Chapter 18
Mysteries...
~*~
Crying awakened him.
Adonis opened his eye. he thought as he sat up. He could
gather that he was somewhere near the outskirts of Crystal Tokyo, but no more
than that. He could still hear whoever it was crying. He walked towards the
sound, slowly, since the ground was mostly dirt and sloped downwards.
Something tugged at his mind as he continued. Something about all this seemed
familar...
He saw a huddled form a few yards away. It was a young boy, he had his
knees drawn up to him, his arms hugging them to his chest as he cried. As
Adonis came closer, he could see that the right side of the boy's face had a
long, slightly bleeding gash that ran over his eye. Adonis stopped. He knew
this boy.
It was himself.
Adonis concluded.
A dream, yes. But even more, a memory. This was his earliest memory,
the very first thing he had ever known. He turned and looked out away from
the city. It was a barren wasteland as far as he could see. Just sand and
mountains.
He stopped. "Mountains?" he said outloud. "I don't recall any
mountains?"
"W-what am I d-doing here?" the boy sobbed, drawing his attention
again. "Where am I?" He buried his face in his arms. "*WHO* am I?!"
Adonis found himself walking over to the boy. He reached down and
touched the boy's head. He was surprised to see his hand go straight through
his head. He pulled it back and stared at his hand. "It's a dream. Act like
it," he told himself.
He suddenly became aware of the silence. He looked down and saw the boy
wiping his tears away. The boy stood and looked back towards the city, a
detremined look on his face. "In there," the boy stated, "in there, I can
find out...who I am and where my parents are."
Adonis followed the boy's gaze and saw it did not sit on Crystal Tokyo,
but the Crystal Palace...
~*~
----------
"Thrust...flip...lunge...jump...punch...roudhouse...jab...kick...backflip...a
high kick...uppercut..." Rei said as she watched Sailor Draco going through
move after move in the training room. Ruri had morphed into her Senshi fuku
some time ago and was till practicing. Rei was slightly impressed with her
skills.
Rei mused while keeping her
eyes on her. Ruri looked amazing in her fuku, which was made of the same
style as the others. Her bows were bright green, her skirts and collar light
blue, her shoes were almost the same as Jupiter's except that they were up to
the middle of her shin and a tealish-blue. Her hair was now the same pastel
blue as her eyes. In her hands was a long, thin bladed sword which glowed a
teal color.
Rei looked up at the ceiling for a moment, a puzzled look on her face.
she pondered.
"Draco!"
Rei jerked at the sound of the new voice. Draco stopped and looked
towards the door. There stood Kyoko. She raised her arm, her hand held a
glowing white and gold crystal. "Try me!" Kyoko yelled, her crystal
brightening.
"All right!" Draco said, flipping her sword to the other hand and
grasping it with both as she jumped into the air.
"Cassiopia Crystal! Activate! Make-UP!!" Kyoko shouted. The light
surround her and soon disappeared, reveiling Sailor Cassiopia, ready for
Sailro Draco. Kyoko's fuku was gold on her skirts and collar, her bows a
silver tinted white, her hair and eyes were the same though, and she had
white boots like Eternal Moon's trimmed with gold.
Cassiopia leap up, turning her body in the air to deliver a kick to
Draco. Draco saw it coming and blocked it with her sword. Cassiopia countered
by trapping the blade with both her feet and twisting it out of her hands.
Draco reared back, bringing her legs up and striking Cassiopia in her side.
She moved with it, and grabbed the foot pushing her, throwing her downwards.
Draco flipped and landed on her feet. Her sword, which had fell to the
ground, shook slightly before flying to her waiting hand. Cassiopia landed a
few feet away, ready for the next move.
Rei's mouth hung opened in shock at what she had just saw. she yelled in her mind, too stunned to say it
outloud. She had timed it on reflex, surprised also at the fact that she
could follow their movements when they moved at such a high speed.
Cassiopia smiled slightly at Rei's thoughts. She did't even need to
activate her telepathy to 'hear' them. They were thought with such a force
that anyone could see them on her face. Her senses twiched just as Draco's
leg was centimeter away from her head. She ducked and swung up with her leg.
She connected with Draco's back and pushed her upwards. Draco spun to face
her.
----------
Serenity stopped, clutching the left side of her chest in pain while clumsily
trying to grab for the wall beside her and failing, falling to her knees and
leaning heavily against it. Her larbored breathing echoed slightly in the
empty hallway.
"N-no..." she gasped between breaths, her blue eyes wide with fear and
dread. "No...no...stop...stop it....oh, please...just stop!" She queezed her
eyes shut and gritted her teeth tightly together.
Her mind refused to heed her words as the images replayed. The scene
that plauged her since this whole thing started appeared again.
Terry....her son...her only son....he was surrounded by huge,
horrifying creatures... She watched as she had for more times that she cared
to remember as the creatures dove upon him, attacking him while she could do
nothing but watch and yell for someone to help him. They tore into his flesh,
ripping it with their claws....red....everything was so red....she could hear
him scream for her in terror....red....it kept growing deeper and deeper in
color... A sickening silence lapsed into existance.
her mind screamed in vain.
"Terry!!" she cried outloud, tears escaping her closed eyes. "Terry!
I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
The creatures in the image vanished, but the image of the blood soaked
body of her son did not.
----------
The boy shook his head, frowning. he thought, trying to shake
off the voice that was calling for him.
he thought, rolling his eye in annoyance.
His scar flared with a burst of pain. He stood still, waiting for it to
pass. When it did, he let out the breath he had been holding. His scar had
all ways throbbed every now and then, when the voice spoke. Yet lately, as
the voice appeared more often and louder, the pain increased and stayed
longer that usual.
He leaned back against the wall of the dungeon halls, staring at the
cell door in front of him that had held Kyoko before she escaped. Her last
words rang through his mind. 'Join with Adonis....become yourself again...'
Her words still confused him. Who was Adonis? What did she mean by 'join
with' him?
His eye narrowed as he straightened and strode swiftly into the cell.
The chains that held her were still there, hanging loosely. The wall where
she had been was still stained with her blood. He walked over to the wall.
Raising a hand, he touched the stain and closed his eye, concentrating.
He braced himself as images and thoughts filled his mind. He saw that
boy he had met back at the Palace.... His face...it was just like his own,
but what did that mean? A name came to mind. 'Adonis'. So that was him. The
image showed Adonis looking into his hand at a blue crystal. the boy thought.
....
A young woman with blonde hair down to her shoulders appeared, a silver
and gold glaive in her hand, a blank look in her hazel eyes as well as on her
face. He recognized that look. He held it on his face almost all the time he
was alone; it was the look of one haunted by the past...
....
A woman with long golden hair in odango came next. She looked sad, as
if she was regretting something she had done. Something within the boy was
moved by that look. His expression softened on its own.
....
Then he saw a girl with long *pink* hair in odango...the princess. ....
She was smiling at him, laughing happily, calling something out to him....a
name....'Terry'? Who was that?
He jerked back, staring at his hand in confusion at all he had seen.
Those people...he felt a connection with them in some way. But what? And why?
They were his enemies, so why should he feel anything for them except hatred?
Then again...why were they his enemies?
----------
Zukamori walked aimlessly through the corridors of the underground chamber,
her thoughts not really focusing on anything in perticular. She sighed. In
just a few more days, the Evil One would appear. What would she do when the
Evil One showed up? How would she fight?
Would she be able to stop from falling apart?
She doubted that. Greatly.
Zukamori stopped suddenly, her senses picking something up from around
the corner. She summoned her glaive and slowly moved to the edge of the wall.
She glanced around, tensing in case of an attack. She let out her breath when
she saw it was Adonis. She put her glaive back and walked out.
Adonis glanced up at her, his eye lighting up at her presense. He was
surprised by her expression in her eyes. She was smiling slightly, but the
smile did not reach her hazel orbes.
"Everything okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes," she lied. She stopped, unable to lie directly to his face, then
mumbled, "No..."
"What's wrong?" he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She stared at the ground, still not able to look at him. "I...I don't
know what I'll do when....the Evil One....shows up," Zukamori said, speaking
the name with great difficulty, as if she was thinking of some other name.
"Why should that bother you?" Adonis asked, curious and puzzled at why
she would just now be feeling doubts when she had known since the beginning
that she would have to face the Evil One in battle.
"I can't tell you," she said quietly, trying to keep her voice under
control as emotions swelled up inside her, making it hard to speak. Her eyes
brimmed with unshed tears.
"Are you sure?" Adonis pressed.
She nodded. "I can't tell you...but..." she trailed off, not sure
whether she she say it.
"But..." Adonis promted.
Zukamori took an unsteady breath and closed her eyes. "I can...show
you."
"Show me?" Adonis repeated, even more puzzled.
She nodded. Taking his hand in hers, she raised it up and held it up in
front of him. With her other hand, she touched the area over her heart.
Adonis knew what she ment by her motions. His eye widened with shock.
"Zukamori! I can't!" he protested, taking his hand away from hers. "You
know that I can't do that! I just ca--"
"You can't or you won't?"
Her question caught him off guard. He stared at her in disbelief at
what she was asking him to do.
"Adonis," she said softly, taking his hand once again in hers, "you
already know more about me than any of the others, even Guardian and Kyoko
don't know. They don't know about this. If they found out, then they would
change everything and then we would all be killed."
"But I--" he began to argue. She silenced him by placing her free hand
over his own heart.
"Can't or won't?" she said again, the tears falling down her cheeks as
she tried to blink them away.
"Zukamori...." he said quietly, knowing that he would regret what he
was about to do. The sure look in Zukamori's face told him that she wanted
him to know what was wrong, but couldn't tell him. She had trusted him with
her 'killing' of the Moon Kingdom, she had gotten better since talking to him
about it. If she didn't get this out, then she might go insane once more. Or
maybe she'll go insane anyway if he did find out. Should he tell her what
would happen if he did do what she asked? Or should he let her find out on
her own?
Adonis opened his mouth to tell her.
"I am prepared for what will happen," she said, her eyes set with a
detremined gaze.
He sighed. "All right..."
Zukamori straightened and closed her eyes, waiting for him to move.
Adonis hesitated with reacing out his hand. Zukamori's hand squeezed
his reassuringly. He took a deep breath, and let her hand guide his to the
area over her heart. "Forgive me...Zukamori...." he pleaded, closing his eye
as a white light flooded from his hand and into her heart, not harming her
though. He braced himself for what he was about to witness, knowing full well
that whatever it was, Zukamori would have to relive it--every minor detail of
it.
It lasted only a few seconds, but for both...it felt like eternity.
When it was over, the light exploded before disappearing into thin air.
Adonis reached out and grabbed Zukamori, crushing her against him as
they both fell to their knees. They both were shaking, crying, and clinging
to one another.
"I'm sorry," Adonis whispered, holding her closer to him. "I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry, Zukamori." He had expected something bad.
But nothing like what he had seen.
----------
"A voice sings out in the forest night,
Leads my way like a candle light.
If I can hear it, so can you.
A cry that echoes through the years,
Clears my mind of its deepest fears.
If I can hear it, why can't you?
The owl calls out to me,
And shows me where to go.
San Marita. To San Marita.
Crys call out in the forest night,
Hush little one, it'll be all right.
My white owl is calling you."
"Nice song, isn't it?" Sailor Draco remarked.
"Yeah," Sailor Cassiopia agreed, slightly breathless from having sung
the song right after their fight.
"So," Draco said, sitting up. "What now? Now that we know about what
you found, do we change anything?"
"No," Cassiopia said, sitting up as well. "We know what they don't
think we do, so let's leave it at that."
"But what about--" Draco started.
"Don't worry," Cassiopia reassured her. "There are things about the
Crystal Senshi they have yet to discover. Let's just sit back and watch."
"If you say so," Draco sighed, rubbing her bruised should joint.
Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss about what
Kyoko had found...
----------
NEXT: Kyoko's information is shrugged off for the moment, but will they need
it again? What was it Adonis saw in Zukamori? Why were they shaken up over
it? What does it have to do with the Battle? Why does Serenity had nightmares
about Terry being killed? What was it the boy feels towards the others? Why
does Adonis's memory come in a dream?
__________
Mysteries...
~*~
Crying awakened him.
Adonis opened his eye. he thought as he sat up. He could
gather that he was somewhere near the outskirts of Crystal Tokyo, but no more
than that. He could still hear whoever it was crying. He walked towards the
sound, slowly, since the ground was mostly dirt and sloped downwards.
Something tugged at his mind as he continued. Something about all this seemed
familar...
He saw a huddled form a few yards away. It was a young boy, he had his
knees drawn up to him, his arms hugging them to his chest as he cried. As
Adonis came closer, he could see that the right side of the boy's face had a
long, slightly bleeding gash that ran over his eye. Adonis stopped. He knew
this boy.
It was himself.
Adonis concluded.
A dream, yes. But even more, a memory. This was his earliest memory,
the very first thing he had ever known. He turned and looked out away from
the city. It was a barren wasteland as far as he could see. Just sand and
mountains.
He stopped. "Mountains?" he said outloud. "I don't recall any
mountains?"
"W-what am I d-doing here?" the boy sobbed, drawing his attention
again. "Where am I?" He buried his face in his arms. "*WHO* am I?!"
Adonis found himself walking over to the boy. He reached down and
touched the boy's head. He was surprised to see his hand go straight through
his head. He pulled it back and stared at his hand. "It's a dream. Act like
it," he told himself.
He suddenly became aware of the silence. He looked down and saw the boy
wiping his tears away. The boy stood and looked back towards the city, a
detremined look on his face. "In there," the boy stated, "in there, I can
find out...who I am and where my parents are."
Adonis followed the boy's gaze and saw it did not sit on Crystal Tokyo,
but the Crystal Palace...
~*~
----------
"Thrust...flip...lunge...jump...punch...roudhouse...jab...kick...backflip...a
high kick...uppercut..." Rei said as she watched Sailor Draco going through
move after move in the training room. Ruri had morphed into her Senshi fuku
some time ago and was till practicing. Rei was slightly impressed with her
skills.
Rei mused while keeping her
eyes on her. Ruri looked amazing in her fuku, which was made of the same
style as the others. Her bows were bright green, her skirts and collar light
blue, her shoes were almost the same as Jupiter's except that they were up to
the middle of her shin and a tealish-blue. Her hair was now the same pastel
blue as her eyes. In her hands was a long, thin bladed sword which glowed a
teal color.
Rei looked up at the ceiling for a moment, a puzzled look on her face.
she pondered.
"Draco!"
Rei jerked at the sound of the new voice. Draco stopped and looked
towards the door. There stood Kyoko. She raised her arm, her hand held a
glowing white and gold crystal. "Try me!" Kyoko yelled, her crystal
brightening.
"All right!" Draco said, flipping her sword to the other hand and
grasping it with both as she jumped into the air.
"Cassiopia Crystal! Activate! Make-UP!!" Kyoko shouted. The light
surround her and soon disappeared, reveiling Sailor Cassiopia, ready for
Sailro Draco. Kyoko's fuku was gold on her skirts and collar, her bows a
silver tinted white, her hair and eyes were the same though, and she had
white boots like Eternal Moon's trimmed with gold.
Cassiopia leap up, turning her body in the air to deliver a kick to
Draco. Draco saw it coming and blocked it with her sword. Cassiopia countered
by trapping the blade with both her feet and twisting it out of her hands.
Draco reared back, bringing her legs up and striking Cassiopia in her side.
She moved with it, and grabbed the foot pushing her, throwing her downwards.
Draco flipped and landed on her feet. Her sword, which had fell to the
ground, shook slightly before flying to her waiting hand. Cassiopia landed a
few feet away, ready for the next move.
Rei's mouth hung opened in shock at what she had just saw. she yelled in her mind, too stunned to say it
outloud. She had timed it on reflex, surprised also at the fact that she
could follow their movements when they moved at such a high speed.
Cassiopia smiled slightly at Rei's thoughts. She did't even need to
activate her telepathy to 'hear' them. They were thought with such a force
that anyone could see them on her face. Her senses twiched just as Draco's
leg was centimeter away from her head. She ducked and swung up with her leg.
She connected with Draco's back and pushed her upwards. Draco spun to face
her.
----------
Serenity stopped, clutching the left side of her chest in pain while clumsily
trying to grab for the wall beside her and failing, falling to her knees and
leaning heavily against it. Her larbored breathing echoed slightly in the
empty hallway.
"N-no..." she gasped between breaths, her blue eyes wide with fear and
dread. "No...no...stop...stop it....oh, please...just stop!" She queezed her
eyes shut and gritted her teeth tightly together.
Her mind refused to heed her words as the images replayed. The scene
that plauged her since this whole thing started appeared again.
Terry....her son...her only son....he was surrounded by huge,
horrifying creatures... She watched as she had for more times that she cared
to remember as the creatures dove upon him, attacking him while she could do
nothing but watch and yell for someone to help him. They tore into his flesh,
ripping it with their claws....red....everything was so red....she could hear
him scream for her in terror....red....it kept growing deeper and deeper in
color... A sickening silence lapsed into existance.
her mind screamed in vain.
"Terry!!" she cried outloud, tears escaping her closed eyes. "Terry!
I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
The creatures in the image vanished, but the image of the blood soaked
body of her son did not.
----------
The boy shook his head, frowning. he thought, trying to shake
off the voice that was calling for him.
he thought, rolling his eye in annoyance.
His scar flared with a burst of pain. He stood still, waiting for it to
pass. When it did, he let out the breath he had been holding. His scar had
all ways throbbed every now and then, when the voice spoke. Yet lately, as
the voice appeared more often and louder, the pain increased and stayed
longer that usual.
He leaned back against the wall of the dungeon halls, staring at the
cell door in front of him that had held Kyoko before she escaped. Her last
words rang through his mind. 'Join with Adonis....become yourself again...'
Her words still confused him. Who was Adonis? What did she mean by 'join
with' him?
His eye narrowed as he straightened and strode swiftly into the cell.
The chains that held her were still there, hanging loosely. The wall where
she had been was still stained with her blood. He walked over to the wall.
Raising a hand, he touched the stain and closed his eye, concentrating.
He braced himself as images and thoughts filled his mind. He saw that
boy he had met back at the Palace.... His face...it was just like his own,
but what did that mean? A name came to mind. 'Adonis'. So that was him. The
image showed Adonis looking into his hand at a blue crystal. the boy thought.
....
A young woman with blonde hair down to her shoulders appeared, a silver
and gold glaive in her hand, a blank look in her hazel eyes as well as on her
face. He recognized that look. He held it on his face almost all the time he
was alone; it was the look of one haunted by the past...
....
A woman with long golden hair in odango came next. She looked sad, as
if she was regretting something she had done. Something within the boy was
moved by that look. His expression softened on its own.
....
Then he saw a girl with long *pink* hair in odango...the princess. ....
She was smiling at him, laughing happily, calling something out to him....a
name....'Terry'? Who was that?
He jerked back, staring at his hand in confusion at all he had seen.
Those people...he felt a connection with them in some way. But what? And why?
They were his enemies, so why should he feel anything for them except hatred?
Then again...why were they his enemies?
----------
Zukamori walked aimlessly through the corridors of the underground chamber,
her thoughts not really focusing on anything in perticular. She sighed. In
just a few more days, the Evil One would appear. What would she do when the
Evil One showed up? How would she fight?
Would she be able to stop from falling apart?
She doubted that. Greatly.
Zukamori stopped suddenly, her senses picking something up from around
the corner. She summoned her glaive and slowly moved to the edge of the wall.
She glanced around, tensing in case of an attack. She let out her breath when
she saw it was Adonis. She put her glaive back and walked out.
Adonis glanced up at her, his eye lighting up at her presense. He was
surprised by her expression in her eyes. She was smiling slightly, but the
smile did not reach her hazel orbes.
"Everything okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes," she lied. She stopped, unable to lie directly to his face, then
mumbled, "No..."
"What's wrong?" he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She stared at the ground, still not able to look at him. "I...I don't
know what I'll do when....the Evil One....shows up," Zukamori said, speaking
the name with great difficulty, as if she was thinking of some other name.
"Why should that bother you?" Adonis asked, curious and puzzled at why
she would just now be feeling doubts when she had known since the beginning
that she would have to face the Evil One in battle.
"I can't tell you," she said quietly, trying to keep her voice under
control as emotions swelled up inside her, making it hard to speak. Her eyes
brimmed with unshed tears.
"Are you sure?" Adonis pressed.
She nodded. "I can't tell you...but..." she trailed off, not sure
whether she she say it.
"But..." Adonis promted.
Zukamori took an unsteady breath and closed her eyes. "I can...show
you."
"Show me?" Adonis repeated, even more puzzled.
She nodded. Taking his hand in hers, she raised it up and held it up in
front of him. With her other hand, she touched the area over her heart.
Adonis knew what she ment by her motions. His eye widened with shock.
"Zukamori! I can't!" he protested, taking his hand away from hers. "You
know that I can't do that! I just ca--"
"You can't or you won't?"
Her question caught him off guard. He stared at her in disbelief at
what she was asking him to do.
"Adonis," she said softly, taking his hand once again in hers, "you
already know more about me than any of the others, even Guardian and Kyoko
don't know. They don't know about this. If they found out, then they would
change everything and then we would all be killed."
"But I--" he began to argue. She silenced him by placing her free hand
over his own heart.
"Can't or won't?" she said again, the tears falling down her cheeks as
she tried to blink them away.
"Zukamori...." he said quietly, knowing that he would regret what he
was about to do. The sure look in Zukamori's face told him that she wanted
him to know what was wrong, but couldn't tell him. She had trusted him with
her 'killing' of the Moon Kingdom, she had gotten better since talking to him
about it. If she didn't get this out, then she might go insane once more. Or
maybe she'll go insane anyway if he did find out. Should he tell her what
would happen if he did do what she asked? Or should he let her find out on
her own?
Adonis opened his mouth to tell her.
"I am prepared for what will happen," she said, her eyes set with a
detremined gaze.
He sighed. "All right..."
Zukamori straightened and closed her eyes, waiting for him to move.
Adonis hesitated with reacing out his hand. Zukamori's hand squeezed
his reassuringly. He took a deep breath, and let her hand guide his to the
area over her heart. "Forgive me...Zukamori...." he pleaded, closing his eye
as a white light flooded from his hand and into her heart, not harming her
though. He braced himself for what he was about to witness, knowing full well
that whatever it was, Zukamori would have to relive it--every minor detail of
it.
It lasted only a few seconds, but for both...it felt like eternity.
When it was over, the light exploded before disappearing into thin air.
Adonis reached out and grabbed Zukamori, crushing her against him as
they both fell to their knees. They both were shaking, crying, and clinging
to one another.
"I'm sorry," Adonis whispered, holding her closer to him. "I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry, Zukamori." He had expected something bad.
But nothing like what he had seen.
----------
"A voice sings out in the forest night,
Leads my way like a candle light.
If I can hear it, so can you.
A cry that echoes through the years,
Clears my mind of its deepest fears.
If I can hear it, why can't you?
The owl calls out to me,
And shows me where to go.
San Marita. To San Marita.
Crys call out in the forest night,
Hush little one, it'll be all right.
My white owl is calling you."
"Nice song, isn't it?" Sailor Draco remarked.
"Yeah," Sailor Cassiopia agreed, slightly breathless from having sung
the song right after their fight.
"So," Draco said, sitting up. "What now? Now that we know about what
you found, do we change anything?"
"No," Cassiopia said, sitting up as well. "We know what they don't
think we do, so let's leave it at that."
"But what about--" Draco started.
"Don't worry," Cassiopia reassured her. "There are things about the
Crystal Senshi they have yet to discover. Let's just sit back and watch."
"If you say so," Draco sighed, rubbing her bruised should joint.
Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss about what
Kyoko had found...
----------
NEXT: Kyoko's information is shrugged off for the moment, but will they need
it again? What was it Adonis saw in Zukamori? Why were they shaken up over
it? What does it have to do with the Battle? Why does Serenity had nightmares
about Terry being killed? What was it the boy feels towards the others? Why
does Adonis's memory come in a dream?
__________