By Yohann DeSabrais
a.k.a. Technuma Saturn
Prologue...
Cracking bolts of energy surged through the strange instruments,
combining the many mismatched elements drawn from chemistry,
bioenginnering and, it was her belief, some basic notions of
alchemy. Kaolinite had a hard time to grasp every single concept
which went into the creation of a daemon egg, she wondered all the
time how professor Tomoe could do this so easily without failure
or errors.
While the machine activated itself and processed the fluids
necessary in creating the unholy egg, she looked over the many
useless eggs she had created in previous attempts, all of them
useless wastes that would never have the power to animate an
inorganic host shell.
Her chest hurt terribly again. Had it been four hours already since
her last dose of pain killers? She pulled the small plastic
container from her labcoat`s pocket, popping it open and taking a
couple of the small red gelcaps along with a long swig of whiskey
to make it go down.
"Oh yeah, that`s the stuff..." she uttered in contentment while
she felt the hot liquid push the pills down into her stomach. She
doubled over in pain an instant later, her stomach turning into
a scorching ball of fire.
"Damn ulcer..." she thought. Tears filled her eyes as the terrible
suffering chewed through her damaged digestive system.
After a few minutes of suffering, the machines completed the
drawn out process of producing the long awaited daemon egg. This
one was a real beauty, its intricate surface patterns traversed by
constant fluxes of internal energy. It seemed... alive... and it
most likely was. A faint glow of greenish light surrounded it,
sending out an aura of vileness.
That was IT. She succeeded! The perfect daemon egg Tomoe had
theorized was right there in front of her inside the egg producing
system, the ultimate testimony to her teacher`s undeniable genius.
"I did it... I did it!!!" she whispered, her voice and hands
trembling in excitement.
Taking the egg in her hands, she could feel its power throbbing in
her palms. She brought it to her second lab, proud that this night
would be the turning point of her research. This much larger area
looked nothing like the other lab, containing not a single glass
instrument nor any chemistry apparatus. Everywhere there was motors,
wielding torches, metal plates, compact power sources, more computer
chips than the mind could imagine and a very large work bench where
she had placed her latest project, covered under a thick drape to
protect it until it would be ready to function.
She tugged at the drape, revealing the open mid section of her
machine where a round receptacle was awaiting the completed daemon
egg. It accepted it perfectly, glowing even stronger as it bonded
to the heavy metal frame and made it part of itself in a perfect
symbiosis.
"Now only a small part of the special programming remains... this
shouldn`t take more than a few days... at most..." she thought,
the drugs flowing through her system starting to numb her constant
pain. She sat at the computer terminal she set up in her workshop,
calling up the file for this project that had been inspired by one
of Mimete`s favorite mangas, the "Golgothian Warriors".
On top of her screen appeared the name of her project:
GOLgothian EMulator Machines
On the open panel of her newly completed machine, she had printed
the abbreviation of this fearsome combat machine:
GOL.EM.M.
"Don`t worry, my little child, you`ll soon be ready to take your
first step... and enter your first battle... I swear to the stars
that Ronmar will learn to fear the might of Kaolinite`s GOLEMM!!!"
she said to her newly animated creature while she punched her
keyboard furiously to ensure quick completion of his programming.
The time of her vengence was almost at hand.
* * *
CYCLES OF LIFE: EPISODE 45
GOING FROM BAD TO WORSE
"Okay, here`s what I think we should do..." started Usagi, lowering
her voice and explaining to her brother and fellow senshi the plan
she had come up with on the spot. When she realized that the woman
who had just spilled red wine on Laurella worked at the Poldzer
Triangle, her mind had just shifted into overdrive, inspired with
a tactic that Ami would later approve as being insightful and
daringly brilliant.
Of course, she couldn`t really say anything about it right now,
seeing how she was so busy talking over a school project with the
seductive and equally intelligent Kou Taiki, one of the rising
stars of japanese pop music. At the same time, Usako was having a
pleasant talk with Taiki`s brother Seiya after she had moved to
another table to sit alone with him and the cute little girl
Chibi Chibi. Robin was absent as well, having left with the third
brother, Yaten, off to see a giant monster movie with him.
"Usako-mama, I`m bored." said Chibi Chibi to Usako who was telling
Seiya a story from her childhood- of course she was rearranging
it a little, mostly because this anecdote had happened to her
merely three months ago, before her soul ascension finally
unlocked the final maturation process that transformed her into
a mature woman. Seiya was laughing along, finding Usako to be
genuinely funny.
"Want to go see auntie Rei, honey?" she asked. Chibi Chibi nodded.
Usako took the little girl by the hand and led her to Rei who was
only too happy to have her sit on her lap again.
"Rei!" she said happily, giggling when she saw the raven haired
girl.
"Hey there, darling!" replied Rei just as cheerfully.
"Can we go out?" asked Chibi Chibi asked, making the saddest puppy
eyes she could muster. Rei was hard pressed to say no.
"Usako... I`ll take Chibi Chibi for a quick walk outside, okay?"
"Sure, just make sure she wears her coat!" said Usako.
"Okay, see you girls later!" replied Rei. The bouncing little
toddler jumped up and down at the thougth of going for a walk on
the streets in the evening.
"You`re full of energy aren`t you?" Rei asked her.
"Chibi Chibi!!!" she said, laughing again.
* * *
The movie theater was almost empty that night with only a few
couples here and there taking advantage of the darkness of the place
to make out. There was little noise at all considering the number
of spectators, but two of them more than made up for that with the
sheer power of their screams whenever Godzilla smashed a major
landmark.
"YAAAAY! That is SO MUCH FUN!!!" said Robin, taking a big handful
of popcorn and scarfing it down hungrily the same way Yaten was.
"I can`t get enough of these things. They`re so exciting!" agreed
the silver haired idol singer. Although his first intention in
inviting Robin was to observe her and figure if she really could
be princess Kakyuu, he had to admit that he enjoyed her company
very much. She was the only girl- the only person who had the
same taste in movies he had.
"Is the floor really supposed to be so sticky, though?" wondered
Robin.
"Of course it has! It`s part of the experience!" assured her Yaten.
"Same thing as the huge popcorn buckets, movie trailers and
overpriced candy." he added. Looking at her emerald green eyes, he
suddenly felt guilty over what he was doing. He was beginning to
doubt that she might be Kakyuu after spending an extended period of
time with her, and if she wasn`t her... he`d certainly be hurting
her feelings. Yaten knew how it felt to be hurt, and had no wish
to lead her on this way if she wasn`t the woman he was searching
for.
"Speaking of candy, want some? I bought it on our way in while you
were arguing with the candy bar clerk over the size of the popcorn
buckets." she said, opening a small carboard box filled with hard
candy. A delightful smell of Cinnamon filled the air as she did.
"Want one?" she asked, offering the box.
"Please." he said, taking one and putting it in his mouth, savoring
the wonderful taste that reminded him vividly of Kakyuu.
"I just love that taste, don`t you?" asked Robin, taking one
herself.
And there he was caught in hesitation again, unsure wether Robin
could be his princess in disguise. This was going to be difficult
to sort out.
"Yaten... why are these other couples not paying attention to the
movie? It`s a good one, I don`t understand..." she said, pointing
to a few couples who were kissing and hugging closely.
He blushed. That`s it, this whole thing was getting much more
involved than he had figured, but he decided to roll with the
punches.
"They`re kissing... movie theaters are one of the few dark places
teenagers can go without anyone warning them not to do anything...
well, 'improper', you might say."
"That looks like fun... I`ve seen a lot of people do that, they
always seem to like it." said Robin.
"You mean you NEVER kissed anyone?" said Yaten facevaulting in
surprise that a girl of Robin`s age had not kissed a boy in her
whole life, not knowing that she was barely six months old
instead of her apparent seventeen years old.
"No. Is that wrong?"
"Err... no, there`s nothing wrong, I was just surprised."
"Why?"
"You`re so cute, I would have thought that guys would swarm
around you, that`s all." said Yaten who immediately bit his tongue
for letting that compliment slip out.
Robin blushed, smiling shyly. "Thanks, but I just haven`t met a
guy I really want to kiss... until now, Yaten." she said, looking
straight into his green eyes. He felt his heart skip a beat when
he realized what she meant.
"What... do you mean?" he asked, trying to defuse a situation he
just wasn`t controlling anymore, but to no avail.
"I`d like you to be the first boy I kiss. I imagine you kissed a lot
of girls, a handsome guy like yourself, would you show me what
it`s like?"
Yaten blushed even redder than Robin had.
"Oh. Does that mean that you didn`t... not either..." said Robin,
caught off guard by the way things were turning out. Yaten shook
his head, confirming what she suspected.
"I never met the right... person..." he said, gulping nervously.
"Maybe we could... teach each other how to do it?" whispered Robin,
putting her hand on his. Yaten smiled shyly, placing his other hand
on Robin`s.
They brought their lips close to each other`s, brushing them
lightly at first, then applying a small amount of pressure. They
felt a miniature bolt of lightning go across their mouth, giving
a new sensation that was both exciting and unique from anything
they had ever experienced in their lives. Their first clumsy kiss
soon turned into a more confident exchange, their arms going
around each other`s body and adding a warm hug to their passionate
embrace.
Robin slightly jolted in surprise when she felt Yaten`s tongue slip
out of his mouth into hers, but she found that this only increased
the pleasure she was feeling. She quickly learned how to join in on
this, twisting her tongue around his and discovering along with
Yaten the many variations on the strange and beautiful art of
kissing. The two of them were into a world of their own now, paying
no attention to the rampaging green behemoth on the movie screen.
A few rows behind them, another spectator wasn`t paying attention
to the movie either, busy as she was spying on the two of them.
Eating a chocolate bar one small bite at a time, she was rather
pleased with herself. By sending Robin`s picture and cell phone
number to Yaten, she had effectively pushed her in his arms and
made sure that she would not return Minako`s affections.
"Minako thinks she can have it all... I`ll show her what I can
do." thought Rumiko while she stared at the kissing couple in front
of her. The evil duplicate of Minako whose warped essence had been
the cause of her violent behavior some weeks before laughed, but
her laugh was without humor. It was a sadictic glee, one filled
with hatred directed at her template whose life she had sworn
herself to tear into shreds.
* * *
While they were inside the restaurant, a light snowfall had started,
covering everything outside in a gentle winter coat of white
crystals, to Chibi Chibi`s delight.
"YAAAAY! Snow!!!" she yelled in joy as she ran left and right in a
small nearby park where she was making snowballs, starting a battle
with Rei who was aiming very badly on purpose. "Can`t catch me!!!"
said Chibi Chibi, running all around and having a ball in this
wonderful snow.
Rei was having a lot of fun too. It was barely below zero degree,
and there was no wind to chill you through your coat as there had
been so often under the reign of Aebonite. This evening was just
perfect for playing outside.
"A wonderful night for a romp in the snow, isn`t?" came a soft
familiar voice. Rei looked behind her to see the serene face of
her friend Setsuna, the guardian of time herself.
"Hello, I didn`t think you would have followed us here." replied
Rei.
"I wanted to ask you something, Rei."
"It`s about her, isn`t it?" replied the young Shinto priestess,
pointing to the pink haired girl who was rolling a snowball so it
would increase in size and make the base of a snowman.
"Yes. You know I have seen much of the future, some of it through
visions, some of it by living through it, but her... she`s a
complete mystery to me. I know nothing of her, and she doesn`t
even bother my temporal senses as being an anomaly. She belongs
here right now, but I`ll be damned if I know why or how."
explained Setsuna.
Rei could see into her radiant purple eyes that she was indeed
puzzled, an expression she could easily recognize on her face,
because Setsuna was clumsy at hiding something she experienced so
rarely.
"So how do I fit in all this? I don`t even have my powers anymore."
"You may not have your senshi powers, but you are still as powerful
as your faith, my young friend. I`d like you to try and scrye into
the farthest reaches of time with your psychic senses, in places
where even I am helpless to look. Alone we have failed... together
we may yet succeed to unlock this sweet child`s secrets."
Rei was intrigued by the proposition. True, her own abilities had
failed her in this matter, but the new insight provided by Setsuna
might just do the trick. And she was right also in assuming that
her psychic senses had remained intact, untouched by the brutal
loss of her dark splinter to the evil Black Baron.
"Then it`s agreed. We`ll work together to figure out about... hey,
where is she?" wondered Rei, noticing that Chibi Chibi had wandered
off from them, and quite fast for a little girl of her small size.
Both women quickly followed the trail of tiny footprints in the
snow, but they didn`t have to go too far. They rapidly caught up
with her near some snow covered swings where a tall, slim woman
was sitting, softly swinging back and forth and chatting with the
little girl. Wrapped in a long coat which had the cut and style of
a chinese cloak, she looked like she was a princess herself.
"You`re very cute, you know that sweetie?" said the woman, her voice
a delicious melody to the ears.
Chibi Chibi giggled, enjoying the stranger`s company.
"Chibi Chibi, there you are! Don`t run away from us like that, you
never know who you might run into!" said Rei as she scooped up the
little girl in her arms and hugged her tight.
"She`s right you know, little one. There are some dark forces at
work in this city, and many of them are much too strong to be
ignored..." said the woman whom Setsuna and Rei saw in the
moonlight as having the most beautiful scarlet hair braided in a
remarkable asian fasion. Her face was peaceful and loving,
reminding Rei of Usagi`s ability to see the good in any person
she met, no matter how evil they seemed to be.
"What... do you mean?" asked Setsuna, who was once again stunned to
see another woman whom she could simply not understand how she
fitted in the timestream, yet did not feel like a temporal
abnormality.
She simply lifted her hand, pointing to the other side of the park.
They turned their heads and saw a dark ominous shadow standing
there, shifting and changing ever so slightly in its form while
retaining the same basic humanoid shape. Setsuna and Rei both
shuddered as they recognized their vile enemy, the fiendish Black
Baron.
"How do you know..." asked Rei, turning around to the mysterious
woman only to notice that she had vanished. "Where`d she go?"
Setsuna looked down, but there were no footsteps indicating that
she had left the swing, or that she had even been there at all.
Turning back to look in Black Baron`s direction, she saw that he
had vanished as well.
"I think we better leave this place." suggested Rei. Setsuna
agreed.
"Chibi Chibi!" went the young toddler. At this point, Rei would
have paid all the money in the world to know what that meant.
* * *
When Black Baron reappeared near one of Tokyo`s many water treatment
plants, he was awaited by one of his older blighted ones who had
been expecting him for a while.
"Great master, we await your commands." he said, bowing to show his
loyalty.
"Where is he?" growled the echoing voice of Black Baron, his shadowy
figure showing no sign of lip movement as he spoke.
"Right here." said the blighted one, pointing to the inside of a
nearby warehouse where the most toxic chemicals removed from the
recycled sewage were stored until they could be sent to a processing
plant to be disposed of. The two dark beings entered and saw there
another blightedone, a very short male fighter dressed like all
others of his kind in long flowing black clothes that were very
reminiscent of desert nomads. He carried on his back a scabbard
containing a sword almost as tall as he was, one whose handle was
so long it could easily allow three hands to hold on to it at once.
Sitting atop a drumcan as large as his frail body was, he was
waiting patiently for his chance to serve and, if need be, die
for his master.
"Will this one be satisfactory for the battle to come?" asked the
first blighted one.
"I`ve never doubted your choices when it comes to selecting troops,
you`ve proven yourself worthy every time since you first suggested
we hire the manwolf to kill Beryl`s daughter." echoed Black
Baron`s voice.
The blighted one felt honored that his master of darkness agreed
with his opinion. "Thank you my lord, it pleases me to serve you."
"That you do very well... Velasquez." concluded Black Baron, turning
around and vanishing in a shroud of darkness.
The blighted one was stunned. None of his kind were ever allowed to
retain their names after being reforged to their master`s will...
that Black Baron had called him by his name was indeed the greatest
of all honors that could be granted upon his foul existance.
The second blighted one was equally impressed. "Did he just call
you by... your name?"
"Yes... yes he did... he allows me to be adressed by my real
name..." realized the blighted one, still stunned by this sudden
turn of events. "I am VELASQUEZ!!!" he screamed out loud, his name
reverberating in the cold snowy night, but for no one but the
two of them to hear.
* * *
Epilogue
It had been a very slow night for the aging woman who was sitting
patiently at her ekisha, the typically japanese fortune-telling
tables that sprang up at any time of day or night at high traffic
areas of train stations and commercial districts. This particular
train station was seeing little passengers that night and fewer
clients still for the old fortune teller.
"I guess I won`t be having much luck myself." she thought, moving
her small bundle of wooden sticks and shuffling it to hear the
soothing familiar sound of the instrument of her trade. Her mother
had taught her to use them to foretell the future at a very young
age, and she had taught her own daughter in memory of her long
matriarcal family line of diviners.
Many, many people had come and gone seeking her advice, and she
always gave them the very best counsel that her abilities allowed
her to. Although tonight, there wasn`t going to be anyone asking
for her special gifts.
"I might as well pack up." she thought out loud.
"Does that mean I`m too late for a consultation?" asked a very
strong male voice nearby her small table. She was surprised to see
there a tall man dressed completely in long black clothes, his long
mane matching them in color. His face was strangely peaceful, his
own serenity betrayed only by the harshness of his facial traits.
Despite his scary appearance, his eyes spoke of a gentleness that
made him something of a paradox.
"Oh no, please sit down, I will do a reading for you right away!"
she said with excitement, pointing to the folding chair in front
of her small stand. As he sat down, a black cat came out of some
nearby shadows and hopped on his lap, purring under his caresses.
"What a beautiful cat you have there, kind sir. What be his name,
if I may ask?" she inquired, amazed at the magnificient silver
ankh adorning his forehead.
"Osiris. He means more to me than anything... he`s not only a
companion, he`s also... family. The only family I have." he
replied, scratching the black coat of his cat behind his ears
where several patches of whitening hairs were sprouting to reveal
the feline`s advanced age.
The old woman placed the sticks in a small bundle which she dropped
on her table in one swift motion that showed her many decades of
experience. Her eyes widened when she saw what the sticks told her.
"I... have never seen such a thing..." she muttered, shocked by the
reading she was doing for this strange man.
"What do you see?" he asked. The cat was staring directly at her as
well with his good left eye, the right one claimed long ago by
blinding cataracts.
"I see death. Millions upon millions of tortured souls calling
your name in search of justice. You have become their cypher, and
there will be even more blood spilled before you can find the
peace you so desperately seek. There is a great fire awaiting
you in the future, one that will devour your body and incinerate
your soul... unless you embrace it without any hesitation. The
forge of destiny has chosen you long ago, crafting you to its
liking and setting you in a central position in a chess game of
cosmic proportions." she said, her mind shifting into a state
of openness that accompanied her most precise moments of scrying.
She knew that every time she reached that state, her words were
never wrong.
"Am I to be a pawn in this game, or may I be a knight or rook
yet?" he asked.
"I cannot say. This is not my place to judge of the universe`s
greater scheme." told the old fortune teller, feeling a bit
uncomfortable about telling something so gloomy to such a charming
young man. "I`m sorry I wasn`t able to be more helpful. I will
forego my fee as compensation, valued customer."
The man smiled. "You were quite enlightening, great scryer, and I
can tell your reputation is well earned, as is your fee." he said,
pulling a handful of thousand yen bills from his coat inner pocket
and handing them over to her. There was at least ten thousand yen
in total, she could tell from a quick glance.
(author`s note: 10 000 yen equals roughly 100 dollars)
"Oh... thank you so much, kind sir, I am glad I was able to help
you after all." she said, bowing profusely as she thanked him.
She took the money from his gloved hand and felt intrigued by
the obvious strength in his perfectly shaped palm and fingers.
"May I be so bold as to offer my services of palmistry? Your fate
is an intriguing one, and I would gladly offer my expert service
for free to such a generous client as yourself."
The man pulled back his hand and returned it to his furry friend
whose back he stroked gently.
"I`m afraid there`s not much to read there, but I am touched by the
offer. May your business be plentiful, kind diviner, and good night
to you." said the man as he got up and left as silently as the
spirits of her ancestors, the cat climbing over his shoulder where
he lied down as the duo moved away, leaving the cruel neon lights
of the train station to the soothing dark of the night.
The old woman sincerely hoped that his destiny would not be the
tragic one that might be awaiting him should he not recognize the
signs on the road he traveled, for she could tell he had much to
accomplish, and that the fate of many more relied on his own.
To be continued...
a.k.a. Technuma Saturn
Prologue...
Cracking bolts of energy surged through the strange instruments,
combining the many mismatched elements drawn from chemistry,
bioenginnering and, it was her belief, some basic notions of
alchemy. Kaolinite had a hard time to grasp every single concept
which went into the creation of a daemon egg, she wondered all the
time how professor Tomoe could do this so easily without failure
or errors.
While the machine activated itself and processed the fluids
necessary in creating the unholy egg, she looked over the many
useless eggs she had created in previous attempts, all of them
useless wastes that would never have the power to animate an
inorganic host shell.
Her chest hurt terribly again. Had it been four hours already since
her last dose of pain killers? She pulled the small plastic
container from her labcoat`s pocket, popping it open and taking a
couple of the small red gelcaps along with a long swig of whiskey
to make it go down.
"Oh yeah, that`s the stuff..." she uttered in contentment while
she felt the hot liquid push the pills down into her stomach. She
doubled over in pain an instant later, her stomach turning into
a scorching ball of fire.
"Damn ulcer..." she thought. Tears filled her eyes as the terrible
suffering chewed through her damaged digestive system.
After a few minutes of suffering, the machines completed the
drawn out process of producing the long awaited daemon egg. This
one was a real beauty, its intricate surface patterns traversed by
constant fluxes of internal energy. It seemed... alive... and it
most likely was. A faint glow of greenish light surrounded it,
sending out an aura of vileness.
That was IT. She succeeded! The perfect daemon egg Tomoe had
theorized was right there in front of her inside the egg producing
system, the ultimate testimony to her teacher`s undeniable genius.
"I did it... I did it!!!" she whispered, her voice and hands
trembling in excitement.
Taking the egg in her hands, she could feel its power throbbing in
her palms. She brought it to her second lab, proud that this night
would be the turning point of her research. This much larger area
looked nothing like the other lab, containing not a single glass
instrument nor any chemistry apparatus. Everywhere there was motors,
wielding torches, metal plates, compact power sources, more computer
chips than the mind could imagine and a very large work bench where
she had placed her latest project, covered under a thick drape to
protect it until it would be ready to function.
She tugged at the drape, revealing the open mid section of her
machine where a round receptacle was awaiting the completed daemon
egg. It accepted it perfectly, glowing even stronger as it bonded
to the heavy metal frame and made it part of itself in a perfect
symbiosis.
"Now only a small part of the special programming remains... this
shouldn`t take more than a few days... at most..." she thought,
the drugs flowing through her system starting to numb her constant
pain. She sat at the computer terminal she set up in her workshop,
calling up the file for this project that had been inspired by one
of Mimete`s favorite mangas, the "Golgothian Warriors".
On top of her screen appeared the name of her project:
GOLgothian EMulator Machines
On the open panel of her newly completed machine, she had printed
the abbreviation of this fearsome combat machine:
GOL.EM.M.
"Don`t worry, my little child, you`ll soon be ready to take your
first step... and enter your first battle... I swear to the stars
that Ronmar will learn to fear the might of Kaolinite`s GOLEMM!!!"
she said to her newly animated creature while she punched her
keyboard furiously to ensure quick completion of his programming.
The time of her vengence was almost at hand.
* * *
CYCLES OF LIFE: EPISODE 45
GOING FROM BAD TO WORSE
"Okay, here`s what I think we should do..." started Usagi, lowering
her voice and explaining to her brother and fellow senshi the plan
she had come up with on the spot. When she realized that the woman
who had just spilled red wine on Laurella worked at the Poldzer
Triangle, her mind had just shifted into overdrive, inspired with
a tactic that Ami would later approve as being insightful and
daringly brilliant.
Of course, she couldn`t really say anything about it right now,
seeing how she was so busy talking over a school project with the
seductive and equally intelligent Kou Taiki, one of the rising
stars of japanese pop music. At the same time, Usako was having a
pleasant talk with Taiki`s brother Seiya after she had moved to
another table to sit alone with him and the cute little girl
Chibi Chibi. Robin was absent as well, having left with the third
brother, Yaten, off to see a giant monster movie with him.
"Usako-mama, I`m bored." said Chibi Chibi to Usako who was telling
Seiya a story from her childhood- of course she was rearranging
it a little, mostly because this anecdote had happened to her
merely three months ago, before her soul ascension finally
unlocked the final maturation process that transformed her into
a mature woman. Seiya was laughing along, finding Usako to be
genuinely funny.
"Want to go see auntie Rei, honey?" she asked. Chibi Chibi nodded.
Usako took the little girl by the hand and led her to Rei who was
only too happy to have her sit on her lap again.
"Rei!" she said happily, giggling when she saw the raven haired
girl.
"Hey there, darling!" replied Rei just as cheerfully.
"Can we go out?" asked Chibi Chibi asked, making the saddest puppy
eyes she could muster. Rei was hard pressed to say no.
"Usako... I`ll take Chibi Chibi for a quick walk outside, okay?"
"Sure, just make sure she wears her coat!" said Usako.
"Okay, see you girls later!" replied Rei. The bouncing little
toddler jumped up and down at the thougth of going for a walk on
the streets in the evening.
"You`re full of energy aren`t you?" Rei asked her.
"Chibi Chibi!!!" she said, laughing again.
* * *
The movie theater was almost empty that night with only a few
couples here and there taking advantage of the darkness of the place
to make out. There was little noise at all considering the number
of spectators, but two of them more than made up for that with the
sheer power of their screams whenever Godzilla smashed a major
landmark.
"YAAAAY! That is SO MUCH FUN!!!" said Robin, taking a big handful
of popcorn and scarfing it down hungrily the same way Yaten was.
"I can`t get enough of these things. They`re so exciting!" agreed
the silver haired idol singer. Although his first intention in
inviting Robin was to observe her and figure if she really could
be princess Kakyuu, he had to admit that he enjoyed her company
very much. She was the only girl- the only person who had the
same taste in movies he had.
"Is the floor really supposed to be so sticky, though?" wondered
Robin.
"Of course it has! It`s part of the experience!" assured her Yaten.
"Same thing as the huge popcorn buckets, movie trailers and
overpriced candy." he added. Looking at her emerald green eyes, he
suddenly felt guilty over what he was doing. He was beginning to
doubt that she might be Kakyuu after spending an extended period of
time with her, and if she wasn`t her... he`d certainly be hurting
her feelings. Yaten knew how it felt to be hurt, and had no wish
to lead her on this way if she wasn`t the woman he was searching
for.
"Speaking of candy, want some? I bought it on our way in while you
were arguing with the candy bar clerk over the size of the popcorn
buckets." she said, opening a small carboard box filled with hard
candy. A delightful smell of Cinnamon filled the air as she did.
"Want one?" she asked, offering the box.
"Please." he said, taking one and putting it in his mouth, savoring
the wonderful taste that reminded him vividly of Kakyuu.
"I just love that taste, don`t you?" asked Robin, taking one
herself.
And there he was caught in hesitation again, unsure wether Robin
could be his princess in disguise. This was going to be difficult
to sort out.
"Yaten... why are these other couples not paying attention to the
movie? It`s a good one, I don`t understand..." she said, pointing
to a few couples who were kissing and hugging closely.
He blushed. That`s it, this whole thing was getting much more
involved than he had figured, but he decided to roll with the
punches.
"They`re kissing... movie theaters are one of the few dark places
teenagers can go without anyone warning them not to do anything...
well, 'improper', you might say."
"That looks like fun... I`ve seen a lot of people do that, they
always seem to like it." said Robin.
"You mean you NEVER kissed anyone?" said Yaten facevaulting in
surprise that a girl of Robin`s age had not kissed a boy in her
whole life, not knowing that she was barely six months old
instead of her apparent seventeen years old.
"No. Is that wrong?"
"Err... no, there`s nothing wrong, I was just surprised."
"Why?"
"You`re so cute, I would have thought that guys would swarm
around you, that`s all." said Yaten who immediately bit his tongue
for letting that compliment slip out.
Robin blushed, smiling shyly. "Thanks, but I just haven`t met a
guy I really want to kiss... until now, Yaten." she said, looking
straight into his green eyes. He felt his heart skip a beat when
he realized what she meant.
"What... do you mean?" he asked, trying to defuse a situation he
just wasn`t controlling anymore, but to no avail.
"I`d like you to be the first boy I kiss. I imagine you kissed a lot
of girls, a handsome guy like yourself, would you show me what
it`s like?"
Yaten blushed even redder than Robin had.
"Oh. Does that mean that you didn`t... not either..." said Robin,
caught off guard by the way things were turning out. Yaten shook
his head, confirming what she suspected.
"I never met the right... person..." he said, gulping nervously.
"Maybe we could... teach each other how to do it?" whispered Robin,
putting her hand on his. Yaten smiled shyly, placing his other hand
on Robin`s.
They brought their lips close to each other`s, brushing them
lightly at first, then applying a small amount of pressure. They
felt a miniature bolt of lightning go across their mouth, giving
a new sensation that was both exciting and unique from anything
they had ever experienced in their lives. Their first clumsy kiss
soon turned into a more confident exchange, their arms going
around each other`s body and adding a warm hug to their passionate
embrace.
Robin slightly jolted in surprise when she felt Yaten`s tongue slip
out of his mouth into hers, but she found that this only increased
the pleasure she was feeling. She quickly learned how to join in on
this, twisting her tongue around his and discovering along with
Yaten the many variations on the strange and beautiful art of
kissing. The two of them were into a world of their own now, paying
no attention to the rampaging green behemoth on the movie screen.
A few rows behind them, another spectator wasn`t paying attention
to the movie either, busy as she was spying on the two of them.
Eating a chocolate bar one small bite at a time, she was rather
pleased with herself. By sending Robin`s picture and cell phone
number to Yaten, she had effectively pushed her in his arms and
made sure that she would not return Minako`s affections.
"Minako thinks she can have it all... I`ll show her what I can
do." thought Rumiko while she stared at the kissing couple in front
of her. The evil duplicate of Minako whose warped essence had been
the cause of her violent behavior some weeks before laughed, but
her laugh was without humor. It was a sadictic glee, one filled
with hatred directed at her template whose life she had sworn
herself to tear into shreds.
* * *
While they were inside the restaurant, a light snowfall had started,
covering everything outside in a gentle winter coat of white
crystals, to Chibi Chibi`s delight.
"YAAAAY! Snow!!!" she yelled in joy as she ran left and right in a
small nearby park where she was making snowballs, starting a battle
with Rei who was aiming very badly on purpose. "Can`t catch me!!!"
said Chibi Chibi, running all around and having a ball in this
wonderful snow.
Rei was having a lot of fun too. It was barely below zero degree,
and there was no wind to chill you through your coat as there had
been so often under the reign of Aebonite. This evening was just
perfect for playing outside.
"A wonderful night for a romp in the snow, isn`t?" came a soft
familiar voice. Rei looked behind her to see the serene face of
her friend Setsuna, the guardian of time herself.
"Hello, I didn`t think you would have followed us here." replied
Rei.
"I wanted to ask you something, Rei."
"It`s about her, isn`t it?" replied the young Shinto priestess,
pointing to the pink haired girl who was rolling a snowball so it
would increase in size and make the base of a snowman.
"Yes. You know I have seen much of the future, some of it through
visions, some of it by living through it, but her... she`s a
complete mystery to me. I know nothing of her, and she doesn`t
even bother my temporal senses as being an anomaly. She belongs
here right now, but I`ll be damned if I know why or how."
explained Setsuna.
Rei could see into her radiant purple eyes that she was indeed
puzzled, an expression she could easily recognize on her face,
because Setsuna was clumsy at hiding something she experienced so
rarely.
"So how do I fit in all this? I don`t even have my powers anymore."
"You may not have your senshi powers, but you are still as powerful
as your faith, my young friend. I`d like you to try and scrye into
the farthest reaches of time with your psychic senses, in places
where even I am helpless to look. Alone we have failed... together
we may yet succeed to unlock this sweet child`s secrets."
Rei was intrigued by the proposition. True, her own abilities had
failed her in this matter, but the new insight provided by Setsuna
might just do the trick. And she was right also in assuming that
her psychic senses had remained intact, untouched by the brutal
loss of her dark splinter to the evil Black Baron.
"Then it`s agreed. We`ll work together to figure out about... hey,
where is she?" wondered Rei, noticing that Chibi Chibi had wandered
off from them, and quite fast for a little girl of her small size.
Both women quickly followed the trail of tiny footprints in the
snow, but they didn`t have to go too far. They rapidly caught up
with her near some snow covered swings where a tall, slim woman
was sitting, softly swinging back and forth and chatting with the
little girl. Wrapped in a long coat which had the cut and style of
a chinese cloak, she looked like she was a princess herself.
"You`re very cute, you know that sweetie?" said the woman, her voice
a delicious melody to the ears.
Chibi Chibi giggled, enjoying the stranger`s company.
"Chibi Chibi, there you are! Don`t run away from us like that, you
never know who you might run into!" said Rei as she scooped up the
little girl in her arms and hugged her tight.
"She`s right you know, little one. There are some dark forces at
work in this city, and many of them are much too strong to be
ignored..." said the woman whom Setsuna and Rei saw in the
moonlight as having the most beautiful scarlet hair braided in a
remarkable asian fasion. Her face was peaceful and loving,
reminding Rei of Usagi`s ability to see the good in any person
she met, no matter how evil they seemed to be.
"What... do you mean?" asked Setsuna, who was once again stunned to
see another woman whom she could simply not understand how she
fitted in the timestream, yet did not feel like a temporal
abnormality.
She simply lifted her hand, pointing to the other side of the park.
They turned their heads and saw a dark ominous shadow standing
there, shifting and changing ever so slightly in its form while
retaining the same basic humanoid shape. Setsuna and Rei both
shuddered as they recognized their vile enemy, the fiendish Black
Baron.
"How do you know..." asked Rei, turning around to the mysterious
woman only to notice that she had vanished. "Where`d she go?"
Setsuna looked down, but there were no footsteps indicating that
she had left the swing, or that she had even been there at all.
Turning back to look in Black Baron`s direction, she saw that he
had vanished as well.
"I think we better leave this place." suggested Rei. Setsuna
agreed.
"Chibi Chibi!" went the young toddler. At this point, Rei would
have paid all the money in the world to know what that meant.
* * *
When Black Baron reappeared near one of Tokyo`s many water treatment
plants, he was awaited by one of his older blighted ones who had
been expecting him for a while.
"Great master, we await your commands." he said, bowing to show his
loyalty.
"Where is he?" growled the echoing voice of Black Baron, his shadowy
figure showing no sign of lip movement as he spoke.
"Right here." said the blighted one, pointing to the inside of a
nearby warehouse where the most toxic chemicals removed from the
recycled sewage were stored until they could be sent to a processing
plant to be disposed of. The two dark beings entered and saw there
another blightedone, a very short male fighter dressed like all
others of his kind in long flowing black clothes that were very
reminiscent of desert nomads. He carried on his back a scabbard
containing a sword almost as tall as he was, one whose handle was
so long it could easily allow three hands to hold on to it at once.
Sitting atop a drumcan as large as his frail body was, he was
waiting patiently for his chance to serve and, if need be, die
for his master.
"Will this one be satisfactory for the battle to come?" asked the
first blighted one.
"I`ve never doubted your choices when it comes to selecting troops,
you`ve proven yourself worthy every time since you first suggested
we hire the manwolf to kill Beryl`s daughter." echoed Black
Baron`s voice.
The blighted one felt honored that his master of darkness agreed
with his opinion. "Thank you my lord, it pleases me to serve you."
"That you do very well... Velasquez." concluded Black Baron, turning
around and vanishing in a shroud of darkness.
The blighted one was stunned. None of his kind were ever allowed to
retain their names after being reforged to their master`s will...
that Black Baron had called him by his name was indeed the greatest
of all honors that could be granted upon his foul existance.
The second blighted one was equally impressed. "Did he just call
you by... your name?"
"Yes... yes he did... he allows me to be adressed by my real
name..." realized the blighted one, still stunned by this sudden
turn of events. "I am VELASQUEZ!!!" he screamed out loud, his name
reverberating in the cold snowy night, but for no one but the
two of them to hear.
* * *
Epilogue
It had been a very slow night for the aging woman who was sitting
patiently at her ekisha, the typically japanese fortune-telling
tables that sprang up at any time of day or night at high traffic
areas of train stations and commercial districts. This particular
train station was seeing little passengers that night and fewer
clients still for the old fortune teller.
"I guess I won`t be having much luck myself." she thought, moving
her small bundle of wooden sticks and shuffling it to hear the
soothing familiar sound of the instrument of her trade. Her mother
had taught her to use them to foretell the future at a very young
age, and she had taught her own daughter in memory of her long
matriarcal family line of diviners.
Many, many people had come and gone seeking her advice, and she
always gave them the very best counsel that her abilities allowed
her to. Although tonight, there wasn`t going to be anyone asking
for her special gifts.
"I might as well pack up." she thought out loud.
"Does that mean I`m too late for a consultation?" asked a very
strong male voice nearby her small table. She was surprised to see
there a tall man dressed completely in long black clothes, his long
mane matching them in color. His face was strangely peaceful, his
own serenity betrayed only by the harshness of his facial traits.
Despite his scary appearance, his eyes spoke of a gentleness that
made him something of a paradox.
"Oh no, please sit down, I will do a reading for you right away!"
she said with excitement, pointing to the folding chair in front
of her small stand. As he sat down, a black cat came out of some
nearby shadows and hopped on his lap, purring under his caresses.
"What a beautiful cat you have there, kind sir. What be his name,
if I may ask?" she inquired, amazed at the magnificient silver
ankh adorning his forehead.
"Osiris. He means more to me than anything... he`s not only a
companion, he`s also... family. The only family I have." he
replied, scratching the black coat of his cat behind his ears
where several patches of whitening hairs were sprouting to reveal
the feline`s advanced age.
The old woman placed the sticks in a small bundle which she dropped
on her table in one swift motion that showed her many decades of
experience. Her eyes widened when she saw what the sticks told her.
"I... have never seen such a thing..." she muttered, shocked by the
reading she was doing for this strange man.
"What do you see?" he asked. The cat was staring directly at her as
well with his good left eye, the right one claimed long ago by
blinding cataracts.
"I see death. Millions upon millions of tortured souls calling
your name in search of justice. You have become their cypher, and
there will be even more blood spilled before you can find the
peace you so desperately seek. There is a great fire awaiting
you in the future, one that will devour your body and incinerate
your soul... unless you embrace it without any hesitation. The
forge of destiny has chosen you long ago, crafting you to its
liking and setting you in a central position in a chess game of
cosmic proportions." she said, her mind shifting into a state
of openness that accompanied her most precise moments of scrying.
She knew that every time she reached that state, her words were
never wrong.
"Am I to be a pawn in this game, or may I be a knight or rook
yet?" he asked.
"I cannot say. This is not my place to judge of the universe`s
greater scheme." told the old fortune teller, feeling a bit
uncomfortable about telling something so gloomy to such a charming
young man. "I`m sorry I wasn`t able to be more helpful. I will
forego my fee as compensation, valued customer."
The man smiled. "You were quite enlightening, great scryer, and I
can tell your reputation is well earned, as is your fee." he said,
pulling a handful of thousand yen bills from his coat inner pocket
and handing them over to her. There was at least ten thousand yen
in total, she could tell from a quick glance.
(author`s note: 10 000 yen equals roughly 100 dollars)
"Oh... thank you so much, kind sir, I am glad I was able to help
you after all." she said, bowing profusely as she thanked him.
She took the money from his gloved hand and felt intrigued by
the obvious strength in his perfectly shaped palm and fingers.
"May I be so bold as to offer my services of palmistry? Your fate
is an intriguing one, and I would gladly offer my expert service
for free to such a generous client as yourself."
The man pulled back his hand and returned it to his furry friend
whose back he stroked gently.
"I`m afraid there`s not much to read there, but I am touched by the
offer. May your business be plentiful, kind diviner, and good night
to you." said the man as he got up and left as silently as the
spirits of her ancestors, the cat climbing over his shoulder where
he lied down as the duo moved away, leaving the cruel neon lights
of the train station to the soothing dark of the night.
The old woman sincerely hoped that his destiny would not be the
tragic one that might be awaiting him should he not recognize the
signs on the road he traveled, for she could tell he had much to
accomplish, and that the fate of many more relied on his own.
To be continued...