Part 72: Our Memories and Convictions.
I had just turned 15 and summer vacation had come to an end. One day, I decided to do some rummaging in the attic. My father's trunk was there and I was curious to see what I could find. I had just found the key and wanted to see what was inside.
I saw all sorts of things like old knick-knacks and stuff from my father's younger years when I came upon something very strange and interesting. It was a red rectangular case with a slot. I drew a card out and gazed at it. It had an image of a black hole and the word "SEAL" printed on top.
I heard my mother calling me to breakfast. I had really sharp hearing so it was no trouble. I pocketed the deck case and came down from the attic. I didn't know that my life would change forever.
I walked to school. I liked it that way, really. It was good exercise for me. I attended the Red Horse Private Institute, a private school for the rich. Despite a majority of the school's populace being made up of arrogant people, I had some good friends there.
Suddenly, I could hear a strange ringing noise in my ears. I cringed in pain but then I followed the sound and looked towards a building and was shocked to see a dragon flying inside the reflection of the windows. I was surprised that nobody else saw this. All of a sudden, the dragon leapt out of the reflection and came right at me. Out of instinct, I raised up my arms to protect myself. At the time, I was holding that deck case with the Seal Card on top and the dragon bounced off a barrier. I opened my eyes to see that the dragon had disappeared.
Was it just my imagination?
I told my classmates about the dragon and they laughed at me. They told me that I must've been day dreaming. I frowned. I knew what I saw, but without proof I couldn't do anything.
As I was walking home, the same ringing noise invaded my ears. Then, in the reflection of cars at a parking lot, I saw a strange spider creature going after a woman. If this thing was anything like that dragon, then I had to warn the lady.
Then, a girl came in front of me and asked, "Are you a Zodiac Knight?"
I ignored her and ran towards the woman but then I ended up getting sucked through a reflection instead.
I flew through some sort of crystalline tunnel and I screamed the entire way. When I flew out of the reflection, I then realized that I was wearing a strange suit of armor and then I looked up to see the spider monster looking straight at me. I also looked up at the signs to see the writing in reverse but that was the lease of my troubles as the giant spider thing came charging at me. I decided to do the most sensible thing.
I ran away screaming at the top of my lungs.
The spider-monster was knocking cars aside to get to me as I tried to make my escape. The spider thing then got close enough to swing its leg, sending me flying into a building before I came crashing down to the ground. I groaned in pain as I saw the thing coming for me. Was this how I was going to die?
Suddenly, a dark blue pod-like vehicle on two wheels knocked the spider-thing over. It then swerved and screeched to a halt before the top of the vehicle lifted up. I could see another man wearing armor that was different from mine. He then approached the spider, standing in front of me.
"Who are you?" I asked. The man glanced at me.
The other armored man said, "You're new, aren't you?" He snorted, "I'm surprised that you haven't made a contract with a monster yet."
"Huh?" I was confused. What did he mean make a contract?
The spider-monster started spewing sharp spikes at us and the guy threw me aside before using his sword to deflect the spikes. He then charged straight ahead and began fighting it. He then backed away before sheathing his sword. He reached to his right hip where a case was attached to the belt he was wearing which resembled the one I was wearing. He then drew a card before calling its name, "Sword Vent: K-9 Lance!" He slid the card into a slot located in the back of his sword. In a flash of light, a lance appeared in his hands before he charged.
"So, that's what the cards do," I realized before reaching down to the case on my belt. I drew a card before sliding it inside the device on my left arm. "Ano…Sword Vent?" In a flash of light, a sword dropped down from the sky and imbedded itself in the ground in front of me. I looked confused for a moment before walking over and pulling the sword out. "Alright…I may not know what's going on, but there's no way I'll just stand around doing nothing!"
Meanwhile, the other armored person was fighting but then got knocked backwards. Luckily, he landed on his feet. I ran past him, holding the sword before swinging it downwards on the one of the spider's legs.
The sword snapped in half, much to my surprise and embarrassment, before the spider knocked him into a building.
"Stand aside," the other armored man advised, "You're not ready for combat." He then drew another card from his belt before sliding it into his sword. "Add Vent: Summoning Cerberus!"
A loud howling noise could be heard before the biggest dog I had ever seen rammed into the spider. The strangest thing about this dog was not its size, but the three heads it sported. The armored man then drew another card before sliding it into his sword, "Final Vent!"
The dog howled, barked and roared with all three heads before he mounted it. He pointed his lance forwards as the two of them charged. Blue energy engulfed them before they rushed straight at the spider.
"FROZEN HUNTER!" he called out as he sent a blast of frost at the spider, freezing it in place, before smashing right through and shattering it into many pieces. I watched, astounded.
"Sugoi…"
As he walked off, I chased after him. I tried to ask him about what was going on and he snapped at me. I ignored that and continued to ask questions but we heard a roar.
It was that dragon again.
It then attacked us, spewing us with fireballs. I ran like my life depended on it and then somehow ended up back in the real world. I fainted soon after from the shock.
When I woke up, I was in a foreign bed. Was it all a dream?
I walked downstairs to see the girl who'd asked me if I was a Zodiac Knight and a young man who was around my age. He then asked me if I was alright. I recognized that voice. It wasn't a dream after all.
I tried to find out what was going on and he once again snapped at me to shut up and just hand over the card case. I couldn't do that. It was my father's. He did warn me that I would become the dragon's target but I refused to relinquish the object. There was so much I wanted to know like how my father came across it. The girl, Eri, introduced herself and her brother, Takada. She then told me to be careful with the deck, because it was not a toy. I did have further questions but then I was already late.
My mother nearly sent her entire army of bodyguards to find me. She had been that worried.
The next day, as I was walking home from school, I could see a little girl in a clothing store crying. Apparently, her mother had disappeared in the changing room. I clenched my teeth. One of those monsters must've taken her. I looked down at the deck and knew what I must do. I followed the ringing sound and found Eri standing in front of a window and I could see her brother fighting the spider creature. I asked her what I had to do and she told me to make a contract with the dragon.
I did and my armored changed to red and silver and I could feel the power. I then dove into the fight and rescued Pluto (Takada's Zodiac Knight name). Instead of being grateful, however, he attacked me! He was ready to kill me when Shadowcobra suddenly appeared. It ended up turning into a 3-way fight that I wanted to stop. Why were they doing this? What was going on?
I soon realized that we Knights were fated to fight one another until only one of us remained. I didn't want that. The monsters were the real threat!
To be honest, I felt a little conflicted. I had learned that the last Knight standing got a wish for anything they wanted. I could tell that Pluto and Shadowcobra wanted to wish for something that was very precious and dear to them. People who fight like they do don't have a selfish wish they want granted. I wasn't sure what to do for a while until I remembered something my okaasan once told me.
"The true path towards honor lies in your heart. You must fight for what is right and what feels right in your heart, despite all the odds against you."
So, I tried to convince them to join forces and work together but they rejected the idea. It wasn't until the school was attacked that we finally set aside our differences and fought to protect our school. No sooner after that, we became a team and I dubbed us the "Masked Riders" in honor of my favorite superheroes.
We went through a lot and had plenty of adventures. We made new friends, new enemies, fought side by side, hung out, and did almost everything together. I had ever found love a few times but circumstances got in the way.
One day, tragedy struck. My best friend and brother, Tazuka, was killed to protect me from Scorpios and evil Zodiac Knight. I grieved and was unable to fight anymore. The final straw came when I discovered that my sister was also an evil Zodiac Knight who's been plotting against me.
I just couldn't take it anymore.
I made my decision. I had to leave…and never come back.
-Ryuki Leonard Hasuma/Zodiac Knight Draco.
Draco stood in the middle of the Holographic Simulator Chamber and commanded, "Computer, activate scenario: Night of 1000 Horrors." The area around him soon began to change. No longer was he standing in a room with white walls, floor and ceiling, but in the middle of cemetery. The air was cold and the atmosphere was eerie. The Dragon Knight pulled his goggles over his eyes and reached into his jacket to pull out his Pactio card.
"Adeat," he summoned and the card morphed into his Keyblade. "Come out, you freaks," he invited. "I'm standing right here."
As soon as he said that, the cemetery burst into life as the Horrors, demonic looking skeletons with tails, wings and horns with sharp teeth and soulless eyes came into existence as they came right out of the graves. Gripping his Keyblade, Draco charged into the horde of 1000 Horrors.
He swung his Keyblade, knocking them into the air and then he launched himself into the air before rolling and slashing them in half. He landed on the ground and unleashed a barrage of strikes which decimated the Horrors' numbers.
"Aibou, hissatsu wazza!" Yaminekoryu cried in his head. Draco nodded an affirmative as the Keyblade glowed red.
"Extreme Slash!" Draco called out as he charged and started slashing like crazy, killing several Horrors by slicing them in half, slicing their heads off and then straight down the middle. A few Horrors were coming up behind him so he then threw his Keyblade, which now glowed blew, at them like a javelin. The lead Horror got impaled by the Keyblade which then formed a shield that immobilized it. Draco leapt up.
"Solid Attack!" He kicked into the shield, which shattered, and sent the Horror flying into its kind, destroying them as they exploded into dark blazes. The Keyblade returned to Draco's hand, now glowing yellow. He was surrounded but the Horrors were making it far too easy for him.
"Dynamic Chop!" he called out as he spun around, destroying the Horrors in one fell swoop. He then leapt high into the air and floated there, aiming the Keyblade at them.
"Wild Shot!" Purple orbs of energy smashed into the Horrors and exploded, destroying them instantaneously.
Draco counted that there were plenty more. Less than 1000 but more than one person could take down. He was sweating, but the adrenaline rush overcame exhausting. He narrowed his eyes and roared before charging straight into the horde of Horrors. It started with 1000, but would end with zero.
Mortuary entered the dining car to see Warren there. Things had been tense between them all week because of Warren's suspicions of one of Mortuary's friends, Andrew/Falconer. They were still on speaking terms but often ended up in an argument when Warren tried to warn Mortuary. It would appear that Mortuary trusted his old team a little too much.
"Hey," Mortuary greeted.
"Hey," Warren replied, sipping coffee.
Mortuary went to the counter to order his food when Draco came in, looking far worse for wear. The two other boys blinked at Draco's condition.
"You look like you got run over by a truck," Warren pointed out.
"And then it backed up and run you over again," Mortuary added.
"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," Draco said as he sat down in his usual spot. "I feel sore all over," he groaned.
"What happened? Did you try to lift weights alone but then they fell on top you?" Mortuary asked, trying to be funny.
"I was training in the simulator," he retorted. "Remember the Night of 1000 Horrors?"
Warren and Mortuary froze.
"You were doing that alone? Are you nuts!?" Mortuary gawked.
"It took the four of us to take down all of those things," Warren reminded. When he meant by the four of them, he was referring to himself, Draco, Mortuary and Ryan. "And we barely got out of it alive."
"I know," Draco replied with a sigh. "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. You both don't need to remind me."
There was a bit of awkward silence before someone spoke again.
"So, how many did you manage to kill?" Mortuary asked out of curious interest.
"500, before they dog piled me," Draco groaned in pain. "Those holograms can be very realistic, can't they?"
"Tell me about it," Mortuary said as he sat down with his order, speaking from experience. "I've gotten bruises from that thing to prove it."
"Next time, kid, if you wanna go through a simulation like that, ask us to come along," Warren advised. "Remember that we're here for you."
"Hai, hai, I'll try to remember," Draco said, planting his forehead on the table. "Right now I just really need a tall glass of ice cold milk."
"Here you go," Andie said cheerfully as she placed down the glass. Draco grabbed it, sat back up and then drank the entire thing in one gulp.
"Ah, that hit the spot," Draco said as he wiped his mouth of access milk. His two friends chuckled.
"So, in a week we'll reach Zandia," Mortuary said as he looked out the window. The two teams had been training hard together to prepare themselves to fight off the Orphenoch army Occultus had waiting for them. Occultus, however, was going to be all his. He had a score to settle with him. "Perfect. This time Occultus is going down."
"Ano, Mortuary," Draco said with concern, "We don't want to kill him."
Mortuary glared, "And why not?" Even after all this time, Draco was still hesitant and reluctant when it came to killing, even Orphenochs.
"Do you really want to dirty your hands with his blood?" Draco asked, rhetorically. "I'm trying to avoid killing as much as possible."
"But you don't mind killing Horrors."
Draco's eyes narrowed. "Horrors are not even truly alive. They are parasites. That's different and you know it." His cousin Saeji had told him that. Once a person was possessed by a Horror, the most merciful thing to do for them was to kill them.
"Fine, fine," Mortuary rolled his eyes. "But I fully intend to kill Occultus."
Draco sighed. "Fine…" He knew he couldn't talk Mortuary out of killing Occultus. It was the same thing with Draco. For a long time he'd wanted to kill Asakura, who was now dead thanks to Tazuka.
"So, about these other Riders?" Warren asked. "When can we meet them?"
Draco leaned against his seat. "I don't know yet. Ant-san hasn't gotten a reply from them."
"Well, I know they can help, but still…" Mortuary began hesitantly.
"Not all Orphenochs are on Occultus' side, Mortuary," Draco reminded.
"But plenty of them are," Mortuary muttered. Draco frowned. "And that's enough for me."
Draco closed his eyes. So far he hadn't gotten any significant visions. It was like there was nothing to report and he didn't like it. Even a glimpse into the future would be nice but all he saw was darkness every time he closed his eyes. Even his dreams were uneventful, which was first for a very long time.
Another week was left and they would arrive. They had to stop the Orphenoch King from rising, whatever the cost.
A liar, that's something I'll always be and it'll never change. I've told lies to do a lot of things, like get myself out of trouble or pick up girls. I became a player. I never felt guilty about it as long as nobody got hurt, at least not physically hurt. As long as things turned out OK then I could lie to my hearts content.
My little sister often said some words of advice when I would be in my funks over my social life in the past. She would say, "Be yourself, don't try to lie to yourself or others." As corny as it sounded, it was good advice when you thought about it. Too bad I was never one to follow my sister's advice when it counted.
Sometimes it was a little white lie and sometimes I would just brag. I mean, I put on some cool clothes, put on some hairspray to spike up my hair and nobody's the wiser. People see a cool dude who can have any lady he wants by being a smooth talker. I even have a smooth ride to go with it, a Cadillac I got from a junkyard and fixed up myself. Took a long time but was totally worth it in the end by the time I got my driver's license. It was mine, my car, and nobody was going to tell me different.
Oh, I forgot to tell you who I was. Well, call me Yoshiyuki Takada, but just call me Takada. You can only call me by my given name if I let you and that's a short list, a really short list. Frankly, it's actually a barrier, so people can't get too close to the real me.
But who is the real me? It's not what you see.
Believe it or not, I'm really a geek/nerd. I like videogames, Sci-Fi and tinkering with machines. Science is my life. You should see some of my inventions or experiments. They will blow you away (quite literally sometimes too). But, I don't show this side much. May scare away the ladies if you know what I mean.
Oh, who am I kidding? This is not what would scare them! I'm a freak of science! Oh, you wanna know what I mean? Well, I'll tell ya! One day I was in the chemistry with my sister. I was 14 at the time and she was 12. We just got into this sweet school called the Red Horse Institute. My dad pulled some strings and got us on scholarship to pay for the expensive tuition fees. Anyway, she was first year and I was in my second year. Well, I was just mixing chemicals as she watched me. I got permission to use the lab after school to work on a project. It was a chemical solution which could revolutionize the world. By applying it on a surface, that surface would become completely invulnerable. I mean just imagine coating your car with this and you wouldn't have to worry about dents or scratch marks. They won't happen. No damage! Nothing bad would happen. And today was going to be the day I would complete it.
But I messed up.
There was an explosion and not only was the chemistry lab busted, but the shock of the explosion also wrecked the physics and biology labs as well. Not a good way to make an impression, huh? Well, that wasn't the worst part. My sister got hurt, and hurt bad that she had to go to the hospital. I was lucky to get out without a scratch. In fact, I didn't have a scratch on me.
As a result the school had to suspend me for the remainder of the year. They might as well revoke my scholarship and throw me out but my parents called somebody to let me stay. However, by the start of the next school year I would have to repeat the entire year. What a drag. At least it didn't happen to my sister. In two weeks she was better.
I've felt funny since that day. I never noticed it but I never got hurt. Sure, I could feel pain but I never bruised, got scalded or burnt or anything. It was like I was invulnerable or something. One day I tested it by using a knife to try and slit my wrist. Nothing happened. I tried to stab myself but the knife couldn't penetrate. I couldn't believe it! That accident! My solution! I must've accidentally absorbed that stuff in the accident! Even my bones were unbreakable!
Well I was still allowed to do experiments, provided I had proper supervision. That was the deal and I accepted it. At least I wasn't banned from it completely. I even entered a contest to show off one of my creations. I won and we were all going to celebrate it together as a family.
I would never forget that night when it happened. Something just rushed past us. We never even saw the truck. My dad swerved the car but then we crashed.
I woke up at the hospital. I found out later that my dad died on impact. My sister was fine too. I remembered shielding her with my body thought she still got scratched. My mom, however…she didn't die, but she might as well be. She was in a coma and the doctors were not sure when she'd wake up. Our medical bills were being paid by an unknown benefactor and well my sister and I were allowed to leave. We lived with our aunt in her little café.
I drowned myself in my work but then one day I was approached by this guy who claimed he was a god. I was skeptical at first. I was a scientist and I didn't believe in stuff like magic, myths and legends. To me, everything had a scientific explanation.
Well, everything but this guy. He called himself Fuji and he offered me something. He wanted me to join some sort of Zodiac War and told me about a Mirror World. At first I told him he was crazy but then he proved it to m. Trust me, never doubt a god, ever.
He asked me to join and he gave me a pretty good incentive. He told me that if I won, I could wish for anything I desired, no strings attached. Oh, I knew what I wanted. I wanted my mother to wake up from her coma. I then realized that Erika, my little sister, also got the same deal much to my fears. How could Fuji do this?
Now…we had to fight.
It was hard at first, fighting the monsters and we got hurt, a lot. We didn't have much fighting experience but we pulled through. Our armor, our powers and our Zodiac Beasts helped us to survive.
Then, I met him: Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra. He was cold, vicious and was relentless in his attacks. We both fought a lot and it always ended before a victor could be declared because the Mirror World's environment would start to corrode our armor, telling us to leave. I never let my sister fight Shadowcobra. He was just too driven. It was like nothing else mattered but victory.
So, I decided to care for nothing but victory. It was for mom. I wanted her to wake up.
Then I met Ryuki Leonard Hasuma, the newbie. He was designated as Zodiac Knight Draco and he was nothing like that jerk Shadowcobra. He got into this war by accident. I saw an inexperienced rookie so when is saved him from turning into dragon chow, Erika and I tried to convince him to just give us the Zodiac Deck. He told us he couldn't because he found it amongst his dad's old stuff and so it was precious to him. He then walked out. Didn't expect to see him again, this time saving my life. But he was a Knight, an enemy, which meant I had to eliminate him.
We fought; he ended up lying face up on the ground, pinned down by my foot on his chest and my lance to his neck. I was about ready to finish him off when I heard my sister yelling at me to stop. I got distracted and then Shadowcobra showed up. As always, we fought, but then the new kid started getting in the way, telling us to stop. Didn't he know there was a war going on?
Apparently, he didn't. Nobody told him.
After tying again, we left the Mirror World. I told the kid everything and warned him that the next time he entered the Mirror World; he may not be coming back. My sister defended him, saying that Ryuki entered the Zodiac War without any other reason but to protect other people. Other people? Was he insane? Didn't he have a wish or purpose fighting?
Well, he found it. He tried to get me and Scaleface to work together. There was no way I was working with that Snake.
But then, the school got attacked by an army of monsters that came from the Mirror World and a fog separated us from the outside world. The students were trapped and the monsters were coming for them.
For the first time we worked together and defended the school as a team, driving the monsters back, killing them so they didn't kill our schoolmates. I was going to let innocent people get eaten while I was around.
After that, something happened. Nobody remembered the monsters. Scaleface, I mean Ichijyo, explained that he took care of our schoolmates' memories and then the kid, Ryuki, just came into the conversation talking about teaming up. We did work well together and I was surprised that Ichijyo agreed to it as well. He told us both about Smart Brain Corporation and its Operatives. I then found out that it was his father who'd offered the scholarships to my sister and I to get into this school and then he offered me my own lab in Smart Brain for my revolutionary experiments. I was suspicious, but accepted the deal, albeit reluctantly. We then formed the Masked Riders and I was able to open up more. Sure everybody knows I'm a genius, but I didn't repel the ladies. It attracted them instead!
We fought together against the evil Knights, criminals, got a new member named Tazuka, saved the world once, and graduated early due to all the damages we caused. It was happy for us. We made some new friends too along the way.
Then, Tazuka was killed, the kid left, and the Masked Riders were no more.
We eventually found him with the Teen Titans and now I'm living with teen superheroes in a tower shaped like a 'T'. Wild, huh?
And that's how I ended up here.
And I'm still a liar. They just thought my invulnerability was something I got from my Zodiac Power or that I was born with it. It was an accident, just like everything else in my life. I never planned it. Never planned for this either.
But, I'm happy.
-Yoshiyuki Takada/Zodiac Knight Pluto.
"Puppy, come in, puppy. Do you copy? This is Blackfire here."
"Uh, what?" Pluto blinked in confusion. He yawned as he rubbed his eyes. He smacked his lips. "What was that?"
There was a sigh, "Don't doze off like that. I was getting worried." He heard it coming in through his headset. It was Blackfire's voice.
I spoke into the microphone, "Sorry about that, Komi. I was just, you know, bored."
"Well, try to stay awake. Lucky for you the Boy Wonder didn't hear you snoring."
"I don't snore," Pluto shot back.
"Sure you don't," was the sarcastic reply he got from his girlfriend. "I'm just telling you to stay sharp. Space isn't always quiet and peaceful if you remember."
"Yeah, yeah," Pluto nodded.
Pluto took in his surrounding, remembering where he was. He was currently sitting in one of the 5 cockpits of the T-Ship. The one he was sitting in was located on the left wing while Blackfire's cockpit was on the right. As usual, Robin had taken the head while Starfire was in the cockpit between the wings with Silkie. The tail cockpit remained unmanned since there were only 4 of them in the ship.
Pluto remembered the first time he'd seen the T-Ship. He marveled at the massive machine in awe. It amazed him of how truly talented Cyborg was and he'd even offered to improve it, which he did. The T-Ship now ran on photonic energy and armed with enough firepower in each of its individual components to match an army. Hopefully, they would not end up fighting an army of space fighters like the last time the Titans had visited Tamaran.
Before now, Pluto had been bored and ended up falling asleep. Since the day he'd accidentally consumed those nanobots, his brain started to literally work like a computer. Memories were compiled and stored away and his ideas were not easily forgotten. He was more intoned with machinery, which soon changed into a form of technopathy, the ability to communicate with machines.
An accident, just like how he got his electrical powers and his invulnerability. He was, in all definitions, an accidental hero. Everything seemed to drop into his lap without warning or planning.
When he first became a Zodiac Knight, he'd never expected to befriend Draco and Shadowcobra, not to mention end up on the same team as them. He'd never expected to be given his own lab in Smart Brain and getting paid to invent and do his experiments. He'd never expected to join up with the Titans and meet the girl of his dreams and who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
An accident. That was the definition of his life, and he welcomed the chaos that came with it. It just made life more fun. Originally he was a skeptic, he now believed in magic, but still argued that technology was better than magic, a fact that Shadowcobra would deny, despite running a technologies company.
Also, he'd never expected to be going into space. He'd count three instances. The first time was when they went to Gaijo, then that robot fighting ring, now this. Now they were actually going to visit Tamaran, Blackfire and Starfire's home planet. Visiting an alien planet was every Sci-Fi geek's dream, next to dating a hot alien princess. He never regretted going on that date with her, even if she'd shown her appreciation very roughly in his bed. It was a good thing that he'd soundproofed the walls or else nobody would be sleeping that night.
He went over the memories he had of spending time with Blackfire. Their first date, their first time fighting alongside one another, their first time…It was all clear and vivid. The thing about having a computer brain was that it would not let him forget, not even the stuff he wanted to forget. Sure, he could delete those memories…
…but did he want to?
Sure, there were some good times, and bad times, and times that were better left unsaid, but that was how life was and the chaos in his life made it memorable.
If only his dad was still around, he'd be proud of him. He'd be proud to have his son becoming a hero and using his intellect to save lives and protect people. His mom…he wished his mom would wake up.
The message he'd got in his e-mail told him that his mom's condition was deteriorating. They were working on stabilizing it but they gave him the worst possible scenario…he didn't want to think that. He didn't want to think that all his efforts were for naught…He didn't want to think…
…that she would never wake up.
He wanted her to wake up. That was his wish, his drive, the one thing that gave him the determination to fight. He wanted her to open her eyes and smile at them. He wanted to introduce her to his friends. He wanted to tell her everything. Most of all, he wanted to introduce her to Blackfire, face to face.
Speaking of which, Blackfire was awfully quiet about her family life. She never went into full detail about it, except that after their parents' death, Galfore had taken care of Starfire and Blackfire as their k'norfka, which was the Tamaranean word for guardian, parents or as Beast Boy put it nanny.
Still, from what'd been described as Galfore, nanny may not be the right thing to call him. He heard that the guy was huge bigger than Cyborg, and was not someone to mess with. If all the Tamaraneans were as powerful as he'd heard, he would need to keep mum about matters he didn't understand.
But since when was he ever quiet? If Blackfire was not allowed to return to the planet, he would fight for her. She was a princess so that made him her knight in shining armor. He would fight for her, he made that vow. He even wrote it in his journal.
He pressed the com-link button, "Pluto calling Robin. Come in, Robin."
"Robin here," Robin replied. "What do you have to report?"
"Just requesting permission to ask a question," replied Pluto.
"Pluto, you can just talk normally. We're not in the army," Robin sighed.
"Hey, we're in a spaceship here. Should I call you 'captain'?"
"No."
"Spoilsport."
"You were going to ask a question…"
"Oh, I just wanna ask…Are we there yet?"
He received a groan.
"Please, not now," Robin begged over the com-link. "We've had enough of that from Beast Boy."
"Friend Pluto, though your attempts at lightening the mood are appreciated, please do not attempt at such humor. We are all honestly tired of it," Starfire said. She really did not want to hear someone ask 'are we there yet?' over and over.
"OK, fine," said Pluto. "I'll just watch a movie on my DVD player."
"You do that," Robin returned.
"If you don't mind, puppy, can you plug that DVD player into the monitor? I'm bored too," spoke Blackfire.
"Sure thing, princess," replied Pluto as he used a cord to connect the DVD player to the console. He then played one of the James Bond movies he'd bought.
"Ooh, GoldenEye!" Blackfire spoke over the connection. Blackfire had taken a liking towards James Bond movies. In fact, they sometimes would role play. He would be James Bond and she would be one of the Bond girls, preferably one of the femme fatales. "Pierce Brosnan is so yummy in this." Pluto rolled his eyes. He remembered Blackfire making him do the accent, before pouncing him. It really got her in the mood. Personally, he preferred Sean Connery. That guy was so suave and sophisticated and could use his charm to seduce any woman into bed. Up until he met Blackfire doing that had gotten Pluto slapped countless times. Awkward times, very awkward times.
"May I view the movie as well?" Starfire asked.
He focused his eyes on the movie. He'd always wanted to be like James Bond. Those cool gadgets, the girls, the adventures, the girls, the traveling, the girls…but he somehow ended up being Q. Sure, he went on missions too but most of the time he spent his time in the lab, conducting experiments and creating inventions.
If he was Q then Ichijyo was M. Pluto had to chuckle at that. The current M since Pierce Brosnan became Bond was a woman. To compare Ichijyo to a woman was humorous at best.
He was doing a lot more thinking than usual, Pluto realized. Maybe it was because he was stuck in a small cockpit. At least the Gaijoan Shuttle had room to move about. At least on that Gaijoan Shuttle he could sneak into Blackfire's room and…
"We're nearing Tamaran!" Robin reported. "Prepare for reentry."
Pluto turned off the movie, much to Blackfire's dismay as he heard her voice groan through his headset. He placed his hands steadily on the controls. No crash landings, hopefully.
For as long as I could remember I've hated humans with a passion. Humans, what was so great about them? They waged war on each other for the pettiest of reasons. Whether it was due to greed, hatred or even just for the sake of fighting; they sickened me.
Well, maybe that wasn't the whole truth. Originally, they intrigued me. How could such a weak race become masters of the Earth? The infernals and celestials have been in this realm far longer than them. They even created advanced civilizations whilst humanity was still evolving. It just didn't make sense to me. What was so special about humans?
Nothing.
Give them an inch and they go a mile. A little power corrupts and creates people like Hitler who use their power for their selfish and xenophobic purposes. They hate one another for insignificant reasons like race, religion and culture.
How utterly pathetic.
Maybe my hatred for humans stemmed from their hatred for what was different. I was always treated like a freak. It was like they knew I wasn't really human. I cried at first but eventually I stopped caring.
They were just insignificant humans. They were inferior. I was superior.
That was my opinion for homo-sapiens. They were just worthless pests that were only meant to be food for demons like myself. Yes, I considered myself a demon, even if that was half of what I truly am.
I've always enjoyed the silence and embrace of the darkness. It was peaceful and eventually I learnt how to wield the power of darkness. That just made me appear more like a demon to humans anyway. I was dark, unapproachable, and filled with evil.
At least, that was what I originally thought.
My mother tried to tell me differently. I loved her. How couldn't I? She was the only person I knew who showed me any sort of affection. My father, well, he was strict but he cared too, though he didn't show it much. My sister cared for me too but I grew to resent her for befriending humans. How could she betray me like that? Couldn't she see how utterly evil humans were? My youngest brother was more or less neutral. He didn't see anything wrong with humans, but he wasn't about to risk their wrath either. I suppose that's why I never acknowledged him much while we were growing up.
Apparently, we didn't share the same views. My time at the Academy had strengthened my negative views of humans. They were weak, a stain on the planet. Only the strong should survive and demons were stronger, superior to humans. My brother floundered there, hating the experience and quickly left. It didn't matter to me. He wasn't strong so he couldn't stay. The strong move forward and the weak stay back. It seemed like the truth in the universe.
But…maybe…that wasn't exactly true.
Upon my return I became cold and emotionless. It was by choice not consequence that I chose to hide my emotions. What was the point? Emotions were just a human weakness anyway.
Or so I thought.
One night I saw this girl being assaulted. On a whim I saved her but then I left her there. However, my wallet had fallen out of my pocket and she came to my home to return it. She even introduced herself to me. Her name was Misha Shirow.
Though she was warned to never approach me, she did so without fear. She actually wanted to get to know me. Though my better judgment told me to drive her away, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to let her in. I don't know how, but she soon became my first human friend and I, surprisingly, found myself caring for her. I never really cared for human emotions or affection, but then I realized that this feeling I had around her…was love.
How ironic it was for one who hated humanity to fall in love with a human. I felt compelled to protect her due to these feelings to see what would happen, to see what the future would bring. She…opened my heart, the one which I thought I'd locked away so that these confusing human emotions would not cause me harm. Maybe…maybe the reason I refused to get close to humans was due to fear, fear that they would turn their backs on me and leave me once I befriended them.
My hatred…stemmed from fear.
And this girl…she put my fears at ease.
Whenever we could, we would spend our days together. It was like that for almost a year.
Then, I realized that she was dying. She had leukemia and would die. It was too late to do anything for her. However, whenever I came to see her, she would smile. I tried to convince my mother to heal Misha but she couldn't. She couldn't heal someone who was meant to die.
I refused to believe that… but what could I do? I knew nothing about medicine. Even my potions or magic could not help her.
She was doomed.
And yet when I came to see her, she continued to smile.
My birthday came along and I had brought a cake to share with her to celebrate. I even brought the roses I'd planted. I came to the hospital, entered her ward…
…And was welcomed by an empty bed.
She was gone. I was too late. I collapsed onto my knees after dropping the cake.
For the first time, for as long as I could remember…I cried.
I was at the funeral, but I dared not to approach the family. They'd warned her about me and she ignored them, telling them they were wrong. Maybe they weren't. Maybe this was my fault. Maybe her death was caused by her getting too close to me…a demon.
It rained that day but I stood there, watching the funeral proceed. I watched as they lowered the casket into the ground and I watched as they buried her into the earth.
I never even had to chance to say goodbye or tell her that….tell her that…
Tell her…that I…loved her.
I can recall the words she spoke to me when I visited her the day before her death.
"You're so kind, Ichijyo. I hope that you don't ever close up your heart."
I should have picked up on that sooner, but hindsight is 20/20 as they say.
I remembered dropping the roses near her gravestone and then walking away. It rained that day but I didn't care that I would get wet. I didn't care about myself anymore. I didn't care for my birthday anymore either. From now till forever, the day of my birth would be the day of her death.
The irony of life.
I remembered going into an alley, wet to the bone, and grieving. I felt dead. The one person I loved, the one I'd given my heart to, was gone. Gone…gone forever…I was never going to have her back.
The world…I hated everything now. It all deserved to just disappear.
And then he came along.
My Master.
Yoshido the God of Warriors…who chose me to become the Knight of Snakes. He gave me a pretty good deal, really. It was more like a business offer. I chose to fight for his side…and Misha would be brought back to life. The temptation was too great for me.
I dove right in. It was a fair trade.
I became known as Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra. Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa was dead.
It didn't take me long to realize that he never intended to bring Misha back. I was his pawn. I realized this all the night I saw this girl…
Raven was her name. I was sent to kill her, but at the sight of her I couldn't help but have the same feelings that I had for Misha returning.
As much as I hated to admit it, but I was falling in love again.
This was bad. I couldn't kill her anymore. I turned my back on Yoshido.
He didn't take it too lightly. He swore to have me killed. I just stopped caring for what he had to say.
I continued to become a Knight. It was the only way to bring Misha back. Despite Yoshido's lies, that was the truth. The final Knight remaining would receive his heart's desire.
Then, I met Pluto. We fought. No clear winner was determined though. He wasn't a rival to me. Just a hindrance, really.
But that all changed when I met Draco. He was unlike any of the humans I've known. He cared for other people. He just cared…for no logical reason. It was beyond my understanding. He just cared…just like…just like…
…just like Misha.
I refused to believe it but when I saw him, I saw the selfless Misha who had unconditional love for everything in the world. Misha saw the world as a thing of beauty and Draco saw it as something that could be saved, like the humans.
Originally, I thought he was absurd, but over time I grew to understand him better.
And despite my better judgment, again, we became friends.
And then I made more friends.
It was as Misha intended. She always saw me as a loner and wanted to fix that and now with her gone I was able to grant her that wish.
I distrusted a lot of people. I distrusted Pluto because he was a living disaster area…but I couldn't help but put my trust in Draco…like I put my trust and heart in Misha's hands.
After Draco'd left (read: ran away), I felt compelled to chase after him. I wasn't going to lose a friend.
And once again I met Raven.
-Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa-Akuma/Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra.
"Are you ready?" Raven asked Shadow who opened his eyes to look at her. He sighed.
"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied. That was true. He had been trying to keep himself calm for the inevitable meeting with Raven's mother, Arella. He just hoped he could make a good first impressed.
"Well, here we go," Raven said, smiling. She was dressed in her whitest uniform and Shadow was dressed in a purple turtleneck, with matching black pants and coat. His hair was combed over so that the bangs would cover his birthmark and he wore glasses. Changing his appearance, his hair was now the same shade of blue which he'd sported the first day he'd arrived to the Tower nearly two years ago.
"Yes," Shadow said, holding her hands. "Let's go."
Raven chanted the spell, a white aura forming around her as a violent wind spun around the room. Shadow closed his eyes, focusing his own energy into the spell. The magic circle began to glow brightly and in a flash, the light engulfed the two. When the light eventually faded away, both Titans had vanished.
When he opened his eyes, Shadow originally expected to see flaming buildings and a hellish wasteland, but then he remembered that he wasn't in the ruins of Azarath. This wasn't the hellish kingdom Trigon had created.
When he opened his eyes, he saw golden immaculate buildings. There were tall towers, temples and he felt a calm magical aura of peace.
This was a Utopia. This was Neo Azarath.
"Amazing…" Shadow let out.
"Welcome to my home, sorta," Raven said with a sigh.
"So, why are we in the middle of the city and not your mother's house?" he asked.
"I suppose we need to find it first," she shrugged. "This is a new place."
"She could've bothered to make us a map," Shadow said shaking his head. "Oh, well, let's just wing it."
Raven chuckled. "Wing it? That doesn't sound like you."
Shadow shrugged. "I know. The Mutt and Dragon must've rubbed off on me."
The couple walked through the city. Shadow could see many of the citizens, who all wore white robes with the hoods up, walking past. Some cast them a glance while others ignored them. Some were even surprised to see Raven, wearing white like that, and stirred clear of her. Shadow scowled. Apparently they still saw her as Trigon's Daughter. Well, he could soon take care of that.
In the city square there stood a statue, erected in the honor of Azar.
"Nice statue," Shadow commented.
"Yes, Azar was amazing," Raven agreed.
"She was your teacher, correct?" he inquired.
"Taught me how to control my abilities…though at the cost of suppressing my emotions," Raven looked down at her feet. She felt his arm around her shoulders.
"Come on, luv. Let's go find your mother," Shadow smiled at her. She couldn't help but smile back when he did.
"You don't need to look far."
Both teens stood frozen at the familiar voice. Raven had heard it nearly all her life and Shadow had heard it when he'd entered Raven's mind.
The two teenagers turned to see who'd addressed them. Raven gasped in shock.
"Mother."
To Be Continued…