When Shadows Rise
Chapter 5
The Monster is loose
The dojo was empty as she stepped in. Done in red and gold with weapons hanging at eyelevel for a typical Japanese man. Suteko bowed to the mat before stepping forward. Taking a deep breath she centered herself and started the slow warm up she had practiced since she was a child. The slow flowing movements cleared her mind and allowed a bit of peace. Moving from kata to kata removed the tension of the past week.
As she finished the complete movement, she was back at the middle of the room centered and at peace. Opening her eyes, she briefly studied the items on the wall, then reached for the gilded fans. Though not commonly used in her family school or by the Knights, Suteko found the flow of the twin fans loosened her mind as well as her body. The years of fighting floated away.
As she spun, dipped and leapt her focus narrowed down to the movement of her hands. She heard soft footsteps. Her inner senses processed and disregarded the info as her chi told her she was in no anger.
Matten stopped and watched the lone Star Knight. As Rage he could fight with anything that came to hand but he knew that he tended more toward brute force. The woman on the mat flowed like water over stones, wind through the trees. The flash from the gilded fans showed that these were more than ornaments.
Suteko flowed again and again, completing three sets before coming to rest. Eyes closed before the wall. A light sheen of sweat covered her face as she stepped to the wall to return the fans to their place. Without turning she spoke to the Kouhie. "Did you come to practice or spar?"
Matten lifted a brow and grinned. He hadn't had a proper work out since meeting the Star Knight. "This should be interesting," he through. "Hand to Hand or with weapons?"
Suteko turned and gestured. "That is up to you, Matten-san."
Matten bowed to the mat, then stepped forward. "Free style, starting hand to hand then evolving," he suggested.
Suteko nodded and then bowed before settling into a guard stance. Matten returned the bow and mirrored her. They looked at each other for a few moments and then moved as one. Each fought with very different styles. Matten's training in a more street brawl style, relying on his size and strength against Suteko's speed and flow. Neither style on the surface really matched but together amazing to watch.
Suteko's lithe grace kept her ahead of many of the blows that Matten threw, letting her touch him along ribs and biceps but the blows that got through were enough to numb part of her body.
Both warriors tested and teased. Neither wished to seriously harm the other but needing to test the others abilities. After letting Matten land a blow to her thigh Suteko bounded up and over Matten to snatch tonfa from the wall. She spun about and raised a brow to her opponent. Matten turned and pulled a short staff from the wall. Suteko suppressed a grin. Matten did not know her preferred weapon and she knew all the counters.
The engaged and within a few blows Matten found that staff removed from his grip. He was a bit surprised. He was rarely disarmed. He quickly moved to the short sword. Suteko tossed the tonfa and grabbed up the short staff. "Blade against wood," Matten smiled. He was master of the blade weapons and no simple hunk of wood would hold up.
Once again they struck, parried and battled. The sound of their bare feet on the mat and the explosion of breath from time to time were the only sounds in the dojo.
Suteko's ducks and twirls met and matched Matten's reposts, thrusts and parries. Neither opponent were going to give in though it was clear in this practice battle that neither would win. Finally a throat being cleared interrupted their concentration and they disengaged, each stepping back.
Matten looked over toward the watchers. Not surprisingly he saw Mako and Hoturu standing across the room near the door. Dressed for sparring they had obviously not through they would find the Warrior and Knight sparring in the Sailor Scouts practice room. Bowing to Suteko, Matten returned the sword to the wall as she replaced the tonfa and staff.
He walked over to speak to the two scouts, expecting the Knight to follow. After as pleasant a greeting as he could manage he turned to thank Suteko for the workout but she was gone. "Where?"
"She just vanished." stated Jupiter with a puzzled look. "She was there one minute and gone the next."
Uranus nodded, looking intrigued. "There was something about her family secrets?"
The two women spoke quietly as they prepared for their own sparring and Matten left them to go bath. While he had learned a bit about Suteko, she was still not telling all.
Suteko stepped back into view in the women's bathing room. The Kouhei was very strong and very good. He would give her little brothers' best friend a run for his money if they ever sparred but on the other hand the big man was much more focused. The battles they all fought against evil had taught them to focus not on emotion but on the fight.
She winced a little as the hot water touched a few forming bruises. "He is definitely strong and better than I thought." Settling back she let her head rest on the tub and for a brief moment let her mind drift to happier day. Days before battles and monsters and even little brothers. She missed her home that was no more and the man who raised her to be honorable.
While her ancestral home was lovely, she missed the city she grew up in. The college, the food and the ease of getting to a wilderness. Tokyo was just too big. She relaxed slowly breathing slowly. The scouts were more focused than she remembered. The others, the Kouhei, while unknown, looked like they would be able to handle themselves. As her powers started to return she could sense any sentient shadows with a room. As much as she appreciated the others, she knew it was her destiny to finish this battle alone.
She had to stop the Shadow Master before he turned his attention to her little brother. Being strongly linked to this side of the gate, the Shadow Master could over power the current guardian. She could not allow that to happen. It was her destiny to stop Kaneda.
Deep in thought she pulled herself out of the warm water and pulled on the clean clothing she brought. The dojo has a safe and familiar feel to it. A place outside of the strife that had become her world. When Setsuna brought her here she was surprised. The tall elegant senshi at items seemed too ethereal for the company she kept.
Slinging her battered pack over her shoulder, she slid out of the bathing room and headed toward the street. She had to pass by the various training rooms in the dojo and she tried to ignore the pang it gave her to see students learning the basics. If life had gone normally she would be the one teaching classes pretty much like these. The small private classroom no longer held the two sailor senshi. Even the Kouhei she had sparred with no longer seemed present. She smiled as she turned to leave. Matten was too curious about her. While she understood his motives she didn't need any more questions. The Princess, her Prince and the Minervan knew too much about her all ready. She was sure that both of the time senshi knew everything about her and that was way too many. Not even her family truly knew as much about her. Since she was magically removed from her brother's memory she had not confided in anyone her full history. She hadn't even let the blasted cat in on the fact that memories from centuries ago had flooded her mind once she had time to rest.
Being a reincarnation of an ancient Chi master and Lord of light was once more not something she wanted. It made understanding her powers easier but did not give her the true mastery that would destroy Kaneda for good.
Deep in thought and not sensing any danger Suteko kept walking. She was startled when she nearly walked into a tall dark figure. Her left hand clenched and light spilled into the hall. Stepping back, she automatically fell into a guard stance before her mind registered that it was a man standing before her and not a Shadow born. She quickly doused her light, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry, wasn't paying attention."
Jai stood very still. He hadn't meant to startle the Knight before him. The woman moved as silently as one of his old team. The quick spar with Rage had reminded him of the old days and he too wasn't paying attention. His voice sent a shiver down Suteko's spine. "No reason, I too was distracted." He bowed to the Knight. "I hope you enjoyed your workout here at the Dojo."
Suteko brought her large green eyes up to meet the black eyes of the stranger before her. About the height of her brother, the man was obviously a martial artist. Sleek muscles covered his arms and chest. Gi pants covered him from the waist down and he was barefoot. Returning his bow politely she nodded. "This place reminds me of home."
Jai smiled his best nonthreatening smile. Reaching out slowly he held out his hand in the standard western greeting. Before their hands touched one of his students called out to him. Turning his head briefly he gave the student a stern look for yelling in the dojo then turned back to the woman who intrigued him but she was gone.
"She could give Hana lessons," he smiled and went in to answer student questions.
A few weeks later.
Suteko grabbed the bus and headed toward Iriko's apartment. The time since the battle had been spent regathering her strength and in small talk with the Senshi. She was more comfortable with the not quite strangers but she needed to get a place of her own. Staying with the gardener , while soothing, wasn't right. Iriko's apartment was comfortable for one but crowded for two. She pulled out the paper she had picked up before her work out and scanned the rentals. Prices were steeper than she liked but she could afford a single room if she managed to get some extra cash. She needed to pull out and convert funds from her stateside account.
She leaned sideways, resting her forehead on the cool window, letting her senses slip. At the back of the bus she could feel Matten. Sighing, she shook her head. The big man had been trailing her off and one since they had been introduced. She could feel his frustration with her. After a few moments she smiled. As the bus came to a stop she moved up the isle and hopped off. It wasn't where she planned but she spotted a tea shop a few doors down. She headed over and took a seat at one of the outdoor tables. She waved to Matten as the waiter came over with menus. She quickly ordered a pot of spring tea with rolls and sat back.
Matten grimaced as he walked over to the Knight. He should have expected her to sense him. From what info he had gathered he knew she was an empath along with a trained martial artist and Chi master, whatever that was. As he neared she politely stood and bowed with a gesture for him to sit. The waiter brought out the tea and rolls and placed them carefully before pouring them each a small cup. Thanking the waiter Suteko turned to Matten. "Matten-san was there something you needed:" Lifting one dark brow she sipped her tea, hiding a small smile.
Greg respectfully lifted his cup and saluted Suteko. After a sip he put the cup down. :Answers," he stated gruffly.
Suteko sighed. "To what questions? I have answered all the Princess' questions." She picked up a roll and started to slowly dissect it. "Any I haven't answered my grey guardian has."
"Not fully. You are holding something back. Something vital to this war." Matten almost growled in his frustration. He knew that there was more he wasn't being told.
Suteko continued to tear apart the roll for long moments. Greg could see emotions quickly chasing across her face before they were smoothed out. Confusion, longing and a touch of fear all passed almost too quickly to be seen. She snorted softly. "Vital? No, Matten-san, nothing vital to defeating the Shadows. Just some tricks an old man taught his favorite student. Tales he told to teach lessons in respect." She held up a hand stopping Rage's question. "No, nothing I can easily teach to strangers. Things that only those of my bloodline can learn."
Matten took that with a nod. "All right, that I can understand. We each have our own powers." He tried a more relaxed approach. "You told us about this Shadow Master and how he gained his power but not how you gained yours."
Suteko sighed once more. It was getting old being asked so many ways how she could do what she did. "some were inborn, some were learned and some came with becoming a Star Knight. Which are you interested in?" She took another sip of her tea, slowly rolling the flavors on her tongue and trying to not show how tense Matten made her by being this close.
Matten started to respond when he stiffened. Across the street he spotted a familiar shadowless form. He started to get up when he felt Suteko's hand on his forearm. "Don't. He has been watching us since the tea arrived."
"You knew?" Matten looked surprised. He had just picked up the presence of the Shadow minion and he had the most acute senses of the Kouhei.
Suteko nodded once. Since her first battle with Kaneda's transformed self, she had been able to sense the living shadow. "He purposely chose his spot. It is too public a place for a confrontation." Picking up her cup she gestured to the nearby tables. "He knows I can't fight him in public like this." She looked about at the families. There were old men sitting drinking two tables over and a woman with her small children across the way.
Aki smiled as he watched the Knight and Kouhei. He wasn't there to cause too much trouble. It was in his nature to stir up as much trouble as possible for those who were of the Light but today he was there to see if the Kouhei would work with the star Knight. The Kouhei still radiated distrust and it was time to ratchet it up. Floating up to the top of the pole, he gestured and out of the shadows of the alley two creatures formed.
The first was traditional to Japan. A slender womanlike form, dressed in a white kimono, The Yurei was out of place on the busy evening street. Greg watched as Suteko's demeanor changed. As the ghost shadow formed she went from relaxed to alert in a breath. When the second shadow beast formed it was a western werewolf complete with dripping fangs. Though not easily seen, a glow started around the Star Knight. "Matten-san could you please protect the civilians." Without giving the Kouhei a chance to answer Suteko placed her cup carefully down, kicked her pack below the table and moved. Between one moment and the next the Star Knight disappeared. Matten's eyes narrowed. That was not a trick that he expected from the woman. As the screams started around him the Kouhei did what was asked. He carefully sheparded the mother and children into the shop, all the while watching for the Knight to reappear. As he moved to the little old men he saw Suteko reappear before the Shadow forms, glowing more brightly but still in her street clothing.
Aki smiled down at She who will be. "So you are using the warrior as a lapdog now?" The Shadow pitched his voice so that the Kouhei could clearly hear him.
Suteko slowly shook her head as he sent a flash toward the two shadow creatures. "How low of you Aki, Matten-san is no lapdog," she smiled up at her true opponent. "As you well know." Her eyes stayed on the two creatures who were moving onto the street. A miasma of fear spread out from the Yurei, sending the bystanders fleeing down side streets or into shops that quickly locked their doors and pulled their shades. It seemed that patrons and the neighbors here knew danger when they saw it.
"Why else would the great Sailor Rage be sheparding sheep for you Knight? After all you are not Kouhei, not Senshi. He has no alliance to the Star Knights and no trust of you." Aki continued to make scathing remarks doing what he could to distract the Knight but Aki soon discovered that Unicorn was not easily distracted from battle. With a grimace he waved the two shadows forward.
With a twist of her wrist Suteko brought forth from no where a plain wooden staff. Her eyes flickering from side to side she started to twirl, waiting for the creatures to attack.
The Yurei held back drifting, her ghostly kimono floating in a nonexistent current of ecoplasmic water. Pooling on the ground beneath her. The shadow wolf man snarled and dashed forward. While a common boogieman in the stories of the place she grew up, Suteko wasn't frightened. She had fought off the same beast while on the run before. If not for the chance of being seen by innocent bystanders she would have blasted it. As the beast charged she came up onto the balls of her feet and then lashed out, hitting the wolf man in its muzzle. Slowing it down. The shadow creature reacted like any wolf would snarling and shaking its head.
Matten stood on the sidewalk watching the Star Knight in action. Suteko didn't power up and transform, she didn't use her light powers other than what seemed an unconscious leaking of light about her and the staff. She was currently striking the wolf man with her staff. The beast was fast and the shadow dripped from it's fangs and claws as it tried to tag the Star Knight. This beast was bigger than the creatures Rage and Time had cleaned up before. Easily topping 8 feet of muscle and fur, the creature looked massive compared to the tiny Suteko.
When Matten had sparred with her he knew she was fast but watching her in battle showed that she had held back. She moved with precision and speed, blocking the Shadow beasts lunges and landing blows to numb it arms an legs. The only problem was she because too focused. Aki smiled and gesture to the Yurei. The shadow ghost inhaled and sent out a discordant cry that pierced the souls of those who heard it. Normal humans were stunned but Matten merely winced. The cry touched the dark part of his soul but nothing more. He glared at the ghost as it moved forward.
On the other hand Suteko stumbled as the shadow's cry hit her. Being both bard and light born the cry actually caused her damage. Matten could see blood flow from her ear. He reached for his crystal. The civilians were all unseeing now and he fought better as Rage. In the time it took to power up the shadow wolf lunged and ended up catching the Star Knight across her cheek, whipping her head back. She stumbled back dropping the staff in surprise.
The Yurei drifted faster her mists enwrapping the Star Knight. Matten dashed to the street pulling his sword. He skidded to a stop as light flared, causing the mist to rip away. The wolf man roared in pain and the Yurei dashed back, crying out again.
As the mist cleared Sailor Star Knight Unicorn glared at the Shadow born on the pole. "That was low." Her musical voice soothing the nerves damaged by the Yurei's cry. She darted a look at Rage and quirked a brow toward the Wolfman. Rage smiled and stalked forward, swinging his blade. The wolf looked to his lord who gestured. With another howl the wolf man engaged Sailor Rage.
The two circled and closed, circled and closed in a dangerous dance. Rage was more powerful in his blows, landing on the shadow beast. The strength of his blows, augmented by his Rage powers caused a red glow around the blade he carried. Sailor Rage's in born powers strengthened his steel along with his muscles. His smile of raw glee would have frightened anyone watching. Shadow wolf and Sailor Kouhei wore matching viscous expressions. Matten was enjoying this battle more than he should but he didn't care. Battle was his heart and his joy. Fighting the shadow wolf was the most fun he had in over a year. He was almost disappointed when he managed to separate the shadow wolf' head from its shoulders. As the creature dissolved into the gathering dark. Rage turned to watch Unicorn.
The Sailor Star Knight was face to face with the Yurei. The ghost arms were extended, reaching out to grab the Star Knight but the glow now radiating off Unicorn kept it at bay. The Ghost once more opened it's mouth and let out its debilitating cry but the result this time was different. While the Star Knight wince and more blood flowed from her ears she spread her hands, eyes closed. A harp of light formed. She plucked a simple melody and notes of light formed and drifted toward the ghost. The shadow beast howled louder, trying to back away but the notes swirled around it, keeping it in place. Then Unicorn started to sing. The words didn't matter it was the pure sound of a trained musician that struck the ghost. Matten watched in reluctant awe as the pure crystalline notes stripped away the shadows that encased the spirit. As her pure voice slowly built in power the ghost became briefly solid and then with a relieved smile it faded away.
Aki cursed softly and faded from sight. His plan had backfired. The Star Knight had defeated the Yurei an had worked well with the Kouhei.
Once the Youma faded from sight Rage powered down. He did a quick scan seeing that all the businesses were still shuddered tight. He then turned in time to see Suteko, now back in her street clothes slump to one knee, hands to her head. Her eyes were still closed tight.
He moved to her side and asked softly. "Suteko, can you stand." He held out one hand to the woman who nodded once. She opened her eyes, looking briefly at his large hand. Wincing she took it. Matten was surprised and impressed despite himself. The Star Knight was willing to accept the simple helping hand. It was a good sign. Once she was on her feet, she swayed a bit but swallowed and after nodding her thanks to Matten, she went to pick up her pack. Matten looked about for the staff the knight had used before. The ability to pull a large hunk of wood from nothing was yet another thing that he wanted to speak to Suteko about.
She came back to his side and softly spoke. "You wont find it Matten-san. I put it away all ready." Wincing again she started to sway. Greg placed a steadying hand on her shoulder.
"The ghost's cry was more than a sound attack wasn't it?"
She nodded, "Shadow and sound mixed especially to weaken me." sighing she pulled a tissue from her pack and wiped at her ear. "I need to come up with a counter for that."
Before Greg could form another question a long black car pulled up to the curb and the rear door opened.
Setsuna got out and gestured to the two to get in. Acting the gentleman Matten guided Suteko in, then slid in himself.
He was prepared to be annoyed with Pluto but his jaw dropped when he saw who else was in the car. Shayla smiled at her team mate as she gently pressed a palm to the side of Suteko's head. "Good eve , Greg." A gentle green glow poured from her long fingers and flowed into the Star Knight. While not as dramatic s the Moon Princess' healing, the cool energy of Sailor Sweet water soothed the damage done by the shadow born to the light bearing Knight.
The tension slowly left her face as her hearing returned to normal and the pain faded. She whispered a thank you.
Setsuna instructed the driver to take them to her home. Greg sat back, filled with even more questions. How did the Knight pull a staff from nowhere in human guise? How did she disappear and reappear? Where did the harp and music power come from? This Star Knight had more tricks than a magician yet she seemed to have no defense against the shadows. But the questions could wait. He had known that Shayla was gong to return but had not expected her to show up in a limo with her royal timeness.
He opened his mouth to start questioning but Setsuna put up a single finger. "No questions Matten. The answers will be forthcoming, be patient. "He snarled and switch seats with Suteko.
Shayla spoke quietly as Greg and Suteko switched seats to give them some privacy. It was obvious that the two Kouhei had not seen each other in years and needed to catch up. Having Rage distracted from his questions was a relief. While she know she would be bombarded after the two friends caught up, she wasn't ready to answer the intense Kouhei's questions.
Sighing softly she watched the friends speak, the obvious care flowing between them sent a pang through her sore heart.