FicWad

Light and Dark Eternal

by Anna Sartin

. . .

Two sexes, two poles, two of me...
Up, down, left, right, two of me...
Front, back, heaven, earth, two of me...
Angel, devil, two sides of me...
And inside I'm hollow ... inside I'm hollow...
Inside I'm hollow... Inside I'm hollow...

. . .

Jessie lay in bed, watching a "Revolutionary Girl Utena" marathon. James lay asleep beside her, and Meowth was curled up at the foot of the bed. It was a rare thing for them to actually sleep indoors, in their line of work. The boss didn't usually give them money for a hotel, so they camped out most of the time.

Today they had lucked out. They had managed to steal enough money to afford a nice hotel room with cable television. They were on the trail of the "twerp trio" trying yet again to steal Ash's Pikachu.

Jessie watched as Jury and Utena dueled on the television. All though that episode, Jessie had been thinking about Jury, who was trying to prove that miracles didn't exist.

I hope they do, thought Jessie. Because it'll probably take a miracle to catch that brat's Pikachu...

Jessie turned off the TV and laid down, snuggling close to James.

"We're going to win one of these days..." she thought, as she drifted off to sleep.

. . .

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they all yelled.

"This is all your fault!" Jessie yelled at James, as they soared through the air.

"It was Meowth's fault!" James whined, pointing at the flying feline ahead of them.

"Shut up, yous two!" Meowth yelled. "Dis ain't Meowth's fault! It's you two idiots dat screw everything up all da time!"

"Shut up!" they yelled back.

Suddenly Jessie noticed where they were going to land. It was a lake full of gyarados, and they all looked very hungry...

"Meowth doesn't wanna be catfood!" the cat pokemon cried.

"Prepare for trouble!" they all screamed in unison, squeezing their eyes shut.

. . .

Suddenly, a warm light engulfed them. Jessie opened her eyes. The lake filled with gyarados had vanished. If fact, EVERYTHING had vanished. The sky, the ground, the trees, everything. She and James were floating in a white light, and Meowth was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are we?" asked James.

"I... don't know..." Jessie replied, staring at the white robes they were wearing. "Could we be ... dead?"

She and James clung to each other and started screaming, "We don't wanna die!"

"Be quiet, you two!" a voice said. A short man in a white robe floated down in front of them.

"Who are you?" asked James, still clinging to Jessie.

"I'm the unfortunate person who's been sent to handle your case," was the reply.

"Where are we?" asked Jessie. "Where's Meowth!"

"HE survived," the short man said. "And they've been arguing for THREE HOURS about what to do with the two of you."

Jessie stared at him. "You mean..."

"We really are dead?" James finished.

They began screaming again. "We don't wanna die! We don't wanna die!"

"BE QUIET!" the short man yelled.

They both shut up.

"Now listen up," he continued. "You're not evil, but you're not good either; so nobody knows whether to send you to heaven or to hell. One-third of the voting party wanted to send you to heaven, one-third wanted to send you to hell, and one-third wanted to send James to heaven and Jessie to hell."

"Thanks a lot," Jessie muttered sarcastically.

"Voting party?" asked James, confused.

The short man ignored both of them. "Anyway, a decision has been made concerning your cases and I've been sent to inform you."

James became hysterical. Clenching Jessie tightly, he started screaming "I DON'T WANNA GO TO HELL! I DON'T WANNA GO! I DON'T WANNA!"

The short man continued, "Since two-thirds of the overall voting party wanted James to go to heaven, he'll go to heaven."

James stopped screaming and looked rather relieved.

"And since two-thirds wanted Jessie to go to hell..." the short man finished, "That's where she'll go."

Jessie looked like she was going to be sick.

James started screaming again. "You can't split us up!" he yelled. "I don't care where we go, just as long as we're together! You can't split us up, you can't!"

The short man stared at James like he had three heads.

"You actually WANT to go to hell?" he asked.

"I want to be with Jessie!" James said, holding her tightly.

Jessie stared at him, disbelieving. This was the bravest thing she had ever seen him do, and he was doing it to be with her.

The short man sighed and said "Okay, if that's the way you want it..."

"No!" said Jessie.

The short man was getting annoyed. "Look, lady, I don't have an eternity..." Then he stopped to consider. "Well, actually, I do but... I don't want to spend it here. What to you want?"

Jessie turned to James. "James, I can't let you do this. I can't let you go to hell because of me."

"But Jessie, I love you," he said.

"And I love you," she returned, "that's why I can't let you suffer because of me."

James began to cry. "Jessie, I don't care. I don't want us to be separated."

"I'm so sorry," she said, hugging him. "If I'd been better in my life this wouldn't be happening."

"But I was just as bad!" he argued.

"I love you, James. I'll always love you..." said Jessie, tenderly touching her lips to his. "Forgive me for not telling you sooner..."

Then, turning to the short man, she said, "Take him to heaven, I'm going alone."

"JESSIE NO!" yelled James, holding her tightly. Suddenly he felt a force of light pulling him upward. A flame from below shot up and wrapped itself around Jessie. It yanked her out of his arms and pulled her downward, screaming. In a second, she was gone.

"JESSIE!!!"

The light pulled James upwards into heaven and set him on the ground. He desperately began trying to dig back down into the ground with his hands. Upon finding this impossible, he turned to where the short man had been, preparing to demand that he be sent with Jessie. But the short man was gone and James was alone. Still on his knees, James began screaming in agony. He felt certain that the emotional pain he felt at that moment would probably have been enough to kill him if he weren't dead already. He curled up on the ground and cried in pure misery.

. . .

Still shrieking, Jessie felt herself being pulled downward at an incredible speed. Suddenly she found herself in the middle of a throne room, hovering just a few feet from the floor. The figure on the throne waved his hand, and Jessie fell on her butt. As she got to her feet, she noticed that the white robe she had been wearing was gone. She was wearing her Team Rocket costume. She turned to the figure on the throne. She found herself standing before the devil.

She wasn't sure what she should do. Should she bow or kneel or something? Finally, she decided she should treat the situation as though she were appearing before the boss. She figured there wasn't much difference between Giovanni and the devil anyway. So she stood at attention with her hands to her side, hoping the devil couldn't tell how terrified she was.

"You should consider yourself lucky," he said. "Not everyone gets the honor of meeting me when they get sent down here."

Despite Jessie's attempt to stand at attention, she was shaking like a leaf.

The devil laughed.

"Your situation is rather unique," he said, "So you'll be permitted to go where you please. Since you're a member of Giovanni's Team Rocket gang you might want to consider joining my army. It's pretty much the same line of work."

"You know the boss?" she asked him.

"Of course," the devil replied. "He's had a place reserved for him down here for years. Anyway, since you're going to be spending eternity here I'll have one of my minor demons give you a tour."

Jessie started to cry. She didn't want to spend eternity here. She wanted to spend eternity with James.

"It's not so bad," the devil told her. "In fact we have a lot of fun down here. Well, not everyone has fun down here, but since you're not condemned to anything particularly unpleasant, I'm sure you'll be fine once you get used to it. Anyway, I'm a very busy person so you'll have to forgive me for cutting this short. Now about that tour... ANDROMEDIOUS!"

A minor demon appeared with a puff a smoke.

"Yes, O my master?" he asked, bowing with his right fist over his chest.

"Give this woman a tour of hell and then show her to her quarters," the devil told him.

"To hear is to obey," the minor demon replied.

Jessie followed the minor demon outside. Other than the heat, the first thing she noticed was the terrible smell.

"What is that?" asked Jessie.

"What?" asked the demon.

"That smell?"

"Oh that," said the demon. "That's just the sulfur in the air."

"It stinks," said Jessie, wrinkling her nose.

"You'll get used to it," he told her. "Follow me."

. . .

A crowd had begun to gather around the blue-haired figure lying on the ground curled up in a pathetic-looking ball. He had been crying miserably for quite some time, and he showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. They couldn't understand what was happening. How could he be suffering? He was in heaven!

A light lifted James up and one of angels breathed on his face. His tears abated immediately, but he was still unhappy.

"Who are you?" James asked the angel.

"I've been sent to show you the wonders of heaven," the angel replied.

For the first time, James looked around. The sky was a clear, beautiful shade of blue, reminding him of Jessie's eyes. All around him were flowers and angels and he could see great white palaces in the distance. It was truly a sight to behold but without Jessie to share it with, it was meaningless to him. All he could do was picture the flame wrapping itself around Jessie's body and stealing her from his arms. He could still hear her screaming in his mind.

"Come on," the angel said. "I'm supposed to show you around."

The first place they came to was a huge white building.

"This is the Great Library," the angel told him. "It contains a copy of every beautiful story ever written."

Next they went through the biggest garden James had ever seen. The angel told him that every type flower that ever existed grew in it somewhere. James agreed that it was beautiful and asked the angel if he could pick a flower from it.

"Of course. It'll grow back after you pick it," the angel said.

James reached down and picked a red rose. The moment he broke the stem a new one immediately grew in its place.

James held the rose to his face. It smelled like a rose, but the scent was more intense. He immediately thought of Jessie, which brought tears to his eyes.

"You like roses?" the angel asked him.

"Of course," said James. "They are the flowers of love and romance."

As they walked through the garden, James was silent, letting the tears flow freely from his eyes.

They passed a couple making love amidst the flowers. The man was gently, tenderly embracing his partner. James blushed.

"You... allow that sort of thing here?" he asked the angel. "I mean... out in the open like this?"

"Why not?" asked the angel. "They're expressing their love for each other. What could be more beautiful than that?"

As they passed, James again thought of Jessie, and how he had always hoped that one day the two of them could share that kind of intimacy. He started to cry again, silently, letting the tears flow down his face and onto the petals of the rose.

Finally, they reached the end of the garden. They came upon a tower so high that James couldn't see the top.

"What's that?" he asked.

"This is the Birdsong Tower," said the angel. "When you go inside, you hear whatever song you wish to hear the most."

"Can we go inside?" asked James, curious to see for himself if this was true.

"As you wish," the angel said, leading him in.

What James heard next shocked him.

It was Jessie's voice...

"You know us as Team Rocket and we fight for what is wrong. We're tired of our motto so we thought we'd try a song..."

James' face lit up with pure joy.

"It's Jessie!" he cried happily. "Jessie's in here!"

He ran up the stairs calling her name.

"Jessie! Jessie, I'm here!"

The angel ran after him.

"Wait!" he called. "She's not here!"

James stopped.

"But I hear her!"

"No, you hear whatever you want to hear," the angel told him. "Your friend is not here."

James ran out of the tower crying miserably.

" I want Jessie!" he said to the angel when he caught up with him. "I love her! I don't want to spend eternity without her! Please, you've got to take me to her!"

"I can't do that," the angel told him.

"Please..." James begged, clutching the angel's robe.

"Only an archangel can do what you ask..." the angel said.

James stopped crying and looked into the angel's face.

"Then take me to one..."

. . .

Jessie miserably followed the minor demon through hell. As they passed the first building, Jessie could hear people screaming inside.

"Now over here are the principal torture chambers," said the demon, "the lesser ones are scattered all over hell. Over there are the major cells and prisons and..."

"Prisons? They have prisons in hell?" interrupted Jesse.

"Oh sure," said the demon. "Plenty of prisons. That one over there is Berkeley Prison, the biggest. It's Our Master's favorite. It's named after the Lord Berkeley, who went mad and killed his entire household; his family, servants, and guests. He was hanged for his crimes and after his death his mansion was rumored to haunted."

"So he's a prisoner in the prison named after him?" asked Jessie.

"No, he runs the place!" the demon laughed.

"That hardly seems like a punishment," Jessie replied. "How is it that some people wind up in the prisons and others wind up running them?"

"Sometimes it's decided before they ever arrive, and sometimes Our Master decides," said the demon. "As for Berkeley's punishment, he's never allowed to leave Berkeley Prison. He's been at it for two hundred years already. How would you like to spend eternity running a place like that?"

Jessie thought about that.

"What sort of people do they put in the prisons?" she asked.

"All kinds," replied the demon. "Like yesterday, two sisters arrived in hell fighting and screaming at each other. Turns out they had killed each other because they were jealous of each other. The oldest one made some tea for the younger one and poisoned it. When she turned her back, the younger sister stabbed her to death, and went to go drink the tea without realizing her sister had poisoned it. Before you knew it, they were both in hell arguing about who's fault it was." The demon laughed.

"But why were they put in prison?" Jessie wanted to know.

"Well, they were sent before Our Master so that he could decide what to do with them, but they wouldn't stop arguing long enough for him to get a word in edgewise; so finally he summoned me and said "Put them in a cell together and leave them there until it freezes over down here!"

Jessie laughed in spite of herself. "So they'll stay there for all eternity?"

"No, just until the end of the world," said the minor demon. "They're in one of the minor cells."

"What about the people in Berkeley Prison?" asked Jesse.

"Well, my personal favorite happened only twenty years ago," said the demon. "A child arrived in hell (we don't get too many of those) because he murdered both his parents, claiming they didn't give him enough attention. He cut them up and took parts to school to show his friends."

Jessie shuddered. This was the most disgusting thing she had ever heard.

"He got sent to the nut house, and one night about a year later he escaped. Didn't get to enjoy it for long, though. He wasn't paying attention crossing the road and got hit by a semi!" The demon began laughing hysterically.

"I fail to see the humor," said Jessie dryly.

The demon ignored her and continued, "So anyway, his eternal punishment was his greatest fear: he's condemned to spend eternity alone."

"Condemned to spend eternity alone... been there, done that," said Jessie bitterly.

"Over there is the library," her demonic guide told her, pointing to a building that looked more like a mausoleum than a place to store literature.

"You have a library here?" Jessie asked.

"Indeed," he nodded. "It contains a copy of every vile story ever written. We just recently expanded our hentai collection."

"What's that?" she asked suddenly, pointing to what looked liked an ocean made of fire.

"That's the Lake of Fire," he told her.

"It sounds like it's screaming," said Jessie.

"No, it's the people in it that are screaming," the demon said.

"There are people in there?" asked Jessie. "It's not the kind of place I'd want to go swimming."

The demon chuckled. "They don't either. That's the eternal punishment for the most evil people of all."

"You mean they're trapped there forever?"

"No, just until the end of the world."

Suddenly an imp ran up to them and handed the minor demon a folder.

"Oh good, I was waiting for that," he said, opening it.

"What's that?" asked Jessie.

"It's your file," he told her. "Since they were having so much trouble deciding where to send you, your paperwork was delayed a bit."

"Can I see?" she asked.

"Sure, as soon as I find what I'm looking for."

They walked on a bit further. What Jessie saw next made her yell so loud the demon dropped his papers.

"WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT?" she cried, pointing to a huge baby floating in a clear fluid sac. The thing was easily ten times the size of Jessie. It looked like an embryo inside the womb.

"That's the Child of Darkness," the demon told her.

"It's HUGE!" said Jessie.

"Well, it IS two thousand years old," said demon.

"TWO THOUSAND?" she cried. "You mean it'll sleep like that forever?"

"No," the demon replied. "Just until..."

"Just until the end of the world," Jessie finished. "I should have figured."

She bent down to help the minor demon pick up the papers he dropped.

"Here it is," he said, picking one of the papers up. "This is what I was looking for."

He gathered the rest of the papers up and put them into the folder.

"Here you go," he said, handing it to Jessie.

She opened the file. The first page had her name on it and listed all her faults. Vanity, Aggressiveness, Mistreating her loved ones, Deceitfulness, Dishonesty, Pride, Disloyalty, Thievery...

The list went on and on. The more she more she read, the more upset she got. She realized she had faults just like everybody else, but reading them all on paper was too much for her. Especially the bit about "Mistreating her loved ones." She realized it was true.

"I hate myself," she cried. "I hate myself and everything that I am. I spent my whole life with James yelling at him and hitting him and in the end, he was willing to go to hell for me! I was so mean to him, and now I'll never be able to let him know how much I loved him and appreciated his companionship. I'm a horrible person and I deserve to go to hell! Oh James, I'm so sorry!"

When she began to cry, the minor demon took the file from her hands.

"What's the paper you kept?" she asked, pointing to the single sheet of paper in his other hand.

"Your punishment," he said.

"Punishment?" she asked.

"Well, they don't call it eternal damnation for nothing," he told her. He handed her the paper. It said:

"Eternal separation from her beloved."

That was all she could stand. Jessie fell to her knees, screaming in hopeless misery.

. . .

"Please!" James said, tugging at the angel's robe. "Please help me! Please take me to someone who can take me to Jessie! Please!"

"The archangel Jerahmeel is nearby," the angel said, "I'll take you to him..."

James felt a light engulf him. Suddenly the angel and world around him vanished, and he found himself standing before a beautiful man with golden wings. James felt humbled in the presence of this being.

"Please... c-can you help me-"

"I know why you have come," the archangel interrupted, "You have come to save one of the unworthy."

"Jessie is not unworthy!" James cried angrily, forgetting his fear. "You just don't understand her! Sure, she can be mean sometimes, but that's because of the hard life she's had to lead. Deep down she has a good heart and I know she loves me. She chose to go to hell alone rather than see me suffer! I have to save her!"

"Why?" asked the archangel.

James closed his eyes, but the tears still flowed down his face. "All my life, I've had everything come to me easy. I was born into a life of wealth and privilege, and even when I ran away and met Jessie I still had it easy, because I always had Jessie to take care of me. Jessie hasn't been that fortunate. She was born poor and lost her mother when she was a child. She grew up learning to fend for herself; she had to be strong to survive! But I love her strength... if it hadn't been for Jessie's strength and endurance we might not have lasted as long as we did. I've always admired how strong and beautiful she is..." his voice trailed off for a few seconds. Then suddenly snapping back into reality, he continued, "She may be aggressive, but she's always taken care of me and I know she loves me as much as I love her! It's my turn to help her, and if I can't then at least we'll be in hell together!"

"You would choose eternal damnation over salvation just to be with that woman?" asked the archangel.

"Yes! I love her!"

"Turn around," the archangel told him.

James did so.

A large mirror stood before him. As he stared at his image he noticed something he hadn't before. He had wings! A pair of large, white, beautiful wings! He put his hand over his shoulder to feel them. They were real!

"This is your true form," the archangel said. "But that is not what I wanted to show you."

The archangel waved his hand and the image in the mirror changed. James saw what looked like an orchard. The trees bore all different kinds of fruit, and strangest of all, they had blossoms and fruit at the same time. James meant to question the archangel about this, but before he could the image in the mirror changed again. This time it was a field filled with laughing children and all different kinds of Pokémon.

"Is all this part of heaven?" James asked.

"It is," the archangel replied. "Would you really choose to leave this forever?"

"Yes," said James. "Because without Jessie it is meaningless to me. Without love, there is no such thing as paradise."

He touched the mirror with his fingertips, and the image faded out and turned black. "Without love, there is nothing."

The archangel smiled knowingly and waved his hand again. A new picture appeared in the mirror. A group of people were kneeling at the top of a tower. It looked like they were praying.

"I don't understand," said James, "What are they doing?"

"That is the Tower of Wishes," said the archangel. "Those you see are wishing for their loved ones living on earth. They protect and guide them through the power of their wishes."

"The power of their wishes?" James asked.

"They can find no peace, even in heaven, because without their loved ones they are incomplete. So they remain in the Tower of Wishes, protecting and guiding their loved ones until the day when they can be reunited."

"Then you do understand!" said James, turning to him. "You do know how important is for me to..."

His voice trailed off. The archangel stared at him for minute and then said, "This mirror will show you anything you wish to see."

James turned back around and faced the mirror.

"I want to see Jessie!" he cried. "Please show me Jessie!"

The mirror showed Jessie lying on a dark red bed. She was crying.

"Jessie!" James cried. "Jessie, can you hear me? I'm right here, Jessie!"

"She can't hear you," the archangel said.

James pressed both hands against the surface of the mirror and continued to watch his beloved...

. . .

Jessie lay on her bed, sobbing as if her heart would break in two.

"I know it's for the best... I couldn't let him come with me. I can't believe I'll never see him again..."

The demon had calmed her down long enough to show her where she would sleep. She didn't even know people could sleep in hell. The number on the outside of her door was "666." The demon had told her that in hell every room number was 666. He explained to her that in each building the doors were different colors, and that's how everyone could tell them apart. Her room was "666-red."

"I wasted my life," she said, sobbing into her dark red pillow. "I knew he loved me, and I never told him how I felt because I was afraid of losing him..."

She rose from her bed and went to the window.

"What a fool I was..." she said, pressing her hand against the glass. "I thought if I got too close to him, something would take him away from me... just like everything good in my life. Whenever anything good happened to us something always ruined it. I didn't want it to be the same with James... but something did take him away from me, and now it's too late." She pressed her forehead against the window pane and cried bitterly.

Suddenly she heard her door shut. She turned around. A woman was standing there, leaning on the door and staring at Jessie.

"What to you want?" Jessie snapped. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"Why should I?" the woman asked her.

"Because you're supposed to knock before entering someone's room!" Jessie yelled.

"Not here," said the woman.

"What do you mean not here?" asked Jessie.

"What makes you think you're entitled to privacy? This is Hell."

The woman came closer to Jessie and continued to stare.

"Well, what do you want, then?" said Jessie, getting extremely aggravated with her.

"I wanted to see you," was the reply.

"Why?" asked Jessie.

"Because I live in the next room, and wanted to know what you were like," she said.

"How long have you been down here?" Jessie asked her.

"About three years," the woman said.

"Why did you get sent here?" asked Jessie, sitting on the bed.

"I killed my baby," the woman replied.

Jessie stared at her in absolute horror. The woman showed no emotion, it was as if she were discussing the weather.

The woman continued, "I was raped by my father. I fell in love with another man and we were going to be married until I learned I was pregnant with my father's child. When I gave birth, I killed it, and then myself."

Jessie just stared at her. That was the most horrible thing she had ever heard.

"Why were you crying when I came in?" the woman asked her.

"Because the man I love is in heaven and I'll never see him again," she said, beginning the cry again.

"Don't worry, you'll feel better in a few days," the woman said.

"The hell I will! What would you know?!"

"I do know," the woman said. "In a few days you'll forget that you loved him. Your pain will be gone. It'll be like it was never there at all."

"What are you talking about?" Jessie asked her.

"Love cannot exist in hell. It has no place. Your love for him will fade out of existence. I barely remember my fiancée. I can't even remember what it feels like to love."

"You mean I'm going to forget James?" Jessie cried, standing up.

"Of course you will, it's for the best-"

"Get out of my way!" Jessie yelled, knocking her to the floor. She ran from the room. "I've to get out here," she told herself. "I can't forget James, I won't!"

She tore out of the building and ran smack into a major demon.

"Just the person I wanted to see," he said, handing her a piece of paper. "It's a draft notice. Our Master wants you to join his army. I've been sent to collect you."

"Like hell!" she yelled, ripping the paper in two. "You take me out of here right now!"

Jessie didn't notice that a crowd had gathered around them. They all began laughing at her. The major demon also laughed.

"OUT of here? There is no way out of here. Right now you are in Our Master's good graces. If you cause trouble you'll just make things worse for yourself. Now let's go!"

"No! I don't belong here!" Jessie shouted. "This place is filled with murders, rapists, and baby killers. I may not be a saint but I'm not evil, I'm not!"

She grabbed the sword from the major demon and swung it at him. He just backed away and motioned some of the minor demons to come assist him.

"I'm getting out here," Jessie told all of them, "even I have to fight every vile thing in hell to do it!"

. . .

James watched from the archangel's mirror as the minions of hell began to attack Jessie. She fought them off bravely, but she was greatly outnumbered. Every time she took out one, two more seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Jessie!" James cried, as an imp attacked her from behind. "Watch out behind you!"

The imp tried to spear her though the back, but she moved just in time and it missed.

"I've got to help her!" James said, turning to the archangel. "Please take me to her!"

The archangel placed two of his fingers on James' forehead. "You realize that everything has its price?"

"I don't care," James said, closing his eyes. "I love her! Please take me to her!"

"Go to her," the archangel said, filling James with a white light. "When you get there you'll know what to do..."

. . .

Jessie's Team Rocket costume was now stained with blood. It was all her own, for as she had quickly learned these creatures didn't bleed. She felt herself weakening. She struggled to hold on but she knew the situation was hopeless. There were just too many of them.

I've failed... she thought, as a new group of demons arrived to assist their comrades. I've failed, James. Please forgive me...

Suddenly a blinding light appeared out of nowhere. The imps and demons shrinked away from it.

Jessie blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust. She couldn't believe what she saw. It was James!

It was her James, glowing with radiance, his white wings slightly spread out. He was an angel... her angel. He approached her, taking her tear-stained face in his hands.

"I give you myself, Jessie," he said. "I give you everything that I am. Take my power. You can do it... I believe in you."

He kissed her forehead and as he did, a light filled her. Her wounds were healed and she felt renewed. Her torn, bloodstained Team Rocket costume turned into a short white robe and gold armor and gold-colored boots encased her feet. The demon's sword she had been holding turned into a heavenly instrument, a sword made of pure gold, with a light that shined from within.

James watched this beautiful transformation of the woman he loved. As she grew a beautiful pair of wings, James felt his own power diminishing. His wings vanished and he fell to the ground. He knew that this was the price he had to pay. He had given her his power and he had nothing left.

Jessie opened her eyes and saw her beloved slump to the floor. She understood now. She knew what she had to do. He had given her his power knowing that she would have the strength to save them both.

The demons circled around them, unsure of what to do. Finally, they all attacked James, tearing his white robe. They didn't seem to care which soul was damned, as long as one of them suffered.

Jessie attacked them with renewed vigor, vowing to save them both. A white light flashed from her sword as she used it to send the vile creatures one by one into oblivion. She was no longer a damned soul, but holy being fighting with a combination of holy power and the greatest power in all creation; the power of love.

James watched as his angel battled. She was beautiful; truly the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. The holy power she wielded quickly destroyed the demonic creatures. He watched as she took out the last of demons. But the battle was not over yet. A great devil materialize in smoke and laughed at them maliciously.

"The exit from hell is not so easily reached," he told them. "I am the guardian of solitude and damnation. I AM solitude and damnation! Can you defeat me?"

Jessie raised her sword and cried "Yes! I will defeat you!"

The final battle was long and hard. In addition to having a large weapon that Jessie could not identify, the creature also wielded a whip with remarkable efficiency. Several times it lashed into her, sending a searing pain rippling through her body. Jessie fought defensively, trying to avoid the blows, but eventually she found the whip wrapped around one of her legs and she was dragged off her feet.

"JESSIE!" James screamed, watching as the enormous creature yanked the whip and dragged her across the ground.

It attempted to stab her, but she cut the whip connecting them and rolled away from the other weapon just in time. She changed her strategy and began fighting offensively, but the great devil countered every move she made. While he could not defeat the holy power she wielded, nothing Jessie did seemed to damage him in the least. He laughed at her.

"Only the power opposite of mine can defeat me. Pathetic fools! You will never learn the secret to defeat me! You will spend eternity in hell!"

The demon's words echoed in James' mind...

"I AM solitude..."

Suddenly James understood. The opposite of solitude was...

Unity.

Unity! That was it! They had to do it together!

Two sexes, two poles, two of me...
Up, down, left, right, two of me...
Front, back, heaven, earth, two of me...
Angel, devil, two sides of me...
Inside I'm hollow... Inside I'm hollow...

James dragged his battered, bleeding body over to a spear lying near him. He picked it up and got to his feet. He got behind the demon and with the last of his strength, drove the spear into its back.

"This is for you, Jessie!"

At the same time, Jessie drove her sword into the demon's chest. The creature roared and all of hell began to shake. The great devil gave a final roar of anger and pain and finally disappeared in smoke.

Jessie ran to James, who had collapsed to the ground. She helped him to rise and he fell into her arms. They were both crying tears of relief and joy.

Neither of them had any words to describe this moment. Jessie lifted James up to her and kissed him.

As she did a light filled him, healing his wounds and restoring him to his former glory. A light surrounded them both, and even then they did not break from their kiss. The world around them disintegrated, and hell vanished into nothingness.

. . .

They were surrounded by darkness. The only sound they could hear was the sound of their heartbeats, beating in perfect unison.

Suddenly a voice surrounded them...

"You have done well..." it said. "You have passed the test, proving once again the true power of love..."

"Test?" they both asked.

"I am one the many guardians that protects the dreams of the living. I have watched you for a long while, adoring each other from a distance, but being too afraid to tell each other your true feelings. To prove that your love was true, it was important to test you both. James' greatest strength is his ability to resist temptation, and Jessie's greatest strength has always been her ability to persevere against all odds. Both of you faced the ultimate challenge of your character."

"We did?" they asked.

"Indeed. James resisted the temptation of ultimate paradise to be with Jessie, and Jessie fought the legions of hell to preserve her unity with James; and in the end, your unity let your true forms shine through."

"Our true forms?" asked James.

"Or haven't you noticed how out of character you've been acting?" the voice asked. "James, you gave all of yourself selflessly and without fear. You used the last of your power to defeat the guardian of hell, and all this time you never showed your fear."

James realized it was true. He was usually very timid, but when he realized that Jessie needed him he found courage that he never knew he had.

"And Jessie, who always tries to show no emotion, finally expressed her true feelings," the voice continued. "Don't you see? In this, you have seen you true forms, both on the outside and on the inside as well. James found his own inner courage and Jessie got in touch with her own inner heart."

"So this whole thing was just a test? We didn't really go to hell?" asked Jessie.

"You do not belong in hell. You never have and you never will, despite your faults and many wrong-doings. Deep in your souls your true goodness lies; and good people never go to hell."

"But I don't understand," said James. "What's going to happen now?"

"I'm sending you back," the voice replied. "Remember... courage, loyalty, and unity are three of the great powers that protect the true force that binds us all... the power of love. Go now..."

. . .

Jessie felt a pain in her back. She opened her eyes. Where was she? Her white robe had turned into a pink... nightgown?

She looked around. She was in hotel room with a television.

Huh?

She was in bed. James was asleep beside her and Meowth was curled up at the foot of the bed.

A dream?

She reached underneath her to see what was causing the pain in her back. She was laying on the TV controller. She turned on the TV. The "Revolutionary Girl Utena" marathon was still on. Utena was dueling again, this time with Nanami.

It was all a dream?

She sat there a moment collecting her thoughts.

So we weren't eaten by gyarodos, we didn't go to hell... That means...

"WE'RE ALIVE!" Jessie shouted, jumping out of the bed.

Poor Meowth, who had been sleeping peacefully at the foot of the bed, awoke with a start and fell off the bed entirely.

"Who- What- What's going on?" he asked.

When he saw that nothing was wrong, he fury-swiped Jessie and shouted, "What did ya wake Meowth up for?"

Jessie picked Meowth up and swung him around happily.

"I'm so glad to see you!" she cried happily. "I just love you, Meowth!"

Meowth, figuring Jessie was losing it, quickly jump out of her arms and ran off.

James slowly sat up in the bed and yawned.

Jessie ran to the bed and hugged him. Surprised by this rare display of emotion, he asked, "What was that for?"

"For being you!" she said.

"Oh, um... okay..." he said, still confused. "Hey Jessie?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I just had the weirdest dream..."

"Really?" she asked. "So did I... I dreamed that we were eaten by a bunch a gyarodos and-"

"And I went to heaven and you went to hell!" James finished.

"You had the same dream?"

"Yeah... I guess so..." said James. "What do you think this means?"

Jessie was silent for a minute. Finally, she said, "I think it was a miracle."

"A miracle..." said James thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess it was."

Meowth stared at them both from the doorway.

They're both cracken' up," he thought to himself. They're losen' it. They need a vacation bad...

James took Jessie's hands in his own and said, "Jessie... there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time, but I was too afraid to..."

Jessie smiled and said, "I know, James. I feel the same way. But I'm not afraid anymore. I love you, and I'll never let anything come between us."

James kissed both of Jessie's hands and said "I love you, Jessie. My Jessie, my love, my angel... I love you eternally."

With tears in her eyes, Jessie brought her lips up to touch his.

Meowth watched as they kissed.

"I'm glad dey finally got tagedda," he sighed, wandering off. "But I still t'ink they're cracken' up..."

"James?"

"Yeah, Jess?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

She stroked his face gently. "For loving me... for loving me enough to give up your entire existence to save me."

"I meant what I said, Jess," he told her, staring into her eyes intensely. "I give you everything that I am... because I love you with everything that I am."

"I know..." she said softly. "When you gave yourself to me I could feel your emotions as if they were my own. I could feel your love for me, and it was the most intense feeling I've ever experienced. I love you, too... more than anything in this world."

She kissed him, and he returned the kiss passionately.

"Hey James?"

"Yeah, Jess?" he asked, just as he had before.

"Why don't we take the day off tomorrow? Do something fun for a change."

"What would the boss say?" asked James.

"The hell with him-" Jessie stopped. "You know what, James?" she said, "I don't EVER want to hear that word again!"

"I agree!"

They both laughed.

"Do you think we'll truly be together for all eternity?" he asked, his green eyes shimmering with emotion.

Jessie smiled confidently. "After tonight... I'm sure of it."

Time is hypothetical, illusory...
A stage device we create the moment we are born,
Destiny... choices... goodbyes...
You and I are like the Milky Way,
There is no past, no future, only today...
All alone in the cosmic theater of the universe,
That's me! Wait!
My last evolution revolution evolution!

~END

Author's note: This is a really old story I wrote a LONG time ago when I was a teenager. (Year 1999 or 2000 I think) I apologize for the oozing sap. Really!

DISCLAIMER: Lyrics to "Angelic Creation" (during the final battle) and "Eve of the Revolution Evolution" (at the end) are from "Revolutionary Girl Utena" and are property of Starchild Records. (among others)