Thirteen
Mamoru left the girls quite quickly after the truth about the Oppositi had been revealed. He felt a connection to all the girls, undoubtedly owing to his former life, but still felt that when it came to it, he acted better on his own.
He was the least effected, and thus felt he was the least at risk. But after hearing the other girls' experiences, Mamoru wondered why he hadn't actually seen his Oppositi?
He had a feeling that willing it, wanting to meet with it, would prompt a meeting to take place.
And he was right.
He was baiting his Oppositi, he knew it. He'd left his windows open, his lights off, and his curtains drawn. In his apartment, drafting his assignment for a practical due that week at University, he became nervous. What if he couldn't reason with, or overcome this enemy? What powers would this enemy have, since his element was really a combination of all elements – the Earth?
Scrutinising, playful laughter filled his ears, and Mamoru turned to his window quickly.
On its length sat a beautiful young woman, her skin tanned olive and her hair as black as deepest night.
Mamoru gulped. He hadn't thought that his Oppositi would look so non-threatening, yet so dangerous in one.
'Been waiting long?' the girl flicked her hair over her shoulders and stretched her bare arms out in a tired motion. She was scantily clad in a ratty, earthy-coloured dress of some kind.
Mamoru didn't reply.
'What's the matter?' the girl laughed, folding her legs around smoothly and adjusting herself on the edge of the window sill. Her jade-green eyes flickered a moment, staring into his own. Then a cheeky smile grew.
'You don't remember a thing, do you?'
Mamoru still didn't reply. He was confused, granted, but he was unwilling to speak for fear of putting himself off guard. He needed to have his senses about him.
The girl sighed. 'You never were any fun. No wonder I rebelled.'
Mamoru prepared to change into Tuxedo Kamen. This girl was psyching him out, big time.
'Who are you?' he asked.
She rolled her eyes. 'Gaea, you twit.'
'I know you,' he narrowed his eyes somewhat.
'Of course you do,' she slinked off the window sill and shimmered over to Mamoru, her bare feet padding softly on the tiles.
He regarded her warily, frustrated that he couldn't remember who it had been in his former life that had wielded such intense eyes, such a memorable face, such a prominent name.
'Endymion,' Gaea shook her head, tutting. 'Blind to everything but his princess. Even to his people,' she reached her hands out to Mamoru, and he grabbed her wrists to stop her.
Her eyes narrowed. 'You selfish prick.'
'Just tell me who you are, and what you want,' Mamoru said quietly, but steadily.
Gaea untwisted her wrists delicately and took Mamoru's marked hand. She stared at the semi-circle blister and ran her hand over it.
'You would think that the bond of blood would have you remember,' she sighed wistfully, almost sarcastically.
Mamoru's heart stopped a moment, and he remembered as she said the words, confirming.
'I'm your sister,' she looked up to him. 'Gaea. And I should have been the Princess of the Earth.'
'Gaea,' Mamoru remembered. 'You…'
'I was ignored, brother,' she backed away, an ice in her voice that hadn't previously been there. 'I was one of my many benefits to live close enough to the Political Systems to see the Kingdoms for what they were. And I was in a position to do something about it.'
Mamoru remembered what Luna and Artemis had told them at Rei's that morning. The Oppositi had destroyed the old Kingdoms.
'You wish to destroy your own brother?' he pressed, emotions colliding within him as his past life and eternal star forced weights on his present form.
She tilted her head knowingly. 'I am not all-encompassing evil, Endo. I am a protector, just as you think you are. I fight for the freedom of these people and to right the injustices performed on the old empire. If we allow you to continue along your current path, the world, the universe will fall back into the archaic system of old, where blood and order of birth are what matter, and not brains, talent, morals-'
'Ok, ok,' Mamoru held up his hands. What a little activist he had for a sister! She thought what she was doing was helping the Earth people?
'Do you have any idea what myself and the Sailor Senshi do?' he asked quietly.
The Princess of the Earth paused, and her lips thinned.
'We fight the evils of the Negaverse. We keep these people safe, just as we did before,' he explained.
'You keep these people blind. It's a façade, Endo, to hide the plans of an idealistic united Kingdom once more. It can never happen. You were born first, and thus born to privileges that I could never have dreamt of. But privileges breed blindness in other areas.'
'I do not recall the people of the Earth, or the Moon for that matter, being so disgruntled with the state of their lives, Gaea,' Mamoru fought to remember who he was talking to, and who he was supposed to be. Perhaps he wouldn't have to fight her – she seemed like a very educated girl. But where had she borne her delusions?
'You were never a part of their lives to find out yourself,' Gaea fired. 'You can't even remember me, how can you remember what your people felt?'
'Think what you will,' Mamoru shook his head. 'What we do, we do for the good of the people. I am not an all-encompassing evil either, sister. Tell me what it is you really want.'
Gaea closed her eyes and shook her head. 'I want what I could never have. My birthright. It's me who should have been up there, at all the events, making the decisions, taking galactic journeys. I have twice the brains and ten times the charm-'
Mamoru turned scarlet-
'- but that isn't the point. Personal revenge will be a perk.'
'We are going to exterminate the threat of the Old Kingdom ever rising again to Power.'
'Good luck,' Mamoru held up his hands in a wanton effort to lighten the air.
Gaea glared. 'Even now you make fun of me. You forget, brother, I know your capabilities. I have watched you, in your fighting days. You have no idea of my strengths.'
'So kill me,' Mamoru challenged.
Gaea closed her eyes in what Mamoru took for frustration. This he remembered – his little sister, trying so hard to be a grown up all her life. Why hadn't she been content with being a child while she'd had the chance?
While thinking these sentimental thoughts, Mamoru began to feel a cold breeze drifting through what he took to be the window. He didn't think in time that it was coming from this girl in front of him.
Without warning, her hands shot up, and sparks shot out of her fingertips.
Mamoru ducked and rolled out of the way, the sparks hitting his rough assignment and blowing the papers and pages to smithereens.
'Stop!' Mamoru called.
Gaea didn't speak, and strode to the desk Mamoru had shielded behind.
'You always underestimated me. In that age, I could do nothing while you lived. In this age, I can,' she grated.
Sparks, silver and blinding, shot out of the ends of her fingertips again, and this time struck true.
Mamoru felt as though an earthquake was rocking his internal organs, like there was a wild, raging party going on in his veins and like his hair was standing on end.
It couldn't end like this.
The paralysis that came with all the Earthly elemental powers linked together made it difficult, so difficult. But Mamoru pushed the pain, the paralysis, the pulsing fear, to the back of his mind.
And he stood.
Gaea stopped a moment and glared at her brother.
In front of her stood a transformed Prince Endymion.
'Back down, young one,' he gasped.
'You are weak,' she spat. 'And I can sense it, you fear for your life. Selfish to the core, Endo,' Gaea raised her hands again.
The Prince of the Earth was a proud man, but knew when a battle was once sided.
Endymion jumped out the window as quick as a flash and ran.
'Coward!' he heard Gaea's mental and vocal screams echoing as he ran towards the only place he could think of that was safe.
