Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the "Sailor Moon" series. This goes along the lines of the original series, but an alternate dimension. Trust me, eventually, my knight will meet the scouts. Patience is a virtue, so awaiting that moment won't be so bad. REVIEW!!
Chapter 3
Mercury Rising
~ The Dark Universe ~
"Moron! Onyx and Greese are dead….yet they were killed by a little boy!!!??? Are you telling me a child defeated your warriors, Viper!? A little boy?!" Specter shouted, his thin hands wrapping tightly about Viper's neck. Viper wasn't fighting back, but his face was starting to turn blue and his nose had begun to bleed.
"There was a woman with him….He called himself the Moon Knight and she….was Lady Glamour….Their powers are very similar to ours….but I can destroy them….I can, ack, the woman can't always be protecting him. He wouldn't have won without her….I swear! Have mercy!" Viper choked out, his face going purple.
Specter growled at him and threw his body upon the dark floor. "You'll see no mercy from me if you can't handle two humans. You're a dark prince, for pity's sake! Act like it. If this boy is young, he must go to a school in the area. That's what you must attack, go to where he's accustomed too….attack his age group, they are full of ripe energy. Nothing but youth now….murder, emotion drains, dismemberment….make him feel helpless. Do it or die, Viper, don't you make failure a habit!" Specter raged," Now get out of my sight! OUT!"
Viper didn't bother to bow, vanishing away from his lord's presence in a swirl of hissing snakes.
"Trouble, my lord?" said a deep female voice.
Specter raised his head slightly towards the voice, seeing a woman dressed in a black leather outfit, a cape of large black feathers draped over her ivory shoulders.
"Raven, how unpleasant of you to come down from your perch to annoy me. Yes, there is trouble, and Viper had best terminate it or he'll suffer more than a bruised throat." Specter hissed as the slender woman approached him.
Specter gave a slight smile towards her, moving his eyes up and down her approvingly. Raven was his most beautiful dark royal, but her tastes were a little too demeaning for him. She had jet-black hair to match her eyes and lipstick, the tight leather bodice and pants showing off every perfect curve she had to offer. She wore metal spike boots that were as sharp as razors, her fingers tipped with metallic nails to maim her victims with ease.
She was also the most insane member of the Royal Dark Universe family, her heart as black as her clothing. "He's the middle child, you should have sent me in, youth has its advantages, my lord." She cooed, running her fingers across his leg.
"That it does, but I don't remember saying you could go to Earth….you'll be the first to hear about Viper's failure if it occurs. He's done the best of all of you so far, the Dark Goddess is getting stronger with every life he takes. Don't you dare imply I made a bad judgement in letting him take on Earth first." He snarled, shoving her wandering hand away.
"I live you serve, my lord. Just letting you know I'm willing to start my missions as soon as possible. Some things just need a woman's touch. I can certainly handle a little boy…..in my own special way. I might even persuade him to join up….call it a gift." She murmured, walking into the darkness very slowly, smiling all the way.
"We shall see….I'll decide whether to call its a gift….or folly." He muttered, leaning back in his throne gently.
'Beware, Moon Knight, we're coming for you, boy.' he thought wickedly, a grim smile forming on his lips.
~ 3 Days Later ~
-Takozona Junior High -
"Honestly, are you going to avoid this again? We have to find the other knight, Stephen. YOW! Not the face!" Cyrus wailed, getting smack on the nose from Stephen knuckles.
"Quiet, hairball. If the other students hear you talking, they'll slap you on one of the lab tables and dissect you….kitty cutlets don't sound too appealing, do they? People are already jumpy enough since those three girls disappeared yesterday, if I act crazy, they might suspect me." Stephen grumbled, shifting uncomfortably in his gray school uniform as people stared at him hitting his cat.
"Fine," Cyrus whispered," What do you suggest, oh glorious master?"
"Hold your tongue, kitty cat. We can talk at home. I'm already a nerd in everyone's eyes, nutcase doesn't need to be added to that list. Stifle yourself until we get through the day. You're only near me cause its lunch time." Stephen shushed, dropping the cat onto the ground. Cyrus landed neatly on all fours, keeping a few steps behind Stephen as the young man walked off towards the school courtyard.
As Cyrus got a little closer, he noticed that Stephen's eyes were glazed over, a slight smile forming on his lips. 'Oh bother, he's thinking about that Glamour woman again. I swear, we'll never find the other knights if he keeps fantasizing about her.' Cyrus thought angrily, lowering his head down as Stephen let out a content sigh.
'Dear Lord, why does the fate of world have rest in the hands of a teenager who sleeps with his eyes open? I swear, I think I'm being punished. Why can't he focus? Not only are girls in this school vanishing, they are doing the same in other schools, and all the great hero can do is think about getting close to that mysterious Lady Glamour. She could be a member of the Dark Universe, trying to sucker him into a trap. All he thinks about is that woman….when is he going to wake up and accept his responsibilities?" Cyrus thought crossly,' Oh Cyrus, its like expecting testosterone to forbid sex in a body. Teenagers…. why did it have to be a teenager? I hope the next knight is a little more focused than Mr. Sandman here.'
Stephen continued on as if his ears had suddenly stopped working, a dreamy smile plastered across his pale lips. His mind was locked in a wonderful daydream, one that no one could break him out of.
He saw himself standing in a moonlit park, grass blades the color of emerald beneath his shoes as he walked off towards a shimmering lake. There was a woman standing there in a long black dress with long, raven-black hair. She turned around a bit, her masked eyes glistening like pearls.
"Oh Moon Knight, you came at last." Her honeyed voice playing upon his ears like fine music. He smiled at her standing beside her with ease and slipping one arm about her sleek waist. "I'm so happy you waited, Glamour. I've waited so long to tell you how much I love you. And to give you these…." He told her, holding out his free hand before her, opening it to reveal two rose earrings sparkling in his palm.
Her face brightened up, her hand taking his suddenly. He delighted in the warm, soft feeling her skin had upon his, the tiny pinpricks of the earrings barely making him flinch as they poked at him. "You are so wonderful, Moon Knight. No one has ever been so thoughtful to me as you are. I love you." She said sweetly, moving her face closer to his.
He leaned his face towards hers, his body quivering with delight as he felt her breath upon his lips. 'Yes, yes, yes!!' his mind screamed with delight.
The kiss didn't feel as he imagined it would. It was more like being socked in the face. He blinked a moment, the daydream fading away, and Glamour's beautiful image going with it. When he felt a another punch crack into his face, his vision of reality finally came back, yelping as he saw a fist ramming into his face.
Stephen staggered backwards, the sounds of students cheering and booing, his body feeling the pelting of cups and spitballs hitting him. Then he looked towards where the punches came from and saw a very handsome student, his teeth grated into a tight, smiling sneer. Stephen felt like he'd been slugged in the gut when he saw that the pretty boy wasn't fighting him, but rather another student, a female student.
Once he saw the long, purple hair, amber skin, and blue eyes decked about the face of the young woman, her school uniform blow hard in the breeze as she bore her fists up, he knew he was in deep trouble. It was the tanned terror of Takozona Junior High, the brutal beauty Angela Furosuto*. He hadn't really known much about her until one of the guys in their gym class groped her and she beat the stuffing out of him. She made a proclamation that day before the gym teacher took her to the principal's office.
"If any of you primitive screw-heads ever touches me again, you be ready for a fight. I'll only date the guy that can beat me in a fight, I don't date weak losers like that poor slob." She had screamed, but Stephen hadn't given it much thought. He hadn't been paying attention in gym class that day either, and he had the dodge-ball bruises to prove it when he got home.
'Great, the maniac is in another fight….and I walked right into it. Alan's never going to believe this.' Stephen thought, ducking as Angela started to throw punches at him along with the pretty boy behind him.
"How dare you gang up on me, you creeps! Suck fist, angel face." She screamed, her voice filled with rage. Stephen got caught in the shoulder as he tired to dodge the attack, panic setting into his face as he whipped around and saw the pretty boy taking aim.
Stephen threw out his own fist, but missed and started gasping for air as the pretty boy slugged him in the stomach as hard as he could. "I am trying to court this powerful young lady. You're ruining all the fun, shrimp! Go back to pre-school and fight with your own strength size!" the pretty boy glowered, his short blonde hair glistening like pure gold in the afternoon sun, blue eyes full of hate.
Stephen didn't want to take another hit and he knew if he did, both fighters would be all over him. He looked up to see the pretty boy raising both his fists up high to bring them down into Stephen's spine and the young man knew he had to act now. In a flash, Stephen rammed him head into the guy's stomach. As Stephen straightened up his own body, the pretty boy double over, yowling in pain. For a moment, all Stephen could do was stare at the young student, then back at a shocked Angela, whose fists were still raised.
"I'm going to eat you alive, you worthless tick. "the young man said suddenly, and Stephen shook his head, kicking the pretty boy in the face as hard as he could. The pretty boy's head snapped backwards with the rest of his body, crumpling to the ground as blood leaked out of his mouth.
"My mind may wander and maybe this wasn't my fight, but you made it that way. Sweet dreams." Stephen hissed, starting to turn away.
He never got to take a step, feeling Angela tackle him into the pavement, getting him in a tight headlock. "That was my fight and you ruined it, you dork! Now I'm going to have teach you a lesson!" she hollered as she jammed her heels into the backs of his legs.
"For the love of God, get off me you crazy witch! I don't want to fight you! Get off, you maniac!!" Stephen roared, biting Angel's slender finger in desperation. She shrieked, but the hands went right back in place, clawing at him.
'I'm in a cat-fight….God, this is so damn stupid! What does she think we're doing, fighting over that guy!? She's insane!' his minded yelped. He start reaching back, trying to punch at her but he couldn't find his mark since she was right on top of him. His fists just kept hitting dead air.
Stephen squirmed underneath her, gasping harshly with every scratch and hit the girl was plastering on him. The students around them were no help and he couldn't see any teachers around to break them up.
'What are you thinking? If the teachers see me in another fight and they'll call my parents….I don't need to be told to watch where I'm going or the fight speech to bore me to death tonight. I have to subdue her or I'm toast.' He thought, pushing up with all his might to get her off.
To his surprise, she jumped off of him screaming. He took it as a sign and quickly leapt to his feet, a smile forming on his lips as he saw what was causing Angela so much grief.
"Cyrus! Good kitty, for once!" he whispered, close to laughing as he saw the black cat holding on for dear life on the screaming girl's ankle by his teeth. Her skin was bleeding gently about the cat's mouth, the poor girl desperately trying to kick it off.
Stephen charged at her a few seconds later, knocking her flat on her back. He didn't strike at her, merely pinning her down on the ground and glaring at her. A meow sounded a ways off, and he guessed that Cyrus had finally let go.
"Lay off, you maniac. I said I didn't want to fight you, don't you make me want to. Just leave me alone, Angie, leave me the hell alone or I'll kick your brute butt so hard, you're children will be born bruised." He seethed, tightening his grip on her shoulders until she gave him a curt nod.
He rolled off her slowly, then started to walk away. "Nobody treats me like this and just walks away!" he heard her grumble, the shuffling of her heels touching down on the pavement.
'She never learns, does she?' he thought, dropping down into a crouch as Angela's fist whizzed over his head.
"That tears it!" Stephen growled and shoved his elbow back hard into Angela's slim stomach, delighting in the 'woofing' noise she made as the blow made contact. He watched her fall back over, holding her stomach. As he got up, she looked up at him in pain.
"I declare this fight officially over. Thank you very much, but it's over. I have a class to get to." Stephen announced, walking towards the crowd of shocked students. They opened a pathway for him, staring at him in disbelief as he walked back towards the school.
By the time he got inside, Cyrus had caught up with him, a bright smile on his furry face. "Where did you learn how to fight all of a sudden, kid?" the cat asked quietly.
Stephen rubbed his sore elbow a moment, looking down the empty halls instead of his feline friend. "I don't know, she just got me so angry, the arrogance of her. I just snapped….but, my body just did it on its own, like I've done it before. It was a creepy feeling." Stephen drawled out, picking up the cat absentmindedly.
"You're just remembering your old life….just like that girl was." The cat said.
Stephen finally looked at Cyrus, his eyes wide with shock. "What do you mean just like her?"
"Silly boy, I didn't bite her just to save your hash. I bit her because she had a powerful aura about her. Just like I saw in you when I was following you around. If you'd bothered to pay attention to other things than your daydreams, though it helped us find her, you would have noticed that her wound had completely healed. Exactly likes yours." The cat chirped out knowingly
"What? Are you saying that lunatic is a Galaxy Knight!?" he yelped, but silenced himself as the halls started to fill with students.
"We'll follow her after school. We can discuss the matter further then. See you later….oh, and try not to drift off again. You might get more than a few punches." Cyrus whispered, leaping briskly out of Stephen's arms and trotting down the hall.
~
Stephen wasted no time in getting out of the school as fast as he could, grabbing what he needed for homework out of his locker before his last class and stepping on as many toes as he could to get out first. He waited behind a tree for Angela's tanned face and purple hair to come into view.
He wasn't surprised by his rotten luck that she was the last person to come out. He didn't see the pretty boy, another person he wanted to avoid and was glad Cyrus hadn't bitten him too. 'There are a lot worse people to have as allies than her, I don't need her male double joining up too.' He thought, watching the young woman walk out alone. She was swiveling her head around a bit, as if searching for something.
'I didn't hit her that hard, so it can't be me she's looking for. Maybe that pretty boy tried to cop a feel on her again. She might not be as tough as I thought she was.' He thought, keeping his eyes on her still. She wasn't moving, looking around with eyes full of curiosity, not fear. After several minutes passed by, Angela walked right back into the school without so much as a glance back.
"Dammit! Why did she do that? And where the heck is Cyrus, he said he'd be waiting outside for me." Stephen grumbled, but didn't move from where he stood.
After an hour waiting, Stephen was growing terribly impatient. "What is she doing in there? Trying to raid everyone's lockers? That's it, I can't stand this, if she's not coming out, I'm going in. I have to use a payphone anyone to tell Gary I'm going to be late for my session. I hate to do this to the guy, but if this girl is a knight like me, the fate of the world depends on me getting her to wake up. Damn, this better be worth it."
Stephen ran for the school, grumbling as the sky began to go orange. "Almost sunset? God, Gary's going to kill me. God!" Stephen shouted, rushing inside the school as fast as he could," Angela! Angela Furosuto! Where the hell are you?"
He grumbled once more when he got no answer. Most of the classrooms were locked already and those that weren't had nothing in them but empty desks. He wondered a moment why the front door was still open, then dismissed it.
"Angie's still in here….she probably thought someone was watching her and in her lunatic mind she assumes that means she has to have a showdown with the guy. Sadly, that guy is me. Where the hell is she?' he thought, his search taking him to the doors to the back of the school, where recess and lunch were always held.
"Where it all began for me and the maniac. Fitting that she'd be here….I bet she's hiding in the bushes waiting to kick me in the nuts. Or rip my eyes out, who knows what to expect with someone who's stuck in PMS overdrive." He said to himself, pushing the doors open carefully to see….
"Nothing?" he said softly, blinking a moment, thinking stupidly things might change a bit. It was still the same, the same old courtyard with lush trees a ways off and flower bushes near them and the lunch tables. The same old recess area, just without the clamor of students.
But he did hear something, very faint but he could hear it a ways off as he stepped out into the courtyard, tilting his head towards the noise. It sounded like a people, maybe two from the sound of it, a guy and a girl. He could hear the man mostly, the voice strangely familiar.
He moved towards it, creeping as quietly as he could across the pavement. He heard kissing sounds after a while, then the giggles from the girl. Stephen got beside a rose bush when the two people came into view, making him leap swiftly behind it when he saw whom the girl was with.
It was the pretty boy making out with one of the girls from Stephen's math class, Cici was her name as best as he could recall. She was very open and extremely pretty with her blonde hair and bright green eyes, but for what she made up in beauty, she lacked in brains. Cici was a total airhead. She was too stupid to even grasp the simple concepts of how to be cheerleader to hang out with the normal airheads.
'Its no wonder the pretty boy went after that worthless ball of fluff. She's too simple minded to know she's easy.' Stephen thought, suddenly feeling ashamed for spying on the couple making out.
He looked down a moment and began to wonder how he was going to get back in the school without being noticed. 'Oh please, they're were too busy sucking face to see me coming, what are the chances that they'll see me leave?' he thought, then his mind snapped back to reality as he heard the girl's voice change. It sounded pained, like she was afraid.
Stephen looked up a bit, expecting the guy to be raping her, but he didn't get that. He saw the girl lying on her back, but the pretty boy had his hand on her throat. The shocking thing was that it was glowing a dark purple, spirals of the energy spoiling up his arm like an electric snake.
"Good girl, let your love energy feed the Dark Universe. Feed us, give up your worthless life so we can brink back the Dark Goddess!" the young man cackled, his features all twisted and evil.
"Dark Universe! Shit! Time to transform or he'll kill her. Fluff for brains or not, she's a human being, not that dork's lunch." He hissed out, pulling out his pendant. Stephen nearly got the words out of his mouth when something tackled him from behind, shooting the both of them through the rose bush to land a few feet away from the pretty boy monster.
"Got you!" Angela's voice rang out, her arms wrapped tightly about Stephen's neck, squeezing it tightly.
"Ack, get off of me, you whacko! You're choking me. Get off!" he gagged, grabbing her arms swiftly and prying her off of his throat.
"What are you insects doing here? How dare you interrupt my work!" the pretty boy yelled, letting go of Cici quickly and leapt over Stephen and Angela's heads to land directly behind them.
"Angela, get lost. He's a monster!" Stephen heard himself say, but when he didn't hear footsteps running, and he knew he was stuck with her.
"I don't have time for this, human," the young man grated, his pretty boy form twisting horribly, his skin turning a sickly green," Face me now and die, you pitiful brats. I am the great Virile Vile, the acid bath terror!!"
His muscular green body was dripping out gobs of yellow slime, the stuff sizzling through the pavement as it hit. His once perfect mouth was stretched back tight on his face like rubber, feral, needle-like teeth jutting out of it and his eyes were white and empty. His hands and feet were horrible, acid-sweating claws and his hair of gold was a sickly mustard color, slimy looking all the way to the roots.
"Oh hell…." Stephen managed out, leaping out of the monster's way and it tried to tackle him with acid drenched arms. "Hold still so I can dissolve you! HAH! Acid Bath!" Virule screamed, craning his neck back a moment before a great green glob of corrosive saliva shot out of his mouth.
Stephen took another dive away, still gripping his pendant, but some of the acid hit his leg. "ARGHHH!! I don't care anymore, I have to transform or he'll turn me into a bubbly stain. Moon Knight, Transform!!" he shouted, the pendant's great glow surrounding his body.
Virule backed up a bit as the young white-haired student became a silver armored knight in a mask and helmet. He glared at him, moving forward even as the youth drew his sword. "Moon Knight, you've given Prince Viper a lot of grief with your meddling. I will avenge his honor….by melting your lousy head off. Rarrr!!!"
"Not in this lifetime, slime wad! Taste cold steel, you bastard!" Moon Knight shouted back, charging at the monster at full force.
~
Angela Furosuto had seen many things in her time, mostly in fights and on television, but what this young man had done was beyond her comprehension. "Looks like Duck Fluff over there has a lot more hidden talents than I pegged him for. What in the world is he?" she said to herself.
"He's a Galaxy Knight, just like you, Lady Mercury." Said a male voice. Angela automatically looked about for the voice, but all she saw was a black cat with a weird bald spot on its head. She was ready to turn her head back to Stephen when the cat's forehead began to send a glowing light upon her right hand.
She gasped as the glow faded, revealing a small, diamond ring on her finger, a diamond in the shape of a small icicle. "Moon Knight can't beat that monster alone. I know, I'm a talking cat, but we can talk about this later, Angela Furosuto. He needs your help. Say 'Mercury Ice, Transform,' and let the ring do the rest." The cat said.
"But…." She began, but the cat leapt up at her and clawed her arm. "Argh! I said say it, girl! Show us what a great fighter you are in your true form!" the cat yowled.
"Fine, if it'll clear things up around this loony bin," she grumbled, getting to her feet quickly with her ring hand raised to the darkening sky, " Mercury Ice, Transform! ARGHHHH!!"
Cyrus watched happily as the blue light engulfing the young woman, flashing out in the blink of an eye to reveal Lady Mercury. She was decked in ice-blue armor from the neck down to her waist, a skirt of a sapphire color swirling a few inches above her knees. Her hair was in a double braid and she wore a mask of ice blue as well and her armored boots were the same. Her entire form was a shining beacon of metallic ice, a sword of light blue clenched tightly in her hands.
"Cyrus!" Moon Knight shouted suddenly.
The lady and the cat turned towards his cries to find him slumped against the side of the building, blood leaking down his burned leg. He was holding Virile off with his sword, but being so close to the walking acid-man was taking its toll on his armor.
"Go to it Mercury. Concentrate to use your Ice Slash attack with your sword. Take that Dark Universe creep down!" Cyrus shouted, but Mercury was already charging with a screaming war cry.
She didn't use the attack that Cyrus asked for, but her sword sliced into Virule as if she were a woman possessed, going so far as to kick at the monster. The thing roared out in pain, turning his attention to Mercury. He reared his head back again, letting out another sickly glob of acid fire at her. She leapt up high in the air and tossed her sword right at him, catching him in the gut.
Virule yanked it out quickly and dropped it onto the pavement, taking a leap up at her with his acidic claws bared. Mercury hit the ground lightly on her armored boots, looking up in alarm at the monster came diving down at her.
"No! Leave her alone! Celestial Beam!!" Moon Knight shouted, a golden beam of energy shooting forth from his sword, catching Virule in the back. The monster flew a few feet past Lady Mercury, who whipped out in a rage at the creature.
Moon Knight came up beside her, planting her sword back in her hands. "Try listening to his attack advice, Mercury. It helps a lot more than going in half-cocked. We have to hit him with our powers at the same time!" he told her, frowning.
All she did was nod, holding her sword up like a proud warrior as Virule staggered to his feet. "You….You'll never defeat the Dark Universe. We are all powerful!" he glowered.
"We'll sure as hell defeat you, stud. Ice Slash!" Lady Mercury shouted, slicing her sword hard at the monster, spirals of icy mist spiraling towards it.
"Yeah, give my regards to Greese and Onyx for me! Celestial Beam!" Moon Knight shouted, the golden beam of energy merging with the ice spirals into a glowing cyclone of ice. The energy rammed into Virule's body hard, sending him flailing backwards several feet, his body growing infected with Moon Knight's explosive attack and Mercury's was swiftly freezing him solid.
Virule exploded into a million icy shards a few moments later, both knights covering their forms up from the hail of the blast.
Moon Knight lifted his head up as the sound of ice shattering left his ears, only the chirp of crickets echoing throughout the deserted schoolyard. He found Lady Mercury staring at him, but he really didn't care about how she was going to kick his butt for hitting her and running.
He walked over to Cyrus, limping a bit on his still healing leg, the burn still apparent. He felt a slight chill as he thought away his transformation, regular Stephen Tsukikage leaning down to pick up his cat.
"Hey! Hey Stephen!" Mercury called," How do you get this stuff off?"
He sighed, her voice piercing him like shrill daggers. "Just think it away. You know how to think, right, Angie?"
"Ok…." she said, her footsteps increasing in speed until she was right in front of him, as Angela Furosuto. She looked very serious getting right in his face.
"I was wondering when you were going to follow me in….I've been waiting all afternoon for this, Snowflake." She said, her voice proud and hard," Don't think me getting these weirdo powers and finding out I'm some kind of super heroine changes anything."
"I didn't doubt that for a minute, Angie. If you want a piece of me, go right ahead. I'm not afraid of you or your threats. Hit me with your best shot." He dared, looking at her sourly.
"You asked for it." She said, grabbing him swiftly by the face and slammed her lips onto his in a hard kiss. Stephen's eyes went wide from shock, mumbling something under the kiss as his arms stiffened, squeezing poor Cyrus half to death.
"YOW!!! Let go, you nitwit! I need air! Ack! Air, dammit, AIR! You're killing me! I'm a cat, not a doll! LET GO!" Cyrus squealed, but Stephen just kept squeezing.
Cyrus took a deep breath when Stephen finally stopped, the moment Angela ended the kiss. "I love you!" she declared.
Stephen backed up, wiping furiously at his mouth as if she has just tried to poison him. "I beg your pardon!? You're a total maniac! You can't love me!" he stammered, still too shocked to run.
"You beat me fair and square, Snowflake, and the man who beats me I want to be with. You won, so I'm all yours, angel face." She cooed, reaching out for him again.
"Oh mother….Oh, I can't love you, I already love somebody else. I don't love you! I love Lady Glamour! Stop that!" he yelped, swatting her hands away from his hips and legs as she tried to grab at them.
"I don't care, I love you, Stephen. I'll do anything to have you. Come here and give me a kiss, dream boat." She smiled, raising her slender fists.
""Uh, I can't do that….cause….cause….Cause I'm late for my tutoring session! Good-bye and good riddance." He stammered, turning heel as fast as he could and ran back for the school, crashing through the doors to race for the front exit.
~ Haitsuchi's Arcade Heaven ~
Stephen burst into the arcade, panting and sweating like crazy. He wanted to take a break, but he didn't know how far behind Angela Furosuto was. 'I ditched her, leaping into traffic wasn't my smartest move in the world, but she didn't follow after me. God, the nutcase nearly made me drop Cyrus….I might have done that if she'd come into traffic with me.' His mind told him.
"Stephen! Hey Stephen, what the hell happened to you?" Alan called, rushing up to the panting young man. Alan looked at him and noted that there was hole in his pant leg, looking like it had been burned through, but Stephen's leg was fine. "Were you in a gang war or something? How many times do I have to tell you to watch when you daydream?" he scolded.
"Crazy girl….she wants to date me…..but she's a maniac! She thinks cause I knocked her over in a fight that I have to date and love her, She's been stalking me all damn night. You and Gary have to hide me….is Gary here? God, I'm sorry I'm late, but just hide me!!" Stephen panted out, grabbing Alan frantically by his collar. Alan just looked at him utterly stunned.
"I'm here, Stephen. What crazy girl are you talking about?" Gary asked, his voice as soft as ever, still dressed in the same thing he wore the first day Stephen met him
He was about to answer when the door swung open, causing him to let go of Cyrus and run behind Gary, who looked just as shocked as Stephen did.
"That's her!" Stephen yelped, all three men staring at the muscular young lady standing happily in the door with a hungry smile. "Hey, lover boy!" she cooed.
Stephen grabbed around Gary's waist in his panic with his arms, trying desperately to keep him between himself and Angela.
"I am not your lover boy, you nut! Go home!" Stephen rasped out, swinging Gary from side to side as Angela tried to get around him. Gary was making grunts in his throat from all the moving around, trying to pry Stephen's fingers off while trying to shove the purple-haired girl away. Stephen had to wonder why for a moment until Angela threw herself on Gary, wrapping her arms around the shocked guy's neck.
"Whoa! Get off!" Gary yelped, his voice going high as he shoved the girl off.
"You're pretty handsome too, such delicate features, just like my Stephen. I bet you'd like to go out with me, to teach him a lesson. Then he'll know what he's missing." She purred out, reaching for him again.
Gary got out of the way, nearly tripping over Stephen in the process. Both of them went behind Alan, who looked about ready to laugh. "Excuse me! What in the heck are you doing, miss? You can't just come in here like some love starved Amazon and hit on my customers. This is an arcade, not a brothel." Alan quipped, still trying to suppress a laugh.
"She's crazy, Alan, don't piss her off now or we're all dead meat." Stephen yelped, kicking Alan in the back of his shin. Alan grimaced at the attack, shaking it off just as Angela got in his face, grabbing him roughly by his shirt collar.
"Don't you tell me what to do, ragamuffin. Don't make me punch your face out over true love." She spat, lifting the arcade owner off the floor.
"Who me? Never, I just don't appreciate brutes coming here and starting a ruckus….Don't make me throw you out on your pretty little rear end. Stephen comes here every afternoon, so if you ever want to get close to the guy, you'd better not make me angry enough to ban you from this place." Alan grinned, barely acknowledging Stephen's startled gasp.
"Alan! What did I ever do to you? Don't tell her where I am every afternoon, you idiot! I don't want to be her boyfriend….I refuse to be her boyfriend!" Stephen glowered, looking to Gary for support. Oddly enough he got a swift nod from his tutor, whose face was about as drenched with annoyance as his own.
"Yeah, just cause you say its true doesn't mean it is." Gary added, raising a gloved fist to back his claim up. Angela looked down at them, giving them an icy smile, then looked back at Alan. "Spirited, aren't they? I'm always up for a good fight, boys. When two men are that cute and strong, who cares? I love challenges." she laughed, dropping Alan in a flash.
As soon as Alan hit the floor, Angela realized that both Stephen and the dark-haired young man were gone, the arcade door just clicking closed. "Oh, I love a good chase too. You can run, boys," she called, racing out the door after them," But you can't hide!"
Alan watched her go, rubbing his sore rear from the drop as he got to his feet. "Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut." He said aloud.
"Yeah, you should have." Said a familiar voice, the voice of Stephen Tsukikage. Alan looked for it, getting rewarded with the site of Gary and Stephen's heads poking out from behind a video game. "But the door….I saw it closing too." Alan stammered, but the two young men laughed, coming out from behind their hiding place.
"Doors open and shut, Alan, my man, but it doesn't mean we went out it. A couple was leaving while the maniac was playing with you, so we hid back there as they were leaving. It was a fluke really, but Angie was so busy thinking about hunting us down….well, I guess she's more brawn than brains….sadly for me." Stephen explained, shaking his head sadly.
"A lot more brawn, I was gasping for air when she grabbed me. Why the heck would she think anyone would want to be her boyfriend?" Gary quipped, rubbing his throat.
"Like I said, she's a maniac. She doesn't take any crap from anyone and takes what she wants when she wants it. I should have just let her beat me up and this wouldn't be happening. She's definitely got problems if she thinks the perfect date is a guy that can beat her in a fight." Stephen grumbled, heading off towards the back room.
"You fought that girl? And you won? Man, you are really going through a lot of weird changes lately. What the heck is going on in your life?" Alan asked, shaking his head with disbelief.
"I didn't want to fight her, she forced it on me. Anyway, what's done is done, but I will never date that beast," Stephen glowered, looking back at his friends stoically," As for my life, let's just say its gotten a whole lot more complicated. I'm seeing the world in a whole new way….and I wish I never did."
- Furosuto means- Frost.
- Special Note: For anyone who wonders, Koyuki-hakuhen means "Snowflake" in Japanese