To Flufflybunny- Zoi not with his Kunzite? Blasphemy! How dare they? Actually, I'm guilty of that particular blasphemy. Please don't hurt me. Glad you liked it, by-the-by.
"Matt, we've got a problem."
Matt, who'd been halfway in the door of his tactics class, turned in midstep and removed himself from the flow of traffic.
"The problem, and quickly; I'm not exactly in good graces with my teachers right now."
"Matt, Queen Beryl is coming to the school today!" Hissori hissed, pulling Matt further from the student body at large. "My uncles told me last night, and they would know! What am I gonna do?"
"Please tell me you're joking."
"I'm not, Matt! This is very, very, serious! Like dead serious, serious! Now what am I gonna do?"
"Well, first, you're going to calm down. Then we're going to come up with as many ways to keep our classmates under control as we can. Okay?"
"Where would I be without you?" Hissori asked with a relieved sigh, already calming down. "Let's get scheming."
With the aid of the school's gossip pool, Matt and Hissori managed to get word out to most of the fifth and sixth years about the surprise assembly. They'd been deliberately vague, saying only that someone very important was going to be announcing something very unpleasant and left it at that, not that any more was needed. By the time the classes were ordered to the meeting hall, most everyone involved was expecting the worst and coming up with ways to cope.
From her place near the front of the hall, Hissori watched the raised platform with growing apprehension. She had every faith in the sixth years; they'd be happy to be given the kind of responsibility they thought they deserved. The fifth years, however, all expected another full year of childhood freedom before settling into the life of a common soldier, and some of them might not be able to control their responses.
Just when Hissori felt ready to burst, she caught sight of Kunzite. Her uncle-elect sent her a reassuring smile when he was sure no one was looking, and she calmed down a bit. Then Queen Beryl stalked into view, and Hissori swore her heart was going to give out on her.
The tenseness in the hall doubled as the ruler of the Negaverse glared indiscriminately at the students. She was much taller than Hissori had pictured her, with vampire-pale skin, wild red hair, and a face that probably hadn't smiled in years. Quite frankly, she scared the living daylights out of Hissori.
She saluted with the other students, wishing she knew where Matt was. She really needed his calming influence right then.
Calm down, girl. She ordered herself sternly, trying her best to slow her heart and still listen to Queen Beryl's announcement. This is no biggie. You can handle this. It's just like war; these are your marching orders. You've just gotta carry 'em out.
Thinking in terms of war helped a little, and she managed to endure the meeting without giving herself away. Once clear of the meeting hall, she broke ranks and all but ran home.
Guard duty turned out to be less of a trial than Hissori had expected.
The students were assigned to single cells, which meant there was little to no moving involved, and it didn't cut into study time too much.
The prisoner Hissori was assigned to didn't seem like much. She was short, skinny, and forgettable, with fair skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. Her name was Aura, which kind of made up for her plain appearance, and her personality shone. Not only that, but she had a knack for teaching literature, something Hissori took shameless advantage of.
"I hate reading." Hissori growled in frustration, seriously contemplating shredding her stupid book.
"That's because you're a visual learner." Aura said with a laugh. "It's really not that hard; you're only summarizing."
"But I'm going to be a soldier, not a scholar!" Hissori protested. "Why do I have to know how to summarize?"
Aura thought for a moment, then grinned. "Say you're on the battlefield, okay? You've got a lot happening, but your superiors aren't really going to care about the details; they'll be after a quick overview of what's going on. A summary."
"Good point." Hissori agreed grudgingly. "But why are they making me read boring history and philosophy? Why not war reports?"
"Because the war reports are already summarized?" Aura suggested archly. "Just put up with it until you're out of school, and you'll have all the war reports you can handle."
"I hate you." Hissori grumbled, returning to her homework with a slightly more optimistic attitude.
"Uncle Zoicite!" Hissori called up the stairs, trying to put her other earring in without killing herself. "Uncle Zoicite, Matt's here! I gotta run!"
"Be good, you two!" Zoicite called back by way of acknowledgement. "Don't do anything I wouldn't!"
"Whatever! Bye, Uncle K!" Without waiting for another response, Hissori headed out the front door, depositing her earring on the hall table as she passed. Whoever said you needed both earrings to look nice?
"Ready to go?" Matt asked with an understanding smile.
"Like you wouldn't believe." She assured him. "Midterms are over, and I'm gonna party like we don't still have half a year to go."
"Mm. And our sixth year still ahead of us."
"Please don't remind me." Hissori groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Sometimes, I think school's never going to end. I never thought being a soldier required so much knowledge!"
"Aw, poor Hissori," Matt teased, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. "How about we get to the partying and forget all about learning, just for tonight?"
"Let's."
"Uncle K, you're gonna be late!" Hissori yelled up the stairs. "And Papa's left already, so don't count on him to wake you up again! I've gotta jet!"
Whatever reply Kunzite made was too muffled for her to make out before she was out the door, holding her bag between her teeth and pulling on her jacket. She'd been up late studying for her stupid Lit. test, and barely managed to wake up in time for school. Not only that, but she had guard duty first thing today, instead of PCT, and there'd be Hell to pay if she were late for that.
By some freak accident of good fortune, Hissori skidded into her post half a breath ahead of the supervising sixth year. The guy must have seen how worn out she was, because he let her get away with a half-assed salute and the disarray her mad dash had put her uniform in. A slightly harder soul would have felt justified in reporting her for her disgraceful condition, and Hissori thanked the Negaforce for small favors.
"Wake up late?" Aura asked, sounding amused, once Hissori's superior was gone.
"Yes," Hissori said, digging her hateful Lit book out of her bag with a sigh. "I've got a test. They're teaching me too much."
It was a simple, harmless statement, one that could have been a typical complaint about the sheer amount of work any student finds dumped on them. That was, in fact, Hissori's intent in saying it, but they both knew that it also had a deeper, more dangerous meaning.
"When you learn too much, you think too much," Aura said quietly. "What have you been thinking about, young Hissori?"
Almost against her will, Hissori spoke the thoughts that had lately begun to plague her, thoughts that were without a doubt treasonous.
"Queen Beryl. I'm thinking… she's wrong. I'm thinking that maybe the White Moon owes us nothing. That we have no right to the war we're preparing for. Mostly that a lot of the time, I wish I was anywhere but here."
"Heavy thinking, indeed," Aura said. "Heavy thinking, yes, but worthy. You are no ordinary girl, Hissori, and may the Crystal forgive me, but I trust you. I'll give you a secret for a secret, my little friend, and my secret is this: I am no ordinary soldier. I am a Senshi, one loyal to the White Moon. Had I not been captured, I would be beside the Moon Princess, protecting her this very moment."
They were in the same boat, Hissori realized; harboring secrets that, if discovered, would mean death or worse. There were terrible things done to traitors, and far worse things reserved for Senshi, those women of incredible power that stood between Queen Beryl and her objective.
"Hissori, my mission is unfulfilled," Aura said, her voice so soft it was nearly inaudible. "I can't complete it. But you can, if you trust me as much as I trust you,"
"How?" Hissori asked in spite of herself, entertaining the beyond treasonous thought that she would like to prove herself worthy of Aura's trust.
"Leave this place," Aura told her. "Find the Moon Princess. Find her Senshi. Protect them from Queen Beryl."
"How? I'm no Senshi, with magic powers. I'm not even a soldier! I'm just an ordinary girl!"
"I can make you a Senshi, give you my power. I wouldn't ask the impossible of you, Hissori."
"I…" Hissori hesitated, thinking furiously. She wanted to do this, wanted to complete Aura's mission. She wanted to stop Queen Beryl's plans, to save those who might be innocent from her wrath. But to leave? Could she really leave the Negaverse, abandon her uncles and friends? Abandon Matt? Even if she resolved to leave, would she be able to go through with it? "I… I'll do it,"
Aura's face lit up, transforming for an instant into something far lovelier than anything Hissori had ever seen.
"Give me your power, Aura, and I'll finish this for you, I swear," Hissori promised.
"Quickly, then," Aura said, motioning for Hissori to come closer.
Aura placed the tips of her middle and index fingers on Hissori's forehead, between her eyes, and Hissori felt something… shift. It was hard to describe, like her mind was moving, rearranging itself to accommodate something new within it. It was also like the unsettling feeling she got right before someone kicked her in the gut, when she knew the blow was coming and how much it would hurt but before it actually connected. She closed her eyes, trying to quiet the upheaval in her head.
Then it was over, as suddenly as it had begun, and Aura's fingers left her head.
"That was weird," Hissori said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. There was no answer, and Hissori opened her eyes.
Aura appeared to be unconscious, slumped in what had to be a supremely uncomfortable position. Her head hung at an odd angle, as if her neck was suddenly made of rubber, and it didn't look like she was breathing.
Aura was dead. That much Hissori knew for sure as she left her post in silent shock. It was the middle of her watch, and her replacement wasn't due for a full two hours. Any other day, she would have stayed, seeing her duty through. Today, though, she couldn't have cared less about her duty. She had no duty here anymore. She no longer belonged. She had to leave.
Somehow, she found herself outside the prison complex. She stopped for a moment, wondering how she'd gotten there, before she started walking again. She stumbled once and began to run. She ran away from the prison, from Aura's body, from her betrayal of everything she knew, to the only safe place she could think of.
Home.
At this time, everyone was at work, or performing their daily tasks. Soldiers were at their posts, children were at school, and those spouses that were not also soldiers were cleaning or shopping or at some other important task. Nobody saw her running down her street, stumbling up the stairs, and falling against the door. Nobody saw her fumble her key out of her pocket, or how her hands shook as she tried to fit the key in the lock and turn it.
At last, near tears, she got the door open and flew inside, closing it behind her. She hesitated for a moment, then left it unlocked, climbing the stairs to her room.
She had only a few short hours before people would be coming home for their noon break and those too young for specialized training were released from school. She had to pack her things and be gone by then, or someone was sure to see her, stop her.
In her room, she stopped, struck by a paralyzing indecision. What should she take? Her clothes? Her weapons? Would she need things to sell in exchanged for money? Would she need food? Could she take any of her keepsakes?
Unconsciously, she rubbed her thumb against the ring Matt had given her, and felt herself calming down.
Clothing, of course, would have to come. Only the functional clothing; none of the party outfits or dress uniforms, and none of the heavy or fancy accessories. A few small weapons might be advisable, but her sword would have to stay here. She didn't know what kind of reaction it would receive where she was going. Anything small and portable she could sell was packed; she had no money, and would probably need it. She could even afford to bring a few keepsakes, like photos and her journal.
She hesitated over the array of gifts on her dresser, especially to the small blue stuffed bear her father had given her for her sixth birthday. It was all she had left of him, and it was plenty small enough to shove in a corner of her bag, but it was unessential, and she might need the space for something else.
After a moment, she added the battered toy to her bag. She couldn't bear the thought of what might happen to it if she left it here.
Food. She'd need some food, at least. She had no idea when she'd be able to buy food or find it. She could only take nonperishables or vacuum-sealed things, though.
She placed her hand over her heart, trying to calm herself further, and felt something under her shirt. It was a necklace, one she hadn't been wearing when she left this morning. She pulled it off over her head to examine it and nearly dropped it.
She knew, with unshakable conviction, that this necklace had been Aura's. When Aura had passed on her power, this necklace had come with it.
Almost reverently, Hissori slipped it back over her head and tucked it under her shirt again before taking her bag down to the kitchen and raiding for provisions.
Chapter two's done! Yay!
The more I work on this story, the more I love it. I think it may be one of my best yet.