Knocking on Tomorrow's Door
By Cassandra Sisenta
A/N: Hoookay…this is a spin-off fic of Senashenta's "Eien no Yume ni Mukatte". Where that fic features more of Yuki, this one would be Ren all the way, but of course they'd be together still but this will focus more on Ren. This would probably be lighter than Eien, more humor because Ren's just confused about everything and not in angsty turmoil like Yuki. Hehehehe!!! Read "Eien" and the Insert Chapter of my "Mornings" fic first to get what's going on, but then again it's up to you. For more info on Senashenta and my characters, e-mail either of us or you could just go to Nagareboshi Destiny at http : sena-shenta. tripod. com. / nagareboshi. html. Just remove the spaces. FF.net does not like URLs.
Knocking on Tomorrow's Door is a rough translation of Asu e no Door wo Tatake, which is Chang Wufei's image song. Hahahaha…I can't think of another title so kill me with laughter, Sena-san. XP
DISCLAIMER: I only own the Knights, especially Ren. Yuki, Taiga, and Suta who are the inner Neo-Starlights belong to Senashenta. The rest is Takeuchi original and when other characters pop out, I'll just tell you who they belong to all right? Ren, Akai (who is one of the Knights), Kagami (another Knight), Miku Kou (one of the 4th generation Starlights called the Mentors) and Yuki are the only ones mentioned here so far so we will have no problems.
Those who try to question me about claiming ownership on the Starlights or Sailor Moon in general will get Kagami sicked on them. I'm warning you. He could break your bones with just a look. Smile now.
Chapter I
Ren and the Annoying Voice
It was still dark out and the morning birds had yet to sing, but Ren Akari's purple eyes were already wide open and staring up at the white expanse of his bedroom ceiling. He was quiet and a non-expression was painted across his face as if he were deep in thought about something. His right arm that was laid back against the bed moved slightly and he looked at it.
It almost surprised him that it was able to move freely again when moments before it had been wrapped around a fragile-looking blond girl with wondrous magenta eyes who smelled of strawberries and cream in a protective embrace.
Things were certainly different now.
He had never felt so alone in his bed as he did now and what was strange was he felt this way every morning whenever his night visitor left at the crack of dawn until the sun's morning rays seeped in from the windows, snapping him out of it.
When Ren Akari usually woke up in the morning, he would sigh in relief and gratitude. As strange as it sounds, the former Imperial Knight feared waking up in the morning and opening his eyes. He feared it because if he woke up to find himself in that small, dingy room he had once called home he would just die. It would mean that none of the things that he experienced would have been a dream and he would have lived a lie for so long.
No, he could not live with that.
Whenever it was the time to get up, the first thing that he did was reach with his senses, feeling around his surroundings. First, he would become aware of the cool, clean sheets beneath his fingertips. When he was sure that they were there, he would listen for the quiet sounds of morning birds singing outside his window and wait for the soft sounds of the chimes which Kagami had once hung somewhere by the balcony. And when he was sure of those, when he had finally heard Kagami's chimes, he would then open his eyes.
They would first see the bare white ceiling of his room then wander down to the white, sparse walls then later on they would fall on his hands that he would have laced over his stomach.
Then he would sigh in his infinite relief and get up, ready to take on the day ahead.
That was how it had been for all the years since he and the other seven Imperial Knights of Kinmoku had started to live in the castle. It had been a never ending routine and one that hadn't changed for so long that he had been quite disoriented at first when he was woken up with a shock enough to cause a heart attack when a certain blond explosive was let loose in his bedroom.
Yukiko Kou was like that exactly, a bomb.
The moment that she had tumbled literally into his life sure made his routine living blow up sky high.
There was never a dull moment ever since she had made him blow up at her for bumping into him outside the Uchu and embarrassing the two of them in front of so many people. He sure didn't expect that she would just find their situation funny and in lieu of getting mutually pissed, she even insisted to treat him to something in the Uchu for her mistake.
He hadn't even known who she was at first, but then she had to break into a babbling tirade that made him remember who she was: Yukiko Kou, the Neo-Maker trainee.
Ah yes, the said to be peppiest Starlight ever.
She even beat Miku Kou, Sailor Star Caster, and that was saying something else. But then again, Miku had mellowed down some ever since the Galaxia attack so it was quite hard to tell whom between the two was noisier and more hyper.
The thought of knowing who she was made him consider running away. He hadn't been able to stand Miku way back then. How did he suppose he would stand being in Yukiko Kou's presence?
However, when he thought about it, she wasn't really that annoying. Well, if you didn't count the fact that she liked to talk constantly and she wouldn't shut up even if you tell her to most of the time.
…
Okay, whatever.
The point is Yuki Kou wasn't really that bad once you got to know her quite a bit.
Oh sure, she started showing up uninvited suddenly armed with movies and popcorn and he had had no choice but to let her in. There were also those times when she would just show up and talk to him about what had happened to her that day as if he was supposed to know what she had been doing. Then there were those times that she had fallen asleep beside him and she had used him as a pillow and a security blanket in one. And they had been caught in that position so many times Endo and Akuma had actually moved out for cripes' sakes…
Sure she liked to talk in this tumbling manner that sometimes he didn't really know what she was talking about. Definitely she was far too peppy than should be normal without inducing tons of sugar or inhaling a ton of drugs. And yes she could be just stupid sometimes, but that was just it.
If that had been all there was to her, he would have run away, but she wasn't.
He didn't know what it was that had made him allow her to buy him something on the Uchu that day. He didn't know what it was that continued to nag at him to open his door to her when she came and comfort her, albeit in his own silent way, when she came to him with her sad stories and whispered words. He didn't know why his visits to the Uchu increased ever since he had talked to her. He didn't even know what kept him from throttling her whenever she glomped him awake each morning.
But whatever it was, it made him wait and look for her when she wasn't around.
It had even started to make him miss her quite a bit during those nights when she didn't visit and it perpetually annoyed him.
She would come back when she wants, stupid. Stop that longing. You're being pathetic. She's just some silly girl. She's just—
This cute girl whom you find so interesting that you'd move heaven and earth just to stop her from being so sad all the time behind all the smiles? Oh Ren-kun! You've actually become a Knight in Shining Armor! Ureshiiii!!!!
Why did the voice had to sound like Akai's annoying warble?
It annoyed him even more and he wanted to punch its lights out.
So now he was alone in bed again with his thoughts, but there won't be a morning call today because Yuki had just left with a quiet click of the door. He had an hour or so more before he had to get up, but he was wide awake now and he wouldn't ever be able to sleep again.
He was missing her already, damn it.
Why was he missing her?
Whywhwhywhywhywhywhywhy?
You could have just asked her to stay you know, Ren-kun? I'm sure you'd both be very happy--
"URESEI!!" He yelled and packed a pillow over his head, muffling his groan as he tried to drown away the annoying voice that had started to sing a ridiculous song, which had Ren and Yuki and a baby carriage.
Thank God the annoying voice didn't have a face and wasn't under the pillow.
It would have seen how red his face was at the mere thought of asking Yuki to stay.