Chapter 7
Kevin rubbed his arm carefully and then stared up at the tower that rose before him in the night. Bright lights twinkled from its imposing heights, contrasting with the darkness that rose above the ever-present night lights of Tokyo. It had seemed less ominous earlier in the day when he had visited it with Minako, but now it evoked images of dark citadels from random adventure video games.
He shifted uneasily then glanced around. Artemis had said that to meet him at midnight exactly, but he had arrived a couple of minutes early. Even at that time at night, the surrounding area was still busy, and he was quite unsure of what Artemis wanted. Privacy, he assumed....but something did not seem quite right with it all.
A white cat approached him from behind and nimbly leapt onto his back, climbing up onto Kevin's shoulders with bared claws. The American winced and glared at Artemis.
"Couldn't just ask me to pick you up, could you?"
Artemis scanned the horizon. "That would be no fun, though. Besides, a human talking to a cat is bound to attract unwanted attention."
"Agreed. Although, if it's privacy you wanted, this is hardly the place for it."
The cat bobbed his head in a very human-like manner. "I concur. We won't be staying here. Just follow my directions."
Kevin nodded and Artemis began to speak quiet commands into his ear. His warm voice put the man at ease, much like hot cocoa on a warm day, and Kevin followed the directions unquestioningly. The discursive path that they took seemed overly long and drawn out to him, but Artemis had a distinct purpose in mind. His goal was to avoid pursuit of any sort, whether from unknown enemies or, perhaps even more dangerously, unwanted allies.
Artemis bore no illusions of what the senshi would do if they knew that they had another survivor of the Silver Millenium with them. They would welcome him into their lives and their homes, as a friend and comrade. They would tell him everything that had transpired in the years before and quite rationally explain that there was nothing to fear any more. Beryl was dead, along with a host of other enemies. Sorry you missed the fight, but oh well. It couldn't be helped.
That brought a grim smile to the cat's face. He could not condone such complacency, for the dangers were too terrible to imagine. Artemis knew, deep in his bones, that something would happen. His nature demanded that he assume it was bad. There had been too many surprises in the past, too many things that could go wrong. Artemis had trusted once, allowing the senshi to forget their duties, to live a normal life. Destiny, it seemed, did not have quite as idyllic plans for them, as it had sent them Ail and Ann to contend with. He had made the mistake once. Never again.
Reflexively, he bared his claws, digging into the fabric of Kevin's shoulder.
The man winced. "Easy on the claws, cat. I just bought this jacket."
"Sorry, Kevin. Force of habit. Stop here." The white cat dropped to the ground gracefully and turned. "We are here."
They had stopped by a small lake surrounded by a bank of trees and grasses. Unlike most Japanese parks, it was not well kept. The grass was a little too overgrown, the hedges not quite trim enough. Dry leaves lay strewn around the sidewalk, which wove around the water in a desultory loop. There were a couple of bridges, signs of good luck in Japan, but they looked positively decrepit compared to the city that surrounded it.
Yet, there was an undeniable calm to the place, something of an unsculpted beauty that refused to be packaged and presented. It was a small oasis of quiet in the middle of the largest metropolitan area in the world.
Kevin looked around, noting the surroundings with not a little bit of apprehension. They were still in Minato-ku, as far as he knew. He could see the Tokyo Tower rising in the distance, its twinkling lights beckoning to him. Yet, the city surrounding them seemed more remote, less imposing than before. There would be no intruders in this place.
Artemis spoke softly. "Retainer, I apologize for the inconvenience of the hour and the place, but I had to be sure that no enemies could follow us."
"I suspected as much." Kevin tapped his fingers against his chin pensively. "You sound as if the enemy were already here. Should I be worried?"
"Not at all." The cat smiled. "If memory serves, you have quite a few powers at your disposal. As I mentioned earlier, you were a defense mage, tutored in specific magicks to defend high-level figures and support troops on the battlefield.
"But before we get into that." Artemis's eyes flashed with amusement. "I think that we ought to institute a small change in attire."
And a small silver wand dropped from the air above into Kevin's hand. He seemed a little surprised by its presence and peered at it carefully, turning it over in his fingers in infinite loops. It was not an ornate piece, simply an undecorated piece of metal which fit easily into the palm of his hand. Kevin stared at it for a moment then let his eyes flit up to Artemis.
The cat smiled back with barely restrained glee. Minako had once described in her diary that touching the henshin stick for the first time was a mix between orgasm and empowerment, the distinct feeling that everything was right where it ought to be. It was an experience that Artemis could only understand vicariously, and he was understandably eager to see it again. "How does it feel?"
Kevin glanced back down at the wand. "It feels like a piece of metal."
"Be serious! How does it make you feel?"
The man eyed the cat skeptically. "Like ten million yen. Is there a point to all this?"
The cat shook his head irritably. "Forget it. Let's just get this over with shall we? Raise the wand into the air."
"Just raise it into the air?" Kevin eyed the cat even more skeptically and then stared at the piece of tin in his hand. "And that's it? No words, no fancy gestures?"
"To be completely honest, I have no clue. As far as I know, it's instinctive. Perhaps it will refresh some of your suppressed memories. The only way to find out is to try."
Kevin nodded and raised the wand above his head. At first, he noticed no real difference and stared at the cat accusingly.
But slowly, words of a very strange sort came unbidden to his mind. Kevin ignored them initially, trying to focus on the wand itself. Yet, those words persisted, nonsensical though they were, insisting that they be spoken. With each mental repetition, they grew louder and louder, the beating of a giant's drum on the inside of his mind. Kevin struggled to maintain his composure, but the words battered away at his sanity.
And then, when he could stand it no more, he screamed them out, a shrill sound of pain, meant to censure them forever.
"Lunar Mage Power...Make up!"
The world collapsed around him.
--------------------
Artemis shielded his eyes from the glow of his transformation. It was a pure white light, which could only be seen on those rare nights when the moon shone alone in the sky, untarnished by the lights of the stars above or the humans below. It was the signature of an accomplished lunar mage.
From his recollection, Artemis noted that Kevin's potential powers had not diminished in the slightest. Traditionally, the retainer for the family of Serenity was occupied by the scion of a minor noble line with higher aspirations. It was a largely ceremonial post, often awarded to politically able young men who would go on to lead terribly dull lives as part of the Moon Kingdom bureaucracy. It had been part of Artemis's job to screen them, and it had been a nightmare every time.
He had expected no more from the new arrival, a young man from the provincial areas of the Kingdom without many contacts or advantages to his side. His family's lineage was a new one, peasant stock that had used newfound wealth to purchase their nobility. It made him a suspicious figure in the eyes of many of the older families in the realm, something that the Retainer had taken in stride.
And throughout all that, Artemis had found the young man intriguing. Unlike most who aspired to the position of Serenity's retainer, he was not a regular attendee of royal court functions. Nor was he a capable small talker. Nor did he possess any of the wonderful skills which were considered so essential to worming one's way into the favor of Her Majesty.
He had chosen a military career, traditionally a reviled profession in the pacifistic culture of the Moon Kingdom. He had acknowledged the changing face of warfare and had chosen to learn the dirty arts of magic, while others chose to focus on their epee play.
In short, he was the sort of person required to bring much-needed sobriety to the fairy tale ambience of the Moon Kingdom. Not that his position came without much opposition. Other noblemen had fought the appointment strenuously, citing his family's unimpressive history. Even Queen Serenity herself had questioned the wisdom of appointing a military man to the post of her family's assistant.
But Artemis, the wily navigator of Moon Kingdom bureaucracy, had managed to get his way. It had proven an all too fitting choice as a scant few weeks later the kingdom of Endymion had fallen to the forces of Beryl.
The cat smiled. 'He is a warrior and in a few moments, he shall look the part.'
The light faded slowly and Artemis's eyes slowly adjusted back to the darkness. Kevin gave him a mischievious glance. "How do I look?"
"Impressive as always, Retainer." Artemis bowed his head.
It was a far more pragmatic uniform than any of the senshi had worn ever. Kevin's was dark blue, a design balancing both practicality and showmanship It was reminiscent of the design of the Dark Kingdom uniform, with all its imposing lines, but softened with the addition of a collar and lapel which could hold a flower or a pin. The ensemble was completed with a simple cape that wrapped around him easily.
Kevin grinned toothily. "I'll admit. I didn't quite expect something like this."
"There is no reason you should have. Your memories are still incomplete, and may never be completely restored. And as you adroitly pointed out; you are Kevin, not the young man I got to know so many years ago. But we work with what we need to. And you are it."
The man inclined his head gracefully. "Accepted. Shall we begin?"
--------------------
His head whirled as Artemis bombarded him with information. "So you're telling me that I have...magic...powers."
"I don't expect you to actually believe me yet. At least until you start to use them for yourself. I suppose just go at it the same way you transformed and it will all come to you. And if it doesn't, we'll try something else."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"That's what I'm here for."
Kevin lifted his hand in the air and closed his eyes. And for the second time that night, it felt as if a giant had seized his arm and tried to yank it out of its socket.
He nearly cried out in pain, but gritted his teeth. Suddenly the pressure relented and Kevin opened his eyes to see an amazing force field stretched out in front of him. It crackled with restrained energy and gave everything outside of a five-meter radius a somewhat hazy look. He moved his finger closer to it, then tried to push his hand through the surging induction field.
"Did I...create this?"
The cat's voice sounded tinny through the shield. "Indeed you did, Retainer. Your instincts have served you well."
Kevin marveled at what he had created, peering at it closely. "This is an incredible construct, Artemis. Certainly defying all manner of physical law."
Artemis shrugged. "Does it really matter why or how you created this shield? Isn't enough that you have done so and can use it to your benefit?"
"I suppose." Kevin sounded unsatisfied.
The cat's eyes narrowed, and he plunged forward with further explanations of powers and magical theory. He didn't want Kevin ruminating about it too much. Artemis sensed that Kevin was an inquisitive one, who might question a cause before fighting for it.
Such questions could be fatal in the fluid environment of senshi warfare, and he was determined to stamp it out before it could pose a threat. Even in their time of complacency, he would never let his guard down. His duty was the protection of the Moon Princess and her senshi. Kevin would be the instrument with which to achieve that end.