The Jewel of Death

By Dixxy

Chapter Thirty-One: A Very Strange Reunion

(Cara)

Ever since I lost Rinji, I thought that joining Trulpa in the evil Dynasty would fill the void that had suddenly been ripped into my heart. I was broken, weak, and scared. I didn't know what to do with myself, and Trulpa had offered me a very tempting deal.

For the next several hundred years I made sort-of friends with the other Warladies. I also made a great friend in Cale, before he was brainwashed and Talpa and Trulpa broke off their alliance. On occasion we'd have tea together or go horseback riding. Cale and Trulpa were the only people I let know about my blindness.

When he became brainwashed, shortly after the three Ronins were captured, he changed. At first I was excited he was on our side again, until he forced me to let him have his way with me. At first I wasn't sure what he meant, but the force he used on me made it evident I had to hand over my virginity or else. It hurt. Not just the pain from the sex, but it hurt to know my friend had drastically changed from a person I could talk to into a brutal monster.

I began to resent both Sage and Sam for the reasons they suggested: they had control over something that had been taken away from me. Light. Seeing things. I was completely in the dark, and I was frightened. They were right: the darkness means nothing without the light to compliment it.

When I finally realized Trulpa wanted nothing more than destruction, she further damaged my eyes, much to my pain and dismay. I don't remember much more than the pain, blood, and the feeling of the goggles leaving my eyes for the first time in over a century. Sage and Sam tried to talk me down, and soon, I opened my eyes. What I saw was a green and yellow blob that later turned out to be Sage and Sam.

What I see in America is very different from what I remembered in Japan. First, there are many, many more kinds of people here. I have never seen anyone like Keisha, with dark skin and coarse, almost sheep like hair. Rona and her "mocha" skin and big eyes, or Sara with his tanned skin and small complexion. Sage and Sam's blonde hair was also foreign to me at the time.

There's also a wondrous movement in the technology in use. Televisions, radios, CDs, computers, and toasters. I like toasters. They made bread crunchy and dark, although Sage said that it was odd of me to eat black "toast", as they called it. He showed me some "lightly browned" toast, which I agree is much better.

It was nice to see what Anubis actually looks like as well. I'd known him about as long as I've known Cale, and I thought him to be very handsome. As were Sage and Kento. It made me curious what other people looked like, such as the other Warlords, Trulpa, Cye, and even what my own armor looked like. I put it on and looked into an mirror. It was weird, in a way.

I've also been given glasses, which the Senshi tells me will improve my vision. Even with Sage and Sam's healing abilities, there was only so much that they could do to save my vision. I did not mind the glasses, at least I could see something!

But the thing I really liked was being reunited with Rinji. He'd been reborn into the body and soul of Mike. His personality and appearance have stayed relatively the same, but the old feelings have died with his rebirth over time. He says he remembers a few things, but nothing has sparked any emotion yet. But we will try to pursue a relationship. I vowed to him once I'd wait a lifetime for him, and here I've waited nearly four lifetimes, possibly five.

No matter what, I will never, ever stop loving him. . .

(Mike)

Words cannot describe what it's like to go your whole like thinking you know who you are and suddenly learning you aren't quite that person. Yeah, that sounded weird, I know, but then again, my life has been nothing BUT weird ever since five young ladies entered my life and turned it upside-down.

Well, I will admit that it was probably a good thing for Sue Lee to have some positive, female influences in her life. There's only so much I can do as a man to teach her about being a woman. The Senshi have a better idea on where to go with such things, especially Rona, who also grew up without her mother.

The loss of Sue Lee's mother, Miriam, was hard on me. We'd been great friends in high school and college. When I learned that her boyfriend had gotten her pregnant, I'd stayed by her side, even when her own family turned her back on her. I was there for every Lamaze lesson, every doctor's appointment, and I was even there when Sue Lee was born. Miriam even wanted me to sign Sue Lee's birth certificate as her father. But no- I couldn't do that. I'm not her father and I never will be.

The car accident that took her mother's life was hard on us both. Sue Lee was very young at the time and didn't understand why her mother had left, why she wouldn't be coming back, and why she couldn't go with her. She was only three years old at the time, and for a while I balanced my last year of college while taking care of the young girl. My graduation day was a happy occasion for us both, because it meant I could get a REAL job and do something good for us.

When my Aunt Agatha saw an add for some fancy old folk's home and wanted to haul walker, rocker and all to the unit, she gave me and Sue Lee her old mansion. I was estatic over the prospect, despite all that would have to be done to fix the place up. And I will say- it's come a long way since we first moved in. I guess the girls and Anubis helped out a lot there.

After the Kaze incident, Anubis confided in me what his big secret was. He is, in a way, my best friend, and he knew I would take it in an understanding way. I flipped out at first, but I settled down and let him explain everything. When I asked if the Senshi knew, he told me he was planning on telling them the day after.

But of course that was followed by Rona and Sam running away and all that other really fun stuff. But we know about that.

It's Cara that I REALLY want to talk about.

I mean, when I'm in junior high, I had all these dreams about this purple haired woman in a kimono making all these love-gestures to me, yet I had no idea what they meant. Suddenly I learn that they're a memory of the last moments of my previous life, the woman is/was my fiancé, and immediately after my death she'd joined an evil organization. Yup, really normal day on my part.

Yet even though we had only "met" a few minutes earlier, we were talking like old friends, though, I suppose we ARE old friends. I don't remember much of my previous life, but Cara has been able to make me remember little bits and piece of it. It's so strange having all these extra memories in addition to the ones I already have.

I don't know how things are going to work out now. I know that Cara wants to pursue a relationship, but sometimes, I just don't know. Yes, I'm used to weird things, but this. . . this is almost TOO weird. Maybe as I get to know her better I can pass a better judgment on the whole situation.

Besides, it's kinda cool knowing a girl waited over four hundred years for me. . .