"Please, sit." Sapphir gestured over to the couch.
Demand took his seat in the furthest possible area, while his mind was racing at what this would mean. Sapphir hadn't spoken to him in weeks, and when they had the inevitable encounters with each other, he would shoot him with the most detestable glares, that even Wiseman had never received. But since he hadn't seen him at all in the past few days, it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
When Sapphir sat across from him, he seemed eerily calm which could either mean that he was ready to accept his apology or break the news that he would finally leave him as he threatened before.
"I think this conversation has been long overdue. I for one, have found these weeks tiresome yet enlightening at the same time." Sapphir said.
He continued, "This planet; this new life we've acquired has taught me many things."
"Now that we're here, I am no longer bound to Nemesis nor our royal bloodline. I can go where I want and do as I please. I can finally be the one to determine my future and live outside my brother's shadow. I can finally think about what's best for me and live the way I choose to live and for the first time, I'm truly free."
Demande's pulse began to quicken. This was it. This was where his blood, his only link to his former life and home would leave him forever.
"I've allowed you to coerce me numerous times into things that were the opposite of what I thought was right and will continue to do so as long as I am with you. All because you were and are the only family I've ever had."
Demand continued to listen without interruption.
"When you allowed Wiseman to completely infiltrate our lives, I was suspicious of him from the beginning but, I said nothing. When you planned for us to go into the front lines in overthrowing Crystal Tokyo, even though I knew it was a losing battle, I still tried my best to make it successful. When you fell in love with the very one who oppressed our people, I disagreed with it, but once again, I stood by as you were willing to throw away all of our plans for her. All of this I did for you. "
Demande opened his mouth to say something, but his throat tightened and he was unable to make even a sound.
"However, in spite of all of this, you're the most important person to me and always have been. I don't want to hate you anymore." Sapphir said.
Tears began to well up in Demand's eyes that he tried to hold in. Finally his brother was willing to forgive him and he would no longer have to endure anymore of the loneliness he had been feeling.
"Thank you." He said to Sapphir. "So we forgive each other?"
"Yes." He replied. "However, don't misunderstand. I am no longer the little brother who will sit idly by. I think what you're doing is irresponsible and it's putting us both in danger. You say you have things under control and that she doesn't suspect anything but, I'm warning you that if that isn't so, then I will not hesitate to disappear without leaving any trace that leads to me, you understand?" Sapphir asked.
Demand nodded, "Yes, and I promise, you don't have to worry. She doesn't suspect a thing, I can assure you."
"Aside from that, what you're doing is playing with fate and can possibly affect the future of this entire planet." Sapphir pressed on.
Demand furrowed his brow, "How is that?"
"You desire the Queen, correct? You wish for her to fall in love with you, to marry you?"
Instead of answering his question, Demand shifted his gaze away from him and ran his fingers through his hair.
"I already know the answer because in some ways, I know you better than you know yourself. Once you want something, you go after it until it's yours. It's been that way since we were children."
Exasperated now Demand asked, "Just please answer the question."
"In the future, we know what is to happen. Sailor Moon will ascend the throne as Neo-Queen Serenity and will marry the King, which will lead to the birth of the Rabbit and the formation of Crystal Tokyo."
"Please spare me the details and get to the point." Demand said with impatience.
"When we originally planned to conquer Earth by sabotaging it's past, we created a divergence in the timeline that was laid out for us. Originally we were never apart of 20th century Tokyo and yet we not only made it there, but, made our presence known to them and introduced the planet to the Jakokusuishou not just once but, twice. Who knows what changes have already occurred."
Demand had never considered this before and for some unknown reason the girl from the arcade, Michiru, came to mind.
"Just think of what could happen if you get everything you want. If the Queen were to marry you instead of the King, a union that secured the future of this planet, it could be catastrophic. It could even mean Crystal Tokyo will cease to exist." Sapphir said.
"Good!" Demand said angrily. "Perhaps that's the way it should be. The world won't stop spinning if there isn't a Crystal Tokyo and I say it would be much better off without that unnatural place."
Sapphir started to chuckle. "Calm down, it's only a theory. Still unable to take any ounce of criticism, just like when we were kids."
Demand couldn't help but start to laugh as well.
"All I'm saying is, consider if it's all worth the risk. It could mean a darker future for both of us in the end." Sapphir said.
An awkward silence passed between them before Sapphir pulled something out of his jacket pocket.
"I have something for you." Sapphir said.
He laid two pieces of paper on their coffee table.
"Think of it as a sort of reconciliation present for the both of us. It is the weekend after all." Sapphir smiled.
Demande took the slips of paper and examined it closer. A sense of dread overcame him as he could see it was two tickets for Three Lights concert tomorrow.
"Thanks a lot." He said with fake enthusiasm. "How did you get ahold of them, I heard they're very difficult to come by."
"The university awarded them to me for making perfect scores on all my midterms. I was planning on giving them away at first because I had never heard of the Three Lights and pop music just doesn't appeal to me. But, it wasn't until I heard some cassette tapes of the featured act that I changed my mind." Sapphir said with a dreamy expression.
"Michiru Kaioh." Demande said.
"Yes, that's the one. Wow, you're more up to date on this than I am because I had no idea who either of them were but, I must say, that her music is quite exquisite. Have you heard it?" he asked.
"No, I've only just recently come to know about her." Demande said.
"You'll be in for a surprise, I'm certain of it." Sapphir commented.
"I have a feeling, I will." He agreed ominously.
"Well, I guess I should be off to bed, I have some stuff to take of at the university tomorrow, so I'm afraid I'll have to meet up with you at the venue later in the afternoon. Goodnight, Nii-san." Sapphir said.
It warmed Demande's heart to hear Sapphir call him that again.
"Brother, I'm glad that you've forgiven me and I appreciate you giving me your extra ticket." Demande told him.
Sapphir smiled and said in a low voice that only he, himself, could hear, "I'm glad she helped me come to my senses.
The Day Before:
Sapphir exited his final class with two tickets he had received earlier in the day from his professor in hand. A few of his classmates who he had started to become acquainted with, surrounded him buzzing with excitement.
"I can't believe the university was secretly keeping a pair of these tickets! If I had known they were planning on giving these out, I would've studied much harder!" Whined the sole female of the group, Naoko.
"Don't you already have a ticket, though?" asked another one of his classmates, Taketa.
"Yeah, but I had to practically spend my whole paycheck for it." She pouted.
"Forget it, you wouldn't have stood a chance anyway. Shinjiro always makes the top score in class." Said Taketa.
The third classmate, Matsuo, then asked Sapphir, "So, who are you planning on taking?"
Sapphir thought about it. Normally he would include his brother on an event such as this but, the feelings of betrayal were still as fresh as they were on the night he found out all that he had been keeping from him.
"I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't even know if I really want to go." He said glumly.
"No, you have to go!" Naoko protested. "You're literally the only one in the entire school who doesn't know who the Three Lights are. It's just not normal. Even Taketa and Matsuo are going!"
Matsuo rolled his eyes. "We're not going because of the Three Lights obviously."
"Michiru Kaioh, whose performing alongside them, is an excellent violinist, Shinjiro, I could see you being a fan of hers." Taketa said.
"And on top of that she's one of the most beautiful women in Juuban." Matsuo said with a slight blush.
Naoko proceeded to roll her eyes now.
As they walked out of the front doors of the university, they lingered at the bottom of the stairs to continue their conversation.
"I guess I can always go by myself and see you guys there." Sapphir said.
"That's the spirit!" Naoko cheered.
"I'll bring my cassette player with Michiru's tapes so you can familiarize yourself with some of her music before the concert." Taketa said.
"Oh great idea, I'll bring you my Three Lights tapes as well. They're number 1 in Japan right now, you know." Naoko further commented.
"I can already predict that you won't be a fan of theirs." Matsuo said lowly in Sapphir's ear.
He chuckled in response.
"Shinjiro, I have a question for you." Taketa told him.
"What is it?" Sapphir said.
"Do you know her?" he asked him as he pointed in a distance.
A woman was half concealed behind a tree nearby, doing a poor job of keeping herself hidden as she looked on to the small group.
When Sapphir turned around to look at her, she quickly moved out of sight behind the tree but, he was able to catch a glimpse of her beforehand and knew exactly who it was.
"You can come out, Berthier." He called out to her.
She peeked out from behind the tree and stepped out, revealing her entire frame clearly embarrassed from getting caught.
"I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by to say hello." She said in a nervous giggle.
Sapphir's classmates looked to her then to each other in confusion. Both of the boys were blushing at how pretty and unique she was. Even Naoko was in awe of her.
"Shinjiro, is this your girlfriend?" Taketa asked him.
"I'm so envious." Matsuo mumbled.
Sapphir tensed and waved his hands defensively, "No, no, nothing like that. She's just someone I know."
"Hey, I'd say we're more familiar that that!" Berthier said, taking offense.
"Wait a minute, I recognize you now! You're Berthier Ayakashi, one of the owners from Beauty Quartette, am I right?" Naoko commented.
"That's correct." She answered cheerfully.
"I knew it! I used to have terrible acne and after using your skin care, my acne not only went away, but my complexion has never been better!" Naoko said excitedly.
"Thank you so much, our goal is to accentuate the natural beauty that all women possess." Bethier said. "I hate to do this, but do you mind if I steal your friend, Shinjiro, here for a little while?"
"Oh, it's no problem, I need to be heading home anyway." Naoko said.
"Guess I will too." Matsuo said.
"I'll be sure to bring the tapes for you tomorrow." Taketa told Sapphir.
"Don't worry, I'll bring mine too!" Naoko said.
Taketa rolled his eyes, "I'm sure he can't wait."
Naoko playfully shoved him as they all walked away and out of earshot leaving Berthier and Sapphir alone.
Sapphir didn't say anything just yet but, gave her a stern look.
"I know I promised that I wouldn't try to seek you out but, there was something that I needed to tell you." She said.
"You realize that if any of the senshi or even any of your sisters were to see us together that it could disrupt the only normalcy I have in my life right now? How did you even find me?" Sapphir asked.
"When you told me you were attending University, I found the one in the area that offered a major in pharmaceuticals and I sort of put two and two together." She nervously said.
He sighed, "Well I guess there's no helping it. What was it you needed to tell me?"
Berthier looked uncomfortable now, which could only mean the news wasn't good.
"Petz is moving out of the apartment in a couple months." She told him.
He paused at first then said, "Well, I didn't expect her to live there forever."
"She's moving in with that man."
A sharp pain pierced through his heart the moment she finished the sentence.
He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat before telling her, "Oh…Well, if that's what will make her happy then I support her decision."
"She'd be happier with you! I mean, yes, she cares for him but, the only reason she's doing it is because she thinks it will help get over losing you. You must reconsider this because I know one day you will regret it and I know for a fact that you love her still."
He shook his head, "There can't be a future between the two of us at this point. I'm doing what is best for her. I know he will make her happy."
Berthier sighed and folded her arms. "You're becoming a bit too much of an Earthling for my taste. Both you and your brother."
"My brother?" Sapphir asked.
"Yes, that was something else I wanted to tell you. I saw Prince Deman-"
Before she finished her sentence, Sapphir placed two fingers on her lips.
"You mustn't ever say that name out loud. From now on, he is Tohru and I am Shinjiro." He told her.
"Sorry. I saw Tohru for the first time the other day as I was walking to work."
Her eyes began to glaze over as if she was picturing the scene in her head.
"It was a windy day, so I was wearing a headscarf that covered my hair or there would be no doubt he would have recognized me, but it was on the busy streets that we passed each other as I was walking to the shop. It's funny, the only few times I had ever seen him face to face on Nemesis, he was sitting on his throne wearing the most lavishly tailored suit appearing nothing less than a Prince. But, here he was, loosening his tie, holding a briefcase in one hand and his coat in the other, walking in a hurried pace just like all the people around him. He happened to raise his head up from checking his watch and it was in that split second of seeing his face, that I knew it was him even though his hair and eye color were different."
She continued as she clasped her hands together, "Even though he is restricted to the dull fashions of the 20th century, he still had the same regality that emitted from him from back then."
Sapphir eyed her. "You talk about him in such a way that one might think you're…"
Berthier giggled and waved off what he was about to say, "I'm afraid, each of us sisters had our own unrealistic fantasies..mine being so ridiculous that I could never say it out loud. But, it's okay that was in the past and I've found the man of my dreams." She then held out her hand that displayed a diamond ring on one of her fingers.
Sapphir, without meaning to, darkened his expression at the mention of his brother.
"What is it?" she said as she noticed his sudden shift in mood.
"He and I aren't exactly on good terms right now." He told her.
"Oh, it's normal. Living in such a busy world can affect even the strongest of bonds. If I could count the number times my sisters and I have bickered." Berthier said.
"This is different." Sapphir said somberly.
He didn't know why he was telling her this, because he wouldn't be able to reveal to her the true reason they were quarreling with each other but, it was bottling up inside so much that he needed to tell someone who could understand.
"I'm considering living apart from him." He continued.
Berthier's mouth dropped open.
"But you can't! You'll be all alone, and he'll be all alone. As much as you might think you blend in to this century, there's still so much to learn. My sisters and I have lived here almost 3 years now and there's still surprises we run into every now and then."
"We've managed to make it this far. I just don't think I can ever forgive him for this…" he said before trailing off.
"What happened?" she asked.
"It's nothing I can say." He answered.
"But it's an issue that won't ever be able to be fixed and despite it straining the so called bond we share, he's set in his ways and won't ever put my feelings into consideration. I don't see why I should care so much for someone who's as selfish as he is. I wish he'd just go away and never come back." He said while closing his eyes and tightening his fist in anger.
Had they been open, he would have been able to see the tears that began to well up in Berthier's eyes.
She then embraced Sapphir and buried her face into his chest before letting out a soft cry.
He relaxed his grip and gently wrapped his arms around her.
"Why are you letting everything you love slip away from you?" she asked.
She raise her head to where their eyes met as more tears trailed down her cheeks.
"Will you not allow yourself to love anyone?"
"Berthier, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just think maybe him and I would be better living apart that's all. People do it all the time. You and Koan realized this and it seems you all get along just fine." He told her.
"It's just that when I look into your eyes, I see a loneliness that saddens me, it was the same with your brother back on Nemesis as well. You both need each other more than you think. Especially in these times which are not as peaceful as they appear…" she said.
He let go of her now as she rubbed her eyes.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, alarmed by the statement.
"I didn't want to mention it, but there have been rumors from people around town in the last few months claiming to have seen monsters. At first I brushed this off as nonsense, but a lot of the stories have similarities to the times we would send the Droids to Earth and on top of that, I've been able to sense faint traces of dark energy here and there."
"If there was any new threats, wouldn't the Senshi let you know about it?" he asked.
"I'm afraid with the time our business takes up, it's seldom we see them much anymore. But, even so, the senshi usually don't relay information like that to us because they don't want to burden us with it. They didn't even tell us about the battles with Pharoah 90 and Queen Nehelenia until after the fact but, we knew about it all along and I'm getting a similar feeling now as I had in those times."
"I don't understand something though, the data on Nemesis that I had gathered up on 20th century Tokyo revealed only one battle that had taken place until the Queen ascended the throne and that was between the senshi and Queen Beryl. Not this Nehelenia you speak of." Sapphir argued.
"I'm afraid not. You must have missed something in your research because many new components have been added since the last time you were here." Berthier said.
"But there's no way. There would have been some documentation I could have dug up or…" Sapphir couldn't finish his thought.
"I wouldn't have ever told you any of this if I hadn't thought it important. We are all powerless now and wouldn't be of help to them so all we could do in this time is have faith in the senshi and keep our loved ones close to us in case it may be our last days of true peace." Berthier continued, "Whatever happened between you and the Prince can be resolved after we know we're safe."
Sapphir pondered this.
He had been so assured in knowing every event that would take place from the present time leading onto the future that they had all lived in. Had he been so blind to the things going on around him due to the confidence in his work?
"I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have told you this." Bertier said interrupting his thoughts.
"No, I'm glad you did. This does change everything." He place his hands on her shoulders. "But I also must insist that you not pay me any random visits anymore, at least for the time being."
"I know I promised not to but, a part of me can't help wishing we could all reunite again and live in the 20th century Tokyo together." She said in disappointment.
Sapphir smiled gently, "One day we just might. I am glad you came to me today, Berthier, you made me realize what's truly at stake here."
They embraced in one last hug before parting ways.
The Evening of the Concert:
Demande had slept the night before more soundly than he had in weeks. With his brother, back in his good graces along with his progress with Usagi, he felt more invigorated than he ever had before.
This was how things were meant to be and soon he would have everything he had ever wanted in his grasp.
He spent most of the day continuing to harness the power of the black crystal since Sapphir was to meet him later at the concert. Both the ruby and the emerald continued to show no signs of any life force which was strange because Demande in some ways felt he was more in tune with his power than he had ever been, even back on Nemesis. Will he have to rid himself of this newfound power if there is indeed, no way to bring back Rubeus and Esmeraude? It made him wonder if it would really be such a bad thing for the black crystal to exist if it can be used for good instead of evil.
After exiting the secret room, not feeling as tired as he used to, he looked at the clock only to realize that he had completely lost track of time and needed to make it over to the venue immediately.
The concert was still a half an hour from starting by the time he arrived which gave him enough time to be able to find Sapphir amongst the crowd of people.
"Nii-san!" he heard someone yell in the distance.
Demande saw Sapphir rushing towards him.
"I'm glad I found you in time, we need to find our seats before it gets too crowded." Sapphir said.
Demande nodded in agreement.
The venue was packed with people with a building excitement that was almost overwhelming for the both of them. It was hard to distinguish the seat numbers as everyone was still up and about, walking through out the stands, which caused Sapphir to glance back every once in a while to make sure they hadn't been separated.
"I think that's the row, we're supposed to be in." Sapphir pointed ahead.
"Good eye." Demande replied. "It would have taken me all night to find it in this dense crowd."
"Since we have some time, do you mind if we head back near the entrance for a short while? There's some people I promised to meet with that I'd like to introduce you to." Sapphir asked.
"Oh?" Demande reacted. "Alright then."
As the brothers, made their way to their destination, Sapphir waved to a group of people who waved back in return.
"Shinjiro, you made it!" a few of them simultaneously called out.
He laughed in return, "I didn't want to let these tickets go to waste. Besides, I did enjoy the tapes you lent me."
"I knew you would!" his friend, Naoko said cheerfully.
His other friend Taketa groaned and rolled his eyes, "He's not talking about your tapes."
The third friend Matsuo laughed along with Sapphir.
Demande stood quietly as his friends introduced the additional people that they brought with them: Naoko's roommate along with some mutual friends of Taketa and Matsuo's. Afterwards was when all attention pointed to Demande.
"I'd like you to meet my brother, Tohru. He'll possibly be joining us next year at Kitasato. " Sapphir said to them all.
The two girls blushed while the rest seem to marvel at his tall stature.
"Nice to meet you." Everyone said.
Naoko and her roommate rushed close to him, blatantly studying his features.
"You have an unusual look like Shinjiro." Naoko said.
"Is that so?" he said with a slight chuckle, uncomfortable with them gawking at him like that.
"If you're half as smart as Shinjiro, you're sure to be a success." Taketa exclaimed.
"Believe it or not, he's even smarter." Sapphir gloated.
"No way, that's impossible." Matsuo said, awestruck.
"Shinjiro, you're exaggerating." Demande said.
"He's just being modest. You guys will find out next year." Sapphir said.
"Your hair is so blonde!" Naoko's roommate said in amazement.
"Can we touch it?" Naoko asked.
"Oh-um. Sure." Demande answered nervously.
Each girl took a lock of the light, blonde strands and ran it through their fingers as Demande awkwardly stood by.
"Wow these earrings you're wearing are so beautiful!" Naoko said, noticing them as she lifted the long hair.
Sapphir overheard this and moved closer to see that he was indeed wearing his black crystal earrings.
Demande backed up suddenly, causing the two girls to let go of his hair.
"Th-Thanks." He mumbled to them.
"You must be in a band or something." the roommate commented.
"A model maybe?" Naoko followed.
Demande smiled politely, "Nothing as glamorous as that. I just work for a school."
"Shinjiro mentioned that you both were adopted and raised in Japan but, didn't say where you were originally from." Naoko said.
Before Demande could respond, Sapphir joined in the conservation.
"Well, neither of us actually know where we came from, our parents told us the adoption agency had no record of our place of birth….."
All of a sudden Demande's head started to pound. Sapphir's conversation seem to fade out along with the rest of the noise in the mass of people and a strange feeling began to overcome him that he wasn't able to grasp. Time felt as if it was slowing down and his vision was dimming, yet he still stood on his two feet appearing normal to the rest of the people around him but he felt strange, as if he wasn't in control of his body.
"Gornozavodsk" the word escaped him.
Everyone stopped and looked at each other in confusion.
"Where did you say?" Naoko asked.
Normality returned to Demande again when he saw the group of Sapphir's friends staring at him, unaware of what he just said.
Sapphir then forced a laugh.
"Tohru was just making a joke, he has a strange sense of humor sometimes."
"I see." Naoko said, laughing along as if she was the only one who got it.
"It looks like the show's about to start, we should probably head to our seats." Matsuo said abruptly.
Taketa checked his watch. "You're right, it's starting soon. Hey Shinjiro, we're all meeting for drinks afterwards, would you and your brother like to join?"
Sapphir looked to his brother, before Demande gave an approving nod.
"We'll be there." He told his friends.
"See you then!" Taketa replied.
"It was nice meeting you!" Naoko and her roommate waved to Demande.
When everyone seemed to be out of earshot, Sapphir finally turned to him.
"What was that all about and why are you wearing the earrings, I thought we agreed to not to overdo it on our powers." He scolded Demande.
"I'm sorry, I worked on growing the black crystal all day and I must've forgotten to take them off when I rushed to get here." He removed the earrings and put them in his pocket.
"As for the other thing, I don't know what made me say the word I said, whatever it was. I must just be more tired from today than I thought." Demande said while rubbing his temples.
"We don't have to go with them afterwards if you're not feeling well, I know I kind of put you on the spot." Sapphir told him.
"Not at all, they all seem very nice and I'm glad that you're making friends, I really am." He assured him.
They both started to walk to their seats.
"You're allowed to make some friends too, you know." Sapphir said to him.
"Nonsense, I've made plenty of friends of my own." Demande replied.
"Like, who?" Sapphir said with a smirk.
"Well there's…." he thought about it but other than Sapphir, he only was only close with Usagi and he couldn't exactly mention that aloud.
"There's…" he continued.
"Tohru-chan!" a voice sang in a melody as a woman tapped on his shoulder from behind.
When he turned around, he was greeted with a smile from his coworker and a young girl.
"Miss Kurogane-san, it's nice to see you." He smiled in return.
"I'm surprised you're here. I knew it, you're actually a closeted fan of the Three Lights like I am!" she said excitedly.
"I thought closeted meant that you actually tried to hide the fact." He told her.
The young girl next to her giggled.
"My brother actually had an extra ticket and brought me along." He turned to Sapphir. "Shinjiro, this is one of my colleagues and friends, Ann Kurogane." He said with emphasis.
"Pleasure to meet you." He replied.
Sapphir was actually surprised that Demande was acting so comfortable with an attractive woman such as this.
"The pleasure's all mine." She said.
She then turned to the young girl, "Isn't he a cutie, Chie?"
"Onee-san" the girl blushed.
"Chie's my little sister. A third year at Juuban Middle, hopefully if she studies hard enough for her entrance exam, we'll be seeing her around the school by next Spring."
"Excellent. I wish you the best of luck on your exams." Demande said with a charming smile.
"Thank you." Chie said nervously before bowing.
"I guess we need to find our seats while there's still time. We'll have to discuss the concert on Monday, hm?"
"Most definitely. You both have a wonderful evening." Demande said to them.
Miss Kurogane and her sister wished them goodbye before walking towards the back of the venue.
Demande and Sapphir finally went to sit down since there was minimal time left before the show. He wondered if Usagi was here yet and where she was sitting at. He supposed it was best to keep his distance from her while he was here with Sapphir since he didn't want to spoil their newfound reconciliation. However, as the crowd started to become reckless, he couldn't shake the feeling that something incredible was going to occur on this night. What was it that made him feel this way?
It was then that a strange energy was detected by Demande, causing him to scan the enormous audience around him. This energy was familiar to him but not so familiar that he was able to pinpoint where he knew this energy from. There was so many people that it was hard to detect it's source, but just a few rows over, he noticed a lady short in stature wearing a black, pinstriped suit with white hair peeking out from beneath her fedora. It was nighttime, yet she was wearing sunglasses which he found rather odd.
Where had he seen this peculiar lady before?
He tried to remember but, his head was so cloudy still from the black crystal that nothing came to him.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" boomed a loud voice calling from the speakers.
"It's starting!" Sapphir said excitedly to Demande, breaking his concentration.
The booming voice continued, "The moment you all have been waiting for has finally arrived! Introducing first our featured act, Miss Michiru Kaioh!"
Michiru graced the stage in a lovely dress carrying her signature violin before she bowed to the audience.
The crowd's cheers echoed from within the venue.
Sapphir leaned over to Demande, "Matsuo wasn't kidding when he said she was beautiful, huh? Who knew someone with her looks could be so talented."
Demande tensed up when looking at her and for a split second, could've sworn she made eye contact him. But that was impossible.
"And finally, introducing Japan's number one group whose hits have topped the charts for months now, give it up for Yaten, Taiki and Seiya of the Three Lights!"
Each of them walked out with all of their instruments and bowed to the crowd as well, standing next to Michiru.
The crowd really went wild at this point.
Demande looked back to that tiny lady, still standing stoically with her arms folded, not acting like the rest of the fan crazed audience. He looked back up to the stage with the feeling of foreboding overtaking him and his heart began to race. What was going to happen tonight, he wondered.
The announcer spoke one last time, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present to you the Three Lights featuring Michiru Kaioh, let the show begin!"
Author's Note: Thank you all for the feedback I've been receiving and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next one!