Act 12 - Saying Goodbye
The next day was Phoenix's funeral. Because it was a time of war, there was only a short, simple ceremony held in the chapel of the Crystal Palace. When times were better, they would hold a larger, more elaborate memorial service in honor of the brave general.
Yumeko struggled to keep her attention on the priest standing at the front of the room, but it was difficult. Phoenix's mother sat next to her, sobbing uncontrollably, making it almost impossible to understand what the man was saying. Though General Leo tried to comfort his wife, it didn't help very much. In fact, it seemed to make things worse. The poor priest raised his voice in an attempt to drown out her cries.
"General Phoenix was dearly loved by anyone who ever met him. Though he was a warrior, his true spirit was that of a lover, not a fighter, which he proved by his final unselfish act. His dream was one of peace, a dream he was prepared to fight and, ultimately, die for. That dream will live on in the hearts of those who loved him. Let us pray."
Silence fell over as the small group that had gathered in the chapel bowed their heads and began to pray. Even Phoenix's mother managed to quiet her sobs. Yumeko glanced over at her father, who was sitting on the other side of her, and reached for his hand, seeking his comfort.
A few minutes later, the mourners filed out of the chapel, following the six men in military uniform who carried the golden coffin out to the graveyard. They stopped in front of a simple headstone and gently lowered Phoenix's body into the grave as the priest said a few last words. His mother, still quite emotional, ran over to the hole, looking as if she would jump in after him.
"Phoenix, my beloved son, don't leave me here!" she cried, sobbing wildly.
Her husband gently lead her way from the grave and pulled her close."Now, pull yourself together, Midori," Leo said softly, drying her eyes with his handkerchief. Yumeko noticed a couple of tears forming in the normally stoic general's eyes as well. "Phoenix wouldn't want us to act like this. Let's go back to the palace."
"No, I won't go!"
"Please, Midori…"
Midori took one last glance at her son's grave, then allowed her husband to lead her away from the graveyard. After they left, the crowd of mourners gradually thinned, until only the king, queen, and Yumeko were left.
"Yumeko, are you ready to leave?" Serenity asked softly, resting her hands on her daughter's shoulders.
"You and Papa can leave if you want, Mama," Yumeko answered. "I think I would like to stay a little while longer, if you don't mind."
"Of course, but don't stay out too long."
Serenity gave Yumeko a comforting hug, then she and Helios headed back to the Crystal Palace, where Serenity's parents were holding a small, intimate reception. Yumeko sighed, then kneeled before Phoenix's grave, not caring about getting grass stains on her new black dress.
She stared at the plain headstone, reading the inscription over and over again in her head: General Phoenix, Born July 16, 4-- , Died October 9, 4--
He died so young, before he even got the chance to really live his life. Phoenix had only celebrated his twentieth birthday three months ago. It just wasn't fair!
Tears rolled down her face as she threw a single red rose into his grave. She still couldn't believe Phoenix was really gone. Thinking back on their last conversation together, his words echoed in her mind: There's also the real possibility I won't come back at all. At the time, she insisted that would never happen, but Phoenix almost seemed as if he knew he was going to die, although she knew that was impossible.
"I'm sorry, Yumeko," a familiar voice said.
"Shadow?"
Glad that he was there, the princess stood up and fell into his strong, comforting arms. Shadow simply stood there, letting Yumeko cry on his shoulder. His heart was breaking as he realized that this would be the last time he would ever be able to hold her in his arms. A tear ran down his cheek and onto her mass of curly blue hair.
Finally, Yumeko quieted her sobs and looked up into her lover's dark brown eyes. He quickly turned his glance away from her, ashamed.
"Shadow, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly. "Why won't you look at me?"
"I'm not who you think I am, Princess."
She stared at him quizzically. "I don't understand. What are you talking about?"
"Look at me."
For the first time since he appeared, Yumeko noticed the strangeness of his clothes. Instead of his usual blue coveralls, Shadow wore a suit of black, his chest covered with armor. A golden cape, stained with blood, flapped behind him in the wind and a sword hung low from his waist. It was the uniform of the Delian Nightmare Army. She gasped, realizing the truth.
"Shadow, please say it isn't true," she begged. "Please tell me that you aren't our enemy!"
"I wish I could, Princess."
Taking the sword from his sheath, he kneeled before the princess and held out the golden blade. Yumeko took the sword with shaking hands, recognizing the beautiful engravings on the hilt. It was Phoenix's.
"I'm the reason the general is dead," he confessed. "I want you to kill me with his sword. You must revenge his death."
Yumeko looked down at Shadow, who's head was bowed as if he were put into a guillotine. What was she going to do? Her heart was so confused. Elysia and Poppy had been right about Shadow all along. What a fool she had been! Shadow was her enemy. It was his fault this war began. It was his fault that Phoenix died.
Yet, despite the truth, she still loved him. Out of the shadows, Yumeko had seen a light. There was goodness inside of him, she was sure of it. She refused to believe that everything between them had been a lie.
"Kill me, Princess!" Shadow ordered in a rough voice. "It is the only way to make things right!"
Taking a deep breath, Yumeko slowly lifted Phoenix's sword in the air and positioned it above Shadow's outstretched neck. Her hands trembled under the weight of the heavy golden blade. He was right. This was the only way to make things right. She had to get revenge for Phoenix's death.
Yumeko hardened her heart toward the killer who kneeled before her. She no longer loved him. She could never love someone like Shadow, who only saw nightmares. Steadying her hands, she let the sword fall.
Shadow prepared himself for the pain of the cold, sharp blade. He was no longer afraid of death. In fact, he welcomed it with open arms. Anything that would take away the guilt and the ache in his heart.
But death didn't come. Phoenix's sword sat harmlessly on the ground, the bright afternoon sun reflecting off its golden finish, almost blinding his dark eyes. Why hadn't she gone through with it? Shadow glanced up at the princess, whose face was buried in her hands as she wept.
"Yumeko…"
He stood up and reached out to comfort her, but she immediately stepped away. "Just go away, Shadow!" she yelled. "I never want to see you again! Just go away!"
Shadow turned to leave, but before he could go, there was a promise he needed to keep. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small object and placed it in Yumeko's hand. She stared at him with watery eyes, confused.
"He loves you," he whispered before he fading into nothingness.
"Shadow!"
With tears running down her face, she slowly opened her clenched fist. Yumeko gasped as she realized what Shadow had just given her: a beautiful sapphire and diamond ring.
It was her engagement ring.
Elysia sighed as she stared at her beautiful mistress, whose face was buried in her pillow, sobbing at the top of her lungs. Yumeko had been like this ever since she returned from the cemetery. Jumping on the bed (which used to be the queen's when she was a little girl), the small cat gently nudged the weeping princess.
"Yumeko, did something happen today at the graveyard?" she asked softly.
At first, Yumeko didn't answer. She felt so ashamed. Why hadn't she taken Elysia's and Poppy's advice and just stayed away from him? If she had only discovered Shadow's secret earlier, she might have been able to stop the war from happening, and Phoenix would still be alive. But the fact remained that he was dead, and the man she loved was responsible. There was nothing she could do to change that.
"Yumeko?"
"You were right, Elysia," the princess sniffled. "You were right about everything."
The cat stared at her with confused blue eyes. "I'm afraid I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"Shadow showed up after the funeral and finally told me who he really was. You were right. He's a member of the Delian Nightmare Army, our enemy."
With those words, a fresh stream of tears ran down Yumeko's face. Elysia didn't know how to take the news. Instead of the satisfaction she expected to feel by her suspicions being proved right, she felt kind of bad. She didn't want to be right, not if it meant destroying Yumeko's happiness.
"I'm sorry…" the cat whispered, trying to comfort her, but Yumeko didn't want to hear it.
"No, you're not!" she yelled. "You've hated Shadow ever since you first laid eyes on him and made it your mission to keep us apart at all costs. Well, you finally got your wish, Elysia. I hope you're happy!"
"Yumeko…"
There was a soft knock on the door and a beautiful woman with long blonde hair pulled into the familiar style of the royal family popped her head into her beloved granddaughter's room. Without a word, she silently took a seat beside Yumeko and began rubbing her back. Elysia, sensing that the former queen wanted some privacy with her mistress, quietly exited the room.
"Dreama Aurora…"
Finally raising her head from the tear-soaked pillow, Yumeko was surprised to see her grandmother, the legendary Neo-Queen Serenity (or Usagi, as she was now known), sitting on the bed.
"Grandmother Usagi, what are you doing up here?" she asked, wiping away her tears with the handkerchief the woman handed her. "Shouldn't you be at the reception?"
"I was worried about you, my sweet Yumeko," Usagi replied, pulling her only granddaughter in a tight hug. "We all are. I know how difficult this must be for you."
"I'm fine, Grandmother."
Usagi didn't look very convinced. "Why don't you come down to the ballroom? It can be very therapeutic in times of grief to talk about how you feel with other people who feel the same way."
"I don't think so. I'm not ready to face everyone just yet."
"But I wish you would. There is a young man down there who has been asking to talk to you all afternoon."
"A young man?" she asked, somewhat curious. "Who is it?"
"He said his name is Okura Masato and that he was a soldier in Phoenix's army," her grandmother answered. "That's all I know about him. I've never met him before, and neither have your parents, but he seems very nice. I think it would be a good idea for you to speak to him, even if it was only for a few minutes."
"I don't really feel like it right now."
Usagi pushed a strand of curly blue hair off Yumeko's face and lightly kissed her forehead. Then, she stood up and walked over to the door. "I understand, but if you change your mind, he said he would be here until five o'clock, when he has to go back to the hospital. They only gave him a day pass to attend the funeral."
The former queen walked out of the room, leaving Yumeko in her solitude. She wondered why the soldier wanted to talk to her, of all people. They had never even met.
Reluctantly, she got out of bed and tried to make herself look presentable. It would be rude not to at least say hello to him after all the trouble he went through, and besides, her curiosity was getting the better of her.
Taking a deep breath, she began the long journey down the stairs to the ballroom. As she looked down, she saw that the large room was packed with a sea of people dressed in black. There seemed to be even more people here then at the funeral. How would she ever manage to find Okura Masato in this crowd?
As it turned out, he was the one who found her. When Yumeko reached the ballroom, she was surprised to see a young soldier standing next to the stairs as if he was waiting for her.
"Princess?" he asked, bowing slightly. "It's an honor to finally meet you. I am Okura Masato. Allow me to express to you my condolences. General Phoenix-sama was a great man."
"Thank you," she whispered, studying the man.
Masato was really quite good-looking, in a goofy, funny sort of way. He was tall, with unruly red hair and kind blue eyes. A cluster of freckles traveled across his nose, matching the exact color of his hair. His face was covered with small scratches, and a cast was wrapped around his left arm, which he obviously broke during the attack on Fort Crystal.
In the princess's opinion, Masato looked a little bit too young to join the army. He couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen years old, younger than she was, yet his eyes seemed much older, most likely from being forced to grow up before his time.
"My grandmother said that you wanted to speak to me," Yumeko stated. "What is it, Okura-san?"
"Before I begin my story, would it be possible for us to have a little privacy?"
Nodding, she lead the injured soldier to the library. Yumeko took a seat in her father's armchair as he sat down on the couch. In his lap laid a small blue box which she hadn't noticed before. Clearing his throat, Masato began.
"I'm sure you are probably wondering why I am here," he said somewhat nervously. "First, allow me to tell you a little bit about myself. I was a soldier under General Phoenix-sama's command and was present during the battle. You probably think I look a little young to join the army, which I am. I'm really only fifteen, but I lied on my application. When the war started, I felt it was my duty to fight, so I signed up, completely unprepared for the true nature of battle. But even if I had known of the horrors that lied ahead, I still wouldn't have changed my mind. It was an honor to defend Crystal Tokyo and to work under General Phoenix-sama, my hero."
As he said the general's name, Masato's eyes saddened. "During the battle, an enemy aimed his gun at me," he continued in a soft voice. "I didn't notice him because I was too busy fighting, but Phoenix-sama did. Before I knew what had happened, the general had pushed me out of the way, taking a bullet to the chest. He saved my life."
Yumeko gasped when she heard that. Masato was the soldier Phoenix was trying to save when he died. Tears filled the man's eyes as he handed her the blue box. "I want to give you this."
"What is it?" she asked, opening the box.
Inside, laying on soft black velvet, was a golden badge shaped in the shape of a heart. The smooth metal was engraved with the symbols of the moon and sun.
"This is the Celestial Heart, the highest honor a soldier can hope to attain," Masato explained. "Phoenix-sama was awarded this badge for his bravery and courage during battle."
"But why are you giving it to me?" Yumeko asked, confused. "It rightfully belongs to his parents. I cannot accept it."
"The general often spoke of you, Princess. Anybody with half a brain could see how much he still loved you, even though the engagement was broken off. When I was given the duty of delivering the badge, I immediately thought of you. Phoenix-sama would have wanted you to have it."
"Thank you, Okura-san."
Closing the box, she set it down on the coffee table as the soldier stood up. "It is almost five o'clock," he said. "I must get back to the hospital."
"Allow me to show you out."
Yumeko lead Masato to the front door and helped him put his coat back on. Bowing to the princess, he turned to leave when she suddenly reached for his good arm.
"Okura-san, did Phoenix suffer much before he died?" she said, asking the question that had been on her mind ever since she learned of his death.
"I'm afraid I do not know, my princess," he answered. "After Phoenix-sama was shot, a man walked over to where we lay and sent me to fetch the doctor. I ran as fast as I could to the makeshift hospital as he tried to stop the bleeding, but it was too late. When the doctor and I returned, the general was dead, and the man was gone."
"Did you know the man who attempted to save the general's life? I should like to thank him for his help."
"No, my princess. That was the strangest thing. He was not one of us, but one of them."
"Them?"
"The Delian Nightmare Army," he answered. "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm almost positive he was one of our enemies."
The princess's amber eyes widened in shock at this news. One of their enemies was the one who tried to save Phoenix's life? It didn't make sense at all. "What did he look like?"
"Well, I didn't really get a very good look at him, but he was very tall, about six feet, and muscular. I remember that he had curly black hair and dark brown eyes, and his uniform was similar to the others, except he wore a long golden cape. I'm afraid that's all I remember."
Tears filled Yumeko's eyes as she realized the identity of Phoenix's angel. It was Shadow, she was sure of it. Masato's description fit him perfectly.
But why had Shadow told her that he was to blame for Phoenix's death when he was the one who tried to save him? She didn't understand. Nor would she ever know the answer. Shadow was gone and she would never see him again. He would never know that she forgave him…
"Princess, are you okay?"
"Yes, of course," she said, opening the door for the injured soldier. "Goodbye, Okura-san. It was a pleasure meeting you."
"Goodbye, my princess."
Once he left, she finally allowed herself to release the tears that she fought so hard to hold back.
Shadow…
