A FIRE THAT BURNS UNNOTICED
Chapter 5 - Got You Where I Want You
"That bastard got Rei..."
"Not only that, he made her awaken her deepest trauma. Her mind had completely blocked it, as one usually does for moments of great distress."
"I cannot let any further interference. Who knows what Hypnos is capable of doing if he takes over Rei, or any other Sailor Guardian for that matter? Please, Helios... Grant me access once more to Rei's mind, I beg of you!"
"... Very well. But be warned, you have been running through your spiritual energy at an alarming pace. If you keep doing soul transfiguration like this-"
"I know, I know! But this is a risk I have to take... I just have to. For the World, for humanity... And for the woman I loved so long ago..."
(xx)
Takashi Hino had not slept a single wink ever since he heard his daughter had suffered what seemed to be another case of the "sleep illness" that was affecting the city's population at large. He personally arranged a room in the Juban General Hospital for her to rest on, far from the frenzy in the corridors that teemed with afflicted people - Whose numbers seemed to increase every single day.
Rei slept soundly and calmly, and from the outside did not seem to be hurt or even afflicted with a malady. And of course, the Senator had no idea his daughter was a Sailor Guardian, and she was hit directly by an Oneiros during yet another combat her duty carried her to. All he thought about was Rei's well-being... And the strange promise he bound her to placate the Yakuza's fury and secure his own selfish intentions.
I don't deserve to be forgiven... Not after all these years, and especially not after what I spoke with Nikishi Minamimoto yesterday. But you are still my daughter, and this is the least I could do for you. Please rest well and recover soon, Rei...
As dawn broke, Takashi felt too weary and concerned to remain stationary in that sterile room, so he entrusted the hospital's staff to take the utmost care with Rei, and then retired to his own property. If and when Rei woke up, she would most likely not realize it was him who arranged for the best available treatment, even if it meant trouncing through the waiting list for a particular room.
As he left and passed by the front lobby, the politician overheard the early morning news report about the next election's polling: The pundits commented about the Liberal Democrats' impending loss of important seats in the National Diet, as well as the technical tie between two Prime Minister candidates - Jinsoku Katayama from the Reiwa and Osamu Usutsu from the Lib-Dems. The information only made Takashi become even more worried about his entire situation.
And of course, things only got further damning for him when he briefly exchanged glances with none other than his ex-father-in-law, who furled his brown in disapproval as soon as he recognized the man he still blamed for his daughter's death. Each went their way, and the old Shinto priest promptly went to the reception counter to ask where Rei was being kept.
(xx)
Stuck in slumber, Rei saw herself in yet another lucid dream. Logging her dreams made her acquire some degree of awareness of her own mind during sleep time... Though not enough to fully control herself, such as in that particular iteration.
The Guardian of Fire saw herself in a large hall of classic medieval architecture, covered in drapings of different shades of red and gold. She wore a long crimson dress with a pink cowl covering her shoulders and her bust, pearly-white gloves covering up to just above her elbow joints, and right above her forehead rested a ruby-incrusted diadem. Ahead of her, a couple of vitraux panels with two rampant beasts facing one another - a bull to the left, a lioness to the right - which reflected the sunbeams right behind a couple in their middle age sitting upon adorned thrones of gold and blood-red velvet cushioning.
She wasn't aware of it at first, but then it dawned on Rei that this was a long-lost memory of herself in the Silver Millenium. She was before her parents in her past life in the throne room of their residence, Castle Phobos-Deimos. The burgundy tapestry beneath her feet left no room for doubt, since it carried the symbol of Planet Mars imprinted repeatedly on its edges.
"You are of age now," sounded the firm voice of the King of Mars. "As tradition requires, you are to be wed to a noble of Earth, such as I was to your mother."
Rei wanted nothing more than to speak against that ludicrous decision. Or at least wake up. She could not do either for some reason. Instead, her lips spoke on their own, as if to replicate what her past self had indeed said in that occasion: "I... I understand."
"It seems you still have your reservations," said the Queen. "We have spoken of this before in private. And I remember fairly well you agreed with this."
"Could I at least know who is to be my betrothed?" was all Rei could manage to ask.
The monarchs briefly moved their heads to glance at each other and answered at the same time. "His name is..."
(xx)
While they waited in the outdoor park for their turn to visit Rei in her room, Usagi had a lively chat with a medically-cleared Mamoru as well as Makoto who came by to check on all the present. There was still some level of apprehension over Rei's true condition, but they also trusted she could hold her own inside her head. After all, she was tough as nails when it came to matters of perseverance.
"For all the people know, they are all afflicted with fatigue due to overworking and overstudying," commented Mamoru on the so-called sleep illness. "But we all know better. I'm sure Hypnos is trying to take over Rei like he did with me. As soon as we are clear to enter, we check on her state and see what we can do for her."
"Let's just hope she doesn't turn into an Oneiros," Makoto interjected.
"But if she does, we can turn her back to normal in a cinch," said Usagi with some level of hope and casualty in her expression. "Besides, it would be a nice chance for me to give her some well-deserved smacks!"
"Classic Usagi," affirmed an amused, familiar voice. The three then turned their attention to a certain couple of girls, accompanied by the wise cats.
"Ami? Minako? What happened to you girls yesterday?" Usagi asked excitedly. "Are you alright?"
"We are now," Ami answered for the two.
"But yeah, we had one tough battle and it could have ended earlier if you appeared," Makoto told them. "What exactly happened to you two?"
The blond girl was the first to speak. "I was feeling very tired... So tired, I couldn't even carry my communicator around. But then... I felt much better when I had a conversation with a certain someone that came by to visit. Don't even know how or why, though."
"Really now, and whom did you speak to?" Usagi asked in earnest, ears perked up as she leaned in towards her friend.
"Umm..."
"Let's not pressure her into revealing this just yet," Luna requested.
"No, no, it's okay," Minako quickly pepped herself up. "I talked with an old classmate of mine. We caught up on some stuff, and by the time he left, I was feeling much better. But by that time, the battle was over."
"Just between us... It was a fellow she used to have a crush on," Artemis revealed in the lowest voice he could muster.
"Ugh, Artemis!" the Guardian of Love embarrassedly blurted out between her teeth.
"Hmm, that doesn't narrow it down too much," the leader of the Guardians jested. The others silently agreed.
"Listen, I think I have a clue as to what may have made us recover," deduced Makoto. "On the day we faced Mamoru's Oneiros form, I went to the gym and met with my childhood best friend, Shinozaki. We chatted a fair bit and when I left, I felt much better than when I came in. Not tired, not sick, nothing. And something tells me the same thing happened to Ami and Minako. Naturally, Usagi did not feel a thing because... She already has Mamoru, of course."
"And Rei has that Touya fellow she said she is dating," Ami reminded.
"Is that so?" Usagi managed to somehow put two and two together. "Then... Ami must have spoken with someone she likes, too!"
Just by directing her sight toward her friend, Usagi made Ami feel rather uncomfortable. "I... Uh, well..."
"Usagi, please," Mamoru requested his girlfriend to tone down her implicative gestures.
"...It's true," the blue-haired Guardian revealed, lowering her sight and curbing her embarrassed smile.
"I freaking knew it!" Usagi affirmed with such strength, it actually brought some unwanted attention from nearby onlookers.
At that exact moment, Rei's grandfather appeared to address Rei's friends. "Oh, hi there. You can visit Rei now, she's barely awake... But I guess the worst has passed. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you!"
Of course, that lightened the spirits of the present even more than it already was. All made haste to enter the hospital's dependencies... Except for Ami, who stood behind for a short while, picking a folded letter from her shirt's pocket. The Guardian giggled to herself when she read the name of the letter's sender in such small but clear characters: Ryo Urawa.
"Oi, Ami! What's the matter?" Luna gently tapped Ami's leg with her paw. Only then the blue-haired girl realized she was left behind, so she embarrassedly folded back the letter into her pocket and joined the others in hurried steps. It was not every day she was caught off her guard with personal tribulations, and so she commented with Artemis as both cats waited outside the building.
(xx)
"Ooh... Hi, guys..." Rei managed to address her friends as much as her condition let her.
Usagi and Mamoru quickly picked up a couple of folding chairs to sit beside her, while the other three stood abreast in front of Rei's bed.
"So, how are you feeling?" Usagi asked.
"This is like... The worst case of the flu I ever had," the raven-haired Guardian answered. "I've been feeling ill since... I dunno, two days ago, maybe? But nothing I couldn't handle... Then came this fight and... Since, then, I've been feeling weak from head to toe. And I've been having... Strange dreams..."
"Did something try to take you over?" Mamoru asked. "Something... Like a dark force, a voice trying to talk you into joining them?"
The answer took a short while to come. After a long yawn, she simply said: "No... At least not yet. But I... I've been dreaming of... Of... The Silver Millenium."
The information grabbed everyone's spines with a legit shock of emotions. Almost none of them knew much of their past lives in the aforementioned era, and what little they knew came from their rare interactions with the soul of the late Queen Serenity, or from tidbits released by their own enemies. If their subconsciousness ever raised the images and sounds of the Silver Millenium through their dreams, they must have been completely forgotten by the time they woke up.
But before they could question further, Rei had slipped out of consciousness once more.
"Rei? REI!?" Usagi raised her voice concernedly.
"Usagi, please calm down," Mamoru requested once more as he gently impeded Usagi from literally shaking their sleeping friend. "She's just sleeping again. But we better keep an eye on her... This could be the prelude for her to become an Oneiros."
"Girls, if what we know is correct, then we need to find Rei's boyfriend and have him come here to talk with Rei to make her feel better," suggested Makoto.
"Problem is... We don't know where he lives, or where he is right now," Ami lamented.
"No, wait..." Minako interjected. "What if we bring Yuuichirou in here?"
"I thought we agreed he missed his chance to be with her?" Makoto replied with a bit of sarcasm in her intonation. "You know, what with Rei dating someone else and all?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," the blonde Guardian handwaved that reminder. "But bear with me for a moment: He may not be together with Rei in the strict sense, but even we have observed she feels something for him. Besides, she has been way too secretive of her relationship with the Touya guy. We'd never hear the end of it if they were truly hitting it off!"
"It makes sense," Ami spoke out. "I remember we all told her not too long ago about her interactions with Yuuichirou, and she refused to acknowledge any of that."
"That's just Rei being Rei," Usagi affirmed. "She shows her affection to the people she appreciates the most by being rough like a prickly pear. Just see how she also treats her grandpa!"
"Heh, good point," Minako amusedly replied as she remembered Rei's interactions with Usagi herself.
"Well then, our best guess is to bring Yuuichirou in here and see how it goes," Mamoru suggested. "Usagi and I will remain here to check on Rei while you go to Hikawa Shrine to fetch him."
Ami, Makoto and Minako promptly left the room for their impromptu mission. The Shrine was only a ten-minute walk from the hospital anyways.
"Dreams of the Silver Millenium..." Mamoru mused to Usagi. "I remember having those when we were chasing for the Rainbow Crystals. I do wonder what Rei is remembering from those times?"
"I sure hope those dreams are pleasant, at least," the leader of the Sailor Guardians commented as he put her head on her beloved's shoulder.
"So do I," the young man said as he retributed his girlfriend's affection.
(xx)
Dread and uncertainty permeated Rei's mind as she saw herself in another lucid dream. Above her, the sky was grey, and below her the ground was pitch-black.
It rained deeply, and she could feel the drops beating on her body like blunt stones. And beneath her feet, the pooled rainwater rose constantly, licking her legs upwards and advancing towards her knees. Ahead of her, some kind of island with a sole inhabitant, a shadowy figure that seemed somehow familiar. Didn't it appear before?
And then several bodies started to rise from the water, floating face-down. Rei flipped the one closest to her... And to her absolute terror, she saw Usagi. Her stare was fixedly blank and her skin was pale, as if she was dead for some time already. One by one, the other bodies across the body of water flipped themselves over and revealed the bodies of Ami, Makoto, Minako, Mamoru, her grandfather, Luna and Artemis, and her best-acquainted classmates from the T.A. Academy.
"You're alone now," the ghastly figure spoke. "You were made to be alone, and you know it. That's why you push away those who love you."
Rei shivered and tried to scream, but no voice came out of her throat. The water that surrounded her turned into thick blood which rose once more, this time right on her waistline. As much as she tried to turn around to escape, the raven-haired girl just couldn't move through the liquid. It was as if her own head told her that the strange being's words were uttered in truth.
"This is the darkness that resides in your heart, o Guardian of Fire."
The figure then formed from beneath the bloody lake in front of Rei. That alone would have paralyzed the Guardian in fear, but not content with such a display, it also formed the last figure that the heroine expected to see.
"...Mom?"
(xx)
The more time passed, the more Yuuichirou grew uneasier in that cold and serene day without visitors over at the Hikawa Shrine. Even with his master assuring him that Rei was doing fine and just resting at the hospital, his thoughts raced back and forth thinking of the girl he can't get over with. All he could do was to frantically walk from one side to the other of the front yard, checking every single crevice to see anything out of place - If only to keep himself busy and dispel the anxious images in his head.
What's with the lack of visitors today? Is everyone in the entire precinct sick? Even the tourists?
Too soon to complain: the long-haired apprentice heard the stony staircase of the sacred place resounding with footsteps, and soon readied himself to receive the eventual visitors.
But of all people that could have come, why did Touya Minamimoto and his masked flunkies come? Touya himself looked about as enthused to be there as Yuuichirou was, especially when they looked at each other.
"You're..."
"Yeah, yeah, Touya Minamimoto, the Yakuza jerkass, yadda-yadda-yadda," the young Yakuza mocked. "You may not believe it, but I'm here to pray for Rei's well-being. I'm no miracle worker or anything, and her sweet ol' dad bought his way to skip the queue for a hospital bed, so... This is all I can do for her."
"Uh, okay... Come with me."
Both men walked to the altar mounted right at the main building's entrance and chanted a silent prayer, while the henchmen stood in the corners of the Temple proper. Once they finished with a tug on the ceremonial bell mounted right above the altar, Touya revealed the other reason was there: "Listen, in case Rei hasn't told you already... We aren't dating."
A spark of hope he didn't know he still had flared up immediately in Yuuichirou's bosom. "Huh...?"
"Last night, before she fell ill, we reavailed where we truly stand with each other and decided we like each other as friends, but not as a committed couple. Simple as that. If you ever had a girlfriend you would understand, but it appears you never caught yourself anything other than lice."
If he were more assertive and out of his job hours and whatever other excuse he could come up with, Yuuichirou would smack that braggart on the back of his head. "Why, uh... Why are you telling me this?"
"Because it's important to me to know she is happy with the one she truly likes," he casually replied. "Don't think I haven't noticed that she has an eye on you."
"Buh-b-b-what!?"
"Come on, don't twitch that eye and slack your jaw at me like you were a gawping troglodyte. You may look the part, but you can act like a civilized human as far as I know. Seriously, she's been checking you out whenever you passed us by. It's definitely the look of someone full of desire. If I were into her romantically, I'd be incredibly jealous."
"Didn't you tell me you'd rat out on my family's Yakuza historic if I so much made a single move on Rei?"
"I remember that, and seriously, forget what I said," Touya promptly answered. "First of all, why would the son of one of the most prominent Yakuza leaders be doing at such a humble place? They don't deal with the sacred. I know I and the Minami-gumi don't. And secondly, you come off as too much of a soft muffin to deal with that bullshit. In a way, you remind me of my older brother Shinya."
Yuuichirou wasn't sure if that was just his way to show courtesy, or yet another underhanded insult. "Huh, thanks, I guess?"
"Yeah, it's supposed to be a compliment, y'know." Touya then pulled the Shrine's apprentice by the collar of his yukata. "Now listen here, and listen good: Rei is one-of-a-kind in both looks and attitude. I have no idea what she saw in you, but if she did it's because you got to her heart somehow. If I find out you hurt her in any way whatsoever, I'm gonna kick your freaking ass back to last Thursday. Comprendes?"
"Uhh, I get it... Except for that kompuren-desu thing you said last."
Touya gave out a sardonic smile and shook his head in slight embarrassment. He then stuck out his hand to offer a handshake, which Yuuichirou accepted. "Well, well, your firm grip shows strength. I like that. When Rei gets better, make your move. You'll be surprised at her answer."
For someone that so firmly affirmed his lack of romantic compromise with Rei, he sure acts a bit too invested in her well-being, thought Yuuichirou. He acted like he was an over-protective brother, rather than just a friend - And of course, he was out of the loop as to the true nature to Touya's original interest in the raven-haired heiress of the Shrine. The long-haired servant was still unsure what to make of that reversal of fortune.
"Now if you excuse me, I have some important stuff to research for my job. Remember well what I have told you." He then turned around and left just as confidently as he came. Then he remembered two little things: "Aoki? Akagi? What are you waiting for? Let's go!"
Both masked men looked and nodded at each other, then silently rejoined their boss. Both kept their hands inside the pockets of their jackets and for all Touya knew it was because of the cold.
And just as Touya and his flunkies climbed down the stairs, in came none other than Ami, Makoto and Minako. None of them knew that the sharp-dressed youngster with a mean streak on his face was Rei's supposed boyfriend.
"Oh, you girls? What can I do for you?" Yuuichirou promptly asked.
"Do you have some time to visit Rei?" asked Ami.
Were the kami hell-bent on helping the poor sap finally get to be together with whom he considered "the girl of his dreams?" It sure seemed so for Yuuichirou upon hearing that proposal. "Umm, I'd love to, but..."
"If it's because of your job, don't worry," Makoto guaranteed to him. "I'm going to speak to Grandpa Hino. I'm sure he'll understand!"
"Besides, it's not like you'll have any visitors anytime soon, what with everyone calling in sick and such," argued Minako as she tugged the young servant's yukata sleeve. "Now come on, big guy! Your chance is right now!"
The blond girl sure seemed eager to make him visit Rei at the Juban General Hospital. Even the usually collected Ami seemed amused and barely hid her smile at the situation. This only made Yuuichirou feel even more antsy and giddy.
"Your master agreed to close the Shrine's functions for the day and allowed you to come with us," Makoto came out of the main building with the good news.
Some of the young man's uncertainty dissipated right there, and as such he went on along with the Guardians without feeling so bad about it. I do wonder why they want me to see Miss Rei so bad...
(xx)
TOUYA BROKE UP WITH REI HINO.
HE MET WITH THE SON OF KOTETSU KUMADA.
A.
The pager message Nikishi Minamimoto received from her spies was clear - Touya was doing everything in his power to undermine her plan. It was disappointing, but not surprising given her own observations as to how he dealt with her own remarks, so all she let out was a disappointed huff.
The son of Koutetsu Kumada... Was he trying to play matchmaker with the son of her main rival in the Yakuza faction war?
"I'll have to take matters in my own hands," lamented the leader of the Minami-gumi. Setbacks were always expected, and she felt that one was rather easy to deal with.
(xx)
Plagued with paralyzing terror, it did not cross Rei's mind that the dark invader that took Risa Hino's shape was Hypnos himself trying to take advantage of her newly-discovered trauma. At least not at first.
Focus... This is Hypnos, is it not? It's trying to mess up with my mind, mess up with my memories...
"What's the matter, my dear? Are you not going to give your mother an embrace and a kiss? Tell me how much you miss me and how much you love me?"
"You... You are not my mother!" Rei managed to speak out.
"That's right. She's gone... Forever! And there was nothing you could do about it!"
Those words hit her harder than a volley of artillery bullets or ten thousand katana cuts. At that exact moment, she saw herself at the funeral for Risa Hino. The weepy murmur that first permeated that damp room turned to loud wailing that Rei could not bear to hear. And those four notes! They played again and again, every note louder than before.
"She is gone, and so will be everyone you care about. Is that not right?"
At that moment, the figure that took the shape of Rei's mother burst into flames in front of her. She had no other choice but to turn and run as far as she could... To no avail. The figure still followed her.
"This is why you are so curt to everyone around you. This is a way you found out, deep inside your soul, to avoid the pain of separation!"
By that time, Hypnos managed to tap into Rei's subconscious and made her relive several moments of her life to prove that point.
Ugh, grandpa... Why do you have to act like that?
Usagi, why do you have to be so clumsy and dumb?
I won't be there every time to teach you the subject, you know. Make an effort on your own!
Are you slacking off at your job again, Yuuichirou?
It all made perfect, undebatable sense! All the times she lashed out at her friends... It was so she could close herself within the sorrow she was not aware she still had within her heart and her soul. All so she could not suffer the same pain when she lost her mother. All lives and liaisons must come to an end...
Then and only then Rei started to scream. Inarticulate and hopeless shouts, completed with flails of her arms that tumbled down things that weren't there in sight but could be palpable once touched. That was her mind, and yet... She was not in control anymore. She wept as despair brought her to her knees, delving indescribable pain to her soul.
"Yes! YES!" celebrated Hypnos as he reached out to Rei. "Give in to the darkness of your heart, child... Let me bring forth the fire that has been burning inside of you!"
"There is a fire that burns within Rei's mind," spoke a strange male voice that appeared to come out of nowhere. "But this is not it. It is not hate or sorrow... Much on the contrary."
"Who's that!?" both Rei and Hypnos queried. A flash of light then blinded both, and what seemed to be a male figure interposed itself between them.
Hypnos tried to edge closer, but felt paralyzed upon taking a better look to the invader. "Not you again..."
Again? Had that man been in her dreams before? Rei wondered as she recovered some of her will and self-control. She tried to recognize any feature... She saw a man no older than twenty, with short blond hair and grey military clothes trimmed in purple.
"No... Impossible!"
He stood there in front of her, sticking his arm towards Hypnos with a glow that felt warm and holy, as if protecting Rei from the dark advance of the God of Sleep. But why?
Of all people in the world, of all people that she had any recollection about... Why would Jadeite help her?
Hi once more! It took a while, but I managed to go ahead with this fic. Hopefully, I'll be writing more often!
Eternal gratitude to all of you who are still following and especially to litakino1987, James Birdsong and Su for their great comments. You're all special to me!
Next chapter: What exactly will the Guardians and Yuuichirou do to save Rei in the real world?
Greetings from the Hospitaller Knight.