Earth
Guardian Prince Endymion
Surprisingly, Seiichi found that his sleep was a peaceful
one and when he finally woke up the next morning, he was pleased to find that
all that Artemis had said the night before seemed to be nothing but a distant
and very unpleasant memory.
You are Zoisite and even when I am gone, you will still
have the memories of your former life, no matter how hard you try to block them
out.
He was one of the Shitennou of the Earth Kingdom? There
had once been life on the Moon? Seiichi laughed to himself at the mere prospect
of such things.
“Seiichi!”
Etsu greeted him when he got downstairs. Much to his
dismay she was holding her flute in one hand and a very crumpled piece of
rainbow coloured sheet music in the other, “I’ve been working on a song. Would
you like to hear it?”
Yasuo looked up from the television and smirked slightly
at her words.
“Of course” Seiichi answered, not knowing what else to say.
In any case he loved his sister too much to disappoint her despite how terrible
her playing might be.
“Rather you than me” Yasuo grinned and got up as Etsu got
ready to perform her piece of music.
“You don’t want to stay, too?” she cried in disappointment.
“Papa wanted me to help him with something” Yasuo answered
to this, “Remember?”
Etsu nodded enthusiastically, but neither of his siblings
chose to enlighten Seiichi to exactly what this might be.
“Oh” Yasuo paused by the door, “Seiichi-kun, Papa said can
you meet him at the studio this later this afternoon?”
“This afternoon?” Seiichi frowned, “We don’t have it
booked for then.”
Yasuo shrugged, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as
he added, “He said it was important. I’ll see you later.”
He hurried out of the house before Seiichi could question
him further and, in any case, Etsu had started to play her music. Seiichi
couldn’t help but wince at the harsh notes and, after a few minutes, he stopped
her.
“You didn’t like it?” she asked reproachfully.
“No” Seiichi picked up the sheet music and raised an
eyebrow at how random the placing of each note was. “I do, it’s just that… it
does need some work. Why don’t we have a look at it together?”
“Honto?”
“Hai.”
Etsu smiled, happy with this suggestion and they spent the
rest of the morning trying to perfect Etsu’s music. In fact, Seiichi managed to
completely loose track of time and he was beginning to regret how little time
he had spent with his sister of late. In fact, he really hadn’t had any time
for any of them since his career took off.
Seiichi was having thought of calling Tetsuya and taking
some time off, though he knew it wasn’t exactly the best time, but one of the
luxuries of fame meant that he could take a break at relative short notice.
Still, Seiichi knew, without checking, that he had a few signings to go to
later this week and then another concert. Perhaps he’d better wait until things
had calmed down a little?
Soon they were well into the afternoon and Shina had to
come in and remind Seiichi that he was expected at the studio in twenty
minutes.
Etsu didn’t seem as disappointed as Seiichi thought she
might be that he had to go.
“Can I come, too?” she asked as he put his coat on, “I’ve
always wanted to see the studio.”
Shina, too, seemed pretty keen to go with him for reasons
that Seiichi couldn’t fathom and he was in no mood to argue. Zinan and Tetsuya
always got carried away and it was probably to do with his second single,
‘Fantasy Impromptu’. Seiichi didn’t really like performing written pieces and
preferred his own works. One, in particular, he had been writing for years came
to mind. He had titled it ‘Tsuki no Jigoku’ and, for some reason, Seiichi just
couldn’t perform the ending. He always managed to mess up the last few notes.
Zinan couldn’t understand it as he could play it himself all the way through,
but for some reason the music managed to really get through to Seiichi thus
making him falter when playing it.
They reached the studio in ten minutes and, as Seiichi got
out of the Mercedes, he felt a strange sickening sensation in the pit of his
stomach. He felt his skin start to tingle and he shuddered slightly at the
darkening aura around him. What was that? Seiichi looked around and saw
nothing. It was a nice spring day and the air itself was quite warm. People
continued walking down the streets, the occasional one recognising him and
coming over for an autograph as Seiichi followed Shina and Etsu towards the
glass studio doors.
Was it nerves? Seiichi wondered as he hurried inside. He
had only ever been to the studio a few times and had felt a little
apprehensive, but this was… he shivered again as the feelings of nausea refused
to go away. The girl at reception smiled nervously at him and held out a
notebook for him to sign, which Seiichi did so, but he did not linger to talk
to her, as he usually would do with the fans.
“Seiichi?” Shina paused, frowning slightly, “What is it?”
“Nothing” Seiichi shook his head, trying to shake off his
sickness. There was something coming. His gaze drifted to a corridor veering
off from the main reception.
“Are you sure?” Shina placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Papa!” before Seiichi could answer her, Zinan appeared,
coming from the same corridor that Seiichi had been gazing down moments before.
His sense of unease increased when Etsu ran to their
father. Zinan returned her hug before turning to Seiichi, explaining that he
had a surprise for him.
Glancing at the proud smile on Shina’s face, Seiichi
realised that she had known about this from the start. Only Etsu looked
confused, but was happy to take the hand that Zinan offered her as the family
made their way back down the corridor and to a room at the end of it.
Zinan was smiling as he led the way inside. “I was going
to show you this last night” he said quietly “But the music store only managed
to deliver it this morning. We had to have it delivered here or it wouldn’t
have been a surprise for you.”
Standing in, and dwarfing the rest of the room, was a black
grand piano. Seiichi turned back to Zinan in confusion. He did have his own
piano, Zinan’s old one in fact, and certainly nothing on this scale.
“It’s yours” Zinan said, “I know you’ve always wanted
one.”
“I have but…” Seiichi trailed off overcome by his father’s
generosity.
“There’s more” Tetsuya added, as he stepped into the room.
“I received this last night. I know I should have given it to you then, but
when Zinan told me about his gift to you I decided to hold onto it for a bit”
with those words he handed Seiichi a white envelope.
“What is this?”
“Your contract. The record company want you to sign on
with them for the next two years.”
“Two years?” Seiichi repeated, feeling more than a little
overwhelmed by all of this.
That wasn’t true, Seiichi said to himself as he stared
down at the envelope in his hand. He did love to be up on stage, to have a
crowd cheering for him alone, and another two years… this was more than he had
ever dreamed.
“You do want this?” Zinan pressed quietly, “This is what
you want? You truly deserve this, Seiichi and your mother and I are so proud of
you for it.”
“I do want this” Seiichi assured him, “I just…” he trailed
off, his throat suddenly feeling dry as his sense of unease heightened when
Zinan placed a hand on his shoulder.
Recalling that he had seen a water cooler in the main
reception, Seiichi shrugged Zinan off of him and quietly announced that he was
going to get a glass of water and left the room.
Seiichi walked back down the corridor, trying to ignore
the tension that flooded the air and almost choked him in its oppressiveness.
It was strange how this darkening aura was now visible to him. Seiichi could
see the tendrils of energy weaving in and out through the walls, some
threatening to touch him if he strayed to close to them.
“Already there are
Youma, the Dark Kingdom’s servants, in Kamakura. They seek to drain the energy
of humans. You were reborn in this form to fight the Dark Kingdom’s second
awakening and find your Master, Endymion.”
He would not think of it now, not when he carried his
future in his hand. Seiichi came to a standstill, frowning in puzzlement when
he saw that the reception was empty. Shrugging to himself and caught up in the
fear and sudden fury that came with thinking of Artemis’s words, Seiichi tore
open the envelope. He opened the contract to the last page and signed it
without thinking. This did bring him a curious sense of relief as he scrawled
his name in various places on the document. He was still in control.
Leaving the contract on the desk, Seiichi walked around to
the water cooler and was about to help himself to a glass when he happened to
glance behind the reception desk.
The pretty brunette receptionist lay sprawled on her
stomach, her eyes tightly closed and the notebook with Seiichi’s signature in
it was still clasped loosely in her left hand. Forgetting everything else,
Seiichi knelt down beside her, tentatively placing a hand on her back as he shook
her gently, trying to wake her.
Nothing… she was deeply unconscious. Seiichi stood,
calling out for help, but silence was his only reply.
Hurriedly, he ran to the first door he came too, a
recording set, and opened it. Inside the studio staff lay, some still slumped
over equipment, and backing music continued to play, though the young male
artist who had been recording was also unconscious.
“What is this?” Seiichi whispered to himself, trying to
rouse the nearest worker and getting as little response as he had done from the
receptionist.
Then a scream cut through the silence. Etsu…
Seiichi turned and ran, his heart hammering loudly in his
chest as he made his way back to the room where he had left his family.
Flinging open the door, Seiichi found Shina, Yasuo and Tetsuya all in a similar
state to the others. Only Etsu was still awake and she ran to Seiichi, clinging
to him as she whispered in a choked voice:
“Monster…”
Monster?
“Seiichi?”
“Papa!” Etsu cried, but didn’t let go of her brother.
“Where did you go? Mama, Yasuo and Tetsuya-san… they won’t wake up.”
“I know” Zinan said darkly, “We must get help.”
Seiichi nodded in agreement to this and Zinan motioned for
them to follow him back out into the lobby. As Zinan said this, Seiichi’s sense
of unease became almost unbearable. He was actually shaking!
“Etsu” he said, after taking a few deep breaths, “Wait
here.”
“Demo--”
“Wait here. No harm will come to you, I promise.”
Etsu nodded and sat back down beside her unconscious
mother.
Satisfied that she would be safe, Seiichi turned and ran
after his father. Now alone with Zinan, Seiichi voiced his own fears.
“What’s happening? Why is everyone--?”
He trailed off as Zinan came to a standstill and suddenly
whirled around. Seiichi barely had time to register the blow before he was
thrown backwards, slamming into the doors leading into the reception. The doors
buckled under this sudden weight and Seiichi landed painfully on his back, momentarily
stunned as Zinan stalked towards him.
There was a certain darkness in his eyes… they seemed so
lifeless… as though he no longer had a soul…
“Father?” Seiichi pushed himself up onto his knees, as
Zinan’s form started to glow and then, as though he was a puppet whose strings
had been cut, Zinan fell to the ground and the true nature of the beast beneath
was revealed.
At a first glance, one could have mistaken it for a bear.
Indeed it did have the same rugged brown hide, but, as the light faded and it
took a step towards him, Seiichi saw that this was not an animal. At least not
one that any human had ever seen. Its feet resembled a bird of prey’s talons
and tore at the polished wooden flooring as it walked. Its hands and arms were
covered in metallic armour and from the ends of its stubby fingertips; long
silver nails glinted in the light. Its face was almost too terrifying for
Seiichi to gaze upon. Its skin was mottled and its eyes blood red. A reddish
brown mane flowed down its back from curled horns atop its head.
As Seiichi stared, helpless to do anything else, its
fingernails were sheathed back into the ends of its fingers as it reached out,
wrapping a powerful hand around his throat.
Seiichi gagged as his feet left the floor and he kicked
out at it, though his blows did little good as the beast holding him was easily
more powerful than the grizzly bear that, at a first glance, it could have been
mistaken for.
Seiichi struggled further, but he was aware that he was
becoming weaker as it held him. He was beginning to feel light headed and his
eyes started to close.
“Already there are Youma, the Dark Kingdom’s servants, in
Kamakura. They seek to drain the energy of humans. You were reborn in this form
to fight the Dark Kingdom’s second awakening and find your Master, Endymion.”
“Seiichi!”
A voice cut through his recollection of Artemis’s words
and Seiichi tiredly forced his eyes to open as his gaze slid passed the Youma
and to the crumpled form to Zinan. His father’s face had drained of all colour
as he stumbled to his knees, his right hand clutching his chest as his voice
contorted in a grimace of agony.
Yet, despite his pain, Zinan still tried to get to his son
and Seiichi cried out when the Youma caught his father a glancing blow around
the face, sending him sprawling backwards once more. Zinan did not get up.
“You do want this?” Zinan pressed quietly, “This is what
you want? You truly deserve this, Seiichi and your mother and I are so proud of
you for it.”
“I want…” Seiichi whispered, “I don’t know…”
It would be so easy, he thought, so easy to close his eyes
once more… but he couldn’t do that. It wasn’t who he was… it never had been.
Slowly he felt his strength returning and Seiichi raised a
hand, crackling blue energy pulsing from his palm to strike the Youma in the
face, causing it to release him. He hit the floor, at the same instant that the
creature spun away, smashing its way through the double doors of the studio.
Outside, Seiichi could hear civilians screaming as it tore down the streets of
Kamakura, but he paid them little heed. Looking up, Seiichi happened to catch
sight of his reflection in the mirror that hung above the reception desk and
was stunned by the change to his appearance.
His hair had grown much longer and was now a silvery
white. It was caught up in a ponytail that hung down his back whilst some
shorter strands framed the sides of his face. His eyes had changed from their
usual warm brown to a cold blue that seemed to be stared reproachfully back at
him. Gone were his jeans and white shirt and replacing them was a white uniform
consisting of a jacket with a green lining, silver clasps encrusting with
violet gemstones holding this garment closed across his chest. A white belt was
wrapped around his waist. The white trousers he was now wearing seemed plain
enough, and were tucked into silver boots that almost came up to his knees. A
silver cape was slung over his left shoulder, attached to his jacket with
glinting green and silver gemstones.
This was… his true self?
“Seiichi?” Zinan’s voice snapped him out of this revue.
His father lay on his side, his hand still clutching tightly at his chest,
though his gaze was locked on his son’s current form.
“Father…” Seiichi trailed off and ran to him, kneeling
down at his side. “Don’t move. I’ll get some help…” he broke off again when
Zinan weakly grabbed his arm and slowly shook his head. They both knew deep
down that there was little anyone could do. Zinan had always had a weak heart
and the Youma possession… his heart just couldn’t take the strain… he was
dying…
“Father” Seiichi whispered, tears blurring his vision and
he was unable to stop them from falling.
Zinan smiled weakly and nodded towards his transformation,
unable to speak, but Seiichi understood what he meant.
“This is… this is my true self…”
To this Zinan violently shook his head, letting go of his
son’s arm to reach for where his wallet lay at his side. He slipped out a
photograph from the inside flap, but as he did so another spasm overtook his
body. Seiichi cried out as Zinan’s hand fell lifelessly to his side, his eyes
drifting closed.
For what seemed like an age, Seiichi could only stare down
at his father. Tears ran rivers down his cheeks, splashing down onto his new
uniform. He could barely breath. He was dead… Zinan was dead…
“Okay. I’ll leave. I can just walk out of here and pretend
that we’ve never had this conversation if that is what you want, but it will
never go away. You are Zoisite and even when I am gone, you will still have the
memories of your former life, no matter how hard you try to block them
out.”
Artemis… why hadn’t he listened to the plushie? Had he
just heard the cat out instead of shouting at him and refusing to believe his
words this would never have happened. Zinan would still be alive and… Seiichi
expelled a harsh breath. His father was dead because of him. He was dead
because of his son’s cowardice. A scream tore at Seiichi’s throat at this
realisation and he stood, ignoring Etsu’s anguished cry as she ran into the
reception and was faced with her father’s lifeless form.
Wildly, Seiichi tore off in the direction that the Youma
had taken. There would be time for grief later… he felt a strange power, that
he had never possessed before and yet felt so familiar, coursing through his
veins. Nothing else mattered… not anymore…
“This is… this is my true self…”
To this Zinan violently shook his head, letting go of his
son’s arm to reach for where his wallet lay at his side. He slipped out a
photograph from the inside flap, but as he did so another spasm overtook his
body. Seiichi cried out as Zinan’s hand fell lifelessly to his side, his eyes
drifting closed.
Caught up in his fury, Seiichi failed to notice the
photograph of his normal self still clutched lifelessly in his dead father’s
hand.
*******
Seiichi raced down the moonlit streets of Kamakura, his
gaze locked upon the retreating form of the Youma running just ahead of him. He
felt only two emotions now. One was an intense desire to destroy the being he
was pursuing and the other feeling was acceptance. It was strange, Seiichi
knew, as he gave thought to his current form. This no longer frightened him… it
was his true self. Komoro Seiichi had never existed at all.
It came skidding to a halt, faced with a dead end. Seiichi
smiled grimly as it turned to face him and he held out a hand, intent on
blasting it to pieces with the same power that he had possessed moments before
Zinan’s death.
Nothing… no wave of energy spilled forth into his palm. It
was as though it had never existed at all. Seiichi gasped slightly, as the
Youma, recognising his helplessness, lunged at him.
Seiichi jumped backwards, avoiding the Youma’s attack but
managing to get his feet entangled in his cape and ended up sprawled on his
back before the beast.
“Zoisite!”
Seiichi heard Artemis cry out his name as the Youma held
out a hand, a sword appearing in its outstretched palm. It swung it at the
helpless king and Seiichi rolled to one side, narrowly avoiding being stabbed
in the chest. He bit back a cry of pain as the blade nicked his right shoulder.
“Zoisite, what are you doing?” Artemis shouted from his
vantage point, “Fight!”
Seiichi ignored the cat and tried to stand, only to get
his feet once again caught up on the ends of this ridiculously long cape he was
wearing and fell down again, this time landing on his stomach at the Youma’s
feet.
“Zoisite!” Artemis yelled again, this time panic clear in
his voice as the Youma raised the sword above Seiichi’s head.
Seiichi pushed himself up onto his knees and held a hand
out, trying in vain to defend himself, as the blade came down. He winced and
shut his eyes, bracing himself for the pain. There was none. Cautiously looking
up Seiichi was stunned to find that the Youma’s blade had been shattered,
pieces of metal littering the ground around them and it threw the hilt down,
snarling as it did so.
Gazing down at his hand, Seiichi saw his shaking grip was
fastened tightly around the hilt of a small silver and white sword with a
curved blade. The familiarity of this weapon was almost as overwhelming as that
of which he had felt when he had first transformed.
The Youma was almost as surprised as he was by this unprecedented
advantage, but this was soon forgotten and it lunged forward again. Seiichi, in
sheer panic, slashed at the Youma and caught it a blow in its upper right arm.
His sword tore through the light armour and the Youma uttered an enraged squeal
of pain and fury, before using its free hand to get a grip around Seiichi’s
throat once more.
Yet, instead of draining his energy, it threw him back
several feet. Seiichi slammed painfully into the wall behind him and then onto
the ground. Pain exploded in his head as he struck the concrete, his weapon
falling from his hand and out of reach.
Shakily he raised a hand to his forehead and when he
stared down at his gloved palm, he found it had blood on it. His blood.
The Youma was advancing upon him again and Seiichi forced
himself to stand whilst struggling to fight of the nausea that came with his
injury. It would kill him… It recognised his true form and it would kill him
for it.
Then he felt it again… the same tingling sensation in his
palm that he had felt the moment that he had awakened. Without thinking Seiichi
grabbed the Youma’s wrist as it reached out for him again, his powers surging
forth and into the being at the very same second that it launched its own
magical attack.
A scream caught in his throat as he was thrown backwards
again, this time propelled by the force of the combined magics. He hit the
ground, but barely registered this and the fact that the Youma had fled. The
agony… Seiichi doubled over, tears searing in his eyes at the white-hot pain
that now tore through his body. He couldn’t breathe… all he could concentrate
on was this new anguish and the memories that came with it.
The full moon shone down upon the vast rose gardens of the
Earth palace, illuminating it in a liquid silver as the two lovers stood locked
in a needful embrace lost in their own private world. For once it was a
relatively peaceful night, even the fighting had died down to a dull roar. But
it was getting closer all the time. Soon it would reach the palace itself…
Zoisite paused in his rendition of Moonlight Sonata as a
particularly loud scream cut through the night air. The scream had been human.
It usually was. The Dark Kingdom Youma were a relentless tide of poisonness
demons born from the fury and jealousy of courtier Beryl and they would never
stop. Zoisite, himself, had watched the new recruits in the army leave that
morning. Some were no more than twelve winters and they would be going to their
deaths in the name of the Moon Kingdom whilst the lunarians watched from the
safety of their palace content to let the Earth’s children bleed. And bleed
they did and still Endymion refused to yield. Of course, now it was too late.
Beryl had awakened the demon Metallia who had been sealed deep within the Earth
for the last million years and launched her attack upon his kingdom. Nothing
could help that, but the young Prince continued to antagonise the furious woman
so by constantly meeting with the Moon Kingdom’s daughter, Serenity. Serenity
and Endymion were in love. There had been a time when Zoisite would celebrate
the fact that his Master had found someone to share the rest of his life with,
had it been anyone but Serenity that was.
~~~~~~
“You were right. I have brought a terrible destruction
down upon the world. I abandoned my people once before. I will not do so
again.”
“You are the Prince.”
“I am and I chose to do this.”
“You are going to die! Master--”
“I have made my decision, Zoisite” Endymion cut him off,
“And, as one of the Shitennou, I expect you respect that.”
~~~~~~
The pain receded as quickly as it had come and Zoisite,
with some difficulty, managed to stand. The past life… everything was now so
clear. He had been a fool to turn away from his true self. Komoro Seiichi had
never existed, not really. His life had been nothing more than a façade. He had
only been reborn in this way as it was how things were on this incarnation of
Earth. He had to have a family, yet they had never truly been that. Shina,
Yasuo, Etsu… Zinan… had he not been born they would continue to live their
lives without him. They were not his real family. They never had been.
Strangely this knowledge brought Zoisite some comfort,
though, to his shock, it did not dull the pain that Zinan’s death had left him
with.
“It is pity and nothing more” Zoisite whispered to
himself, “That human died needlessly because of me and my own foolishness.”
“Zoisite?” Artemis took a tentative step towards him,
“Daijobu?”
“I’m fine” he flipped his cape over his shoulder, a simple
action that simply accentuated the ease of his true being.
“Now will you fight? Will you help me to save Venus and
defeat the Dark Kingdom?”
“Venus?” Zoisite paused, “No. I will fight, but on my own
terms. The Senshi are the enemy now and my only concern is stopping this second
awakening and finding the Master.”
“Zoisite--”
“Why don’t you concentrate your energies on finding the
Princess, Artemis? I have no need for the Senshi’s guardians in this world.”
With these words he turned away, de-transforming as he did
so. Even though the plushie had first told him of his true life, Seiichi felt
no gratitude towards the guardian. It was strange how little he felt at all…
******
Seiichi did not return to the family home that evening. He
knew they wouldn’t be there and he couldn’t face Shina’s grief stricken face at
the death of her husband, especially as Seiichi knew that he was to blame for
it. Instead he went back to his own apartment, just wanting to be left alone.
As he shut the door behind him his heart sank as Tetsuya
immediately leapt up from the sofa demanding to know where he had been. Seiichi
sighed, regretting the fact that he had even given Tetsuya a spare key.
“I went for a walk.”
“A walk?” Tetsuya repeated, making no effort to hide his
anger and pain, “Your father just died and you went for a walk?”
“I had to think--”
“Shina needed you this afternoon! How could you abandon
her? It was bad enough that you left Etsu to discover his body!”
“Etsu… She saw me? What did she say?”
“That you ran away,” Tetsuya shouted, “Now she won’t talk
to anyone. Shina is beside herself. I thought more of you than this, Seiichi.”
“And what about me?” Seiichi swung around his face his
manager, startling Tetsuya with his furious stance, “I was with him, Tetsuya!
How dare you judge me? You don’t know anything about what I went through
today!”
Seiichi broke off, and turned away, but not before Tetsuya
noticed the still bleeding gash to his forehead.
“You’re hurt. What happened?” he stated quietly.
“Nothing. I walked into a door, that’s all.”
“Seiichi--”
“Just leave it, Tetsuya.”
With those words, Seiichi hurried into the bathroom and
shut the door behind him. Gazing into the mirror he was aghast at just how pale
he was and, when he held a hand up in front of his face, he saw that he was
shaking.
Taking a few deep breaths, Seiichi started to clean his
wound, ignoring Tetsuya’s voice from across the hallway.
“No. I will fight, but on my own terms. The Senshi are the
enemy now and my only concern is stopping this second awakening and find the
Master.”
I will fight, Seiichi vowed. His life as Komoro Seiichi
was simply a vassal for his true self. Nothing but the mission mattered, not
anymore.
******
The next week or so passed in a haze. Seiichi spent most
of his time at the family home, looking after Etsu and Yasuo whilst Shina made
the preparations for Zinan’s funeral. His mother had become very withdrawn and
barely spoke to him. Seiichi couldn’t blame her. He had left Etsu and, no
matter what his reasons for doing so, he knew that this was unforgivable. His
‘sister’ had forgiven him, however, as Zinan had often told him just how much
Etsu admired and respected him. Yasuo was another matter.
Whereas Shina couldn’t speak to him, Yasuo would not. The
most Seiichi had ever gained from his brother since it happened was a cold
glance and a sullen ‘yes’ when Seiichi enquired to know if he was bearing up
all right.
The funeral was also an ordeal for them. Shina couldn’t
stop crying, the church had been packed as Zinan had lots of friends as well as
a huge family and Seiichi was unable to do anything to help her cope with what
had happened.
Etsu clung to her oldest brother for the entire service; needing
his presence simply to help her come to terms with the fact that she had lost
her father. Seiichi, himself, chose to focus on the mission instead of the
goings on around him. He had to find his Master, Prince Endymion in the past
life, and, it stood to reason that the Master, along with Kunzite, Jadeite and
Nephrite; the fellow Tennou, had been reborn in this world also. Seiichi knew
that he had to find them. The Shitennou had to be united to protect the Master
against this new Dark Kingdom threat. Beryl would not let the past go, Seiichi
was sure of this, and would do anything to make Endymion hers again.
Despite all of this, Seiichi still took comfort in his
music and his new found success which was why, when Tetsuya informed him that
he had a signing booked for the day after the funeral and that Tetsuya had
‘meant to cancel it but it must have slipped his mind’, Seiichi decided to go
rather than disappoint the hundreds of fans who had turned up at the shopping
mall to get his autograph.
Yasuo had been furious at Seiichi, and Tetsuya hadn’t been
convinced that the signing was such a good idea, but Seiichi’s manager was also
grieving; after all he had just lost his best friend.
Shina, however, had encouraged him to go saying that it
was ‘what your father would have wanted, for you to get on with your own life’.
Thus Seiichi had spent the morning signing copies of his
CD for fans and, as much as he hated to admit it, he had enjoyed himself and
was a little disappointed when the studio announced that it was time that he
got back.
There were some fans still waiting and Seiichi turned to
one of the bodyguards present, intending on asking him to make a note of their
names and addresses so that he could forward a signed CD onto each of them at a
later date.
As he did so, one of the fans let out a terrified scream.
At a first glance, one could have mistaken it for a bear.
Indeed it did have the same rugged brown hide, but, as the light faded and it
took a step towards him, Seiichi saw that this was not an animal. At least not
one that any human had ever seen. Its feet resembled a bird of prey’s talons
and tore at the polished wooden flooring as it walked. Its hands and arms were
covered in metallic armour and from the ends of its stubby fingertips; long
silver nails glinted in the light. Its face was almost too terrifying for
Seiichi to gaze upon. Its skin was mottled and its eyes blood red. A reddish
brown mane flowed down its back from curled horns atop its head.
As Seiichi stared, helpless to do anything else, its
fingernails were sheathed back into the ends of its fingers as it reached out,
wrapping a powerful hand around his throat.
Seiichi was shocked and horrified to see that Youma
suddenly materialise before them. He staggered slightly, even as the bodyguards
raced between him and the beast, as the emotions that came with his recognition
threatened to send him to his knees.
People were running now and those who were unable to
escape lost their energy as the Youma attacked. Seiichi’s bodyguards collapsed
as it held out a hand, using its own powers to drain them of their strength. He
stumbled backwards, knocking into the table behind him as it turned away,
grabbing a stunned and hysterical fan-girl around the throat.
Glancing around, Seiichi saw that the mall was now pretty
much deserted which was a good thing. No one else would die because of this
Youma, he would make sure of that.
Breaking into a run, as the Youma released the now
unconscious girl and started to walk towards the exit, Seiichi caught up with
it and stepped between the being and the double doors leading out into the
street.
The Youma paused, only for a second, before growling and
lunging at him as it had the night before. Seiichi leapt backwards, narrowly
missing being impaled by the knives that shot out of its palm, stunned that he
hadn’t transformed into Zoisite. Taking a deep breath he struggled to find the
source of this transformation but felt nothing. He remained as he was now.
“Shimatta” it hurled a ball of yellow energy at
him, slamming Seiichi to the ground. As it did so the most curious thing
happened. The Youma screamed, as though in pain, and fell down beside him,
writhing in agony.
Seiichi jumped up, feeling his transformation take place
as he did so. Drawing his sword, Zoisite slashed at the Youma as it tried to
retreat. It squealed again as his powers struck it, but as they did so, Zoisite
felt an overwhelming pain in his chest and he fell to his knees, dropping his
weapon as he did so.
“Zoisite!”
“Artemis” he looked up and saw the plushie hurrying
towards him. The Youma climbed to its feet once more and turned away.
Zoisite made to throw another attack at it, but the
plushie leapt between them, “Let it go.”
“You know I can’t.”
“You have too, unless you want to die as well.”
“What?” Zoisite paused, standing up and sweeping his cape
over one shoulder as his blue gaze fixed on the retreating Youma. He took
another tentative step in its direction, but then thought better of it and
sheathed his sword at his side once more.
Artemis smiled slightly, “I’ll explain, but not here.
There are people coming.”
They went back to Seiichi’s apartment. It was empty and
Seiichi knew that Tetsuya wouldn’t be back for some hours yet.
He wasn’t sure why he wanted to hear the cat out. Seiichi
had meant what he said; he didn’t need Artemis’s help, but…
The Youma paused, only for a second, before growling and
lunging at him as it had the night before. Seiichi leapt backwards, narrowly
missing being impaled by the knives that shot out of its palm, stunned that he
hadn’t transformed into Zoisite. Taking a deep breath he struggled to find the
source of this transformation but felt nothing. He remained as he was now.
“So” he said to Artemis, some doubt creeping into his mind
as he addressed the plushie, “Explain.”
“That Youma is connected to you. When it feels pain so do
you and vice versa. It happened because you both used your powers at the same
time whilst you had hold of its arm. The two light and dark magics cancelled
each other out, but allowed the welders to form the connection. It used to
happen occasionally on the Moon, too,” Artemis said, a little too casually,
“You won’t be able to kill that Youma without also dying.”
“I see” inwardly Seiichi cursed his foolishness, but was
loath to let on to Artemis, “So how do I break this connection?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well that’s helpful” he sniped sarcastically.
Artemis glowered and then shot back, “And I’m not
surprised it happened, either. If you had seen yourself that day, and today,
you were useless. It was a miracle that the Youma didn’t kill you.”
Seiichi opened his mouth to protest, but ended up saying
nothing. Artemis was right. He hadn’t faired well at all and it would have
killed him.
“You said before that you wouldn’t help me” Artemis
continued, “Perhaps now you will reconsider your position, Zoisite.”
“What do you propose?”
“That you agree to help me free Venus from Beryl’s hold
and, in return, I will teach you how to control your powers and help you to
find a way to break the connection.”
“And how exactly will you do this?”
“I spent some time in your Kingdom. I saw you fight
before. I know how your powers work. If you search back through your memories
of the past life then you will know that this is true.”
It was, Seiichi thought uncomfortably, as much as he
wanted to deny it. He might remember the past well enough but he hadn’t used
his powers in so long… it was strange. Seiichi knew that he should know how to
use them, but for some reason they were out of control. Angrily, he realised
that he had to agree to Artemis’s terms and did so, making no attempt to hide
his annoyance, but there was still one matter left to discuss.
“You knew who I am in this world. Do I take it that you
also know who the Princess is?”
“I do” Artemis met his gaze, “She has been reborn as a
girl called Tsukino Usagi. She lives in Tokyo.”
“Then why not go to her for help?”
“Luna, the other guardian cat, did, but…”
“You fear of what the Princess might do in this world.”
“No--”
“She brought ruin down upon my Master’s kingdom in the
past life” Seiichi cut in harshly, “You recognise her weakness as much as I do,
don’t you?”
Artemis lowered his head, “The Princess has been reborn
with the powers of a Senshi, but alone… I care deeply for Serenity, but I do
not believe that she can rescue Venus.”
“So what you are really asking of me is that I help the
Princess? I can never agree to that.”
“No” Artemis cried helplessly, obviously unsure of what to
say to counter this.
“Then you do fear what the Princess might do in this
world?”
“Perhaps” he allowed after a few moments silence, “Luna
will awaken the Princess. Beryl will look to Tokyo first and the City will need
protecting. She believes that the Ginzuishou is hidden somewhere in the City.
We must find it before the Princess.”
Seiichi understood what Artemis was trying to say. He was
still deeply loyal to Serenity, but he knew what she was capable of and wanted
to protect her from the sadness of the past life. If they obtained the
Ginzuishou then the Princess would be powerless. Artemis couldn’t ask for her
help to save Venus. The Princess wouldn’t be strong enough without the
Ginzuishou and if she used it then she would destroy the planet again.
“Endymion also lives in Tokyo” Artemis added softly.
The Master… if Beryl realised this… The most important
thing was protecting the Master, Seiichi knew. It was his duty, as one of the
Shitennou, to protect the Master from Beryl… and Serenity.
“The Earth Kingdom is lost. Beryl will try to conquer the
Moon and she will fail. Serenity will not allow her to triumph.”
“Master” Seiichi murmured, lost in his own memories of
that fateful day, long ago. The Princess would not cause the Earth’s
destruction again.
*******
“Youma attacks were not just restricted to Tokyo. I fought
all over the country before, much later, we moved here, to the Okura”
Seiichi said finally, “Tetsuya came with me because he still felt that he had
to honour his promise to Zinan and look out for me. The Youma also followed me
here. It is drawn to me and yet if I get close enough to try to capture it, it
runs away. I tried to focus on catching it but then a few weeks afterwards I
witnessed your awakening. I knew how reluctant you were to fight and how
dangerous it would be for you if you awakened your true powers before you were
ready.”
“So you acted as a decoy” Mamoru finished for him, his
mind still racing with the revelations that this evening had brought. The past
life had cost Seiichi everything, he thought bitterly, yet the young man didn’t
seem to care. From the little of the past life Mamoru could recall he knew that
even the Zoisite he had known then had feelings. This new incarnation seemed
unable to focus upon anything else but the mission.
“What about your family?” he added, a little hesitantly,
“Are they still in Kamakura?”
Seiichi nodded, “Yasuo never forgave me for leaving.”
“Do you see them?”
“No. I broke off all contact when I came here.”
“Why? Why forsake them like that?” Mamoru was appalled. He
would give anything to have his parents back. He would have given anything to
have some siblings. Before his awakening Seiichi had, had the family that
Mamoru had always wanted and he just threw that away? None of the others had
cut off their relatives or given up on their old lives. Mamoru still thought of
himself as Chiba Mamoru. Endymion was a part of himself, yes, but not his true
self… not anymore.
“I made that decision so I could concentrate on the
mission without anything complicating matters.”
“Then what about your fame? Why didn’t you give up on
that, too?”
“I was a master pianist in the past life. I have a long
way to go before I am at that level again.”
“That’s not answering the question and, in any case, I
don’t believe you. You told Masaki that you enjoyed playing the piano because
it offered you an escape from the mission! If you truly didn’t care about your
father’s death then why does it obviously hurt so much to talk about him? The
very reason you went after the Youma in the first place was to avenge his
death!”
Seiichi had no answer to this and, as much as Mamoru
wanted to force the issue, he could see how pointless it would be. It pained
him to see the pain and suffering the mission had caused, even if most of it
was of Seiichi’s own making. If Mamoru were to have any chance of getting
Seiichi to realise that the present was what was important, he would have to
wait. No matter what Seiichi said, Mamoru knew how painful he found the
anniversary of his parents’ death, even now, and Seiichi clearly wasn’t
thinking straight. His friend was simply focusing all his energies on the
mission because he couldn’t come to terms with what happened and how he had
been partly to blame for his father’s death. He hadn’t given himself a chance
to grieve and, Mamoru knew, that if he tried to make Seiichi understand this
tonight, he would do more harm than good. His friend would understand given time,
Mamoru was sure of this.
“Why don’t we head back?” he suggested quietly, “We’ll
both catch our deaths if we stand out here all night.”
“Master--” Seiichi started and then broke off, realising
that there was no need to say anything more.
“I’ll help you capture that Youma” Mamoru murmured as they
started walking away from the harbour. “We’ll find a way to break the
connection.”
“Arigato, Master.”
Mamoru winced at the term ‘master’ but felt little reason
to correct him. Until Seiichi realised that there was more to himself than just
the past life, Mamoru knew he would always be ‘master’ where his friend was
concerned and he could put up with that… for now.
*****
Act Thirty Nine Preview:
“Endymion!”
He whirled around, almost dropping his things, at the use
of his past name so boldly and openly.
Luna ran between the two men, wild panic in her eyes as
she skidded to a halt before them.
“What do you want?” Taro demanded, more than a little
angrily.
“Your help” Luna said, after much hesitation, “Usagi-chan
has disappeared.”
~~~~
“Mercury” she looked up as Jupiter approached. The most
powerful Senshi’s gaze appeared thoughtful though some sadness lingered in her
eyes when she, too, cast a glance at Venus’s music. Gingerly, she picked up a
sheet of power, staring at it for a moment before letting it fall to the floor.
“The darkness is growing stronger” Jupiter stated softly,
“The wraiths that are Metallia are coming together, fuelled by the Princess’s
anguish. If this continues… if this continues then the planet will fall.”
“I thought you wanted to see this day?”
“I did” Jupiter admitted quietly, “But now that I have
seen Kuroki Mio’s true colours… I do not like it. Venus was one of our own.”
~~~~
Naru exhaled deeply, and opened her eyes, as the mournful
and bittersweet melody continued to play out through the room. Her vision
blurred from her prolonged slumber she could just make out a being seated on
the edge of her bed, playing a harp. An angel? Naru wondered as she continued
to stare at the musician and then, as suddenly as the harp had started playing,
the music ceased. Naru smiled as she felt a gloved hand upon her forehead and a
voice whisper:
“Naru-chan” before the figure shimmered and then
disappeared.
Naru pushed herself up into a sitting position, unsure of
what had exactly taken place and why she uttered the reply that she did:
“Usagi…”
~~~~
“There is a Youma aura,” Kisho said.
Seiichi nodded, “It seems to growing stronger with each
passing minute, but I can’t seem to locate it.”
Kisho frowned and concentrated. After a few seconds he
shook his head, “Neither can I.” He frowned again. There was another sound,
very soft but unmistakeable; the sound of a harp.
“The Princess” Kisho whispered, transforming as he spoke.
“But this… this is impossible. Her music is… is feeding the Youma’s powers!”
~~~~
“Usagi…”
“Endymion” she whispered as she raised her sword above her
head, charging it with power once more, before aiming it at the Shitennou.
“Usagi, stop!”
“Master, yameru!”
“Mamoru!”