Earth Guardian Prince Endymion
By Senshi
of Ruin and Mizu no Senshi
Act Twenty Nine Recap:
“Komoro Seiichi?” he was aware that he sounded like a
stupid fan in the stunned awe that he spoke, but he couldn’t really think of
anything else to say.
The man in question seemed taken aback by his bluntness
and frowned slightly as though unsure how to retort. In the end he settled for
an apology.
“I’m sorry” he smiled shyly, “I should have been watching
where I was going.”
“You were in a bit of a hurry.”
~~~~~
“Zoisite-sama? Do you have an Earth identity, too?”
He paused, hesitating before answering, “Yes, I do.”
“Then…” Tuxedo Kamen trailed off, glancing at his
companions before voicing what he had wanted to say since their Prince had
appeared before them. “Where can we find you if we need to contact you? You are
the leader.”
~~~~~
“You’ve done well up until now. Don’t underestimate
yourself.”
~~~~~
“Don’t worry about it.”
“What?”
Komoro-san shrugged lightly, “Whatever it is that you are
concerned about. I’m sure you’ll work it out.”
“I’m that easy to read?” Mamoru questioned, smiling
slightly at the man’s perception.
Again, the pianist shrugged, “Just don’t underestimate
yourself.”
Komoro Seiichi is Zoisite. Looking back, I suppose I
should have guessed the true identity of our Prince, but even now this fact is
an impossible one for me to get my head around. I had spoken to him in the
hospital after Zoisite-sama first appeared. Why hadn’t he told me? It is
embarrassing, and, I’m a little angry with him, too.
“Zoisite, daijobu?”
“I-I’m fine” he whispered through gritted teeth, even as
he fell further forward until he was on his knees. Usagi stumbled with this
added weight and fell down beside him. “I’m fine,” he repeated, even as his
eyes slid closed and he lapsed into a faint at her feet.
But he’s still the Prince and as his Shitennou we were
supposed to be protecting him. He had his reasons for keeping his identity a
secret and they were reasons that I could respect, but the fact that I had met
him before… I’m not sure if I can accept his explanations and I’m sure the
others won’t be able too either….
******
Act Twenty-Nine:
“Zoisite, daijobu?”
“I-I’m fine” he whispered through gritted teeth, even as
he fell further forward until he was on his knees. Usagi stumbled with this
added weight and fell down beside him. “I’m fine,” he repeated, even as his
eyes slid closed and he lapsed into a faint at her feet.
“Zoisite-sama!” Tuxedo Kamen shouted as he passed out.
Kunzite paused, the Youma forgotten and the creature
hurriedly raced away through the trees as the Tennou turned to their
unconscious Prince.
Usagi gently rolled him over onto his back, brushing a few
strands of white hair from his eyes and was stunned at how cold he was. His
breathing was coming out in short; ragged gasps and he still trembled slightly
even in his unconsciousness.
“Zoisite?” Usagi repeated, shaking him gently, trying to
rouse him; nothing.
Yet, even as she placed her hand on his forehead once
more, Usagi could see the change that was overtaking the Prince. Slowly his
uniform was fading and was being replaced by jeans and a black shirt. His hair
grew shorter and went from stark white to a dark brown.
“No way” Usagi cried out, as she realised that she
recognised the youth lying at her feet, “Komoro Seiichi?”
“Oh don’t worry about that. My parents didn’t mind at all.
They just said that you should go and see them tomorrow or something” Hina
shrugged, “But that’s not important now. I have some great news” she was practically
shaking in excitement as she continued, “The hospital called. As part of their
charity day tomorrow they’ve invited Komoro Seiichi to come and look round the
ward.”
“Komoro Seiichi?” Mamoru asked blankly and Hina pouted.
“Mou, Mamoru-kun. I only own every CD that he ever
recorded and only listen to his music twenty-four hours a day!”
“Komoro Seiichi?” Tuxedo Kamen repeated softly as he
stared at the fallen youth at Usagi’s feet. The pigtailed girl leaned forward,
gently placing a hand on Komoro-san’s forehead and whispered:
“Komoro-san? Wake up.”
He didn’t and Tuxedo Kamen felt an icy stab of dread
inside. What had happened? Had the Youma…? No, he reasoned. The Youma had been
too far away from Zoisite to cause this. What was this?
“Komoro-san?” Usagi called again and the worried tenor of
her voice was enough to ignite the jealously that was almost overwhelming the
masked hero as he stared upon them both.
“Get away from him” he snapped, ignoring the hurt look in
Usagi’s eyes. Hurriedly, Tuxedo Kamen de-transformed and stepped towards them.
Usagi stood, moving back as Mamoru knelt down beside Komoro-san.
“What happened?” he asked, already regretting his actions.
His petty jealousy had no place here. His Prince was hurt and Mamoru knew they
had to do whatever it took to help him.
Usagi shrugged, “He just collapsed. He’s so cold… What is
wrong with him, Mamoru-kun?”
“I don’t know” Mamoru replied, turning back to his
friends. None of them had de-transformed, though Jadeite and Nephrite had taken
a step towards Mamoru as he looked up at them.
“Jadeite” Mamoru said, “Has anything like this happened
before?”
Both Kunzite and Nephrite glanced at the blonde king and
Nephrite said:
“You knew?”
Jadeite nodded. Mamoru felt terrible for having put
Jadeite in this situation, but they had to help their Prince and… Mamoru knew
that people didn’t just collapse for no reason. If the Youma hadn’t attacked
him then…
“He was unwell yesterday,” Jadeite said at length, his
voice betraying no emotion, though the concern was clear in his eyes.
Mamoru nodded and turned back to his Prince and tried,
unsuccessfully, to wake him. He was now at a loss. They couldn’t move
Komoro-san in case they caused him further injury, but they weren’t even
supposed to be in the park. If someone came…
The other Tennou had now de-transformed and Mamoru made a
decision. “Taro-kun, call an ambulance.”
“No” Masaki protested as Taro turned to heed this command.
“Why not? He’s hurt!”
“He said not to get anyone” Masaki replied; now taking a
step forward so that he could kneel down beside Mamoru. Taro, too, came nearer
and only Kisho remained aloof from their Prince.
“Then what can we do?” Mamoru snapped, “We can’t leave him
here!”
“What about Hina-san?” Usagi suggested shyly.
“Hina” Mamoru nodded, feeling a little foolish for not
thinking of this himself. They could get Hina to look at him. Of course, Hina
was not qualified but she had been volunteering at the hospital as well as
studying medicine and since Masaki thought that Komoro-san would not thank them
for calling an ambulance it seemed like the best option they had.
“Komoro-san!” Usagi’s worried cries distracted Mamoru from
his thoughts as their Prince started to wake. His eyes slowly fluttered open
and he glanced about in mild confusion when he saw the teenage girl kneeling
over him.
“What?” he whispered and Mamoru was alarmed to see that he
was still shaking, even as he tried to sit up. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t” Mamoru protested as Komoro-san tried to get up,
and then added, somewhat humbly, “You shouldn’t get up straight away. You might
hurt yourself.”
Komoro-san nodded weakly and averted his gaze, almost in
embarrassment at the situation.
“How many fingers am I holding up?” Mamoru added
hurriedly.
Komoro-san frowned, “Four”
Mamoru turned worriedly to the others, “This isn’t good. I
was holding up five.”
“Well technically a thumb is not a finger” Taro pointed
out.
“Taro?” Kisho said.
“What?”
“Shut up.”
“He’s right” Masaki added, “This isn’t helping.”
Mamoru turned to his friends, now unsure of what to do.
Masaki looked away as their eyes met. He had withdrawn since Mamoru was forced
to let slip that he had known who Zoisite-sama was from the beginning. Kisho
was, again, aloof from the situation and offered nothing in the way of help.
Only Taro sensed his friend’s loss and stepped forward, kneeling between Usagi
and Mamoru and said:
“Despite Mamoru’s concerns, Komoro-san, we can’t stay
here. Are you hurt?”
Komoro-san shook his head and Taro continued: “Good. Can
you stand?”
Again, he only nodded mutely. If this bothered Taro, he
didn’t show it, and instead wrapped an arm around Komoro-san’s shoulders and
managed to haul him to his feet. Their Prince was still in obvious discomfort
and could barely stand. Mamoru hurried to his other side to help Taro and they
started their rather slow journey out of the park.
Usagi trailed along behind them, anxious to see if the
Prince was going to be all right. This bothered Mamoru slightly, but he was
determined not to let it show so he kept focused on helping Komoro-san and
pushed all other thoughts from his mind.
******
“Komoro-san!”
Seiichi wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. One minute
he had been fighting and the next… he frowned slightly at the shrill voice who
called his name and the concern that echoed in this definitely feminine tenor.
Sailor Moon?
“What? What’s going on?” he struggled to sit up, ignore
the waves of dizziness that threatened to overcome him.
Seiichi was secretly horrified when he looked down at
himself and saw that his transformation was no longer in place.
“Don’t. You shouldn’t get up straight away. You might hurt
yourself.”
Seiichi moaned slightly in pain as he dully realised that
Mamoru was right. He allowed himself to slump back down, nodding to Mamoru’s
request and simply ride out the waves of dizziness that came with his exhausted
state. This was such a mess… how had he allowed himself to…? Seiichi silently
cursed his own weakness. Now that they knew who he was…
“Despite Mamoru’s concerns, Komoro-san, we can’t stay
here. Are you hurt?”
Seiichi looked up when Kimura Taro addressed him. He shook
his head, feeling more than a little humiliated as Kimura-san added:
“Good. Can you stand?”
Again, a nod was all he could muster as Seiichi again
tried to get up.
“I have to admit I am more concerned about you than
anything you might have told the Dark Kingdom.”
“What? Why would you care about me?”
“You are one of my guardians,” he pointed out.
Seiichi had to admit he was grateful when Kimura-san
helped steady him. At any moment he was sure that he was going collapse again
and Seiichi did not want to show such weakness in front of the Shitennou
again.
The next ten minutes or so seemed to pass by in a haze.
Seiichi managed to stumble along with Chiba-san and Kimura-san helping him,
though he had no idea where they were taking him.
Thankfully the streets were quiet and they arrived at
their destination soon enough.
“Hina!” Chiba-san called, as he opened the door to the
apartment they arrived at. Seiichi assumed it was Chiba-san’s place, though he
was unable to take in anything when his eyes were gradually slipping closed
again and all he wanted to do was sleep.
At the beginning of the week, Seiichi hadn’t minded all
the charity work. In fact he even enjoyed doing something normal for a change,
but after a few days of being followed by fans and whispering behind his back
was starting to change his mind. Of course, Hina was a fan, too, but she was
mature about her obvious admiration for him.
Hina came racing into the room from the kitchen and
Seiichi winced at the gasp that escaped her lips and the stunned whispered of:
“Komoro Seiichi?” which followed it.
“He collapsed outside” Chiba-san said as Kimura-san helped
Seiichi to sit down on the sofa.
“Why didn’t you call for an ambulance?” Hina demanded and
Seiichi felt her kneel down beside him and place a palm on his forehead, “He’s
so cold.”
“He didn’t want one” Chiba-san replied softly, “He will be
okay, though?”
“I’m fine” Seiichi protested, brushing her hand away from
him, “I just need to sit down for a minute.”
“People don’t just collapse in the street,” Tamura-san
pointed out coldly.
“I’m fine” Seiichi repeated, but they ignored him and
continued to speculate about his ‘collapse’ until Hina stood and shouted above
them:
“Right. Mamoru-kun, you and your friends can go and wait
outside. Usagi-chan, can you fetch me a blanket from the bedroom and then make
Komoro-san a cup of tea? Thank you.”
“Hina--”
“Mamoru-kun, you and your friends are crowding him. I
think if you give him a bit of space he’ll be fine.”
Chiba-san looked about to protest further but Masaki
suggested that it might be a good idea if they did wait outside. Sighing,
Chiba-san agreed and Hina smiled when they left.
“That’s better, isn’t it” she said, brightly, as Usagi
handed her a blanket before hurrying into the kitchen to make the tea.
“Here” Hina gave Seiichi the blanket, “Can you stay awake
long enough to have something to drink and warm up?”
Seiichi nodded, grateful for the warmth of the blanket and
his embarrassment was starting to fade now that the Shitennou had left the
room. Hina sat down on the sofa beside him and continued:
“What happened?”
“I just passed out” Seiichi shrugged, “I don’t really
remember what happened.”
Hina nodded, “You’re shaking. When did you last eat
something?”
“Last night… I think.”
“I read in the paper what happened to your manager” Hina
said to this, “You’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. It’s not surprising
that you’re forgetting to take care of yourself properly.”
She paused when Usagi came back into the room and
hesitantly handed Seiichi the bowl of tea she had made. “Here”
“You’re still here?” Seiichi murmured as she planted
herself on the sofa beside Hina.
Usagi nodded, “I was worried.”
“There is no need.”
“But I do…” she smiled shyly and indicated the steaming
bowl in his hands, “Are you going to drink it?”
Seiichi frowned at the greyish liquid that was supposed to
be green tea and then looked up at the smiling fourteen year old watching him.
“Perhaps later” he gave the tea back to Hina, “I should
go.”
“In this state?” Hina shook her head.
“I’ll be fine” all Seiichi wanted to do was go back to the
hotel, though Artemis would be there waiting and the last thing Seiichi wanted
was a lecture.
“I’ve got to go to the hospital a few minutes” Hina said
firmly, “You need to get some rest. You can stay here this morning and I’ll ask
Mamoru to arrange for a taxi to take you back to your hotel this afternoon.”
“Thank you, but I’m feeling better.”
Hina shook her head, “Komoro-san, please. You don’t look
very well. Usagi-chan, you’ll stay and keep Komoro-san company won’t you?”
“Of course” Usagi replied happily and Seiichi sighed. It
looked like he didn’t have a lot of choice.
******
“This is stupid” Mamoru whispered in frustration as he
paced up and down outside the closed door to his apartment, “We’re his
guardians!”
“Hina-san, had a point” Masaki replied quietly, “We were crowding
him.”
“If he is that bad then he should be in a hospital” Kisho
commented coldly before turning to Masaki and demanding to know why he hadn’t
told them about Komoro Seiichi before.
“He asked me to keep it a secret. What else could I do? He
is our Prince.”
“And we’re your friends” Taro pointed out.
“What would you have done?” Masaki snapped back, “Anyway,
you know now don’t you!”
“And now we know we can finally get some answers from our
Prince” Kisho said.
“No” Mamoru surprised them all by saying.
“No?” Kisho echoed.
“He’s not well. We can’t go in there and start demanding
that he tells us everything.”
“But--”
“Kisho. Give it a day or two” Mamoru reasoned, “I’m sure
Komoro-san will be quite willing to answer any questions we have then.”
Kisho snorted in contempt at this, “I doubt it.”
Mamoru looked away, secretly relieved when Hina came out
of the apartment. Kisho was right, he thought uncomfortably. Mamoru doubted
that the fact that they now knew whom Zoisite-sama was would make any
difference to the amount of information that their Prince was prepared to give
them and Kisho knew this, too.
“Mamoru-kun” Hina said, jolting him out of these thoughts.
“How is he?” Masaki asked, hurriedly.
“Sleeping” Hina replied, “Komoro-san’s been under a lot of
pressure lately and he hasn’t been eating properly. I told him he could stay
here this morning and that Mamoru would help him back to his hotel this
afternoon.”
Mamoru nodded in agreement to this and Hina added
curiously. “How is it you know Komoro-san? I thought you’d only met once?”
“Masaki-kun knows him” Mamoru replied to this and he
winced at the glare his friend gave him. Hina didn’t seem to notice, but sensed
that she wouldn’t get anymore out of them than that and was content to leave
the matter be. Then, after extracting a promise from her fiancé that he would
make sure that Komoro-san was feeling better and had eaten something before
allowing him back to the hotel, she left for the hospital.
“Well” Kisho said when she had gone, “If we’re not going
to get any answers out of our Prince today then I am certainly not going to
wait around for him to wake up. Ayame will be worried,” he added in as an after
thought when Mamoru gave him a disapproving look.
“I have to go to Crown” Taro said uncomfortably, “But I
can call in sick” he added in when he saw the look on Mamoru’s face.
“No” Mamoru snapped, “We should all wait. He is our Prince.
Do you truly only care about getting answers from him?”
Taro shrugged, “No” he admitted, “We are worried, too.”
“Then we should all wait” Mamoru decided.
“Hina-san said we were crowding him,” Masaki pointed out,
but Mamoru paid him little heed as they stepped back inside the apartment. He
felt that familiar wave of jealousy threaten to overtake him as Mamoru stared
at Usagi. She was knelt down beside the sofa, watching Komoro-san sleep.
“Hina-san said it was exhaustion,” Usagi said guiltily when
she became aware of the others presence.
Her eyes were overcast with sadness and guilt that she
might have caused this and Mamoru was about to tell her that Masaki had said
that Komoro-san had been feeling unwell before when Kisho snapped:
“And who’s fault do you think that is, Princess?”
Usagi shied away from his anger and whispered, “I know.
I’m sorry.”
“Get out.”
“But, I--”
“Get out”
“Kisho--” Mamoru started, but his friend cut him off with:
“No. She caused this. He’s in this state because he
defended her.”
Mamoru was shocked at Kisho’s sudden want to defend his
Prince, but Usagi was not the enemy… was she?
“I should go” she smiled, as though it was not a big deal
despite the unshed tears in her eyes. “Tell Komoro-san that I hope he’s feeling
better soon.”
“Usagi--”
She smiled again and hurriedly left and Mamoru felt a
curious sense of unease at her departure and he almost followed her had Masaki
not grabbed his arm and silently shook his head. His friend was right, Mamoru
knew. His place was at his Prince’s side.
*******
Usagi gently rolled him over onto his back, brushing a few
strands of white hair from his eyes and was stunned at how cold he was. His
breathing was coming out in short; ragged gasps and he still trembled slightly
even in his unconsciousness.
“Zoisite?” Usagi repeated, shaking him gently, trying to
rouse him; nothing.
Yet, even as she placed her hand on his forehead once
more, Usagi could see the change that was overtaking the Prince. Slowly his
uniform was fading and was being replaced by jeans and a black shirt. His hair
grew shorter and went from stark white to a dark brown.
“No way” Usagi cried out, as she realised that she
recognised the youth lying at her feet, “Komoro Seiichi?”
“So…” Beryl whispered softly as her crystal replayed the
battle over and over at its Queen’s leisure. “After all this time…”
“My Queen” Dark Mars interrupted, quietly, “Now we know
who the Prince is we can strike. Let me summon some Youma and--”
“And you’ll fail miserably” Beryl snapped back, causing
the black haired girl to flinch visibly.
“With all due respect” Mars replied, the hurt obvious in
her voice, “It was under Venus’s lead that the Prince escaped before. I alone
managed to capture one of the Shitennou.”
“No.”
“But, my Queen--”
“Silence! I will not allow this opportunity to be wasted!”
Dark Mars sighed softly and bowed her head in submission.
“As my Queen commands,” she murmured humbly.
Beryl smiled and turned away. This time a rare opportunity
had presented itself. Beryl was thrilled to realise that she had an advantage
over the Shitennou. They remained oblivious to the fact that she now knew whom
their Prince truly was.
The adrenaline rush that came with this knowledge was
almost too powerful for her to ignore and for a second Beryl considered
ordering Mars to do as she had asked, but she held herself in check just in
time. Time… she mused… everything took time. She would have to be patient.
Still… it did not mean that she could not watch him… to be
close to him and yet so far away pained Beryl but she clung onto the knowledge
that, with time, he would belong to her again.
“Dark Mars” the glowing crystal’s pictured changed,
showing Tsukino Usagi’s slow walk towards her school. The young Princess was
dragging her feet and seemed more concerned about the Prince than being late
for classes. This filled Beryl with an uncontrollable rage. The Prince was hers
and no one else’s.
“Dark Mars” she repeated, “Stir up some trouble for the
Princess.”
******
As the last Youma fell, Dark Venus struggled to her feet.
“Matte!” Usagi cried.
The blonde Senshi smiled softly, “Princess… I must return
to the Dark Kingdom.”
“Why?” Usagi asked desperately, “What is there for you
there?”
Venus’s eyes saddened for a moment as she replied: “My
friends. Mercury, Mars and Jupiter have to be freed, too.”
Dark Mars couldn’t help but smirk in satisfaction as she
saw their leader stumble. Drawing a harsh breath, Venus leaned up against the
wall of the cave in order to compose herself.
Traitor… she had helped the enemy and yet still Beryl
allowed her to lead them. Mars did not understand and this confusion only added
to her anger. She by all rights should lead them. Venus was nothing…
“You should have died” Mars spoke coldly, letting her
presence be known, “Rather than come back here to live in disgrace.”
Venus looked up through a cloud of matted blonde hair,
“The only disgrace is allowing myself to serve Beryl.”
“Show Beryl-sama some respect! It is she who granted us
this life and this kingdom!”
Venus laughed bitterly, “Are you truly so blind? The
Princess--”
“Is the true enemy.”
“Then what of the Prince? You said yourself that he would
ruin us all and now you seek to help Beryl make him her own?”
Mars glowered slightly at the truth in Venus’s words. The
Prince would destroy them all… but if she wanted to become the leader of the
Dark Senshi, Mars knew that she would have to abide by Beryl’s orders… for now
at least.
“Beryl-sama is our Queen. This Princess whom you speak of
is nothing” Mars sneered, “And you would do well to remember that.”
With these words she turned away.
“Stir up some trouble for the Princess.”
It was a test, Mars knew. A test to see if she were truly
capable of becoming the leader and Mars intended on passing.
******
“Get out.”
“But, I--”
“Get out”
“Kisho--”
“No. She caused this. He’s in this state because he
defended her.”
Usagi did not go to school in the end. She had started on
her way, but all she could think about was Komoro-san and how it was her fault
that he collapsed. If she hadn’t of asked him to fight… if he was truly hurt
then Usagi knew that she would never forgive herself.
For some reason this made Usagi feel worse and she
struggled to blink back tears as she walked slowly towards home. With any luck
Ikuko would be at her gym class and if she wasn’t… Usagi shrugged to herself.
She didn’t know…
“Venus love-me… chain!”
The weapon struck the Youma in the chest and it was sent
sprawling backwards, yet two more replaced it.
“What are they?” Usagi whispered as she felt the locket
round her neck start to pulse. It started to shine and Usagi flinched at the
brightness and even went as far as covering it with a hand. The Youma, too,
sensed this reaction and stepped nearer again.
“Princess! Transform!” Venus cried as she landed a
well-placed kick to one’s stomach, before lashing out again with her chain.
“No” Usagi refused, feeling the colour draining from her
face as she spoke these words. If she transformed then the Ginzuishou would…
would what?
“Why?” Usagi whispered, “Ever since I found out that I was
the Princess I can feel its power… its destruction… why?”
“Usagi-chan!”
“Luna!” she turned, startled and both relieved at the
cat’s sudden appearance.
“Usagi-chan, I’ve been so worried” the plushie cried as
she halted in front of her young charge.
Usagi smiled and knelt down to pick her up. At last, a
friendly face in all of this.
“I’m sorry. I was with Venus. She’s regained her memories
of the past life and wants to fight for us again.”
“That’s great news” Luna replied, though her voice lacked
any enthusiasm and this dampened Usagi’s mood somewhat.
“Zoisite!” Usagi shouted, trying to get the Shitennou’s
attention, even as she scrambled to the Prince’s side. Without thinking, she
wrapped an arm around his shaking shoulders, trying to steady him somewhat.
Usagi gasped softly when she looked up and saw the obvious agony in his eyes.
“Zoisite, daijobu?”
“I-I’m fine” he whispered through gritted teeth, even as
he fell further forward until he was on his knees. Usagi stumbled with this
added weight and fell down beside him. “I’m fine,” he repeated, even as his
eyes slid closed and he lapsed into a faint at her feet.
“Zoisite-sama!”
Usagi chewed nervously on her lower lip as she finished
filling the cat in on what had happened and she awaited her guardian’s reaction
with baited breath.
“I’m so worried” she ventured when Luna said nothing,
“Hina-san said that he would be all right, but I…”
“Usagi-chan! You must stay away from Zoisite and Tuxedo
Kamen.”
“Why? With Zoisite I can almost understand, but Tuxedo
Kamen? Luna, we could become allies. I don’t understand why…”
“The Shitennou were the Prince’s court in the old Earth
Kingdom. They did not approve of the love between the Prince and Princess. They
will do anything to stop the past from repeating.”
“Are you saying that Tuxedo Kamen might hurt me?”
Luna looked away, unwilling to answer and, luckily for the
plushie, it turned out that she didn’t have too.
“Usagi-chan!” she looked around, Luna ducking out of sight
as the two girls ran towards her.
“Mio-chan? Rika-chan?” Usagi asked in confusion. Tamiya
Rika was the most popular girl in Usagi’s class. She was tall and slim and
walked with the grace of a super-model, even at 14. Her dark eyes were wide and
she had the most beautiful jet-black hair. It was so silky and shiny, Usagi
thought to herself. She often daydreamed about being as beautiful as Rika-chan.
Rika-chan also dressed perfectly. All the clothing in the world seemed to be
made to fit her. Even the school uniform looked good on her.
“Why aren’t you in class?”
“It was cancelled” Rika said sadly.
“Cancelled? Why?”
“Usagi-chan? You mean you haven’t heard?” Mio asked
innocently.
“Heard what?”
“Naru-chan’s in hospital”
*******
When Komoro-san finally awoke, Mamoru was the only one
present. He had discovered that they had no food in the apartment and he had
requested that perhaps one of them could go and get some things, as Hina had
been adamant that Komoro-san ate something before he went back to his hotel. Unsurprisingly
he had several volunteers and Kisho and Taro had gone. A few minutes later
Masaki had got a call on his mobile from his father. His mother wasn’t feeling
well and he had to go. Mamoru thought this was strange. If she was that bad
then surely Haru-san would have taken her to the doctor? Masaki, too, appeared
concerned and torn between his loyalties here and towards his family. Mamoru
had urged him to go in the end. Both Kisho and Taro were angry that Masaki had
not told them about Komoro-san before and Mamoru deemed it best that he made
himself scarce for a while.
Masaki seemed relieved and all but ran from the apartment.
Still unsure what to make of this, Mamoru was considering giving his friend a
call when Komoro-san woke up.
He certainly seemed better, Mamoru noted. He had more
colour and no longer shook as he sat up before glancing up at Mamoru.
“How are you feeling?” Mamoru asked, suddenly feeling a
little uneasy as his own words about giving Komoro-san some time to recover
seemed to be flying out of the window now that the man was actually awake.
“The Ginzuishou will remain with Sailor Moon.”
“I cannot allow that. Step aside.”
“Or what? Will you fight me?”
“If I have too”
Mamoru felt angry and betrayed as he recalled his Prince’s
words. Komoro-san was supposed to be someone he could trust but at the moment
this trust was not forthcoming.
“Better now, thank you, Chiba-san.” Komoro-san replied to
his question and somehow added to his fury.
“Komoro Seiichi” Mamoru said, making no effort to keep the
slight distrust out of his voice, “Our Prince. I won’t ask why you didn’t tell
us who you were as I already know.”
Komoro-san nodded, “It was safer that way.”
“It wasn’t safer for Taro was it?”
“That was unfortunate.”
“Unfortunate? Is that what you call it?”
To Mamoru’s utter shock, Komoro-san glanced up to meet his
incensed countenance “I will not take the blame for what happened to
Kimura-san, but let me assure you that I do regret what he had to endure
because of me.”
“And what now? Now we know who you are.”
Komoro-san shrugged and, to Mamoru’s horror, he felt his
anger dissipating. “I cannot dictate to you in this life, Chiba-san. You have
your own opinions about Sailor Moon and I respect them, even if I do not agree
with them.”
“You and Kisho are very alike” Mamoru commented, “Though I
am sure he would hate to hear me say it.”
“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.”
“Decisions? I’m not the leader. I told you--”
He trailed off when the door opened and Taro and Kisho
returned.
“You’re awake” the taller man commented lightly before
dumping the several shopping bags he was carrying on the floor at Mamoru’s
feet.
“I hope you’re hungry” Mamoru said when he looked in one
of the bags, “I think we have enough here to feed an army.”
“I can eat back at the hotel.”
“Really? Which hotel are you staying in?” Taro asked.
Komoro-san hesitated slightly before replying: “The Okura.”
“I’ll bet that costs a lot.”
“Money is not a problem.”
“Pretty full of himself, isn’t he?” Taro said to Kisho,
“He must be one of us.”
The older man simply scowled and looked away. Mamoru
cleared his throat and stood, “Kisho? Why don’t you give me hand with this?
Hina made me promise that I wouldn’t let you leave without eating, Seiichi-kun,
so I’m afraid you don’t have much choice.”
Kisho shook his head and stalked into the kitchen ahead of
Mamoru. Looking through the bags, Mamoru was relieved to find that they hadn’t
opted for anything complicated as he could cook Ramen but that was about
it and he doubted that Kisho was any better. Did Hina truly think it was wise
leaving Seiichi at the mercy of his culinary skills?
In uneasy silence Kisho started to help Mamoru prepare the
Ramen. Mamoru noted the anger in his eyes when he heard Taro and Seiichi
talking.
“Why don’t you go and join them?” Mamoru suggested
quietly.
“Why would I want to do a thing like that? I thought you
wanted me to help you!”
“He’s okay. We had a talk when you and Taro were at the
shops. I know he lied to us, but he is our Prince.”
“And that is a good enough reason for you?”
“No” Mamoru snapped irritably, “He cares just as much
about the mission as you and--”
Mamoru trailed off when Kisho turned and stalked back into
the front room. Seiichi looked up at this entrance.
“Mamoru told me not to question you as you were feeling
unwell, but you seem in the picture of health to me.”
Seiichi stood, daring to meet Kisho’s gaze, “What is it
you want to know?”
“Do you plan to betray us again? Will you place your love
for the Princess over your responsibilities for this planet?”
Mamoru and Taro exchanged glances, both wondering whether
to intervene and indeed Mamoru stepped forward to do just that when Seiichi
replied:
“This past life is all that matters. My life in this world
is meaningless. Why else do you think I kept my identity a secret for so long?
I was trying to protect our planet. If Queen Beryl finds out who I am then we
will all suffer for it. The Shitennou are the guardians of Earth along with the
Prince. The Princess destroyed the planet in the past life because of Beryl and
what she did.”
“And what did Beryl do?”
“Her blind jealousy and rage directed at the Princess
destroyed everything that the Princess held dear to her. Beryl stole her Senshi
from her side and killed her love and his guardians. Torn apart by grief the
Princess destroyed both her world and ours. Do you see now why Beryl must never
find out who the Prince truly is?”
“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.”
With these words he left and Mamoru let him. It would be
good to let Kisho think things through, Mamoru reasoned. Seiichi did care for
the mission, perhaps more than any of them and Mamoru was sure that Kisho would
come to realise this and when he did they could truly fight as a team.
******
Taro left soon after Kisho did. Motoki had called and was
desperate for some help in Crown that afternoon and Taro didn’t really have a
choice in the matter unless he wanted to lose his job. Mamoru did try to
explain, but Seiichi seemed keen to get back to the Okura so Mamoru
thought it would be best to leave things as they were.
Taro seemed almost at ease with their Prince and with an
‘I’ll see you later, Seiichi-kun’ he left.
“Do you want me to call a Taxi?” Mamoru asked as Seiichi
stood.
He shook his head; “I can get someone at the studio to
send a car, thank you, Chiba-san.”
Mamoru sighed and cleared away the plates from lunch
whilst Seiichi called ‘the studio’. Despite their differences, he found that he
and Taro both got on with Seiichi well enough. Although he was quiet, he was
not afraid to voice his opinions and Mamoru was very impressed that he stood up
to Kisho. The oldest of them could be a little intimidating to say the least
when he was angry with someone, but Seiichi seemed to know exactly how to
handle him. It saddened Mamoru to think of his friend, yes friend as well as
Prince, going back to the hotel and alone voiced concerns along these lines.
“I’ll be fine, Chiba-san” Seiichi dismissed his concerns,
“Tetsuya will be out of hospital soon and if I need anything there are plenty
of people at the studio whom I can call.”
“But you are our leader.”
“No. I told you before, you are the leader.”
“I don’t understand. You once told me that I would lead
until there came a time when you could fight along side us properly. Isn’t now
that time?”
Seiichi smiled, almost sadly, “Do you honestly think they
would follow me?”
“If you told them--”
“You are the leader, Chiba-san”
Mamoru nodded feeling strangely at ease with the
situation. When he had first transformed into Tuxedo Kamen and became the
leader he had not wanted this burden. Now… things had changed. He wanted to
lead them. He wanted to stop the Dark Kingdom and right the mistakes of the
past life.
“My car is here,” Seiichi said softly, breaking the
silence that had befallen them.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
“I’ll be fine, Chiba-san.” Seiichi repeated his earlier
answer, “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to call me Chiba-san you know.”
“I know, Chiba-san.”
Mamoru frowned but said no more on the subject. Seiichi
called Kisho and Taro by their first names now. It did not make sense… he
shrugged to himself and watched his Prince leave. Seiichi was just being polite
that was all or was there more to it than that?
******
“In hospital?” Usagi repeated. She could literally feel
the colour draining from her face as she uttered these words. “Why? What
happened?”
“No one knows” Rika answered sadly, “A passer by found her
outside the tube station. She was still unconscious when Haruna-sensei told
us.”
“I was just going to see her” Mio added, “Naru-chan needs
her friends around her.”
Mio was clutching her left wrist in her right hand and
winced when Naru tried to touch it.
“I think it’s broken” she whimpered and then looked up at
Usagi as though noticing her for the first time. Tears spilled down her cheeks
as Mio asked painfully, “Usagi-chan? Why did you leave me?”
“Leave you?” Usagi repeated dumbly.
Mio nodded sadly and a sob escaped her, “You ran off and
left me when that… that creature attacked me.”
“Usagi-chan? Is this true?” Naru asked softly.
“No…” Usagi protested but trailed off halfway through her
sentence. What could she say? That she was fighting? She lowered her gaze, “I
didn’t run away,” she mumbled in the end.
“You did, you did” Mio accused, her lower lip wobbling
dangerously, “Just because you hate me.”
Friends… Usagi shook her head slightly. Kuroki Mio was no
friend of theirs.
“I should get going,” she said out loud, “Mama will wonder
where I am if class has been cancelled.”
Rika nodded understandingly, “It has been a big shock for
all of us. Do you need us to walk you home?”
Usagi smiled, “That would be nice.”
“No. She caused this. He’s in this state because he
defended her.”
The pigtailed girl flinched slightly as she recalled these
words again and tears sprang into her eyes. If she had just met with Naru as
normal then this might have been avoided.
“Great” Rika said warmly, “And tomorrow we can go to the
hospital together.”
“I’ll come too” Mio chimed in, “I’ve been working on my
new single so I thought I’d bring Naru-chan a copy of it to listen to and--”
The rest of her sentence ended in a shriek as they turned
the corner into Usagi’s road. Standing in the middle of the street, surrounded
by fallen pedestrians was a Youma. Its body was grey and covered in a thick
layer of black fabric. Its hands were more like stumps and thin green-like
fronds protruded from them. It was slim and tall, and had no nose or eyes that
Usagi could see; only gaping holes.
“W-what is that?” Mio cried out, attracting the Youma’s
attention.
It moved faster than Usagi could react. The fronds lanced
our from its outstretched palm and wrapped themselves around the girl-idol. Mio
screamed, struggling to free herself, but only managing to get herself more
tangled up. The Youma snarled and started to retract the vines, pulling Mio
towards it.
“Mio-chan!” Rika screamed, racing to the girl’s aide.
“Rika-chan!” Usagi cried as the fronds now whipped out
again, wrapping themselves around her other friend.
“Usagi!” Rika screamed, her free hand reaching out towards
her, “Save us! Usagi-chan!”
Usagi took a step back, narrowly avoiding being captured
herself. She couldn’t transform here. If she did then Rika and Mio would see
who she really was.
Thus Usagi made the hardest decision she had ever had to
make.
“Usagi-chan!” Rika pleaded as she took another step
backwards and understanding dawned in her friend’s eyes.
“Usagi! No, please! Come back!” Rika screamed as Usagi
turned and ran. “USAGI!”
Tears blinded Usagi’s vision as she fled, listening to
both Mio and Rika’s shocked cries as she did so. As she rounded a corner, Usagi
looked down at the transformation locket.
“What are they?”
Usagi whispered as she felt the locket round her neck start to pulse. It
started to shine and Usagi flinched at the brightness and even went as far as
covering it with a hand. The Youma, too, sensed this reaction and stepped
nearer again.
“Princess! Transform!” Venus cried as she landed a
well-placed kick to one’s stomach, before lashing out again with her chain.
“No” Usagi refused, feeling the colour draining from her
face as she spoke these words. If she transformed then the Ginzuishou would…
The Ginzuishou was silent, un-reactive as always. Usagi
took a deep breath and cried out her transformation:
“Moon prism power… make up!”
******
Mio watched in satisfaction as the Youma released her the
minute Tsukino Usagi ran away to transform. The girl idol revelled in the pain
and betrayal in Rika’s eyes as her friend left them to their fate. Pretending
to fall to the ground, Mio saw the Senshi of love and justice, Sailor Moon,
make her entrance. The Youma released Rika to fight the blonde heroine and Mio
crawled over to the semi-conscious girl as Sailor Moon used her ‘Moon Tiara
Boomerang’ to knock the Youma away from them.
“Rika-chan, daijobu?”
“She left us” Rika whispered, tears shining in her eyes as
Mio reached her side. “Usagi-chan…”
Mio smiled, recalling the look of horror and surprise on
Naru’s face when she realised whom she truly was. Naru paid the ultimate price
for sticking by her friend. It would seem that Rika was not so loyal.
“Moon twilight… flash!”
The Youma screamed as the moonbeams struck it and it
disappeared in a flash of light, but Mio no longer cared for its destruction.
“Usagi-chan is a coward,” Mio whispered in a low voice.
“Usagi-chan…” Rika bowed her head and tear trickled down
her cheek. “I thought I knew you.”
“We both did” Mio replied, “We both did…”
Tsukino Usagi… the Princess… in this life she had
everything as she had done in the past. She had beauty, a family, friends… the
Prince and what did Mio have apart from her fame? Nothing. She had nothing and
now she was determined to make sure that Tsukino Usagi paid for it.
“We’ve taken away your friends” Mio murmured to herself as
Sailor Moon ran towards them to make sure that they were all right. “We’ve
taken away your friends and now we will take away your Prince.”
******
Act Thirty Preview:
“Go. Quickly before the Youma arrives.”
“Youma? What? Aren’t you coming with me?”
“No.”
“Well” Usagi pouted, “If you’re going to stay and fight
you’ll need some help.”
“No. You must leave now. If they find you here with me…”
he trailed off, “Just go.”
“No” Usagi shook her head, “You helped me and Venus so I’m
going to stay and help you. We can fight--”
~~~~~
“Mercury. Do not stand in my way” Venus threatened, “The
past must not be repeated.”
~~~~
“Usagi-chan should have been home by now,” Luna admitted
as Artemis sat up and came to her side.
“Do you want to look for her?”
“I’ve left a message on her phone. I’m sure she’s just at
the hospital with Naru-chan.”
“Luna---”
“Artemis, why are you here, really?”
~~~~
“Komoro-san---”
“Please, just go.”
Usagi shook her head and pouted, “No. I travelled all this
way to see you and I’m not even going to get an autograph. Do you treat all
your fans this badly?”
~~~~
Seiichi looked away, setting his voice into one of
indifference, “You should not risk everything for someone you don’t
understand.”
“But I do understand you. You are afraid. You don’t want
the past to repeat itself. You are trying to protect me. If you really don’t
care for me then explain why?”
“I am not the Prince you love.”