Act 9 - Deceptions

The next morning, Elysia woke up bright and early in the morning, anxious to talk to Poppy about his mysterious employee. Last night, she had tried again to warn Yumeko about the weird feelings she had about Shadow, but the princess simply would not listen to reason. Perhaps Poppy had some information about Yumeko's crush that she could use as evidence.

Careful not to wake her dreaming mistress, Elysia quietly snuck out of the bedroom through her kitty door and ran down stairs. Most of the residents of the palace were still in bed, so she didn't have to worry about somebody telling Yumeko about what she was doing. Even though she was doing this for the princess's own good, it still felt as if she was spying on her.

Poppy and his daughter Violet lived in a cozy cottage near the back of the garden, practically hidden from view by the many tall trees that grew near the house. In exchange for Poppy's labor and expertise, they were allowed to live in the cottage free of charge, which showed how much the king and queen appreciated his skills. There was no doubt that Poppy was the best gardener in the entire kingdom. He was blessed with the proverbial green thumb that could make any flower grow in any kind of climate.

Breathless from running across the vast garden to Poppy's house, Elysia knocked on the front door. The delightful aroma of freshly brewed coffee tickled her nose as Violet answered.

"Elysia-san, what a wonderful surprise!" the pretty girl exclaimed in her delightful English accent, showing the cat inside. "What are you doing here so early in the morning? Would you like some warm milk to drink?"

"No, thank you, Violet-san," Elysia said, taking a seat at the kitchen table, which was already set for breakfast. "I can't stay long. Actually, I was hoping I could speak with your father before he went out to the gardens. Is he here?"

"He's getting dressed, but he should be down any minute."

After finally convincing Elysia to have at least a small bowl of milk, Violet went back to work, fixing pancakes. Poppy's daughter was a couple of years older than Yumeko and was probably the princess's closest non-royal friend. The girls had grown up together in the garden, torturing the gardeners and scaring everybody half to death by climbing up the tallest trees in the garden. Poppy liked to call them his little 'weeds', always popping up in the strangest places.

Because Violet's mother Rose died when she was just a little girl, she had taken over most of the household chores, like the cleaning and cooking, not leaving room for much of a social life. Violet was terribly shy around people she didn't know very well and preferred to stay at home with her father. She rarely left the cottage except to pick flowers or to deliver her father's lunch. Although she was very pretty, Violet had never even went on a date, as far as Elysia knew.

Five minutes had passed and Poppy still hadn't appeared. "Papa!" Violet shouted. "Are you awake? Breakfast is ready and you have a guest."

"I'm coming, sweetheart!"

Poppy entered the kitchen about a minute later and took a seat at the table. "Good morning, everyone," he said cheerfully, pouring syrup on his pancakes. Elysia was surprised at seeing this kinder side of the old caretaker. He always seemed so gruff when she saw him in the gardens. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes, Papa," Violet replied, kissing him on the cheek. She sat down at the table and handed him the morning paper. "Elysia-san said that she wanted to discuss something with you."

"Really? What's on your mind, Elysia?" he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well, I was hoping you could give me some information on an employee of yours," Elysia said. She wiped the milk from her long whiskers before she continued. "I believe his name is Shadow."

At the mention of Shadow's name, Poppy's eyes immediately darkened. Apparently the old caretaker didn't care too much for him either.

"Oh, is he that handsome gardener that started working here a couple of weeks ago?" Violet asked. She was slightly blushing. "He seems very mysterious and romantic. I bet you that he's some kind of prince or lord who gave up his title to be with the woman he loved, or something like that, and now he's saving up money to marry her. Don't you think?"

"Violet, you need to stop reading so many of those romance novels of yours," Poppy said with a roll of his eyes, turning his attention to Elysia. He became serious once again. "So, what do you want to know about the mysterious Shadow who suddenly appeared out of nowhere into my gardens?"

"I need to know everything you know about him. I'm afraid that the princess has developed a crush on the young man, but I don't think it is wise for her to pursue this relationship. Every time I see him, I get this strange chill up my spine."

"You felt it too?"

So she wasn't crazy. Poppy thought there was something fishy about Shadow, too; it wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

"What do you know about him, Poppy-san? Where did he come from?"

"I really don't know much more than you do. He just showed up a couple of days before the ball, claiming to be filling in for one of my regular employees, Tamura Noburo-kun, who apparently had the flu. I was immediately suspicious because in all the years Noburo-kun's worked for me, he has never once called in sick."

"Did you check on his story?"

"I called his house a couple of days later, and his wife confirmed the story, although I suspect she was lying. She didn't answer my questions right away. It seemed like she was waiting for me to say what I knew, and then just agreeing with whatever I said."

"Strange… What else do you know about him? Does he have any family or friends?"

"Most of the time Shadow-kun just keeps to himself, but he does occasionally talk to Botan-kun and Joji-kun. As to his family, I saw him at the ball with a very…shall we say, vivacious young lady, whom I believe was his sister, but I wouldn't know for sure."

"Other than the chills, have you noticed anything unusual about him?" Elysia asked. "I mean, have you seen him use any strange powers or something like that?"

"No, I'm afraid I haven't, but I have caught him sneaking a look into the palace windows and snooping around the gardens a couple of times." Poppy frowned. "At first, I just brushed it off as curiosity, but now that I think about it, he was acting quite suspicious."

Shadow might be searching for something, like the Dream Crystal, Elysia thought. Could he and his "sister" be the ones behind the attack on Yumeko during the Crystal Ball?

Elysia finished her bowl of milk and jumped off the table, anxious to get back to the palace before Yumeko woke up and found her missing. Though she didn't have any hard proof that Shadow was working for the enemy, she was now more convinced than ever that she must keep the two lovers apart. The information Poppy provided her with seemed incredibly suspicious.

"Thank you, Violet-san, for the milk, but I must be going," Elysia said. "And Poppy-san, you've been a great help. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions."

"It was no problem. I would do anything to ensure the princess's safety and I think you are very wise to be concerned about Shadow-kun's intentions. From the very first day I met him, I knew he was not a trustworthy man. I'll be sure to keep him as far away from the princess as I possibly can. "

"Thank you, Poppy-san."


Shadow orbed into the throne room at the command of his father, wondering what King Scorpio wanted at this hour in the morning. It better not take too long. He had to leave in a few minutes if he was to be on time for work. Poppy would not be happy if he showed up late.

Midnight was already there, and for once she didn't have that annoying smirk on her face. She must not know why they were called either.

Shadow quickly bowed to his parents and took his place beside his sister.

"What's going on?" he quietly asked Midnight, who shrugged her shoulders in answer to his question.

"I was hoping you knew," she whispered.

King Scorpio silently contemplated his two children for a couple of minutes, making Shadow very nervous. What did he want? Had he somehow found out about Dreama Aurora? He quickly brushed that fear away. It wasn't possible. Midnight was the only person who knew about the romance and from the way she was acting, he knew that she had not revealed his secret. Finally, the king broke the silence.

"I'm very pleased with how things are progressing in the war, Midnight. You have proven yourself a true leader."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said proudly.

Shadow had to admit that his sister was a better warrior than he first thought. Ever since he had handed his duties to Midnight, she had managed to capture the rest of the major planets, along with a few of the larger asteroids, of Silver Millennium. Only Earth and Elysion remained under Queen Lady Serenity's and King Helios' complete control.

"But I'm afraid your successes mean nothing without the crystal," Scorpio said, his eyes narrowing as he stared at his son. "Shadow, when you stepped down as commander in favor of your sister, I was under the impression that you wanted to devote most of your energy on finding the Dream Crystal, but I have seen no proof of you coming any closer to discovering the location of that cursed stone than you were before. I'm growing impatient. We might have captured most of the kingdom, but until I have the crystal and Elysion under my control, it means absolutely nothing to me."

"I'm working on it, Your Majesty, but it is very difficult to search for the crystal without being detected," Shadow replied, trying to defend himself. "My boss, old man Poppy, won't let me out of his sight. Every time I try to look for it, there he is, looking at me with those suspicious eyes."

"I don't want to hear excuses," he growled angrily. "If this man gets in the way again, just kill him and get it over with. You're a warrior, Shadow. It's your job. Murder should be like second nature to you by now."

"But…"

King Scorpio abruptly stood up and stomped over to the door, Nyx following meekly behind. "This discussion is over, Shadow. I don't care how you do it, just get me the Dream Crystal, or else!"

Slamming the door, his parents left the room, leaving the two siblings to discuss what had happened. Although the king left before finishing his threat, Shadow had a fairly good idea what would happen if he didn't find the crystal soon. His father did not take failure very kindly.

He glanced over at his little sister, who actually seemed somewhat concerned about her brother. Midnight took a seat on the queen's throne, looking very much like a younger version of her mother, with her long white hair and sparkling violet eyes. Shadow wondered why he never noticed how similar Midnight and Nyx were physically, although on the inside, mother and daughter were as different as night and day.

"You know, Shadow, if you would give me permission to attack Earth, I'm sure that I could buy you some time. Daddy just wants results, and if I were to capture the beautiful blue planet, he would be pleased. Then maybe he wouldn't be so rough on you."

Shadow immediately shook his head "no", not even stopping to think about his answer. He would not allow Midnight to attack Earth. It was a promise he made to himself the day he agreed to his sister's blackmail, and the reason he made that stipulation. As long as Earth remained under the king and queen's control, there was no way the Delian Nightmare Army could reach Elysion. "I can't allow you to do that, Midnight. General Phoenix's army is too strong for us. It's best to wait until we have the Dream Crystal under our control."

"And just when will that be, Shady?" she asked sharply, no longer feeling pity for her brother. "You've been working in Elysion for weeks and you still haven't found that stupid little crystal. I'm beginning to think you have no intention of ever finding it."

"That's crazy!" he exclaimed, although quite true. He had become a traitor to his people in every way except in name.

"Is it? You've let your feelings for that little slut get in the way of your duty, haven't you?"

Shadow reached back his hand and slapped Midnight across her face, leaving a large red mark on her pale white cheek. "Don't you ever call Dreama Aurora a slut again!"

Reaching up to touch the tender area, Midnight narrowed her eyes. "You assshole! You are going to pay for that!"

"Well, you'll just have to get your revenge later, because I'm already ten minutes late for work."

Shadow gathered his tools and orbed out of the room as a plan formed in Midnight's mind. He would pay for what he's done. Boy, would he pay!


When Shadow finally arrived at the gardens, Poppy was waiting for him by the golden gate, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes glaring at his tardy employee. For a second, his father's words echoed in his head: If this man gets in the way again, just kill him and get it over with. Although it was tempting, Shadow blocked away that thought. Just because he didn't like Poppy was no reason to kill him. The groundskeeper kept silent until after he punched in his identification number.

"Why are you late, Mikage-kun?" he demanded, using the fake last name Shadow had given him. "You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago."

"I had some family business to take care of," Shadow answered truthfully. "Don't worry. I'm already prepared for manure duty or whatever torturous punishment you can think up for my tardiness."

Poppy's nostrils flared in anger. For once Shadow had managed to do something that warranted punishment, but because of the promise he made to Elysia, he would not be able to enforce it. Much to the younger man's surprise, the old caretaker reached into his pocket and pulled out some car keys, which he handed over to Shadow, along with what appeared to be a map of some kind.

"What's this?" he asked.

"I need you to go to Peridot to pick up an order of gardening tools. Those are the keys to my car and directions to the store."

"Peridot? But that's like six hours away," Shadow complained. "Why can't the store just send the tools through the mail like any normal company?"

"These are very special, handcrafted tools, and therefore it is too risky to send them to Elysion by regular methods. I personally feel much better having one of my employees go pick them up."

"But why me? I thought that was Ina Matsuo-kun's job."

"Today is his day off," Poppy lied. "Now, stop asking questions and get going. The car is in the garage, in space A4."

Shadow reluctantly headed toward the garage, jingling the keys in his hand. He had hoped to see Dreama Aurora today, but that most likely would not be possible. By the time he got back from the store, it would probably around dinner time.

There was something fishy about this whole thing. Why would Poppy ask him to go get the tools? He had plenty of other employees he could have sent that had worked there for many years. Poppy seemed like the type of person who valued trust and loyalty. Asking him, of all people, didn't make any sense at all to Shadow, especially with such valuable cargo. What was Poppy planning?

Despite his reservations, Shadow slid into the driver's seat of Poppy's car and drove off in the direction of the small town of Peridot, wondering what lie in store for him there.


Once she managed to sneak past Elysia, who was had fallen asleep by the warm glow of the fireplace, Yumeko grabbed her jacket from the closet and quietly went out into the garden. She knew that she should be studying for her test, but it probably wouldn't help very much anyway. Ever since what happened yesterday, she couldn't concentrate on anything but Shadow. She felt like she was on cloud nine, and not even Elysia's warnings about Shadow could bring her back down to earth. Was this what love felt like?

Yumeko strolled around the gardens, searching for the handsome gardener who had stolen her heart, but he was nowhere in sight. A short interview with Joji and Botan revealed nothing. They had no idea where he was either.

She was about to give up her search when she spotted Poppy, who was busy transferring the plants into pots. If anybody knew where Shadow was, he would. As the princess approached him, Poppy stood up and wiped the soil off his hands. He had a fairly good idea what she was here for.

"Good morning, Princess," he greeted her.

"Good morning, Poppy-san," she said. "Do you happen to know where Shadow-kun is today? I've searched the entire gardens, but I haven't seen him anywhere."

"That's because he's not here. I sent him to Peridot to pick up some gardening tools for me. He'll be gone the entire day."

"Oh." Yumeko sighed. "Well, thanks for telling me. I'll see you later."

Yumeko walked back to the palace, disappointed that she wouldn't be able to see Shadow today, but perhaps it was for the best. She really did need to finish reading her book, although it would be hard to concentrate on Freud's theories when she had Shadow on the brain.

Grabbing her textbook from the library, where she had left it last night, Yumeko went upstairs to Tokemi's room. She was sure that her cousin had already finished reading the book, as usual. Maybe she could convince Tokemi to give her a couple hints so that she wouldn't totally bomb the test.

When she reached Tokemi's room, she lightly knocked on the door, but there was no answer, which was strange. It was practically noon. Surely she was awake by now. Quietly. Yumeko opened the door and peeped her head inside, seeing that her cousin was sitting at her desk, apparently absorbed in the paper she was reading.

"Tokemi? It's me. Can I come in?" she asked.

The raven-haired teen guiltily hid the papers under her notebook and turned around to greet Yumeko. She seemed flustered, but quickly regained her composure. "Hey, Yumeko. Was that you knocking earlier? I thought I heard something, but I wasn't sure."

"Yeah, I thought you were still asleep."

Yumeko plopped down on Tokemi's neatly made bed, grabbing one of the fluffy maroon pillows. "Can I borrow your Freud notes? This book is too confusing. I can't understand anything! Please?"

"You won't learn anything if I just give you all the answers. I'm sure that if you just found a quiet place to study and really concentrated on your reading, you'll figure it out."

"But I don't have time to figure it out. The test is Monday, and I haven't even gotten past the third chapter. You have to help me out! Pretty please with a cherry on top?" she pleaded, getting on her hands and knees.

Tokemi couldn't help smiling at the sight of the princess on the bed, begging and pleading to borrow her notes. She was obviously quite desperate if she was resorting to such drastic tactics. How could she say no to those large golden eyes?

"Okay, okay. You can have them, this time, but you really should try to study harder. I won't be able to bail you out all the time. You're just lucky we have the same psychology class."

"You're the best, Tokemi! I knew I could count on you," Yumeko said, giving her cousin a big hug.

Tokemi stood up and went to the door. "I'm going downstairs to get the notes. I think I accidentally left them in the library."

"Okay. Hurry back!"

Once she left, Yumeko straightened up the small mess she made of the bed, knowing that Tokemi hated anything to be out of place. She was a self-described neat freak, while Yumeko was the exact opposite. Her room considered itself lucky if it managed to be cleaned one a month.

A fit of curiosity came over her as she glanced over at Tokemi's perfectly organized desk. What had she been looking at before that was so interesting? A love letter? Even though she knew she shouldn't, Yumeko couldn't help herself. She carefully lifted the notebook and picked up the single piece of paper that was hidden underneath it.

Although, when she saw what was on the paper, she wished she never had. The image of an extremely beautiful young woman with long white hair and her beloved father, kissing in the temple of Elysion, stared up at her, breaking her heart. No… This had to be a mistake. It couldn't be true. Her father loved her mother. He would never do something like this. But this picture…

As Tokemi walked back into the room with her notes, the page fell from her fingers to the floor. Tears welled up in her eyes. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be true!

"Yumeko? Here's the notes you asked for."

"I don't want them anymore," the princess said, struggling to hold back her tears. "I've got to go…"

She ran out of Tokemi's room to the safety of her own bedroom, right across the hall. Once inside, she finally allowed herself to cry, the tears soaking her pillow. Papa…

A few minutes later, Tokemi came in, holding the incriminating photo in her hand. She sat down on the bed, attempting to comfort her distraught cousin. This was all her fault. She never should have left the picture out where Yumeko could find it.

"I'm sorry, Yumeko," she apologized. "We never meant for you to find out about this, especially not this way."

"We? The others know about this too?"

Tokemi nodded. "We found the picture on the Internet on one of the tabloid websites the night of the attack. Supposedly, Uncle Helios had an affair with her about fifteen years ago."

The princess sat up, wiped away her tears, and took a closer look at the picture, even though it was painful to see her father in another woman's arms. "Who is she?"

"Queen Eos of Delos, or as it is known today, the Delian Nightmare Alliance. She was a Maenad from your father's shrine."

"The Delian Nightmare Alliance? The same kingdom we're at war with right now?"

"Yes, the very same. We suspect the affair is the reason why King Scorpio is attacking Silver Millennium, as revenge against your father for stealing his wife."

Yumeko leaned up against the headboard of her bed, allowing everything she had just been told to soak into her brain and into her heart. It didn't seem possible. Her father, the man that she always considered to be the kindest and most honest person she had ever known, was an adulterer. And what more, that affair was the cause of this horrible war between Silver Millennium and the Delian Nightmare Army that had killed so many people.

"Yumeko, are you okay?" Tokemi asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. "Actually, I think I want to alone for awhile, if you don't mind."

"Of course. I understand. If you need me, you know were to find me."

Tokemi quietly walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Again, Yumeko pulled out the photo of her father and Eos, not wanting to look at it, but unable to take her eyes of it. She certainly was pretty, almost as beautiful as Queen Lady Serenity. It wasn't a mystery to what attracted Helios to her. The question was why?

"Oh, Papa! Why? Why!"

A fresh supply of tears ran down her face and onto the page. She had no idea how long she cried into her soggy, white pillow. It seemed like hours, but in actuality, it was probably only for about twenty or thirty minutes. A knock on her door interrupted her sobs.

"Tokemi?"

The door opened, revealing the handsome figure of her father. His golden eyes, so much like her own, were full of concern. Without an invitation, he took a seat on her bed and reached for her hand, which she promptly pulled away.

"Go away!" she ordered. "I never want to see you again. Just leave me alone!"

Much to her annoyance, he stayed firmly in his place. Spotting the paper in her other hand, he gently managed to wring it away from her stubborn fingers. Helios smoothed out the wrinkled photo, gasping as he laid his eyes on the long-forgotten picture.

"Wh-Where did you get this from, Yumeko?" he asked, barely able to get the words out of his mouth.

"Tokemi."

So, this must be the secret his young niece was referring to at that dinner about a week ago. Helios thought he had managed to block those reports so that none of the children would ever learn about the long ago scandal that almost ruined his life. His daughter sat up and stared straight into his eyes, seeking the answer to the question that haunted her ever since the moment she first laid eyes on that picture.

"Why, Papa?"

Helios again reached for her hand, but this time she allowed him to take it. Then, he held the picture up to his face. "Look closely, Yumeko."

"At what? All I see is you…you kissing that horrible woman!"

"Look closer."

She took the picture from his hand and stared at what she thought was her father's face. But it wasn't. At least it wasn't his real face, the face she knew and loved so much. "Your scar -- you can't see it in the picture," she said softly.

He brought her hand up to his cheek and allowed her to trace the faint outline of the mark. Yumeko began to smile. "Do you remember how I got this scar?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied. "You were wounded during a sword fight with Prince Damian of the Dark Kingdom, right before you and Mama got engaged."

"That's right."

"So, the picture…"

"It's a fake."

Helios grabbed the picture, crumpled it up into a small ball and tossed it into her trash can, which was were it belonged. It was nothing but a piece of trash, concocted by greedy tabloids eager to make a fast buck. He then gave his daughter a hug and turned to leave.

"Wait, Papa."

"Yes, my little princess, what is it?"

"I'm sorry I doubted you."

He smiled. "I forgive you."