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 6
The Razorblades Sigh
Monday mornings had always been a pain in the ass for Stephen for as long as he could remember. Maybe it was because it was the beginning of a new week's worth of school, or perhaps it was simply the fact of getting up early. Either way this Monday was shaping up to be a typical Monday. Even before Stephen had made it out of his house his mother asked him to walk his little sister to school. Normally she would have driven her but the family car was in the shop.
Begrudgingly, Stephen accepted this task and walked an extra twelve blocks to his sister's school. Then it started to rain, and now here he was in Political Science.
"Mr. Tsukikage, that vacant look in your eyes tells me your not paying attention." Grumbled Mr. Wallace.
"Huh? Oh I'm sorry, it's one of those boring days, if you know what I mean." Stephen sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily.
"No, I don't know what 'you' mean. As I was saying, today we are going to have a guest speaker, I want everybody to be on his and hers best behavior. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION!" instructed Mr. Wallace, glaring at Stephen.
"I feel like your directing that comment at me." Stephen chided in a bored and knowing tone.
"Brains on top of good looks, no wonder that young lady with the orchid hair is so crazy about you." Retorted Mr. Wallace, with a definite smirk on his face.
Stephen could hear the muffled sounds of laughter from the students around him. Undoubtedly, his face was now a fine shade of red. If Mr. Wallace had noticed, he never let on. Instead the teacher stepped out of the classroom and returned seconds later with the company of another man.
"Class this is Mr. Johto, he is the schools new guidance counselor. PLEASE show him the same respect you show me." Mr. Wallace announced, eyeing Stephen again.
'I'll show you some respect…' fumed Stephen, still upset about the mention of Angela. It was bad enough that his peers knew about her obsessions, but now the staff knew too.
"Hello class my name is Theodore Johto, but you can call me Ted. As of today I am your new guidance counselor. For those of you not very familiar with what a guidance counselor does let me be the first to clarify. A guidance counselor is not just a person who deals with students who have disciplinary, family, and personal issues. That's actually as far from the truth as possible. I am here to help each and everyone of you," exclaimed the young man," It seems like more and more today we hear about the evils going on in this earth. There is so much pain and so much hate that we all just need someone to talk to. Please let me be that person for you." Digging into his pocket the young man produced several small cards.
"Now I know we all have our own inner demons and pains, so I'm just going to leave my business cards here. If you ever need someone to talk to please don't hesitate in calling me. " he finished, before leaving with smile and his cards on Mr. Wallace's desk.
~
After class not much else was said about the young school counselor, like most other speakers that visited classrooms their speeches were soon forgotten amongst the confusion of everyday school life. Lunch came and to all the students dismay lunch had to be taken inside due to the rain. Stephen wasn't exactly thrilled by the prospect of this since most of his homeroom class he was forced to eat with were complete jerks. On the other hand one of his most trusted and valued friends also shared this homeroom so it wasn't like he was gonna be completely alone.
Mark Tepes sat alone in the back of the classroom idly nibbling at his sandwich. Once he noticed that Stephen had entered the room his face brightened up. Stephen couldn't help but smile back at his friend. Mark was the type of person whose personality brightened up even the darkest of situations. Stephen often criticized Mark for being an optimist when secretly he wished that he could hold such a positive view on any situation. 'Especially with the super evil Dark Universe monsters I have to deal with now.' He thought crudely.
~
Noticing his friend approaching, Mark smiled. "Hey there, Romeo." He greeted with a smile.
"Urgh! So you've heard the rumors too?? Have you no shame? It's embarrassing enough knowing it myself." Stephen groaned, taking a seat beside Mark," What are they all saying anyway? I really don't listen."
True enough, he had never heard the rumors himself. Still, Stephen knew that there must be something circulating through the school, there always was with the maniac loose. It seemed like every time he walked down the halls there was someone pointing and whispering.
"Oh you know, just the usual stories about the white-haired genius and his amazon lover. You sure know how not to pick them," Mark commented with a small smile," You know that whole thing with you fighting for her in front of the entire school didn't help matters out any. There were actually lots of fine ladies who had their eyes on you until then. Now they are too scared to even look at you. I can't say I blame them either. I don't think I'd like to have that Angie girl mad at me either."
"What girls? I never noticed any." Stephen said, looking like a scared rabbit.
"That's one of your great flaws, you never pay attention. Trust me, there were plenty of girls that had their eyes on you. Now that you have that amazon all over you, all of those poor girls' hearts are broken." Mark mock scolded.
"Just imagine how I feel. She's following me around like a lovesick puppy, not a rabid lovesick puppy. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't come marching through that door any second." Stephen moaned, hating the conversation more and more.
No sooner than those words left Stephen's mouth did the purple headed menace step into his homeroom. Though Stephen expected to hear snickering at any moment there was none. Perhaps no one cared about his personal life or maybe they feared
Angie's wrath. Either way, all were silent as she made her way through the classroom and towards Stephen.
"Speak of the devil…." Mark mumbled between biting into his apple.
Stephen just sat there with an annoyed look on his face. "Even the devil would run away screaming from her, man. She's crazed. Ah no…here she comes. Not again, not now." He said, trying to stuff his mouth full of food rapidly and looking at it all intently as Angie got closer.
When she reached him, she sat on his desk and patted his head as if her were a puppy, smiling coyly. He growled softly at her, then rethought the urge to bite her hand. She might consider it kinky or a love bite. He simply shoved her hand away and looked at Mark purposely.
"Hello, Snowflake. I snuck out of class to see you." She cooed, Mark trying to stifle a giggle upon hearing her nickname for Stephen. He turned and saw Stephen's face redden further, whether out of embarrassment or anger, he didn't know.
"Declare a holiday. Go back or I'll tell the principal." Stephen grumbled. 'Anger….man, he looks about ready to boil his own skin off he's so pissed off.' Mark thought.
Angela ignored the comment and got in Stephen's lap. His white-haired friend's face paled suddenly, looking almost scared out of his wits at the actions. Pretty soon, she was nuzzling his neck and keeping him in a tight embrace. Stephen was struggling, but Angela kept him in his seat. Mark would have helped Stephen out at any other time, but this was Angela Furosuto, the toughest girl in school. He valued his future to procreate a bit too much to try and dislodge her from his friend, lest he'd regret it.
He didn't have to feel guilty long when Mr. Wallace returned from the halls and saw Angela slobbering all over Stephen. He stood and watched it a moment, Stephen finally noticing this and giving him a nasty glare. Mr. Wallace chuckled a bit before slowly sauntering over to them.
"Miss Furosuto, this is not your homeroom class. Do you have a pass to come here?" the teacher asked, still chuckling. Angela looked up briefly before ruffling Stephen's hair, Stephen shutting his eyes in his annoyance. "Does true love need a pass to grow, sir? I think not." She sniffed, hugging Stephen again. This time Stephen shoved at her, knocking her into Mr. Wallace's waiting arms.
"That's very sweet, miss, but its not enough. You will go directly to the principal's office with me to get your detention scheduled. Come with me." he sighed, giving the disgruntled girl's arm a sharp tug to get her moving. After a minute of fighting it, Angela sighed and gave in, not before blowing Stephen a kiss as soon as she neared the door.
Mark nearly fell over laughing with the scared rabbit look on Stephen's angelic face, seconds before he dove for the floor to avoid the kiss. "You're screwed, you know that." Mark chuckled, trying his best to sound sympathetic. Stephen just groaned as he crawled back into his seat. "You have no idea, Mark, no idea whatsoever."
Mark though nothing much of the comment, after all, he and Stephen were used to not having great luck in much of anything but their strong points, Stephen's being his brains and good looks and Mark being his kind heart and skills in art. He was a bit jealous of Stephen's lithe and slender built body, not particularly happy with his own pudgy body and shaggy hair. Looks and brains weren't everything, Stephen had said that once a few months back, the cool depths of his icy eyes seeming to shimmer as he did. Stephen never judged on appearance, unless it was attacking him. He got to know people, those he noticed when his head wasn't in the clouds.
Mark was pretty honored that Stephen wanted to remain his friend, since the guy was popular by appearance and his brainy reputation. He felt bad for Stephen sometimes, since he rarely made other friends aside from the guy that owned the arcade, a guy well out of college and with his own business, and the guy's half-brother. Other than those two and himself, those were all the friends Stephen really had. Mark had lots of friends, people who liked him for his pleasant personality and the jokes he told and those in his art classes who loved his work, but Stephen was always in another world, never reaching out to anyone but the familiar. It was if new things and people scared him or he was just too full of his own thoughts and turmoil to bother other people for help.
He looked at Stephen, who was fast asleep on his desk, his food all gone and his white bangs brushing over his soft lashes gently. Mark smiled at him as he got up, walking towards Mr. Wallace's desk. He saw that most of the student, save for him and Stephen had grabbed up the cards Mr. Johto had dropped there. Mark looked at the remaining cards there, his eyes growing puzzled. There were exactly two left, not more or less, as if Mr. Johto had counted them accurately enough and assumed they'd all take one card each. It made him feel a bit nervous, but then again, perhaps Mr. Wallace had told the speaker how many people were in class. 'It's a silly coincidence, but I don't need one of these cards. Stephen might, he's been acting very strange lately, I wonder if anything is wrong with him. Best I sneak this card in his bag, he'll come across it eventually. He hates it when people try and get in his business, but he's my best friend. If this will help him a little, it's worth a shot.' Mark thought, grabbing up one of the cards and going back to his desk quietly. Stephen stirred a bit, but he didn't wake up. Mark breathed out gently, but kept his eyes planted on Stephen's head as he slipped the card into his friend's bag.
~ The Dark Universe ~
"Viper, you've done well in providing the Dark Goddess with so many sad souls' life force. Though you have not found the great energy from that brat Moon Knight and those witches he has with him, Mercury and Glamour, but still, life force is more important that piddling your resources around with nothing to show for it. You just might be King you Dark Universe planet after all, Prince Viper." Lord Specter replied in a pleasantly deep tone, rubbing his cheek a bit. His amethyst eyes glimmered a bit, his eyes half shut and one of his onyx bangs fell across one. He did not move to push it away, keeping his amethyst gaze intent on Viper's own bloodstone eyes.
The young prince was on one knee, bowing to his lord with the greatest respect and serenity. He was looking up at Specter nonetheless, an insane fanged smile plastered on his pale features.
"I thank you greatly, Lord Specter. I have you to thanks for this opportunity to take the Earth as part of our great realm. I will not fail you this time. My plan is flawless." Viper let out, still smiling.
Specter raised an eyebrow at him, no hint of smile coming, nor did the smile. "Don't get cocky. True, teenage human suicide in on the rise all over the world, but you should be thanking my own monster I let you have. You take care with Hydra or you'll wish you never heard his name. Now, get back to my creature and ensure his progress keeps climbing. Go now!" Specter ordered, the prince leaping to his feet in the blink of an eye, his dark energy teleporting his out of Specter's sites.
"Do not fail me, Viper, I won't so generous if you screw up the Dark Universes' plans again…."Specter glowered, his mouth in full frown, eyes wide and maddening.
~ Ryozaki Household ~
-Night-
Everett Ryozaki had been sitting on the bathroom floor for 15 minutes now, trying to blot out the fight his parents were having, again. It was always like this, Dad would come home late, dinner wouldn't be ready as personal revenge from his mother for his father's tardiness. She always thought he was having an affair or doing something terrible illegal behind her back each night he was late.
He knew that his mother had a right to worry, but not like this. His father was a good man, he was sure of it. He was a politician, good friends with Ryu Hitodama, Ray's father. He had met Ray a week or so after the boy's mother was killed. He'd seemed a bit angry, but kept it in. Keeping your emotions inside was painful, Everett understood that all too well and became a fast friend with Ray. Even though Ray went to military school and Everett went to Takozona Junior High, they always met at the arcade or at the playing field to hang out and have fun.
Though, in all the years he and Ray had been friends, Ray was the only one to open up about his problems, how much it hurt to see his mother die so horrible and never see his father for months on end. Everett cursed himself for being such a coward, but he didn't want to bother Ray with his problems. The guy had enough to deal with already, his paranoid mother and temperamental father didn't need to be added to the pot.
It had started off innocently enough, his father's first time coming home late. It had been brushed off slightly, though his mother had been worried sick and father promised that he'd never again be late for supper or anything else, but it kept happening. Mother got suspicious, it impeded on her own job as a nurse at the hospital, and even drove her to drink out of worry and even spite that his father was not coming home when he should have been. The life of a politician was hard, sometimes you had to be late coming home, things did happen outside the house that Everett and his mother didn't deal with, but his father did.
The night he came home smelling of a perfume alien to his mother had started the fights and his father took up drinking. No one ever hit each other, they just screamed at one another all night, his mother throwing things in her drunken rage, his father nearly sober enough to dodge a few of them. It was terrible. Everett would lock himself up in his room or the bathroom until it stopped, but he could still hear it. He'd left the house once and got grounded for going outside without permission, but he could hear the hate in his head no matter how far he'd try to get away from the house.
Life just wasn't fair anymore, he wanted the happy life he'd had with these people as a child, the loving mother, the caring father, no alcohol, no screaming, just the quiet family they were. He knew it had to be his fault somehow, he'd done something that night that made his mother accuse his father of those things, maybe his grades, or he hadn't cleaned his room that night, it had to be something. His mother wasn't really like this, she never was. Neither was his father, it had to be him, something had to be available to him to fix it all to the way it was.
He heard another crash and his father scream a slew of curses at his 'wino' mother. He heard the word divorce come from his mother's mouth, making his skin crawl and eyes well up with white-hot tears. 'No….make it stop, please….someone make it stop. I don't want to hear this anymore….' He thought as the tears began to flow.
Then he fished through his pockets, remembering the speaker that had come to class today, that Mr. Johto. He yanked out the card he'd stuffed in his back pocket and stared at it as another crash sounded in the house. He felt funny inside as he touched it again, as he had when he'd first picked it up, like a great sadness welling up inside his heart, no, his entire body. He dismissed the thoughts as his imagination and read the writing aloud:
Teen Crisis Hotline
Call: 06669413
We're never too busy to help you end all the pain at once. Please call us and we'll lend a hand in ending your problems for good. We're waiting to embrace you.
It sounded nice enough, he'd been thinking about calling the hotline all day, with the slight hope they could make it all go away. 'No hotline can do that unless they are all powerful. I doubt it can do much more than make me feel better for tonight, but….if it'll blot it out just once, I'll give it a try.' He thought. He stood up to face the sink, and grab his cell phone off it where he'd laid it down when he came into the bathroom. Usually he'd call up his grandmother, but she died last month, there was no one to call anymore. He brought it with him more out of habit that wanting to call the hotline, it had just been on his mind more than anything.
He quickly dialed the number and waited. To his shock and amazement, the line picked up instantly, the voice of Mr. Johto himself answering with," Teen Crisis Hotline, how may I ease your pain?"
"Mr. Johto….? Umm, I….never expected you to be on the phones. This is Everett Ryozaki. I talked to you after class." Everett blubbered stupidly. He heard someone laugh in the background, a creepy almost insane sounding one. Mr. Johto shushed it and said," I remember, and since you asked so nicely, I own this hotline, my sister killed herself because she had no friends a year ago and was very lonely. I made this hotline to prevent other people from taking their lives and having to take their burden all alone. Now, how may I help you?"
"Um, it's my parents. All they do is fight and get drunk to spite each other. My mother throws things at father cause he comes home late from his job, but he's a politician. He's supposed to be late, right? So she gets drunk and throws things at him every time he comes home late. Now he gets drunk to spite her, and they fight every night, throwing things at each other and screaming. Tonight, Oh God, Mom said she wanted a divorce. I don't know what to do…..I just want the pain to stop." Everett let out, feeling slightly better.
Mr. Johto sighed, the other person in the background saying," …..perfect," or something to that effect. "I understand your pain, Everett, now, where are you right now. A friend's house maybe?"
"No, the bathroom. Why does that matter, sir?" Everett asked. He heard the man chuckle. "My, my, so close to the edge, aren't you? You've thought about killing yourself often, haven't you? Haven't you, child? Tell me the truth, and I can release you from this pain." Mr. Johto let out, his voice hollow yet strangely hypnotic. Everett felt strange all over, but it was a calming effect. He didn't understand why, but it was so inviting, the shrill sounds of his parents fighting leaving him completely.
"Y….yes, I have. I bought razorblades once, when the fighting had been going on for over a year. I wanted to escape….yes, to escape. I want to escape….from my pain. Tell me how." Everett said lucidly, dropping the card and swaying his body back and forth at a gentle pace.
"All you have to do….is die for me. Right now." Mr. Johto said, his voice all bubbly, as if he was talking through blood. Everett heard a rumble in the sink pipes, but stayed in place too enchanted by the promise of freedom to do much else. Seconds later, water came out of the sink, living water, as it coiled about like a snake, becoming a shape close to that of a hydra plant. It was swaying the same as he was, as if it was a sacred dance. Then a head formed on each of the swaying tentacles, all bald and smiling as more tentacles arose and wrapped about Everett's head. They were pulling him towards the sink, but Everett didn't seem to mind, looking numbly straight ahead.
Soon his body felt very weak, some sparkling things flooding out of his body and into the water composed hydra thing. He felt tired, so very tired, all sensations leaving him as his face went into the suddenly water filled sink.
~
As the human boy's life ceased, Hydra let go, the boy's face submerged in the water he'd drowned his weakened body in. Hydra's three heads smiled as he pulled his body back into the pipes, back to give Prince Viper the energy of the foolish human.
"Let the razorblades sigh. Hee hee hee! Ah ahahahahaaaa!!" Hydra cackled, his card turning into water as Hydra himself vanished.
~ Haitsuchi's Arcade Heaven ~
"Ok Ray, why did you call us all here? Not for me to pay for all these drinks now?' Stephen asked for the fifth time. Ray had called him after school the day before, saying something terrible had happened and that he and Angela should come to the arcade the next day to discuss it. Still, Ray looked to upset and nervous to do much of anything but guzzle soda and avoid the question.
"Speak up, jerk, my honey asked you a question!" Angela roared, slamming her fist on the table, making one of the drinks spill all over Stephen's cheeseburger. Stephen groaned, but the action had broken Ray out of his silent trance.
"Sorry, I've been thinking about this since yesterday, I had a speech planned for it, but now….sorry. Guess I'm still in shock." Ray said sheepishly. Stephen just nodded, staring in disgust at his soaked meal. "Yeah, I gathered that from how you sounded on the phone. Now what's wrong?" Stephen replied evenly.
"A friend of mine, a close one, Everett Ryozaki, killed himself two days ago, but I don't think he did. I think the Dark Universe is behind it. I know it is….it just doesn't add up. Ev was an ok guy, he was happy. He had no reason to kill himself." Ray let out.
Stephen lifted his icy eyes up to his friend, and blinked. "Everett Ryozaki? He's in my homeroom class. I heard two kids at our school killed themselves, but I never considered Everett. Man….that's terrible, I guess they finally drove him over the line." Stephen gasped, Angela and Ray looking at him stunned.
"What are you talking about? You know Everett?" Ray asked, his voice actually struggling with rage. "Yeah, we teamed up for the science fair last year, or rather were forced to. I went to his house a couple times before he told me we should go to mine, since my parents are never home. You mean you didn't know?"
"Know what?" Ray demanded.
Stephen looked stricken then sad, shaking his head. "His parents were always drunk and screaming at each other. The noise was intolerable. I think they started throwing furniture one night. Poor Ev started crying on the third night, and then he begged me not to tell anyone. I was going to tell though. No one should have live in a house with a pair of violent drunks, but he practically threatened to kill me if I didn't keep quiet. I promised and then we finished the project at my house. I think he nearly cried when it was over, and he had to go back home. Can't believe he wouldn't tell an actual friend about it….he must have been so humiliated to have parents doing that. Still, that's not a good reason to want to die." Stephen replied, Ray's face twitching a little.
"I can't believe this. Why didn't he tell me?? We were great friends and I told him about my mother's death. I thought we could trust each other with everything. Why would he do such a thing? He could have talked to me, not killed himself." Ray exclaimed," And why such a painful and odd way??"
"Odd? What was odd about it? Suicide is a serious thing, Ray, you can't call it odd without telling us why." Angela snapped. Stephen just shook his head. "How did he die, Ray?" Stephen asked quietly.
"He drowned himself in the sink, in the bathroom. No struggle, no marks on his body, so the murder thing was thrown out. I just can't believe he'd want to suffer in death so much as to kill himself slowly."
"Drowned in his sink? What a weird coincidence…..the other kid that killed themselves was a girl from my homeroom class. She drowned herself in her tub. In the same condition you described with your friend. The real weird thing was there were razorblades in a packet on the sink, unopened." Angela gasped.
"Like she forgot to slit her wrists and wanted to die the hard way. That does sound very bizarre. Two deaths by voluntary drowning….that's freaky." Stephen commented, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.
"They said they found some razorblades and sleeping pills taped under Ev's bed, like he was going to kill himself, but to do it the painful way….I smell the Dark Universe. They had to have done this….I won't accept that Ev would have sooner let himself die than ask for help." Ray grumbled, looking angrier with each word.
"I wish we knew where this Mr. Johto lived, or where the hotline operates. I didn't grab his card from homeroom when he spoke in class. Everyone but me and Mark, then again, I fell asleep, so I couldn't take one even if I had wanted to." Stephen yawned, then cast his eyes on Angela.
"Why would you need some silly man to help you. You're not in any crisis, Snowflake." Angela purred, grabbing onto his arm and nuzzled against his shoulder. Stephen made a sickened face and tried to shrug her off, but to no avail.
"Not in your opinion, I'm not," Stephen hissed, then gave a another shove and got her off," Between being hounded by you like a rabid dog and being a Galaxy Knight, I should be the one with his face in the sink. Now if you'd get out of my way, I have to go to my session with Gary. Come on, move for your very esteemed leader."
Angela went on smiling and let him pass. He quickly grabbed up his book bag, getting pinched on the butt no matter how quickly he moved. He gave Angela a sour glare, backing away from the table without turning until he was far out of her pinching reach. She blew him a kiss, but he turned away from it and started to jog for the back room. "Maniac….find someone your own species. What a crackpot…..I was happier when she was a feminist like her mother. Why won't some poor dope who does want to date her start a fight with her and let me off the hook?" Stephen grumbled, entering the back room gruffly.
He heard a sniffling as he did, someone was crying. As Stephen looked up, he saw it was Gary, his back to Stephen. He sounded like he was in pain, the soft crying tearing him up inside. Then his eyes wandered to the table, where Gary's sunglasses lay stained with tears. 'He really must be upset about something….he never takes those off. I've never heard anyone in so much pain. Even the way Ray sounded doesn't compare to this.' Stephen thought, his anger subsiding.
"Gary, what's wrong?" Stephen finally breathed out. Gary gave off a slightly yelp, then grabbed his sunglasses violently off the table and put them back on before facing Stephen.
"Oh Stephen, I didn't hear you come in….sorry, its nothing. Just had….a lousy day. It's nothing, let's get on with the session." Gary sputtered, his nose so stuffed his natural nasally voice sounded downright stifling.
Stephen shook his head and slammed his bag on the floor. "No way, friends talk to each other, G-man. Now what is wrong? Some girl reject you? Is Alan in trouble or say something bad to you? What? Don't shut me out, Gary, I'm your friend." Stephen let out, his eyes narrowing tightly on Gary's tear stained face.
Gary shook his head. "No, none of that….and thank you for asking, Stephen….I mean that. Thanks also for not making fun a guy crying his eyes out," Gary offered, getting a reassuring smile from Stephen," It's about college….someone died two days ago. I just found out this morning on the radio."
Stephen stiffened immediately, his smile fading away. "Died? In the college?? How?"
"No, she killed herself, but she was in my anatomy class. Very smart, very pretty….I had no idea she would do such a thing. She had dreams of being a great doctor same as I did. Then this….same day that crisis hotline guy handed out cards to the class." Gary sniffled, a little softer now. Stephen's heart sped up. "Crisis hotline? Was his name Theodore Johto? Did he come two days ago?" Stephen rasped out. Gary looked at him with quivering lips. "Yes, that was the guy. I came back in from the bathroom after he'd handed them out, then made a speech. I never got a card, but something about the guy creeped me out. It doesn't compare to hearing how that poor girl died. Why she'd want to drown herself in the kitchen sink is beyond me."
"That is odd….two kids in my school killed themselves by drowning too, the same day Mr. Johto came to class. I can't believe it….."Stephen gasped, so stunned her dropped his bag, the contents spilling out all over the floor. Gary looked down as the paper and books laced the floor. Then his mouth opened, and Gary got up from his chair to help put it back in.
Stephen looked down dumbly as his friend did this, yelping as Gary drew back his hand in pain when his fingers tried to touch something. "What's wrong? You get a paper cut?" Stephen asked, but Gary shook his head and pointed at something. Stephen followed his friend's finger to a small business card. Stephen was puzzled as to why it hurt Gary's fingers, not even having drawn blood, so he reached down to pick it up. In a split second, his whole body went cold and he wrenched his fingers away from it as if they'd been burned.
"Damn! What the hell was that?" Gary asked, still rubbing his fingers. Stephen shook his head and shoved his books and papers back in his bag, using a notepad to sweep the card in too. "I have no idea, it was like sub-zero ice, so cold it burned. And….it…..it made me feel….depressed. Over the top depressed for a split second. Weird…." Stephen let out at last still eyeing the spot where the card had been.
"Same here. What do you think it means?" Gary asked. Stephen shook his head, then bit his lip as he began thinking really hard. "I think we should cancel the session for tonight. It's not like I don't know how to do this work on my own. I'll just kill time at ray's house until I have to go home. You probably need some time alone, to deal with your friend's death."
"What about you? What are you going to do with Ray anyway?" Gary asked quietly, finally getting to his feet. "Stephen shrugged, getting up as well. "Discuss our problems….indefinitely." Stephen replied.
~ Shinden Fenikkusu Doujou~
(Sacred Phoenix Dojo)
"So what changed your mine, glorious leader?" Ray spat, his arms crossed over his dark T-shirt. Stephen had come out of his session in a daze earlier, not even fighting off Angela as she planted a kiss on his cheek. As emotionlessly as he had reacted to it, he looked at Ray, and said," I think you're right." Then the three of them took a bus to Ray's home. They had enjoyed another wonderful supper all thanks to his grandmother, but Stephen still looked like he was off somewhere else, his icy eyes glazed slightly in the fog of his own thoughts.
Now they were all in his bedroom, Ray in his desk chair, Angie lying on her stomach on his bed, and Stephen leaning nonchalantly against the door. He looked up again, a little startled, his thoughts obviously broken at Ray's words. "Gary said….a girl in one of his classes killed herself that night the others did, by drowning herself. I called the newspaper when I excused myself from supper tonight to ask if there were anymore drowning suicides…..and" Stephen said, his words trailing off.
Angie looked over at him, surprise filling her cerulean eyes. "And what, Snowflake?" she asked, and Stephen scowled.
"And….the guy I talked to said there were thirteen suicides on that same night, seven by drowning in either their sinks, tubs, Jacuzzis, and pools. The rest pretty much appeased nooses and razorblades to do themselves in, but it was how this guys describes the water deaths that convinced me fully that the Dark Universe is behind them." Stephen explained evenly.
Ray nodded, his eyes blinking several times to take in the terrible and shocking news. "The fact that drowning themselves in anything but the ocean seems a bit too painful. If they wanted to drown fast, they could have jumped off a bridge 0r taken pills before leaping in to sink. What else did the guy say?" Ray asked.
Stephen rubbed the back of his head, taking a shaky breath. "Like you said, there were no signs of struggle, but there was one spot of water a ways from all of the bodies, in the shape of a small rectangle, like a business card. I think our dear Mr. Johto is one of Viper's lackeys, and those cards have some kind of spell on them that make people get so depressed they welcome death. I have one of the cards in my bag….I found it when I was talking with Gary." Stephen let out, getting down in a crouch stance as he took his backpack off and dumped the contents on the floor. The card fell out easily, not even bent or dirties by the other contents his bag held. Ray felt uneasy just looking at it, the pit of his stomach lurching about as if it'd been turned into a roller coaster. "I feel great evil coming from it, like pure hatred. I've never felt anything like it….its so….so…." Ray said, searching for the right word.
"Viper….I know" Stephen finished. It hadn't been the word Ray had wanted, but it would have to do. Viper certainly was vicious and cold bastard, that coldness radiating from the card itself. He'd always had sort of a sixth sense about great evil. It had been the same that day he lost his mother, he felt all cold inside, sick and angry. Then the bullets sprayed over his head into his mother's beautiful form, her raven hair soaked with rich crimson, her once pleasant chestnut brown eyes rolling back in her head as the life slipped out of her body. He hated this feeling, it always reminded him of them, the stupid people that used their power wrongly and hurt innocent people with it. He quickly turned his head away in disgust from it, his eyes on Angie now.
She looked angry too, positioned like a cornered panther ready to strike out at everything. Angie obviously felt it too, and she was not one bit happy it was in the same room with her. Stephen on the other hand looked sad, as if the card was affecting him with the memory of those who had lost their lives to trying to reach out for help. Ray recalled his last conversation with Everett, where he'd been asking him about Angela and Stephen, what they were like and their school standings, basic things a new friend wanted to know.
He and Everett had laughed over talking about Stephen, the poor daydreaming genius that had every girl's attention, but he was always off in his own little world, never paying any more attention to anything else. Everett, regardless of how he referred to Stephen as a very dizzy male, said he always wondered what Stephen was thinking about, what kept him so calm and matter-of-fact with everyone, as if he was so carefree and good about it that he seemed to never have any problems whatsoever. Ray silently cursed himself, thinking about his friend's words now rang back to him loud and clear that Everett had made a cry for help that day. Still, Ray hadn't seen the signs or even the hints that Everett was suffering deep down, he wished that his friend had told him about it, maybe he could have saved him. 'No point in thinking about it now. Ev is gone forever, his souls stolen by the dark Universe assholes. You can still avenge him, and all the others Viper took advantage of.' Ray thought, then slammed his hand against his palm.
"All right then, I have an idea, but we're going to have to take some risks in this plan. A trap for that snake in the grass prince of hell." Ray let out in a determined voice. Stephen and Angie looked up, their eyes curious. "A trap, huh? Would this involve bait?" Stephen asked wryly. Ray scowled at him.
"This is no time for chickening out, Stephen. And yes, there is bait. You call that number and tell him you know all about him. Viper already knows, or thinks he knows, that you're Moon Knight's spy. Tell him to meet you at Sakura Gardens, to ransom him. These guys are pretty arrogant, I've seen that much so far in Viper. He's too confident, he overlooks things like us Galaxy Knights, but he also is too stupid to figure out who Stephen really is. Like he adds 2 and 2 and gets 5. Viper will figure you're turning on Moon Knight, that your last encounter with them made you wise up, but you want to make a profit. Good old human greed, Viper won't see through that, the guys isn't too smart when it comes to emotions except anger. Get him angry enough and he'll be ripe for the plucking. So, the plan good enough?" Ray explained, eyeing Stephen sternly the entire time.
Stephen paled, if that was possible, a fine shade of white, nearly matching his shock white hair. "I gather the guy you're staring at is bait," Stephen said quietly, and Ray nodded," Oh fine, since I am the leader, I guess I get to take all these wonderful risks. Dammit, whatever happened to my only problems being my family and my teachers. I miss those days."
Ray just shrugged. "Get to calling the number already. The longer we wait, the more young people Viper takes advantage of."
Stephen nodded and grabbed up Ray's phone, dialing away with a grim look on his face. "Why is it always me? Why can't the maniac threaten the, she's good at threatening people?" Stephen grumbled, the phone line starting to ring on the other end.
~ Sakura Gardens ~
Stephen stood by the lake, not feeling very comfortable being near it with the grim reminder that the other suicides all drowned. He had to assume this monster could manipulate water, but to what degree, he wasn't sure. Angie and Ray were in the bushes, transformed into their knight forms and laying in wait for 'Mr. Johto' to show up. It had been a task to anger Johto until Stephen said that he didn't seem strong enough to help him, if he could even fight insults such as his like a man.
Stephen told them he knew about Viper, and that really clinched it, and the quest for money or else sent Mr. Johto into a rage, his voice getting thick and bubbly. Stephen had completed the trap seconds before slamming the line down, the enraged shouting of the 'man' on the other line too much to bear. It made that sick feeling in his stomach come back, the same one that had erupted when he'd been so close to Onyx and Greese.
Stephen sighed, keeping his eyes on the tranquil lake beside him. It rippled slightly, but it wasn't something to get all bent out of shape over. He thought so anyway. The rippling continued, almost hypnotic, as if some invisible forces kept jabbing something in the water to make it. Then the water started to thrash and bubbled, making Stephen back up. The water looked alive with anger or rather the horrible living things swimming in the toiling whirlpool the section in front of Stephen had created did. They looked like snakes, three of them with heads of toothy skeletons, the loud rush of the water their cries of hate and death.
Stephen sprang backwards, landing on his rump hard as the water burst upward, the snake-things bursting up with them. As the spray cleared out of Stephen's sights, his body soaked thoroughly by the event, he saw the monster for the first time. It was like the body of a man, but with three snaking necks with those horrible skull heads attached to them. It reminded him of Greese, the way this one's body dripped and rippled about like real liquid. Stephen bit his lips as all three heads stared at him.
"So, the hero business not good enough for you, pretty boy? Blackmailing dear Hydra is where it's at? Not in this lifetime, you're future is in an oblong box, a worm buffet! For Lord Specter, you will suffer! RAH!!" the thing bubbled out, the watery body falling on him, then picking him up inside it. Stephen took a giant breath before impact, and now was forced to fight his way out of the watery body. His air would only last two minutes at the most, so his struggles were quick and violent, but nothing did any good. It was if he was trapped in a water filled plastic bubble.
His hands kept meeting with the rubbery barriers of Hydra's body, his lungs aching to breathe new air. 'Can't hold on forever! Mars! Mercury! Help me!' his mind screamed, the watery visions of his fellow knights filling his burning eyes.
~
"NO! Release him now, villain! I'm going to rip you a knew water hole." Mercury screamed, raising her sword up high to slash Hydra up, but Mars grabbed her arm suddenly and yanked her back.
She slapped him, even as Stephen struggled harder, his air running out within Hydra's body. "What did you do that for, you beast!? My darling is dying!?" Mercury shouted in Mar's face. He picked her up roughly and shook his head. "If you try and cut Hydra, what's to stop him from moving our friend's body into the path of your blade? Nothing, that's what. We have to do this carefully."
"Careful my ass, he's drowning in that fiend! What the hell would you suggest, brute!?" Mercury hissed, then gawked as Mars ran right into a startled Hydra, no blade drawn. Hydra's body dissipated slightly, falling off of Stephen's head. Stephen took a harsh breath his eyes widening with fright as Hydra's body started to creep back over him.
"Now Mercury, Now, ram him!" Mars shouted, starting up his own charge again. Mercury got the idea, if they couldn't harm Hydra with steel, they'd use their bodies. There was only so much matter water could take on if it was limited in amount. Hydra wasn't near the water, but if he got near it, Stephen would die. She ran as fast as she could at where Stephen was within Hydra, his face already turning purple from holding his breath too long, his eyes shut tight and painfully.
His eyes widened and the breath was knocked out of him as Mercury rammed her body through Hydra and into Stephen, Mars slamming through at the same time to Shove them to the side as their great amount of matter made Hydra split apart.
Stephen and Mercury rolled into some bushes while Mars was still in plain sight. He groaned, struggling to his feet. Mercury had accidentally kicked him in helping him get Stephen out of Hydra, right where it hurt. Regardless of that fact, he had to hold Hydra off long enough for Stephen to gain his bearing again and transform. 'I hope it's soon. Man, Angie packs a wallop.' Mars thought bitterly.
Hydra was reforming, each of his head looking angrier than the first. Mars smiled a bit, his sword readied, but wavering from the lingering pain in his groin. "How dare you, War Knight, how dare you interfere. Still, you were going to die anyway when Lord Specter rules this mud ball. Your friends and that pretty boy can follow once a flood your lungs with my embrace. Hydra Wave!" Hydra gurgled, waving his hands at the lake. A slim geyser erupted from the water in the shape of a dragon serpent, cobalt blue with a white ethereal mist swirling about it's watery body, then it rushed Mars Knight, roaring.
"Rip him apart, my pet, tear Mars to pieces! Ah hahahahahahaaaa!" Hydra cackled, pointing back at Mars, his water dragon charging faster. Mars dove to the side, rolling across the grass as the water dragon flew past him. It slammed through a tree, turning it into a pile of soaked splinters. Mars barely had time to get back up when the dragon swerved back around and rammed into his back. His feet left the ground as the thing flipped him in the air and grabbed him in its mouth. Mars got the wind back as the thing started to swallow him, intending to drown him as it had tried with Stephen. Mars just grinned, fires forming in his eyes as he tightened his hold on his sword. 'Unlike Stephen, I've got my powers on. Time to show this gutless wonder a little bit of human science classes teaches us about mixing fire and water.' He thought, raising his blade.
"Mars Raging Hellfire!!!!" Mars shouted, letting the fireballs fly from his dark blade into the screeching beast. The dragon wailed as they ripped through its body, boiling away its form into writhing steam. Mars was grateful when it dropped him as it faded away, but the great heat from the boiled water heated his armor up, scalding his skin. It hurt like hell, but it was better than dying a slow watery death. Sadly, the force of the drop made him lose his grip on his sword.
Hydra was in a rage, running at Mars as he tried to get up, his lengthy necks turning into swords, all aimed at Mars' heart. His blade out of reach, he simple shut his eyes, praying to his mother for hope.
"Ice Slash!" Lady Mercury's voice rang out, a crackling noise erupting in Mars perked ears. Mars opened his eyes slowly, his chestnut brown eyes glimmered at the sight of Hydra, frozen solid, the sword tips only mere inches from his heart. He backed up a bit, grabbing his sword as he neared it, and stood up, staring at the sparkling ice statue of death. As he looked past the monstrosity, he saw Lady Mercury and Moon Knight running towards him.
"About time, what took you two so long?" Mars asked, his voice a bit nervous, imagining what might have happened if they had taken any longer. Moon Knight smirked, and angled his head at Mercury. "The maniac and me hit rose bushes….Our duds got tangled and snagged in them, then when my shirt rips off, she gets frisky. By the time I got free and transformed, you were riding the dragon. Sorry man, but right now we have Hydra to deal with. If you use your fire attack on him, he might melt and become a nuisance again. More ice won't do us any good…." Moon Knight let out.
"So use your attack, sweets…..then we blow th….ACK!" Mercury began, but was suddenly jerked away by a tendril of water, barbs forming on it that were slicing into her tanned flesh.
"Mercury!" Moon and Mars said in unison, but only Mars kept his eyes on Mercury. Moon's eyes went to the frozen Hydra. "He's doing it, he can still control the water. If that water touches him, he'll be free in no time. You make sure Mercury doesn't get hurt any worse., I'll send out friend packing." Moon spouted, shoving Mars off towards their fellow knight.
Mars nodded and ran towards Mercury. "Mars Raging Hellfire! You let her go, slime wad!" Mars shouted, his fireballs sizzling away the tendril, but Mercury was falling now, head first. "NO! LADY MERCURY!!" Mars shouted, running as fast as he could to reach her, but he was just too far away, his eyes widening as she neared the ground, her scream ripping through his soul.
In a dark flash, Mercury was whisked away. As Mars' vision followed the dark streak, he saw Mercury was all right with the exception of a few cuts and bruises. A woman in a sexy black dress, long black hair that shimmered like fine onyx, and a similarly colored eye mask, had saved Mercury. She had a sword on her hip, her armored boots glistening in the moonlight. Mars knew who she was, from the way Stephen had talked about her, after he'd been bopped by Angie to stop his daydreaming about this woman, Lady Glamour.
She sure was pretty, and fast too to grab Mercury like that and not even harm her. Mars smiled at her, but she wasn't looking at him, she was looking at Moon Knight, who was readying his attack. She dropped Mercury swiftly and rushed over to Moon Knight, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"That is one weird girl. Oh….Mercury, are you all right?" Mars commented, rushing to his friend's side. She brushed him off, managing a pained 'yes,' then slipped a grumbling comment as she looked at Glamour and Moon Knight. To him, it sounded like," Hussy."
Mars shook his head, his body finally traveling towards the mysterious woman and their leader, his ears perking to their conversation
"You can't defeat him with just your power. I will lend mine to yours so this creature of despair can never harm another troubled youth again. Will you help me do this?" Glamour asked, her voice sounding a bit sad. Perhaps in her secret identity mode, she'd lost people close to her because of Hydra and Viper. He had to sympathize with her, he knew exactly how it felt to lose those close to him.
Moon Knight nodded, his smiling face gushing with emotion. 'He really does love her. I don't blame him, she's very pretty, not my type though. I like knowing things about the girl I care for before I date them. Maybe when we get to know her….a little better, maybe then. Stephen, I hope you know what you're getting into. People of mystery can be trouble.' Mars thought, his gaze stuck on Glamour.
"You've got it, Lady Glamour. You first." Moon Knight said happily, readying his sword for a slash as he and Glamour moved apart, then back a bit. He saw Glamour's silver sword rise, as a several water tentacles ripped out of the water, all reaching for Hydra.
"Crystal Cutter!" Glamour echoed, dozens of shimmering crystal shards erupting from her blade and flying towards the still frozen Hydra.
"Celestial Beam!! Let's fry this sucker!" Moon crowed, the beam of blinding light leaping from Moon's blade, the energy seeming into every shard. They all glowed an eerie white light before slamming into Hydra's frozen form, the light spreading throughout him, crackling through every pore. Mars swore he heard the statue scream as it blasted apart, each piece fading out of sight, like dust on the wind.
Mars smiled at their victory, turning to congratulate Glamour and their leader, but Glamour was already gone. Moon Knight was in an odd position, his blade embedded in the ground, kneeling as if bowing to royalty, but he was looking at the spot that Glamour had occupied not too long ago. "Gone again, with my heart once more. Oh Lady Glamour, who are you?" Mars heard him whisper.
Mars chuckled softly and walked over to his friend to pat him on the back. "You got it bad, man, but that's ok. It's good that you have an ambition other than daydreaming. Moon didn't bothering looking at Mars as he stood up, his knight form fading off to reveal a shirtless Stephen Tsukikage, a few bruises on his ribs. "Time we all went home. Our work here is done….the Dark Universe won't take advantage of troubled teens with Hydra ever again," Stephen said softly, the looked up at the glowing moon," And I'll get grounded again if I come home late tonight. See you, partners."
With that, Stephen ran off, leaving Mercury and Mars to watch after him, their knight form fading away into the mist, moments before they made their way home too.
~ The Dark Universe ~
Lord Specter howled in his chambers, screaming bloody murder as Raven and Xeno entered. "Moron! It was a simple plan and he ruined it! ARGGHHHHH!!! I will destroy that poor excuse for a dark prince! I will tear his black heart out, feed it to him, then rip out of his intestines slowly, then I just might kill him! Raven!! Come to me now!" Specter screamed, slamming his fist through the solid stone wall he was ranting near. His hand was bloodied with his dark blood, but he barely flinched when his hand went through. Raven and Xeno kept their distance from him, watching him cautiously.
"I am already here, Lord Specter. What do you wish?" Raven asked, her wicked glee in her brother's failure permeating through every word.
Specter looked at her, his normally calm and emotionless features ruined with his anger and hate. He looked horrible, ugly, and ready to kill whatever pissed him off first. "Find your….incompetent brother. Tell him he had better shape up or else I will kill him myself. And if he makes me hunt him down, its going to last a long time. You tell your baby brother that….and that no matter what, if he fails much more, his life remains forfeit. Understand, Raven?!" Specter yelled, making Raven step back a bit in fear his wrath would strike her.
She nodded and vanished in a flurry of raven feathers. Xeno remained, staring at his leader stoically. "And me, Lord Specter?" he asked, the look of hate starting to die down in Specter'' face. His leader calmed a bit more and strode elegantly towards his throne. As he sat down, a vacant look in his amethyst eyes, he spoke. "Yes, devote your time to training Princess Kittiana. Raven has had her training, if she fails as her brother will….Kittiana is my last hope before you. Train her as if your life depended on it, since it does. Now get the hell out of my sight. I don't want to see anyone until I deem it fit. Anyone who bothers me after this point without permission….dies. Understood, dark Knight Xeno?" Specter let out pleasantly, the arrogance teeming through his soft voice.
Xeno nodded simple and bowed, turning on his heels to leave, then looked back a moment at Specter. His leader gave him a narrowed and cold look, and Xeno gathered it meant that Specter's patience was snapping. In a flurry of metal, Xeno vanished, leaving his leader alone in the darkened throne room, dreaming of crimson rivers flowing from the people of Earth, all bleeding for him.
Very Important Note: Teen suicide is a serious matter. If you or anyone you know is in depressed or in danger considering suicide please call this number. They are there to listen, to help you believe in life. Suicide isn't the answer, there are people out there that want to help.
Call: 1-800-SUICIDE
or call toll free in the USA: 1-800-784-2433
Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can also visit their website at: