souna no miko
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all original characters mentioned in this story is owned by the great Takeuchi Naoko. There is no way I would claim them as my own. The song/s that will be used as part of the story are not mine either, they are owned by their respective writers and singers.
A/N: I'm cutting this chapter into three parts…because it's uber long…xD
Chapter
8 (part 1)
Gathering of the Four Guardians
The next day Mamoru was walking to school when a man with dazed look on his face grabbed him by the neck and tried to choke him to death.
Meanwhile at Juuban High, the Three Lights were busy doing their own thing when the front door suddenly slid open. They looked at the direction of the door and saw the other new girl standing by it huffing and puffing,
"Hey! You're the girl Mamoru introduced to us on the first day of school, watcha doin' here?" Seiya asked.
"Come with me, the prince is in danger." Calliope replied.
"What?" Yaten and Taiki asked in unison.
Calliope grabbed Taiki's wrist and replied,
"Come with me, questions later."
She dragged poor Taiki out of the school as the other two followed them.
Meanwhile, Mamoru was able to escape the man's grip and was able to turn into Tuxedo Kamen (1). The man transformed into a hideous thorn youkai. He tried to attack but the youkai was quick and was able to trap him yet again.
Calliope and the three boys finally arrived just when the youkai was about to hit Tuxedo Kamen with one of its thorny tentacles. Calliope threw her shoe at the youkai to catch its attention and ordered the Three Lights to transform. All three stared at each other,
"Uh...whatever do you mean by that?" Seiya asked innocently.
Calliope heaved a heavy sigh and replied,
"Follow my lead Caleb!" Calliope took out her transformation items and exclaimed,
"Sailor Star Protector, Make up!"
The Three Lights were stunned to see another starlight but decided to help anyway,
"Sailor Star Fighter, Make up!"
"Sailor Star Maker, Make up!"
"Sailor Star Healer, Make up!"
"We are the four shooting stars..." Protector started.
'Hey that's my line!' Fighter thought to herself as she continued,
"..that came from the night sky. Sailor Star Fighter!"
"Sailor Star Protector!"
'The hell? I always come after Fighter, bitch.' Healer said to herself before she proceeded,
"Sailor Star Healer!"
"Sailor Star maker!" Maker finally ended.
"Sailor Starlights, stage on!" All four shouted in unison.
The youkai attacked the four starlights and so Protector acted at once,
"Star Silent Illusions!"
The youkai was taken a back so Protector wanted to take advantage of it and ordered once again,
"Fighter, free the prince right away! Maker, healer, joint attack, now!"
Sailor Star Healer wanted to protest but Maker laid a hand over her shoulder and just nodded, giving the motion that they should just do what is supposed to be done in that very minute. Healer rolled his eyes before he attacked,
"Star Sensitive Inferno!"
"Star Gentle Uterus!"
Fighter was able to release Tuxedo Kamen and when he did, the latter snapped his finger and (then poof! It became KoKo Krunch! sorry can't help it..XDD) the youkai turned to its original form, a single red rose.
"What the fuck?!" Healer exclaimed.
Tuxedo Kamen took off his mask and smiled his usual smile,
"What the hell was that for Mamoru?!" Fighter exclaimed.
"Gomene, your sister thought about it so don't blame me." Mamoru replied with a sweat drop on his face.
"Sister?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Fighter exclaimed.
Protector approached Fighter and smacked her at the back of his head.
"What was that for?!" Seiya asked while rubbing her injured nape.
"I think it's time for you to remember." Mamoru said. He nodded towards Protector and the other nodded in response.
Protector raised her hands in the air and three differently colored balls appeared. She handed them to Mamoru and one by one the balls glowed after he touched them. He let them fly to each on of the starlights, the lilac one flew to Maker, the lime colored ball flew to Healer and the sky blue one flew to Fighter.
"What are these suppose to be Mamoru?" Maker asked.
Mamoru just smiled and replied,
"Pieces of Yesterday."
Then the balls entered their heads and with that, memories of their past came back.
Taiki found himself watching his younger self, as if watching a movie, remembering everything including his real name, Soul.
He watched as his young self pitifully lock himself inside his room full of books. He listened as other kids his age talk about him being weird and even gossiped that he's a kid who's afraid of the sunlight for he never leaves his stuffy room. They called him names like bookworm, ice prince, dark mute boy and the likes. He never really cared about those things, all he wanted was to stay away from people and live in the worlds his books offered him. And so, young Soul was never a people person. He'd rather stick his nose in a book all day long than play. He attended school yet he continued to avoid every possible human contact. Everything changed that one-day while he was in 2nd grade.
"Hey brown headed-kouhai(2) what's your name?" A squeaky yet confident voice asked from behind him.
Soul ignored the boy and continued reading his book.
"Ne otoutou daijoubu ka? (Hey little brother, are you okay?)" said the same voice once again, this time coming from infront of him.
Upon hearing the word 'outoutou'(3) Soul lifted his head only to see a black haired 3rd grader with a very short ponytail at the back of his head.
"Otou-.....tou?" he said in a questioning look.
"Ah sou(4), you can speak after all! Ah hai! I hope you don't mind me calling you that. I don't like calling pretty lower class men 'kouhai', 'otoutou' is much more personal, ne?"
Soul just looked back at this "intruder" with the same amount of curiosity and puzzlement he had a few minutes ago when this boy called his attention. Soon the upper classman dropped on the floor with a bump on his head. Soul saw a girl who looked exactly like the boy holding a red obento(5) high above her head.
"Itai! (ouch!)" the black haired boy shouted as he nursed his wounded head.
"Uruhe Caleb (Shut up Caleb). Stop pestering the 2nd grader with your homo tendencies." The girl said.
"Demou..it hurts." Caleb replied with tears in his eyes.
The girl turned to Soul and smiled a sweet angelic smile and said,
"Gomene. My brother could be a little playful and arrogant at times, I apologize for his actions."
Soul could only look back and give a nod.
"Watashiwa Casseopeia desu, korega watashi no aniki, Caleb desu. (I'm Casseopeia, this is my older brother Caleb.)" Casseopeia said with a bow as she forced her brother to bow as well.
"Let's be friends okay?" Caleb said as he tried to push his head up to look at him.
These two children interest him and so Soul closed his book and though it wasn't in his nature to talk to people, much less befriend them, he stood up and for the first time in his seven years of life, Soul bowed back and replied,
"Soul desu, yoroshiku onegai shimasu. (Soul, pleased to meet you.)"
Taiki smiled as he remembered the reason behind his transformation from his quiet aloof self to the Taiki that he is now.
Then he remembered how excited he was when he first stepped into the palace. He remembered the days he and Persephone would read books together under the oldest tree in the palace garden. He remembered how he vowed to protect the woman he had always admired. He remembered how useless he was when his beloved princess died. He blamed himself for being so careless but most of all he was reminded of how he hated Alexis for ignoring Persephone feelings for him and for letting her die.
Taiki remembered the poems Persephone would recite to him, poems made for no one else but Alexis.
"Ne Soul-sempai(6) what are you doing?"
"Reading a book" he replied as he closed the book to meet his princess's lavender eyes.
"What book?"
"La Morte D'Arthur."
"Oh the one about the exploits of King Arthur and his noble death, correct?"
"Hai."
"Did you know that he's one of my godfathers?"
"Y-you knew King Arthur? Uso! (Liar!)"
"Uso ja nai! (I'm not lying!) I told you, he's one of my godfathers!" Persephone said with a giggle.
"What was he like Persephone?" Soul asked now with filled with interest.
"Actually....I don't remember...I was too young when I last saw him, all I remember was that he had this funny beard that tickles every time I try to kiss him." The princess replied with a laugh.
"Hontoni? (Really?)"
"Honto desu! (It's true!) And he even makes funny faces just so I would stop crying."
Together they laughed but soon the princess stopped and added,
"I do miss him a lot."
"Is he really...dead?"
"Oh no no no no no! He's just quite busy that's all."
"Busy?"
"He's looking for that goblet my brother lost when we were still young."
"You mean . . . the Holy Graile?!" Soul asked in disbelief.
Princess Persephone took on a thinking position and thought for a while until she just shrugged and said,
"No idea, all I know is that it's oniichan's fault."
Soul sweatdropped and couldn't say anything but,
"Ehh . . ."
"Soul-kun..." Princess Persephone suddenly started with a taunting voice.
Knowing full well his princess, Soul merely smiled and asked,
"What is it this time Persephone?"
"Poem time!"
Soul teasingly groaned and replied,
"Not again!"
"Silence. I want you to listen to me."
Soul bended a bit and placed his right hand on his chest as he replied,
"Your wish is my command my Princess."
The bubbly Princess flopped down in front of Soul, closed her eyes and clasped her hands together in front of her chest.
"I am frightened in the middle of
the night,
as darkness slowly surrounds me.
I reach out my
hands for help
but every one seems to be out of sight.
Not far away I see something
sparkle
blinding light that lead the way.
Through the maze and
to my freedom
saving me from fear and tears.
A pair of
emeralds as they seem to be
but as I reach out to grab them
Instead I got a hold of you.
You are my saviour,
you
and your eyes of emerald.
And for that i thank you."
Silence.
"Ne Soul-kun, how was it?" Princess Persephone asked after a few minutes.
Soul kept his head low and held it with his right hand.
"Soul-kun?"
Silence.
"Soul-kun speak up!" Princess Persephone exclaimed as she shook Soul's body by the shoulder
With his arms dropped on his sides, his hair covering his face and his head still kept low, he replied,
"It was beautiful my lady, I'm sure he'll love it as much I did."
"You think so?"
"Iiye (No), I know so."
"Is that all? No critique? Nothing else?"
"Hai, nothing more."
Princess Persephone's smile widened as she thanked Soul and ran off happily back into the palace.
Taiki watched his past self hold his head once again, his face hidden behind his brown locks, and a drop of tear falling on the book.
Tsuzuku…
A/N:
(1)
Kamen = mask
(2) kouhai = pertains to someone who is younger or is
in a lower level and is not a blood
relative, eg. A senior
calls a freshman 'kouhai'
(3) otoutou = younger brother
(4)
Ah sou = Ah I see; a variation of sou ka
(5) obento = packed
lunch
(6) sempai = pertains to someone who is older or is in a
higher level and is not a blood
relative, eg. A new reporter
asks a senior reporter 'sempai'