Lunar Titanium
An Alternative Story by StrawberryMilkyTea
[Part 4]
=Old Friends=
Sayuri and I walk in silence for three blocks to a bus stop, where I follow her lead and board the second bus that arrives. We sit in the back, though it's mostly void of passengers this time of day.
Before long we reach our apparent stop, and once again Sayuri leads the way. This time down a friendly looking neighborhood lined with sakura trees that are already starting to shed their delicate petals, which litter the street like a wedding aisle. At last we stop in front of a wrought iron gate that is waist high, and the house on the other side of it is a beautiful old Victorian. It is so pristine and well kept that it appears to be a giant dollhouse.
Sayuri pushes open the gate and walks up onto the porch after digging around in her Kiki's Delivery Service messenger bag for a plush black cat keychain that holds two keys on it. Unlocking the door with the key in the shape of a cupcake, she beckons for me to follow her inside.
I take in every detail – houses like this are very rare in Japan, and also very expensive. Then again, if she is living with the Starlights, I know they can afford it. They used to be idols, after all, and money was a trifle matter anytime I mentioned it to Seiya during his time here.
The place is old, with various rooms, the walls lined in crown molding, and the floorboards groaning in protest even though I'm standing still. Upon first entering, I was met with a wide open space filled with colorful Victorian era furniture, two very tall dark-pink shelves of books, a purple curios cabinet, and a fireplace that has been painted turquoise. A white antique couch with pale-blue cushioning sits behind a coffee table, where a gleaming crystal ball faces the fireplace. On the mantle are several small picture frames, and above them is a heart shaped mirror. Rainbow butterflies hang down from the ceiling, suspended by thin, almost invisible wires, and a multi-colored chandelier made of plastic hangs over an armchair.
Through an arched doorway is a staircase made of dark wood, a paisley rug spilling down the steps like a ridiculously long tongue, turning neatly at the landing and continuing up the remaining stairs to the second floor. An antique crystal light fixture hangs down from the vaulted ceiling, illuminating the narrow hall below.
At the foot of the stairs is another room that I get only a glance of but I can see a faded armchair that matches the living room furniture surrounded by books and sheer teal curtains, embroidered with sequins that glitter in the sunlight. Old Alice in Wonderland illustrations set into pink and blue frames adorn the walls in the upstairs hallway, which Sayuri quickly leads me down to the last of four rooms.
When she opens the door, I am awestruck. The walls and ceiling are completely covered by teal tapestries depicting constellations, the sun, moon, and stars. Over the fabric are mounted shelves of glass dragon figurines and different types of crystals, like the one around Sayuri's neck, as well as a blue butterfly in a white framed case. A large aqua canopy, like you'd normally see on a four poster bed, hangs down from the ceiling, tied with vines of fake flowers. The bed frame is dark-pink, and the mattress is covered in Scare Bear plushies and a purple galaxy comforter.
Curtains that match the ones downstairs cover the bay window, and celestial themed throw pillows arranged carefully on the window seat. Fake strands of wisteria are hanging all around from the ceiling, and I can't help but reminded of a mystical elven forest. This bedroom must be out of a storybook of some kind.
When I'm able to pick my jaw up off of the floor, I notice that Sayuri has taken a seat at a blue-green desk, upon which is a new Mac computer. She pulls up the Internet browser, opens some files, and types away at something while I wait patiently and take in more details of the room. Luna slinks in between my legs, looking just as astounded as I feel.
I glance around once more and notice several monster hunter and sci-fi novels piled here and there. I pick one up absently and turn it over to read the synopsis. "You like to read?" I inquire, somewhat redundantly.
Still typing, Sayuri answers, "Yes. Earth has so many unique ways of story telling, I am fascinated by it."
Setting the book back in its place, I take to looking at her collection of crystals and glass dragons. Suddenly, Sayuri pauses and goes rigid in her chair. "Get in the closet," she says quickly, jumping to her feet and rushing to yank open the door in the corner of the room with a Rogue One poster paste over it.
Confused, I follow her instruction and push aside the dark clothes. I recognize most of them as Tripp, Miss Me, and Too Fast clothing brands. They fit Sayuri's style pretty well.
Gathering Luna into my arms, I crouch and Sayuri closes the door, just as someone enters unannounced. A familiar voice is extremely angry when he speaks.
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" demands Seiya. "We're supposed to be lying low, and you're out there trying to get killed! You make my job impossible!"
"Good morning to you, too," I hear Sayuri murmur, and suppress my laugh because I can imagine her expression. "Is that any way to speak to a princess?"
"If she's being an idiot, yes!" Seiya is obviously fuming, but Sayuri doesn't sound very concerned about it. I wish that I could hold my own that well against someone screaming at me, but I usually end up bursting into tears.
"I know your new favorite pastime is yelling at me, but what's done is done. So get over it, and get out of my room!" With this, I can hear her physically forcing him back into the hall and then slamming her door shut. She is tiny, but apparently stronger than she appears.
Once the lock is engaged on the bedroom door, Sayuri lets me out of the closet. I stumble on something and look down to find a leather bound sketch book with a Lord of the Rings style image engraved on the front. My new acquaintance returns to her work on the computer as I untie the leather strap around the book and flip through the colored parchment. It is mostly oil pastels and portraits, brightly colored galaxies and landscapes I recognized from Unora. "Did you do all of these?" I ask, still looking at the incredible work.
"Yeah, art is kind of my hobby," Sayuri says, finally pushing herself away from the desk. A "hobby"? I've seen professional artwork and her skill puts them to shame. "The information I've shared with you is the result of months of heavy research. I have made a basic timeline of Ghast's pattern, as well as any documented cases of Lunar Titanium development. It turns out that your mother was the first one to practice it." She gestures to the elaborate graph on her screen, and I study it carefully.
"But what does Mamoru have to do with any of this? He wasn't part of the war..." I strain to remember, but in a life so long ago lived, it's difficult to recall certain details. "Earth sent reinforcement regiments to aid the White Moon." Sayuri explains, standing up. "I'll email you the chart. But for now, I need to speak with the prince. Can you take me to him?"
A bit surprised by the request, I hand her sketchbook back. "Yes, his apartment isn't too far from here." Sayuri places the book into her bag and shoulders it. "Perfect. Oh, and sorry for putting you in my closet. It's just that I really needed you to see this chart first, and I've become rather talented at pissing off Seiya lately."
As we go down the stairs, I hear someone shuffling around in the kitchen, and another person in the sitting room turns on the television. All of the Starlights are here, but Seiya is obviously the most shocked to see me. He drops the bowl of potato chips he'd been heading to the couch with, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Odango?" It's been so long since I head him call me that… I can't help but smile.
But it quickly disappears as he turns an angry glare on to Sayuri. "You dragged her into this? What the hell is wrong with you?"
Sayuri planted her hands firmly on her hips and returns all of the hatefulness of his glower. "At least I'm doing something!"
Seiya crosses his arms tightly and grinds his jaw. "Everything we've done up until now has been for you, Nova. But your reckless behavior and impulsive decisions are jeopardizing all of us!"
"I never asked for this!" she snaps in return, her ivory cheeks beginning to flare a deep-scarlet. "I didn't want to die! I didn't want to be resurrected! I didn't want to be exiled to a strange planet and hunted like some kind of animal by a demon over a war that happened thousands of years ago! But here we are. And either we can get off of our asses and use the power gifted to us, or we stand aside and watch another planet destroyed. If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem, Seiya – whose side are you on?"
With this, she grabs my forearm and drags me towards the front door. Before I can even process that we've left, we're sitting in a dark-blue Hyundai sedan that's parked in the driveway. Starting the engine up with the second key on her kitty ring, Sayuri buckles up and begins to back out onto the empty street.
I don't have any friends that have cars, and my family rarely has a need to use ours, so it feels strange to pull the safety belt across my chest and fasten it. There is a heavy silence hanging between us for a long moment. I bite the inside of my cheek uncertainly and watch the cherry blossom trees rush by through the passenger window.
Releasing a tired sigh, Sayuri finally breaks the quiet. "I'm sorry that you had to see me that way. I usually don't get angry like that. I do have strict control of my emotions – it is the way of royalty, and how I was raised." Slowing for a train crossing, she looks down for a moment. "It's just Seiya – he expects me to bury my head in the sand and pretend nothing bad is happening, but he knows me better than that! He knows that I can't. And it's so unlike him to see anyone in need of help and turn away.. The Starlights have done more for me than I deserve, and I owe so much to them. But being shut up in that house for the better part of six months, while also being encouraged to somehow get "used" to my new life on Earth – you have to understand, it's maddening! Please tell me that you get it."
Desperation in her crystalline eyes, she turns to me as we await the passage of the afternoon train. "I do," I respond honestly. "Whenever I was blind, it was so hard to cope. I couldn't even see my friends' photos, or feel apart of their farewell ceremonies, or even travel alone to a shrine so that I could pray for them." Frowning, I look away from her. "And all the time, everyone – my family, my doctors, and classmates – told me that things would get things easier. That after a while, I would adjust to life as a blind person, and my grief would ease with the passage of time. But it's been almost seven months now, and I still have night terrors about watching them be ripped apart…"
Tears drop onto my hands, which I realize are tightly gripping the edge of my coat. Luna nuzzles against my stomach in comfort. Wiping away the evidence of my sadness, I try my best to smile. "So I guess we understand each other. Even if we are pretty different. And I think that Seiya is just overly protective of you. He went through a lot to find Princess Kakyuu, and it can't have been easy for him to fall in love with you, and then be faced with –"
"Wait – what?" Sayuri sounds absolutely appalled – enough so that I am glad we're not actually in motion. Her bluebell eyes turn on me with genuine shock, one of her hands gripping the strap of her seatbelt. "You think that he – and I – you're wrong! Seiya and I are close, but the relationship is totally platonic! It – it wouldn't be proper for us to – and it's not like he even has those feelings to begin with – just, no. No."
Placing her hands on the wheel again, Sayuri takes in a sharp breath as the train finishes passing and the cross guard retracts. "We are not talking about this." She says with a tone of finality. Smirking to myself, I hold my hands up in surrender, relenting for now. But she isn't a very good liar.
From here I begin giving her directions to Mamo-chan's place, watching the recovering city go by around the car. Most of the damage from the first Chogsogu attacks has been repaired, buildings reconstructed, lives trying desperately to move on. And with two new heroes to protect them, hope guides the citizens of Tokyo for the first time in a long time. I silently promise that I'll do whatever it takes to safe guard that precious hope.
When we reach the correct building, Sayuri parks the car by the sidewalk. "Lead the way," she insists once we enter the lobby. It isn't very polite to just drop in like this, but I think he will understand – it was kind of urgent. And he'll have questions as well, ones that I'm finally ready to answer.
I look braver than I feel on the elevator ride to the sixth floor. The elegant and well kept corridor passes by in a blur as I walk the familiar nine doors to the right and stop before one of the carved mahogany doors. Suite 164 at the Rosen Court Inn. My hand is – much to my annoyance – trembling as I ball it up and knock twice. Though Sayuri is with me, I feel a heavy anxiety in my chest as we wait through the usual shuffling sounds of someone making their way to answer the door.
After a moment, it swings open on a sleepy-looking young man with dark hair and blue eyes. My heart jumps a little when he meets my gaze. Obviously, he's surprised. "Usako? Is everything okay?" he inquires, glancing past me to my shadow. I nod, wringing my hands nervously behind my back. I've missed him so much, and I want nothing more in this moment than to throw my arms around his neck and hug him tighter than I ever have. It takes every reserve of self control I have not to. This is the first time I've seen him since I got my vision back, and he looks more or less the same. A bit unshaven and tired, but still my Mamo-chan.
"Yes. I'm sorry to come by unannounced, but my phone died and it was important that we see you as soon as possible." Adjusting the strap on my bag and being glad for a reason to look away for a second, I gesture to the short white-haired girl behind me. "This is Sayuri Hinamora. She's… one of us." I remove my new transformation locket from my coat and show it to him for clarity.
Immediately, he nods and understands, his eyes widening a bit as he stands aside. "Come in."