Shadows on the Wall
Chapter Five
We twist and turn where angels burn
Like fallen soldiers we will learn
That once forgotten twice removed
Love will be the death..
The death of you
The words to a song hung heavy in the air in Mina's dream as she sat there in the darkness, hugging her knees to her chest. She'd never felt so alone and abandoned as she did at that very moment, shivering in fear at the darkness that surrounded her. As tears threatened to fall, Mina wished that she wouldn't have to wake up and face reality, especially since her reality was becoming a true nightmare. She couldn't wake up from that reality and the memories wouldn't fade, nor would the loneliness that threatened to tear her apart. "I can't take it anymore!" She cried, her tears shimmering in the darkness as though they had a life of their own as she lifted her head. "Someone, please help me!" A few minutes later, a green light pierced the darkness, carried by a young man that had blonde hair about two shades darker than her own that fell over one of his icy violet eyes, giving him an air of mystery as he knelt by Mina's side. Neither of them said anything as they met each other's gaze, and Mina couldn't help but get the feeling that she had seen him somewhere before and not just in a dream either. She was thoroughly surprised when his strong arms enveloped her, pulling her into his embrace. They stayed that way for a few minutes, tears of relief streaming down Mina's cheeks as she let him hold her, his arms providing a source of comfort. When he finally pulled away, Mina was even more surprised when he reached out and grabbed her right hand, placing his green orb of light into her palm before closing her fist, his icy violet eyes never leaving her blue eyes as he did so. "But I.." The young man silenced her with a single look, the maturity and wisdom glittering beneath the surface of his violet depths simply astounding Mina. "You need it more than I do," was his simple reply. Mina opened her right hand, tearing her gaze away from the stranger's as she glanced down to see the green orb twinkling innocently in the palm of her hand, but when she looked up again, the words she intended on speaking died on her lips when she noticed that the stranger had vanished into the darkness. "Wait!" Her cry echoed through her dream, but there was no reply and Mina found herself alone once more as she studied the green orb in her hand...
Sage woke with a start, his forehead glistening with sweat under the moonlight. He sat up and, sensing something was missing, searched his neck for the golden chain that usually hung there, a cry escaping his lips when he realized that his most prized possession, the green orb that hung from the golden chain, was missing. First his strange dream, in which he dreamed that he'd given his orb to a blond-haired girl with startling blue eyes that seemed familiar somehow, and now his orb was missing. The Ronin was beginning to wonder if that was just a coincidence. Had he somehow managed to actually give the girl his orb through his dream? Was that even possible?
Blinking tiredly, Sage laid back down on his bed, placing his hands behind his head on his pillows. He was tired, but when he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, his mind replayed the strange dream over and over again. He couldn't help but wonder what had caused him to even touch her in such a way. It just wasn't like him, but the sight of her tears sparked something within him that he just couldn't fight, almost as if it were magical. What Sage really wanted to know was who the girl was and why she looked so familiar to him, and not just from his nightmare. His memories of the nightmare had faded considerably since that night, but he still recognized the girl and wondered why he felt such an impulsive need to protect her. If only he could remember...
With a sigh, Sage sat up again, slipping his feet into the slippers he kept by his bed and slipped out into the night, finding himself in his grandfather's dojo before long. Once again, Sage's hands sought out the comforting warmth of the green orb that had once hung around his neck to reassure himself, but was instantly reminded that the orb was gone. Whether or not it had been stolen Sage didn't know, but he intended on finding out. Things seemed to be taking a turn, but he couldn't tell if it was for the better or for the worst. Once again, his mind turned to the orb and his eyebrows knit in confusion. Sage wouldn't dare let someone else touch it, not even to borrow, and nothing had been disturbed in his room, so he just didn't understand how it could have just... disappeared. After walking aimlessly around the dojo for a while, Sage eventually returned to his room and his icy violet eyes scanned the room once more, searching for something that was out of place that would indicate that someone had been in there. Again, he found nothing and lay back down in his bed after kicking off his slippers and tried to return to his troubled sleep...
Mina woke with a start, a cold sweat dotting her forehead. The moonlight was slowly disappearing from the room she found herself in, which she presumed to be Rowen's, and she was slowly becoming aware of her ordeal the night before. When she sat up, it was then that Mina noticed the solid object in her right hand, the hand that the orb had been placed in during her dream, and she gasped when she opened her fist and, to her complete horror and surprise, there sat the green orb. It lay there innocently in the palm of her hand, attached to a long, golden chain. How was it possible that she had gotten the orb? Was someone playing a freaky joke on her or was this for real? Was it possible they could have been on a physic plane instead of in a dream? The physic plane seemed more plausible than a practical joke, for it explained how the orb ended up in her right hand, the hand that the orb had been placed in. In Mina's mind, there was no way anyone could've gotten the exact orb as the one in her dream and placed it in the same hand. There was just no way.
Shaking these thoughts from her head, Mina propped the pillows up against the wall and leaned against them, still feeling too weak to stand. Her frightening experience was momentarily forgotten as she studied the orb in the palm of her hand. When Mina reached over and touched it with her other hand, a feeling of peace and contentment washed over her for the first time in days. Closing her eyes as its peaceful energy flowed through her veins, Mina opened them moments later as she dangled the orb from its chain, watching as two shades of green swirled inside the strange orb. She didn't know it at the time, but her puncture wounds from the demon's claws had mysteriously almost completely disappeared. She had no idea what it was or what it was used for, but she knew that the person that had the orb controlled the energy it contained, and could therefore be used for good or evil. Mina closed her eyes as a shudder passed through her body as she realized what damage an evil person could inflict with the power contained within the orb and she desperately hoped that it never fell into the hands of a villain. As she lay there with her eyes closed, Mina made a promise with herself that she would do everything within her power to protect the orb.
When Mina opened her eyes once more, the moon had disappeared and the sky was just starting to lighten, dawn fast approaching as she realized she'd fallen back to sleep. The thought of the sun returning once more, lighting up the places where shadows had once resided, gave Mina hope that things would be different in Toyoma, despite the recent events. Slipping the golden chain over her head, the orb hidden beneath her shirt, Mina smiled genuinely and got up out of bed, feeling like a completely different girl. Gone was the pale, trembling creature Rowen had met the night before, replaced by a beautiful girl with a sparkling personality that bubbled over with spirit and a will to live. There was a determination that hadn't been there before, and even Aya wouldn't recognize the girl standing in Rowen Hashiba's room, where she would be staying for the next little while. Much to Mina's amusement, Rowen's room was actually kind of clean. The only things littering the floor were his books, but that didn't surprise her at all since Rowen had been a reader for as a long as she could remember.
Stretching lazily, Mina glanced around the room once more, finally spotting her bags sitting by Rowen's closet and proceeded to dig through them for a decent outfit. It had to be one that was easy to put on since Mina didn't want to have to wake Rowen for help because of her broken arm. She finally chose a white peasant top shirt and a pair of denim capris that had blue flowers running up the pant legs and matching flowers on the pockets. She had a bit of a struggle putting the shirt on, and it took a few minutes due to the fact that the cast on her arm kept getting caught on the sleeve, but she finally managed to slip it on and had no problems with her capris. After she finished dressing, Mina pulled out her brush and makeup out of her bag and silently slipped past Rowen, who was fast asleep on the couch in the living room, and into the bathroom to finish her daily routine. When she emerged ten minutes later, Mina had swept her long, silky blond hair into a wide denim headband that matched her pants and a pair of silver hoop earrings dangled from her ears. The clear lip gloss she had put on added the last touch to her look and she felt ready to face the day, but she noted with some disappointment that it was only seven-thirty in the morning. 'I should not even be awake yet,' Mina thought dryly as she headed back into Rowen's room. Rowen would probably sleep forever and Artemis was still recovering from the previous night's ordeal, so she was alone for the time being. The silence was actually kind of relaxing, so she took advantage of it and pulled out her diary and began to write.
Dear Diary,
It feels so strange to be in a new place. I can still remember when I first came to Tokyo and met Serena. Everyone called me a stuck-up brat 'cause I was painfully shy and they all teased me about how I dressed like Sailor V. How were they supposed to know that I was really Sailor V? The day I met Serena changed my life for good. Things have never been the same since then, and Serena is partially to blame for that, but things have only gotten stranger now that I'm being stalked by shadow demon...
My memories of last night's events are fuzzier than ever now, and I can hardly remember anything. The puncture wounds that I received while I was fighting the mysterious shadow had almost completely disappeared, but that doesn't even compare to the strange dream I had last night! Again, my memories are a bit fuzzy, but I remember a handsome young man around my age placing a green orb into the palm of my right hand sometime during the dream. The thing is that when I woke up, I found myself clutching a green orb in the palm of my right hand... Is that freaky or what? Was it just a coincidence or did the 'dream' I had take place on a physic plane? These days, anything is possible. What really ticks me off is that the boy seems vaguely familiar, as though I've seen him somewhere before, but my mind seems to have a fog hovering over it, preventing me from recalling the most crucial memories... I am officially freaked out by all of this, but I must somehow maintain a calm disposition, and I've discovered that it is a whole lot harder than it seems. Have I done something wrong to deserve this? I can only hope that Mom is coping with the situation, and that Dad will return home soon from his business trip to America. I wish I could've left Artemis with Mom, but I need him too much. This is a crucial time for me, as much as I hate to admit it, and I need my guardian with me to help get me though this. If there was ever a time I need some good advice, it would be right about now.
Well, I think I'll talk about something else now. Rowen seems to be really concerned about me when he discovered me last night, but I can't blame him. I mean, my throat was bruised and I'm sure he saw the claw marks, and there there's my puncture wound. I know he has questions for me, but how am I supposed to answer them when I don't even have the answers? I can't avoid his questions forever, although I do wish I could, and lying is out of the question... How is it that I get myself into these situations? Better yet, what am I supposed to say? Well, I'm hoping that my stay here in Toyoma will help get my mind off my troubles and that I'll get a chance to relax and do some fun things with Ro, but I have a feeling that I will be reminded of my troubles, one way or another. I wonder if they have a beach around here... Oh, would you just listen to me? Here I am, using all of these words that I have never used in my vocabulary before... Am I having an identity crisis? I desperately hope not...
Well, I'll stop writing for now and I'll write whenever I find the time. I'm going to have to find a safe place to hide this diary so that Rowen won't find it and be tempted to read it. That would be just disastrous.. Well, so long for now!
Mina
When she was finished writing, Mina stuck her pen back into its secret compartment and closed her diary, locking it before placing it back into her bags. She heard a stirring of life from the living room and glanced up at the clock, noting with dismay that she had been immersed in her thoughts for over two hours. 'What's wrong with me? It doesn't normally take me two hours for me to write one little journal entry, even if it was that long...' With a sigh, Mina closed her eyes and laid there for a few minutes before drifting off into a light sleep...
Well, there you have it! The fifth chapter is finally out, and boy, it was a long one compared to the others! I must warn you though, chapter six and seven are longer! And thanks, Aphrodite2! I haven't really met a whole lot of people that even know that the Ronins exist, but I like them all the same. And thank you for reviewing and I'm glad you like my story! XD
