Legacy
- Chapter Three
By: Moments of Insanity
Disclaimer: Nope,
Sailor Moon wasn't, wouldn't, and will not be mine.
Thanks to
Ice for cleaning my grammar mess up -; she's the best editor; fast
and efficient. And she's a senshi/general writer as well . Her pen
name is Warrior of Ice.. read her STUFF now!
Kowtows to those
who reviewed my story. Thank you. You have no what it means to
me.
Author's note: nope, this is not an all-powerful senshi
story, nor is it the sappy romantic type of story. It's about
working, starting from the bottom and reaching
to the top. Ah
important note, is that Ami will retain her name unless spoken to.
Please don't be confuse with Ami and I'ma, they're the same person,
except I'ma is a persona Ami wears..
This chapter's
recommendation includes:
Destiny by Lady Fenix, also Queens of
Heart (found on her homepage)
Cactus Flower by Loulibelle (humor.
She rocks!)
Vesper by Melete (romantic and poetic.)
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'Well,
what are you waiting for?' Kunzite asked. He arched an eyebrow at Ami
who was slightly lost, while handing her a shield. He motioned for
Ami to join the tired group waiting for the next instructions. Ami
stumbled, moving quickly next to Makoto, who sighed with relief.
Numerous questions were reflected in Makoto's emerald eyes. 'Find a
partner and get a shield,' Kunzite snapped, 'we will now practice
swinging. Strap the shield onto your arm,' he instructed, fastening
one on to his arm as an example, 'your partner will use you as target
practice. Use the shield if you don't want to get hurt; I'm sure Lady
Setsuna will be very vexed if she needs to heal anyone today.'
Ami
quickly strapped on the shield, tightening it with the provided
leather straps. Standing opposite to Makoto, she nodded to signal
that she was ready. Immediately, Makoto began to attack. Her sword
hammered onto the shield with a steady tempo, filling the courtyard
with loud clashes. Ami winced as a growing headache began to hammer
her skull with the exact tempo of Makoto's attack, not to mention her
arms were beginning to feel numb.
'What are you doing?
Makoto?' yelled Kunzite from the sidelines, 'I did not ask you to
hammer; I asked you to attack!' Turning his attention away, he barked
orders to other pairs, 'Kineth! What did you have for breakfast? Or
is the sword too heavy for you?' turning around, ' Maxin! I don't
hear any clashes from you! Swing your sword faster!'
Makoto
bit her lips; her hand seemed to be wrenched from her wrist with
every maneuver of different swings, from different angles. She
silently cursed Kunzite for the exercise.
'I'ma, move your
legs, don't stand there like a log!' Kunzite bellowed, his voice
rising above the loud racket. 'Move, force Makoto to attack,' he
ordered. The day ended peacefully with his voice insulting every pair
on the
field.
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Makoto
slid gratefully onto the bench in the kitchen. Her sword lay on her
lap, waiting to be polished and sharpened. The layer of sweat and
dirt that clung to Makoto's skin was enough to have made her scream,
if she hadn't been so tired. Ami sat next to her, leaning against her
tiredly while cradling her newly obtained sword. It had been a tiring
day. In the morning, they had had the grueling basic sword practice,
followed by instructions with long bow, and not to mention simple
physical exercise. Following the backbreaking morning session were
the boring lessons on history, scriptures and politics. Everyone was
expected to know how to read and write, dabble in economics and
politics, and also to know the etiquette of the court. The day ended
with drudgery work that Maxin detested.
When the food came, it
was no wonder that they ate in silence. Even Maxin ate the food with
relish, for once he didn't complain in his nasal voice. The only
noise in the kitchen was the low murmuring from the older knights and
squires, punctuated by occasional sound made by dishes knocking into
each other. The fire in the fireplace glowed merrily, casting the
room with a comfortable light. One squire took a lute next to
fireplace and began to play a traditional folk song; his fingers
strummed the strings, plucking at intervals to create a harmonious
chord that lulled the tired crowd with the gentle melody and washed
the strain away. Another squire stood up. It was Zoisite. In the
light, his hair shimmered ith the light from the glowing fire,
drawing Ami's eyes like a moth to flame. He sang, letting his tenor
voice rise and fall with the melody. His voice filled the hall with
the tale of unrequited love.
Makoto soon found herself humming
to the tune, fingers tapping at the same rhythm. 'Hey, I'ma,' she
whispered to the short girl next to her, 'do you think you can pinch
that lute up into our room? It's a long time since I've heard you
play.'
'Show off,' a soft voice tinged with suppressed mirth muttered from behind. Both Ami and Makoto looked up to see Jadeite in a blue tunic. He smiled brightly at them. 'So you play the lute?' Jadeite asked as he sat himself next to Ami. He held a package in his hand.
'Not well, though,' she whispered, afraid to interrupt the song in the air. 'What is this?' she asked when Jadeite shoved the packaged into her hand.
'Lady Setsuna asked me to give this to you. She said you left this in her room,' replied Jadeite. 'So have you tried your long sword?' he asked, taking the scabbard from Ami's lap and drawing the gleaming sword from the scabbard. Unlike the broadsword most novices used, it had a long, narrow blade with double edges. Lighter than the broadsword, it was designed for fast and sharp maneuvers and powerful thrusts. 'Use it well, Lord Nephrite made it.' Seeing Ami's and Makoto's questioning looks, he explained, 'This sword was originally made for Zoisite; Lord Nephrite made it as a gift for him. However Zoisite insisted on using a broadsword.' He shrugged, 'Zoisite is stubborn, don't doesn't want to look like a weakling in anyone's eyes, I suppose.'
At that time, the door to the kitchen swung open. The music stopped as every eye looked at the newcomer who was cloaked in grey; his hood covered his head. He strolled forward, making near the fireplace where most of the knights were seated. He pushed his hood back, showing his short, spiky silvery hair. His face were weathered with lines, his eyes tired.
Kunzite immediately stood up and ordered every novice and most of the quires
to leave.
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When Makoto and Ami reached the safe haven of their room, Ami immediately tore open the brown wrapping paper of the package, while telling Makoto about her meeting with Setsuna. Makoto was ecstatic to know her eldest sister was well and around, though not to the same extent as Ami had been. In the package, there was a note and two sets of bronze keys. Ami scanned the note found in the package and grinned delightfully.
'So what is in there?' asked Makoto, curious at the smile on Ami's face.
'Keys to the library, with instructions how to get there.'
'Not very useful to me,' she mumbled, pulling her soiled tunic over her head. She looked over Ami's shoulder to read Setsuna's neat and elegant cursive writing.
'And also the key to the women's bathhouse; she even told us when there will be few people using it,' she smiled ecstatically, holding up a set of keys. Immediately, Makoto grabbed the keys and moved to the door.
' Well, what are you waiting for? Lets go!'
Following the instructions on the letter, both wandered into the area outside the chapter. The night was cool, with summer breezes blowing through the air and shadows cast by the trees swayed to and fro. The sounds of cicadas filled the night with their endless chants. Walking through the colonnade, they found themselves in the healers' quarter. Following the instructions down the stair, they reached the bathhouse that was situated in the basement. The room had a small pool and two tubs of water, with only several lit candles near the door. The room was filled with steam, as the water was still heated from earlier use. Small bar windows let in the wind and light from the moon; the wind played with the mist, while rivers of light sundered the bed of mist.
They shed their clothes quickly, scrubbing their bodies with the provided soap,
and washed their hair. Ami scrubbed furiously, happy to wash the grime and dirt from her body.
'Ami,' Makoto suddenly started, 'the hair dye is washing off,' she finished in a
strangled voice.Sure enough, small black rivulets made their way down her body. She bit her lips, slightly annoyed. Quickly she poured the warm water on her head and washed the dye off, revealing her dark blue hair darkened to almost midnight black because it was wet.
'Don't worry, I've got some left in my bag,' she said, quickly running her fingers through her tresses of hair.
After the wash, both sank gratefully into the warm water, letting their strained muscle relax. They sat in silence. Ami closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of dripping water while resting her head on the side of the pool. 'Makoto, why did you come with me?' Ami asked softly.
'Silly question,' Makoto replied, gazing at the moon. 'You're family, we have to stick together.'
Ami smiled softly, 'Thank you.'
They sat comfortably in silence.
'I wonder what is Usagi doing now?' Ami said.
'Maybe sleeping. Or doing her favorite thing: gazing at the moon,' Makoto said in a faraway voice. 'I'm more into what she is doing at daytime. Getting away from her suitors, or is she getting bullied by that gang of village girls?' She frowned worriedly.
'Don't worry, Haruka will keep an eye on her,' Ami replied. 'Doesn't it seem like yesterday when we were at war with the entire village?' she sighed sadly.
Makoto snorted, 'A house with only women, the first thing they questioned was our ability to survive, secondly our reputation, and finally our financial ability,' came the bitter reply. 'We had proved our worth, and now they are worried about our spinsterhood.'
'Why are you worried? I thought you were...well...interested in the suitors,' Ami smiled, her hands playing with the water, skimming over the surface to create intricate patterns of ripples.
Makoto shrugged, 'They were fun to manipulate; But I don't really trust them. Village bullies don't change to Prince Charming over night. I got my fair share of bruises and cuts from them,' She glowered at the memories.
'True...' Their childhood had been rough. Ami remembered vaguely of the nomadic life they had led when she had been extremely young, still a small babe who would burrow into Michiru's embrace when scared. Those were the times filled with cries of young children and the hushing reassurance from the older children. They were always moving and running from place to place. She could not remember when was the time that they settled into Sarrinum, for it was just one of the many villages they had passed. They grew up in the cottage near the outskirts of the village, with a quaint garden where they spent their childhood growing vegetable and flowers; it was their only refuge against the outside world. The cottage was small when considered that they were a family of eight. There was only one adult; Luna, who was a motherly guardian. The eldest was sensible Setsuna, followed by impulsive Haruka and graceful Michiru. Makoto being the oldest in the younger group took it as her responsibility to look out for the younger Usagi and Ami.They were not family, in the strictest sense. Not by blood, but by chance, luck, and destiny. Ami was lucky to have Michiru as her cousin, her only blood relative left in the world. The others weren't so lucky.
Seen as outsiders, they weren't welcomed at first. They were mysterious orphans from an unknown place. And, understandably, they were treated with hostility. But over the years and over after many trials, they had been able to win the trust of many villagers. Moving to the bakery near the middle of the town had made the villagers accept them more readily; at least they were no longer termed as stuck ups.
Ami sighed. She had asked about the past many times, only to receive sad looks and guarded replies from Luna and Setsuna.
'Ami?' Makoto asked, shaking the silent girl out of contemplation. 'Let's get out, I'm feeling like a prune right now.'
The past that she could not delved into.
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The door creaked, showing a blob of blue hair peeking into the darkened room. 'Hello?' she said softly, giggling lightly at her sudden silliness; she tiptoed into the room, the carpet cushioning her steps. It took all her willpower not to dance with joy, as she breathlessly wandered around the room. The anticipation to take all the books was overwhelming. Her eyes widened to appreciate the extent of the library. The room was huge. Rows and rows of tall bookshelves aligned themselves along the room, all radial to the focus toward the center of the room. In the center, there was a very nice mahogany table covered with paperwork. An adorable little candleholder sat on the table, where the flame of the candle hiccuped to cast a soft, bubbling light. A dome covered the room, and at the apex of the dome, a round glass window let in a channel of moonlight. She walked across the room, looking up to see the stars twinkling serenely above. She was almost breathless with anticipation.
She counted three bookshelves to the right of the bookshelf perpendicular to the entrance. Five shelves from the top. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. She looked at the titles on the spine of the books: ' Herbs and Their Usage,' 'Herbs and Their Properties.' She felt like crowing and doing a little dance of victory.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder roughly, spinning her around before pinning her to the bookshelf roughly and leaving her slightly winded. Wincing slightly from the force, Ami opened her eyes to see her attacker. Baby blue eyes widened as she breathed in trepidation, 'Zoisite?'
Green eyes, usual leaf green, that had darkened to an olive hue in the night widened slightly, 'I'ma,' he looked surprised; he quickly unhanded her and stepped back. ' Sorry, I thought I heard an intruder saying 'Hello'. He sounded embarrassed.
'That was me,' Ami said in embarrassment; it was not every day when other people saw the silly side of her. She silently rebuked herself. Dumb Ami.
He arched an eyebrow. 'Well, at least you sounded happy, considering today's events. What are you doing here?'
Ami wrung her hands behind her back nervously. Her heart was still beating furiously, either because of his surprise attack, or because of his near presence , Ami didn't know. She quickly thought of an excuse. 'I couldn't sleep, so I decided to do some light reading.' She winced at the stuttering. It clearly showed that she was nervous. Maybe because he was a stranger, Ami took comfort at the thought.
'Light reading materials from the healer's reference section?' Zoisite asked incredulously.
Unfortunately, Ami took that as ridicule. She bristled inside, straightening her small frame as she stretched taller, though still falling short of Zoisite's tall, lean frame. She bit back, 'I believe that is my interest, Mister Zoisite; that is none of your concern.'
Zoisite smirked, amused at the spirit of the novice, 'Of course it's my concern. The library is restricted after the night bell...'
'Then why are you here?' Ami interrupted, uncharacteristically annoyed at the man in front of her.
He shrugged, 'I'm doing research for Lord Nephrite; I got permission.' He took out a parchment from inside his shirt and dangled it before Ami, almost tauntingly. 'So, I do have the authority do kick you out,' he added smugly, hoping to get a rise from the timid novice.
Unfortunately for Zoisite, the look on Ami's face was no longer of annoyance, it was replaced by curiosity. 'What is the research about?' she asked almost reverently.
Zoisite was taken aback by the mercurial temperament of the boy. He weighed his options: to continue to bait him or just send him out? Maybe let him read his work? The latter won when he remembered that Ami was the unfortunate bystander who got involved in his prank spree. He motioned Ami to follow him to the center of the library, where his table stood. Gathering his loose sheets of paper, he handed the report to Ami. 'Well, don't you want to read it?' he asked, one elegant eyebrow arched up.
Ami decided that it must be his trademark expression, though it made him look rather feminine. However she wisely chose not to mention it, in case it angered him. Quickly she scanned the title of the paper: "Yueliang Kingdom."
'Yueliang Kingdom?'
'An enigmatic kingdom destroyed a decade or so ago,' Zoisite answered softly. ' The land is now under the administration of Gaeria.'
'Why enigmatic?' she questioned, flipping pages over to scan notes from here and there.
'There are no manuscripts or any cultural relics that survived from the crossfire,' he shrugged, 'no one knows why the war started. There are rumors that the line of magic users or sorcerers lived there. Some of the most powerful relics are hidden in there somewhere.'
'Magic?' she scoffed.
'You don't believe?' Zoisite asked almost sadly, though his tone suggested that it was the response he had expected.
Somehow his tone struck a chord in her, and she mumbled guiltily, 'I don't know...I mean, I've never seen it,' she trailed off defensively, before reading the notes earnestly.
Sometime later, a cough interrupted her reading, and looking up quizzically, she saw Zoisite sitting on one of the armchairs, pointing to an over cushioned armchair. 'Don't you want to sit?' he asked amusedly.
Ami felt her face warm and blessed the night that hid her blush. She mumbled a thank you and quickly sat down, happily immersing herself in the report, leaning towards the only source of light on the table.
Zoisite leaned forward, so that his elbow was propped up against his knee. His chin rested on the hand comfortably as he observed the novice sitting in front of him. Ami had large blue eyes and long eye lashes that rested on his cheek when he closed his eyes. Framed by the pixie cut, it made him look somehow feminine and young. Definitely feminine, Zoisite decided rather smugly. He leaned back and took one of his books on the mahogany table to read. Every now and then, he peered over the rim of his book to look at Ami. Finally, when Ami finished scanning the notes, he found Ami looking at him with apprehensive eyes. 'What is the matter?' he asked, while making a mental note that this novice's eyes darted around when nervous.
'So are you still going to throw me out?' Ami asked timidly; in her rush to read the report, she had forgotten the topic of their earlier discussion.
He thought carefully of his options. 'No, I suppose not,' he said flippantly, and seeing Ami sigh with relief made him want to pester the young novice. 'On the account that: one, you assist me with this task, and two, you play at least one game of chess with me. In return I won't tell a soul that you've trespassed and you've been pinching books to read.' He stopped, suddenly realizing that there was one important question. 'You do know how to play chess, right?' he asked anxiously.
Ami nodded furiously, secretly delighted at the proposals.
'So shall we start?'
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Please Read and Review. - They mean a lot to me. The more there is, the
faster I'll write. Also if you want me to email you when I update, you can place
the email in the review box.
Finally I need a title. Any suggestions? What do you think of the title:Legacy?
If you feel that you need to email me, here's the address
Date: 11.09.02