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Disclaimer: I, QueenyLeAcH, do not own Time Stranger Kyoko. If I did, I would have tried to explore the world a little more.
A/N: So, I have this theory that many of Arina Tanemura's heroines have both a true love and a soul mate. I wanted to take this opportunity to play with the idea of Kyoko paired with who I believe to be her soul mate. Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this, I would greatly appreciate it.
The Ticking Clock
Chapter 1: Stupid Princess Stuff
"Princess!" The authoritative voice rang over the table. Princess Kyoko took another bite of her omelet as her royal tutor, Madame Tsukimi, smacked the white tablecloth with a long wooden stick.
"Yes?" Kyoko asked, her fork still in her mouth, and the question emerged slightly garbled.
Madame Tsukimi gnawed on her lip. "You are aware that this Sunday is your birthday, correct? And that you turn sixteen? And that your father has prepared an elaborate festival in your honor?"
Kyoko nodded at the end of every question, taking the time to swallow more of her breakfast.
The madame's dark eyes twitched and her teeth barely separated as she smiled widely and said, "Then why did you skip our lessons and rehearsal yesterday evening?"
Kyoko looked at the chandelier, a silver piece with dangling blue crystals, while she pondered Madame's question. "All you really need for a birthday party is paper chains and fried chicken. Why would I need to attend the festival?"
Madame Tsukimi's eye began to twitch, and her knuckles were nearly white against the switch. "You… are not… attending… the festival?"
Kyoko wiped her face with a napkin, rose from her seat, and grabbed her bookbag. "Nope. That would be totes boring. I'll see you later, Madame Tsukimi." She turned to Tezuka, her bodyguard, who had thus far been waiting by the door like a shadow. "Ready to go?" she asked him.
He opened the mahogany door and gestured for her to walk through first. She smiled gratefully and skipped down the hall, her heart racing.
Once she was in the car, however, she released a scream, nearly deafening her bodyguard, Tezuka. There was absolutely, positively no way she was going to go to that ceremony. Besides the fact that she would be stuck in one place the entire time, saying hello and making small talk with an endless line of well-wishers, the entirety of her class would see her and know that she was the princess. Up until now, she'd been able to attend school – a private school, but a school nonetheless – for the last ten years without her classmates knowing that she was the princess. They didn't look at her like she was a freak, or butter up to her to gain her favor, or anything else that might happen if they knew she was the princess, and she preferred it that way.
If they found out… she'd have to stay in the castle all day with Madame Tsukimi as her only teacher. She bounced her leg, attempting to drive out the frustration that the Madame produced so that she could start the school day on a positive note.
She needn't have bothered. Almost as soon as she walked into her class and booted up her desk, her classmates started talking about the celebration, starting with her friend Karen who asked her if she planned to attend.
"I can't go," Kyoko replied as the teacher walked in and started writing on the board.
"What? But it will be our first chance to see the princess!" Karen responded, gaping at her friend. "I'm head of the Flower Tribe, you know. So I'll be dancing at the ceremony. Please, won't you come? It would mean a lot to me."
"I really can't go," Kyoko repeated, guilt gnawing at her chest. It wasn't often that the Flower Tribe danced in public. Kyoko herself had only seen it a few times. And Karen was one of the best dancers.
"Speaking of the princess," one of her male classmates interjected. "I heard a rumor about her. I heard that never appears before the people because she's ugly."
Kyoko's head snapped up, causing her chestnut hair to fly around her face. She blew it away from her nose. "Shut your rude mouth!" she demanded.
Kizuka smiled apologetically. "No need to take it personally. I know you have the same name as the princess, but I was talking about her, not you. Sorry."
Another boy popped into the conversation, and before Kyoko knew it, rumors about the princess, about her, were flying around the classroom.
"They say she's gotten really fat because she never leaves the castle. She's so fat that she can't even get down the stairs."
"Well, I heard that she has anorexia and that she's too skinny."
"Do you think there even is a princess?"
"Really? Maybe she's actually dead. They're probably covering it up."
"Maybe she's a cyborg?"
The accusations were flying around the room so fast that she barely had time to process everything. Her chest was heaving and she could tell that her cheeks were reddening. She jumped to her feet, prepared to challenge the rumors.
"Those are just rumors," Karen replied cheerfully. Tucking a strand of pale pink hair back in place. "The maids at the castle say that the princess is lively, cheerful, and very cute."
Kyoko's absolute love and adoration for her friend reached a brand new level. She wrapped her arms around her and squeezed tight. "Karen, you are an angel."
The flower princess smiled. "Awe. Thank you."
"Maybe she's just sick and is recovering on vacation?" one girl suggested, raising her hand slightly.
The teacher cleared his throat. "Okay, everyone. I know that this weekend is very exciting, but we need to get to work."
"Yes, Professor Jin," the class replied, taking their proper seats.
"Kizuka, perhaps you would like to explain the next problem," the professor began.
Kizuka groaned and Kyoko grinned. He deserved it for spreading unfair rumors about her all over the school.
"I see," the king said when Kyoko finished relaying her morning. "Rumors like that are spreading, eh?"
"Yes, Father. But if I appear at the ceremony, I don't suppose I'll be able to continue going to school normally… It's a very difficult situation," Kyoko replied, hoping he would have a good suggestion.
"It's more than just difficult," the king replied.
"Huh?" Kyoko's lips parted as she listened to her father with rapt attention.
"Now it's rumored that the princess won't even be attending her sixteenth birthday celebration. The public – who have silenced their complaints up to now – are rioting throughout the world.
Kyoko gasped and stepped forward. She had no idea such things had been happening in the world. She was just a princess, why should the citizens care so much about her making appearances? Why would they riot over something so trivial? She stepped back, and her eyes rested on the stairs. She was going to be queen one day. She… would be queen one day… And not appearing could give off the impression that she doesn't care about the people, that she has no interest in the world outside the castle. The people wanted to see her so that they could connect with her, feel close. The people… had a hard time trusting a ruler they couldn't see.
She almost didn't notice that Chocola, the kings android companion, had bounced over to her, or that Kyoko had caught her reflexively.
"Kyoko! Chocola will be princess for you-nyah!" the android chirped.
"No thanks," Kyoko replied, momentarily annoyed by the android before returning to her melancholy. "I understand. I'll quit school."
The king watched Kyoko contemplatively while she set down Chocola and turned to leave the room, shoulders hunched and head hung low. He had never seen her so depressed. But… perhaps it was for the best. If he could motivate her with this, then it would be easier to convince her to fulfil her destiny.
"There is an alternative," he started. "If you can awaken Princess Ui, you can turn your duties over to her and continue on as you are."
Kyoko froze, heart hammering. She spun back around. "What?"
The king descended the stairs. "If you can awaken your younger twin sister, then she can take your place and you can continue on as you have been."
Kyoko smiled and bounced on her toes. "Really?"
The king nodded. "Really."
He turned and led Kyoko through the hallway and down a few staircases before they entered Princess Ui's chambers. Kyoko had been in that room so often that she knew every inch. Ui laid serenely on a white bed and dressed in an ethereal white gown. The bed itself was at the exact center of an elaborate circular design on the floor. Each ring had a different, distinct pattern, and the outer rings depict the Zodiac and the numbers on a clock. Kyoko used to try to jump from number to number in a childish game.
Kyoko fixed her eyes on Ui as the priest explained how to free Ui from her slumber. If it was even possible, Ui was even more beautiful than the last time Kyoko was down here. Her sixteen years of chestnut hair shone under the lamps and her face was angelic.
"It is also said that if the giant clock can be set into motion, the power of Chronos can be used to return the sixteen years the princess Ui has lost while sleeping, perhaps," the priest continued. "However, the hands of the clock cannot be moved through mere physical strength, perhaps. It requires the power of the God Stones, which are scattered around the planet, together with the telepaths who can use them, perhaps."
Kyoko's eyes twitched. "Stop! Who can trust a set of instructions with so many 'perhaps' in it? How am I supposed to know if what you are even saying is true?"
The priest stared at her seriously. "It's true, perhaps," he said.
Kyoko could feel her patience slipping.
The king smiled and said, "So I can call the school and start proceedings to withdraw you then?"
"So I just have to gather the God Stones and the telepaths, move the clock's hands, and wake up Ui, right?" the princess exclaimed enthusiastically. "Piece of cake. Are there any clues?"
The priest cleared his throat. "There is a pocket watch and a God Stone hidden beneath Princess Ui's bed."
Kyoko walked over to her sleeping sister and lifted the sheets to crawl under. The floor was slick as a granite slab and cool to the touch. The light was dim, but bright enough that she could tell that there was no stone or watch anywhere.
"I don't see anything," she said, worming her way through to the other side of the bed and popping her head out. "There's nothing down here."
The king knelt down beside her head. "You're lying on a trap door, Kyoko. It's hidden in the circle at the very center of the clock.
Kyoko nodded and shimmied back under. She found the circle easily enough, but prying it open was a little more difficult. Her fingernails hurt after she tried. Then she knocked on it, and that did nothing. She even tried pushing it down to pop it back up, and that only strained her arm. She popped her head out again.
"How do I open it?"
Her father smiled smugly. He fished in his coat for a moment then pulled out a small golden pry. "Use this. Push it under the tile and it should come right up."
He dropped the plier in her hand and she was easily able to open the secret compartment. Inside was a bronze watch that still had a soft tick and a round stone sitting on a small pillow. She lifted both and held the small stone for awhile while she watched the surface swirl. It looked like clouds circling a small earth, almost like she was looking down on her own Kingdom. It was… beautiful.
She shimmied out from under the bed and held the items up for her father to see.
"That's the time-space stone," he explained, helping her to her feet. "We don't know who the other stones are, or where the telepaths reside. That stone is the only clue."
"How is this stone supposed to help me?"
"It's dormant right now. You have to awaken it by proving that you are its rightful master. After that, the stone will show you what to do."
Kyoko swallowed. I have to show the stone that I'm its master? How the heck am I supposed to do that?
She pondered that problem all throughout her evening. At dinner, she considered worshipping it. At tea she thought begging would be more effective. While doing homework, she considered bribery. As she brushed her teeth, she considered seduction. As she dressed for bed, she even considered threatening the stone. She tried it all, but nothing worked.
The next day, while everyone else was eating lunch in the courtyard or the classroom, she snuck up to the roof and ate her sandwich while staring at the stone. The surface swirled like a quiet and hypnotic cloud. She picked it up, the smooth surface cool against her fingertips even though she had kept it in her pocket all morning.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked it. She was about ready to give up. But…
She wanted to meet Ui. She wanted to talk to her, discuss boys and homework and clothes. She wanted to complain about her to her friends. She wanted to fight with her and get angry when Ui stole her clothes. More than anything, Kyoko wanted to know what color her eyes were. Were they the same as hers? The color of their mother, whom Kyoko had also never met? What were her dreams? Would she like being a princess? Or run from it like Kyoko?
"I wonder if we sound the same," Kyoko murmured aloud,voice crackling. Would she ever get to meet her sister?
Suddenly, Chocola appeared in front of her, startling her and eliciting a yelp. "Kyoko!" she shouted.
Kyoko took a deep breath and calmed her racing heart. "Hi, Chocola. What do you need?" Chocola almost never came to the school. Quite frankly, she would be a dead giveaway if any of Kyoko's classmates saw her.
"I have a message from the king!" Chocola announced and handed a sealed envelope to Kyoko.
Kyoko perked up, despair ebbing away. "Really? Father, have you noticed how hard I've been working? Are you going to tell me the secret of the stone?"
She unfolded the envelope and read the heading. "How to Issue a Royal Greeting." Kyoko hung her head and crinkled the paper. He expected her to fail, was practically counting on it. Well, she still had two days, she could figure it out. She crumpled up the paper. Besides, Madame Tsukimi had drilled how to deliver a Royal Address into her brain when she was twelve.
"Hey, Chocola, would it be okay if I strangled Father?"
"No. Way," she replied sternly.
Before Kyoko could coerce Chocola into helping her, however, a loud roar erupted from the school gates. Kyoko and Chocola looked over the edge and saw that a group of people were crashing through the entrance.
"Kyoko," Chocola said, "What's happening down there?"
Shhh, Kyoko hissed. One of the men below was shouting, and if she listened closely, she could just barely hear him.
"I am Witzig," he announced, "And this is my band of thieves, The Destroyers*!" He fanned his hand over the student body. "Boys, fan out."
Kyoko bit her lip. "Oh no!" Could this riot be the result of her choice to remain hidden? Or was it something else?
"Kyoko," Chocola said, sitting on the railing. "You should return to the castle. It'll be safer there."
Kyoko's heart was pounding. Tezuka would be downstairs mopping by the entrance to the roof. "Okay," she said, turning.
"Let me go!" a voice shrieked from below.
Kyoko turned, heart freezing in terror. That was Karen's voice! What were they doing to Karen? She bolted back to the edge and leaned over. One of the rioters had a hold of her wrist and was pulling her away from the crowd.
"A dancer?" the leader exclaimed. "I want one! I like you. I'll make you my 286th girl!"
Without considering the consequences, Kyoko vaulted over the railing and dropped like a stone. Any fear that she should have felt, and would have if she were a normal girl, was absent. All she thought about was saving Karen. Protecting Karen. Keeping Karen from harm.
"Hold it right there!" she shouted.
She crashed in the grass, creating a small crater. She stood and pointed an accusatory finger at Witzig. "You there! One should address a lady with more respect!"
"Kyoko!" Karen exclaimed from behind her, surprised.
The leader just stared at Kyoko, and she took the moment to size him up. He was tall, like really tall, at least two feet taller than her, which could be bad if he tried to attack. But he was thin, and his clothes were baggy, so maybe she could flip him. His hair, too, was really long, blond, and secured around his forehead by a thick headband. Actually, if he hadn't just tried to kidnap her best friend, she probably would have found him attractive.
His followers, unfortunately, were less enthralled.
"Who's that girl?" one asked.
"Did she just... jump off the roof?"
"Weird girl…" one murmured.
Kyoko's eye twitched. How dare they talk about her that way! "How rude! Don't you know who I am?"
One of the men tilted his bald head. "Who are you?"
"I-!"
She froze, realizing the entire student body was standing directly behind her. I can't say it, she realized. If I tell the truth, then I won't be able to come here anymore. I'll be alone in the castle, without any friends. I…
She looked at Karen. Karen was shivering, scared, confused near the front of the crowd. Karen was her friend, and, even though she might lose her, it was worth it. Kyoko took a deep breath and attempted to calm her racing heart.
"Everyone," she announced. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."
"Kyoko…" Karen whispered.
My hopes, my dreams, my dilemma… Compared to this, they mean little! She opened her mouth and...
One of the thieves strung his bow and notched an arrow. Little girls should be seen and not heard!" he announced, firing the arrow.
"Kodayu!" the leader shouted.
Oh no! Kyoko tensed, preparing to jump when a figure blurred to her side. He caught the arrow in his hand. Kyoko caught a glimpse of ice blue hair as the figure came to a stop at her side.
"Professor Jin!" she exclaimed.
"I'll not have you attacking my students," he told the leader.
Witzig glowered at him. "I doubt you could stop all forty-six of us alone," he challenged.
Professor Jin tensed with anticipation.
Kyoko put her hand on his arm and shook her head. He relaxed, but didn't move from her side. This was Kyoko's problem, and she would be the one to fix it. She stepped in front of her professor, stuck out her chest, lowered her chin, looked directly into the eyes of the Destroyers'* leader, and announced, "I am the Princess of Earth Nation, Kyoko Suomi. This is my country. I will not allow you to disturb the peace."
Silence coated the courtyard as everyone processed the information that this ordinary student was hardly ordinary at all, but it didn't last long. The time-space stone in Kyoko's pocket began to float from her blazer and glow with a soft light.
Kyoko, the stone said, I have felt your nobility. I bestow upon you the Time Scorpion Cane. The space around them glowed and the stone transformed into an ornate red staff with gold ornaments. It has the power to manipulate time. Use it with a noble heart.
Kyoko understood immediately. She took the staff, felt its power burst across her skin like a crackle of lightning, and commanded, "Time, stop!"
Everyone around her froze and she got to work. She snapped the archer's arrow, emptied all the thieves' guns, and positioned herself behind the leader, then she restarted time.
"Huh? Where'd she go?" The leader asked.
She jumped up and brought the rock in the middle of the cane down on his head. "I'm right here!"
He toppled, nursing a sizeable goose egg. "Ow! My head…"
"That's for starting this chaos," Kyoko replied, stepping a few feet away.
His men gathered around them and started pulling out their weapons. "Damn you, Princess," they growled.
Kyoko gripped the Time Scorpion Cane tightly. She might have to stop time again and escape. The weapons might not be loaded, but they were heavy and could still hurt her.
"Heh heh heh," the leader chuckled, rising to his feet. He waved his hand and his men backed off. "I like you, Princess Kyoko," he announced. "Therefore, today I shall show mercy and withdraw."
Kyoko gaped at him. He couldn't be serious.
Witzig strode over to her quickly and, while she was stunned, kissed her cheek lightly and whispered in her ear. "Someday, your royal highness will be mine."
He pulled away and grinned triumphantly. "Let's go, men!"
He crawled on top of a giant snake and they beat a hasty retreat, creating a small dust cloud in their wake.
Kyoko shook her head. "Hmph. What a playboy," she murmured to herself.
She looked back at the student body. "I'm sorry," she said, then she turned and followed the thieves out the entrance. While she walked, she pulled her cell out and messaged Tezuka to meet her on the corner and take her home. She had a lot to tell her father.
End of Chapter 1.
Thanks so much for reading. I hope to upload the next chapter at some point in the near future, hopefully. Please leave a review if you have comments or criticisms.
Have a fantastic day.
Love, Rip