Orion Saga
Part 1
Quest for the Orbs
Chapter 23: Guarded Secrets
Zentora is sitting in her room on the large plush chair next to the balcony door. She's been looking at nothing for two hours, but her mind has been racing since the moment she woke up earlier that morning.
'There's only one orb left. What happens after I've found them all? Will I still have to deal with being a senshi? And how can I keep my promise?'
She stares at the wall now, thinking about the orb holders. Four people doomed to a dreamless life. Then her thoughts drift to Haruka. 'How could she kiss me? And why didn't I pull away?'
¨~¨~¨~¨
"Zentora, you've been in here all morning. Are you alright?" Jalise cracks the door and Pup walks into the room.
¨~¨~¨~¨
The icy blue eyes gaze at Madame Chimera with limited patience. "I would have expected more from you. Much more."
She bows lower at the unrelenting gaze of her Queen. "I apologize, majesty. Only the scouts were there. There was no way for me to have retrieved them without confrontation. Sailor Moon herself ordered Orion restrained."
Andromeda raises an eyebrow as her frigid eyes gaze at Chimera. "Did she…"
"Yes, she was going to kill the orb holder. I'm sure that she would have destroyed me if I had intervened."
Queen Andromeda nods. "I see." She closes her eyes for a moment, reflecting on what she has just been told. From her own experiences, she knows that Orion is a force to be reckoned with, yet she cannot remember the senshi ever trying to kill anyone other than her worst enemies. The eyes open and focus again on Chimera. "I don't know what Orion is trying to pull, but we have no time to waste. We must retrieve the last orb."
The green eyes are cast upward in curiosity. "What good will that do us, majesty?"
Andromeda looks at Madame Chimera. "Maybe very little, but we'll just have to wait and see. Without those orbs, there is no way that I can lay claim to the Star Empire."
Madame Chimera looks at her Queen.
"I have something that help in decreasing mistakes for finding the last holder." She extends her hands, clasping them together. A blue light flashes and when the palms of the long pale hands are opened, a glass rose is seen.
Madame Chimera looks at it with amazement. She then looks at her queen waiting for the explanation.
"This is what you will use to find the last holder. Pin it to your dress."
Taking the flower, the woman does as told. Andromeda continues to speak. "This flower will use your life energy as its power. It should help you to locate the final orb. Hopefully, before Orion can figure out what we're up to."
"Yes, majesty."
"Now. Listen closely. If that flower breaks, then you will die."
The woman nods solemnly. "I will seek the orb now."
¨~¨~¨~¨
"Are you serious, Usagi-chan?"
Usagi nods to her guardian. "I had to get Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Uranus to hold her down. She was seriously going to kill him if I hadn't."
The black cat is silent for a moment. "Orion can be a dangerous force to reckon with, but I have never heard of any senshi attempting such a thing."
"Do you know anything about Orion that you aren't telling me, Luna? I mean, when we were about to save her sister, you and Artemis talked to her guardians as if you knew them."
"We did."
Usagi leans her head on the desk so that she can be at eye level with her guardian. Luna continues. "It was sometime ago. Her family and your family were great friends."
Usagi looks skeptical. "Are you sure about that? She's not really a very social person and as a scout she doesn't seem to like me very much."
"I'm sure. It was during the Silver Millennium. Her mother was the queen of the Star Empire. It's a very far off kingdom."
"Then why is she here?"
"For the orbs, I suppose. Only-" Luna's trail of thought is broken when something else occurs to her.
"Only what?"
"Something must have changed her."
¨~¨~¨~¨
"Zentora?"
The brown eyes turn away from the book. Sirius is sitting next to the girl. "Yes, mom?"
"Someone's at the door for you."
"Who is it?"
"One of your friends."
"Do you know which one?"
"I think she said her name was Usagi?"
"I don't have anything to say to her."
'Go ahead, Zentora.'
She glances at Pup. 'I said I was sorry.'
'Go on. We need to talk to them anyway. Even if you don't.'
Zentora looks at her mother. "Um…I'll be out in a minute."
"Alright."
¨~¨~¨~¨
Usagi is sitting on the couch with Luna in her lap. The two of them take in their surroundings. Against her better judgment, she asked Michiru where the girl lived. It was Luna's idea to try talking to her, but it was a wild card. Usagi is unsure if Zentora would even want to talk to her after what had happened.
The sound of the quiet voice causes the blonde young woman to turn around. Zentora is standing with her guardians on either side of her. Usagi stands up. "I think we need to talk Zentora-chan."
"Let's go somewhere else then." She walks over to the closet near the door and puts on her shoes. Pup's leash is clamped on and the five of them leave the apartment.
Usagi and Zentora walk in silence for a few moments. Zentora flicks a few strands of hair from her eyes and continues to look ahead of her. "What do you want?"
Startled by the question, Usagi stops walking. She has to run to catch up to the taller girl. "I wanted to talk to you about the other night. Why would you do that?"
Zentora looks at Usagi from the corner of her eye. "I've already apologized for it. It was a lapse, but I will not explain myself to you."
Luna looks at her with surprise. 'What do Sirius and Pup have to say about this?'
Usagi is unsure of what to say. "I-I'm only wondering what's going on. You said that the holders would be alright without their stones."
Zentora turns and looks at her fully. She points over to a bench and they walk over and sit down. Luna jumps down from Usagi's shoulder. "I'll be back later. I need to speak with Sirius and Pup in private."
Zentora nods and places her knapsack on the bench, helping Sirius out. The smoky gray cat leaps to the ground and stands next to Luna. "We'll be back as soon as we can." Zentora watches her guardians leave with the sleek black cat.
¨~¨~¨~¨
"About the holders. Why did you try to kill that man? I thought they would be alright."
Zentora is silent for a while. "It's only a half truth."
"But they are alive aren't they?"
Usagi is surprised by the hard look that enters the normally placid brown eyes at her statement. "If all life is to you is walking and breathing, then maybe you shouldn't be talking to me about this. Because you'll never understand my mission."
Usagi looks at the girl as she stands. "Don't leave. What do you mean?"
"Akiyama-sensei was a very passionate man. He had a dream that was just beginning to realize itself and become a goal. Go! Go and look at him now. Tell me how you find him. Then ask yourself why I felt the need to take his life. What good is life if it is empty and meaningless? Go and find him!"
Usagi can only stare. The girl's head is lowered so that the thick locks fall in front of her face. Her eyes are invisible through the wall of hair. Yet, when she speaks, something in her voice gives away her pain. Usagi had never witnessed the side of Zentora. All she knew was the cold-hearted façade of Orion and the quiet wisdom of this silent girl. Never had she considered them to be a front for this.
¨~¨~¨~¨
Luna sits on her haunches and waits for the other two guardians to get comfortable. The three of them are hidden beneath some shrubs in an apartment complex.
Sirius looks at her. "I assumed you would want to talk to us after what happened."
"So Zentora told you then?"
"Yes. We must admit. We were a little surprised ourselves."
Luna looks at them. "She's so different than what I remember."
Pup's gentle voice is in their minds. 'She is merely having trouble with her mission. If you remember, she is a very softhearted person. She just doesn't want anyone to be hurt. Sadly, she feels that killing the holders would prevent any further suffering on their parts. She's come a long way since we found her.'
Luna turns to Pup. "She didn't come here with you?"
The cocker spaniel shakes his head. 'We were separated long before the orbs disappeared. Empress Auria sent us here to find them. That's when we found Orion.'
¨~¨~¨~¨
Usagi looks at Zentora who is sitting beside her once again. The girl is silent as she stares across the street. "I never expected anything like this. I thought I would just find the orbs and be done with it. But since I came to Japan, things have been strange for me."
Nodding, Usagi remembers when she first became Sailor Moon. She has been a senshi for seven years now. She doubts if Zentora has been a scout for more than four months. Yet she is at a level that it had taken Usagi a long time to reach. "Do you want to talk about it, Zentora-chan?"
The quiet girl looks at her. Something in her lucid brown eyes calms down and there is a hint of silent gratitude. "Domo Arigatou. Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't want to talk with you about it."
"That's okay."
¨~¨~¨~¨
"Luna looks at them. "When you found her, did she have any knowledge of ever being Orion?"
Sirius looks at Luna. "No…she didn't. We thought that strange in itself. No star senshi has ever had to go through the reincarnation process the way your kids do. The star senshi retain at least the knowledge that they are senshi when they are reborn. There's no explanation as to why she wouldn't remember who she was."
Luna nods. "So she doesn't really know who or what she really is does she?"
Pup shakes his head. 'No. She doesn't. And I don't think it would be wise to tell her right now.'
Luna looks at Pup with a puzzled expression. "But why-"
His gentle voice pierces through their minds as he explains. 'I don't think she needs any undue pressure. She has much more to deal with than just the surface issues. It would be against my better judgment to begin telling her of her former life. For whatever reason, she doesn't seem to be aware of it. I'd just as soon not tell her until we've tackled our current task.'
Sirius looks at Pup. "I didn't agree with him at first, but he has a point. It would be foolish to tell her who she is. Especially now. You see, she's been having dreams lately. I think that these dreams are presenting the details to her more clearly than we ever could."
"Are you sure?"
'No. We aren't. She likes to keep some things to herself and at any rate; it's a risk I'm willing to take.'
Luna nods at his words. "Does she at least know of the Star Force?"
"In which way, Luna? That she is the Star Force or of what it can do?"
"Either."
"She knows of what it can do. That is all."
"So you don't plan on telling her about that either?"
Pup's hazel eyes gaze intently at the black cat. 'With Usagi, I'm sure that as her guardian, you did not start her off telling her everything that you knew. Especially not with her character. She would not have accepted it. Zentora is younger than your kids. I do not believe in putting pressure on her and making her worry about things that may never come to pass. My role is to be her guardian. I am here to protect her. Sirius and I tell her what she needs to know in time for her to use it. She will not wander around worrying about what she may become. She knows what she is now. That is all I can dare to tell her. We ask for her best and she gives it to us because she knows that she is the only one who can do what she must do.'
Luna looks at him. "So she doesn't know."
'No. She does not. I am undecided as to when we will tell her.'
¨~¨~¨~¨
Zentora is sitting with Usagi when she hears the Pup's voice echoing through her mind, interrupting her thoughts. 'Zentora, are you ready to leave now?'
She nods. 'If you and Sirius don't mind, I'm going alone for a walk once I take you home.'
'I understand.'
~¨~¨~
Ogechi looks up from her book when she hears the doorbell. Her sister is preparing lunch in the kitchen and Samaru is in his room. She opens he door and looks at the visitor with surprise. "Zentora. Hello."
The quiet girl nods her greeting. "Is Samaru here?"
"Yes, he is. He will be pleased to see you."
Zentora sits on the couch, silently waiting. She has no idea why she came to see him or what she will say.
"Hello."
She looks up at the smooth sound of his voice. "Hi, Samaru."
He sits down next to her. "I wasn't expecting you. What's up?"
"I don't really know."
He looks at her and they sit in awkward silence for a few moments. Samaru places his hand on Zentora's. "I-uh…I saw your paintings the other day."
"So you know too."
"Yeah. No point in avoiding it. I figured you needed to talk."
"I guess."
He is silent for a moment. "Maybe you should. How many orbs does that make?"
"Three. I only have one left to find." She looks at his hand as it covers her own. Her and his cousins seem to be the only other people who know about her mission. She never explained to him, but she knows he has all the details.
"Do you know what you will have to do once you find the last one?"
Zentora shakes head. "You do though, don't you? I mean, being who you are. What you've been telling me all this time."
"Yes, I do…and deep down, so do you. But for some reason, you don't remember. The same way you don't remember us." His voice is quiet and reflective.
From the tone that he takes, Zentora can tell that he is still struggling with her refusal to believe that she is who he tells her. But this time, she doesn't try to avoid the conversation.
"Zentora. Have Sirius and Pup told you everything you need to know?"
"What are you getting at?"
"There are some things…little things and big things that you don't seem to be aware of. I don't know why and it worries me."
"Things like what? Just because I don't remember life on some far off star, you assume my guardians are lying to me?"
"No. It's because you don't know your duties. And I didn't say they were lying to you. Keeping things from you, yes."
"Things like what?"
"He turns his body towards her and gazes into her eyes. He is looking for a sign of the girl he fell in love with. The girl who remembered life as a resident of Orion. But all he can see is that faint flicker that ripples the deep brown pools of her eyes. "I don't think that I should be the one to tell you. At least, not now. I trust that one day you will remember for yourself. And when you do, you will be my Oriana completely."
Zentora looks up at him in surprise. He pulls her close to him and just as he is about to kiss her…
~¨~¨~
"Zentora, are you alright?"
She opens her eyes and looks at the figure standing over her. "Mom?" She glances around and realizes that she is in her room. 'Was it a dream?'
Jalise looks at her daughter with concern. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine, mom. Why?"
"You stormed in here yesterday after going out with your friends Usagi and went straight to your room. You've been in here a long time. I thought you might want to talk about it."
Zentora looks at her clock to see that it's 10:30 am. Pup hadn't bothered to wake her up. She suddenly finds herself wondering where her guardians are. "No, mom. I'm okay. I was just little tired."
"Alright then, honey. There are bagels and orange juice in the fridge. I'm going with your father to take Nyumi shopping. She's outgrown all of her summer outfits."
"Okay, mom. I'll see you later."
Jalise walks over to the door. "And, Zentora. You know you can always talk to me if you need to right?"
"Yes, mom."
¨~¨~¨~¨
Zentora is alone in the living room after seeing her parents off. She leans against the door and runs a hand through the thick locks. She glances around the apartment. She's sure that her brother Louise is out with friends, but she is still takes the cordless phone into her room.
¨~¨~¨~¨
A male hand lifts the receiver. "Hello."
"Samaru?"
"Zentora. It's nice to hear from you. How've you been?"
"Um…okay. I need to ask you something."
Samaru notices the strange tone in her voice. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to know if I visited you yesterday."
He contemplates the strange question. "No, you didn't."
On the other end of the phone, she stares into space. 'I didn't visit him. But why would I dream about…?'
Her thoughts are interrupted by the gentle voice on the other end of the line. "What's happening?"
"Nothing. I just had a strange dream last night. I think maybe I should talk to Sirius and Pup about it."
"Why? What are you seeing?"
"I don't know. But they may have the answer."
