Chapter 6: Fairy Tales Are True
"Darien, you've got to be more aware of attacks from behind. You rely too much on what you can see. Feel the danger around you."
"And you think this is going to help?" Darien stood in the middle of the dojo, blindfolded and weaponless. The sensei- Peter Caine and two others surrounded him.
"Be quiet and listen," Peter told him, "You can do this."
The three started circling the young man. He stood, slightly crouched, hands ready, head turning to catch the slightest sound. He avoided the first attack, spun and parried the second, but was knocked down by the third.
"OK, I think that's enough for tonight," Peter said, helping Darien up. After the others had changed and left, he invited Darien up to his apartment for coffee.
"Man, I just can't believe I'm still not able to get it," Darien complained.
"You need to calm down and focus. You'll get it. I would like you to come work with the class." He set down two cups. "Hope you like it, it's Starbucks*, a friend sent it to me from the States. Too bad he can't send pizza."
"It's good," he agreed.
They sipped their coffee in silence, occupied with their own thoughts. Peter was the first to speak, after contemplating his companion, "Darien, where do you fight?"
"Huh.What do you mean?" The young man stammered, turning pale.
"There are two ways for a man to reach the level of skill you have. One is to train every day for years, and the other is through experience. School, work, and a social life doesn't allow much time for training, so that leaves experience," Peter concluded, eyeing his friend.
Darien set his cup down with a sigh. He recalled that Peter had been a policeman before he was a priest. If there was anyone he could trust, it would be him, if he would believe. "Sensei Caine," he began, setting a formal tone, "do you believe in destiny?"
Peter sat back and considered the question and tone. After months of working with him, was the young man ready to confide in him?
"Yes," he replied remembering episodes from his past, "yes, I do. One might say that's how I got where I am today."
"What do you mean? I don't understand." It was Darien's turn to be intrigued.
"Becoming a priest, being the last in the line of Kwai Chang. It's not easy fulfilling prophecies," he grimaced, wishing he had something stronger than coffee.
"Tell me about it," the younger man replied, sharing the same thought.
"I will. I'll tell you my story and you'll tell me yours," the American offered with a quick grin.
"Agreed, and may the most fantastic tale win," Darien replied recklessly.
"Win? What shall we wager? Neither of us is rich."
"Service. I'll continue to need lessons for a while."
"You sound pretty cocky, kid. I could use an assistant." The older man looked him over with sparkling brown eyes. It was a time for truth and dare, and Dare would have to tell an amazing truth to top his. "OK, I'll start. Last century, my great-grandfather Kwai Chang Caine, killed the nephew of the Emperor of China when he ordered the murder of another priest. He escaped to America and eventually founded a temple there, but there was a blood debt on our family. I was called to fulfill that debt by being the defender of the present Emperor."
"Wait a minute," Darien interrupted, "there is no Emperor of China now, not since the revolution."
"I will trust you to keep this secret. He was the third generation to be raised in hiding in San Francisco. I was his bodyguard at his coronation and helped get him back to China. He's a young man now, not much older than you are. Your turn."
Darien filed this tidbit away for future use, held out his cup for a refill and started his tale. "Thousands of years ago, the planets were inhabited and there was a kingdom on each one. It was the time called the Silver Millenium. The Moon Kingdom was the most powerful, it was ruled by a Queen with the power of a magic crystal: the Silver Imperium Crystal. She had a beautiful daughter, the Princess Serenity. The Princess fell in love with Endymion, the Prince of the Earth. A great evil came and destroyed the Moon Kingdom, and Prince and Princess were killed. With the last of her power, the Queen sent the spirits of those that were killed, good and bad, to the future to fight again."
"Nice fairy tale. What does it have to do with you?"
"I am the Prince reborn. A lot of my skills I remember from that time. The rest I've gained fighting demons to protect Sailor Moon."
"Don't tell me, you're not." Peter started, unbelieving. He had heard of a lot of weird stuff happening in Tokyo, about demons and magic girls and one guy.
"Tuxedo Mask." Darien finished, producing a rose with a flourish.
"Does that mean your girlfriend Serena, is your Princess?"
"And Sailor Moon."
He whistled, "No wonder you wanted her to have lessons."
"How is she doing?" Darien inquired with a dash of reality.
"She's amazing at dodging. She has her own unique style," Peter admitted, "I've reinforced that with street self-defense which we used to teach at the Police department. Come to think of it, why don't you bring her with you to class, I'd like to see how you work as a team."
"I'll try and arrange it, our schedules are a bit erratic. Ready to admit defeat?"
"Not quite. One more, a tale of ancient prophecy and time travel."
"Sounds interesting," smiled Darien.
"On an ancient scroll found in a monastery, there was a prophecy that stated 'the last of the line shall teach the first.' It referred to the first Shaolin priest of the line of Kwai Chang, five hundred years ago. The monastery and the village it was in were under siege from a warlord. My father and I traveled through the Book of Shamballa back to that time. I taught my ancestor how to fight using kung fu while my father worked to find a cure for the poison that was killing the villagers. With the methods of kung fu, they were able to defeat the warlord. With the cycle completed, and the prophecy fulfilled, we returned to the present," Peter finished triumphantly.
Darien was impressed; fate had led him to an extraordinary man. Then he smiled, time to one-up him. "Good story. I especially liked the part when you helped your ancestor."
"Can you tell a better one?" Peter challenged, curious.
The younger man nodded, then started, "In the far future, a thousand years from now will be the Kingdom of Crystal Tokyo, the most advanced and powerful on Earth. But it will be attacked by the Black Moon family of Nemesis, the tenth planet. With the Queen of Crystal Tokyo entombed in a stasis chamber of crystal and the King wounded and in a coma; the King, using psychic projection, orders the city's final defenses and the guardians to protect the palace with a force field formed by their life energy. Only the Princess, a small child, escaped to seek help in the past. She came here to the present seeking the Silver Crystal to save her mother and the kingdom. She found Sailor Moon."
"The Princess had been followed to the past by members of the Black Moon family, who sought to capture her and the Crystal. Sailor Moon and I and the Scouts fought to protect her. It was a time of great personal trials. Just when we needed to be strongest, my nightmares weakened our team. Your advice, Peter, helped me to reconcile with her barely in time. We traveled to the future and faced the leader of the Black Moon family and defeated him. But there was a darker, stronger force behind him that wanted to use the power it felt in the little Princess to take over the Earth. Using the child's weaknesses, it changed her to a woman filled with hate and with the power to destroy the world." Darien's face darkened with the memory.
"It was a dark day in Tokyo that she appeared, and it was the love that Sailor Moon and I had for her that changed her back into her sweet self. Together, Sailor Moon and the small Princess used the powers of the present and future Silver Crystals to defeat the evil force, saving the present and the future." He closed his eyes, recalling the terrible fear that they had both been lost.
"I felt that, the evil- and the return of light," Peter admitted.
"You might wonder how we could love the little girl so much that she would respond to Sailor Moon and I. It was a feeling we had that was confirmed when we went to the future. The little Princess is, ... will be... our daughter. Serena and I will be the rulers of Crystal Tokyo."
Peter's jaw dropped and he stared as Darien finished his story. Then he closed his eyes and swallowed, collecting his thoughts. "Wait a minute, Chiba, you are going a bit too far! A thousand years from now and you are king? You ask me to believe it? I might as well ask you to believe in the Holy Grail!"
*Oh yeah, Andrew definitely would have thought I was drunk or something,* Darien smirked inwardly. "Actually, I do," he said out loud.
"Do what?" Peter asked, exasperated.
"Believe in the Holy Grail."
"The Holy Grail- the Chalice of I-Ching, has been hidden in a chapel in France since the Crusades. I know, I saw it there."
"It was hidden until recently." Darien informed him. "The Holy Grail- the Chalice of I-Ching- the Purity Chalice, they are all the same. Only someone with a pure heart can use it."
"My father did," Peter said quietly.
"Sailor Moon does. She uses it to fight the evil that threatens more than our world- our universe now." The young man looked at the other with an air of regality. "I know you believe me, just as you know I believe you," he stated.
They looked into each other's eyes, feeling the truth that each had said. Suddenly they were in another place and faced each other in a circular area guarded by ancient marble columns and surrounded by bushes of red roses. Peter was wearing an orange and black silk gi with the black hand of Kwai Chang on it. Darien was in the black and silver armor of the Prince of Earth.
"This place is familiar, though I don't recall ever being here before," Darien wondered out loud.
"It is a realm of true vision," Peter observed. "We see each other as we truly are, Prince."
"Then I know what we are here for. I have come to lay the foundation of a new Kingdom, based not on greed or oppression, but on love and justice," Prince Endymion said solemnly.
"Peter Caine, you have offered me your service. At this time, I ask only that you promise to protect and defend the Princess and myself and our companions. Will you give me your word?"
Peter made a bow of respect. "I will," he answered, "I will protect you and yours. I will serve the light."
"In the name of the Earth and the Moon, I accept your service. I pledge to support and defend you from this day forward. I welcome you, Peter Caine, as advisor and friend." The Prince stepped forward and offered his hand. Peter grasped it with his and they were again back in his apartment.
"Whoa!" Peter exclaimed, putting his hand to his head, "Does that sort of thing happen often?"
"Yeah, it's like living in the twilight zone sometimes. The experience did not seem entirely strange to you, either."
"No, in the last few years, my life has definitely taken a turn for the weird. Now what do you expect of me?"
"Just be our friend," Darien replied, "and keep our secret. I don't know exactly what, but I think something catastrophic is going to happen relatively soon- maybe in about ten years. Until then, we prepare ourselves the best we can and take one day at a time."
The two were silent for a short time while they contemplated the events of the last hour. "There was a another prophecy of the Shaolin that my father thought would apply to me," Peter said, "and it seems to be true."
"What did it say?"
"'A soldier of justice who became a defender of light shall serve the once and future king.' I thought being in Japan would disqualify me- wrong island."** He started to laugh, and Darien joined him. Finally Peter asked something that he was curious about. "The little princess, did she recover?"
"She is, as you would say, in the pink," Darien answered with a grin.
"In the pink?" Peter repeated. The word conjured the image of a little pink- haired girl who sometimes accompanied Serena and Sammy to their lessons. "You don't mean...little Rini!" Darien nodded, amused at his reaction. The older man's gaze sharpened at all the implications. "You have my admiration and my sympathy. Do Serena's parents know about this, any of it?"
The young man looked uncomfortable, "No, they barely accept that we're dating. It's safer for them and better for Serena that they don't know. You are one of the few not directly involved who do."
"I am honored. Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?"
"Actually, there is. Before all this came up, I wanted to ask you about something." Darien reached into his duffel bag. "I was going through some things of my parents', and I found this," He showed him the picture, "I think it is my grandfather. Do you know how I can find out about him?"
Peter examined the picture. "These letters mean Mobile Armed Services Hospital- American military, the number is the unit. 1953, I think it might be Korea."
"Korea? What about the name on the back, 'Hawkeye'?"
"Could be Native American or a nickname. I'd like to scan this and send it to a friend in San Francisco. He's a whiz on the computer and able to access some government records." Peter led the way to his desk, which had a computer, a scanner and a printer. He turned it on and scanned the picture in.
"Nice system," Darien commented.
"Yeah, I use it to keep up with what's happening with my friends in the States. It always bugged me that Pop didn't even have a phone. Ok, that does it." The picture showed on the screen, slightly enlarged. The man appeared to be tall with a lanky build. He was smiling and wore a military uniform. "There is a resemblance to you," Peter noted.
"Do you think so?" Darien asked hopefully.
"Yes, the build, the jaw-line, the cheekbones...hey, I think there's a nametag."
"Can you enlarge it some more?"
"I'll try," he replied, clicking the mouse, "but... ahh, I've lost resolution. Kermit should be able to do this. We'll know in a couple of days."
"Thanks, Peter." Darien started to gather his things.
"Don't mention it. It's been some night, huh?"
"It's been some day, but a good one. Bye."
"Remember, you and Serena: I want both of you to show up."
*I don't own Starbucks and I figure this takes place before the international explosion of franchises.
**I am referring to Arthurian legends.
AN: I also do not own Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. I hope you enjoyed this retelling of tales. Next chapter, Ikuko does some thinking. By the way, Lindy.girl hit the bull's eye. Review, please.
"Darien, you've got to be more aware of attacks from behind. You rely too much on what you can see. Feel the danger around you."
"And you think this is going to help?" Darien stood in the middle of the dojo, blindfolded and weaponless. The sensei- Peter Caine and two others surrounded him.
"Be quiet and listen," Peter told him, "You can do this."
The three started circling the young man. He stood, slightly crouched, hands ready, head turning to catch the slightest sound. He avoided the first attack, spun and parried the second, but was knocked down by the third.
"OK, I think that's enough for tonight," Peter said, helping Darien up. After the others had changed and left, he invited Darien up to his apartment for coffee.
"Man, I just can't believe I'm still not able to get it," Darien complained.
"You need to calm down and focus. You'll get it. I would like you to come work with the class." He set down two cups. "Hope you like it, it's Starbucks*, a friend sent it to me from the States. Too bad he can't send pizza."
"It's good," he agreed.
They sipped their coffee in silence, occupied with their own thoughts. Peter was the first to speak, after contemplating his companion, "Darien, where do you fight?"
"Huh.What do you mean?" The young man stammered, turning pale.
"There are two ways for a man to reach the level of skill you have. One is to train every day for years, and the other is through experience. School, work, and a social life doesn't allow much time for training, so that leaves experience," Peter concluded, eyeing his friend.
Darien set his cup down with a sigh. He recalled that Peter had been a policeman before he was a priest. If there was anyone he could trust, it would be him, if he would believe. "Sensei Caine," he began, setting a formal tone, "do you believe in destiny?"
Peter sat back and considered the question and tone. After months of working with him, was the young man ready to confide in him?
"Yes," he replied remembering episodes from his past, "yes, I do. One might say that's how I got where I am today."
"What do you mean? I don't understand." It was Darien's turn to be intrigued.
"Becoming a priest, being the last in the line of Kwai Chang. It's not easy fulfilling prophecies," he grimaced, wishing he had something stronger than coffee.
"Tell me about it," the younger man replied, sharing the same thought.
"I will. I'll tell you my story and you'll tell me yours," the American offered with a quick grin.
"Agreed, and may the most fantastic tale win," Darien replied recklessly.
"Win? What shall we wager? Neither of us is rich."
"Service. I'll continue to need lessons for a while."
"You sound pretty cocky, kid. I could use an assistant." The older man looked him over with sparkling brown eyes. It was a time for truth and dare, and Dare would have to tell an amazing truth to top his. "OK, I'll start. Last century, my great-grandfather Kwai Chang Caine, killed the nephew of the Emperor of China when he ordered the murder of another priest. He escaped to America and eventually founded a temple there, but there was a blood debt on our family. I was called to fulfill that debt by being the defender of the present Emperor."
"Wait a minute," Darien interrupted, "there is no Emperor of China now, not since the revolution."
"I will trust you to keep this secret. He was the third generation to be raised in hiding in San Francisco. I was his bodyguard at his coronation and helped get him back to China. He's a young man now, not much older than you are. Your turn."
Darien filed this tidbit away for future use, held out his cup for a refill and started his tale. "Thousands of years ago, the planets were inhabited and there was a kingdom on each one. It was the time called the Silver Millenium. The Moon Kingdom was the most powerful, it was ruled by a Queen with the power of a magic crystal: the Silver Imperium Crystal. She had a beautiful daughter, the Princess Serenity. The Princess fell in love with Endymion, the Prince of the Earth. A great evil came and destroyed the Moon Kingdom, and Prince and Princess were killed. With the last of her power, the Queen sent the spirits of those that were killed, good and bad, to the future to fight again."
"Nice fairy tale. What does it have to do with you?"
"I am the Prince reborn. A lot of my skills I remember from that time. The rest I've gained fighting demons to protect Sailor Moon."
"Don't tell me, you're not." Peter started, unbelieving. He had heard of a lot of weird stuff happening in Tokyo, about demons and magic girls and one guy.
"Tuxedo Mask." Darien finished, producing a rose with a flourish.
"Does that mean your girlfriend Serena, is your Princess?"
"And Sailor Moon."
He whistled, "No wonder you wanted her to have lessons."
"How is she doing?" Darien inquired with a dash of reality.
"She's amazing at dodging. She has her own unique style," Peter admitted, "I've reinforced that with street self-defense which we used to teach at the Police department. Come to think of it, why don't you bring her with you to class, I'd like to see how you work as a team."
"I'll try and arrange it, our schedules are a bit erratic. Ready to admit defeat?"
"Not quite. One more, a tale of ancient prophecy and time travel."
"Sounds interesting," smiled Darien.
"On an ancient scroll found in a monastery, there was a prophecy that stated 'the last of the line shall teach the first.' It referred to the first Shaolin priest of the line of Kwai Chang, five hundred years ago. The monastery and the village it was in were under siege from a warlord. My father and I traveled through the Book of Shamballa back to that time. I taught my ancestor how to fight using kung fu while my father worked to find a cure for the poison that was killing the villagers. With the methods of kung fu, they were able to defeat the warlord. With the cycle completed, and the prophecy fulfilled, we returned to the present," Peter finished triumphantly.
Darien was impressed; fate had led him to an extraordinary man. Then he smiled, time to one-up him. "Good story. I especially liked the part when you helped your ancestor."
"Can you tell a better one?" Peter challenged, curious.
The younger man nodded, then started, "In the far future, a thousand years from now will be the Kingdom of Crystal Tokyo, the most advanced and powerful on Earth. But it will be attacked by the Black Moon family of Nemesis, the tenth planet. With the Queen of Crystal Tokyo entombed in a stasis chamber of crystal and the King wounded and in a coma; the King, using psychic projection, orders the city's final defenses and the guardians to protect the palace with a force field formed by their life energy. Only the Princess, a small child, escaped to seek help in the past. She came here to the present seeking the Silver Crystal to save her mother and the kingdom. She found Sailor Moon."
"The Princess had been followed to the past by members of the Black Moon family, who sought to capture her and the Crystal. Sailor Moon and I and the Scouts fought to protect her. It was a time of great personal trials. Just when we needed to be strongest, my nightmares weakened our team. Your advice, Peter, helped me to reconcile with her barely in time. We traveled to the future and faced the leader of the Black Moon family and defeated him. But there was a darker, stronger force behind him that wanted to use the power it felt in the little Princess to take over the Earth. Using the child's weaknesses, it changed her to a woman filled with hate and with the power to destroy the world." Darien's face darkened with the memory.
"It was a dark day in Tokyo that she appeared, and it was the love that Sailor Moon and I had for her that changed her back into her sweet self. Together, Sailor Moon and the small Princess used the powers of the present and future Silver Crystals to defeat the evil force, saving the present and the future." He closed his eyes, recalling the terrible fear that they had both been lost.
"I felt that, the evil- and the return of light," Peter admitted.
"You might wonder how we could love the little girl so much that she would respond to Sailor Moon and I. It was a feeling we had that was confirmed when we went to the future. The little Princess is, ... will be... our daughter. Serena and I will be the rulers of Crystal Tokyo."
Peter's jaw dropped and he stared as Darien finished his story. Then he closed his eyes and swallowed, collecting his thoughts. "Wait a minute, Chiba, you are going a bit too far! A thousand years from now and you are king? You ask me to believe it? I might as well ask you to believe in the Holy Grail!"
*Oh yeah, Andrew definitely would have thought I was drunk or something,* Darien smirked inwardly. "Actually, I do," he said out loud.
"Do what?" Peter asked, exasperated.
"Believe in the Holy Grail."
"The Holy Grail- the Chalice of I-Ching, has been hidden in a chapel in France since the Crusades. I know, I saw it there."
"It was hidden until recently." Darien informed him. "The Holy Grail- the Chalice of I-Ching- the Purity Chalice, they are all the same. Only someone with a pure heart can use it."
"My father did," Peter said quietly.
"Sailor Moon does. She uses it to fight the evil that threatens more than our world- our universe now." The young man looked at the other with an air of regality. "I know you believe me, just as you know I believe you," he stated.
They looked into each other's eyes, feeling the truth that each had said. Suddenly they were in another place and faced each other in a circular area guarded by ancient marble columns and surrounded by bushes of red roses. Peter was wearing an orange and black silk gi with the black hand of Kwai Chang on it. Darien was in the black and silver armor of the Prince of Earth.
"This place is familiar, though I don't recall ever being here before," Darien wondered out loud.
"It is a realm of true vision," Peter observed. "We see each other as we truly are, Prince."
"Then I know what we are here for. I have come to lay the foundation of a new Kingdom, based not on greed or oppression, but on love and justice," Prince Endymion said solemnly.
"Peter Caine, you have offered me your service. At this time, I ask only that you promise to protect and defend the Princess and myself and our companions. Will you give me your word?"
Peter made a bow of respect. "I will," he answered, "I will protect you and yours. I will serve the light."
"In the name of the Earth and the Moon, I accept your service. I pledge to support and defend you from this day forward. I welcome you, Peter Caine, as advisor and friend." The Prince stepped forward and offered his hand. Peter grasped it with his and they were again back in his apartment.
"Whoa!" Peter exclaimed, putting his hand to his head, "Does that sort of thing happen often?"
"Yeah, it's like living in the twilight zone sometimes. The experience did not seem entirely strange to you, either."
"No, in the last few years, my life has definitely taken a turn for the weird. Now what do you expect of me?"
"Just be our friend," Darien replied, "and keep our secret. I don't know exactly what, but I think something catastrophic is going to happen relatively soon- maybe in about ten years. Until then, we prepare ourselves the best we can and take one day at a time."
The two were silent for a short time while they contemplated the events of the last hour. "There was a another prophecy of the Shaolin that my father thought would apply to me," Peter said, "and it seems to be true."
"What did it say?"
"'A soldier of justice who became a defender of light shall serve the once and future king.' I thought being in Japan would disqualify me- wrong island."** He started to laugh, and Darien joined him. Finally Peter asked something that he was curious about. "The little princess, did she recover?"
"She is, as you would say, in the pink," Darien answered with a grin.
"In the pink?" Peter repeated. The word conjured the image of a little pink- haired girl who sometimes accompanied Serena and Sammy to their lessons. "You don't mean...little Rini!" Darien nodded, amused at his reaction. The older man's gaze sharpened at all the implications. "You have my admiration and my sympathy. Do Serena's parents know about this, any of it?"
The young man looked uncomfortable, "No, they barely accept that we're dating. It's safer for them and better for Serena that they don't know. You are one of the few not directly involved who do."
"I am honored. Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?"
"Actually, there is. Before all this came up, I wanted to ask you about something." Darien reached into his duffel bag. "I was going through some things of my parents', and I found this," He showed him the picture, "I think it is my grandfather. Do you know how I can find out about him?"
Peter examined the picture. "These letters mean Mobile Armed Services Hospital- American military, the number is the unit. 1953, I think it might be Korea."
"Korea? What about the name on the back, 'Hawkeye'?"
"Could be Native American or a nickname. I'd like to scan this and send it to a friend in San Francisco. He's a whiz on the computer and able to access some government records." Peter led the way to his desk, which had a computer, a scanner and a printer. He turned it on and scanned the picture in.
"Nice system," Darien commented.
"Yeah, I use it to keep up with what's happening with my friends in the States. It always bugged me that Pop didn't even have a phone. Ok, that does it." The picture showed on the screen, slightly enlarged. The man appeared to be tall with a lanky build. He was smiling and wore a military uniform. "There is a resemblance to you," Peter noted.
"Do you think so?" Darien asked hopefully.
"Yes, the build, the jaw-line, the cheekbones...hey, I think there's a nametag."
"Can you enlarge it some more?"
"I'll try," he replied, clicking the mouse, "but... ahh, I've lost resolution. Kermit should be able to do this. We'll know in a couple of days."
"Thanks, Peter." Darien started to gather his things.
"Don't mention it. It's been some night, huh?"
"It's been some day, but a good one. Bye."
"Remember, you and Serena: I want both of you to show up."
*I don't own Starbucks and I figure this takes place before the international explosion of franchises.
**I am referring to Arthurian legends.
AN: I also do not own Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. I hope you enjoyed this retelling of tales. Next chapter, Ikuko does some thinking. By the way, Lindy.girl hit the bull's eye. Review, please.