Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Card Captor Sakura. This goes for the rest of the fic as well. I don't own either of them.
Note: This fanfic happens after Sailor Moon Another Story (A video game for the Super Nintendo). Apsu has been revived and is trying to change destiny once again. For those of you hasn't played the game here's a little key for you:
Apsu: The person who has convinced the Opposito Senshi that the Sailor Scouts are the reason for their problems and has promised them both revenge and power. She tried to change destiny before and was defeated at the end of SMAS (Sailor Moon Another Story). She was killed and even though she had combined with Sin, Sin is still alive.
Sin: The Opposito Senshi of Sailor Moon. She looks exactly like Sailor Moon except she is wearing a dark body fitting suit and has different color tattoos on her face and neck. She wants revenge on the Scouts because Apsu has convinced her they were the ones who killed her parents, in their neglect of Crystal Tokyo. In actuality, Apsu was the one who killed her parents.
Nabu: The Opposito Senshi of Sailor Mercury. She looks exactly like Mercury except hear hair is flipped inward towards her face, she is wearing a dark body fitting suit and has different color tattoos on her face and neck. She joined because she had nothing better to do and she wanted power.
Nergal: The Opposito Senshi of Sailor Mars. She looks nothing like Mars as she has hot pink hair in a style similar to Sailor Star Fighter (I think that's the one with the blue hair in a ponytail). She too has tattoos and a tight body fitting suit. The only reason she seems to be in the Opposito Senshi is for power.
Marduk: The Opposito Senshi of Sailor Jupiter. She looks exactly like Jupiter except her hair is black; she is wearing a dark body fitting suit and has different color tattoos on her face and neck.
Ishtar: The Opposito Senshi of Sailor Venus. She looks exactly like Venus except she is wearing a dark body fitting suit and has different color tattoos on her face and neck. She is the biggest ditz in the group and this is proven because she is often posed with her butt sticking way out.
Anshar: Brother of Sin, he actually has more power than any of the Opposito Senshi. He helps Rini during the game and they fall in love. Eventually though, they have to fight. Rini beats him and she doesn't hear from him again. (As far as I know…)
This is the redone version of my story. I'm hoping a lot more of it makes sense now. I'm going to put dates and times because I know before it was very confusing as to what was going on in terms of days. Even I got confused and I'm the one who created it. So, anyway, on with the story.
Context Key:
'Thoughts'
"Talking"
Italics background music or emphasis (you can figure out based on the context of the sentence which goes where)
Place: Date – Time
Time
Life Loses Its Meaning
By ebacusta
Chapter 1
Tokyo, Japan: Friday June 23 – 2:35 PM
"Come on Hotaru!" Rini urged her black haired friend. Long pink pigtails bouncing, Rini skidded to a stop and turned to face where her friend was leaning over something in the grass.
"Hey Rini! Come check this out! I found something interesting!" Hotaru called. Frowning and deeply agitated, Rini made her way back to her friend. 'Found something like what? The only thing we're looking for is Puu, who I happen to know is not laying in the grass right now.'
"What is it?" Rini asked not really caring.
"Look," Hotaru said pointing at the ground. Rini followed Hotaru's finger with her eyes and noticed a card about seven inches tall and four inches wide. Rini stared at it.
'What the heck is that?' She knelt and picked it up. The card's decoration made it look ancient with elegant swirls bordering the picture in the center. A pink girl with pink hair, a pink tank top and big poofy pink pants, and pink slipper like shoes. Her eyes were closed and at the bottom of her picture, it said one word. Power.
'Power? What's this all about?' Rini thought. She flipped the card over to see a big golden star in the center of a red oval with more swirls around it. On top of it all, the card felt warm. Rini's frown deepened.
"What is it?" Hotaru asked standing up and examining the card as well.
"It's magical," Rini said. "Feel it. Can't you feel the warmth of its magical energy?" She held the card out for Hotaru to touch.
"It is warm!" Hotaru exclaimed. Rini looked the card over once more. Suddenly, a thought jumped back into her head.
"We don't have time to examine a card! We have to go find Puu!" She yelled in frustration, partially because she had allowed herself to get distracted, but also because Hotaru kept getting distracted. "Let's go!" And with that, Rini took off running down the street leaving Hotaru in the dust. She stopped at the corner.
"What's wrong now? Come on let's go!"
Hotaru looked up at Tokyo Tower. She had the strangest feeling that someone was watching them and planning something. She narrowed her eyes but turned and ran towards Rini. Something wasn't right… about the card or the tower.
From Tokyo Tower, Li Shoaran stood watching the two girls disappear around the corner.
"Humph!" he grunted. 'Are they after the cards? No they couldn't be. Judging from their hesitation I'm sure neither of them knew what is was. But then again, the pink haired girl seemed to be studying it closely. Maybe she was looking for it and had put two and two together to figure out what it was. But then again, they were in a hurry. The pink haired girl probably picked it up so they could get a move on. Whatever the case is, all I have to do is get it back. And that doesn't look like it will be very hard.'
With one final glance, Li jumped from the tower, glad the magic from his charm hadn't worn off. As he landed in a deserted alley he turned and began running down the street. He had seen the building the girls were headed too and it was time for him to pay a visit there as well.
2:46 PM
"Fine time for the janitor to clean the stairs," Rini mumbled angrily as she rapidly continued to press the up button. With a ding the elevator came, opening and allowing them entry. Rini stepped in with Hotaru and then began a 1,000 hit combo on the button for the 14th and top floor.
Hotaru watched her and sighed. "Rini, calm down, you're blowing this was out of proportion."
"I'm blowing this out of proportion? I'm blowing this out of proportion? Well of course I am. Puu is about to be attacked and all you want to do is sit around look at random cards on the ground and stare up into the sky! Puu is in danger as is her time key! I think I have a right to blow this a little out of proportion! And it's for that reason that I'm not going to calm down! Why would you even tell me to do a thing like that?" Rini yelled.
Rini trailed off when she finally ripped her eyes away from the panel of buttons to look at Hotaru's shattered face. It was then that everything Rini had just said caught up with her. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm just… really worried." Even thought Hotaru acknowledged her apology with a small nod, Rini could tell that she was still hurt by the words she had just said.
'Great, now I'm hurting Hotaru. Why is this happening? I need to get a grip. No one will believe a child who's angry and hot. Grrr… calm down. Hotaru's right. You do need to calm down! Hey! That's an idea! Tell her that! Maybe that will cheer her up!'
"Hotaru," Rini said. "You're right. I do need to calm down… a lot. I'm sorry. I'll try to keep my temper under control. I didn't mean to take my frustration out on you." Hotaru nodded again and Rini looked at the ground in shame.
'Some friend I am. Hotaru was just trying to help and I repaid her kindness by yelling at her. Argh! I'm such an idiot. Hotaru should have just slapped me in the face.' The elevator doors opened with another ding and the two ran out of it and down the hall.
"What's the conference room number?" Rini asked. She shoved the power card into the waist band of her skirt.
"16A!" Hotaru said scanning the doors they passed. "THERE!" Rini and Hotaru grabbed the handle and threw the door open. They were greeted by a startled woman in the middle of giving a presentation and the surprised looks of the 24 other businessmen and women sitting at the conference table.
The room itself was very large with three white walls, normal pictures hanging from them, and the last wall made entirely of glass. In the corner sat two dry erase boards and from one wall hung a slide projector cover. In the middle of the room was a laptop seated on a rolling cart. It was hooked to a projector which was displaying the image up on the screen. The woman was standing in front of it.
The table at which the other people were seated was long with round ends. A clean sheet of perfectly cut and polished glass was lying on top of it. On top of the table set equal distances apart were three bowls filled with candy. On one wall sat a coffee maker. And beside it, sat a mini refrigerator no doubt filled with refreshments.
The people sat in plush, desk chairs that had wheels and swiveled. Setsuna was seated in one about half down the table. She was staring at Rini and Hotaru, a stern disapproving look on her face. Rini and Hotaru took the whole scene in within a few seconds before moving towards Setsuna and dragging her out of her seat into a corner of the room.
"W-w-what is the meaning of this?" one of the men still seated at the table asked. Rini ignored him and focused her attention on Puu.
"Rini, why are you and Hotaru here?" Setsuna asked, her face still creased with the line of disapproval.
"Puu, we've got something important to tell you?"
"It could have waited until my meeting was over," Setsuna said.
"No, it couldn't have," Rini said. "You and your time key are in danger." Setsuna's frown twitched into a smile at that, but she managed to refrain from laughing out loud. The stern look remained strong on her face.
"Rini, I do not have time for jokes. It's enough that you burst in here, with a loud and obnoxious entrance no less, but now you are joking around," Setsuna said.
"No, Puu, I'm serious," Rini said. "This isn't a joke. The Time Gate is in danger as well."
At the mention of the Time Gate, Setsuna grew very serious. "Rini, leave the Time Gate out of this. If it really is in danger, I'll know. And anyway, this is a very important meeting. You can discuss you're matters with me later." She turned to go towards the table. Rini grabbed the sleeve of her suit.
"Puu, I'm serious. You really are in danger," Rini insisted. "Please listen to me."
"Rini, I am very disappointed in you. Serena taught you better than this. And Hotaru you know better as well. Refrain from doing this in the future," Setsuna said. She brushed Rini's hand off her suit.
"But, Puu, you're gonna be a-" Rini never got finish her sentence. One side of the giant wall of windows shattered sending glass shards flying. The businesspeople dove under the table for protection. Rini grabbed Setsuna and pushed her behind one of the dry erase boards.
"Stay here," Rini told her. Twenty-seven people came into the room, some men, and some women, all of them dressed like thugs. Rini and Hotaru's eyes narrowed.
"Nobody move!" The leader of the gang demanded. They all held guns pointed in various directions. "Now, tell us where Setsuna Meiou is and nobody gets hurt."
"She's right-" one of the people began.
"She's not here," Rini said drowning the person out. She glared straight at the people in front of her. "Why are you interrupting my party? Hmm?"
The man's eyes landed on Rini. With a smirk he said, "Oh, you have a lot of nerve, talking to me like that."
"And you have a lot of nerve interrupting my party," Rini said.
"Tut tut, bringing in big toys like guns," Hotaru said her head leaning down looking at the floor. "You're such a bad influence." Her eyes shifted up to stare at them directly giving her an evil look. "No wonder gang violence has been on the rise lately."
One of the men holding the guns gasped and faltered. His gun nearly slid out of his hands. Hotaru's eyes glowed slightly before retreating to their normal color.
The leader faltered when he saw this as well. "What are you?" Suddenly, his resolve back, he strengthen his hold on his gun and fired. "Die, you demon!" Hotaru ducked and flew towards the man. Rini also took advantage of the fear Hotaru had installed in their enemies and charged forward as well. Before they had a chance to retaliate, Rini and Hotaru loomed over them.
Rini jumped and swung her leg over her body slamming it down onto the shoulder of person closest to her. With a yell of pain they collapsed to the ground clutching their shoulder, Hotaru followed up the attack as Rini went on, landing and punching her fist into the face of the next person. As the person fell, she flattened her hand and whacked him on the neck. With a groan he collapsed unconscious. She went on to the next person, a woman who immediately began firing uncontrollably at Hotaru as she approached. But it was no use, Hotaru's foot connected with her jaw and the woman dropped to the ground in pain.
The cycle repeated as Rini and Hotaru spread apart sweeping outward towards the others. Person after person dropping. That was until Rini came in contact with a large burly man. She punched at him twice and was forced to dodge his techniques the rest of the time. Stepping backward and ducking, Rini's heart skipped a beat when she went to step back and there was nothing for her to step on. She started falling backwards fear becoming apparent in her eyes.
The man took advantage of this drawing back his large fist and punching her in the stomach. Rini's eyes widened in pain as the momentum from his punch sent her flying fully out and away from the window. And then quickly, she began her downward spiral.
"RINI!" Hotaru yelled as she flew into the man with a kick to the side knocking him sideways. She looked at the window as she watched Rini's pink pigtails and her arms stretching up towards her. Suddenly, something flew by and caught her.
3:02 PM
"LI!" The brown haired boy stopped and turned around. A girl with auburn hair and sparkling green eyes was running towards him as fast as she could waving.
"Sakura," he said jogging towards her. They stopped as they met in the middle.
"Did you find it?" Sakura asked.
"Yes… well, no… yes and no," Li said.
Sakura frowned in confusion. "How does that work?"
"Well," Li said slightly embarrassed, "I watched this girl and her friend pick up the card and run off, so I've found it but I don't have it."
"ARGH!" Sakura Kinomoto screamed.
"Er, what?" Li asked not appreciating the attention she was drawing to the pair.
"That girl could be anywhere!" Sakura exclaimed. "We'll never find it!"
"Well, yeah, she could be anywhere, but I happen to know exactly where she and her friend are," Li said.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Where?"
"They're in that building," Li said casually pointing at the building just down the street. He had wanted to go in, but he had refrained and called Sakura on her cell to get her over to where he was.
Sakura sighed. "I should have known. That's just like you Li."
Li half smirked, half smiled. "Is that a bad thing?"
Sakura smiled back. "No, I suppose it isn't." Li began turned away quickly, partially because he was ready to go into that building, but more so Sakura wouldn't see the red tint that came to his cheeks.
"Come on," he said walking towards the building.
"No," Sakura said.
"No? Why not?"
"Because, something might happen," Sakura said.
"Something like what?" Li demanded. As if God himself was answering his question a loud scream echoed down the street. Everyone turned to see a girl plummeting towards the concrete. Sakura eyed Li. They nodded.
Sakura pulled out the key hanging around her neck from beneath her shirt. She began the little chant:
"Oh Key of Clow,
Power of Magic
Power of Light
Surrender the wand,
The force ignite!
RELEASE!" A golden bubble appeared around the wand as it grew. Once it reached its adult length, she grabbed it, at the same time, pulling out a card. She threw it in front of her. "FLY!"
Meanwhile, Li pulled out his own sword and a charm. Throwing the charm in front of him and stabbing it with the tip of his sword, he exclaimed, "SLEEP!" Instantly, everyone on the street dropped to the ground in sleep. Everyone except himself, Sakura, the falling figure, and who ever else was on the top floor of the building she had come out of.
Sakura mounted the wand with big white wings sprouting from the back. She kicked off the ground and sped towards the falling figure. Li took this as his cue and sprinted into the building and towards the elevator. While he had been waiting for Sakura, he had scouted the place out through the window, and apparently, some janitorial work was being done on the stairwell.
'As long as Sakura does her part,' Li thought, 'then I can do mine.'
3:25 PM
At first, Hotaru was inclined to jump out and hopefully jump the person who now seemed to be flying away with Rini, but she didn't. Instead, she satisfied herself by punching out anyone who got close to her. She watched as the figure turned around and swung towards the broken window, bringing with it, Rini. Hotaru backed away from the window as the figure approached. Someone was trying to sneak up behind her, she could hear them. She spun around quickly with her foot outstretched kicking the woman in the gut. She grunted and Hotaru followed her attack with a hard hooked punch into the stomach. The woman doubled over in pain.
By the time Hotaru turned around again, Rini and the figure, which Hotaru could now identify as a girl around her age with short auburn hair, bangs hanging free with some of her hair in two pigtails on the side of her head. She was holding a pink and yellow wand with wings sprouting from the back of it. She was wearing a white sundress and sandals. Beside her stood Rini, bloody from the cuts she had acquired from some of the glass shards sticking out of the broken window.
As Rini limped towards the man that had punched her out of the window in the first place, the door burst open revealing a kid with messy brown hair and eyes wearing a green shirt, denim shorts, and tennis shoes. He was holding in his left hand a sword and he was panting slightly.
The giant man smirked at Rini looking at her feeble attempt to walk toward him. "If you can barely walk, how do you think your going to beat me?"
"Like this," Rini said. She charged forward, drawing her fist back in the process. Throwing all her energy and momentum into the punch the man flew backwards. Rini wasn't finished with him yet. She ran forward kicking him squarely in the chest. Then, finally, she jumped wrapping her legs around his head. Spinning herself and him, she slammed him to the ground, jumped back off and landed on her feet.
Seeing the biggest man they had on their team fall with ease, the others backed off. The y were wise people. Obviously they learned from their mistakes. They began retreating desperately trying to regroup what small part of their group was still conscious.
"Are you finished?" Rini asked. "Crashing my party like that and then throwing me out a window. You've got a lot of nerve… well at least you had a lot of nerve. I don't know if you still do. Anyway, as I told you, Miss Setsuna, whoever that is, is not here. Get out and don't come back." They all ran towards the window jumping out of it.
Rini limped towards where the coffee condiments were. Grabbing herself some napkins and disinfectant wipes from the first aid kit, she cleaned herself up, carefully placing a bandage on each cut. As she was doing this, Setsuna stepped out from behind the dry erase boards and hurried from the room.
'No doubt she's going to go check up on the time gate,' Rini thought. When she was cleaned and bandaged she exclaimed, "Thank you so much for saving me! I owe you my life, really I do. Thank you so much." With that said and done, Rini dashed out of the room.
"Thank you," Hotaru said with a bow before dashing out of the room after her.
"Crap," Li cursed. "We weren't even able to say anything to her."
"We can follow them," Sakura said. "At least I can." She threw another card in front of her.
"JUMP CARD!" she yelled.
"SLEEP!" Li yelled throwing another charm out in front of him and stabbing it with his sword. All the men in the room fell asleep. As the little wings finished growing on her feet, she smiled at Li, "Meet you in the alley soon. I'll call you so keep your cell turned on."
"I will," Li said. Once Sakura was sure that's what he was going to do, she jumped from the window, landing gracefully beside the sleeping bodies of the pedestrians. Rini and Hotaru had already passed by. If Sakura wanted to catch up, she would have to hurry.
3:57 PM
Rini knocked on the door. She looked cautiously from side to side as if searching for someone. Rini knocked again.
"Oh!" Hotaru exclaimed as a sudden revelation came to her. "Isn't Ami in America?"
"That's right!" Rini snapped her fingers. They started for the elevator. "Now I can't ask her about it. Crap. Oh well. It doesn't matter really. What we really should be focusing on is finding out about the people after Setsuna. We're going spying tonight."
"Spying?"
"Yep."
"Spying?"
"Uh-huh," Rini said as the pair stepped inside the waiting elevator doors.
"Spying?"
"That's right."
"How? Where are we even going to do this spying?"
"Bounce, Bounce Club," Rini responded. Hotaru burst out laughing.
"Spying? That sounds more like clubbing Rini! Ahahaha!" she gasped clutching her sides.
"Yeah, but that's their central base of operation," Rini said.
"And how exactly would you know that?" Hotaru asked.
"Same way we knew that Puu was going to be attacked," Rini replied as they walked through the lobby of Ami's apartment building and out into the sunlight.
Hotaru's eyebrows went up. "Oh?"
"Yeah," Rini said. "We know that it's a reliable source of information. We can trust it. And, if we don't find what we're looking for, we'll just leave. It's not that hard."
"Hmm, fine I guess," Hotaru said.
"Good," Rini replied. "They open at seven, be ready."
"What should I wear?" Hotaru asked.
"Anything that makes you look like you want to party. Nothing conservative. Something that shows off your body. That's what must clubbers where," Rini said. Something caught her eye. She turned her head sharply and caught sight of auburn hair and a flash of white.
"Hmm, I guess that sounds all right. I think I've got something that might fit that bill," Hotaru said.
"We're being followed," Rini whispered to Hotaru.
"By who?" Hotaru asked seriously.
"I think it's the girl who saved me earlier," Rini said. "But looks can be deceiving. She may have saved me but maybe she's also working for that other group. She's acting nice to get close. We should get moving."
Hotaru nodded. "When we round the corner, we'll run into the alleyway and hide until she passes." Rini nodded this time. As they rounded the corner they began sprinting down the street, pushing through the crowds until they made it into the alleyway. Ducking behind some trashcans they waited and watched.
About three minutes later the girl ran passed talking rapidly into her cell phone. They waited and then left the alleyway, heading in the other direction.
"I wonder what she's following us for," Hotaru said.
"Me too," Rini agreed. "But if nothing else, this most certainly does make me suspicious. What are her motives? Especially if she's not tied to that other group."
"Yeah," Hotaru agreed. "Definitely suspicious."
4:15 PM
"I'm sorry Li, I lost them," Sakura said leaning on her knees. "But the pink haired girl saw me. I had to fall back some. I think she figured out that I was following them. Her and her friend seemed to disappear after they rounded the corner."
Li thought about the information, mulling it over in his mind. "These girls definitely aren't amateurs. If they saw you and started running they might be after the cards. Or, they might have connected you with the group of people they were fighting earlier. Either way, the girls aren't stupid. We'll have to be careful about them." Sakura nodded. Li continued, "Well before they ran away did you find out anything else?"
"Well, they were at a girl named Ami's house to ask her a question. Possibly about the card. I'm not sure. They never specified what they were talking about. But then, they made plans to go spying at the new Bounce Bounce Club," Sakura told him.
"What time are they going to meet?" he asked.
"Seven tonight," Sakura told him.
"We'll go too," he replied. "We have to get that card back. Have too."
Sakura nodded. "Yes, we do."
7:20 PM
Rini and Hotaru stepped into the club. Instantly they were swept away by the design. It followed a metallic-esque theme. There were booths and tables surrounding a dance floor, which as promised with bouncing with people dancing to the loud music. A long bar stretched the wall. Rini nudged Hotaru.
"Get it together girl," she said. Hotaru nodded. They turned around and were met by a giant calendar hanging on the wall.
"Green Day, Blue Day, Yellow Day… What is all this?" Hotaru asked.
"Look, we came in on Black Day," Rini said.
"Oh, I get it," Hotaru said. "If we were that color on the day that it's assigned we get in for free. Smart marketing technique."
"Yeah, but it can also be very helpful to us," Rini said. With a sly grin she said, "Quickly, write these down." Hotaru nodded and began writing them on a piece of paper.
"Good evening," a voice said. "May I buy a drink?" Rini, startled, whirled around. She stepped back a step.
The boy standing in front of her laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Rini blinked a couple times before her brain caught up with her body.
"It's alright," she said. "A drink? Nah, I think I'll pass."
"No?" he asked. "Well at least let me talk to you." Rini shrugged her shoulders and glanced sideways at Hotaru desperately trying to send her waves. 'Stop him. Say no. Don't let me go with him. We have things to do. We have to stay focused. Please. Save me.'
"Go ahead Rini. I know how to take care of myself," Hotaru said evidently blocking the messages out or simply choosing to ignore them. "Have fun!" She waved as Rini was dragged off by the boy. She was gonna get Hotaru back for this. Judging from the sly grin on her face, she had done it intentionally.
They sat down in a booth at the edge of the dance floor.
"So, Rini is it?" the boy said. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. Hmm, I don't believe I know your name," Rini said.
"Oh, forgive my rudeness. Kaisuke. Kaisuke Udachiwa," he said. He flashed her a smile.
'Whoa! He has gorgeous dimples!' Rini thought. She smiled back.
"Ah!" he exclaimed.
"What?" Rini asked looking around to see if there was trouble somewhere.
"You have such a beautiful smile," he said.
Rini blushed as she faced him again. "Thank you. So, tell me Kaisuke, what do you like to do?"
"Me? Hmm, well, let's see. I like to fence. And I like going out and hanging with my friends," he said. "Listening to music and watching anime is pretty fun too." He looked at her with his piercing crystal clear blue eyes. "What about you?"
"Hmm, I like pretty much the same things, except I don't know how to fence properly and I like to explore and practice martial arts," Rini said. Suddenly her cell went off. She jumped. But took it off her belt and looked at the screen. It was Hotaru. "Excuse me," she said. He nodded with a smile.
She flipped the phone open. "Hello?"
"They're here." Hotaru hung up. Rini looked up. "They're here?" Suddenly, she spied Sakura and the brown haired kid making their way towards a booth across the way. Rini ducked down in her booth.
"Is something wrong?" Kaisuke asked.
"What?" Rini asked. She had forgotten he was there. "Oh no. Nothing at all." She smiled at him. "Sorry. So are you here alone or are you with a friend?"
"With friends," Kaisuke said. "They're all hanging around here somewhere. I'm not quite sure where." He leaned on his elbow and stared at her, brushing his messy gray hair out of his eyes.
"You're really pretty, you know that?" Kaisuke said. Rini blushed.
"Thank you," she said. "You're pretty hot yourself." Oh my god she sounded like and idiot. Kaisuke smiled at her.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked her. Rini thought about it a minute and then looked at her watch. She had time.
"Sure," she said. She stood with him, and slid her cell back onto her belt. She stood up smoothing her black skirt and tank top as she did.
"Black and pink," Kaisuke mumbled. "What an interesting combination." Rini blushed; her pink hair was still in pigtails. She followed Kaisuke out to the floor as a slow song started.
wakaregiwa no samishisa wa
ano koro kara kawaranai
mata ashita aeru no ni
hanaretakunai no
(The loneliness of parting
is always the same.
Despite being able to see you again tomorrow,
I don't want to leave.)
Rini smiled as Kaisuke put his hands around her waist and she put her own around his neck.
"So tell me," Kaisuke said as they swayed together. "Is your hair naturally pink, or did you die it?"
"It's natural," Rini said. "How about you? Naturally gray or die?"
"Natural, just like yours," Kaisuke said.
sotto watashi wo dakishimete kureru
shiawase wo mamoritai zutto
(Please, embrace me gently.
I want to protect this happiness forever.)
Rini let the magical sound of the song wash over her. A smile played on her lips as she listened. It was true. All of it was so true. But at the same time it was sad. It made her think of past relationships.
'How odd it is…' Rini thought. 'That I don't learn. I keep getting hurt, and I come back for more.'
manatsu no seiza ni terasarete
futari chiisaku tonaeru
himitsu no kotoba oshiete ageru
ne, omajinai shiyou
(Illuminated by the midsummer constellations,
The two of us recite in small voices.
Will you teach me secret words?
Let's make a charm.)
"Are you okay?" Kaisuke asked watching as his dancing partner gained a distant look in her eyes.
"Yeah," she said somewhat distantly. Suddenly she turned her head, which had been facing towards the ceiling, down to face him. A smile, the likes of which he had never seen before, was what she wore on her face.
"Listen to the words of the song," she said, her red eyes shining. "Aren't they magical? Don't they touch your heart? Can't you see the place it's describing in your mind's eye? It's almost as if we're dancing beneath the night sky right now. It's so beautiful."
So pure, so enthusiastic, so sincere. The smile she wore on her face was beautiful. Simply stunning. He had never seen one that pierced his heart like this smile was doing now. It was giving him a window into her soul. He could see the person she was. So kind, caring, and thoughtful. But carrying a lot of pain. All of it… the feeling it gave him, was indescribable.
itsumo aruku kaerimichi
tsunaida te wo hanasenai
kono mama itai keredo
toki ga sugite iku
(On the way we always walk home,
We're unable to separate our connected hands.
I want to stay like this, but
Time keeps passing by.)
"Can I see it?" he asked.
"Just imagine," Rini sighed. "Just imagine, wearing the most beautiful clothes you can think of. And dancing beneath a night sky in a garden on the moon. A garden so beautiful I can't describe it. Just imagine." Kaisuke looked at her. She was so beautiful. The inner person he saw. A person like her was a one of a kind treasure.
yozora ni egaku yume wa hitotsu dake
anata no hoshi ni naritai itsuka
(There is only one dream painted in the sky;
I want to become your star, someday.)
Kaisuke smiled at her. A smile he hadn't been able to sincerely smile in a long time. "I can see it," he said. "But I can also see, the girl I'm dancing with. Wearing her beautiful gown of white, her long hair flowing in the wind, spinning and smiling so majestically, it seems unreal."
Rini looked at him and smiled. "It's beautiful isn't it?"
"Yes it is," Kaisuke agreed.
yasashii hitomi wo miteitara
naze ka namida ga afureru
hajimete no setsunasa wo shitta no
...anata ga suki
(If I look into your gentle eyes,
For some reason, my tears overflow.
You knew my initial pains.
...I love you)
'It seems too much like a coincidence… I want to find my prince… but… all my relationships fail… Hearing this song… with this particular boy… and having him share the same vision… I see in my dreams… seems too unreal... Almost as if this song is foreshadowing something.'
manatsu no seiza ni terasarete
futari shizuka ni inoru no
sunao na kimochi no mama de
issho ni iraremasu youni
(Illuminated by the midnight constellations,
The two of us pray in silence.
With such honest feelings,
We can stay together like this.)
'For this I will pray. I don't know about you, my prince. But I will pray… that I will meet you someday… Someday soon… So you can take my pain away…'
Kaisuke looked at Rini. She seemed to be having some private monologue in her head. He hated to break her out of it. So he stayed silent. The words of the song seemed to be having a huge impression on her. Almost as if the song reminded her of something. She was deeper than her smile allowed him to see. She was living some secret life, some secret lie that was always there in the back of her head. Holding her back from fulfilling all her dreams.
He hated to watch her suffer like that. Even though the serene look she held on her face seemed to claim otherwise. He didn't want it to go on. "Rini," he said.
She snapped back to earth. "Yes?"
hikari ga umareta no ima
futari no kokoro no naka ni
(Light is given life, now
By our hearts.)
"When I first saw you, I felt connected to you," Kaisuke began, unsure of where he was going. "You may think I'm weird for bringing this up, but I really did. Something was drawing me to you and I felt a need that I had to satisfy, even if it was the last thing I did. And that was to free you from your suffering. I don't know how, some how, I knew… I knew what you were going through, and I wanted to reach out and help. So please, let me satisfy that need okay? Let me help you. I want to become your friend."
The song ended but Rini was frozen to the spot. 'He wants to be my friend… he wants to help me… and free me from my pain… But how could he know? What could he do? How is it so? Is he my prince? Will he be the one to free me? The one to live up to his role? After I've been left in the dark so many times… I need this… You want to be my friend huh? If you're sure you can handle it… than I want you to be my friend too.'
"I want to be your friend too," Rini said. "Thank you so much for the dance. I hope you don't think I'm weird for sharing my vision with you." Rini waved.
"Wait," Kaisuke said. "Let me see your phone." She handed it to him and watched as he added his name and number to her directory.
"Call me some time, so we can hang out," Kaisuke said. Rini nodded.
"I will," she said. "I will." With that she disappeared into the crowd leaving Kaisuke with a weird feeling. 'I felt something with her… Some connection deep down… what was it? That can't have been love… I've felt love before… It was something else… A longing… a need… I don't understand it… but I want to help her… just like I want to understand her… But who will help me understand myself?'
9:36 PM
Rini and Hotaru crept down the hall. After filling Hotaru in with her encounter with Kaisuke, she and her friend had decided it was time to do what they had come for. They crept into a hall by the bathrooms and were now exploring the area. They slowed by a door when they heard voices.
"We need that time key. How else will she fulfill what needs to be done?" one of them demanded.
"That's obvious you idiot," another, more feminine voice added, "but the question is… how? How are we going to get close with those bratty annoying kids around?"
"They are just kids, they can't be that great," another added.
"You'd be surprised," the feminine voice defended. "They defeated 27 of our men."
"They weren't our best men I would imagine," one said.
"True," the woman said. "But according to those who came back directly after the attack to get the time key, they single handily beat nearly the whole team and didn't even break a sweat. No telling what they can do."
"So what are you saying?" a new voice said.
"That in order to get to the time key, we'll have to get rid of the brats first," the woman said.
"How would we do that?" someone asked with apparent interest.
"We could kidnap them somehow," someone suggested.
"How? It's not like we can just go up and ask them to sit still while we tie them up. You know, and I know they won't do that."
"I don't know. With something special."
"Or someone special."
"Like who?"
"A boyfriend. I saw the pink haired brat dancing with some gray haired kid earlier in the night. Maybe they're going out."
"And if they aren't?"
"We'll kill him. No one outside can know about us, and if he won't be of any assistance to us, we'll just off him."
"Yeah, but won't his family get suspicious?"
"Just dump him near some gang territory. Every one knows how terrible some of the gangs in Tokyo are. We'll drop him there and the police will assume he got caught in the middle of one of their gang wars. No one will suspect us."
"It's a possibility."
"When would we get him?"
"Soon. I don't know. Whenever."
"We'll think about it and take it to the top. See what he thinks. Everyone in this group can admit that these girls pose a problem. They've been foiling our plans constantly."
"What I want to know is how they know what we're going to do."
"You don't think someone in the organization is spilling secrets and plans do you?"
"It's a possibility but I highly doubt it."
"Still we can't just dismiss the possibility. Like you said it is possible."
"Yes, but what can we do about it?"
"I think we should just wait a little while longer and see what happens."
"Agreed," all the voices chorused.
"Moving on though… how many of the items do we have?"
"The necklace and the bracelet. We know the time key is. The other three's locations are either unknown or to well protected."
"I see. This isn't good. Those girls have been messing us up and we're behind schedule."
"She certainly isn't happy about this," one of them said.
"I know. If we keep making the people at the top unhappy who knows what will happen to us."
"It's unsettling."
"Yeah."
"Hmm… well, now that we've discussed the important stuff, we can talk about Rene's housewarming this weekend." Rini and Hotaru moved on down the hall.
"Who was that she they kept talking about?" Hotaru wanted to know.
"Got me," Rini shrugged. They turned left and walked into a big warehouse like room. Boxes and crates were everywhere, stacked high forming a maze.
"What is this?" Hotaru asked.
"I don't know," Rini replied. The two of them started through the maze, getting lost until the reached a dead end.
"Great," Rini sighed. "We're lost and we've reached the end of the line." Suddenly, a rope fell from the sky. Rini looked up. It was too dark. She couldn't see anything.
"Shall we?"
Hotaru nodded. "Be careful." Rini went first, climbing the rope as best as she could in her club wear. She got off at the first landing.
She moved forward a few steps allowing Hotaru onto the platform as well. Walking a few more steps, Rini suddenly flew to the floor. She landed with a heavy thud. Something landed on top of her.
Rini started fighting it. She thrashed out at its face as it tried desperately to steady its hand. She could tell that in it was a weapon of some sort.
Rini cried out when a sudden shock of pain went up her arm. She could feel the blood running from the cut she had just received. Then suddenly, with one more overpowering attack, it slammed Rini's head to the ground. The world instantly spun out of focus. Quickly fighting back the urge to pass out, Rini fought back again. This time though her attacks were considerably weaker. Her head was spinning from the pain of hitting the ground so hard.
"Stop!" Hotaru exclaimed. "Stop!" She fumbled on her belt.
A satisfied yell rose from the attacker's mouth as it finally managed to pin Rini down. Rini was still in her haze and could only stare at it.
'Prince, please… save me… save me from myself,' Rini gasped in her mind. She voiced her words and the attacker stopped dead. Suddenly though, with renewed vigor it raised its hand and began bringing it's weapon down.
"STOP!" Hotaru exclaimed flicking on her pen light. The attacker stopped. Hotaru's eyes widened. Rini shuddered.
Kaisuke was straddling Rini, holding her to the ground with his hand wrapped around her neck. Her hands clinging to his trying to pry his fingers lose. His other hand was raised, and in it, was a sword. Suddenly Rini convulsed retching relentlessly. She clutched her stomach. Kaisuke got up instantly allowing Rini to roll over. It came up, and then she forced it back down. But it came back up anyway. It fell out of her mouth and dripped through the holes in the metallic floor.
Rini heaved over it. Kaisuke stared at her.
"Rini," he said. "I'm so sorry. I thought you were one of the people here. You fought back so well that only fueled my thoughts. I heard you guys talking so I hid and the rope fell back down over the edge. Are you all right?"
"I think she's got a concussion," Hotaru said as she helped Rini to her feet. "You forced her head down pretty hard."
"I'm so sorry," he said.
"Don't worry. As long as she doesn't die, I'll forgive you and I'm sure she will too," Hotaru said. "Anyway, why are you here?"
"I should be asking you the same thing," Kaisuke said.
"You owe us one for what you did to Rini," Hotaru said.
Kaisuke sighed. "I guess your right… I'm looking for something."
"What?" Hotaru asked helping Rini over to a crate so she could sit down. Kaisuke followed and stood behind it allowing Rini to lean back on to his chest.
"A necklace," he said. "It's my mother's and it was stolen from her and brought here."
"Oh? What's it look like? I'll help you find it," Hotaru said.
"It's got a ruby shaped like an oval hanging from a gold chain," Kaisuke said.
"It sounds pretty expensive," Hotaru said going over and searching through boxes. Kaisuke let Rini down easy and went to look in some too.
"Do you know why they'd want to steal it?" Hotaru asked.
"Yeah I do," Kaisuke said. "It's one of the six Hogosha."
"Hogosha?" Hotaru asked.
"Yeah. A protector of fate or destiny if you will," he said.
"Hmm," Hotaru said. The name certainly did sound familiar.
As if he'd read her mind he said, "If you don't remember the legend I can tell it to you."
"Would you?" Hotaru said as she moved to another box and began to shift through it. As she did, she found some interesting papers which she picked out of the box to keep for herself and show to Rini.
"Yeah," Kaisuke said. "Long long ago, an evil spirit rose and wanted to control destiny. He was doing just find until a young sorceress rose and opposed him. They fought and upon beating him with her sword, she sealed him inside six stones: the ruby, the garnet, the diamond, the sapphire, the yellow topaz and the emerald. And then, she attached each stone to six pieces: a sword, a bracelet, a necklace, a ring, a bow, and a staff, or the time key as you call it. Five of the six stones represented the five elements: fire, earth, wind, water, and lightening. The sixth represented his control over time.
"In any case, this young sorceress gave away five of the six hogosha to her close friends and warned them of the dangers of bringing them together. With that, they scattered to the corners of the Earth. For herself, the young sorceress kept the sword for that was what she had beaten the evil demon with. But, some how, all of the hogosha has ended back up in Japan together. I'm sure the people carrying them are aware of the danger that could happen if they're joined back together. Most of them were probably turned into family heirlooms and handed down thorough the generations.
"Most of them probably from clans such as myself."
"When you say bow, you mean like a bow that you shoot arrows from?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, well if each friend only got one, how does your family have two?"
"How did you know that my sword was the one from the sorceress?"
"After you finished telling me the legend I remembered the whole story myself. The sorceress's name was Udachiwa. Just like yours and just like you said, she kept the sword and handed it down generation to generation," Hotaru said.
"Exactly. I am a direct descendent from her as is the rest of my family. About eight generations ago though, the clan holding the necklace married into my family and from then, the clan has passed both the sword and the necklace down from generation to generation. As soon as I get married, I too will inherit the necklace and I will in turn give it to my wife."
"Sword for boys, and necklace for girls huh?"
"Yes," Kaisuke said. "You now what happens if all six of the hogosha are brought together right?"
"Yes, destiny can be changed for good. But that can even happen with five of the hogosha one of them being the time key of course," Hotaru said.
"Yes," Kaisuke agreed, "but with only five, destiny could still be changed back to its normal state if enough energy is put in one of the other hogosha."
"Hmm, yes, I guess you're right. But if I recall correctly, the garnet had the power of time, making it the most powerful. And the garnet is the stone in the time key. Why didn't the sorceress just keep the staff or put the garnet in the sword?"
"Who knows?" Kaisuke said.
"Ah! I found it!" Hotaru exclaimed.
"You did?" Kaisuke asked.
"Yes, here," Hotaru said handing him the golden necklace.
"Thank you. Thank you so much," he said. He grabbed her shoulders and kissed both her cheeks.
He placed the necklace in his pocket and pulled out something else. "Here," he said. "You keep this. Keep it safe. These people will be coming back after it once they realize it's gone."
Hotaru caught the item that he tossed to her. She opened her hands. The bracelet hogosha. She looked at him and nodded. "I'll wear it at all times," she promised. He nodded and then went and hoisted Rini's arm around his neck. He helped her to her feet and together they walked down the metal grate like floor.
"I know another way out without going back through the club area," Kaisuke said. Hotaru nodded and followed him. She fitted the bracelet on her wrist making sure it wouldn't come off. They walked. Suddenly, Hotaru heard something. Kaisuke and her whirled around just in time to see a spiral of water. It rammed into the threesome and slammed them up against the metal wall. This second jolt of pain seemed to wake Rini out of her trance.
When she opened her eyes, she was met face to face with the tip of a sword held in the hands of the boy. Standing beside him was Sakura.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Well, I hope you enjoyed this. I reworked this entire chapter. The first copy of the first chapter I had up was utter crap. I'm ashamed to admit that I wrote it. I hope for those of you who read the first one and have now read this one, you think that this chapter is written a lot better. Please give me feedback. Thanks!
Ebacusta
By the way: "Hogosha" is Japanese for "protector"
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