Orion Saga
Part 1
Quest For the Orbs
Chapter 21: Dream World
Zentora sits in the window and looks out of it, setting her tablet down.
"What is it?"
"It's strange to me. They all seem so…so close. Not really apart even when they're alone." Her face remains emotionless, but there is a strange tone in her voice.
Sirius lifts her head and Pup walks over to her, silently placing his head in her lap. "Why don't you go out there with them?"
"I can't, Pup. I-I have to finish this." She looks at the canvas in front of her.
Pup is silent for a few moments before his soft voice enters her mind. "This mission troubles you doesn't it?"
She looks at him and shakes her head. "No. I don't think it does." She is silent. "I mean, I was born for this right?"
Sirius speaks up. "More than you know."
The girl nods. "This still…"
"What?"
Zentora shakes her head. Both guardians look at her. Pup gazes into her face as he searches for a clue into her thoughts.
Zentora is on her way home when she stops in front of the art store that she sometimes frequents.
"Zentora-chan, hi."
She looks up at the young man behind the counter. "Hello, Nuboro-kun."
"How's it going?"
"Okay." Pup is standing silently at her side and Sirius is in the knapsack resting on her back. "I've been going to the community center." She looks at a few pencils near the register.
"Really. I heard they were doing some kind of public arts project."
She nods. "They are. One of my teachers told me about it at graduation. He wants me to help out with it."
"Congratulations."
She nods. "Thank-you."
"Have you told your parents yet?"
"No. I wasn't going to."
"Why not?"
She shakes her head. "They wouldn't understand."
"If it's important to you then they could at least try."
Zentora puts one of the pencils back. "It doesn't matter."
He looks at her silently. He knows that there is no point in arguing with her. They'd had this talk a dozen of times before. The girl wanted what she wanted, but in her heart she just doesn't feel as though she deserves it. He just doesn't know why. He hated to see her suffer but is unsure of how to help her.
Zentora is on her way home after having bought a new sketchbook and some coloring pencils. When she walks inside, she goes straight to her room and lets Sirius down gently, helping her out of the bag. Pup jumps up on the bed and she removes the leash. When she sits down, she is aware of their eyes on her.
"What?"
"Nuboro is right." Sirius looks at her. "You should tell them."
"You're making too big a deal out of this."
"You're making too little a deal. Zentora. Think of how many times you've locked yourself away in here so you could draw. And each time you would hide the drawings because you didn't want your parents to see. If this is what you want, you should take hold of it."
She shakes her head and places the tablet on her desk. "You're wrong. It's just a hobby."
"Then what do you plan on doing?"
She shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. Right now it doesn't matter. I'm working on this thing with Mr. Akiyama. When I finish, then maybe I'll think about it. But for now could you just drop it?"
They look at her as she walks out of the room to fix their dinners.
Zentora is at the community center again. She is in the art room a little later than she thought she would be. She came alone this time, and most of the people have already left for the day. After a few moments of painting, she stops suddenly and begins to sing. It is a quiet song that pours from her heart.
When I say, go away
Understand what it means to me
In my world, dreams come true
But I must steal these dreams from you
For the love
Of the stars
In your eyes
Takes us far
We will know
Where to go,
From the light that shines in our souls…
For your love,
Watching me
As I take hold of these memories
In our world dreams come true
But I must give them back to you
Look at me, in my eyes
Full of love and surprise
Never know
What to show
To the one that means the most to me
Our love will survive
And this world of ours will never die
But the dreams that I hold
Of the future will unfold
So when I say
Go away
Dreams
I will unfold
Listen as I say
I'll love you more and more each day
So hold close to the dreams as the light
That beautifully encloses you and me
In our world
Full of dreams
Zentora is sitting on the bus. When it stops in front of the shopping district, she gets off and goes to the small store.
"Zentora-chan. Back so soon?"
"Hello, Nuboro-kun."
"It's only been a week. So what can I do for you? Or do you have something for me?"
"Yes…I do." She carefully puts her book in front of him and watches quietly as he flips through it.
"These are really nice." He looks over at the quiet girl on the other side of the counter. "You still aren't sure are you?"
She looks directly into his eyes. Nuboro is stunned and thinks to himself. "As shy as she is, something about her eyes makes her seem so…different. She always looks people right in the eyes when she talks to them."
"It-it isn't that I'm not sure. I just…"
"You don't' want to disappoint them?"
She nods her head.
"Well here. I thought you might want to see this." He slides a piece of paper over to her.
"What is it?"
"Don't get mad, but I sent one of your paintings in to the college of art. And…you won."
She looks at him, her eyes giving off a strange light. Her face is unreadable. She slowly picks up the paper and reads it for herself.
Johnson, Zentora.
Your entry has gone through our panel of judges and after careful consideration, your entry has earned you the grand prize. We are pleased to award you with a full scholarship to the College of Art in Tokyo.
Shocked, Zentora puts the paper down. "Oh my goodness. I can't accept this."
"Why not?"
"I just can't."
"Zentora, please. Just take it. At least think it over."
She slowly picks up the paper and folds it in her hand.
Nuboro looks at her. "Good girl." He continues to look at her sketches as she walks around the store.
Zentora is reaching over her head to get a book when she senses something. She looks around, but sees nothing. In a soft voice, she says her transformation. When she finishes, Sailor Orion walks to the edge of the aisle.
The window of the store is suddenly shattered as someone falls through it. Nuboro yells in surprise.
"Need energy!" A creature growls as it stands in front of the broken window. It looks almost like a cat, but its body is horribly disfigured. It raises its long elephant-like snout and the crest on its head rises as it sees Nuboro.
He looks at the youma and backs away. "Dream Energy!" The animal runs toward him and knocks the cash register off of the counter with its tusks as it reaches its nose out to snatch the frightened clerk.
"Aaaaghh!" The nose reaches into his mouth as he yells and begins to suck away his energy.
"Enough!"
The creature is momentarily distracted and drops the barely conscious Nuboro just as Sailor Orion steps out of the aisle.
"Dream Energy?" The creature at this new interruption, confused. "Need dream energy."
"I see." Orion looks at her friend and then at the creature standing before her. She places her left hand on her tiara gem as she pulls back on the bow. "Orion, Hunter's Arrow!"
The youma howls in pain, but remains standing. "Need dream energy!" It charges Sailor Orion.
The star scout it knocked into a display of paint tubes. Slowly she sits up at looks at the monster as it reaches its trunk up to take her.
"Star-shock, Spark!" The star shaped disk rips through the monster destroying it.
Orion stands up and looks at Nuboro and the other man. To be on the safe side, she goes outside to make sure that no one else was drained. When she returns, she kneels next to Nuboro and kisses his cheek.
Slowly, the dream stone begins to surface. She steps away from him and allows it to reenter his body. As she walks over to the other man and checks his stone.
"Uggh…what happened?" Nuboro sits up and looks around the store. When he sees the broken window, he suddenly remembers. "Oh no!" He goes over to the person lying next to him and shakes the man gently. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine." He looks at the younger man in surprise as he jumps up and runs to the nearest aisle. "What's wrong?"
"There was a girl in here."
Nodding, he gets up to help him look for her. After a few minutes, he sees her and calls to Nuboro. "Over here."
Nuboro runs over to see Zentora lying on the floor next to the shelf of books. He kneels next to her. "Zentora-chan! Can you hear me? Are you alright?" He shakes her a little. "Zentora-chan?"
She turns her head up to him and opens her eyes.
"Are you alright?"
She nods and speaks in a low voice. "Yes."
The other man looks at her. "Are you sure?"
She looks at him for a moment. "Yes…thank you."
The two of them help her to her feet and they walk to the front of the store. Nuboro goes to get a broom and the other man stands with Zentora at the register. "What's this?" He looks at the portfolio that was left open.
"Nothing." Zentora reaches for it.
The older man looks at her and raises an eyebrow. "I apologize. That was rude of me."
"He shakes his head. "That's alright." He watches her close it as Nuboro comes back. He hears her low voice.
"I should go now."
The other man looks at her with a surprised expression. "I was going to finish looking at them."
"That's okay. I can bring them back later. And I'll think it over."
As she leaves the white haired young man watches her for a moment before turning to Nuboro. "That girl…"
"You mean Zentora?"
"She's very talented."
"Try telling her that."
"What do you mean?"
"I probably shouldn't say anything. It isn't my place."
Zentora sits in her room with the letter that Nuboro had given her. Pup and Sirius are eating, so she has a few minutes to herself. "How can I?"
"Zentora?" There is a soft knock on the door. The girl quickly puts the paper away as she hears the door opening.
"Mom."
"I just came to tell you that it's time for dinner."
Zentora is lying on the bed in her pajamas when the door is nudged open. She turns her head to see Pup who dips his head slightly. She smiles a little and he jumps onto the bed next to her. when he sees what she has in her hand he looks at her. "That's good news isn't it?"
"Yes…but I won't accept it."
"It is your life."
"But I don't want to let them down. I mean, I should probably do something else. I already know that I will do something else."
"Yes, but that has nothing to do with this. Your mission doesn't mean that you can't have what you want. It's just another part of who you are."
The brown eyes of the girl meet with the hazel eyes of the dog, who sees something strange. It flickers for a moment and is gone as the girl closes and reopens her eyes. Pup closes his own eyes as he rests his head on her. "Zentora."
"I'm sorry. It's just that I really would like to do it, but what would they say?"
"They can't stop your heart. Would you risk them being upset with you for a short time over a lifetime of unhappiness?"
She nods. "You're right. I should tell them. This…is my dream."
Zentora is asleep. Pup is at the foot of the bed and Sirius is on the chair in front of the glass door leading to the balcony.
A girl is trapped in a cage. Her face isn't visible, but she is clearly in anguish. Her face is in shadow and her voice is barely audible. "Help me!" She struggles against the bars. "Help me! Please!" She begins to cry. Lonely and sad. Though she makes no sound, it is clear that she is crying, her tears sparkling in the darkness. "Please…help me."
Zentora wakes up with a start. She lifts her hand to her face and pushes her bangs back only to have the thick hair fall back into her eyes. She looks over to see that Pup and Sirius are still asleep. She slowly gets out of bed and walks out into the kitchen.
She sits at the table with a glass of water and cradles it in her hands. After drinking it, she lies her head down on her arms.
"Zentora."
She wakes up to feel her shoulder being shaken. Turning her head, she sees her father. "Daddy?"
"Hey. How come you're sleeping out here?"
She runs a hand through her hair. "Bad dream."
Martin's voice is soft. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not right now. I should probably be getting dressed. I've gotta go."
Zentora is walking through the park on her way home the community center when her mind flashes back to the dream. She stops and sits down on a bench.
Zentora is taken away from her thoughts and her head snaps up. She feels an evil presence and runs toward it, transforming along the way.
The purple clad senshi stops short when she sees the children on the playground cowering away from another catlike creature. This one has the body of a lion and the head of an ox. Spiny growths on its body wriggle like worms.
A child screams as she is picked up with one of the spines. Just as the beast is about to drain her, her Sailor Orion attacks. "Hunter's Arrow!" She says it quickly, but it's force is devastating as the spine is disconnected from the hideous creature letting the child fall to the ground.
The bull headed monster turns to her. "Need dream energy!" It reaches toward Sailor Orion, but she dodges easily and as a purple star appears in her hand. "Star-shock, Spark!"
The other spine drops to the ground and the beast's eyes grow red as it advances on her and shoots a dark energy blast out of its horns. Orion rolls away and looks over to see that the children are still standing on the playground, paralyzed with fear. While she is looking at them, the youma uses this distraction to its advantage. It launches another blast of energy that Orion doesn't have the time to escape.
She grunts as the energy bares into her. "Kids…run!" They look at her and the firmness of her quiet voice calms them down. They nod, scampering away.
Sailor Orion is pinned underneath the monster looking at its face. It stares down at her, eyes red, its nose barely inches away. "DREAM ENERGY!"
"I don't think so." She braces her legs underneath it and pushes it away. The creature looks at her in surprise as she stands up slowly. It doesn't understand how such a quiet human can be so strong. The Star Soldier kisses her hand and throws the disk. "Star-shock, Spark!" It embeds itself into the monster and it withers away.