saw the sadness and pain in her that he had never seen before. Or had he? He had begun to say something before he was struck with Solitaire's beauty and pain. He had begun to angrily say "How the hell am I ever going to make it to the palace?", but his words trailed off into a mumble once he realized the woman's unparalleled perfection as well as her tears. Solitaire couldn't think as her sadness paralyzed her. She had never allowed it to get the best of her and take control over her functioning, but at this point she could no longer control her emotions and she didn't care. "...Oh...sorry...take this car..." Solitaire said as she stepped out of the car while the engine was running. The car slowly rolled forward as the man stared at her in awe, both of her physicality and of the trance-like way she was acting. Solitaire did not even look back as she began to walk towards the sunset. The man watched her as he pulled a cellphone -like communicator out of his jacket. He figured he could call Serenity and still have time to catch up with the woman walking away. "Serenity?" he asked questioningly as someone answered the call - "Yes? Fayate? Is that you? Is everything alright?" Serenity answered, sensing the anxiety in the man's voice. "Yes, its me. I'm sorry, but I'm going to be rather late. I ran into a little road trouble." "Oh! Are you alright - do you need any help?" Serenity asked with her usual warmth and caring. "Well, actually I don't know. This woman nearly ran me off the road, and while I'm fine my car is basically totaled. I don't know what to make of it - she see seems very disoriented, although she got up out of her car and walked away." "Do you want me to get an ambulance?" Serenity asked. "I...I don't know. I went over to talk to her, and she was leaning over the wheel. When she finally heard me, she looked at me and she was so sad - and then she told me to take her car. I don't think a person would just give someone else their new BMW if you know what I mean." Serenity paused for a moment. "Hello?" Fayate asked. "What did she look like?" Serenity worriedly asked. "Well, actually, she looked ... a lot like you, except for the blue hair." he replied. Now that Fayate was not so disturbed by the sadness in Solitaire's expression, he analyzed her face more carefully. "Oh my God! Solitaire!" Serenity exclaimed. "Solitaire?" Fayate questioned. He thought he had never heard the name before. "Fayate, please would you try to bring her here? Don't worry - take the car." "...Sure..." Fayate weakly replied. Things were getting more unusual. "But do you mind my asking who she is?" "I'll explain everything later. Just make sure she comes with you. Please, Fayate" Serenity implored. "Sure" Fayate replied, but the connection broke. He was already heading for the car, which had rolled a few meters in the field. He caught up with it, getting in and turning it around to the road. He could see the woman standing at the railing at the edge of the cliff, looking into the sunlight. **************************** Moon Kingdom **************************** The war was escalating once again as the generals practiced swordsmanship in the garden. Tension was written over everyone's faces - they all fought as if they were in battle. Malachite felt a war would be unavoidable - they HAD to protect Beryl, even if no one really liked her. It was their duty. Neflite struck Malachite with is sword, but the senior general blocked him, accidentally cutting Neflite's hand as he pulled his sword back and then finished the duel with the winning move. Neflite bowed. He didn't feel the pain - he was to tense. They were all too tense. Except Endymion, of course. Nothing really ever got to him, but to his credit the other generals had little faith in him as a leader, being his elders. Malachite often did not even acknowledge Endymion's efforts, so Endymion stopped trying. He couldn't be persuaded to care much about the war - all he felt was his hatred of Beryl. He was ashamed for once hoping that she would be killed in her battle. Solitaire tried to concentrate on what Jadeite was saying, but her mind drifted away from his teachings. She knew soon she would have to go back to the Moon. Infact, Serenity would probably make an official invite to representatives from Earth. But her time here was stolen - and she loved some parts, but hated others. Still, it was better than being on the Moon, where there was nothing for her to do but delegate the royal affairs and try to avoid Serena between the time she spent cultivating her crystal. She loved the freedom here, away from her mother - and she enjoyed learning swordmanship the most. If there was no one to protect her, she would protect herself. Still the power of the wind and the silver crystal was vastly beyond physical combat, but one day she could be without either. Nevertheless, Solitaire he had wanted to go home after the incident with Malachite. She felt she had caused enough pain here, but now Beryl had done what everyone had least expected her to do, and the war had escalated. She HAD to be here - she had to help organize the war effort. If she left, the people of Earth would see such an act as the Moon's complete betrayal of them, but what was more important would be the Mineral Kingdom's reaction. Solitaire did not want to be responsible for re-kindling hostilities between the Moon Kingdom and the Mineral Kingdom. She also hated always having to wait for Beryl to make a move - once the Earth is mobilized, once again everyone would be in anticipation of Beryl?s action. In a week or so life here would be back to the bitter-sweet slow pace it had been before, when she was with Malachite. Solitaire's thoughts always managed to drift back to her mistakes, even when she should have been thinking about other things. She felt so stupid and irresponsible for allowing herself to like Neflite, and she hadn't learned anything, seeing what happened with Malachite. Indeed, their feelings were at stake, but deep down solitaire knew that what irritated her the most was the lack of control she exercised when she involved herself with them. Destiny had handed down her fate to her, but Solitaire vowed to have control over anything else that she could have in her life. There where just times, not necessarily critical times, but nevertheless times, during which for no explainable reason she felt so alone and hopeless. Her sword fell to the ground violently. Solitaire looked up surprised at Jaedite, especially when she noticed his frustrated countenance. She hadn't been concentrating. Of course, almost anyone could beat her in a duel (seeing as she had only begun to train, and other men had been learning since a young age), but Solitaire's beauty was adequately daunting to tip the scales in her favor. Except, when her beauty when unnoticed. Jaedite frowned. Solitaire felt ashamed for wasting his time - her life would probably never depend on these skills, but his very well might. She felt a moment of weakness coming on. She HAD to fight it - she couldn't let anyone see what she was thinking or feeling. ************************** "I'm sorry, Neflite." Malachite announced as the duel was over. "I'm fine." Neflite responded, ignoring the wound. "Oh - well, actually, I wanted to apologize for what I said to you other evening. There was a misunderstanding." Neflite smiled warmly. He was happy that Malachite had come to a realization about Solitaire's situation, but infact Malachite was apologizing for assuming that Neflite abandoned Solitaire, and not otherwise. To Malachite, Solitaire had lost her dignity - she was a selfish courtesan. This was the only explanation Malachite could find, although it wasn't a good one because if Solitaire made relationships on the basis of getting more power, she would have to keep those relationships. Besides, she was already a princess. What higher position could she hold than that? Fortunately for Solitaire, Malachite was noble and would not propagate his opinion of her. Yet he found himself expressing his frustration towards her when the group discussed the war - he shot down her ideas consistently. Solitaire interpreted this as her own uselessness, and made her even sadder internally. The war had made everyone tense and vulnerable. "Oh. I'm glad you finally realized the truth." Neflite added. Malachite nodded guiltily. He hated himself for mistreating Neflite. Neflite continued, "So are you going to be nice to her again? I mean, you can't keep treating her like that." Malachite was confused. He thought Neflite would have resentment towards Solitaire, but he remembered that they were friends now. He was still unsure. "After what she did to the both of us? I don't know about you, but I hope I never have to have another experience like that. I think she deserves what she's getting." Neflite hadn't thought that Malachite had misinterpreted their talk. How could someone be so intelligent otherwise, but be so stupid when it came to others? Now Malachite was crushing Solitaire when she tried to help them, and Neflite realized he had gone too far. He had to tell Malachite the truth, so that both Malachite and Solitaire would feel better. "Haven't you realized it yet, Malachite?" Malachite awaited Neflite's explanation. "She couldn't love me - she can't love you - because...of her destiny." Neflite softly sighed. Malachite clearly needed elaboration. "I looked at the stars - there's no one for her. Why do you think she always seems so sad? Her only source of worth is her duty, and each time you make it harder for her to find satisfaction in that, you're making everything much worse. You've got to try to treat her better. I know you're angry at frustrated, but think of what she has to go through. You'll get over her and find someone else - but she probably never will. Unless she tries to change herself, and therefore changes her destiny." Malachite couldn't say anything to that. he thought he had figured everything out - but this explanation made more sense than his own. "She told me one day I would understand." Malachite finally realized. "Do you?" Neflite questioned. He had to be sure Malachite wouldn't misinterpret anything. Malachite looked towards Solitaire who was talking with Jaedite. She caught his gaze, but ignored him. He didn't say anything. "Then you'll see why you can't tell her or anyone else what I just told you." "I don't believe it. Of course she'd tell this to you. What I don't understand is why she keeps doing it." Malachite replied. His patience was being tested - he didn't know anything about women. Neflite was getting tired of taking care of two such people as Solitaire and Malachite, who where both so blind as to be unable to see such simple things as Neflite saw. "Why don't you ask her then, if you don't believe me." Neflite replied with frustration. "Don't you think I tried? She makes no sense - she talks in ideals. One minute everything's fine, the next ..." Malachite continued, until he noticed the frustration in Neflite's expression. "Why do you even bother with her? Doesn't it make you angry that she used you?" "If I'm not going to be nice to her, no one will. Someone has to be there for her - she doesn't have anyone." "She's the princess of the moon, for God's sake - she has everyone running around her. She's spoiled and she's bored. I don't want to talk to her - its like talking to a stone wall. I don't see why you put up with her after what she did to you." Finally Neflite told Malachite the truth: "She didn't *do* anything to me. She was sad and vulnerable and I took advantage of her. When I realized her destiny, I had to leave her. Otherwise I would end up leaving her much later on when things would have been more complicated. I didn't expect anyone to take up what I had left." Malachite's eyes darkened to a stormy gray. If he couldn't love Solitaire, then he'd have to hate her, but now it was clear that he could do neither. "How did she expect me to understand if she never told me anything about herself - about her destiny." "She didn't want you to worry about her. She doesn't believe she has any future." "But you're suggesting she does - why does she continue to do this to herself?" "I...I don't know. If she wants something bad enough, she can change destiny. All I'm asking is that you treat her better, regardless of what you're feeling." Malachite was still somewhat unconvinced. He was the type of person to whom the reasons didn't matter, as long as the final achievement was something he could understand. To him Solitaire was too complex - there were too many complications with her. He recalled his thoughts of a few months ago "It was bad enough that Neflite had allowed himself to be distracted from his duty by Solitaire, with the war coming, but now to leave her like this? Neflite looked pathetic sitting across from him, sipping more white wine as his blue eyes met Malachite's. He was furious that Neflite had been so irresponsible to toy with Solitaire's emotions like he had done. What could have possessed him to leave her - she was perfection itself; beautiful, cool-minded and quick-thinking, loyal...? Now, Malachite felt, he would have to pick up the pieces of the mess that Neflite had made.". He never imagined that the roles would be reversed, that he would be hurting Solitaire with his words and Neflite would have to make peace between them. This was enough of a reason for him to realize that he should treat her with respect. Soon Malachite would see the others as well. "I think I understand" Malachite replied. Without even thanking Neflite, Malachite began to walk towards Jaedite and Solitaire. He regretted what he had done - even though he did not yet fully understand why Solitaire was so cold to him, he had become something that he vowed not to be. Jaedite saw the other general approaching as his words dwindled off. Solitaire looked up at him, surprised that he had grown quiet so suddenly. Then she noticed Malachite. "I'm sorry Jaedite, may I please speak to Lady Solitaire for a moment?" Malachite said with an uncharacteristic politeness that took Jaedite by surprise, especially because Malachite was being polite in Solitaire's presence. Jaedite nodded, smiling to Solitaire and leaving Malachite with the privacy he desired. Solitaire did not look Malachite in the eye. Whatever he had to say, she knew it had to do with what happened between them, and she was determined to not show any emotion. Or perhaps he wanted to torment her more. Either way, she wouldn't let herself be weak. Malachite began; "I wanted to apologize..." but his words trailed off again when she refused to face him. Malachite didn't know Solitaire was doing this to avoid worsening the situation, rather, he sensed she was being rude and cold to him. But he remembered how he had treated her. Solitaire wanted to end this as quickly as possible. "Fine." she replied coldly. She didn't really care what he had to say - she concentrated completely on keeping her resolve. Malachite was shocked that she hadn't said anything else, but then again, this was Solitaire. Her silence bothered him - it made him embarrassed. But he knew things would not be right until he told her the truth. "I now know what you meant that one day I would understand." Solitaire's pose was broken, as she did turn to face him. Had he managed to figure it out so quickly? He had actually listened to what she said, contrary to his consistent dismissal of her ideas over the past days. Malachite continued. "And I know what I did was wrong. I had no right to treat you so, when you're here helping us." "Thank you." Solitaire replied more kindly. Malachite sensed the sadness in her voice, and saw it even more in her eyes. There where feelings there after all. "But then you should see how none...none of this was ever your fault." Malachite didn't want to get into one of Solitaire's theoretical discussions - he just wanted to apologize and try to make right on what he had done wrong. If she could just be quiet for a moment and not ruin what he was trying to do (he knew he would start arguing with her if they talked about the past) - Malachite took Solitaire's hand and pulled her into an embrace. She was quiet, and he felt her kindness. But soon he realized this was a mistake - holding her again, he realized he still loved her. Pain was written over Solitaire's face, although Malachite couldn't see it. Internally, she repeated over and over to herself how she HAD to remain strong. She couldn't let herself fall victim to her emotions again. **************************** Crystal Tokyo **************************** Fayate drove the car back onto the highway careful to make sure he didn't startle the woman. She stood precariously at the edge of the cliff, even with the metal rail that had saved Fayate from falling to his death in his car. He turned off the engine as he pulled into the shoulder, turning the warning-lights on. He watched Solitaire stare at the evening sky. He had never seen anyone so sad in his life. What was this woman's connection to Serenity? Solitaire did not even notice him as he drew closer. Still, her mind tried to do what it had always done, to find something more important to dwell on then what was making her sad. But at this point there was nothing to do. Just like she hadn't known that she was taking away energy from the black crystal when she touched it, Solitaire was too young at an age of seven to know what she had done to the Silver Crystal. To her this made little difference, however - the war was still her fault. She had managed to ruin the lives of everyone on the moon. Another tear fell onto the rocks beneath her. She realized her own helplessness, her mind ceasing its efforts to produce some sort of plan of action and overflowing with unharnessed passion. Nothing could be worse than what Solitaire had to bear. "Excuse me, Miss..." Fayate called to her softly. She ignored him completely - she didn't even hear him. Fayate didn't know what to make of the whole situation. Why did Serenity have to ask him to deal with this stranger? But he couldn't help thinking he would have had to talk to her anyway, even if no one had asked him to - he had never seen anything like her before. "Solitaire?" he called to her nervously, placing his hand on her arm. Solitaire quickly turned to face him. She remembered for a moment that she should be trying to hide her tears, but the familiarity of the man drove those instincts away. Her voice spoke, but her mind only comprehended halfway - "How - how do you know my name?" she asked, the tears choking her voice. Fayate didn't want to see her sadness. He would have much rather liked to marvel at her beauty alone. "I...I'm supposed to take you to the palace" he replied brokenly as he soaked up the sight of her. She did indeed look like Serenity, but much more powerful and dominant. Like a statue. There was no innocence in those eyes. "I can't go back. I can only look back. There is no future." Solitaire replied eerily. Fayate thought she must have had some argument with Serenity - Serenity had been so worried in her maternal way. "I'm sure they'll forgive you for whatever you did." he tried to reply kindly. "Its too late. They're all dead. They can't forgive me - how could I forgive myself." Solitaire cried. She brought her hands to her face. wiping the tears down her cheeks. Fayate didn't know what to make of what she was saying. "The future is the one you make for yourself." Solitaire looked at him angrily, but she was angry at herself. If only she had figured it out sooner, instead of living her whole life with destiny's iron fist. She could only cry now. "It doesn't matter. You don't know what its like to be responsible for their deaths." Solitaire replied. She wasn't exactly talking to Fayate - it was more like arguing with herself. Fayate tried to be patient, but there was so much he didn't understand. "Who's dead?" he asked softly. Solitaire's eyes widened in complete horror. "Everyone!" she whispered, out of breath. "I...I should have died! It should have been me - it was all my fault. Why didn't Serenity ever ask for the Silver Crystal? I...I would have given it to her." Her voice was quiet and calm, but her mind was in overdrive. Fayate couldn't understand what Solitaire was talking about. He tried to focus on only taking her back tot he palace, as Serenity had asked him to. Another tear of remorse fell. Instantly, light shone brightly from it as it crystallized into the Silver Crystal. Solitaire looked at it as it floated above her palm. Fayate was amazed. She wanted to make right what was wrong. Solitaire couldn't bring back the people from the past, but she could return her Silver Crystal to the original. And she could die, like she thought she should have. "Do you know Queen Serenity?" Solitaire implored Fayate, her eyes full of submission and sadness. "Yes - I do." Fayate tried to reply helpfully. Finally, the woman was beginning to talk sense. "Please make sure she gets this. She'll know what to do with it." Solitaire asked, resting the crystal in Fayate's palm and closing his hand around it. Fayate looked up at her suddenly. "That - energy - Silver Crystal??!! But something is different about it..." he asked. Solitaire was already walking away. "Wait - where are you going?" he asked, grabbing her arm. "I'm going to face fate." Solitaire replied dramatically. She was beginning to initiate a plan - finally a plan that she could apply to the situation and take her mind off the sadness! Soon it wouldn't have to think of anything. Fayate remembered his mission. "Wait - don't you want to give it to her?" he asked, trying anything to get Solitaire to come with him. "No; I don't want them to know. I don't want them to worry. Tell Serenity I wanted to be alone for a while" Solitaire replied. Fayate was desperate. "She asked me to take you back to the palace." Solitaire stood quietly in reflection for a moment. The plan had already succeeded to block her sadness. She was regaining her control - she began to think again. The emotion was washing from her face. She looked at Fayate's hand, which was still holding her arm. Then she looked at Fayate. "Please, Solitaire." he begged. His tone contrasted strongly with the firm grip he held her with. Her eyes didn't intimidate him - he didn't let go of her. He wouldn't draw back from her emotionless countenance. Solitaire was shocked. What was he doing? Why did he care? Why didn't he buckle under her, like everyone else had. He was so strong and adamant - even more than she had been. He reminded her of herself, but without her sadness. He was so beautiful. Suddenly the accident flashed before her. She remembered almost killing him, which brought back her memories of the past. Instantly the plan was forgotten - sadness returning to her as her face filled up with emotion again. "I'm sorry" she whispered, tears rolling off her face. She apologized to him - she apologized for her mistakes in the past. Fayate was disturbed by her emotional instability. One minute she was fine- the next she broke down into those dehabilitating tears. He had to get her back to Serenity. "Please come with me, Solitaire. You'll feel better once you get some rest." "I've rested all my life. I did nothing - I watched and I hid." she replied, crying. Fayate knew exactly what to say. "You're going to run away from your problems - you're running away from Serenity." Solitaire looked up at him. He was so right. He said just what Darien had said, yet he didn't even know her. But she felt that he did. "I'm doing it to protect her." "I think she's the one who wants to protect you. Why are you running away?" "What is there left for me, if I have no more duty?" Solitaire asked, crying. She couldn't help it. "Freedom." Fayate replied. "No - there is no freedom. I abandoned my duty. I caused all their deaths. I can't have that duty back - and I don't deserve to be free." "But why run away?" Fayate asked. "I...I don't know what else to do." Solitaire replied. How could he be so right? Why was this man still here? Who was he? Without understanding why, Solitaire moved closer to Fayate, her eyes closing and shutting out the tears. Fayate felt Solitaire's helplessness. He wanted to comfort her. He put his arms around her, holding her next to him. Solitaire couldn't hold anything back - she cried into his shoulder, letting herself be held. She wanted to feel comforted - it was strange that she was finding comfort in the embrace of a stranger. Fayate felt himself feeling whole for some reason. He picked up Solitaire and began walking towards the car. She was too distracted in her crying to care. He thought how fragile she was, despite how strong she had appeared earlier. She thought for a moment about what she was doing - she was being so inappropriate. But she felt too good in this stranger's arms to pull away. She could feel her sadness, but he protected it from getting to her. She had never shared her sadness with anyone before - she didn't know she could feel so much better than when she kept it within herself. His embrace had a opiate effect - it dulled her pain and provided comfort She was beginning to feel drowsy. Instead of hiding form him (and herself), she wanted to thank him for listening to her. "What is your name?" she whispered. She found herself hardly able to stay awake. She didn't realized how exhausted the inset of emotions had made her - her body had developed no tolerance to such fervent passion. Without the Silver Crystal giving her its strange energy, resting sounded like a good idea. She untransformed, appearing in her usual attire. It was unsettling for a moment to realize that Solitaire had transformed. Could she be a Sailor Scout? She definitely didn't look like - and she didn't act like one either. Fayate replied with is first name, as he crossed infront of her car. Solitaire was confused by the name. She felt she had heard it before, although she knew she didn't know the man. "What does it mean?" Solitaire breathed. "Fate's Dark Shadow" Fayate replied as he placed her gently into the seat of the BMW. He remembered he was still holding her crystal, but she was already asleep. He placed the crystal into his shirt pocket as he walked around the front of the car and turned on the engine. As he drove towards the palace, Fayate wondered why the woman had asked him what his name meant - could she that his name was so unique and unfortunate? Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, and Mars where all names of Greek origin, and the planets had been named as such after these Greek characters. Even Serena and Endymion originated from Greek names; Selenity was the Goddess of the moon, and Endymion was a protector of the Earth. Then there where all the names from the Mineral Kingdom - Neflite, Malachite, Zoicite, Jaedite, Diamond, Sapphire (and Beryl, Emerald, Rubeus - even Eudial, Zirconia, Mimet, Tellu), which were all minerals having properties respective to their owners. "Fayate" was infact a combination of names from these two Kingdoms - a combination of Fate (a Greek concept) and Fayalite (a dark-colored mineral). What this meant was that no one knew where he had come from - as a young man during the Moon Kingdom, the Earth and Mineral Kingdoms had fought over to which kingdom his extraordinary power belonged to - his talent with technical planning and diplomacy (which was the most sought-after trade in those times) could very easily avoid conflicts and win wars. Some even suggested that he had the power to read the enemy's mind. In an attempt to cement his allegiance, Earth had given him the name of Fate - for indeed, it seemed he had the ability to control fate. But such talent, like Solitaire?s, had come at a price - Fayate, too, had grown up much too fast. In his case, however, he had no one to trust in but himself - he had no family. Consequently, his nature assumed the openness and kindness necessary to survive alone in one's world - unlike Solitaire, he could not afford to be cold and apathetic. He was always popular, and deep down his lack of a home bothered him less and less as he became closer to the people on Earth and the Mineral Kingdom. Beryl's parents had decided to name him Fayalite - in the tradition on Mineral Kingdom nobility - a dark green mineral (also known as peridot - the August birthstone) - the name would translate well form the terran "Fate" and symbolized Fayate's deep brown hair and brown eyes. Fayalite was a darker green mineral than nephrite, malachite, jadeite, or zoisite and indeed Fayate did not share the light hair and eyes as the other generals. Everyone could tell he was not from the mineral kingdom, but this didn't bother Beryl's parents. No one knew where he had come from, but eventually Beryl succeeded in holding his loyalty as tensions rose between the Earth and Mineral Kingdoms. Endymion had never bothered with Fayate much - he was jealous of Fayate for many reasons, not only because of his tactical abilities, but Fayate was infinitely more mature than Endymion, and that, coupled with his stunning dark features and charm caused his envy to be even more pronounced. He was almost happy to see Beryl?s control of Fayate, calling his newfound devotion to Beryl traitorous (even though the Mineral Kingdom and Earth where allies), and giving him the nickname of Fate's Dark Shadow, having learned the meaning of Fate's other name: Fayalite. Endymion was right, nevertheless, in judging Fayate's departure from their cause as that of a traitor - but he did not think that Beryl was to be held accountable for using Fayate, who, like Malachite, Neflite, Zoicite, and Jaedite had no control over their actions and helped Beryl defeat the Earth and Moon. But Fayate was forced to stay with Beryl when the other generals where reincarnated on Earth, only regaining his freedom once Beryl was dead. He was able to enjoy less than two years as a normal human, before the Great Sleep overtook the Earth. Even then, however, it was clear to those that knew him that he was not normal; his intelligence outshined the other students in his school, but unlike Ami he was never seen studying, even with the rigor of Japanese education. Consequently, one would think he had many enemies, but he was so likeable no one could hold anything against him. Fayate made an even stronger effort to be open and kind to others than he had on the moon, for he was aware of what he had done as Beryl's minion and it bothered him deeply. Like the other generals he worked to overcome his past, but it was much more difficult for Fayate because he never understood what had caused him to become evil - he couldn't get himself to think that he had been evil all along. He would have to hide the truth from others (and perhaps from himself), and consequently he had difficulty keeping friends because it was so daunting to look into his deep eyes. Each shade of brown symbolized parts of his complex experience - his eyes were dominated by his mysterious intelligence, but warm rusts radiated through the cooler browns like Fayate's kindness overshadowed his wisdom. The pupil was so black, however, it pierced into the souls of its observer - there was a deep sadness there; sadness that had come from his loneliness and his time with Beryl. Everyone liked him, and yet he was so alone. This caused him to try even harder, but others sensed there was something different about him always - something that separated Fayate from them. The slightest hints of green and gold suggested his great potential for love - a potential that was never tapped by the shy and weak schoolgirls whose innocence was a slap in the face to Fayate's past. Had they had the courage to get to know him and unlock the secrets he kept, they would have realized the sadness in his eyes would be replaced by the glow of satisfaction. After the Great Sleep Fayate got the chance to reconcile with Endymion. Now, after much forgiving and forgetting from both him and Earth, he was part of Serenity's court here in crystal Tokyo. Fayate wondered if Solitaire could sense his past. It bothered him to think about it, because it reminded him that he never knew where he came from. No one ever talked about it here in Crystal Tokyo - it was another sad after-effect of Beryl's rule. Fayate had gotten over abandoning Earth - Serenity suggested that he change his name, but he said he had nothing to hide and kept his original name. It was one of the few things he could hold on to as his. Only Pluto's origin's where as mysterious as his - her name was Greek, but her power was the Garnet orb, and garnet is a mineral. Similarly, her powers revolved around death and time, like Fayate and Fate (even though he didn't actually have control over fate). Fayate had wondered if Pluto was his sister somewhere, but had decided against it. She had a home - her planet. All Fayate could remember as a child was where he was not born - the Earth or Mineral Kingdoms. But now it didn't really bother him - the moment he met Serenity, he felt like he had a family. Endymion's jealousy flared once again - he had made it painstakingly clear that Serenity was his, but Fayate's intentions had never been otherwise. Serenity was too simple and pure for him. He felt like they had little in common, even though Fayate respected Serenity and loved her sisterly. Perhaps this woman could be Serenity's sister Fayate wondered. They looked very similar, although Solitaire was unlike anyone he had ever seen. Serenity's gestures and voice all radiated warmth and love - this woman's only defining characteristic was her sadness. That, and her beauty. But unlike Fayate, whose exterior mimicked Solitaire's in its perfection, Solitaire would never seem warm - her eyes were filled with pain. Such a combination could be nothing other than beautiful, as blue eyes usually where. Then again, he hadn't studied them enough. He'd have to study them more...but now he could only admire the rest of her as she slept.