Earth
Guardian Prince Endymion
By Senshi
of Ruin and Mizu no Senshi
Act Forty Four Recap:
(Mamoru’s POV)
The Metallia Youma continues to steal energy from innocent
civilians in Juuban and the surrounding areas. It even targeted Taro’s brother
and his girlfriend. The hospitals just don’t know how to cope with all these people.
We must find that Youma quickly.
“You did the right thing” Mamoru cut in, “If it was that
strong…” he shook his head, “Could we defeat it together?”
Taro hesitated slightly before answering, “No. I don’t
think the three of us are strong enough.”
We have to destroy it, but if Taro’s right about its power
then what chance would we have with just the three of us?
“The Shitennou were almost unbeatable in the past life,
but without Jadeite and Zoisite… as much as I hate to say it, if Taro is right
about this Youma, I don’t think we’d have much of a chance.”
I have to admit I wanted to see Seiichi anyway. What I
said to him before was unforgivable, no matter how true my words I shouldn’t
have turned on him like that. It’s just that his attitude frustrates me at
times.
“You will leave us to pick up the pieces as you always
do?”
“There is nothing I can do.”
“It is not about what you can do. It is what you could
have done.”
Every time I think I am a little
closer to understanding him, something happens to make me doubt him again.
His friend was, again, silent and Endymion snapped out,
“Damn it, Seiichi, just give me an explanation. Don’t I deserve that much?”
“Master” Seiichi said slowly, his voice wavering in places
as he spoke, “You asked me if I was Komoro Seiichi or Zoisite. The truth is…”
he drew a sharp breath, “I don’t know. I don’t know who I am anymore.”
*******
Act Forty-Five:
“I don’t know. I don’t know who I am anymore.”
Endymion was silent for a moment
as his friend’s words sunk in. Glancing up his sense of guilt deepened when he
saw the pain and confusion in Seiichi’s eyes as though even by admitting this
it was somehow hurting him more.
“I’m… I’m sorry” Endymion said
at last and he was. He was deeply sorry for forcing Seiichi to question the
past life but, at the same time, he was glad that he had done so. Perhaps now
Seiichi could finally see that it was the present that mattered.
“Seiichi” Endymion continued,
“You’re Seiichi, not Zoisite.”
Seiichi shook his head as he
answered, almost bitterly, “You see me as Seiichi, Master. I see… I don’t know.
I just don’t know anymore.”
“Would you like to be alone?”
Seiichi nodded and Endymion
stood, de-transforming as he did so. There was nothing he could say. It was his
fault and there was nothing that he could say or do to help his friend. This
was something that Seiichi had to work through in his own time.
There was still the Youma… but…
Mamoru shook his head and hurriedly left the room. How could he ask Seiichi to
fight when it was obvious that he was very reluctant to transform?
“Wait here” Endymion said at last, knowing full well that
Kunzite had no intention of doing as he asked, “I’ll get Seiichi and we’ll both
meet you outside.”
With those words, Endymion
started to hurry back down the street, towards the hotel. Casting a glance over
his shoulder, he saw Nephrite and Kunzite entering the gym, as he knew they
would.
Once he had exited the hotel,
Mamoru broke into a run back towards the gym. The Youma was in there, this he
suddenly knew with a deadly certainty. If they couldn’t defeat it… Mamoru
forced himself to run faster. He didn’t even want to contemplate what would
happen if his friends lost.
******
As they entered the gym,
Nephrite couldn’t honestly say that he was happy about confronting the Youma at
all. He was still in a bit of pain from the last encounter, but he was loath to
show such weakness in front of Kunzite.
It’s being sensible, Nephrite
tried to tell himself. If we are killed then how is that helping the planet?
The best course of action would be to wait for Endymion and Zoisite, but
Kunzite had decreed that they could look in the gym without their help. He
still had doubts as to its strength, Nephrite reasoned and he didn’t really
blame Kunzite for that. He had been unable to really emphasize just how
powerful the Youma was in words alone. It had an aura about it… something that
was more powerful than them all combined and as old as time itself. Nephrite
didn’t like it. He didn’t like this at all.
“Kunzite” he started as they
stepped fully inside the gym. Then he broke off as his gaze took in the scene
before him. People, both men and women, lay sprawled out across gym equipment
and on the floor itself. In one corner of the room an aerobics tape still
played, though the instructor, like her students, was lying unconscious on the
blue mat.
Kunzite unsheathed his sword and
moved further inside, searching the gym for any signs of life.
“Perhaps it’s left?” Nephrite
suggested, trying to force the tenor of his voice into one of disappointment,
but in reality he was relieved that it looked at though the Youma had gone.
Taro felt wild panic gripping his soul as he hurried to
the bed, placing a hand on Kanaye’s shoulder and shaking his older brother
roughly. “Kanaye!”
He did not respond. It was as though he was dead, but
Taro, of course, knew better. It was the same… he thought bitterly… that Youma…
But if they didn’t defeat it…
what would happen to Kanaye and Michie and all the other people that the Youma
had attacked? Would they stay in their comas forever? How could Nephrite leave
his brother to that fate when he could do something about it? But if they died
in the process then who will save the planet?
Nephrite followed Kunzite’s
lead, realising that they had no choice. Mamoru always talked about their
destinies not being important and that they lived for the present, but perhaps
he was wrong? They had a duty to defend the planet… no matter what the personal
cost.
He jumped slightly when the gym
door slammed behind them.
From a first glance, Nephrite would have thought that it
was a normal Youma. Indeed it didn’t look any the different from ones that he
had fought previously. Its body was a pale blue and gold colour, though it
shone slightly as though it were metallic somehow. Its skin was hard and seemed
to be acting as armour of some sort. Its face was white and expressionless,
though as it gazed upon Nephrite he felt as though it could see right through
into his soul.
He shuddered slightly, his right hand reaching for his
sword and Nephrite realised that he was shaking as he did so. The Youma, too,
carried a weapon; its own broadsword that shone in the sunlight almost blinding
the red haired Tennou.
As it stood poised and expecting an attack, Nephrite felt
as though it was beckoning him to come closer and he did so, feeling almost in
awe to it.
It was that same aura… Nephrite
cast a glance at Kunzite as the Youma took a step forward holding out a hand as
though beckoning them. His friend seemed unfazed by this and stepped forward,
his blade clashing loudly with the Youma’s own.
In the past life, Nephrite knew
Kunzite to be the most skilled swordsman in the Kingdom, and no one, not even
Endymion himself, had ever beaten him and the same could be said now. They both
continued to parry back and forth, neither obtaining the upper hand.
The Youma turned its back on
Nephrite, seemingly concentrating all its energy into keeping Kunzite’s sword
from its chest. Seeing his chance, Nephrite conjured a ball of red light in his
hand and hurled it at the unprotected back of the being.
In truth he expected it to block
the attack and indeed the Youma did whirl around at the last minute, just as
the attack struck. It slammed into its chest and threw it back against the
doors of the gym,
Kunzite paused, glancing at
Nephrite in surprise as he said: “I thought you said it was tough?”
“I didn’t try sneaking up on it”
Nephrite admitted as he looked over at where it lay unmoving.
Kunzite shook his head and
started to slowly walk towards it with the intention of finishing it whilst it
lay helpless. As he did so it struck back, even as Nephrite shouted out a
warning. Quicker than Kunzite could react, it hurled a ball of black energy at
the strongest Tennou, knocking him to the ground, his sword slipping from his
fingertips and skidding across the floor of the gym, out of reach.
Then the Youma stood, and, to
Nephrite’s horror, he saw that there was not a mark on its body. In fact it
seemed to have absorbed his attack altogether.
“Kuso” he cursed
softly as he darted between the Youma and Kunzite. It snarled under its breath
and then lunged forward, throwing another attack, this one at the ground by
Nephrite’s feet. The force of the blast threw him backwards into Kunzite as the
older man was standing.
As he hit the ground Nephrite
noticed, with increasing fear, that his transformation was no longer in place.
Kunzite, too, had returned to his normal form as he lay on the floor in pain.
The Youma snarled again and took a step towards them, its sword raised high
over its head.
Taro rolled aside, his eyes
widening at the tear in the gym floor the sword made as it struck. Scrambling
to his feet, he backed away, helpless in his current form. Kisho, too, stood,
though he took a step towards the Youma.
“Baka!” Taro yelled, grabbing
his friend’s arm and pulling him back, “You can’t defeat it! Not like this!”
Kisho looked about to protest
further, but then changed his mind and nodded slightly. Taro took this as
agreement and started to run towards the back exit from the gym, practically
dragging Kisho with him, much to the other’s annoyance, but, in truth, Taro was
afraid that he would decide to do something foolish after all.
As they reached the door, Taro
felt another attack, this one aimed straight at them. The power of it hurled
him forwards, smashing into the closed door. The door groaned under this weight
and buckled, sending both men sprawling out into the street.
Not waiting to see if it had
followed them, Taro scrambled to his feet and started to run, despite Kisho’s
shouts for him to stop.
“Matte!” his friend yelled,
taking after him and grabbing Taro’s arm, forcing him to be still, “It’s not
following us” Kisho shouted, “Calm down!”
Taro scowled, embarrassed at his
tone and glanced back at the gym. Black smoke was pouring out from the doors and,
already a fire engine and ambulance team had arrived and were carrying out the
unconscious civilians on stretchers.
“Damn it!” Taro snarled, more
angry with himself than Kisho, as he knew full well that the Youma had escaped
the blaze.
“Taro-kun, Kisho!” he looked up
as Mamoru hurried towards them and couldn’t help but smile at the look of
horror on Mamoru’s face when he saw the fire.
“I thought I told you to wait
for me,” he said reproachfully.
Taro smirked, trying to cover up
his anger and fear, “And you really thought we’d listen?”
Mamoru sighed and ran a hand
through his hair, “Not really” he admitted, “I take it the Youma was there?”
“It was” Kisho confirmed, “It is
strong. We had to run.”
“You ran?”
“Don’t sound too surprised”
Kisho said haughtily, “It was a strategic retreat.”
“I practically dragged him for
most of the way” Taro put in, wincing as he spoke and then, for the first time,
realising that he was bleeding. Wincing again he gingerly touched his lower lip
and grimaced slightly at the blood mixed in with grit from the pavement.
Mamoru expressed his concern
over this and then enquired to know if Kisho was all right. The older man
grinned and said: “I had a soft landing… him.” He indicated Taro.
Mamoru shook his head in
amusement at this before suggesting that they should leave before anyone became
suspicious.
“Did you talk to Seiichi?” Kisho
enquired as they started walking back towards Crown.
Mamoru hesitated slightly before
replying: “Yes, I did.”
“And?” Kisho prompted when their
friend refused to elaborate.
“He needs some time on his own
at the moment. I think it would be best if we let him be for now.”
Taro expected Kisho to be
scornful of this so he was surprised when his older friend said, “Is there
anything we can do for him?”
Mamoru shook his head, “No
though I wish we could.” Then he started to explain what happened.
******
Beryl frowned up at her Queen,
careful that her face portrayed none of the fear that edged around her soul as
she watched Kunzite and Nephrite’s battle against Metallia’s Youma form. The
energy that their attacks generated only served to feed the Great Ruler’s
power… her anger… If the Shitennou and Endymion were unable to defeat her…
Beryl looked away, for the first
time questioning her wisdom behind Jadeite’s capture. With the Shitennou
divided like this who knew how long they could last against her?
But it was too late now. His
fury was almost as great as Metallia’s own and would serve his true purpose well.
Still, her shadow’s interest in
Jadeite concerned Beryl somewhat. She didn’t like it. Like herself, Beryl
thought that Mio loved only Endymion. To think that she could see anything in
another… no that was not it. There was a hidden purpose beneath that coy smile.
Beryl did not like it. She did not like it at all…
******
“Endymion will know what it is like to feel the pain of
betrayal. And he will suffer greatly before I kill him.”
“Jadeite--”
“So, you failed” Mio observed,
as Masaki sat down on his bed, reflecting on the events of that day. Casting a
furious glance at his companion, he sniped:
“Yes, I failed, but I couldn’t
have allowed Endymion to see me just yet. That would not have done at all.”
Mio shrugged, “Zoisite will tell
him anyway.”
“Perhaps” Masaki allowed, his
mind still lost in the midst of the conversation between himself and the second
strongest of the Tennou.
Yet he hadn’t been strong then.
Seiichi had been almost resigned his fate. It had been as though he wanted to
die and, somewhere deep inside that concerned him. Seiichi was his…
“Masaki-kun?” Mio sat down
beside him, placing a hand upon his own, “I’m not angry. I think you did the
right thing. Him surviving isn’t that much of a blow, either, as it simply
means that you can prolong his agony.”
Masaki shrugged, his voice
wavering slightly as he answered, “What do you have in mind?”
Mio smiled wolfishly and leaned
forward, whispering the plan into his ear. Masaki nodded, firmly crushing any
thoughts to the contrary. They had betrayed him. They betrayed him and they
must pay for it.
Masaki stood, pushing Mio away
from him and the girl pouted slightly at this.
“They are the enemy” he
repeated, more to convince himself than the girl idol. “They betrayed me. They
betrayed me and they must die for it.”
They were never his friends… not
truly and Masaki was glad that he had come to realise it.
******
“Kuroki… Mio…” Tetsuya whispered
as he opened his eyes. His voice was dry and his throat hurt as he hazily took
in his surroundings. He could vaguely recall the female pop idol’s visit but
anything after that was completely gone… he wasn’t even sure how he had made it
to the bedroom…
Gradually, after several
minutes, the room stopped swimming before his eyes and he managed to push
himself into a sitting position and finally saw the younger man sitting beside
the bed.
“Seiichi-kun? What happened?”
Tetsuya asked, hating the weakness in his voice.
“I don’t know” Seiichi answered
quietly, “I arrived back here and you were on the floor. The bodyguards helped
to get you to the bed. They wanted to call an ambulance but…”
“You knew I’d be all right in a
while” Tetsuya finished for him and Seiichi nodded, and then uttered an
apology.
Why is he sorry? Is this to do
with the mission? It must be… Tetsuya frowned. He had never seen his charge
look so down. Although Seiichi tried to hide it there was a sadness in his eyes
mixed in with some confusion and pain.
Tetsuya asked what was wrong,
knowing that he would receive the same answer that he always did and he was
right.
“Daijobu. It’s nothing.” Seiichi
turned away, but not before Tetsuya saw the tears in his eyes.
This was the reason for him
standing, very shakily, and placing a hand on Seiichi’s shoulder. He had rarely
seen Seiichi cry. Not because the young man was cold hearted or so strong that
he would never break down, but simply because Seiichi kept his feelings very
much to himself. He hadn’t even cried at Zinan’s funeral, remaining strong for
Etsu and Yasuo despite everything.
“Just because I don’t understand
doesn’t mean that I can’t help” Tetsuya pointed out softly. “Is it your
mission?”
Seiichi shrugged, still refusing
to look round, “Have you ever felt as though you were born for a reason? That
you had no other purpose for being alive than for that reason alone?”
“No” Tetsuya admitted, “But I
knew someone who felt that way.” Zinan had often told Tetsuya a similar thing
that he was born for the soul reason of playing the piano and becoming a star.
That dream, however, had been shot down the day he became ill.
“I was so sure of it” Seiichi
continued, “I was so sure that I was born only to stop the past from repeating.
It was my only purpose and now…”
“You don’t know?”
Seiichi slowly shook his head
and turned around, awaiting Tetsuya’s reaction.
******
“I don’t know. I don’t know who
I am anymore.”
Seiichi hadn’t wanted to stay at
the Imperial when the Master left. Apart from anything if the Dark
Kingdom knew that he was staying there then it would be sensible to leave
rather than make himself anymore of a target than he already was.
Of course, now that Masaki had turned against them,
Seiichi knew that going back to his apartment was just as dangerous, but he was
concerned for Tetsuya and with good reason he thought bitterly as he stared
down at his unconscious manager. Once again Tetsuya had been caught in the
crossfire.
Seiichi looked down and saw that his hands were trembling
as he recalled the Master’s words and his own.
“You asked me if I was Komoro Seiichi or Zoisite. The
truth is… I don’t know. I don’t know who I am anymore.”
This acknowledgement was so true and it drove tiny stabs
of fear into Seiichi’s heart even as he thought of it. Being Zoisite was
easier. Zoisite didn’t have to deal with the pain… the loss… Seiichi bit his
lip as he thought of how he had failed his father, how he had always kept at
such a distance from Mamoru and the others when, deep down, he had felt envious
of the friendship they had shared. How he had almost killed Masaki and allowed
him to be brainwashed by the Dark Kingdom. He had kept focused on the mission.
So focused, in fact, that he had allowed it to consume him.
“Seiichi-kun? What happened?”
Tetsuya was awake now and Seiichi gave him a halfhearted
reply, whilst trying to force down the pain and sorrow that was quickly
overwhelming him.
“Just because I don’t understand
doesn’t mean that I can’t help. Is it your mission?”
He turned away, not wanting
Tetsuya to see him like this…
“Have you ever felt as though
you were born for a reason? That you had no other reason for being alive than
for that reason alone?”
Why was he even trying to talk
to Tetsuya? How could Tetsuya ever understand? How could he explain that his cowardice
and refusal to accept the past killed his own father? How could Tetsuya begin
to understand the burden that he was forced to carry?
“No. But I knew someone who felt
that way.”
“I was so sure of it” Seiichi
continued, “I was so sure that I was born only to stop the past from repeating.
It was my only purpose and now…” he broke off, whilst berating himself for
saying this much, suddenly, he felt as though he needed to talk to someone. He
wasn’t that strong…
“You don’t know?”
He shook his head, dreading
Tetsuya’s reply and yet wanting desperately to hear it all at the same time.
“I don’t know much about your
mission” Tetsuya admitted softly, “I’ve only ever seen your transformation once
and I don’t know what happened in the past life, but I’ve seen you grow up.
I’ve known you for your entire life. I’ve known you as Komoro Seiichi. This
mission is very important to you, but it is not everything. In your past life
would you have chosen the path that you have now?”
Seiichi shook his head. As Zoisite,
he knew that he would not have been interested in playing the piano for others.
Zoisite had always refused to play in public unless the Master had specifically
asked him too.
“Would Zoisite have been hurt so
much by Zinan’s death that he felt it necessary to run away?”
Again Seiichi shook his head.
Zoisite would have seen Zinan’s death as a casualty of war, as Seiichi himself
had tried to convince himself in the beginning.
“I’m not saying that your past
self was without feelings, but surely you can see how you’ve changed? That you
tried to be like him, but, deep down, you had these feelings and you were
afraid of them.”
“I’ve made such a mess of
things” Seiichi admitted, more to himself than Tetsuya, “Had I told Chiba-san
from the beginning then things might have turned out differently.”
“You only did what you thought
Zoisite would do” Tetsuya answered, “Am I right?”
“It’s taken you over! Can’t you see? You had a life before
you met Artemis, I know you did. You told me!”
But the mission was…
“I need to think about this”
Seiichi whispered again more to himself than Tetsuya. It would be so easy to
simply allow his past life to take over again but if he did that… Seiichi shook
his head and hurried from the room. Chiba-san was right. This was something
that he had to decide upon alone.
******
Back at Crown, Mamoru found that
the mood between his friends had not improved greatly since they had left the
gym. Kisho, Mamoru could tell, was angry about letting the Youma escape, Taro
was annoyed at the little Mamoru would tell them about Seiichi and Mamoru was
frustrated that they should be angry at him for it. How could he tell them? He
was sure that Seiichi wouldn’t want them knowing about his indecision, but then
again how well did Mamoru know Seiichi at all anyway?
As for the Youma, Mamoru was
confident that they had done the right thing. If it were that strong… Mamoru
sighed to himself. He wasn’t sure what they could do about it, but if they
didn’t find a way to kill it then it could steal the energy from everyone in
Tokyo, thus adding to Metallia’s already increasing strength.
“Kimi-kun” Mamoru looked up as
Motoki came out of the adjourning karaoke room right after Taro, who had gone
in there to see to his split lip, and complaining loudly. “Just because you are
supposedly a Guardian of the Earth doesn’t mean that you can forget about your
responsibilities here, too.”
“Baka!” Taro snapped back,
knocking the bucket and mop from Motoki’s hand as he spoke, “I have more
important things to worry about than the state of your floors.”
“Baka” Motoki imitated Taro’s
tone of voice which added to the older man’s fury, especially when Motoki
added, “I really wish you’d let that girlfriend of yours teach you manners” and
with this he promptly announced that he was going out to buy some more turtle
food for Kamekichi and left.
“Girlfriend?” Kisho enquired, a
hint of curiosity entering his voice as he looked up at his friend, “Is there
something you haven’t told us, Kimi-kun?”
“No” Taro stammered, going bright
red as he did so and Mamoru had smile, despite his misgivings and concerns
regarding the mission. “Motoki’s just
being stupid, that’s all.”
“What’s her name? Do we know
her?”
“There isn’t a ‘her’!”
“So there’s a ‘he’ is there?”
“NO!” Taro snapped, bawling his
hands into fists as he stomped over to Kisho and snarled right in his face,
“There is no one, got it?”
Kisho shrugged, “Whatever you
say, Kimi-kun.”
“I’m telling the truth!”
“Then why don’t I believe you?”
Mamoru shook his head as Taro
continued to shout at Kisho and the older man took this anger in good humour
and carried on with his teasing. Mamoru felt terrible for laughing when his
friend was dead, but this scene reminded him so much of the early days of the
mission. Life back then now seemed so carefree though Mamoru hadn’t thought it
at the time and he desperately wished that they could go back there.
His nostalgia was, quite
literally, shattered however when the main the window of Crown suddenly smashed,
sending glass shards showering down over them and the floor. Mamoru felt one
shard cut into his cheek as he dropped to the floor, an instant reaction on his
behalf and he saw that Taro and Kisho had also dropped to their knees, the
latter bleeding from a gash on his arm. Kisho’s face also registered some
shock, as did Mamoru’s own, as the Youma took in its surroundings before
locking its gaze purely on Mamoru’s own.
As its ice blue eyes met
Mamoru’s gaze, it let out a screech, flapping its black bird like wings and
sending another attack of black magic bursting forth from a clawed hand. This
attack smashed the lighting overhead, causing another shower of glass to fall
down over them.
Mamoru stumbled back, too
shocked to do much else, as it glared at him again.
He couldn’t move… he was rooted
to the spot by the intense burning hatred in its eyes… even as it reached out
towards him… and screamed as a blade sliced through the air, cutting its hand
off at the wrist, green blood spurting from the wound and covering Mamoru and
the floor by the desk.
Glancing up, Mamoru saw Taro and
Kisho, both transformed, standing over him.
“Look at that window” Nephrite
shouted, his earlier fury at Kunzite now being directed towards the Youma, “Do
you realise that it will have to come out of my pay? And this floor? Guess who
has to clean this up once you’re dead? I don’t get paid enough for this!”
The Youma swung around at his
words, catching all them completely off guard as it struck with another burst
of black energy. This energy slammed into Nephrite, sending the red haired king
backwards into the wall, the magics then binding itself around him, pinning him
in place. The shock was apparent upon his face but instantly he started to
struggle. As Nephrite did so, the binds crackled into life and a scream escaped
him as they started to absorb his energy.
Mamoru stumbled to his feet,
preparing to transform, even as the Youma lunged forwards. He jumped backwards,
even as Kunzite stepped between them.
Snarling the Youma held out a
hand, and Kunzite was barely able to block the attack. Struggling, he managed
to send it back towards the beast, knocking it into the counter. It bellowed in
fury and a grey sword appeared in its remaining hand as it advanced towards
Kunzite again. He drew his own weapon and Mamoru took this opportunity to run
to his other friend’s side.
“Taro-kun? Daijobu?” Mamoru
knelt down beside Taro, taking hold of one of the magical binds that held him
with the intention of trying to free his friend. Mamoru cried out in pain as he
did so. The binds were hot to touch and he was forced to let it go.
It’ll kill him… this
realisation stopped Mamoru cold. It would… it would continue to suck his energy
until he died.
Mamoru took hold of the binds
again, gritting his teeth and ignoring the battle behind him and Taro’s own
protests as the pain almost blinded him. But Mamoru also felt something else as
he struggled to free his friend; the same white hot rage that he had felt when
he looked into the Youma’s eyes…
Then the battle turned. Mamoru
looked up, with increasing horror, as Kunzite fell, befalling the same fate as
Taro.
Mamoru stumbled away from Taro
as the Youma started to slowly advance on him again, its eyes once more burning
into his own as a dry whisper escaped its lips:
“Endymion…”
“Mamoru!” he dimly was aware of
Kisho calling him, “Mamoru, transform!”
Transform…
“It could have killed you! What
were you thinking?”
What am I doing? Why is this
Youma so familiar somehow?
Mamoru took a step backwards,
silently willing his transformation as he did so, but he was too slow. Slipping
on the blood on the floor, he suddenly found himself on his back, the Youma
towering over him with its sword raised high above its head.
“Mamoru!”
He closed his eyes, preparing
himself for the blow.
“Serenity!” Mamoru heard his own voice shout, as he fought
against this place, the delighted crows of Beryl ringing in his ears as the
ground in front of him exploded in a shower of colours and flames before dying
completely, leaving destruction in their wake. Then he felt it, an agonising
pain in his back as the sword entered his body even as Serenity screamed.
Mamoru fell, his own sword clattering heavily against the
stone as he did so. He had no strength left…
Why did he think of the past
life then? Was it doomed to repeat? Why was he thinking of her? Sailor Moon…
Princess Serenity… Tsukino Usagi…
Then he felt it… a weight on his
chest… crushing the air from his lungs. Mamoru exhaled a ragged breath, feeling
the blood soaking his shirt. Was this what it felt like be hovering between
life and death? He supposed it must do and indeed he was beginning to feel
light headed. Slowly his vision was starting to drain at the corners. It would
be so easy to shut his eyes…
“Master!”
A different voice broke through
his haze, as he was roughly shaken from his near slumber. Mamoru forced himself
to look up; his gaze now meeting Zoisite’s own concerned one. Out of the corner
of his eye, Mamoru saw the Youma lying still on the floor and then begin to
turn to dust before his eyes.
Taro and Kisho were already
staggering to their feet, the binds dispersing with the Youma’s death.
“What happened?” Mamoru asked
groggily, feeling more than a little embarrassed.
Zoisite gave him a half smile,
albeit as awkward one, as he de-transformed. “It was about to kill you, Master.
I managed to get it first.”
“Then you practically fainted on
us” Taro added, some amusement in his voice, despite his current obvious
fatigue.
Mamoru ignored him and climbed
to his feet, whilst Seiichi and Kisho expressed their concern. Grimacing at his
blood soaked clothes, Mamoru just wanted to go back to Motoki’s and have a
shower. He could even taste it, which added to his revulsion.
Receiving several assurances
from Kisho and Taro that they were all right, Mamoru resolved to do just that
when he heard a painfully familiar voice state scornfully:
“So you defeated it? A pity
really but not surprising. It was only my second creation after all.”
Mamoru glanced between Taro and
Kisho before turning around. The stunned looks on their faces confirming his
own sense of disbelief when he stared at the man leaning casually against the
doorframe.
“Masaki-kun…” Mamoru murmured
softly.
His friend looked well… better
perhaps than the last time that Mamoru had seen him and his relief that Masaki
lived was threatening to overwhelm his caution, but, as Mamoru took a step
forward, he felt Seiichi’s hand on his arm, restraining him from going to his
friend’s side and with good reason.
Masaki appeared to look too
well. Dressed in a pair of black jeans and a black shirt he, from a first
glance, looked normal enough, but the darkness in his eyes and the sly smile
that played across his lips told Mamoru that there was something desperately
wrong with his friend.
“We thought you were dead” Taro
stated quietly, he too noting the aura surrounding the younger man and
refraining from getting too close, “Why didn’t you let us know that you were
okay?”
“Because he’s not okay” Seiichi
answered for him, “He’s the one who sent that Youma.”
“What?” Taro snapped, “Why would
he do such a thing?”
“The Dark Kingdom corrupted him.
He’s no longer our friend.”
Taro shook his head and took a
step towards Masaki, “I don’t believe this. He wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“Taro” Kisho warned, “Metallia
can corrupt. I have seen it before… in the past life.”
“But he’s our friend…”
Masaki slowly shook his head,
his gaze darkening further. “No” he stated softly, “I’m not your friend and you
were never mine.”
“What?”
“Where the hell were you when I
needed my ‘friends’? You were too obsessed with yourselves or the mission to
give a damn about me! Who saved me from that psycho-bitch, Sailor Moon? Not
you. Not my friends, but the enemy! The Dark Kingdom--”
“Seeks to use you to further
their ambitions” Kisho cut him off by saying, managing to hide the shock that
they were all feeling. “They care nothing for you.”
“And I suppose you do?”
“We’re your friends.”
“No, you’re not” Masaki spat,
taking a step towards them and transforming as he did so. “You betrayed me. You
would have let me die and now I will return the favour.”
“What do you mean?” Mamoru
demanded. This couldn’t be happening… Masaki was their friend… what on Earth
had the Dark Kingdom done to him to make him think otherwise?
“I want you to fight me, Master”
Jadeite sneered, drawing his sword as he spoke, “I almost killed him yesterday”
he nodded towards Seiichi, “And your other two companions a moment ago, but it’s
you who betrayed me the most, Master. It was you who allowed Usagi to
keep the Ginzuishou and because of that I was nearly killed! You betrayed me in
the past life and then you did so in the present despite telling us that it
would not be that way again.”
“Masaki” Mamoru bit his lip. It
was true… he had betrayed him… Mamoru inhaled deeply, but that didn’t mean he
would harm his friend now, no matter what had happened to him.
“Fight me” Jadeite shouted,
“What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not going to fight you.
This is madness. De-transform now”
“No.”
“Yes!” Mamoru pleaded, “That’s
an order, Jadeite.”
He lowered his weapon, staring
hatefully at Mamoru, the blonde Tennou replied, “You can’t order me about. Not
anymore. I answer to Queen Beryl now. She is my Master in this world. Now FIGHT
ME!”
“No--” Mamoru started to reply,
when Seiichi stepped between them. Taking Jadeite completely by surprise he
slammed the blonde back into the wall, forcing him to drop his weapon.
“You will stop this foolishness
right now” Seiichi growled in Jadeite’s face, “Chiba-san is not to blame for
any of this.”
Jadeite smirked, “No? Then who
is?”
Seiichi hesitated slightly
before answering, “I am.”
Jadeite nodded, managing to push
Seiichi away from him as he did so, “I suppose you are to blame, Seiichi-kun,
but why admit it now? You’ve been stringing us all along with your lies from
the start. You could have killed me!”
“I know” Seiichi admitted, “But
Chiba-san is willing to forgive all of that. De-transform and forget about this
stupidity. The Dark Kingdom only seeks to use you, but we’re your friends. Why
can’t you see that?”
Jadeite shook his head, taking a
step away from them, “No” he repeated, “No, you are not my friends. You
betrayed me.”
He was obviously rattled by
Seiichi’s words and Mamoru opened his mouth to try and add some weight to what
Seiichi had said but, as he did so, Jadeite suddenly turned, disappearing in a
flash of purple light.
“Masaki-kun” Mamoru whispered,
sitting heavily down in a chair near Crown’s broken window. He couldn’t seem to
shake off the look of hatred in his friend’s eyes. What had he become?
“He…” Taro murmured, “He is a
traitor? It can’t be! What the hell have they done to him?”
“Seiichi’s right” Kisho said
softly in an answer to this, “He’s no longer our friend.”
“And I suppose you want to kill
him?” Taro sniped bitterly as he stood, his hurt and anger overwhelming him and
he ran from Crown.
“Taro--” Mamoru jumped up,
wanting to go after his friend when Kisho shook his head.
“I’ll go.”
“Is that a good idea?”
Kisho shrugged and left, not
granting Mamoru with a reply.
“You can’t order me about. Not
anymore. I answer to Queen Beryl now. She is my Master in this world. Now FIGHT
ME!”
In truth, Mamoru felt drained.
Too drained to go after Taro and even attempt to comfort his friend. The
mission was destroying everyone dear to him. Hina… Masaki… Usagi… he glanced up
at Seiichi, recalling the older man’s pain.
“Seiichi?” Mamoru started,
remembering his words to Masaki.
“It’s okay” Seiichi interrupted
softly, “I’ve made my decision.”
“You have?”
“What I did, I always did with
the best intentions, but I was wrong. Zoisite is a part of myself, yes, but, in
this world, I’m Komoro Seiichi.”
“I’m glad” Mamoru replied, but
there was one thing they still had to agree on, “But can you just do one thing
for me?”
“Yes, Master?”
“Please don’t call me ‘Master’.
My name is Mamoru.”
Seiichi nodded, “Of course,
Chiba-san.”
Mamoru sighed to himself, but he
supposed ‘Chiba-san’ was better than ‘Master’. Instead he commented on the mess
that the Youma had made and decided that they should try and clean up a bit
before Taro came back or the current disarray would only serve to make him even
angrier.
I answer to Queen Beryl now. She
is my Master in this world.
Masaki… Mamoru
bit his lip when thinking of his friend, but he couldn’t help wonder what they
had done to make their friend hate them so.
******
“I suppose you are to blame,
Seiichi-kun, but why admit it now? You’ve been stringing us all along with your
lies from the start. You could have killed me!”
“I know. But Chiba-san is
willing to forgive all of that. De-transform and forget about this stupidity.
The Dark Kingdom only seeks to use you, but we’re your friends. Why can’t you
see that?”
Jadeite reappeared in Mio’s
chambers in the Dark Kingdom, ignoring the look of surprise that she gave him as
he started to pace up and down, Seiichi’s words echoing in his mind.
When he had first teleported to
Crown he had been so focused on what he had to do. He had been completely sure
that Endymion and the Tennou had betrayed him and now… now he didn’t know and
this confusion was frightening him.
What if he was wrong? What if
Seiichi was right? He had turned against them and they would hate him.
No… Mamoru would forgive him,
but that made it worse in some ways. Jadeite cursed softly and ceased his pacing
as Mio came over to him.
“They said you were using me,”
Jadeite answered when Mio enquired to know what was wrong. “He said that they
are my friends, but how can they be? They betrayed me!”