Act Seven: Star seeds in the garden of Hell
Life suddenly changed for the bar maiden, and a strange man appeared during one of her performances.
Three weeks later, she sensed someone watching her—a much different presence than anyone else that had been into the bar, save for Haruka. She opened her eyes slightly, so that she could see who was around her.
A young man, a bit younger than herself, sat alone at a table near the balcony. His hair was silvery white, cascading around his face, his golden eyes staring unblinkingly at her. His mug was barely touched, still filled to the top. He was hardly the type that would come around to the Ariel, even though Michiru liked to think that the pub was a safe and honest establishment. The boy was high ranking, a noble, or perhaps a knight—she couldn't tell which from his posture and clothing. He looked like he was waiting more than he was listening to her music, and the way he looked at her, it was the aqua haired woman that he was waiting for.
Michiru cut the song short, and everyone clapped when there was a long enough pause in her playing. She stood up delicately, bowing her head slightly, before resting her weight back into the chair so that she could put the violin down and close both of the beetle black cases up. Afterwords she was going to ask the man what he wanted.
Even though he looked nonthreatening, she was still on her guard as she carried the cases towards his table. The boy watched her calmly, his face unreadable. She stood above him, still trying to figure him out. He held out a hand to an empty chair.
"Please. Sit." His voice was not at all aggressive, nor arrogant, quite unlike most of the men from his class. It was deep and calming, and suddenly she was compelled to listen to him, as well as her gut: he was no threat. Even though he was so young looking, he was dignified.
"My name is Elios," he answered before she could ask, "And I am the owner of the Menarsia." A sheepish grin crossed his face, finally revealing the boy underneath, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I feel foolish in asking you this, but I would like to ask for your help."
Michiru drew back in her seat, her eyes wide with alarm. Elios finally pulled his gaze away from her, his golden eyes looking down at his mug, fingers fidgeting at its sides. "I am acquainted with a friend of yours—Captain Tenoh. And I thought that someone who is friends with someone as strong, loyal, and honest as her, would have those same qualities within themselves.
"She actually came by my Hotel a few weeks ago to drop off something quite peculiar before she set sail, so I was unable to speak to her personally. But then I didn't realize how bad my situation was, but it has grown bad to worse—so I am desperate for help." He spread his hands out on the table, looking at his finger nails, and she knew how embarrassed he truly felt in asking her. Still, she wasn't sure if she should trust him.
Michiru stayed silent for a while as she weighed how she felt about him. Even though no flags went up in her mind, and the pit of her stomach said that it was okay to trust him, she still doubted him. Though it was very rare that she was wrong in a first impression of someone, she was still cautious. She crossed her arms over her chest, the two instrument cases sitting safely by her feet.
"What's this problem that you are having?" she prompted, her voice calm and gentle. The aqua haired woman hoped that her voice didn't show any of the cynicism that she was feeling.
"I feel terrible for asking," he said, still hesitating on describing the matter, "And I'm willing to pay for your troubles..."
"Tell me," she urged, her voice smooth, eyes kind. Though on the inside she bristled slightly at being offered money.
"A very close friend of mine has... disappeared. Her home, nor I know where she is, only that we've narrowed it down between the two places. But I feel as though that she would be hidden here—there are thousands of places to hide a person, despite the fact that this is a fairly tiny island." The color drained from his face, his eyes saddening, as he was suddenly plunged into what he really felt.
"I lo—I really care deeply for her, and she has been gone for at least a week and a half. No one has heard anything of her. She was with me one moment—and gone the next. Problems started to arise weeks before that, we knew that we were being watched, though I thought it was I that was being spied on. No one knows who she is here, she comes in disguise as a simple merchant's daughter."
Before she went into his personal life, and asked who the girl really was to him, she asked the most obvious question. "So what do you want me to do if I were to help you?"
He breathed in a few times as if he realized that he hadn't been breathing. "I would like you to see if you could hear anything about what has happened. I am of a higher rank—I move and act that way because that was how I was raised—I am no good as a spy, I am actually quite useless except for political matters strictly."
Michiru slowly nodded her head in understanding. "And being a bar maiden, I'm constantly around customers and they either trust me like a councilor, or they don't notice me because I'm inconsequential."
"Not so harshly put, but yes," Elios swallowed.
The bar maiden sat back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is there anything that you can give me? Like any clues to who might have taken her?"
Elios looked up from the table when her realized that he had been staring at it. He rubbed his bottom lip with his index finger as he thought, staring passed her. "The Kingdom where she is from has been warring with a newly forming nation. This country has several spies dispersed all over the lands, wreaking havoc where ever they are."
"And you strongly suspect that they had something to do with her kidnapping?" interrupted the aqua haired woman.
Slowly the hotel manager nodded his head. "I also suspect that it is a small band of saboteurs working for this newly forming kingdom, and heading them is a man who has crowned himself Prince Diamond."
Michiru had to try very hard to keep herself composed: she knew that name. Wasn't it one of the pirates that Haruka had run into? She shook her head, riding on a hunch. "Do you think that she is valuable enough to be put up for ransom?"
"More valuable for that." The white haired boy stopped, gripping distractedly at the edges of the table with long porcelain fingers. He licked his lips when he realized that they were dry. "I maybe getting myself into more trouble if I tell you what I am about to say... Serenity, my friend, is really the Princess of a kingdom that I have long respected. Her mother, the Queen, is in possession of one of the most powerful sources known to the world, and I am suspecting that Usa, the Princess' nickname, also has one of these sources. That source would be highly useful to the enemy lands."
Michiru felt the bottom drop out of her stomach, and decided to follow the other hunch. "What are these sources called?"
Elios cleared his throat, and she saw that he wasn't looking directly at her anymore. He closed his eyes as he said it: "They are called Star Seeds."
Even though the bar maiden knew what Haruka said was true (maybe with some exaggeration inserted here and there) it still felt like just that—just stories. The Star Seeds were real, the doll was real, all of the other places that the blonde captain had been to were all real, just by that man being there. Michiru suddenly felt like she had been thrown into a fairy tale adventure. She snapped back to the present and folded her hands into her lap before speaking.
"I will try my best," she said slowly. Michiru also knew that she was representing Haruka, and that by helping Helios, she was helping the blonde sea captain. Color rose to her cheeks at the prospect.
A few more weeks passed, and still she had not heard anything that sounded even vaguely like a kidnapping or some sort of dark unfolding plan from any of her new customers. Nor had she heard anything from Haruka, and soon she began to worry. Was everything all right?
She supposed that maybe it would have been better if the blonde sea captain had left something behind for her to hold on to. But at the same time, Michiru knew that she wouldn't accept such a thing—mementos were something that romantics took, and the aqua haired bar maiden was not a romantic. And she was pretty sure that Haruka was no romantic either. Michiru was not in love with this blonde pirate captain.
The more she argued, the more she knew that she was lying to herself, and the more out of control she felt her emotions were getting. Michiru tried her best to focus on her work, but she couldn't help it when there was a lull in the pub. Most of her work, other than entertaining the old and young sailors that came through, consisted of manual work such as table and dish cleaning, as well as sweeping the floor. The slow hours ended with sorting utensils.
Finally, it reached midday and the bar maiden was allowed to slow down a bit. The flow of people was more steady, and she took her time getting around to tables, carrying trays of food or drinks. There were a few new faces in the large bar, a young hassled-looking sailor, and a man that looked like a noble or courtier. The Ariel seemed to pull in clientele this way—most just happened to wonder in, like the infamous Captain Tenoh—and they usually were hooked after the first time.
Michiru moved towards the harassed sailor, and asked if he needed anything, 'the first ale was on the house' she told him reassuringly. When she returned from the back of the bar, she slowly served him his drink—and that was when she heard it.
"The extraction is not at all working, she is much stronger than we had suspected..."
Michiru sat down across from the sailor, bringing out an old deck of cards. The sailor looked alarmed for a moment, but he warmed up quickly to the charming aqua haired woman. Fortunately, for her, he was a quiet and shy sort of man, and she was able to hear more of the conversation going on behind her. She continued listening to the high ranking man. Some newer people must have come in, while she had gone to get the sailor's drink. Michiru went through the normal motions of shuffling the cards and dealing them out between the two of them, a light smile on her face, as he began to talk about where he came from—Lieres ironically.
"How is Lieres?" she asked as she finished dealing, placing the half used deck in the middle of the table. She glanced just slightly over her shoulder so that she could get a better look at the nobleman.
"It's been quite nice actually. Going through some peculiar changes, but still as prosperous as ever," he began. His tanned, calloused fingers sorted through his fanned cards.
The noble-looking man had dark raven hair, and cold, almost emotionless eyes. Around him sat a ginger haired man and two other women. They were all hunched over the wood as they spoke quietly amongst each other, and Michiru could only catch a word here and there.
Extraction? Did these star seeds need extraction? Where did one keep a star seed? Did they just mean extracting information from this Princess? The more Michiru listened into the conversation, the more she realized how little she was prepared; how little she knew, even with the small bit that Elios had given her, as well as the blonde sea captain's tales. The longer she listened in however, the more confident she became about those people being the ones that Elios had been looking for. One of the women slipped out the word "princess" before she was promptly silenced.
Michiru easily won the first round of cards, and she swiftly began the pattern of shuffling and sorting them out between the two at the table once more. The aqua haired bar maiden heard them moving to get up, and breathed a sigh of relief when one of the men mentioned that they would meet at the same place the next day. She relaxed, and smiled at the sailor opposite to her. There would have to be a bit more proof for her to feel comfortable enough to report it to the owner of Minarsia. Strange things happened all the time at the Ariel, putting a cynic to the test.
Two more games passed, and finally the bar maiden stood up on two stiff legs, bidding the sailor goodbye before moving on to chat with some of the other bar maidens, and then onto cleaning some of the emptied tables. The day moved on like any other day, though she found out that Halimede was pregnant with what a seer said appeared to be twins. Needless to say that the younger bar maiden would have to take a few weeks off as soon as she went into labor.
Oberon let her off as the sun began to set, allowing her to have the evening to herself. He had insisted she take off, Despoina taking over for the night until the bar would close. As Michiru grabbed what little of her things behind the counter, she found the older woman's husband at one of the tables smoking a pipe. Arion winked at the aqua haired woman as she began to move out of the building, to which he got a grin and an eye roll.
When she got outside, she found that it had gotten a bit windy. The sky was orange and purple, and the clouds were a light blue as the sun set. People scurried all around her, and some of the shop keepers began to close their elaborately decorated stands. People sat on some of the benches, there was a guitarist on one corner, and a few cheap whores on another that she passed.
Shapes changed all about her the lower the sun got and more lanterns were lit in preparation for the night. Shadows shifted and waved, and the sounds of paper flying caught her ears over the soft chatter of the townspeople.
The aqua haired woman stopped by a quickly closing bakery and picked up something that would suffice for a dinner, and passed on. She glanced over the hills of buildings when she came back out, and saw the grand building of Minarsia. It shone silver and white as the orange lights glowed out of its wide, curved windows. She continued to move back a bit so that she could make her way home.
Michiru had only been to the grand hotel maybe twice in her life at Elysia. The palace was fantastic, and elaborately furnished. It had curved archways, exotic flowers hanging from them, almost as bright and beautiful as the chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceilings. Grand staircases, golden trim along the walls, friezes from the ceiling, telling ancient myths. There was also a huge mirror the span of two columns, which formed an arch. It was such a strange, random thing, but it made the large building feel more massive and eternal.
In that mirror, the bar maiden had seen her reflection. The last time she was there, she frowned—she didn't belong to such a rich world, her clothing tattered, and her hair wild around her head. The aqua haired woman turned in what she had to deliver as fast as her small, fairy feet could carry her, and rushed out of the building. She had never seen the owner of Minarsia—at least not until the day that he asked for her help.
"AHHH!"
A strangled scream came out of her throat. Somebody grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth. She could feel the other cold hand wrapped around her neck, threatening to choke her if she struggled. Around Michiru was the sound of cackling, echoing against the narrow alleyway, shadows of women moving along with old brick and wood. In the shadows ahead of her, she saw that one of them formed the shape of a man—and he was making his way towards the group around Michiru. His cold blue eyes stood out the most to her, and she realized that it was the man that she had been spying on in the Ariel.
The cold hands slackened around her throat, and the aqua haired bar maiden found that her mouth was no longer covered. And the only thing that she could say was:
"Who are you?"
"You were spying on us," he said calmly, completely ignoring her question. "And unfortunately for you, you will be coming with us."
Michiru's wrists were bound with strong rope, and she realized that the person behind her had been a green haired woman with lantern green eyes and a cruel smile. When she came out from behind the aqua haired woman, she was adjusting a silken black glove over her hand and arm. She was forced ahead of the woman, while the blue eyed man moved in front, leading the way.
Soon, she noticed that they had gotten turned around. The almost heavenly glow of the Minarsia slowly began to rise as they walked closer and closer to it. Her captives were silent as they walked around her, the only sound was the sound of their shoes thumping softly against the durable wood. It drove her crazy knowing that she could take them out, but something in the back of her mind told her to stop.
They had to be the ones that had the girl Elios was looking for. And if that were true, Michiru had to play helpless.
The gloved woman held fast to Michiru, the cold fingers turning the bar maiden's upper arms numb as bruises blossomed. The dark haired man took the lead, and had an almost stony aura around him. Another woman—the shadow, took his side, and they began whispering in hushed tones.
Michiru watched the other woman with an almost begrudging curiosity. The colors she wore were black and crimson, blending in with the shadows. Her voice was like a high bell when she laughed, and when the lanterns hit her the right way, the bar maiden found that her long, flowing hair was a deep pink. The woman looked over her shoulder to glance at her, and she smiled. It was a cruel, emotionless smile that made the captive want to cringe.
"Take our captive out because I am sure that she finds this walk rather boring," said the pink haired woman offhandedly—and that was when Michiru began to struggle against her captives.
The gloved woman behind her held fast, one of her cold hands reaching up behind the the bar maiden's neck. Michiru felt her knees being kicked out from under her, hitting the ground with a painful thud, just as she felt a pressure rising from her neck. Her vision started to go black around the edges as things began to go dark. She struggled, but the more she fought the quicker her body gave out.
And then she knew nothing more.
Slowly the bar maiden came to, a searing headache pounding her head. It was black all around her, and it took her a couple of seconds for her to realize that her eyes were fully opened because of how dark it was. Her gravity was also off; she wasn't laying down, but upwards, and her arms were spreadeagled, feet left dangling. Slowly, her vision cleared and she was able to make out vague shapes in the darkness. The pain in her head never once dulled and stayed just above her eyebrows.
The aqua haired girl swallowed, and the headache lurched in her brain. Michiru groaned, instinctively shifting, quickly finding her limbs stiff and cold. How long had she been out? She began to squirm around, finding out quickly that she was shackled at her wrist and elbows. The floor appeared to be a few inches from her sandeled toes.
There was another form close by her, she soon realized, but he (or she) seemed to still be out cold. She could feel the heavy form next to her, and it was quiet enough in the room that she could hear their soft breathing. Michiru wracked her brain for any memories of her kidnapping. She remembered that there was no one else around them when she had been taken to give her clues as to who the person was. The prisoner next to her must have been someone, like her, who had been found at the wrong place and wrong time.
Something else suddenly caught her attention: In front of her, about twenty or forty feet away, appeared to be a light blue orb, slowly growing in brightness as it drew closer to her. Soon it began to shade the front of the bar maiden's body in electric blue. She braced herself, knowing that it was either her tormentors, or people that were related to them.
Behind the blue light, she could just make out the vague shape of figures, the shadows further deepening the hallows of their faces. Their foot steps echoed in the open cavern, their voices silent. She strained her eyes to see who the people behind the blue lantern was, but she couldn't see anything more at the moment.
The figure that hung next to the aqua haired bar maiden groaned, and seemed to realize that company was getting closer and closer. Michiru stole another glance at her neighbor, finding the gender out quickly. She found that it was a young girl, the planes of her face soft and curved, and below the head revealed a delicate hour glass figure. It was still too dim to make out her hair color or any other details, but a part of her felt better that she had somewhat identified the person and was not alone in the ordeal.
Finally, the intensity of the blue faded off into purple and then a deep blood red. With that, there arose a high pitched hum of electricity humming throughout the cavern, making the room feel eerily alive. From above, a chandelier glowed with a warm brightness, though as it got lower to the ground, the light grew dim and sinister. Machines and gadgets whizzed and whirred to life. Gears spun in a blur, restless; buttons blinked, awakened from their long sleep.
Many of the items looked haunting and terrible to the bar maiden, and she was not eager to find out what they did. The main part of the room reminded her of one of those technically advanced ships that sometimes docked at Elysia. At the time, Michiru had been lucky enough to board one of them, and had even seen the helm, similar buttons and gears moving frantically as they kept the ship thriving. However, she guessed that this "helm" was for something else, something that wasn't meant for anything good.
Without truly taking them in, she turned her attention back to where the blood red orb of light had been, hoping to see who the faces were. The figures behind it grew in detail as the room gained more and more light. To her chagrin, she found that she didn't know any of them. She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Even though Michiru logically knew that these people meant to cause the same harm as the ones that captured her, it still gave her some comfort to know who her captors were.
The only man in the room was silver haired—but he didn't at all match the descriptions of either Diamond, nor one of the generals that Haruka had mentioned in her tales. On his long nose, he wore spectacles, light bouncing off of them, so she was unable to see his eyes.
The women flanking either side of him couldn't be farther apart in their appearance. One was a tall, older woman, long red hair framing her curves, some of it piled in braids on top of her head. She wore a regal black and red outfit that seemed to be made to intimidate and awe. The remaining woman was petite, a small, stylish hat tipped to the side of her light blue-haired head. They walked with a swagger, as with the remaining women in the back, though Michiru couldn't make out much of their details—though at the moment her attention was focused more on the male of the group.
"Well, well well," grinned the white haired man, "Look who's woken up!"
Even though he had meant to be intimidating and horrifying, the sound of his voice as well as his face, was so disconnected from any emotion. He was unlike that of the pink haired woman who had forced the bar maiden into unconsciousness—she had radiated her cruelty. Michiru stared back at him unblinkingly, not because she wanted to show how fearless she was, but because of she didn't know what to think of him. Something deep within the pit of her stomach flared up, cold and icy. It dawned in her mind that it was pure fear.
"Who are you?" she thought out loud.
The man stroked his beardless chin as he made his way towards her. He cocked his head to the side as he thought about what he was going to say. At first the white-haired man didn't say anything, a deadly silence spreading from around him. He stopped a foot away from her, and Michiru fought to compose herself. Slowly, as if he were dealing with a feral animal, he reached out and cupped the bar maiden's chin. She didn't not pull her eyes away from him.
"Tomoe. You can call me Tomoe. I am a scientist that works for my illustrious ruler." His voice was calm, and Michiru was almost willing to trust it, if it weren't for the fact that it was purely void of any emotion. Within the blink of an eye, he pulled his hand away, his attention suddenly on the young girl next to her.
Michiru hung in her bindings, stunned at this man. Her world was uncomfortably close to the world of Captain Tenoh's. And now suddenly there was a new character that appeared, not at all mentioned in the captain's tales—making the bar maiden feel both ill prepared and foolish. The dangers and threats were always so far away, and the bar maiden was safe from them all.
Somehow, it felt like a wound being pealed open once more, even though the scabs were already worn raw. It took her years to find her niche, and after years of her own dangers she found Elysia—and thatwas only an accident. A fluke. Slowly the veil of her haven was being torn away, and no matter how strong she had become over the years, Elysia was something that she didn't want to give up.
The woman with the small, stylish hat moved forward with a sort of feline grace and laziness, making her way towards the helm-like structure. The remaining woman moved forward and watched Michiru with a cat-like curiosity. All of them wore the rich clothing of nobles, though in muted, understated garments. Though understated, Michiru's bar-trained mind noticed the expensive fabrics adorned subtly with jewels and pearls.
"Viluy," called Tomoe. He made the bar maiden jump because his voice had been so soft, still distracted by the specimen in front of him. The light blue haired woman cocked her head to the side in acknowledgment.
Michiru turned her attention back to the scientist—and nearly shrieked with shock. It was not Tomoe that had shocked her: it was the girl. Now that the lighting was much brighter, and Michiru's full attention was finally on the figure beside her, she was able to see her in full detail. And the first thing that she noticed was the girl's bright, flowing pink hair.
Even though the hair matched that of the cruel woman in the street, it was as if the body had switched spirits. Her eyes were soft, her frame fragile and delicate—that of a true creature of royalty, or what the bar maiden would imagine one to look like. The question was then: if this was the princess who had been captured, who was the other woman? What was her relation to the so-called princess?
As if reading her thoughts, Tomoe turned his almost bored gaze onto the confused bar maiden. His hand dropped from the face of the girl even as she struggled to regain conscientiousness.
"You have met one of our illustrious Ladies." He paused for a moment to smirk, before continuing, "Beautiful, was she not? A woman of the darkest perfection... You might be shocked to hear: This princess and that woman are one in the same."
Michiru struggled to shift around in her chains, muscles stiff and uncomfortable. She refused to look at him, angered at how he treated them both. As if she was not human, but a specimen! None of what he said made any logical sense either. How did he do it then, if what he said was true? It felt more like magic, or powers taken straight from the Gods, then science. In the corner of her eyes, she saw the silver haired man frowning.
"But this dear princess keeps fighting to get through. It is almost unfair because she is almost not her full self." He paused for a moment and stepped away from the small maiden. "No matter, we will keep bringing her back until she stays for the long run."
The bar maiden watched Viluy move to the alien machines, fingers moving swiftly to the levers and buttons it was decorated with. She moved calculatedly, a sort of look of cruel glee pasted on her face.
Michiru quickly noticed that Tomoe has his full attention on her once more. She wanted to scream—anything to put some sort of emotion on the man's face, but she doubted that losing her temper would change him. He wasn't looking at her; it was as if he was looking through her. It was with a kind of stare that looked at her as something other than a beloved pet—it was as if he saw her as an experiment.
"Are you a spy?" he asked. His question was direct, sudden, making the aqua haired woman jump. He peered into her face, light shining off of his spectacles. A wide smile moved across his face. Michiru could hear his lips moving across his teeth because he stood so close to her, and she felt a shiver run violently down her spine. "You've been talking to one of them, haven't you?"
Michiru shook her head, unable to pull her eyes from his. She swallowed, her mouth and throat sand paper dry. He began to speak again after a few moments of silence. Around them was the sound of Viluy working, levers creaking, snapping into place, the sound of her fingers pattering over the helm-like machine... Michiru found that she was momentarily staring passed him to get a closer look at the working woman. She watched her moving fluidly over the console, feeling eerily curious. Gears sped into motion, and metal pieces and wires whizzed around so fast that they could barely be seen moving at all. Electricity sparked around the two towers flanking the machine where Viluy worked.
"You work for one of them," he continued, not even waiting for her to defend herself, "And I am ninety nine percent sure that you know where the doll is."
That snapped the bar maiden out of her terrified reverie. Confusion spread to her face. "What?" her voice trembled. Of course she knew what he was talking about, but she didn't have any clue at all of where the doll was kept. And she knew that she wouldn't tell him anyway even if she know. "What's the doll?" she managed to get out.
The smile on the man's face fell, and he took a step back. Michiru felt herself breathing again, not realizing that she had been holding her breath to begin with. He looked at the young woman next to her, and then back towards Viluy. The scientist took slow steps to his assistant, the remaining group, still staring at Michiru—they knew what was going to happen.
"If you aren't going to divulge any of the information that I need, let alone admit to being a spy, then I will get it out of you through my own means."
Tomoe stood over Viluy, and Michiru moved her eyes to the small group of women staring at her and the girl. They filtered around the lab, two of them making their way straight towards Michiru. They were identical twins, she quickly realized, and dressed alike save for their color choices—one deep red, and the other a dark royal blue. Their hair was braided, similar to one another, each in a ladylike fashion. Jewelry glittered from their ears and necks as the light hit them.
The one in red looked over her shoulder, her voice soft as she spoke. "Doctor Tomoe? Should we not go ahead and kill this woman?" she said. "It doesn't matter if she knows or not, we will find her, and we will be unstoppable in retrieving what we want."
Tomoe was about to say something, but the sounds of footsteps echoed from the other side of the room. He cleared his throat, and Michiru couldn't help but notice that he rolled his eyes. His pale fingers tapped irritatedly on the metal of the console Ignoring the sounds of footsteps, he hovered over the light blue-haired woman.
"Begin the process on our small lady," he said, his voice calm, predatory.
Michiru felt her throat tighten, fear pouring out of the bottom of her stomach.
"Yes sir," Viluy said, though most of her attention was on the console and everything around it.
Her arm reached out, and her fingers grasped a long, amber-colored handle, yanking it downwards. It squealed in complaint, and everything suddenly came alive. The aqua haired bar maiden was blinded momentarily by a bright blue light—pure electricity exploding from metallic rods. Her eyes, though still blurred, followed the current from the machine where the woman sat, soar towards the ceiling—the chandelier knocked completely out—and then downwards, towards the wall. The wall she was chained to...
Within the blink of an eye, the young woman's body jerked violently as the electricity ran directly into her. The bar maiden found that she was screaming in fear and shock, watching this poor girl being tortured right next to her. Michiru's hair stood on end, a sharp cold heat hitting one side of her body as the girl prickled. The girls eyes shot open, and she was screaming, joining her, and joining the snapping current in a terrifying and haunting chorus.
An aura of colors twisted out from the other side of Michiru's body, and she tore her eyes away from the girl. Greens, blues, purples, and oranges momentarily dazzled her eyes where Tomoe and Viluy were, and sound of chimes, nonsensical music overtaking the sounds of electricity and and the girl's screaming. Tears fell from the bar maiden's face; it was so beautiful. A golden lotus formed at the center of the console, right in front of the two scientists. Electricity pierced through it—how the colors formed all around them.
Then it went completely dark.
It took a long few seconds before the chandelier cut back on, it's warmth once more emanating. Michiru was shaking. Slowly she turned her head to look at the girl next to her, fearing the worst. The girl's chest unsteadily moved up and down as if she had been running, her head thrown to the side. She was alive.
The aqua haired bar maiden then turned her attention to the two working at the helm-like structure. The lotus had disappeared, and the woman who had been commanding the console was now standing. She threw up her hands.
"We won't know if the process was successful until she awakens," she sighed, adjusting her small hat.
Tomoe's attention was already elsewhere, focused directly on the bar maiden once more. He walked over to her, until his face was three feet from hers. Behind him the remaining women moved to the helm-like console, splitting up to other controls, and the orange haired woman moved to check data scrawled on parchment by Viluy. The twins rolled their eyes and moved away from the bar maiden to join their companions.
"See, my dear, that is what is going to happen to you, if you don't tell me all that you know." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Only," he said with a breath, "You may not survive something like that—as you are just a simple, simple, ordinary woman living on a desolate island full of drunken, gambling idiots. You'll just die a horrible, painful death—and sadly for you, no one will miss you. Even that little empire you decided to sell yourself to."
Michiru felt, in the back of her mind, something igniting. It was a tiny flare, but she knew it immediately: her anger. The poor bar maiden bit her tongue, forcing furious words back down her throat, knowing it wouldn't do her any good to just start spouting curses. The real thing she listened to was the threat at the beginning of his speech.
"And with the wave of my hand at your word, I will begin the process," he said, his voice noticeably lower, his voice still emotionless.
She heard it before she felt it: a sort of tingling, popping noise. Her body jerked the next moment, completely out of her control, as volts of electricity shot through her. Michiru's vision went blue and then white. It was a pain that she couldn't describe, couldn't even feel it—only that her body responded so violently to it, her brain lighting up. It was something that so horrified her.
Suddenly it stopped, just as quickly as it hit her. Her body dropped like a puppet cut from its strings. She found that she had been screaming, her throat rubbed completely raw, and her heart hammering from the horror of not being able to beat during the shock. Above her screeching ears, she heard the man speaking, his voice just barely audible, and it took every ounce of what was left of her to focus on his voice.
"And that, my dear, is what you are going to be feeling for the remainder of your small existence if you do not give me what I want."
The aqua haired bar maiden fully believed him—and that's what made her all the more terrified. Involuntarily, her body shook at those words. She refused to look at him, and she wasn't sure if it was out of fear, or out of anger. Michiru didn't want to believe the earlier thought.
"I don't know what a doll is," she whispered, her voice scratching along the inside of her throat; it was hard to even breath.
Michiru heard it again, though she didn't even have the chance to brace her body against it—not that it would have done any good. Her vision again turned a bright blue, and her eyelids clamped shut, and she could see a bright blood red flooding in front of her eyes. The second time around she felt as if her chest was being split apart. There was something different, something far more painful, and far more violating than just electricity alone. What were they doing to her?
Then it was gone; it was all gone.
And in front of her she could hear someone bursting out into laughter; a man's voice echoing and bouncing all around the cavernous room. It was a different man—far more emotional than the scientist that threatened to take her life. The same man, she assumed began to clap, slow and sarcastic. She struggled to peal open her eyes, and found that everything was too bright at first.
Slowly, ten feet away from her, a shape of a man took form, and eventually she was able to make out the more finer details. His hair was silver, almost like that of Tomoe's, though his eyes were a cold blue in color, and a smirk appeared on his perfectly-shaped lips. A thought formed in her fevered mind: he looked handsome—if it weren't for the fact that he was working for Tomoe.
"You're torturing this poor woman?" he laughed. Tomoe rolled his eyes but stayed silent as he returned to the machinery where the women surrounded it. He fingered through the parchment, his lips pursed. "Really?" continued the nobly-dressed man, "You're not going to get anything out of her but screams."
"No matter, she'll just be another test subject. I'd prefer you'd leave this place, Diamond, before I lose my temper."
Diamond's shoulder's rolled with laughter. "And what if she really doesn't know anything?"
"Like I said Diamond." Tomoe said his name as if it were a curse and something that didn't taste quite right on the tongue.
Viluy turned away from her work to give the other man a once over. She cocked her head to the side, her own blue eyes looking at him questioningly. "Sir, who is this man?" she asked. She treated Diamond as if he was a possible intruder.
Tomoe wet his lips. "The Queen has four groups that she loves to keep very close to her heart. There's, of course, her personal guard that keep her safe from any enemies (of course the Queen's powers probably are more than enough to protect herself.) Then there's her generals, which carry off her plans and attacks—then of course ourselves who help with technology and weapons amongst other things," he continued, ticking off the groups finger by finger, "And lastly and most useless, is the Queen's court, with Lord Diamond at its head."
"Fascinating," commented Diamond, arms crossed delicately over his chest.
"See, Viluy," continued Tomoe as if the other silver haired man hadn't spoken, "the court is like the collar bone—pretty to look at, but useless in the whole scheme of things."
"Funny," Diamond smirked, "I thought we were the heart and soul of the Queen's people."
Tomoe waved a hand, returning to his work. "Then I see that we are in trouble because if you are the heart and soul of this whole operation, then the heart is an empty pit."
With that Diamond's head snapped back with more waves of laughter. Michiru could have sworn that there were tears in his eyes. "Tomoe, I find you so amusing! Your jokes never cease to be a great light in my life!"
Then, after a few more moments of lighthearted laughter, the noble stepped forward towards Michiru, his attention once more on her. "And I see that I am glad that you are not the heart—the empire would be so frigid."
Michiru, as they argued, slowly regained her wits, and her senses returned to her, though her body was left weak and shaking. She was able to look the man in the eyes as he slowly made his way towards her, a curious glimmer in his face. He glanced back over at Tomoe.
"I would think twice about killing her."
"And why not?" pointed out Tomoe hypothetically. He began to work at the console, flipping a few switches, while glancing down at the parchment.
The nobleman cocked his head to the side. "Do you not sense that? You don't sense it from her?"
"Sense what?" Tomoe sneered.
Diamond's eyes focused on the bar maiden. "You, my dear, are very special." As if reading Michiru's confused and reeling mind, he continued. "I believe that you are very similar to another soldier that we came across, as well as this girl still sleeping right next to you."
He touched the side of Michiru's face, and the gentle action made her jump, the chains around her arms jingling as she moved unintentionally. Diamond's touch was soft and warm, something so different from what the bar maiden had felt just minutes before; it was seductive, making her feel uneasy.
"You have a special soul," he began again, though she began to realize that he was probably talking more to Tomoe than to her, even though he addressed her. "And I don't just mean any soul, like a spirit, but an almost physical manifestation of one—buried right in you. It makes you very powerful, formidable—though I'm betting that you didn't know you had such power. Poor thing. But at the same time, you're very vulnerable." He stroked her hair. "But we can change that, make you indestructible."
Michiru squinted her eyes at such nonsense. "What?"
"You're special," he said again. He paused, then decided to explain himself—now she had his full attention. "There are ten warriors, ten holy warriors, that belong to our enemy Queen. The Lune Queen. She controls people with these special souls, and unfortunately, they aren't born very often. Selfishly she uses them for her bidding—and fortunately for you, I believe that we have all that we need to undo that little spell of hers."
Now it was Tomoe's turn to begin laughing. Though his laughter was more of a quiet, mocking chuckle, and the bar maiden was almost surprised that he had such emotional capabilities. "You think she's one of them? One of the all powerful soldiers? The Queen has all ten of them in her service, and by sheer dumb luck we got our hands on two."
He stepped away from the helm-like console and began to make his way towards Diamond and the captured bar maiden. "And which one do you think that she is? And where would you like to assign her?" Tomoe began ticking off his fingers again. "The Generals have theirs, you have yours, albeit still conscience, and lastly, I'm going to have mine as soon as she tells me where it is. Do you want her to be apart of the Queen's guard?"
Tomoe threw up his hands in sarcasm. "She already has plenty of her own warriors personally serving her. Ah," he raised a finger, "You want a second one, you greedy little noble—is that it?"
Diamond seemed to be completely taken with the bar maiden. "No matter, she will find a place with as attractive as she is."
The silver haired man leaned against the wall just beside her, before continuing. "And, according to my spies, the Queen has not found them all. Two of them belong in the family, four of them are currently in service," he cleared his throat. "I mean, now three. One of them is heavily guarded, the other one is... Let me put it bluntly—broken into thousands of pieces. And then there are the two that have yet to be found."
"Right. I heard about those rumors. And if she's one of the missing two, then where's her windy titan Goddess that's suppose to be close to her side?" Tomoe began to laugh again.
Michiru felt as if her face was on fire, though she couldn't figure out why. A deep sadness peeled out from her heart, and she swallowed, wanting to make it go away. Her brain was frozen at a stand still, confused at their conversation. A tiny part of her mind broke free and began to speak in a tiny voice.
Haruka. Haruka knew a lot about how the winds worked. Even though she spent most of her life at sea, she knew exactly where to place the sails. The bar maiden had spent hours total listening to the sea captain talk fondly of her times with the sails alone. Even though Diamond's logic in no way fit anything of Michiru and anyone close to her, a part of her felt better thinking about the strange pirate captain.
Her throat tightened, knowing that everyone in that cavern was mad—it was very possible that she wouldn't be seeing the blonde again. Or the life that she had worked so hard to build up. Oberon and the Ariel. And she was at their mercy, which wasn't really much at all, save for Diamond, who appeared to be attracted to her.
"You'll be appeased," said Diamond, reasonable. He moved to one of the chairs closer to the console and sat in it, one leg crossed over the other. He shrugged. "You'll get to do your experiments, but you'll transform her as well—two birds with one stone. You know how long the process takes the first time around."
Tomoe leaned against the large mechanical object, the gears in his head visibly turning. Michiru instinctively lifted her head and looked at the two as they decided her fate as if she wasn't there. No matter how many times her life had been threatened, the shock and fear never once dulled. Her abdomen tingled; and she swallowed. She watched Tomoe's eyes light up.
"You're right," he pondered out loud.
Without turning around, the scientist flipped a lever. The thing behind him suddenly came alive, buttons lighting up, and a hum emanated from it. The tiny hairs on Michiru's arms and legs stood on end, a shiver running down her spine. She watched everything unfold in front of her, helpless to do anything, seeing what was going to happen; knowing what was going to happen before it hit her.
Light exploded from her eyes, though this time it was different. Not that it mattered anyway—it still felt the same as before. Colors moved all around her, and she wasn't sure if what she was seeing was real, or just the electricity shooting through her. The sound of the current sounded in her ears, blotting out any other sounds around her, including her own screams.
Then suddenly it stopped, her body relaxed. There was a piercing silence, and it took her quite a few moments to realize that there was a form directly in front of her. It was Diamond, she realized. And after another few moments, she realized that he was speaking to her, though it was hard to make out at first.
"It may hurt now," he said, his voice soft and gentle, "but you'll be freed once it is complete. You'll be fully awakened to your abilities, my dear."
"Please stop," she heard herself say. In her own ears, her voice sounded tiny and weak; she hated hearing herself that way.
"It will be over soon," he replied, a smile on his face. A hand reached out to stroke her her aqua colored hair; she had no energy to shove it away. She noticed that the pink haired young woman was standing right next to him, her delicate lips opened in a curious 'o' shape as she observed the bar maiden.
And then it happened again. It was exactly like the time before, and she felt as if she was being torn in half. Michiru was confused, not used to feeling like two halves, even over the pain of the electricity. She was blinded once more, though she could have sworn that the light was golden this time around; brighter, if that was even possible. It was worse because she could feel emotions this time, instead of having them blotted out by the pure current. It was strange, wrong. It kept happening, repeatedly, with only a moment or two as a break.
She was unaware of the passing of time, and lost count of how many pauses there were. But Tomoe kept working, as the pink haired woman continued to watch Michiru with an almost child-like curiosity. But the aqua haired woman saw the pure cruelty in her eyes, and avoided looking at her.
Light exploded just in front of her, after what felt like hours. Her head shook, and a tiny part of her realized that it was unusual, something unlike all the other times before. The bar maiden's body fell underneath her, her mind suddenly very clear and alert. At first everything around her sounded quiet—until her hearing began to clear.
Sounds of things breaking and shattering echoed in the cavernous room, making the bar maiden flinch because of how awesome and overwhelming it sounded. Yells and war screams echoed out clashing against one another as the sounds of people fighting reached her ears.
Michiru raised her head, and found everything around her all too bright; she shifted uncomfortably. A dark form began to take shape, and the bar maiden at first thought that it was Diamond—but it was too soft, smaller than the nobleman. Smaller details began to take shape and she noticed amber-colored eyes, short cascading hair. White, silver, and blue.
It was Elios.
Time unfroze, and he was suddenly inches from her, his eyes radiating more emotion than she had seen in what felt like a long time. Her head rolled, and she barely caught his words, "We will get you out of here, my lady," and then she knew nothing more.
AN:
Thanks for the reviews, Petiyaka!
