Chapter 18: Not everything survives
Week 4, Day 2
He sat in one of the back boothes, away from the window,
huddled over a cup of coffee. Although still rather
attractive, he looked a wreck. His black hair was a mess
due to running his head through it over and over and over
again. His shoulders were slumped over with tiredness.
His eyes were red; as to why that was, he would not admit
to if asked. And, to top if all off, his head ached from
all the ideas, memories, and images running willy-nilly
through his mind's eye.
Mamoru sighed. He left is apartment to get away, but all
he was running from followed him there, at least in memory
if not in fact. He quickly glanced round the room to be
sure that nothing followed him in fact. He didn't used
to be paranoid, but after last night...
He'd left the senshi meeting soon after Pluto finished
showing them the last two weeks of the Silver Millennium.
He saw no point in staying while the senshi re-hashed
everything with each other. Watching those two weeks
was painful enough without having to relive it again in
conversation. Besides, as the one person "originally"
from earth, he had different issues from everyone else
in the room. He left them to deal with their own
issues and he went home to decompress.
Soon after he arrived home, he felt someone watching him.
He felt that someone's gaze all night, even during the
fitful sleep he managed to catch. He didn't go looking
around to try to find out who was watching him. If you
asked him why, he probably would have said he was too
tired to care. If he were more honest, especially with
himself, he would admit that he didn't investigate because
he didn't feel threatened. Actually, although he felt
watched, he felt cared for. The feeling of being watched
over actually helped him to get the little bit of sleep
he got, when he wasn't haunted by memories. So being
watched all last night didn't bother him last night. It
did, however, bother him in the morning.
When he emerged from his apartment this morning, trying
to out-run his memories, he heard the mutterings of his
neighbors and nearby strangers. In almost every conversation
he overheard that morning he heard about "the senshi on the
roof last night" or "the senshi standing guard on that building"
or some variation of this. From the little he had been able
to hear, this senshi clearly had a staff of some kind and
was looking at his building all night long. At that point he
became angry and paranoid. Was Pluto so worried that he would
bolt after what she showed him that she had to stand
guard over him all night?
Then, of course, Pluto had reason to be worried. For years
she had withheld an important part of his, albeit past, life
from him. Knowing about this part of his past life sooner
would have changed a lot of what he had done and for what
loyalities he would have fought...or never formed. His past,
this part of him, had been kept from him for years. It is
understandable that such knowledge could cause him to take
action.
But, on the other hand, Pluto didn't have a good reason to
worry. He had given his word; he'd agreed to give up his
family in order to find out more about them. Even if, based
on the knowledge he now had, he wanted to reconnect with
them, he had already promised he wouldn't. Watching those
last two weeks with that decision weighing in the back of
his mind just made everything more painful. But, he was
a man of his word. He made the promise and he was going to
stick by it, even if it meant never seeing his mother or
brothers again. By granting his demand, Pluto had actually
showed him what he was giving up.
One scene from those two weeks stood out the most, especially
since it didn't seem to fit with the others. It was a sunny
day, probably around noon. He, that is Prince Endymion, stood
in one of the many clearings in the elaborate palace gardens,
obviously lost in thought, gazing at the horizon. Suddenly,
he heard someone clearing their throat behind him.
"You know, if you are going to space out, you really should have
your personal guard with you," a familar voice said.
"Yeah," chined in another equally familar voice, "you are
sitting duck out here, Cape Boy! If you refuse to have your
guard with you, you should at least pay attention!"
Endymion turned to face his two younger brothers who stood in
a nearby doorway. "I am in the palace gardens," he pointed out.
"And palace security has been rather lax recently, has it not?
With our visitors and all," his younger brother Arlington
pointed out. It is not as safe as it was a few weeks ago."
Endymion sighed, "Point taken. I will try to be more careful
in the future."
"That is all we ask," his other brother, Tremaine, said. "Oh,
and Endy? Think fast," Tremaine added as he threw something
at his brother.
Endymion reflexively reached out to catch the object. After
catching it, he looked down in confusion at the blue crystal-like
substance.
"It is a soothing crystal. A creation from the Medic
merchants," Tremaine explained. Then he briefly paused before
saying, "Nella wanted me to give it to you. She thought you
might need it."
"Dani," Endymion said softly as he looked down at the crystal
again. "With all that is going on, she still takes time to
think of me."
By this point, his brothers had left the doorway and were walking
towards him. They stopped less than a foot in front of him.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Arlington asked softly.
"My duty," was Endymion's soft reply.
"Is there really no way out of this? I would glady take your
place, Endy. It is hard to see you like this," Tremaine said.
Endymion patted Tremaine's shoulder. "I shall be okay. But,"
Endymion added, "there is something that could make me feel
better."
"What? We shall do anything in our power to help," Tremaine
vowed as Arlington nodded.
"Good," Endymion said as he started to ruffle Tremaine's hair.
"Then just don't complain."
"Hey! Quit it!" Tremaine complained as he ducked, but he didn't
move away.
"This is great!" Arlington said as he laughed at the discomfort
of his older brother.
"Really?" Tremaine asked. "Then it would not be fair to leave
you out, then," he said as he grabbed his younger brother and held
him in a headlock.
"Hey! Let me go!"
"Just as soon as Endy quits messing with me."
"But I am having so much fun," Endy said. "And you two did say
that you would do anything in your power to help."
"There are laws against this!" Arlington complained
"What are you going to do about it? Call for Momma?"
"I am not a baby!"
The shouting and mostly good natured harassment probably would have
gone on for longer if at that moment feminine laughter wasn't
heard. After which a masculine sigh was heard.
"Maybe I should have taken your advice and put in them in military
training. Look at them."
"I think it is cute," was the laughter tinged reply of the queen
as she and her husband walked to her children. "Besides, they are
just boys."
"They are the future of this realm," the king complained, but his
voiced sounded suspiously like he was trying to hold back laughter.
"They are fine," the queen snorted. "Just as long as they don't
have to pose for any royal portraits any time soon." The queen
smiled as she reached her children.
At that point, Endymion opened his mouth to say -
"You could have at least called me."
Mamoru blinked. Started, he moved his left hand too quickly and
coffee sloshed over the right side of the cup. Still a little
spellbounded by the memory, he tried to shake his head to clear
it. "What?" he asked the air.
"I said, you could have at least called me. After all I've
done for you, all you had to do was pick up the phone."
Mamoru turned to his left, belatedly realizing that the voice
was very much a part of the present and not the past. There
stood his friend Motoki, whom he hadn't called or talked to
for days. Motoki actually looked worse that Mamoru felt. His
eyes were also red; his clothes were wrinkled and his hair
was dishevled. He also looked like he hadn't slept in days.
Looking at his friend and seeing the obvious pain that he was
still in, Mamoru felt guilty. "I didn't know what to say," Mamoru
said softly.
"Who the hell said that you had to 'say' anything? It's called
picking up a phone and asking what you can do for me! All I
needed was a friend to listen to me. My life has been hell
the last few days; you knew this. You were one of the first
people who knew this.
"How could you do this to me?" Motoki continued, not realizing
that his voice had risen. "I have ALWAYS been there for you.
Always. Even when you didn't talk to me. Even when you acted
like a jackass to all and sundry, I was still there for you. And
you can't even be bothered to pick up a phone when I'm at the
lowest point in my life.
"Well, you know what? I'm finished. I can't do this anymore.
Since you seemed to have lost my number over the past few
days, do me a favor and lose it pernamently." And with that,
Mamoru watched one of his oldest friends walk away and out of
his life.
"Shit," Mamoru said to himself as he leaned back and closed
his eyes. 'Just when you think things can't get any worse.'
- to be continued -
Oh, wow. I can't believe I just did that. Some people really
aren't going to be happy with me. But, honestly, how else
would that scene play out?
Anyway, I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter. With everything
going on lately (and the fact that I'm sick) it has taken me
a little longer to get back to this. I've started the next
chapter...hopefully it won't take me forever to get it posted.
And I promise, the story does have an ending. At this point,
I think the end is about three or four chapters off. Oh,
and someone asked about the present life of the King of Earth,
so here are the answers to your questions. Yes, it is Prince
William, and no, I don't think he will be making an appearance
in the story.
Anyway, thanks for reading. And let me know what you think.
Read and review or send me an email at cemberl@yahoo.com.
~December
Week 4, Day 2
He sat in one of the back boothes, away from the window,
huddled over a cup of coffee. Although still rather
attractive, he looked a wreck. His black hair was a mess
due to running his head through it over and over and over
again. His shoulders were slumped over with tiredness.
His eyes were red; as to why that was, he would not admit
to if asked. And, to top if all off, his head ached from
all the ideas, memories, and images running willy-nilly
through his mind's eye.
Mamoru sighed. He left is apartment to get away, but all
he was running from followed him there, at least in memory
if not in fact. He quickly glanced round the room to be
sure that nothing followed him in fact. He didn't used
to be paranoid, but after last night...
He'd left the senshi meeting soon after Pluto finished
showing them the last two weeks of the Silver Millennium.
He saw no point in staying while the senshi re-hashed
everything with each other. Watching those two weeks
was painful enough without having to relive it again in
conversation. Besides, as the one person "originally"
from earth, he had different issues from everyone else
in the room. He left them to deal with their own
issues and he went home to decompress.
Soon after he arrived home, he felt someone watching him.
He felt that someone's gaze all night, even during the
fitful sleep he managed to catch. He didn't go looking
around to try to find out who was watching him. If you
asked him why, he probably would have said he was too
tired to care. If he were more honest, especially with
himself, he would admit that he didn't investigate because
he didn't feel threatened. Actually, although he felt
watched, he felt cared for. The feeling of being watched
over actually helped him to get the little bit of sleep
he got, when he wasn't haunted by memories. So being
watched all last night didn't bother him last night. It
did, however, bother him in the morning.
When he emerged from his apartment this morning, trying
to out-run his memories, he heard the mutterings of his
neighbors and nearby strangers. In almost every conversation
he overheard that morning he heard about "the senshi on the
roof last night" or "the senshi standing guard on that building"
or some variation of this. From the little he had been able
to hear, this senshi clearly had a staff of some kind and
was looking at his building all night long. At that point he
became angry and paranoid. Was Pluto so worried that he would
bolt after what she showed him that she had to stand
guard over him all night?
Then, of course, Pluto had reason to be worried. For years
she had withheld an important part of his, albeit past, life
from him. Knowing about this part of his past life sooner
would have changed a lot of what he had done and for what
loyalities he would have fought...or never formed. His past,
this part of him, had been kept from him for years. It is
understandable that such knowledge could cause him to take
action.
But, on the other hand, Pluto didn't have a good reason to
worry. He had given his word; he'd agreed to give up his
family in order to find out more about them. Even if, based
on the knowledge he now had, he wanted to reconnect with
them, he had already promised he wouldn't. Watching those
last two weeks with that decision weighing in the back of
his mind just made everything more painful. But, he was
a man of his word. He made the promise and he was going to
stick by it, even if it meant never seeing his mother or
brothers again. By granting his demand, Pluto had actually
showed him what he was giving up.
One scene from those two weeks stood out the most, especially
since it didn't seem to fit with the others. It was a sunny
day, probably around noon. He, that is Prince Endymion, stood
in one of the many clearings in the elaborate palace gardens,
obviously lost in thought, gazing at the horizon. Suddenly,
he heard someone clearing their throat behind him.
"You know, if you are going to space out, you really should have
your personal guard with you," a familar voice said.
"Yeah," chined in another equally familar voice, "you are
sitting duck out here, Cape Boy! If you refuse to have your
guard with you, you should at least pay attention!"
Endymion turned to face his two younger brothers who stood in
a nearby doorway. "I am in the palace gardens," he pointed out.
"And palace security has been rather lax recently, has it not?
With our visitors and all," his younger brother Arlington
pointed out. It is not as safe as it was a few weeks ago."
Endymion sighed, "Point taken. I will try to be more careful
in the future."
"That is all we ask," his other brother, Tremaine, said. "Oh,
and Endy? Think fast," Tremaine added as he threw something
at his brother.
Endymion reflexively reached out to catch the object. After
catching it, he looked down in confusion at the blue crystal-like
substance.
"It is a soothing crystal. A creation from the Medic
merchants," Tremaine explained. Then he briefly paused before
saying, "Nella wanted me to give it to you. She thought you
might need it."
"Dani," Endymion said softly as he looked down at the crystal
again. "With all that is going on, she still takes time to
think of me."
By this point, his brothers had left the doorway and were walking
towards him. They stopped less than a foot in front of him.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Arlington asked softly.
"My duty," was Endymion's soft reply.
"Is there really no way out of this? I would glady take your
place, Endy. It is hard to see you like this," Tremaine said.
Endymion patted Tremaine's shoulder. "I shall be okay. But,"
Endymion added, "there is something that could make me feel
better."
"What? We shall do anything in our power to help," Tremaine
vowed as Arlington nodded.
"Good," Endymion said as he started to ruffle Tremaine's hair.
"Then just don't complain."
"Hey! Quit it!" Tremaine complained as he ducked, but he didn't
move away.
"This is great!" Arlington said as he laughed at the discomfort
of his older brother.
"Really?" Tremaine asked. "Then it would not be fair to leave
you out, then," he said as he grabbed his younger brother and held
him in a headlock.
"Hey! Let me go!"
"Just as soon as Endy quits messing with me."
"But I am having so much fun," Endy said. "And you two did say
that you would do anything in your power to help."
"There are laws against this!" Arlington complained
"What are you going to do about it? Call for Momma?"
"I am not a baby!"
The shouting and mostly good natured harassment probably would have
gone on for longer if at that moment feminine laughter wasn't
heard. After which a masculine sigh was heard.
"Maybe I should have taken your advice and put in them in military
training. Look at them."
"I think it is cute," was the laughter tinged reply of the queen
as she and her husband walked to her children. "Besides, they are
just boys."
"They are the future of this realm," the king complained, but his
voiced sounded suspiously like he was trying to hold back laughter.
"They are fine," the queen snorted. "Just as long as they don't
have to pose for any royal portraits any time soon." The queen
smiled as she reached her children.
At that point, Endymion opened his mouth to say -
"You could have at least called me."
Mamoru blinked. Started, he moved his left hand too quickly and
coffee sloshed over the right side of the cup. Still a little
spellbounded by the memory, he tried to shake his head to clear
it. "What?" he asked the air.
"I said, you could have at least called me. After all I've
done for you, all you had to do was pick up the phone."
Mamoru turned to his left, belatedly realizing that the voice
was very much a part of the present and not the past. There
stood his friend Motoki, whom he hadn't called or talked to
for days. Motoki actually looked worse that Mamoru felt. His
eyes were also red; his clothes were wrinkled and his hair
was dishevled. He also looked like he hadn't slept in days.
Looking at his friend and seeing the obvious pain that he was
still in, Mamoru felt guilty. "I didn't know what to say," Mamoru
said softly.
"Who the hell said that you had to 'say' anything? It's called
picking up a phone and asking what you can do for me! All I
needed was a friend to listen to me. My life has been hell
the last few days; you knew this. You were one of the first
people who knew this.
"How could you do this to me?" Motoki continued, not realizing
that his voice had risen. "I have ALWAYS been there for you.
Always. Even when you didn't talk to me. Even when you acted
like a jackass to all and sundry, I was still there for you. And
you can't even be bothered to pick up a phone when I'm at the
lowest point in my life.
"Well, you know what? I'm finished. I can't do this anymore.
Since you seemed to have lost my number over the past few
days, do me a favor and lose it pernamently." And with that,
Mamoru watched one of his oldest friends walk away and out of
his life.
"Shit," Mamoru said to himself as he leaned back and closed
his eyes. 'Just when you think things can't get any worse.'
- to be continued -
Oh, wow. I can't believe I just did that. Some people really
aren't going to be happy with me. But, honestly, how else
would that scene play out?
Anyway, I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter. With everything
going on lately (and the fact that I'm sick) it has taken me
a little longer to get back to this. I've started the next
chapter...hopefully it won't take me forever to get it posted.
And I promise, the story does have an ending. At this point,
I think the end is about three or four chapters off. Oh,
and someone asked about the present life of the King of Earth,
so here are the answers to your questions. Yes, it is Prince
William, and no, I don't think he will be making an appearance
in the story.
Anyway, thanks for reading. And let me know what you think.
Read and review or send me an email at cemberl@yahoo.com.
~December