Chapter 70

Seiji sighed, leaning back against the side of a derelict Circle K and staring up at the sky. He watched the lightening as it flickered angrily with a strange sense of longing. Something about the sight of it soothed him, but he couldn't figure out what. His leg throbbed, and with a groan, he peeled the navy hakama he'd been wearing away from his skin, peeking at the gaping wound on his thigh. It wasn't looking so hot, but it hadn't looked too hot for a while now.

It could join the rapidly growing list of things that weren't going too well for him, starting with his arrival in this dead, decaying Hellscape. He'd never been so unwholesomely grateful in his entire life for his skill with a sword – and any other makeshift weapon he could get his hands on.

With a wince, Seiji rotated an aching wrist, surveying the clumsy bandaging that swathed it and his hand. He was fairly certain something was broken somewhere in there, but he hadn't had time to really look at it or sort it out. He was reluctant to admit he might be afraid to. If something was broken, and it continued to be unattended like this – while he kept using it….it could permanently damage his hand. And his ability to master his weapon. Although at this point, he was beginning to doubt he'd be around long enough to worry about long term damage.

One or two more run-ins with another of those demonic monsters, and he might not need to worry about anything ever again. He huffed air from his lungs, tilting his head back.

And frowned when his eyes fell on a brilliantly lit marquee. A marquee that, to his knowledge, hadn't been there just a heartbeat ago. He'd have noticed, he was sure of it. Nothing here had lights. Not anymore. But the deco-style building was sparkling like a diamond in the otherwise dull and grey landscape, the orange glow of its lights reflecting off the black clouds overhead.

He simply stared at it for a few moments, taking in its warm glow. It looked like a postcard. A charming, vintage postcard. He squinted at the text bordered by all the flashing lights, trying to make it out.

Tonight! Venus' exclusive appearance– only at the Full Moon Marquee, and only this evening! Hurry in one and all!

Something this eye-catching had to be a trap. It had the sort of old-world cheesy charm of a vintage Marquee too, making him wonder if it'd been pulled directly from the 30s. Still. He hadn't seen anything else here so lively or obvious since he'd woken up on the cold hard concrete of a random sidewalk. Whether it was a trap or something else, it was the first thing about this place that was different from everything else, and leaving that unexplored seemed foolish, risky or not.

Slowly, and with great stiffness, Seiji levered himself up, using the building for support. Easing air out of his lungs and through his teeth, he took the first jarring step, and then the next. Thankfully, once he was moving, walking became easier, though stilted and painful. He followed the glow until he was standing right outside the theater. There was no one in the charming, brass-gilded ticket booth, so Seiji just opened one of the ornate doors and let himself inside.

Immediately, he noticed the change. The air was warm, calm. The dark oppression that had hung around his shoulders relentlessly slowly began to lift. It was easier to breathe.

A tiny spark of hope lit inside him. Maybe….maybe this would be something better. Maybe this was what he'd been looking for. He'd finally been in the right place at the right time.

Seiji wandered through the empty lobby, taking in the plush benches cushioned in a golden velvet. He eyed them longingly, earmarking them as a good place to rest when he finally had to give in to his body's needs. Unfortunately, that time felt like it might be coming sooner than he could help.

Carefully, he gripped the golden handle on the next set of doors and tugged, moving into a dimly lit theater. It was empty, the lighting coming from the soft glow of lanterns illuminating the seating aisles and the brilliantly lit stage. The stage, too, was empty, save for a microphone stand bearing an old-fashioned microphone haloed with a metal circle.

Feeling calmer, feeling less on edge for the first time in a while, Seiji moved with more ease toward the stage, wondering if maybe someone might be in the back, preparing. Everything was so strange and different, he wondered if he was dreaming. Was he really in a theater right now? Or was he hallucinating next to the Circle K? Cautiously, he crept up the short flight of stairs and on to the stage, wincing at the ache in his leg even as he reassured himself that this had to be real. If he was in pain, he had to be awake and focused, right? Pain had a way of clearing the head, didn't it?

He moved carefully around the aprons at the side of the stage, slipping into the wings and using the thick, heavy material to disguise his movements as he kept an eye open for enemies.

But after several heartbeats, it became clear there was nothing. No one. The place was empty. There were shadows, but those shadows were devoid of anything save ancient props and stage equipment, and dust bunnies.

Why was this place here?

He heard it then, in the stillness. The sweet tones of a woman humming. Seiji moved, following the sound, through the backstage area. He followed a warm flood of light to a doorway, and then moved through the doorway and into a hallway lined with doors made of dark wood. Seiji crept along the hall, following the singing, and came to a stop outside a door with a golden star emblazoned at its center, set at eye-level. Venus had been etched into the star's center in rich black filigree.

He felt his breath quicken. The singing was definitely female. It was definitely coming from this door. Her name was on the Marquee, right? Seiji squared his shoulders and knocked. The singing stopped abruptly. "Hello?" a sweet-sounding voice called. Seiji felt awkward suddenly. The strangeness of this moment settled around his shoulders. He'd gone from a monster-riddled wasteland to a fancy theater and its female lead. Reality was unsettling. Feeling uncomfortable in his own skin, Seiji cleared his throat.

"Uh", he began in a dry raspy tone, "Sorry to bother you miss, but…what is this place?" He winced at the sound of his own voice. He hadn't spoken in some time – there was no one here to talk to – and he hadn't realized how rusty he might sound. Maybe this woman had answers. Maybe she could help him figure out where he was and what had happened.

Maybe she could also be some sort of terrible demonic lure. At this point, Seiji figured the risk was worth it.

There was a creak, and then the sound of light, delicate footsteps approaching the other side of the door hastily. The knob turned, and the door was flung wide.

"Seiji!"

He had a split second to take in the view of a beautiful woman with a cascade of blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. Her silhouette was slight, which was fortunate as she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing their bodies together. He staggered, unprepared for the weight, and hit the wall of the hallway behind him. Instinctually, his arms came up and around her, as much to steady them both as to shelter her from the hit.

"I missed you so much! I was so scared! I had no idea where to find you, and I can't leave this place or we'll both be stuck! But I knew you'd know how to find me. It's so romantic, isn't it?!" the blonde sighed against his neck, and Seiji struggled to understand what was happening. She knew him. He congratulated himself on being able to deduce that fact.

But he hardly felt that was fair, since he was drawing a blank on her. And Seiji liked to think he wasn't capable of forgetting someone who was so attached to him, no matter how rough things had been. She was almost acting like she was his…

Girlfriend. He shuddered.

Still. He acknowledged that memories of his life from middle school on seemed to be lurking in a brain fog, missing huge gaps in time where who knew what had happened. Had this woman been in those missing chunks of memory? Anger stirred in his gut at the thought of it. Normally, he avoided women – with good reason. He barely spoke with the opposite sex, so the idea that he'd associated with a girl long enough to be willing to date her?

When she pulled away from the embrace and looked up at him, crystalline blue eyes full of tears, he found the idea of dating her wasn't so difficult to believe. She was…gorgeous, and while she seemed like the type of woman he avoided, something about her resonated deep inside of him. Something about the way she was so familiar and affectionate with him felt right. More than that, he welcomed her presence.

She rose to her tiptoes, studying him, her expression shifting from relieved and upset to a kind of deep and quiet dread. He didn't like that expression. It made him feel upset. He felt distinctly uncomfortable beneath her searching gaze, as if he might fall short somehow. After a moment, the dread in her gaze deepened, taking on a layer of sorrow. Slowly, she pulled away from him, putting distance between them. And he didn't know who she was, but he found himself extremely reluctant to let her out of the circle of his arms. Her face crumpled for a moment, a few more tears slipping from the corner of her eyes before her expression cleared, and then hardened.

"You have no idea who I am, do you?" she asked him, tone loaded with quiet resolution. Reluctantly, he shook his head. The anger crept back into his stomach. This woman knew him, and he had no memory of her.

He was starting to think he wasn't just missing a few memories. He was starting to think that something precious had been stolen from him. That something important and necessary was lingering in the gaps of his mind. The feeling of her in his arms had been both familiar and comforting. As though his soul knew her even his mind didn't.

His memories had been stolen. Seiji felt the anger swelling, moving through him.

"It's fine. It's fine. We can figure it out. Right now, though –" the building rocked, the lights dimmed, and the woman gasped. When the lights came back up, he caught a brief glimpse of her doubled over, clutching at her chest. "Man, that smarts," she complained, straightening quickly. She looked at him then, those hard blue eyes pinning him where he stood.

"We need to get out of here. Do you trust me enough to come with me?" she asked, holding out a hand.

Seiji scowled, brushing plaster from his hair. "I don't think I have much choice. Especially since I don't even know where here is," he muttered. Hurt swept across her face at the remark and then was gone. She nodded at him, and then tipped her chin up.

"I understand. But right now, we don't have a lot of time." She lowered her chin and looked him dead in the eyes. "But I swear to you I would never harm you," she said in a low, steady voice. Seiji felt her vow in his bones. He nodded without hesitation, and reached out, taking her hand. Relief relaxed her posture even as she turned, yanking him into the dressing room.

Inside, there were roses set in vases on various surfaces. There were costumes lined up on a rack, and plush couches for relaxing. But against the wall, where the vanity mirror should be, a massive heart made of orange crystal shimmered.

Venus tugged, climbing up onto the vanity. She turned, looking down at him then.

"Ready?" she breathed, smiling at him softly. He nodded, and she turned, pulling him into the crystal. Seiji had no choice but to follow, closing his eyes as he leapt. Warmth and light radiated around him. The darkness that had been hovering disappeared completely now, the shadows fading. When he felt himself stop drifting, he cautiously opened his eyes.

The heart crystal was gone. It was as if they'd never gone through the heart at all – he was standing exactly where he'd been before she'd pulled him in.

Venus's face looked haggard for a moment, the brooch in the center of her bow glowing orange and then fading rapidly until it just looked like a brooch. The room seemed to have lost its natural glow – still elegant and gilded but lacking the sparkle it had held.

Venus didn't waste any time. She straightened, grabbing his hand again and leading him from the room. Seiji winced, groaning as the pain in his leg shot up and leaning against a wall to catch both his balance and his breath.

"Sorry," he panted. "I just –"

"It's ok. Let me help," she assured him, grabbing his arm and pulling it around a set of shoulders that felt too small and delicate to be much use. But when she took the full brunt of his weight, she felt surprisingly sturdy. She helped him out of the theater and across a broken but still green landscape. They shuffled down narrow paths he supposed might be streets – if people were still riding horses anyways – and navigated them between broken buildings that lay empty; silent sentinels looking out over the street.

"What is this place?" he rasped. Minako huffed from beneath his arm, looking tired. That didn't seem to slow her pace at all.

"This is Elysion, the land of sweet dreams," she replied, the tone of her voice heavy with saddness. Seiji drew himself up a bit and looked around again. If this was the land of sweet dreams, it looked like the sweet dreams had all died. As if sensing his confusion, Minako smiled up at him briefly before turning herself back toward the task of getting him to…wherever it was they were going.

"Was the land of sweet dreams I guess," she sounded even sadder. "It sort of isn't anymore. All the dreamers….most of the dreamers are gone." Seiji nodded. That made more sense.

Veus pulled them toward a massive temple. It was the only structure that appeared to be intact, and as she hurried them up the stairs, Seiji wondered why. They made their way into a huge and echoing great hall where a tall, slim man with white hair and a golden horn growing out of his head appeared. Seiji couldn't even say the man was the strangest thing he'd ever seen, but at least it was a lot less terrifying than where he'd been mere minutes ago.

"Here. Let me help you, Princess," the man said. Seiji blinked. Princess? he wondered. He allowed the man to buttress him on the other side, and together he and Minako got Seiji through the great hall, and into a smaller – but no less grand – arched hallway. There were several doors – all closed – pearlescent white and almost glowing. The man guided them into an open one, and Seiji saw a gigantic bed in its center. As soon as he saw it, he nearly wept with relief.

They lowered him so he was sitting on its side, and the feeling of something so soft and smooth cradling him brought a kind of near hysterical relief. He hadn't thought he would make it out of his nightmare alive, and he didn't realize he'd been feeling so bleak until now. Now that he was warm and safe and able to finally let his guard down.

"Princess Venus – the others have been through and gone on ahead. The Moon Princess is out there – I know that—" the man began. Venus lifted a hand, smiling gently.

"It's gonna be ok, Helios, I promise. Look after these guys huh? I'll be back," she said, her face hard and determined even as she smiled at Helios. He gave her a watery smile in return.

"Ahh Venus, it is so good to see you," he said, tone laced with affection. He hugged her, and she returned the embrace, patting him on the back as they separated.

"We're gonna fix this, Helios. Okay? We're gonna stop this thing once and for all and then we can figure everything else out," she said confidently. Helios nodded, and then Venus turned to Seiji.

"Rest, okay Seiji? You're safe here. I'll be back," she said, smiling a cheerful smile that didn't reach her eyes and putting a hand on his shoulder. With a frown, Seiji struggled to his feet. Comfort was suddenly a lesser priority when he realized she intended leave him here. And there was something about that smile – it set something off inside of him. A tiny voice that was yelling something was wrong.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his heart pounding a bit harder. Her expression morphed into something determined.

"I'm going to take this thing down. I'm not going to let it hurt anyone else," she said. Seiji put his hands on her shoulders, that part of him that had been drawn to her sending panic trickling through his senses. He didn't want her out there. He wanted her here, where he could keep an eye on her. Figure out why he felt this deep tug towards her from the core of his being. Maybe try to remember who she was.

"Stay here. Give me some time to recover, and we can –" She pressed her fingers gently to his lips, smiling again as she cut off his plea.

"You rest," she murmured. She hesitated then, casting her gaze down and to the side for a moment. "I'm assuming you've been blocked from Korin again. But if you wake up and you feel better….if you can use Korin….if I'm still not back….you might have to fight anyways," she explained. "We're hoping it won't get to that point, but if Elysion falls under siege—" she cut herself off here looking upset.

Helios put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Venus. I will hold Elysion for as long as I can," he murmured. She nodded, putting her own hand over his.

"Thank you, Helios. We're going to get it. We're going to win," she said, voice strong. Seiji frowned.

"Korin?" he asked blankly. Venus turned, blinking wide eyes at him.

"You don't remember Korin?" she asked, sounding upset. Seiji shook his head, but before Venus could say anything else, Helios squeezed her shoulder.

"Princess. I'll be sure they rest and are looked after here. Nearly all the other Senshi have already gone," he told her urgently. She nodded, her face focused again.

"All right. Thank you for looking after him. Seiji, I'll be back. Rest."

She vanished. Seiji stared at the spot she'd been for a moment before he fixed Helios with his own hard stare.

"Where did she go?" he asked. Helios smiled sadly.

"To battle," he said. Seiji shook his head.

"Where?" he growled. He wasn't going to sit here and sleep in this giant fancy bed. Couldn't do that when he knew that she was out there, fighting. The idea of her facing anything like what he'd been dealing with before he'd stumbled into the Marquee made him nauseous. If she was going to face something like that, he needed to be with her. He didn't care if he didn't know who she was. Surely they'd be better together? Surely she needed someone to have her back?

Helios raised a hand. "Rest," he said in a gentle voice.

A wave of sleep too intense to combat hit Seiji, and he staggered, his legs hitting the edge of the mattress. He lost his balance, falling onto the bed.

And then he lost the fight with sleep.