Greetings strangers! Imagine my surprise when I saw that I hadn't updated in over a month! I could say curse Harry Potter but then that would just be wrong! I've written a lot of poetry recently which is on FictionPress and also updated my webpage which you should check out. So here is a humble offering of Watch Me Shine, and this time the spacing isn't screwed up! Read and review but be kind! No flames please! Standard disclaimers.
Usagi started at the sound of the voice, or thought she did, since this was the strangest Trial yet. She was surrounded by whiteness, no feeling in the rest of her body at all, indeed she didn't think it existed in this place. "You are correct Odango," said the familiar voice and Usagi knew that voice.
"Seiya." She breathed. "Where are you? I can't see you."
"Your eyes will be of no use to you here, you will not need them. All of this is inside your head." Seiya's voice answered smoothly.
"What is this Trial?" Usagi asked wearily. "I have an exam to finish."
"Ah yes, with the lovely Haruna-sensei. She was really most understanding when I explained what we needed her for. She has known about you for years you know, and made many exceptions. I guess you can't save a life as often as you saved hers without someone figuring it out. Isn't life funny that way?" Seiya's voice sounded amused.
"So let us begin this Trial." Usagi said irritably. "I tire of this whole process."
"Welll…Odango, it's not that simple…" Seiya trailed off. "As much as I would love to be the one giving this to you, I am merely the announcer so to speak and the host will be along momentarily. I feel no guilt in warning you that this could be a tricky one and here's a hint for you…"
"Seiya." A third voice interrupted his rambling which had been both amusing and boring Usagi. "Shut up."
"Right." Seiya agreed quickly. "Gambatte Usagi-san." Seiya told her, and then his presence was gone.
"Now who is this?" Usagi demanded.
"Patience my dear. Something you sorely lack." The voice was amused. "In this place, all that there is, is patience."
Usagi knew that voice, knew it very well, for it was that voice that was the target of her rage when she cursed the very timeline itself. Setsuna.
Chibi-Usa used so-called stealth to sneak into Usagi's apartment, pretending to be a worried little sister who desperately needed to speak to her O-nechan. Getting off at Usagi's floor, with Helios at her side she headed towards the apartment that housed the Usurper and the Thief. "Pick the lock my love." She whispered to Helios. "Such work is beneath me."
"If only it were I." Helios replied
smoothly as he slid a barrette into the lock and fiddled around with it trying
to look inconspicuous. "You couldn't have also managed to steal her Luna Pen
ne? Then you could turn yourself into a cat burglar or something and this would
be so much easier."
"I'll thank you to keep your unwanted opinions to yourself." Chibi-Usa sniffed. "I can't think of everything."
"Isn't that what you wanted?" He responded. "Total control?"
"Not at the cost of being teased by you. I just want you to be proud of me sweetheart."
"And I am pumpkin lips." He gave her a gentle kiss before opening the door and gesturing for her to enter.
"Where is the light switch in this blasted place?" Chibi-Usa vented as they quietly closed the door. "They are all at school now so this is the perfect time for this heist."
"Shouldn't you be at school my Maiden?"
"I will have a private tutor as I did in the future. School and mingling with the commoners and the rabble hold no appeal for me. I am above them, I am perfection itself and they would never be able to understand me." She gave a sad sigh. "They never did."
"My poor dear, but you have me now." He held her briefly for a moment. "Now let's find the ginzuishou and get out of here."
"Oh please, we have plenty of time." Chibi-Usa scoffed. "We can help ourselves to whatever we want of hers, not just my ginzuishou which she is probably using as a doorstop or something."
Lost in their thoughts, Helios clicked on a light and blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust. "The fool didn't even open the curtains this morning." He snorted.
"She's a space case." Chibi-Usa turned a slow circle, taking in the furnishings and decorating skills of Usagi. "This is like the inside of a paisley wallet or something. It's horrid." She paused, looking at Helios' face. "What's wrong sugar?"
He said nothing, his face white as snow; his jaw clenched shut and shaking as he raised a trembling finger and pointed to a spot just beyond Chibi-Usa's head. "Hello warthogs." A smooth voice said.
"W..w…we are not warthogs." Helios stammered out, his smooth manner fading completely.
"Oh forgive me I was getting ahead of myself." Haruka stepped out of the shadows, a smile on her face that stretched from ear to ear, Michiru taking up her right position, Setsuna strolling out of the kitchen and Hotaru popping out of the bathroom, effectively surrounding them.
"Oh dear we are in trouble, aren't we?" Hotaru mocked as all traces of mirth faded from her face.
Haruka cracked her knuckles. "What say we play some games ladies? Perhaps some Throw the Space Sword at the Horny Toad? Or how about Wrap the Silence Glaive around the Red Eyed Demon?"
"So many games to play." Michiru quipped.
"And so little time." Setsuna sighed.
Haruka approached them in a slow gait, a panther approaching its cornered prey. "Let's dance."
Helios couldn't stop his trembling, his last encounter with Haruka all too vivid in his mind. Chibi-Usa lifted her chin proudly. "Hit me with your best shot."
"With pleasure."
"Thought you'd never ask."
Ami's fingers moved quicker than they ever had before, her need spurring her to a frenetic pace. She had to do this before anyone caught on, especially Artemis. He knew who was behind this whole charade and she intended to know. Knowledge was power and Ami was anything but stupid. Bypassing codes and passwords, she hacked her way into his private database, the one they weren't supposed to know about. When it came to anything technical however, Ami knew all. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure that no one noticed her, she made the most of her lunch break, once more grateful for that miracle which was her laptop computer.
Her fellow computer geeks were glancing at her and she could tell they were on the verge of coming over and finding out what the resident brainiac was up to. She put her most unapproachable face on, hoping she had learnt enough from Makoto and her tips on repelling rejects, not that that had ever been a problem for Ami.
Desperate spurred her on, and the fact that she knew Artemis was very protective of his database and therefore not only checked it frequently, but also had warning signals set up all along the system to alert him if anyone attempted to break in. Caution made her wary, telling herself that things were not always what they seemed, even when dealing with a very smart cat. Finding a file so innocently and openly labelled something completely generic in amidst multiple files with secretive names, Ami headed for the one labelled "Favourite Cat Food" on a hunch.
'Intriguing.' She thought. 'If it's only about interesting cat food then why does he require multiple passwords to break in? Is Whiskas really that good?'
Convinced she was onto something major, she continued hacking away, picking up an apple core at the same time and throwing at one of the computer club members whos curiosity was getting the better of him. "Is that a Pentium 4 processor?" he hollered out.
"No it's an IMac." She retorted.
"Sure doesn't look like an IMac to me. They don't come in laptops do they?"
"Well why don't you run to BiC Camera* and find out for me?" she snapped.
"We can't leave school grounds on lunch break!" He sighed sadly. "Let's surf the Web! I'll gather the gang..."
"Tadayuki*" she said in a warning tone. "You raise your voice and I will rip off your lips and pin them to this tree and use them to make a birdbath."
He blinked at her. "Why so angry today? Sadie visiting?"
"I beg your pardon?" Ami's head reared up at his bluntness.
"It's nothing to be ashamed about, you're female, it happens. Let me help you."
"I tell you this truly Tadayuki," Ami began taking a deep breath. "That if you do not cease and desist immediately, I will rip off your manhood and serve it to you on a bun served with barbeque sauce!"
He backed away. "I think my pager went off. Sorry Mizuno-san, won't bother you again."
Ami said nothing, just narrowed her eyes at him. He gave a squeak and ran towards the rest of the computer club who gathered around him eagerly. Turning her attention back to the innocent file, she delved in once more and was rewarded with a screen full of Artemis' data. Scanning it quickly, she memorized it, not trusting a disk. When she came across the name of the person who had started this – Usagi being thrown out of her house, out of the Senshi, and committing her to the Trials years too early, her eyes widened as her fingers fell from the keyboard, trembling in shock and rage.
"I'm getting bored waiting for you to begin." Usagi said/thought to Setsuna.
"So eager, so eager." Setsuna smiled. "Can you fight with words? Can you figure out the results of this Trial with words alone? Do you dare?"
"Give me your finest challenge and I will defeat it. Time is short and I must do what I must." She said defiantly.
"Indeed." Setsuna replied archly. "There are no riddles here, no deception, no acts of brawn that you must do to succeed. Here it is words – nothing more, nothing less."
Doubt where there should be no doubt trickled through. "Bring it on."
"So eager to fail. Very well." Setsuna drawled. "Picture if you will: driven under the whip, the taskmaster relentlessly driving you on to a purpose you do not see, a reason you do not know, hour after hour, day after day, year after year – for eternity. There is no freedom from the relentless onslaught that is demanded of you. You are a tool – and regarded as such. Your life means little. Your existence nothing but to serve – as it has ever been, as it will always be. You are broken, grinded back into the dust from whence you came. Who is this broken and oppressed person?"
"Me." Usagi replied in a trembling voice.
"Wrong. It is not you." Setsuna paused. "But I will be lenient and give you one more hint and then I extract the price of your failure."
"Then continue."
"A hope burns fiercely in your breast, a hope you cannot deny. You don't know where it originated from or why you have it. It is unspeakable and the one thing that can't be taken from you. Though freedom is alien to you – a thing you have never known, though there is no escape, you know there is something more out there, if only you could overthrow the tyrant. I ask again – who is the slave?"
"The people." She whispered.
"A very good guess – and an accurate one. Yes it is the people, those very people you are sworn to serve – yet you have failed. Who is the hope and who is the tyrant?"
"Tell me of the tyrant."
"A cold hearted and demanding creature born from the blackness that is people's hearts. It gets joy from pain, numbering enemies by swords, not slaves. Slaves mean wealth, therefore all that is around it belongs to it. Sorrow is it's favourite dish, despair a delightful drink, feeding off the knowledge that these people will never be free, condemned to bondage from everlasting to everlasting."
"And the Hope?"
"A beautiful creature of light, the purest heart, most delicate soul – a flower that could be crushed by the world yet is resilient above all else – never being beaten down, always rising again, existing in all hearts that believe and have faith. Someday it will surge forth and free all those who are unjustly imprisoned. I ask for the final time, who is the Hope and who is the Tyrant?"
"The Hope is obvious…" she pondered. "Me…"
A swift intake of breath was heard.
"Therefore the Hope HAS to be the children of the future, the Tyrant…is me."
"Explain."
"It is evident – the Tyrant is my blackest of selves, the part of me I deny. The Hope is a dream; it exists in hearts – as children do. You describe a possible future or time where I turn from my path to serve a darker purpose."
"Well done, I didn't think you figure it out."
"How can I not? You spoke of my greatest fear."
"What do you intend to do to prevent it?"
"All I can."
"And when that is not enough?"
"I'll give my soul as fodder to the Goddess."
"Be careful of what you speak Princess, for words like that will not be taken lightly."
"I mean every syllable Setsuna. Now, have I passed?"
"Indeed. Go back to your little examination and enjoy. You have passed the Fourth Trial."
Haruka let out a chuckle as she twirled Helios around her head like a tea towel. "Watch the lamp!" Michiru warned. "Usagi'll be really miffed if you break it."
"Ah she'll forgive me. It's all in the name of fun right?" Haruka called back cheerfully.
"You certainly are enjoying yourself." Setsuna commented as she looked up from where Chibi-Usa was spread eagled and pinned to the wall. Michiru had been trying to see in her soul, Setsuna was blindfolded and taking random swings while Hotaru was giving her directions.
"We must show these two imbeciles what happens when they cross our Princess and attempt to steal from her." Haruka shook her head as she threw Helios off the wall. He squealed in pain as he rebounded. "And not even an intelligent theft either! Nooooo. Just waltzing right in her apartment in the middle of the day, thinking that playing the cute, leechlike baby sister will get you where you want to be. And then standing in the middle of a public hallway with a barrette! And picking the lock! These are the two people who managed to brainwash me? I am deeply shamed."
"Yes, I think we need to extract our pound of flesh." Michiru agreed. "One does not make fools out of us easily."
"Oh I think we need more than a pound of flesh." Haruka piped up. "I'm thinking a couple tons…but these two here are so stringy that we might only get a few kilos."
"Let's make it last then." Setsuna turned back to Chibi-Usa. "Do you yield?"
"I'd rather roast in hell." Chibi-Usa glared at them with malevolent red eyes. "You will be tortured when I am Queen. I will kill you each night and bring you back to life each day. I will remove your souls and your free will and use you for my living furniture. You won't get away with this!"
Hotaru and Haruka glanced up from where they were playing tug of war with Helios' legs. "Confident little bit of pestilence isn't she?" Haruka remarked.
"Michiru, shut her up. I'm getting tired of her mouth." Hotaru yawned. "This is starting to get boring."
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a knock at the door came. "Silence!" Michiru said as she went to open the door. "Oh, hello Officer. May I help you?"
As she said those words, Haruka and Hotaru hastily shoved Helios into the laundry hamper and Hotaru sat on top of it as Chibi-Usa was shoved in a cupboard and Setsuna leaned against it casually, looking for a drink. Haruka did the flight of the bumblebee, fluffing and stuffing, making the apartment look presentable. She quickly turned on the TV to a random soap opera and muted the sound and flung herself on the couch. "Ma'am, sorry to bother you but we've had many complaints from the residents of the surrounding apartments. They claim they heard something like," he scratched his head as he read off a slip of paper, "warthogs being tortured?"
Michiru let out a shrill laugh. "Sorry Officer but my friends and I are just watching our daily soaps and we got carried away."
"Be that as it may Ma'am, may I come in and take a look around?"
"Of course." Michiru stood back to let him into Usagi's apartment.
He nodded to Haruka, Hotaru and Setsuna who were arguing over whether Keiko was worthy of Shinji on 'As the Sushi Floats.' "Well there seems to be nothing amiss here. Sorry to have bothered you, but could you keep it down next time?"
"Very sorry about that Officer. Sumimasen." Michiru bowed at him. "We will be quieter from now on."
"Arigatou." He nodded to them once more and left.
Haruka let out a sigh of relief as she lifted Hotaru off the hamper and opened it. She grinned evilly down at Helios. "Ready for round two?"
I think I'll end it there, and all those Helios Haters can use their imaginations on what Haruka is about to do to them next. I make reference to BiC Camera because in Japan there is no Future Shop and that his where people go to buy all the electronics, and Tadayuki is one of my favourite students, so I did a small tribute to him. I have come up with all the rest of the Trials and am working on the conclusion of this story, so it will be posted in short order! Hope you enjoyed!