Earth
Guardian Prince Endymion
By Senshi
of Ruin and Mizu no Senshi
Act Thirty One Recap:
(Mamoru’s POV)
“Endymion!” Serenity screamed, her cries were like music
to the demon Queen of the Dark Kingdom and Beryl’s laughter grew as the
Princess sank to her knees, taking in the devastation that she was left with.
“My home… my mother… my Prince…” she whispered bitterly, a
single tear splashing down her cheek to stain the front of her dress. “My
Senshi… she has taken them all from me… I have nothing left” her voice hardened
as she stood to face the triumphant Queen, “Nothing. I have nothing left so I
have nothing to lose…”
So… the Princess destroyed planet because of the death of
her Prince… me. Zoisite had lied, for my own good, or so he claimed, and I am
content to believe him. Komoro-san likes to be in control of the situation,
that is all, and I cannot blame him for that. This situation is most definitely
out of our control.
“Don’t” Masaki shouted, pushing between the two of them,
“You should have told us” Masaki said to Seiichi, making no attempt to hide his
bitterness, “How did keeping it a secret help? You were truly willing to die
today and you wouldn’t even give us a choice!”
“It was not your choice to make.”
“So you would have gladly died today and taken the truth
with you?”
“I don’t have to answer your questions. I did what I had
to do to protect my Master. Why should I have to justify myself to you?”
With the Shitennou at each other’s throats, I had a
difficult choice to make. To give into the past life would mean losing myself,
but to reject it would mean that we would repeat the mistakes of before.
“Don’t” Hina pleaded, “Please don’t make it any worse.
When you’ve finally decided what it is you want, let me know because I just
can’t take this anymore.”
It was Hina who made me put it all back into perspective.
I have made my decision and am content with it.
“We were reborn to fight the Dark Kingdom, but that was
not our only purpose. Had it been then we would not have been granted the lives
we live now. When the Dark Kingdom is defeated we will go on living them. I am
not saying that the past is not important, because it is. In order to stop the
past from repeating we must learn from the mistakes of the past. We can choose
our own destiny and I choose to be Chiba Mamoru”
*****
Act Thirty-Two:
When Mamoru got in it was morning. He had deemed it best
to stay away from his apartment for one more night, thus giving Hina a chance
to cool down. Still, he winced as he got off of his motorbike; the sofa at the Kimura
household had not been the most comfortable option. Taro had been generous
enough to allow him to sleep over, but Mamoru was beginning to regret it now.
He looked and felt like hell and could barely manage to
remember the entrance code to the apartment block. When he finally made it to
the right apartment, Mamoru found Hina in their room. She was in the middle of
packing together some of her things into an overnight bag.
She looked up as Mamoru approached. It was obvious that
she had been crying and her eyes filled with more tears as she gazed upon him.
“Hina? What is all this?”
“I’m… I’m going to stay with my parents in England” Hina
replied, her voice cracking in places as she said this.
“Why?”
“It is over… I understand that now… Whatever it is that
keeps you from me… I cannot compete and I---”
“Baka” Mamoru half smiled and shook his head at her
blindness, “Hina, you are very special to me. Do you think I would ever want to
give up what we have?”
“But? I thought that?”
“You thought wrong. I have made my decision. I want to be
with you.”
She dropped her suitcase and allowed Mamoru to take her
into his arms as more tears fell down her cheeks and soaked his shirt, “You
want me?”
“Yes.”
I’m sorry, Usagi… I love you in this life, too, but Hina
needs me… I may not love her as I do you, but she is someone very special to
me… I’m sorry…
“Mamoru-kun” Hina wept softly, “I love you…”
Mamoru steeled himself to return this phrase, all the
while praying that he had made the right choice.
*****
“Master--?”
“Please don’t. Get up. It is me, Mamoru.”
“Mamoru-kun?”
He nodded and they did as asked, de-transforming when
Mamoru requested that they did so.
“I have made my decision” he said softly, “I am Chiba
Mamoru. This…” he indicated his Endymion uniform “Is only an echo of my former
self. We were reborn to fight the Dark Kingdom, but that was not our only
purpose. Had it been then we would not have been granted the lives we live now.
When the Dark Kingdom is defeated we will go on living them. I am not saying
that the past is not important, because it is. In order to stop the past from
repeating we must learn from the mistakes of the past. We can choose our own
destiny and I choose to be Chiba Mamoru.”
Mamoru’s words constantly replayed themselves over and
over in Taro’s mind as he swept the floor of Crown. Behind the counter, Taro
could hear Motoki grumbling about his clumsiness and, this time, Taro couldn’t
blame him. His mind had been elsewhere and he had accidentally knocked over a
flower vase, hence the sweeping of the floor.
Taro was glad that Mamoru had decided to fight and not let
the past dictate to him who he was in this world… he just wished that all of
the Tennou would follow their leader’s example.
To Taro’s shock, Kisho had agreed to come to the meeting
that Mamoru had organised for this morning and was already in their meeting
room. Mamoru was coming after he had spoken to Hina and Taro wasn’t sure when
Masaki was going to arrive, if at all as he had, had to leave a message on his
phone. Apparently she was still harbouring some doubts, or so Mamoru had said,
and he had spent the night on Taro’s sofa to give her some space. Taro wished
his friend luck, though he had to bite his tongue lest he ask Mamoru what he
was going to do about his obvious love for Usagi. He could see that Mamoru was
torn but… Taro blushed slightly at the thought of Mercury. His love for her was
as wrong as Mamoru’s love for the Princess, but Taro chose to follow his heart
this time. He was not going to allow the past life to interfere with how things
were now… even if Mercury was an enemy. If Sailor Moon could save her…
“Kimi-kun? Why are you blushing?” Motoki enquired slyly
and Taro’s heart sank. Motoki was obviously bored (and it had been a quiet
morning) which meant that he was going to tease him again.
“I’m not” Taro looked away, very much aware that his face
had turned an even deeper shade of red with Motoki’s questioning.
“Have you got a girlfriend?” Motoki pressed, “What is her
name? Do I know her? When will we get to meet her?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend” Taro replied tensely, gripping
the broom handle so tightly that he was sure that the wood would crack.
“Then why are you so defensive?” Motoki insisted. “He must
be in love, right, Kamekichi?”
“I’m not in love!” Taro roared, slamming the broom down on
the floor. Motoki teasing him was bad enough, but now he was talking to the
damn turtle about him… it was just too much!
Motoki smirked and walked over to the window, “Whatever
you say, Kimi-kun, whatever you say…”
Taro picked up the broom again, with the intention of
smacking the stupid man over the head with it, when something outside caught
Motoki’s attention and Taro managed to get a rein on his temper and think
better of his impulsiveness.
“Hey, Kimi-kun” Motoki called, “Look at that car. You
don’t see many like that around Juuban.”
“What car?” Taro snapped whilst walking towards the window
grumbling under his breath. Little did he know his bad day was about to get a
whole lot worse.
On his way to the window, Taro managed to knock over a bag
of turtle food. This distracted Motoki and he started complaining at him again.
Taro sighed, and leaned back against the counter as Motoki knelt down behind it
to clean up the mess.
“Honestly, Kimi-kun, what sort of mood are you in?” Motoki
complained upon hearing Crown’s doors opening, “Deal with that would you? Even
you can’t possibly knock over a customer.”
Taro’s answer to this was to kick Motoki up the backside
and send him sprawling out into the aisle before he glanced up expecting to see
Masaki or Mamoru.
“Komoro-san?” Taro almost did a double take when he saw
the young star standing in the doorway, seemingly unsure of what to make of the
scene before him.
“I don’t have to answer your questions. I did what I had
to do to protect my Master. Why should I have to justify myself to you?”
“Taro-kun” Komoro-san nodded politely before his gaze
flickered again to the man lying sprawled at Taro’s feet. “Is the meeting room
through here?” he asked nodding towards the adjourning door and ignoring
Motoki’s stunned cries of disbelief.
“Yes” Taro stuttered, astounded that Komoro-san would have
the nerve to come here so soon after…
Recovering from his momentary unease, Komoro-san did not
say another word and walked calmly towards the room in question before opening
the door and disappearing inside.
“Kimi-kun?” Motoki asked quietly as he stood up, “Was
that…?”
Taro nodded.
“No way!”
“I’m afraid so” Taro said darkly as he took off the red
Crown apron and all but ran towards the closed door.
Kisho hadn’t been able to stand the sight of Komoro-san
before they found out the truth and now… Taro dreaded to think how his friend
would react to him coming uninvited to the meeting. Of course, they should have
invited him, Taro knew, but part of the reason Mamoru had wanted them to meet
was to talk about Komoro-san to start with!
“Komoro Seiichi… in Crown” Motoki was repeating dumbly to
Kamekichi, “No way!”
Yes, way, Taro thought darkly. Things couldn’t get much
worse than this.
*****
Kisho sighed, one hand massaging his aching temples as he
thought back to his friend’s words of the day before. Mamoru was the true
Prince… this knowledge had stunned Kisho and now he didn’t know what to do. Of
course, it should have been obvious from the start from the way Zoisite had
acted around him and Mamoru’s clear-as-day feelings for Sailor Moon, but Kisho
had preferred to believe that Komoro Seiichi was the Prince. Why? Because it
was easier to hate someone that you didn’t know. Mamoru was his friend, but,
despite this, Kisho knew that he could never agree with him. The Princess had
destroyed the world before and Kisho knew that she would do so again. The only
way to stop her was to take the Ginzuishou and this Kisho resolved to do, with
or without the others agreement.
Then why was he here in Crown today? In all honesty, Kisho
did not know. He supposed a part of him still hoped that the others would come
around to his way of thinking, though he truly doubted that they would do so.
As he processed this thought, the door opened. Kisho had
to admit that he was a little more than surprised when Komoro-san entered the
room. From the brief conversations that they had, had Kisho could tell that he
was, by nature, quiet, but obviously had very strong opinions concerning the
mission.
“And you expect us to fight for you?” Kisho demanded.
Seiichi held his gaze as he answered, “No, I expect you to
fight together as a team.”
“I will consider your words” Kisho said finally, “You
speak passionately about the mission, but your motives are still unclear.”
Kisho hated to admit it, but he had admired the defiance
in Komoro-san’s voice that day. There were not many people who would dare stand
up to Kisho and he respected that.
He also respected the nerve of the man now. Despite the
slight awkwardness in his smile portraying his unease, he took a seat opposite
Kisho and requested to know when the meeting was due to start.
“Whenever Mamoru and the others decide to get here” Kisho
replied, a little coldly, “I take it you saw Taro on the way in?”
Seiichi nodded, “I know what you must think of me” he
added, after a few seconds of passing silence between them. “And it doesn’t
bother me in the slightest. My only concern is protecting our Master. I have no
time for your petty battles.”
Kisho smirked and leaned back in his chair, “Really? Let
me tell you what I think of you, Komoro-san. You showed up and simply announced
that you were the Prince, thus making yourself a target for every Youma and
Senshi that the Dark Kingdom had to throw at us. You blatantly lied to us about
the mission and the Princess. You tried to take on all the responsibilities of
the mission on your own, and then, when Beryl found out whom you truly were,
you were ready to die rather than have Mamoru-kun put at risk. Then, when
Mamoru awakens as the true Prince, you are as arrogant and as obnoxious as hell
to the rest of us.”
“I told you, I am not interested in getting into a fight
with you over this. I did what I had to do to protect the Master and, given the
choice, I would do nothing different.”
“I know and I respect you for it.”
“What?”
“He’s right” Kisho looked up and saw, with some annoyance,
that Taro was standing in the doorway and had heard everything. “Though you
drove us all insane with those cryptic responses and half-truths you were
constantly giving us, what you did took a lot of courage.”
Komoro-san shrugged, clearly unsure of what to make of
this, “I was only protecting the Master.”
“This is as close to a compliment as you get here” Taro
remarked as he sat down beside Kisho, and both of them exchanged sly smiles.
Komoro-san nodded, but failed to reply, obviously not sure how to take Taro’s
humour.
The taller man continued to try to make small talk with
Komoro-san until Masaki and Mamoru finally arrived. It was curious, Kisho noted,
how Komoro-san stood when Mamoru entered. The latter paused, some confusion
marring his face when he saw him there, but then he managed a small smile and
enquired to know how his arm was.
“Better thank you, Master” Komoro-san replied, waiting
until Mamoru had taken his seat before doing so himself.
“I’m glad” Mamoru answered to this.
Only Masaki seemed slightly displeased by Komoro-san’s
presence, but Kisho knew the younger man well enough to know that Masaki would
not say anything.
“I’m no longer staying at the Okura” Komoro-san
broke the silence by saying and handing Mamoru a piece of paper with an address
and phone number written on it, “I didn’t think it was wise to do so. The
studio has rented a small apartment on the outskirts of Juuban.”
Kisho had wondered about this, but suddenly the safety of
the fellow Shitennou no longer seemed to be a priority as an uneasy silence
settled upon them again. After Mamoru’s words of last night, there was much
that needed to be said and their leader knew this too.
“Our mission” Mamoru started, “Is to defeat the Dark
Kingdom. They are the most dangerous threat to this world.”
Taro nodded in agreement, whilst Komoro-san said:
“It was the Princess who destroyed the planet before, not
the Dark Kingdom.”
“She is not just the Princess in this world” Mamoru shot
back, “She is Tsukino Usagi, too.”
Komoro-san did not say anything to this; he didn’t have
too, Kisho thought uncomfortably. The room was, once again, filling with
tension. Most of this radiating from
the strongest Tennou.
“If she gives us the Ginzuishou” Kisho said, when
Komoro-san failed to voice what they were all thinking, “If she gives us the
Ginzuishou then we will be content to leave her be. If not…”
“She needs it” Mamoru argued, “She needs it to save her
Senshi.”
“What is more important? Saving four silly girls in short
skirts, or saving our world?”
“They are not just silly girls in short skirts” Taro
snapped, surprising all of them by coming to the Senshi’s defence. However, when
all eyes fell upon him, he sat back down and mumbled under his breath, “They
were used by the Dark Kingdom. It is not their fault and Venus is--”
“Whether they were used by Beryl or not” Kisho cut him off
by saying, “If they stand in our way then I will not hesitate to fight them.
Sailor Moon must be made to give up the Ginzuishou.”
Mamoru shook his head, “I had hoped that we could come to
some sort of understanding,” he said. “Why must you always force me to fight
you?”
“Make Sailor Moon give up the Ginzuishou and I will be
content to let her be. If not…”
“I’ve chosen to be with Hina” Mamoru snapped, “What Usagi
and I had in the past is so longer important.”
“Does she know this?” Komoro-san enquired quietly.
“No” Mamoru admitted,” But I will tell her. What has this
got to do with anything anyway?”
“Her love for you is what destroyed the planet before,
Master” Komoro-san answered, “Just because you choose to be with someone else
does not mean that her love will fade.”
“Then what do you expect me to do? I can’t turn on her. I won’t
turn on her.”
“Mamoru is right” Masaki surprised them all by saying, “If
the Princess is that powerful then is making her an enemy truly a wise move?”
“That is why we must take away the source of her power”
Kisho grit out, standing as he did so, “I will not compromise the planet’s
future to protect one girl.”
“So I cannot count on your support then?” Mamoru said
softly, making the regret obvious in his voice.
Kisho silently shook his head and left. As he did so he
felt as though he was betraying his friend and, in a way, he was but things had
changed now, as much as he didn’t want to admit to it. Mamoru was the Prince
and the Prince betrayed Kisho in the past life and was set to do so again.
He would take the Ginzuishou from the Princess… no matter
what…
******
Seiichi was already regretting his decision to come to the
meeting, indeed Artemis had been the one who pushed the matter when he found
out about it. He had been nervous enough as it was, though he did his best to
hide this. Since Mamoru had awakened as the true Prince, Seiichi had felt both
relieved and, at the same time, disappointed. He was relieved because
pretending to be the Prince put a great deal of strain upon him considering the
other things that he had going on in his life and he was glad that his Master
finally awakened his true powers and had seemed to accept the past life.
Seiichi’s greatest fear was that the Master would refuse to accept his destiny.
He was disappointed because, after all that he had said
and done, the Master could not see things from his viewpoint. Seiichi agreed
with Kisho; the Ginzuishou must be taken from the Princess before it was too
late. Yet, unlike the oldest Tennou, Seiichi could not voice these thoughts.
His loyalty lay with the Master, even if they no longer had the same
objectives.
After Kisho left, the meeting seemed to break up. Taro was
summoned by Motoki to help him clear out the storeroom and Masaki decided that
he was no longer needed and quietly told Mamoru that he was going home.
To Seiichi’s own surprise, he found himself hurrying after
him. He caught up with Masaki outside of Crown, as he was asked to sign a few
autographs on his way out and Seiichi had never been one to disappoint his
fans.
“Masaki-kun, matte”
The other man turned, now that they were alone, he seemed
angrier than he had been when Mamoru, Taro and Kisho were present.
“Why are you even here?” he questioned bitterly, “You hate
the Princess almost as much as Kisho.”
“That is true, but my loyalty is to the Master.”
“Are you saying that now your own thoughts and opinions
don’t matter?”
Seiichi wasn’t sure how to answer this. To say that they
did would be going against the Master, but to say that they didn’t would be
going against everything he had ever fought for. His silence, however, seemed
to annoy Masaki more.
“Back when we first met you… you could have fought with us
from the beginning. Why wait until now? You could have protected Mamoru long before
his awakening.”
“Being the decoy Prince was the best way to protect him.”
“No. Being honest with him… being honest with all of us.”
“Perhaps, but I
did what I thought was for the best at the time. Surely you cannot blame me for
that?”
Masaki frowned, thinking this through for a minute, “No,
but… whether you like it or not, Seiichi-kun, you are one of the Shitennou,
too. We are not the four heavenly kings without you. Just don’t forget that.”
Seiichi nodded, appreciating what Masaki was saying, but
the fact remained that they were divided over the mission.
Masaki understood this and walked away. Seiichi let him
go, there was nothing more to say and, in any case, the Master had left Crown
now and requested Seiichi’s company.
“Unless you want to go with them,” Mamoru said, casually
nodding towards the limousine that was still parked a few doors away from
Crown. Seiichi shook his head and signalled to the driver that he could leave
as he suspected that his Master wanted to talk to him about the mission.
“So why didn’t you walk out?” Mamoru asked, trying to
appear nonchalant as he spoke, “I know you have the same feelings as Kisho
regarding the mission.”
“You are the Master.”
“I need to know where I stand with all of you. I need to
know who I can count on. You can understand that, can’t you?”
“As I said, you are the Master and, as one of the
Shitennou, it is my duty to protect you.”
“Is that what you call almost getting yourself killed? And
don’t call me Master.”
“I didn’t want to die that day.”
Mamoru shrugged and said lightly, “You could have fooled
me. You seem to have a reckless streak, but I don’t want you to risk anything
for me. The same applies for any of you. What use are you as my guardians if
you are dead?”
Seiichi understood what he was really saying. He was just
like the Master in the past life, putting them first. Seiichi could still
recall the pain in the Master’s eyes when he, Jadeite and Nephrite had stumbled
back to the palace after that failed attempt on Beryl’s life. With two of them
wounded and Kunzite missing… the palace had fallen to the Dark Kingdom within a
few hours. Seiichi had failed his Master before, but how could he not comply
with this request now?
He nodded to show his agreement, but was reluctant to
voice anything out loud. Whether the Master liked it or not they were still the
Shitennou, even in this world and their duty was to protect Endymion and
nothing more. It was their only purpose for being reborn, Seiichi knew. Any
lives they might have made for themselves were nothing but a foundation of
dreams and lies. Even their families only existed because, in this world, they
had to have somewhere to call home.
“So” Mamoru said, somewhat curiously, “Masaki-kun told me
that you awakened your powers over a year ago. I expect you were like the
others, that you could accept your past self easily?”
Seiichi flinched slightly, as his Master’s words somehow
touched his most painful memory. He shook his head and murmured, “No, mine was
different. I was different.”
“How so?”
Seiichi didn’t reply. He didn’t want to lie to the Master,
but the truth was too painful for him to bear thinking about. Thankfully he
didn’t have too.
“Seiichi-kun, fancy meeting you here”
“Kuroki-san” Seiichi frowned slightly as the teenage pop
idol stepped in between him and his Master.
“I heard you were in Juuban” Kuroki Mio continued, all the
while staring intently at Mamoru as they walked down the street. “I’m glad I
bumped into you. I wanted to ask you if you’d thought more about my idea.”
“Not really.”
Mio pulled a face, “So you’re not interested?”
“That’s what I said before wasn’t it?”
She pouted and then smiled brightly before turning to
Mamoru, “You were in Crown weren’t you? I just love karaoke, don’t you?”
Mamoru frowned, “Not particularly.”
“Well I do” Mio declared, not at all put off by his tone,
“It’s how I got started in the music business. A talent scout happened to be
visiting the karaoke parlour I was at and…”
“Kuroki-san” Seiichi cut her off when he saw that Mio had
placed a hand on the Master’s arm, “I might know someone who could help you
with your new single. Why don’t you come down to the studio tomorrow and we can
talk about it then.”
Mio glowered slightly, but then the perky demeanour was
back in place. Smiling bubbly at Mamoru said thanked Seiichi and hurried off
down the road.
“What was that all about?” Mamoru enquired once she had
gone.
“She asked me to write a backing piece for her new single”
Seiichi replied, “She’s been on at me to for about a month now.”
“Why don’t you? She seems pretty keen.”
“I don’t like her, Master.”
“Why not?”
Seiichi shrugged, keeping his expression guarded, “There
is something about her. Please stay away from her.”
Mamoru chuckled slightly at his seriousness, “She’s
fourteen, Seiichi-kun, what possible harm could she do?”
It was obvious that his Master was not going to take him
seriously so Seiichi let the matter drop. He would have to keep an eye on
Kuroki Mio himself, until she showed her true colours.
*******
“So” Beryl whispered to herself as she watched Endymion
walk away, “Even in this world the Shitennou will not allow me to be close to
you. Even in this lifetime I am forced to watch you from afar.”
That would change, Beryl vowed darkly. Very soon she would
have all the power at her command alone. With the Ginzuishou’s power feeding
Metallia, the only person strong enough to stand against her was the one who
welded the Ginzuishou and the Crescent Moon Wand from the ruined Moon Kingdom
the Silver Millennium. The Princess…
“Venus” Beryl said, turning to Mars who knelt before her,
“Her condition has not changed?”
“No” Mars confirmed, “She is still unconscious.”
The leader of the Senshi… the one closest to the Princess
in this world and the last… an useful tool in her own rights and Beryl was
determined to cultivate her for her own purposes once more.
“Send a Youma against the Prince” Beryl said at last. She
was still stinging from the obvious rejection of a few moments ago and she
could feel her shadow seething in rage. She would allow Mio to watch him for
now… After all Beryl could not be everywhere. Her shadow would watch him and
wait for the perfect moment to make him hers again.
“Send a Youma against the Prince,” she decided, “We will
see how strong he is in this world.”
Mars nodded and left to do her bidding.
“Endymion” Beryl whispered as she held out her right palm,
“Soon this hand will reach for you. I will not allow the Princess or your
Shitennou to interfere. I will not lose you again.”
******
The walk back to the apartment that Seiichi was renting
was taking longer than Mamoru had thought. Indeed he was anxious to get back to
Hina, but equally he was concerned about his friend. He did not like Seiichi
referring to him as ‘Master’, but, after several polite requests for him not to
do so, Mamoru had resigned to let the matter be.
He was concerned about Seiichi, because he had shown no clear
motives. He had not said anything about whose side he was on and Mamoru hated
it. He hated the fact that they even had ‘sides’, but, as he had said before,
he needed to know whom he could count on.
Mamoru also deeply regretted the fact that Kisho had left
the group. He had always felt as though he could confide in his closest friend
and now that he was the Prince, Kisho was like a stranger to him.
“I will not compromise the planet’s future to protect one
girl.”
His words had hurt, Mamoru thought to himself. Despite his
decision to stay with Hina, his feelings for Usagi had refused to go away. If
anything they had got stronger. They would always be there… and Mamoru hated
himself for it.
“Master?” Seiichi prompted, seeing that Mamoru was once
again deep in thought.
“Tamura-san cares a lot for the fate of this planet. If
you are ever stuck for common ground then that is it. We all fight the Dark
Kingdom to preserve the world as it is. If Tamura-san ever questions your
decisions again, tell him that.”
“Did you know?” Mamoru asked.
“Know what?”
“About Kisho. Did you know that he would turn against us?”
“Kunzite has not turned against us. His views are
different to yours, but he is still loyal, despite what has happened.”
Mamoru shook his head, “And what about you?” he asked yet
again and almost regretted it when he saw the hurt look on Seiichi’s face until
it was quickly replaced by one of indifference.
“You are the Master.”
“Yes, I know but--”
Mamoru was cut off mid-sentence by a scream. He whirled
around and saw civilians running towards him just as a Youma stepped out of the
shadows. Its entire body seemed to be made out of a red-metallic-like
substance, it held a conjured steel blade in one clawed hand as it moved,
faster than Mamoru could react, towards them, stepping between himself and
Seiichi, before knocking the latter aside.
Mamoru leapt backwards to avoid the first blow, the sword
cutting into the pavement where he had been standing moments before. Mamoru
repeated the motion to evade its second attack, but it held out a hand and a
wave of dark magics slammed into him, knocking him down onto the concrete.
Mamoru winced as his back struck the stone and the Youma snarled as it raised
its blade over his head.
The clash of metal rang loudly in Mamoru’s ears, as the
blade struck, but not its intended target. Mamoru opened his eyes and saw
Seiichi standing in front of him, transformed, and blocking the Youma’s sword
with his own.
“Master… run” Zoisite shouted as he used his weight to
throw the Youma backwards to the ground and then stepped between Mamoru and the
creature again.
This took Mamoru aback. He could fight, too, so why was
Zoisite telling him to run? Mamoru willed his now familiar transformation to
overtake him and then stepped up beside his Tennou. Zoisite looked round, some
surprise on his face when Endymion drew his sword and pointed it at the Youma.
Smiling appreciatively, Zoisite turned back to the battle.
*****
Kuroki Mio observed the battle from a nearby rooftop,
content to watch the Youma’s defeat with relative ease. It was interesting, Mio
thought to herself, how, even after all this time, the Shitennou still
remembered how Endymion fought. Each move was timed perfectly and the Youma
didn’t have a chance, Endymion finishing it off with a slash of his sword and
it was reduced to nothing but dust. If Mio ever wanted to make Endymion her own
then she would have to separate him from his Shitennou first.
“You were in Crown weren’t you? I just love karaoke, don’t
you?”
“Not particularly.”
“Well I do. It’s how I got started in the music business.
A talent scout happened to be visiting the karaoke parlour I was at and…”
“Kuroki-san”
It would see that Zoisite, at least, had an inkling of her
true being. This did not worry her. She would watch from a distance from now
on. The Shitennou couldn’t be everywhere… Mio cut off this line of thought when
another figure walking slowly away from the battle caught her eye. Sailor Moon…
it would seem that the Senshi of love and justice came in time to see the end
of the fight and thought better of making herself known.
Mio scowled to herself as she thought of Tsukino Usagi.
Despite not having anything, she still kept smiling… she still held faith that
everything would work out and Mio hated her for it. She wanted the Princess to
suffer for stealing Endymion away. She would suffer, Mio vowed to herself, if
it was the last thing that she did…
*****
Endymion sheathed his sword back at his side as the Youma
fell, his transformation fading as he did so. As the beast died the energy that
it had stolen filtered back into its rightful owners and the two of them
hurried away down one of Tokyo’s back streets.
“Master” Seiichi started as they walked, but Mamoru cut
him off by saying:
“Why did you tell me to run?”
“Because you are the Master” Seiichi frowned, “We are
supposed to protect you.”
“I know, but I told you before, I don’t want you to risk
anything for me. I can fight and I fully intend to.”
Seiichi nodded, somewhat chastened as he lapsed into his
own thoughts for a moment or two before speaking again, “You asked me whose
side I am on? As I have said before my loyalty lies with you, my Master, and
though I do not agree with your opinions about the Princess it does not mean
that I will not fight at your side.”
“I see” Mamoru said evenly, “Then you’ll understand what I
have said before. There can be no secrets; you can’t even attempt to take on
any aspect of the mission alone. We are a team, Seiichi-kun. If we are to
defeat the Dark Kingdom then we have to be able to work together.”
“Of course, Master” Seiichi agreed, and Mamoru held his
gaze for a moment or two and was satisfied when his friend seemed sincere in
his agreement though he still hated Seiichi using the term Master when they
were in their civilian forms. Even Chiba-san would be better… Mamoru shook his
head slightly, deciding that it wasn’t a big deal. Seiichi probably just wasn’t
sure how to act around him, especially as he recalled the past life the most.
Instead he simply announced that he was tired and wanted
to go home. Seiichi seemed to want to walk back with him, but Mamoru insisted
that he would be fine. He wanted some time alone for a bit anyway. As he was the ‘Master’ Seiichi seemed to
accept his decision and they went their separate ways, still Mamoru couldn’t
shake off the feeling that something was watching him and he didn’t like it… he
didn’t like it at all…
*****
Taro sighed to himself as he listened to Motoki fawning
over Kamekichi. Because of Komoro Seiichi’s ‘visit’ Crown had been at its
busiest yet and now it was nearing closing time, Taro had hoped that Motoki
would just want to get off home. It appeared that this wasn’t the case.
“I can clear up the rest of this” Taro said, his
suggestion designed as a hint as he indicated the remaining mess from the
children’s party that they had that afternoon.
“Don’t worry, Kimi-kun” Motoki said cheerfully, “I don’t
mind staying.”
Taro gritted his teeth and ‘accidentally’ kicked over
several wastepaper bins as he moved away from the counter.
“Kimi-kun!” Motoki complained, “Can’t you do anything
right?”
“Evidently not” Taro replied, cursing at the nickname.
Motoki sighed “It’s going to take us twice as long to
clean up now and I have better things to do this evening so you’ll have to
clean up yourself after all.”
“Fine” Taro sighed and was very glad when Motoki put on
his coat, giving him another lecture about not breaking anything and then left.
As soon as he had gone, Taro hurriedly cleaned up the
remainder of the mess and locked the door, lest the silly man think that he had
forgotten something and try to come back in.
Quickly, Taro walked into the room that he and his friends
used for meetings and shut the door. As he did so, Mercury appeared in a flash
of blue light. She smiled when she saw him and Taro placed a gentle kiss on her
lips as a silent greeting.
“I thought Motoki would never leave” Taro complained when
they parted for air.
Mercury smiled shyly and took a seat on the small sofa
whilst Taro tried to locate something to eat from the mini-refrigerator.
“I’m afraid there isn’t much in here,” he said
apologetically as he found two pots of Ramen and put them in the microwave.
“I don’t mind” Mercury answered this, “I am sure it’s
better than anything we have in the Dark Kingdom.”
“I know” Taro sighed; “I just wish I could…” he trailed
off. What he had wanted to say was that he wished he could take her to a normal
restaurant like Kanaye and Michie, but, of course, that was impossible.
Taro hated this sneaking around, too, but knew how
dangerous it was. If anyone found out… he just felt so guilty, especially after
the earful Mamoru gave Seiichi about keeping secrets.
Sighing to himself he sat down on the sofa beside her and
for a moment neither spoke until Taro asked:
“I haven’t seen you in a few days. Did something happen?”
“Beryl was beside herself with fury that Zoisite tricked
her. If I had left the Dark Kingdom it might have drawn attention to us.”
“But she has calmed down now?”
Mercury shook her head, “If anything she is angrier.”
“I want you to leave the Dark Kingdom. It is not safe for
you there.”
“Where would I go? At least if I am still there then I can
warn you of Beryl’s plans.”
“Like you warned me about her plan to capture the Prince?”
Taro shot back.
This struck a nerve and Mercury jumped up, “It is madness
to stand between Beryl and the Prince! I didn’t tell you because I knew that
you would go to help him and that Beryl would kill you.”
“Did you know that Mamoru was the true Prince?”
“No” Mercury turned away from him, “Venus might have
suspected but… I don’t know…”
Taro also stood, now feeling terrible for ruining their
evening together with talk of the mission. He just couldn’t help it if he
worried about her, that he wanted to protect her!
I didn’t tell you because I knew that you would go to help
him and that Beryl would kill you.
And she had wanted to protect him, too, Taro reminded
himself, though the fact that her withholding information nearly cost them
everything did not help matters.
“Let’s stop this” he said at last as he wrapped an arm
around her waist and drew her to him, “I’m sorry. I know you were just trying
to protect me, but…” he trailed off, not wanting to talk about the mission.
The bleep of the microwave distracted him anyway, and Taro
pulled away to go and get the Ramen.
After handing her a pot they both sat down on the sofa
again and flicked through channels on the TV whilst they ate. Mercury didn’t
seem to know what to make of the horror movie that they finally settled upon
watching, but was very interested in how a television worked. Taro tried to
give her an idea, but he’d never really thought about it in a great detail and
knew just basically how one worked.
Finally the movie ended and a commercial came on. Taro
suddenly felt a little nervous when he switched the television off and fumbled
in his pocket for a small velvet box.
“I’m sorry this evening hasn’t been that great” he
started, and Mercury proceeded to tell him that it had been fine.
“It is difficult,” she said gently, “Especially as we are
meeting in secret.”
“I know” he quickly handed her the box whilst a blush
adorned his cheeks, “I saw this in a jewellers and thought of you.”
Mercury was silent as she opened the box. Inside was a
small silver pendant in the shape of the Kanji for water. For a moment she said
nothing and Taro feared that she didn’t like it.
“I can exchange it if you don’t want it” he said
uncomfortably.
“You’ll do no such thing” Mercury snapped, clutching it
protectively to her chest, “I love it” she added and leaned forward to give him
another kiss.
“It is difficult. Especially as we are meeting in secret.”
It was Taro thought as he returned her embrace, but it was
also difficult because they were from different worlds… but somehow, when she
was in his arms that didn’t really matter…
******
Slowly her eyes started to open as she felt the coldness
beneath her. Her cheek scraped against the ground, she could feel the dampness
clinging to her Sailor fuku even as she sat up, pushing her body up off the
floor slowly, as though just getting used to her form.
Her head was pounding as she stood, and she took a moment
for her eyes to get used to the darkness that she found herself in. Half
memories threatened to surface but she forced them back down again as one thing
and one thing alone came to the forefront of her mind…
“The Ginzuishou” Dark Venus whispered to herself as
another image came to mind. The Princess…
“I will obtain the Ginzuishou for Queen Beryl” Venus
murmured, as though in a trance as she left the throne room.
Beryl watched this, a satisfied smirk on her face. Dark
Venus was a fool to think that she had ever truly been free of her Queen’s
control…
******
Act Thirty Three Preview:
“I didn’t think you’d come,” he said, silently cursing
this awkward start to the conversation.
Kisho smiled slightly, “Because we are enemies now?”
“Don’t talk like that. We’re not enemies.”
He shrugged, “How can we be anything else?”
Mamoru frowned slightly, “This isn’t just about Usagi is
it?”
~~~~~
Venus sensed her doubt and smiled slightly, “You must
think about it. I can understand that.”
“You do?”
“You are the Princess. Decisions concerning the Ginzuishou
must not be made lightly.”
~~~~~
“I’m not asking you to serve me. I don’t want that. Not in
this world.”
“Then what do you want?”
“For us to fight together for the present and not to dwell
upon something that is meaningless.”
~~~~
“Do you think he’ll even bother turning up?”
Mamoru shrugged, “I have to try. We have to be united if
we are going to win this war, no matter what our differences may be and Kisho
has got to see this.”
“He’s not the only one” Taro pointed out quietly.
Mamoru nodded, “I know.”
~~~
“Still smiling” Mio whispered to herself as she glared at
her rival. “Even now… well soon I will do something to change all of that.”