Eien no Rekka - Chapter Twelve
(Eternal Fire)
by Angel Eternal
email: angel_eternal_01@yahoo.com




Rei stared down at him, her mind unwilling to
accept what her eyes saw.
Slowly, he sat up, his hands shaking.
"Kami - I can't bear it if you're a dream. I can't.
I can't survive on dreams anymore."
Rei stepped back, violet eyes wide. "Iie - masaka."
He touched his face - his blue eyes shining with 
tears. "It isn't real is it? This can't be real."
Rei shook her head, it can't be. Her dreams 
could never have been haunted by him. It just
can't.
"Jadeite?"
Jadeite nodded, blue eyes beseeching, "Rei-hime -
an eternity. I've waited an eternity. Say you'll
free me."
"Iie!" with a cry of pure fury, Rei threw a large
fireball straight at his head.
As the smoke cleared, she smiled with satisfaction,
the bier was melting, then a dishevelled golden head
appeared.
He stared at her over what remained of the bier.
"Rei - I see your temper hasn't changed."
Growling with frustration, Rei raised her hand to 
summon another ball of fire.
"Iie! Matte!"
Unsure why she heeded his plea, Rei lowered her
hand.
"Koko ni kiku - I..."
"How do you expect to explain yourself? I assume
that you sent the youma." Rei crossed her arms.
A golden eyebrow shot up. "Youma? I...I guess you
would see it as a youma."
"Nani?"
Jadeite sighed, "I think I better explain from the
beginning."
"Hai - you better."
He eyed her bared shoulders, "Are you cold?"
"Iie." she snapped, resisting the urge to rub her cold
arms.
He sighed, and slipped the cloak off his shoulders.
"I see you're still stubborn." he muttered.
"Stubborn?!" she sputtered, staring at him as he gently
wrapped the cloak around her. She refused to turn
her cheek to rub it across the velvety softness of the
cloak - to bury her nose in his scent which clung
tenaciously to the material.
He sighed again. "Onegai Rei-hime I don't have much
time." his eyes closed, immersed in memories.
"I don't know if you remember the Silver Millennium -
but I was Endymion's general. As you know - your
princess and the prince fell in love. But it was a
forbidden union. Serenity-hime was adamant -
she came to Earth to meet with Endymion, and you
were with her..."
As the words tumbled off his tongue, Rei was
assaulted with images - Serenity running into Endymion's
arms - her, setting eyes on a golden-haired man.
She shook her head. He nodded, staring into her 
eyes, daring her to accept the truth.
"Are you trying to tell me that you...me...in the
Silver Millennium...?" Rei shook her head, unwilling
to believe that in a past life, she and Jadeite were...
His eyes clouded over with sadness. "Can't you
even think it? We were...lovers." he reached out to
touch her.
"Iie!" she wrenched her hand from his, "I cannot 
accept this. There is no way that you and I were..."
"Lovers?" he prodded.
She shuddered. "Never say that - you and I were...
together? Iie."
He stared at her, "I thought our love would survive
that."
"Nani? Survive what?"
"Beryl's deception."
Rei pressed a hand to her head, "Nani?"
Jadeite sighed, iie, she could not forget. "Beryl - she
cloned us - Endymion's generals."
Rei looked up, "Nani?!"
"She..."
"I heard you." she snapped. "I don't believe you."
Jadeite knelt to cup her face, "What can I say? What
can I do to make you believe?"
Rei leaned backwards, "You sent a youma after me!
And you think I will believe those lies?"
"The youma." Jadeite sighed, "Did it ever harm you
Rei?"
Rei was taken aback. Did the youma ever hurt her?
She thought back - trying to remember the details
of the battles with the youma.
"Think Rei - did it ever harm you or any of your companions?"
Slowly Rei shook her head, speaking more to herself
then him, "Iie - it never really attacked us - we were
mostly tired out from attacking it..."
"That's right Koishi."
Rei's head snapped up. "Never call  me that."
He shook his head, he had to make her believe, iie -
to make her feel...
"Rei - you will always be my koishi. Always..." desperate,
he reached out to touch her forehead, forcing her to look
at him.
She tried to pull away, but she couldn't.
She stared into his eyes...
Images flashed in her mind...
~She whirled away, savouring the look on his face.
"Priceless."
Jadeite bowed to her, a glint of respect in his eyes. "You
are talented. You are not like any other hime."
She laughed. "I was so tempted to incinerate you." she
took a step toward him. "...but as promised I didn't."
No other could rival the Fire Hime in sword play -
only Serenity-hime, and now Jadeite. She shook her head,
eyeing him. "Of course I'm not like any other hime."
He smiled at her, her breath caught in her throat. "Arigato
Your Highness."
She frowned, she wanted to hear her name on his lips.
"You have my permission to call me by name."
He shook his head, infuriating her. "I think not hime."
She watched him walk away, wondering why it hurt so
much to see him go. ~
"Iie! These are lies! What do you want from me Jadeite?"
He savoured the sound of his name, said in that husky
tone. "What do I want? I want you."
Rei shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "Dooshite?
Why do this to me? Why taunt me like this? Do you have
any idea what this is doing to me?"
He caressed her face, "I know - I know very well."
Jadeite hated to cause her pain, but if he was to be whole
again - she needed to know. He touched her forehead
again, this time she made no effort to move away.
~"Rei! Rei!"
She whirled around, scanning the battleground for one face.
"Jadeite!"
"Rei!"
Frantic she ran, she had to see him, she had to...
Someone held him by the throat, choking the life out of him.
"Iie!" she screamed, her voice swallowed by the noise on
the battlefield - another sound of sorrow and despair.
"Jadeite!" she ran forward, the figure dropped him to the 
ground. "Iie!" tears streamed down her face. She could not
endure this. She had seen her princess fall - dead by her own
hand. She could not bear it, if her love died.
After a seeming eternity, she reached him. Dropping to her 
knees, she cradled his head. "Iie - don't leave me! You
can't leave me!"
He touched her face, a thumb wiping away a tear. "Shikkarishite,
Rei - aisheteru..." his eyes fluttered close.
"Iie!!!!" she howled, feeling as if her soul was torn open.
She heard a harsh laugh, she turned and saw...Jadeite....~
"Iie..." she whispered, the pain tearing her asunder, as fresh
as millions of years past. A solitary tear trickled down her 
face.
"Hush tenshi..." Feeling her pain, Jadeite wiped away the
silver tear, hating himself for awakening these deeply buried
emotions. "I'm here now."
She grasped his hand, "Jadeite..."
Jadeite closed his eyes, how long had he been waiting to
hear her say his name without condemnation?
Her eyes snapped open, the lush black lashes spiked with
unshed tears. "But...what happened?"
He touched her face, savouring every detail. "Beryl couldn't
risk us being reincarnated and ruining her plans. I have
been locked in this sleep. An eternity - it feels like an
eternity. I have been wasting away, but I couldn't just let
myself die without at least trying to reach you." he bowed his
hand. "Gomen nasai - I deliberately used our link to revive me..."
"Revive you? Is that why...?"
He nodded, "I had been using your energy - your power, to
keep me going - to reach you..."
"The youma?"
"Was created with your power..." he knelt at her feet. 
"Sumimasen. Can you ever forgive me?"
Rei stared at him, her emotions jumbled - emotions of
millions of years ago, and emotions of the present. How can 
she look at his face without hearing the tender endearments he 
had whispered in her ear? How can she look at his face without 
seeing the sadistic bastard that had laughed at her pain? 
Before a cry could escape her lips, she pressed them to his,
Her mouth brushed his in a sweet dry caress. An electricity 
more primitive then lightening arced between them. Savouring
the lush sweetness of her mouth, Jadeite melted against her
as if mere physical proximity could make them one.
With a cry, Rei tore her lips from his. "I can't do this."
She stood and ran...
"Rei! Iie!"
Feeling as if her heart was breaking, Rei woke with a gasp.
Was it just a dream?


I leave you with that question! Last chapter coming out soon!
I hope I finish this before Christmas! =)
Btw - sorry about the threats, but lets just say I really want some
reviews! 

Japanese:
Koko ni kiku = here, listen
Shikkarishite = hold on, don?t give up
Sumimasen = a formal apology