In the last chapter, we met several characters who will play important parts in what will happen later in this story and potential future series of related stories. Among them were Darien Shields, Serena Moon, and Motoki Furuhata, to name a few. Several new characters will first appear in this chapter. Not all of them will play major parts in this story, mind you all, at least at first. But there will still be at least one or two who will play such parts, ultimately. You will come to meet them in a bit, when needed, for sure.
In the last chapter, a chapter called Earth Knight's First Fight, we saw Darien encounter not only Serena rather unexpectedly indeed, we also saw him encounter two strangely sentient animals, two monsters, and any number of other people being held captive by the aforementioned monsters. The strangely sentient animals somehow turned him into a superhero of sorts. Much to his great surprise and great reluctance at that time, ultimately. And he found himself and them engaging the two monsters they then encountered for a while, at least. After which, he destroyed both monsters, once they were weakened enough to be killed where they then were.
After the battle he and they had just fought, he'd powered down, and gone to the Crown Arcade for a little while. Whereupon he quite unexpectedly indeed then saw not only Serena again, but another girl who looked a lot like her and another guy who looked like him. Which then led to a food fight for a while, before Motoki got them all to leave the Arcade for the rest of the night by telling them all that they'd have to help clean up if they stayed there too much longer.
Darien and each of the others went to their respective residences, and they all stayed in them from then on. That is where we left them all, in this story, as a result. But rest assured, those places are not where we're going to rejoin them at all, folks.
Keitaro Urashima - second-year college student at the University of Tokyo/landlord/co-manager of the Hinata Apartments, nineteen years old, brownish-black hair, brown eyes, wears glasses, now married to the former Shinobu Maehara as of July 1990, part-time artist/archeologist if and whenever possible, very hard worker, very loyal, very dedicated, once not very popular, still somewhat unpopular among certain people, can be quite clumsy indeed at times, and quite forgetful, moderately fit and somewhat attractive, still a bit naive about a number of things in his life. (01/05/1971)
Shinobu (Maehara) Urashima - high school senior/co-manager of the Hinata Apartments, seventeen years old, purplish-blue hair, purplish-blue eyes, now married to Keitaro Urashima, as of July 1990, chief assistant to Keitaro at the Hinata Apartments, excellent chef, once very timid and shy, but being around Keitaro, even since before their marriage, has helped her gradually become less so, still has a tendency to cry and worry, especially when she doesn't understand what's going on well enough, and to run away, but she has been working on that with the help of many others, especially those who live with her and Keitaro, still has some growing to do, but is still very strong physically for her current size, very good-looking, and very smart, hopes to own her own restaurant someday, and maybe even see the world quite a bit, alongside her husband. (11/15/1972)
Sylvia Wakefield - high school junior/native of Israel, sixteen years old, auburn hair, blue eyes, lives with her family in a different part of Tokyo than Azabu Juuban, somewhat artistic, likes to read and write often, likes to ride horses, quilter, three siblings, is oldest child of her parents, currently unattached, but secretly has her eye on someone who she might be interested in, and who is secretly watching her as well in like manner, very smart, very attractive, very athletic-looking, but can get angry with people if provoked sufficiently enough by them, can speak to at least some degree, if not fluently, a number of languages, drives a van. (01/25/1974)
Rolando Volois - high school junior/native of Scotland, seventeen years old, black hair, blue eyes, lives with his family in a different part of Tokyo than Azabu Juuban, somewhat interested in theology, other cultures, and sports, to name a few of his interests, likes to read and write often, four siblings, oldest child of his parents, currently unattached, but secretly has his eye on someone who he might be interested in, and who is secretly watching him as well in like manner, often very serious-minded, not very attractive-looking, a bit forgetful, but still somewhat intelligent when it comes to certain subjects, not very popular with many, and most think him quite weird and/or quite unconventional, often. (02/11/1973)
Jadeite - Negaverse General tasked with gathering energy towards the reawakening of Queen Metallia, the supreme leader of the Negaverse by Queen Beryl, Queen Metallia's immediate subordinate, blond hair, blue eyes, many other details yet-unknown by most at this time, but will be discovered periodically as more time passes, information to be updated as needed or discovered. (Birthdate unknown)
Keitaro and Shinobu, along with certain others they typically will associate with in this particular story and/or its potential related series of stories, will be somewhat different from how they are in more canonical versions of Love Hina. Just how they will be, you'll all find out, if you happen to read this story and/or its series for a long enough period of time. There'll be some similarities to those more canonical versions, at least. But two major differences from those versions are that Shinobu is not only older, to be considerably closer in age to Keitaro, and that she and Keitaro were married while she was still in high school, prior to the start of this story. Other differences or similarities will show up as the need arises, folks. While there are those who may prefer other potential romance-type pairings for Keitaro, this particular pairing is quite NON-NEGOTIABLE in this story and its related series, and WILL NOT BE CHANGED. However, that still does not mean that the other girls of the Hinata Apartments will themselves not have potential boyfriends or husbands later, everyone.
Other couples among certain other characters in this story will be decided upon and/or revealed later, whether they're more canonical or not. Of course, with some of them, I may be open to suggestions for them in relation to yet-unattached characters, everyone. But I will NOT entertain any suggestions for same-gender relationships under any circumstances whatsoever. So don't bother even asking for them at all. For I find them rather icky, to put it very mildly indeed, at least.
Now without further ado, I hereby give you the next chapter of this story, folks. I hope you all like how it turns out, of course. TUS out.
Paparazzi A-Prowling?
About three or four days later, on the following Saturday, Darien was riding his mostly black and red motorcycle in a part of Tokyo called Shiranai Engoku Seito Tsuki, which in English, roughly translated as Strange Distant Star Moon, most likely. He was just out for a ride in Tokyo for fun. And he soon found himself in SEST on his semi-random motorized meandering that Saturday morning, which dawned fairly bright and warm, considering it was now late summer in Japan and elsewhere in the world. Darien would often go riding on his favorite motorcycle on Saturdays, more often than on other days of the week, if and whenever he possibly could do that. And this was one such day when such was the case for him.
Shiranai Engoku Seito Tsuki was a part of Tokyo mostly to the west and/or south of Azabu Juuban. And many people, especially foreigners, were commonly known to live there. It was a somewhat cosmopolitan part of Tokyo, but still had, in many ways, a bit of a much less-populated feel to it. There were any number of businesses and homes, among other things, in SEST. But most such structures were not quite as tall or as extravagant-looking as many such buildings in other parts of Tokyo. For compared to most other parts of Tokyo, SEST had much more of a small town feel, more or less, on average, than they often each did.
Darien passed a several-story building with banners promoting a fashion show scheduled for 6:30 that evening. And he strangely got an unexpected feeling that something wasn't quite right there, not too much later. He didn't know why yet. But he still didn't like this feeling. He rode a bit longer all over SEST before then starting to scope out the area and try to figure out what was now going on. He ultimately had to leave SEST again, though, at least for a little while. For he now had certain other commitments elsewhere that he had to attend to. But he also decided to come back to SEST by that evening, and try to see better what might actually be going on. He then returned not much later to Azabu Juuban, and began attending to those other current commitments of his at the present time, in fact.
Meanwhile, as Darien was still exploring, Sylvia Wakefield, a sixteen-year-old high school junior at Chrysanthemum Trekker Academy in SEST, was painting an animal-filled forest scene featuring a still-young couple walking together leading one horse apiece. The painting was about half-completed.
Sylvia was a rather athletic-looking young woman, with roughly waist-length auburn hair that she normally wore down and unbound. She was of above-average height and weight, and her eyes were blue. She was also fairly good-looking, but many might not necessarily consider her gorgeous, compared to many other women. But that sort of thing wasn't all that important to her. For she wasn't all caught up with trying to be something that she neither wanted, nor needed to be. At least right now in her life, that was the case for her, more often than not.
Sylvia had three siblings, and she was the oldest of her parents' children, with her siblings being, in terms of their chronological age from the oldest to the youngest of her younger siblings, Rebecca, Ulysses, and Martha. Rebecca was about twelve years old or so, Ulysses about ten or so years old, and Martha about seven or so years old, more or less. And their mutual parents were Nigel and Esther Wakefield.
Sylvia and her family had lived in Japan since 1986, after her family had moved there because of her father's employer transferring him there. Her father currently worked for a construction company based in Tokyo, as a bookkeeper, while her mother was primarily a housewife in her own life.
Around Sylvia, she had several shelves well-stocked with books of all kinds about any number of subjects. Especially ones dealing with arts and crafts, theology, and horses. And many pictures of horses in various forms and styles were on her wall, for instance, as well. Some somewhat older than certain others were, and several of which she'd created herself, in fact.
Her bed was a four-poster queen-sized bed with all four posts primarily carved with animals, especially horses, on top of a raised platform. Her bedding consisted of white linen sheets under one of the various quilts that she'd finished quite recently, along with some pillowcases that she'd made to match the quilt. The quilt had many patches related to animals on it, and others related to various books she'd read in the past. All told, the quilt had 100 patches on it, with them all being around a moderately-sized circle featuring a man surrounded by various animals inside it in the middle of said quilt.
She painted until Esther unexpectedly knocked on her bedroom door and told her she had a call from her friend Shirubia Weikufiirudo.
"What does she want, Mother?"
"She wants to talk to you about the fashion show scheduled to take place tonight at the Chrysanthemum and Rose Corporation's design studio, it seems."
"I see. Very well, I'll talk to her. Give me five minutes to wash up, and then I'll take the call in my room, Mother."
"Of course, Sylvia." Then Esther left Sylvia alone, as Sylvia quickly cleaned up and washed up as needed. Five minutes later, Sylvia picked up the phone on a bedside table, and answered the phone as she sat in her bed holding a pen in one hand, the phone in the other, and as a pad of paper then sat on her own lap there.
"What's on your mind, Shirubia-san?" asked Sylvia.
Shirubia asked, "Would you be interested in attending a fashion show tonight, or perhaps being a model for some items related to it? It seems some of the people we were planning to have show up and do modeling for it aren't actually going to be able to do that tonight where it'd be held. So I was asked to ask around and see if I can find others who can substitute for them tonight. Might you be interested, then?"
"Rather short notice, wouldn't you say, Shirubia-san?"
"Yes, but it can't be helped. The designers need some people to model for them tonight"
"What does it pay, or how much is admission?"
"If you come there as a model, soon enough before the event tonight, we will pay you the equivalent of 200 American dollars in whatever currency you prefer. If you come there as a spectator before the event, we can give you two free tickets to use for yourself and one guest. Which would you prefer?"
"When is the event?"
"6:30 in the evening tonight."
"What would I be modeling then?"
"Various casual clothes."
"Meaning?" asked Sylvia, as she made some notes, and did a little bit of drawing as well on her pad of paper.
"Shirts, sweaters, et cetera, along with various skirts or pants as appropriate enough, I believe. I wasn't told much about such things, but they promised me that nobody would be modeling underwear at the show, seeing as they typically design for teens and young adults, more often than not."
"Can I think about it for a bit?" More notes and sketches joined the already-existing ones.
"Of course you can. But if you decide you want to model for us, please be at the applicable design studio in our neighborhood by 3, at the latest. For it probably will take a few hours to properly prepare you for the show."
"Fair enough."
Then the two young women ended their current conversation, and hung up their respective phones on both ends simultaneously. That done, Sylvia then set the pad of paper and the pen she'd written and sketched with next to the now-hung-up phone, before briefly heading to her closet to see what she had that might be suitable enough for the day's expected weather. For she was then in a t-shirt and jeans, not yet having left her family's home on the current day.
She dressed to go out, putting on horse-themed clip-on earrings. Sylvia checked herself in the mirror on her dresser for a few moments, generally liking what she saw. Just in case her sisters might look for her while she was out, she also left a note near her door as well, as she left her bedroom.
After telling her mother she was going for a walk of at least an hour or two in length, and getting permission to do so, she set off for where the show would take place. She was there by noon, after walking around SEST for a while, not having immediately remembered just where in it the design studio was located, even after having lived in the Tokyo area for roughly four years now.
On arrival at that place, she encountered several other people, none of them her friend Shirubia. Several of them were aliens in disguise, but she didn't know that, for they were currently appearing to be normal human beings. Among those people was the person who had sent the first monsters that had attempted to wreak havoc a few days before at a jewelry shop in Azabu Juuban, working for a group of alien invaders. His name was Jadeite. At the current time, he was going by the alias of Genichi Kurkawa.
Others at the design studio were humans from Earth, however. Among them were all the designers preparing for the fashion show that very evening.
Sylvia asked one of them, somewhat at random, "Do any of you perhaps know someone by the name of Shirubia Weikufiirudo, and if so, do you know when she may be back later?"
The first designer said, "No," as did a few others. But one of the people she talked to said that she did know her to some degree. And that person was a middle-aged woman with hair that looked like it was somehow naturally lavender-colored for herself.
That woman said, as she wore a mostly white dress covered somewhat liberally by chrysanthemum-like designs in various shapes and sizes and colors, "Yes, I know Shirubia-san, Wakefield-san. We've known each other for a number of years, in fact. She's been a friend of my niece Usagi Tsukino ever since Usagi was in second grade and Shirubia was in fourth, although not Usagi's closest friend of all her friends. That closest friend of Usagi's is Naru Osaka, who's most likely known Usagi longer than anyone else in Usagi's circle of friends, it seems to me."
"I see. So you know when she may be back, then, perhaps, ma'am?"
"Depends on how long it ultimately takes her to complete the errands that I gave her, Wakefield-san."
"May I ask your name, if it's not too much of an imposition?"
"This isn't my real name, mind you, but you can call me by the name of Chrysanthemum Lady, for now," said the woman, after examining Sylvia from head to toe both in the front and in the back for a while, once she got Sylvia's permission to do that here.
"Why for now?"
"Because, Wakefield-san, I have this rather strange feeling somehow that we may very well see much more of each other in the future, for some yet-unknown reason or reasons to us both. And I really don't know why yet, if I ever somehow will, in fact."
"I see. So, seeing as it's not likely she may return for a while yet, do you mind if I leave for a little while, and come back later, then, ma'am?"
Chrysanthemum Lady said, "That's quite all right. Just be back here by three, if you can, and if you want to potentially be in the show tonight, then, Wakefield-san."
"Understood. See you later, then, perhaps, if at all possible." With that then said, Sylvia went shopping for a little while before going back home for lunch with her family for a bit. She picked up some more arts and crafts-related supplies for herself before returning home for lunch.
After lunch, she went in search of Shirubia, but didn't find her, even after returning to the design studio's headquarters. Seeing as she couldn't then find her friend, she hoped that her friend was all right. And that she and Shirubia would be able to see each other again very soon, as well.
Meanwhile, two young men by the name of Rorando Phorusivo and Rolando Volois were shooting hoops with each other. Both young men looked quite similar to each other. But Phorusivo was wearing white and red, while Volois was wearing blue and brown at the current time, in fact.
Both were seventeen years old, and both also attended school at CTA, along with many other students there. They had known each other for about four years, ever since Rolando's family had moved with him to Japan. While Rorando was born, bred, and raised in Japan, Rolando was born and bred in Scotland. And he'd also spent most of his life there, before moving to Japan with his family.
Both young men had black hair and blue eyes, along with beards and moustaches. But Rolando's hair and beard were both a little bit bushier or thicker than Rorando's hair and beard. Rolando had the ball, and the current score of their one-on-one game was 15-12, in favor of Rolando.
Rorando asked, "Rolando, do you have any plans for this evening, by any chance?"
"No, why?" asked Rolando, as he drove the lane and went for a layup attempt, which was unsuccessful, but still allowed him to get the rebound and score off it.
"Because I was wondering if you'd be willing either to model some clothes at a fashion show, or to attend it, this evening. Seems my employer needs some models for their clothing tonight, or at least people to see their designs at the fashion show tonight, you see."
"And why might they need me, for instance, to help them out by modeling their clothes?"
"It seems that some of the people we were planning to have show up and do some modeling for it, are not actually going to be able to make it tonight. So I was asked to ask around and see if I can find others who can substitute for those people at the event tonight. Might you be interested, then?"
"I see. And you think I could help out this evening, then, perhaps?"
"If you don't absolutely have to do something else this evening and night, then perhaps that could help us out."
"When would I need to be at the place where the fashion show will be at tonight, Rorando?" asked Rolando, even as he then sank the game-winning basket to win the game 21-15 over Rorando.
"By 3, because it'll probably take a few hours to prepare you for the show."
"And how much are the designers offering for compensation to their models of their items, then, if I might ask you this?" asked Rolando, as he and Rorando began to gather up their things and drink from bottles of water in a small portable water cooler.
"If you come there as a model, soon enough before the event tonight, we will pay you the equivalent of 200 American dollars in whatever currency you prefer. If you come there as a spectator before the event, we can give you two free tickets to use for yourself and one guest. Which would you prefer?"
Rolando thought for a bit, and then said, "I suppose I could come as a model, then. I could use some more money for potential future trips, seeing as I am a writer, Rorando. And I often travel when I can to get more information for my stories. So I can take that money and add it to my travel fund, I suppose."
"As you wish. A few other friends of mine are looking for other potential models as well to have model for us tonight, in fact."
"Where is this fashion show?"
"It is at the headquarters of the Chrysanthemum and Rose Corporation's design studio here in SEST, Rolando."
Rorando eventually had to part from Rolando, and go about the business of trying to find more potential models for the upcoming fashion show that evening. Rolando watched him go for a few moments, and then set off for his own family's home elsewhere in SEST. He ultimately returned there by 1:30 in the afternoon, and then took a quick shower, before telling his parents and his siblings that he'd just been invited to model some clothing at a fashion show that evening. They said that he should accept the invitation, for it might be a good experience for him to write about.
"Are you sure, everyone?"
"Yes, we are, Rolando," said his father Morgan.
"We'd love to hear about the other people who'd most likely be there as well," added the fifteen-year-old Thomas, his nearer younger brother.
"And what the place looked like, while you were there," said his thirteen-year-old sister Astrid.
"Among other things we'd like to hear about, I'm quite sure," said the ten-year-old Bruce.
"Such as if there are pretty things and girls there, too," said the roughly seven-year-old Celeste, who now was Rolando's youngest sibling, whether or not she always would be.
"You are interested in girls, aren't you, Rolando?" asked his mother Emily, the former Emily Brykel.
"Yes, of course I am. But I'm not telling you who I may be interested in at the moment, Mother. I hope you understand, with all due respect. I have to be able to have my own secrets from time to time, right?"
"Of course you do. But I was just curious who you might be interested in now. You see, you haven't gone out on a date before, as far as any of us yet know, in your life."
"True, but if I told you all who I was interested in now, Thomas and Astrid, for instance, may then want to try to find out all they could about them. And I really don't want that to happen, unless it absolutely has to, for various reasons I'd prefer not to disclose at this time. If at all, I think."
"But we want to make sure that nobody's trying to take advantage of you, whenever we can, Rolando," said Astrid. "You have a good heart, and we don't want to see it broken needlessly."
"Astrid, answer me this question, then. How can one make a stained glass window, for instance, without something being broken?"
"They can't, if memory serves?" asked Astrid.
"Correct, something always has to be broken, for someone to be able to make such a window. Also, the best literary characters often have bad times that may stain their lives, so to speak, as well. They are not perfect, and make mistakes. Just as we humans also frequently do, for that matter, Astrid."
"What are you trying to say, Rolando?" asked Bruce, while then holding a computer disk drive in his hands at the present time.
"If I don't risk getting my heart broken, how will I likely ever know how true love is supposed to operate, Bruce? How do you know when a disk drive is working properly or not, for instance?"
"When it makes certain sounds, or does certain things, of course. Supposing it's then connected as needed and as appropriate to the computer it needs to be connected to, Rolando."
"Okay, but how do you know what is supposed to happen with said disk drive, for instance, then?"
"I read a lot, and tinker a lot, too, and see what happens, often," answered Bruce.
"True love, I feel, is much, if not entirely, the same way. Now I don't want to play around with girls' hearts. But I eventually do want to find true love. I mean, someone does have to carry on our family name, if at all possible, you know. I don't know yet if one of us boys ever will. But I really do want to have kids someday, if I can. I have at least one girl in mind as a potential future girlfriend and wife. But I don't yet know how she, or they, feel about me, I think. And while that's the case, I'd really prefer that you all let me have my space about such things, at least for a while, anyway."
"Fine, Rolando, we'll give you your space. At least regarding this sort of thing, for a little while, at least," said Morgan. "But we'll all want to know a bit more about things of this nature later, in sufficient enough relation to you, you know."
"Fair enough, Father. I suppose, though, that if I'm going to model this evening, we'll have to cut this particular discussion short. At least for now, anyway."
"Agreed, Rolando." said Emily, who had now been married to Morgan for nearly 22 years. Emily was now a stay-at-home mother to five children. While her husband now worked mostly as a book editor, but also as a part-time film producer, for his employer, based currently out of Tokyo.
Not much later, then, he went to his room to grab a few things from it. It wasn't too much later before he ultimately left his room again, with a few things in a backpack situated properly on his back as needed.
He soon arrived there, with little or no trouble as well, after using a bicycle to get there quicker than he might have been able to get there on foot. Once he did so, he put his bicycle in a rack specifically meant for that exact purpose, locking it as needed before going into the necessary design studio.
He entered the studio's front lobby, and asked the then-present people where he was supposed to go in order to potentially model some clothes later at the fashion show. He was escorted to where several designers were chatting with other potential modeling candidates for the upcoming show. Not much later, then, he was accepted as a model for the show, much to his surprise. And not only that, he was able to spot Sylvia around it as well, and get close enough to her for them to talk to each other safely enough.
Once both Rolando and Sylvia realized this, they both got to talking, and Sylvia said, "I didn't expect to see you here, Volois-san."
"Nor did I."
"I wonder if we're being set up here."
"By who?"
"Unknown. But something really strange seems to be going on, or will be going on here. And I can't quite put my finger on it. Or at least right now, I can't, anyway. Please be as careful as you can possibly be tonight, just in case something unexpected might actually happen tonight, somehow. I don't care what it might be. But please be as careful as you can tonight, if at all possible, Volois-san. And please also tell nobody you know of this particular feeling of mine, as well, if you can possibly avoid it at all."
"As you wish, Wakefield-san."
Eventually, both of them had to try on several items apiece. This continued almost until the scheduled starting time for the upcoming fashion show. And they were both generally quite unable to converse with each other while they were still trying any number of various items on, if they were even able to at all.
Meanwhile, in another part of Japan, two young people were preparing themselves for a rare night out. They were very busy people, for Keitaro Urashima was a college sophomore and Shinobu, his wife of just over two months, was a high school senior, and both ran things at a place called the Hinata Apartments. Keitaro was the landlord at the Hinata Apartments, and one of the two co-managers there, while Shinobu was the other co-manager and the chief cook there. They were finishing up their preparations, with Shinobu putting some earrings on and Keitaro straightening his tie and checking his hair.
They soon met with each other's approval, and then Keitaro asked, "Do you think the others can keep Kaolla occupied tonight, somehow?"
"Well, if I remember correctly, they were planning to accompany her to a symposium or something on mechanical engineering or something, sweetheart. Even though that's really not something most of them might actually be all that interested in. If any of the rest of them might be, anyway, I think."
"Well, if they'll all go out, then perhaps this place won't get damaged at all tonight by one of her robots, Blueberry."
"Yes, we can always hope."
"You did make up some supper for everyone else, right?" Shinobu was the chief cook and a co-manager of the Hinata Apartments.
"Yes, Keitaro. I even made enough for everyone to have at least seconds, if not thirds or fourths, if they wished," said Shinobu to her husband, the landlord of the Hinata Apartments.
"Good. That should help a great deal in terms of Kaolla. She's almost fully-grown, if not entirely so. But she still gets rather freaky at times, you know, though."
"Yes, she's still a bit like she was when you joined us here about five years ago. But, fortunately, we've not had to deal with any major repairs here very often since you and I got engaged on your nineteenth birthday earlier this year. Or at least not for the most part, that is."
"But Naru and Motoko didn't take the news of our engagement well then, Shinobu."
"Not at first, I admit. But I soon set them and everyone else who was then here straight about what I would and would not tolerate from them in the future, in sufficient enough relation to you. Remember?"
Keitaro nodded, before walking over to her from his side of the room, giving her a very brief, yet very pleasant, kiss, and receiving one back from her in turn. "I certainly do. Now I don't find myself getting socked or otherwise hit by a few of them. Or getting scammed by others, anymore, for sure."
Shinobu briefly glanced at a nearby clock, and saw it was quickly approaching 4:15 pm. "We should probably hurry up, Keitaro, if we want to be at the train station in time for the 4:45 to Tokyo!"
They jumped onto Keitaro's motorcycle and headed to the station, where they managed to jump onto the train before it left the platform.
Once in Tokyo, they then began to walk towards Tokyo's SEST neighborhood where a fashion show was due to start. They had great seats not too far from the stages and runways, right next to Motoki Furuhata, Reika Nishimura, and any number of other people they'd come to know a bit better in the future. After getting themselves a program mentioning the various designers and several things that were planned for the show, they then quietly waited patiently for the show to start, as some light classical music began to play.
At 6:30 pm local time, then, Jadeite, in the guise of Genichi Kurkawa, came onto the main stage, and welcomed everyone to the fashion show. The first model came out wearing a casual pink sweatshirt, print skirt, and open-toed sandals. As for Sylvia, she often found herself in outfits consisting of various blouses and skirts, with assorted footwear choices, while Rolando often found himself in colorful and unusually patterned attire. Many of the outfits modeled at the show were rather fun-looking, and many had unusual patterns, but they were generally well-received.
All of a sudden, just before the final round of modeling was due to start, the lights in the design studio went out. Unbeknownst to all present, this had been planned in advance by an agent of the Negaverse. Specifically, by Jadeite himself.
The audience heard, "Stay where you are, please, and remain calm. We have just had a temporary electrical malfunction, and we will turn on the lights here again as soon as we can identify and rectify said malfunction." Jadeite said those words, hoping that others would listen to him enough to remain in the studio so that he and his minions could then perhaps drain everyone's energy as part of their current plan.
Shinobu said, "Keitaro, I don't like this. I think something's up. His voice sounds scary, for some reason I can't quite explain, and I don't know why."
Suddenly, she and Keitaro felt their wrists being grabbed unexpectedly and tied to the armrests of their respective seats by unknown hands or appendages. "Let go, whoever you are," said Keitaro, once he realized something wasn't quite as it should be.
"Not before you give us your energy for the use of the Negaverse, humans. Queen Beryl has need of it to awaken our great leader Queen Metallia," said a still-unseen monster. Sounds of struggle quickly reached their ears, as well, from other nearby areas of the design studio they were both then in.
Two minutes later, the lights came back on. Shinobu and Keitaro saw several people and two animals fighting numerous human-sized slugs. They struggled against their current bonds in their seats, but could not move. Those two animals were a peacock and a hedgehog, and they both were attempting to avoid being hit by gas clouds of some sort and/or being grabbed by those slugs, while a young man in some kind of fighting outfit was also battling them. As were several others, including two or more of the models who were trying to help spectators get out of the fight's immediate area without getting captured, hurt, or killed themselves.
Shinobu suddenly saw Sylvia then attempting to free her, and Rolando trying to do the same thing for Keitaro, even as a slug then approached all four of them. She spoke up, and said, somewhat loudly, "Watch out! There's a monster behind you, girl!"
Sylvia immediately turned and grabbed some nearby forks and knives on the floor in front of Shinobu's feet, and threw them at the monster in question. Those things almost immediately hit the monster's eyes, and several other places on their body, including their moderately large batwing-like ears. While the monster was trying to recover from the sudden attack of Sylvia's on themselves, Sylvia grabbed up a nearby tray of some sort, and began fiercely beating them over the head with it, even while also kicking them and dodging various appendages that the monster then had.
Rolando fended off a second monster by fighting fiercely as well, in the hopes that he'd somehow be able to incapacitate any monster or monsters that were then threatening any or all of them. While he didn't use trays or anything, he still did use his fists and feet, at least, against the monsters then seeking to either drain the energy from him and/or those sufficiently around him at the present time.
Various other spectators and other models soon took down some of the now-present monsters. But most of the monsters now present had found themselves quickly battling against Earth Knight, Wanderer, and Seeker. Most especially, they did so right after they'd all revealed their presences.
The slugs, which were called Eramcelers, soon saw at least forty of their number either incapacitated or killed, by the time that Sylvia and Rolando were finally able to somehow free both Shinobu and Keitaro. Once Shinobu and Keitaro were free, Shinobu said, "Thank you, Miss."
"Call me Sylvia. My friend is Rolando. We may meet each other again, I somehow strongly suspect."
"Then you two can call us Shinobu and Keitaro," Keitaro said, while indicating who was who here.
"Get out of here now, if you can, then, you two. We'll cover you as best as we can. Head for the nearest available exit, while we do so, as best as we can," said Rolando. Those things said, then, Sylvia and Rolando escorted Shinobu and Keitaro to that exit, while also watching out for any more potential threats from any still-present Eramcelers.
Shinobu and Keitaro made it to the necessary exit, and fled the scene. They came to a little pastry shop, and went inside.
"I wonder how long it will be before they're able to resume the fashion show tonight, Shinobu."
"I don't think they will, Keitaro, due to the presence of the monsters there."
"I also wonder if Motoko would have been able to take any of them down with her attacks."
"Not sure, but I hope everyone who was there will be okay. Unless they're the monsters, of course, or those who sent them," said Shinobu, as she and Keitaro were then escorted to a table elsewhere.
"Earth Knight and his animal allies seemed to be able to fight them somewhat well, somehow, though, didn't they, Shinobu?"
"They were having some trouble, last I saw, before we were finally able to get out of the area, Keitaro."
Shinobu took a sip of some oolong tea, then a bite of a cream-filled long john pastry, before continuing, "I am glad you are with me, Keitaro, as always."
"We have been together for over a year or so, you know. I will always be with you whenever I can be, Shinobu. You know that." Keitaro took a bite from a piece of cherry pie, then a sip of some orange juice.
"Yes, but …?"
"Yes, but nothing, Shinobu. You are my wife. I am your husband. Me being with you now is part of the territory of being married, through good times and bad times. Of course, I could have just as easily been with one of the other girls, you know. But I chose you, and I will always choose you over them, if and whenever necessary and appropriate now. For I love you, and that will never change now."
"Why did you choose me, when the others were most likely much better-looking, then, Keitaro?" asked Shinobu, as she took another bite of her current long john pastry.
"Because of your personality, and the fact that you were always there for me when you could be. Even after they got after me many times without just cause. Among other things that helped me choose who I wanted to marry someday in my own life, if I could. For those reasons, and perhaps for any number of others, whether possibly known or unknown, I therefore chose you as my lifemate for at least as long as we both shall live, if not even longer than that. For instance, you never deliberately tried to hurt me, as far as I can recall. That most definitely really made major points in your direct favor with me too. I love you, and you are the one I've quite often dreamed of ever since we were both still quite young and sitting together in that sandbox, Shinobu."
"But they are much better-looking, or have been, in the past, than I most likely have ever been or may now be." Shinobu took another sip of her tea.
"So what if they have, if they indeed have, been better-looking, at least on the outside, Shinobu? Looks will and do fade in time. But true beauty is within, not on the outside. Oh, sure, someone may look really good on the outside. But what really matters and what should be considered more by people looking for true love is what's on the inside of a person, in terms of personality, et cetera. You can dress up a pig, for instance, in a fine formal gown, perhaps. Yet a pig is still a pig."
"Which means?" asked Shinobu, as Keitaro took another bite of his pie.
"How someone is on the inside will show through, in time. No matter what they look like, or what they wear, Shinobu. Whether they're kind or mean, grateful or jealous, et cetera."
"And how do you see me?"
"You are a priceless possession to me, Shinobu, worth more to me than any possible artifact I might ever find. Even if I were to find, say, Noah's Ark, you would still be worth more to me than that."
"Some of my classmates think I should have waited to get married, though, Keitaro."
"Well, you and I decided to marry young. And what business is it of theirs, anyway, to tell you who you should love or not love, et cetera?"
"But we married before I'll get out of high school. That's not normally done for most people, is it?"
"Not unless, of course, there is at least one child on the way for them, if not more than one."
"True, Keitaro. But you do have to admit that it's not often done here, you know."
"Well, sometimes things happen, Shinobu. People often fall in love for life at young ages. And such was the case for us. So who's to say that we weren't wrong to marry while you still are in high school?"
"It's not normally done, that's what, I believe."
"Is fighting monsters often normally done, either?"
"No, of course not, unless it's in the movies or television shows, I think."
"But yet, we saw others fighting them, did we not? And Motoko has fought against various hostile creatures before, too. If what we've heard of her before is true enough, Shinobu, it seems to me."
"Yes, but …?"
"No buts about it, or heads or hindquarters or whatnot, Shinobu. We saw rampaging monsters where we were not even half an hour ago or so."
"I hope everyone's all right, there, of course, who needs to be."
"So do I, Shinobu. So do I."
Just then, a peacock and a hedgehog quite unexpectedly entered the pastry shop along with Earth Knight, and Earth Knight asked, "Is there anyone named Shinobu or Keitaro present here, with the last name of Urashima? Your mutual presences are hereby requested back at the Chrysanthemum and Rose Corporation's design studio. The trouble that occurred there rather unexpectedly has been dealt with sufficiently well, and it's quite safe to return there. There won't be any more problems tonight there."
Keitaro and Shinobu briefly looked at each other, then at Earth Knight and his two animal companions, before briefly whispering to each other. They decided Keitaro should answer for them both, after which Keitaro said, "We are Keitaro and Shinobu Urashima, and we would like to know who your two companions are here, if we may, before we go with you."
"The peacock is Wanderer, and the hedgehog is Seeker. They saw your names on a list of reservations for the fashion show during the battle now ended, and thought you might want to see the rest of the show, if at all possible."
"Are you sure it's completely safe now, sir?" asked Shinobu, as she found herself and Keitaro both gathering up all of their own respective things again.
"As sure as I am Earth Knight, AKA Tuxedo Mask, it is, Mr. and Mrs. Urashima," answered Earth Knight, in very short order.
"Then can you please tell us if Sylvia and Rolando are all right?" asked Keitaro.
"I don't know who they are, but I do remember seeing two persons actually trying to free you two, when you two were still bound to your seats earlier."
"They were Sylvia and Rolando, Earth Knight," said Shinobu.
Wanderer conversed secretly with Earth Knight, and then Earth Knight said, "They're both safe, it seems. And they're both hoping you both will actually return for the rest of the show, as well. But they still will fully understand if you two don't."
A rather brief conversation between Shinobu and Keitaro later, then, both Keitaro and Shinobu decided to accompany Earth Knight back to the necessary nearby design studio in SEST. "By the way, who sent the monsters in question, if you can tell us, Earth Knight?" asked Shinobu, in very short order.
"Seems that someone by the actual name of Jadeite did, and he seems to be from something called a Negaverse, whatever that might be. Unfortunately, I really don't think that Japan has seen the very last of him yet, Urashima-tachi."
Shinobu and Keitaro soon were both back in their respective seats, and then watching the rest of the temporarily-interrupted fashion show. The rest of it went without further unplanned incidents of any kind, especially after Earth Knight and his two animal companions stood guard over it. Finally, everyone, except for Earth Knight, his animal companions, and one other person, had left the design studio behind for the rest of the night.
But Earth Knight and his two animal companions ultimately only left after a certain middle-aged woman first came out of a dressing room and briefly conversed with Earth Knight while handing him a sheet of paper with certain things mentioned on them, and an address listed at the bottom of one side for that sheet of paper. The things listed on both sides of the paper were for a list of supplies that would be needed for the building at the aforementioned address in the near future. Also on the paper, on the side with the aforementioned address on it, there were instructions for Earth Knight to appear sometime later in his civilian state of being at a certain library somewhere in Tokyo.
The woman, who looked as if she was only in her thirties, at most, returned to her dressing room, not to be seen again by him for the rest of the current night. After which, he immediately left the design studio behind with his two animal companions.
As soon as it was safe enough to do so, Earth Knight powered down, in a deserted alley near his apartment, and became just Darien Shields again. Seeker and Wanderer quickly re-assumed their earlier disguises as a watch and a belt with a buckle, respectively, and Darien wore them all the way home.
Once they were all behind sufficiently-secured windows and doors, Seeker and Wanderer took on their normal appearances again, of course. Wanderer said, "So the Negaverse has now sent out its first General, it seems. A General by the name of Jadeite, at that."
"What do you know of this Jadeite, you two?" asked Darien.
"Not much, but from what I gathered at tonight's fight, I think he could be a serious threat to us and those with us, and to our world," answered Seeker.
"Same here. Although I seem to remember somehow that there seemed to be at least four or five Negaverse Generals around long ago, for some reason, come to think of it, if not more," said Wanderer.
The three of them conversed for a while longer with each other before Wanderer and Seeker finished telling Darien all that they could both currently recall about Jadeite, the Negaverse, and the yet-unidentified woman that Darien had met earlier at the design studio while still in his guise as Earth Knight/Tuxedo Mask, in fact. It wasn't much more, at the present time, unfortunately, for reasons yet to be learned. But it was enough to make Darien start to wonder if he and others would be able to defeat anyone who sought to take over Earth, somehow, in any case. And how they might be able to do that, once and for all, if at all possible.
After he went to bed, sometime later, he suddenly began to experience dreams of a somewhat fog-shrouded young woman who he couldn't currently somehow recognize, and who he may have never knowingly met before, either in his dreams or in actual physical reality. After he then began doing so, he didn't sleep very well for the rest of his currently-planned sleeping period in his bed, in truth, instead often beginning to toss and turn somewhat in his bed, and even under his covers.
End of Chapter Two
Well, that concludes this chapter of the story, and now that Jadeite has made his first known appearance in the story, it remains to be seen how much of a threat he and his monsters will be in it. Also, we have a few more characters in the story to speak of, among them Sylvia and Rolando, to name a few. What part will that unidentified woman have in this story? Will she be a known friend, a known foe, or a known neutral, in time? You'll all have to read on to find out, folks. Please consider reading on, and preparing to find out all about A Mysterious Message that Darien may hear or somehow otherwise receive, whether or not he's in his Earth Knight state of being or not, people.
And how often may we ultimately see Shinobu and Keitaro in this story as well? Only time will tell, of course, when and where possible and appropriate enough. Until later, then, I wish you all well, and hope you all ultimately do continue reading this story as best as you can, and as often as you can, for sure. TUS out.