Part One:

And the Gates of Night Open Once More

Prologue: Men of Grim Purpose

The young man's cane tapped against the white hospital floor as he slowly made his way in the direction of Dr. Lang's office. Walking was still difficult, and Mikado was having trouble getting used to his new cane. He wasn't going to complain, however. It was a far better than the hated wheelchair, which had held him prisoner for months before the new medicines had finally been able to restore his ailing body. He had come very close to death. Mikado had been lucky. His older brother, however, had not been. He had pushed himself too hard in his final days.

A few of the nurses greeted him as he passed by. He nodded at them but did not speak. He knew he often appeared to people who didn't know him as arrogant and cold for not trying to make friends, maybe even more so today with weightier things on his mind than idle chitchat.  Nevertheless the hospital had acted as his home, and the few staff members who knew him had become a surrogate family.  His father had abandoned the family when his mother had become pregnant a second time. He had hardly seen his mother since he had checked into the hospital four years ago. His brother had often been weakened from the treatments, and they had only spoken on occasion. After four years inside the hospital, he would be leaving this sterile white coffin and entering the real world once more. It was a sobering thought.

Reaching the doctor's office, he knocked on the door politely, then entered. Dr. Lang looked up at Mikado as the young man sat down. Dr. Lang's normally cheerful round face was inscrutable today. Mikado braced himself for the news.

Dr. Lang stroked his beard, something Mikado had learned that he did when troubled, and said, "The test scores have come in."

Mikado nodded gravely. "And?"
               

"They were extremely high. You've been admitted to the university."

Mikado leaned back in the chair and, closing his eyes, let out a deep sigh.  The knot of tension in his chest slowly loosened. He did not know whether to be relieved or frightened.  If he had failed the tests, he would have resumed a normal life as best he could, but now Mikado had been given an opportunity to discover whatever his brother thought had been worth driving himself to his death for by leaving.

After a minute, he opened his eyes and looked calmly at Dr. Lang, running a hand through his messy blue hair self-consciously. "Sorry about that. I just…"

"I know," the doctor said quietly. "Are you certain you wish to commit yourself to this course of action? Further treatments could…"

"We've discussed this before, doctor. This is as healthy as I'm going to be for the foreseeable future. I know what it is I need to do."

Lang shook his head sadly. "You're as stubborn as your brother."

"I really don't want to be here another moment longer than I have to. It's been four years."

Lang sighed and rose, picking up the large black bag that sat next to his chair. "I still wish I could persuade you to do otherwise."

Dr. Lang handed the bag to Mikado, who opened it and peeked inside. Sure enough, there was his brother's sword, his white uniform, his diary, the small card with the strange rose seal on it, and the ring. Mikado reached in and drew the black ring with the rose design out of the bag and looked at it. He still wondered what had happened to cause it to turn black - before his brother had died, the ring had been white and the design had been red, but the red luster had mysteriously faded more since that dark day. He gently closed his hand around the ring and lifted the bag onto his shoulder.

"I'm going to be leaving, now," Mikado said softly. "Doctor… thanks for everything. And thanks for trying to save my brother. You've done a lot for us."

The doctor nodded. "I thought you'd leave right away. I took the liberty of calling for a cab."

Mikado nodded. "I guess this is goodbye."

The elderly doctor reached out and grasped Mikado's hand and shook it. "Goodbye, Mikado. I don't know what it is you're planning, but I wish you the best of luck in it."

Mikado scrubbed at his eyes as he left the room and tried to force down the lump in his throat. This was not the time to be getting emotional. He walked slowly down the familiar, sterile white corridors, saying goodbye to the few nurses he was on friendly terms with. He paused as he passed by room 533A, where he had stayed for these long, lonely four years. Already the room had been cleaned and all the little traces of his presence were gone. The room was ready to receive its next occupant. Mikado determinedly turned his gaze aside and continued his slow trip to the exit. He stopped in front of the main doors to the hospital, which slid open at his approach.

"This is it… no turning back now. I wonder if I'll see Juri when I get to the university?"

With a deep breath, Mikado Tsuchiya slipped on Ruka's black ring and stepped outside into the sunlight.

________________________________

Bright sunlight shined through the window of room 013 at the Phoenix Insane Asylum. Most people would have found it difficult to read in the intense glare, but the inmate of 013 merely adjusted the purple-tinted glasses he wore and continued reading the heavy book he held.

"Ah, it's a beautiful day out professor.  Time to come out of that stuffy room!" a voice called from outside.  The tone was cheerful, save for a slight twist on the word "professor." There was the sound of a key turning in the heavy metal lock, and the speaker came into the room shortly after. He was a tall, heavily built man with a thick black beard who resembled something between Santa Claus and a football player. He wore a white outfit that gave a very sterile and artificial feel to his appearance, marred only by a small nametag proclaiming him a "Doctor Shimura".

"You know, that's getting to be an irritating habit," Professor Nemuro said without looking up from his reading. He wore a similarly colored outfit that, despite a day's wear, appeared even more sterile than Shimura's.

"But, Professor," Shimura replied, "it's bad for your health if you stay in that room all the time, and we need to get you on the road to recovery so you can stop taking up space here."

"I wasn't referring to your duties. I was referring to your constant mockery of the word 'Professor,' 'Doctor'." Nemuro replied, putting an identical twist on the other man's title.

Shimura's smile faded. "Alright then, Nemuro, come out of that room and let's get going," he said in an unfriendly tone. Nemuro shrugged and tossed his book on the bed and moved towards the door. Two men even built larger than the doctor fell in to either side of him as he passed out into the hall.

"Large escort today, I see," Nemuro noted as they began traveling down the hall. Shimura flinched but didn't respond. "You know," Nemuro continued, "there really isn't any reason for this so long as you don't try alternative medicine again. I had quite a peaceful record here for all but the first few months of the three and a half years I've been here before your arrival." Shimura remained silent, but he flinched even more violently and glanced almost reflexively at entrance to the electro-shock therapy room which still had several people in official-looking uniforms bustling in and out of it, despite the fact the incident was almost three days old. Nemuro smiled somewhat grimly. The Black Rose Society hadn't been a part of his life for almost four years now, but Mikage's shadowy presence still seemed to be.  It was something he wasn't sure if he should be grateful for or upset about. Regardless, the specter of the black rose society chairman had proven quite useful in… encouraging the medical enthusiasts here to leave him alone. They still didn't know why one of the nurses had collapsed in an apparent anemic attack, or where the surgical razor had come from. Their fear had kept him in isolation for three days now, though, and Nemuro was relatively certain that Shimura would not travel down the same road of treatment again.

"Well, here we are, Professor," Shimura said as they neared a heavy iron door, his tone once again cheerful and mocking. Nemuro sighed, but finally shrugged. Shimura was a small man; permitting him this one victory might make him more controllable in the future. There was the sound of another key grating in a lock, and Nemuro was ushered through the door into what was almost a park. It would have been, in fact, had one omitted the surrounding wall. Nemuro walked down the steps without any urging, the daily trips long since become a part of his routine. The heavy door clanged shut and locked behind him, but he paid it little mind. He began picking his way across the dewy grass toward a large table that stood inside a small veranda on the far end. As he neared it, a tall tree nearby grabbed his attention.  Nemuro paused, listening for the telltale rustle of leaves. His wait did not go on long.

"HEAVEN, EARTH, AND THE SEVEN MOONS OF MERCURY MAY FORGIVE YOU FOR YOUR ABSENCE, BUT I WILL NOT!" came a high-pitched voice above him. "SAILOR EARTH FLAMING GAIA FAIRY KICK OF JUSTICE!" Nemuro sighed and sidestepped easily. A small, wizened old man in an outfit like everyone else's in the asylum sped by Nemuro, spouting increasingly unintelligible battle cries. He glanced at his target with a brief look of consternation that might have been longer had the ground not put an end to his assault. Up on the veranda, a man who had been unseen up until now hit a miniature gong.

"Mr. Yoshimura," Nemuro greeted calmly, hoisting the little man up. "I wish I could say I missed this. You're unhurt, I trust?"

The man began struggling immediately. "Foul villain of the nether worlds, I shall give you a taste of the light with my mighty fist! HA!" Nemuro glanced unconcerned at the fist in his side, and then tossed the little man away. He gauged the throw carefully so as not to hurt the smaller man too much, but Yoshimura still hit the ground with a resounding thud. Nemuro sighed, but decided not to go after him this time. After all, "foul villain of the nether world" had cut a bit close. He climbed the stairs up to the veranda and seated himself on the bench as Yoshimura struggled with a bush. A chessboard sat on the table in front of him, the seat across from him empty. The man with the gong came to fill it after only a few moments.

"Ah, Professor, it's been a while," the man said. He moved a white pawn on his side of the board.

"Mister… excuse me, Lord Sun Tzu, it has indeed been a while," Nemuro replied calmly to the man sitting across from him as he moved a black pawn. "Lord Sun Tzu" smiled happily at the acknowledgment of his title, a not uncommon expression on his otherwise nondescript face.

"I hear you had some trouble with the shogun's people," Sun Tzu replied.

"Yes, they decided that torturing a prisoner of war might prove useful," Nemuro replied, unconsciously slipping into Tzu's reality in an attempt to describe the reason for his absence. He related the story as well as he was able to the deranged man across from him

"Well, at least you gave them a good thrashing," Tzu laughed. They were on the last legs of their second game by now. Tzu had won the first one, but this was closing decidedly in Nemuro's favor. Yoshimura crouched on the roof above them like a small rodent, and a few other inmates in the park sat nearby, watching the match that had been almost a daily occurrence for three years now. "I don't quite understand how you managed it all, though. I wouldn't think they would have left one of their flaying knives so close to you. They're usually more careful about it, considering we're all great strategic minds or heroes.

"OF JUSTICE!" Yoshimura specified almost reflexively from above.

"Yes, yes, of course Mr. Yoshimura," he added, trying to placate the older man. "So, anyway," he said, his attention turning back to Nemuro, "how did you manage it?" He moved a piece on the board and Nemuro's eyes glittered briefly. The tactic was almost worthy of the military genius of the real Tzu. But perhaps…

"I… don't think that would be an appropriate topic, Lord Sun Tzu," a young female voice broke in.

"Ah, Miss Sayuri," Tzu greeted the attractive blond. Several of the other inmates echoed him. Nemuro kept his eyes on the game.  "I'm not doing anything bad here. Just trying to get an edge on our enemies. Nemuro might have some news from the front that could even eclipse some of your intelligence reports."

"Umm, I think the information might have been compromised," Sayuri replied, shifting her nurse's clipboard nervously. "Shogun Shimura has most likely prepared some counter strategies by now."

"None can extinguish the burning flame of JUSTICE!" Yoshimura yelled from overhead. "We shall fight him with peace, love, and our burning fists of homicidal fury! He shall fall before us like grass before a lawnmower, his organs spilling out upon the floor like fish guts on a fisherman's hands, like…"

"Quiet, Yoshimura," Tzu broke in, "the time for action has not yet come. You were saying, Sayuri?"

"Well…that was about all," Sayuri said with an uncertain glance at Yoshimura. "I…just think we should hold off on any action for the moment." There was an uncomfortable note to her voice, and she avoided looking at Nemuro.

"You know," Nemuro said after a while without looking up, "sometimes holding off on things can be dangerous. Things are rather like this chess set. You just need a proper tactic for every scenario.

"Oh…really, Professor?" Sayuri asked nervously. There was hint of apprehension on the word 'professor,' but unlike when Shimura said it, also a note of respect.

"Quite. For example," Nemuro began, moving a bishop, "Tzu's queen there is at first quite dependable-looking. However, his game depends a bit too much on it. A simple move can easily counter everything, since the queen is quite fragile and indeed, undependable, when you really think about it." Tzu grimaced in consternation and moved his queen slightly. Nemuro removed it from the board the following turn, his rook making a resounding thud on the board as it took the white piece's place. "Would you mind holding this?" Nemuro asked, giving the white piece to an increasingly flustered Sayuri.

"Continuing on with the game, you'll note that Tzu's king is now threatened by not only my rook, but also my bishop," Nemuro said, sliding the bishop he had menaced the queen with earlier over a space. "Quite a bad situation he's in now." Tzu moved in desperation but Nemuro countered it almost casually with a knight. The professor locked eyes with the nurse across the table and the almost casually toppled the king. "Game over. It's a pity, really. He might have won if his queen wasn't such a hollow promise." Sayuri stared at him with a slightly sick expression on her face, and Nemuro plucked the piece from her suddenly nerveless hands. "In fact," he continued, not missing a beat, "if he'd had only a pawn by his king, he might have won." Nemuro casually slid one of his pieces over by the fallen king to demonstrate, righting the slain monarch in the same motion. Sayuri was backing away slowly by now. "What's the problem," Nemuro asked. "Don't you like chess?"

"You…" she finally said after a long silence. "Come with me, now!" Nemuro shrugged and followed Sayuri as she almost ran towards the exit.

Yoshimura, Tzu, and the other inmates watched the retreating figures casually. "It appears today's game is done," Tzu said calmly.

"Yes…  Yes it does," Yoshimura replied.

"Well then, shall we go, everyone?" Tzu asked the crowd. The others nodded and began to disperse across the grounds. The chessboard remained as it was with the black pawn by the nearly checkmated king.

*              *                 *

"How dare you!" Sayuri finally burst out when she and Nemuro had reached the hall. "How…how could you treat me like that! After all I've tried to do for you."

"I was merely making a point," Nemuro replied calmly. "For someone who's apparently 'tried' to be of help to me all these years, you proved highly ineffective a few days ago. And may I remind you I still remain here despite the fact that I am completely sane?"

Sayuri slapped him sharply. Nemuro's glassed were almost knocked from his face, but he caught them deftly just in time.

"I'm just a nurse here, what did you expect from me?" Sayuri replied in agitation. "I've talked to them numerous times on your behalf, and they've never listened. I'm sorry about what Shimura tried, but there was no way for me to stop him."

"I'm starting to…disbelieve you," Nemuro replied. "You remind me somewhat of another woman I once knew. Outwardly dependable, but in the end only useless… and a traitor besides."

"Traitor? Traitor!" Sayuri almost screamed at him. "You killed a person in there, and what you did to me I…I don't know. Except I certainly don't have anemia!"

Nemuro shrugged.  His face bore its usual neutral expression.

Sayuri threw her clipboard against a wall. "Well, you know what, if you don't want me to help you anymore, then I won't. I'll go find some of the orderlies to take you back to your room so you can sit there until hell freezes over." She turned away and retreated quickly.

"Goodbye," Nemuro said quietly, "Tokiko." He seated himself at a bench, waiting for the orderlies. Sayuri was a failure. But he had not been idle in his time here.

*              *                 *

"Well, that's the last of it," a worker said to his companion as he loaded the last of Nemuro's belongings onto a cart to take them from solitary to his normal room.

The other man laughed shortly. "Well, at least this guy doesn't have much stuff to haul around."

"Yeah, just a few books," the first man replied. "Look at these, we've got some history, science, a few bits of odd literature… he certainly has a wide range of interests."

"Yeah," the other man said, holding out another book. "He even seems to be interested in gardening, of all things."  He rummaged around and came up with a book concerning planting flower gardens.  A quick glance through the book showed there was a large section devoted to roses.

"What a nut," he laughed.