Chapter 4: A Rival
The next day after school found everyone at the Shrine. The girls were in Raye's room, discussing Tenshi. Amara sat beside Michelle, frowning as she took in the details of the Knight's power.
"And Koaru couldn't even touch the Demon?" she asked, and everyone fell silent.
"Well," Michelle said slowly, "he didn't even get the time to transform. He fought it alone to allow me to."
"Makes sense." Amara said, crossing her arms as she looked to the rest of the girls. "Where is our Guardian anyways?"
"Out back," Mina said as she walked into the room carrying a tea tray. "Training."
"It's all he ever does," Amy said, turning the page of her book with a little too much force, ripping it slightly. No one in the room dared call her on her hypocrisy, knowing that the fact that she had even spoken after Koaru was mentioned was an improvement. Sensing the stares she had earned, Amy stood and left the room, saying that she wanted to get some air.
"She is so stubborn," Raye said with a frown. "She obviously still loves him, but she wants to stay mad at him."
"Or she may actually want to move on," Mina replied, and everyone looked uneasily to each other, wondering which was the truth.
Outside, Amy leaned against one of the trees growing in the shrine grounds, hiding herself in the shade, holding her book against her chest as she closed her eyes, trying to sort out her emotions and thoughts. Behind the shrine, she could hear Koaru's wooden sword cutting through the air as he trained, his breath heavy and loud. The sound was so familiar to her that she smiled, knowing that he was probably drenched in sweat by now, getting mad that he wasn't good enough still.
"Sounds like someone's having fun back there."
Amy opened her eyes and saw the young man who had asked her for directions the day before standing a few feet away, a long thin box under one arm, his eyes staring in the direction of Koaru's noises.
"Oh," Amy said, realizing who the man was. "You're..."
"Tenshi." he said, turning his eyes to the girl, smiling. "And you would be the ice wielder of your group, am I right?"
Amy felt her heart rate pick up as he spoke. How did he know her element? Reading her expression, he spoke.
"I can sense your energy. It is very similar to my own, so I merely assumed that you use ice." he explained, and Amy felt somewhat relieved with the information. "If you want more proof," he said, turning his eyes to the shrine, "I can tell you the elements of your friends inside."
Amy nodded, curious to see how accurate he would be. Smiling, Tenshi began.
"Fire, Lightning, Light, Water, Holy and Seismic." he said, grinning at Amy's awed expression. Turning his eyes back in Koaru's direction, he frowned slightly. "That one, however," he said slowly, "I can't quite tell...the energy is like a dark storm. I can't make out any distinct element."
"That sounds about right," Amy said, smiling brightly. Tenshi looked back to her, locking his eyes with hers. He took a step forward, then another, till he was standing only a small ways away from her, looking down into her eyes.
"There is a dark force that has come to your planet," he said in a serious voice, reaching out his hand and lightly brushing it against Amy's cheek. "I have come to protect the Moon Princess and the Sailor Senshi," he continued, leaning forward slightly. Amy felt her body react, tipping her head up and rising on her toes, reaching up to him. "Even at the cost of my life." Tenshi finished, their lips just inches apart.
Out back, Koaru leapt through the air, his boken ripping through the air as he spun and slashed, landing on his left hand and pressing off the ground with it, flying up into a tree, nimbly landing on a branch. Pausing there for a moment, he took a quick breath before leaping back out into the air, the wooden blade passing through the air in lightning quick arcs. Landing on the ground in a crouch, he stood straight and sighed, ready for a break. Setting the sword into his left hand, he walked around the corner of the shrine, hoping the girls had drinks set out by now. Looking up, he froze, the boken falling from his hand and hitting the ground with a loud clatter.
Tenshi and Amy both turned their heads at the sound just as their lips were about to meet. Amy's eyes went wide in shock as she saw Koaru standing there, his face etched in rage and pain, clearing fighting to not cry or attack Tenshi. With a sigh, Tenshi backed away from Amy and approached Koaru, his hand outstretched.
"Hello again," he said, trying to force conversation. Koaru just stared at his hand, his mind numb with pain. Tenshi slowly lowered his hand and shifted the box under his arm slightly. "I wasn't aware that she was taken," he said slowly, and Koaru snapped him a glare.
"She isn't," he said aggressively. "she left me." He turned and kicked his boken, launching it up into the air. Snatching it, he began to walk away as Tenshi spoke.
"If she is free, than what was up with your reaction?" he asked, and Koaru paused, looking over his shoulder at the golden haired man. "Surely you didn't have to interrupt us the way you did."
Koaru turned and approached him, placing his face an inch from Tenshi's.
"Look, what you two do, I couldn't care less about. Just don't do it when I'm around, alright?"
Tenshi smiled, sensing Koaru's real emotions. Wanting to see how much self control the man had, he poked one last time.
"Oh, don't worry." he said loudly enough for only Koaru to hear him. "I don't do those kind of things in public."
Koaru snapped. Spinning around, the boken in his right hand, he slashed the wooden blade at Tenshi's neck. The man nimbly leaned back and single hand-back handed out of Koaru's reach. The Guardian charged, a roar of fury leading him as he swung again, forcing Tenshi to leap over him. Smiling, the man opened the box under his arm and pulled out a ball tipped rapier. Landing with his back to Koaru, he spun and blocked Koaru's newest attack, forcing the wooden sword high over their heads. Koaru continued his rush, though, spinning the sword around his arm as he twisted his body and launching a kick at Tenshi's head. Once again Tenshi leaned back, letting the attack pass over him before he twisted around and lunged at Koaru with the rapier. The Guardian fell back, letting the tip pass over his body. Placing one hand on the ground for balance, he lifted his left leg and wrapped it on Tenshi's arm. Pushing off the ground and using the Knight as a balance point, Koaru flipped over the man and aimed an upside down slash at his open back.
"Impressive," Tenshi said as he spun to the right, letting the attack harmlessly pass by. "You are almost proving to be a threat."
Koaru paused, catching his breath as he listened to Tenshi. Glaring at the man, he smirked and walked over to a thick old oak tree, placing his hand against it.
"Almost a threat, eh?" he said, turning away from the tree and pointing the boken at it, resting the tip of the wooden blade against the trunk of the tree. "I still think you're nothing but a wannabe with a toy sword." he finished, moving the boken in front of himself, then slashing the air beside the tree. Tenshi paused, smiling as he watched the air ripple from the swing, though he felt some respect for the Guardian's power when he saw a large chunk of the trunk blast into splinters from the swing.
"That was impressive, I suppose," Tenshi said, walking forward, holding up his weapon and examining it. "Tell me what you think of this one, though."
Koaru tensed up as Tenshi swiped his rapier through the air, causing a brief amount of pressure to brush past him. Turning and looking at the tree, he saw no change and smiled, shaking his head.
"Pathetic," he said, causing Tenshi to grin.
"You sure?"
Koaru then felt it; his boken was a lot lighter. Looking to it, he saw that the wooden blade had been sliced into a dozen pieces from the air pressure of Tenshi's attack. He felt his heart rate severely slow down, his blood chilling in his veins.
"How did he do that?" he thought, sweat forming on his brow. "He only swung that thing once!"
"Impressed yet?" Tenshi asked, shouldering his weapon with a smile. Koaru felt his anger spike again, and threw the handle of the weapon at the Knight. Tenshi swatted the chunk of wood out of the air, watching it bounce across the ground. Turning his eyes back to Koaru, he leapt back on instinct as Koaru's fist came rocketing at his face. Landing on the balls of his feet and sliding back, he ducked as Koaru launched a kick at his head. Tenshi then dove and rolled as Koaru axe kicked at him, smashing his heel into the ground. Rising to his feet, Tenshi lunged forward as Koaru charged again. Tenshi watched as the tip of his rapier screamed towards the Guardian's neck, feeling no remorse for what he was about to do.
"Stop It!"
Both men froze, the tip of the ball point resting against Koaru's throat and his fist resting against Tenshi's ribcage, directly over his heart. Turning their heads, they saw Amy standing there, her eyes filling with tears.
"Please," she begged, dropping to her knees. "No more."
Tenshi pulled his rapier away as Koaru lowered his arm. Tenshi then walked over and helped Amy back to her feet, following her to where the rest of the Scouts were waiting.
"I think we can call this one a tie," he said to Koaru with a smile. The Guardian responded with a glare.
"This time, yes. But know this; if you ever cross me again, I will kill you, regardless of what Amy says."
Tenshi smiled at Koaru's words; not his normal friendly smile, but a deadly, serious smile.
"Same to you, my friend."