Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Yu Yu Hakusho. *Sigh* But, oh, how I wish I did.
Reign of Cherry Blossoms
Cherry blossom petals
Imprisoned by angry thorns
Wither away
Chapter Three: Distant Blossoms
He gazed at the picture before him, into the familiar eyes of the girl who smiled lovingly at him from the well-worn photo. How he wished that she was still alive...then he could beg for her forgiveness and hold her one more. For over sixty years he had lived without her warmth and love. For all those lonely years he had lived in sorrow and guilt for the betrayal of his beloved princess. He was nothing without her.
And now, after so long, she had finally been reborn. Now they could be together again...now and forever more, as soon as they returned her memories and awakened the princess. It did not cross his mind to wonder why he, nor the others, had sensed the rebirth of their princess. He, like they, only thought of getting her back. She was the light in the darkness to them and without her life was simply not worth living. Especially to him.
Setting down the worn picture he glanced at another that sat on the table before him. It was a picture of what the princess looked like now. He stared down at the girl with rose red hair held in two large buns, unlike the girl in the last picture she did not have pigtails trailing from each one, her bangs curled, and she had wide blue-green eyes instead of the deep sapphire of his love and an adorable expression of surprise on her pretty child-like face.
She was young this time around, only twelve years old. He sighed. In her last life there had been an age gap between them. She had been only fourteen years old and he had been twenty. Now he was eighty-two years old, though he only looked twenty, and she was twelve. He flinched at the thought. 'Perhaps we should wait a few more years...but Pluto said that we must retrieve the princess as soon as possible.' He thought. 'Why must we awaken her now? Why is it so important? Is something going to happen in the future that will affect our plans? If yes, what will happen?'
A frown worked its way on to his face as he leaned back in his chair. "I don't want to lose her again." He said out loud. "Part of me died the last time and it hurt living all these years without her. I don't want to live through that pain again." With a long sigh he touched the picture of the girl named Usagi. "I won't lose you again." He whispered. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he thought of his long dead love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Go away and let me sleep." Usagi muttered as she rolled over in her bed. Someone shook her shoulders again, harder this time. "No...please go away." Pulling the covers over her head she curled into a tiny ball.
"Imouto..." A familiar and much loved voice muttered. "It gets harder to wake you every time I try." There was a sigh.
Usagi's eyes snapped open and she lay perfectly still. "...O-oniisan?" She questioned meekly as she pulled the cover down a few inches to stare into the deep green eyes of her big brother. "Is that...really you?" She asked as she put a hesitant hand on his cheek.
He smiled. "You act as if I have returned from the dead." Shuiichi commented.
Usagi smiled back, but it wasn't a happy smile. The smile made him a bit nervous, in fact. "Oniisan..." She whispered. Sitting up slowly, still feeling the effects of sleep, she clutched her pillow with one hand and hit him with it. "You leave so suddenly and then you don't call or write me!" She shouted while jumping up and beating him with her pillow. He blinked in surprise at the first hit and then put an arm up to defend himself from the brutal assault his sister was wreaking upon him with her pillow. "I was worried about you, don't you care?! Where were you?! Oniisan!!" She cried swinging the pillow at him again.
Shuiichi caught the pillow and yanked it away from her. Usagi pouted and glared at him. "It's nice to see you too, imouto." He said dryly.
Usagi put her hands on her little hips. "Where'd you go Oniisan? Why didn't you stay with me and Okaachan?" She looked at him with watery eyes.
Shuiichi took her hand and pulled her into a hug. "I had something personal to take care of. It is nothing for you to worry about." He said softly, stroking her hair.
Usagi pressed her face against his chest. "Oniisan...you have no idea how much I missed you." She whispered.
"I missed you too, imouto." He murmured.
Pulling away she gave him her best smile and hopped to her feet. "Come on I'm hungry!" She said tugging on his hand eagerly.
Shuiichi smiled faintly at her childish antics and her sudden change of mood but that smile soon vanished as he caught sight of her hand. "What happened?" He said in concern.
Usagi looked away from him. "..."
"Hikari..." He said sternly.
Usagi flinched unconsciously. The only time her mother or her brother ever called her Hikari was when she was in trouble or if it was something serious. "Oniisan it's not important...I just had a little accident." She said softly, while trying to get her hand way from him.
"Hikari you know you can always tell me anything." Shuiichi said gently.
Usagi stared into his eyes, a frown on her lips. "Shuiichi..." She muttered and then looked away. "It's not important."
Shuiichi sighed. 'Might as well give it up. She is one of the most stubborn people I know.' He thought as he released her hand.
"Can we go eat now?!" Usagi asked impatiently. "No more interrogations today, ok?
"Hai." He said giving her a smile.
"Good. Now lets eat!!" She chirped as she once again took his hand and started to drag him from her room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I've been unable to get near her." Luna told them. Inwardly shuddering as she thought about the last time she tired to make contact and had been nearly squeezed to death by an evil blond haired creature.
Makoto sighed. "Maybe we should work together to get her alone somewhere." She suggested.
Ami smiled at her. "That is not a bad idea. If we can locate her then perhaps we can manage a way to get her into a secluded area." She told them.
"Where's Darien?" Rei asked quietly.
The others paused. Minako frowned. "I'm worried about him. He took her death pretty hard. It must be killing him to know that she's alive but she doesn't remember him." She said.
"I suppose you're right." Luna said. "That is why we need to work harder to awaken her. For him and for the future."
"What about her?" Rei asked, looking away into the shadowed corners of the room.
Silence descended upon the group as no one could come up with an answer to that question. Unease followed on silences heels, filling up the hearts of the senshi.
"For the princess." Artemis said quietly. "Without her the future doesn't exist."
"Hai." The others replied.
Still Rei turned her face away from the others. Too many questions plagued her heart now. Ever since her death everything had fallen apart. 'Serena...'
~~~~~~~~~~~~
ACHOO! Usagi blinked and rubbed her nose. Her brother looked with concern. "You're not catching a cold are you?" He asked.
Usagi shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean I feel fine, maybe someone's talking about me." She replied and smiled at him. "At least I hope so, I wouldn't want to get sick on your first day back." She said.
"No, we couldn't have that." Shuiichi said with a smile.
Usagi sighed. "My schools just up ahead. I'll see you later Oniisan." She said as she stood up on her tip toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Later!" She said quickly before she walked away from him.
"Bye imouto!" He called after her. She paused once to wave back at him before disappearing behind the schools walls.
Usagi hurried to her locker, hopefully none of the members of her fan club would stop her. Boy, was she glad it was the last week of school.
Just as she started to pray not to be spotted a shout erupted from the crowded grounds. "USAGI-SAMA!"
She groaned when she realized it was Kobayashi. "Why me?" She asked no one in particular. She spotted the blond coming towards her at high speed a few feet away. Sidestepping when the girl came in reach she heard a thud as Kobayashi hit a tree. "Nikki I'm not in the mood." She muttered as she continued her way up to the school while _accidentally_ stepping on the unconscious girl.
It would seem it just wasn't her day when she saw Kagamino Aya standing by her locker. "Aya, please move." She said softly, stopping in front of the taller girl.
Aya smiled down at her with seeming innocence. "Usagi I just wanted to speak to you."
"Great, we can talk later...say in seven years? Perhaps ten." Usagi said giving the girl before her a weak glare. "What'cha want?" She asked seeing Aya wasn't moving.
"Well...I was just wondering what was going on with you and the King of Ner...oops I mean Kado-san." Aya asked.
Usagi frowned. "I'm his friend, or at least I was, why?"
"Oh...I just...heard that you two were a couple that's all." Aya twittered nervously.
Shock flooded over Usagi's face at her words. "NANI!!!" She shrieked.
Aya backed away, surprised by the other girls out burst. Usagi advanced on her and grabbed her by the bow on her uniform. "WHO TOLD YOU THAT?!" Usagi demanded at the top of her lungs. Students passing by turned to stare at her.
Aya licked her lips. "I-It's all over the school..." She said nervously.
Usagi released Aya's bow and clenched her fists, glaring at the ground. She didn't care how this affected her personally, she was more worried about Kado-san...if the other students beat him up for just being her friend...then this rumor would surly be his death. 'Kado-san...this is all my fault...' She thought sadly. "Aya...just go. Please...I don't want to see you."
Closing her eyes for a moment she tried to gather her wits. 'I can't let him get hurt again. Urameshi-san wont be there the next time to save him...' She thought.
Opening her eyes she sighed and opened her locker. Today was going to be a long day...an it looked like it would be an unhappy one at that.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Haruka frowned and looked up at the sky. "The wind's changed." She said matter-of-factly.
Michiru rested a hand on her lover's shoulder. "The sea's are uneasy as well." The aqua haired female said as she brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.
Haruka put an arm around her shoulders and held her close. "I'm worried about the princess." Haruka whispered.
Michiru closed her eyes, simply enjoying Haruka's warmth. "I am too...but there is nothing we can do yet. We can only hope that the Inners awaken her quickly." She murmured.
"I know." Haruka said her eyes on the distant horizon.
Please R & R!!!
Reign of Cherry Blossoms
Cherry blossom petals
Imprisoned by angry thorns
Wither away
Chapter Three: Distant Blossoms
He gazed at the picture before him, into the familiar eyes of the girl who smiled lovingly at him from the well-worn photo. How he wished that she was still alive...then he could beg for her forgiveness and hold her one more. For over sixty years he had lived without her warmth and love. For all those lonely years he had lived in sorrow and guilt for the betrayal of his beloved princess. He was nothing without her.
And now, after so long, she had finally been reborn. Now they could be together again...now and forever more, as soon as they returned her memories and awakened the princess. It did not cross his mind to wonder why he, nor the others, had sensed the rebirth of their princess. He, like they, only thought of getting her back. She was the light in the darkness to them and without her life was simply not worth living. Especially to him.
Setting down the worn picture he glanced at another that sat on the table before him. It was a picture of what the princess looked like now. He stared down at the girl with rose red hair held in two large buns, unlike the girl in the last picture she did not have pigtails trailing from each one, her bangs curled, and she had wide blue-green eyes instead of the deep sapphire of his love and an adorable expression of surprise on her pretty child-like face.
She was young this time around, only twelve years old. He sighed. In her last life there had been an age gap between them. She had been only fourteen years old and he had been twenty. Now he was eighty-two years old, though he only looked twenty, and she was twelve. He flinched at the thought. 'Perhaps we should wait a few more years...but Pluto said that we must retrieve the princess as soon as possible.' He thought. 'Why must we awaken her now? Why is it so important? Is something going to happen in the future that will affect our plans? If yes, what will happen?'
A frown worked its way on to his face as he leaned back in his chair. "I don't want to lose her again." He said out loud. "Part of me died the last time and it hurt living all these years without her. I don't want to live through that pain again." With a long sigh he touched the picture of the girl named Usagi. "I won't lose you again." He whispered. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he thought of his long dead love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Go away and let me sleep." Usagi muttered as she rolled over in her bed. Someone shook her shoulders again, harder this time. "No...please go away." Pulling the covers over her head she curled into a tiny ball.
"Imouto..." A familiar and much loved voice muttered. "It gets harder to wake you every time I try." There was a sigh.
Usagi's eyes snapped open and she lay perfectly still. "...O-oniisan?" She questioned meekly as she pulled the cover down a few inches to stare into the deep green eyes of her big brother. "Is that...really you?" She asked as she put a hesitant hand on his cheek.
He smiled. "You act as if I have returned from the dead." Shuiichi commented.
Usagi smiled back, but it wasn't a happy smile. The smile made him a bit nervous, in fact. "Oniisan..." She whispered. Sitting up slowly, still feeling the effects of sleep, she clutched her pillow with one hand and hit him with it. "You leave so suddenly and then you don't call or write me!" She shouted while jumping up and beating him with her pillow. He blinked in surprise at the first hit and then put an arm up to defend himself from the brutal assault his sister was wreaking upon him with her pillow. "I was worried about you, don't you care?! Where were you?! Oniisan!!" She cried swinging the pillow at him again.
Shuiichi caught the pillow and yanked it away from her. Usagi pouted and glared at him. "It's nice to see you too, imouto." He said dryly.
Usagi put her hands on her little hips. "Where'd you go Oniisan? Why didn't you stay with me and Okaachan?" She looked at him with watery eyes.
Shuiichi took her hand and pulled her into a hug. "I had something personal to take care of. It is nothing for you to worry about." He said softly, stroking her hair.
Usagi pressed her face against his chest. "Oniisan...you have no idea how much I missed you." She whispered.
"I missed you too, imouto." He murmured.
Pulling away she gave him her best smile and hopped to her feet. "Come on I'm hungry!" She said tugging on his hand eagerly.
Shuiichi smiled faintly at her childish antics and her sudden change of mood but that smile soon vanished as he caught sight of her hand. "What happened?" He said in concern.
Usagi looked away from him. "..."
"Hikari..." He said sternly.
Usagi flinched unconsciously. The only time her mother or her brother ever called her Hikari was when she was in trouble or if it was something serious. "Oniisan it's not important...I just had a little accident." She said softly, while trying to get her hand way from him.
"Hikari you know you can always tell me anything." Shuiichi said gently.
Usagi stared into his eyes, a frown on her lips. "Shuiichi..." She muttered and then looked away. "It's not important."
Shuiichi sighed. 'Might as well give it up. She is one of the most stubborn people I know.' He thought as he released her hand.
"Can we go eat now?!" Usagi asked impatiently. "No more interrogations today, ok?
"Hai." He said giving her a smile.
"Good. Now lets eat!!" She chirped as she once again took his hand and started to drag him from her room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I've been unable to get near her." Luna told them. Inwardly shuddering as she thought about the last time she tired to make contact and had been nearly squeezed to death by an evil blond haired creature.
Makoto sighed. "Maybe we should work together to get her alone somewhere." She suggested.
Ami smiled at her. "That is not a bad idea. If we can locate her then perhaps we can manage a way to get her into a secluded area." She told them.
"Where's Darien?" Rei asked quietly.
The others paused. Minako frowned. "I'm worried about him. He took her death pretty hard. It must be killing him to know that she's alive but she doesn't remember him." She said.
"I suppose you're right." Luna said. "That is why we need to work harder to awaken her. For him and for the future."
"What about her?" Rei asked, looking away into the shadowed corners of the room.
Silence descended upon the group as no one could come up with an answer to that question. Unease followed on silences heels, filling up the hearts of the senshi.
"For the princess." Artemis said quietly. "Without her the future doesn't exist."
"Hai." The others replied.
Still Rei turned her face away from the others. Too many questions plagued her heart now. Ever since her death everything had fallen apart. 'Serena...'
~~~~~~~~~~~~
ACHOO! Usagi blinked and rubbed her nose. Her brother looked with concern. "You're not catching a cold are you?" He asked.
Usagi shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean I feel fine, maybe someone's talking about me." She replied and smiled at him. "At least I hope so, I wouldn't want to get sick on your first day back." She said.
"No, we couldn't have that." Shuiichi said with a smile.
Usagi sighed. "My schools just up ahead. I'll see you later Oniisan." She said as she stood up on her tip toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Later!" She said quickly before she walked away from him.
"Bye imouto!" He called after her. She paused once to wave back at him before disappearing behind the schools walls.
Usagi hurried to her locker, hopefully none of the members of her fan club would stop her. Boy, was she glad it was the last week of school.
Just as she started to pray not to be spotted a shout erupted from the crowded grounds. "USAGI-SAMA!"
She groaned when she realized it was Kobayashi. "Why me?" She asked no one in particular. She spotted the blond coming towards her at high speed a few feet away. Sidestepping when the girl came in reach she heard a thud as Kobayashi hit a tree. "Nikki I'm not in the mood." She muttered as she continued her way up to the school while _accidentally_ stepping on the unconscious girl.
It would seem it just wasn't her day when she saw Kagamino Aya standing by her locker. "Aya, please move." She said softly, stopping in front of the taller girl.
Aya smiled down at her with seeming innocence. "Usagi I just wanted to speak to you."
"Great, we can talk later...say in seven years? Perhaps ten." Usagi said giving the girl before her a weak glare. "What'cha want?" She asked seeing Aya wasn't moving.
"Well...I was just wondering what was going on with you and the King of Ner...oops I mean Kado-san." Aya asked.
Usagi frowned. "I'm his friend, or at least I was, why?"
"Oh...I just...heard that you two were a couple that's all." Aya twittered nervously.
Shock flooded over Usagi's face at her words. "NANI!!!" She shrieked.
Aya backed away, surprised by the other girls out burst. Usagi advanced on her and grabbed her by the bow on her uniform. "WHO TOLD YOU THAT?!" Usagi demanded at the top of her lungs. Students passing by turned to stare at her.
Aya licked her lips. "I-It's all over the school..." She said nervously.
Usagi released Aya's bow and clenched her fists, glaring at the ground. She didn't care how this affected her personally, she was more worried about Kado-san...if the other students beat him up for just being her friend...then this rumor would surly be his death. 'Kado-san...this is all my fault...' She thought sadly. "Aya...just go. Please...I don't want to see you."
Closing her eyes for a moment she tried to gather her wits. 'I can't let him get hurt again. Urameshi-san wont be there the next time to save him...' She thought.
Opening her eyes she sighed and opened her locker. Today was going to be a long day...an it looked like it would be an unhappy one at that.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Haruka frowned and looked up at the sky. "The wind's changed." She said matter-of-factly.
Michiru rested a hand on her lover's shoulder. "The sea's are uneasy as well." The aqua haired female said as she brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.
Haruka put an arm around her shoulders and held her close. "I'm worried about the princess." Haruka whispered.
Michiru closed her eyes, simply enjoying Haruka's warmth. "I am too...but there is nothing we can do yet. We can only hope that the Inners awaken her quickly." She murmured.
"I know." Haruka said her eyes on the distant horizon.
Please R & R!!!