Little Lost Rabbit by Ikuko
Part 4
G to PG
Mamoru's narrative
I still do not own Sailor Moon
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How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride!
how much better is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
Shir ha-shirim Cant. 4:10
The question that Rei asked took me by surprise. How come I did not think
about it? It is so obvious: If Usagi is gone, how are we going to hide it from her
parents? Or otherwise we will have to tell them the truth, all the truth. And
there is no possible way for Mrs. Tsukino to ignore the change in her daughter.
On the other hand, I do not believe that she will be the biggest problem. She
strikes you like quite an understanding lady. She has to be, to be a mother to
Usagi. The Tsukino-papa, however... Shingo is a good boy, but only a boy, and I do
not expect him to be able to keep a secret like that. No, to tell them would be
impossible. Not until we get her back.
I decided to share my doubts with others. Not surprisingly, they were
thinking pretty much in the same direction. Disguise will be able to work for only
a limited time, and anyway we can not fool the mother. Coming out on the open is
impossible, not in the situation with the Council we have now. Luna was even ready
to get a compromise:
"May be we should tell Mrs. Tsukino, and only her. If she would cooperate,
this problem will be solved for now. If not, we will be not much worse off. I am
sure she will keep the secret" she mused. It might be worth to think about.
Besides, mother might have some idea were to look for Usagi. And this is the most
important thing for me. I was the first one to support Luna's idea. It did not
meet with any opposition, really, we were out of options here. So, to the Earth
we go. Outers except for Saturn were left behind on the moon, to take care of any
court matter that might come up. Five minutes later the rest of us was in front
of Tsukino residence, arguing how to break the news to the poor woman. We were so
involved in it that almost forgot of the possibility that she might not be alone
at the moment. Thank goodness at the last moment Ami thought of scanning the
house. Sure enough, Mrs. Tsukino was with Shingo, going through his homework. We
had to regroup: Hotaru called at the door for Shingo with exiting news about the
fire in the dumpster, which Rei created with some neat special effects. Temptation
was too strong, and Shingo was out of the house in a minute or so. He noticed us
on the street, with his sister that he did not see for a while.
"Usagi! I thought you were on the lake with your friends!" princess found
here voice:
"I just got back, Shingo." She was ready to cry. I had to help her:
"who is your friend?" I asked him in low voice, glancing at Hotaru, and we
shared an understanding "between us, men" look. I fished in the pocket for an
appropriate banknote:
"treat your girl nice". I had no idea that Hotaru has such a murderous look
in her arsenal. It is a pleasure to see the girls at work: Makoto touched her wrist
communicator 'we will let you know when you can release the boy' Hotaru nods 'do
not worry' and all communication without a word aloud or previous recital. As
soon as the coast was clear, we moved in. Now to the hard part.
"Mrs. Tsukino? Can we talk to you?"
"Minako? Oh, hello, girls. Usagi, you are back! What's wrong, honey?" Talk
about mother's intuition. Serenity was no longer able to hold her tears back. They
ran freely down her face, washing the disguise away. Mrs. Tsukino was on her way to
enfold her little girl into embrace and comfort her in whatever trouble Usagi was,
when she noticed the shining crescent moon on the forehead and the royal dress,
enough to recognize the famous Princess of the Moon. I must say to her credit, it
did not delay her for more then a second. The next moment the princess was crying
on the same shoulder that she had cried before, when Usagi was a part of her. At
the end, there was little left for us to explain. For the mother, Serenity was
still her girl, princess or not, a child that is terribly sick and needs help to
find herself. This simple approach comforted us all. Mortal woman with her
unconditional love saw no obstacles in titles, politics and superpowers. Queen
Serenity had chosen a forster mother for her daughter well. I think we made a huge
mistake hiding the truth from her before.
Back on the Earth, back in the simple, innocent world. People are walking
busily on the streets, discussing something as if nothing changed. I sit in the park,
staring on the page of the small book of modern haiku. This one had drawn my
attention
There is no one now
Poking holes in the paper shoji...
Why home is so cold?
It is terrible for a mother to lose a child, like the poetess did. I've lost
my soul, my love too. It is so cold in my house! Usako, the most innocent child of
them all... She was also making holes in the paper walls on Rei's temple to peek
through... Not that it did her any good, with her brilliant blue eye shining in the
hole, flooding the room with light... This one girl has no chance playing hide and
seek... Usako! Do not leave me like that again!
There are other people in the park, I can catch random pieces of conversation:
kids, work, prices. Same ol' same ol'. Once in a while they mention the Galactic
news, Avatars, Princess and me too. Like villagers gossip about events in the
capital. So quiet, so restful... To let my mind seep into the planet core, feel the
slow beat of her pulse, her infinite support, her vulnerability and power. Feel
every drop of rain, every sunray, every blade of grass and every soul of my
children on her surface. Where are you, Usako! I stretch my mind as far as I can,
but the only place where I can feel your presence is the very same I had searched
so many times already, around the old cherry tree. Are you hiding from me? I love
you, Usako! Since I met you in Edo, in the house of your guardian... I love you... To
lose you again, it is such a sad world... As Issa lamented:
"Tsuyu-no-yo wa tsuyu-no-yo nagara sari nagara"
I will not accept it. I will find you whatever it cost. I will not let you go
again.
(*Ikuko: eat this, all you fic-writers who use "arigato", "gomen" and other
pseudo-Japanese lingo until they do not know what language they are writing in.
Translate it as your homework for this week, and do not ask Alex Glover for help.
Come on, there are only three words, and you are supposed to know all of them.
Best translation gets a cookie and an extra credit)
There was a sudden movement behind me that alerted my sense of danger. I jumped up
from the comfortable bench and turned to see a man, an ordinary man stretched on
the ground. Was he having a heart attack? I run to his side to see what's wrong.
No, his heart was beating fine, it looked like... His energy has been drained! And
there were two legs in fancy pumps, obviously belonging to a woman whose body was
hidden behind the garbage can, also unconscious. And a whole pile of prone kids
on the playground... What's the hell? We were not at war! And who would dare to
attack so close to Avatar Council headquarters? I had always feel an evil
presence before, why did I feel nothing that da? Whoever did it to my children, is
going to pay! First thing, to alert the Scouts. Luckily, the phone booth is right here,
and Rei picks the receiver after the very first ring. By the time the cavalry
arrives, I am transformed and ready to beat a crap from a bustard that hunts on
my planet.
We run hot on the trail of the prone bodies. Another turn, and what we see
stops us dead on our tracks. Three members of Avatar Council busily drain a
bunch of pedestrians! And the ones that were relatively friendly with us,
too!
Rei is pissed off as much as I am. She skips the speech, and sends the Burning
Mandalla twirling forward, but it does not impress the perpetrators. Instead,
they happily greet the Scouts, like there is nothing wrong at all!
Mercury tries to reason with them:
"What are you doing? These are the human beings! Mortals are protected by the
Avatar law!"
"Not these ones! These are rogues! They do not belong to any Avatar! We need
energy, and Earth humans are an amazingly powerful source. Everybody drains them!
It is not against the law to graze on their energy if they are not under
protection of the planet Avatar!"
"They are under my protection"
"Hey, look, the Earth prince! We are luckier then we thought! Lets free the
Princess from her pitiful boyfriend! Ice crystal attack!"
that was totally unexpected. The sharp shreds of ice were speeding in my
direction, and I had no time to avoid the attack. All I could do was to wrap the
cape around me and concentrate on creating a temporary shield, using as little
energy as I could. I am on my own planet, that is swarming with life! If I will
unleash the entire power of the planet, it's energy will be unbalanced, and the
results may be catastrophic. The fine equilibrium of the air, water and earth
will be destroyed, and devastating hurricanes, earthquake and floods will
obliterate most of it's population. There is a nasty thought in the back of my
mind to use the "other" power. The one that is always tempting me. The one that
comes from everywhere at once, the one that I forbid myself to use. This power is
so tremendous, I will not allow myself even to think about it! I have a heavy
feeling that one day, when I will be completely awakened, I will have to face it,
and it might destroy everything that I hold dear. No, not now, not on this
planet. I will never use my full power on this planet! How bad can it hurt, after
all? A little bit of ice... The hit comes, it seems in slow motion. Hell, it hurts
like hell... But I've been through the worse. Scouts regain their wits after the
sudden attack and come to my defense. In spite of the hundreds if ice crystals
that penetrated the cape, I am able to stand on my own. Just in time to see that
another attack is swirling toward me, and that senshi are prepared to protect me.
What is worse, I see Serenity in Sailor Moon form, plain Sailor moon, without
wings, behind them, powering up too. Oh, Lord, all she can muster is the Scepter
power! If the attack will be too much for senshi... It is too much for senshi, it
tosses them like rug dolls from it's path. Serenity, silly princess without
warrior training is attempting to shield me from it! It is no time to be a
gentleman. Forcing my aching body to act fast, I grab her from behind and push on
the ground, covering her with my cape. Now, to brace myself to the impact... It
never comes. Sweet scent of the early spring, pink petals... Branches of the cherry
tree in bloom are surrounding us like a cloud, absorbing the attack and melting
the ice with the warm breath of spring. The attackers are so startled by my
unexpected defense, they do not attack again until it is too late and senshi are
ready for counterattack. Through the pain, I hear Venus demanding their
departure or else. Fortunately, they obey and teleport away. Thank goodness she
was smart enough not to attack them in turn. The last thing we need is an
official war within the council. Venus is certainly better in politics than she
lets out.
I helped the princess up, still mad at her foolish bravado.
"Are you crazy? You can not fight in this form! You could get killed here!"
At least she had grace to look ashamed.
"I wanted to help, besides, Usagi had fought like this before"
"She fought Yoma, not an Avatar! They are thousand times more powerful! What,
you want to get killed?"
"I wish. We are immortal, in case you had forgotten. The starseed will get me
reborn one day. Do not you see? There is nothing to live for! The one you love is
gone, and I still love you! As pathetic as my love is, it is all I have! And it
is hopeless! I wish I could die! I know why you are so angry, you want this body
to be in perfect shape when you will get her back!... Oh, I am sorry..., I did not
mean that... I miss her so... I am so sorry..." I am sorry too. I should have seen it
coming, poor child. She is crying again in my arms, hiding her face on my chest,
just as Usako did.
"You are her vessel, of course I love you. If she will return, WHEN she will
return, she will need you. Be strong, we have to get through it together. And
please, do not get in the fight until we will get Usako back."
"But do not you understand? Now is an open season on the Prince of the Earth!
They will hunt you down to get to me! We have to tell them that I am not she!
Sooner or later they will notice the difference in the power! If Avatars new, I
would not be as valuable prize for them and they will leave you alone"
"I can take care of myself. I am much stronger than you are now. Besides, we've
got a new protector..." Senshi surround us now and Ami is typing busily on her
computer:
"You mean, the blossom that deflected the power? I have the record of the power
discharges during the battle, but can not find it here."
"Come on Ami. It was so strong! Your computer should had registered the aura as
bright as that!"
"OK, look for yourself! The scanner was directed strait at you both... This is a
decoding of the power signatures present... What did you see?"
" Hmmm. Wow, my power rates higher than I thought... Ouch, Rei... You are right, Ami,
there are only I and Eternal Sailor Moon..."
"What?" Rei had jerked her head up "What Eternal? She was in plain basic form
when you decided to cuddle up on the grass here!"
"Yes, she was not eternal... Then that was the power that protected us! This tree
again... Usako!"
"She protected you from where ever she is..."
"You mean Usagi was here? Did you find her?"
"I did not find her. The link brought me to the Hikawa Shrine, to the old cherry
tree"
"The dead one?"
"No, it is not dead, it was in full bloom"
"You are making this up! It is autumn now!"
"Yes, it is considered as a miracle, your grandfather is making a good business
with all the people coming to see it"
"But what about Usagi?"
"Nothing. Her presence is strongest around the tree, but I did not see anybody.
If she is hiding, I left her a letter asking her to return."
"If I know anything about Meatball head, this isn't going to work"
"What else could I do? There is no place to hide, but her presence is there"
"May be I should go and see... Are you coming with me"
What's the use! So we are on the temple grounds, but there is a crowd admiring
the blossoms and we can not even get near the tree. Rei, however, can also feel
the presence, even from the distance. So she decides to do the next best thing,
and go meditate to the sacred fire. I have my doubts, though. I believe that her
Grandpa spent last week in the meditation room and did not get anything. I can
only wish Rei luck.
The family that was sitting under the tree gathered their belongings and
finally moved to the exit. At last!
Your presence is so strong here! Where are you, are you hiding from me? You had
always loved the cherry blossom... What makes this one bloom? November, usually the
rainy, hostile month of taifoons. We are lucky this year, the weather is still
good, even warm. The tree is now unfolded young, fragile leaves, but new flowers
keep appearing every day. People come from all over the country to witness the
miracle. Sakura always blooms before first leaves! On the other hand, it should
bloom only in February. Well, not this one. New pink flowers are not hidden by
the young leaves, and first tiny green fruits peak out already. A pretty, happy
picture! Why I feel your pain and sadness here, Usako? Usako... I whisper aloud... As
in the answer, the pink petals swirl around me. I can almost feel her!
Unwillingly, I lifted my hand to touch her... only a single pink flower lands on my
palm, in this warm afternoon it is covered with the drops of dew, clear like
tears.
Yet ringing in clear sky
Wet with tears unshed
Voiced of nightingales...
Silver threads between branches...
Or could it be rain?
I love you Usako. I love all of you. Your eyes, your smile, your heart your soul,
your body, your lips, your laughter, everything. You can not make me choose! I
will love all of you. You had taught your lesson, I will love you without
discrimination, like you had loved me: you had loved the evil Endymion, you had
loved Mamoru that did not love you back, you had loved the fleshless Moonlight
knight. I will love all of you: the body and soul, Serenity and Usako. I will not
give up again! Whatever comes, you are mine, Usako! by the right of the love, by
the right of creation, you are mine, and I am yours, and there is no one that
will stand on our way. Screw the logic, screw the reason. You are the meaning of
the nonsense, you are the wisdom of insanity. You are my soul, you are my life.
Usako, please, do not leave me again. I will do everything in my power to protect
your vessel, to love and care for your body, Serenity. But I need your soul back!
Come back to me, Usako! I dreamed of you, I was waiting for so long. We finally
have a chance, do not do this to me, Usako! Do not do it to yourself... I will
never deserve one like you, I never did... But I had felt your love, and this is a
power even you have to reckon with. However insignificant I am, I was blessed
beyond my worth: you love me, Usako, you were never able to hide it. At last, I
can understand your wisdom. Love is all, all there is. So I was foolish, but your
were able to forgive the foolishness of the smart ones before. Why would not you
forgive me now, my love, my life, my wife. As great as my power is, I will bring
it to your feet. For my power means nothing without you. Please, listen to your
heart, Usako, I can feel how it hurts in sync with my pain. Come back to me,
Usako.
There is no answer. I am alone. So alone.
Here is Rei. She appears from the door of the temple, embarrassed that she was
not able to find anything. Well, it was to be expected, Usako is hidden well.
I guess, it is time for us to go back to the Moon, to face the
Avatar Council. I am not quite sure yet about that thing that they said, that
everybody is feeding of the energy of my children, but this has to be stopped
immediately.
The meeting, luckily, was set early. We had not more then half an hour to
discuss the attack and plan our actions for the future.
Finally, we meet face to face. The offending avatars look like they are
perfectly on the right side. Bur their explanations sound weird to me:
"We needed the energy, and you can not blame us in the hostile actions toward
another world: we only attacked rogues, who are not protected by the Law of
Avatars."
" I do not understand what the ambassador means when he says "rogues". These
were Earth human inhabitants, who never rebelled against me."
"True. But that is not enough to be your subject and therefore enjoy yours and
Council protection. Let me prove it to you. I call to the human representatives
of the planet Earth! Is there among you those that command enough power to speak
from the name of the Earth population?"
A short man with gray hair and the face familiar from the front pages of
newspapers rose from his seat.
"Yes, we can speak for the human populous"
"Do you recognize Prince Endymion of the Earth as a rightful ruler of the
Earth?"
"No, the democratic countries will never submit to the monarchy"
"You see? The human race does not want you to be their ruler, and if what I
heard was true, you are not too eager to become the king yourself. We can consider
the mortals as a source of energy that does not belong to anybody, and use them as
we see fit. I do not see any reason to argue this point. It is not against the law"
"I call attention of the Council to the fact that the respected ambassador had
used the ignorance of mortals to prove that they have no right for protection."
said Pluto "You have to have more respect to the people of the Earth. This was
not fair toward the rightfully elected Earth governments. With all due respect, I
ask a permission of the Council to interrupt this meeting in order to consult
with human delegation"
Pluto is already at it. Earthlings may not know every Avatar tradition, but they
are not stupid. They want to understand why the Earth population is targeted.
Pluto calms the emotions:
"Human beings possess the tremendous life energy which is incomparable to any
other mortal in the Universe. For longest time Avatars did not know about it. The
reason for it was that the Earth was incased in the Moon kingdom, strong in its
own right and well protected and respected by everyone. The Earth was shielded by
invisibility shield and secrecy that Queens thought necessary. Even in the Moon
kingdom not everyone new of the existence of the Earth civilization. When Moon
Kingdom fell, the Council assumed that the Solar System was no longer populated,
and soon it was forgotten. Once in a while an accidental space traveler would
find it, as it happened with aliens not long ago. Sailor Senshi were able to
protect the planet from individual attacks. But if the entire Universe is aware
of the existence of such tempting and easy accessible energy source, humans will
need a centralized protection. You are an easy prey, and all Avatars have to do
is to prove that this beings are not protected by your own avatar"
"Why did they declared us rogues on our own planet?"
"You see, it is not in your power to elect or not to elect the avatar of this
planet. The prince is an avatar and will stay one regardless of your wish.
democracy has nothing to do with it, because there is no one else with the power
over the Earth. Your refusal to accept him will never take away his title, but
according to interplanetary law it makes you rogues. At least, you must know the
meaning and the consequence of your refusal"
"You mean, the avatar will destroy us. We know enough of our own history to be
able to predict the actions of a dictator"
"I do not think so. He has no wish to be a dictator, but of course you have no
control over it. Theoretically, he has three choices: he can destroy you, he can
ignore your refusal and keep his protection over you, or he can withdraw it,
leaving you an easy prey for less picky avatars. You realize, an unprotected
human being is a valuable and tempting source of energy, and will attract some
attention."
"But what about democracy?"
"The great thing about democracy is that it is not a power to achieve something,
but rather a necessary condition to be able to do so. "Every man is born equal"
is the corner stone of the democracy, it is the power of the equals over their
life. But what if there is one who is not born equal? What if inborn powers of
one make the very principal of "equal opportunities" ridiculous? If he has the
non-transferable gift more powerful then the combined resources of all the
others? Any progress, break through, race, art, science, philosophy are
essentially non-democratic in their nature. You can not elect an Einstein, Da
Vinci, Shakespeare or Socrates. The best you can do is to create equal
conditions for all in which the gifted person can develop into the genius and
serve the society, however high or low the person was born. In the best ruled
societies ever existed on the Earth the Demos had the power over the diplomacy,
justice, military forces, and environment, and left the giants of mind to rule
their kingdoms.
The problem we are facing now is that the particular gift belongs to the spheres
traditionally covered by the government. Its carrier is capable to uphold justice
when no one else can; and provide the defense when all human governments will
fail to do so. Avatar is responsible for the very habitability of the planet,
and represents it in the interstellar diplomacy. People can exercise very little
power over the Avatar. If he happened to be a good guy, he will care for the
people and listen to their needs. But if you are unlucky enough to get the bad
guy, well, too bad. You will have about as much say in the matters, as tomato in
the management of the ketchup factory."
"And you, Lady Pluto are implying that Prince of the Earth is a "good" guy?"
"I do. But actually, on the long run it is irrelevant, if avatar is a "good"
or a "bad" person. Good and evil are relative, and are valid only in terms of the
particular society. Good is what is beneficial for the given society, and evil is
everything that is not. Being in good graces with the being who sustains the very
life on the planet is very GOOD for the mortals. The worst possible avatar will
eventually or destroy the population on his/her planet, or form it according to
his tastes. In the first case there will be nobody to complain. In the second,
avatar will cooperate with and protect his subjects, and therefore will be "good"
for them.
On the other hand, "good" avatar will try to cooperate with inhabitants of
his planet and help them. It will also inevitably affect the population: first,
people, knowing that their very existence depends on the avatar, will try to
comply with his wishes. Second, avatar cannot always act according to the results
of the democratic vote, which is only an average of the opinions of being with
limited, compare to immortals, experience and can be harmful for themselves. Do
not forget, that crucifixion of Jesus was decided by freely expressed will of the
majority, and so was the election of Hitler to power. In this case, the society
will also be changed and adjusted to avatar's taste, only without the bloodshed."
I had left the meeting at this point. It was a useless discussion: my children
had fought so hard for the independence, they would rather die then willingly
submit to the monarch. I can but be proud of them. I will be the last to limit
their freedom. But there is another session of the Council meeting ahead, by the
request of the princess. I suspect she wants to ensure my personal safety.
Nothing I can do about it, I guess. It would be nice not to be hunted like a
game, but sometime I feel a dark urge to beat the crap out all these fellows who
think they can get my love away from me. Anyway, it is time to go, the second
session will start any minute. I take my place just in time to see the Princess
taking her stand:
"I call attention of the Council to a incident that happened today on the
Earth. I was told that the avatars who were draining the energy of humans had also
attacked the Prince of the Earth. We had heard their explanation about stealing
human energy, but not about unprovoked hostile action against one of our own, a
rightful member of the Council." well, she was smart enough not to tell that she
was at the scene herself.
"My Princess, it was not an unprovoked attack. We were using our right as your
suitors to duel with one another for your hand. Prince has to prove that he
deserved to be your consort, if he can, of course. From the moment Council
declared that everyone can seek your attention, the duels are legal."
"This is barbarous! I am not a she-cat in heat! I ask the Council to stop the
dangerous practice. If the duels are necessary, they should be controlled by some
rules. I do not want to be won at the savage fight. My consort must be a true
knight, and not someone who can only stab in the back"
"As you wish, Princess. You just took your little prince out of our way. I ask
the Council to call the official Tournament of Chi!"
Where is Pluto when you need her! What do they mean under this "Chi Tournament"?
Pluto is an expert in all this crap. She is the only one who knows all the rules and
customs of the Council. But she is with my children, trying to convince them that
human democracy does not work with Avatars. So what is going on with this
announcement? They declared that blasted tournament in such pompous way, looks
like it is a very big deal for all of them. Somehow, not everybody is equally
happy about it. The ones of the large worlds are very self-confident, and the
avatars of planets do not even enlist for it. Looks like Serenity's attempt to
protect me backfired. What that arrogant bastard meant when he said that I am out
of his way? I will fight, it is silly, but I do not see any other way. Serenity
will not be forced in unwanted marriage just because some bully has heavier fists
than others do. As humiliating as it is, I will have to register as a contestant.
Oh, Usako, one day we will laugh at all this story together. Were is the desk of
registration? Oh, right here. The unfamiliar senshi behind the desk looks at me
with surprise.
"You can not be serious, my prince. You are of a small planet, even the mock
attack will kill you. In the noble art of the chi tournament all the participants
are protected by the capsule of the force field, so that there will be no
fatalities, but you are so week, you will be never able to support the field
strong enough. Even if you will muster some field, it is hard to recognize the
contestants through it, and someone may accidentally send a deadly blast your
way, thinking that he has a worthy opponent."
"I will take my chance. My duty is clear: I have to do anything to protect my
princess"
"As you wish... But you do not stand a chance. You WILL be killed, and by the time
of your reincarnation will witness the happiness of the princes with the victor.
Besides, you do not meet all the requirements for a participant"
"Like what?"
"You are not an official leader of your planet."
"I am a leader of all Solar System Senshi for now"
"They will have to declare it publicly"
"They will"
"All right. I believe that considering how slim your chances are, no one will
object from your participation. Have a nice suicide"
Darn bitch. Anyway, I have to talk to senshi now, I think they are in the
Princess chamber by now. I hurry there and see almost everybody trying to comfort
desperate princess.
"Girls, there is no time for hysterics, we have to resolve some questions before
the tournament. There are some formal obstacles: every Avatar must be recognized
on his or her planet as one to be able to participate in the tournament."
"I do not see any problem here, my Prince. We, senshi that are recently reside on
the Earth are ready to swear loyalty to you as a our sovereign. Formally, an
official communiqué should be enough."
"Yes, Neptune, Mercury will prepare it today, but the last word belongs to the
Council. There is also another concern: if I will be killed in the tournament,
the Earth population will be unprotected and treated as spoils of war. I can not
allow it. Senshi must swear to protect my children, at least until my next
reincarnation. Mercury must establish the net of security to alert others about
any attack. It is possible, that we may find some humans willing to ask us for
help when needed. Even if they are not my subjects, they have to know that they
can always count on our help. Neptune and Pluto have to work out public
relationship with mortals to ensure that we will be alerted if humans are under
attack. By the way, were is Pluto?"
"I am here, my Lord. And there is no need in the preparations, Mercury. Your
Majesty, your subjects are asking when you will be able to give them an audience.
"What?!"
"Representatives of the Earth expressed the will of the Earth population to
accede to the rightful king of the Planet and bring the vows of loyalty as soon
as possible" so much for my pride for their love for independence. I guess, Pluto
can be more convincing than I thought.
"I can see them right now"
The delegation consisted of reasonable men. They accepted the unavoidable,
understood that I have as little enjoyment in what was happening as they did, so
they made the ceremony as short and sweet as possible, to everyone's pleasure.
Hmm, in the view of tomorrow's tournament it might be also one of the shortest
reigns in history. I can be dead before most of the people will know that they
had a king. I wonder, if I can apply for the most humble coronation ceremony
award. Pluto saw the Earth delegation out, the whole procedure did not take
more then five minutes. Ami had recorded the ceremony, to present to a Council as
a proof of my legally accepted status.
"Smart guys"
"Mars! It is not something to joke about! I do not want to become a king against
their will, only because they are afraid of the other Avatars!"
"Well, we do not have a choice, do we? As little as mortals mean to the Council,
this is a necessary formality for you to be able to fight for your woman.
Besides, I believe that there is more to be afraid of than Avatars. Did you see
the latest addition to the Council?"
"No, I went to the meeting with human delegation. Who is it?"
"An acquaintance of yours. Galaxia"
"You are joking. She is restoring the worlds!"
"Not any more. Do you like to see her?"
"Is she here?"
"Yes, waiting for you. Can I call her here?"
"Please do, Mars. Why is she back?"
"Ask her yourself. Come in, Galaxia"
She is so changed... Tired, even exhausted. Lost all he glamour, only eyes are huge
and feverish.
"Galaxia... His royal Majesty King of the Earth will give you an audience right
now..." good thing I know that she is only kidding with all these titles...
"Your Majesty... Forgive me, I was not able to complete my mission. The Light Of
hope, Chibi-Chibi as Usagi called her had disappeared some time ago. The Universe
balance had been destroyed, the worlds can not be healed. Stars are getting cold,
the distant planets are blanketed with ice. I came as soon as I could. The
universe is in grave danger. I do not know what is causing this"
"I am afraid we do. Chibi-Chibi has greater link with Usagi than even with you.
There is no Light of Hope, not even a spark of hope, until we find her"
"Chibi-Chibi?"
"No, Usagi"
"But the Princess.." For the first time she has a good look at the girl she
thought was the one that defeated Chaos. "Oh, no. What happened?"
"Usagi had left the body of the princess. It is a secret, but we can not keep it
from you, you knew her too well. The Council does not know yet"
"You can not hide it for long. So this is why Chibi-Chibi is gone. You realize
that the Universe will be frozen over in the matter of weeks if we will not get
her back?"
"We do now. But first, we have to deal with that tournament tomorrow. After that,
we will find her. I am returning to the earth, to prepare. There is no time for
training, but at least I have to learn the rules of this medieval thing"
"Do you need help?"
"No. I want to be alone. If what Avatars say is true, then only a miracle can
help me. Lets pray for a miracle to come at the right time. Good bye, I will see
you all tomorrow"
I teleported directly home. The curtains of the windows were left closed, and I
reveled in the familiar smell of the cool air in my apartment. For how long was I
away? A week? A pleasure of the small things, to get some juice from the fridge,
to stretch in my favorite chair... Wait a minute, my favorite chair is occupied.
Who? Oh, of all the people, what is he doing here?
"Helios? Is it a social visit, or there is also trouble in the Elysion?"
"Hello to you too, Endymion. No, there is no trouble there, yet. However, there
is enough problems in the world of reality. You need all help you can get,
Endymion"
Helios, the mirror brother. There is a connection between us, that no one was
quite able to explain. His powers are so different from mine, but at the same
time similar, like a reflection in the water. We rarely meet, but a mutual pull,
so much like friendship between brothers, links us to each other.
"You came to help? You know what happened? Can you help me find Usako?"
"No. But I can tell you about the tournament. Come, we have little time.
His instructions are precise and straight down to the problem: how to concentrate
on your chi, how to form a protective shield, how to avoid attacks. The secret is
to keep your personal field as small as possible, to make the smallest aim and to
conserve the energy.
"the energy consumption grows exponentially with the size of
the shield." He said "It will take entire power of the Council to support the
outer defence". He shows me the future battle place, in the sea of Tranquility.
The additional force field will be set around it, to protect the spectators. He
tells me that because of the nature of the shields, I will have to fight in total
darkness: force field will polarize the light and rotate it 90 degrees, so that
double field works as crossed polarizing prisms. The fighters will not see any
sunlight through double field, external and personal, but jury can observe the
movement of the personal fields and rescue surrendered contestants. It means that
the only way to sense the opponent and his attack is to meditate to be able to
see the chi. I can do that. I had never neglected meditation exercises, in this
life of in the previous. But why is he so eager to help me? Where does this
respect, even reverence that he shows toward me come from? God my witness, I had
never done anything actually good for him... May be, Chibi-Usa... I know, he will
love her... Can he help a father to ensure that the daughter will be born?
"are you helping me because of..." he will not let me finish. He reads my
mind with ease.
"Well, that is a consideration, too. But our relationship is going much deeper
then that. I AM your double in the world of dreams and illusions, and I am a king
there, just like you are a king in the world of reality. Our destinies are linked
and reflect each other, but there is a difference... You were given the soul mate,
and I was left alone."
"Why?"
"You are the one to give me my soulmate. You have your love, I will have to
wait for another thousand years. I will help you. Hope, you will remember it when it
will be your turn to hunt me with a bunch of steel-tipped roses, if I did not
bring your daughter home in time." His jokes lighten the mood a little. We both
are tired, and tomorrow is a hard day. I better hit the sack, if I want to
perform to the best of my ability. Helios disappears in the thin air, leaving me
alone in the darkness of the room. The horizon is still lit with the twilight of
forgotten dusk. Alone again, with almost no hope
Smokes of autumn fires
Dissolve in the evening sky
Oh, how I wish I could
Disappear like bitter smoke
Leaving the pain behind
Good night Usako, wherever you are. After that stupid tournament, I will be back
looking for you, and I will find you, I promise.
The new morning did not bring a hope with it. The confidence that Helios inspired
in me had evaporated during the night. He said that avatar can only command so
much power, not more than the mass of his planet can provide. Earth is a small
planet, and I will have to stand against those who represent stars. Life is not
fair.
I get to the sea of Tranquility barely in time. It is not like me to be
late, but I just had to get to the cherry tree that smells like Usagi's hair, if
only for a second. The new fresh flower in my chest pocket warms me and gives a
glimmer of hope in this hated contest. I do my best to ignore my rivals, or
spectators. The outer force field looks like a huge dome of smoky quartz. I know
that everyone, except for contestants are pooling their energy to support it. Who
cares? My place is inside, where I have to face the presumptuous morons who think
they can win princess in fight. No, I will not give into anger. Concentrate. Form
the field. The landscape and everything in it disappeared the very moment the
field was formed. My, it does take a lot out of you. How am I to fight if only
supporting the shield takes most of my power? Not all power, the tempting voice
in the back of my mind tells me. It is safe here. You are on the Moon, that is
mostly dead, except for the capital, and you are on the safe distance from there.
Besides, there is an outer shield... It is safe, give in, no one will get hurt,
your planet will be all right... give in... use all of your power... Who can blame
me? I did give in... Instantly, the tournament was forgotten. I was remotely aware
that my shield is still on and even growing, but the flood of memories, emotions
and sensations was to overwhelming. Like in the dream, I was inhaling the new
knowledge, the new meaning. I did not notice the passing of the time... Was it
minutes, or was it hours? I was not afraid any more, with this power my opponents
could not hurt me, and I did not want to attack anybody. The tournament was
pointless from the beginning. I will forgive them, they did not know what they
were doing. I will not hurt them back.
I was still trying to sort the new knowledge and power in my mind, when I
became aware of the light streaming through my shield. What the hell? It was
supposed to be a fight in the dark! I can see again... Oh, why there is no outer
field in the crater? And were are my rivals? My force field is hovering alone
above the dust of the surface, Mars and Mercury waving their arms to attract my
attention? I power down the shield.
"Is it over?" Senshi are looking at me as if I suddenly grew a second head.
"Yes, your Majesty, the tournament is over." I know I have to go, time is
running out. I had got my answer, Usako is waiting for me. If only I could get out of
here soon... But there are always some annoying formalities...
"Who won?" I am not very interested, really, it is just a polite thing to ask.
It does not matter, I know everything now. She is mine, and I am the only one who can
get her.
"You are an undisputed winner, your Majesty" Ha, isn't it funny. I did not even
fight, did I? Well, Usako refused to fight Galaxia too, who can be a better
teacher...
Finally, I can sneak away. I must hurry! The power I was hiding from for so long
gave me a terrifying answer for all my questions. I know now! I know why we were
meant to be together, and why we parted. I know everything.
I know who I am! I am the Earth! The Earth is not only the planet, the Earth is
the element of matter. I am all there is! All the matter, all the stars, all the
planets, every unknown asteroid in the vast expanse of the Universe! I am the
energy, because matter and energy are one. I am all there is. I am the father,
and not only mortal being of the planet Earth are my children. I am the father to
all, I am all there is! There is only one equal to me in the power, and I can not
live without her. But I can feel you, now I know where you are, what you are, and
how to get you back! With this new power teleportation is a snap. It is enough to
think of the destination, and I am back, on the temple grounds, in front of the
mysterious stubborn tree that does not know when to bloom. You can not hide from
me any more, Usako! I can see you in your full glory, the tree form is a part of
you, yes, but I see all of your beauty. How blind I was! Here, right before my
eyes. Wet snow that had covered Tokyo over the last weeks does not come close to
you. Spring is all about you, and spring flowers are opening at your feet in the
middle of November. Pink petals of your blossoms surround me again, touching
gently, caressing as they fall. We are together again, Usako, we will always be
together. I promise. Even that terrible prophecy can no longer keep us apart. If
this means the end of this world, then it meant to end this way. I will bring you
back to me, whatever the price. I have little time alone with you, others are
coming soon, but it does not matter. You have to believe in my love for you,
Usako! I call upon Earth Cosmic Power! Look into my heart, Usako! It is bare
before you. I feel the newly found power filling me and channel it all into my
will to transmit my love to her. If only my strength is enough! Why, why should
you be blind, Usako! Why can not you feel love of others? No one can signal to
the Sun with a flashlight. You could never see the week gleam of our love through
the shining light of love that you radiate so generously. But now, I am awake,
and I remember. Your love had met it's match, you will see, you will feel it. I
send my all power my all love to you, to the last drop. I call you, as I had
called you then, when I first saw the beauty of your heart. I call you in the
ancient words of the forgotten language:
Ma yaphah dowdich achowthy kallah,
ma towboh dowdich miyayin wereyach shemenih ma kol'-besemim...
_________________________________________________________________
End of part 4. Is anybody still reading?
Comments, suggestions and money orders are appreciated.
Ikuko