Chapter Nineteen

Master Tenzen

"YOU'RE WHAT?" Serena exclaimed.

"Married." Lita smiled.

"When?" Mina's mouth hung wide open.

"I told you already."

Shocked and appalled, the four girls stood with their mouths hanging open and staring at their friend. They heard the entire story twice over, but still could not process what had happened. Their fellow Sailor, friend, and schoolmate was now a married woman.

Lita beamed. "I'm Lita Kawamori now."

"You're officially married? You have a marriage license and all?" Ami questioned.

Lita shrugged her shoulders. "Well, no. We were married through the tribal ritual, but all we have to do is register our marriage through the government and it will be fine."

Raye looked up. "So you're really not married then since it isn't official."

"Well…" Lita glanced away.

"Well what?" The others asked concurrently.

She looked at her feet. "Eiji and I have…well…ahem…" She blushed.

"NO!" All the Sailors gasped concurrently.

Still blushing, the brunette nodded bashfully. The Sailors sat silently for a few moments looking around Raye's bedroom.

A large grin grew on Serena's face. "So, is it all it's cracked up to be?" A smile grew on Lita's face, and the girls started to giggle.

After Lita and the other Sailors talked, she brought Eiji back into the room for a proper introduction. They immediately took a liking to him—he was a very kind and gentle boy, and by observing the way he looked at Lita, they knew deep down it was meant to be. Darien and Hayate stopped by for lunch, and they were able to meet the third tuxedoed warrior, Tuxedo Ninja. Despite the fact he was a little awkward in the city, Eiji managed to fit in with Lita and her friends. After lunch, the Sailors dispersed to let Raye start her afternoon chores.

The young miko stepped of the inner parts of the temple with a broom in her hand. It was warmer day than usual, but still cold. It was slightly above freezing weather so the snow trickled small streams of water, and the icicles dripped as the warm sun melted them. She started to brush the remaining snow off the deck and stairs of the temple complex. She glanced up for a moment then looked back to her work for a brief moment only to look back up again. He was doing the same thing on the sidewalk. With his back turned to her, he slowly moved away from her clearing the snow off the sidewalk. It was cold, but his sleeves where rolled up and his skin slightly red from the heat of work. She had stopped working all together to stare at him. She shook her head and continued to sweep. "He's just after your temple," She told herself. "He doesn't care about Grandpa or you." She turned her back to him and worked in silence.

The young priest was a hard worker. He put all of his strength and energy into every task that he was asked to do. Back and forth he would scrape the broom against the sidewalk clearing it from the snow drifts. As his body worked hard, his mind drifted to other places and was wrapped deep in thought—so deep in thought he didn't noticed the towering shadow before him.

"Where have you been, boy?"

Kyoji dropped his broom as he startled backward. His heart stopped. In an instant, every childhood fear seized his mind and heart and filled him with terror. Trembling, he took a step backwards, and slowly racked his eyes upward.

He was a tall man—thick with muscle and large bone structure. His hand could grip the skull of a small child. His mere presence was terrifying—dominating size, superior strength, dark ridged eyebrows, and dark hair that appeared to be more like horns of a devil than hair. And his eyes—they were like the eyes of the devil himself.

"I asked you a question! Where have you been, boy?" His voiced boomed, echoing throughout the temple complex.

Kyoji backed up again, almost cowering, which the stranger only advanced on him. "M…M…Master Tenzen…" Kyoji managed to utter.

Raye immediately turned around. She stood baffled for a moment as she watched this stranger confront Kyoji.

"Answer me boy!" The Man known as Master Tenzen raised his hand and struck Kyoji across the face. It wasn't just a slap. Kyoji's head flew to the ground, and he landed head first with blood smearing his vision.

"GRANDPA!" Raye hollered. He was merely a few feet away inside. He came out quickly and surveyed the scene. "Tenzen!" He uttered bitterly then charged out unto the temple grounds. The short little man marched right up to the tall Master with Raye trailing right behind him.

"Get off my property, Tenzen!" Grandpa spoke harshly. "Don't think I won't have you arrested for trespassing!"

"Give me back my property, old man!" Master Tenzen pointed to Kyoji. "You stole him from me!"

"The boy is eighteen now! You have no jurisdiction over him anymore! He is free from your abuse!"

Master Tenzen furiously pointed towards Kyoji. "That boy is the property of Tsukiyama Shrine! I am the Head Priest of Tsukiyama Shrine! The boy is mine!"

"He is not leaving with you!" Grandpa hollered, face turning bright red.

"I've had enough of your games, old man! For the past fifteen years, you have been a thorn in my side…" He started to charge forward towards Grandpa, but Raye stepped in the way.

"Please, Sir, just leave my Grandpa alone! He's very old! It's bad for his heart!" Raye exclaimed in worry.

"If your Grandfather would stay out of my business and worry about himself…"

"It's bad for my heart to see what you've done, Tenzen!" Grandpa interrupted. "You are an evil man!"

Tenzen stood up straight and gave a smirk dripping with cruelty. "Someone has to be." He was silent for a moment with rage climaxing inside of him. "Give me the boy or else," His words were calm, but holding in an explosive rage.

Grandpa crosses his arms and looked up defiantly at Tenzen. "No, I will never give him to you."

Master Tenzen quickly grabbed Raye's grandfather by his clothing and lifted him off the ground to choke him. "Give him to me, old man!" His voiced boomed again.

"Leave him alone!" Raye hollered while jumping into the mix. She managed to make Tenzen drop her grandfather, but he quickly struck out at her. His large hand went across her cheek. She shrieked out in pain as she fell to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Grandpa saw his granddaughter fall, and he tried to scurry over to her. Master Tenzen tried to reach for Raye's grandpa, but he never got there. He was stopped.

The man had never felt anything like it before. It was as if his face was hit with a brick. His cheekbone shattered and his eye swelled shut. He spun around at least twice before tumbling to the ground. His head bashed into the hard ground and scraped across the sidewalk, tearing up his face. After lying on the ground for seemed like an eternity, he opened his good eye and looked up. Towering before him, his former apprentice stood shaking and trembling with a tightly held fist. Sensing his defeat, he quickly scrambled to his feet and hobbled out of the temple complex.

Raye and her grandfather helped each other up. They watched as Master Tenzen staggered out of the temple grounds then turned their eyes on Kyoji. He was still shaking and trembling while staring at his fist. He was clenching his fingers so tightly that his knuckles were white. They stood shocked for a few moments while looking at the boy.

"What's going on here? I heard the yelling." Hayate walked up to them. "Kyoji?" He sounded confused.

There was no reply.

Raye stepped forward and reached out. She barely touched him, but it greatly startled him. "Kyoji, are you alright?" She asked. He jerked away from her hand and turned around. With blood smeared all over his face and priest uniform, he looked terrified. He faintly shook his head, fear and tears filling his eyes, and he took off running out of the temple.

"Kyoji!" Raye looked back at Grandpa. "I don't understand? What's going on? Who was that man?" She frantically looked back towards the fleeing Kyoji. "Grandpa? What's going on? What's wrong with Kyoji? What did that man want with him?"

Grandpa looked up at Hayate. Hayate nodded and started to run off. "Don't worry, I'll find him."

Raye kept asking questions and looking around frantically like a frightened child.

"Hush!" Grandpa exclaimed. Wearily he started to walk back towards the temple. "I will explain everything. Come with me."

Raye shut her mouth and followed behind her Grandfather. He insisted on preparing tea and getting comfortable before he started explaining things. Raye impatiently met all of his requests then finally was able to get some answers in the living room. She sat down in a chair next to the fireplace while he took the other chair. She waited for him to speak, but he merely stared into the fire for a few moments. She was growing even more impatient and was about to say something, but he started speaking.

"It began many years ago. All my life I had been making journeys to Tsukiyama Shrine in Kyoto to worship. When your mother was old enough, I started talking her with me. Even after she was married to your father, we would always arrange to go to Kyoto together."

"What does this have to do with that man?" Raye asked.

Grandpa became flustered. "Would you just listen, you impatient little brat?"

"Sorry," Raye uttered.

"Anyway, as I was saying, your mother and I would always go to Kyoto every year. But one year, we met a little boy. He couldn't have been barely three when I met him. He was a very kind little boy, but always sad." Grandpa paused.

"Why?" Raye asked to fill the silence.

"That little boy was abandoned at birth at the Tsukiyama Shrine. He had no parents and was a ward of the Shrine." Grandpa stopped for a moment. "His guardian was High Priest, Master Tenzen, the man who confronted us today."

"That little boy was Kyoji?"

Grandpa nodded. "Your mother and I could clearly see the boy was abused and mistreated, but we could do nothing to help him. We tried getting the government involved, but there was nothing we could do for him. We even tried adopting him. All we could do was visit him every year and bring him some happiness." Grandpa looked up at Raye. "Your mother was the only person who cared about him. She loved him like she loved you, and he really loved her too."

Raye nodded silently.

"He was a very kind boy, and he was always excited to see us every year. He was a shy boy, but he loved to talk to us." Grandpa looked back to Raye and locked eyes with her. "He always wanted to hear about you, Raye."

She was stunned for a moment.

"Every year he'd always want to hear about you and what you were doing. He wanted to know everything about you." Grandpa looked back to the fire. "When your mother died, she made me promise to take care of you and him. Every year, even after she died, I went back to see him. As the years went on, he'd show up with new wounds and bruises from that cruel Master of his. Raye, I…" He paused to think on his words. "I did the best thing I knew to do. I offered him the Cherry Hill Temple and your hand in marriage." He looked over at her. "I know you hate me for it, but I thought it was the best thing. I wanted to save that boy from that terrible man, and I wanted you to be taken care of when I die."

Frustration rising, she looked at her Grandpa. "And Kyoji was just okay about this arranged marriage thing? You sprung it on me like some surprise!"

"Raye, he wanted to!" Grandpa blurted out.

"What?" Raye asked, stunned.

"He would ask about you, and I would tell him. I told him how beautiful, passionate, smart, creative, kind, and graceful you were, and you've been none of those things while he's been here!" Grandpa shook his head. "I'm sure he doesn't feel that way anymore the way you've been acting these past few months."

Everything he said was true, and she knew it. She burst into silent and heavy tears. She was purposely cruel and horrible to him. It was worse was that her grandfather actually said wonderful things about her, and she didn't live up to it. But what was even worse was that Kyoji had known pain his whole life, and she was horrible to him.

Her Grandfather stood up from his chair in silence. She stood up and tried to wipe her tears, but new ones would form. She choked down her sorrow. "I'm going to go look for him."

Grandpa nodded, and she left the room.

She hated to cry, but she couldn't help it. She walked the streets of Tokyo with her arms folded over her chest as tears stung her eyes. She hated herself. She was so cruel to someone who didn't deserve it at all just like the people in her life had been cruel to her. She had been looking for him for almost two hours. She called all of her friends and her house from a payphone, but he was nowhere to be found. She continued walking once she ran out of change. While walking down the sidewalk, she glanced into the park she was walking past. From a distance, she saw the blonde-haired boy sitting on a park bench by himself. Immediately, she ran into the park towards him.

"Kyoji! Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you! You scared us half to death!" Raye hissed in a motherly shrill.

The boy glanced up from the ground. While he was gone, he had washed his face off, but the blood had stained the white top of his priest uniform. "Are you alright?" He asked, focusing on Raye's cheek.

Raye touched the cheek that Master Tenzen had slapped. It had stung for a while, but it fine. She was slightly surprised—he was the one who took a hit, but here he was, asking her if she was okay. "I'm fine," She faintly uttered. They were silent for a few moments.

Suddenly, her metaphysical senses started screaming at her. She leapt up into the air just before the ball of energy would have hit her, but the explosion sent her flying along with Kyoji on the park bench. The two of them landed on the ground with the bench flying over their heads. Quickly, they scrambled to their feet. Kyoji stepped in front of Raye to protect. Raye bit her lip. She didn't know what to do. Before them stood the General of the Wind, Alexandrite, and Kyoji, a mere civilian, was trying to protect her.

The blue-haired General stood sternly before them with a dagger in her hand. Her other arm appeared to be limp and wounded. Her arm had been paralyzed by the attack of Tuxedo Ninja. The General, failing on her mission to receive the Jupiter Planet Crystal, on her own decided to attack Sailor Mars to make up for her failures. "Get out of the way, boy!" The General hollered.

"Kyoji, please, just go! Save yourself!" Raye said, not knowing quite what else to say in that moment.

"I can't," He glanced back at Raye then sternly looked forward. He charged forward, but the General threw another energy ball at him. He was hit in the chest, and he flew into a lamppost. He passed out.

"KYOJI!" Raye ran over to the limp body. He checked his pulse—he was still alive, but passed out. With fury and rage in her eyes, she turned back to the General while pulling out her Sailor pen.

"I will destroy you, Sailor Mars!"

"If I die…" She stood up. "…I will send us both up in flames!" She started to transform. "MARS CRYSTAL POWER!" Soon, the young miko became the warrior of fire, Sailor Mars.

The General laughed. "I will blow out your flames like a candle on a birthday cake." She opened her hand. A large vortex of swirling wind appeared from her hand.

Sailor Mars covered her eyes from the strong winds and tried to hold her hair out of her eyes. The General laughed again. Sailor Mars couldn't move—the wind was too strong. The vortex came down over Sailor Mars and trapped her. Soon, Sailor Mars' feet lifted off the ground and she was caught in the current of the wind. She swirled around in circles along with the gusts of wind, not able to gasp a hold of anything. She was trapped in a cage of wind. Tossing and bobbling in the wind tunnel sapped the energy from her. She became sick and exhausted from the experience.

Sailor Mars closed her eyes, feeling like she was going to throw up. With her eyes closed, she heard the General laugh and a mental picture of the General appeared in her mind. Sailor Mars fluttered her eyes open. She knew the General was way more powerful than she could ever hope to be, but the General did have a limp arm. With all of her strength, Sailor Mars called upon her strongest attack—the Mars Flame Sniper. It would take extreme precision and accuracy to hit a target while she was moving, but it was her only change. She focused as best as she could and called upon the attack while she was swirling in the air. As the current brought in her view of the General, she released the fire arrow. "MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

Sailor Mars was jerked away by the wind, but the fire arrow shot perfectly out of the vortex and hit Alexandrite on her weak arm. The General screamed and grabbed her arm, releasing the vortex. Sailor Mars fell to the ground and landed hard into the pavement. She looked up. The General stood holding her wounded arm and gritting her teeth. She disappeared after a brief exchange of stares from Sailor Mars.

The fire warrior stood and looked around for a brief moment. Her eye caught the blonde-haired boy passed out on the ground. She ran over to him and started to shake him. "Kyoji! Kyoji!"

After a few shakes, the boy groggily opened his eyes. "Where am I? What's going on?" After a few moments, he came to his senses. He frantically looked around. "Where's Raye? Where is she? Is she hurt?"

Sailor Mars tried to restrain him. "She's fine! It's alright!"

"Where is she? Is she hurt?" He tried to stand up.

"She's fine!" Sailor Mars insisted. "You were already passed out when I got here. I told her to leave, and that I would take care of you." She lied, to protect her identity.

Kyoji settled down. "Who was that woman, and what did she want with Raye?"

Sailor Mars shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? It was just some really crazy woman or something."

Kyoji glanced over at her. He looked confused with her strange appearance. "Who are you?"

"Sailor Mars, soldier for love and justice."

He pondered for a moment. "I have heard of you. You fight with Sailor Moon."

She nodded. "That is I."

Kyoji quickly stood up, but grabbed his head in pain. Sailor Mars stood up with him, and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

Kyoji squinted his eyes. "I'm so dizzy. My head hurts badly."

Sailor Mars guided him to a park bench and made him sit down. Painfully, he sat down with a sore body and rested. She took a seat next to him and sat silent for a few moments. She realized something—she was having a normal conversation with him. As Sailor Mars, there wasn't that history and friction between them. She could talk freely and so could he.

Already knowing the answer, she turned toward him and asked a question. "It is very cold out here, and you are outside without a jacket. Also, there is blood on your shirt. What happened to you?"

Kyoji looked away from the fire warrior. "I did something horrible."

"What do you mean?" She asked, shocked.

"It's a long story."

Sailor Mars shrugged. "I've got the time."

He looked over at her and stared at her deeply. He didn't need to say anything, but she could tell that he appreciated the offer to listen. She faintly smiled.

He turned forward and gazed over the grounds of the park. "I hit someone, and I shouldn't have."

"Why shouldn't you have? What happened?"

"I got in a fight with someone, and I hit him. I shouldn't have done it, but I…" Kyoji shook his head. "He was hurting them, and I just hit him."

"Hurting who? Who was this person, and whom was he hurting?"

"Tenzen," He uttered, bitterly. "My old Master."

"Master Tenzen? What was he like?"

Kyoji paused for a few moments. "He's the cruelest man I have ever met."

"What did he do to you?"

Kyoji glanced over for a moment. "I marvel at the fact that I am still alive. That man almost killed me numerous times."

"How?"

Kyoji shook his head again. "He would beat me within an inch of my life…" His words started to shake. "I have been bedridden for weeks because I couldn't get up. I've had at least thirty bones broken…" He stopped. He surprised himself, and even Raye, with his openness to a complete stranger. These were things that Raye's Grandfather had only known, but he was freely pouring out his soul to the Sailor of fire.

"Who was he hurting?"

"My new Master and his granddaughter—he was trying to hurt them so I punched him."

"I don't understand why you're upset. It sounded like this guy deserved it."

Kyoji shook his head. "I hit him. I did what he does. I got angry so I hit him. That is exactly what Master Tenzen does."

She put her hand on his shoulders. "It's not the same. This man obviously has a problem. You were trying to protect innocent people who were being hurt. Your anger was righteous. His anger is not. It's okay to be angry went something wrong is happening."

He pondered on her words for a few moments. As he sat there, waves of relief and peace washed over him, and he looked less sad.

She smiled as she watched his stress melt away. "Kyoji, you did the right thing."

He looked astonished. "You know my name?"

"Uh…" Sailor Mars' eyes bulged. "…well…I…uh…it's just part of my powers as Sailor Mars."

He seemed satisfied with the answer as he looked back out onto the park.

"How to you feel?" She changed the subject.

"My head still hurts."

She glanced around. "Perhaps I should walk you home."

"No, it's too far on foot. It would probably be about an hour, and I don't have any money for the train."

"I don't mind. Besides, I should make sure you get home safely. I wouldn't be doing my Sailor duty if I didn't."

"If you insist."

She hadn't had that much fun in a long time. Freely talking, laughing, and sharing in conversation with him was the most enjoyable thing she had experienced for a while. He was a completely different person with Sailor Mars than he was with just Raye. She knew that it was her fault, but for that brief time she was Sailor Mars with him, it was amazing. He laughed. He smiled. He even joked. He told her stories and shared his thoughts and opinions with her. There was so much inside him she had never seen as Raye Hino.

It should have only taken an hour to reach Cherry Hill Temple, but it was taking them almost three hours. They walked so slowly as the talked, and they stopped at random points to admire the scenery. He always wanted to stop to look over bridges or explore tiny patches of nature within the city.

Night had already fallen as they approached the Cherry Hill Temple. It was a bright and clear night with the full moon high in the sky. They walked up the tall stairway into the Temple and passed under the red torii gateway into the Temple grounds. She wasn't ready to leave her life as Sailor Mars, and she found it a relief that he led her into a grove of trees by the entrance of the Temple.

"What's this?" She asked.

He weaved through the bamboo. "This is one of my favorite places inside the Temple." He led her up to a small stone bench that sat near a small Japanese garden style waterfall. She did know that he liked to come back here. She looked at the waterfall, trying to seem interested, but she had seen it a thousand times. After a few moments, she sat down on the stone bench. To her surprise, he sat down next to her. She looked up through the trees to the sky.

He looked up too. "It's beautiful."

She faintly smiled. "Yes, it is." Her eyes locked on the Moon. She always found herself looking up at the Moon. It was difficult to believe that a long time ago there was a life she once lived up there.

"Thank you for taking care of me."

She looked away from the Moon and looked over at him. He had done the same. She almost gasped. His eyes—they were different. Eyes that were always sad and downcast were now happy and filled with joy. They stared each other down as their faces were illuminated by the moonlight. She didn't know what was happening to her. There was only so much her heart could grow, and then it would start to overflow. She leaned forward, filled with passion and intensity, and kissed him. He met her with the same response. Her hands went up to his shoulders while his went to her waist. They scooted closer together and went into each others arms. She was forceful and passionate as Sailor Mars, but he was responding with the same intensity. He pushed her lips apart and entered her mouth. She lost herself. She had never been kissed like that in her entire life. It felt as if fire was coursing through every fiber of her being. She deepened her advances in response, but he quickly jerked his head away.

"What's wrong?" She asked, breathless and head swimming with emotion.

"I can't." He shook his head. "This is wrong."

"What do you mean?" Her stomach twisted. "There's someone else isn't there?" Her mind drifted to the blonde-haired Princess she swore to protect.

He nodded. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done this."

Sailor Mars looked to the ground. "It was my fault. I started it."

He stood up from the stone bench. "Thank you for taking care of me, Sailor Mars." He bowed then left the grove of trees.

She was holding them in, but since he left, they fell instantly. Hot and heavy tears leaked down her face. She wondered why she was so stupid. She didn't know why she did it. She put her head in her hands. "Why did I kiss Kyoji Tsukiyama?" She asked herself aloud and cried harder.