A Peaceful Breath

By Bashfulglowfly

Chapter One: Jadeite

Karl Jackman was very new to Tokyo but he was loving every bit he'd come across so far. He had chosen Japan for his year abroad and had gotten it.

University was going great. He had some problems understanding sometimes but making recordings of the lectures and getting in study groups with classmates helped a great deal. And the study groups helped him make friends.

Through those new friends he was sampling various aspects of Tokyo nightlife and culture. His friends, at his request, hadn't taken him to the same place twice. A few places had made him blush wildly (you can take a boy out of his small town…) but he'd had lots of fun for the most part.

And the food! Dear God, they weren't kidding that Tokyo was a Foodie Town. Everywhere he went there was some delicious new food he had to try. Mitsuru and Rikako had started competing with each other to find something that he didn't like. So far, they hadn't succeeded. He was fairly certain they'd find something sooner or later.

Karl was glad that he walked from his apartment to school as well spending the weekends walking around exploring. Otherwise they'd probably be rolling him from class to class.

When he got to Tokyo, he had decided that he would explore and see everything he could. The first few weeks he saw all of the touristy spots and museums. Now he was exploring the city a little bit at time. He wanted to see everything. Local schools, grocery stores, neighborhoods. He wanted to see how and where people lived normally, day to day.

This weekend he was exploring Azabu-Juban District. It was really nice area. Lots of shops and places to eat. He made a note of a few places that he'd come back and try. Sort of an Old World feel in a few places. As he walked he came across a place where several streets came together and spied several steps that led to a shrine.

He grinned to himself as he walked quickly up the steps. There were places that had more steps but these were steep so he was glad that he was in shape.

When he reached the top, he was amazed at the beauty of the shrine. He took a few steps forward then he had to stop. Something made him take a deep breath then release it. Something loosened inside him. He felt…lighter.

There was a clatter to the left of him and he opened his eyes to see a tall (for a Japanese) girl dressed as a miko who had dropped a broom and was staring at him in shock.

Karl strode over to the girl and picked up the broom handing it to her. He bowed and smiled, asking "I hope I'm not intruding. Is it permissible for me to be here?"

The auburn-haired girl stuttered for a moment then took her own deep breath. "The shrine is open to the public. It's just asked that you don't go inside any of the buildings."

Karl bowed again to her. "Thank you."

He started walking around admiring the simple architecture of buildings when he saw a girl with her long blonde hair in two tails climbing a ladder. For some reason, his breath caught in his throat.

Then the ladder started to move sideways!

The next thing Karl knew he was across the courtyard with a tiny blonde in his arms. He stared into her blue eyes…and became furious.

He grabbed the girl by the shoulders and shook her. "Damn it all, Serenity! You should know better than to do things like that! What would Dymion say if you hurt yourself?!"

"I…I…ummm."

"Let. Her. Go." The coldly furious voice came from behind him.

Karl turned around and looked at the girl with the long black hair and furious violet eyes. "Hello, Nike."

A snarl was his response. A snarl, a transformation and an attack of flames.

Jadeite created a shield of pure energy and blocked the flames from himself and Serenity. He used the shield to direct the flames harmlessly into the sky. He gently pushed Serenity away from him and got to his feet. Mars snarled again and Jadeite bolted to the center of the courtyard so that he had more room to move and sent another attack into the sky.

"Mars! STOP! NOW!" Jadeite recognized the voice that snapped with command but he didn't take his eyes away from Mars.

"Venus…"

"Shut it!" Venus strode into his view. She may have been wearing the robes of a miko like the other girls but she was absolutely the Leader of the Senshi. "He did nothing…NOTHING…wrong! Yet you behave like a Jovian barbarian, sorry Jupiter, and attacked. How. DARE. You!"

"But.."

Venus gave her own snarl and Mars shut her mouth quickly. "If this had happened in the Silver Millennium, Jadeite would have been within his rights to demand that Queen Serenity have you punished! And even if Jadeite would not ask, Kunzite, Endymion or King Terran would have been forced to demand your punishment by their people!" She took a deep breath, nostrils flaring as she tried to control her own anger. "At the very least you would have been flogged, you would have been banished from ever being around Serenity again or even executed."

Jadeite watched as the blood drained from Mars face. He took a step forward "Venus…"

Venus looked at him and bowed slightly. "I know what you're thinking and how you're feeling but this is between Mars and myself."

"No, it's not." That came from a quiet voice. Serenity stepped to Venus' side. "I was with Jadeite when Mars attacked. So not only am I involved but I am also her Princess." She took a deep breath and looked at Mars. "I'm very disappointed in you."

Tears welled up in Mars' eyes and fell down her cheeks. Her transformation faded away and she ran into the shrine, sobs trailing behind her.

Serenity buried her face into Venus' shoulder as the other two girls started to follow Mars. Venus held up a hand. "No." The two girls that Jadeite recognized as Jupiter and Mercury stopped. They looked at each other uncertainly. Venus stroked Serenity's back. "Let her stew in her own vegetables for a bit. Then I will talk with her." She looked at Jadeite. "We aren't going to attack you, so you can release your transformation now."

Jadeite looked down at his white uniform with red trim. "I don't think I know how."

Mercury giggled. "What are you going to be doing Monday?"

"School. I have two papers that I'll have to turn in." Karl looked down "Oh." He smiled at Mercury and bowed. "I'm Karl Jackman."

The girls in turn bowed and introduced themselves.

"I'm sorry, Serenity…Usagi."

She smiled, shook her head, reached out and patted his hand. "It's okay. We've been Senshi for several years now but Rei looks serene but she still has a hard time holding her temper."

Makoto snorted. "She's always had a hard time holding her temper. We can't afford that any longer. And people called ME a barbarian!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"I know. And none of you never called me that back then. But I heard the whispers." Makoto smiled wryly at Karl. "It didn't help that Jupiter had seven different Royal Families in less than 200 years. Not to mention killing so many of our own people that it made the American Civil War, World War I AND II combined look like children's arguments!"

Karl rubbed his forehead. "I…I remember reading something about that."

Ami patted his arm. "Don't force it. Just let the memories come when they come. It hurts less that way."

Karl nodded. "Let me talk to her."

Usagi looked at Minako. "Okay. Can you find her?"

"Always." Karl strode into the shrine and let his instincts draw him to Rei. He found her in a room with a large fire at one end. She sat like a statue staring into it. Karl sat down quietly next to her. And waited.

"I didn't want to be a Senshi. I just wanted to take over this shrine and help out my grandfather." The quiet words came slowly. "I didn't want to become a Senshi back then either. I don't remember why I fought it. I was much younger then. Only four maybe five. But, I fought it. Until I met Serenity. She's always been hard to resist."

"Endymion was much the same way. I wasn't born into a traditional noble family. My people roamed the Plains, riding horses, herding half-wild hairy cows. Being Searched out to become Endymion's Jadeite was…unsettling. I think the me back then would have probably understood Jupiter quite a bit." He laughed, "I remember them trying to get me into a bathtub! I'd only bathed in rivers and streams before then and used sand to clean myself. The tub and soap were just plain weird. Kunzite or Endymion had to bathe with me for several months before I really got used to it."

"I'm sorry."

Karl placed a hand on her shoulder, even though he wanted to do more. "I accept." He tugged lightly on her hair. "We'll take it one step at a time, okay?"

She smiled at him. "Okay."