Chapter Eleven: I Am What I Am
"We have a problem, ladies," Akira said after setting up a conference call with her friends and allies. Six faces looked expectant. "I just had a run-in with a youkai… and Sailor Sagittarius."
"She's awakened? Who is it?" Naota asked.
"A kyudoka from Kaikoura named Maeda Shuryo. She was competing in the tournament at Nakajima Park and ran off before the final match. When I found her she was being attacked by a minion named Kryptos." At the mention of his name she rubbed her eyes, which still ached from his flash attacks.
"The volleyball player we saved during the district finals is also from Kaikoura," Maiko said. "Which warrior is she?"
Apollo answered from his position on Naota's lap. "Ishida Ren is Sailor Taurus. This means the Trinity of Fire and the Trinity of Earth are complete, and the three remaining warriors represent the water element." All the girls smiled at that. Their quest was almost finished.
"So, what's wrong with Maeda?" Hikari asked Akira.
She released an irritated breath. "She's brash, reckless. She didn't even listen when I told her there are other warriors like her and she needs to join us. She seems convinced she can handle any threats on her own."
Izumi frowned at that. "If Maeda and Ishida remain separated, Neodymium might go after them at Kaikoura and try to steal their crystals. It's our duty to ensure no more innocents get hurt."
Apollo got up to yawn and stretch. "Shuryo lives at the Seichou Shrine in Gotenzan Forest. I told Ren that was where she could find answers to her questions. Now it may be prudent for you to be there as well."
The next day the seven soldiers loitered at the base of the hill, pretending to be interested in a news stand's offerings near the bus stop. "How do we even know Ishida's going to show up?" Hye-Mi inquired of no one in particular.
"It's a nice, sunny Sunday," Naota replied. Apollo wiggled in her backpack, miffed he couldn't be out enjoying the weather, and she jerked her thumb at him. "This sneaky feline also told me that Ren's little sister wanted to check out the shrine. This is the perfect day for them to visit." Just as she predicted, the next bus deposited the diminutive volleyball player and her taller sibling. "That's them!" Naota whispered, "Let's go!"
As they crested the hill they saw the sisters talking to an old priestess in the omamori booth. Ren thanked her for something and walked over to the fence separating the house from the terrace, passing through an ornate gate. The Zodiac warriors approached the old woman together, Izumi in front. "Hello, we're Maeda-chan's friends from school. We wanted to hear how she did in the tournament yesterday. Is she here?" Kenina gave them a suspicious sidelong glance when she overheard this. According to her sister Shuryo didn't have any friends except Ren and perhaps Okada-senpai.
"My goodness!" Taeko exclaimed, "I had no idea there were this many people supporting her! You'll be glad to know that she did very well, but it would have been much more exciting to see her in person."
"Well, you know, we all have our own club activities…" Naota smiled and looked sheepish.
Taeko nodded sympathetically. "Of course, of course. Shuryo is practicing right now on the back deck. Just go through that gate and follow it around the house."
"Thank you so much, Obaa-san." They bowed or waved before taking the same route Ren had. She stood behind Shuryo on the wide deck as the archer fired an arrow at a straw target.
"I know it sounds totally crazy," the blonde girl was saying. "The day after it happened I thought it was all a dream, but while I was thinking about that monster I pulled this out of thin air!" Ren proffered her Adamant Wand. "Please tell me you have an explanation for this, Suo-chan!"
Shuryo lowered her bow and faced her friend with a sigh. "I don't think I can explain it, Ren-chan, but you're not crazy– I have a wand, too. I got it when something supernatural attacked me yesterday." She removed the violet and topaz rod from her haori sleeve. "It changed me into someone way more powerful than I thought I'd ever be."
"But was there a talking cat?" Ren asked. "The cat told me to come here, like he knew you had the same experience." She suddenly gasped as the feline in question ran up the steps. "That's him!"
"His name is Apollo," Naota said while coming into view, "and he really does talk. You're not crazy at all."
"Who the hell are you people?" Shuryo demanded, swiftly nocking an arrow. Her eyes landed on Akira and she drew the bowstring half way. "Are you stalking me now, Purple Sweater Girl?" Akira scowled as a response.
Hye-Mi ascended the steps with her hands raised. "No one's going to hurt you, Maeda. We're here to explain."
Fushi stood at her side. "That's right– all of us have been targets of otherworldly creatures like the ones you two faced." This made the miko lower her weapon but not relinquish it. "They want the source of your celestial power. If they get their hands on it, their master will use it to consume the Sun and everything on Earth will die."
"Now you just sound insane," Shuryo scoffed. "Smoke monsters, magic wands, super powers? This has to be some kind of shared grand delusion."
"It isn't!" Naota refuted. "You two were incredibly lucky you had help in bringing down the youkai that attacked you, Carbo and Kryptos." Ren and Shuryo shared a look. How did this complete stranger know the monsters' names? "I was the first one to awaken, I've fought more of them than anyone. Trust me when I say that if I hadn't found allies, I know I would've died a long time ago. They just keep getting stronger– it takes more of us to defeat them each time!"
"If you don't join us, the next battle we fight may be our last," Fushi said evenly.
"Oh, so now you're trying to say it'd be our fault if you went and got yourselves killed doing something stupid." Shuryo rolled her eyes.
Hikari pushed her way to the front. "That's right, it would be your fault! When people with the ability to do something refuse to act, their apathy leads to the death of innocents! Would you just stand there if one of those creatures attacked your grandparents?!" A hint of uncertainty appeared on Shuryo's visage. "You might be strong enough to take down the next one or the one after that, but you won't stand a chance against Neodymium on your own!"
"Who is he, Neodymium?" Ren asked. "He's the boy that attacked me in Haruki's gym, right?" She and Shuryo both gaped as Apollo began speaking.
"Neodymium, whom my people call Nouwaihuu or Okage in your language, is a dark being that subsists on the light of stars. Because many stars provide life to the worlds orbiting them, he also opposes the hope and faith of those who worship them. He is the embodiment of desolation."
"And he's wearing the guise of my brother," Izumi added, her voice treading the line between anguish and rage. Naota hugged her. "We made the mistake of distancing ourselves for his protection, but that only made him give in to despair. Now Okage is using my brother as his vessel and he goes around attacking people." She released a long sigh. "I hope that once all of the Zodiac warriors are awakened, we can drive Okage out of Kei somehow… I can get my brother back."
Naota regarded the girls from Kaikoura imploringly. "So that's why we need you. Not just to save Kei but to protect each other's loved ones, even though a few of us have already lost some." She shared a look with Hikari and Fushi. "Please, come with us to find the last three warriors. The sooner we do, the sooner we can confront Okage and send him away from Earth. In doing so we'll save everyone."
Clutching her wand to her chest, Ren came down the stairs and bowed deeply. "I would go with you right now, honestly, but I'm here with my little sister and I can't just abandon her. I'm sorry." She straightened, smiling. "But I promise I'll answer any call for help. Whatever you need, just let me know."
"Thank you for your assistance, Ishida-san," Maiko said. They all exchanged phone numbers, then Ren ran off shouting apologies for making Kenina wait so long. That left Shuryo standing by herself before them. "What about you? Will you join us, Maeda-san?"
She shook her head adamantly. "I won't abandon my grandparents." The edge in her tone was gone, replaced by something akin to desperation. "I won't stick my neck out for strangers. I can't bring myself to trust any of you to be there for me if I need you." She had been let down way too many times throughout her life. "Now please leave and don't come here again. My wand will be safe among these sacred grounds. I'll do what I've always done and fight off anyone that tries to take what doesn't belong to them."
Akira scoffed. "Our enemy isn't after the wand, Maeda, they're after you. But if you honestly believe you're strong enough to protect this place by yourself, fine. We'll leave." With that she headed toward the exit, the others filing out one at a time until only Fushi and Hye-Mi remained.
It was hard for Shuryo to meet their gazes. She had instantly recognized them as her elemental sisters, the real reason why she had been strong enough to take down Kryptos, and try as she might she couldn't entirely dismiss her guilt. The Zodiac bound them together, would keep them bound until one of them died. 'It still wouldn't be my fault,' she thought. There were now eight celestial warriors to handle things. They didn't need her.
And Shuryo certainly didn't need them.
They bid Ren farewell and returned to the bus stop. "Well, at least one of them joined the team," Naota said in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"One isn't good enough," Hye-Mi countered. "We're going to need them both in the end. It sounds like that girl has some serious issues to work through."
"Her filial loyalty is admirable," Maiko remarked. "Like the rest of us, she has chosen to dedicate herself to following the path she believes is correct and does not wish to stray from it. Her unwavering devotion is a trait shared with Capricorn."
Akira wrinkled her nose. "That brat has nothing in common with me." She then crossed her arms and let out a huffy breath. "Now, how should we go about finding the other three soldiers? Should we split into teams? They could be anywhere in the city."
"Not anywhere," Naota mused. "Like you said before, we must all be the same age. If Maeda and Ishida are from Kaikoura, that leaves Shirozawata, the Horisawa School, Mugen Academy, and the Academy of Excellence."
"I can assure you that among the student populace, I'm the only one with supernatural abilities," Maiko stated.
"I haven't felt a connection to anyone at school like the one I have with you all," Hikari added.
Izumi put a thoughtful finger to her lips. "I don't think my aura has resonated with anyone at Mugen, but it's such a large campus that I could be missing someone."
Apollo's head popped out of Naota's backpack. "Allow me to assist you. Among my many natural talents as is the ability to sense auras. With all of you gathered in this vicinity, I should be able to pinpoint other celestial energies." With that he closed his eyes and turned his nose in the air, whiskers twitching while the girls gathered around.
"What are you doing, exactly?" Fushi whispered, not wanting to disrupt the process.
"By focusing and expanding my aura over a certain radius, I can sense others pushing against it and determine their location in addition to the type of aura. Hopefully some will shine with the strength of a guardian crystal." He fell silent as his ears swiveled. "There are two celestial souls at the edges of my senses. One is far to the northwest and the other is nearby to the southeast."
Izumi's face lit up. "Mugen is southeast of here. There must be a guardian living in the dorms!" They took a bus back to the metro and journeyed south along the foothills of Kosekiyama. Since only a few of the girls had previously been to the sprawling campus Izumi called home, the rest of them marveled at its polished, state-of-the-art construction that blended seamlessly with the natural landscape. Naota unzipped her bag to give Apollo free roam and they followed him to the C dormitory. All of a sudden his tail stuck straight up as he ran to a ground-floor unit and placed his paws on the door, meowing urgently. Naota stood next to him and knocked three times.
"Whozit?" a male voice called from within. She frowned at Apollo and would have made a comment about his lousy detection skills, but the door opened just then and the shirtless occupant squinted at them in the sunlight. "Can I help ya?"
"Shimoto?" Hikari blushed while admiring his physique.
"K-K-Kimura!" he stammered, "What're you doin' here?!" Eiji rubbed his eyes and blinked at all the faces regarding him in confusion. 'A bunch o' beautiful gals on my doorstep… I must be dreamin'!' "What's goin' on, Saitou? What're y'all doin' here?"
"Um, we're on a scavenger hunt of sorts. Is this your room?"
He grinned impishly. "Course it is! You'd know that if you ever came to one of our game nights." Eiji was about to ask why all these girls were outside his room when a gray bullet darted between his feet. "Ack! He ain't supposed to be outside!" Luckily the cat ran right up to Maiko and she gathered him in her arms.
Izumi gave the boy a suspicious look. "You're not allowed to have pets in the dorms, and you don't really strike me as a cat person."
Eiji fidgeted. "Well, he ain't really mine…"
"Ullur?" The calm, soft voice made everyone fall silent. Eiji stepped aside to make way for the figure who emerged from the shadow of his room, closing the door behind her. At first they all assumed she was some kind of albino due to her porcelain skin and wispy cloud-white hair, but then they noticed that her eyes were a pale, cool gray without any pupils. This led the seven girls to the same conclusion: the figure was a yuki-onna, yet the way both cats circled her legs proved she was real and tangible. "Apollo, my friend, it is wonderful that you have finally found me. I am sorry to see that the same fate has befallen you both." She surveyed the girls gathered before her. "These must be the guardians you found."
"These are seven of the twelve, Princess," he mewed. "Am I correct in assuming your guardian crystal is resonating with them?"
"It is!" Naota gasped. "Who… what are you?"
The figure straightened. "Forgive my rudeness, Celestial Warriors. I would give you my true name but you would be unable to comprehend it. In its place I offer that which has been bestowed upon me by the young man who gave me shelter. I am called Sasaya." She touched her forehead with one hand before extending it toward them in greeting. "I am a princess of the planet Umbris. The three of us were sent to your world following a war against the being called Nouwaihuu."
Naota glanced between Sasaya and Apollo a few times. "So you were the one who told him to look for me, the one who started all this?" The princess nodded. "How did you get here?"
"Are you saying you're an alien?" Hye-Mi cut in. "I mean, I was willing to suspend my disbelief when it came to a talking cat, but this is too much!"
Sasaya stepped off the front stoop and made her way to the fountain marking the center of the quad, the seven girls following. She sat down on the edge, trailing one hand in the water, and placed the other on Ullur's head when he jumped up to sit beside her. "My apologies– I know you have many questions and I am uncertain if I can answer them all. Let me begin on Umbris." Her eyes closed briefly. "My people are an ancient one, descended from the same seeds of life that were planted in Mar Serenitatis and the Tankei System. Our arm of the galaxy is called the Black Crescent, so named because it is rather vacant."
"You're saying there are other humanoids in our own galaxy? On our own moon?"
Sasaya simply stared at Akira before comprehending her question. "It is true there is a crater on Luna named Mar Serenitatis, but I learned it as the name of your solar system. And yes, there are other humanoids in the Milky Way. Homo sapiens are not alone in the universe." She smiled gently at everyone's stunned expressions. "After the Great Shadow was rebuked by the Umbran guardians, a group of chancellors called the High Council overthrew the royal family and exiled us through the Stellar Gateway, a device invented by my forefather in order to study other life forms in the galaxy. The sages that have been named Apollo and Ullur were banished alongside me. We had no inclination of where we would end up, but a voice called to me and pulled me to Terra, and a star landed in my body upon approach. The constellation whence it came told me that the original guardian's lineage had died out and it needed a new host. It said the other guardians would soon awaken to fight a dark being fixated on the Sun, so I asked Apollo to search for them and provide assistance."
"But it wasn't Apollo who saved me from Chloros," Izumi pointed out.
"Correct– it was I," said the stoic gray cat, a Russian Blue. "While it seems my colleague has received most of your transformation wands in his subspace storage, I discovered four of them in my own. These are the last two." Ullur turned to look over his shoulder and pulled the devices out of thin air. One was aqua and the other was magenta.
"Do you have a wand, Sasaya?" As an answer the princess produced a pale blue rod with a pink pearl at the top.
"You're Cancer, ruled by the Moon." Maiko deduced. "That means these wands belong to Pisces and Scorpio, and one of them must be found to the northwest where Apollo sensed them earlier."
Hikari hummed. "Before we go after her, I think we should try talking to Maeda again. We won't be very effective against Okage unless she decides to fight alongside us."
"One of the guardians has spurned her destiny?" Sasaya inquired, stone-faced.
"Yeah, Sagittarius," Hye-Mi answered with a sigh. "She said she doesn't trust us."
The princess half-smiled at that, forming a plan. "Then we must show her she can."
Twilight dressed the horizon in pink as the group of eight returned to Seichou Shrine. All the booths had closed and an old couple swept fallen leaves off the terrace while a few last-minute patrons completed their prayers and offerings. Taeko looked up as the girls approached her. "You're back! Did you need to talk to Shuryo again?"
"Yes, I forgot to ask for her algebra notes earlier," Fushi said, acting dismayed. "I missed class the other day because I had to go to the infirmary. Would you mind sending her out once you're finished? I really don't want to intrude."
"Of course, dear." She and Kenichi completed their chore and went inside. Shuryo descended the front steps angrily, slapping a few unseasonal fireflies out of the way as she marched right up to them.
"What the hell are you doing back here? I told you to stay away from me!" Sasaya stepped out from the center of the group, making Shuryo recoil a little. "You weren't with them before. Who are you?"
"My name is Sasaya." She took a long look at her surroundings, the tension growing palpable. "I can feel that you regard this place as your sanctuary. You view us as intruders." Shuryo's eyes narrowed at the way this mysterious stranger spoke her exact thoughts. "You say you do not trust us, the reasons being your own, but should you not be willing to give us a chance? Your only friend did, Ishida Ren. She realized she was meant to accomplish great things. Will you not embrace your destiny as well?"
"I know my destiny," the miko countered, balling her hands into fists. "It's to be here with my grandparents, help them manage this shrine, and take over their responsibilities once they pass on. I'm not going to leave this place, I'm not going to put myself in a position to be hurt ever again, and I'm not going to join you! Ren made her choice and this is mine, so just deal with it and leave me alone!" Shuryo spun on her heel, striding swiftly back to the house as a slew of pleading and retorts rose from behind. She ignored them and swatted the fireflies again, receiving a hot red welt. "Ouch! What the hell?" Before the others could even react the fireflies grouped together and released a brilliant, blinding glow. Shuryo rubbed the spots from her eyes, then gasped as a green and black specter glared down at her. She found she couldn't move a muscle and was oblivious to the chorus of transformation phrases. The monster's burning gaze fixated her, paralyzed her, and as his talon-like hand closed around her throat she felt her body weakening as if she had aged fifty years. A sudden fireball loosened his grip.
"Let her go or face our wrath!" Sailor Leo shouted. "The soldiers of flame will not allow you to harm our sister!"
"Is that so?" the glowing youkai spoke. "The Igneous Guardian will be mine. You shall all die here– Fosforo guarantees it." At that the green veins in his skin came alive with movement, releasing a cloud of bloated insects into the air that bombarded the senshi like a torrent of tiny grenades.
Sailor Virgo reacted first, casting a Blinding Pollen over the area that disoriented Fosforo's minions. They began colliding with each other, setting themselves ablaze, and the youkai made a sound of displeasure, exuding a wave of flame that burned the spores from the air. Sailor Capricorn thrust her hand skyward to call down a Crushing Monolith, the other warriors leaping out of the way as the asteroid descended at an alarming rate. Fosforo snapped his fingers, remaining still while a group of fireflies flew up to it and detonated themselves, making bits of space rock rain down over the senshi. "No way!" Capricorn gawked. Her incredulity quickly turned to apathy as the fireflies swarmed over the earth soldiers, and they slumped to the ground drained of energy.
"What's happening to them?!" Sailor Aquarius cried.
"It looks like this creature is inducing hypophosphatemia. It causes muscle weakness with a potential for seizures." Sailor Leo skillfully evaded the vile insects, regrouping with Gemini and Libra. "We need your wind power to disperse them, that way we can pick them off in small groups."
Sailor Libra nodded, retreating a few steps. She extended her hands toward her sisters in blue and yellow and began channeling mana into them with Nimbus Harmony. Sailor Gemini scattered the swarm with well-aimed Dual Wind Blasts and Aquarius used Ice Wing Flurry to freeze them. Her victory grin vanished when the fireflies glowed with hot light, melting the ice and swiftly overtaking her. She didn't even have time to cry out, falling to the cement like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
Sailor Gemini wasn't prepared to give in yet. She Duplicated herself and battered the fireflies with Wind Blasts and Divine Spirals, dancing across the terrace to keep the swarm from growing too large. Sailor Leo sent a constant barrage at the insects, blasting them with Fireball Charges while Sailor Aries circled around to Fosforo's backside in preparation for a sneak attack. Just as she swung the creature rounded on her, flaring white-hot and throwing her into Sailor Libra to disrupt her channeling, both soldiers shrieking at the collision. Aries recovered first and rushed Fosforo again while Libra shakily righted herself. "Uplift!" she intoned, pushing the youkai off-balance so her ally could strike. With the agility of a snake he diverted Amanumagwa's blade and backhanded the red warrior, knocking her out cold. Then the fireflies focused on Leo and Gemini.
"Reciprocating Gust!" Sailor Libra called, and the insects were abruptly shoved aside by a wall of wind. She shook terribly from her efforts, summoning the breeze two more times until depleting her mana. "I'm sorry…" she groaned. Sailor Gemini fell a minute later, Leo following with a roar of frustration. Fighting fire with fire had been totally ineffective.
Fosforo cast smug looks at the downed warriors all around him, wondering how his brethren had had such a difficult time dispatching them. Then again, Fosforo had been created with the sole purpose of using the guardians' biology against them. One of them wasn't even here, but he could track her down later and add her crystal to the buffet he would offer his master. He approached his first victim, Sagittarius, but a glint from the tree line drew his attention. "Hmm?" The figure who emerged was pale, her expression impassive, and her apparent frailty made him chuckle. She slowly approached him while proffering an aqua wand. "Ah, the first soldier of water. You are wise to surrender your crystal willingly since your allies have fallen."
Sasaya's voice came out so softly Fosforo had to lean down to better hear her. "On the contrary, I am not surrendering anything, especially that which does not belong to me." The aqua wand vanished before his eyes as a new one materialized in her other hand. "You have fallen into a trap, youkai."
Fosforo took a reflexive step away; something was wrong here. He could see the wand with his own eyes and feel the power of the guardian crystal washing over his form, but he could sense neither the crystal itself nor the star seed in her soul. It was almost as if she didn't have one, but that was impossible; every human on this little planet had a seed until it left their physical body. This warrior couldn't be dead since she was standing right before him, talking to him! "What are you?" Fosforo demanded. "Why can I not sense your celestial energy?"
The ghost of a smile turned her lips. "Fai dou rehmehmaa, Nouwaihuu."
Okage's voice echoed in Fosforo's mind as he spoke a single word tinged with fear: 'Umbran'. Through their connection the youkai learned of his master's resounding defeat on a planet called Umbris opposite Mar Serenitatis, host to a species that worshipped a moon called Erebu instead of their sun, a dwarf star. Umbrans possessed a variety of strange abilities including the means to cloak their own auras, which explained why Okage had been completely unaware of this one's presence. Somehow she was on Terra with a guardian crystal, and there was no doubt that Fosforo would fall before her.
Sasaya raised her Ethereal Wand to the heavens and uttered its incantation: "Cancer Star Power, Make Up." Light from the full moon descended upon her, veiled her body like mist as her ordinary clothes faded away to be replaced by a seifuku of silver, lavender, and pale green. As the first of the water soldiers to awaken she only had one attack with which to combat Fosforo, but its potency was directly proportionate to the phase of her celestial body overheard. Power radiated off her in waves, pushing the youkai back without his awareness, and he actually shuddered when she pointed a condemning finger at him. "I am the guardian who illuminates the dark night, the Soldier of Benevolence, Sailor Cancri. Douse yourself in tranquil waters and repent, minion of Okage."
Fosforo bellowed a challenge as the veins in his arm dispensed a stream of fireflies that twisted and roiled like a nest of maggots in his hand until forming a long sword. He quickly closed the distance between them, green flames licking the blade as it arced toward Sailor Cancri's pale neck. She lifted a hand to halt the attack, a plume of steam arising as the unholy sword met a barrier of water. The creature growled and slashed again but Sailor Cancri only ducked beneath the swing and held out a hand toward his chest, blasting him away with a jet of pressurized water. When he had regained his balance he noticed liquid swirling about her arms like a shimmering shawl that no longer obeyed the laws of gravity. Fosforo touched the spot she'd struck in an attempt to get heat flowing through his veins again, but it was as if they'd been cauterized.
"Rapid Stream," Sailor Cancri intoned, giving him no time to recover. She walked toward the youkai with a hand raised, fingers outspread, empty eyes darting to each area of his body where she wanted a jet to strike. Eventually Fosforo crumpled to one knee, clutching the warm core that gave him life. It wasn't so bad going out like this; at least his experience was being relayed to Okage so he would know what he was up against. The silver warrior paused her attacks to douse each of her allies, making them stir. "Wake up, Sagittarius. Show me what you are capable of."
Shuryo groaned as she rose to her feet. As soon as she spoke her henshin phrase a bit of her strength returned, enough to summon her celestial bow named Sharanga, and she incinerated Fosforo with a Final Burst. "Wh-why me?" she panted. "You had him."
Cancri gestured around her. "I wanted you to see how everyone fell to protect you, to defend you and your home against that powerful youkai. That is our mission, our destiny. How can you say you do not trust those who sacrificed themselves for you?"
Sailor Sagittarius swallowed nervously, clutching her blue-fire bow and letting the flickering flames assuage her. "They would have been defeated if not for you. All the other elements were useless against him."
"That they were." Sasaya looked at her palm. "Water is an intrinsic part of who I am. My people evolved from it, are born and raised in it, and very few of us are given the opportunity to control it. Water is an essential component of carbon-based lifeforms such as us." She paused. "Terra is not my home and humans are not my people, but there is a force beyond my comprehension that drew me to this planet and asked for my help in defending it. Perhaps it knew I had previously dealt with the dark being who seeks to consume your sun, or perhaps I was simply in the right place at the right moment. Regardless, if I am ever to return to my own planet then I need to ensure my survival on this one. Without Helios everything will cease to exist. Can you honestly stand there and tell me that is the future you wish to herald, Maeda Shuryo?"
"Of course not…" the girl muttered. "Of course I don't want everything to end."
Sasaya smiled gently. "Then please stand with us. This is a battle you were destined to fight."
'I'll make my own destiny,' Shuryo thought, but she agreed to join the Zodiac warriors for the time being.