Orion Saga
Part 1
Quest for the Orbs
Chapter 14: Star Chaser Revealed
Samaru is standing with Zentora outside of her family's apartment. "I had a nice time tonight." He looks at her.
Eyes lowered Zentora nods. "So did I." She feels her face suddenly becoming warm as he tilts her chin up. For a moment, she can't help but look into his eyes.
"ZENTORA!"
She turns from Samaru quickly, her face turning an even redder shade of brown. Her little sister is standing in the doorway watching them. "Mommy, Daddy! Zentora's back! She brought a boy with her!"
Zentora covers her eyes with her hand before turning back to Samaru. "Geez, I-I'm sorry."
Samaru smiles. That's alright." He looks at the bright-eyed little girl looking up at him. "So who's this?"
"My younger sister Nyumi." Zentora looks past her sister to see her father walking to the door. Quickly, she steps inside. "Um, Samaru, maybe you should go now."
A look of surprise is suddenly on his face. "Go? I thought…"
Martin Johnson is already standing next to his daughter before she can close the door. "Zentora, weren't you going to introduce me to your friend before you said good night?"
"Daddy, I-"
Martin looks at Samaru who stands in the door. "Hello. So you're the one who took my daughter out tonight?"
"Yes, sir."
Martin nods. "I hope you were a gentleman."
Zentora's eyes widen in embarrassment.
"She's never been on a date before so I'll thank you to keep in mind that you're her first boyfriend."
Samaru smiled to himself when Zentora's father referred to him as her boyfriend. "Believe me sir, I only have the best of intentions."
"I see."
Zentora is standing behind her father with her face in her hands. After a few moments, she leaves the two of them, unwilling to risk being embarrassed further.
"Zentora, how was the concert?"
She looks at Pup as she sits in the oversized chair next to the large glass door. "Oh, fine."
Sirius looks at her. "What's wrong then?"
Zentora takes off her sandals and looks at the cat. "My dad is out there with Samaru."
"So?"
Zentora pulls on her pajama pants and puts on a tank top. Happy to be out of the dress she sits down on the bed. "He's pretty much telling him not to violate me."
Sirius laughs at this. A deep purring sound, and Pup tries to stifle a grin. "Well, you can't blame him. Your father just wants to protect you."
Sirius leaps onto the bed. "Yes, I suppose all parents are like that."
Zentora nods. "I know. But it's embarrassing. I mean, on one extreme, they're overprotective but they-"
"What?"
Zentora shakes her head. "Nothing. If they knew I were a Sailor Soldier I wonder what they would say."
Pup gives her a serious look. "You can't ever tell them that."
Zentora looks at his grave expression. "I wouldn't I was just wondering."
Sirius nods. "We know, but they would only worry. And even that could put them in danger."
Zentora nods, wondering if she should tell her guardians about the plant youma that had been at the concert hall. The one that nearly tried to drain her before Star Chaser showed up to help her. But she decides against it.
Samaru arrives at his apartment a bit frazzled. He hadn't expected Zentora's father to give him such a long lecture. He now understood why the quiet girl had gotten so adamant at him leaving. "That man is nothing like Nova 6." He looks at a picture on the mantle. "Why should he be? This is earth. Not Orion. So he can't be her real father." Samaru's mind drifts back. He had fond memories of himself and his princess. He missed Oriana and wanted nothing more than to get her back home. But Zentora wasn't picking up on any of his clues. They were subtle, but they were things that would have been obvious. The Amazons, Star Chaser. He'd even gone so far as to bring some of her trinkets from the castle back home. But not one of them made her stop and think. He didn't want to believe Matsume, but he had done everything short of revealing who he really was to her.
He is silent as he walks past the two sisters in the living room. He goes straight to his own room and to bed a prisoner of his thoughts.
Matsume and Ogechi look at each other. The shorthaired young woman speaks first, echoing her sister's thoughts. "What could be wrong with him?"
Matsume is silent as she stares at the door to her prince's room. She was sure that whatever it was had to do with this Zentora. The one that he and her sister soldier thought was her princess. They knew that they had a date together and were waiting to hear how it went. Instead of answering Ogechi, she stands and walks to the door.
"Prince Diya?"
Samaru is staring at the ceiling when he hears his true name. He closes his eyes.
"Prince Diya?" Matsume calls his name again, this time gently rapping on the door. "Are you still awake?"
"Yes. Come in."
At the sound of his voice, Matsume pauses. She knows that he is upset. Gradually, she opens the door. "Diya."
Samaru sits up and looks at her. His eyes are tired. "What is it?"
"How was your evening?"
He nods. "Alright. She really enjoyed herself. I thought for a moment that-"
"That it was the princess."
"It's just that she's so much like her. When we were sitting there. Listening to the music, it was like she was in a trance. Oriana is the only one I've ever known to behave like that around art."
Matsume nods. She remembers the times that they had seen her enjoying the beauty and art around the palace. When she looked at a painting, she was the type of person who would stare into it as though seeing the essence of the artist. "She was special."
"Is. I know it has to be Zentora. It has to."
Matsume is frustrated. She missed her princes just as much as he and Ogechi, but she wasn't one to grasp at straws. Similar or not. The girl did not recognize them. There was something about her eyes. "What do you keep basing this on?"
Samaru looks at her with sincerity deep in his eyes. "She is Orion."
Zentora is on her way to Samaru's apartment. He'd called saying that he enjoyed last weekend and wanted to return favor. He was making lunch. She arrives just as Matsume and Ogechi are leaving. They greet her as they pass, saying that they are on their way to a movie.
She walks into the apartment and suddenly senses something, but does not let on that something might be wrong. Instead, she looks over to Samaru who is walking out of the kitchen. "Hello, Zentora."
She smiles at him. "Hello."
He invites her to take a seat on the couch. "Lunch should be ready soon."
She nods as he sits next to her. She watches for a few moments. He seems as though he's a little worried about something. "Is anything wrong?"
He looks at her, a little distracted with his thoughts. "Well, I need to talk to you."
"Okay. About what?"
"Just…well, it's a little complicated."
The two of them are finished eating when Samaru looks at her. He walks out onto the balcony, motioning for her to follow. When Zentora steps outside, she is reminded of the thing she had sensed earlier. It is stronger now, but she doesn't know what to do. She thought that se should probably transform, but didn't want Samaru to get hurt.
"Zentora. Are you keeping anything from me?"
She looks at him. "What?"
He is silent as he collects his thoughts wondering just what should be said, but knowing that however he chose to say it, he had to be careful. "It's just that, I wonder about you sometimes. I mean…" he sighs. "Zentora. I'm Star Chaser."
She looks at him. She is obviously shocked that he would blurt out something like that. But why?
As Samaru looks at her. Her face shows little change. He didn't understand it. Did she just hear what he said. "I'm Star Chaser."
"I heard you the first time." Her quiet voice is much softer. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because…I thought you should know. I already know who you are."
"That's…who do you think I am then?"
"I don't think. I know. I've known since I laid eyes on you."
She stares at him. He couldn't possibly be serious. No one knew that she was Sailor Orion. She had made sure of it. But here he was, and he knew. "How?"
"I've always known."
She stares at him. "How could you have known? I didn't tell anyone."
Samaru sees her worried face. "It's alright. No one knows other than Matsume and Ogechi."
When he says their names, she thinks for a moment. "Those two new soldiers who said they were looking for Orion."
"Yes."
"Why would they need to find me?"
Samaru looks at her. "That's what I need to talk to you about."
Zentora looks at him getting a little dizzy. She can't believe what he's telling her. "What?"
He looks at her, a serious expression suddenly on his face. "Do you remember that girl that we told you about?"
"The one you said you were friends with? Yes."
He nods. "Well, there was something that I didn't tell you."
"What?"
Samaru looks out over the city before he speaks. "I was the fiancé."
Zentora's face is suddenly unreadable. "You?"
"Yes. Do you understand what I'm trying tell you?"
She looks at him, suddenly dizzy again. She knows what he is hinting on, but it can't be real. If it were, she would know. She would be able to remember. Nothing about her life had included this young man. She had never seen Samaru before in her life. Had she? She had to admit that something about him and his cousins made her feel at ease, but that was all it was. A feeling.
"I'm, sorry. But you have the wrong girl."
Samaru looks at her. "No. I-"
Her voice is soft, and the liquid brown eyes take him in fully. "If you're who you say you are, then I'm sorry. I realize that you must have loved her very much. But I can't be who you want me to be. I'm not the girl you were looking for."
"You don't get it do you? You are Sailor Orion."
She nods. "Yes. I am. And I'm willing to accept the fact that you're Star Chaser and that you're here to help me…" She is trying her best to let him down gently. He really seems to be hurting. She didn't want to be the one to make it worse.
Samaru can only look at her. He knew that it was her. It had to be. She was the only one…she was Sailor Orion. She gave off the only signal, her energy radiating the day that he'd first laid eyes on her that day after school. That was the only signal that he'd gotten from all of the girls he talked to. There was no one and no where else to look. He'd almost cried the day that he told her his story. Matsume and Ogechi actually had after she left, but e held onto the hope that had brought him this far. And now she was talking to him. Telling him that she wasn't the one. He was so angry and sad at the same time. But what could he do?
"Zentora, please."
"I'm sorry, Samaru. It's nice that you think so much of me, but I'm not." As she stares into his eyes, she sees such a look of sadness and heartache.
Samaru is upset, but not willing to give up. He looks at Zentora with a sad smile. As he looks into her eyes, he notices something in them that he hadn't noticed before. Deep within them there was a slight flicker. Like there was something going on deep within her mind. It is there for only a second, but it gives him the courage to speak. "Alright, Zentora. My grief must have gotten the better of me."
She nods. "It's okay. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not right now. Maybe some other time."
"Okay. Thanks for having me over…Star Chaser."
His smile is faint but genuine. "No problem…Orion."
Samaru stands out on the balcony of the apartment watching Zentora walk out onto the street below. When she is out of sight, he goes into the apartment.
The youma has been sitting beneath Samaru's balcony the entire time, listening to the conversation. It smiles to itself, hidden in the flowers and vines on the side of the building. It's master would be pleased.