Part VII
The room was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Neither Seiya nor Yaten were about to make the first move to initiate the conversation. They were impressed however at the hospitality Usagi was showing them. She was making tea and preparing a snack for them in the small kitchen off of the main room. When she returned, she did so with a smile.
"So how have you guys been?" She asked as she set the tray of goods down in front of the two women. "It's been so long and I've missed everyone so much."
Yaten smiled at her to show that the comment was accepted gratefully but Seiya did not and just returned a stone face to her. "Why did you leave then if you missed everyone so much?" Seiya asked as she crossed her arms. She already didn't trust this girl and she was not about to ingest anything that she offered her.
"Can we please just not talk about that now? It's been a long day and it's just something I'd really rather not get into right now." Usagi's face grew almost sad. She was a convincing act to anyone but Seiya. "Let's talk about you." Her mood suddenly picked up as she grabbed a cookie from the tray.
"What do you want to know?" Yaten asked. She had been silently observing Seiya's behavior towards Usagi. "Everything's about the same as when you left except we're not singing now and the obvious, we're girls." The words rolled off of her tongue like they were no big deal and would be part of any normal conversation. To her dismay though Usagi wasn't surprised at all by this comment.
"Yeah, I seemed to have noticed that. I think you look much better as a woman Yaten." She smiled and turned her attention to Seiya who was next to her. "But Seiya, I think I prefer you as a man." A blush crept up into her cheeks with this statement.
Seiya let out a low laugh as she contemplated ways to catch her in her game. "When I left I didn't think you preferred me in any way, shape or form?" Seiya said with a half smile.
Usagi faced Seiya and by turning her body to do so she had almost shut Yaten out of the conversation completely. "You know, I always did have feelings for you. it just. it just wouldn't have been right. I knew it was wrong to feel that way. I just felt trapped. Do you know what I mean? That's why I never told anyone." Usagi looked at Seiya to see her reaction but there was none. Seiya didn't say a word and so Usagi continued. "Everything is so different now. The whole time I was gone I could do nothing but think of you and how much I missed you."
Yaten shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn't feel right being here now while Usagi was confessing such a thing to her friend. She looked over at Seiya to see her reaction to this. The whole situation was strange to begin with but this just brought it to a new level.
Seiya's stone face had cracked and was now expressing a look of complete compassion. Did she actually feel bad for this girl? "Odango." She muttered. She tried hard to fight back the over whelming urges that she had to comfort this girl that resembled her Odango is so many ways, but at the same time she also fought back the urges to deny her presence. The conflicting battle raged on in her head until Usagi touched her.
"You know. We don't have to be alone." Usagi smiled as she put her hand on Seiya's. "Do you really love that man more than me?"
Kenada. Kenada. Kenada. Seiya's mind viciously repeated the name as if it was trying to remind her of the one person who she had found sanction in. Doubt hit her again as she cursed herself mentally but remained silent. What was she doing? She had her Odango. her Odango was Kenada. but wait. who is this right in front of her?. This could be her Odango. 'I have no proof of that.' She told herself as her face began to harden once again. "What did I say to you on the top of the school when you broke down crying about your Mamo-chan?" The question was asked with Seiya looking down at Usagi's hand on her own.
Yaten was surprised at the sudden inquiry but could see where she was going with this. If this girl that claimed to be Usagi didn't know what was said then this would be their solid proof.
Usagi smiled a sweet smile and lifted Seiya's chin up gently with her hand. "You said pretty much the same thing that I'm saying to you now. 'Am I not good enough?'" Her statement ended as almost a plea. The desperation in her voice almost mirrored that of what Seiya's had sounded like so long ago.
~@~@~@~
"I don't understand. What are you doing?" Kenada asked, his question seemingly falling upon deaf ears. "Seiya, please."
Seiya shoved some more articles of clothing into her suitcase then her eyes scanned the room to see if there was anything else of importance that she had forgotten. When she was satisfied that she had everything she finally addressed the broken man that stood before her. "I can't stay here any more. It's just not right."
Kenada moved to the side a bit as Seiya walked past him. "All of the sudden it's just not right? What happened? Where are you going?"
"Stop! Just stop!" Seiya turned around fully to face Kenada after she had opened the front door. "I'm going to stay with Kakyuu. Don't call me and don't come looking for me. I have some things to figure out. I'll come to you when I'm ready to talk if I ever am. until then I don't want to see you."
Kenada stood there with surprise in his eyes and was frozen in the moment. There was no sound, no movement and Seiya took this opportunity to pass through the door and close it behind her. '.if I ever am.'
~@~@~@~
"Have you made any progress?"
"Yes, I believe that Seiya, who I now know is Star Fighter, is beginning to trust me. I was almost caught however. I didn't expect to receive the third degree, luckily for me one of the dimwits that I've seen had recapped the entire event to which she was referring to."
"Yes, we are lucky. We can't not afford to take any more chances with this mission, we must speed this up and get to our goal."
"They are pathetic, it is their love and compassion that makes them so weak. We will relieve them of those and all emotions soon. I will start the attack tonight."
"Good, I don't care if you had other plans for any of these beings, just get rid of the ones you can as soon as possible."
"But they may become suspicious if I begin to pick them off one by one. I have to see how they interact in battle once more to get the information that I need."
"Very well, but remember, the sooner you do this, the sooner this planet will be ours."
~@~@~@~
Yaten eyed Seiya carefully. If was nice to have her back with them but under these circumstances she wasn't sure. "What did he say when you told him?" Yaten casually leaned against the doorframe.
Seiya was unpacking her suitcase into the closet of her old room. It was a warm feeling that passed through her head as she thought of being home again, but now an empty feeling was also present.
With no reaction or answer to her comment, Yaten spoke again. "I can't believe you just walked out on him. Do you really think some one who has no idea about any of our senshi business would understand what you're doing right now?" Yaten's tone was almost coming across as a lecture but she had put just enough sympathy into it as well to not sound too condescending. "I feel bad for that poor man. I can tell that he really loves you and what do you do to him."
"Shut up!" Seiya yelled as she stood up from her work. "YOU have no idea what's going on. You have no idea what is between Kenada and I! Just stay out of it!"
Just before Seiya turned back to what she was doing Yaten caught a glimpse of the pools swelling up in her eyes. She knew well enough not to press this situation any farther right now and found it best to just leave her be. She wasn't a fool, she could sense Seiya's mental frustration. "I believed you. I believed that she wasn't really Usagi. I didn't feel her star. and now you. do YOU still believe yourself?" She asked just before she left leaving Seiya alone with this thought.
"I don't know what to believe any more." Seiya whispered to herself in the dimly lit room, out of range of Yaten's ears.
Yaten walked away from Seiya's room and towards the door. Taiki and Kakyuu were sitting in the living room reading. Kakyuu's head picked up as she noticed the movement in the previously still room. "Where are you going?"
Yaten turned to face her as she picked her jacket off of the coat rack. "Out."
"You're going to see him aren't you?" Kakyuu questioned having now set down her reading.
"Is that wrong?" Yaten asked now putting her jacket on.
"Don't you think that if Seiya had wanted him to understand the situation she would have explained it herself?"
"Seiya doesn't know what she wants and I can't stand to think of that poor man suffering."
"Since when do you care about the insignificant people of this planet suffering? Isn't that how you described them? Insignificant?" Kakyuu's tone was smart but the look she gave Yaten was even more twisted.
Yaten didn't really know how to react to this comment but soon found the thoughts and then words to do so. "I started caring about those 'insignificant people' as soon as I became one of them on this planet. Besides, I don't think some one that has a star within them that bright should have it dulled by a fool like Seiya!"
Kakyuu sat back amazed at what she had just heard escape her Starlight's mouth but had no time to counter it before she was out the door. As her thoughts caught up to her she felt a smile spread across her lips. 'You're becoming stronger.'
~@~@~@~
Kenada sat, now a shell of the man that he used to be, on the floor of his dark hallway. Nothing really seemed to matter right now, and that included where he chose to rest. She was gone and he didn't know why. Was the trust they had between them really now just a mirage? What happened to the love that she had found? Why now had Seiya just decided to give up on her, and without an explanation? These questions which only brought about more questions, flowed in and out of his mind as he sat in the dark.
There was a sound at the door. Kenada made no motion to move and stayed firmly planted in his seat. Again the noise was present but this time it was followed by the creek of the door opening. "Hello? Kenada?" The voice echoed through the lifeless apartment.
Yaten? Why is she here now?
Yaten made her way into the apartment cautiously. If Kenada was here she didn't want him to think she was sneaking up on him. She called his name again but received no answer. "Stupid Seiya." She cursed.
"Hello Yaten." Kenada stood up and walked into the light of the living room. His tone was less than cheerful and every inch of his presence reflected the state that his mind was in.
Yaten smiled as he approached. "I don't really know why I'm here. I guess I was just worried about you. I mean, I know how Seiya can be some times and I just wanted to know if you needed to talk about anything." Her voice was soft and calming.
Since when does she care about how other people feel? "Thank you for your concern." Kenada said with a smile. "But I'm alright. You shouldn't worry about me."
Yaten smirked a bit at his comment, it was an obvious lie and she knew it. "Really?" A hint of sarcasm was carried in her voice. She wasn't about to go anywhere and leave him like this so she sat down on the couch and made herself comfortable before he could ask her to leave.
"Really." Kenada said firmly but seemed amused at Yaten's assumption. He knew what she was trying to do and he wasn't really in the mood to play this game right now. "I just want to be alone."
"Can I say something first?" Yaten stood as she caught on that she wasn't welcome and her plan to get around his defenses wasn't going to work. "I can see a very bright light in you. You truly shine and if Seiya can't see that then I don't think you really need her."
Kenada was taken aback by her words and muttered something almost incoherent under her breath but Yaten caught it. "Yes I do."
This man, a vision of perfection in anyone's eyes, this man who shone so bright, this man who seemed to have one of the purest hearts was about to break down. Yaten didn't want to see him crumble and walked to him and embraced him for support.
It felt good to feel the reassuring touch of a friend. This was something that Kenada hadn't felt in a long time. The only person he had to run to was Seiya and now she was gone. "I just don't understand." He said as his face was buried in her shoulder.
He did it, he opened up to her. Now she could help. "It's alright." Yaten pulled back a bit from their position to look at his face. "Do you know where Seiya and I went today?" She asked searching for an answer in his face. He shook his head 'no'. "We went to see Usagi. I'm sure she must have mentioned her before to you. right?"
Kenada knew that he couldn't tell Yaten his secret, especially not now and decided to play dumb. "Yes she's mentioned her briefly."
"Briefly? Ha! You're lucky, that's all I had to hear about from her before we moved back here!" She didn't know how he would take any of this as she didn't know him very well to begin with but she did feel a certain connection with him as though she had known him a long time ago. 'So familiar.' "Well, Usagi has been gone for a long time and when she came back she wanted to see Seiya. When I took Seiya to see her today Usagi professed her love to her and I think Seiya had a hard time saying no."
Kenada's frame stiffened. What was happening? Was he stuck in some twisted episode of the Twilight Zone? That was the last thought that he remembered thinking before all of his thoughts over whelmed him and his mind started to race and spin. "But. but."
"I'm sorry." Yaten said coming a bit closer to him. He looked as though he could pass out at any second. "I didn't want to be the one to tell you this but I knew Seiya wouldn't. I don't know anyone that could compete with the love that Seiya has for Usagi."
'Love for Usagi? But I am Usagi. aren't I? I've been Kenada so long. am I really still that innocent girl?'
Yaten moved in quickly as she saw Kenada start to collapse. She caught him in her arms before he hit the floor. There was sweat on his brow, Yaten pulled a cloth from her pocket to wipe it but before she could he began to glow. "What the." Yaten muttered. Soon Yaten found Usagi laying in her arms unconscious where Kenada had just been.
The room was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Neither Seiya nor Yaten were about to make the first move to initiate the conversation. They were impressed however at the hospitality Usagi was showing them. She was making tea and preparing a snack for them in the small kitchen off of the main room. When she returned, she did so with a smile.
"So how have you guys been?" She asked as she set the tray of goods down in front of the two women. "It's been so long and I've missed everyone so much."
Yaten smiled at her to show that the comment was accepted gratefully but Seiya did not and just returned a stone face to her. "Why did you leave then if you missed everyone so much?" Seiya asked as she crossed her arms. She already didn't trust this girl and she was not about to ingest anything that she offered her.
"Can we please just not talk about that now? It's been a long day and it's just something I'd really rather not get into right now." Usagi's face grew almost sad. She was a convincing act to anyone but Seiya. "Let's talk about you." Her mood suddenly picked up as she grabbed a cookie from the tray.
"What do you want to know?" Yaten asked. She had been silently observing Seiya's behavior towards Usagi. "Everything's about the same as when you left except we're not singing now and the obvious, we're girls." The words rolled off of her tongue like they were no big deal and would be part of any normal conversation. To her dismay though Usagi wasn't surprised at all by this comment.
"Yeah, I seemed to have noticed that. I think you look much better as a woman Yaten." She smiled and turned her attention to Seiya who was next to her. "But Seiya, I think I prefer you as a man." A blush crept up into her cheeks with this statement.
Seiya let out a low laugh as she contemplated ways to catch her in her game. "When I left I didn't think you preferred me in any way, shape or form?" Seiya said with a half smile.
Usagi faced Seiya and by turning her body to do so she had almost shut Yaten out of the conversation completely. "You know, I always did have feelings for you. it just. it just wouldn't have been right. I knew it was wrong to feel that way. I just felt trapped. Do you know what I mean? That's why I never told anyone." Usagi looked at Seiya to see her reaction but there was none. Seiya didn't say a word and so Usagi continued. "Everything is so different now. The whole time I was gone I could do nothing but think of you and how much I missed you."
Yaten shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn't feel right being here now while Usagi was confessing such a thing to her friend. She looked over at Seiya to see her reaction to this. The whole situation was strange to begin with but this just brought it to a new level.
Seiya's stone face had cracked and was now expressing a look of complete compassion. Did she actually feel bad for this girl? "Odango." She muttered. She tried hard to fight back the over whelming urges that she had to comfort this girl that resembled her Odango is so many ways, but at the same time she also fought back the urges to deny her presence. The conflicting battle raged on in her head until Usagi touched her.
"You know. We don't have to be alone." Usagi smiled as she put her hand on Seiya's. "Do you really love that man more than me?"
Kenada. Kenada. Kenada. Seiya's mind viciously repeated the name as if it was trying to remind her of the one person who she had found sanction in. Doubt hit her again as she cursed herself mentally but remained silent. What was she doing? She had her Odango. her Odango was Kenada. but wait. who is this right in front of her?. This could be her Odango. 'I have no proof of that.' She told herself as her face began to harden once again. "What did I say to you on the top of the school when you broke down crying about your Mamo-chan?" The question was asked with Seiya looking down at Usagi's hand on her own.
Yaten was surprised at the sudden inquiry but could see where she was going with this. If this girl that claimed to be Usagi didn't know what was said then this would be their solid proof.
Usagi smiled a sweet smile and lifted Seiya's chin up gently with her hand. "You said pretty much the same thing that I'm saying to you now. 'Am I not good enough?'" Her statement ended as almost a plea. The desperation in her voice almost mirrored that of what Seiya's had sounded like so long ago.
~@~@~@~
"I don't understand. What are you doing?" Kenada asked, his question seemingly falling upon deaf ears. "Seiya, please."
Seiya shoved some more articles of clothing into her suitcase then her eyes scanned the room to see if there was anything else of importance that she had forgotten. When she was satisfied that she had everything she finally addressed the broken man that stood before her. "I can't stay here any more. It's just not right."
Kenada moved to the side a bit as Seiya walked past him. "All of the sudden it's just not right? What happened? Where are you going?"
"Stop! Just stop!" Seiya turned around fully to face Kenada after she had opened the front door. "I'm going to stay with Kakyuu. Don't call me and don't come looking for me. I have some things to figure out. I'll come to you when I'm ready to talk if I ever am. until then I don't want to see you."
Kenada stood there with surprise in his eyes and was frozen in the moment. There was no sound, no movement and Seiya took this opportunity to pass through the door and close it behind her. '.if I ever am.'
~@~@~@~
"Have you made any progress?"
"Yes, I believe that Seiya, who I now know is Star Fighter, is beginning to trust me. I was almost caught however. I didn't expect to receive the third degree, luckily for me one of the dimwits that I've seen had recapped the entire event to which she was referring to."
"Yes, we are lucky. We can't not afford to take any more chances with this mission, we must speed this up and get to our goal."
"They are pathetic, it is their love and compassion that makes them so weak. We will relieve them of those and all emotions soon. I will start the attack tonight."
"Good, I don't care if you had other plans for any of these beings, just get rid of the ones you can as soon as possible."
"But they may become suspicious if I begin to pick them off one by one. I have to see how they interact in battle once more to get the information that I need."
"Very well, but remember, the sooner you do this, the sooner this planet will be ours."
~@~@~@~
Yaten eyed Seiya carefully. If was nice to have her back with them but under these circumstances she wasn't sure. "What did he say when you told him?" Yaten casually leaned against the doorframe.
Seiya was unpacking her suitcase into the closet of her old room. It was a warm feeling that passed through her head as she thought of being home again, but now an empty feeling was also present.
With no reaction or answer to her comment, Yaten spoke again. "I can't believe you just walked out on him. Do you really think some one who has no idea about any of our senshi business would understand what you're doing right now?" Yaten's tone was almost coming across as a lecture but she had put just enough sympathy into it as well to not sound too condescending. "I feel bad for that poor man. I can tell that he really loves you and what do you do to him."
"Shut up!" Seiya yelled as she stood up from her work. "YOU have no idea what's going on. You have no idea what is between Kenada and I! Just stay out of it!"
Just before Seiya turned back to what she was doing Yaten caught a glimpse of the pools swelling up in her eyes. She knew well enough not to press this situation any farther right now and found it best to just leave her be. She wasn't a fool, she could sense Seiya's mental frustration. "I believed you. I believed that she wasn't really Usagi. I didn't feel her star. and now you. do YOU still believe yourself?" She asked just before she left leaving Seiya alone with this thought.
"I don't know what to believe any more." Seiya whispered to herself in the dimly lit room, out of range of Yaten's ears.
Yaten walked away from Seiya's room and towards the door. Taiki and Kakyuu were sitting in the living room reading. Kakyuu's head picked up as she noticed the movement in the previously still room. "Where are you going?"
Yaten turned to face her as she picked her jacket off of the coat rack. "Out."
"You're going to see him aren't you?" Kakyuu questioned having now set down her reading.
"Is that wrong?" Yaten asked now putting her jacket on.
"Don't you think that if Seiya had wanted him to understand the situation she would have explained it herself?"
"Seiya doesn't know what she wants and I can't stand to think of that poor man suffering."
"Since when do you care about the insignificant people of this planet suffering? Isn't that how you described them? Insignificant?" Kakyuu's tone was smart but the look she gave Yaten was even more twisted.
Yaten didn't really know how to react to this comment but soon found the thoughts and then words to do so. "I started caring about those 'insignificant people' as soon as I became one of them on this planet. Besides, I don't think some one that has a star within them that bright should have it dulled by a fool like Seiya!"
Kakyuu sat back amazed at what she had just heard escape her Starlight's mouth but had no time to counter it before she was out the door. As her thoughts caught up to her she felt a smile spread across her lips. 'You're becoming stronger.'
~@~@~@~
Kenada sat, now a shell of the man that he used to be, on the floor of his dark hallway. Nothing really seemed to matter right now, and that included where he chose to rest. She was gone and he didn't know why. Was the trust they had between them really now just a mirage? What happened to the love that she had found? Why now had Seiya just decided to give up on her, and without an explanation? These questions which only brought about more questions, flowed in and out of his mind as he sat in the dark.
There was a sound at the door. Kenada made no motion to move and stayed firmly planted in his seat. Again the noise was present but this time it was followed by the creek of the door opening. "Hello? Kenada?" The voice echoed through the lifeless apartment.
Yaten? Why is she here now?
Yaten made her way into the apartment cautiously. If Kenada was here she didn't want him to think she was sneaking up on him. She called his name again but received no answer. "Stupid Seiya." She cursed.
"Hello Yaten." Kenada stood up and walked into the light of the living room. His tone was less than cheerful and every inch of his presence reflected the state that his mind was in.
Yaten smiled as he approached. "I don't really know why I'm here. I guess I was just worried about you. I mean, I know how Seiya can be some times and I just wanted to know if you needed to talk about anything." Her voice was soft and calming.
Since when does she care about how other people feel? "Thank you for your concern." Kenada said with a smile. "But I'm alright. You shouldn't worry about me."
Yaten smirked a bit at his comment, it was an obvious lie and she knew it. "Really?" A hint of sarcasm was carried in her voice. She wasn't about to go anywhere and leave him like this so she sat down on the couch and made herself comfortable before he could ask her to leave.
"Really." Kenada said firmly but seemed amused at Yaten's assumption. He knew what she was trying to do and he wasn't really in the mood to play this game right now. "I just want to be alone."
"Can I say something first?" Yaten stood as she caught on that she wasn't welcome and her plan to get around his defenses wasn't going to work. "I can see a very bright light in you. You truly shine and if Seiya can't see that then I don't think you really need her."
Kenada was taken aback by her words and muttered something almost incoherent under her breath but Yaten caught it. "Yes I do."
This man, a vision of perfection in anyone's eyes, this man who shone so bright, this man who seemed to have one of the purest hearts was about to break down. Yaten didn't want to see him crumble and walked to him and embraced him for support.
It felt good to feel the reassuring touch of a friend. This was something that Kenada hadn't felt in a long time. The only person he had to run to was Seiya and now she was gone. "I just don't understand." He said as his face was buried in her shoulder.
He did it, he opened up to her. Now she could help. "It's alright." Yaten pulled back a bit from their position to look at his face. "Do you know where Seiya and I went today?" She asked searching for an answer in his face. He shook his head 'no'. "We went to see Usagi. I'm sure she must have mentioned her before to you. right?"
Kenada knew that he couldn't tell Yaten his secret, especially not now and decided to play dumb. "Yes she's mentioned her briefly."
"Briefly? Ha! You're lucky, that's all I had to hear about from her before we moved back here!" She didn't know how he would take any of this as she didn't know him very well to begin with but she did feel a certain connection with him as though she had known him a long time ago. 'So familiar.' "Well, Usagi has been gone for a long time and when she came back she wanted to see Seiya. When I took Seiya to see her today Usagi professed her love to her and I think Seiya had a hard time saying no."
Kenada's frame stiffened. What was happening? Was he stuck in some twisted episode of the Twilight Zone? That was the last thought that he remembered thinking before all of his thoughts over whelmed him and his mind started to race and spin. "But. but."
"I'm sorry." Yaten said coming a bit closer to him. He looked as though he could pass out at any second. "I didn't want to be the one to tell you this but I knew Seiya wouldn't. I don't know anyone that could compete with the love that Seiya has for Usagi."
'Love for Usagi? But I am Usagi. aren't I? I've been Kenada so long. am I really still that innocent girl?'
Yaten moved in quickly as she saw Kenada start to collapse. She caught him in her arms before he hit the floor. There was sweat on his brow, Yaten pulled a cloth from her pocket to wipe it but before she could he began to glow. "What the." Yaten muttered. Soon Yaten found Usagi laying in her arms unconscious where Kenada had just been.
