Chapter 2
"Melchior!" The Bishop paced in front of his throne, seething with anger. "Balthazar! Gaspar! I command you presence at once!"
A figure, clad in black armor, stepped out of the darkness to the right of the Bishop's throne. Another figure, clad in white armor, stepped out of the light to the left. Yet another figure, this one clad in a glowing deep-blue armor, emerged from an ethereal glow to the front.
"I trust you know why I summoned you. Those disgusting red abominations never returned last night. Give me your report!"
"Excellency." Melchior, the man in black armor, spoke to him in a regal manner. "The Bludaria confronted a strange energy source on their mission. Unfortunately, they were defeated before they could return."
"Upon discovering this energy source, the Bludaria took it upon themselves to sample it and send the data back to us." The one in the glowing blue armor, Gaspar, continued. "However, they also discovered a different magical energy source and sent us back some data on that as well."
"At this point," Balthazar, the man in white armor, spoke up. "It is not known what said magical energy source is or where it came from. We will need more time to study it."
"And of the energy source Melchior spoke of?" The Bishop questioned impatiently.
"Excellency," Balthazar answered. "As of yet it is uncertain. However, we do believe that it is the one we are looking for."
The Bishop growled in his throat and sat down. A long period of silence instilled the darkened room with a great tension. The three armored men stood straight without betraying any existing emotion. Inwardly, the Bishop wished he could invoke a sense of terror upon them. He knew of their true potential, both individually and combined. Had he not been acting on the strictest orders of the King, the Three Knights of the Divine, or the Divine Knights as they were more commonly known, would not hesitate to rebel.
"I have made my decision." He spoke in a loud commanding voice. "Deploy another wave of the Bludaria. Their orders are to extract as much data from as many inhabitants as possible, without killing them."
"Understood." Melchior replied.
"And, in case the bearers of those magical energy sources show themselves again, I want the three of you to watch them. Do not interfere in their battle against the Bludaria. I expect to receive a full report from you the very moment the mission is complete."
The Divine Knights bowed respectfully. Turning on a heel, they disappeared to the areas from whence they had come. The Bishop sat in his throne and stared into the nothingness before him, pondering this latest turn of events.
"Are you sure it's the same guy?" Mamoru asked for conformation.
"Yeah." Usagi answered. "Rei's grandpa even claimed that Diro saved his life by fighting the monsters while he ran."
"And we don't know why they were attacked."
"No."
Mamoru rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He looked at the girls sitting around a small table in his apartment. The only one missing was Rei. She was busy showing Diro around Tokyo. She thought it would be a good way for everyone to discuss yesterday's attack without having him get suspicious. Although he would have preferred her input in the discussion, Mamoru was forced to agree that it was a good idea.
Luna's tail twitched as she tried to think of the attackers' reasoning. "Do we know if it was Diro or Rei's grandfather who was the actual target?"
Ami shook her head. "It looked like they were after Diro, but I guess it is feasible that they wanted Mr. Hino for some reason."
"Or it could have been a random attack." Makoto added. "It wouldn't be the first time. You know, like with Queen Beryl."
"But Beryl's dead, right?" Minako insisted.
"Right." Mamoru agreed. "Luna, Artemis, do either of you have any idea who could be behind this?"
"We'll have to see the monsters or one of the commanding generals to be sure." Luna stated.
"But even then we may not know for certain." Artemis interjected. "There were several realms that threatened the Silver Millineum. So many, in fact, that they could never be properly categorized."
"In that case, all we can do is be prepared for another attack." Mamoru said thoughtfully. "I want all of you to be careful and keep an eye on Diro and Mr. Hino. If one of them is a target, then they are going to need our help."
"So how do you like Tokyo so far?" Rei asked.
Diro sat down his drink, smiled, and looked at the street's crosswalk as a variable sea of businessmen made their way across. "I've never seen so many suits in my life!"
Rei giggled and sipped at her soft drink.
"So what's next on the agenda?"
"I was thinking that I'd take you to some of the places that my friends and I like to hang out at. Then, a little later, I'm supposed to take you back to the temple to meet Mamoru."
"Mamoru?"
"Uh-huh. Mamoru Chiba, Usagi's boyfriend." Rei answered and took another sip. "He's really quite an amazing guy."
"Right, I remember now. Yeah, he's all Miss Usagi could talk about last night."
"Yeah." She agreed. "She can be very obsessive when it comes to him." She rose from her seat and straightened her short khaki skirt. "Well, shall we?"
Diro rose, himself, and smiled at her. "Let's.
Having disposed of their cola cans in a nearby receptacle, the two walked, side-by-side, through the busy Tokyo streets. Rei glanced at the taller man beside her and faintly blushed. For some reason she felt as though she was on a date. Not that it was a bad thing. She did kind of like him, after all. He was handsome, polite, and had a soft, deep voice that made her melt on the inside when he spoke. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why he and her grandfather were attacked the day before. Was there something special about him? Did he have dealings with some other realm? Or was he just another innocent soul caught in the way of some nefarious plot?
Diro looked back at her and smiled. Rei's face turned a deep red and she quickly averted her gaze.
"This way Diro!" She tugged at his arm and led him to the entrance of a building. "This is the arcade. It's really Usagi's favorite place, but I thought that you might like to see it." She dropped her eyes and noticed that her hands were still wrapped around his wrist and her fingers were seeking to intertwine with his. Blushing, she let go of him. "Let's go inside."
He followed her inside and took a look around. Arcade consoles were lined up against the walls and scattered about by fours in various locations on the floor. Several Japanese children were laughing and squealing loudly as they played their favorite games. Groups of high school girls crowded together to share the latest gossip. Diro smirked as he wondered if he would soon be among it.
"Let's try this one, Diro!" Rei led him to a console with a picture of a blonde girl wearing a sailor suit with a red bow in her hair and a wild red mask. "This is the Sailor V video game. It's really popular!"
He eyed the picture suspiciously. "Sailor V? Is that like Sailor Venus?"
"Yeah, sort of."
"Funny." Diro said, rubbing his chin. "She looks a little like your friend Minako." He got closer to Rei to inspect her face. "And now that I think about it, you look kind of like Sailor Mars."
Rei gasped and stepped back a few paces. "Uh, really? D-do you think so?" She asked evasively. Her heart pounded with the fear that he'd put two and two together and figure out her true identity.
He shrugged. "I guess it must be a coincidence." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a token. "Come on, let's give this game a try!"
Rei collapsed and groaned as she lied on the floor.
Diro looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "What'cha doin' down there, Rei?"
She sprang to her feet and laughed. "Oh nothing! Nothing at all!"
He put the token in the machine's slot and began playing while Rei coached him. The two lost themselves completely in the game's fantastical realm. They became oblivious to their surroundings and to the fact that they were under the scrutiny of a man wearing black.
Melchior adjusted the dark shades resting on his face. "Such odd apparel these humans wear." He tugged at his black tie until it hung loosely from his neck. "I feel as though I'm prepared for the hangman's gallows."
Balthazar smirked at his comrade's remark and loosened his own tie. His disguise was a complete contrast to that of his fellow Knight's. While Melchior wore a dignified suit of black and matching sunglasses, he, himself, wore a glorious white-ivory suit of silk. He shifted his gaze to the other knight, Gaspar. This one was independent of the others. Like the armor he normally wore, Gaspar's disguise was a deep, ethereal blue. Before the mission, the three of them mused greatly at the thought of how they would be wearing their common colors. Had these poor earthlings any idea of what fate would befall them and what to look for, the Divine Knights could be easily discovered for their appearance. Not that it mattered to them, but their mission was covert in nature, and they were not prone to disregarding orders.
"Have the Bludaria been summoned?" Melchior directed his question to Gaspar.
"They shall be here shortly." He answered, bent over a pinball machine.
"Must you toy with that infernal human contraption?"
"Remember, Melchior. We are to remain inconspicuous. I would advise you to find a station of your own in order not to arouse suspicion." The console lighted up and played a victorious theme. "Hey, alright! Triple Ball Bonus!"
Growling at Gaspar's unprofessional behavior, Melchior turned to face the two humans he had been previously studying. One male and one female specimen. Humans looked exactly like the inhabitants of the Kingdom. The only key difference was the energy wave patterns they gave off. Comparatively, humans were much weaker than those of the Kingdom, but these two were different. The male, he recognized from the day before, and the female gave off a similar energy pattern to the one the Bludaria sent back. He chuckled to himself at this chance occurrence.
Gaspar released the machine he stood over. He smiled as he faced his allies. "They're here."
"Look out, Diro!" Rei cried, bringing his attention to an approaching attack.
He slammed his fist on the console's jump button. His Sailor V character narrowly avoided an enemy fireball.
"Wow! Great moves! I've only seen Ami make it this far!"
Diro pressed a sequence of buttons to activate Sailor V's Crescent Beam attack, disposing of his assailant. "What's this?" He asked as a red monster walked in from the side of the screen. "So, you want some too, huh?"
Pressing a different sequence of buttons, Diro controlled Sailor V with her Love Me Chain attack. The pixilated monster countered by wrapping a tentacle around her. Diro growled in frustration and randomly pounded on buttons as he watched his character's life gauge dissipate.
"Ohh." Rei groaned sympathetically. "Too bad, Diro. It's strange though, I don't remember that monster being in this game."
She watched as the screen faded away and read, in kanji, "Game Over." The ugly red face of a goblin-esque monster appeared and screeched at them.
"The hell?" Diro exclaimed in English. He took a step back and, in Japanese, addressed Rei. "Is this part of the game?"
"N-no!" Rei stumbled backward. "I've never seen this before!"
Diro narrowed his eyes and his brows furrowed together as recognition donned on him. He reached behind his back and retrieved a small, dagger-like shuriken that he purchased from the shopping district. Removing it from its resting place between his belt and his jeans, he quickly tucked it away in his fist. "Rei, listen to me." He spoke in a coarse voice, barely above a soft growl. "This is one of the things that attacked your grandfather and I yesterday. I want you to get out of here. I'll hold it off, but there may be more. I can only hope that the Sailor Senshi show up again."
The creature shrieked and stretched its tentacle from its mouth. I pushed against the arcade console's screen and broke through its elastic limit. Shards flew past Diro's body and the freed tentacle waved through the air.
"Rei! Go now!"
She turned and ran, hoping to find a spot away from prying eyes where she could transform. Before she reached the exit, she stopped dead in her tracks as another tentacle burst through an arcade screen and wrapped itself around a young girl's neck. The girl screamed and struggled until her strength left her and she was dropped to the ground.
The arcade was thereafter filled with the monsters. Rei grabbed her transformation pen and prepared to throw away her secret identity in order to save the lives of the innocent teenagers and children around her. She took a deep breath and, instead of shouting her trigger, screamed as a shuriken flew past her ear and imbedded itself in the creature's forehead. Spinning around, she saw Diro with his hand extended. His eyes were clearly telling her to run.
She fought her way through the panicking crowd and paused at the door to glance back at Diro. He was locked in battle against three of the creatures. Somehow he avoided their attacks with fluid and controlled maneuvers and returned with swift, deadly blows of his own. She marveled at the way he dealt with them. How on earth could he fight so well? Did he have some sort of special training? After seeing the unconscious victims of the monsters' attack sprawled out on the floor, she pushed those questions to the back of her mind. Making a mental note to talk to him about it later, she ran out the door.
The surrounding area outside of the arcade was flooded with screaming people. Rei nearly lost herself in the midst of them. Their fear was infectious, invoking the panic of several bystanders. A variable stampede engulfed Tokyo's street.
In order to avoid being trampled, Rei ducked into a nearby alley. She decided to make good use of her current situation and contact the other senshi. Reaching into her skirt pocket, she found her communication device and hurriedly tried to make contact with her friends.
"Guys!" She yelled out of panic. "Hurry! Come to the video arcade quick!"
"Why? What's at the arcade?" Mamoru's voice questioned. "I really don't think that right now's the time to be playing games."
"This isn't a game!" She screeched. "Those monsters from yesterday are back! They're attacking Diro! We have to help him!"
"Okay! We'll be right there!"
Rei dropped her device back into her pocket and grabbed her transformation pen. Feeling its magic pulsate through her body, she shouted her trigger. "Mars Star Power! Make UP!"
Diro stumbled backward from the monster's attack. His lip had been cut and the bitter taste of blood seeped into his mouth. He spat on the floor and growled deeply.
"Damn these things!" He cursed. "There's just too many!"
He took his stance as three of the creatures advanced on him while six of their comrades encircled him. Judging by the screeches throughout the building, Diro assumed that there were at least two more he couldn't see. Along with the one he killed earlier with the shuriken, there were twelve goblins in all. Eleven of which were still standing and likely to kill him.
Diro laughed at his misfortune. "I'm doomed." His expression grew dark as he brushed the hair out of his face, exposing both of his dark brown eyes. "If you're so intent on killing me then so be it!" He shouted. "But I don't wanna die alone! I'll drag all of you to Hell with me!"
He shouted a war cry as he charged the creatures. They returned a defiant screech as he leapt in the air. Twisting his torso, he spun for momentum and kicked the three before him.
As he landed a sharp pain shot down his back. He screamed and looked for his assailant. Behind him, one of the grotesque beasts retracted its tongue and waved it in the air menacingly. Diro growled as it let out short, staccato outbursts that sounded like a hyena's bark.
"Mock me, will you?!" He roared and chased after it.
The creature whipped its tentacle at him. Diro quickly side-stepped and grabbed it with his left hand. He pulled the monster into him by its whip-like tongue and, with his free right hand, delivered an uppercut to its jaw. Its razor sharp teeth shredded through its flesh. The black, gel-like blood of the goblin oozed from its maw, and Diro found himself bathed in the loathsome fluids once again.
Screaming their hate at the young fighter, the surrounding abominations pounced on him. He struggled against the blood-red torrent upon him until he was tossed aside.
He skidded across the arcade floor until his shoulders came in contact with something soft. Cautiously opening his eyes, Diro saw above him a pair of long, silky-smooth legs connecting to a pair of white, cotton panties. He felt a trail of warm liquid run over his lips as the girl standing above him screamed and jumped aside. Closing his eyes again, he hastened to get up and apologize.
"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't know, uh, I…" He stammered and, blushing, he opened his eyes. "Sailor Mars!"
"It's alright, Diro." She said calmly. "It wasn't your fault." She paused and then her face became stern. "But why is your nose bleeding?"
Diro brought his fingers to his lips and looked at the color they picked up. The trail of liquid he felt earlier had turned out to be his own blood. He laughed apologetically and tried to find an excuse. "Well, uh, I have been in a pretty serious fight. I guess I might have been hit in the face."
Sailor Mars was skeptic. She was about to say something when one of the monsters, not wanting to be ignored, screeched its war-cry.
Mars nimbly leapt aside from a rapidly approaching tentacle that threatened to ensnare her. She brought her hands to her forehead and focused her magic. Gathering the mana energy from the flames that surrounded her, the Sailor senshi of fire shouted her trigger, "Fire Soul!"
A column of fire exploded from her fingertips and the monster's body caught aflame. Its now sizzling red flesh bubbled as it writhed in agony it screamed in pain and collapsed onto the floor where it melted into a puddle of charred remains.
"Gruesome." Diro grimaced.
"What right have you vile creatures to attack us? I will not allow you to wreak havoc as you please! With the fire of passion and the power of prayer, I am Sailor Mars! I punish you in the name of Mars!"
Diro tackled a wounded monster that had come up behind her. He struggled desperately to keep it locked in a chokehold. "Less talking, more fighting!"
The monsters screeched at them as they dropped their jaws and waved their tentacles. Mars rushed into the fray. As her physical abilities were enhanced greatly by her magic, she was able to avoid being struck and leapt high off of the ground. At the zenith of her leap's arc, she focused her weight to her feet and drove her high heels into the head of one of the creatures. Its scream was stifled when, under the senshi's force, it collapsed to the ground and its teeth gnashed together, severing the tongue.
The arcade flooded with the inhuman screams of the Bludaria. The one Diro held broke away and struck him on his temple. He stumbled back from the blow and grabbed his head. When he brought his hands before his eyes he saw, through his half darkened vision, they were coated with his blood. He fell to his knees and tried to remain conscious. His efforts proved futile as his eyes fluttered and he blacked out.
"Diro!" Sailor Mars yelled. She tried to run to him but fell when a tentacle wrapped itself around her ankle. Screaming and flailing her free limbs, she attempted to claw her way from its grip. Her body slowly grew weak and lied motionless as all of her energy was sapped by the monster.
The Bludaria screamed in victory. The remaining intact tentacles crept over to Mars' limp body to feast on whatever energy she had left. As they neared, a red rose, leaving a crimson streak in its wake, pinned one to the ground.
Screeching at this insult, the monsters retracted their tongues and spun around to face their assailant. From behind their soulless, black eyes, they glared at a tall young man wearing a tuxedo and a matching top-hat, surrounded by four young girls.
"This is a place of fun and relaxation." He spoke. "Where young lovers gather to wile away the hours together. Where friends meet to discuss the latest gossip. And where students release the stress of their daily studies. Your invasion will desist at once! I am Tuxedo Mask!"
"And we're the Sailor Scouts!" Echoed his entourage.
"In the name of the Moon, we shall punish you!"
The Bludaria screeched as the senshi charged on them. Tuxedo Mask grabbed his cane and, swinging it in the general direction of the monsters, commanded it to elongate. Several of the creatures were swept away by his maneuver, giving more room for his allies to attack.
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Sailor Jupiter shouted her trigger as her lightning element danced around her. A ball of pure, white light formed in her right hand. In a side-arm motion, she lobbed it at a group of Bludaria. When the ball made contact, the lightning energy within released and electrocuted three of the creatures.
Sailor Venus quickly looked over the area. Out of the six remaining monsters, one of them crept over to Diro's unconscious body, apparently meaning to feed off of his energy, or maybe even kill him. The senshi of love shuddered at the idea and pointed her finger at it. "Venus Love Me Chain!" A chain of links in the form of her symbol encircled her. Manipulating it with a wave of her hand, the chain wrapped around the goblin and lifted it into the air. The abhorrent thing screamed and struggled against the ever-tightening magical chain. The sickening sound of crunching bones and ripping flesh resounded as it was split in two pieces and landed on the floor.
She ran to Diro and gently lifted his head. Having checked his pulse to ensure that he was alive, she shook him and urged him to awaken.
His eyes fluttered open and, through his blurred vision, he saw the young, blonde girl cooing over him. Trembling, he lifted his hand to touch her face. "M-Mina…ko." He breathed almost inaudibly. He closed his eyes tight and, wincing from the pain he was in, drew in a sharp breath. Upon re-opening them, his vision, though still blurry and grossly inaccurate, focused and he looked at her once again. "S… Ven-us?" He groaned in pain as a tear of blood ran down the scar on his face. A long sigh escaped his lips and he fell unconscious yet again.
Watching Diro's breathing calm, Sailor Venus allowed her maternal instincts take over her actions. She moved his long hair from behind him and cradled his bloody head against her bosom. Her arms wrapped around him to form a protective barrier against any potential attack. She laid her cheek atop his head and turned her attention to the ensuing battle.
Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mercury helped Mars to stand. She had recovered little of her energy and leaned heavily upon them. The other two senshi defended them from the few remaining Bludaria, whose rapid approach was halted by the command of a man in a blue suit.
"We have all the information we require," Another man, this one wearing black, stated. "You remaining five are no longer needed. You are dismissed."
The creatures looked at one another as if they were discussing his words. At the urging of its fellows, one of them stepped before him and hissed.
"Vile insect!" He barked. "Fall back in line and question my orders no further!"
The Bludaria hunched over until its knuckles touched the floor. It whined apologetically and scurried back to its allies. When the five were reunited, a circle of white flames formed around them. At their feet, a strange insignia etched itself in the floor. The area filled with a dull white light, and the creatures' bodies broke apart and dissipated.
"W-wha?" Sailor Moon's jaw dropped. "What was that?"
"Nothing." A man wearing white responded. "We simply sent them back to our realm."
"You sent them back there?" Mercury demanded, her gentle voice contradicting her stern tone. "That must mean that you sent them here in the first place! Just who are you and what do you want with Diro?"
"Diro?" He asked. He followed her gaze to the young man in Venus' arms and smiled. "Ah, you must mean the youth that your comrade so lovingly holds. We were uncertain until now but, judging by the way he fought and the energy pattern he gives off, we are without a doubt that he is the one we've been sent to find." He looked back at the senshi and noticed they were in a battle stance. "You needn't worry, we have no intention of fighting at the moment."
Hesitantly, they let down their guard. "Why were you sent for Diro? Who are you?" Tuxedo Mask demanded. He knew it was a bad idea to trust this man, but he gave off an intriguingly benign aura.
"Oh!" He exclaimed. "Forgive me, where are my manners? I am Balthazar, Divine Knight of the holy luminance." He bowed and motioned to his colleagues." The one in blue is Gaspar, Divine Knight of mana, and the surly gentleman in black is Melchior, Divine Knight of the darkness."
Melchior scoffed at his introduction and turned his head away from them.
"As for the young Diro," Balthazar continued. "We cannot say. Our orders come from King Valcrist himself through his vizier known only as 'The Bishop.'"
"So what about those things that attacked us?" The still weak Sailor Mars asked.
"The Bludaria." Gaspar replied. He took his place next to Balthazar as he explained. "Despite their limited intelligence, they are quite plentiful. It is for that reason they have been commonly used for missions in our realm of Alundar. Therefore, we saw fit to send them here." He watched as Mars corrected her wavering balance. "As you have witnessed, their tentacles have a way of extracting energy. In actuality, they absorb the data of energy patterns. That data is then sent to their commander, we are they, in this case. We, thereafter, make our report to either the Bishop or the King himself. You see, the Bludaria's tentacles have these microscopic suckers covering them, and they…"
"I believe, friends, that you may have over spoken." Melchior interrupted. He turned his attention to the senshi. "You'll have to excuse these two, lord and ladies. They tend to over-indulge themselves in pleasantries."
"While you indulge yourself not at all, Melchior." Balthazar pointed out.
He grunted. "In any case, we must be off. We mustn't keep the Bishop waiting. By your leave." True to his regal nature, Melchior bowed and stood by the other Knights as a circle of white flames surrounded them. As with the Bludaria monsters, a strange insignia etched itself on the floor and the Knights disappeared.
"Hey! Wait!" Sailor Moon called out to them. She hooked her arms around Tuxedo Mask's bicep and looked up at him. "Mamo-chan, if they're our enemies, then why were they so nice to us?"
He didn't immediately answer her. Staring at the spot from where the Knights had disappeared, he attempted to process the recent events and what they had said to a point of understanding. Having failed, he turned back to her and said, "I don't know, Usako. I just don't know."
"Well we can't just let them take Diro against his will!" The re-energized Sailor Mars said. "No matter how nice those guys were, we have to protect him!"
"It looks like Mina-chan had the same idea!" Jupiter giggled.
Mars looked at the blonde senshi who still caressed Diro's limp form. Her cheeks puffed out and her face went red with anger. "Hey Venus, just what do you think you're doing?"
"Alundar, huh?" Artemis confirmed. His tail twitched side-to-side as he thought. "I don't seem to recall ever hearing that name."
"Does that mean that they never attacked the Silver Millineum?" Minako asked half interested.
"Maybe. Or it could also mean that it's a relatively new kingdom, or that they sincerely meant no harm, or any other reason for that matter." He looked down at his paws in defeat. "There are just too many possibilities to choose from."
She paid little attention to him and removed the bow from her hair. As she stared out her window, the day's earlier event played in her mind. The even of when she held Diro close to her. It had in no way been meant as a sexual gesture, he was beaten up pretty bad, after all. She was protecting him. Still, now that it was over and the silence of night had come, she couldn't help but think of it.
Gradually, she felt herself growing hot and opened the window. Breathing in the cool, spring-night air, she was reminded of his scent when her face was nestled in his hair. The faint musk that emanated from his body excited her senses and lingered with her still. She shuddered.
Minako surrendered herself to her thoughts and fantasies as she walked over to her dressing table. Despite the cool breeze blowing through her window, she still felt hot. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she saw that her skin had taken a reddish hue. She glanced back at her bed and was relieved to see that Artemis had left, probably to talk to Luna about the invasion.
She ran her brush through her signature silky, long, blonde hair and began to dress for bed. After unbuttoning her long-sleeved blouse, she stared at her mirrored form and covered her modest chest with her arms. Had she really rested Diro's head there? What on earth had she been thinking? Shaking her head, she dropped her blouse on the floor and allowed her skirt to fall in the same manner. She decided to pick them up in the morning and grabbed a pair of pink pajama bottoms and a tank-top of the same color from her closet.
She walked to her window and stared out of it once again. She didn't know why thoughts of Diro raced around her mind. Was it possible she had a crush on him? It wouldn't be the first time. She'd been in love before so she knew what to expect. Still, Diro was different somehow. Most prominently, he was in some sort of trouble with the King of Alundar. Why was that? Did that mean he was the bad guy?
"No!" She exclaimed. "I absolutely refuse to believe that!" She walked back to her bed and flopped down upon it. "I just can't believe that he's a bad guy. He's so nice and proper. I know that we just recently met, but I can't believe that he would have ever done anything wrong!"
She got up and turned off the light before returning to bed. Climbing between the soft blankets, she laid her head on her pillow and stared into the darkness. Although the girl's mind was a torrent of restless thought, she pushed the negative ones away and focused on those which were more pleasurable. Particularly thoughts of him. She smiled and pulled her blankets closer as she drifted off to a dream-filled sleep, comforted and secured from all of her worries and concerns.