Standard disclaimers apply. Also, I can't convince my editors to get back to me on this, and it was scheduled to come out over Christmas…so yeah.
E
Chapter Fourteen
Solemn emptiness hung. Where moments before, a deity never seen of this earth had delivered a fate far reaching and undesirable; now only the crushing nothingness remained. The whimsical, multicolored light had snuffed out the moment She left, or had it been before?
The alien feel of worn and dirty gloves encased her sodden face with murky dampness. Grit slid between satin and skin, a harsh reality swimming through the endless jungle of her thoughts. She blinked, eyes instantly tearing over as the pervasive dirt revealed itself even there. A single footfall broke the perfect silence.
She shied away from his touch.
The leaden moment stretched on in darkness. Somewhere far away, perhaps in another world, the irritated sounds of her guard were rising from the blackness. It sent a frozen fingernail along her spine to hear the broken, confused murmuring through the din. Yet, through the instant terror, all she could focus on was the pervasive shadow to her right.
It was dark as pitch, yet she knew with a quiet certainty exactly where the man stood. She had always known.
Tuxedo Kamen ran a rough hand through his grimy hair in silent protest. She hadn't said anything. Only the chilling accusations of their preternatural visitor marked the burdened silence. Worse even was the burning memory of his Goddess in ashen horror at his side. Her already-pale face had bled dry, the quartz-like quality of her eyes had turned to grey matte; her silver aura no more than dust through moonbeam.
"I…"
She hiccupped. His words stumbled. What more could he say? As Endymion, he had stared down the face of Time in cool dismissal; the perfect visage of a prince and commander. Now it seemed to require all his courage simply to breathe.
"I hate you." her hoarse whisper broke the quiet, impacted with yelps of panic and questioning from the chorus behind them. Like waves to a glacier, the many words rose up in his throat to crash down again without purpose. He could not utter them. No apology would suffice, and no proclamation would matter. Not even when she screamed it again, and the cavern burst into white flame.
"Why?" the glowing siren clothed herself in light, so much more the Goddess than he remembered of the past. This was no subtle, gentle creature. The hot light burned the skin of his face, tore at the mask till flames ripped it away. "Why!" She screamed again, this time advancing in rage. "Did you not trust me? Did you think…to find this panacea without me?"
"I trust you…" He stumbled on the words, clenching sodden hands in terror. It seemed the cool confidence had simply stored all his conglomerate emotions to issue in this one exchange. Had he the wits, he would have fallen instantly to his knees before the glowing apparition in abject misery and begged for his life. Yet this thought even could not break through his mindless fear.
"Do you?" The intensity rose with the temperature. "You have made me a slave to you. I am a slave!" she shrieked in misery, unaware of the shock of broken floor beneath her feet. He felt the subtle shift within, the heaviness of his sword beside him. Even this change in state could bring no comfort as he fumbled over uneven ground. He fought even for the denial raging in his throat, a battle she clearly saw as she advanced.
"Yes! I have no control over my life, I am chained to this calling just as much as I am to you, and I will never, ever be free." Her porcelain face seemed to crumple in on itself. The angelic beauty could not be marred by her tears, though, for she was not human. She never would be again. Her bitter sobs hid within the folds of her hands.
"Sere…" the whisper bled from his mouth without thought. His retreating feet brazenly inched forward. Unaware, the Goddess wept on. Her tiny frame bent with the weight of sorrow, yet her hair billowed in the unfelt breeze. No, she could not be human.
"I am not a fighter, Endymion, I never have been. I can't…" Even through her tears, the words came perfectly from her mouth. Even had they not, he feared his mind would have interpreted them without thought. His hand lifted to touch her shoulder gently. "Leave me." She whispered quietly. Her downcast face shed droplets like the thundering sky. Her quiet words struck like a whip crack "I expected more of you."
He recoiled as if bitten, yet could not obey completely. Of all the things she could have said, and in all the lifetimes –this would be the worst. He noted it softly, knowing ever after that scar would remind him of this betrayal, and how his greed had rendered it in flesh.
"I said leave me!" Lines between the worlds blurred and shifted, and the softest edge of Moon burned through the visage of Serenity. He shuddered, pain raged through his head momentarily as the world flickered to darkness. When he could turn back, the woman he loved was struggling from her knees, panting heavily. His own lungs filled in deep gasping breaths. The lights around them had left, and the cavern seemed lit only by will alone. The soft glow could only be blamed on Moon, who seemed to filter the soft light through her being.
The glow faded from her vision slowly, taking with it the demon prince. It was a strangely haunting sight, as Mamoru's shadow filled the room with its glowering haze. Where the dark prince had been nothing more than a force to be reckoned with, Mamoru's stony figure presented an impenetrable wall. A weariness beyond exhaustion began to seep through her veins at the sight of him. The stony gaze of his mask stared back in uncomprehending shock. His form was rigid, awkwardly spaced.
She blinked, fighting back the tears. The weight of the ages pulled at her, even the once bright blue eyes seemed to dull and slide listlessly open again. More than anything, she would have cried for a bed, for a place away from him. Now, instead of feeling the fear of her eventual discovery, all she felt was horror and longing, and weakness.
He had literally destroyed everything in the pursuit. Everything. The selfishness ran so deeply ingrained in his personae that even now, she knew he would continue without remorse, without sleep. This revelation would mean his determination would double or triple or worse, and she just couldn't muster the strength to deal with it.
"Princess-sama," Venus murmured, quickly redirecting her attention to the guard. They were different as well, not as bright, not as terrible. She held her hand up wearily, silencing the immanent questions.
"My Lady, I'm showing a side tunnel leading toward the surface on my scanner…" the mouse-like companion offered. Kamen simply glared at them all, willing them to start a fight. The others kept their gaze from him, and strangely from their leader as well. Moon nodded tiredly and waved them on.
"Go on ahead." The others trailed out together, no longer the age-old furies that would have screamed for his blood. One look at his beloved Senshi proved his fate would be far worse than combat; worse than death. They began the long climb quietly, mere feet from her though he didn't dare speak at first. With the dim, almost imperceptible light of Mercury's computer, he could barely make out the dark, uneven passage as they walked. It did little to quiet his mind.
In the silence that followed, he retraced the path that had led them to this moment; just as he retraced her face, the curve of her hands trapped in gloves. The streaks of her tears had not yet dried, and the muted glimmer of her pain brought with it all the sorrow a soul could feel. The Link, as he would come to call it, was almost tangible now. The soft chord that bound them together, that always brought him unerringly to her side in times of need, was weak. The slump of her shoulders bore testament to his idiocy, his lack of judgment. After all that had been done, it was not enough. He was not enough.
"I don't know what to say, actually." She whispered finally, turning her dead, tired eyes on him. A sting began behind his own gaze, one that he squashed violently in the hopes of keeping her from sinking beneath the weight of it all.
"I'm so sor…" he began quietly.
"No, you're not." The searing heat quickly burned through the pathetic smoke of his apology, sealing his throat closed with its intensity. Her arms drew up about the dragging shoulders, fighting off a cold that generated from within. "The stupid thing is, I still…"
She couldn't force the words free; even though she knew they were true. As heartbreaking as their last encounter had been, she knew he was trying. The cold, aloft college playboy had been utterly snuffed out by a quiet, thoughtful man. He had not seen her, even standing so blatantly in his apartment, staring at him through the years of loneliness that seemed always to separate them. And yet…
"I do, too." He muttered finally, somehow knowing even without words what she wished to express. The girl shuddered, closing her eyes to breathe calmly again. She could just…injure him. So much of the blame lay at her doorstep that even that felt unfair.
"Why couldn't you just be the man I fell in love with then? It was so easy…" Her quiet voice carried in the first summer breeze, so warm and sad it pricked at his eyes. He gulped, stepping forward to help her somehow deal with the weight of it all.
"I'm trying, Moon. Gods, I'm so sorry…"
"Just shut up! Stop saying that!" the white gloves fled around her ears, cheeks flaring red.
"Why? It's true!" he lashed out in kind. He wanted to help her, the selfish girl! Why couldn't she see that? Her eyes hardened to shards of infinite sapphire in the darkness. He balked, wondering where the explosion had come from. "No, no I shouldn't have… Forgive me." The words died like pebbles launched against castle walls. The pieces of his useless apology suddenly felt ridiculous in the face of their situation. He also couldn't understand why all of this felt so familiar. "I don't know why, but we tend to fight a lot when things get…complicated."
"What?" the harsh whisper broke through his resulting train of thoughts. Slowly, he lifted the mask from his face and tipped the hat away. He could see it now, the light that had shimmered beneath her skin so long ago. Her frustrated, angry tears had sparkled like diamonds for as long as he could remember. To know that she was a Goddess of light brought all things around into one great whole. How does one describe the otherworldly feeling of two lifetimes skittering about inside your skull? How does one reckon between the two facets of one person without losing a part of each in translation?
Confused, he glanced around the mouth of the cave in the bitter, dark night. No wonder they hadn't seen the end of the tunnel coming, there was no moon. Shadows dominated the night sky in sylvan fingers. Claw-like and strange, the alien trees gave way as the others disappeared from view to lend as much privacy as possible.
"I don't know, it's…different." The sense of déjà vu was breathtaking. It was almost as if they had fought this way all along and he'd never known it. The truly odd part was the realization that he had never really fought with someone he loved before, and the lines were smudged and dingy. "I've never…stuck around enough…"
"Yeah, I bet that's not exactly your strong suit." She spewed angrily. The comment stung.
"That wasn't very nice."
"What else am I supposed to say to that?" the furious words spilled nonsensically from her trembling lips, yet his only answer was the taste of iron coating his mouth. His hands clenched in uselessness at his side. The woman before him scoffed, shaking her head and turning away in disgust. "Gods, you're so ridiculous."
"Well, tell me how you really feel." He murmured back, forcing his anger to cool with every passing moment. The boots clacked once only, and a moment passed before her tired eyes locked against his with all the frozen intent he had ever used in his life.
"Let me just ask you a question, Mamoru-kun. Easy answer. Do you know me?"
It was a bare second before he could answer, yet the space felt occupied by more than events, and more than memories. He did not hesitate, but the tremor of both fear and longing spoke more than words could of how ridiculous the question felt, how impossible the answer would be.
"Yes." The hat fell to the ground silently, and the mask fluttered to a stop beside it. "And no. I don't know your name. I just know you." The eons stretched between them in the shadow of his gaze, it may have well been an eternity rather than one simple life. What they had come to possess between them was more than love or longing. There was no language to express the truest sense of what they had, and yet the description was a lacking thought when compared to it. How could she not see even for a moment all he had in taking that chance for them? As wrong as it may have been, she must on some level understand how desperate they had been made.
"Unbelievable. Even going through all that and you still don't recognize me. Just forget it." The blond waved her hand erratically in his face before skidding away in irritation. But the inability to see all that he had seen was more than the man could take, and more than anything he wanted…he wanted her to…. As gently as his furious brain could manage, he gripped the retreating arm and tugged her back.
"Now, hold on just one damn minute here. I don't know your name –which by the way, hasn't changed since we met –and now you're pissed about it? Finding out you're actually my wife wasn't mind boggling enough?" he paused long enough to breathe here, still reeling from it. "Not to mention that crazy persistent princess, and a Goddess, and who knows what the hell else you are…"
"I would really appreciate it if you never referred to me as your wife again." She spat, her arm twisting viciously from his grip.
"Like hell!" He offered right back and released her. It stung to hear that talk when Serenity was whispering in the back of his mind, when those same eyes stared at him from a lifetime away filled with longing. It was more than he could bear. The red boots clattered on broken cement, and she smelled like vanilla and spice even from so far away. "You're just scared because we've got serious history. That's not something you just walk away from."
"Yeah? Watch me." The white gloves slid free as she seemed to be checking her arms for bruising that would never show. Cold fury burned over at the sight, and suddenly burst from his chest like a popped boil, spilling it's vile infection between them.
"I am watching you! I have been! For years. You know it's been two years? I haven't even looked at anyone else in all that time. I guess that doesn't mean a damn thing to a Goddess, does it? Devotion. Love. Means nothing at all." He felt unbearably hot beneath the collar. The need to break something with his hands was overpowering,
"Mamoru…" she tried, but he was beyond listening. He had done nothing but listen for months, and had put every ounce of will he possessed into acting on what he had heard. But that was the thing about listening; one had to be heard as well. He didn't have much to say; honestly he felt his actions spoke louder than anything else could. She still didn't seem to get it.
"Yes. Love. Devotion. Respect. I am not what you need me to be yet, Moon, but I will be." It was all he wanted her to know. It was all he felt he could offer in the face of her pain. How could he have done different? How could he have faced the darkness without her? How could he overcome the abyss without her guiding light?
"You are…so full yourself." She whispered finally, disgust plainly marring her pretty face. Her pretty, human face. Her pretty human face. Not quite, he reminded himself. Even now, the glowing gold of her hair seemed to float.
"Oh? Still attracted you, didn't I?" his soft answer held no accusation. As much as he wanted to scream and shake her and hold her till she stopped fighting him, a sudden clarity was beginning to dawn in the back of his mind. Though he couldn't put words to it yet, there was a sense of something much deeper than their silly argument simmering beneath her words.
"You know what I find so repulsive about you, Chiba Mamoru? Your arrogance, and your selfish lack of care for everyone around you. In fact, I find myself wondering all the time why I ever fell in love with you! I can't believe how naïve I've been thinking this whole thing was going to work out –hoping for it even. I should know what you really want is to get inside my fuku, then brag to the whole world how great you are for it! I am the biggest ditz in the whole world if I ever thought that Chiba Mamoru felt anything for me other than horny…"
"You're wrong," His dark voice cut through her tirade deftly, tone leaving little room for argument. Anger fizzled through his veins, brought on by her accusations, the fact that they held some small particle of truth in the beginning. "…though I do admit to the horny part. I'd have to be gay not to notice those curves. But that's not the point." He finished roughly, sharp steps echoing into the night as he came closer. "In the beginning, yes. I admit I wanted raw, hard sex about a million times over with you. Hell, I still do. But you know things have changed between us." His fingers hooked around her small chin, free hand catching at her waist. "You should know that I've really fallen for you. I love you. It's not about some stupid bond. Maybe it was just to spite it, even. Who needs some ridiculous archaic spell to realize how goddamn priceless you are? I want you in my life, wrapped in my arm, walking by my side, eating at my table, and hell yes, laying in my bed. I don't want to share you with anyone, and I can't even think about any other man touching you without going homicidal."
Memories flooded the senses with her so close. Beneath the smell of asphalt, rock, and charred fabric, there was a faint whiff of something flowery and girly and utterly tempting. It was the smell of happiness and laughter, secret meetings, soft words, a gentle touch. It all culminated to home. Belonging. Rather than give in to the immediate need to ravish the poor girl, he held his ground, willing her to understand what he was desperately trying to say.
"We belong to each other, Moon. You know it. I know it. Who cares what the fates or gods or anyone else has to say about it. I love you." Still, he didn't move. Tradition dictated a certain kind of kiss now, he knew. Tradition never meant much to him anyway. What did matter was that she knew she was worth more to him than any other thing; even if it meant sacrifice.
"This selfishness has got to stop, Mamoru. The more you force me or fate or anything, the further apart we are. I can't be with someone who's only thought is what makes them happy." He all but dropped her in frustration, throwing both hands in the air and rubbing them across his face. Of all the silly, childish things she could say –and in that exact moment!
"You… just… Moon! Seriously? I want to make you happy!" He all but growled, barely channeling his growing anger in the face of her indifference. "That's why I did it to begin with! Don't pretend like I wasn't thinking of you, you know I was!"
The girl scoffed, turning toward the trees as resolutely as if he didn't exist.
"I'm leaving. Don't follow me."
.
.
…..
The wild, animalistic hunger stalked darkly in the back of his mind. The predator could be contained and controlled only so long as the promise of the kill was eminent. Mamoru could see it even in his eyes anymore. The fierce, independent pride, the intensity; he had always thought it gave him his edge, his alpha-male persona. Since his earliest breath, he'd known it was there, had not been afraid of the power he held even in his younger years. Even before he knew of his identity as Tuxedo Kamen, he had known somehow that there had been much more than what he appeared.
But now, the beast prowled the edge of his vision –The Wolf. How much of his life had been lost to this identity? He had used it for many things, both good and bad over the years. Now that he had met his princess, his Goddess, it was all changing. Had she been even an inch the pathetic, feinting, sighing, lazy princess that he had always taken her for, the beast would have devoured her on the spot and not been bothered with it again. What he had not known, and could never have guessed was that it had been his warrior to take up the mantle. She had been beautiful and powerful, and in a way quite a bit terrifying.
It had only made the attraction worse. How could he not have guessed it just by looking at her? Now that it was known, he could barely tell the difference between the two. His dreams had been filled to the brim with this princess. It was almost a subconscious obsession. Hadn't Moon affected him the same way? Hadn't he wanted her just as badly as this shadow figure –now the elusive Endymion ghosting through the back of his mind like a specter from another world?
Now he understood; the power and drive had always been a part of him because Earth's Prince had been hiding within him all this time. The fact that it had flowed across his skin and through every cell last night could not be forgotten. As Tuxedo Kamen, he had felt stronger and faster in every way, but as Endymion, he was invincible.
His fingers flexed beside his hip, unconsciously reaching for the heavy claymore he'd kept on him in the old world. He missed the weight now, it would have been reassuring. Above all, the new information brought with it snippets of memory, not only with his divine lover, but also of a family. The feelings they brought were alien and strange. As much as he had worked toward gaining them in this life, the reality of their burning, warming sensations were almost too much.
His mother had been beautiful and kind. He remembered so little of her, but for the shimmering black hair that had reached to the floor in waves. Her mysterious amber eyes had looked at him with such sorrow and love. He didn't know how to react to them. He didn't know what he would say to her. His father had been tall and silver haired with eyes as dark a blue as Mamoru's were now. He remembered standing in awe of his father as a young boy. He'd been a war lord in his earlier years. Because of him, Terra had remained a kingdom till his final breath. The history was…fuzzy now. He knew there had been a time when it was not all considered part of the realm, but he could not remember exactly when or why.
His parents. He had once been someone's son. Not just anyone, either, he had once been a prince. As a kid, he'd never known but had always wondered what it would be like to belong. To know what little he did of them, and to remember all that he had done in his past life brought no small amount of shame. He had been told, though the warning had come far too late: their forbidden love was to lead to apocalypse.
Even as those words had parted from the council, he gave them no heed. The all-consuming Goddess filled every inch of his vision with her pale light. Such a woman could not be the harbinger of his death, nor could the simple act of seeing her. She was beautiful and powerful, and he feared no mortality within her arms. Even now, as the unofficial boyfriend/go-to man, there was little in this life he feared.
The time Guardian's words could not be forgotten, nor ignored as he would have liked. The responsibility she had lain on his shoulders last night had brought to the forefront his only real terror; and that was the prospect of losing his Serenity. Her pale face and harsh words also could not be scrubbed from his memory. She was rightly disappointed in him, there was no denying that his actions had led to a much more complicated existence.
Strangely, he was certain that she would grow to forgive him. It had been clear, however, that she wanted time to herself to sort through her thoughts. He would do the same.
Besides, there were other factors to consider as well. One, in fact, that made him anxious.
"Endymion. You must know that your role has been severely limited. The Fates did not take your betrayal kindly. You have been stripped of nearly all your powers, save those innately passed through blood. They have decreed from this moment on that you must be fatherless for all eternity. Though they cannot control your destiny anymore, they have vowed to block your path; especially in regards to Her Highness."
Those garnet eyes had watched him, loathing all but dripping from her form. The punishment seemed more than he could bare in the moment, with the sudden freshness of his parents surrounding him. It had been no worse in the daylight early this morning. He would be an orphan forever –a strangely just ruling, given the consequences.
Because of him, an entire universe had fallen. The shear enormity of his actions could not be comprehended. It was impossible. How many families in this world had he been the guardian of, and how many of them had died in an unnecessary war? How many mass murderers had he studied in school? How like them had he been in that moment? As much as he tried to justify himself in saying he had meant them no harm, it did not ring true. If anything, he had felt angry, resentful of them for trying to keep him from his Goddess. Moon had been right. His actions sprouted entirely from selfish motives. He would have to bear it forever, fighting in every lifetime to uphold this new reality. Even should he be sent down the dark river, the souls of those lost would be there to meet him in the depths to drag both him and Serenity to the shadow.
There would be no Elysium for them, only this life; only the lives given them by a dead Titan God who no longer existed. The daughter of Time's sole purpose to drive home the bitter contract to the end of days, and he would be as infinitely alone as those he had condemned. Even she blamed him for the death and downfall of her predecessors.
Had all of this really come of one chance meeting? How could the end of times be so fickle? It seemed this rash reaction to the unlikely pair must be more than met the eye. Relations between Gods and men were rare to say the least, but certainly not unheard of. There had to be another explanation, something that would exonerate him from the clutches of his sentence. There had to be a way to make things right.
The hot brand of guilt shrieked like hellfire in the silence. Maybe what the Gods had feared wasn't so much the pairing as the timing. It would all come together to create the perfect storm. Forbidden love between Gods and man, a twisted obsession from an old conquest, the rising tide of the underworld's greatest powers, and the vengeance of the Fates themselves for disobedience.
No wonder theirs would be the signal to end all days.
.
.
…
Usagi gasped, pressing hands to her head in agony. The racking, burning visions seared the lining of her skull with fire and screams of agony, screams of passion. The sounds of battle melted deeply into…other sounds. She fought the urge to vomit at the sudden emotions erupting in a confused onslaught of love, horror and grief. The soft pink background of her room fused with stark silver and white, the burning sunlight of the open window was a smoldering flame tearing….consuming…
"Usagi-chan…" the gentle touch of curious paws pressed deeply into her shoulder from above. The velveteen tail swished across her ribcage, bringing the world slowly back into focus. Her limbs ached with the cold, and the abrupt, staccato pattern of her heart was the sudden, measured explosions that would cause her chest to cave any moment. The gentle intrusion of whiskers and fur against her face gave the world an unexpected reality as a slick feline body pressed against her neck.
"Luna, I'm sorry. My head…"
"Sh, just rest." The soft velvet fur soaked hot tears from her face. For a moment, it was Endymion's kisses, his hands, his tongue doing the same. She blanched. The feverish images of their last night, coupled with sensation and emotion…
"I need to run." The words forced themselves free as she burst from the bed in one swift movement. The shadow-black tumbling mess of limbs and fur splayed as far as possible to stop the fall as the words processed.
"Oi! Eat breakfast…" The concussive crack of the front door broke her words in half as the world of her childhood closed. The heavy, tense heat radiating off her face sizzled against the May morning. Bright sunlight bounced joyously back from a world now lost to the urgency of spring. It flared against her eyes and skull like the tactical shot of an arrow through a glowing child's chest. She coughed heavily, tears pouring down her face at the loss she'd witnessed, at the horror of war.
Her feet pounded in a steady rhythm across the silvery…no, it was gray, pavement. The faces around her blurred against tears, against the sudden images of the fight that could never be won. The childish laughter of small ones at play mingled in her brain with their screams. Even surrounded by life and joy and happiness, the memories of that appalling last day haunted every sight.
The burning of her lungs finally forced her aching legs to falter. The harsh bite of a tree against her arm struck through the world of rushing air, and she clung to it instinctively, knowing her legs would not be enough to support her anymore. They refused to respond as she slid down to the ground, leaving her tears plastered along the length of the trunk. The scratchy surface felt nothing like the past, and the blazing sun burned through her eyelids with golden warmth that dulled the edge of pain. It was enough as the haze of sleep gently sucked her under at last.
.
.
….
"Usa-chan…"
The darkness retracted inch by inch as the new pressure against her shoulder pushed. She groaned, exhausted and afraid to wake. It was quiet here, it was…
"Usa…Are you OK?" Sunlight refracted red as she blinked, igniting a sudden scream somewhere so deep, she could no longer find the source of it. The shimmering red hair faded from vibrant, deep crimson to dark auburn, and suddenly the Demon Queen was the concerned face of Naru.
"What's wrong, Usagi-chan!" The flash of large glasses reflected bright sunlight a moment as Umino swam into view. She gulped, blinking hazily at her friends before pressing her hands hard to her eyes.
"Sorry, guys. Nightmare." A few deep breaths puffed her chest. It would take a lot more concentration to keep the images at bay while her friends were here. The sun was warm on her skin, and birds tweeted sparsely in the trees. The feel of soft grass cushioned her from the hard ground, and the roughly ridged bark of the tree bit into the soft flesh of her back. This was real, this was her life in this world; she tried to enforce the thoughts deeply into her mind. The harsh revelations of last night slunk silently away as the soft summer air filled her lungs, and the breeze flitted by.
"Ne, Usagi-chan…I know it's Saturday, but…" Naru began softly, her voice hesitant. The blond allowed her hands to fall into her lap curiously. The blond glanced to each of her friends in confusion.
"Nice pj's." Umino's glasses wagged suggestively.
"What?!" She screamed, leaping up and staring at herself. Oh gods, her bunnies were laughing at her from every inch of bright pink fabric. She hadn't even thought of it on her way out the door. The sweat sodden tangle of un-brushed golden hair hung in matted clumps, and even her feet were black and bruised from running bare.
"Why me?" She wailed, falling back to her knees in adolescent horror. Of all the things one could do at her age to be completely ridiculous, this had to be at the top of the list. Naru was the first to offer comfort, throwing an arm around her shoulder to help her up.
"Here, I've got my uniform. Let's get you changed, girl!"
.
.
…..
Mamoru stalked the bustling city like a giant among mortals, his thoughts a raging thunderstorm. He had not been home in several hours, if not days. It felt like days. His mind kept churning every time he felt he had things settled down. It was enough to turn breakfast to ash, coffee to water, and chocolate to tasteless paste.
The bland, sterile environement of his apartment had mocked his growing despair. In a futile attempt to stave off the growing hysteria, he'd taken to the streets some time ago, hoping the crush of bodies would blot the deafening memories from his mind. It wasn't so much the faint screams of pain and horror that bothered him, so much as the one fleeting moment of utter failure before the memories stopped short.
The moment he was no longer there to protect her…
"Ohmygosh YES to ice cream! I'm starving!"
A piercing wail broke through the dizzying tailspin of thoughts. The somber , guilt ridden eyes glanced sideways just long enough to see his arch nemesis grip the arm of a poor redhead and drag her toward an alley-way up ahead. An overly observant geek followed; his whiny voice even higher and more obnoxious than Odango's. Mamoru quickly forced the growing smile from his face, confused as to how it ever got there to begin with.
He padded along at the same even pace, throwing a casual glance down the alley as he went. It was funny how Odango seemed much more…lanky than he remembered her being. Her gold hair flashed momentarily as he walked by, thrown back to smack against the solid grey bricks of the building. She must have grown a few inches since the park.
He paused mid-stride.
Something about the last few thoughts felt out of place. Timing? No, it couldn't have been that long ago. Probably not even a month had passed. The cautious back-tracking steps panned the alley open again. It was a scene he would have heard about later on the evening news.
"…at those eyes!" someone sneered. The grubby, dirt stained creature rammed an elbow hard against the pale flesh of Usagi's throat. The flash of metal in the strangers hand lent a deadly seriousness to the mugging. The others laughed in agreement. The slow, raging fury boiled cold like December snow just beneath the surface of Mamoru's skin.
"Damn, but she's a pretty one!"
"You leave her alone!" The nerd warned somewhere close to the ground. His mind suddenly crystal clear, the onlooker sent a quick glance around before formulating a plan. The survey showed Odango pinned to a wall, the red head beside her. Glasses' face lay pressed into the dirty ground with a boot on his neck. The obvious lack of understanding for the situation did little to qualm the boy's optimism as he yelled again. "Usagi-chan! I'll rescue you, don't worry!"
"Umino!" the sniveling redhead yelled, half in embarrassment, half in hope. Usagi remained oddly quiet.
"Shut up, punk! Hey, nice ID card!" the one standing over the boy was flipping through the contents of his wallet. It was a good sign. Common thugs wouldn't require a change. Mamoru took a step forward threateningly.
The grubby man let loose a solid, mournful groan before sliding to the earth in a puddle. Golden hair swung heavily to the side as a flash of pale leg shot out sideways, hooking the plundering thief directly in the neck and sending him crashing downward. Mamoru whistled under his breath as Odango turned and gripped the last's head and ripped backwards to thump him across her knee. Her friend gasped in shock, nearly knocked off balance at the sudden loss of pressure at her neck.
"Usagi-chan, no!" a solid thud rang out as pipe met flesh. It was enough to shock Mamoru out of his stupor. He stepped a second time into the ally, ready to wreak hell on the pathetic thieves. Instead, Usagi went down, quickly sweeping the feet out from the man before delivering a solid punch directly into his face.
A sudden chill swept across his skin at the sight. The growing sense of sickly fascination forced him to duck behind a dumpster before the blond sprung upward to catch another in a swift uppercut that sent him spinning into the ally. The third scrambled to his feet, rushing at her from behind. It took every ounce of will Mamoru had not to jump up and run to her, but his instincts proved dead on as she turned, tiger-striking the man deep into the throat and dropping him with one blow.
And with that, Odango had violated a basic rule of womankind. Place any female in any dangerous situation, and they'll scream bloody murder till they either die, pass out, or someone useful finally comes along and rescues them.
And she'd done it in a skirt. Make that two basic rules.
Another boy came up from the front, seemingly too fast for her to stop, but was once again floored by a screaming roundhouse that left him flying through the air. The flash of long, perfectly muscled legs in the dim light of the alley, and the sudden surprising eyeful of a toned, lightly defined midsection had even Mamoru's mind in the gutter.
Where had she learned those kind of moves? What was the world coming to when even middle school kids had to know how to defend themselves! All this time, he'd been focusing on Moon, when really he should have at least taken into consideration what it was doing to the kids in this city! A brief twang of guilt and sorrow plucked at his chest at the thought.
The city was in bad shape. Even the thought of how much damage the attacks had caused boggled his mind over the last few years. Had he never noticed the rubble afterward? Doubt flickered through him. He'd been so focused on other things; he would have to take a look around, reassess the state of things. He would have to take into thought how much it had all changed since he'd last bothered to notice. Even little Odango! Here, he'd been assuming she couldn't hurt a fly! With the attacks in the city as bad as they were, it made sense that Rei-chan would train her.
His mind hastily recovering from the jolt, he watched as she swept the feet out from under another boy and straightened into a reverse fighter stance. Her breathing was even and controlled as the young man stumbled to his feet beside her. The last two gang members viewed the considerable damage around them and promptly fled as if the very minions of hell were chasing them.
"Oh my gods!" her cinnamon-haired friend was balking, much along the lines of his own thoughts. Glasses was down on one knee with her hand trapped between his in what could only be assumed as a romantic gesture. The awkward mix of sadness and consternation on her face proved the show was entirely lost on her.
"Fair Usagi-chan! You have heroically saved us all!" The steady whine of his voice had her gripping at her forehead even though she was smiling. The show disintegrated as the girl's knees wobbled, sending her crashing backward against the solid brick.
Instant panic gripped all of them to see her go down. The drunken tottering of her legs had shown none of the grace or poise her stances had shown. Even from here, he could tell her face had lost all color, and that she was struggling to breathe normally. The others were yelling, but it couldn't be heard above the confusion of his thoughts. She had just floored three thugs at least twice her size, and yet now was the perfect time to collapse?
Motoki had said she struggled with blood sugar. Where had they been going again? There was something about… Oh gods, she was going into shock! He quickly patted at his pockets, but knew there would be nothing there to help her. He didn't like sweets. A quick glance up the ally showed the young boy's retreating form, and that Usagi was being held by her friend as they waited.
He'd just sat there the whole time! In the moment, it had made sense just to watch everything unfold, but reality was closing in fast. Usagi and company had just been mugged and he hadn't done a damn thing about it! And Odango, of all the people in the world, had taken care of the situation to the point that she was now going into shock. And he was still sitting there! The least he could do was offer to help!
He stood in time to see the Youma slither around the corner. His cry of warning blurred beneath the terrified shrieks of her friend. Within seconds, the thick, gel-covered tentacles had looped around limb and throat, lifting the duo easily from their knees.
"What is it with redheads and monsters?" He all but growled, reaching for his cane as it formed in the shadow of a half shaped cloak. The other hand warmed with the summoning of the roses. He'd be damned if that beast took Usagi away before he had a chance to get her some help.
The rain fell in scarlet and emerald, and ended with a burst of light and pain. Charred, screaming in agony, the monstrosity fled back toward the other side. It's retreat left chunks of smoldering flesh and two unconscious girls. He took aim again, deftly pinning his enemy between mortar and stone. With the creature distracted, he all but fled toward the girls, gathering each carefully within his arms before leaping upward.
It was ill timed, something below him burst with a concussive pop. The blowout was strong enough to shove against his sailing form. He stumbled with the added burden, feet forcefully pounding down against a rooftop that threatened to catch all of them in a painful heap. There was barely enough time to right himself before he leapt again, this time easily clearing the next roof.
Without thought, the girls were quickly deposited. The empty lawn chairs would have to do, as he was sure the thing would be right on his tail. He'd have to turn and fight with these two still unconscious behind him. The cane slid open, blade glittering in the sun as he turned on the still empty rooftop. Confused, yet unconvinced, the hero slid quickly over the edge of the building and back into the fray.
The alley burst into golden light the moment his shoes touched ground. The ring of Venus' powerful voice reverberated from the bricks around them, echoed by the animal screeching of her enemy before it burst from within. Green goo erupted with gelatinous splat.
He shook his head, flicking a glob of yellow from his shoulder. He should have known. After all, there were only so many reasons why it hadn't followed the victims. One could have assumed it had been a targeted attack, considering the conditions. A strange wave of emotion settled across his shoulders and chest, something he was still struggling to name as the cloak slid free.
Venus spun defensively, fingers still crackling with power as the dark velvet of his cloak settled on her shoulders. Her face was serious, despite the comical addition of alien innards and a loosened hair bow. The anger bled from her face, replaced with caution.
"Thanks. Don't think it changes anything, though. We're still enemies."
Gratitude. Ah, yes, that was the emotion he'd felt. He couldn't help the ironic chuckle that slid from his throat at the thought.
"Oh, you are a pleasant one! Good to meet you too, Venus. Why don't you get cleaned up? I have somewhere to be." He ducked her chin brotherly. He wasn't sure where this sudden comradery came from, only that the light feeling in his chest felt good.
"You better leave her alone!" The golden woman yelled defiantly, only to be met with his lazy grin.
"I make no promises. Especially ones I can't keep."
.
.
….
Mamoru shook his arms in contemplation. On the other side of this door was a poor kid desperately in need of help. He was more than willing to give it, of course, but for some reason he felt anxious. Maybe it was guilt for not stepping in. Maybe it was guilt for a lot of things. Part of him wished he'd never seen such a thing, the other realized it was a heavy call to action. The city was a mess, and he was only thinking about himself.
"Usagi-chan! Come on, wake up!" the desperate call of her red-head friend shattered the sudden silence as the door swung open. Sunlight dappled the open rooftop, broken by a wind-whipped canvas and bits of drying laundry. He moved quietly, following the corner of the door hatch till the familiar scene of weekend parties bloomed once more. Every first year college binger he'd ever attended stretched across the space between them. Red cups and beer cans littered the battleground in earnest with their casual rolling. The sudden image of loping zombies flashed across the forefront of his mind as a slightly misshapen glass lolled unevenly by. It was funny how the heat of battle made him look over the familiar sight with a warrior's perspective.
There, leaning over her slightly broken seat, the redhead was simpering, shaking the shoulders of her friend in concern. Her back was turned to him, red hair ignited in the afternoon sun in the most unpleasant manner. The flash of deep auburn injected the taste of bile deep into his throat. He shuddered, shaking the sudden vision of his enemy violently from the portentous, somewhat homicidal thoughts they bred. There would be time for Beryl…later…
"Please, Usagi-chan! I can't…wait, I'll get some help." The girl moved too suddenly, her slight form crashing heavily against his as he made his way forward. Almost without thought, a solid hand gripped her upper arm to keep her standing as he eyed the fallen blond in curiosity.
All the anxiety, all the sudden fear melted at the sight of the girl. Her pale face had to be burning beneath the heat of the midday sun, and the damage it was doing to an already overloaded system would not be a good combination.
"Go get some candy. I'll bring her down." The blushing girl at his side nodded wordlessly, and disappeared with the slight clang as the door slid home again.
He took a moment to survey the skyline. It no longer bore the familiar landmarks; few and far between the district of Juuban had taken the greatest hit. The shopping mall was easily the first to be noticed, and brought back memories of nearly a year and a half ago. It defied logic, though; why hadn't they rebuilt the structure in all this time? How could a company hope to make money when the roof was caving in on one side?
It was the fear. The air stank with the oppressive blanket, cushioning sound to a low muffled roar far away. He could have sworn things had been so much brighter even last month. He remembered children laughing and playing in the puddles in the rain. He could have sworn the world held so much more hope and love…had he imagined it all from the beginning? Had his relationship with Moon given him the proverbial rose tinted glasses?
Mamoru turned back to his arch nemesis in quiet contemplation. The whipping wind flapped at her shirt enticingly. With each movement, the shadow of her stacked abs defied every ounce of logic he possessed. The shape of her body was very… different than he'd ever seen it. He remembered eyeing the awkward puffing sleeves of her jacket a few months ago. He remembered thinking her dimensions were more….stocky. This girl was long and lean and extremely shapely. It was odd to think she was just fourteen.
He bent, carefully wrapping his arms beneath her knees and across the shoulders. The skirt was tucked deftly beneath his arm and he lifted. The surprising weight almost caught him off guard. She was, he searched for an appropriate word, dense. Not a lot of flesh, a strangely non-proportional amount of weight. He definitely didn't remember that from last year.
The Usagi he'd carried last year had been swimming in her school uniform, and it had repelled from her as much as it did him. This was something very different. It felt softer, the way fabric was supposed to feel beneath his hands. It gave way to her weight, broke against cool flesh, and shifted with every breath. He redistributed her against his chest a little better before attempting the shaky stairs again, this time much more concerned for her flopping legs and head.
He'd have to bring her those clothes. It had been wrong of him to hold on to them. Her head rested at the crook of his neck, with the abundance of matted blond hair trailing across his shoulder and down nearly to the ground. Even dirty, the fairytale gold reminded him of their conversation at his apartment. She really was a sleeping beauty.
"Here, I've got some soda…" Her friend huffed tiredly as the front door was gently pushed open. The other boy, the one he'd seen prostrate in the ally, stood beside her, his face slowly growing more flushed. The older man deftly avoided eye contact in the hopes of circling any fight to the death that might be issued. Someone might have thought they were dating the way Glasses was glaring at him.
"Great, let's see if we can get her to take some of it." Mamoru carefully cradled the bundle back, long enough for her head to flop lifelessly down. The redhead –he would have to ask her name at least –then carefully administered a straw-ful of golden sweetness. It ran down her face more than anything, but at least the sugary concoction could begin it's work to revive the limp damsel. "Thanks. What was your name again?"
"N-Naru…" she gulped, green eyes suddenly wide as they clashed with his. Shit, he could have timed that one a little better anyway. There was nothing quite like an awkwardly close moment to stir the unwanted attentions of yet another high school girl. The boy sputtered, close to screaming, and stormed off in the other direction with his hands flailing in all directions.
"Ignore him. Do you want me to call a taxi?"
"No, it's alright. Where should I take her?" Mamoru shrugged the girl back upward so her head rested on his shoulder.
.
.
…
Naru pushed the doorway open before him, quickly moving out of the way as he lumbered through. Usagi was still out cold, despite Umino's attempt to revive her with soda and candy. Mamoru knew it was blatant classism that instantly made the little nerd unlikeable, and secretly hated the fact. It was obvious the boy had feelings for Usagi, but the way he went about it just made the situation awkward. He was flitting about like a nervous hen about to wet itself in panic.
There was no use in staring at the poor, scrawny thing. Even if Usagi were the kind of girl to date the nerd, Mamoru struggled with the idea of those two together. She'd freak every time he did something sweet, and he'd wet himself like a poorly trained Chihuahua. Naru was calmly trying to explain for the fourth time that Usagi would be just fine with some rest, but the boy wasn't having any of it.
Her pale skin seemed drawn for a moment, and dark circles bruised her eyes. He could hardly believe that this fragile, broken woman had taken out three muggers not even an hour ago. The tall man walked quickly over to the couch and gingerly settled her into the cushions. Her tiny body folded limply, arm flailing over the edge before he could lay it across her flat, toned stomach.
"Hey, you can leave now! Thanks for doing the hard work! HEY!" Melvin hollered as the Naru gripped his ear and yanked toward the kitchen. Mamoru felt a fond smile cross his face before he could stop it, and turned back to assess the girl. Maybe he should call Motoki and let him know what was happening.
Dark circles, sleepless nights. Had she gotten caught in a fight somewhere a long the way and been hurt? Whatever else may be on her mind, this girl trained hard. There was nothing but muscle holding her short frame together. Had she been like this last summer? Had she always looked so…exhausted?
He smoothed a tangle of golden hair from her chin, and couldn't help but smile. Gods, she was drooling. He chuckled a little at the familiar thought. At least that hadn't changed. It was a short skim down the long neck and toward the shifting open V of her blouse. With some attempt at decency, he cleared his dry throat and stood.
"Hey! I saw that!" that nasaly, whiny voice hollered from the kitchen before it could be quieted. Dark blue eyes rolled heavenward.
"Alright, alright! I'm going." A quick glance backward showed Naru forcefully holding the nerd down as he flailed against her helplessly. Laughter rumbled up from the depth of his chest, despite all efforts against it. The boy was utterly useless, and obviously very infatuated.
"I'll defend your honor!" Umino screeched desperately as Mamoru got to his feet again.
"Shut UP Umino!"
"He was staring at her…you know…"
He would be back. There was class to go to, things to be done. After it all, though, he would bring her things over. It was the least he could do. More importantly, he had to get away from Glasses before a more intense situation presented itself.