The general signaled that the rite was over, and the crowd dispersed. Amethyst ran to Jasper and gave him a big kiss.
"Let's go celebrate," she whispered, taking his hand and leading him back to her room, him still clinging to his new treasure.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When the main ship of the Army Eclipse had been attacked there were only three things Jasper cared about saving -Amethyst and Amber, obviously, but also that sword. The only other personal items salvaged from the tragedy had already been on his person, such as his Eclipse necklace with the turquoise stone that supplied his power and the pouch and knife attached to his belt.
Everything personal of Amber's had been lost, including the doll he had saved from Chalcedony. She had nothing to remind her of that home. Perhaps that was why she had been so enchanted with the flower he had given her the other day, he mused.
No, he was the lucky one. He still had the sword, which was the only thing he needed to prove to himself that he was worthy of Amethyst. And he still had her and Amber. Even if they didn't end up on this planet, he'd still be happy as long as he ended up by Amethyst's side.
Just as he was beginning to wonder where his beautiful girlfriend had gotten herself to, she teleported herself to his location. "Jaspy, what are you doing out here?" she was curious to know.
"Just taking in the sights and sounds of the grounds," he said contentedly.
She smiled at him seductively. "But there are so many fun things we could be doing on our day off together," she pointed out. And he had to admit, when Amethyst was around, she'd always been able to prove that statement true�.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jasper was exhausted. It was late and, though he and Amethyst had had a great time today, he couldn't wait until his head hit the pillow so he could go enjoy those sweet dreams Amethyst would send him.
"Jaspy, wouldn't it be perfect if we finished everything tomorrow?"
"Uh huh," he agreed, only half paying attention.
"Let's finish off our anniversary by breaking up Neko and Tenshi. That'd be a perfect way to end it, don't you think?" Jasper started to pay more attention as excitement crept into her voice. This was going to delay his appointment with dreamland, he could tell.
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" he asked wearily.
"But I'd sleep better if I did it tonight." Her lip hinted at a pout that he knew was only going to get worse. "This one is going to take a lot of energy. Would you take care of me when I'm done?"
He decided it be best to agree, to avoid disappointing her and delaying his sleep further. Plus she just looked so calculatedly pitiful when she asked for his help that he couldn't say no.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neo-Queen Serenity turned over in the bed to her husband. "Mamoru, my love," she said softly.
"Mm hmm." He opened his eyes and gazed into hers. The clear blue beauties were filled with angst. "What's wrong?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.
She could feel it. Something was wrong. On Earth. But not just there either. "Mamoru, something's been undone that we did together. A piece of our power is being blocked."
"Are you sure it wasn't just a bad dream?" he asked gently, trying to calm her fears.
"No, it's something else. I think it's Eryx."
But his response was only a tender smile. "Tonight's the eclipse, that's all. You've been worried about those ever since the Dead Moon Circus came to Earth, but it's just a part of the natural cycle."
"Are you sure? I feel like we've lost something."
"Perhaps a part of Eryx's power is being blocked due to the eclipse, but it'll be over soon enough. Don't worry, my love. It will soon be over."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko winced with the sound of their swords clashing. She didn't know why Mi-chan and Tenshi were fighting, but no matter what the outcome, she knew this couldn't turn out well.
If only she could transform! One Celestial Force and she could separate the two of them. It had worked for Tenshi and Jian-wa, it could work for Tenshi and Mi-chan too. But for some reason, although she had tried, she hadn't been able to transform. Now all she could do was watch Mi-chan and Tenshi fight and hope that neither of them skewered the other.
"You could stop this very easily," said the voice of a concealed figure. The male voice was not Jian-wa's, as it had been in a previous dream. But this one struck the same note of danger.
"How?" she yelled. She was surprised that neither Tenshi nor Mi-chan responded to her voice or the other one. They fought on, as if unaware of her presence. "Tell me how to stop them!"
"Choose one," was the dreaded answer. In her heart Neko had know that he would say that, but once again she found herself unable to choose.
"Stop it!" she screamed to the voice. "Why do you keep doing this to me?!" She flinched as Mi-chan swung towards Tenshi, with Tenshi just barely dodging the sword. "Stop them!"
"Pick one to live," the voice demanded of her. "One is better than none."
Neko shook her head. "No, I can't do something like that! I can't choose one to die!"
"Have it your way!" With that the voice went silent.
"Come back here and stop them!" she shrieked, to no avail. The guy was gone, and with him any hope of ending the nightmare unfolding before her.
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