The Crimson Phoenix
Chapter One
Usagi watched jealously from afar as Mamoru waited patiently at a street corner. He had been standing there for almost fifteen minutes.
"He'd better not be meeting another woman!" Usagi fumed, as her man continued to wait. Then, finally, three men emerged from the crowd and greeted Mamoru. They all looked to be around Mamoru's age and one of them carried a thick, red, leather-bound book under his right arm.
"So he's NOT meeting another woman! But who are those guys? What do they want from Mamo-chan?" Usagi wondered, as the four men walked off, already in deep conversation. Before they could disappear from sight, Usagi started following them, taking extra care not to be noticed by them as they went.
"So you want me to help you study this book, Keisuke-kun? Why? What's the purpose of in even looking into this old volume?" Mamoru asked, as he and his companions strode into the dingy, dimly lit History Clubroom at the college they all attended.
"Well, since you're so adept at solving small mysteries here on campus, I figured you could really be of help with this mystery." Keisuke replied, as he motioned for them all to be seated and put the book before Mamoru on the table.
"So you and Tetsuya are in on this as well, Taka-kun?" Mamoru asked, noticing the conspiratory glances the three men shared from time to time.
"Yes. Unfortunately, so, Mamoru-sempai. I personally hope you can clear up the mystery surrounding this book." Taka said, his eyes showing an urgency that was not heard from his voice. Mamoru finally gave in.
"All right, all right! You win! I'll use that 'special ability' to figure out what's going on with this book." Mamoru said, resignedly, as he placed a hand, palm down, onto the book's cover and closed his eyes. Instantly an image sprang into his mind.
"I see……………..a brilliant palace……………it looks Chinese by the way it is built. I see the emperor, Seihi…………he looks upset about something………someone close to him has just died…Kutoukoku…………Kutoukoku is about to attack……………No………………Don't go that way!…………Hotohori!!!!" Mamoru shouted, coming out of his trance as quickly as he'd gone into it. When he opened his eyes, he could see that the faces of his friends had blanched.
"He'd found out that much about the past just by touching the book!" Taka murmured, looking dumbfounded as he said so.
"Damn straight. Can you tell where he is now, Mamoru-sempai?" Tetsuya asked. Before Mamoru could reply, a knock was heard at the door.
"Come in!" Keisuke called.
"I thought I'd heard some shouting coming from in here and decided to come and check it out." A familiar sounding voice said, as its owner entered the room. Taka could have been knocked over with a feather. There, right in front of him, was a man who was a dead ringer for his late friend, Hotohori! All in the room froze and stared at the newcomer.
"What? Why are you all staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" the man asked, with some confusion in his manner.
"No! Erm…..come on in, Kenichi-kun!" Keisuke said, after he'd recovered somewhat from the initial shock. Though hesitant, Kenichi did as he was bidden and sat in the chair adjacent to Taka and on Mamoru's left-hand side.
"Have you ever heard of the book by the title of 'Four gods earth and sky'?" Keisuke asked, evenly.
"No, can't say that I have. But when you mention it, it does sound familiar to me. What's it all about?" Kenichi asked, a slight glimmer of recognition coming into his golden eyes.
"It's mainly about four gods that represent the four cardinal directions; north, south, east and west. There's Suzaku to the south, Seiryu to the east, Byakko to the west and Genbu to the north. Each of these four gods has a priestess and seven seishi to their name. Right now we are focused on Suzaku and the Suzakusichisei. There's Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Chichiri, Tasuki, Chiriko, and Mitsukake. Does any of these names mean anything to you, Kenichi?" Taka asked, having forgotten that Mamoru was still sitting there.
"Yes. For some reason, those names sound familiar, especially Hotohori. I hope you don't mind if I stick around for a while longer, I would like to figure out why this seems familiar to me." Kenichi said, as he gingerly handled the heavy tome and leafed through it.
"We don't mind at all, but I intend to get some more work done on this, now that we at least have a small lead. Keisuke, do you have a copy of the 'Four gods earth and sky' I can use for the time being?" Mamoru asked, after maintaining his silence so the newcomer could get used to his company.
"Not in book form, Mamoru-sempai, but we do have it in a scroll form. That may even prove to be even clearer for you to decipher than the book, since this scroll is far older." Tetsuya said, as he handed Mamoru the scroll. Once again, the moment he touched the weathered paper, Mamoru was plunged headlong into a past that never was. He saw a group of people standing before Seihi. One of the people looked exactly like his friend Taka! He could hear voices, men's and one woman's. They all sounded worried but the only two words Mamoru could make out were the words 'Genbu' and 'shinzaho'.
"Genbu…………….shinzaho………………" Mamoru muttered, not knowing that he'd said the words out loud.
"The Genbu Shinzaho! One of the two Shinzaho needed to summon Suzaku after the botched attempt…………..!" Kenichi said, startling all that were in the room.
"Kenichi…………could it possibly be that you are the reborn Hotohori?!" Tetsuya asked, his sunglasses sliding down his nose so that his eyes could actually be seen.
"There may be one way to find out. My imoto-chan is always able to tell when Taka-kun is around. Let's see if she can sense Kenichi as well." Keisuke suggested.
"Why is your sister always able to sense Taka, Keisuke-kun?" Mamoru asked, out of curiosity.
"It is because Taka and Tamahome are one in the same. You see, my sister was the Suzaku no Miko." Keisuke replied, seriously.
"That explains why I saw Taka in that vision I'd just now seen. And that would also explain why I have always felt a strange aura around him as well. Shall we go and test your hypothesis, Keisuke-kun?" Mamoru asked, as he stood and carefully tucked the scroll into his jacket.
"Yeah, let's go." Keisuke replied, as the rest of them stood and they all walked out of the room together.
The whole thing befuddled Usagi, who'd been hiding under a window the whole time. "Suzaku? Genbu Shinzaho?? Suzakusichisei?! What does it all mean?!? What is Mamo-chan getting himself into? I must find out!" Usagi thought, as she waited for the men to disappear down the hall and raised her transformational item.
"Moon Eternal, Make Up!" Usagi shouted, transforming into her alternate guise of Eternal Sailor Moon. Without another moment's hesitation, Sailor Moon leaped onto the window ledge and then to the roof of the next building so she could remain out of sight of the now five men who were getting into a white car and heading for another part of town.
Mamoru was unaware that Sailor Moon was tailing him as he and his companions rode in Keisuke's car towards their ultimate destination. Finally, Keisuke pulled into the driveway of a white house and parked the car.
"Okay guys, here's the game plan. Kenichi-kun will walk behind Tetsuya-kun and Mamoru-sempai; Mamoru-sempai's behind Taka-kun and me. The first ones my imoto-chan will probably see will be Taka-kun and me. After she sees us, I will introduce her to Mamoru-sempai and Kenichi-kun. Is everyone clear on what is about to be done?" Keisuke asked.
"Yes sir!" Tetsuya, Taka, Mamoru, and Kenichi said in unison.
"Good. Now let's see if she can sense Hotohori in our friend Kenichi." Keisuke said, ignoring the somewhat sarcastic response he'd just gotten from the other four men.
Miaka looked up from the sandwich she'd been eating when the doorbell rang. "Wonder who that could be? Taka, I hope!" Miaka thought, as she went to answer the door. To her pleasure, one of the first people she saw when she opened the door was Taka, then she saw her brother and Tetsuya. Then a familiar presence came into her mind.
"Onii-san! Taka! Can you sense that?! Hotohori's around here somewhere! I can feel him!" Miaka shouted, excitedly.
"You were right about this, Keisuke-kun. Kenichi-kun, or should I say, Hotohori, step to the front please." One man said, as he motioned for the man in the far back to step forward. Miaka had to stop herself from screaming as the man called Kenichi stepped forward and stood there in front of her.
"Hoto…………….Hotohori!!!" Miaka sobbed as she hugged the stunned Kenichi around the waist. Then the stunned expression left Kenichi's face and he hugged Miaka back.
"That strange aura again……it's twice as strong as before!" Mamoru said, then looked at Kenichi's neck, suddenly noticing the bright red glow that had settled over his neck. When he chanced a look, Mamoru noticed that there was a red marking on his neck. Then he looked at Taka. Taka also had a similar marking on his forehead.
"Two out of seven seishi have been found…..I wonder how long it will be before we find another." Mamoru said, his voice getting the attention of Miaka.
"Who are you? Why do you look so much like Taka?!" Miaka asked, catching Mamoru off guard.
"I am Chiba Mamoru, and, as for how I could look like Sukunami-kun, well, you would have to ask my deceased parents for that answer." Mamoru replied, with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.
"Oh, um,…. Uh, …..I beg your pardon then! I thought you were another Tamahome impostor! Gomene!" Miaka said, embarrassed by her little outburst.
"No problem. Even the professors on campus get Sukunami-kun and I mixed up. It's rather humorous, really, to tell you the truth." Mamoru said, with a chuckle. Miaka breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm so glad that you're not angry with me! But how did you find Hotohori?" Miaka asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Actually, he found us. You see, we convinced Mamoru-sempai to use his psychometry on the 'Four gods earth and sky' to see if he could locate the rest of the Suzakusichisei if they had been reborn here on earth and he saw Hotohori first. Then we heard a knock at the door and in steps Kenichi. We asked him if he knew anything about the 'Four gods earth and sky' and he said no, but then said that it sounded familiar to him and asked us to describe what it was about to him. We did, and afterwards Mamoru asked us if we had an extra copy of the 'Four gods earth and sky' and we gave him the scroll so he could continue working on it." Tetsuya said.
"Oh! I almost forgot! I can't very well leave you guys standing here! Come on in! Oka-san and Oto-san aren't going to be in for a while, so come on in and maybe Chiba-sempai can find out something about one of the other seishi while we are here!" Miaka said, as she ushered the men inside and showed them to the living room.
"Oi, Mamoru-sempai! Want a beer?" Keisuke asked, as he headed into the kitchen with his sister to get something for them all to drink.
"No thank you, Keisuke-kun, I don't drink." Mamoru said, as he sat in one of the sofa chairs and Hotohori sat in the one adjacent to his.
"See?! You DO have a friend that doesn't drink! I told you so, Onii-san!" Miaka shouted, getting laughter that eased the tension from around all of the men.
"It's so strange…………..Here I am, reborn into Miaka's world! Who would have thought that it could have been possible?" Hotohori murmured, as he sat back and stared at the ceiling.
"Hotohori! Chiba-sempai! Would you two rather have some tea, or coffee? There's some here in the kitchen." Miaka said, as she stuck her head out of the kitchen.
"Some coffee would be great. Thank you, Yuki-san." Mamoru replied, not wanting to refuse the offer and seem impolite.
"And I would like some tea, if you please." Hotohori said, with a laugh.
Sailor Moon was fit to be tied. She had just watched her man enter the house with his friends and another girl. But she couldn't do anything about it. If she went in there, she would risk exposing her identity and if she didn't………….well, she didn't want to think of what would happen if she didn't.
"I'll just give him a piece of my mind later!" Sailor Moon thought, as she sneaked up to the window and watched the people inside.
"Now that we are all seated in here, why don't you show them your psychometry at work, Mamoru-sempai?" Keisuke asked, getting an unreadable look from his upper-classman friend.
"What do I look like, a member of a freak show or somethin'? Fine! All right! I'll do it! I just hope that I get some more information this time." Mamoru said, as he reached into his jacket and pulled out the scroll. Once again, the moment he touched the paper, he was propelled back into the dreamlike world of the 'Four gods earth and sky'.
"I see……..mountains……………….it's cold………………the way to getting the shinzaho is just beyond the boulder……………….something behind me………………agh!!!" Mamoru suddenly cried out in pain and gripped his chest, doubling over as the pain tore through him.
"Ashitare!………………..You're not going to stop…………………..Suzaku no miko……………Kourin, how long have you been standing there?" Mamoru whispered, before passing out.
"Mamoru-sempai!" Hotohori shouted, catching the upper classman before he hit the floor.
"Chiba-sempai, daijobu?!" Miaka yelped, as she and Taka rushed over to help with Mamoru.
"Look! There's a bloodstain on his shirt in the exact spot where Nuriko's death-wound was!" Miaka said, as her eyes worriedly gazed at the stain on the shirt.
"But look also, that there is no wound on his person. He felt Nuriko's pain, but didn't share the injury Nuriko had received from Ashitare." Hotohori said, as Mamoru started to come around.
"Imoto-chan, go and get him some water. Quickly!" Keisuke ordered. Miaka nodded and rushed back into the kitchen to get Mamoru a glass of water.
"What have you done to my boyfriend?!" another feminine voice screamed from the doorway of the living room.
"Usa-ko……………….." Mamoru choked, as Hotohori approached the enraged girl that stood at the doorway.
"Maybe we should ask you how you got into this house." Hotohori said, calmly, so as to not make a bad situation worse.
"That is none of your concern! I want to know what you have done to my boyfriend! Why did he cry out in pain like that?!" the girl asked. Keisuke opened his mouth to explain, but then Mamoru slowly sat up, grimacing as he did so.
"Usa-ko…………………..these people did not do anything to me. I chose to feel the pain when I agreed to help them find some missing friends of theirs using my psychometry. I've not really been wounded, but this has weakened me. Please try to understand. I had to meet these people without you by my side because I needed to find out what I was getting myself into without getting you into danger as well." Mamoru said, as he looked up at the girl.
"Mamo-chan……………….yes, I do understand……………..but I want to help you as well. Is there anything I can do?" Usagi (who had de-transformed before barging into the house) asked, startling Mamoru by her sudden show of maturity on her part.
"Usa-ko, you can start by scouring your school for a young man answering this description. Long, purple hair, tied back in a braid, eyes that are a lighter shade of purple, possibly lavender in color. He has a birthmark on the left-hand side of his face just below the corner of his eye. He's somewhat short, about 5' 5'' in height. Might possibly be from another country. You think you can find him?" Mamoru asked.
"Sure! There were lots of new students enrolled this year that come from all over the world, one of them is bound to answer this description! But why are you looking for him?" Usagi asked. Keisuke and his friends and Miaka all looked at one another.
"You'd better sit down erm…………….whoever you are……………….this could take a while to explain." Tetsuya said, as Mamoru was helped to the couch and he lay there as explanations began.
"Before you start, my name is Tsukino Usagi." Usagi said, then allowed the men to begin explaining what had happened in the past that led up to that afternoon. Usagi giggled when Miaka reminisced about Tasuki and Tamahome's brawls and cried when the deaths were being recounted.
"I know how you must have felt." Usagi murmured, sympathetically. When they finally reached the part that had to do with Mamoru's collapse, they ended their narrative.
"Well, since you have told me so much about what had happened to you, and since you think you can trust me with this, I will tell you everything that has happened to me over the past two years." Usagi said, getting everyone's attention.
"Usa-ko……………….don't tell them that I am Tuxedo Kamen, all right?" Mamoru asked, whispering in her ear so he wouldn't be heard by anyone else.
"How else will they understand why you got kidnapped all those times if I don't say that you are Tuxedo Kamen?" Usagi whispered back.
"Fine. Do as you wish, you're going to tell them anyway." Mamoru mumbled, moodily, as he lay back on the couch with a resigned sigh.
"Stop being so grumpy, Mamo-chan." Usagi chided, then she started telling the rest of the group of her and the Sailor Senshi's extraordinary adventures, and of Mamoru's role in the whole thing.
"You are Tuxedo Kamen, Mamoru-sempai?! Whoa! We underestimated you! And to think we thought of you as an ol' stick in the mud like Keisuke and Tetsuya, and not at all like Tamahome! We were wrong!" Hotohori said, with a laugh, getting dirty looks from both Keisuke and Tetsuya while he was at it. Taka just merely sat there and blinked, not believing what he was hearing.
"Chiba-sempai, where do you think Nuriko is now? How will we know it is him when we do find him?" Miaka asked, with uncertainty in her voice.
"I don't know, Yuki-san, but I do know that whatever is sending me those visions through the scroll is trying to bring your group back together." Mamoru said, as he made a move to sit up, but found that he was still too weak to do so on his own.
"Hey, Keisuke-kun, your folks won't be back tonight right?" Tetsuya asked.
"No, they've gone off on a vacation by themselves for about two weeks. Why?" Keisuke asked, confused.
"Well, maybe we can all crash here for tonight. Guys downstairs, girls upstairs. Tomorrow's Sunday anyway. We can start our search for Nuriko early tomorrow morning." Tetsuya suggested.
"That's a great idea! And I'll call Yui-chan and see if she can come over as well!" Miaka shouted, gleefully.
"May I call the rest of the senshi, too?" Usagi asked, excitedly.
"Sure, why not? I want to meet the ones who'd helped to save this world while I was trying to save the book world!" Miaka replied, with a giggle.
"No matter how old they get, girls never outgrow sleepovers." Keisuke said, before getting beamed in the head with a shoe.
"Shut up, Onii-san!!!" Miaka snarled, as her brother twitched on the floor.
"That had to hurt." Mamoru said, with a snicker, as Usagi dashed upstairs and started dialing her friends' numbers.
Miaka laughed as Rei picked on Usagi for not arriving at the meeting that afternoon (it had taken several hours to explain everything to the group) and Yui and Ami compared notes about their adventures.
"I can't believe that you'd told them all about us! What if they decide to tell everyone in Tokyo who the Sailor Senshi really are?!" Rei shouted, starting to throw her usual conniption fit.
"She reminds me of a female version of Tasuki." Miaka whispered to Yui, getting a giggle for a response.
"Only without the tessen and orange hair!" Yui agreed, as Rei continued her tirade.
"What was that about a tessen?" Rei asked, snapping out of her angry mode just as quickly as she gone into it.
"Uh………………Just mentioning to Yui-chan that a friend of mine used to use an iron tessen while in battle, that's all." Miaka replied, nervously, not exactly favoring the idea of being the next to feel Hino Rei's wrath.
"An iron tessen? What was it used for?" Rei asked, her curiosity aroused.
"For throwing flames! You see, all my friend Tasuki had to do was hold the tessen out in front of him, shout 'Rekka Shiinen' and wave the tessen at his opponent." Miaka said.
"Or the one he happened to be angry at that moment." Taka wryly commented, from downstairs.
"Your boyfriend is very outspoken, Miaka-chan." Makoto said, with a smirk on her face.
"You should see him when he's confronted with Tasuki himself. He really gets loud then." Miaka replied, mirroring Makoto's smirk with her own.
"But he's cute though. You are one lucky girl, Miaka-chan." Makoto said, with a touch of envy in her voice.
"Have you even looked at Hotohori? He's cute too, and single!" Minako said, coming into the conversation with her usual unpredictability. All the girls froze for a moment, then they all started laughing.
"Ladies, are you going to go to sleep any time soon?" Hotohori's voice asked from downstairs.
"Hai!" all the girls chimed together in unison, much to the amusement of those downstairs.
"Goodnight then!" Hotohori called, then went through the house turning off the lights so he and the rest of the men could get to sleep.
Mamoru sighed as he settled back onto the couch. Dozing off was relatively easy, since he was so tired, but then the dreams came.
"Prince Endymion." A voice called.
"Who is calling me? Elios? Is that you?" Mamoru asked, becoming aware that he was wearing his princely armor and that he was now 'standing' in a mist enshrouded field.
"Yes. It is I, your Highness. There is someone here that wishes to make herself known to you." Elios said, as he emerged from the mists, an old woman and a sprite accompanying him.
"To whom do I owe the honor of meeting this night?" Endymion politely asked.
"I'm glad that at least you're a little more polite than Tamahome, the one you so resemble. I am Tai itsukun, an oracle of the Four gods earth and sky and this is my servant, Nyan Nyan. I have come to you, Prince Endymion, to give you something that might help with locating the remaining Suzakusichisei. Here, take these amulets. There are enough for everyone in the house. Every time someone gets close enough to another seishi's aura, these amulets will start glowing." Tai itsukun said, as she handed Endymion a medium sized velvet bag. Endymion pulled one out and looked at it.
"A crimson phoenix?" Endymion asked.
"That is the symbol of Suzakuseikun. Wear it at all times." Tai itsukun ordered.
"But what about that girl, Yui? Wasn't she the Seiryu no Miko?" Endymion asked, with genuine concern, as he replaced the amulet back into the bag.
"Seiryu's power was sealed away by Miaka when she summoned Suzaku that first time. Seiryu won't pose any particular problem this time." Tai itsukun said, not exactly answering his question, but allaying his fears somewhat.
"Tai itsukun, what part do I play in this mysterious play?" Endymion asked, as the three figures began to fade back into the mists.
"You shall see, Prince Endymion, you shall see. Very soon, I might add." Tai itsukun said, as her voice echoing strangely as her form mingled with the shadows of his mind.
Mamoru awoke with a start. It was still dark, but much of the night had already gone by. He then became aware of a strange warmth on his chest. When he looked, he saw the velvet bag he had received from Tai itsukun in his dream/vision. He then pulled out an amulet and looked closely at it, since he couldn't see it very well in his dream. It was made of heavy gold and was inlaid with some of the deepest red rubies he had ever seen. It glowed faintly in the darkness and he could feel the power that had filled Hotohori and Tamahome that afternoon. Even as he contemplated the warmth he felt from the amulet, the crystal that lay buried in his chest responded, sending it's own warmth through him.
Elsewhere, Elios sighed and looked up, also feeling the warmth his master was feeling. "The awakening has begun." Elios murmured, knowing that with this awakening, there were going to be new trials for the senshi, seishi and the prince.
"Yes. Let us hope that he will be able to tie the two worlds together." Tai itsukun said, in agreement, her statement foreshadowing the future.