Ch. 3
Do you have the time,
To listen to me whine,
About nothing and everything I had once?
-Anyone know the name of the people who did this?
Rajura was not at all pleased. Those pathetic Troopers had beaten them yet again, and Bertie had had to help him leave. He decided to cheer himself up by going to see someone who was in a worse state than he was.
Namely, "Hello, Sh'ten." Sh'ten glared over at Rajura, who was standing there with a smirk on his face.
"What do you want?" Sh'ten asked, his voice full of anger and anguish. Rajura shrugged.
"Oh nothing. Just came down to see a fellow Warlord, you know. Hospitality and all that shit." he told him. Sh'ten smiled despite himself.
"You got your ass kicked again, didn't you?" Rajura's expression didn't change, but his voice was like steel wrapped in velvet.
"Why is that your concern? If I were you, I'd do my best to try to find a way to get back on the Emperor's good side. Oh, and just so you know, he's still not too happy with you." Sh'ten scowled, then he let out a yell as he was pulled yet deeper into the pit. Rajura smiled to himself and turned to leave.
Katzie was cracking up, not aware that Rajura had arrived.
"You had to help him get away??" she asked Bertie in disbelief. Bertie sat quietly on the couch and nodded solemnly. She knew Rajura was in a bad mood so she had been tying to make herself scarce around him. Bertie looked up to say something and turned white when she saw Rajura standing silently behind Katzie. Katzie was still laughing when she noticed Bertie's expression.
"What's wrong with you?" Rajura behind her shrugged.
"Maybe she just realized that your tutu went out with Bell bottoms?" he suggested. Katzie turned white because she knew Rajura had heard her laughing at him, then she turned red. She happened to be very fond of her tutu.
"I can beat you, Warlord." Rajura laughed aloud.
"I'd like to see you try." Prizma and Anubis both had to hold Katzie back when she lunged at him, for both Rajura's and Katzie's safety. Rajura walked over to the couch, and sat next to Bertie. She looked away, but he told her to look at him.
"I'd like to thank you for helping me out back there." He told her and she blushed. He smiled to himself. It sure didn't take alot to make Bertie happy, he thought to himself. Then he thought that it was made easier that it was HIM praising her. He chuckled to himself. Anubis, meanwhile, had slunk back into his dark little corner, complaining about how light it was. Naaza shook his head.
"It's always too light for you, Anubis." he told him. Anubis shrugged.
"Can I help it if I despise light?" Prizma and Avery appeared shocked.
"How can you say that?"
"Really!" Bertie chimed in. "How could we put on our makeup if we had no light to see by?" Rajura chuckled.
"Yes, that's right! I forgot! You sisters love nothing more than to shop." Katzie shrugged.
"Shopping's fun. I don't know a single woman who doesn't like to shop." Her sisters nodded in agreement. The warlords howled with laughter.
"Well," Naaza said through his laughter "I don't know a single man who does!" The sisters shook their heads.
"Men." Prizma said to herself and the other sisters nodded solemnly, making the warlords laugh harder.
"Anyway," Katzie continued. "We had a little argument among ourselves earlier." She turned to the now chuckling warlords. "Which of us is the prettiest?" The warlords immediately stopped any trace of laughter they had left and suddenly found they had something extremely important to look at. Anubis found a little place in his corner where the paint had been chipped and started to pick at it. Naaza hastily picked up a magazine and began reading an article on Barney. Rajura, meanwhile found the threads in the couch of extreme interest. Avery shook her head.
"Well if that isn't typical." Bertie turned hotly to Rajura.
"Really. You can joke about the senshi's short skirts but you can't say which of us is the prettiest?" she asked. Rajura said nothing and continued examining the couch. Katzie stood.
"Bullshit, guys. C'mon, we want answers." Prizma nodded.
"We promise we won't get mad." Rajura shook his head.
"Women always say that, then when you don't pick them.." Anubis nodded and began playing taps on an imaginary horn.
"We want to know! C'mon, tell us! Who's the prettiest?" The five guys stood examining their fingernails or the clouds in the sky or the ants scurrying on the ground in the temple. Rei tapped her foot. Makoto sighed. She knew from experience just how stubborn men could be. She glanced down at her bandaged arm, then up at Shin. Shin was looking off into space. Usagi threw up her hands in defeat.
"Fine, since you won't tell us, how about we tell YOU who we think is the most handsome?" The Troopers smiled and prepared themselves for this. Makoto went first.
"Well..." she said, blushing hard. "In my opinion, Shin really is the cutest." Shin blushed and tried not to smile. He didn't get far with that. Ami shook her head.
"I'd have to say Touma." all of the Troopers smiled. They expected that one.
"Well," Usagi began, and Shou prepared himself for her vote of approval. "Actually, I like someone else other than the Troopers." Shou looked as if he had been shot. The senshi nodded.
"WHO??" Shou asked. Usagi shrugged.
"You don't know him. His name's Mamoru." Shou started. Mamoru. Where had he heard that name before? OF COURSE!! Mamoru was that guy they had met outside of Usagi's school. Shou snorted, upset that she would pick that playboy over him.
"What's he got that I haven't got?" He asked her. Usagi had stars in her eyes.
"Roses and a black tuxedo with a cape." she said dreamily. Shou rolled his eyes.
"You mean that Tuxedo Kamen guy?" Usagi blushed, and realized she had inadvertently given away Mamoru's secret. Minako stepped in.
"They're boyfriend and girlfriend." Usagi shook her head and looked downcast. "Not anymore." she said quietly. Shou shook his head. He had thought Usagi liked him, and now.. He sighed. He should have known Usagi didn't like him. Oh well, he thought. Plenty of other girls. Seiji now looked doubtful. He had been sure Minako would pick him, but now..
"Seiji is." Minako said and Seiji let out an audible sigh of relief. Rei shrugged.
"Honestly, I'd have to say Ryo." Suddenly, Rei heard a voice drift out from the back of the temple.
"HEY, REI!!" Rei turned red.
"Chad's back!" she said in a squeak. Ryo looked confused.
"Who's Chad?" Ami shook her head. Chad had been gone for a month at a rock festival or something in America. It looked as if he had returned early. Ryo looked up from Rei as a boy about his age stepped out into the sunlight wearing an outfit much like Rei's except his pants were a light blue. His bangs were incredibly long, Ryo noted. So long in fact you could hardly see his eyes.
"Whoa, I didn't know you had company, Rei." He said in a punk rocker type voice as he surveyed the Troopers. The Senshi waved.
"Hi, Chad." They said in unison. He smiled and waved, then he noted Makoto's bandaged arm.
"Whoa, Mako-chan. What happened to you?" He asked. Makoto shrugged.
"It was nothing. Don't worry about it. How was the festival?" Chad did a thumbs up sign.
"TOTALLY RIGHTEOUS!!" he told them. Ryo stepped up.
"You like rock music?" Chad nodded.
"I sure do. I'm actually a rock singer." Ryo stared at him in disbelief.
"No way!" he said. Chad nodded.
"Yep! Want to hear me sing?" Rei stepped in rather quickly.
"No, no, that won't be necessary, Chad. Glad you're back, bye!" she said, pushing him back through the door from whence he came. Ryo laughed a little.
"Why didn't you let him sing?" Rei winced.
"Because he can't." Ryo smiled and shook his head. That sounded like the Rei he knew all right.
"PLEASE, EMPEROR!!!" Sh'ten yelled in anguish. He looked up as Talpa appeared.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"To beg for another chance. I know I can defeat those senshi!! I know it! Just PLEASE give me another chance." Emperor Talpa seemed to consider it for a second, then Sh'ten found that he was free. Sh'ten smiled and bowed.
"Thank you, Emperor. You will not regret it."
"I'd better not." Talpa told him. Sh'ten smiled to himself. Boy, are Rajura and Anubis going to be pissed about this he thought to himself gleefully.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Anubis asked Sh'ten as he entered the room. Rajura looked up, a look of scorn on his face. Sh'ten shrugged.
"Emperor Talpa is giving me another chance." he told him. Rajura shook his head.
"How'd you manage THAT?" Sh'ten smiled at him.
"You told me to get on the Emperor's good side." Rajura's scowl deepened. Anubis stepped out of his corner and strode directly up to Sh'ten.
"If you cause me one ounce of trouble in my new plan, I swear I'll put you in the pits myself!!" Sh'ten looked Anubis dead in the eye.
"I'm not afraid of you Scar." Anubis seemed nearly on the verge of flooring Sh'ten when Rubbeus appeared. Always quick to size up any situation, Rubbeus stepped in between Anubis and Sh'ten.
"Now, now, Anubis," Rubbeus started.
"No fighting here. Save that energy for the real fight. You're going to need it." Anubis relaxed and turned away. Bertie appeared next to Rajura, making him jump.
"Damn, Bertie! I wish you wouldn't do that." Bertie smiled.
"Well, just goes to show you, you can't surprise and trick everyone!" Rajura smiled.
"Oh yeah?" Then he planted a kiss on Bertie. While Bertie sat there flushed, Rajura disappeared. Then, he reappeared across the room, where he had been since the moment Bertie appeared. He smiled.
"Who tricks who around here?" Bertie smiled.
"Okay, okay, I'll admit, you got me. BUT.." she added with a big smile. "It IS the thought that counts." Rajura snorted. Naaza appeared, shaking his head. He smiled at Rajura.
"She's right, you know." Rajura turned to him.
"Don't make me bring the dagger back out." Naaza backed off. Then he saw Sh'ten, and he scowled. Rubbeus stepped into the middle of the floor.
"I have a plan, dear friends, that will put those Troopers and those senshi under our complete control." He told everyone. Everyone then leaned in to hear their part in this glorious plan. Once Rubbeus was through, everyone was smiling. Rubbeus had thought this through beautifully. Everyone was satisfied, and the Troopers and Senshi didn't have a chance.