Part 27: Reflections

Draco groaned as he sat up from his lying down position, "Ow…what hit me?"

"Libra," was the simple answer he received. Draco looked around. He was back in the real world. He looked down at his hands. He was no longer in his armored form. He was now in his human form of Ryuki. Breathing in deeply, he started to recollect of what had happened a while ago.

Libra had come and beat them. But why? Wasn't he their ally? He did help fight that Death Knight Gregor, right? Tests? What tests? What judgment for that matter? This was starting to confuse the young dragon Knight. His eyes and head were beginning to spin with confusion.

"Glad to see you're awake," Craig said as he polished his gun, the Death Buster. Craig was relatively unharmed. Then again, he was thrown out of the Mirror Dimension much earlier than Ryuki was.

"Hey, Craig," he then saw that 5 of their numbers were missing. "Hey, where are the guys?"

Craig answered, "They went to look for those Tartarus guys. I don't think they did since I haven't heard any fighting yet, or they're just too far away. Then again, I think I would've be able to hear a brawl if it was concerning the guys. With Vic's cannon roaring, I think aliens in space could hear it." Ryuki gave off a laugh to Craig's joke.

"Not to mention Takada zapping them and Ichijyo trying to keep him in check," Ryuki said jokingly.

"That too." Craig then turned serious as he put down his gun. "Leo, who was that?"

"Who?" Ryuki asked back.

"That guy in the golden armor. Libra. Who is he?"

Ryuki eyes went wide. How was he to answer? The truth; or at least what he knew so far. "Libra, or Zodiac Knight Libra, is the Guardian of the Zodiac Knights…at least as so I've heard from Ichijyo and Takada. He's one of the three gods who are watching over this battle. The other two are Fuji and Yoshido."

Craig raised an eyebrow. He vaguely remembered a figure that looked like Libra and then gave him his Aries Zodiac Deck. Could it be the same guy? It was dark so Craig wasn't so sure. He took the deck out of his pocket and stared at it. "So, who are Fuji and Yoshido?" he asked.

Ryuki shook his head, "Never met them personally. Saw them once or twice and heard about them, but that's about it. All I know is that Fuji is supposed to be the good guy and Yoshido is the bad guy. Gomen." He would've elaborated that Fuji was the one who had chosen Pluto and Yoshido had been the one to choose Shadow, but that was a tale for another time.

"Oh," Craig then asked, "About this tournament thing…what is it about?"

Okay, this was when Ryuki's back stiffened. He lay back on the ground. Actually, he lay back on a sleeping bag. It must've been laid out. "The Zodiac Tournament is the final chance for the Knights' to attaint their hearts desires. It is in this tournament that the Knights will battle it out until there is only ONE." Ryuki sighed, "The ONE will gain whatever they want, including unimaginable power. That's why a lot of us became Zodiac Knight; to have all our dreams and wishes realized."

Craig blinked. He hadn't known Ryuki for too long, but that was uncharacteristically deep and insightful for the normally dense Dragon Knight. Then again, he wouldn't expect an Orphenoch to act so…he shook his head. He had to stop thinking of Ryuki as an Orphenoch, the thing he hated. It was one thing to hunt and destroy them, and Craig felt no remorse in doing so, but Ryuki was different. Ryuki didn't act like any of the Orphenochs he had encountered and destroyed. Ryuki acted more human, if he could say that, than any other human, despite no longer being human. Then again, Craig had turned Orphenochs into a stereotype; forgetting that, like humans, they were all different from one another. Of course, the only Orphenochs he had met had lost their 'souls' and tried to terrorize humans. Those Orphenochs met their end at his hands.

He would not forget the night he met Ryuki, believing him to be the same Orphenoch that had killed his team known as the Templars. Even if he wasn't, Craig would've still killed Ryuki for being an Orphenoch…a monster. But seeing as the Titans, especially his old friend Terra, had defended Ryuki, and that Ryuki was willing to let Craig do him in, he came to realize that maybe, just maybe, not all Orphenochs were bad.

Of course, it was going to take more than just one Orphenoch to change the way that he though. He only acknowledged Ryuki's human side. To him, Ryuki's Orphenoch side was still dangerous and if Ryuki ever lost control…

Craig looked down at his Death Buster gun. Would Craig be willing to do him in?

He thought of the Tournament again and asked, "So, why did you become a Zodiac Knight?"

"To protect people," was Ryuki's simple answer. It was too simple, for Craig at least. There had to be something more. There just had to be.

"That's it?" Craig asked, and then Ryuki had a sad look in his eyes.

"It used to be, but I'm not so sure anymore," Ryuki told him, averting his eyes. "I used to believe that, as long as I protected people…this power…" he didn't know how to finish. He suddenly sat up "I just…now it's just so messed up!" he balled his fists. He remembered back, two or three years ago, when it all began…

(Flashback)

Ryuki was 15 and it was the summer holidays. It was after his 15th birthday and he was in his third and final year of Junior High. He lived with his mother and grandparents in a huge mansion. His mother was the famous fashion designer, Emiko Narukawa Hasuma. His father had died when he was three. He also had a twin sister named Neko Katherine Hasuma, but she preferred to be called Kat, her nickname. He preferred to be called Leo, his nickname, for some reason. His middle name was Leonard and since he was born under the sign of Leo, it made sense, sort of.

He was in the attic of the mansion. He loved to come here as a child and had only come here once in a while as a teenager, soon to be reaching adulthood. His straight braided auburn hair was being covered by cobwebs, but he didn't care. Blowing off the dust from the top of the trunk, he pulled it out of its hiding place. He had been shown this trunk by his mother, but she never found the key. The trunk had belonged to his father and held all his possessions. Ryuki wanted to know all about his father and now was the time.

The reason his mother never found the key was because he had it with him all this time. He put the key into the keyhole, turned it, and with a 'click' the trunk unlocked. He smiled and lifted the lid and looked inside. There were various memorabilia, like pictures, journals and old scrapbooks as well as a few knick-knacks here and there. But what really caught his attention was a red case that shone even in the darkness of the attic. He reached into the trunk and pulled it out. Gazing at it with his emerald green eyes, he found a slot and pulled something out. It was a card, but a bit strange. It was unlike the trading cards he collected. It was completely blank and held the words 'CONTRACT' on top. He pulled out another card and the picture on it looked like a black hole that had purplish swirls around it and with the words 'SEAL' on top.

(End Flashback)

Ryuki sighed. Sometimes, he wished he could just turn back the hands of time and go back to that day and never found the Zodiac Deck of the Dragon. It brought him nothing but pain and trouble since day one. He had lost friends, had to lie to his mother, keep secrets from her…the list went on and on. However, when he came to think of it, if it wasn't for that day, if he hadn't become a Zodiac Knight, maybe he wouldn't have met the Titans, maybe he wouldn't have met Jinx.

Then again, maybe Tazuka/Zodiac Knight Jawz wouldn't have died and his sister wouldn't have become his greatest enemy and maybe he wouldn't have become…become…

He looked at his hands. He had cleaned them so many times, but the blood was still there. He could still smell it, feel it, taste it; it disgusted him to no ends that he enjoyed it.

But he did.

And that frightened him.

He was a monster and he was afraid…of himself.

If he had not picked up that deck, then he wouldn't be living this life right now. He wouldn't be a monster, he wouldn't be fighting for his life, he wouldn't be…

He wouldn't be able to have met Jinx and fall in love with her.

Sighing and breathing deeply, he couldn't help but imagine that Jinx/Jen was the only light he had in the darkness. If he ever lost her…he didn't know what he would do. His friends would be there for him, that was for certain, but if Jinx would be hurt because of him or even worse…he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for not being able to save her.

Maybe, THAT was his reason for being a Knight: protecting Jinx.

But what about living?

Being an Orphenoch meant having a short lifespan and, despite his courage, he was afraid to die. He didn't want to die! He wanted to live, damn it!

Kat walked back to her campsite, slowly and steadily. The experience with Libra had an adverse effect on her psyche. She was, to say the least, completely and utterly messed up.

To think there was another Knight that was more powerful than she was. She wasn't ignorant; she knew of other beings more powerful than she was. Trigon was a good example, as was Yoshido and any other celestial and hellion out there. Libra was a Knight and yet he was something else.

Libra was too powerful and Kat doubted that she could take him on her own.

She remembered the day she became a Zodiac Knight like it was yesterday.

(Flashback…)

It was night and her brother had returned home late. He was slightly bruised and his clothes were dirty, but she didn't care, at least not much. She wanted to know what he had been doing and what secrets he had been hiding from their mother. His grades had been slipping, he didn't get enough sleep, and he came home barely after curfew.

This strange behavior had started since that day he went up to the attic. For some reason, he never went up there again. What had happened? Also his new friends, Takada and Ichijyo, would often cover for him. She knew something was up and her mother was starting to catch on.

She was jealous of her brother. She was the first born, but he had been chosen as heir of the Hasuma School. The dojo and all its branches would be his and because of what? Because he was the first born son? She was more worthy than he was. She was more skilful and powerful! She could bring honor to the school!

Kat watched and smiled as her mother spoke to him, holding a test paper. He had gotten a very low score. He was ready to explain, but then something happened.

There was an explosion and it came from the front door. Her brother ran towards the front, followed by his mother. She ran after them, wanting to know what was going on.

There, standing where the front door once was, which had been reduced to a large smoking hole, was a black armor clad figure. The bodyguards came immediately to subdue the intruder, but he dispatched them quickly. Kat then saw her brother stand between the being and her mother.

That was when she heard a voice. It was calling her towards the attic. Automatically, beyond her control, she teleported to where the voice was calling her, despite what was going on.

She stepped towards the trunk and opened it. She reached down into it and pulled out a case similar to what her brother had found, only this one was black. She grinned with satisfaction for some reason.

She went back downstairs and saw a red and silver armor clad figure fighting with black one. Somehow, she knew it was her brother and her anger rose. His power, that power, should be hers as was everything else.

With this deck of cards in her hands, her dreams would come true.

(End Flashback)

Not sooner after that, Yoshido had recruited her into the Black Knights Guild. However, her instability (not to mention insanity) had her kicked out just as fast. She hissed with anger.

She would always hate her brother, even if a small part of her still cared and loved him. Her hatred and jealousy of him was the only thing still driving her to become the best fighter she could be. That was why she joined Slade-sama in the first place, to become stronger!

Glancing into a puddle, she looked at herself. She looked tired and haggard. Must've been all that fighting she'd done tonight. Laughing, she then walked back to camp.

A droplet of water hit her nose, then another one hit her cheek. She looked up. Clouds were collecting together. It was beginning to rain. Despite knowing how to swim, she still hated water; she wasn't in the mood. Covering her head with her arms, she ran back as fast as she could towards the campsite.

When she arrived, she saw that they were already busy packing. Then again, it did make sense. The Titans knew they were nearby and no doubt would be trying to come and arrest them. She saw Psycho-Rogue standing nearby to Cathy. Cathy yawned and rubbed her eye, holding a little cat doll Kat had given her. Upon seeing her mother, the cat girl squealed and ran towards her. Kat caught the little girl in her arms.

"What took you so long?" Grant asked.

"Had some thinking to do," Kat said. "We're leaving so soon?"

"With the Titans around, we can't camp out any longer. We gotta go back to Jump City."

Kat shrugged. She saw Rose put out the campfire and put away some of their stuff and into the RV. Joey was checking just in case they left anything behind. He had a list in his hands. They were in a hurry, but that was no excuse to leave anything behind.

Kat would often think of what could've been if she never listened to that voice, which she figured was either Yoshido or the deck's. If she hadn't become the Zodiac Knight of Cats known as Copycat, she would not have become so hell bent in killing her brother and becoming evil. She wouldn't have lost friends in the process as well. However, if it wasn't for that day, she would have never met Slade and would not have met Rose…and maybe not have found Cathy either. What fate would've befallen Cathy if Kat had not taken the mantle of Zodiac Knight Copycat?

She didn't want to think of that.

Grant, Joey and Rose had already packed up everything into the RV. Grant was at the driver's seat, Joey sitting shotgun. Rose went in and called for her and Cathy. Calling back Psycho-Rogue, she went into the RV, carrying a sleeping Cathy in her arms.

They drove out of the site and towards the main road. Kat placed Cathy in her bed and tucked her in. She stroked the little mutant girl's head tenderly, singing a sift lullaby her mother had sung to her when she was little. Cathy was soon in the land of nod.

Kat sighed. Libra had come to test them. However, he had purposely allowed her, Draco, Pluto and Shadowocbra to stay in the Mirror Dimension to both witness and experience his power. Why? What was his purpose?

She would find out soon enough as she yawned. Exhaustion and the need for sleep were beginning to overwhelm her. She then kissed Cathy on the forehead and went over to one of the bunk beds, falling asleep as her form touched the mattress. She was out like a light and purred. Rose looked at Kat and smiled, kissing her. Kat smiled wider.

"Goodnight, Kitty-Kat." She then kissed Cathy on the cheek, "And goodnight, Kitten."

The Titans returned to the campsite and despite their searching could not find Kat or Tartarus.

"Didn't find them, huh?" Ryuki smiled, despite his friends' disappointment. For some reason, he was glad that they didn't find his sister and her team. Of course, he wasn't going to let them know that.

"No sign, dude," Beast Boy said, yawning.

"Not one single trace of em. It's like they just vanished," Cyborg added.

"Well, I'm tired," Pluto yawned.

"Agreed," Shadowcobra agreed, which was a rare thing since he was agreeing with Pluto of all people.

"Let's just turn in, team," said Robin. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Now tired, Ryuki was going to go sleep in the tent. They would all return home soon. From the phone call he had received, Brimstone was a bit more of a handful for the girls than he thought. He was looking forward to fishing, but he couldn't wait to be with his girlfriend and pet again.

Libra watched his children as they dozed off to sleep. He was still in Clockwork's Tower and drinking a cup of tea his friend had prepared for him. Most of the time portals were interesting, but one gave him an ominous feeling.

He just hoped that future never came to be.

To Be Continued…

ZK Chromedragozoid: How was that? Nice huh? Anyway, there was no fighting in this fic, but you were able to find out just exactly how Draco/Ryuki and Copycat/Kat became Zodiac Knights. Next, the story will skip a few days. Draco has a mission in New York and he is once again partnered with his friend Jake Long the American Dragon. And also, who is the Spider Orphenoch? Stay tune for this answer and more in the next chapter…Part 28: The Big Apple.

And thanks for all the reviews. I really appreciate it! Also, read the fics written by Dr. Evans and Angel17712 and leave a review for them, kay?