Chapter 3: School, Saturn, and Snakes
The room was quiet for Takada as he humbly slept. His dreams were filled with pretty girls and lots of intimate physical activity. He was content with his dreams as he continued going through the motions with several attractive women with sizable physical attributes.
SPLASH!
"Ack! What the heck?!" Takada cried as his world became covered in water. He looked up to see the frowning face of his room mate Ichijyo looking down on him.
"Get up, Dog," Ichijyo spoke. "We're going to be late for school if we don't hurry."
"There are better things to wake me up with than water!" Takada snapped as he got out of his soggy futon.
"True, but it's the most amusing," Ichijyo smirked. He then turned and head out of the room to let his fellow Knight get dressed.
As the confrontation between roommates was occurring, the third member of the household was busy brushing his teeth. Ryuki had a bathroom near where he slept so he managed to get there first. There were actually two bathrooms, but Ichijyo had claimed the second one and neither Takada nor Ryuki wished to intrude on his privacy. He tended get scary when they did.
Today was the boys' first day of school at Juuban Junior High. Ryuki was excited about it. It meant that he could meet new people and make some new friends. Takada was happy because it meant that he could find a bunch of cute girls to hit on. Ichijyo just found the whole process annoying. Still, an education was an invaluable thing so he didn't complain about it. He was still unhappy about it though.
As Ryuki was finishing with his teeth, Takada walked into the bathroom looking upset. Ryuki just figured it was because of something that he and Ichijyo had been talking about. Anything they started talking about usually degraded into a fight.
"Ohayo, Takada-san," Ryuki smiled brightly.
"Kami-sama, save me from morning people," Takada grumbled. "Morning, Ryuki."
"What do you think this school is going to be?" Ryuki asked curiously as Takada began brushing his teeth too.
"Not sure," Takada shrugged. "Might be kinda easy though. So long as there's cute girls then I'll be happy."
"I think Usagi-san and her friends go there," Ryuki pondered. "It will be good to know someone there."
"Really?" Takada blinked. "Well, today's looking up already."
"Hai," Ryuki smiled, missing Takada's point. "It will be nice to see them again." He then left to allow Takada to take a shower.
The two boys finished their morning routines and met Ichiyo in the dining room. The Snake Knight had prepared breakfast for them. All three were donned in school uniforms and had their supplies collected with them. Ichijyo wore a black trenchcoat over his uniform while Takada wore his uniform completely unbuttoned to reveal him wearing a blue T-shirt underneath it. Ryuki had the top button of his uniform undone to reveal that he was wearing a red Chinese shirt underneath.
"Good to see you're both ready," Ichijyo nodded. "This is record time for you, Mutt."
"Bite me, Scaleface!" Takada growled.
"Even if I wanted to, I don't eat junk food," Ichijyo retorted before they all sat down. "Now, sit and eat. We don't have anymore time to waste." Takada reluctantly sat down but Ryuki was more eager as they all began to eat breakfast. It was silent and there was little conversation shared between them as they ate.
When they were done, Ryuki collected all the plates and put them into the sink before washing them. Ichijyo was already at the door, waiting. "Let's go," he said before walking out, followed closely behind by a fuming Takada and a smiling Ryuki.
All three boys walked out into the hallway before Ichijyo locked the door. They had taken a vote the previous night to see who would hold the master key and Ichijyo was elected since he was the one responsible enough to not lose them.
"Good morning!" a new cheery voice greeted from the next door over. The three boys turned and saw their neighbor, Makoto Kino, smiling back at them as she was exiting her apartment.
"Good morning, Makoto-san," Ryuki smiled.
"Morning," Ichijyo nodded.
"Ah, Mako-chan! Good morning!" Takada smiled brightly. It was like his earlier surly attitude didn't even exist. Ichijyo rolled his eyes at his comrade's change of attitude.
"Are you guys heading out to school?" Makoto asked as she stepped closer to the boys. She was secretly hoping that they really were going to Juuban Junior High. It was one of the larger schools, even if a number of the upper class schools would probably fight over who would take them.
"Hai," Ryuki nodded. "We're going to the local junior high. Do you go there too?"
"Oh yes!" Makoto nodded happily. Score three hot guys! They were going to her school and she could go with them every morning. Could this get any better?
"Well, lead the way, Mako-chan!" Takada said, smiling brightly. Ichijyo rolled his eyes and then walked up ahead, brushing past Makoto coldly. She blinked.
"What's wrong with him?" Makoto asked.
Takada answered, "Oh, him? He's not much of a morning person. I bet he's just grouchy. Typical Goth behavior."
"I heard that!" Ichijyo snapped as he turned around to glare at Takada, who gulped. Ichijyo then fixed his glasses and continued on his way.
"Minna, ikuzo!" Ryuki said as he ran after Ichijyo. That left Takada and Makoto to walk together, alone.
Ichijyo looked up at the building with some disdain. It wasn't as big as the Red Horse Institute but for now it would suffice. Besides, it was only temporary. Ryuki still had not caught up with him since he'd stopped to help get a cat out of a tree for an old lady. Honestly, the boy was just too nice for his own good. Takada was probably bragging and trying to flirt with Makoto so that was why he wasn't here yet either. At least it was peaceful…
"Hey, Ichijyo!" a bubbly female voice called, causing him to cringe.
Scratch that. The peace was broken. He turned his head towards the direction to see Usagi running towards him. She appeared to be in a hurry as he could see a piece of toast still hanging in her mouth. She was chewing and trying to swallow as she ran. He was briefly reminded of Ryuki for some reason but then shook his head. He took in a deep breath of air and greeted her too, "Good morning to you too, Usagi-san." She stopped in front of him and panted. She then smiled brightly. Was she just as much as a morning person as Ryuki? He could tell there were some subtle resemblances in their personalities.
"So, you go here too, huh?" Usagi said and looked him over. "Hey, cool coat!"
"Thank you," Ichijyo replied, politely, but wanting to get to his first class quickly. "It's what I wore back in my old school."
"Well, I hope you enjoy this school too, Mr. CEO!" she said. He frowned.
"How did you find out about that?" he asked. He could scan her mind, but that was only if he could tell that she was lying. Besides, he didn't want to risk seeing what was in her mind. It might make him gag.
"Oh, Ami Googled you guys," Usagi answered, missing his tone. "You are some really cool guys, you know?"
"Thank you…I guess. But, please don't tell anyone. We are just normal students here like all you are," Ichijyo said before thinking. 'OK, that's a lie but the truth may just scare her.' Usagi looked over his shoulder and smiled.
"Makoto! Takada! Ryuki!" she greeted.
Ryuki ran towards them and said, "Please, call me Leo. It's what all my friends do." He added in his mind, 'Until they become really close, of course, like family.'
"Right, Leo, gotcha!" she beamed.
Makoto laughed at another joke Takada told and Ichijyo rolled his eyes. "Can we get a move on, this century please?" Turning towards the gate, he then stomped in, not waiting for the others.
"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said he wasn't a morning person," Makoto blinked.
"Told you so," Takada nodded.
"Good morning, class," the homeroom teacher spoke up as the class settled down for the morning. Usagi was already settling in for a snooze while Ami dutifully had her notebook out, ready to take notes.
"We have two new students joining us today," the teacher continued. "I expect all of you to welcome them warmly."
Usagi smiled sneakily at the expectant faces of the other students. Ami seemed to be looking forward to seeing the new students, but she knew who they most likely were.
The teacher moved to the classroom door and opened it for the students. Usagi and Ami both smiled as they saw Ryuki and Takada walk in. Ryuki was looking at the students with his regular cheerful attitude while Takada noticed both Ami and Usagi and smiled charmingly.
Of course, several other girls in class immediately sighed dreamily as they saw both boys enter the room. Giggling was noticeable while the boys were holding in judgments until they got to know the guys.
"Konnichawa," Ryuki smiled. "My name is Ryuki Leonard Hasuma. Just call me by Leo. I hope we can be good friends."
"Yo! Name's Yoshiyuki Takada," Takada smiled. "It's a pleasure to be here."
The girls began to giggle even more as they started whispering to each other. One such girl was Usagi's best friend Naru as she leaned over to the blonde.
"Oh my god, Usagi!" she giggled. "They're so good-looking!"
"I know," Usagi smiled. "There's a third one coming here too. I wonder what class he's in?"
"There's another cute boy?" Naru gasped excitedly. "You met him didn't you? Oh that's not fair!"
"Oh, I'm just lucky," Usagi giggled.
"My name is Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa," the dark boy introduced to his new classmates. "I'm glad to be here."
Of course Ichijyo was lying through his teeth. He would prefer to be nowhere near this place and back in his apartment until his old school was fixed. Still, he couldn't afford to shirk his education so he had no choice. It wouldn't be as bad if there weren't so many giggling schoolgirls. Even worse, Makoto Kino was there and her strange aura was agitating his senses.
"Very good," the teacher nodded as she looked out to the class. "You can take the empty seat next to Kino-san."
"Very well," Ichijyo nodded. He then took his backpack and headed over to the empty seat.
"Looks like we're going to have class together now," Makoto smiled warmly.
"Apparently," Ichijyo sighed. He then calmly took out his notebook and started taking notes from the board.
Makoto took notice that all through class several notes were landing on Ichijyo's desk. He would calmly open them and glance at them for a moment before crumpling them up and hiding them in his coat pockets. Makoto had seen a few of them and she was surprised at how forward a few of them were. They raged from things like a phone number to asking if Ichijyo would scratch a certain 'itch'.
From the rate the notes were coming, it looked like Ichijyo was going to break a lot of hearts.
Lunchtime rolled around and Ichijyo placed himself in the shade of a tree before he began to eat lunch. He didn't have to wait long before his friends joined him.
"So how's everyone's first day?" asked Takada with a grin. "It's been a good day for me!"
"And how many girls did you attempt to seduce this time?" Ichijyo sighed.
"Hey! I'll have you know that they all came to me!" Takada snapped. He then pulled out several small papers with names and phone numbers on them. "I didn't have to ask for numbers!"
"They were very friendly to Takada-san," Ryuki nodded. "Some of the girls gave me their numbers too. I didn't even have to ask for them either."
"Hmm," Ichijyo sighed as he emptied his coat pockets from the morning classes. There were enough to double what Takada and Ryuki had, combined.
"I don't believe this!" Takada cried. "How the hell do you do this?! I mean, you act like a total jerk and girls go after you!"
"It's the forbidden fruit concept," Ichijyo snickered. "Even if I make myself seem unavailable, it makes several girls more determined to get me."
"Okay, now that makes sense," Takada grumbled. "The girls want what they can't have."
"What about you, Ryuki?" asked Ichijyo.
"Everyone is very nice here," Ryuki answered. "The girls were friendly until gym class. After I managed to play some basketball, the other boys were starting to like me too."
"He scored three baskets from mid-court," Takada chuckled. "The teacher practically begged him to join the basketball team."
Ryuki frowned as he took a bite out of his lunch. He complained, "Too cold," before he held a hand over his bento and released a small amount of heat. He took his hand away and took another bite before smiling, "Um, just right."
Ichijyo gave him a disapproving look and decided to give them a serious talk, "Alright, you two, remember that we cannot attract any unwanted attention to ourselves."
"Hey, I'm already enjoying the attention," Takada grinned, missing Ichijyo's point. Ichijyo hissed.
"No, Mongrel," Ichijyo said, eyes narrowed in annoyance, "What I mean is that we can't let ourselves be seen using our powers. So, I suggest you two be careful."
"You want only us to be careful?" Takada asked. "What makes you think you're so careful, Fangface?" Takada rebuked. Ryuki sighed. Here we go again.
Ichijyo ignored the insult. "Me? I'm always careful. Plus, if I get caught I can just use my telepathy to erase their memories. You two on the other hand don't have such luxuries." Ichijyo smirked condescendingly.
Takada growled and then Ryuki spoke up, "Takada-san, Ichijyo-san is right. We cannot allow ourselves to get caught."
Takada listened to reason and calmed down. "Fine…So, what are you going to do with all these phone numbers the girls gave you? Or, can I have them?"
Ichijyo said, "I'd have to tell them I wasn't interested in pursuing any sort of relationship. Of course, that would just make them want to try harder."
"Ah, to be popular," Takada said, smiling.
"I thought we'd escape this sort of trouble when we came here," Ichijyo frowned. "I thought wrong."
Ryuki then said, "Could be worse. We could be the most hated people here."
Takada and Ichijyo nodded in agreement. It was better than being hated by the whole school.
"Takada and Leo sure seem popular," Usagi spoke up as she plowed through her lunch with zeal. "They were getting all sorts of notes all through the class."
"I have to agree," Ami nodded. "I didn't think anyone could become popular on their first day."
"Ichijyo sure managed it," Makoto smiled. "All the girls were throwing notes to him like there was no tomorrow."
"The gym teacher looked like he witnessed a miracle when Leo made those shots from the middle of the court."
"It was quite amazing," Ami agreed. "I've only heard of professional level athletes making shots like that."
"You mean not only is Leo gorgeous and rich, but he's athletic too?" Makoto gaped. "Wow. I hope they're single."
"Better act fast, Mako-chan," Usagi giggled. "Minako looked ready to leap for them when we last saw them."
"This can't be done carelessly," Makoto retorted, "These boys are mature and sophisticated members of society. I can't act like a schoolgirl. I'll have to act like a woman if I want their attention."
"You really think so?" wondered Usagi. "I don't think Takada or Leo would mind either way."
"Well, it's better to be safe rather than sorry," Makoto shrugged.
The day of school went on at a fast and steady pace. Ichijyo had broken a few hearts but a number of the girls were not going to give up. Ryuki let them down easily. Takada, however, well…
"Now, who to call first," Takada said as he scanned through the numbers. Ichijyo rolled his eyes as the three of them walked out the school.
"You are insatiable, you know that?" Ichijyo said.
"Hey, I got a busy social life," Takada retorted. "Besides, I'm not the one who just gained his own fan club."
Ichijyo grimaced. It seemed that even being a cold insensitive jerk he still was being harassed by women.
"The gym teacher asked me if I could try out for some of the sports teams," Ryuki said as he smiled.
"Well, you do have athletic talent," Ichijyo said. He then said, "You know, today has been unusually peaceful. Usually we'd get at least a monster to fight with in school."
"At our old school, maybe," Takada said. "But, hey, new place."
"In any case, we should check back home," Ichijyo said seriously.
"Hey, guys!" Makoto called and Ichijyo groaned. He looked over his shoulder to see that Usagi and Ami were with her.
"Yes?" Ichijyo said.
"Wanna hang out?" Usagi invited. "Like at the arcade?"
"An arcade?" Takada's eyes brightened. He loved videogames. "Sure!"
"Can I come too?" Ryuki asked.
"Of course, you're invited too," Usagi beamed. "Ichijyo?"
Ichijyo sighed. Maybe he could decline but then these girls would not give up. He reluctantly said, "Fine…"
"Good, we'll be meeting Rei and Minako there too," Usagi said.
"Who's Rei? Another friend?" Takada asked, grinning. He began to wonder if she was hot too.
"Yeah!" Usagi nodded. "She's a little high-strung now and then, but she's okay. She's also a priestess up at the local temple."
"Priestess?" the boys blinked. Each of them instantly were feeling reactions.
Ichijyo instantly began regretting his decision. Generally, he and mikos didn't get along that well. The really talented ones were capable of sensing his energies, usually classing him as a demon or something. Not technically wrong about his species, but definitely wrong about his intentions.
'This sounds bad,' Yaminekoryu groaned inside of Ryuki's mind. Yaminekoryu was a very powerful demonic entity and even being sealed inside of a human didn't always keep his aura fully suppressed. Some monks and mikos were capable of sensing him and the especially powerful temples would make Ryuki queasy if he stayed on the grounds too long.
Takada was just thanking the gods for giving him this opportunity. The miko attire was definitely something sexy. Especially when you shortened the skirt or loosened the top just a little…
"That's right," Ami nodded. "She wasn't with us when we met you all at Makoto's apartment building."
"Minako will also be glad to see you guys again!" Usagi beamed. "So let's go!"
Usagi led the way towards the arcade with Takada following happily. Ichijyo and Ryuki were both holding back reluctantly. This was going to turn out very bad if they didn't watch themselves.
Usagi's path planted in front of the Crown Arcade in which Takada instantly recognized. He silently begged the gods that the two girls he had met last time weren't there. He didn't need another assault on his person.
"Hi, everyone!" Usagi smiled as she entered the arcade with the boys in tow.
Ryuki, Takada, and Ichijyo looked to where Usagi was waving and found themselves looking at the corner table where two more girls were waiting. One was the familiar blonde Minako, but the other was a girl donned in a different school uniform and had long raven hair which fell freely down her back.
"Hi, Usagi," Minako smiled. Her gaze then turned to the boys and her face suddenly got some added sparkle to it. "And hello, boys!"
"Hello, Minako-san," Ryuki smiled.
"Ahh, this must be Rei-chan!" Takada smiled as he seemed to almost teleport in front of the dark-haired girl. "How do you do? My name is Yoshiyuka Takada. It's nice to meet you."
"Uh," Rei blinked, but the small flush on her face was unmistakable. "It's…nice to meet you too."
Ichijyo sighed as he stepped forward towards Takada. He remained silent before he smacked him upside the head.
"Ow!" Takada cried before turning to Ichijyo. "What was that for?!"
"Rein in your hormones," Ichiyo frowned.
"I was!" Takada snapped back. "I was just being friendly."
"Oh, please," Ichijyo snorted. "You go crazy every time you see a pretty girl. Someone has to keep a leash on you, Mutt."
"At least I can appreciate the opposite gender, Scaleface!" Takada growled back.
"Um…are they always like this?" Ami asked Ryuki with some concern.
"Oh yes," the boy nodded. "It usually starts with a disagreement like this one. It then degenerates into name-calling."
"As we have just seen," Makoto blinked at the bickering duo.
"And then it will go into physical violence," Ryuki continued.
WHAM!!
The girls turned their gazes to Ichijyo and Takada only to find that they had a fist implanted in each other's faces. While they could tell it hurt, but the two boys didn't seem to care.
"And then they will use objects to help get their message across," Ryuki finished.
CRACK!
The girls' attention returned to the bickering boys only to see that Ichijyo had taken a serving tray and took it to the side of Takada's head.
"It ends here usually, but when they get really mad they can usually fight each other into unconsciousness," Ryuki finished, somehow still smiling. His face grew stern as he said, "Can you two not argue here? You're causing a scene here!" Ichijyo and Takada stopped. Ichijyo already had the spiky haired boy in a headlock and choking him while Takada flailed around. They then got back to their feet, letting go of one another and fixing their clothes. "Thank you," Ryuki smiled.
"I apologize," Ichijyo said.
"Yeah, me too," Takada said.
Rei was giving the trio of boys odd looks, especially both Ryuki and Ichijyo. Something was definitely off about those two. Their auras were strange.
Ichijyo's aura was what worried her. It was saturated with darkness and in her experiences as a Sailor Scout that was never good. Of course, something odd was about him too. As dark as his aura was, there were pockets of light which showed no sign of diminishing or eroding. If it was slightly different then she might have thought that Ichijyo was being swallowed by some kind of negative force. As it was, it seemed that he had balanced the darkness with his light.
The other boy's aura was even odder than anything. It was mostly human, but there was an underlying sense of some kind of demonic force. It was incredibly faint. She couldn't think of many reasons why he would have that. He may have been in contact with a demon or some kind of youma. They sometimes did leave a lingering impression on some people. It was strange though.
"Okay!" Usagi smiled. "Rei, these are Ichijyo, Ryuki, but he likes to be called Leo, and Takada."
"Um…hello," Rei nodded. Her mind was still trying to figure out the strange auras.
Ichijyo was feeling the questioning tendrils of miko energies. It was confirmed to him. This girl was the real deal when it came to a priestess role. As much as Ichijyo had control of his abilities, he sometimes still acted out of instinct. His senses were not enjoying the probing and he was on the verge of lashing back. He would have to get out of there fast.
"It's nice to meet you," Ichijyo nodded. "However, I'm in somewhat of a bind for time so I will have to be going. Goodbye."
The Goth didn't even wait for anyone to say anything. He had to get out of there quickly before his energies decided that they didn't like what Rei was trying to do.
"What's wrong with him?" asked Minako. She had been looking forward to hanging out with three hot guys.
"Ah, he's always moody like that," Takada shrugged. "So, we haven't really gotten the time to know each other have we. I mean, since you all took the time to greet us when we moved into our apartment."
Minako and Makoto were suddenly all smiles.
Ichijyo walked down the streets, calming himself from his encounter with the shrine maiden. It took a couple of minutes, but he was back in control. He would have to do some meditation exercises so he wouldn't have another near episode when he met up with Rei again. Knowing how often these girls tended to pop up, he would be meeting up with her again.
"What is it with odd auras around this town?" he sighed to himself.
Ichijyo walked for a little while longer before he began to hear something.
"Get the freak!"
"Nowhere to run now!"
Ichijyo suddenly froze. Those words cut through Ichijyo's calm face like a hot knife through butter. Those words put Ichijyo's mind back to the people who would torture him in his childhood. There was no way he would let this go.
He followed the teasing voices towards an alley. At the other end he saw a bunch of kids who seemed a year or three under him. They were circled around someone else and they looked like they were getting ready to beat her.
"Any last words, you little weirdo?" sneered the apparent leader.
"I have a few words," Ichijyo spoke up. The group of kids turned around to see who was interrupting their idea of fun. "And I say leave the child alone before I render you all comatose."
"Buzz off!" the leader frowned. "We're just giving the freak what she deserves!"
Ichijyo just continued to frown even deeper than before. He removed his hands from his pockets and flexed his hands, allowing his knuckles to crack. He then wordlessly began walking towards the small group of punks.
"Get him!" one of the boys cried.
With the mob mentality in full throttle, the group of punks charged at Ichijyo, intent on making him pay for stepping in on their fun.
Ichijyo didn't even seem intimidated. He quickly went into a whirlwind of moves that was signature of his fighting style. He used a roundhouse to bash one of the punks in the side of the head, knocking him senseless. The punks were a little stunned, but Ichijyo pressed forward with precise punches to the chest. Each punk began clutching their faces or struggling to breathe.
"Now get out of my sight," Ichijyo hissed to the punks.
They obviously got the message since they were on their feet and heading out as fast as they could go. They were limping along, but they were going.
Satisfied that they were gone, Ichijyo turned back to see just who they were planning on beating up. Who he saw was a girl about the same age as the punks who looked a little on the frail side with dark hair which almost looked purple. She had a school uniform on as well. He didn't recognize which school it was for, but that really wasn't important at the moment.
"Are you alright?" Ichijyo asked with some concern. His expression was strangely gentle too.
"Um…yes," the girl nodded. "Thank you."
Ichijyo idly noticed that this girl had an aura that was eerily similar to Usagi and her friends. This one was different though. The small girl's aura seemed to be more concentrated, but radiated a sense of balance. A sense of a destructive aura balanced out by her very life force and innocence. Ichijyo had actually doubted that people like her actually existed.
"What's your name?" he asked her. It was the polite thing to do and also logical.
"Ho-Hotaru Tomoe," she answered, nervously. She had seen the way he fought and it frightened her a bit. But, he did save her.
"Very well, Tomoe-san," Ichijyo said and Hotaru relaxed. "My name is Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa." He looked over his shoulder to where the bullies had run off to. "Those…people were harassing you, were they not?"
Hotaru was silent but that was enough to answer her question. Ichijyo knew that she kept this from other people to not worry them. He decided not to pry any longer and asked, "Where do you live? Would you like me to escort you?"
The purple haired girl stared at him because of the generous offer and nodded. "Yes, thank you."
"Good," he smiled, which was uncharacteristically strange for him, "Please, lead the way."
As the two walked out of an alley, someone sitting at a table was watching them with an even gaze. He flipped a coin and looked at the side facing up as it landed on his palm. "The Princess of Saturn has met the Knight of Snakes. Things are following the right direction. The Knights of Dragons and Dogs have also encountered and met the other Princesses of the Inner Worlds."
Takada was having fun hanging out with a group of cute girls as he played a few games. Ryuki played a few too. Their favorite had been the motorbike racing game. Right now, they were playing another lap, both neck to neck on their bikes as the girls cheered on.
Well…almost all the girls. Rei was staring at them with a neutral gaze. Ryuki's aura bothered her a little and even after leaving, Ichijyo's aura gave her something to be concerned about. She needed to tell her friends. These boys could be hiding a dangerous secret.
She would have to tell them when Takada and Ryuki were gone.
"So this is your house," Ichijyo asked as he and Hotaru came up to the step of a rather nice looking abode.
"Yes," Hotaru nodded. "Me, Michiru-mama, Haruka-papa, and Setsuna-mama all live here."
"Is that so?" Ichijyo commented. "If it's not too forward of me, are you adopted?"
"Yes," Hotaru nodded. "They took me in after some…things happened to my papa. They've really made my life better thought and I've been very happy."
Ichijyo let out a small smile as he saw Hotaru's attitude lift up dramatically. The couple here must indeed be some special people. He then suddenly thought about the names he heard in conjunction with something that had happened with the Mutt.
"When you say Michiru and Haruka," Ichijyo began. "Is one by chance feminine looking with shoulder-length aquamarine hair while the other has short blonde hair and acts like a tomboy?"
"Oh, do you know them?" asked Hotaru.
"Not personally, no," Ichijyo began to snicker. "But a friend of mine met them yesterday I believe. He made a move on one of them and got a punch to the face for his trouble."
"Oh, I remember that!" Hotaru gasped. "He sure was surprised when Haruka-papa hit him. I think Michiru-mama was going to explain that she was taken but Haruka-papa is the jealous type sometimes."
Ichijyo just continued to chuckle, "Oh well. I did want to congratulate them on remaining so dedicated to each other. I'll have to send their regards back to him."
Hotaru couldn't help but giggle too. It was kind of funny when she thought about it. She knew she shouldn't laugh about it, but Ichijyo's laugh seemed to be somewhat infectious.
"So what is it you wanted to talk to us about, Rei?" asked Usagi with some confusion.
The boys had just left with their goodbyes to the girls. When Rei was sure they were gone, she had pulled the other four girls to the table to begin talking.
"It's the aura I was feeling from Ichijyo and Leo," she explained. "There's something wrong with them."
"What is it?" asked Minako with some concern. She hoped it didn't turn out that they were enemies pretending to be friends. She had enough of that.
"Well, Ichijyo's aura was just saturated with negativity," Rei explained. "It was a little disturbing to be honest."
"Does that make him an enemy then?" asked Makoto.
"That's the weird thing," Rei sighed. "He had pockets of light inside of him to balance the darkness. None of our past enemies had that before."
"And what about Leo?" asked Ami.
"Well, his was different," Rei sighed. "It was like there was a demonic aura being hidden inside of his human one. He's not a demon in disguise, but I'm sure he's connected to one somehow."
"So what should we do?" asked a worried Minako.
"Hmmm," Usagi pondered. She then stood up with her arm raised in the air. "I say we follow them and dig out the truth for ourselves!"
The table was silent as the other four girls sweatdropped at the proclamation. The sad thing was that none of them had a better idea.
Ichijyo entered the place and he had a faint feeling of déjà vu. The aura he'd been sensing from those other girls was present here too. Were they somehow connected? Then again, the other girls did say they knew Haruka and Michiru.
"Wait here," Hotaru said as he gestured towards the living room. "I'll go get them."
"Thank you," he nodded as he removed his shoes and slipped on the slippers before following her in. He sat down on a rather comfortable couch and his eyes scanned the place. Not as big as his old one but it looked cozy enough. Whoever lived here certainly had taste.
He didn't have to wait long before Hotaru returned with one of her adoptive parents in tow. She was an elegant woman who was wearing a simple dress and had aquamarine hair which rolled down to her shoulders. She seemed to walk with grace that was almost picturesque. The Snake Knight was able to see why had Takada tried to make a move on this young woman.
"Hello," she smiled in greeting. "My name is Michiru Kaioh. Hotaru tells me that you two met on her way home."
"Yes," Ichijyo nodded. "Some of the local punks thought she might make an easy target. I managed to convince them otherwise."
Michiru sent a worried gaze toward Hotaru, who almost flinched underneath the soft gaze. Ichijyo knew a flinch like that. Hotaru was feeling guilty about worrying those close to her. It was one that Ichijyo had used many times in the course of his childhood.
Michiru then turned back to Ichijyo, "Well, then I must thank you for your help. Hotaru has a weak constitution so she has trouble with more strenuous activity," he face then turned to a thoughtful look. "You know, I never really got your name."
"Of course, how rude of me," Ichijyo nodded with a faint smile. "My name is Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa."
Michiru nodded with a smile. She was about to offer her guest some tea when the front door opened to reveal another member of the household. She was definitely the definition of a tomboy. She wore men's clothes and her hair was in a boyish cut.
"And you must be Haruka," Ichijyo nodded.
"Huh?" the woman blinked. "You know me?"
"Not personally," Ichijyo shrugged. "But an acquaintance of mine got a punch to the face from you after he made a move on Michiru. It was yesterday I believe,"
"Oh," Haruka frowned. "That guy. Are you friends with that jerk or something?"
"Unfortunately. While I do respect his intelligence, I don't respect much else," Ichijyo shrugged. "Although, I must really applaud you for being so faithful to your lover. It's refreshing to see such things."
"And what made you think me and Haruka are lovers?" asked Michiru with a slight tease in her voice.
"Besides the fact that Haruka decked Takada?" Ichijyo snickered. "Well, let's say a little bunny and her friends told me and my roommates after Takada came in with a bruise on his face."
"You know Bun-head too, eh?" Haruka smiled. "Well, I guess we are connected after all."
"We ran into each other when we moved into our apartment," Ichijyo replied. "It's the same building as Makoto Kino. Another friend I believe?"
"That she is," Michiru nodded. "Could I interest you in some tea, Amakusa-san?"
"Unfortunately, no," Ichijyo sighed. "I still have things to do today and if Hotaru is alright, then I'll be on my way."
"Michiru nodded as Ichijyo got his shoes back on and quietly exited the house. Haruka watched him go with a shrug before closing the door behind him. She then turned to her family.
"He doesn't seem so bad," Haruka shrugged.
"Well, he saved Hotaru so he's gotten some points in my book," Michiru smiled. She then turned to her 'daughter'. "Although I'd prefer if you didn't make your friends like this."
"Okay!" Hotaru giggled.
Ichijyo placed his hands in his pockets as he was walking down the street. All in all, his day hadn't been incredibly terrible, but meeting more people with that strange aura was a point of concern. He would have to keep an eye out for them in the future.
That was when he heard it; the infernal ringing noise that served as the Zodiac Knights' call to battle. It echoed through his head as he brought his hands to his ears in attempts to stifle it. He quickly began looking around; trying to find the source so he could stop it. As he turned, he barely saw a metallic leg vanishing from sight in the front windows of a house. Ichijyo frowned as he began to follow it. It wasn't easy since he had to look in the reflections of windows and parked cars, but he could see it as clear as day. A Mirror Monster classified as the Des-Spider was on the hunt. Ichijyo watched as it began to crawl up the side of the house he had just been at. It seemed to have its gaze glued to one of the windows. That meant that it had already chosen its prey.
"The meal has been cancelled," Ichijyo frowned as he took out his Zodiac Deck. He quickly raced over to a nearby car that looked like it had a mirror finish. It would have to do. He held out his deck to the surface, allowing the belt to appear on his waist. He then put his hands into a seal motion.
"Zodiac Force! Snake!"
He snapped the deck onto his belt and allowed the change to overtake him. Soon, in a flash of purple light, Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa had transformed into Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra. With a deep breath, Shadowcobra dove into the surface of the car, and into the Mirror World.
Hotaru was humming happily to herself as she ran a brush through her hair. Her day had looked like the usual with the bullies coming to get her, but then Ichijyo had shown up and chased them all away. It was really nice of him and she was hoping to see him again sometime. She had too few friends as it was.
As she was checking her hair in the mirror, she began to notice something odd. On closer inspection, it looked like there was a thick strand of webbing around her neck. She held her hand to her neck and found nothing there, but it was as plain as day in the mirror. She checked closer and saw that the strand was coming from the window in her room.
"Huh?" she blinked as she slowly walked to the window, checking her mirror to make sure she was following the strand. As she drew closer to the window, she could begin to see her own reflection in it….but it looked like something else was there too.
Suddenly, the glass rippled before two large spider legs came through the glass and trapped Hotaru's ankle in their clutches.
"Ahhhhhhhh!!" the young girl screamed as the legs pulled and made her fall to the floor. The two legs then began pulling her towards the window. "Mama! Papa!"
The door to her room instantly slammed open to reveal Haruka with Michiru right behind her. Both the older women's eyes bulged wide as they saw what was happening.
"Hotaru!" Haruka cried as she dove forward to grab her 'daughter's' hand. Michiru was close behind as she took the other. Soon, the game of tug-o-war began with Hotaru being the prize and rope. The adoptive parents pulled with all their might, trying to get their little one away from the monster which was coming out of the glass in hopes of eating her.
All the while, Hotaru was terrified. This was one of a child's worst fears and it was happening to her. She didn't even have time to transform so that she could fight it! She could feel the pull from the monster suddenly get stronger and she instantly slipped from her adopted parents' hands.
"No!" was all she heard her 'mama' cry before Hotaru felt herself being pulled into a large tunnel. It looked like everything was reflective glass that sparkled brightly. All too soon, the trip ended, and Hotaru found herself yanked into the open air outside her house before she landed on the ground.
She panted weakly before she looked around. Everything looked the same, but she couldn't hear any of the neighbors. Even more, she could see that the paper her 'papa' had left out that morning was still there, but the writing was backwards.
"Where am I?" she whimpered to herself
A loud hiss caught her attention and she looked straight up. Her voice died in her throat and she would have screamed if she could. Up at the roof of her house was a very large metal spider which looked like it was ready to go after her.
Hotaru acted quickly and reached into her pocket and pulled out her Henshin Pen, "Saturn Planet Power! Make-Up!"
If something was supposed to happen, it didn't. Hotaru blinked as she didn't feel any of the magic of the Sailor Senshi enter her.
"Huh?" she blinked. What was going on? Why weren't her powers working?
The hiss of the giant spider caught her attention as it got closer. Hotaru knew she needed to run or else this thing was going to get her. The yard was large enough, but the spider was tearing through the ornaments placed in the backyard like they were made of tissue paper.
Hotaru was now incredibly scared. She just didn't know what to do. The spider was determined to get her and she knew that with her weak constitution, she wasn't going to be able to keep away long. What was she going to do?
Someone decided to answer as a purple and silver vehicle roared onto the property, slamming into the spider's legs and causing it to trip and fall onto the ground. The vehicle rolled to a stop in front of a shocked Hotaru and the top began to lift up. Inside was a man in a suit of purple armor which was designed after a cobra. He dismounted from his vehicle and approached her.
"Are you alright?" the man asked. Hotaru just weakly nodded. "Good. Excuse me while I play exterminator."
Shadowcobra stepped forward and faced the recovering spider. He reached to his belt and pulled out a card while gripping his scepter. He quickly slipped the card inside and slammed it down.
"Sword Vent: Snake Coil Sabre!" Shadowcobra held out his hand before the weapon designed after Genosnaker's tail appeared.
"Raaaaagh!" the Zodiac Knight cried as he charged forward. The large spider swiped at him with its legs, but the Knight of the Snake was agile enough to dodge. He leaped over the attack and landed directly on the spider's back allowing him to unleash several furious strikes which erupted in sparks and cries of pain from the metal arachnid.
The Des-Spider thrashed and went into a rollover which would have removed Shadowcobra if he wasn't so careful a fighter. The purple Knight leaped from his perch and landed on the ground while the Des-Spider was getting back on its feet.
"Might need some help on this one," Shadowcobra grunted as he reached to his belt. He gripped a new card and was preparing to slide it into his scepter.
The Des-Spider hissed loudly and started firing several needles from its mouth. They flew in a barrage aimed right at Shadowcobra, who was caught off guard by the attack. One of the barbs scraped the hand which was holding his card, forcing him to drop it.
"Damn!" Shadowcobra hissed before he dove to avoid more of the barrage.
As he was fighting, the card fluttered through the air and came to a stop near the vehicle in which Shadowcobra had entered the battle in the first place. Hotaru saw it land on the ground and feared that her hero might need it. So, she scrambled forward and picked it up, hoping to give it back to him should he need it.
Shadowcobra turned to look at the girl he had rescued and his eyes widened as he saw her. She was beginning to corrode from being in the Mirror World too long. He had to get her out of here, now!
Ignoring the monster, Shadowcobra dove for the girl and picked her up without any effort. He had to get her back home and he had to do it quickly. Checking for any kind of reflective surface, he spotted one. A window that was on the house was reflecting the sun quite easily. It would have to do. Making sure the girl was secure, Shadowcobra dashed for the window and dove through.
Hotaru could see the strange tunnel again before she and the man who rescued her landed on the porch of her house outside.
"Huh?" Hotaru blinked as she checked her surroundings.
"You should be safe for now," the man spoke. "I'm going back to fight that thing."
"Wait!" Hotaru cried out, but the man was already through the glass. Hotaru wanted to follow, but she didn't know how. Sighing, she began to walk inside when she began to hear sobs coming from upstairs. Acting fast, she went up the stairs and found her mama sobbing on the floor of her room with her papa trying to console her.
"Mama! Papa!" Hotaru cried happily.
"Hotaru?" Michiru gasped. Both she and Haruka turned to see their 'daughter' returned to them. "HOTARU!"
The frail girl found herself enveloped in a glomp that was above and beyond all other hugs that she had ever received. All the while, her 'parents' were saying how happy they were to see her alive and well.
While Hotaru did enjoy the hugs, she was a little concerned about what she had with her. It was one of the armored man's cards and she knew it didn't belong to her. It was a weird one though. It had the picture of a silver humanoid rhino on the front that looked like it was a walking tank with the strength to match. A name was written across the top.
Metalceros.
To Be Continued...