Chapter Nine: The Time Among Dreams
It had been a lonely time for Usagi. Her efforts to locate her friends had been less than encouraging and the circumstances might have led her to be suspicious. Minako's phone rang and rang while the knowledge that Ami studied late at the library circled in her mind. Having just ringed Makoto's apartment until the ringer stopped working, she was feeling a bit worried about it. Currently, she was on her way towards the Hikawa Jinja, hoping to find Rei still awake and willing to be a receptacle for all of her loneliness and need. Her cell phone hung silently at her side. The night was still alive as people partied, played or otherwise socialized. But it all seemed empty to the young girl, for she was walking alone and her heart's echo throbbed loudly in her ears. There was just a terrible feeling in the air and she worried uncontrollably about someone – somewhere. But the city was apathetic.
Sometimes she forgot just how large Tokyo was.
"Eh, maybe I should just go home. Some Friday night this has turned out to be," she sighed and looked in the direction of the shrine, wondering if she would actually try her luck. The arrival of the mysterious Scion had stirred up her life, wooing her friends and causing each day to be spent in wonder about the movements and actions of the Priests. Personally, she felt displaced by all of the recent events and even a bit worried that something terrible was about to happen, though whether it would be because of the new enemy or because of the new ally, she didn't know. All she knew was she was bored and she wanted someone to talk to.
The street up ahead was littered with dots and streaks of red light, pulling her attention from her loneliness. Her first thought was that it was a car accident and attracted a crowd of rubberneckers and police. It was enough for her to stop and tilt her head slightly, eyeing the distant scene with wide blue eyes in an effort to discern the tragedy looming just beyond the flickering lights. Born into her was a sense of compassion that had defined her as a person and a senshi. She just hoped everyone was okay.
Before she could start walking again, a single light came towards her through the night, distant at first but speeding up as it neared. She instantly was transfixed by the point of light and waited to see what it was, though she quickly became aware of the truth as she heard a screaming that followed the light closer and closer. Feeling her heart flutter a bit, she held her breath as the motorcycle pulled to the curb beside her and its rider leaned up, sliding the mask from his face. Her heart then soared.
Mamoru looked at her, seeming a bit shocked, but his eyes could never be too harsh with her and softened at the sight of the breathless lover. He spoke softly despite the dire purpose in his path, "Usako, what are you doing out here alone?"
"Mamo-chan!" she squealed and ran to him, smiling ear to ear and placing her hands on his arm affectionately. No one had the power to soothe her like he did and she squeezed his arm lovingly, if only to reassure herself that he was really there and that she wasn't imagining his dashing arrival. "I was going over to Rei's," she said, though she then picked up on the urgency in his eyes and frowned slightly, "What's wrong?"
Something was obviously digging at him and he looked forward for a moment, staring headlong into the darkness on the road. This made her even more worried. She had learned to trust his face with her life and every line told a story – every shade a tale. Although she could spend hours just looking at him, this kind of expression ate at her heart and made her squeeze his arm again, hoping that he would spare her the anxiety and just tell her.
After thinking enough, he reached up and pulled the helmet from his head, then promptly held it out for her. "Put this on. I think we both need to go to Rei's," he said sternly as she shakily slipped her fingers around the helmet.
"Yamamori-san! Wait up!" called a frantic voice.
The melody broke the night air and Kage suddenly found himself without his prized solitude, something that caused him to snort past his lit cigarette and firmly keep walking. He was happily the only one on the walkway but he heard the steps and the voice, two things that meant someone was trying to engage him for some inane reason or to some great purpose. He hated people on a mission. The reasons for her following were lost on him and he sighed, looking up into the night sky dryly and talking past his bobbing ember companion. "Hell hath no fury…" He walked a little faster.
She was quickly running up to him and stared at his figure walking down the walkway. He appeared much as a tree, with his solid trunk hardly moving but the wild and unkempt hair lazily waving to the sky. The way he walked told stories about him, just like the way he held himself and the speed at which he moved. The running she had done had worked her up a little and she felt flustered at what she was doing. She knew little about him. In fact, what she did know about him sent brazen warning down her spine – warnings that should have stopped her from proceeding. He was dirty and angry and, honestly, she didn't think he was attractive like the hundreds of other boys she had fawned over. His dingy hair obscured his face and he spoke harshly, not to mention the fact that he had seemed amused by the act of hurting her friend Haruka.
Nothing logical provided the reason for her following. If anything, it grew out of the desire to fit in with her friends. She knew that the others had taken a shine to the Scion, humorously pairing with the one from their respective planet – even in the case of Rei, who betrayed her interest by her intense dismissal of the subject. Her friends had warmed up to Suteki and Kurai, speaking kindly of them because of their easy natures. Even Yamito was held in the light because of his leadership position and dazzling effect he had on others.
Kage was different. The others became silent when she mentioned him. Usagi even admitted to hating him, though it was transparent and they all knew it was only because of their first encounter. The fact was that none of the others even dared talk about him, for he proved to be a very volatile element and a bur even to his own friends. That alone made everyone distant.
But that alone made her even more interested in him.
By the time she reached him, she was nearly out of breath and the foul smell of tobacco made her cough loudly and pinch off her nose as she came into stride. The fact that he smoked was yet another detriment to her cause, but she didn't say anything about it, willing to overlook wrinkles for her cause. All in all, he had an image that would turn anyone away. She still couldn't see his face, or anything else for that matter since night was their shade, but she was determined to try and see past all of the flaws and find something beautiful.
"After all, diamonds are carved out of coal," she thought.
"Sorry, Yamamori-san, but you didn't give me a chance to explain back there! Haruka and me aren't together or anything! I'm not like that," she said with a sheepish laugh, trying to share the humor in the situation. He didn't react. Her heart sank and she looked down, but still stayed at his side, walking with a mind full of words and thoughts but a mouth that was refusing to let them out. She really had no idea what she could say to such a person, for she had never really known anyone so vulgar or rude, much less tried to get to know them. Perhaps it was the reason she was trying, though she quickly found out just how hard it was to break coal.
"And?" he replied and flicked ashes, signaling that her presence wasn't exactly wanted and that she needed to work a lot harder if she was going to engage him.
It hurt. Somehow, she thought that she could easily work her way close to him and discover his softer side, but that slowly started to become a dream. Everything was about distance with Kage, for he consistently pushed everyone away and made sure everyone felt the same way as Usagi. All things at a distance, but somehow she couldn't believe he was happy this way. If anything, she thought she could be the one to matter and warm his cool displacement.
In that, she felt strong. "Er…nothing, really," she replied and grinned sheepishly, trying to take his dismissal in stride. It was hard to talk with him and her resolve wavered, though she wasn't prepared to give up just yet. "I just don't want you to get the wrong impression about me. I most certainly like boys," she said a bit proudly, nodding as if she could be two people contributing to a single conversation.
However, as soon as she said it, she kicked herself mentally. Most certainly like boys? That'll really impress him, Makoto! Try and be more cute or alluring! What does a guy like Kage look for in a girl? Her mind was working feverishly to try and deconstruct him, though she couldn't even find a single crack – a single foothold in which to get a start. It was frustrating.
"You're a judo student," he said suddenly, tearing her eyes up from the sidewalk and giving her a ray of hope as to her task.
She blinked and came to a stop, though whether it was his intuitive remark or the fact that he actually spoke to her was a mystery. Much to her surprise, he stopped a few paces ahead and turned to her, looking rather casual in his stance and favoring the burning cigarette between his pale lips. Bathed in moonlight and sporting such a rough look, Makoto found him striking for the first time, though she didn't really know why. "How…?" she asked, the last part of her sentence becoming dry in the realization that she was held in the grip of his dangerous eyes.
He shrugged. It was basic for him, though he knew no one else looked at things the way he did. It was natural to be different. In any case, his reasons were fast and to the point, just as his fists were against his opponents. "It's in the way you move. You carry your weight in different places and I see it all over your body," he replied and eyeing a few points on her body while she flushed slightly at the blatant observations.
She was, however, impressed with his attention to detail and guessed he was a great fighter. That fact was only cemented in her when he had gone toe-to-toe with Haruka, something that Makoto was unable to do herself. "Really?" she said. As much as he rubbed everyone the wrong way, she was greatly surprised how intuitive he was and how well he could read a person. It awed her to the point of looking down at her own body, trying to see the same things all while craning and twisting like a puppet in front of him.
While she was looking at herself, he stuck the cigarette back in his mouth and tilted his head slightly, speaking out with a puff of thick smoke and severely serious eyes, "You've got a lot of strength and technique, but I bet that Haruka-bastard beats you every time. You've got a big chest –it slows you down."
Suddenly, she was simply glowing with embarrassment, her eyes both wide in surprise and narrowed in shock, as if she couldn't decide whether she was offended or pleased by his observation. Him pointing out her large chest made her bite her lower lip hard and cross her arms over it, as if to hide from him and those ruthless eyes. No one said such blatant things to her. She never expected it. "I never thought…I mean, it's never come up. That is…" she was stuttering, her eyes glaring down into the ground as her face flushed, knowing that he was still looking at her.
Her reactions seemed to amuse him slightly and he even chuckled, shrugging his broad shoulders at her embarrassment and flicking fresh ashes from his cigarette. "But you should embrace the gift. Use 'em like clubs or just smother some poor bastard. Use what you got, I always say," he remarked and tilted his head, his eyes naturally drifting to the subject matter despite her fervent attempts to jar his attention away. The way he spoke and the words he used weren't elegant; in fact he was downright offensive in his mannerisms. Despite her big heart, she was finding it hard to remember how she would find the hidden gem in this young man. She didn't exactly take the last part very well and glared at him, awkwardly infuriated at the fact that he was so abrasive.
She wanted to sock him. "Are you always this rude or do you only reserve it for girls you want to embarrass?" she snapped. To her great surprise, he laughed. Loudly. The strangest things seemed to set him going and she was more confused than anything. Trying to find stable ground with him was like walking on a cloud, with every moment seeming more lofty than the next. She honestly had no idea how she would proceed further.
"No, I'm a real bastard. Did you expect something different?" he replied, much to her surprise.
Honestly, she had expected something else and he seemed to read that on her face. That made whatever smile he had shown fade away and he brushed some errant hairs from his face, if only to show that he wasn't amused at the situation anymore. He didn't want to be chased. "You'd be smart to leave me be, Kino Makoto," he said ruefully, marking her face with even more surprise that he knew her full name and that he spoke it so harshly. "I ain't like the others and I ain't interested in chumming around with you. Stay away," he warned and turned, leaving her shocked and alone on that walkway, her arms already hugged around her for some kind of emotional support. The words held far more impact than anything he said before and she lifted her eyes to him, a paling color on her face. Had she been dismissed so easily? Anger flowered in her at the brush off and as walked away from her, she clenched her teeth and fist to challenge his ruling.
She had something to say about that.
"Stay away!" he repeated in a tone which halted her, this time his voice sending a true chill through her body and bone. Once more his hue changed and even to come near him like this was distasteful to her. A part of her desperately wanted to defy him and pursue, but she stood her ground and stared at him with a reluctant fondness that slapped her in the face as he started walking away from her again.
This time, she didn't follow. It seemed her suit to want the things she couldn't have and she continued to hug herself lightly while she watched him leave. This bastard attraction she felt for him was like arsenic in her mouth and she frowned, feeling a little hurt and very confused. Trying to find Kage's heart seemed an impossible task and she sighed, looking up to the skies as if searching for the answer. All she wanted was an echo to her great, beating heart.
Even the biggest heart was only half the prize.
It had become quite the position to be in. In the many years she had been staying late at the library, she had never quite done anything as wayward as what she and Kurai were doing. It filled the stuffy air with muffled whimpers and groans, though the task was too consuming to realize their volume. The carpet was far more abrasive to the face and the top of the chest than she cared for, though she was determined to suffer through the bite in order to finish their mutual effort. For some reason, her knees didn't feel it as badly. It was somewhat of an undignified position she was in, her rear raised in the air like it was and her legs straddled to facilitate her body's angle, though it was more functional than for show. The library was gone as her eyes were pressed tight, her lips tight as she bit at them under the strain. She even felt sweat trickling down her back, testifying to the effort she was putting into it, and it was a welcome departure from the hot atmosphere that had settled in the depths of the cavernous place.
All of this, along with her slight whimpering, caused Kurai to peek his head up at her. "Have you reached it yet? I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself trying to get it, Ami-san," he said courteously. He also was oblivious to the scandalous nature of her position, but rather only concerned that she was working a bit too hard for something so trivial.
At the very tips of her fingers, the book was taunting her. She didn't know how it managed to fall perfectly behind the counter when but she feared the gaping hole in the line of books would arouse the librarian's attention the next day. For a moment, she wished she had a longer arm and continued to stretch to try and reach it, digging her knees further into the carpet and whimpering a bit more. "No, I think I have it," she replied and gave it one more push.
Finally she pinched the edge of it and slid the book out from under the cabinet, sitting back quickly on her knees and beaming with pride. "Here it is, Kurai-kun," she cheered.
Standing up from the side of the cabinet, he brushed his knees clean quickly and looked down at her, happy that she was able to get it. "Wonderful. I believe that's the last book," he said with a smile.
Brushing some dust from the cover, she let her eyes plane the title and a bitter, sort of reserved smile crossed her face. "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," she said in a tone that made him blink. There was an unconscious sadness that played over her features while she stared, wondering if she had read this book or not in her years of literary exploration. The title did sound familiar, though she wondered if it was because it sort of resonated with her, making her feel as if the words were printed clearly across her body.
Kurai had read the book. While she was leaning heavily on the title and was slow to stand to return it, he was turning over the story in his mind, trying to remember what it was about that particular book that impressed him. "It has been a long time since I've read it. Love, social seclusion and dreams. It's an excellent example of American modern realism," he said, trying to reach into his mind and remember the details.
Ami's smile had widened as she listened to him, endlessly impressed each time he demonstrated his intelligence, but for the moment she had nothing to say in return. Instead, she slowly rose and pushed the book back onto the shelf. As she watched the title blend with the rest of the books, he leaned against the counter and watched her intently. Just the way she could hold a book made him look at her affectionately, even when shadowed by the distant reading lights. All the books had returned to their proper place and the shelf was straightened, but he still felt something needed to be fixed. It was a tricky subject. "Forgive me, Ami-san, but why must you spend your nights here alone? Surely someone as intelligent as yourself is doing superbly at school," he said, making her look to him with a blink As she graciously denied that was the case, he fixed his glasses on his face and chuckled at her dismissal, expecting nothing less than that from someone he grew to see as an intellectual equal. "Your humility is refreshing, though I'm certain many young men at your school would be exuberant to come and spend the night with such a lovely girl," he said cheerfully, though the impact of his words suddenly hit them both and both flushed wildly at the implication.
Kurai was raking his hands through the air, gravely trying to proclaim the truth behind his words. He never was too good at talking to girls. "I mean…not like that! Study! Studying! But I'm sure perhaps in that sense as well…but I didn't mean…however…" he babbled, his eyes getting the best of him as he tried to save himself for the hole. With every moment, he went deeper and deeper until he finally succumbed to the depths, surging forward as he bowed deeply and nearly yelling a flushing apology to her, "Forgive me!"
If he had wanted to make her cheek burn in slapdash form, he had succeeded. No one she knew had ever constructed himself so elegantly in one moment only to bumble a simple thought in the next. Her arousal almost outweighed the embarrassment on her cheeks, though she was still burning brightly in the dark. He and his friends were alleged to have a dark power inside of them which made Yamito so cold, Kage so distant and Suteki so wild, but somehow Kurai was the normal one. No matter how hard she was looking for this darkness in him, she found only the polite, wonderful guy she had in front of her, even if he was a bit awkward. As hard as she tried, she couldn't help but become enamored by him and even looked past his shameful, accidental remark. "You're making me blush, Kurai-kun. I'm not as lovely as Mina-chan or Michiru-san," she said in an effort to dispel the thought.
He didn't know Michiru, but Minako was one that he did know. Of course, he saw Suteki inside of her and this made him laugh. Suteki had always been someone who amused with his antics and his endless quest for girls. Now he seemed to be in heaven, blessed by the goddess herself.
However, Kurai was scarcely impressed by looks alone. In Ami, he had found someone to truly admire, if not pursue as someone that could meet him on an equal field, mentally and emotionally. "I have to disagree," he said, feeling a bit more confident as he spoke, "Your friend Minako is dazzling, but beauty is also in the mind, as well as the body. It's my opinion that you are far lovelier than you give yourself credit for," he answered truthfully, though once more burned in embarrassment at the things he was saying. He suddenly decided it was better to hold the tongue and save the face, leaving him to look down at the floor and pick carelessly at his fingernails.
She just smiled, feeling more amused at his bumbling than embarrassed now. At the current rate, he was going to force her to suspect their time together as a mirage of a stressed mind. It was becoming harder and harder to retain her studious demeanor with him. With a certain level of dismay, her words seemed to betray her. Nothing could fully reply to what he had just said but she could only find refuge by looking down as well, thankful for the darkness.
Being the target of his cruel attention, she could only manage to say one thing to his admission, "T-thank you, Kurai-kun."
The roaring ruckus had stripped people's attention and subscribed many people's stares the entire way to the park and yet Suteki was still headlong into his fantasy. He never slowed or let her fall behind, but rather kept his ramblings of knights and princess hot on his lips. He didn't really have a place he was going, but rather he was just going – for better or for worse. It was just the way he was.
It all seemed like a dream to Minako; the passing sights, the coolness on her body and the unwavering tug on her arm. It couldn't have been real. No person in their right mind would have done what he was doing and no guy would have dared to pull a girl into the night, into a public place in her underwear. But somehow, it was real. Her long T-shirt was a savior to her reputation but she didn't even dwell on it, mostly because her heart was beating fast and she had become quite convinced about the fairy tale she was enveloped in. It dwarfed reality.
But that was coming to an end. Red-faced and out of breath, she employed a forceful tug to release her arm from his grasp and she came to a stop, her chest heaving in shock and fatigue from the run. Unconsciously, she was pulling the lip of her shirt low as she hunched forward, embarrassment postponed until her mind caught up to her and her only priority being to catch her breath. Fortunately, they were in an empty part of the park.
Feeling his connection severed, he came to a quick stop and faced her, his eyes still darting about in a playful fashion. "You can't stop! That fowl beast is right behind you!" he cried, gesturing that they had to keep running no matter the price.
As if on cue, Artimus arrived, the run too much for him as well as he heaved heavily with open claws. As soon as he saw Suteki, his back arched and he nearly exploded in rage. He'd never seen someone act so irresponsibly and downright idiotic and Minako's status was ignored as he let loose, howling and growling at the young man that was just asking for his wrath. "You mophead! What do you think you're doing taking Minako like this? I knew we couldn't trust you!" he hissed and appeared as if he would lunge at any moment to render him to pieces.
Suteki looked to him and quirked a brow, then leapt dashingly in between the cat and the princess, wielding the wilting weed in his hand once again like a great broadsword. "Recoil, hellcat! You cannot dominate her beauty or her soul any longer! With this mighty blade, I will free her to the world!" he replied and swished the weed in the cat's face.
If it hadn't been so absurd, Artimus would have been amused. Instead, he showed his fangs in a frustrated grimace, lunging forward at this would-be knight with a few dirty words. Obviously, Suteki hadn't been expecting it. A small cat's claws should have been nothing for a mighty knight, but the instant his hand felt the scratch, he yelped. Sometimes a wound was so small but so critical.
With his sword falling to the ground, the knight clutched his hand and howled in pain, as if his very arm had been cut from his body. In the middle of all the whining and crying, Artimus had landed before him with a blink, disbelieving anyone could react so wildly to a scratch. Surely, he was faking.
"You cut me! Why did you do that!" Suteki bawled as he clutched his hand tightly.
Artimus was at a loss. "You've got to be kidding. Are you mental?" he hissed back at him.
Suddenly, Artimus was overwhelmed. In his ranting and raving, Minako had approached the wounded knight and gently took his arm, craning a bit to the side in an effort to see. It had the power to freeze the scene. Though brilliant in appearance, Minako had always been gentle underneath. Reasons ranging from her innate compassion to a bizarre attraction to this guy drove her to act this way, which nearly made Artimus keel over. "Is it deep, Suteki-kun? Let me see," she said with a nurturing tone. As the finger in question was brought under her gaze, Suteki blinked and watched her with the sudden realization that he was getting what he wanted. Then he grinned from ear to ear, rubbing it in the cat's nose with a blatantly wagging tongue and giggle.
Artimus was frozen with disbelief. He suddenly became the bad guy.
This fiend was not yet done milking it either and shifted his voice back to dramatics. "It could be life threatening. He's been looking for a way to get me from the beginning! I guess having me rescue you was just the last straw and he had to…" he began with a dramatic look on his face, though that quickly ended with Minako's natural grace.
Even with such a small cut, she somehow discovered how to probe it the wrong way and a searing pain erupted in his finger, making him shriek and tear his hand away, clutching his fingers as if it would come off in a light breeze. "Ow! You're not supposed to touch it! What happened to the caring, gentle princess who brings her knight back to life with a kiss?" he demanded while staring critically at his finger.
This, of course, brought a sheepish grin to Minako. Since long in the past and surely into the future, she had been attempting to heal wounds with her girlish abilities. Just as it had worked then, it worked now. "Ah, sorry. Which finger was it again? I couldn't find the cut," she asked.
It was frustrating for her to act so much like him and the boy suddenly felt defeated by his superior. His expression flattened considerably as he held the hand away from her slightly, not willing to subject it to the pain again. "The one with the huge, gaping wound on it. Blood everywhere – very tragic," he said flatly. Once again she tried to peer at it and rose on her toes a bit while he tried to keep it at a distance. In all, the two made a very vibrant pair.
While they were locked in the strange foreplay, Artimus was watching with an open mouth. They were so much alike that it scared him. Surely both being aligned with Venus meant something, but you could have stuck a mirror between them and found little difference. Even the way they moved nearly mimicked the other, making the scene lewd to him and made him stare in disbelief. "When did I step into the Twilight Zone?" he sighed to himself.
Then things shifted gears once more. "Ne, Suteki-kun? Do you think you can do a simple thing for me?" Minako suddenly asked, forgetting the finger when a cool breeze swept through the park.
This change of pace caught him by surprise and the finger was quickly forgotten on his part as well. As if being consummated by her heartfelt desire, he quickly fell to a knee before her and found a dashing expression – opening his arms for any request. "Anything for you, my love," he declared valiantly.
She stepped closer, breaking his concentration and forcing him to freeze in sheer want. She moved seductively and slow, moving her body right next to his as her hand began to snake along his shoulder towards his chest. Her bare legs were dangerously close to him and he nearly fell to convulsing breathing. He was totally lost in his hormones.
"Suteki-kun?" she whispered and leaned in closer to him.
He would have answered, but he was too worked up to notice and only grunted a response. He waited and she leaned, but soon enough she seized him by the collar of his shirt and jerked him to eye level. He was suddenly stricken with a terrible fear as he was met with her rueful glare, her other hand holding the hem of her shirt down and the reality of her apparel becoming top priority. They had played and danced, but she was suddenly feeling the impact of his wild jaunt. To that end, she would quickly become the worst thing to ever happen to him if he didn't reply with her strongly voiced request, "Do you think you can take me home now!"
It had been a trying time for Rei. Her heart, her soul and her body had been trying to go in different directions only to leave her mind a torrent of thought. With so many directions to go in, she only wanted to stay where she was. However, the single boy before her would not allow that. She could only stare into the flames before her, relentlessly turning over the thoughts in her mind and fighting the burning in her chest. Her usual confidence in all things was shaken, making her unable to truly trust the things she knew and the things she believed. It was just too much to take in. Considering the source of all this doubt was that one person that had stirred her mind and soul, she found the effects at least as powerful as the fire that burned before her eyes.
"You appear much as a reflection of yourself now, Hino-san," said his voice, the voice that wrenched her eyes back to him. She was broken from her trance and had to focus on him again. His depth was almost as staggering as his fearsome power which seemed to lie just beneath the surface. It was one of the things which excited her despite her refusal to be associated with him. Just to look at him was to fall into him and then he spoke or looked at her and nothing else seemed to register. It was all very unsettling. "It's…a lot to take in," she replied and looked away, which seemed to be the only way she could take a break from his power. After all of the things he had just told her, she was feeling like she needed to lie down.
Her eyes had never been wider. The feelings she had gotten while his lips moved had torn at her soul and taken her to a black place in her power which had always terrified her. Mars was the master of war. The power they both shared was shaded in red and coursed as blood through them. Although she had always retained a shallow description of her abilities, he had gone deeper than she knew was possible. It had turned him into something she didn't dare to know, but someone who she could not force herself to forget.
She faced away from him now, her head lowered her eyes closed. An airless breath was slipping from her open mouth and her chest was tight, all things that she had to hide from him. He was watching her. She hated that feeling and how it made her squirm.
His stare was unwavering. "It frightens you to know what I've become, doesn't it?" he asked in that sultry tone. Her eyes opened quickly and she stared forward, fearing just how well he could read her, though he was not finished, "I was once at the place you are. For my Prince, I looked deep into the heart of my guardian and found what I needed. It frightens you that you could do the same." Only complacency could make it feel worse than it did. According to him, he had never told anyone but Ryu what exactly had happened to him. That is, until he told her, but knowing all that she did now, she wished that she had never met Yamito.
"Your world still burned," she said fiercely, looking with fearful eyes and firm lips, "I don't think it was the right thing to do."
"Yes, my world died. My Prince was killed and my friends are now cursed in your universe as well, but there is one reason alone that could make it worth it," he replied.
She wondered what kind of reason could rationalize all of those terrible things, her fist tight in the light of him shrugging it off so casually. "What reason?" she hissed and glared back at him.
Yamito's eyes dulled. His eyes would not leave her and she could feel them, making her skin sweat even in the cool night breeze. Behind him, synchronized with her heartbeat, a shadow of black wings pulsed on his back in vaporous clouds – something only she saw and determined as reality. Such a black and foreboding creature he made, but the lens made the illusion. Deep down, only two knew exactly what Yamito was. "Tsukino Usagi," he replied.
Now she was dumbstruck. A name as a reason was given and a burning erupted in her. She couldn't keep herself from turning and looking at him with wide eyes, for it was that beloved name which seemed so blistered of the words of someone she longed for. There had always been a smoldering jealousy in Rei, stemming from the happiness her Princess had. She hid it. Had anyone ever suspected it, even for an instant, they would have disregarded the notion as being completely unfounded as Rei was the strongest of souls – the unbroken flame. Yet a person that completely dissolved her resolve was using the name of her closest friend as justification for horrible suffering and loss.
She couldn't even begin to understand how that name answered the question. "Usagi-chan?" she whispered breathlessly.
He studied her expression, the lines around her eyes and the considerable quiver in her lip as she spoke. It had been difficult reading her, though it wasn't much of a surprise considering she was a child of the flame. She was fierce and determined, but frail and too easily bruised despite her fierce demeanor. Maybe it was just him that thought this; that she was hopelessly devoted to the Moon senshi, but this conflicted in her and based the greatest friendship on the point of a spear. It sounded almost ironic. Even if he tried with all of his great power, he couldn't have broken what they had, but at the same time, all he had to was be there and they would be divided.
And he knew it.
His impending answer would fade away into silence as the subject quickly became the distraction. Both of them were struck with the presence of others at the same time and they mimicked the other by looking to the entrance, both silent and breathless at the sight. Usagi and Mamoru were standing there, both very surprised to see Yamito but even more so that Rei was with him. For Mamoru, it was an unknown person who was in such close proximity. There was a feeling that he had seen the young man before, but nothing else.
For Usagi, it was an entirely different quarrel. At her side was love – a tried and true destiny that had always been. Before her was friendship, someone she depended on and trusted with her life and her heart without ever thinking twice about it.
And then there was desire. Yamito was unstable ground for her; a bridge that could fall beneath her but which led to gratification and the unknown that made her heart flare up in her chest. Having it all together made her a bit uneasy, which was told in her voice. "Yamito-kun? Rei-chan?" she squeaked out, though winced as if her voice betrayed something.
Rei was a bit uneasy as well. Usagi and Mamoru were a deep, unspoken sigh for her. Usagi was her closest friend and she loved her more than anyone else, but there had been a jealousy for her storybook romance with Mamoru. Now it was strange, the dark angel she had been blushing over, the girl she knew had some of the same feelings and the boy who tied them together in love. Emotions filled the air like a thick haze and she had trouble seeing clearly through it. "What are you two doing here, Usagi?" she asked.
Suddenly, a violent chill ran down her back and sent a quake through her knees. Being next to Yamito had nearly escaped her attention before but the area suddenly became much colder even as the flames were flaring violently. The torches which dotted the shrine began to thrash about, growing brighter and casting long shadows on everything inside. She gasped, her eyes moving to Yamito slowly. Her heightened senses made her the most adept at feeling it, but Usagi felt is as well. For the moment, both girls were staring with bad sensations chilling them. They had never felt anything quite so pressed and potent.
Mamoru was staring at him, his mouth not yet motivated to speak. He could only see two dark eyes looking at him out from the night. A certain feeling signaled him as well, which made him feel like a convict before a judge, though he couldn't exactly understand how he was up in on the stand. He didn't even know this person yet he felt scrutinized by him, making his back straighten and all expression to fade from his face, leaving defensive against the young man that stared at him so offensively. "You're one of those people from the other Tokyo, aren't you?" said he, his voice void of play.
There was no answer. Yamito was frozen like a statue built to some great monument of hate and pain. Rei felt the power swelling in him, Usagi did as well, but for Mamoru it was only a sublime image that surged through his eyes. The same black wings which haunted the priestess's dreams appeared like a mist before him, acting like a warning to beware of this boy. For a moment, everyone was speechless.
"It has to be one of Fate's great ironies, Usagi-san," Yamito finally said, his voice seeming to cool the flames around them. Usagi was lost, staring desperately at him to find some meaning and trying to understand why she suddenly felt inspired to protect Mamoru. While she had her suspicions about Yamito's true self, she never feared him as she did then, drained of her heart by his terrible dark eyes. Then he walked towards them, leaving Rei to take one step after him but dare to go no further.
When he stood before Mamoru, staring up a bit into a face he had known so well, Usagi felt a renewed need to protect her love from this dark being. But Mamoru just stared down with slightly curious eyes, just as wayward about what could have brought such a powerful reaction from him. Yamito searched his face a moment, and then spoke in such a tone that blurred the lines of darkness and evil, "Our worlds are so alike, though I fear those similarities. That face…" The sentence he had spoken began to morph, to change into something different. He stared up at him with an almost betrayed expression, as if he needed him to be something else.
"I hated and loved that face," he snarled and fettered his eyes a bit more, "even as much as I still do."
Without any other kind of explanation, he walked past Mamoru and left them in the shrine, walking painfully back into the night and away from three figures that had the innate ability to stir the fires of hell in him. This had the affect of making Usagi step closer to her lover and watch Yamito's shadow disappear into the night, fighting a drowning fear inside her. Mamoru was just silent, bound to the confusion of being someone hated without any cause. Fate had dealt him a strange hand once more and he would have to deal with it with endurance and strength. He was simply baffled by him.
Rei was stuck with the dusty mirror. She could have spent the next eternity trying to find where she stood on this and still never been satisfied. The boy that stoked the heart in her was standing on his own, defiant to the standard and unwilling to change. Somehow, it made her feel stupid to think of him the way that she did. The only thing that she could see down this road was heartache, but maybe she didn't care. From her position behind the other two, firelight caught the frustration in her eyes. Would it come down to a choice of the heart? Would the interests of this fallen angel conflict her duties to Usagi? What did her heart really tell her when she looked at him? At the moment, she couldn't answer. All she could do was dread the coming storm and shiver.
"I'm sure he was just kidding, Mamo-chan. How could anybody hate your face?" Usagi quipped cheerfully, trying to lighten the atmosphere. The mood was broken as she smiled up at him, the grin somehow weaker than usual. This had struck her as well, but she had a great hero to save her. Mamoru looked down at her a moment, then looked to Rei, not at all trying to hide the concern he had for the forlorn glances she was giving after that dark figure. The anguish lingering in her eyes made him frown a bit, wanting above all else for her to be free of that boy. Despite the fact her life would be easier without him, something inside illustrated that she could not live without him. This made him pity her.
"Rei…" he said abruptly.
Rei was pulled from her own thoughts and straightened, letting her gaze lift to Mamoru. "Y-yes?" she answered in a polite tone pulled from her scrambled thoughts.
"There was an accident tonight. Many people were found in a club, all collapsed and drained of energy. It looks like it was these Priests again," he explained to her. The news made her wince and look to the ground, wishing Yamito had stayed to hear that. Maybe he already knew. No matter what role he played, she felt somehow responsible for this. Guilt was her only response.
Usagi looked to her too and sighed, gripping Mamoru's sleeve a bit. "We should have asked Yamito about it, but it's probably better that he left. It may be the best for all of us to stay away from him, okay, Rei? I get a bad feeling around him," she said, her voice seeming forced out of her mouth. It was such a selfish request. Yamito made her dizzy, taking the unwavering devotion that she had for Mamoru and giving it a good shake. And a part of her wanted to keep Rei from him, wanting to protect her but also not let her have him. It was a devious, underhanded thing and inside she felt a ping of guilt stab her, though she hid the wince it caused by looking up to Mamoru for support.
The fact Yamito seemed to hate Mamoru was also good reason.
Rei only nodded once, still staring at the ground for answers, but she remained silent. There was too much to take in that night – too much heart beating. She had set out to rid herself of him, only to discover the pathetic truth about the poor soul and then have her heart, body and soul stirred by the mixing of all her loves. She fought the turmoil inside until it stung her eyes. Then she simply could not bear it anymore. She had gone to find him and now that she knew the real Yamito, she was deathly afraid. It was too much, even to share with Usagi or Mamoru, so she ran away. Without a word she headed back into the shrine and left the two in the darkness, her footsteps quick across the wooden flooring and the sliding of doors closing the night to her. She had to retreat or be discovered for her wavering resolve.
"I don't think it's good for her, Mamo-chan. He's nothing but trouble, but I don't see how we can do this without running into them again," Usagi suddenly said, wanting desperately to chase after her but being halted by her fingers still holding tightly to Mamoru's sleeve.
"She's not a child. She can take care of herself but I agree that he's dangerous. We need to be careful whenever that guy is around," he responded resolutely, looking up into the night sky at the waning moon, his eyes full of worry.
Usagi nodded and leaned closer, staring at the closed door with sullen eyes. Somehow, this was all going to get worse. The evil was on the move and the darkness was close behind. A battle was lingering and she felt caught between the Scion and the four Priests. When it came down to it, would she have to defend their planet from both sides? Which side was right? The equation broke down to two -- Yamito and the Priests. The others followed him and ultimately Yamito would make the choice of the actions of the Scion. Then there was Kage, the unstable element that made it even more treacherous. She liked it better when enemies were evil and stood clearly in front of her.
In the end, she would be in the middle, forced to keep Yamito from going too far and becoming a worse threat than the evil he hated so brutally. In that situation, she had no idea what she would do.