A/N: Yes, I know I haven't updated in a while. The training sessions have been put on hold, at least in my mind, as I saw another story unfold. I got very excited and started immediately, and neglected my YYH duties. Now, this is another idea I got. I have been planning on this one for a while, but I never knew how to go about it. And finally it hit me and I began writing.
This is the story of how Luna cama to be how we know her now. She used to be an ordinary human. Not much different than you and me, except that she lived in the Elizabethan Era in England. If you want to know more, read away. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own the YYH characters, only the plot and my OC.
Luna's POV
The last, as well as first thing I remember, was a brilliant light. It was so bright it engulfed everything in sight, but despite that, the light wasn't uncomfortable to look at. There was only one thing I was aware of at that moment and that was that I was dead. The thought brought me an odd sense of detachment. I wasn't sad, or happy, or angry. I was completely indifferent to it. It didn't take long for my thoughts to stray away from the morbid thought of my death and refocused on the light.
All my senses were completely focused on it. The light was all I could see. It left a warm, tingling sensation on my skin. Then, as I focused on my other senses, I realized I could identify the light with them too. Somehow the scent of eucalyptus invaded my nostrils with a sweet caress. On the tip of my tongue was the taste of wild berries and other fruits. It was a most exquisite sensation, having all my senses teased and pleasured as they were.
The experience didn't last very long after I discovered it and started enjoying it. The light disappeared, all at once, leaving me behind in a dark hallway. My brows furrowed in confusion as to what was going on. I looked around trying to identify where I was. The hallway was dimly lit by a torch that was in the corner. The walls had seemed to be made out of cold, raw stone. It didn't seem like the most pleasant place. A deep sense of fear, primal and raw, seeped into my bones. Have I already been judged? Was I not worthy of the glories of Heaven so I was thrown in this place?
I looked around hopelessly. My first instinct was to run and look for an escape. But if I was where I thought I was, I couldn't escape. My shoulders slumped for a second, and then straightened. The sooner I accepted my fate, the better, but it wasn't an easy thing to do, accepting the fact that I will live in a nightmare for all eternity.
I was too lost in my thoughts to notice the heavy footsteps that were coming my way. They were coming from my right. I turned that way and waited. The torchlight revealed to me the ugliest creature I have ever seen. I was stunned into place, knowing it couldn't possibly be human. The creature's skin was blue with a heavy build, horns protruding from his temples and had small, dark eyes. I couldn't make out their exact color. He only wore a piece of cloth with animal prints draped around his waist. I was standing completely still when he came to my side.
Then, he did something that made my body movable again. He grinned at me.
"Hello, Luna," he said as if we were old acquaintances. In a most unladylike fashion, my mouth dropped open and I stared at him.
Then, as if he realized his mistake, he cleared his throat and said, "Ma'am." He respectfully showed me toward two giant, wooden double doors. I frowned, wondering how I could have missed them. He opened the door for me and finally, I saw light again. The room beyond was brightly lit, but I couldn't see a source for the light in sight. The room was much longer than it was wide and, with the exception for a desk at the end of the room, it was completely empty. Somebody was sitting at the desk, and our eyes locked immediately as I stepped inside.
"Luna is here to see you, sir," the creature said.
"Thank you, Ogre," the man responded, but didn't take his eyes off mine. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the creature motion me to go closer to the desk.
I straightened my spine and walked determinedly until I reached it. The man behind it stood up. He had medium length brown hair and warm, chocolate brown eyes. He was slim and dressed in an interesting assortment of robes. He smiled at me and it put me oddly at ease.
"Please, sit down," he said and motioned behind me. I looked and was astonished to see there was a chair for me to sit on when I distinctly remembered there wasn't one there the last time I looked. "I usually provide a chair for the ladies." He bowed to me slightly, but he looked slightly awkward doing so; I could tell he didn't bow to a lady very often, if at all.
Then he slapped his forehead. "I'm sorry. I don't get ladies very often. Let me introduce myself. My name is Koenma." He extended his hand toward me and I expected him to take it in his hand and kiss it, like it was custom. Instead, he shook it, like I was a man.
I stared at him, appalled. His eyes widened and blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, so sorry. English people do things differently. It's so hard to keep track of everybody's customs." Everybody's? He grasped my hand in his, much gentler this time and kissed the back of it softly. Then he sat back down again.
"I'm a little nervous," he admitted, the blush still on his cheeks.
"Because I'm an English lady?" I finally found my voice to speak.
Koenma's expression turned serious. "No, but because this meeting might very well impact your world as well as all the others." His answer stunned me into silence once again. I swallowed hard against the tight knot in my throat.
"You must have a lot of questions for me," he said. His easy smile was back and he let silence fall between us until I could put my thoughts in order and voice them.
"Where am I?" seemed the easiest one to ask.
"That's an easy one. You're in Spirit World, and I am the Prince. Look at it as the world in between worlds. This is your checkpoint before you move further."
"Which is where?" I asked.
"That's a harder one to answer," his smile vanished and he suddenly looked serious. "It all depends on what you choose."
I frowned. "I thought I am to be judged."
He nodded. "You can be, if that is what you choose to do." He saw the puzzlement on my expression and decided to go further. "May I call you Luna?" When I nodded he continued. "Luna. I know we have just met, but as Prince of Spirit World, I have known you since the day that you were born. And I have a huge favor to ask you."
All I could do was swallow against the knot in my throat again and nod.
"The world is an ever-changing thing. It never stops evolving and never stops adapting. As long as time still flows, the world will continue to change." He paused briefly. "I fear, and my Father as well, that the changes are not good ones. The air itself seems to be restless, on Human World and all the others. I want there to be somebody who can, not necessarily guide it, but keep it from tipping one way or the other. There needs to be balance." His eyes met mine again, looking intense.
"What exactly do you want me to do?"
Koenma took in a deep breath before he answered. "I want you, I need you, to be its guardian."
He let the words sink in, but I couldn't let them. I couldn't believe my ears. Me? Why me? Why now, after I had already died? Surely there was somebody better than me out there. I only wanted a peaceful afterlife with my Edward. He was probably the main reason I haven't given death much thought at all, because I knew I would find him and we would be together again.
"You want me to protect the entire world." I let sarcasm drip into my tone. Prince of this Spirit World or not, he should have more sense than to ask this of one person.
"Yes," he answered to my astonishment.
I raised my eyebrow at him. "You do realize that is impossible."
Koenma nodded. "Yes, I do."
I was beginning to feel rather frustrated that he was delaying eternity for something like this. I didn't bother to hide it. "Then why are we even here? Why are you asking me to do this?"
"Because somebody has to," he frowned at my unwillingness to cooperate.
"Why don't you do it? You are the Prince of Spirit World, after all. You can see everything. Why send a mere human with absolutely no talent or abilities worth your notice to take care of the whole world? This request is thoroughly ridiculous." I got up. I didn't want to hear anymore. Who has ever heard of such a preposterous thing? "I would like to go see Edward now." I turned my back to him and shot a glare at the creature that called himself Ogre. "Point me in the right direction."
Ogre seemed intimidated by my glare and moved to stand behind Koenma's chair as if it offered protection.
"Luna, please be more reasonable," Koenma almost seemed to plead.
"No," I answered curtly. "Edward has been gone for almost a decade. I would like to see him now. I have waited too long."
"So, after everything you've done for the people while you were alive, you are now going to ignore them so you can have your happiness?" He seemed to be getting angry too. I barely noticed Ogre giving up on his hiding spot and standing by Koenma's side.
"Don't I deserve some time to myself after everything I've done?" I shot back. "I did everything I could to help who needed it. I have done my job. I am now dead. I would like to enjoy my death in peace now, if you please." I didn't bother to think about the irony of my words.
I turned away and wanted to walk out the door even though I didn't know which way to go. Then Koenma's words stopped me. "What if you could continue to live?" I looked at him over my shoulder, but not because life tempted me, but because his words didn't make any sense to me. Then I remembered he was Prince of Spirit World, which meant he could very well have that power.
"Life doesn't temp me anymore," I answered. I was prepared to leave and find my way by myself. I turned to face the door.
"You can't go and look for Edward unless I stamp you." His words made me stop in my tracks again. I whirled around to face him.
"Stamp me?"
Koenma held a sheet of paper in his hand. His face, as well as his voice was now devoid of any humor. "Unless I give you my permission to leave, you would be stuck in Spirit World. And Edward isn't here."
I looked into his eyes for any trace of a lie. I couldn't read people very well, but at the very least I could figure out if they were lying or not. Koenma didn't seem like he was. His eyes were hard, but genuine. He was forcing me to listen to him, but I realized I had to go through with it if I wanted to see Edward. To show him my compliance, I went back, sat on my chair and crossed my legs stiffly. Koenma gave me a long look before he continued.
"If you agreed to this, I would give you another chance at life, and a completely different one at that. I can make you immortal, and very powerful."
"Regardless of how powerful you make me, I am still only one person. I simply cannot protect the entire world," I argued. Then I asked the question that has been bothering me all along. "Why are you asking me?"
"Because I've seen the good in you. And your willingness to fight for it. I have watched you for a long time, enough that I know that if you accept, you will devote yourself to this cause, do everything in your power to protect the people and that you will not abuse the huge amount of power I will gift you with. You are simply right for this." I continued to stare, though I knew it was impolite. He seemed to take that as an invitation to continue. "You helped your people for so long. Why not continue that fight?" Then he took his speech on a different route. "Why did you help your people before?"
I thought he would answer his own question to make a point, but then I realized he was waiting for me to give an answer. "Because they needed it?" He nodded and urged me to continue. "Because it was the right thing to do? Because I wanted to?" Koenma seemed to me looking for a particular answer, and I was getting frustrated. "Because there was nobody else to do it?" I shot angrily.
"Yes!" He agreed excitedly, the smile finally back. "Sure, there will always be humans who do good and ones who commit evil deeds. But what you have the potential to do can above and beyond a normal human's."
I considered what he said briefly, but asked a question about something he mentioned earlier. "Why do you assume that the world is tipping toward evil?"
"Because I've seen it," he answered simply. "I'm trying to do something about it by calling to you. I've made an entire plan about how this should be executed. You won't be alone."
"So you send other people to do your dirty work?"
He frowned, but otherwise didn't take offense to my words. "No, I send other people because I am needed here. I am the only person who can stamp people for them to go to their appropriate destinations in their afterlife." He sighed deeply, as if our conversation tired him. "Luna, the world won't get any better if all you do is sit and watch."
I've thought about that for a long time. He was right, of course. Hoping that the world will get better is not enough. Faith can only go so far. Actions do the rest. All my questions have been answered. Koenma called upon me because he thought I was best suited for this. Because I had the gall to stand up for what was right. My life was over now, but I could live another. Indefinitely. Why should I be held accountable for the entire world, though? I could say no and enjoy my afterlife in peace. But if there was one thing I knew about this was that, if I could see the world from my corner of heaven with Edward, and see that Koenma had been right, the guilt and shame will haunt me for eternity. Because I refused to be part of the cause, because I said no, when I could possibly have a difference. Could I live with that guilt and shame? Should I accept just because I know I couldn't?
No. I've done everything that I could when I was alive. I could very well continue my mission. The world won't get any better if all you do is sit and watch. I've seen a small part of the world, and I know that Koenma was right. The balance was tipping. And if I am able to make the slightest dent, why refuse? I've never been one to make selfish decisions. I was experiencing a strange mixture of feelings as all the contradictions and my indecisiveness ran through my mind. Desperation, helplessness and fear were the most dominant at the prospect of being handed such an important task.
Koenma must read my expression because his voice softened considerably. "I could still grant your wish to see Edward if you'd like."
"No!" My response was automatic, I didn't even have to think about it. "No, that's all right," I said again in a much calmer tone. "If I go see Edward, I'm not coming back."
Koenma nodded. "Well then, we better get down to business. I have much to tell you before I can send you back to Human World."
A/N: Hope you guys liked it. There should be at least one more chapter to come after this one. I'm not sure if there will be more, but I will let you know when I update next.
Please leave a review on your way out. :)
