I am so sorry for this long absence! Forgive me. Thank you for the reviews, yet again. Let's see if I can make this chapter count.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.
Unlikely Obsession---------Chapter 17 (woot!!)
Pluto's demise was quick and painful. Quartz was rubbing his belly and picking his teeth with his pinky when Neptune and Uranus appeared out of nowhere. The smell of blood and torn flesh reached their nostrils as they tried not to show their disgust to Quartz. Neptune was having the hardest time trying to contain herself from crying, while Uranus was trembling from the rage building inside her. Quartz was just standing there, smirking and waiting for them to make their move. Then they clashed.
Quartz was pleased with himself. He had managed to kill almost all of the Senshi and absorb their souls. He had one little job to do. The rest was up to Rubius.
Rei and Rubius were still kissing. They didn't even stop to breathe. For Rubius, kissing her was all the breath he needed. Rei was still playing with his hair, emitting a sigh here and there, but always her hands in his hair. That action drove him crazy...in a good way.
Rubius was the one who broke the kiss. "Do you believe me when I say I love you?" The question left Rei in thought. Why would he ask her such a thing? She was already debating whether or not this was a good idea, now he wanted to know what she thought of the whole situation. Needless to say, Rei was just a bit overwhelmed.
She stood up and began pacing the room. She was wringing her hands and looking at her feet, sparing glances to Rubius every once and a while. Rubius in the meantime had gotten comfortable on her bed. His whole body was on the bed, while his elbow propped his head up. He was just staring at her. Finally, she spoke.
"Okay...I'm trying to figure this all out. I'm pissed at you for killing Damien, who I loved in the Silver Millennium, but I forgave you...truly. I hate you for endangering the lives of my friends, but am flattered that you like me like that. Should I believe you? Why? Why do you love me, Rubius? I need to know." She hoped that his explanation would clarify where her loyalties lay. The kiss had made everything foggy. She swore that when the kiss ended, she couldn't even remember her name.
Rubius stayed in the same exact spot, however, now, he sported a crease in his brow as if in deep concentration. He took a breath, and then spoke. "I love you because I love you." Rei fell from shock.
"That is not an explanation! That is just an excuse you use to justify yourself. I need to know Rubius! What do you see in me that you don't see in any other Senshi? For all I know, you could have fallen in love with Venus just as much as you could have fallen in love with Moon!"
"I love you because you are beautiful!" Rubius had raised his voice. "I love you because you are different from all those other ninnies. You have passion and grace. You know how to handle yourself in any situation, and you give all of yourself when it comes to the people you love. I just want to be a part of that love. I want all of you."
Rei's mouth opened, but closed again. She didn't know what to say. Here, in front of her, sat a man that a few years ago she was set on destroying. But, now, he had revealed what she had always wanted a man to say to her. How could she trust him when she swore she wouldn't trust any man? Why was he so different?
"I believe you. Get out."
Rubius was on cloud nine. She had believed him. His beautiful goddess had believed him. He poured himself another glass of wine as he waited for Quartz to return with news concerning the termination of the Senshi. The view from the penthouse was magnificent. The night sky was clear, and the moon shined brightly over the many city lights. The stars were twinkling...alas; the setting would have been perfect for Rei and him to let their passions ride. "Where the hell is Quartz..." Rubius was becoming impatient and Quartz would get a reprimand for testing it.
Just as soon as the thought entered his mine, Quartz appeared in front of him. He seemed different...more lively. Rubius smiled. It meant that Quartz had succeeded in devouring all of the Senshi. However, that would also mean that he would soon have to cause Rei pain.
Quartz started: "I have completed my task. All but one Senshi remains...Mars, isn't it?"
"Yes. But you will only get her power, not her soul. Is that understood?"
"Of course, but tell me, oh, great lover, how are you going to accomplish this? How can you assure me of her power when you haven't even tamed her yet?"
Rubius suddenly pushed Quartz against the window of the penthouse, and lifted him several feet off the floor. His face was just inches from Quartz's and he growled through clenched teeth, "Don't you worry about a thing. I know how the 'tame' the wildfire. You just be careful the next time you decide to open your mouth."
Quartz fell with a thud on the floor. He glared at Rubius' back as he walked away. Rubius looked over his shoulder as Quartz was adjusting his clothes.
He asked, "Where are they being held?"
"The same place where we planned. Their bodies are being kept at room temperature...don't want any adverse reactions now, do we?" Quartz chuckled.
"And the stone? Give it to me."
"I can very well keep it. It is my payment after all...along with their souls."
"No...I just said you could keep Rei's power in place of her soul. The collective power of the Senshi is mine to keep. Or have you forgotten our contract?"
Quartz inched his way toward Rubius, reluctantly giving him a perfectly rounded orb. It was clear and the colors representing each of the Senshi 'devoured' were swirling around within it. The colors were bouncing around more rapidly than before, as if they were the very Senshi trying to burst out of the containment. Rubius stared at the orb intently, shooing Quartz away with his free hand.
Rei was relishing the cool wind against her face. 'I'm insane! What am I doing kissing some red-haired psycho dude!' Rei was disappointed in herself. She had expected that Minako or Makoto would be the ones falling for the villain, but it was she. She had to admit it: She liked Rubius. No, 'like' was such a juvenile word in this context. It was more like attracted. "Yes, Rubius is attractive, indeed. And sweet, and adorable, and he seems like a great guy," Rei stated aloud.
"Who's a great guy?" Yuuichirou had crept up behind Rei and had overheard the last part of her statement. He was hoping that she was talking about him, but he knew better than to get his hopes up.
Rei just looked at him strangely. She was debating whether to tell Yuuichirou about Rubius. Of course she wouldn't tell him the whole story, but just enough to capture his thoughts on the subject. Even though he could be annoying, Yuuichirou was still a very dear friend.
To answer his previous question, Rei answered, "This guy I met."
Yuuichirou was surprised she would actually admit something like this to him. They were not very close, but he did hold her in high esteem. So, he continued, "Oh. Who is he? I wouldn't have thought that you would forget Damien so quickly."
This comment brought a frown to Rei's face. Actually, it was more like a wince. She had completely forgotten about Damien. They did share a great love for each other. In the past. The Silver Millennium. When the planets still were able to support life. Way back when. In sum, it was a very long time ago, and now Rei realized that she would have eventually broken it off with Damien. She didn't feel the way she thought she was going to feel. Plus, she did have her promise to herself. It was she that a few years ago decided to swear off men completely. 'They were good for nothing,' 'immature,' she could 'live without them.' These were the statements that repeatedly left her mouth. But here she was falling, with no hope of stopping, for Rubius. Yuuichirou had been left standing there while she was lost in her musings. Finally, Rei pointed toward a step. They were sitting in front of the Shrine, overlooking the courtyard, and the moon was at its fullest.
"I haven't forgotten him...it's just that I didn't love him the way we would have thought."
"Huh?" Yuuichirou sounded perplexed. Rei giggled. He was such a goof.
"I mean that we weren't meant for each other."
"Oh! So who's this new guy? Someone we know? We, meaning your grandfather and I, of course."
"Yeah, right, and no, you guys don't know him. He was the guy that arranged all those gifts for me...you remember, the flowers and stuff." Rei was studying him intently. Could she trust him that much as to pour out her soul to him?
"What's the problem then?" That confirmed it for Rei.
"He's a bad guy. He's in some nasty business, you know? I don't know if being with him means I'm necessarily bad or degenerate or anything like that. Would you stay with a person knowing that they were in some shady businesses?"
Yuuichirou was shocked. Rei confided this information to him? He loved her with all his heart and this revelation broke it, but the look of anguish on her face was enough for him to push his problems aside. He cleared his throat and began, "That depends. If the person is killing people for fun, I don't think I can live with it. But, on the other hand, if I really love the person, no matter what their damage, I wouldn't care." He raked a hand through his hair, "That's a really hard question."
"I know! Now you know how I feel! What should I do!? I like him a lot...no, I'm attracted to him a lot...no...I don't know!"
Yuuichirou placed his hand on Rei's shoulder. "Rei, what kind of bad things does this guy do? You seem a little too conflicted about the whole thing. No man should be worth you losing sleep over. Or is he worth it?"
"To be honest, I have this stupid idea in my head. I think that if I try hard enough, I could change him. His ways, at least. I could make him do good, instead of hurting others. But I also know myself. I know that this aura of danger surrounding him is dreadfully sexy. But he also had a gentle side, so there's a probability of me winning him over after all."
"Definitely. But be careful." Yuuichirou was dying inside. She actually was falling in love with this guy. Rei began standing up. She was feeling better after spilling to Yuuichirou. He stood up also, and Rei tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Your welcome," he replied, and watched as she made her way inside.
AN: I wanted to keep writing but this is not my PC. Going too slow? Too Fast? Tell me! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!