[Story Thread] Dear Sweet Kami-sama, Why Do You Hate Me So?

[Black Aeronaut]

Because apparently someone wants it, and Bob said it was okay anyhow and I'd been meaning to get around to doing it, here is the dedicated story thread for DSKS.
Please post no commentary in this thread.  It is for story posts only.  I am repurposing the other thread for commentary purposes.

What this will do in the end is provide a single thread where the entire story can be found, rather than being broken up into 300-post threads.

By all means, any and all commentary (in the commentary thread) is welcome - even a simple ZOMG! WRITE MOAR NAO! is encouraging to me, as it tells me I'm on the right track at the very least.

Commentary Thread ===> HERE!
(I made this link based on Yuku's 'Go to first unread post' link.  Let me know if it gets borked for any reason.)

Note to old readers: those of you with sharp eyes and long memories may see some minor changes - this is just the editorial touching up I've done here and there since I posted the relevant bits in the other threads.  If something troubles you, please let me know ASAP in the commentary thread.

So, without further ado, please enjoy the pain (and the joy) that is being Ezekiel Darkwood.

---

It's night time.  Middle of winter.  For Texas, it is unforgivably cold.  Ice warnings have gone out, and instead of being at home, you're out driving.  Why?  Nevermind why.  It was stupid, but your job was on the line, your boss doesn't care, and there's a line of other guys cued up to take your job if you don't want it badly enough.
You just hope that they managed to hit the bridges with enough sand this time.
Up ahead is a sight you can't believe.  A truck with a trailer, jacknifed on the bridge.  The trailer is one of the low-profile flatbeds that are common around here, and it is not unburdened - a massive track-hoe, all yellow, black, and bare metal, sits on it like some sleeping beast.
You press down on the brakes, but the wheels slip, your truck turns sideways, and the track-hoe is coming at you at fifty miles per hour.
*BANG!*
I jolted as the airliner's wheels touched down on the tarmac at Narita International Airport and cursed under my breath.
"Raven's stinkin' breath, I hate that dream."
"Sir, you okay?" asked the flight attendant that materialized next to me - a pretty, but forgettable Japanese woman that spoke somewhat broken English.
"Hai hai," I said flatly.  "Daijobu des'.  Yume warui."
The woman beamed, pleased that I was using Japanese even if it was as bad as her English.
"Don't worry, young man.  We're almost to the terminal.  The captain and the crew are very competent.  Just make sure you have all your papers ready for the customs desk.  Welcome to Japan."
I sighed and looked out the window.  There wasn't much to see now that we'd landed and I sighed, wishing I had woken up earlier.
"My destiny, huh?" I said as I waited for the seat belt light to go off.  "I'll believe when I see it."
##
Taking the trains in Japan was... interesting.  At the very least, the most important signage was either self-explanatory or bilingual.  I also had some very explicit instructions to go by.  I even had instructions for buying my ticket at the automated kiosk.  Thirty minutes after I collected my bags, I was on a limited-express train to Juban.  An hour after I got on the train, I had followed my directions precisely to where I was supposed to go.
Hikawa Shrine, Azubu-Juban, Minato Ward, Tokyo, Japan.
I took one long look at all the steps and sighed to myself.  Evidently the Japanese never believed in doing anything like the American Disabilities Act.  I buried the complaint and picked up both of my heavily laden suitcases and to trudge up the steps as quickly as I could manage.
It was difficult - I was tempted to stop midway, but I knew that if I did that, as tired as I was already, it would be harder to get going again.  Fortunately, it wasn't hot out today - a balmy 22 degrees (centigrade).  Unfortunately, this being spring, the air wasn't exactly 'dry'.
So, I kept at it, trudging towards the top and even further onto the temple grounds until I saw what I needed the most - the water fountain.
Gratefully, I left my bags where I stood and ran to the fountain where other people were washing their hands and rinsing their mouths.  Out of courtesy to the shrine, I did the same... And then promptly began to gulp down water, cupping it with my bare hands.
I knew I was making a bit of a scene of myself, but I had just slept through one of the longest-duration regular service intercontinental flights known to man, rode a train for a half hour, and spent another half-hour walking with heavy suitcases and marched my ass up about twenty meters in elevation with said suitcases.
Just you salarymen and office ladies try pulling what just I did.  I'm fucking thirsty, dammit!
"Who arah yoo?" demanded a young woman's voice.  I turned to the source and found myself gaping.
Long, beautiful black hair that simply streamed past her shoulders and just slightly curled inwards at the tips somewhere between her hips and her knees.  Her hands had long, slender, delicate looking fingers and her skin was like milk spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon.  Her face was narrow with high cheekbones and a somewhat-higher-than-normal-for-Japanese bridge in her nose.  And those eyes, Raven help me!  Those EYES!  She glared at me with such beautiful violet eyes so hard that I felt like I should have been bleeding to death.
She was absolutely beautiful.
"You no speak English?  What you then?  Russia?"
"I sorry," I said, the gears in my head finally engaging.  "I American."
Her glare hardened and she switched to Japanese.  "What are doing here?"
"I sent by grandfather.  Told to meet Hino-san.  Stay here, go to school."
"Liar!" cried out the girl sharply.
"No!  It truth!  Here!"  I then dug the note that Grandfather gave me - the one written by Mr. Hino's hand.  I was supposed to show it to anyone that could help me if I got lost.  I then offered it to the miko, who snatched it out of my hands.
She then growled as she read the letter, then crumbled it up in an angry grasp as she turned and screamed out.
"JIIII-SAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!"
Everyone, including me, winced as she stormed off, the crowd parting for her like the Red Sea.
I looked around and people were giving me various looks of surprise.  When I got to one smart-alecky-looking fellow, though, he simply laughed, said "Ganbate" and walked off with a knowing grin.
Seconds later, she was on her way back and harrying a small old man in priest's robes as she did.
I groaned and muttered, "Somebody kill me now."  At least someone knew enough English and American pop culture to burst into snickering laughter.
##
Within a few minutes, several facts and realities were established.
Fact: I was going to be staying there.  No if's, and's, or but's about it.
Fact: Hino-san and my Grandfather were, as unlikely as it seems, buddies in the post-war occupation.
Fact: I was there to do more than just study in High School - I was to be learning the finer points of Shintoism from Hino-sensei.
Fact: My living expenses and allowance was covered by the education clause in the trustfund deeded to me by my parent's will.  So long as I stayed in a local school, the money would keep coming.
Fact: The girl's name is Hino Rei, and for now if I must draw her attention, then it is best that I refer to her as 'Hino-san'.  To eliminate confusion, the elderly Hino I would refer to as 'Hino-sensei' since he was my teacher for the time being.
Fact: In return for the trouble of housing me, I was to work in the Shrine doing various odd jobs that needed doing, whether it be running errands, doing the day's shopping, grounds keeping, or even general cleaning.  However, I was not to be overworked - it was important that I be an exemplar student.
Welcome to my new life.
##
In the two weeks leading up to my first day of school, Hino Rei would hardly speak with me.  In fact, she did everything she could to pretend I did not exist.  She interacted with me in a cold and professional manner, but beyond that she had no words for me.
Not that I had much freedom.  Hino-sensei took his time with me, spending hours each day teaching me everything he knew about Shinto.  There was a lot of legends and lore for me to learn - a lot of books to read, many of which were written almost entirely in Kanji.  Needless to say, I had a Kanji dictionary on my person all the time.
The upshot was that I was learning Kanji at a phenomenal pace - by the time my first day of high school arrived I knew more Kanji than most of the humanities students, and I was learning more every day.
Fortunately, this would serve me well.  While I still had a somewhat American accent, my Japanese was completely and utterly understandable.  Hooray for immersion-learning.
However, despite this fact, my first two weeks was a lonely experience.  I had too much to do to socialize outside the shrine - that was what school itself was supposed to be for.  My real education was, as far as I was concerned, a distant-study course in mechanical engineering.  So I would spend my evenings working on that course load and a pot of steaming tea to help me get through my allotment of homework.
I always had the sense that I was being watched, but whenever I turned to look there was no one to be found.
##
My first day of school came after what seemed like an eternity.  Desperate for a change, I woke before sunrise, made certain that my uniform was immaculate, and then went to the spartan little kitchen to make myself some breakfast.
I'm a fairly handy person - versatile and capable in anything I set my mind to.  Since I had already grown accustomed to the preferred style of breakfast here, I had no trouble at all in replicating it.  Hot miso soup, rice, and grilled fish all came easily enough.
"What are you doing?" hissed a voice from the door.
Hino Rei was there in her pajamas, her hair disheveled and glaring at me through sleep-fogged eyes.
"Breakfast," I said calmly and neutrally.
"It is five in the morning!" she hissed, barely keeping herself from screaming.  "Why are you up so early?"
"My apologies, Hino-san," I said with all the passion of a respectable news anchor delivering the headlines.  "It was not my intention to wake you, or anyone else.  I could not sleep anymore, so I decided my energy would be better suited to preparing for school."
Rei simply glared at me.  "Is there anymore food?"
"I made enough rice and miso soup for everyone, but you will need to cook the fish yourself, Hino-san."
"Tche," she replied derisively and set to work at the stove.  As soon as she came over with her own breakfast, though, I had already polished off my own food, cleaned the dishes, and settled back at the table with yet another book on Japanese legends with my Kanji dictionary at the side.
I could feel Rei's gaze boring into me, but it took me completely by surprise when she spoke.
"I have never seen anyone eat as quickly as you do.  Is that an American behavior?"
I looked up at her, inwardly bewildered, but outwardly schooling myself into calm.
"No, Hino-san," I answered.  "That is only me."
"Why?  If not for your table manners I would think that you're starving or something."
"Actually, I am."
Rei froze, the morsel of fish stopped midway on her chopsticks to her mouth.  "WHAT?"
"I am always hungry.  I cannot help it.  No matter how much I eat, I am always hungry again an hour later."
Rei looked at me in shock.  "But... I've seen you eat all the time!"
"Yes, Hino-san.  I eat at all the regular meals.  If I am lucky I can even get a snack sometimes.  I am also shorter than most of the boys back home.  I also weigh less than they do.  I have been teased for being so small, but my family cannot help it.  The trustfund money is all I have, and my Grandfather has very little money himself.  It took everything he had to send me here.  If I go back, it will be by my own means."
Rei was silent for a moment.  "What about your parents?"
"They are dead, Hino-san - seven years ago in a car accident."  I gave her the only glare I've ever given her, and she actually flinched.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Sorry for what?" I asked, anger coloring my tone.
"About your parents."
"Don't be," I said flatly as I drained my cup of tea and set the cup firmly down.  "You couldn't have done anything to help or hinder."
"I could have been nicer," she snapped, her usual angry tone coming out as well.  "It was really stupid of me.  I should have known that only an orphan would travel by himself with a trustfund to support him.  Besides, what about you?  If your trust fund doesn't give you enough money to properly feed yourself then you should have said something about it!"
"It doesn't matter," I grumbled, brushing it aside as I between two pages and compared what I saw to the kanji dictionary’s contents.  "Where I'm from, there's always someone who's hungry.  Reservation life at its finest, you know.  I'm used to it.  Besides, I have my pride.  I am not gonna go make myself into some welfare case."
"Hey, I'm trying to help you here and you're being an asshole!"
I looked up at Rei and glared once more.  "And you've been nothing but the queen bitch of ice queens ever since I got here.  I never thought that someone as beautiful as you are could be so ugly on the inside."
Rei gave me a thunderous look.  "Go die in a fire."
"HA!" I barked out.  "Who the hell do you think was in the back seat when my parents died!?"  Rei gave me a surprised look and I then undid my cuff on my right arm and pealed the sleeve back to reveal the tortured, twisted, melted skin on my wrist.
Rei went utterly green.
"It goes all the way back and down the side of my body.  I'm lucky I only had first-degree burns on my face.  So, forgive me if I find it amusing that you tell me to go die in a fire.  I went to hell already, thank you very much, and it spat me back out with this memento."
Nothing more was said.  Rei simply sat there, rooted to her spot at the table.  For my part, I rolled my sleeve back down, buttoned the cuff once more, and got up, taking my books with me.
I really didn't want to be near her anymore.
##
I walked to school that morning.
There was a bus that went right by the Shrine that would have made the trip much shorter, but I didn't want to spend the money on it.  Besides, the walk was what I needed to set my mind back in order for the day ahead.
I was so glad that Rei went to a different school.
Everything leading up to this point had already been setup in advance.  I was already enrolled, I had my student ID, my room assignment, my shoe locker, and even my school supplies.
I arrived just as one of the teachers was opening the gate to the school - an attractive woman with her hair dyed red.
"Oh!  Good morning!" she said as I approached.  "Forgive me, but you seem a little strange, even if you are wearing our uniform.  May I see your Student ID please?"
Without a word I pulled out the bit of plastic and offered it up to the woman.
"Oh!" she exclaimed as she looked over the card.  And then, to my surprise, she switch to perfectly understandable, if slightly accented English.  "It seems I'll be your English teacher, Mr. Darkwood.  I hope that I can count on your help.  Oh, I forgot to introduce myself.  My name is Miss Sakurada.  If you don't mind me asking, how good is your Japanese?"
I smiled back at her and replied, in my own Japanese, "I believe it's passable, Sakurada-sensei.  These last few weeks I have been doing a lot of conversing and studying in old story books with the help of a Kanji dictionary."
The teacher gaped, then suddenly did a Snoopy-dance as she giggled gleefully.
"Oh, this is wonderful!  You are going to be my special assistant!"
"Ah... Do I get a say in this?"
"I'm the teacher, you're the student."
"... right."
##
I was given leave to wander the halls and acquaint myself with the new school until the Opening Ceremony took place.
As buildings go, Juban Municipal High School wasn't all that thrilling.  There were four floors and two wings in a L-shaped configuration.  Each year had its own floor - first years on the first floor and so on.  The fourth floor held the club activity rooms and the administrative and staff offices.
The yard was somewhat unspectacular.  There was a multipurpose track and field, a baseball diamond, and a swimming pool.  There was also the gymnasium/auditorium.  Right then there were students from the student counsel helping to set up for the opening ceremonies.
I didn't get involved - I was getting enough weird looks just for being a foreigner.
No one approached me.  No one said anything to me.  In fact, people pretty much avoided me.
The opening ceremony itself was boring.  Just a bunch of speeches by the staff and the students, and all rounded out by the school song.  With that bit handled, we then dispersed to our classrooms.
For the uninitiated, Japanese schools are odd in that you stay in the same classroom all day and the teachers move from class to class.  Of course, this means that you don't get much variety in what sort of course load you want to pursue.  There are only two tracks to choose from: an academic track and a humanities track.  Also, you have to make your choice in the second year of junior high.
My grandfather decided I should be a little more well rounded in pursuing the humanities track, since I was already gaining college credits in my engineering distant study program.  That, and it would also help with my training.
Having scouted it out before, I was first to my classroom and chose a seat to the back by the windows.  Soon enough, other students began filtering in, each of them giving me surprised looks as I noted their arrival.  I'd give each of them a small, jaunty wave, and just like that they'd reset and go back to their own lives, ignoring me entirely.
Of note, one particularly odd group entered - two blondes with blue eyes, similar height and build.  One wore her hair straight and the other had hers in two buns near the top of her head with twin-tails hanging from them.  The third member of their group was an astonishingly tall brunette with green eyes.  However, despite her height, there was no denying her femininity.  I could see she was strong, but she acted the part of serene beauty, complete with rose blossom earrings.
There was something strangely familiar about this, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
The three chattered animatedly with each other, not even noticing me, even as they all  chose desks right by me: straight-hair in front of me, bunhead to the right of her, and the tall brunette next to...
...me.
"Ah... hello?" I said tentatively.
"EEEEEEEEEEEE!" screamed all three at once.
Face, meet palm.
"Ohmygosh, you SCARED us!" said the brunette as she and the others relaxed a bit.
I blinked at her.  "Well, I'm not exactly invisible.  Everyone's been staring at me all day."
Straight-hair blinked at me and cried out, in English, "You an American, are you?!"
I gave the blonde a surprised look, and then the accent registered.  It wasn't like the usual Japanese accent.  Instead, it smacked of something slightly else...
I snapped my fingers and replied, in English as well, "You lived in England before!"
"Wow!  You good!  How you know?"
"Your accent sounds a little British, but that's all I can tell.  I couldn't tell the difference between a Welsh accent and a Cardiff one to save my life."
"Ah, Mina," said the twintails girl, "you wanna explain what's going on?"
The straighthaired girl, now named Mina, turned to her friends, blushing as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Whoops!  Sorry!" she said, switching back to Japanese.  "He could tell that I lived in London for a while from how I spoke English.  Isn't that awesome?"
"No way!" replied Twintails.  "You're kidding me!"
Mina adopted an expression of mock hurt.  "But Usagi-chan... you know I wouldn't lie about something like that!"
Ah, so now Twintails had a name as well.
"Hey, Mako-chan," said Usagi suddenly.  "Your English is better than mine.  Is she on the level with us here?"
I looked to Mako expectantly and froze.  She was staring at me with the absolutely strangest look I have ever seen on a girl's face before.  Mina and Usagi were quick to take notice.
"Oooo~oooh Mako-chan!" said Mina in a playful, lilting tone.  "Is there something you want to share with us?"
"... pretty," breathed Mako.
For the record, I take after my mother, who was a drop-dead beautiful half-Navajo, half-Cajun woman.  I also age slowly - despite being sixteen, some people think I'm thirteen.  Finally, long hair is traditional where I come from.  And mine goes down to my hips even when it's in a braid.
I have indeed been teased for looking like a girl, though the girls were more than 'gentle' about it.  The boys were just jealous.
It came as no surprise to me when Usagi and Mina both went straight the the floor as their chairs suddenly slid out from underneath them.  I just slapped my hand over my forehead while Mako had a nearly fatal case of 'Oh my God, did I really just say that out loud!?'
Of course, that was when things got worse as Sakurada Haruna chose that very moment to walk through the door.
"Ahh!  I see my star helper is already getting acquainted..."  She then froze as her eyes landed on Usagi, and Usagi's on Haruna's likewise.
There was a brief, tense moment where the two stared at each other in horror.
"YOOOOUUUUU!" The both screamed as they point at each other.
"I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH YOU WHEN I TRANSFERED OVER HERE!" cried out Haruna.
"I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH YOU WHEN I GRADUATED!" cried out Usagi.
And from there, the two went into a curiously synchronous set of wailing and gnashing of teeth.
"... I take it these two have history?" I asked, sotto voiced.
"She was Usagi's English teacher back in Junior High," said Mako.
"Ah.  Naturally," I replied, enlightened at this tidbit.  "Raven is a troublesome bastard."
"Who?" asked Mako, giving me a puzzled look.
"Later," I sighed.  "For now, damage control."  With that, I got up and went to Haruna.  "Oi, Sakurada-sensei.  I know things might be bad, but you really should start the class."
Haruna looked up at me from the fetal position she had adopted on the floor, blinking blearily.  Suddenly, like a switch had been thrown somewhere, she snapped up to her feet and laughed nervously.
"Oh, of course we should start!  Every please take your seats and we'll get started with roll call."
##
Roll call went swiftly enough.  The only oddity being my name - for some reason, my name was spelled completely in Romanji, and in the grand scheme of Japanese, that meant my name came last.
All heads turned to me once more when my name was called out.
"Problem?" I archly asked the class as a whole.
Their heads collectively snapping forwards once more made quite an unusual sound.
"Wonderful!  Everyone is accounted for," bubbled Haruna.  "Now that that is out of the way, we need to get acquainted with each other.  Same rules as Junior High School.  You all know what to do.  I'll go first.
"My name is Sakurada Haruna, but you all may call me Haruna-sensei," she said with a cute wink and smile.  "My favorite food is peaches and the thing I hate the most is snakes.  So if you bring a snake into the classroom I will fail you forever!  My dream is to someday go to Vienna.  Okay, now for everyone else!"
Slowly, we worked through the entire class.  There was nothing really remarkable - welcome to the future salarymen and housewives of Japan.
We eventually got to Usagi, and there I took a little more interest.
"Hi everyone!  I'm Tsukino Usagi!  My favorite things are eating, sleeping, reading manga, shopping, and playing video games.  My least favorite things are carrots, math, dentists, ghosts..."  She then cast a sour, sidelong glance at Haruna-sensei.  "...and English class."  I palmed my face once more as the teacher and the student stuck their tongues out at each other.
Next was Mako.
"Hello!  My name is Kino Makoto!  My favorite things are baking, cooking, gardening, and romance novels.  My least favorite things are guys that cheat on their girlfriends, biology and..."  She shuddered slightly at this part.  "...airliners."
We had to work through the last row to get to Mina.
"Hey everyone!  I am Aino Minako!  My favorite things are games, pop idols, and curry rice!  My least favorite things are math, shitake mushrooms, and nerds."
That left me as the last person.
I got up, feeling everyone's stare in my back, and stood before all their faces - so blank yet so questioning.
"My name is Ezekiel Darkwood.  As you may have guessed, I am an American - Ezekiel is my given name, but most people call be 'Zeke'.  I am a Native-American of the Navajo Tribe.  I can hunt, I can fish, and I can survive off the land itself.  I am not a savage.  I have already graduated high school in America and I'm currently studying mechanical engineering in a distance learning program out of the University of Texas.
"My favorite things are camping, working on cars, and reading.  My least favorite things are bigoted people, stupidity, and people that look down on me because they feel they have the privilege to do so."
I was about to go back to my seat when Haruna-sensei spoke up.
"My, how fascinating to have a native English-speaker in our class!  Does anyone have any questions for Zee-kun?"
All at once everyone's hands shot up into the air.  Haruna selected at random.
"Can you help me speak better English?" asked one girl enthusiastically.
I blinked at the sudden transformation the class went through. At first they seemed so derisive in how they stared at me. 'Contemptuous' might be a better word for it, but by Raven's feathered nutsack I swear you can communicate unbridled derision with just a glance if you try hard enough. As for the students sudden change in behavior... Needless to say, I was caught by surprise.
"It's not easy," I said once I got my brain in gear again.  "English is pretty complicated - as complicated as traditional Mandarin-Chinese.  You have to build a very large vocabulary to use it effectively and sound natural.  Grammar and usage counts big, too.  I mean, it doesn't have to be perfect Oxford-style - people back home would look at you weird if you talked like that."  At that the class laughed a little.  "The biggest thing I think I can help you with is the phonetics.  That can go a long way to helping you sound more natural."
Haruna-sensei picked another student.
"Did you really live with Indians?" asked a boy.
"I grew up in the Navajo Reservation if that is what you mean.  Life on a reservation is very different.  We're like a nation unto ourselves.  While we have to abide by the Federal Laws of the USA, we have our own local laws and our own culture.  Also, life is pretty hard.  We don't have very much money, and we make our way through growing food, ranching, and trading with neighbors.
"And I didn't just live with them, I am one of them.  By their standards, I am a citizen of the Navajo Nation.  Please be respectful of that.  I will be more than happy to share with you my culture so long as you respect who and what I am."
Haruna-sensei then chose the next person.
"Zee-kun, if you don't mind me asking, why did you come to Japan?" asked a girl.
"I came because my Grandfather sent me here.  He was here in Japan during the occupation and he made many friends with your people during that time.  He feels that my destiny is here for some reason.  My parents died when I was young and my Grandfather is the only real family I have.  I respect and love him, so I did not question him too much when he said I should come here."
The teacher chose one more - this one being Minako.
"Zee-kun, how long do you think you'll be here?"
That was a good question.
"I don't know... I do worry a little that I will be here forever, but I know that's silly to think.  If anything, I know that I can be willingly deported once my visa runs out.  But as long as I stay in school here in Japan, then I can always renew my visa."
"That is wonderful to know about, Zee-kun," said Haruna suddenly.  "With all that as common knowledge now, I would like to nominate Darkwood-san to be our male representative.  Who will second the nomination?"
Without a single word, every student raised their hands.
"Raven's fetid, stinkin', carrion breath!" I grumbled in English.
##
Basically, by being roped into the role of male representative, I became the assistant to all the teachers for our class and did odd jobs, like clean the blackboards between classes, run small errands for the teachers, and help maintain class discipline.  Each year they would decide on who will be the next class president, but usually that winds up being the same person as long as they do a good job of it.  (It doesn't help that the class contingent doesn't change much year-to-year.)
My work ethic won't let me do anything less, so it seemed that I'd have the job for the rest of high school.
Damn.
But I supposed that I'd best adapt.  I wouldn't gain anything by fighting it.  One perk was that I got to nominate the female representative.  Both genders had to be represented so boys issues could be handled by me, and the girls issues handled by my female counterpart.  I got a good vibe from Osaka Naru for some reason, so I picked her.
Over the course of the day, we did a lot of start-of-the-year administration.  The class was arranged into groups and each group would take a turn at cleaning the classroom at the end of the day.  We had to assign class officers to head each section because Naru and I would be busy at the end of the day making sure that reports were filed with the administrative office and the student council.
Fortunately, everyone fell into line nicely as responsibilities were delineated.
Lunch came quickly and Naru sat with me, citing her responsibilities.  That was only half true.
"Zee-kun?  I'm... curious about something."
"Yes?" I asked mildly as I unpacked my lunch.  Naru eyed the variety of food, blinking as she noticed just how much I had - almost twice as much as any of the boys.  Lunch at school would be my reprieve from the set portions Hino-sensei doled out at home meals.
She then got back to herself and went on, "I was wondering why you chose me?  I mean... I know you hardly know anyone here, but surely you know that I'm a magnet for trouble?"
"Are you?" I asked.
Naru blushed and looked down at her own food.  "Uhm... well... I don't mean for it to happen..."
"What do you mean?" I pressed gently.
“Well... I always seem to get caught up in... strange situations.”
I gave her a look and motioned for her to continue.
Naru sighed in defeat and said, quietly, “I... always keep getting caught up in monster attacks.”
I blinked at her.  It wasn’t that I hadn’t heard about it.  There had been rumblings about strange goings on in Tokyo during the last year, and then when I learned I would be coming here I did my research.
“Is that all?” I asked with mild surprise.  “Naru, I understand that I’m new here and all, but as the saying back home goes, I didn’t fall off the back of the truck.”  Naru’s cheeks positively fluoresced and I sighed.  “Look, how about this - as soon as I get a mobile phone we’ll trade numbers.  That way if you’re ever in any kind of trouble you can call me for help.”
Naru gave me a shocked look.  “But... I hardly know you!  I can’t possibly impose on you like that!”
I cocked an eyebrow at the girl.  “Am I or am I not the duly elected Male Representative of Class 1-C?”
Naru blinked and nodded.  “Yes.”
“Then as part of my responsibilities, I will make sure that you and every single one of my other classmates here make it out any bad situation, unhurt and sound of body and mind.”
Naru opened her mouth say something, then closed it.  I had her dead to rights and she knew it because public safety matters for the individual classes fell to the class reps to ensure.
I then sighed and went on, “This is actually a good thing, because now I can write-off a having a mobile phone as a school expense.”
Naru blinked.  “Why is that important?”
“I’m living off an educational trust fund.  Pretty much everything I use that account on needs to be related to school.
Naru then smiled at the thought.  “It must be nice, though.  Not having to worry too much about having enough money.”
I sighed.  “So-so.  It’s the only money I really have.  If I ever wanted to buy a game or go see a movie or go out to eat...”
“Oh!” replied Naru with a slight blush.  “I see what you mean.”
I shrugged fatalistically.  “It’s okay, I guess.  I don’t really miss those things because I haven’t done any of that for a long time.”
“But... Zee-kun... what could you do against a monster?”
I shrugged.  “I’d be more focused on getting you away from a monster than fighting it.  Besides, you should never, ever underestimate an engineer.  We’re clever bastards and we can make weapons out of just about anything.”
Naru gave me a consternated look, then went to her desk, got something out, and brought it back.
“What about this?” she asked as she handed me a block of modeling clay.  Why she had it I had no idea.
I snorted.  “This?  Naru?  Have you ever heard of a potato gun?”
“No.”
I scoffed.  “Gonna have to show you sometime, but this clay could really distract a monster if I fired it with a potato gun.  Especially if I could get it in the face.”  Naru gave me a horrified look and I couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Do yourself a favor and don’t ask me what I can do with a one-yen coin.  By the way, why did everyone pick me?  I mean, everyone’s just stared at me so far.”
“Are you kidding!?” Naru cried out.  “You mean you don’t know!?  Everyone’s been talking about you!  The hip and intense American wandering around, brooding quietly as he observes everyone else!  You’re so cool that the boys are joking that if they try to talk to you your words will freeze their ears!”
I dropped my head to my desk and muttered a string of profanity in English, Navajo, and Acadian-French that was so foul that I was surprised that it didn’t char the desktop.
“...Can you teach me to curse like that?” I heard Naru ask shyly.
“Only if you promise not to do it in front of your mother,” I replied, not even bothering to lift my head.
##
The rest of the day continued at apace.  Our other teachers cycled through and Naru and I, along with a representative from each group of our classmates, helped to distribute text books and work books.  Along the way, we ran into other representatives.
As we were making our way to the supply room for some mathematics books, Makoto (it would take me a while to take to calling her ‘Mako-chan’) suddenly yelped in joy.
“Ami!” she called out and a studious looking, yet beautiful girl with a mop of blue hair that was all but careless looked over at us with eyes like the deep blue sea.  Her face suddenly split into a wide smile.
“Makoto!”  The two stopped just short of colliding with each other, grasping each others hands in a strange sort of not-hug that felt very much like an actual hug.
“Neh, Ami,” said another girl with blue hair.  Hers, unlike Ami’s rough bob, went clear to her waist like mine with short-cut bangs that hovered over her brown eyes.  “Friend of yours?”
Ami and Makoto separated and Ami nodded to the long-haired girl.
“Yes, Chidori-san.  This is Kino Makoto.  We’ve been friends since our second year of junior high school.  Mako-chan, this is Chidori Kaname, our female representative.”
That got my attention, as well as Makoto’s.
“Oh!  Then you should meet our male representative!  He’s right here!  Zee-kun?”
“Zee-kun?” said the two blue-haired girls in curious unison.
“That’d be me,” I said as I stepped up.
Kaname’s eyes widened in surprise.  “You!  You’re that guy everyone’s been talking about!”
I rolled my eyes.  “So I’ve heard.  I know I’m a foreigner, but for God’s sake if people would just talk to me instead of looking at me like I just grew an extra head they might see I’m an okay person.”
Kaname was caught completely flat-footed.  “Ah...”
“Ezekiel Darkwood of the Navajo People.  Most people call me Zeke, though my class mates are already calling me Zee-kun.”
Something clicked behind Kaname’s eyes.  “Oh!  You’re a Native American!  We never got to see very many of you in New York.”
“Oh?” I said in surprise.  “What were you doing in New York?”
“My father works in the UN.  I’ve only been back here in Japan for a couple of years.”
“Is your English any good?” I asked.
Kaname smiled and replied, in English, “Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much.”
“Oh GOD,” I cried out in gleeful surprise.  “You know American pop culture!  You are officially priceless!”
The others laughed as Kaname gave me a glare with no real heat behind it.
“Just don’t make things hard on me,” she warned me, switching back to Japanese.  She then grinned as she pitched her voice oddly and said, “Or else I’ll make you wish you could die.”
While all the natives reared back in horror (Japanese people scare rather easily for some reason) I just about died laughing at the GLaDOS reference.
Kaname, for her part, seemed to be absolutely pleased.
(For the record, while I may not get to play many games, I made sure to play at least one or two of the IMPORTANT ones.)
“Is there a problem, Chidori-san?” said a new voice in a cool and clipped tone.  Exiting the supply room with a stack of books in his hands was another boy.  He was sharp-featured - not pure Japanese - with a cross-shaped scar right along his jaw line.  I tried to figure out what his other ethnicity was.  Maybe a bit of something Middle-Eastern?  Afghani?  His black hair was just on the attractive side of messy, not quite obscuring his observant black eyes.
“Argh, not you again,” growled Kaname.  “Everything is just fine, now get those books back to the classroom and stop harassing me.  Really, at least Kubiak has better manners!”
That got my attention.  “Kubiak?” I asked.
I then felt the rhythmic vibrations in the floor coming from behind.  I turned and only saw an expanse of midnight blue fabric as something picked me up in a bone-crushing bear hug.
“I never thought I’d see ya again, little buddy!” said the deceptively soft-spoken giant that held me like I was family.
“koob,” I wheezed.  “air.”
“OH! GEEZE!”  And he then dropped me like a hot potato, and steadied me as I stumbled.  I looked up and up, and sure enough there he was - all six feet, seven inches, and three hundred pounds of human wall, with a big, rounded out, square face, heavy brow on a forehead built to crush things, and a mass of curly brown hair.
Francis Lawrence Kubiak III.
But his friends, and I, simply know him as The Koob.
“What are you doing here little buddy?” he asked.
“Funny,” I said, smiling up at the giant as I caught my breath.  “I could ask you the same myself!”
“Ah, guys?” said Kaname curiously.  “You two know each other?”
I grinned back at the blue-haired girl.  “We went to High School in America together...”  Kubiak and I exchanged knowing looks at each other, then looked back to everyone else.  “Ah, is there a place we can all meet up at later on?  It’s kind of a long story.”
Ami then spoke up with a smile.  “Mako-chan, our friends, and I all like to go to the Hikawa Shrine to study after school.  One of the Miko that lives there is our friend.”
I guffawed.  I couldn’t help it.  It was simply too ironic.
“Zee-kun?” asked Makoto.  “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said as I banished the snickers.  “Just... if your friend is who I think it is, don’t hold anything against her and I.”
Everyone blinked at me altogether.
“What did you do?” drawled Kaname in a slow, demanding tone.
“Let’s just say I have a nasty habit of smacking power upside the face with uncomfortable truth.  But anyhow, I think we’ve held things up long enough.  We gonna meet up or not?”
Kaname sighed.  “Well, not like I have anything else to do.  Besides, I want to learn more about that big lug there.  That was the most I’ve heard him say besides ‘Eat now?’.”
##
The end of the day came quickly.
After a few minutes of quizzing Kaname American movies from the eighties, I jumped onto Kubiak’s back and whispered my idea in his ear.  Within seconds, I was Master, Kubiak was Blaster, and Kaname was Aunty Entity.  Together, we kept everyone else endlessly entertained all the way back to the Shrine.
I let Usagi, Minako, Makoto, and Ami spearhead the group’s way onto the shrine where we met Rei, herself just coming home from her own school, T-A Academy for Girls.
Rei stopped and eyed our entire motley group.  I had to admit, I did the same with her - she was still in her private girls’ academy uniform.  The only reason I could surmise for the skirt being that short was because there were no men on campus.
“You guys!” cried out Rei in gobsmacked shock.  “What’s with these other people?”
“Well, you see,” said Usagi, like she was trying to wheedle something out of her parents, “these happen to be our new friends.”
Rei gave Usagi a flat look.  “Whose friends?”
“Well,” started Minako, point from me to Kubiak, “Zee-kun is our Male Rep, that guy, Kubiak, is an old friend of his.”
“WHAT?” snapped Rei, giving me an incredulous stare.  “You’re a Class Rep!?”
I rolled my eyes.  “I could hardly believe it myself, but it was unanimous after Haruna-sensei nominated me.”
“No way.”
Usagi chuckled nervously. “Eh... Actually, he’s telling the truth.  Everyone voted for him right away.  Including the rest of us.”
“Usagi!  Do you even know what kind of person he is?”
Usagi shrugged.  “Well, he seems like a tough person and a hard worker.”
Rei groaned.  “Whatever.  It’s not my problem.”  Rei then turned to Kaname.  “What about you?”
“Well,” stated Kaname, a little flustered by Rei’s anger, “Kubiak and Ami are in my class.  I’m their Female Rep and I wanted to learn more about the giant here because he hardly says anything in class.”
At that, Rei gave Kubiak a speculative look.
“Eat now?” asked Kubiak hopefully.
Rei was instantly horrified.  “Oh no!  I am not fixing snacks for you!  There’s no way I could make enough!”
Makoto jumped in right away.  “I’ll do it then!”
“Ah, Makoto,” I said, a bit worried for her.  “You did see how much I ate at lunch today, right?”
“Yes?” she replied, a bit confused.
“Kubiak usually puts away twice that amount.”
To confirm, Makoto turned to Kaname and Ami.  Both nodded their heads gravely.
However, Makoto was not dissuaded.  In fact, she even grinned and pushed her sleeves up.
“Let me at that kitchen!” she declared as she began to march her way across the shrine grounds.
“NOOOO! OUR FOOD BUDGET!” cried out Rei as she went after Makoto.
I looked to everyone else as we all shrugged and went after them.
##
As soon as everyone settled into the dining area and Makoto began puttering around in the kitchen, Rei suddenly grabbed me by the arm (I noted that she went out of her way for my left arm as opposed to my right one) and hauled me up out of my seat...
...or at least she tried to.
“Gyah!” she yelped as she nearly fell over.
“Problem?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.
Rei glowered at me. “I have business with you, Darkwood-san.”
“Hey,” called out Usagi. “Zee-kun said something happened between you two earlier. What’s up, Rei?”
Rei was taken aback and she then looked to me.
I simply shrugged. “You can tell them as much or as little as you like, Hino-san. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Rei sighed. “I said something horrible and thoughtless to him. What I did not know... was that what I said had actually nearly happened to him before.”
“But... what happened?” asked Usagi.
All eyes turned to me and I sighed.
“I don’t like to talk about this. So please, if I tell you, I want you all to promise to never speak of it with anyone else. NEVER. Do you understand?”
Everyone at the table nodded. Even Makoto, who had just come back from preparing a rice cooker.
I sighed once more, bracing myself for the plunge. This is like having that band-aid that’s been sitting there for a week and it needs to come off but you know it’s gonna hurt so you’re just gonna rip it off real fast and deal with it.
Man, I hated this.
“I have scars from 3rd degree burns covering my right wrist, all the way up to my right shoulder, and down the right side of my body to my hips. It happened when my family and I were in our car, driving somewhere... I forget. But we were hit by a drunk driver and my parents were killed. I was stuck because my safety belt had locked up and I couldn’t get out. Not until the fire came and burned through the belt. And by then... I was already burned.”
Everyone was looking at me with wide, horrified eyes. Except for Kubiak - because he already knew. And slowly, everyone then looked at Rei, as though to ask why she would do anything to me.
“WHAT!?” cried out Rei. “This boy just showed up out of nowhere, drinking from the fountain like a horse, saying he had to talk to grandpa, and the next thing I knew it he was moving into the spare room!”
And then everyone’s eyes snapped towards me.
“HHEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!?!?!” cried out the girls altogether.
I simply shrugged. “Surprise.”
“Some surprise!” grumbled Rei. “Because of you my entire life has been turned upside down!”
“Hold on now! What do you mean by that? You know that I take care of everything myself - the only thing that has changed for you is that you have to oversee the work I do in the Shrine, and even then you’ve had absolutely no complaints!”
“It’s because you’re here!” snapped Rei. “The last thing I ever wanted was for a boy to start living here, let alone right in the room next to mine!”
And just like that everyone’s eyes whipped back towards me.
“HEEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH!?” cried out the girls.
I just shrugged back at them. “Surprise, I guess.”
“You’re actually living here!?” said Usagi in astonishment.
“Well it sure as hell wasn’t our choice,” I replied sharply, indicating Rei and myself. “Talk to the old men about it - it was their crazy idea.”
“You mean your grandfather?” asked Minako.
“And Rei’s Grandfather,” I added. “Apparently they were friends during the occupation. The two of them arranged this, and I’m still trying to figure out why.”
Everyone went quiet at that, giving Ami the chance to chime in.
“Maybe we should start from the beginning.”
##
We waited until snacks and refreshments were ready.
“Little buddy,” asked Kubiak, giving me a nudge.
“Yeah?”
“What are these?” he asked, indicating the massive amount of rice Makoto had molded into triangles around a core of flavored rice.
“Onigiri. Don’t be afraid to try some. They’re pretty good, really.”
He gave the pile of onigiri one last speculative look, the shrugged as he took one, then popped the entire thing down the hatch while Makoto and the others watched with some apprehension.
His eyes suddenly lit up as his entire paradigm shifted and he looked to Makoto.
“Makoto... eat more please?”
While everyone head-desked at that, Makoto could only nod as a strange, flustered smile appeared on her face.
“Thankies,” said the Koob and he then proceeded to stuff his face.
“My God,” said Kaname fervently, “even though I’ve seen it before... it still looks like something out of an anime.”
It took another few minutes for us to get to telling my story since everyone was so distracted by the phenomenon of Kubiak feeding his face.
##
Finally, Kubiak was sated and thanked Makoto for the food, which set her to blushing so brightly that she would have put Rudolph to shame.
“Well,” I sighed, “now that that’s over... Let’s start with me.” Nobody argued the point, so I went on. “After my parents died my grandmother took care of me for a bit. She’s a powerful healer, but even she couldn’t fix all the damage. It was more than just physical, you see. I was messed up really bad. Fortunately, my father had friends.
“He was a Naval officer - a fighter pilot. And he’d made all kinds of strange friends during his carrier. One of them was a submarine commander who felt his daughter needed to spend some time away from the submarines he commanded, and my grandmother knew I needed someone my age to be around.
“So, this girl showed up and became my world for the next five years. She and I would play together, eat together, go to school together... we even slept together and for a while we also bathed together.” At everyone’s surprised looks, I waved my hands and said, “Bear in mind we were only five years old.” The others sighed with relief while Rei rolled her eyes.
“Anyhow,” I said, eager to carry on, “we didn’t always stay with my grandmother. She had things she needed to do, and there were things my grandfather needed to teach me. So, every summer Telly and I went to the Reservation and lived with my Grandfather.
“There were some people that didn’t like Telly and me at first, but I had a cousin named Swift Stone, and he really helped to smooth things over. It kinda helped that I learned how to hide really well. I was so good at it that the only way anyone could find me would be if they found Telly first. They even started calling me ‘Hidden Leaf’ and Telly ‘Gray Leaf’. Reason being that she had the prettiest silver hair, but it stood out in the wilderness so she had a lot of trouble hiding. Also, she and I were inseparable. Find her and you’d find me.
“During this time I learned a lot of things. Survival skills like hunting, foraging, fishing, finding shelter, and building a camp fire. I also learned a lot from Grandfather who was a Medicine Man and my cousin, Swift Stone, who is going to be his successor.
“That was kind of a big deal because our art isn’t medical, but spiritual. We help heal hearts and minds and perform important ceremonies. You should have seen it when Telly was made into an honorary woman of our people. It was a wonderful ceremony.
“But back when we were with my grandmother, Telly and I were home schooled... Only Telly was really freaking smart. Once we noticed how smart she was, she became my teacher. And then we figured out that I learn stuff fast. I blew through all the primary school stuff in about three years, and then the junior high school curriculum in one year. I was already starting on high school stuff and starting to catch up with Telly when my Grandmother felt I should go and stay with Grumps for a while.”
“Grumps?” asked Usagi. “What kind of name is that?”
I grinned and shook my head ruefully - Grumps always had that affect on people.
“He is my paternal grandfather. He has a pretty weird sense of humor - all snarly and grumpy, but not really meaning it. It’s all for show. He knows it and so does everyone else. He basically owns the Grumpy Old Man trope, so he decided that instead of me calling him grandfather and getting mixed up with my other grandfather, then I should just call him Grumps instead.
“The thing you need to know about Grumps is that he’s like my father - he was a fighter pilot in the US Navy. But you have to remember that means he had a lot of combat experience. He flew Thunderchiefs and Phantoms over Korea and Vietnam. He’s seen all kinds of crazy things. He’s been shot down, captured, escaped, and back into the pilot’s seat. He’s seen friends die, friends break, and friends somehow make it back home by the skin of their teeth. And he’s not afraid to talk about it. He’s seen how people have forgotten what it was like, so he will tell anyone that will listen.
“I learned so much from Grumps... more, I think, than I learned from my grandmother and grandfather.
“Anyhow, when I went to live with Grumps, Telly had to go back to her family. I haven’t seen her since and I still miss her. I didn’t have too much time to think about it, though. Grumps made sure I got enrolled into high school. That was when I met my friend, Kubiak.”
Kubiak grinned and took over at this point.
“I was pretty surprised when I first saw him,” rumbled the giant in our midst. “He was surrounded by a bunch of other kids picking on him. You have to bear in mind, Zeke was only eleven years old and already in high school. Also, he was tiny.
“Despite that, he was fighting off the bullies with nothing but spit and fire. But they had numbers, so they were able to overpower him. The kid had impressed me, so I decided to step in. Literally. I already had a reputation as everyone’s worse nightmare, so it was easy enough to scare them off. I just had to growl and they peed their pants.
“After that, Zeke and I were buddies. We would pretend that he was secretly doing my homework and in return he got my protection from everyone else. In reality, I was doing my own homework. I’m actually as smart as he is.”
Ami looked horrified. “But why would you hide something like that?”
Kubiak shrugged. “There’s a lot of anti-intellectualism in American high schools. It’s all popularity contests and social climbing. There were a lot of players, but there was only one master.
“Parker Lewis.
“Zeke and I may have been smart and clever, but no one could manage the social scene like Parker. Dude was a genius, and the best part was that he was on pretty much everyone’s side. You could even go as far as to say he was a champion of justice despite looking like the king of slackers. What’s ironic about that, though, is that it takes a lot of work to be the king of anything.
“Parker and his buddies, cool dude Mikey Randal and super-nerd Jerry Steiner, eventually figured out mine and Zeke’s schtick. And instead of blowing it wide-open to the rest of the school he made us part of his group. He called us his Auxiliary Buds - the muscle with a brain. And then we became living legends.
“When Parker pushed his little sister too far, Zeke not only brought her back, but helped them to get along better. When the seemingly evil Head Principal Miss Musso got sacked because of our antics and replaced by a really evil man, we sent him to a psychiatric hospital and got Miss Musso back. When rival bullies came to our school, we systematically destroyed them and sent them back crying.
“It couldn’t last forever, though. Zeke was the first to go, graduating in only two years. Then Mikey Randal left - he was honestly too cool for school. Last I heard he had a motorcycle shop somewhere in San Diego. Jerry Steiner graduated early, but not as early as Zeke. That always blew his mind. Parker was the last one to go. He went to a good university and has been living it up. I think he’s going to become a lawyer.”
“But what about you?” asked Makoto. “Why are you still in high school?”
Kubiak shrugged. “I was just like Zeke once. Too smart for my own good. I started high school when I was ten years old... but I was an early bloomer. People didn’t pick on me much because I blended in... until I got found out. Then I had to spend a lot of time beating people up just to keep the rumors from spreading. That was how I got my bad reputation, but I decided to go ahead and own it. I pretended to be a big, stupid bully with a brain like a dinosaur, slack off and let things go until I was old enough to graduate.
“That changed after Parker graduated. I’d finally picked up my grades to make it to my senior year when I got tagged to be on the foreign exchange program. Don’t ask me how. I went along with it and now here I am.”
“But... how old are you?” asked Minako.
Kubiac grinned. “I’m eighteen.”
“HEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!!!” cried out the girls. Kubiak’s smug grin was justified.
“Blame the difference in educational standards,” I grumbled. “High school here is more like college prep in America. Not that it matters to The Koob here. He just enjoys the experience. Besides, he’s only two years older than us. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not much. A lot of married couples have that kind of age difference.”
And right on cue, Makoto turned bright red. If I didn’t have evidence of her crushing on Th Koob before, I did then and there.
“Something I don’t quite get,” said Minako suddenly. “You say you lived on the Reservation and that you’re one of the Navajo people, but you were only there during the summers. What’s up with that?”
I shrugged. “Why are you so close with your friends here?”
“Eh?” replied Minako.
I sighed and went on, “Look, my Grandfather is pretty well known back home. He had only one child, and that was my mother. And my mother had only me. So despite my mixed heritage, folks back home consider me to be part of a dying lineage. And on top of that, my Grandfather has said that my destiny lies not with The People, but far away from home instead.
“So instead of fighting fate, they loved me as much as they could, when they could, so I could show everyone else the best of The People.”
“Do you miss it?” asked Usagi, looking a little sad for my part.
“I do,” I said honestly. “But I’m not going to let that stop me from making friends here.”
With that, Kubiak put an arm around me and squeeze, making me groan under the pressure.
“Zeke’s a cool guy,” said the giant. “He’ll go out of his way to help people when he doesn’t have any other commitments in the way.”
“Well, I’m satisfied,” said Kaname as she stretched. “I have to get going - my dinner isn’t gonna make itself.”
“Hey, why don’t we meet up again later?” I said suddenly. “Bearing of scars aside, I had fun.”
Kaname thought about it. “We can have lunch together on the roof - it’s open to the students.”
“Sounds like a plan then. Have a good night, Kaname!” There was a chorus of farewells as Kaname left.
##
Soon enough, Kubiak left as well, citing that his stomach would not feed itself, and leaving me alone with the original core of five friends. Seeing them together like that struck a chord in me, like this should be familiar. I wasn’t sure why, but it was there.
Only the Old Bird himself knew for sure.
“Well, I’m starting to feel like a bit of a fifth wheel,” I said as I got up and stretched. “Hino-san, if it is fine with you I’ll go ahead and take my bath now so you can spend time with your friends without me being in the way.”
“Fine by me,” said Rei as she turned her nose up at me.
Which I ignored, but her friends were not about to let that go.
“Rei! You can’t treat him like that!” cried out Usagi.
“Why not?” Rei answered. “He might pull his weight around here, but even so his being here is a huge inconvenience.”
“But his grandfather-” began Ami, but she brutally was cut off by Rei.
“My grandfather should have discussed this with me first!”
“Your grandfather may be a bit of a letch,” said Makoto, interceding, “but he’s still your grandfather.”
“I don’t care if he has to live on the streets, this should have been discussed with me before that male arrived!”
I put my foot down - literally - and firmly enough to make the kotatsu jump slightly.
“I’m taking my leave,” I growled. I then looked to Rei. “And you... Fortunately for you, I have promised my mother that I would never strike a woman. However, should you ever raise a hand against me, then all bets are off. Watch yourself.”
I turned to walk away and then there were several noises that caused me to react.
The sound of feet stomping my way, accompanied by the words, “I’ll show you!” and then, “Rei! No!” and “Zee-kun!”
I felt her hand grasp my ponytail. It was not her first mistake - that honor goes to her believing she could do something to hurt me.
Before she could pull, I whirled around and grabbed the offending hand, sharply pressing my thumb into the soft part between the thumb and fingers and causing her to gasp sharply.
But she had not completely lost her focus - I could see her shifting her weight to throw a punch with her other fist. But as she did, I knocked the blow slightly to the side - just enough that it would miss my head - and in the same motion I grabbed ahold of her shoulder and pulled her off balance.
From there, it was downhill as I guided her fall, shifting so my knee wound up firmly in the crook of the shoulder that I grasped and shifted my grip on her hand so I maintained positive control over the appendage. Once she was on the floor, I shifted my other knee so it was under her elbow - a perfect anvil on which to break her arm if I chose to do so.
This all happened in the space of just a couple of seconds.
Rei screamed in outrage and tried to move, but I had her in a well-practiced hold. She would not get out of it unless she broke her own arm first.
“Do you honestly take me for some limp-wristed intellectual?” I growled just over her ear, causing Rei to freeze. “I may be studious, but I know how to fight, and I have put far worse than you into the hospital just for mistaking me for easy prey. Don’t think I won’t do the same to you - all I need is an excuse.”
I then let go and rolled smartly away, popping back up into a grappler’s stance. Rei snarled as she came up right, seething in anger and indignation.
A part of me still couldn’t help but note how beautiful she was, even with a mask of rage on her face. Her regal beauty could be called ‘terrifying’ by some, but I don’t scare so easily. Not these days, anyhow.
But that doesn’t mean I’m a fool.
Slowly I backed out of the room, not turning my back until I was all the way out and had slid the shoji closed. Rei only glowered at me, all but curling her lips. I sighed once I was sure she was not going to follow me out, then made my way to my own room.
I never made it there, though. To my surprsie, kaname Chidori was there, and along with her was Hino-sensei, complete with an expectant look on his weathered face.
“Kaname!” I said in surprise and horror. “Don’t tell me you saw all that!?”
“I only overheard,” she said angrily. “And what I heard was enough! If she ever so much as touches you again like that, I’m going to-”
Kaname froze as Hino-sensei place a hand on her forearm, stopping her short.
“So, my granddaughter has raised her hand against you,” said the small, old man with a sigh. “It seems I will have to discipline her.”
“If you can let it go, sensei, I rather that you would.”
“LET IT GO!?” cried out Kaname. “ARE YOU NUTS!?”
Hino-sensei ignored her outburst, though.
“Oh? Afraid of a reprisal, are you?” asked the old priest.
“Yes and no,” I sighed. “I can handle her, I’m certain of that. I just don’t want her to have any more reason to resent me.”
The old man chuckled. “First of all, I don’t think you can handle her quite so easily. She simply underestimated you, a mistake she will not make again.” He gaze suddenly hardened into deadly seriousness. “Although, if what I have been told of your exploits is true, then it would be very much preferred that we immediately deescalate this situation.”
“What do we do then, sensei?” I asked.
“You will do nothing about it... for now. You will have a part to play shortly, but first I must reprimand my granddaughter.”
I felt the hair on the back of my neck rising.
“I’m not gonna like this, am I?”
The old man only laughed softly as he walked by, leaving me with Kaname for the moment.
“Neh, Zee-kun,” said Kaname once the old man was out of earshot. “I know how tough things can be and all, but if you need a place to crash...”
I gave Kaname a surprised look once more. “But I thought you lived in a eight-tatami flat.”
“With a full bathroom and kitchen, you dork,” said Kaname with exasperation. “Look, I’m not a total prude. The idea of a boy seeing me in my pajamas doesn’t worry me much.”
“Oh? And you’re not worried about my becoming overcome with lust?” I said sarcastically.
“Nah, if that happens I’ll just knock your face off with my bat.”
I snickered at the mental imagery of her doing just that to someone else. More likely than not, that Sousuke character.
“Well, thanks for the offer anyhow. I’ll definitely keep it in mind as a last resort.”
“No problem, Zee-kun. It’s the least I can do for a friend.”
“Friends already?” I asked with a game smile.
“After the way you guys made me laugh today? You’re stuck with me for life!”
I snorted at that, because as far as I was concerned she made me laugh just as much.
“Why’d you come back anyhow?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Oh, I forgot one of my notebooks. I got here just in time to hear Miss Princess blow her stack. That’s when I ran to get Hino-san.”
I sighed and would have said more, but Hino-sensei was already escorting everyone out.
##
In short order, the others were gently ushered off the shrine grounds, all while shooting me helpless looks and promises to catch up tomorrow.
Rei and I, on the other hand, were handed shinai - bamboo practice swords that, while largely harmless, stung like hell when they struck. Think whiffle bats on steroids and you won’t be too far off.
“It seems to me that the two of you have something that must be worked out,” said the old man as he paced between Rei and I. “Unfortunately, the two of you seem to be far too passionate for mere words to work.”
“I thought I was the one to back out,” I grumbled.
“Coward,” Rei fired back.
“Humph,” grunted the elder Hino. “A tactical retreat was wise on your part, young man. However, as you may have noticed, the war rages on. So, we are left with this. You two have it out. Be fair and honorable. I will stand by to make sure neither of you step out of bounds. It will be over once you two agree that it is over or one of you is unable to continue.”
I thought about that for a second.
“Wait a minute... so you mean we can use whatever technique we like, so long as it’s fair and honorable?”
“I see no problem with that,” the old priest replied genially.
I looked to Rei and smiled. “I have no need of this then,” I said as I cast aside my shinai.
Rei’s eyes widened in shock. “What is the meaning of this!?” she demanded.
“I’m a machinist and an engineer. Of course, that means I use a lot of tools... but for the hardest of the hard core machinists, like me, our hands are our greatest tools. And for this I have no need of any other tools besides my empty hands.”
“So you’re saying you’ll beat me without any weapons?” growled Rei.
I shot an evil grin back at her. “My dear, I am saying that I will take you apart like a cheap watch.”
Rei’s eyes bulged in outrage and even the old priest was taken aback - he dove for cover as Rei then charged me, her shinai held high for the strike.
However, I simply patted the ham-handed blow aside with my palm and let her move past me, flowing around her like the wind.
Rei stumbled, but regathered herself, surprised at how I was able to avoid her attack. She then gave me a confused look.
I grinned back at her. “To fight me is to fight the air itself.”
Rei sneered at me. “You’re no master,” she said as she began to charge again. “You’re just a coward that avoids blows!”
I frowned at that. So she thought I was a coward? I decided to let her see how much of one I really was as I reach out once more... And stopped the shinai dead in its tracks with my bare hand.
Rei goggled. “But... you can’t possibly do that! Your entire arm should be numb from the pain by now!”
“Hino-san,” I said with that grin again, “this is my right arm. You know, the one that got burned to a crisp. Fortunately, I still have all the feeling in my hand... but compared to what gave me the scars under that sleeve... that felt like a little love tap.”
I shoved the shinai aside sharply, momentarily throwing Rei off balance as she stumbled backwards to compensate.
Rei then regathered herself, and snarled as she threw herself at me again.
This time I stood my ground, blocking the blows with my arms if they came for my head, ribs, or abdomen. My legs I left relatively unprotected as welts began to appear.
After ten such blows, Rei had to stop and catch her breath.
“Oh, the pain,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “It is so unbearable.”
“You think you have a monopoly on pain!” Rei screamed at me suddenly. “You think I don’t understand what it feels like!? To watch my mother waste away, and then my father all but abandon me!?”
Something flashed before my eyes - a vision of fire and beautiful indigo eyes filled with sadness, anger, and bitterness. A beautiful young Japanese woman in a sailor fuku with an impossibly short pleated red skirt, surrounded by fire and outlined in passion. A lonely miko in a busy shrine with only her ravens to keep her company.
A fragment of something long forgotten from a childhood in another time clicked into place. Memories of watching a television program and seeing this very same young woman before me. It was not exactly the same. She was a bit older... but still very much the same.
“No... I know you,” I said slowly as the vision faded at last. “I’ve had dreams of you. I just didn’t realize that you were the one in my dreams until now.”
Rei looked at me in bewilderment. “What are you trying to say?”
“That I have had dreams of you and I know of you. Nothing more, nothing less. I know about your pain. I know about the boy that refused your heart. I know about your father making pretense at being your father, coming on your birthdays and giving you a white dress and Casablanca Lilies each time. I know that you hate men in general because of him. I know that you’re an Aries. I know about your remarkable capabilities with the fire reading. I know about Phobos and Deimos.” I then shot Rei a dark look. “And I know about the South Pole.”
The color drained out of Rei’s face.
“Grandfather, I need to speak with him in private.”
“Is this bout over then?” asked the old man.
“It is, for now, Hino-sensei,” I replied.
The priest looked to his granddaughter and Rei nodded.
“Well then, so long as you two don’t kill each other, I’ll let the two of you be.” And with that, the old man left us to our own devices.
Rei then glared at me. “Come with me. Now.”
##
Rei dragged me into the shrine proper and all but slammed the shoji shut. She held the follow through pose for a moment, then slowly turned to me and hissed in a low tone.
“What... are... you?”
“A reincarnated soul, much like yourself.”
Her eyes widened at the implications and she was suddenly on me, pinning me to the floor.
“Who were you!?” she hissed. “Jadeite? Zoicite? Nephrite? That pig, Kunzite?”
“I didn’t come from this universe,” I snapped back at her.
Rei blinked. “That’s preposterous! How could that be?”
“Because where I came from there was no magic.”
“You lie.”
“I’ve got no way to prove it, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
“Is that so? Well, I do know one way to reveal the truth behind your falsehoods.”
##
The room was hot from the towering inferno Rei had built in there and I was building up a sheen of sweat from just sitting in there.
Rei, on the other hand, was perfectly in her element. She was not bothered one bit by the sweat on her skin, nor was she apparently bothered by the heat. In fact, as she had lit the fire in the first place I thought I saw a strange gleam in her eye.
So, Sailor Mars did have pyromania. Go figure.
It was strange to be able to recall all that I had previously known about her. However, as I gave it more thought, I could only recall generalized information on the rest of the Senshi and the future timeline. So, where in the timeline was I now? I couldn’t tell for sure. By all rights we should be well into the Stars arc, but I didn’t see any of the signs for it.
And then there were other things. I had a weird vibe about Kaname and that other boy, Sousuke. Almost like... they didn’t really belong, and yet here they were anyhow.
What else didn’t belong?
Myself, I knew for sure.
Rei had settled in on the opposite side of the fire from me, and began to chant koans as she made complex hand signs. I couldn’t really see her through the fire, but I could hear her voice, mesmerizing in its monotone and even cadence. It was almost soothing, except... that she slowly began to increase in tempo and intensity.
Slowly, I began to see her in my mind’s eye, as though gazing through the fire. Her form, clad in her miko outfit, kneeling in seiza, her head bowed and her eyes closed - her face a mask of intense concentration, and her hands held in front of her, constantly shifting every few beats into a different hand sign.
Finally, the chanting seemed to reach a crescendo and Rei’s eyes snapped open as she cried out in a challenging tone, those violet orbs cast in determination.
However, that suddenly began to falter and Rei gasped in horror.
And then her ravens burst into the room from the opening in the cieling and began harrying around the young woman, cawing loudly but to no avail.
Rei was not there anymore.
“FUCK!” I cursed as I jumped up and dashed to Rei. I worried for a moment that her ravens might attack me, but instead they merely settled and cast deeply concerned looks between her and I.
“You two are her familiars?” I asked. And then I blinked as I felt their true natures brush up against mine. “No! You’re His Children! Can you help me find her?”
The two ravens cawed excitedly.
“Perfect!” I then reached into my pocket and pulled out something I never hoped to need - an autoinjector filled with a cocktail of hallucinogens, barbiturates, and anti-addictives. It was illegal as all hell to have in most nations, but it was the quickest way to get where I needed to go.
Not like I looked forward to the experience afterwards - it made me loopy as all hell until I got a good night’s sleep, and even then my dreams were acid trips on steroids.
And then the was the act of injection itself. I clenched the safety cap in my teeth and yanked the pen away, spitting the cap out. I then took a deep breath, let it go...
And then slammed the autoinjector into my chest, left of my sternum, and in between my ribs.
A six-inch heavy gauge needle pierced into my heart and delivered its intoxicating payload, where it got shot straight into my head.
And just like that, I was gone, too.
##
I sat at the top of a hill - high and covered with cool, green grass and surrounded by cherry trees in full bloom. And all around me as far as I could see were more rolling, tree covered hills that tapered down to a bay filled with rolling blue water and white caps.
“Look sister!” said a young woman’s voice excitedly. “I told you! I told you! I told you it was him!”
“Settle down!” snapped another. “This is a serious matter!”
I turned and saw two girls - twins. They both wore leotards of some kind with white bows at the small of their back and the nape of their necks. One leotard was red and the other was indigo. They were elfin in frame - so slight that term delicate suited them. However, they did not look unhealthy. Though their skin was pale, it also had the slight flush that spoke of strong circulation.
Their hair was dark as the night. Parted in the middle and pulled into buns on either side of their heads, with long tails that fell over their chests and to their waists. The hair from the back of their heads was allowed to fall freely and ended at just past hip-length.
With their equally dark eyes they stared at me with all the curiosity and inquisitiveness of a raven’s gaze.
So these were Phobos and Deimos.
It came as no great surprise to me - these two are not the first Coronians I’d met so far. But what happened next managed the feat.
With a cry that mixed cathartic joy with the sorrow of an unquenchable regret, the one in indigo flew at me and nearly knocked me to the ground as she wrapped her arms around me.
“You’re here!” she wept. “You’re really here! You’re not a dream! You’re not a memory!”
“Deimos! Our Mistress is in danger!” called out the sister in red, who could only be Phobos.
With nothing better to do, I hugged her back gently.
“Deimos, I understand you’re happy to see me for some reason, but we need to find Rei. I promise you, though, that I won’t abandon you.”
“You won’t?” she said, sounding nothing so much more than a frightened child.
“I swear it.”
Deimos looked up at me with tearful eyes, sniffled once, then wiped the tears away as she nodded.
“Right... plenty of time later,” she said, trying to sound upbeat.
Deimos went back to her sister and the two nodded to each other, right before they clasped each others hands together, closed their eyes, and bowed their heads until their foreheads were nearly touching.
“To the west!” they suddenly exclaimed in unison as they pointed out the direction.
“Let us take wing!” said Deimos.
“But what of Lord Darkwood?” said Phobos. “He does not have an avian form like we do.”
Deimos shot a surprise look at me. “You’re... Human!?”
I wasn’t fully certain what was going on, but I had a good idea. Even so, as Phobos had said, there were more urgent matters at hand.
“It’s okay,” I said quickly. “I can keep up well enough. We have to get going - Rei could be in trouble!”
That was all the reminder that Deimos needed. With that, the two sisters suddenly shrank in on themselves, obscured by their dark hair as it shrouded their forms, and suddenly a pair of ravens took shape and lifted off into the sky, cawing as they went.
I didn’t waste any time myself as I took off at a sprint.
Phobos and Deimos were quick in the forest - swiftly flitting between the trees and the bamboo stalks. However, I kept close track of the two with my keen eyes and hunter’s instincts.
It didn’t take long to find her - they were in a clearing, scorched by fire and flame.
There was a man there, elderly but vibrant in his expression and stature. He had a bald head, a patrician nose, and sharp eyes that sparkled with amusement. He was dressed as Gurney Halleck, a character from Frank Herbert’s novel, Dune. In particular, this seemed to be the version of Gurney from the Dino De Laurentis film.
But that was merely illusion - I knew who he really was. The ever insufferable pain in my ass, the God known as Raven.
“Come, come now!” he called out in mock disappointment. “Surely you should know that fire is my element! It’s like asking me to punch myself!”
“In that case I’ll just try turning the heat up a little more,” said the other person caustically.
That other person was Rei, wearing the white seifuku and red pleated skirt from my dreams... but those dreams simply did not do her justice.
Here I saw her in living color. While she was not noticeably muscular, she did not appear weak. Her body had graceful curves that indicated healthy, active living. And the way the sweat on her skin glistened combined with the flushed tone and the look of sheer determination in her eyes...
It was like the first day I met her all over again - I couldn’t say or do anything.
And then her eyes met mine.
“YOU!” she suddenly yelled as she whirled on me. “YOU DID THIS! YOU BROUGHT ME HERE!”
Burning.
The most immediate and primal of pain sensations. The feeling of your pain and temperature receptors screeching in utter agony as they die will trigger an immediate fight-or-flight response. And the reflex is usually regardless of the circumstances.
It is an incredibly rare situation where a person does not notice being burned, and usually associated with a higher-ranked survival mechanism superseding the other.
However, regardless of how much I anticipated the not-so-tender touch of Rei’s fire...
...it did not come.
I opened my eyes and saw Raven’s back to me.
“You foolish little girl,” he said in a soft, disappointed tone that a parent uses on their child. “You honestly think that poor Ezekiel here is the cause of all your woes? No, my child. I am the cause. I brought his soul here. I reincarnated him. I am the one who set his destiny before him.
“And I am the one that sent him to you.”
Rei stared at him in shock as he moved away, beginning to pace in a wide arc around the four of us. I held my tongue - thanks to Rei, the stage belonged to Raven. For me to speak now may not mean immediate punishment... but I would certainly be barred from pleading any sort of case.
In case I’m not being clear here... God had the floor right then, so everyone else had to shut their pie holes and listen the fuck up.
Fortunately, Rei seemed to understand that much by then.
“Of course,” Raven went on, “those aren’t the only things I’ve done. For one thing, do you think that it was Queen Serenity’s power that allowed you to be reincarnated at such a late date? Indeed, the Ginzusho that Usagi possesses is quite powerful, but it has its limits. Instead, it was me the Queen came to, begging for the release of your souls.
“Sadly, my own children, what few of them survived the destruction of Coronis, were in dire straights themselves. So, in exchange for them being permitted to settle in what was left of her Empire, I set your souls aside, letting them slumber until the time was right for you to come back and finish Metallia and Beryl once and for all.
“Additionally, I’ve had my agents monitoring you. You know them as Phobos and Deimos. Children? If you please?”
The two ravens suddenly took on their human forms once more, revealing themselves to Rei.
Rei was aghast. “You... you were spies? All this time?”
“Please don’t misunderstand Hino-sama!” pleaded Phobos. “We would never have done anything to allow harm come to you!”
“We are your protectors!” cried out Deimos. “We watch over you and do what we can in our own way to keep you safe!”
“Indeed,” came Raven’s stentorian voice, drawing our attention back to him. His voice was like silk concealing a poisoned dagger as he went on, “Do not take your misplaced anger out on my children, little girl. While they have been informants to me, what they say is also true. They are my gift to you - your boon companions. You’re in trouble enough with me for lashing out at my Avatar. Do not dare raise your hand against these two.”
“Please, Hino-sama!” cried out Phobos as her eyes began to tear up. “You must listen! You are in grave danger now and there is nothing we can do to help!”
Rei looked at Phobos sharply. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“A joke?” said Raven in a flat tone. “Little girl, while I do enjoy a laugh as much as the next man, you truly have no idea what is on the line, do you?”
Darkness began to fill the clearing and it enveloped Raven’s form, consuming it, growing larger, and then taking the shape and form of a raven that stood three stories high with eyes the glinted like stars.
Rei now looked genuinely afraid.
“The Japanese have known me by many names, child. Amatarasu. Yatagarasu. Tengu. Each one of them is an aspect of what I am. But make no mistake about it. I am indeed a God...”
Raven then leaned over to looked Rei straight in the eyes, and said, “...And you have indeed ANGERED me.
“I had such high hopes for you!” he raved as he snapped upright once more. “I admired your fighting spirit and your affinity for fire. It was my intention to eventually adopt you as a priestess to help gather together my scattered children under the banner of the planet Mars.
“And Ezekiel would have been the one to raise that banner in your name! Instead, you chastise him, you judge him, and you despise him for his gender! You even threaten him with bodily harm! While the boy can take care of himself, you are completely out of line for assaulting your ally!”
Raven ceased his tirade, then took a deep breath and let it out as a long suffering sigh.
“So now it comes to this. Sailor Mars, you have dishonored yourself and gravely displeased me. For this, I have only one punishment - death!”
“No!” I cried out.
Raven turned to look at me critically. “Oh? What now, little boy? How do you think that you are going to keep me from her soul?”
I bit my lip as I thought about that. What could I do? The old bird was capricious as hell, but I had to do something, anything!
An idea formed in my head. It was repulsive, but it was the only thing I could think of.
Knowing I would regret this, I raised my face to Raven and spoke:
“I claim her soul by the rite of binding!”
Raven jerked back in surprise, and then burst into raucous, cawing laughter.
Rei was, simply put, bewildered... not that it was much change.
“What are you doing!?” she hissed.
“Saving you from a fate worse than death!” I shot back at her.
“What do you mean? He said he was going to kill me!”
“Don’t be stupid! You’re dealing with a God here! Normally when someone dies, they simply go on to the afterlife. But when Raven kills you, he keeps your soul for himself!”
Rei went pale at the very thought. “And this... binding? What is it?”
“Oh-ho!” said Raven as he recovered from his laugh. “Do you realize what you’re doing, little boy? You know that this is a blade that cuts both ways.”
“As long as it keeps you away from her,” I said darkly.
Raven chuckled. “It won’t entirely, but it will do the trick well enough for what you intend. Phobos? Deimos? Perform the ceremony. I’ll witness and affirm the bond.”
“Phobos, Deimos,” said Rei with a dangerous edge to her voice. “What is happening?”
“Hino-sama,” said Phobos as she kotowed before Rei. “There are some things you must understand about Lord Darkwood.”
“What may that be?” asked Rei through clenched teeth.
“My lady... his life is not his own. Raven owns him. He may seem strong and independent, but that is only because Raven wills it so. Look upon him, my lady! Look upon the chains he bears!”
Rei turned and looked to me, and this time I could tell that she honestly looked.
Everyone sees me differently in the world of dreams. But there is always one constant - the heavy black iron chains bound to my arms and legs. And the chains all led to Raven’s talons where they clinked gently in his shifting grasp.
“Why?” said Rei.
“You needn’t know why,” snapped Raven, knowing exactly what she meant. “All you need to know is that he is MY servant - my presence and my will within your waking world. Through Ezekiel, I may act upon your world as I see fit. And any action done to him is as much an action done to me. And I take acts taken against me VERY seriously, little girl.”
Rei swallowed, then looked back to Phobos. “What else?”
“There... is supposed to be someone out there. Ezekiel’s match. Someone just for him. Someone that will support him despite his servitude to Raven.” Phobos then looked up to Rei, her eyes overflowing with tears. “Ezekiel is giving that up to save your soul.”
“What do you mean!?” cried out Rei as she reared back in shock, but she could already guess.
“In all essence, little girl,” said Raven, “he is taking you up in the bond of eternal marriage. I honestly do not believe you deserve his kindness, but it is one of the few freedoms I allow the boy.”
Rei looked at me. For the first time ever, I saw that she was feeling horror for me.
“No... No, I can’t accept that! I’m supposed to stand for love and justice! Even if I don’t like him I can’t take that away from him!”
“And where was love and justice when he came into your life?” roared Raven suddenly. “That boy is giving you another chance, and paying dearly for it. Don’t you dare waste it.”
Rei then looked at me, and I could tell that she was being overwhelmed.
“Darkwood-san... why are you doing this?”
I looked at her, feeling hopeless. “Because... there are more battles ahead... and your friends will need you in those fights to come. Please... this is the only thing I can do to save you.”
Rei rocked backwards on her heels. “Your... doing this... for the others? Not for me?”
I gazed at her in shock, then felt my lip curl back as I felt the rage boil up inside me.
“What do you care about how I feel for you!? I just thought I’d go ahead and appeal to your more noble attributes! Never mind that I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen! Screw that! I’m just some animal-like male that’s looking for a woman to dominate and make into his own! If that’s how you feel, then you are not the woman I know - you’re no champion of love and justice! You’re just some jealous woman that came into some power. Fuck this shit! I’m-”
“NO!” cried out Rei suddenly. “NO! Zeke! Don’t! I... I’m sorry, okay? I... I just never wanted things to be this way. I just didn’t want there to be... any distractions.”
“Distractions?” I said flatly as I glowered at her.
Rei looked down to the ground and was genuinely contrite.
“I... failed before... in my last life... because I let my heart get in the way of what I should have done. I swore that I would never let that happen again. I never want to see anything happen to Usagi because I failed to act. The thing with the boy before, Kaidou, just helped reaffirm that for me when I became Sailor Mars in this life.”
“Fine,” I ground out. “I won’t give you that disadvantage.”
“What?” said Rei, utterly confused. “What do you mean?”
Phobos interceded. “Hino-sama... the oath of the bond is very vague. All it really does is bind your two souls together in eternity. What you two do over the course of your mortal lives is up to you.”
“You mean... even though we would be married, we don’t have to act like it?”
“That is correct, my lady.”
Rei looked at me once more, then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it go.
“I accept,” said Rei.
Phobos nodded. “No theatrics. No fanfare. There has been enough drama already. Deimos, see to Lord Darkwood.”
Without a word, Deimos came and gently guided me to Rei and had me kneel before her. Phobos had Rei kneel as well and carefully helped Rei remove her opera gloves.
“Take each others hands, please,” said Phobos quietly.
Briefly, I looked to Rei’s face, and she into mine. Her beautiful indigo eyes were filled with sorrow, shame, pity, and regret. What did she see in mine? It mattered not to me. I looked away, feeling at a profound loss. She was so beautiful...
...and so beyond me.
I was a slave - pure and simple. I may have had my will, but that was only because I made the choice - I took up the offer at another life. And in return, this life, and my soul, belonged to Raven.
I have precious few fuzzy recollections of my past life, but I had the sense that I was something of a failure in that time. I was only successful here because Raven ensured that circumstances ground it out of me in a flurry of blood, sweat, and tears. There was never any reprieve. Succeed of fail, the reward was always the same - a harder road ahead.
I felt Rei’s hands in my own. Her lovely, graceful, slender hands in my own which walked a fine line between a surgeon’s and a steelworker’s. But that was me for you - a contradiction. The mind of an engineer with the heart of a warrior. A savage that knew the beauty of poetry. A romantic who spurned foolishness. A slave that had his own free will. A successful failure.
Rei did not deserve me, I felt. Even with her vitriol and anger, she deserved better - someone that knew how to lay aside their own temper and open their heart to the Princess of Mars.
There was the feeling of something soft being carefully wrapped around our hands. I looked and saw the finest cord of red fibers I have ever seen. I couldn’t see the weave, but I knew it was there from the way the light caught it. I could feel it binding tightly against my skin, but it had no bite to it.
“The Red String of Fate,” Deimos explained softly in my ear while Phobos did the same with Rei. “It will never break. No one and no thing will ever cut it. It will grant as much space between you as you need, but it will always draw you back together again through fate’s machinations. In this way, your souls will be bound for eternity. Even if you are reincarnated, you two will inevitably be drawn together again.”
I nodded, signaling my understanding. Rei needed somewhat more clarification, which Phobos provided through her hushed whispers which I could not make out. Eventually, though, Rei hesitantly nodded her own understanding as well.
The moment seemed to stretch forever. The gentle feel of her hands in mine was conflicted with the thoughts of ‘Should Not Be!’, plaguing me with feelings of adoration for this magnificent woman and my own self loathing. It was such an exquisitely painful existence.
And then, just like that, it was over.
“It is done, Great Father,” intoned the two sisters.
Raven had taken on his human form once more. He reached down and pulled our hands apart. The string provided absolutely no resistance. For a brief instance there was a cat’s cradle between our hands, and in the blink of an eye it wove itself into a thick, yet fine cord that hung suspended between our hands with no sensation of weight or tension.
“Well done, my daughters,” mused Raven. “The deed is done. What goes on between the two of you is no longer any of my business. However, that said little girl, do not make me regret my decision - your life is in his hands now, and his is in mine.” He then leered as he hissed ominously, “You would be a fool not to take advantage of that!”
Rei gulped and Raven cackled madly as he turned and walked away, a whirlwind of shadow collecting around him and then vanishing, taking him with it.
Rei then looked at me. “What now?”
I sighed. “Now, we all go back to the waking world and try to get on with our lives.”
She raised an elegant eyebrow at me. “There is nothing that needs to be done to consummate this bond?”
I shook my head. “That was merely something to help satisfy the bloodline deals behind arranged marriages. This is a binding of the souls and has no such needs.”
“And yet, in all essence, you and I are married,” said Rei tightly.
I whirled and snapped at her, “Do you honestly think I’m going to try and turn this into a perverse game of some kind!? My life already is one. And I have no need of making up more along the way.”
“And what am I supposed to do!?” Rei snapped back. “I’m Japanese! Not some happy-go-lucky-American! I cannot treat a marriage lightly - even one as loose as this.”
“First of all I am not some happy-go-lucky American cowboy singing yippy-kai-yay all day long. Second, I am of the Navajo People, and we treat marriage as a sacred pact between man and woman. This is going against my own nature as much as yours, so can it!”
I then whirled to Phobos and Deimos, causing them to rear back in surprise.
“And while we’re at it, what about you two? Every time I run into one of your people they always seem to know everything about my circumstances without even knowing me personally. So what’s the deal here?”
Phobos and Deimos shot each other surprised looks.
“You met others of our kind before!?” said Deimos. “Where? When?”
I blinked at that. “Years ago. The first one was a raven so old that his feathers had gone gray with age. And then a bluejay that was so flighty that I could barely get a thing out of him. So, back to the original question: what is up with you people!?”
Phobos sighed. “Lord Darkwood... among our people, there has always been two great figures of prominence - our sailor soldier and our avatar. While they were not really leaders themselves, they were much beloved and very influential. And why shouldn’t they be? One is a hero, and the other is the voice and the hands of our God.
“Our world was destroyed when our Sailor Soldier, Sailor Crow, was murdered and her power usurped by a traitor. And when the last avatar passed away and a new one did not come forth... it was thought that it was the end of our way of life.
“For ten thousand years, my kind lived among you. Quietly. Our culture and ways all but forgotten, preserved in the dreams of those that yearned for the forgotten age.
“And now... all the sudden... here you are. I apologize that Deimos was so forward... but... I have to restrain myself as well.” Phobos’s eyes began to tear up as she looked at me and her voice began to crack. “Because what she said is how we all feel when we see you... you’re here. You’re not a dream, not a memory. You’re real.”
Without really thinking about it, I went to Phobos and pulled her into my arms. Phobos, no longer able to hold back, broke down and began to sob quietly in my embrace.
I looked to Deimos and saw she was giving us a tearful smile. I motioned for her to join us, and she did, making an inarticulate sound of joy as I wrapped an arm around her.
Rei could only look on in astonishment as I comforted the two girls. I could tell that she felt conflicted on the matter, and I couldn’t blame her, really.
Soon enough, though, the two had gotten their fill.
“We must return,” said Phobos as she straightened herself out and dried her eyes. “I doubt that anyone that finds you as you are will react very well to the situation at all.”
“What does she mean by that?” asked Rei suspiciously.
I sighed. “Oh, just that I’m unconscious next to you with an autoinjector sticking out of my chest.”
Rei blinked. “Why!?”
I shrugged. “While my people would normally be a bit more ceremonious and use much tamer hallucinogenics, this was an emergency.”
“You mean... you drugged yourself? To save me?”
I sighed once more. “Hino-san, please stop that. Didn’t I already explain that I know and understand how important you are in the grand scheme of things? I’d be stupid not to pull out all the stops to save you when you’re in grave danger.”
“I can handle myself.”
“Sure, most times,” I retorted. “It’s easy when it’s the monster of the week. But when you’re dealing with Raven, even the combined power of all the Senshi with Usagi and the Ginzusho would be hard-pressed to handle the old bird.”
Rei fumed at that. “Whatever. How do we get back anyhow?”
“Leave that to us,” said Phobos. “Deimos and I can carry you back home.”
“How?” asked Rei.
I smiled at this. “Didn’t you know?” I said coyly. “Coronians are one of the few people in the universe with the innate ability to handle souls.”
And with that, the twins’ forms became enshrouded once more, but instead of shrinking, they grew much like Raven had, becoming massive ravens themselves.
“Please, Hino-sama,” said Phobos contritely as lowered herself. “Climb on and I shall carry you.”
Deimos proffered herself to me as well, and I swung myself onto her, straddling her shoulders. I didn’t have too much trouble becuase I’ve been horseback riding before. Rei got herself settled with a bit more effort, and then we were off...
##
“zeke... zeke... wake up!”
I wanted to wake up, but my body was fighting me on it. But slowly, I managed to claw my way back to consciousness, slowly cracking my eyes open.
“hino-san?” I whispered weakly.
“Zeke... You have to tell me what to do! I don’t know... the needle, Zeke!”
I winced at the thought. I could still feel it in my chest now that I was thinking of it.
“Get... bandages. Sterile gauze. Antibiotic. Hurry.”
Rei nodded and ran, for once genuinely concerned about me. For my part, I began to drift on strange and fuzzy thoughts. What it would be like to love her, and her to love me in return...
Suddenly she was back.
“Okay... now what?”
“Tricky,” I murmured as I came to again. “Shoulda took my shirt off... Listen... gotta pull it out... slowly. It’ll spurt. Normal though... lots pressure. Got a strong heart. Before any of that, though... gotta treat the area with antibiotic. Prevent infection.”
“How?”
“Reach under my shirt... dab the ointment on the skin around the needle.” Rei blushed but I continued. “After the needle is out we need to be quick. Get my shirt pulled up, get the gauze on there. Apply pressure. Then get the bandage on, make it tight. Understand?”
Rei nodded and got a tube of ointment out and squeezed some onto her fingertips. She then paused as she blushed brilliantly.
“Please hurry,” I urged her gently. “Starting to hurt.” To help her, I pulled up my shirt as my as I could without disturbing the autoinjector.
Rei swallowed and I felt her hands against my chest as she clumsily smeared the ointment around the injection site.
“Okay,” she said as she pulled her hands back. “That’s done.”
I nodded. “Now, the needle...”
Rei nodded and took a breath to brace herself, then carefully took the autoinjector in hand and began to pull it out. I grunted softly as I felt the needle slide out of my flesh, followed by the sudden warmth as blood began to flow, causing Rei to gasp sharply.
“Quickly,” I said as I pulled my shirt up the rest of the way. Rei got the gauze and hurriedly staunched the flow, hitting it with nearly the same sort of panicky reflex of someone trying to squish a particularly scary looking bug.
“Oww,” I groaned.
“Sorry,” said Rei testily.
“Whatever, here,” I said as I reached down and pressed down on the gauze myself, my fingers brushing against Rei’s, causing her to blush again. “I’ll hold it. Get the bandage.”
Rei nodded and pulled out a rolled of semi-adhesive tape.
“Can you sit up?” she asked.
“I’ll need a hand.”
Rei sighed. “Baby.”
“Lets see how you do after taking a shot like this to the heart.”
Rei rolled her eyes, but reached behind me to help me up regardless. She then surprised me when she started pulling off my shirt the rest of the way. It was awkward since I had to keep pressure on the puncture, but I didn’t fight her on it.
With the shirt off, Rei gave me the end of the tape to hold on the gauze, and then began to wrap it around my chest. Soon enough, it was done and I took a moment to admire her handiwork.
“Thank you,” I said. At a loss for what else to do, I set to work on gathering the pieces of the autoinjector and retracting the needle so I could safely dispose of it. Rei, for her part, went to make certain that the bonfire she used for the fire reading was out. It had died down to embers while we were out, but she wanted to make certain first.
“What now?” she asked as she worked.
“I... don’t know,” I said uncertainly. “It’s so sudden, so soon... I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want something like this... but not this way. I wanted to take my time. To find someone who would be my partner. My counterpart.”
Rei was quiet for a moment while she worked. She then paused as she reflected on something.
“I don’t know if I can be that,” she said quietly. “Don’t get me wrong... you’ve surprised me. You’re a lot better than many men I’ve met. You work harder than anyone I’ve ever seen. You’ve suffered more than anyone really should. In some ways, you were too good to be true. And I think that’s why I reacted so badly.”
I shrugged my shirt back on carefully. “Figures. Most people I get to know either love me like family or can’t stand me.” I sighed tiredly. “I gotta get to bed. I’m still kinda dizzy... not looking forward to the dreams I’ll have.”
“Why?”
“The hallucinogenics are still in my system. Everything is all weird looking.”
“Even me?”
“No. You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, even now.”
Rei blushed again. “Why do you keep saying that?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. I just kinda felt that it bears repeating, but that’s probably the drugs. But it’s no lie on my part.”
Rei gave me a flustered glare. “Just... stop, okay? I never wanted this. I don’t need this... just... let me be, okay?”
I sighed. “As you wish, Hino-san.”
As I turned to leave, I was surprised when one of her ravens suddenly alighted on my shoulder. Rei was quick to take notice.
“Deimos, what has gotten into you?” she asked of her familiar.
“Awk?” said the raven hopefully.
Rei sighed. “Fine. You can watch over him tonight. It doesn’t matter. He probably needs the help anyway.”
Deimos cawed happily back and then bobbed her head, as though urging me to move on.
“Alright, alright, I’m going,” I mumbled.
##
The last time I had to do something like this, I had the mother of all drug-induced fever dreams. This time, though, someone held me aloft from the turmoil of my disrupted subconscious that night.
Deimos.
Of course, it wasn’t hard to figure out why when the next morning I woke to find a human-form Deimos wrapped protectively around me.
It’s one of those things that takes you completely by surprise. You’re laying there in your bed, warm and content. Suddenly you notice that it’s a little warmer than usual, and something feels a bit off. You then open your eyes and find a head full of luxuriously feather-soft black hair in your face.
Fortunately, I didn’t panic.
Heck, I still thought I was dreaming for a moment. That was, until I tried to move and discovered this was certainly not a dream.
Deimos made a sleepy noise and stirred as well, then opened her dark eyes... and smiled.
“Ah... good morning to you, Lord Darkwood.”
“Deimos,” I croaked softly. “What are you doing?”
The smile faltered, but not quite in the ‘caught-red-handed’ way. It was more like an ‘I-really-don’t-want-to-think-about-it’ falter.
“You... were having bad dreams again. Really bad dreams. I needed to do something, so... I took my human form and comforted you in your sleep.”
I felt the blood draining out of my face. “You didn’t...”
“What?” she asked, perplexed, but then realization dawned on her face. “Oh! No, I just held you close and eased your mind. Nothing more than that. Really, if anyone is to have that honor, it should be Hino-sama...”
Oh, that did it, and Deimos noticed it as well.
“Oh! Oh my! You... you really are attracted to her?”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “Well it doesn’t help that there’s an unearthly beautiful nearly-naked young girl-thing that is currently wrapped around me in bed right now.”
Deimos tittered. “Touche, my Lord. I am flattered.”
“Deimos. I need to get up before someone decides to check on me.”
Deimos sighed. “As you wish, my Lord.” Carefully, we disentangled ourselves from each other. Fortunately for my sanity, Deimos at least wore her leotard from before - sans the bows.
“You know, my Lord, if you ever have need of me again, I’ll be more than happy to help you sleep at night.” Deimos then had the decency to blush. “It was... pleasant... to hold you.”
I sighed at that. “I appreciate the offer Deimos. But right now, while I may have dim recollections of a past life, this body is still that of a sixteen-year-old boy. And it is screaming at me for letting you get away from me so easily.”
Deimos blushed even more brightly. “Oh.”
“Indeed. Deimos, don’t take this the wrong way, but... I can’t have that kind of temptation. And I don’t want Rei to think of me like that. Please, don’t get me wrong, you’re beautiful, and you seem like a wonderful person, and I know that the terms of the bond between Rei and I are flexible... but I need time to sort this all out myself.”
Deimos, however, smiled at me somewhat impishly.
“I suppose I should explain a bit of the fine print, then. There are certain things that will be shared between you and Hino-sama from now on. Such as our duty to watch over Hino-sama... it now extends to you as well, my Lord.”
“Great,” I grumbled. “Now she’s gonna be pissed off because she’ll think I’m stealing you.”
“Not really,” said Deimos. “Phobos and I can trade places as we please. And right now, Phobos is undoubtedly telling Hino-sama about this right now.”
And just then, there was a distinct and well pronounced “WHAT!?” from next door.
“See!” said Deimos brightly.
The sound of rapid foot steps, a shoji door sliding open, and Phobos pleading with Rei made it through my own door just before Rei did.
“DEIMOS!” snapped Rei angrily as she marched over to the startled young Coronian, and grabbed her by the ear. Without pausing, Rei then proceeded to drag her right out of my room leaving a trail of, “You have a lot to explain, young lady!” and “AH! MY LADY, THAT HURTS!” behind her before my door slid shut again.
I didn’t move until the muffled sounds had traveled down the veranda and undoubtedly someplace where Rei felt they would have a modicum of privacy - the bath house.
“Well,” I said to myself at last in a deadpan delivery. “This morning just got interesting.”
##
“I still can’t believe that happened!” grouched Rei as we began to descend the stairs leading up to the shrine. “What is up with you? Are you some kind of magnet for... no, wait. You are, aren’t you?”
“If you mean weird shit, then yes, I am,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Get used to it. As Raven’s Avatar, I am the bitch-boy for Fate and Random Chance. You could even go as far as saying that I rolled a natural twenty on the random encounter table.”
“Ugh, do you really need to be such a geek?”
“Don’t go there with me. I’ll drag you down to my level and beat you with experience.”
“Whatever. The thing is I can’t stand the thought of something like that happening in the room right next to mine!”
“Hey, it’s not like I would have let things go too far - I was already in the process of trying to defuse the situation when you barged in.”
“That doesn’t matter! What does matter is that it happened in the first place!”
“So why are you taking it out on me then?” I snapped, glaring at her. “Because while I didn’t hear any details, it sure sounded like you damn near bit poor Deimos’ head off back there in the bath!”
Rei stopped short and gave me a horrified look. “You heard that?”
I snorted. “I think half of Juuban heard you.”
Whatever she was thinking on that, Rei decided it was best to regroup and charge ahead.
“Well regardless, I still don’t want anything like that going on in your room.”
We finally reached the end of the stairs and continued on to the bus stop. There, we would go our separate ways - Rei on one bus to the train station so she can get to her academy, and me on the bus that would go by my school. However, we still had a few minutes to bitch each other out before Rei’s bus got there.
“And how the hell am I supposed to stop it from happening? Deimos can take human form at will. Which means she can open my room while I’m sleeping and sneak in for a snuggle whenever she wants. There’s nothing I can do to stop that. Not unless I pull some weird bullshit security measure straight out of some rom-com harem fantasy, and I’m pretty sure that’s the last thing you want! Besides, following that trope, it will probably fail in the most spectacular way possible anyhow.”
Rei just stood there and gaped at me as her paradigm tried to shift without a clutch. I simply glared right back at her with the classic ‘Well, I’m waiting here!’ look, arms folded defiantly over my chest and tapping my foot impatiently.
Rei finally rebooted and shook her head rapidly to clear out the last of the stack overflows.
“Ugh, you’re impossible.”
“Sorry, I think you were looking in a mirror back there.”
“Oh, don’t you dare... I mean you as a whole! I mean, really, you shouldn’t even exist!”
“NO!” I screamed, finally loosing my cool with her. “I SHOULDN’T EXIST HERE AT ALL. I SHOULD NEVER HAVE EXISTED HERE. I SHOULD BE DEAD.”
Silence. While Rei had flinched initially and grimaced at the outburst, she was otherwise unaffected. In fact, she gave me a hard look and asked without any trace of hostility,
“So why aren’t you?”
I felt myself deflate, as though those simple words were a needle tough enough to finally pierce my skin.
“I don’t know why I’m here,” I said softly. “All that damn feather duster from hell will tell me is that he has need of me.”
Rei sighed at that. “Of course, leave it to a God to be inscrutable. Okay then, why did you take him up on the offer?”
I shrugged. “The memories of my past life are all scrambled. Like someone broke up a hundred-thousand-piece epic-master jigsaw puzzle and scattered the pieces through a one-hundred room mansion.” I then looked over at Rei and tapped the side of my head sharply. “Some assembly required.”
Rei rolled her eyes and shook her head. “What do you know, then?”
“Just that I was smart. Talented. But I was either too far ahead of my time or time was too far ahead of me. I hardly ever got help from anyone, and my life was just one hardscrabble after another.
“Until one day, I was driving in the winter time. The place I was living in was used to mild winters, so when the bridges iced over the most they could do was throw sand on them and warn people to stay off the roads. But me? No such luck. Had to get to work, punch the clock, or get fired. Just the wicked way of the world I lived in.
“So, I’m driving and trying to be cautious, but it’s cold, foggy, and icy. And then out of nowhere there’s a truck jack-knifed on the road and it has this huge track-hoe tied down on the flatbed. I tried to stop, but my own vehicle goes sideways, with me on the business end.
“And then, bang! I’m dead. Just a middle aged guy, trying to make ends meet, never married, never had any children.
“Just a nobody that no one cared about.”
Rei was quiescent, but somehow I could tell that she was deeply moved. Something about how her lovely eyes suddenly seemed to have a subtly sorrowful cast rather than her usual defiant gaze.
“Someone had to care about you.”
I shrugged. “Someone did. I have the sense that there was family... but it seems like they were pretty distant. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t hear about the accident until they started trying to figure out why they lost contact with me. Which could have been a while. Pretty damn pitiful, ain’t it?”
“At least I can see why you would want another chance,” said Rei quietly.
“Yeah, well we have a saying back home: ‘The more things change, the more they stay the same.’ I may have had some incredible and wonderful people in this life. I may have had a remarkable educations so far. I may have the promise of a great career in whatever field I choose. But just like before, I am still alone - maybe even more than I was before. I move around too much, living like some modern age gypsy, too mobile to keep any friends at my side... I try to make the best of it, but in the end I never get any real chance to settle anywhere.
“Telly was my friend the longest, but I never heard from her again. Kubiak... Raven’s stinking nutsack! I can’t believe I met him again! Everyone else in my life has just been one big kaleidoscopic blur! My parents, Grandpa Bear, Grumps, Cousin Quickstone, Grandma Charlotte, Parker Lewis and his Buds, even everyone back at the Reservation!”
Dimly, I registered the sound of a large vehicle with a diesel engine approaching, and then coming to a stop with the pop-hiss of airbrakes actuating.
“I need to go,” said Rei, just loud enough for me to hear her. “For what it’s worth, Darkwood-san... I hope you stay a while... and find some happiness for yourself.”
I blinked as those words registered and looked up in surprise. It was just in time to see Rei before the doors closed on her.
For the first time since I had arrived, she looked genuinely sad for me.
##
When I got to class I was immediately corralled by my neighbors, Usagi, Makoto and Minako.
“Well, spill it!” hiss Usagi urgently, trying to make it so no one would overhear. “What’s going on between you and Rei?”
“Its... complicated,” I started off, but Usagi quickly steamrollered right over me.
“What do you mean it’s complicated! You either like her or hate her!”
“Calm down, Usagi!” chided Minako. “You of all people should know that something like this shouldn’t be rushed.”
Makoto hummed thoughtfully. “But this is the first time I’ve ever seen a boy get a rise out of Rei like that. It’s almost spooky the way she reacted.”
“I know!” Usagi agreed eagerly. “It was like she couldn’t even control herself anymore!”
I saw an opening and took it with the only thing I had in my arsenal at the time.
“Look, there’s other things right now. Rei said that she had to meet up with you three and Ami later on... in private.”
The three looked at me in shock and I took a step back, holding up my hands defensively.
“Hey, don’t be that way! I’m just the messenger here! I know nothing!”
The lie came easily enough. I am typically a brutally honest person, but ever since I became Raven’s Avatar, the ability to lie smoothly came part and parcel with the package. I still don’t like to use that particular talent, but it has its uses.
I can also bluff like you wouldn’t believe - I’m a nightmare come to life at poker games. At least, I am until I run across someone with balls of tungsten carbide, and then all hell breaks loose.
Mental note: never play poker with Rei - it will only end in tears and bloodshed.
For their part, the trio subsided.
“Well, I guess we can let you off the hook for now,” said Usagi. She then leered at me as she said, “However, we still have that nice little lunch date with our new friends, don’t we?”
“Oh fer crying out loud,” I groaned. “Will you at least let me take role before Haruna-sensei gets here?”
“Sure, sure,” said Usagi smugly as she went to her desk, followed by Minako (pleasantly indifferent) and Makoto (somewhat concerned).
I sighed heavily and got the day rolling - I knew it was going to be a long one.
##
Lunch finally came and everyone gathered up on the roof, including Naru...
...Who seemed to be a bit out of her depth with this oddball group we had formed.
“I’m happy to have been invited, Zee-kun,” said Naru quietly while others were busy enjoying their meals. Kubiak’s impressive ‘bag nasty’ was particularly eyecatching. “It really is nice to spend time with Usagi-chan again... but how did you come by so many friends so quickly?”
I shrugged. “I’m a magnet for weird things happening. Kubiak over there was an old friend of mine. As you know, he’s in Kaname and Ami’s class. And Ami is one of Usagi’s friends. Not quite sure about Kaname, though.”
“What’s that?” said Kaname, her head poking up when I dropped her name.
“Well, no offense, but I’m a little surprised at how you suddenly wanted to join us for lunch.”
“No big deal,” said Kaname rolling her eyes. “Believe it or not, you guys are okay to hang out with. Besides, you and Kubiak are Americans, and I spent enough time in New York that anyone here trying to pass off a bunch of bad English as some hip and cool saying just plain rubs me wrong.”
“Ah!” said Ami as realization dawned. “Zee-kun and Kubia-kun are your antidote.”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it quite that way, but they’re certainly a breath of fresh air.”
“Oh, speaking of things in the air,” said Usagi suddenly.
“Raven’s breath, here we go...”
“What is up between you and Rei?”
“Heeh?” said Naru cutely. “Did something happen last night?”
Kaname scoffed. “I should say so! This friend of Usagi’s? Hino Rei? Miko at the Hikawa Shrine? Gorgeous girl that goes to that super-upscale girls academy downtown? You’d think she’d be some proper and reserved little hime-chan. And she probably is most of the time. But apparently Zee-kun’s mere existence is enough to make little miss perfection go completely thermonuclear.”
I had to stifle a snort at that - if only Kaname knew who Rei really was, then she’d know that ‘thermonuclear’ would be putting it a bit mildly.
“Heee-eeeehhh?” said Naru. “But I’ve seen her before! She’s always so cool and collected, even when other boys try to ask her out or hit on her. Did she really get angry?”
Kaname laughed. “She tried attacking him! And then Zee-kun laid her out like this happens to him every day! I swear if it hadn’t been so scary at the time I would have laughed when it happened.” Kaname then suddenly had an epiphany of sorts, and then shot me a surprised look. “Wait... you really did have to fight a lot of people, didn’t you!?”
I sighed. “Yeah. Whenever Kubiak wasn’t around to watch my back, people would try and gang up on me. Like I said before, schools in America are full of anti-intellectualism. And a guy as smart as me might as well have a target painted on him. Fortunately, these people never associated brain power with the capability to lay out three out of the five bullies.”
“What about the other two?” asked Kaname.
“I happened to them,” said Kubiak. “Like Zeke, I may be smart, but that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna crack some skulls if there’s call for it.”
“Guys, we’re getting sidetracked here,” said Usagi suddenly. “Zeke still hasn’t answered my question!”
I sighed once more - it seemed there was no avoiding this topic. So, under everyone’s expectant gazes, I went ahead and let it all out.
“I want to like her,” I said. “She beautiful and passionate and she shines like the sun. She enters a room and right away she has everyone’s attention. But the way she treats me...” I shook my head. “Well, with the exception of you, Naru, you’ve all seen how that is. I can appreciate her better attributes, but I’m afraid I can’t like her as things are now.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment. Even Kubiak had stopped eating and was staring at me in surprise.
“But,” said Minako slowly, “what if she changed?”
“I... have no idea,” I replied. “We’ve gotten off to such a bad start that I don’t know if we could ever like each other enough to even call each other ‘friend’. I know that things can change, and I think they will... it just won’t be the sort of change either of us likes.”
Suddenly, something twinged and the hair on the back of my neck stood up hard enough to make me visibly twitch.
“Is something wrong, Zee-kun?” asked Makoto.
“I think I have something in my eye,” I lied. “Do any of you ladies have a compact mirror I could borrow?”
Minako volunteered hers readily, and I began to make like I was trying to find something in one of my eyes... and found someone else instead.
“Minako, I apologize in advance - I’m going to owe you a new mirror.”
“What!?” said the long-haired blonde in befuddlement. Everyone then gasped in surprise as I spun in place and flung the little mirror like a Frisbee. I watched as it tracked unerringly towards its target, banking to fly behind the wall I was aiming just past...
Suddenly, there was a loud series of pops I was intimately familiar with and the mirror dissolved into a plume of shards.
Horrified for my friends, I turned to them and yelled:
“RUN! HE’S GOT A GUN!”
The girls all screamed, though Kaname’s was more of a ‘WHAT!?’ Kubiak, though, already had his head in the game the moment I let the mirror fly - he could read me like a book sometimes. Without waiting for instructions, he scooped up three girls in each arm and took off for the stairs.
“HALT” called out the gunman as he came around the corner with a Glock 9 and wearing the boy’s school uniform.
I pulled a stone I picked up just on the off-hand chance I needed a ranged attack and flung it at him with a cry of “Dexai!”
The gunman ducked the stone, but at the cost of completely loosing track of his quarry. And then it was only him and me on the roof.
Shit.
“You should surrender quietly whoever you are,” said the gunman, who I was surprised to see was the boy from yesterday, Sousuke.
“Surrender to who, I wonder,” I said as I slowly began to pace around him. “You got a badge hidden in that outfit? If not, then I’d be willing to bet you don’t have any jurisdiction in these parts.”
“I have no need to identify myself,” said Sousuke. “You, however, have much to answer for.”
“Oh fer fuck’s sake,” I grumbled. “Just because I happened to live life like gypsy?” I said caustically.
“That and how your were able to make me out.”
“You’d be surprised what you can learn when you spend three months in the wilderness.”
Suddenly, a flurry of black feathers fell upon Sousuke from above, cawing with all the fury of an enraged hornet’s nest.
I’m no fool. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he has killed before. And I could tell from how he moved that he was trained for it. So I did what any sensible person would do.
I ran like a motherfucker.
I jumped down the stairs, taking each flight in two bounds.
I set a new record for JMHS’s Fifty Meter Dash as I sprinted across the yard.
I set a new record for JMHS’s High Jump as I cleared the fence.
I didn’t really think about what I was doing. I simply ran and neatly avoided obstacles. Moving cars were vaulted. Gravity was abused in getting down hills.
Suddenly something shimmered in front of me and I saw stars flash as everything went dark.
##
“I’m starting to think this was a mistake,” groaned a woman’s voice. “You know that kid has been living with the Hino family? You know, as in Chairman of the Democratic Party of Japan Hino? The media is already making a stink about it.”
“Major, you said so yourself - that the gaps in his past are far too questionable, even for our organization. And I agree on that point. We must ascertain his intentions.”
“Hey! Pipe down you two! He’s coming around!”
Boy, was I ever! That headache was making it impossible for me to stay asleep, even if I wanted to. As I cautiously opened my eyes, I discovered that my head had been bound in a burlap bag.
“Okay little boy,” said the woman’s voice - I could vaguely see her figure through the bag’s weave. “We got some important questions to ask you.”
“I’m an American Citizen, you fucking ass-clowns,” I murmured.
The woman was about to respond when there was a trilling noise in the background.
“I’ll handle it,” said the other male’s voice. There was a scraping of a chair on linoleum and after a few foot steps, the trilling was ceased, followed shortly by a softly uttered conversation.
“Your paperwork says you’re an American,” said the woman. “That could be a lie, though.”
I didn’t know much Navajo, unfortunately, but living amongst them you pick up a few things. Especially things you should never utter in polite company. Given that I did not consider this to be polite company in the slightest, I picked the least wholesome bit in my mental phrasebook.
“Go suck-off a dead coyote you faithless bitch!” I thundered, headache be damned.
The stunned silence that followed was worth the horrible, throbbing, glass-shards-through-eyeballs sensation.
Suddenly, the sound a girl screaming on the other end of whatever communication was being used came faintly to my ears.
“Gyaaah!” cried out the operator. “The records say his name is Darkwood, Ezekiel..... Hello? Captain? Did you copy that, ma’am?...... Major... she wants to talk to him.”
“What?” said the woman. “Is she serious?”
“Like a heart attack.”
“... Fine. Sergeant, bring him over to the radio set. Corporal, set that thing up for VOX and use the speaker.”
My bindings were loosened and I was sorely tempted to start fucking things up, but I was too curious about this voice that wanted to speak with me. So, instead I quietly allowed myself to be guided to a seat.
“Okay, it’s all set up now, Captain. He can hear you.”
And then I had the biggest surprise in my life right after meeting Kubiak again: a voice from my past came back to haunt me.
“Zeke, is that really you?”
It took me a moment to find my voice.
“Say something!” the voice demanded.
“... Telly?” I croaked.
“... oh my god... oh my GOD... MAO! Release him at once and get him to a hospital! He probably has a concussion!”
“Captain, we can’t do that!” said the voice of an older man. “It will jeopardize the mission!”
“The mission is already in jeopardy! I know that boy personally and he is who he says he is! He is no more threat to the target than we are! And you already know how the United States feels about mishaps like these!”
“Telly... what is going on here? Where the hell are you?”
“Oh Zeke! God, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you! I’ve wanted to see you again for so long now and tell you everything, but I can’t. All I can tell you is that the less you know, the better off you’ll be.”
“Telly, I am not leaving until you come here, look me in the eyes just like we always did before, and tell me what the fuck is going on.”
“Zeke, I can’t do that!”
“Fine then. I’ll just turn the tables. If you don’t come here now I’ll kill these people.”
“... You... you couldn’t.”
“A lot has happened since that day in Blood Gulch, Telly. I’ve had to grow up a lot since then. I’m not a terrorist and I’m not a spy... but you of all people should know that I am extremely dangerous when I’m threatened.”
“... Alright, Zeke. Give me an hour and I’ll be there. Urzu Squadron... please provide Zeke with whatever medical treatment you are capable of. And do not provoke him any more. I am sorry to say that I cannot divulge any information on what sort of threat he poses - that information is classified under the auspices of the BPRD.”
“Are you kidding me!?” said the corporal. “THE BPRD HAS A FILE ON THIS GUY!? How did we not know about this!?”
“Because it’s classified, dipshit,” I growled.
“You three have your orders,” said Telly’s voice sharply. “I will be there in an hour and I expect Ezekiel to be somewhat presentable by the time I get there. Tuatha de Danaan actual, out.”
I heard the distinct click of a connection being severed and the room fell back into silence, save for the faint hiss of static from the radio.
Carefully, a set of hands untied the bag from my neck and lifted it off my head. I looked around and found myself in a relatively unfurnished apartment. there were only the bare essentials for what looked more like a squad of soldiers camping out, complete with guns and ammo.
The people themselves were all wearing dark undershirts with black and gray camouflage fatigue pants. The woman was an attractive representative of the Chinese ethnicity - generously proportioned with a face that would be at home giving you the bedroom eyes. Her hair was cut in a short bob of violet tresses.
The corporal was a tall and lean fellow with a narrow, square face and shoulder length blonde hair that had the looks of being perpetually tousled.
And then, of course, there was Sousuke. Same as before, only dressed as his comrades. He, like the others, were giving me astonished looks.
“Okay,” said the Major slowly. “...so you know the Captain.”
“And?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“What do you mean, ‘And’?” cried out the Corporal. “Spill the beans! What is up with you two?”
“I do not need to say anything on the matter,” I snapped. “If she feels up to divulging any information to you, then that is her prerogative as your commanding officer. Don’t you dare act like I don’t know anything about how this works - I come from a family with a long military tradition and you should know this by now.”
“Leave him be, Kurtz,” said the Major. She then leaned in to get a better look at me, then scoffed. “Shit. You really are a Darkwood, aren’t ya?”
“What is that supposed to mean, Major?” asked Sosuke.
“The kid’s got a grandpa named Conrad Darkwood,” said the Major as she got up and began rummaging through one of their crates. “Medal of Honor recipient, purple heart, bronze star, yadda yadda yadda. Man is a goddamn hero and almost nobody talks about him... and that’s just because he never talks about himself... but instead he talks about of all the others that were with him back in ‘Nam.”
I gave the Major a surprised look. “Holy fuck, you know Grumps.”
The Major snorted. “Is that what he goes by? Figures. He was my SERE instructor back when I was just a jarhead puke. If it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t be around today. Here, take these. It’s Tylenol-3.”
The Major then popped a pair of fat pills into my one hand and a glass of water in the other.”
“Nice,” I grunted, then popped the pills and chased them down with the water. “So you knew Grumps... why the hell didn’t you guys notice earlier?”
The Major shrugged. “We were much more concerned about the huge gaping holes in your history. Like how you’d disappear for months at a time, every year, without fail.”
“Well if you’d look more carefully you might have seen the clues,” I said caustically. “Like how my mother and grandfather are Navajo and how I’m a registered citizen of the Navajo People.”
The Major cursed under her breath. “Well, we really dropped the ball this time boys. We got ourselves a bonafide Reservation Boy here. Though I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us, kiddo. Your folks ain’t exactly the most open about things.”
“As is your group,” I shot back. “The only reason why I’m not pelting you with a million questions a minute is because someone else gets that honor. What I will ask, though... what the hell happened between you and Grumps? He doesn’t usually open up to anyone like that unless they’re family. And I’m pretty much the only family he’s got left.”
The Major sighed and leaned back in her chair as she cracked open a soda.
“Man, that’s going back for me... I guess he just saw something in me. Dunno what at first. But after everything was said and done, he and I went out drinking and it just happened, you know. And then he says the weirdest thing... that if he ever had a daughter that he thinks she would have been a lot like me. He then tells me not to mind him - that there was a death in the family recently and all that shit.”
“Aw shit,” I muttered. “That was probably the year my mom and dad died.”
“No shit,” said the Major. “What happened?”
“Car accident with a drunk driver,” I said as I tried to shut out the memories. “It was... quick. Even the driver of the other car was killed.”
Unconsciously I began to grip my right wrist tightly. Suddenly, Sousuke snapped into motion ripping my wrist away from my grip and yanking the sleeve down.
Everyone was so horrified by the sight that nobody, not even Sousuke himself, saw the left hook inbound for his face like a late-running crosstown express train that was looking to make up time.
“THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM!?” I screamed at Sousuke’s crumpled form where it lay on the other side of the room. There was genuine surprise in his eyes as he said,
“I... thought you were hiding something in your sleeve.”
“Oh, I was hiding something alright!” I ranted. “I get enough fucking reminders of that day every time I gotta take a fucking bath, thank you very fucking much.”
“Oh my god,” said the Major softly, her face utterly pale. “You mean... you... how the fuck did you live?”
“Fuck you. I am not talking about this with you. You want to know? You can bug the fuck outta of Teletha for your answers.” With that, I got up and went to the next room over. It had several cots set up, so I picked one and made myself comfortable.
The codeine wasn’t kicking in quickly enough for my liking.
##
It was cold in the house.
But sometimes that’s the way it was at night time, even at the height of summer in these parts. The arid climate held little of the day’s scorching heat, and it would quickly boil away into a chill that can seep deeply into your bones.
That was why I was next to the fire place, listening to the flames crackle softly as they slowly ate through the logs. The fire should bother me, but it doesn’t. I don’t know why, but I even find it attractive.
Absently, I scratch at my right arm.
“Is it itchy again?” asked a girl my age.
She was there, silhouetted in the moonlight as it spilled through the windows. She could be any other girl, but not even the deepest shadows of the night could hide how her platinum hair will shine with even the faintest light.
I always thought it was pretty.
“You forgot the lotion again, didn’t you?” she said as she came up to me, her delicate features brought to light by the fire. There was no accusation or even disappointment - merely a heartfelt concern. “You know you need to keep using it.”
“I don’t like seeing it,” I said quietly. “Every time I do...” The memories, still so raw and fresh came rearing back, how I’d scream for mom and dad, for help that would never come, even as the fire-
She began to gently unwrap the bandage from my arm and I made sure to look away.
“It’s okay, Zeke,” she said. “You don’t have to look. I’ll take care of it.”
I didn’t dare look. It was not that I didn’t want to look at her - whenever she was with me I felt safe. But the scars... it didn’t even seem real, but it was always there like some nightmare come to life.
Gently she would rub the lotion into the tortured skin and the itching would go away. And then, just as she was finished, I felt the strange sensation of her lips on the scar tissue, softly leaving a trail from my wrist to my shoulders.
She did it because kisses are supposed to make the owies go away faster.
She would then do my shoulder, then my side, always leaving those kisses as she went along. Even though they never tickled, they always sent a tingle up my spine. But for some reason I could never bring myself to stop her.
Finally, after she re-wrapped the bandage around my arm, she gave me two more kisses - one on the head to help make the bad memories go away, and the other on my cheek to make the sadness go away.
She would then snuggle up with me, wrapping a blanket around us. I knew she wanted to say something else, but she always kept it inside. Maybe she would say it this time?
##
I opened my eyes and pulled my right arm away, but the person that had been examining the arm made my heart stop for several beats.
Platinum-silver hair pulled into a braid with a navy-blue hair bow.
Big, gray eyes that looked straight into my soul and knew who I was.
And a military uniform, khaki-brown with charcoal piping and rank insignia, all at odds with the appearance of this adorable woman-child before me.
“Hello Zeke,” she said softly with a sad smile. “You look well, even though your arm has not improved much.”
“Telly!?” I breathed. And just like that I pulled her into a tight hug...
...and then let go, because there had been some additions since I last saw her.
“Holy crap! Look at you! You’ve turned into a tiny woman!”
Teletha Testarossa blushed and giggled.
“Oh, you noticed that, eh?” she said a bit coyly. “What about you? You’re not quite as small as I remember.”
“I still get picked on,” I grumbled.
Teletha snorted in disdain. “Yes. And I would wager that you stomped them flat, too. They should have left you alone after the first time or two.”
“Didn’t make it too much better. They just sent others that didn’t know any better after me by proxy.” Teletha groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“What did you do, Zeke? Insult all their mothers?”
“Nah, just their dads.”
“Ugh, I don’t know what is worse: your moping or how you manage to piss off anyone in the worst way possible that rubs you wrong.”
“Yeah, well speaking of pissing people off, what the hell is going on here?”
Teletha sighed. “Well, you already know about the BPRD, so I supposed there’s no harm.
“Part of the reason why I couldn’t stay with you any more was because I was recruited into a non-governmental anti-terrorist organization called MITHRIL. While it is technical a mercenary operation, we work very closely with the UN Military Council to quell conflicts as they arise.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. Not that I was about to call bullshit on her - it was pretty obvious she was on the level with me at this point.
“Soooo, you guys are like GI Joe or something? Don’t tell me you got some crazy organization bent on working against you.”
Teletha gave me a surprised, nervous look.
“Ah, why would you think that?”
I slapped my palm over my forehead and dragged it down my face.
“Raven’s stinkin’ birdy-blessings, you have GOT to be kidding me!”
Teletha made a sharp, frustrated sound. “I shouldn’t have come here. You are far too good at reading me.”
“Too late for regrets now,” I chided her mirthlessly. “So, what happens now, oh mysterious captain type person?”
“Now?” said Teletha with a sigh. “I’m afraid that, for the security of our mission, we are going to have to bring you in.”
“Is that so? And why’s that, pray tell?”
“Will you come willingly or not?”
“Depends. Ball’s in your court.”
Teletha rolled her eyes. “I think I liked it when your were less sarcastic.” Before I could respond with some snarky comeback, Teletha went on, “You remember how smart I am compared to everyone else?”
“How could I forget!” I remarked. “You taught me about half of High School.”
Teletha nodded. “Well, people like me have been around for quite a while. When we were less understood we were called ‘Sparks’ for how often our experiments involved phenomenal amounts of power. But now we have a better name for it: Whispered - for the way the knowledge seems to whisper in our minds.”
“So, you have some sort of voice in your head. Of course, I’m not saying you’re psychotic or anything at all like that. I’m just wondering where the voice comes from.”
Teletha shrugged. “No one is certain as of yet. We initially thought it was some sort of experiment carried out by the Russians some years ago, but that was ruled out recently by the links we’ve drawn to the Sparks of old. But it doesn’t change the fact that there are more people like me out there... and the knowledge we have access to can be horrifyingly dangerous in the wrong hands.”
“Like this organization that runs counter to yours.”
“Indeed. Part of what we do is protect Whispered from our counterpart. And we have two confirmed Whispered, and possibly a third, attending at your school. Sergeant Sagara was tasked with keeping watch over your friends - our enemies are very skilled and he was to serve as a final line of defense.”
I rolled my eyes. “And of course, with my past and my ability to make him out, he fingered me as an enemy agent. Beautiful. So who’s the target then?”
“Chidori Kaname and Lawrence Francis Kubiak III. Mizuno Ami is the potential Whispered.”
I snorted and chortled at that last bit. Of course Ami would seem like a Whispered.
“Is... there something I need to know about, Zeke?”
I grinned at Teletha. “Did you cross-reference ANY of the student dossiers with the BPRD by any chance?”
Teletha’s eyes shot wide open and she dashed out the room. Right away I heard her snapping off orders.
“Get on the horn to the Danaan right away! I need a secure connection to the Tokyo Branch Office of the BPRD! MOVE IT!”
I only had a precious few seconds to feel smug, though. I suddenly felt something in my heart... shift. And just like that I felt myself fill with fire in a very elemental and primordial sense.
“Holy shit... Rei...”
For the third time this week, all hell broke loose.
“INTRUDER-”
“BUBBLE SPRAY!”
“EXIT PLAN FOXTROT-NINER!”
“URZU-1, REQUESTIING SRT BACKUP!”
I opened the door and Ami’s bone-chilling fog of war rolled in over me.
“Teletha! Tell them to-”
“ZEKE! GET DOWN!”
The next thing I heard was Sailor Venus calling off her attack and yelps from the MITHRIL contingent, including Teletha.
“DAMMIT!” I snarled. “LEAVE THEM AL-”
“Gotcha Zeke!” said Jupiter’s voice as she threw me over her shoulder and hauled ass.
“Makoto! Would you put me down!”
That got her to stop in her tracks and set me down. As I looked up at her in her sailor fuku - the white leotard, green pleated miniskirt, green neckerchief with bow, and opera gloves - she gazed back at me in startled wonder.
“You know who I am!?” she cried out in astonishment.
“I know who all of you are. Details later! We gotta-”
I was cut short as Ami cast another Bubble Spray in our midst.
“Let’s go, Sailor Jupiter!” said Minako’s voice as she ran by us.
“Right! C’mon Zee-kun!” And before I could stop her, she hefted me once more and took off at a dead sprint.
At that point I couldn’t say anymore because I was getting bounced around like I was breaking in a bronco. But with the pace the girls were setting that didn’t last long.
She stopped at a window that one of the others had opened - the kind that had the emergency escape-to-ground kits stored underneath the sill, and before I knew it we were flying across the chasm to the building on the other side of the road that lay below.
The take-off nearly knocked the wind out of me and the landing finished the job. But that was not enough. Makoto kept right on hauling ass and leaped not one, but four more times!
Finally, she set me down gently... and only then noticed the status of my diaphragm.
“Zee-kun! Are you alright!?”
I brusquely waved her off, grimacing as I tried to force the seized muscle back into action. I had to tell them how badly they just screwed up!
“His diaphragm has gone into spasm,” said Ami suddenly. “Just give him a moment to recover.”
No sooner than the words left her mouth, the recalcitrant muscle unkinked itself and my lungs with into overtime as I caught my breath.
“Big... Mistake...” I wheezed.
“What do you mean!?” cried out Rei sharply. “We just saved you from those terrorists!”
“No...” I gasped out. “They... COUNTER... Terrorists.”
“Counter-terrorists?” said Usagi, perplexed by this turn of events. “Ah, girls... does he mean... they were really good guys?”
“No way!” said Minako. “They wouldn’t have taken Zeke like that if they were!”
And then the building shuddered.
“YOU WILL RELEASE EZEKIEL NOW,” boomed Major Mao’s voice from nowhere.
“Who’s asking?” called out Makoto defiantly.
Suddenly, a trio of armslaves the likes of which I had never seen before shimmered into existence. It was almost like seeing mirrors turn to water and evaporate away to reveal the mecha hidden behind them.
The building we were on was only a single story tall, so we were all at chest-level with the armslaves... which meant they had no trouble aiming their guns at us.
So this was how MITHRIL did their business. With stealth technology that could evade the human eye they could operate anywhere, anytime.
And if they had this technology, then so did their adversaries. What a scary thought!
“You will stand down now!” came Mao’s voice once more.
“WE WILL NOT!” cried out Usagi. “WE ARE SAILOR WARRIORS OF LOVE AND JUSTICE! I AM SAILOR MOON! AND IN THE NAME OF THE MOON, I WILL PUNISH YOU!”
“Raven’s rotting molt,” I groaned. “Look! Will you all just listen to each other! You all have got this whole thing all wrong!”
The lead Armslave and Rei both looked at me, and said,
“STAY OUT OF THIS ZEKE!”
That took me somewhat aback. No one was going to listen, and worse of all they were all at levels I couldn’t possibly hope to match.
Oh, but you can, boy, whispered Raven’s voice softly in my ear, making me grimace. Just let me in for a little bit.
Oh hell no, I thought back at the Deity. I am not that desperate. The last time that happened a whole bunch of people died.
People that needed to die, boy. Even you must admit the world is a better place without some thugs that would kidnap a child for the right price. And sweet little Teletha’s virginity was was just a bonus for them.
Do NOT go there, you bastard. They were horrible, but I will never lower myself to their level! I will not kill anyone.
Little boy, you have much to learn.
The lead armslave tilted its head as though listening to a distant voice. And then all at once they began to change out magazines and cycle in the new rounds.
“Last chance, girlie. Let Zeke go.”
Usagi suddenly grabbed her tiara and frisbeed it at the lead armslave, calling out “Moon Tiara Action!” as she did so.
Mao avoided it, but just barely - the glowing disc carved a shallow furrow though the armor the of left arm.
“Weapons free!” she called out and I hit the dirt.
“Bubble spray!” called out Ami and the fog of war settled once more as stun rounds exploded all around us.
“AGH!” cried out Makoto as one round exploded in her face and sent her sprawling. “IT STINGS!”
“Celestial fire - Surround!” called out Rei.
“GYAGH! It’s overheating the reactor!” cried out Kurz’s voice just before his armslave fell like a marionette with cut strings. “My reactor SCRAMed! It won’t restart!”
“Venus Love Chain!” called out Minako as her chain shot out for what must have been Sousuke’s mech. But he was an uncanny adept, it seemed, as he avoided the attack neatly.
“Major! Stun rounds are ineffective! Suggest switching to antipersonnel rounds.”
“Zeke is still in the cross fire!” replied Mao.
“We will not succeed if we delay!”
I could tell that they were seriously considering it, and I knew for sure that we were in very serious trouble now.
Do you promise me, no fatalities? I thought at Raven. Only minor wounds?
Minor wounds and no more, boy. They know not what they do, after all. Although it would be nice if we could have a little less stupid in the world - death seems to be the only cure for that, and only if I get them before they reproduce.
I rolled my eyes, but I let it go. It was one of the few things we actually agreed on, seeing as you can’t fix stupid.
There is a necklace that I wear with an onyx arrowhead that had been blunted with unknown hundreds years of flowing water. Anointed with my own blood, it was a symbolic seal that helped me to make sure the old bird is kept in check.
“ALRIGHT!” I called out as I stood up in the middle of the fog as it began to dissipate. I then lifted the necklace off my shoulders, around my head, and then held it out in my right hand. “Enough fucking around. I’m taking the kid gloves off.”
“ZEKE! What in the fuck are you doing!?” called out Mao.
I looked right into the armslave’s sensors and gave a nasty grin.
“I’m getting daddy.”
I let the necklace go and felt the roof shudder as the pendant landed, as though I had dropped something much heavier instead.
Perhaps I had.
Because suddenly... I felt so much lighter. In fact, I felt positively giddy as a vicious parody of a grin plastered itself on my face. Oh yes... It was time to teach some people a lesson... and have fun while doing it!
“ZEKE! YOUR ARM!” screamed Rei.
I snapped around to look at her and the horror written on her face only made my smile grow.
“Oh, this?” I said as I held my right arm up - and indeed, it was engulfed in black flames from wrist to shoulder. “It’s just a little something I’m borrowing from you. Thanks ever so much! This is gonna be a great party!”
“Zee-kun,” said Sailor Moon uncertainly. “What is going on?”
“Tut tut, my dear!” I chided her. “That would be telling! But for now... it would be best if you girls stayed put for a moment. After all, you are my precious classmates.”
All the senshi’s eyes went wide in surprise.
“HEEEE-EEEEEHHH!?”
But instead of answering the unworded question, I just giggled madly as I reared back and slammed an orb of fire into the roof, binding my intent into it.
A ring of black flames encircled the five seifuku-clad girls, burning impossibly high and yet giving off no heat.
“Now, just sit and watch while daddy handles things. You’ll be just fine in there as long as you don’t try to get out.”
Of course, Makoto reached a hand tentatively towards the flames, then yelp as the skin on her fingertip suddenly sizzled.
“There! You see! The fire actually is hot. Now, don’t try to be a scientist and test it over and over again. You’ll just get burned over and over again.” I then turned to the armslaves and cracked my knuckles menacingly. “Now, about you chaps.”
“Zeke,” said Mao uncertainly. “Is that really you? Are you okay there?”
“Oh, I’m just fine. I’m just sharing this mortal coil with a not-so-little friend... kinda makes it tough to figure out who’s in charge, though. Having a deity in your head can get oh so confusing! You don’t know where you end or begin!”
You could tell just from the postures of the two standing armslaves that they knew the situation had just gone way above their paygrades.
“Zeke... Let’s stop this and we can talk. Teletha is already on her way.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful...” My right hand suddenly snapped into motion, grabbing the tranq dart that would have knocked me for a loop out of the air. “Except that wasn’t really what you were planning on, was it, deary? Excuse me just a second, I need to return some property real quick.” I then flung the tranquilizer dart and manipulated the air to speed it accurately back at Kurz. The man didn’t even have a chance to react as the dart came in at just under the speed of sound.
“HUUUIII!?” came his faint cry in the distance, somewhere in one of the buildings with a broken window, right before the drugs took hold.
I then turned back to the Major’s armslave as she was hurriedly bringing her gun to bear on me. Too late, she sprayed the area with stun rounds. As for me, I had jumped, propelling myself on a plume of pressurized air towards the building Kurz was in. With my left hand I sent a wave of compressed air at a window, blowing it in before alighting on the sill. With my right hand, I was gathering and compressing even more air... and feeding fire into it.
I was gonna need a minute or two to make sure this stunt was ready, so I then beat feet, using air pressure waves to knock down doors. Fortunately, this seemed to be an office building of some kind, so everyone had already gone home for the day.
Except for the janitors. The one I ran into just stepped out of my way. The look on his face when he saw the incandescent fury building up in my right hand caused me to cackle madly.
After traversing several floors I made my way to side of the building facing the action. Fortunately. I didn’t have to blow open any doors. I found an unlocked office and opened the window from inside. Sousuke and Mao were still looking for me, and the Senshi were still bottled up in my wall of fire.
Excellent.
I then took the wind and used it to carry my voice to the other side of the battle field, because I just couldn’t resist.
“Ohhh Major! You ever wanted to see what enough power to run Tokyo for five minutes looks like? HERE YA GO!”
I created a path of vacuum leading from my right hand to the leg-hip joint in the Major’s armslave, then let go of a portion of plasma I had built up.
It generated a light and sound show not unlike the great-grandaddy of all lightning bolts. This shit was like it had been unleashed by the hand of Zeus himself, and why not? After all, I was a God walking the Earth at this time, was I not?
The left leg of Mao’s armslave was blown clean away with a shower of molten metal. Before Sousuke could react, I did the same to him, only I aimed for the head. Blinded by the loss of the primary sensors, an armsalve is all but useless. The fountain of sparks and molten metal was almost like the blood sprays you see in some anime.
This exhausted the supply of plasma I had generated, but now, even though they knew about my little trick, I had time to generate more.
“PARLAY!” said a voice behind me all the sudden.
“Telly!” I said cheerfully, not quite turning away from the field of battle. “You know, normally it’s the other party coming to the captain to parlay.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I wish to parlay with Raven for the cessation of hostilities.”
I noted that the armslaves were not making any moves to do anything, so I turned to Teletha with a smile and reached out to gently cup her face in my right hand. Teletha didn’t flinch. She only stared back at me with eyes filled with sadness and concern.
“You always were my favorite,” I said affectionately. “So very brilliantly intelligent, and always so very kind to me.” And then I withdrew my hand and took a more firm tone with her. “However, that does not mean you will always have your way. Say your piece, my bright little star.”
Teletha nodded and said, “I have received word from the BPRD regarding the girls that took you. I know that they are not really an enemy, but if you cannot make them stand down, then I am afraid that I cannot either. Do I have your word that they will not interfere anymore?”
“They will, or else they will have me to contend with.”
“That will do,” said Teletha. “As for you...” Teletha’s expression and tone became more pleading now. “Zeke, come with me to MITHRIL. I know you’re not a Whispered, but we still need people like you. We can fast-track your education and have you working in our Research and Development in no time!”
“And why did you leave Research and Development?” I asked dryly. Teletha gave me a surprised look and I grinned. “Oh? Didn’t think I hadn’t worked that out, did you? How would you have even gotten your foot in the door with MITHRIL if not for your mind? You said that you had been recruited by MITHRIL. I know how to read between the lines, bright little star. So I ask again, why did you leave R&D?”
Teletha was suddenly downcast. “Because... I can’t do enough at R&D. I want to make the world a better place and I can only do this as a line officer in MITHRIL. But you should know that. We’ve talked about it before, Zeke.”
I nodded gravely at that. “And you should know, my bright little star, that if it didn’t work for you, then it will not work for me. I need to be at the forefront to change the world, not at some desk sheltered under reinforced concrete bunkers.”
Teletha was quiet for a moment, and then suddenly lit up with hope as an idea came to her mind.
“What about a compromise?” she asked.
“I’m listening,” I said with a bit of interest.
“R&D needs field agents - people who work closely with the military agents to investigate captured technology.”
“What about training?” I asked, a bit sharply.
“You will need basic military training, but that can wait until summer. In the meantime you can take our own distance training program. You will need to pass our background check, but I know you won’t have any problems with that. Afterward we’ll provide you with a workstation with a secured connection to take our courses. It will be issued equipment since you’ll use it after your training in your own home for field work.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? My own home?”
“Wherever you choose to live,” clarified Teletha. “You’ll be able to live how you want to!”
“Very well then. I’ll do it.”
Teletha blinked. “You don’t want to know about the compensation?”
“It is of little matter to me. Money comes and money goes.”
Teletha sighed as she closed her eyes and shook her head.
“Always the practical one, Zeke. So, tell me about your new friends?”
“It might be best to show you,” I said as I grabbed Teletha up in a bridal carry and then strode to the window.
“Zeke! No! Don’t! Juu-UUUUUUUMMMMMMMP!” she cried out as I launched us out the window and back to the building that the Senshi were still trapped on.
With a blast of pressurized air, I slowed our descent so I alighted gently on the roof and set Teletha carefully down.
“Don’t you EVER do that again, Ezekiel Darkwood!” yelled Teletha furiously.
“Oh, quit that,” I replied dryly. “You enjoy it and I know it. Oh girls!” I then waved a hand and the wall of black fire was suddenly snuffed out. “Meet Captain Teletha Testarossa of MITHRIL. Telly, meet the Sailor Senshi. You all play nice...” I then shot a dark glare at everyone present. “...or else I won’t be happy. And when I am not happy... things go a lot more badly than they did here.” I then smiled once more. “And on that note, I bid you all a good night. Adieu!”
Suddenly, the weight of the world came smashing down on me, and I heard girls calling my name in panic as the world went dark.
##
I felt warm. Wherever I was, I somehow knew I was safe, and I was content with that. It was a comforting feeling, with my head being gently stroked and a soft, feminine cooing in my ear...
My eyes shot open wide once that thought was seized by the more rational portions of my brain.
“Ah, Lord Darkwood,” chirped Deimos softly with a smile. “You’re awake.”
“...Deimos, do you have a death-wish of some kind?”
The Coronian girl sighed. “Honestly, I don’t care about what Hino-sama thinks in this matter. While she has the right to your first refusal, she certainly does not seem to care for you. And until she does, I see no issue with keeping you company as you sleep. You certainly do seem to do better with than without.”
I began to untangle myself from Deimos. She must have had a point because the only way I could imagine our bodies getting this intertwined is if we cooperated in the matter. As I sat up, I saw that I was in my room at the Shrine. And fortunately, I was still fully clothed.
That concern aside, the grown-ass man hidden within this youthful body knew there was something going on here, and I’d be damned if I wasn’t gonna get to the bottom of it.
“Deimos, do you honestly expect to fool me so easily? There’s more to it than that. Spit it out so we can get this out into the open.”
Deimos sighed again and blushed. “Okay... I guess I shouldn’t hide it... I’m... taken... with you.”
I blinked at that. “But... I’m human.”
Deimos giggled. “Silly. Do you even understand why we adopted human forms?”
“Well...” I said slowly as I thought about that for a moment. “I’m not really sure. I would have imagined that you only started doing that after you met with the Silver Millenium Empire.”
“Oh, indeed,” said Deimos. “You have to understand, my Lord, there is nothing wrong with being a bird. But when the first humans from the Silver Millennium Empire came to us, we were at first shocked, then intrigued, and finally addicted.
“You see, avian form gave us freedom in the skies. But human form granted us a degree of intimacy that was previously out of our reach - gentle touches, firm embraces, the comfort of skinship, and the art of making love.” Deimos shuddered, giving a shaky sigh as she did. “I have, in secret, read of many tales of sordid affairs, trysts, and romances. And I dream of the day that I may surrender myself to someone I love and trust with all my heart.”
Deimos then looked at me and giggled coyly. “Oh dear, did I lose you, my Lord?”
“... No,” I somehow managed to croak, causing the Coronian girl to giggle once again.
“Don’t worry. I understand why you were puzzled. Why you, a human, indeed! Why, when we should focus on bringing our own numbers up? But that is what we have been trying, and failing to do. We are cursed, my Lord. For certain, we will not die out. Not completely. There will always be just enough of us to keep the memory of Coronus alive. But we will certainly subside and become simply another facet of humanity. Such seems to be the will of Raven.
“And if that is also his will that his Avatars be humans from this day forward... then I would wish that at least your descendants have a direct tie to Coronus.”
“You mean it’s hereditary?” I asked.
Deimos nodded. “As was the title of our Sailor Senshi. Like the Imperial Lineage of ancient Japan, they were considered to be the closest to our God among the mortals. And while they were not leaders, they did carry massive political clout.”
I rolled my eyes. “This isn’t about power, is it?”
“No!” said Deimos, aghast. “My Lord... I care not for those petty things. Phobos and I can make our own way without any such boons. We are strong and proven survivors. What I do care about is having someone to love me, be the father of my children, and making sure that my people live on, at least in spirit.
“Besides, I know what you are to Raven. This is our lore - the Avatar is but a mere servant to our God. But in return for that service, an Avatar is granted great reserves of spiritual strength and emotional fortitude so that he or she can bear the weight of our entire people.
“Can you honestly fault me for finding that attractive?”
I sighed. “No, I can’t. But one fact still remains: this is Rei’s house. And you should be abiding by her desires.”
Deimos seemed to deflate as she sighed again.
“That may be true. I do care about her very much. One may even say that I love her. And I know that she’s been hurt in the past. But she shouldn’t put you through so much. You’ve dealt with enough already. Instead of having someone hate you, you should have someone to love you instead.”
I sighed and pulled Deimos into a hug. The action seemed to catch her by surprise because she suddenly tensed and made an adorable sounding bird-like ‘peep!’ sound. But once she realized what was going on, she relaxed, put her arms around me as well and hugged back.
Really, I hate being sixteen again. I get turned on so easily, even if this all seems old-hat to me. Reluctantly I let Deimos go. At least I don’t seem to be alone in that department as she was blushing crimson.
“Well, what have I missed so far?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Your friend, Teletha, is staying over while her people stand guard. She says there is business to conduct with you tomorrow... or rather, this morning.
“Kaname came over as well. Her entire neighborhood was evacuated and your friends decided to have her stay. And with all these strange people here, the other girls decided to stay over as well. Just in case.”
“How are they taking it?” I asked as I got to my feet and stretched.
“With good humor. Teletha has been telling stories about when you were children. Everyone loved the one about ‘Lady Tomahawk’.”
I snorted at that. My family being what it was, Telly and I often got shuffled between other families while Grandfather worked. One in particular was a good friend of mine and Quick Stone’s mothers. She was a very loving woman, but she had a hell of a temper. At one point, a bunch of kids at Quick Stone’s age started going around raiding people’s larders for booze. She caught wise and came after them all with a tomahawk and scared them all shitless.
And I mean that - by the time the tribal police showed up they all needed fresh changes of pants. The police were anything but disgruntled about the affair. The boys had been doing this for a week now and the police hadn’t been able to catch up to them yet. And then one of the cops jokingly referred to her as Lady Tomahawk.
The best part was that the next day she taught Telly and I how to throw it, thereby cementing the moniker.
I chuckled and shook my head. Despite how shitty things were sometimes, there was always something to help balance it out.
I sighed as a sobering thought then occurred to me.
“She didn’t happen to mention Blood Gulch, did she?”
“No. Why?”
“Its...” A voice in my head of a younger Teletha crying in terror, and then of grown men gasping as though they were drowning on dry land.
I shook my head vigorously. “It’s personal. I really don’t want to talk about it.”
Deimos looked at me with grave concern, but seemed to know better than to pry.
“Very well then,” she said gracefully. “What are you doing now?”
“Seeing if they left me anything to eat. I’ll sleep a lot better with something on my stomach.”
“I’ll accompany you then,” she said suddenly.
I raised an eyebrow at the Coronian. “Like that?” I asked dryly.
“Of course not,” she said piously. “Like this!” Suddenly, she leaped at me and her form shrank in on itself as she became a raven once more, fluttering as she alighted on my shoulder.
“Show off,” I grumbled. Deimos made a mirthful, chortling sound.
##
“Halt! State your business!” came Sousuke’s voice as I exited my room.
I raised an eyebrow and turned to the side. There was Sousuke, dressed in urban camo BDUs and carrying a bullpup submachine gun.
“Sagara,” I said dryly. “You do know I live here, right?”
“I was made aware of that fact, yes.”
“Then why are you confronting me like this?”
“Because you have shown yourself to be a dangerous element and I am tasked with the protection of Chidori-san.”
“Okay,” I grumbled, “I understand you have to protect the girl, but I’m the least of your worries. Kaname, even though I’ve only known her for a couple of days, is a friend of mine. She doesn’t have to worry about a thing from me. However, I’m starting to wonder if she should be worried about you.”
Sousuke gave me a surprised look. “That’s not true. I have been tasked with her protection and I will do whatever I can to make sure that she is safe.”
“And that’s the problem right there,” I said sharply. “’Whatever I can’ you said. Where is the limit to what you would do? What is the limit to what you would put her through? Don’t answer - it’s a rhetorical question for you to dwell on. We all have our lives, Sagara. And many of us would prefer our lives to remain as uncomplicated and boring as possible. Of course, I’m living proof that we can’t always get what we want, but it’s the thought that counts.
“Now, do me and everyone else a favor and try not to provoke me anymore. The Old Bird will take just about any excuse to spend a few minutes wearing me like a cheap suit.”
I turned to make my way to the kitchen, but then Sousuke spoke up again.
“Mr. Darkwood. I... wish to apologize on behalf of myself and the rest of Urzu Team. You were correct that if we had dug a little more into your past we would have found the answers we needed. However, there is one thing I do not understand. After the accident where your parents died, you completely disappeared for a month. What happened to you?”
I turned back to Sousuke and gave him a cold look.
“I was dead, Sergeant. No more, no less.”
I would have thought that revelation was the end of it. As I entered the kitchen, my eyes were quick to spot a note left by Makoto saying that there was some curry in the refrigerator for me. Smiling at her thoughtfulness, I dug into the tiny Japanese-style fridge and pulled out the heavily laden plate - portioned for a serving that would satisfy my appetite.
Just as I got out a spoon so I could get to eating, I turned and found Sousuke had followed me.
“What is it this time?” I asked acidly.
“Forgive me... but you were dead? For a month? That is not an exaggeration?”
I sighed as I went to the microwave and put the curry in.
“No, not an exaggeration. I really was dead for a month.”
“But... how can that be?”
I scoffed as I went to the kotatsu and turned on the heater underneath it.
“I see your starting to question ‘how’ instead of simply outright refusing.”
“I must admit that strange circumstances surround you.”
“Surely Teletha told you guys everything.”
“I am sorry, but the Captain was not very forthcoming. She told us that it is your story to tell.”
The microwave began to beep. I went back to the fridge and got myself some barley tea first before retrieving the reheated curry.
“You at least understand now that the world is not what you think it is anymore, do you?” I asked as I poured the beverage.
“That implication has occurred to me lately,” replied Sousuke as I came back and sat down at the warming kotatsu.
“Good,” I said as I began to dig in. I love curry, but Makoto’s, I was learning just then, was particularly good. “First off, what happened to me earlier? That was a God sharing my body. His name is Raven and his thing is basically governing life and death - particularly as a cycle of one giving over to the other. This is why he also handles reincarnation.
“Also, he’s a neutral. He walks between chaos and order, good and evil, love and hate, night and day. It goes hand-in-hand with his life and death thing - you build up great kingdoms, tear them down, and begin again. Remember that always when you’re dealing with him.
“As for Me? I’m a reincarnated soul, specially chosen to be Raven’s avatar here on Earth. Why? I don’t know. All he’ll say is that he has a purpose for me and no more.
“We don’t really agree on a lot of things, and I think he likes it that way. But whenever we do agree on something... that’s when you need to watch out for me.
“As for me being dead for a month... you think the God of Life and Death is gonna let his Avatar punch out before he even has a chance to accomplish anything? Hell, that was just him getting me to himself so I could get to know that bastard.” I then gave him a sharp look with raised eyebrow.
“So, do you have any other questions?”
Sousuke blinked, seemingly at a loss for what else to say, but he did manage to come up with something.
“How... were you brought back?”
I sighed once more. “My grandmother? The one who took care of my wounds? She’s a necromancer known as a La Muerte - a lady of death. Pretty damn apt, too. She’s undead.”
“Tha... What?”
I snorted at his confusion. “Yes. Undead. Like a liche, only not evil and unintended. Don’t ask me how. The only other person that knows is my Grandfather, and neither of them will say anything on the subject. And if you ever meet either of them and if you know what’s good for you, then you’ll keep your damn mouth shut. The old man can literally skin you alive where you stand and a La Muerte can do far worse than that without even touching you.”
Sousuke stared at me in stunned silence. For my part, I continued to eat. Eventually, though, Sousuke found his voice.
“Does the... Captain know about all this?”
“She does. Why?”
Sousuke thought about that for a moment. “There seems to be much about her that I do not know about. This is only natural - she is my commanding officer and I am her subordinate. We are not intended to have a personal relationship. And yet I am learning these things because of you...”
“Sometimes, these things happen. Roll with it. So long as she’s fine with you knowing these details, then there’s no real issue. And since she wanted you to hear the story from me, then I can only gather that she doesn’t mind at all.”
Sousuke stewed on that for a moment and seemed to come to terms with the series of revelations. At last, he nodded to himself.
“I suppose you have a point,” he said at length. He then stood, stating, “I must return to my duties. For what it’s worth, Mr. Darkwood, I apologize for the inconveniences you have suffered at our hands. I hope that you and I can work well together in the future.”
I’m nobody’s fool, so that’s why I swallowed right then and there and said,
“What do you mean about working together in the future?”
Sousuke blinked, and the realization dawned.
“Ah, you haven’t been informed yet. From this point forward, Urzu squad is to regard you as an allied element. As such, we will be sharing intelligence with you on a need-to-know basis.”
“I see,” I said slowly. “I take it that I’ll be briefed later on?”
“That is part of this morning’s agenda,” stated Sousuke. “Expect to be woken at zero-five-hundred. Good evening, Mr. Darkwood.” And with that, Sousuke left Deimos and I to my meal.
I sighed and shook my head, and Deimos made soft, questioning sound by my ear.
“Welcome to my life, Deimos. It only goes downhill from here.”
##
I woke to the sound of fluttering wings and reflexively began to feel around. All I found in my bed was a hallow space that was still warm. I poked my head up and glared blearily at Deimos at her chosen perch - the backrest of my desk chair.
She chortled merrily, mocking me.
I sighed, knowing there wasn’t anything I could do about it. So instead, I got up and began to get dressed for the day, making sure to put on a good coat of deodorant in my underarms.
I hate feeling grungy, but I wasn’t going to get another chance at a bath until later after school. And besides, there were other things to attend to if memory served.
As though summoned by the thought, there was a gentle rapping at my door.
“Zeke?” came Teletha’s voice. “May I come in?”
“Sure thing, Telly,” I called back. “I’m decent.”
The door slid open and Teletha came in, already in her uniform, which had somehow already been cleaned and pressed.
Not for the first time, I wondered at how she found the time to do that.
“For your convenience, I’ve already had the majority of the forms filled out for you,” she said as I buttoned up my school uniform. “After you go over the forms and sign them, we’ll just need to cover what your duties are going to be until you formally start your military training.”
“Alright then,” I said. I spotted my school bag by the door next to Teletha. The last I saw it, I left it hanging off my desk at school yesterday, which means one of the girls had the foresight to bring it home for me. Making an appreciative noise, I picked it up and went through it.
In addition to the usual student’s compliment of stationary, workbooks and supplies, I had a number of unusual tools: a set of jewelers screwdrivers, a pocket-portable multi-meter, some braids of strong nylon cord with accompanying S-clips and tie-clips, and a trio of leatherman tools - a general purpose tool, a light-duty tool, and an electronics-specialty tool.
A small, pale, feminine hand closed over mine as I closed the bag.
“Zeke,” said Teletha in a small voice that was completely devoid of all her previous authority. “Are you... doing well? I mean... I know things cannot have been easy for you. They never have been...”
I set the bag aside and then pulled Teletha into a tight hug, and she reciprocated right away. Deimos cawed suddenly in surprise, but I ignored her for the moment.
“I missed you too, Telly. Raven’s balls, you have no idea how much I missed you.”
For a short moment, we just stayed like that.
“You know I don’t have much free time,” said Teletha mournfully.
“I know you must get some. Even your ship has to spend time in port sometimes.”
“Sometimes,” she admitted. “I did a good job designing her, but I still think it could have benefited from your touch.”
I pulled away and gave her a raised eyebrow. “You designed your own ship?”
Teletha shrugged. “You sussed out that I was in R&D before. And you know that I practically lived on submarines before I met you. Why is this such a surprise?”
I sighed. “Just... it’s different from the girl I knew before... the one who’d be with me the whole time, turning over rocks to find snakes and scorpions and climbing trees and building secret forts.”
“I know, Zeke,” said Teletha with a sigh. “Those were some of the best times of my life. But that’s what happens when we try to change the world.”
“Is it really what you want?” I asked.
“Yes and no,” she said. “I don’t like some of the aspects of what I do... but its the best way to move the world to a better path...” Teletha’s hand found the end of her braid and began to brush the tips of her hair against her lips. It was a clear message in Teletha-ese, which I was fluent in even after all these years: she was not really happy here.
I wanted to call her out, to say that she was lying. However, she changed the subject too quickly for me.
“We need to hurry up. Breakfast will be waiting. You can eat and work - I’ve seen you do it before.” And with that, she dragged me out of my room, barely leaving me enough time to grab my school bag and Deimos fluttering after me with a sudden caw.
##
Breakfast was a strained affair.
Imagine an army field kitchen setup up behind the living quarters of the Hikawa Shrine, with people from MITHRIL spooning up bowls of hot cereal along with the Sailor Senshi in their school uniforms, plus Kubiak and Kaname Chidori, and all while Grandpa Hino watched the proceedings like a hawk.
The old man was not happy about this, but he would tolerate it for the moment.
Rei was nowhere nearly as forgiving, snapping testily at anyone in a MITHRIL uniform. Not even the cooks got off easy, as Rei delivered a scathing indictment on their Miso soup.
I just tried to focus on the papers that one of Teletha’s Personnel Specialists shoved in front of me while I quickly gulped a mixture of milk, farina, butter, and brown sugar. At least the PS was being good enough to summarize everything that I was signing off on and checking to make sure that all the information was correct.
After the paperwork was packed away, one folder for the PS and another for my records, Teletha sat across from me and began to detail my duties, such as there were.
“We really won’t ask much of you,” she began. “First of all, your primary contact will be Sergeant Sagara. Failing that, you have been provided with phone numbers to contact Miss Mao and Mister Webber. If at any time you witness any strange goings on that may affect the safety of Miss Chidori, you are to speak with the Sergeant or contact his team mates.”
“Right then,” I said nodding. “And what if they are out of communication or commission?”
“Then the responsibility to protect Chidori falls to you alone until back up arrives. For that reason, you’ll be provided with a satellite phone. I trust that you understand it’s for emergencies only?”
I nodded. “I’m going to be getting a cell phone soon here anyhow - my educational grant will cover it since I got elected to be the class rep.”
“Good. Make sure to give your number to Mao once you get it. Sagara will make sure you’re up to date on code speech for unsecured lines. He’ll also get you up to speed on our cyber-security protocols. I know it may seem like a lot, but I know you shouldn’t have too much trouble with it. Do you have any other questions?”
“A little. This briefing is... well, brief.”
“Unfortunately, we have little spare time to work with if we do not want to arouse any more attention. Urzu Squad will cover anything that I haven’t. Does that help?”
“It’ll do.”
##
Soon enough, though, the kitchen began to break down with military efficiency, and the MITHRIL people all packed up and left, leaving just Sousuke, Teletha, and a driver waiting for her.
I thought that there would simply be a goodbye at the street. But I was only half right with that thought.
Without warning, Teletha nearly tackled me and began to sob quietly.
“Teletha?” I said in surprise as I put my arms around my old friend.
“God, Zeke, I wish it didn’t have to be like this.”
“Teletha, what do you mean?” I asked.
However, she didn’t answer. Instead, she suddenly shoved her face into mine and kissed me with a passionate hunger.
I couldn’t move. My lips did, though, kissing her back as I felt gravity fade away.
There was nothing chaste about that kiss. And yet, while there was a sense of lust, there was also a sense of sorrow.
Slowly, she pulled away, but she still held me tight, burying her face into my shoulder
“I had this thing planned...” she said softly so only I would hear. “Eventually I’d become an Admiral in MITHRIL, I’d do something to finally make the world truly better, and then I’d come and find you after I retired. But this just had to happen instead, didn’t it? I never really understood why you hated Raven so much. I knew you were upset about your family and what you went through... what we went through... But now I know.”
She finally let go and gave me a tearful look, then went to the black saloon car that was waiting for her patiently.
Before she got in, though, she turned and said, “Goodbye Zeke. I’ll see you after your recruit training is over.”
And then she left.
“What. Was. That.”
I turned around and Rei was glaring at me - I could almost make out a fiery aura around her.
I was not moved, though.
“Teletha kissed me,” I said in a low, tired tone. “I thought that would be obvious.”
“Why?” she all but rasped in stiffly contained rage.
“She loves me,” I said quietly. “She’s loved me all this time and I never noticed. I thought it was puppy love, but Raven help me, I was wrong.”
And just like that, Rei seemed to deflate. “It was her, wasn’t it? She was the one?”
“Maybe,” I said, feeling hollow inside. “When we were together... she was my whole world. She gave me reason to keep going.”
Rei suddenly turned away. “I can’t do this,” she whimpered, just shy of breaking out into sobs. “I can’t... I can’t carry you. Why did you...” She suddenly stopped. Slowly, she regained her posture as though she was filled with a new resolve.
“I’m sorry, Zeke,” she said, her back still turned to me. “Raven was right. I have been a fool. I brought this all on myself, and you saved me the only way you knew for certain. But I cannot repay this debt. I never can. I... am just as much of a slave as you are, now.”
“So, you are now me,” I said quietly, a faint sense of vindication in my heart that burned hurtfully. “How does it feel?”
“How could I have known?” she hissed, finally turning to face me with tear-streaked eyes.
“You were offered the choice. Eternity with Raven, or eternity with me. You chose me over Raven. Now you got another choice. You can learn to live with me, or you can hate and spurn me, just so we can be at each other’s throats forever. So what’s it going to be?”
Rei glared at me through the tears.
“It may not happen tomorrow or the day after. It may not even happen next month or even next year. It might not even happen for ten-thousand years. But you can rest assured, Ezekiel Darkwood, it won’t happen today.”
And with that, Rei stormed off.
I simply sighed and continued to wait for my bus.
“Fine by me.”
##
The morning was later marred by an occurrence of utter madness. As Sousuke, Kaname, Kubiac, and the The Girls (aka The Sailor Senshi, minus Rei) walked across the school grounds with me, a boy my age suddenly ran past us in a panic... swiftly followed by what appeared to be the girls track team. While the guy was fast, he had nothing on these young ladies as they were quickly catching up to him. Seconds after the mob rounded the school building’s corner, there was a loud yelp as the boy appeared over the building’s roof, and then came back down again.
From the splashing sound he made on landing, I had to surmise that he wound up in the school’s swimming pool... which happened to be occupied by the girls swim team.
Seconds later, he appeared once more, this time being quickly pursued by both the track team and the swim team.
“What the fuck?” I deadpanned in English.
Kaname and Kubiac both winced, giving me looks, but then Kubiak himself looked in askance as well.
Kaname sighed. “That was Ataru Moroboshi - public enemy number one of of every girl here at Juuban High. The only girl that puts up with him at all is Desk Throwing Shinobu - for that reason alone there’s a rumor going around that she’s a closet pervert.”
“How’d she get the name ‘Desk Throwing Shinobu’?” I asked.
Kaname gave me a wicked grin and said, “How about you mention that closet pervert thing to her and find out?”
I snorted in reply. “Say no more.”
##
“Neh, Zee-kun?” said Usagi as we got into our seats at class.
“Yes?”
“What are we gonna do about our lunches? I mean... so many of us know the truth, but Koobi-kun and Naru-chan are still out of the loop.”
I shrugged helplessly. “Well, the best thing to do, I think, is to bring them in on the whole thing.”
“Heee-eeehhh? I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Luna said so.”
“Who’s Luna?” I asked.
“She’s... my advisor, I guess you could say. In fact, you should probably meet her now that you’re part of our group.”
“Okay then. Can we do it after school today?”
“Unh!” answered Usagi. “Mina, you should probably get Artemis as well.”
“Sure thing,” answered the blonde beauty. “Where do you guys want to meet up?”
“Someplace neutral,” I suggested. “Luna’s probably already worried about me, so meeting someplace away from your homes would be for the best.”
Minako nodded. “Good point. I think the park will be a good place to go.”
##
Azabu-Juuban Park was a moderate-sized playground (by my Americanized standards) surrounded by tall apartment buildings and shaded by trees. Children played all over the place and made enough racket that nobody would be bothered with some high schoolers occupying a small corner of the playground with their cats as they held their own council.
I had arrived first, followed soon by Minako along with a trim, snow-white tom cat with an odd crescent-shaped bald spot on his forehead.
“Hoi, Mina!” I called, waving my classmate over. The two quickly spotted me and ran over.
“So,” started the white tom in a smarmy tone before Minako could get a word out. “You’re the guy that’s been giving Luna fits. If it weren’t for the fact you actually saved the girls from themselves, I’d cut you to ribbons on the spot, buddy.”
I snorted. “Cat. My Grandmother is death incarnate. Do not try to intimidate me.”
Minako was speechless.
“Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?” asked the cat.
“No. You want jokes, go play with the children over there. You want to talk about beings with world-rending power, I’ll make a pot of tea and we’ll talk.”
The cat blinked at me in astonishment. “Who the heck are you, kid?”
“Ezekiel Darkwood.”
“That’s it? No fancy title or anything?”
“I don’t want a title.”
The white tom blinked at that and gave me a weird look that clearly said that there was something wrong with the picture that he was seeing.
Minako, however, recovered at last, picked up Artemis, and began to gently chide him.
“Don’t be so hard on him, Artemis. Zeke’s been through a lot lately.”
Artemis subsided into feline grumbling that was barely distinguishable from his purring once she took a seat, planted the erstwhile pet in her lap, and started rubbing his head.
Presently, Usagi arrived with her black cat draped over her shoulder... and to my surprise, a tall, youthful, and handsome Japanese man accompanied her.
“Hey everybody! Sorry I’m late, but I wanted Mamorou to meet oyu as well!”
I was barely as tall as Usagi, so Mamorou towered over me. I suppressed the urge to swallow as he stepped up to me.
“So, you’re Darkwood-san?” he said mildly. “Usako told me about how you stopped her and the others last night. What happened?”
“A misunderstanding,” I said. “It’s originally my fault because I blew the Sergeant’s cover, but they didn’t understand who I was, either. Fortunately, their commanding officer is an old friend of mine. But the girls didn’t know that, and they assumed that I was kidnapped by terrorists. When I couldn’t get anyone to listen to me I had to bring... someone else in.”
“Raven,” said Mamorou. Without pause, he then turned to Usagi and Luna.
“Indeed,” said Luna slowly, drawing my attention to her as she rolled off Usagi’s shoulder and landed in a waist-height brick wall to peer up at me sharply. “So, you claim to be an avatar to Raven?”
I sighed and forced myself to look back at her. “It’s not something I like to advertise. I just want to be a normal person, but this shit keeps following me.”
“Mind your tongue, young man,” said the moon-cat. “You’re in the presence of Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion.”
I gave Luna a look, but she pretty much ignored me.
Artemis spoke up, “I remember the last avatar of Raven. He was a kid, too, but he was nothing like you. You’re a lot harder than he was.”
“I only watched my parents burn to ashes as I lay dying in the street once,” I countered sarcastically. “It’s no big deal.”
Usagi and Minako winced - they knew the story, but hearing it put so graphically it caused even Endymion to give me a shocked look. Luna shot Artemis a glare as though to say, ‘You are NOT HELPING!’ Artemis could only smile sheepishly in return.
Sighing, Luna turned back to me. “I apologize. I understand that you’ve been through a lot, and there is a lot of evidence in favor of your claim, but we would feel a bit more comfortable if I could perform a mind meld with you so I can know for certain.”
“Mind meld?” I said, alarm bells going off in my head.
“It won’t be much,” said Luna soothingly. “Just a brief glimpse will be all I need.”
“Bad idea. BAD IDEA,” I said emphatically.
“What?” asked Artemis testily.
“You want to peer into a mind that is chained to the will of a God? Really bad idea.” I dared not to tell them anything of what had transpired between myself and Rei when she attempted something similar. Luna though, blanched as she realized the implications.
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Well, with that ruled out, can you think of any other credentials? Someone that can vouch for you?”
I thought about that for a moment, and then snapped my fingers as it came to me.
“Phobos and Deimos.”
“The moons of Mars?” said Mamorou in puzzlement. “What does that have to do with you?”
“Not the moons. Rei’s pets. They’re not who they seem on the surface.”
“CORONIANS!” Luna all but shouted gleefully.
“Coronians!?” said Artemis, aghast. “How the heck did we miss that!?”
“Well, they are masters of disguise,” said Luna. “In fact, many of our best spies were Coronians.”
“Ah, guys?” said Minako. “Care to give us a clue, here?”
Luna cleared her throat, then smiled as she went into lecture mode.
“Coronians are a race of avians who were close allies with our Kingdom during Queen Serenity’s rule. In fact, we were such close allies that many Coronians were dual-citizens of our respective kingdoms. And they worshiped a very powerful God, one that they said governed the cycles between life and death.”
Luna then turned her gaze to me. “They called him Raven.”
There was a flutter of wings and an already familiar weight alighted on my shoulder.
“Aye, Lady Luna,” came the voice of Deimos. “Raven is the name of our Great Father. And Ezekiel is his chosen vessel so he may speak and act among us mortal folk.”
“But why does he need an avatar?” asked Usagi.
“My Princess, imagine you had painstakingly built a city of sand, but noticed that one of the towers had begun to crumble. You would not be able to get to it - not without toppling all the other works.”
“But... what does that mean?”
I sighed. “Deimos, allow me.” Deimos gave me a nonplussed look, then nodded. “Usagi, Raven is incredibly powerful. If he came and walked among us as he is, his power would destroy us all. It would be like having a sun down here - it would burn everything to ash and cinders. But having someone like me to act as an avatar...” I then looked down to the ground and forced the words out. “... I’m just like a puppet to him... He can sit in his Heaven and pull my strings however he wishes.
“And I absolutely hate him for it.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment as they digested that. But Luna soon broke the reverie.
“Deimos, what assurance do I have that we can trust you?”
In response, Deimos reached her bill under one of her great wings, and with an effort, she plucked one of her pinions.
I winced because I knew that hurts.
So did Luna. And once the deed was done, Deimos hopped off my shoulder, fluttering down to stand face-to-face with Luna.
“Take this,” she said as she laid the pinion down before her. “Your computers should be able to tell from this that I am indeed a citizen of the Silver Millenium Empire. Phobos and I are, as we were before, the handmaidens to our ladyship, Her Royal Majesty, the Princess of Mars.”
Luna’s eyes went wide with joy. “You mean... it’s really you!?”
Deimos then curtseyed before Luna, causing her to laugh gleefully.
“Why didn’t you two ever say anything!? After all this time!?”
“Because, Luna, you know that us Coronians do our best work while unseen and unknown.”
Luna chuckled knowingly. “And, of course, Ezekiel’s appearance changed all that.”
“Well... that wasn’t the only thing.”
I quickly, but gently, pinched Deimos’s bill shut. “Not. One. Word.” Deimos looked to me with a cock-eyed expression once I released her.
“All secrets get out, My Lord. You should know that already.”
I nodded. “They do. Eventually. But this is not for us to tell. That right belongs to someone else.”
“As you wish, My Lord.”
Luna and the others blinked, but once more Luna was quick to pick up where she left off.
“Well, personal secrets aside, I am willing to accept this token at face value until I can get it analyzed. And we have a lot to catch up on! Do you feel that Phobos would be up to a ladies night out?”
“Perhaps. You know that she’s always been the more reserved of us.”
“I’ll just ask her myself later. You know she can’t resist my charm.”
“So, wait a minute,” said Usagi. “You’re an old friend of Rei’s pets?”
“Of course! Though how they managed to reincarnate at this time is beyond me!”
Suddenly, a mother called out - it was dinner time. And just like that, all the children started fleeing the playground energetically, make quick promises to meet up again tomorrow.
“You know,” I said, “I’m a little peckish myself. Can I trouble you guys for a meal? I promise I won’t ask for too much.”
“I guess that’s the least we can do,” said Mamorou. “I know a good beef bowl place up the street if that’s fine by you.”
“I’m not picky - beef bowl it-”
I froze as I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and Deimos cawed sharply.
“Do any of you guys feel that?” I asked.
POP!
We all practically jumped out of our skins as a black ball with cat ears bounced off Usagi’s head. Looking up to the sky, I saw clouds gather in a vortex, quickly followed by a flash of light and the appearance of a small figure.
“USAGI! MOVE!” I called out as I shoved my classmate aside. “INNNN-COMMMIIIINNNNNGGG!!!”
I braced myself to take a fall, and a pink-haired girl in a sailor-suit outfit slammed into my chest, sending me sprawling to the ground. For a moment, I lay there, stunned as my diaphragm refused to budge while everyone else just stared on in shock.
Finally, though, I managed to start breathing again, and looked up into ruby-red eyes framed by cotton-candy pink bangs.
“Hoi, little cutey. I know you might be an angel, but aren’t you a little young to be falling out of holes in the sky?”
“Sorry, I don’t have time to deal with you! Where is she?” said the little girl as she suddenly jumped off me and locked eyes on Usagi. “Oh, there you are. Give me the Ginzusho.”
“WHAT!?” screamed everyone, including Deimos all at once.
“You heard me! I want the-”
And right then she winced and grimaced like someone had just whacked her over the head with a stick.
“Wha... What’s happening...” she whimpered.
Slowly the realizations began to dawn. Hazy recollections of an odango-headed little pink-haired girl crystallized into the form of Chibiusa.
Carefully, I approached the girl, who cried out, “It hurts! My head hurts!”
“Chibiusa, do you know me?” I asked.
Shock cut through the pained expression on her face and she looked at me in fear.
“Who... but... I don’t... but you’re...” and all at once her eyes began to overflow with tears as she whimpered, “help me... please.”
“Usagi! Get over here and kneel down!” I said as I unslung my school bag and began to rummaged through it frantically and pulled out my thermos. “Minako, take this and fill it with water!”
I handed off the thermos to Minako and gently grabbed Chibiusa and laid her down with her head on Usagi’s lap. Who better than her own mother, after all?
“Zee-kun, what’s going on?” asked Usagi fretfully.
“Just be patient with me, please,” I asked tersely, but not unkindly as I dug out my emergency kit. “It’s big, but I don’t want anyone to freak out right now. She needs help.”
“Why? What’s wrong with her?” Suddenly, Usagi gasped as blood began to run freely from Chibiusa’s nose. Right away I handed her a sheet of gauze I had just freed from its packaging.
“Soak up the blood with that. I call it Butterfly Effect. Right now, another life-time’s worth of memories are being written into the neurons in her brain. It’s painful and traumatic, but there’s no lasting harm aside from a nasty headache.”
“But... WHY!?” asked Mamorou.
“Later,” I said as Minako came back with the thermos. I thanked her shortly as I took the thermos from her and laid out the ingredients.
One packet of instant flavored drink mix - melon flavor.
One packet of high-dose NSAID pain reliever.
One packet of guarana seed extract - enough caffeine for a half-a-pot of coffee.
I measured out one cup of water from the thermos using the drinking cup that covered the cap, dumped the rest out, then emptied the contents of the packets into the thermos , added the water from the drinking cup back in, then capped it and shook it up.
“Hoi, Chibiusa,” I said gently as poured the witches brew I had just concocted back into the drinking cup. “I need you to drink this, sweety. It’s medicine and it will make the pain go away in a few minutes.”
Chibiusa looked up at me through pain filled eyes and nodded slowly. I brought the cup to her mouth and tipped it just enough for the liquid to touch her lips. She grimaced at the taste and I pulled the cup away.
“It’s nasty,” she complained.
“I know. But it will help. I do this too, sometimes.”
“I... I know.” She looked at me again, this time with a strange mixture of fear, uncertainty, and wonder.
Without asking, I put the cup back to her lips and she drank freely, even though she made a face while doing so.
“Ugh. Gross,” she gasped once she was done.
“Sorry, I did what I could.”
“You... you always have... Uncle Z.”
“UNCLE Z?”
I nodded. “Uncle Z,” I confirmed. “Just let her rest for a moment, guys. She’ll be better than fine in a few minutes... if a bit confused, still.”
“Zee-kun, is now a good time?” asked Usagi.
I sighed. “I suppose so. Just promise me you guys won’t get upset.”
“I don’t understand,” said Mamorou hotly. “Why would we get upset!?”
“Just hear me out for a moment. Mamorou? Usagi? You two love each other very much. In fact, you two would move entire worlds for each other, wouldn’t you?”
The couple blushed brightly, but nodded their heads anyhow.
I nodded as well. “Keep that love you have for each other in mind as I tell you two this. Because as much as you love each other, then so shall you love what fruit comes of that love.
“Mamorou, Usagi, this little girl is your daughter from the future.”
The only sound was the wind rustling through the trees and the sound of the traffic rumbling nearby.
“She’s... my daughter?” said Usagi, her voice cracking slightly. “Oh my gosh... she’s... she more beautiful than I imagined!” Mamorou blanched at that for a moment, but then recovered with a nervous smile.
“Neh, Usako. You mean you’ve imagined what our children would look like?”
“Well... I’m not in any rush,” replied Usagi as she realized she’d just been caught red-handed. “There’s still high school, and I know my mother is never gonna relent on me going to college... But you know it’s only natural when I know I’ve found the person I’m going to be with forever.”
“Ah,” was all Mamorou could say.
“Chibiusa?” said Usagi tentatively. Crimson eyes looked worriedly up into Usagi’s baby blues. “I named you after me?”
“It was papa’s idea.” Usagi actually laughed and began to gently clean the remaining blood off her daughter’s face.
“Alright then, Chibiusa. Why do you need the Ginzusho?”
“Yes, why do you need the Ginzusho, little girl?”
Purple. Lots of purple in a form-fitting ribbed bodysuit and a deep amethyst ballerina’s ruffle-skirt. Her equally amethyst hair was a mass of curls with a pair of buns that protruded like cat’s ears, and a huge amethyst jewel adorned her forehead with a black, inverted, crescent moon just under it on her brow.
“After all, don’t you already have one?” she asked with saccharine sweetness.
“Lady,” I said as I got to my feet slowly. “You’re making a huge error in judgment here. You’re not only outnumbered, but you also have me to contend with.”
“And just what are you that you feel you can threaten me, little boy?” asked the woman, giving me a predatory glare.
I smiled back. “Oh, I may be little, but I am mighty for my size. As for what I am? I’m the finger puppet of a God of Life and Death. So you might want to ease back a bit. The little one is under Raven’s protection.”
I heard three shouts in the background.
One said, “Moon Crystal Power - Make up!”
Another was, “Venus Star Power - Make up!”
And the third was a general, masculine shout.
A look of confusion crossed the woman’s face
I smiled as I then undid the clasp of my arrowhead pendent and held it out in front of me.
“Last warning. You’re in the wrong neighborhood, and I really don’t want to mess up your face - it is rather pretty.”
The woman blushed as she glared at me. “Fine. I can tell when a fight isn’t going to go my way. And you at least get points for complimenting me on my looks. So I’ll let you people go for now. But I’ll be back when you don’t have your friends to protect you, little princess. My name is Koan of the Ayakashi Sisters. Watch for me.”
And with a gout of purple fire, she vanished, leaving a fading laugh that sent shivers up my spine.
I sighed as I turned back to my friends, and saw in their place Sailor Venus, Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Kamen.
“I don’t know about you guys,” I said as I fastened my pendant back around my neck, “but I REALLY need to get a cell phone.”
“... What.” said Tuxedo Kamen flatly.
##
We all got beef bowls. As expected, Chibiusa was feeling a lot better, and could not keep still as she bounced around in her seat and steadily made her meal disappear.
“So, they came from the same timeline Chibiusa came from,” said Mamorou as I summarized the situation.
I nodded. “Yeah. And the really bad thing is that they’re mostly okay guys, they’re just misguided. The real bad guy is this Wise Man character.”
“But where do you figure into everything?” asked Usagi. “I mean, I would have thought that with your help these guys would have been a cinch to handle.”
I sighed. “That’s because I was not in that timeline.”
Everyone blinked at me. Including Chibiusa.
“You care to run that by us again, Zee-kun?” said Minako.
“Alternate universes,” I said simply. “It’s theorized that when you travel backwards in time, the divergence your presence causes forces the timeline to split - one in which you never showed up, and one in which you do show up. And somehow, the timeline has already been changed - before even Chibiusa arrived. I’m not sure how, but it’s the only reason why I could imagine her suffering from Butterfly Effect the moment she arrived - typically it only happens when you return to your native time period once it has been altered.”
“I... don’t get it,” said Usagi.
“I don’t either,” said Minako, “and I usually like to play games that have stories like this.”
“It is pretty complicated,” agreed Mamorou. “But I think I get the gist of what he’s saying. Ezekiel... are you saying that someone has been altering our history?”
I nodded. “And they did it a long time ago, even before the Silver Millennium Empire existed.”
Mamorou whistled in awe. “Pretty bold claim.”
I shrugged. “It’s all I could think of, and the Old Bird’s not giving away this secret to me.”
“So how did you know about Chibiusa in the first place?” asked Minako.
“Well, you know how I’m a reincarnated soul, right?” Everyone nodded their heads, even Chibiusa.
In fact, the little girl piped up, “OOOH! I know this one! It’s because in your last life, we were an animation show in your old world! You told me so before and it’s part of why you were able to make things better for everyone!”
I snorted and smiled at Chibiusa indulgently. “Got it in one, kiddo. Give yourself a gold star.” I then playfully ruffled her hair as she smiled under the praise.
“So, you’ve known about us this entire time?” asked Mamorou.
“Sort of. It was just whispers from the past, at first. You know, kinda like when you see something and it feels like you saw it in a dream, once? That weird sense of déjà vu. It only started becoming clear recently.”
“So what else do you know?” asked Minako.
“A lot. There’s going to be troubles ahead - lots of them. But what I’ll be able to do is to head off the misunderstandings that make things go really bad. Like I did today - originally, the meeting between you guys and Chibiusa didn’t go too great and pretty much soured things between Chibiusa and Usagi. It lead to dire consequences later when Wise Man was able to leverage those bad feelings and turned her against you guys for a while.”
Chibiusa looked stricken and then gazed up at her mother and father worriedly. And right away Usagi latched onto Chibiusa, and showed no signs whatsoever of letting her go.
I smiled at the tableau. “Well, that’s one thing I don’t think we need to worry about anymore.”
##
We went back to the park so that, at my recommendation, Chibiusa could burn off the caffeine in her system and be more manageable once night fell.
“She has the Ginzusho from her own timeline inside her.”
“WHAT!?” cried out everyone at once, causing Chibiusa to give us all a strange look, but she just shrugged and went right back to playing.
“How!?” asked Usagi.
“The details are a little fuzzy, but she was curious about it and wanted to see it, and it was just as the Black Moon Clan attacked. Just as well, I suppose - it kept the Ginzusho out of enemy hands. Poor girl doesn’t know what happened and thinks she needs to get yours from you so she can fix things in the future when, really, she’s the one safeguarding it. And the best part of all was that nobody really knew for sure. The Black Moon Clan thought she gave it to you, Usagi, when she got here.”
“Uuuaaaahhhhh, what a mess!” cried out Usagi buried her head under her arms in shame. “Zee-kun, I don’t think I can ever make this up to you!”
“Feh, just make sure you keep saving the world. I’ll be more than happy to be a friend to you guys, come hell or high water.”
She then peaked up at me and gave me an odd smile. “Oh? What about Rei-chan?” she asked.
I gave Usagi a sour look, but then Minako got a bright idea.
“Hoi! Chibiusa!” she called out to the littel girl.
“Don’t you dare!” I gasped.
“What is it Mina-chan?” asked Chibiusa.
“What happens between your Uncle Z and Aunty Rei?”
“MINAKO!” I snapped.
Chibiusa, on the other hand, smiled coyly and said, “NOT TELLING!” And then she gave Minako a red-eye and took off running.
“WHAT!? YOU GOT THE BIGGEST SCOOP OF THE MILLENIUM AND YOU’RE NOT GONNA TELL!? GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BRAT!”
I sighed and then looked to Luna. “So, there was one other issue I wanted to cover with you guys.”
“Oh dear,” sighed the moon cat. “What is it this time, Darkwood-san?”
“Well, I think we should bring in Kaname, Naru, and The Koob.”
“Why should they become involved?” asked Usagi.
“Because they can help us in small ways. Kaname and The Koob are the reps for Ami’s class, and Naru and I are the reps for our class. If the need ever arises, we can arrange for you guys to get out of class mostly unnoticed. And besides, all of us are already meeting for lunches. It’d be awkward as all hell to have them out of the loop like that.”
“Are you sure that your friends will keep our secret?”
I sighed. “I don’t know for sure about Kaname and Naru. But they don’t strike me as being the types to blab about things this important. The Koob, however, I can vouch for. He’ll go down swinging to protect us, and I’ve seen him destroy a bus with his bare hands. You can definitely rely on him if no one else.”
“Naru shouldn’t be a problem,” said Usagi. “She might be a bit hapless, but we’ve been friends forever. She won’t do anything to hurt us.”
“So that just leaves Miss Chidori,” said Luna with a sigh. “Are you sure she won’t be the weak link, Mister Darkwood?”
“Positive. She was certainly raised with Japanese sensibilities, but she’s got American determination, too. Keep the faith with Kaname and no one will ever be able to pry it out of her. She’ll take it to the grave if she has to.”
Luna and the others grimaced. “I just hope it won’t come to that.”
I shrugged. “Mithril is looking out for her, so she should be fine.”

---

Last edited by Black Aeronaut on 05 Jun 2015 08:34, edited 1 time in total.

[Black Aeronaut]

Mamorou took Chibiusa home for the night - the caffeine crash having finally hit, she was passed out in his arms.  Tomorrow they would set things up with Usagi’s family with a bit of fudging from Chibiusa’s friend, Luna-P.
As for me, I finally picked up a decent cell phone equipped with a near-field chip so I could use it as an electronic wallet for the trains.  And buses.  And convenience stores.  And vending machines.  It could even be used for club memberships at large supermarket chains and department stores.  Pretty damn useful, really.
After that, I promptly went back home to the Hikawa Shrine.
“I’m home,” I said tiredly as I entered the living quarters of the shrine.
“Welcome home,” said Rei quietly from where she worked on her homework.  She then looked to me, cocking an eyebrow.  “You’re late.”
I sighed.  “It was a hell of an evening.  You won’t believe me if I told you everything, though.  Just call up Usagi - she’ll give you the whole scoop.”  I was just glad that I didn’t have any homework myself - looking ahead I made sure to do it all during study period.
“I see,” said Rei, her eyebrow still cocked at me.  “Your dinner is in the refrigerator in the kitchen.”
“Thank you,” I said as I made for the kitchen and began to reheat the meal - it happened to be tonkatsu with sweet ginger sauce.  My mouth was already watering.
“I thought about what you said this morning,” said Rei as I waited for the microwave to finish.  I looked to Rei, somewhat surprised as she continued working on her assignment.
“I really don’t want things to be bad between us,” I said nervously.
“I know,” said Rei.  “And when I thought about it today, I suddenly realized that I don’t want things to be that way, either.”  She then looked up at me sharply.  “But if I am what you really want, then you need to show me.  I am not about to settle for someone that makes half-assed overtures for my heart.”
I hardly heard the microwave beeping.  I could only stare at her in surprise.  Rei only looked at me.  And her expression said everything.
I dare you, said the Princess of Mars.  I dare you!  I dare you to make me fall in love with you!
“Daughter of Mars,” I intoned authoritatively.  “We have unfinished business.”
Rei got up so quickly that she nearly threw the kotatsu aside.
“Then let us finish it, Son of Coronis,” Rei said in a near-snarl.
##
We went to the courtyard without a word, both of us picking up our shinai and assuming ready stances.
“I’m not a kendo-ka, just so you know.”
“I’m not, either,” said Rei.
“Well, no compunctions then, Princess of Mars.”
Rei grinned back at me with bared teeth.  “No compunctions, Avater of Raven.”
And with a mutual shout, we went at each other, swinging our shinai in attacks and parries without any real thought about form.  We simply moved however felt natural.  More often than not, I was on the defensive as Rei crashed her practice blade against mine, making my hands sting with every impact - she was much more powerful that she appeared.
However, I did not simply act as a bulwark against her assaults.  I pressed her back, advancing against her even as she battered my defenses, and only making piercing, lunging attacks when I saw the openings for them.
“Do you think you can conquer me so easily?” Rei seethed as she evaded one of my lunging assaults.  However, the savage grin on her face belied her true feelings.
“Could I?” I countered as we began to circle each other, panting for breath.  “Mars never surrenders easy.  Mars never dies easy.  But conquest is overrated.  I do not want a cowed woman.  I want a woman with fire in her belly, who’s only reason for surrendering herself to me is the desire to stand with me as I build something great.”
“And what would you build?” Rei growled as she struck, throwing herself into the attack.  This time, I knocked the strike aside, casting away my own shinai with it and pulled Rei into my arms.
Of course, Rei didn’t give up there.  She pushed and knocked me off balance, but I rolled with it and landed over her, pinning her hands with my own over her head.
“I would build you a house on Mars.  Sturdy, comfortable, and able to last for generations of your children.”
I said it without really thinking.  But then, as I reflected on those words, I realized they rung true.  I really would build her a house, and it would be on her world of Mars.
“On Mars,” said Rei as her chest worked like a bellows.  “In your lifetime?”
“Yes.  In my life time.  And I will even dig you a garden there so you can have the smell of sweet flowers in your home every day.”
“A bold claim.  What is your strategy?”
“I’ll use whatever resources I find.  Your power, Mithril’s science, my ingenuity.  I don’t care.  One way or another, I will make it happen.”
“You haven’t thought this out very well,” she challenged.
“I only thought of it a few seconds ago,” I countered.  “In a year I’ll have things figured out.”
“Well then, you have direction and motivation.  So what are you waiting for Ezekiel.  You have me right where I want to be.”
I raised an eyebrow.  “Is that a wise course of action?  Because that’s not how I was raised.  In both lives.”
Rei glared at me.  “All I want from you is a kiss.  The rest of my body you will get when I feel you’ve earned it.  You already own my soul as is.”
“Your wish is my command, My Princess,” I said as I bent my head towards hers and closed my eyes.
Her lips were hot, damp, and salty with her sweat and saliva as they pressed hungrily to mine - it was like she wanted to devour me.  However, this seemed to be something that I hadn’t forgotten from my past life - it came back to me readily and she made a surprised sound as I gently bit her lip and sucked on it, but otherwise she did not complain.
If anything, in fact, she seemed encouraged as she suddenly pulled away and shoved me over onto my back, then rolled on top of me and began her own assault on my lips.
Our hands wrapped around each other - her caressing my face and feeling for my heart while I traced the outline of her sides and the curve of her spine.
Our breathe soon became hot and heavy as we pulled each other more closely together, but it was only once I noticed she had straddled me - highlighted by the humid warmth I could feel through her clothes down there - that I realized that we were starting to go too far.
“Rei,” I gasped as I gently pushed her up and broke our kiss.  “We need to stop here.”
Rei looked at me in mingled surprise and shock, and snarled as she suddenly punched the firmly packed earth next to my head.  She then huffed angrily as she rolled off me and sat off to my side.
I said nothing as I sat up myself.  I only looked at her, somewhat worriedly, as she stared off into the distance like as though she dearly wanted to set something on fire with her gaze alone.
“I’m not angry with you,” she finally said with a tense tone of voice.  “In fact, I’m glad that you stopped us.  That would have been monumentally stupid.  I can’t believe I let myself go like that.”
I sighed and scooted over to Rei and put an arm around her slim shoulders.  Rei sighed as well and leaned into me.
“It’s okay, Rei.  You’re a Princess of Mars.  You’re supposed to be hot-blooded.  And despite everything else, we’re only human.  We just have to be careful.”
We were silent for a while longer, watching the moon up in the sky as the clouds, highlighted by the light of the city around us, scudded by with little thought or concern for the world below.
“How long should we wait?” she asked.
I looked at Rei in mild surprise.  “I thought I hadn’t earned that right yet.”
Rei shot me a glare.  “I’m assuming you would by that time, you idiot.  So how long do you think we should wait?”
I sighed.  “Good question.  The hell of it is that I don’t think our grandparents would mind, really.  Though they’d probably prefer that we got married first.”
Rei rolled her eyes.  “Cheh.  Done and done already.”
I rolled my eyes as well and went on, “Well, to my knowledge, there’s no law barring marriage at our age, both in my home or here in Japan.  Just sex - I checked just to be safe: while individual states in the USA have differing age of consent laws, for citizens outside the USA it’s eighteen.  But a legally recognized marriage changes that.”
I then turned to look at Rei, who was observing me carefully in turn.
“Let’s wait until after we graduate high school at the very least,” I said.  “After all, you’re fire and I’m air.  We could easily burn each other out before then.  But if we can last for three years...”
“Then we can last for a lifetime,” finished Rei.
We fell into a comfortable silence after that - only the night sky and the buzz of the city to keep us company.  Even then, I could smell Rei as the sweat dried off her skin, and I could hear the steady sound of her soft breathing.  In fact, if I focused hard enough, I could even hear the steady rhythm of her heart.
It was such a hypnotic experience that I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew it, Rei had nudged me.
“Hoi, Zee-kun.  Don’t tell me you’re asleep.”  I blinked blearily and began to stretch and yawn.
“Sorry,” I apologized.  “So much has happened and it’s only been my third day of school so far.”
Rei snorted.  “No kidding.  Seriously, what’s next?  Invaders from outer space?”
“Oh fer crying out loud, don’t jinx it!  Bad enough they got that ASS-1 thing they’ve been trying to rebuild on Ataria Island.”
Rei actually looked a bit sheepish at that.  “Right.  And weird shit follows you.”  She then sighed and got up.  “C’mon, Zeke.  You never did eat that dinner.  And you’d better be grateful for it, because I made that meal myself.”
“If it was by your hands, then I’ll consider it my duty to devour it with relish.”
“What?  It shouldn’t be a duty!  Get back here, Zeke!”
##
“So, you finally made peace with Milady,” said Deimos as I entered my room.
I stopped just short of entering, because I saw that Deimos was in her human form, and waiting for me on my bed in a seiza position.  She seemed somewhat downcast.
“I have,” I said quietly and then crossed the threshold to my room.  I still needed to take a bath, so I had to get a change of clothes.
“I’m not going to give up!” said Deimos.  I paused, giving Deimos a long look, and decided to tease her a bit.
“I thought ravens are monogamous.”
“Lord Darkwood!” she snapped, shooting me a glare.
I smiled back.  “Just checking.”
“I’m not kidding around here, My Lord.”
I then sighed.  “Then let me be serious as well, Deimos.  As lovely as you are and as nice as you’ve been to me, I must consider Rei first.  You should know this - you helped perform the binding ceremony.”
“That doesn’t mean that I’m going to give up so easily!  If I have to, I will fight her for the right to bear your children!”
“Whoa!  Hold the phone!” I cried out in shock.  “Are you freaking serious?  Fight Rei?  Alias Sailor Mars?  Our Lady of Purifying Fire and War?  Fight her?  And while we’re at it, you sure that’s what Raven wants for you?  Because I’m pretty damn sure that Rei will turn you into a pile of ash, and Raven won’t have a damn thing to say about it because you picked that fight.”
Deimos was completely blindsided by my outburst.  At first she was surprised, then frightened, and then that slowly disolved into an expression of growing sorrow.  I was until the second after those last words left my mouth that Deimos burst into mournful wails and sobs, crying her eyes out.
“Oh Raven take it all,” I grumbled.
My shoji suddenly flew open.  “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?” demanded Rei, with Phobos perched on her shoulder.
Phobos took in the situation for only a second before she lept off Rei’s shoulder, assuming her human form as she softly landed and went to comfort her twin.
“Deimos!  What is wrong, sister?”
But Deimos would not say.  Rei and Phobos then turned to shoot glares at me, and I sighed heavily.
“Rei, please come inside and close the shoji.  I’ll explain what happened.”
And so I did.  And as I thought, Rei didn’t like it much.
“You traitorous little-” cried out Rei as she started to lunge for Deimos, but I stopped her with a single hand on her shoulder.  Rei gave me an absolutely venomous look.
“Rei.  Do not let your anger get the better of you.”
The look on Rei’s face softened somewhat - now she was merely angry instead of looking ready to rip someone’s guts out and use them to string her bow.
“Very well then,” she all but ground out before turning back to Deimos.  “Deimos.  Look at me.  As you master, I demand it.”  Hesitantly, Deimos complied, her face puffy and tear-stained.
“yes, milady?” she said meekly.
“Know this, my servant,” she began in an imperious voice, and then I knew without a doubt that she was channeling her past self, the real Princess Apparent of the Martian Throne.  “I have staked a claim on Lord Darkwood.  And I will permit none to have him until I have relinquished that claim.  The only way I would even consider allowing someone else the pleasure of his touch would be once I have become gravid with his child, and even then only as a pillow woman to comfort him while I am unavailable!”
That statement sent me rocking back on my heels.  But what happened next finished the job.
“Then I accept!” cried out Deimos desperately.
I toppled backwards, landing flat on my eyes.  Rei’s face went slack and wide-eyed.  And Phobos practically exploded - had she been in avian-form, my room would have been littered with her feathers.
“DEIMOS!  How can you debase yourself in such a manner, my sister!?  We are High Priestesses in service to our Great Father!”
“Then who better to bear the seed of His Avatar, sister?  Our Ladyship does have first rights to him, but if she is to permit someone else to be a comfort woman once her body is occupied by their child, then I will gladly have myself be first before all others!  Besides, I too would become with-child from Lord Darkwood.  It will be a blessing from Great Father in reward for our service to Him and His Avatar.”
“how can you be so certain of this unless... you didn’t... Deimos, you know the penalty for divining your future like that!”
“Aye.  And I welcome it in exchange for securing the future.”
“Penalty?” said Rei.  “What penalty?”
Phobos turned to Rei with a worried look in her eyes.  “My Lady, your confusion is understandable.  Normal divination done by those such as yourself only show hazy shadows of what might be.  They can always be misinterpreted, or even avoided if proper action is taken.  But this divination... it is absolute!  It shows what you wish to know, and if it is to come to pass, then it is absolute destiny!  The universe itself will conspire to bring it to pass.  But such a vision may only be granted once in a Coronian’s lifetime.  The reason for that is because of the cost of the vision - a second vision that clearly details the timing and events of your death.”
Rei gave Deimos a horrified look.  “You would go so far... to have a child with Zeke!?  But why!?”
Deimos gave Rei a strange look, almost as though she thought she was crazy... or at least, a bit ignorant.
“Do you honestly think that his qualities do not make him desirable as a sire Milady?  You cannot possibly say that you did not feel a stirring in your loins as you fought him earlier.”
Rei went as red as her Miko’s hakama.  “THAT’S NOT THE POINT!” snapped Rei angrily, much to Deimos’s peculiar delight.  She instantly subsided into worry, though, as she went on, “I mean... it is a horrible curse to know how you will die and not be able to change it.  How can anything be worth that?”
Deimos then gave Rei a small, sad smile.  “Because... our Great Father is not unkind to we, the faithful, when we ask of Him these visions.  My Lady... she will be beautiful and kind.  She will be a sister to your daughter, as I have been to mine.  They will not care who their real mother was.  Though they will be tried by fire and fall, they will become tempered and strong, and fly together on the wings of sisterhood they will forge.
“And knowing that, My Lady,” said Deimos, her voice beginning to crack and tears welling in her eyes despite the smile on her face, “I know that I can accept my fate, with peace in my heart and a smile on my face.”
##
Shortly after that, I went to take my bath while Rei and her familiars went to her room to hug things out.  I had finally settled into the water to relax when a familiar shape fluttered through the open window.
“Deimos!” I cried out in surprise.
“Nay,” said the raven as she took human form on the far end of the bath.  “Tis I, Phobos.”
I blinked at that.  “This isn’t like you,” I said.
“Don’t be so foolish.  While I do have feelings for you, they are nothing at all like my sisters.  I am for another.”
“And you coming in here is what, then?”
“My sister needed some time alone with our Ladyship.  I also felt the desire to come and confide in you, My Lord, and your nudity has no effect on me.”
I blinked at the Coronian girl.  “You know, coming from anyone else, that would sound like a challenge.”
“That is simply Rei’s influence over you.”
“Well, just keep that in mind if she happens to barge in here for some reason.  I think I saw her laundry in there, so she might come for it.”
“As I said, My Lord, I am not my sister.”
I sighed at her stubborn determination.  “Could have fooled me,” I muttered under my breath.  Aloud, I said, “Well, what’s on your mind, anyhow?”
“Nothing dire.  I simply wanted to thank you, My Lord, for being the kind person you are.  After everything that has happened, it is wonderful to simply have someone hold me like a child and tell me that everything will get better.  Especially when that person is a living and breathing embodiment of my faith.  It’s like waking up from a long and terrible nightmare and finding that all is right with the world.”
“You’re always welcome, Phobos,” I said mildly.  “In fact, if you ever do want a hug, just let me know.  I’m perfectly fine with that, and I think Rei is, too.  Just no shenanigans in the bed.  That really seems to piss her off.”
Phobos groaned at that.  “My sister is going to be the death of me, I just know it.”  I could only smile in response.  “Well, with all that said, My Lord, I shall be outside keeping watch.  In fact, I will be watching over you for the rest of the night, if you do not mind.”
“Not at all, Phobos.  I know you have a duty, and I’m not going to make it any more difficult on you.  Just make sure you get some sleep yourself.”
Phobos smiled.  “Plenty of time for that while you are at school, My Lord.  I’ll see myself out.”  And with a fluttering of black wings, Phobos disappeared through the window from whence she came.
I simply sighed and leaned back to enjoy the rest of my soak - peace at last!
##
Peace indeed!
It had been the most peaceful night I’d had since before school started, and I felt the difference that morning as I strode with a spring in my step down the stairs of the shrine.
Rei followed at a more sedate pace, but she seemed more at peace as well.  But even so, I felt the need to ask.
“Everything okay, Rei?”  Rei gave me a mildly surprised look, but then smiled as she answered.
“I’m fine, Zeke.  It’s just that... well, after last night I feel a little less stressed out... even if I didn’t get much sleep.  Deimos is really clingy.”
I snickered at that - I couldn’t help but find it funny how she had finally gotten a taste of what dealing with the free spirited Coronian girl was like.  Rei gave me a cocked eyebrow, but the wry grin on her face belied her annoyance.
“Of course, you would know,” she teased.
“Oh, Raven save me, she is relentless,” I groaned as I rolled my eyes at the memories.  “The worst part is that she’s turned it into a game - namely, Let’s See How Long I Can Snuggle Him Before He Wakes Up And Catches Me!”
Rei actually guffawed.  It probably didn’t help that I did that in a horrible imitation of Deimos when she was trying to act coy.
“I’m gonna have to have a talk with that girl about boundaries,” said Rei with a sigh.
“Save your breath,” I grumbled.  “Right now, I think the only thing that would stop her would be Raven himself... And I think he find it hilarious.”
Rei groaned once more.  “Fine.  In that case, I’ll have Deimos stay with me from now on.  Better that I be her victim than deal with the implications of her doing that with you every night!”

---

Commentary Thread ===> HERE!

[Black Aeronaut]

By the time I had arrived, Usagi had gotten there already.
Usagi.  Early.
Wonder of all wonders!
But once I got close the reason for her being there so early became clear.  Mamorou had arrived early with Chibiusa, and Usagi had to be roused out of bed in order for Luna-P to work her mojo of modifying memories and adding the hard evidence such as photographs without Usagi getting caught in it as well.
Fortunately, it seemed to have gone off without a hitch, and Usagi’s mother was busy getting Chibiusa (with subtle help from Luna-P) enrolled into the nearby elementary school.
And right at that moment, Usagi and Minako were sharing pictures on their cell phones of the whole incident with Ami and Makoto.
“Neh, neh!  Uncle Z!” teased Minako cheerfully.
I rolled my eyes and snorted at that.  “Not your uncle, that’s for sure.  Neh, Usagi?  You talked to them about what we’ll be doing about our friends?”
Like a switch had been thrown, Usagi was suddenly all business.
“Right,” said Usagi with a firm nod of her head.  “Girls?  We’re going to be letting the rest of our regular lunch group in on our secret.”
“You mean...” said Makoto in surprise.
“That’s right,” confirmed Minako.  “We’re going to tell them who we really are.”
“But how would they believe us?” wondered Makoto.
“That’s easy,” I said.  “Just transform.”
“What about Rei?” asked Ami.  “Does she know what we’re doing?”
“I already talked to her about it last night on the phone,” said Usagi.  “She was really surprised, but once I explained everything, she was fine with it.”
“So when are we doing this?” asked Ami.
“After school, at the shrine.”
I then saw Haruna-sensei come through the door, and the time for idle chit chat was over.
##
Before Haruna left at the end of first period, she advised us that she needed to see the class reps in the faculty office during lunch break.
So, rather than join our friends on the roof, in what was starting to become known amongst the rest of the student body as ‘The Junior Student Council’, Naru and I promptly arrived at the faculty office.
To our surprise, Kaname and Kubiak were there as well.
“Hey guys.  You know anything about all this?” I asked.
“Oh, Zee-kun!” said Kaname, greeting me with a smile.  “Not a thing.  Kubi-kun?”
Kubiak simply shrugged.  Oddly enough, I think the fabric of space warped to give him room to do it.
And people call me weird.
Suddenly, the teacher for Class 1-M, Eri Kagurazaka, stuck her head out the door and smiled cheerfully upon seeing us all present.
“Oh wonderful!  You’re all here already.  Please, come inside.”  And then she disappeared back into the staff room.
I looked to the others and shrugged.  “Well, here we go.”
We went inside, and found a somewhat crowded space of open cubicles packed with binders, books, and paperwork.  At a table at the end of the room, Haruna Sakurada and Eri Kagurazaka sat together and waved us all over.
“Hey everyone!” started Haruna-sensei.  “I’m sorry to bother you all during lunch, but Kagurazaka-sensei and I felt it was best to let you all know as soon as possible.”
Kagurazaka-sensei nodded her head vigorously.  “You see, our classes have been authorized to take a trip to Okinawa during winter break!  It’s gonna be Christmas in Paradise!”
“HEEEE-EEEEEHHHHH!” we all cried out in excitement - myself included!
“Winter break in Okinawa!?  That’s so COOL!” said Naru excitedly.  “Oh, I wonder if I’ll get to make some Winter memories with a cute boy!”
“Hoi, hoi!” said Haruna-sensei with a glare.  “The only ‘memories’ you’re thinking of had better be suitable for a family audience!”  We all broke out into nervous laughter while poor Naru-chan positively radiated embarrassment.
I made a mental note to watch myself around Rei.  The very idea of her in a swimsuit... the Senshi Seifukus were bad enough!
“At any rate, Miss Chidori?” said Kagurazakas-sensei.
“Yes?” answered the blue-haired girl.
“It shows in your student record that you were in charge of the class trip at your previous school last year.  Do you feel up to helping Zee-kun out since it’s his first time?”
“Not a problem at all, Sensei,” said Kaname with a smile.
“Wonderful!” said Haruna happily.  She then handed us both a sheaf of papers.  “That’s all the information the two of you need to get started.  If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask us.  Now go on, then!  You know what to do.”
##
“ARE YOU SERIOUS!?” boomed Usagi’s voice from the rooftop of Juuban Municipal High School.
Ami and Makoto pulled her back down to the rooftop before she could broadcast the rest of it to the entire neighborhood.
“Yes, dead serious,” I said with a sigh as everyone began to chatter animatedly.  “Although if you girls can keep it to yourselves until study period, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
“There is a downside to all this,” said Kaname.  “Everyone will need to pick a place of interest and write a report on it.  This will essentially be our homework over the break.”
“Mooouuuuu,” groaned Usagi.  “Whyyyyyyyy?”
“Because it would be a lot better than having to write it in English?” I hazarded.  Usagi flopped backwards as she spasmed in horror at the very idea, causing the rest of us to laugh.
##
We all converged on the shrine, everyone talking animatedly with each other.
The Senshi, minus Rei, plus Chibiusa.  (She had intercepted us while enroute.)
Naru, Kaname, Sousuke, The Koob...
And me.
Of course, we met Rei at the stairs to the shrine.
She looked us all over, made a double-take at Chibiusa, and just shook her head, no doubt shaming herself for even being surprised by that development - especially after being told about it over the phone.
However, things wound up getting derailed the moment we set foot inside.
There stood a man in the entry way, waiting for us.
He wore a priest’s robes - plain, yet immaculate.
He was tall - at nearly two meters the man practically dwarfed me.
He was ancient - wrinkles and age lines adorned his face, and his hair had turned to a color like roughly machined steel, lending the old Japanese man an air that radiated wizened authority.
Upon entering the study, I was immediately taken aback as the elderly man locked his violet eyes upon me.
Wait, violet?
“Hmmmm...” he said the ancient man thoughtfully as he studied us all.  “What a lively collection of young people!” he then said jovially with a reedy, raspy voice.  “I am sorry to intrude, but I need to speak with Rei-chan.”
“What is this about, sir?” asked Rei cautiously.
“Ooooh!  Is that you, Rei-chan?  I see you still have your mother’s beautiful eyes.  Among other things.”
“Grandfather,” I said as I stepped forward.  “I mean no disrespect, but please understand how it must feel to return to one’s home and find a stranger there that speaks of you in such a familiar tone.”
“Eh?” said the old man.  “Rei-chan?  Who is this young fellow?”
“I’m sorry, but he has the right of it, sir,” said Rei, who was now starting to become officially weirded out by the situation.  “I don’t know who you are!”
“Oh!” exclaimed the old priest.  “Is that so!  I guess you wouldn’t remember then - the last time I saw you, you were barely a week old.  You were so tiny then, but now you’ve grown into such a beautiful woman!”
The old man paused as he suddenly saw us beginning to draw back - some of us even adopting defensive postures.
“No no no!” cried out the old man.  “Don’t be alarmed!  I am her mother’s Grandfather!  Katsuhito Masaki!”
“Great Grandfather?” said Rei in befuddlement, but then that quickly evaporated into anger.  “Why didn’t you ever come when Mother was dying!?”
“Oh, Rei-chan,” said Katsuhito morosely.  “I would have, but it was a very bad time.  Your mother, Risa, was not the only one to fall ill in our family.  At the same time, as fate would have it, my beautiful daughter, Kiyone, also passed away, leaving a widow and her young son behind.”
That immediately mollified Rei.  “I am sorry, Great Grandfather.  I had no idea.”
“It is in the past.  What’s important is now.  Rei-chan, I need to have a very important discussion with you in private.”
A private discussion?  With Rei?  Right away, a worst-case scenario of Rei being married off to some stranger flashed through my mind, so right away I stepped right up next to Rei and took her hand in mine.
“You may need to discuss it with both of us,” I said firmly.
“HEEEEEHHHHHHHH!?!?!” cried out all the girls behind us.
“ZEKE!” hissed Rei sharply at me as her face flushed, but she did not try to pull away from me.
But old man Katsuhito simply smiled.  “I see... do you happen to be Ezekiel?”
“I am,” I replied guardedly.
“Ah, just as well then.  You may come with us.  You’re a rather important person as well, and if what I’ve heard about you is true, then you’ll be a good fit together.  Especially if Rei-chan is anything like my little Risa.”
We all exchanged confused looks with each other and helpless shrugs.  No other way but forward, then.
“You guys go ahead and get situated,” said Rei.  “Zeke and I will be back with you as soon as possible.”
##
Once the shoji closed behind us, it was like Katsuhito had suddenly transformed.  His posture straightened and the look in his eyes crystallized.
This was no age-enfeebled old man.
“So,” he said in a more basso tone than before.  “You’re the Avatar of Raven.”
“And?” I said, feeling my hackles rise.
The old man chuckled.  “My people have feared your God forever.  Something about him spreading disorder amongst ordered systems.  Although, if the other nobles ever saw you, they’d wonder if they had the right person.  You’re smaller than my grandson, you see, and some would wonder if you would pose any real threat.  I know better, though - the biggest surprises often come in small packages.”
“What is going on here!?” snapped Rei.
Katsuhito smiled.  “Let’s sit down and I will explain, Rei-chan.”
Rei and I exchanged wary glances as we sat down.  Katsuhito produced cups of hot green tea, and then continued.
“There is a lot about the world you don’t know about,” began the old man.  “Although I suspect that you, Mister Darkwood, have been scratching the surface of that facade.”
“Oh, you’ve got no freaking clue,” I grumbled.
“Do I?” asked the old man amiably.  “Well, I guess I should start by showing rather than telling.”
And suddenly, it was as though he had become encased in a form-fitting hologram, and as it wiped away, so did it erase his age, leaving a vigorously youthful looking man with a kind expression and sharp violet eyes.
“My real name is Yosho Masaki Jurai.  Over seven-hundred years ago, I followed a dangerous criminal known as Ryoko down to what is now known as Okayama and I imprisoned her in a cave there.  However, I had found that I had no desire to return home, so I married a local girl and established a family.”
I let my head drop down to the table with a loud thunk and groaned at the implications.
“Is... something wrong, Mr. Darkwood?” asked Yosho.
“Oh, by Raven’s molting nutsack, is there ever,” I groaned without lifting my head.  “Your grandson’s name is Tenchi.  He woke Ryoko up, which brought your sisters, Aeka and Sasami into play, hence the incident with the Great Seto Bridge last year, and you also have a Galaxy Police detective named Mihoshi living there along with a mad genius named Washu who may be Mihoshi’s several-greats grandmother.”
“WHO ARE YOU!?” I heard Yosho snap angrily.
“A reincarnated soul that can use a god-awfully hard drink right now.  Green tea is not gonna fucking cut it.”
“ZEKE!” screeched Rei.  “What the hell is going on here!?”
I wanted to tell her exactly what was wrong.  But it just wouldn’t make any sense to her at all.  After all, why would it not make sense, the overall absurdity aside?  Their timelines had been like this probably before the Silver Millennium Empire had existed!  And yet, from my point of view, it was a blending of two...
OH HOLY FUCK!  THREE!?  No, FOUR!!!
FOUR MEDIA FRANCHISES!
Sailor Moon!
Full Metal Panic!
Tenchi Muyo!
Macross!
And the Full Metal Panic was a huge fucking blindspot for me because I’ve known Telly - Teletha Freakin’ Tesstarosa! - for most of my life!
HOLY FUCK, the pictures were now starting to come clear and I did NOT like what I was seeing!  And the best part of all was that this shit would be NORMAL for everyone!
Okay, Zeke, chill the fuck out.  Get yourself together, you stupid fuck.  You’re not gonna be the fuckup you were before.  You’re not gonna prove your step-dad from the bad old life that he was right about you.  You’re gonna GET IT THE FUCK TOGETHER AND GET YOUR SHIT IN GEAR!
MOTIVATE, SAILOR!
And then, with that thought, yet another tidbit of my past life slammed into place, locking itself irrevocably into my memories.
It all began with sharp cry of, “ATTENTION TO THE CREED!
“I am a United States Sailor.
“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me.
“I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me to defend freedom and democracy around the world.
“I proudly serve my country's Navy combat team with Honor, Courage and Commitment.
“I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all.”
Slowly my vision became clear...
...and found that Rei and Yosho were giving me wide-eyed looks of terror.  You know, the kind that says, “Oh my fucking god, I am in the same room as someone that has just completely fucking snapped.  I better stay the fuck still so he doesn’t notice me and fuck my shit up.”
I sighed heavily, then took a few deep breaths to help me get the shakes out.  That’s right, get that breathing under control.
“It’s okay,” I said slowly as I relaxed from Attention and sat back down at the table.  “I’m... I’ll be okay.”
“What was that you were saying before?” said Rei, not sure if she should be angry or worried.
“That was the Sailor’s Creed,” said Yosho with much more calm than Rei.  “It is one of the first things new recruits are taught in the US Navy.”  Yosho’s eyes narrowed at me.  “You are far too young for that, though, and you spoke it like a true sailor of the US Navy.”  He didn’t even need to add on the question - it was implied by the very expression on his face.  Besides, he’d already asked before.
“I already told you,” I said in a low tone of voice that clearly stated I wasn’t going to accept any more guff on anyone’s part.  “I’m a reincarnated soul.  If that’s too hard to accept, then the door’s over there.  You want to make something of it, then that God your people are so afraid of will only be too happy to reach through me and take you to school.  You want to just accept it and move on, then I’ll be happy to sit here, drink tea, and discuss the matter with you.”
The Juraian Prince studied me for a moment, then lifted his cup, took a long, slow sip, and set it back down again.
“Mr. Darkwood, I am relatively young by the standards of the Royal Family of Jurai - not even nine-hundred years old yet!  And yet I have seen enough strange things in my time that I am more than willing to accept that at face value.
“That said, how does that pertain to you having such intimate knowledge?”
“That would be a better question for me to answer!” piped up a young and cheerful sounding voice behind me.
“GYAH!” cried out Rei as she suddenly tried to become one with the wall.
“Washu-chan!?” cried out Yosho.
I spun around and there she was, just out of nowhere.
A sprightly twelve year old child stared with a set of gorgeous green eyes which sat under a massive volume of outrageously red hair, styled in a fashion that made it look like she had a crab on top of her head.
The one and only.
Accept no substitutes.
Washu Hakubi.
Self-proclaimed greatest genius in the galaxy - and she wasn’t just bragging about it, either.
“Holy shit, I never thought I’d ever get to meet you,” I said.
Washu’s face lit up in glee.  “Well that’s a refreshing change!  Normally when I show up people run away screaming or they can’t believe I’m me!”
I raised an eyebrow at the tiny woman.  “Well, putting on the whole lolita schtick doesn’t exactly do wonders in that department.”
“Heee-eeehh?” said Washu as she cocked an interested eyebrow in my direction.  “I think we got ourselves a live one here, Yosho!”
“I have no idea of what to make of him anymore,” commented the Prince.
“Avatar of Raven,” I reminded him, sotto voiced.
“... That still doesn’t help.”
“Zeeeeeeeeke,” hissed Rei, still plastered to the wall.
“It’s okay Rei,” I told her.  “Washu-chan is relatively harmless as long as you don’t anger her.  And on that note, always call her Washu-chan - she likes being treated like a cute girl.”
“Got it in one, pal!” said Washu as she thumped me on the back.
“OOOF!  Oi, I know I’m a big boy and all, but try not to break my back!  It’s the only one I got.”
“Pansy.”
“Can we please get to the point,” said Yosho with long-suffering patience.  “Why are you here, Washu-chan?”
Rei slowly unstuck herself from the wall and cautiously approached while Washu went into lecture mode.
“I’m so glad you asked!  Zeke, here, is a bonafide avatar, just like he said.  And, just as he said as well, he’s also a reincarnated soul!”
“And what does that have to do with his knowledge?” asked Yosho.
“Easy.  Transfictionality.”
“Trans-what?” asked Rei.
“Hmmm... Time for a remedial lesson!”  And then suddenly, we were all sitting at classroom desks while Washu stood in front of a whiteboard with the legend ‘Washu-chan’s Transfictionality for Dummies!’
Rei cried out in alarm, but before she could say anything else, I hissed a warning at her.
“Harmless!  Remember?  Just roll with it!”
Rei shot me a look that came somewhere between annoyed and alarmed, but otherwise nodded and turned her attention back to Washu.
“Alright, everyone seated?  Let’s begin!”
I won’t bore you with the details.  Essentially, what it all boiled down to was this: with an infinite number of universes out there, that meant that there was an infinite number of possible outcomes for an infinite number of events.  With that said, it is entirely possible that the events that take place in one universe is a fictional comedic drama in another.
“And Zee-kun’s soul came from such a universe where we’re all fictional characters!  Granted, some of the details may not be wholly accurate to him, but for the most part things probably seem weirdly familiar.”
“Yeah, no kidding there,” I grumbled.
“Now, does anyone have any questions?” asked Washu.
Rei raised her hand and Washu called on her.  “Why are you even here?”
“Ah!  Good question!” said Washu happily ans she suddenly stuck a gold star by Rei’s name on the whiteboard.  “I appreciate that in a student!”
Suddenly, the classroom environment disappeared and the four of us were suddenly sitting around the table once more, all with full glasses of steaming green tea.
And yes, I definitely noticed that there was an extra one for Washu.
“The honest truth is,” began Washu in an unusually sober tone, “that I was curious about Zee-kun here.  It’s kind of hard not to notice when a 12-Dimensional being reaches down and takes control of a 4-Dimensional being like one of us, here.  It’s such a rare thing!  And the most alarming part about it is that there’s simply no way to predict something like that - you don’t even know that it’s gonna happen until it’s actually happening.
“So as you can imagine, there’s very little knowledge about how this sort of thing works.  And this sort of research is exactly what I study - when I noticed what was going on, that was like bacon in a frying pan!
“Now, before I go on here, I need to ask you something just to be sure, Zee-kun.  Do you know about Sasami and Tsunami?”
I nodded.  “Yes.  In essence, Tsunami has assimilated Sasami into her being, so she’s slowly becoming the Goddess herself... she’s how old now?”
“Fourteen.”
“She’s already had her menarche, right?”
“ZEKE!” cried out Rei.
“It’s relevant,” Washu chided her gently.  “And the answer is yes - about six months ago.”
I nodded thoughtfully.  “And that’s quickened the process so something that would have taken decades in an adult will only take a few years for Sasami-chan.”  I then paused as I had a horrifying thought.  “The same thing isn’t happening to me, is it?”
“That’s what I was curious about myself,” said Washu.  “The short answer?  Probably not.  I’ve looked at APO Localization Charts for you and Raven - and let me tell you, for being such a showoff, that guy is not too keen on having his picture taken.  While you two do show signs of an assimilation process starting... it never really got anywhere.  However, it is enough that through this connection that Raven is able to reach through and... well, not really control you, but strongly influence your thoughts and feelings.  It’s also how you’re able to gain a measure of his power.
“Oh, and just so you know, you and the little fire princess there share a similar bond.  What have you been up to, you kinky little boy?”
“She angered Raven.  The only way to keep Raven from taking her soul was to have two of his High Priestesses perform a soul-bonding on us by my request and Rei’s permission.”
Washu quirked an eyebrow.  “And you knew the consequences going into it?”
“More or less.”
The scientist blew and impressed whistle.  “You got guts, kid, doing that with someone you barely know.  At least from what I can tell of your APO Localization Charts you two are compatible enough that there won’t be any destructive resonance cascades - that’s always a huge risk factor.
“So, have you noticed any side affects?”
“I get a measure of her power whenever she transforms into Sailor Mars.”
Washu blinked.  “Sailor Mars?  You don’t mean...”  And then Washu exploded into raucous laughter.  “Oh, by the Golden Ratio!  And I even called her ‘fire princess’ just a moment ago!  HA-HAAAH!”
“Washu-chan, what is the meaning of this?” asked Yosho.
Washu cackled once more.  “Oh Yosho-kun, you’re just gonna love this.  Your Great Granddaughter here is the reincarnation of the Princess of Mars from the Silver Moon Empire!”
“WHAT?” cried out the Juraian prince.
“Oh, it gets better,” I said, grinning maliciously at his sudden discomfiture.  “You happen to notice the cute little blonde with the chinese-style twin-tails?  She happen to look familiar?”
“Oh...  Oh no...  You don’t mean...”
“Yup.  Princess Serenity herself, in the flesh.  And all her generals are here.  Although Uranus, Neptune, Pluto are lying low for the time being.  On the other hand, Saturn is just about to arrive to the party.”
Yosho’s eyes widened and his pupils contracted down to the size of theoretical particles.
“Ah, Zee-kun,” said Washu a bit nervously.  “You said ‘Saturn’, right?  Like, destroyer of worlds because she looked at me funny Saturn?”
“She’s not that bad,” I said a bit testily.  “Hotaru-chan is an absolute sweetheart.  If her father winds up dying in this time line, then I’m gonna adopt her and make sure she feels loved and cherished.”
“WHAT!?” said Rei suddenly.  “You can’t adopt a kid!”
“Well, maybe not technically, but the Japanese are god-awfully weird about kids being able to decide their own situations.  Once I get my own place I can probably have her live with me and not a single person would bat an eyelash as long as she looks healthy, acts properly, and gets good grades.”
“Don’t you mean us!?” snapped Rei.
I turned to her and smiled as I felt warmth blossom in my chest.
“You’ll always be welcome to stay with me, Rei.”  I then leaned over to Rei and whispered in her ear, “Would you want to share a room with Hotaru-chan?  She really is adorable and very pleasant to have around.”
Rei’s eyes goggled.  “DON’T DECIDE THINGS LIKE THAT FOR ME!”
“Well, criminy, Rei.  I gotta ask so I know whether to look for a place that has two bedrooms or three.”
Rei rocked backwards.  “You’re serious!?”
“Dead serious,” I confirmed.
“Ah, I hate to break the flow of the conversation here,” said Yosho suddenly.  “But... Princess Serenity?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Worrying, ain’t it?”
Washu cackled.  “That’s putting it mildly.”
“This may seem a bit unorthodox but... may I... speak with her?”
I shot a look over to Rei, who turned her nose.  “Do whatever you want.”
I reached over and gave her hand a squeeze.  “You’re thoughts do matter.  She’s your friend, too.”
Rei glared at me for a short moment, but the look slowly lost its heat as she realized that I meant what I said.  She then turned back to Yosho, with the heat cranked up to BROIL.
“You may talk to her if you wish, but don’t you dare make her feel bad or else I’ll never forgive you, Great Grandfather!”
Yosho held his hands up defensively.  “Of course not!  Of course not!  I just want to figure out what her intentions are.”
I scoffed at that.  “You might be in for a surprise.”
##
We got the introductions out of the way fairly matter-of-factly.  Prince Yosho, Crown Prince of the Empire of Jurai, meet Princess Serenity, Crown Princess of the Silver Moon Empire.
And then we had to wade through all the usual outrage, shock, and general what-the-actual-fuck.
Finally, though, Yosho did manage to ask Usagi what her intentions were.
Usagi, for her part, blinked cutely.  “What do you mean?  I just want to get high school and college out of the way so I can hurry up and get started on this little cutey here!”
And with that, Usagi glomped onto Chibiusa, promptly inciting an aggrieved cry of “mmMOOOooooOOOHHhhhMMM!”
Yosho gave Usagi a surprised look.  “You mean you have no intentions of reestablishing the your empire?”
Something behind Usagi’s eyes clicked.  When she spoke, it was not exactly as an Empress-Apparent making a decree.  Rather, she was speaking as an eloquent and kindly stateswoman.
“Prince Yosho, your concern is not misplaced.  I understand how disconcerting it would be for the Empire of Jurai.  You can lay your fears to rest, though.  I would only resurrect my Empire if it were actually need it.  I would prefer to let the dead rest in peace.  What we have here on Earth now is good enough.”
“And may I ask what would constitute a need for your Empire’s return?”
“The immediate and imminent threat of all life in this star system being suddenly and irrevocably snuffed out.”
Yosho paled at the thought.
Usagi went on, “At that point, it will likely be only my power that is capable of averting such a disaster - that and the power of my allies.  I do not know what I would do without them.  And that includes Ezekiel - he has already stopped us from a foolish act once recently.  I know that we can count on him to do so yet again in the future.”
Usagi then suddenly gave me such a loving look that I actually felt embarrassed.  Don’t look at me like that!  You’re not my mom!  You’re not even my sister!
Chibiusa could only giggle and mention something about her mom managing to make Uncle Z go all red again.

---

Commentary Thread ===> HERE!

[Black Aeronaut]

Yosho reapplied his disguise and left us with a promise that he would get back to us once he knew how the Imperial Council wanted to handle this development.
With his departure, the rest of the Junior Student Council was brought in along with Sousuke.
Kaname was the first to find her voice. “So, anyone of you guys wanna clue the rest of us into whatever the hell was going on?”
I then looked to the girls, who all wore sheepish looks on their faces.
I sighed. “Girls, you might as well just show them. It’s the quickest way.”
Usagi exchanged somewhat nervous looks with her friends and comrades, then finally nodded her head.
“Zee-kun’s right. It’s best not to drag this out.”
And with that, the four of them all withdrew their henshin sticks and Usagi pulled out her broach, and then called out their transformation phrases.
In a brilliant flash of rainbow light, Usagi and the girls had become the Sailor Senshi right before our eyes.
“...WHAT!?” cried out Kaname. “YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! YOU FIVE ARE THE SENSHI!?”
“Hmph! I thought as much!” said an older voice as the shoji slid open and Hino-sensei entered.
“GRANDFATHER!?” cried out Rei in surprise.
“Hoo boy,” I grumbled.
“But how did he know?” wondered Ami.
The old man chuckled. “How could I not know? Rei’s mother wasn’t the only person who was spiritually gifted. That comes through my side of the family as well! Her father could have been a great priest like myself, but he was lured away by money and power. So now the combined birthright of the Hino and Masaki families both fall on my Rei-chan. Did you honestly think that I would not keep a careful eye her? That I would not painstakingly steward her upbringing once she came to me?”
Hino sensei came into the room proper with yet more green tea and enough glasses for everyone. He set the tray down and then took a seat himself, asking us to join him in a gruff, yet polite tone as he began to pour the tea and pass it out.
“I apologize, Darkwood-san,” continued Hino-sensei. “I had ulterior motives myself when I proposed that you stay here with us. It had been my hope that maybe, just maybe, something might spark between you and my beloved granddaughter. I had hoped that you might help her settle down. Few things make a young woman reconsider her future like a love prospect.”
Rei suddenly exploded from her seated position, glaring down at her grandfather. No words needed to be said.
However, Hino-sensei simply glared right back at her. It was a battle of wills between the two - almost like some weird, metaphorical game of chicken to see who would flinch first as they stared each other down. Daring each other. Demanding nothing less than total victory.
In the end, though, a detente was reached. Rei slowly and decorously seated herself in a manner befitting a Japanese woman of noble birth, all while glaring daggers at her grandfather.
This was not over by a long shot.
Without any further preamble, Hino-sensei began with me.
“You, young man, are the Avatar of Raven, almighty manager of life cycles in everything from the lowest insects to the mightiest civilizations. All are rendered to dust and born again under his gaze.
“You young ladies are the reborn princess and her body guard of a bygone era. If you so choose, you may reinstate an Empire so long ago lost that no record known to Earth remains.
“You, boy, are a child soldier who now works with a group who sees themselves as champions of justice, and rightfully so. You have seen and done things few would even imagine, and it has scarred you. Perhaps irreparably.
“Miss Chidori, Mister Kubiak, you two are under the protection of this organization, though for reasons that remain unclear. Though I wonder what those reasons may be, perhaps it is for the best that we do not know.
“This leaves you Miss Osaka. But your involvement is simple enough. You are a long time friend of Miss Tsukino. It is only natural that they would reveal everything to you.
“Now then, everything is out in the open,” said Hino-sensei. “Are there any more questions for me from anyone besides Rei-chan?” No one said a single word. You could even hear the gentle creaking of the wood timbers as the building shifted ever so imperceptibly. “Good then. Rei-chan, I will speak with you later tonight. For now, settle your accounts with your friends. I have work to do.”
With nothing further to add, Hino-sensei got up and left.
“Well, that just happened,” I grumbled, at a loss for anything else to say.
“So... okaaayyyy,” said Naru slowly. “What now?”
Rei sighed. “We try and live as normally as possible. The only difference now is that you guys know everything.”
“But why tell us?” said Kaname.
“Because we’re their friends,” said Kubiak, his voice reaching Peter Cullen levels of reverberation. “And I definitely want us to stay friends.” He then looked shyly to Makoto and turned pink.
I had to hold back a laugh as Makoto did the same.
“Well, Zee-kun did bring up something that I think we should all discuss,” said Rei.

##

In short order, several processes were hammered out by which we could handle emergency situations, such as monster attacks and real threats to Kaname and Kubiak.
Afterwards, we bumrushed through our homework cooperatively, and then said our goodbyes with the promise to meet up again as a regular study group.
As they all left, Rei sighed as she slumped over the table.
“Now I think I’m starting to understand why you feel so stressed out lately. This has been simply absurd!”
I sighed as well as I slumped down on the opposite side of the table.
“You’re telling me?” I grumbled in good natured sarcasm. “I think we could use a break. Wanna just do something tomorrow?”
Rei didn’t react right away. When she did though, it was in a cautious tone of voice.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well...” I sighed. No more pussyfooting. “Look, if we’re gonna do this, then let’s do this. No messing around. Dive into the deep end. Carpe diem, you only live once, and all that nice shit. Let’s act like a couple for once and just see how it feels.”
Rei looked up and gave me a calculating look. And then suddenly, she smiled victoriously.
“Well, it’s about time then. What would you like to do?”
“How about just a bit of shopping around. I noticed you have a flier for a new cosmetics store that just opened up.”
Rei blushed. “I didn’t think you’d like that sort of thing.”
I shrugged. “I’m not turned off by light makeup. It’s the plastic girls that really like to cake the shit on that gross me out. I feel like I could get some sort of poisoning just being that close to that much makeup.”
“Ew,” said Rei as she scrunched up her face in disgust. “Your point is taken. But are you sure you’re fine with that?”
“Of course I’m sure. Despite how I look, I’m much more mature than most other guys my age. You can try on different things and pick my brain - I’d love to see you trying on different outfits. You’re gorgeous enough anyhow that you’d have a hard time looking bad by mistake.”
Rei positively fluoresced, and for once she didn’t seem terribly upset by it.
“Stop that! It’s not like you gotta brag about it.”
I simply smiled at her and let that be my subtle rebuttal.

##

While Rei had decided to have it out with her Grandfather in an epic bitch-fest that was audible clear across the shrine (and by Raven’s third leg, those were some colorful insults I would have to make use of later), I decided I was going to take my bath.
Or at least, I was going to.
Right up until I slid open the door leading into the bath proper...
...And found Deimos in her human form, languidly lounging in the tub, and wearing only a shower cap.
“Ah, Lord Darkwood,” she said coyly as she looked me up and down, since all I was wearing was a bath towel. “I see you wanted to join me.”
I slid the door shut again and promptly left the bath. As tempting as that was, I did not need that kind of trouble on top of everything else!
I’ll just wait for Rei to take hers.

##

School was my reprieve from chaos.
Wonderful order was instilled. Knowledge was freely given, even it not freely accepted. I drank it in like a sponge.
Though sometimes Haruna-sensei would get it in her head to have me practically teach half of the English class for her. Not that she slacked off or anything - she stood by and watched the proceedings like a hawk... if a hawk could do so while looking more like a red robin.
Lunch finally arrived, though, and then it was like we had all entered a bubble of my strange life once we made it to the roof top.
“Neh, Zee-kun?” asked Ami.
“Hm?” I answered around an egg salad sandwich - only one of four in my lunch.
“That night of the... Misunderstanding,” said Ami, the capitalization plainly audible and her cheeks flushing at the memory of that night. “How were you able to cast that black fire, let alone those plasma bolts? By my estimations, you were generating at least one-hundred megawatts of power!”
“Eh, is that a lot?” asked Usagi cluelessly.
“It’s enough to power your house for several years,” answered Kubiak.
“I’m rather curious about that myself,” said Sousuke. “If that is something you can do on a regular basis, it could prove to be indispensable.”
This... could be a problem, I thought to myself with a growing sense of doom. I know that Rei wanted to keep our soul-bond under wraps where possible - she never said as much, but I knew it without a doubt.
Briefly I fingered my new cell phone. I could text her to see what she wanted to do. She should have been having lunch right about then anyhow. But I didn’t want to raise any suspicion among the others, and besides, I was honestly loath to bother Rei while she was at school.
But then I remembered something from Pokemon, of all things. One of my favorites, Lugia, had an exclusive move known as Aeroblast - about half the striking power of Hyper Beam, but without the charging phase. Fan speculation was that Lugia would compress air until it achieved spontaneous fusion from the heat and pressure, and then let it go in an assault that laughed off petty things like main battle tank armor.
“Well, the thing is that my own power, my ‘ki’ if you will, seems to be air elemental. I never really did much with it because I never saw much use. I can’t take credit for the plasma attack - that was Raven’s idea to super-compress atmospheric air until it turned to plasma. But I don’t think I have the power to do it on my own. It kinda takes a lot to keep a star - even one that size - under control.”
“Ah,” replied Ami. “You mean you need Raven’s presence in order to be able to do that.”
The others paled, though Kaname simply looked confused.
“Ah, guys? What’s so bad about that?”
“Raven,” said Sousuke carefully, “is rather... unpredictable.”
I snorted at that. “That’s putting it mildly.”
Kaname blinked at this revelation, then turned to Usagi and asked,
“Was it really that bad?”
“Eh, yes and no,” replied Usagi with a sickly, nervous grin. “I think Raven is the sort of guy who has people’s best interests in mind... but only as he sees them. He trapped my friends and I in a wall of creepy looking black fire to keep us from getting in his way. We were all right, but it was really scary.”
Kaname shot me a glare, but I knew at least that it was not for me, personally.
“Well, if I ever meet that bozo, I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind!”
“Oh please don’t!” I said in horror. “Raven fucking loves it when someone gets pissy with him. Besides, you gotta remember that you’re dealing with a God. I don’t just mean a spirit like in Shinto, but an actual, bonafide, phenomenal-cosmic-powers GOD.”
Kaname looked around and saw us all nodding.
She then smiled nervously. “Well, when you put it that way, maayyybbeeee I should just let the sleeping dog lie.”
Naru simply hung her head and sighed. “Why do I feel like the only normal one here?”
“Sorry, Naru-chan,” I said sheepishly to my classmate. “But don’t worry - being the normal person has it’s perks. Besides, if we all got arrested somehow, I’m sure you’d be right there with us saying, ‘Wow! That was FUN!’”
I ducked a swing from Naru which set everyone laughing.

##

After a refreshingly normal day at school, I returned home...
Home, I thought to myself as I stood at the foot of the steps and look up at the shrine perched on the hill top. I never even thought that I would come to call this home. Up until recently, it’s always been ‘The Shrine’ to me. Weird to think of it like this not even one month after I got here. But... I then thought about Rei, how she fought me so much... and then that night.
Courtship.
There was no other word for it. All this time, Rei and I had been courting each other, and not really realizing it.
But then, Rei is the Princess of Mars. And if her Mars is anything at all like Barsoom, then it would come as no surprise to me that courting the Martian Princess involves battles of wits and martial aptitude.
A familiar presence grazed my mind, and an unwelcome voice whispered in my ear.
You have the right of it, boy. Amongst all the eligible young women in the Moon Kingdom, none was more difficult to win than the hand of the Martian Princess. She is supposed to be so well versed in tactics, strategy, and fighting arts that it is a rare man indeed that can hold her attention for long. Granted, she does not yet have access to all that past knowledge, and she might never will, but the pride that went with it is still there. You should feel honored, boy, even if she has grievously overstepped her bounds in the past.
I grimaced at the intrusion. Buzz off, old bird. I don’t want info dumps I probably won’t need.
Oh? replied Raven coyly. Then perhaps some advice: duck.
Years of experience has taught me, if Raven tells you to duck and sounds amused, you’d damn well better duck.
“Not bad,” I heard Rei say just over my head. I looked up and found her in a follow-through pose of what would have been a truly devastating hay-maker punch to the back of my head. “I was almost worried you wouldn’t have noticed - you seemed spaced out there.”
“Actually, I was kinda distracted,” I grumbled. “The old bird had something to say to me.”
“Is that so?” said Rei, a look of mild concern crossing her face.
“Nothing important. Just stuff about courtship rituals of Martian royalty.”
“What about it?” she asked, glaring daggers at me.
“We seem to have reenacted it the other night when we fought each other to a standstill.”
Rei gave me a surprised look. “What? Beating the hell out of each other is considered a date!?”
I shrugged. “Warrior society. And a Princess in such a society would have extremely high standards. Her body and her hand is not for just any man.”
Rei sighed. “Whatever. It’s done. I just want to do something normal for a change.”
“Of course. Want to take a few minutes to get changed?”
Rei nodded. “I think it’s about time I put those dresses my dad keeps giving me to work. You better not disappoint in that department yourself.”

##

When I got to my room, I found that there was a large package in my room. Checking the packaging manifest, I discovered that it was my workstation and satellite phone for Mithril.
“WHOAH. Cool!” I exclaimed.
“What is it?” came Rei’s voice drifting through the wall. I blinked at that, surprised that she would do something like broadcast her voice intentionally. But then again, here in the living quarters there was no one else but her Grandfather.
“That Workstation from Mithril arrived today.”
“Don’t tell me you’re gonna set it up now!” she cried out, a hint of exasperation in her aggrieved voice.
I made a sour look at that. “Of course not, that can wait until after our date.”
“Good answer. So, what do you think?” I turned around and Rei stood there, wearing a very classy looking white sundress with a matching set of modest looking pumps.
“Wow,” was all I could say.
Rei’s smile communicated everything she needed to say.

##

“Oh, if father only knew!” said Rei gleefully as we strolled amongst the store fronts.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, he always gives me these dresses, probably in hopes that I’ll use them to catch a respectable oji’s attention. I wouldn’t be surprised if my hand in marriage was some ace-in-the-hole for his political schemes.” Here, Rei used the Japanese word for ‘Uncle’, which, in local parlance, can be used to respectfully address a man who is older than you - say, the same relative difference in age between you and your parent. The way she sneered as the words left her mouth was highly indicative. Rei then looked over at me and grinned viciously. “He would probably have a heart attack if he found out I was dating a ‘filthy gaijin’ and wearing one of his dresses no less.”
I nearly gagged. “Are you serious?” I said. “Using you like that... That’s just so... Raven’s Balls, I want to kill him now!”
Rei gave me a searching look. “Let me try something here.” She then cleared her throat and then spoke in a deeper, authoritative tone, “You must be careful of your chastity, Rei-chan. Nothing is more valuable to the man who I choose to be your husband than the fact that your maidenhood is intact when you marry him.”
I gave Rei a horrified look. “That fucking pig!” I cried out in English. But I didn’t stop there. “What in the fucking nine circles of hell is that bastard’s damage!? And I definitely mean ‘bastard’ because evidently that fuck-shit doesn’t know his own father from a gigolo!”
Rei suddenly exploded into laughter and I looked to her in wide-eyed amazement. Did she actually understand what I was saying?
She then grinned at me and said, “Surprised? I may not speak English very well, but my ears are fluent in it. I haven’t made it to the top five in my school for nothing. Even if Ami would systematically destroy everyone if she went there.”
That broke me, and I snorted as I grinned and shook my head.
“Ah, here it is,” said Rei. “Eregens’ Shopu Otofukuya.”
I gave Rei a small grin. “We’ll have to work on your accent a bit, but you seem to have it down.”
Rei gave me a displeased look and shoved me inside the store.
“Irasshaimase!” greeted the woman at the counter. She had brown hair cut in a tomboyish bob that worked rather well for her, with her face and eyes expertly made up. As we approached, through, her eyes went wide in amazement as she got a better look at Rei. Suddenly, the woman seemed to teleport from behind the counter and seized Rei by the wrist.
“This is amazing! I have never seen such fine bone structure in my entire existence! Imagine how irresistible you would be using a complete line of our fine products!”
“Ah, Ma’am, that won’t be needed,” said Rei. “My boyfriend and I only came to look.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! No matter how gifted you may be, you can always look better with heavy makeup.” It was like getting a wiff of something foul smelling. And as I looked at the woman carefully, I could see that she was indeed wearing a heavy layer of makeup.
With a quick jab, I separated the woman’s hand from Rei’s wrist.
“Lady, I don’t think she’s interested.”
Suddenly, to my surprise, and that of everyone else in the shop, the woman grabbed me by the lapels and pulled me up to her face. I wanted to hit her, but I decided to restrain myself - I’d already been walking a fine line in how I separated her and Rei.
“How can you, as her boyfriend, say that!?”
“It’s no lie,” I allowed, much to her own surprise as she reared back. “Certainly, she can make herself more attractive with makeup. But what if I married her? Would she be wearing that makeup to bed? She’s not wearing any right now, and I can honestly say that I would love to wake up to a face like that every morning.”
“HEEEE-EEEHHHH!!!” cried out all the other women in the shop. You could practically see the hearts in their eyes.
The makeup woman suddenly snarled and actually threw me against a shelf, nearly knocking it over, and sending jars to the floor, shattering all around us. The rest of the patrons began to scream and fled the shop hastily.
“Now look at what you made me do!” raved the makeup woman. “Now I have no choice!” Suddenly, there was a powder puff in her hand. With a blur of motion, she batted it all over her face and her appearance suddenly shifted.
Gone was the clean-cut cosmetician.
In her place was a blue-skinned, green-haired woman with eyes somewhere between gray and violet, and a fat, rectangular, red gemstone mounted into the middle of her forehead. She was wearing a navy-blue sweetheart-bodycon dress with matching opera gloves, and hosiery in the ugliest shade of green you can imagine. Even more ridiculous was the bust of her dress looking like a 3-color makeup compact, and her headgear that looked like the top of a perfume atomizer.
“THE FUCK!” I cried out at the sheer absurdity. She then grabbed the squeeze bulb of her atomizer hat. I didn’t stick around to see what it would do to me. Instead, I grabbed Rei and dove for cover. Not a moment too soon, either, as the area I’d been standing had been suddenly melted down to slag.
“Rei!” I hissed quietly as we began to sneak around, knowing that the freakish woman was going to be looking for us. “Go get the others!”
“Why me?” she hissed back indignantly as she followed me in the game of cat and mouse. “I can fight her!”
“You got the senshi communicator. That’ll get them here faster than my phone!”
“But what about you!?”
I grabbed my arrowhead pendant in answer. “I got an ace. Besides, you can find a safe spot and transform. Also, I only get your fire element while you’re Sailor Mars anyhow. So the sooner you do that, the better my odds are.”
“Fine,” she snapped. And then she pulled my head over and gave me a fiercely brief kiss. “Don’t you dare die to a clown like that. It will be an insult to me.”
“Your wish is my command, milady. I’ll distract her, you go.” I then yanked off my pendant and handed it to Rei.
Rei nodded as she accepted it, knowing what I was tasking her with - should the old bird decide he wants to stick around, Rei would find it easier to handle him because Raven wasn’t gonna chance loosing a priestess like Rei, past offenses or none.
As the pendant left my hand for hers, I felt Raven’s power flow into me... but nowhere nearly as much as before, and his presence was notably absent this time.
Not joining in on the fun? I thought.
Oh, don’t concern yourself with me, boy, came back the God’s thoughts. I’m watching to see just what you’ll do with a bit of power on your own.
Fine by me then. Now, how did you do this before?
Raven chuckled softly in the distance. He wasn’t telling, not that I expected him to. While his lips may run free, it was only to stir things up. If staying silent puts someone on the spot, then old feather duster from hell clam up harder than Davy Jones’s Locker.
Reluctantly, I thought back to a time when I was young and unknowing - to a time where, despite my ignorance, I was not quite naive anymore; my heart was already wounded, and my scars were still so painfully fresh.
They had come for me. Hired thugs of a Mexican cartel. How they had gotten into the States was beyond me, even now. But they came for me, found me, and had taken not only me, but my precious friend, Teletha, as well.
These people were absolute scum. The worst of the worst. They took whatever they wanted. And for some of them, age didn’t matter much. As far as they were concerned, if it had two legs and was female, then she was fair game.
I thought back to how it felt. The feeling of taking command of the very air itself. The feel of it as I pulled it from their lungs, desperate to save my friend...
...but even more so, desperate to see those bastards gape like fish drying out on a dock.
Yes. I wanted them to die. And that was what had frightened me so much - that I would not only wish death on those men, but even savor the moment with vindictive joy as the light went from their eyes.
Carefully, I guided myself away from that. Down that path lay the way of monsters. And I did not want to be a monster.
Instead, I focused on air. It was omnipresent. It was in everything, even if in small amounts. I could feel it around me, inside me, through the shelves, and around the strange creature that had been a cosmetician a moment before. I could even feel how it surrounded and permeated Rei and how it slowly fed the fire in her body, giving her life and vitality.
Some people are squeamish about the human body. Not me. The engineer in me appreciated and adored the magnificence that is our human forms. And I was, for a moment, completely taken aback by the beauty of Rei’s complete physical being as I could sense her entire body.
Air... is not only a force.
It is fuel.
Life itself.
But for the moment, force would do well enough.
I pivoted around the corner in a smooth motion, lashing out with an outstretched arm at the makeup woman, my will extending beyond that, permeating the air, and making it into a battering ram that hit her like a cement truck.
She never even knew it was coming - the blow struck her full-on with what must have been utterly jarring force, and sent her flying backwards into a display case, crashing loudly into the heavy plate glass.
“GO!” I snapped, turning to make sure Rei was doing as she promised.
There was a brief moment of shock sketched on her face, but she quickly darted out the door, her long legs carrying her like a championship sprinter.
“YOU!” snapped the makeup woman as she got up “There’s no way you’re a baseliner! You must a be a soldier of Tomorrow Land!”
“Tomorrow Land,” I muttered, perplexed at this turn of events. Shouldn’t it be Crystal Tokyo?
“Silence!” she cried out as she took her squeeze bulb in hand once more. I didn’t move quite yet, though, hoping that she might give away more details. “All enemies of the Black Moon Clan shall be eliminated! DIIIEEEE!”
So much for that!
I whirled my hand snappily, generating a vortex that caught the toxic cloud and spat it right back into her face. The woman gasped and coughed as she covered her face, and gasped once again.
“My heavy makeup! It’s gone!”
I gazed in barely restrained horror at what was in front of me. Rather than her face being horribly melted by the acid attack, her eyes had been simply erased from her face, like they had been nothing more than just makeup in the first place.
That would explain why they seemed so off to me before, I thought to myself. Horror quickly turned to puzzlement as she suddenly whipped out a makeup kit and began to hurriedly sketch her eyes back in with a mascara pencil.
I waved my arms at her, and she didn’t react.
I threw a jar of concealer at the far wall behind her. She jumped at the sound and turned her head, trying to listen for any other noises, then went back to her makeup.
So that’s how it was. For the moment, she’s blind and helpless, but that wouldn’t last for long. Quietly, I slipped off my shoes and picked up a wickedly sharp shard of glass, wrapping it in a handkerchief I had in my pocket. I then began to step towards the makeup woman, careful to not make a sound or to find a piece of glass with my feet.
I slowly worked my way behind her as she feverishly worked at her face. And then, before she even had a chance to react, I slashed the glass shard - the edge sharp like a piece of obsidian - and neatly cut the squeeze bulb free of the hose that led to her head gear.
The Makeup Woman cried out in shock and I followed the motion through, grabbing the hose and using it to pull her off balance, and then I rolled her on the ground to tightly bind her arms.
“NOOO! How can you do this so easily!? I am a Droid! The Pinacle of Nemesis’ technology! I can’t be so easily defeated!”
I then looked down at her in surprise.
“Your a machine?” I said. I then looked at the squeeze bulb where it landed, but all I saw was a small pile of silica sand.
I then looked at the dark red gemstone on her head - saw the black crescent moon mark within it - and then understood.
She was a machine, programmed from her very inception to infiltrate and fight. And because she knew no better, she was no more guilty than a newborn child.
A wave of pity overtook me as I looked down on the thrashing Droid - I knew what I had to do, but it didn’t make it any easier.
“I’m sorry... But don’t worry. I’ll try to give you and any of your sisters I find a better life later on.”
I reached for her gemstone and the Droid wailed as I laid fingers on it, digging in against her false skin, my fingernails finding the stone’s thin edges, forced air into the thin gaps and opened them wider, and began to pry it away from her body.
“NOOOOOOOOooooooooo!” she screamed as the stone came away, and right away her body began to dissolve into silica sand.
I sighed, and looked down on the stone. It glinted, fitfully, almost as though there was a panicked firefly locked within.
I wanted to help her. I really did. But I know how dangerous an AI can be when it has ill intentions. I couldn’t trust it. The only thing to do was to have Usagi cast her healing magic on it, and hope that something of the original personality construct remains.
For the moment, I pocketed the stone, then got a container off the shelves, emptied it on the floor, then scooped up some of the silica sand. If it was what I thought it was, then Mithril was gonna want to see this stuff.
I then turned to look out the shop windows. I was just starting to wonder what was taken Rei so long when I saw her outside, still in her white dress. Standing with her was Usagi as Sailor Moon, and they were both giving me wide-eyed looks.
I sighed heavily at that.
This is gonna be another long night.

---

Commentary Thread ===> HERE!

[Black Aeronaut]

Before we left, Usagi cast her spell on the gemstone. First the black crescent moon icon faded, and then the stone went as dark as onyx. We left quickly before the police would show up, but not before Rei fried the surveillance system. The police may not be willing to look too carefully at the Sailor Senshi, but I was a different matter.
Soon enough, we were arriving back at the Hikawa Shrine, and just in time for what would be our first after-action meeting.
“Hey kid,” said Mao as we entered the living quarters. “Heard things got hairy for ya. You should have called.”
“Sorry,” I said a bit sheepishly. “I might have, but it turned out she was pretty easy to handle. I got a gift for the R&D guys, though.”
“Wait, ‘She’?” said Mao in surprise.
“Yeah, I’ll tell you guys more in a minute. Let’s just get settled in first.”
##Soon, everyone was accounted for. Sousuke was outside in plain clothes, pretending to be a visitor to the shrine while Kurz was in the Armslave watching from nearby with the cloak up. Everyone else was inside, including Kubiak, Kaname, and Naru. Even Grandfather Hino was present, as he was in on the whole thing anyhow. Slowly, I went through the story about what happened, answering questions as they came up. Mao’s were objective. Luna’s where a bit more speculative. Everyone else’s ran the gamut from ‘Good Question’ to ‘How the Heck is that Relevant!?’.
“So,” Mao began contemplatively as she sipped a melon soda, and probably dearly wishing for cheap beer instead. “We have a new group of players on the scene calling themselves the Black Moon Clan, and they’re being spearheaded by these ‘Ayakashi Sisters’ who are led by a guy named Rubeus. They also employ drone soldiers that may or may not be nanomachine colonies controlled by gemstone computers.” She then groaned resentfully and I then knew for sure she didn’t just want beer, but Wild Turkey instead. “You do realize that this is a nightmare, right?” grumbled Mao.
I shrugged. “It’ll be a headache for the brass. Look, I know where you’re coming from here. These Droids seem pretty nasty, and they can be. But they’re as susceptible to shrapnel as you and me, with the only difference being that they can put themselves back together again. However, while they’re doing that, they’re vulnerable. Pry off the gemstone with a combat knife and the combatant is down, permanently.”
“What if we just shoot the gemstones?” countered Mao.
“I think they may be tougher than they look. Sitting on their foreheads like that makes them into clear targets, so I would imagine that if you’re gonna try to shoot one, use something chambered for .50-cal BMG. Besides, there’s also the Senshi. Sailor Moon’s purification ability seems to purge the gemstone computers. At the very least I have no idea how to reactivate this one.”
Mao shrugged. “Well, there’s nothing for it then. You might as well send that into R&D. The eggheads should be able to figure it out. Also, do you have any idea how the hell these guys are keeping a mobile base in sub-orbit over the city without tripping any radars?”
I shrugged back at Mao. “They’re probably phase-shifted.”
“What-shifted?”
“Out of phase with our reality. Just a tad. Radar wouldn’t pick them up, but I bet there’s a gravitational anomaly. Pass that along to Teletha. She should know whose ear to whisper into.”
“How do you figure that?” asked Mao.
“Simple. They gotta be using some sort of anti-gravity engine to keep that monstrosity in the air. And as long as they’re not completely out of synch with reality, pun not intended, then the effect that engine is having should bleed over.”
Mao snorted. “Sounds like they’re being a little overconfident.”
“Not really. They just weren’t expecting anyone to have a gravitometer sensitive enough to detect them in this area in this time period.” I then gave Mao an evil grin. “Let’s disabuse them of that notion, shall we?”
##
I packed up the gemstone and the nanomachine samples, then handed them over to Mao so she could have them shipped through the appropriate carriers. Later that night after everyone had left, I went to work on setting up the work station. It came with everything I needed, including a hardware-encrypted satellite transceiver unit to provide a secure data connection. Fortunately, all I had to do was point it through my window. If anyone was going to be eavesdropping, they’d have to be in my room or at the receiving end.
“How is it going?” I heard Rei from outside my door. Ever since we’d settled things between each other, I’d taken to leaving it open - a sign of open invitation.
I turned and saw Rei standing in my door wearing pink flannel pajamas. I smiled - it wasn’t a particularly glamorous appearance for her, but it was down to earth. They covered her up well, and Rei had a body that was fairly difficult to hide. That helped to bring out the small, earnest smile on her mouth and the look of mingled curiosity and mild concern in her eyes.
“So-so,” I replied with a smile of my own as I turned back to my work. “I’m having to set up the OS manually. Mithril’s procedures don’t permit for a machine ready-configured to connect to their secured networks to ever be shipped, so I’m having to establish a connection to a special server just so I can verify that I am who I am.”
“I thought you said this machine had hardware that does that,” said Rei as she crossed the threshold and settled on the floor next to me - I didn’t have a chair, my desk being one of the low-profile variety that you’re meant to kneel or sit on the floor.
“Just the encryption algorithms,” I reminded her. “Those are so complex that the only way a fast connection can be maintained is if that’s all handled by dedicated processors. For all intents and purposes, this computer is actually two in the package of one.”
“So what exactly is happening here then?”
“I’m working on getting a hold of the digital security certificates that will allow me to establish a connection with the secure networks. Once I get that, it’s all going to be placed on this USB flash-drive here.” With that, I gestured to a small and absurdly rugged looking thumb drive. “It even has a crypto-locked keyring case.” I then gestured to the case in question. It did indeed have a keyring, and a series of five lettered push-buttons. It was designed for the flash drive to slide inside the device for a snug fit that would not allow anyone to connect leads to the USB terminals. “I’m not supposed to leave this machine unattended without removing this flash drive. This will be a digital key for for the secure networks.”
Rei gave me a startled look. “All this just for online courses!?”
“Online courses for classified material,” I reminded her. “I’m allowing you in here right now because Teletha has granted you and the rest of the Senshi clearance on whatever I learn on a need-to-know basis. She also feels that I’ll be a pretty good judge of what a need-to-know will constitute for you. Finally, she knew I’d be running into weird shit that R&D would want to know about. If I had this up and running right away, I wouldn’t have needed to bother Mao with the work of getting those samples shipped out - I could have made arrangements through the secure network.”
That mollified Rei quickly enough. “Well, I can see that then. But what will this change?”
I shrugged. “Well, Mithril considers me their property now - within reason. It’s all in the contract, but the short version is that in exchange for the generous pay, sign on bonus, and this issued equipment - I get to keep this workstation except for the hard drive and encryption hardware, those will have to be physically destroyed at some point in time - Mithril gets to have me for at least eight years.”
Rei suddenly glared at me. “Eight years!?”
“Easy!” I warned her back. “It’s not like I’ve sold myself into indentured service. I get pay, housing allowance, food allowance (thank you, Teletha!), cost of living adjustments, any applicable bonus pays, education stipends, and even vacation time. And it’s all very much the same sort of compensation that American servicemen get - and that is nothing to sneer at no matter where you come from. In fact, I may need your help.”
“How so?” said Rei, suddenly puzzled.
“I can’t buy property here in Japan because I’m not a Japanese citizen. However, if I were to designate a Japanese National to hold property for me in my name, then that’s a different matter.”
“You want to buy a house!?” cried out Rei, her eyes practically goggling. And it’s not too hard to imagine why. The number of high school kids in the region that owned property could probably be counted on one hand.
“Not so much a house as a work space. I’d like to see if I can find a small property in an industrial waterfront. With that I’ll actually be able to work without relying on outside assistance, and it makes it easier for Mithril’s ‘special couriers’ to get to me. Although I would love for it to have living quarters as well, because screw that commute.”
Rei made a sour look. “I couldn’t imagine living in a place like that.”
“That’s because you’re too used to thin walls. In America, we know how to build walls so well insulated that you can set a bomb off in the next room and you wouldn’t even know about it.”
Rei blinked and said only one word. “Why?”
I shrugged. “Blame the Cold War. A society tends to learn a lot about things like that when global thermonuclear war is suddenly a thing that can actually happen. Especially blame the Russians. They made no pretenses with Sputnik - they came out and said that was an unarmed ICBM.”
Rei paled at the thought - apparently that aspect of the Cold War hadn’t been covered in her history lessons, but she quickly got back on track.
“Why do you want to do this?”
I sighed and looked to Rei, saw the pleading look in her eyes, and then sighed as I took her hand in mine.
“Rei, I promised you a house on Mars, no matter what it took. This is part of what it’s going to take. I can’t stay here at the shrine forever. Don’t get me wrong: I am learning a lot, it is helpful to me, and I am grateful to you and Grandfather for it. But if I’m going to grow my wings, I need more room than the shrine has to do it. I am going to need shop space, or else I’m going to have to rely solely on Mithril. And that means that I would be separated even further from you and the friends I’ve been making here. And you know that’s the last thing I want to do.”
Rei sighed and lowered her head in exasperation. “I know. It’s just that this is all so sudden.”
“Well, it’s not gonna be right away,” I reassured her. “It’ll be at least a year before we can really get the ball rolling on this.”
“But who would I talk to? My father is the only person I could think of who would have the connections.”
“You also have your Grandfather. I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually had just as many connections as your father.”
Rei groaned. “You know I don’t like asking that old letch for favors. I owe him too much as is.”
I rolled my eyes. “Rei, he loves you like a daughter. If you ask him to, I’m sure your grandfather would move Mount Fuji itself for you if he could do it. I know I would.”
Rei suddenly looked like she bit into a rotten lemon.
“Ugh, gross! I just imagined you as my Grandfather! Don’t do that again!”
I grimaced at the imagery that provided. “Jeeze. Alright, comparisons to the old man are officially a no-no.”
##
That night my workstation was up and running - satellite up-link secured and the algorithm-key safe on the encrypted and cypher-locked thumb drive. Additionally, the USB drive was designed so that if the cypher-lock was forcibly compromised, then the force of the exertion would destroy the memory chips inside. Total security.
After I bathed, I returned to my room and bedded down for the night. But before I could reach up and tug on the string to turn off the light, Phobos pushed her way in through the cracked window and fluttered to the side of my bed where she took her human form, kneeling in seza.
“Rest easy, Lord Darkwood. I’ll be watching over you tonight.”
I blinked at that. “You don’t have to sit at attention like that.”
“I can, though, and I shall,” replied Phobos with a serene smile. “I used to do this all the time for My Lady when she was a child.”
“Here?” I said in surprise. “How did you do that without being noticed?”
Phobos gave me a chiding look. “Before the Fall, Lord Darkwood.”
“Oh.”
Phobos smiled once more. “Worry not. You’re not used to thinking in such time spans. Eventually, if you receive the gift of long life, then it will come to you. But at any rate, You shouldn’t concern yourself. I am used to doing this sort of thing and I’ve learned to meditate through the night - even though I may seem asleep, I can react at a moment’s notice.”
“But you’d go through that for me?” I asked, a bit perplexed.
“You have very suddenly become quite precious to my Lady. And as of late, you seem to run into trouble at every turn. I suspect that it shan’t be long before trouble attempts to find you, alone and vulnerable, in your bed. However, with myself standing watch there shall be no way anyone or anything will be able to approached unnoticed.
“So please, lay your concerns to rest, my Lord. I’ll make sure no harm befalls you through the night, just as my sister shall for my Lady.”
I scoffed bemusedly. “Okay, Phobos. Just try not to wear yourself out. See you in the morning.”
“You as well, my Lord. Rest well.”
You might think that I would have trouble falling asleep with someone standing vigil over me like that, and normally you might be right. But for whatever reason, Phobos’s presence actually felt comforting, and I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.
##
For once, the school day passed entirely without anything noteworthy, though the fact that it was Saturday, and therefore a half-day, might have had something to do with it. Everyone was eager to go their own way and enjoy what was left of their weekend.
“Uncle Ziiiiiiiiii!” came a familiar voice as I exited the school’s gates. I blinked as Chibi-usa hit me with all the force her twelve year old body could muster.
“doooouuuf,” I groaned. I looked down at the pink head of hair and scruffled it. “Hey there, cute stuff. Trying out for the rugby team?”
Chibi-Usa glared up at me. “Can’t I say hi to my favoritist uncle in the whole world?”
I laughed and snapped up the pink haired little girl, giving her a little light toss, causing her to squeal in delight.
“See!” cried out Chibi-usa. “I told you Uncle Z is fun!”
“Eh?” I said as I looked to where Chibi-usa was looking. To my surprise, a gaggle of youngsters had accompanied her.
One twelve-year-old girl with amethyst eyes and midnight-violet hair in a shoulder-length Hime-cut. She was wearing a black leaotard under a dark-hued sundress.
Another girl with similar eyes and hair, but much younger, probably about eight and her hair went clear to her hips. She looked prim and proper wearing a violet blouse that could be called ‘business casual for preteens’ and an amethyst skirt with white stockings and black dress shoes. On top of it all, she had a doll dressed as a kunoichi-hime perched on her shoulder.
The third girl was another twelve year old, with warm, brown eyes and jet-black hair. She wore a green mid-drift jacket with a forest green undershirt tucked into a pair of snug, but utilitarian looking shorts. She even wore boots and heat-sleeves, the latter of which matched her undershirt. In fact, I even saw a wrench peaking out of one of her jacket pockets.
Okay, this was a strange bunch, but I’ve dealt with worse.
“You’re Zii-oji?” said the one in the green outfit. “You’re weird.”
I glowered at the girl. “What? Just because I’m an American?”
“No, because you act all lovey-dovey with Usa-chan!” exclaimed the girl.
“Hey! Her mom is like an older sister to me!” I snapped back, just barely remembering how it would look if I said her mother was like a little sister instead. “I helped take care of Chibiusa when her mom and dad were too tired to look after her. Hell, I was there when she was born! So if she says that I’m as good as family, you had better damn well believe it!”
Most of that was just me blowing smoke, but I was pretty sure that things would turn out that way regardless. I didn’t remember the specifics just yet, but something told me that if someone handed me a colicky infant, I’d know exactly what to do. And I’m pretty sure that’d make me utterly indispensable in House Chiba-Tsukino once Little Usagi showed up.
“Hey! No cursing!” snapped the green outfitted girl.
I gave her a simmering glower. “Okay then, kiddo. How about this. Ice cream.”
I don’t think I could have gotten a better reaction if I had tried. I mean, I know all kids love ice cream, but this girl took it to a whole new level.
“ARE YOU SERIOUS!?” yelled the girl excitedly, causing the others to back away slightly. “YOU MEAN IT!?”
“Jeeeze, kid. I know we’re outside and all, but even outside voices have their limits. And yes, I mean it. There’s a new ice cream place that opened up not too far from here and I am gonna meet with my girlfriend there.”
“Heee-eeeeeeeeh!” cried out the assembly of girls.
“Relax,” I said chidingly to the group. “After I treat you girls, Rei and I are taking off.”
“Well what are we waiting for!?” said the girl in green. “ICE CREAM! Let’s Go!”
I laughed and started walking. Chibiusa was quick to pounce, forcing me into giving her a piggyback ride. Not that I cared - kid was adorable.
“So, I’m Ezekiel Darkwood - male representative of class 1-C at Juuban Municiple High School.”
“My name is Hatako Kobayashi of Class 3-A at Juuban Elementary School,” said the the girl with the doll. “And this is my Angel, Suzuka.”
At that, the doll suddenly bowed and said, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Darkwood-san.”
“Oh wow! I’ve heard of you! Light-Speed Suzuka! The pleasure is all mine, ladies.”
“You’ve heard of us in America?” said Hatoko, her cheeks starting to color.
“Of course I have. Just like baseball in the US, Angelic Layer in Japan is thought to be The Big Leagues of all Angelic Layer. And I’ve always admired you for blowing away everyone’s preconceptions of what a girl as young as you can do.”
“Thank you, Darkwood-san,” said Hatoko mildly, “but half of the effort was Suzuka’s as well.”
“Well, credit where it’s due then, Miss Suzuka.”
“You damn me with faint praise, Darkwood-san,” replied the doll primly. “But I’m retired anyhow. This season was my last since this old frame can’t take much more abuse.”
“What a shame!” I replied, and I meant it.
“I’ll miss it,” Suzuka agreed, nodding her head. “But at least my mistress will keep me around - I can fulfill a role as her Persocom, and if nothing else I can also train her next angel.”
“Indeed. So, how about you, little miss mechanic?”
The girl in green blinked. “You noticed?”
“I’m an engineer-in-training, small stuff. I cut my teeth on keeping old cars alive and building computers out of scraps.”
The girl looked me over once more. “Huh. Well, I guess you’re alright. I’m Skuld Ravenhair, class 6-D. And the quiet girl is Hotaru Tomoe from class 6-C. Come on, Hotaru-chan, say hi to him. He doesn’t seem mean at all!”
That got my attention and I looked the girl over once again, coming to a stop. There was no mistaking it - this girl was definitely Sailor Saturn - she just didn’t know it at the time.
“Hotaru-chan?” I said kindly. “Did you just make all these friends today?”
Meekly, the petite girl in black and gray nodded her head.
“It’s tough being shy, huh?”
Hotaru gave me a surprised look.
“I know. I used to be the same way. But you always wanted friends, right?”
Once again, Hotaru nodded her head while giving me an astounded look.
“Tell you what. If you stick with me and Chibiusa, you’ll get a whole bunch of Big Sisters to look after you... and me as well. Would you like that?”
Hotaru nodded her head once more and I had to resist the urge to scoop her up right there and hug the living daylights out of her. She was just so adorable!
We spent the next few minutes chatting animatedly on the way to the ice cream stand. Skuld was a budding gear head and was setting off alarm bells in my head for some reason. I had the sense I knew her from somewhere, and that worried me because it was the same sense of deja vu I got from the others.
I put it aside for he time being, though. We all got to talking about the virtues of Linux-based kernels versus Macintosh-based kernels in Persocoms and Angels.
When we got to the ice cream stand, the place was packed in. But despite the apparent popularity of the place, there was just something that felt off about the place.
“Do you feel that?” asked Skuld. I turned to her and she was giving me a surprised look, as though the idea that I could sense the wrongness in the air filled her with excitement, dread, and anxiety.
“Girls,” I said in a low tone, “I want you all to keep clear for a little bit. Things might get messy, so I don’t want you to get involved.”
“Wait, what’s going on here?” said Hatoko querulously. “Why is something wrong? Why would things get messy?”
Shit, I thought to myself. Now I just unzipped my fly.
But thankfully, Chibiusa came to my rescue... but in a way I did not expect.
“Uncle Z is kind of a hero - a real champion of justice. It’s a secret, though, so you gotta stay quiet about it. Promise?” She then offered up a fist with her pinky finger extended.
The three girls gave Chibiusa surprised looks, but then they all nodded their heads in agreement, holding up their pinkies and hooking them all onto Chibiusa’s.
“Promise!” they all said together as the shook on the pinky-swear.
“Awesome,” I said, drawing their attention back to me. “Sit tight and watch. Your Uncle Z is gonna do something awesome.”
“Yaaayyyy!” cheered the girls as I turned to go, but then I paused as I thought of something.
“Oh, Chibiusa? You mind holding on to this for me?” I said as I took off my arrowhead pendant. “This is special, so I wouldn’t want to lose it if things get crazy.” I gave her a meaningful wink and Chibiusa nodded her head as she winked back.
“Sure thing, Uncle Z,” she said as she accepted the pendant.
Awful trusting of you, boy, came Raven’s voice in my head as I turned away once more to approach the ice cream stall.
She’s a good kid. More reliable than she seems - just inexperienced. That only changes when people give a person a chance. The old bird only chuckled mirthfully at that. It was only then I realized that he was doing the same with me, giving me just a bit of power to work with on my own without him getting too involved.
But I was fine with that.
At first I made like I was an interested customer, vying for a spot in line as I scouted the place out. The closer I got, the worst the weird vibe became. In fact, I noticed that people around me were acting strange. In Japan, the general public tends to be polite, even if a bit impersonal.But now... they were downright rude as they jostled me, shooting me glares, telling me to watch my step, and some even calling me a filthy gaijin.
Definitely something wrong there. And I had to restrain myself to keep from knocking someone’s lights out.
I slipped away to the side, looking for a back door. I not only found one, but discovered that it was unlocked. I listened at first to see if there was anyone on the other side, then cracked the door open.
Nothing but darkness, but nothing that my tool kit could fix. And I had just the right tool for the job - my trusty 3xAA-cell LED Mag Light. Feeling the cool, metallic, and solid weight of the flashlight in my hand was a comfort, and the cool-white LED light banished the darkness into crisp reliefs of light and shadow.
Right away, I knew that something was off about this place. For one thing, it was far too big on the inside. Outside this place was just a little ice cream stall - barely more than four walls with a back room. This was a cavernous refrigerated storehouse. All around were stacks of boxes - I assumed they were cartons of ice cream. However, there were also oddly shaped pillars of ice.
This room is cold enough as it is, I thought. Why would you need so much ice? A memory from before jumped out at me. In my place stood Minako, and the horrified look on her face as she discovered...
Oh shit...
I went to once of the pillars and wiped the surface frost away... revealing one of my fellow JMHS students, a look of horror frozen on his face in the ice.
“Fuck.”
“How rude,” said an elegant and cold voice. I turned as saw a Yuki-onna hovering before me. But I knew better.
“Droid,” I stated. “Creation of the Black Moon Clan.”
The droid’s eyes narrowed at me.
“Tomorrowlander.”
That again!? Tomorrowland? What is that supposed to mean!?
“I will freeze you where you stand and Mistress Berthier will reward me richly.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What reward does a machine desire?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.
“Be silent! NIPASU!” And with that she blew at me like Superman using his ice-breath. I hit the attack head-on with a blast of air to disperse it, followed it up immediately with a more concentrated blast to knock her off balance, and then dove for a dark corner, shutting off my flash light as I did so.
And then I made like a hole in the dark.
When I was young, nobody could find me unless they found Telly first. This was a game that I was always good at. And the dry, frosted floor made sure that my shoes would not squeak and give me away as I duck-walked through the maze of stores and frozen people. The Yuki-Onna, on the other hand, taunted as she looked around for me. Of course, I wasn’t gonna take her on my own. I remember this one - her ability to freeze was incredible and she could turn me into an ice cube long before I could get the drop on her.
I needed back up, so the moment I had my flash light put away, I pulled my phone out and sent a short, coded message to the Junior Student Council that included my location. After that, I knew it would only be a matter of time. So long as I could evade this crazy droid, I’d be just fine. And even if I couldn’t... well, Rei and the others would be along soon enough to get me sorted out. Even if I wouldn’t enjoy the experience of being flash-frozen.
Content with that, I continued to silently evade the increasingly impatient Yuki-onna. I was worried she might try something drastic when suddenly I heard the door to the store room open.
“Oh! It looks like we have uninvited guests!”
I took a chance and poked my head out and my heart sank to the frozen floor. Chibiusa and her friends had all come to see what was going on.
“What have you done to Uncle Z!?” demanded Chibiusa.
“Nothing yet, but would you like to see what I want to do to him? Just keep nice and still, little girlies!”
Just as the Yuki-onna inhaled to blast the helpless quartet, everything suddenly slowed down and I heard Raven’s voice once more.
Oh dear, looks like your little friends have just bitten off more than they can chew. I better drive for just a moment, boy. As much as I’d like these four to learn a lesson, I must admit that I’m quite fond of them all. Now, pay close attention - you’re gonna want to remember this trick for later. It’s just like riding that longboard you had in California.
And then, without willing it, I began to move, and then just like stepping onto a skateboard that was already in motion, I found myself stepping onto a firm cushion of air on the floor, and rode it, shooting past the Yuki-onna like a startled cat and aimed straight at the girls. The next thing I knew we were all bouncing together in a bubble of air with the consistency of molasses, bouncing across the floor, and well clear of the attack as the girls all squealed in panic.
“Are you all okay?” I asked desperately.
“I’m fine.”
“Me too.”
“That was scary.”
“That was fun!”
I sighed, then looked around. The Yuki-onna wasn’t wasting any time and was bearing down on us once again. Fortunately, Rei apparently had the presence of mind to transform into Sailor Mars wherever she was, and so I had another weapon to use.
“Zee-Onii! You’re arm is on fire!” squealed Hotaru in alarm.
“Don’t worry, that’s a good thing,” I said as I started to create a tightly compressed shell of air, spinning around us and heating the air inside. “It’s alright. It won’t burn you. Just stay close to me and you’ll all be safe.”
The Yuki-onna blew over the shield and I had to crank up the heat just to keep the temperature above freezing.
“Scrap this!” growled Skuld all the sudden as she turned and glared at me head-on. “I know what you are. Usa-chan does to - it’s pretty obvious. Zee-kun’s an Avatar, Provisional-class, Special Duty, Limited. He is in direct service to Raven, a First-class, Type-two, Unlimited God.”
“I got a license for this?” I said in surprise.
“Didn’t he tell you!?” asked Skuld in shock.
“Are you kidding? I’m lucky he tells me enough to survive! Besides, what does this make you? A Goddess?”
“Yeah. A Second-class, Type-one, Limited. I can’t do much, but I can help out with a simple heat generating spell.”
“Every little bit helps. Do it!”
“Right. Hang on! It’s about ti get hot!” Skluld then held her hands out and suddenly a spark ignited in the air between her palms and turned into an orb of plasma. “Alright! I did it, but I dunno if I can hold it for long.”
“That’s right you little meat bags,” snarled the Yuki-onna. “Entropy is ever present. You cannot escape it. Sooner or later, all lights go out, and then there is only the cold darkness!”
“SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!” snapped out Ami’s voice.
“CELESTIAL FIRE!” called out Rei as well.
The double-whammy of sudden heat and sudden cold knocked the Droid for a loop. However, before any of other Senshi could do anything, Skuld dropped her plasma-orb and lept out of the protective circle I had made, whipping out something that looked like a croquet mallet from hammer space.
“IN MY NAME, HALT AND CATCH FIRE!” she cried out as she brought the hammer down on the Yuki-onna’s head. And just like a marionette with its strings cut, the Droid dropped to the deck, her eyes glassy and lifeless.
Everyone simply stared in surprise.
“Ah... she’s not burning, though,” said Makoto.
“A programmer’s euphemism,” I explained as I slowly got up, making sure I didn’t send any of the girls sprawling. “Basically, it’s a command that halts all of a computer CPU’s functionality, effectively bricking the machine until your can do a hard-boot of the system. That was absolutely awesome there, Skuld. You think we can salvage her?”
Skuld nodded. “Yeah, it’d be a waste not to. Not very often you see a setup like one of these - when done right, they’re very reliable.” The young Goddess then blinked as something occurred to her, and then she smiled at me. “You know what? I think Usa-chan’s right. You are a pretty cool guy.”
I just shrugged. “I try to be. So... Introductions?”
“Why?” asked Rei, arching an eyebrow.
“In case you haven’t noticed, things aren’t what they appear. May I introduce the young Miss Skuld, Goddess, Second-class, type-one, limited.”
“Suck up,” said Skuld as she playfully punched me in the side.
“Well gee,” I said, rolling my eyes, “forgive me for being a natural charmer.”
“Wait, she’s a Goddess?” said Usagi. “But she’s... she’s... She’s a little ANGEL!” And suddenly, Usagi had to be restrained by her generals or else she’d glomp the stuffing out of poor Skuld.
I sighed. “And that is her Royal Highness, Princess Serenity of the Silver Moon Kingdom.”
Skuld shot me an astonished look. “No WAY! She’s a total goof ball!”
I laughed at that. “The best goofball of them all!” I then leaned over and whispered conspiratorily into Skuld’s ear, “Don’t sweat the formalities. Usagi’s a huge sweetheart and a lot of fun to be around.”
##
We left the girls in the company of the senshi. I knew they were in good hands, and regardless, they were Chibiusa’s friends. The remains of the Droid I left with Skuld... who extracted from me a promise to talk about my license with her older sisters.
Belldandy and Urd.
It only then occurred to me. Ah! Megami-sama. Fortunately, I kept my cool.
“Hey, wake up there lover-boy,” said Rei with a slightly annoyed tone. “Isn’t something else supposed to have your undivided attention?” I looked over the table and my brain simply stopped.
There was Rei, the menu splayed out in front of her. She was leaning over the table, hands steepled before her, and her head tilted. And her face, dear sweet Raven that face! She grinned at me a smile that promised only mischief to come later, with bedroom eyes that absolutely smoldered with desire.
Wow.
“Oh dear,” she said coyly. “What am I ever supposed to do if this is all it takes to break your mind?”
I reached up and flicked the side of my head, both for the image and to make sure I wasn’t in some sort of hallucination. But nope, still there! Still Rei.
Time to bring on my A-game.
“Hey! No fair catching me off guard like that.”
Rei chuckled. “Oh? And what about all the times you did it to me?”
I blinked at that. “Come again?”
Rei gave me that annoyed-yet-bemused look that seems to be the Gods’ gift to all women.
“Well, I guess you can’t be blamed for not noticing before. I did such a good job covering it all up with my anger. And it was so easy with the way you just showed up with no warning at all. I’m still angry at Grandfather for that. You see, I’d secretly watch you all the time. You act cool, Zeke, a lot of times without realizing it. You have that weird ability to be charming and respectful, and yet politely indifferent. It’s almost like your on a whole different level - I don’t mean like your better than everyone else, but more like you see the world from a very different perspective and...” Rei shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. I mean... I know you seen what things look like from the outside. I’m not freaking out about that, by the way, because Washy-chan did say that it’s probably not an exact match.” She then glared at me. “Right?”
I sighed. “Different in some important ways, yes, but largely the same.”
“Right,” agreed Rei. She then continued, her tone growing more sober. “But that’s not what it is. I know that you’ve had a past life, and that you’ve had horrible things happen to you that have forced you to look inside yourself. But even with all that, every time I see your face... I look into your eyes... And I see something that I can’t describe. And I would watch you in secret, just so I can see it.”
So that explains the weird sense of being watched I always had back at the shrine!
Rei suddenly laughed. It had a slightly rueful and bitter edge to it as she looked down at the menu on the table, but I could tell she wasn’t really looking at it.
“It drove me nuts, though, because not only could I not get over this resentment of you, I could only ever see that look whenever you look at me in the eyes. So, I guess I should say I’m sorry for acting so crazy before. Because really, I think I was crazy...” She then looked at me, and gave me those smoldering bedroom eyes once more. “...and I think I still am, because I’m in love with the most bizarre and wonderful boy in the world.”
Rei smiled at me expectantly.
“You know, when I first saw you, my heart just about stopped - you were so beautiful.” I then grinned at her. “And then you bit my head off for being a clumsy and stupid looking foreign man who was saying absurd things.”
Rei glowered at me.
I smiled as I continued. “It’s true, though, that it was absurd. Story of my life, you know. But I like that about you. You’re willing to fight for what you believe in. You positively radiate it.” I then sighed. “I’ve had just a few friend that would fight for me. Telly and Kubiak. But my friends always have to part ways from me.” I then looked into Rei’s beautiful violet eyes. “I would count myself among the luckiest man on Earth if you were to be by my side forever.”
Rei turned a brilliant shade of red. “That sounds a little too much like a marriage proposal.”
I felt my own face flush in embarrassment. “Ah... sorry.”
“No, it’s alright,” said Rei as her blush died down to a gentle rose. “I... appreciate that you want me to be with you so much. But let’s wait on making things official.”
##
Next, we did the traditional thing and went to catch a movie. I didn’t really care too much about what I saw, seeing as I hadn’t been to a theater in a long time. Rei, however, wanted to see something that would make her feel ‘alive’.
"Sadako 3D?" I said as I eyed the movie poster with some mild trepidation. "No thanks."
Rei gave me a cockeyed look. "I would have thought you of all people would be the least squeamish about a horror film."
I shook my head. "Not horror. Slasher. Big difference. In a slasher, everyone dies, except maybe one or two people. And even if it was just regular horror, then no thanks. While I was with Raven after The Accident, he was good enough to give me a some exercises in handling a real haunting."
Rei maintained the cockeyed look, though it was a bit more incredulous now. "He did? How did that turn out?"
"Total fucking nightmare fuel if I wasn't already having nightmares about The Accident. But out of everything I experienced, there was one thing that stuck with me the most. Imagine a dark room with only one door. There are counting marks all over the walls, and in the corner is a table with a crumpled up paper bag on it. The bottom have of the bag is slick and blackened from the putrid, rotting bit of human remains that are undoubtedly inside - I didn't even have to look inside to know. And as I walked up to that thing... it suddenly rustled like something inside had woken up suddenly.
"And then it suddenly speaks! In a deep, distorted baritone overlayed by the rustling of the bag. It said, 'I walked. I could do nothing but walk. And then, I saw me, walking in front of my self. But, it wasn’t really me. Watch out. The gap in the door... it’s a separate reality. The only me is me. Are you sure the only you is you?' And that shit right there fucking chilled me to the bone far more than anything else, because that was exactly what I had been experiencing up until that point. I am never forgetting that shit as long as I live."
Rei was looking at me like she'd seen a ghost. "Okay!" she suddenly squeaked out. "No horror for me! My quota is now full. How about that Pixar film instead?"
And so, that night, Rei and I had a absolute blast watching Pixar’s Brave. Fun Fact: Rei can do a passable imitation of Merida where she goes, “Awwww, wee lamb!”
##
“EZEKIEL DARKWOOD! I got half a mind to claw out your eyes!”
Rei and I both blinked as Luna dropped out of the darkness and landed lightly on her paws to glare at me.
“Errr... what?” I said.
“Luna, what’s gotten into you!?” hissed Rei.
“Only the fact that he suddenly dumped another Senshi on us without saying anything!”
“WHAT!?” cried out Rei. “How!?
I sighed. “That girl that was with me earlier? The one who looked like a younger version of you only with shorter hair? That was Hotaru Tomoe - aka Sailor Saturn.”
Rei gave me a horrified look. “ARE YOU SERIOUS!? Why didn’t you say anything!?”
“Because I figured it could wait. We had this date tonight and it was bad enough that business with the Droid and the Goddess delayed things.”
“DAMMIT ZEKE!” cursed Rei vehemently. “I’m not the center of the universe here!” Rei then turned to Luna. “What’s going on now?”
Luna sighed. “For now, nothing. Chibiusa is going to be keeping close to her new friend and telling us what she learns. The others are all upset at you, Zeke, for letting this blindside them.”
I sighed. “Right. Time to eat crow and kiss ass.”
An aggrieved “AWK!?” sounded from the tree top up above and I winced, knowing that I had probably just offended Phobos and Deimos.
Rei confirmed by raising an eyebrow at me. “What is that saying that American’s like to use? You’re just batting a thousand today, aren’t you?”

---

Commentary Thread ===> HERE!

[Black Aeronaut]

Chapter 10Do Not Be Shy
Anybody depending on somebody else's gods is depending on a fox not to eat chickens.-Zora Neale Hurston
That night, Phobos stood her watch from a distance. She was justified in being upset over my slip, and even though it hurt, I decided that I was going to take my medicine like a big boy. Once she and Deimos deigned to appear before me, I would make my apology then.
The following morning was quiet, as a Sunday morning ought to be. Rei regarded me frostily all through breakfast: I was officially in the dog house. As we cleared away our breakfast dishes, I decided to try my luck.
“Rei, I’m sorry about last night.”
“Are you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Nothing sucks harder than the feeling of being ostracized.”
“That’s a start,” said Rei with a nod. “Next time, keep that in mind when there’s something we might want to know about. And on that note, are there any other surprises in the pipeline we should know about?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “The timeline is a bit different from what I knew.”
Rei narrowed her eyes, but I could sense that in this case her ire was not directed at me.
“Sit,” she said curtly. “Explain.”
“Well, the timeline that I knew of had you and the girls going through this whole ordeal with the Ayakashi Sisters two years ago.”
“Really?” said Rei in puzzlement. “The only thing that happened two years ago was the whole Metallia incident, and then the Doom Tree.”
“Doom Tree?” I echoed, but then the synapses made the connection and I snapped my fingers. “Ail and Ain! Those two! Out of curiosity, Has there been any word from them?”
“They visit now and then,” said Rei with a smile. “They say that their time on Earth had left quite an impression, so they like to see it sometimes. In fact, Ami is predicting that they will show up again in about two weeks. Of course, she has it down to a science.”
I snorted in bemusement. “That girl is utterly adorkable.”
Rei snickered. “Don’t let her hear you say that. She’ll die of embarrassment on the spot.”
“Hoooiii! Zii-kun!” came Hino-sensei’s voice. “There’s a package for you!”
“Another one?” asked Rei as she got up.
“I’m just surprised that you guys get deliveries on Sundays.”
There, before the steps of the shrine itself, stood a man in the iconic livery of the Kuroneko Yamato Parcel Service. He conducted his business in a crisp and chipper fashion, and was off before I could thank him - but such is the way of the Japanese in the service-industry.
With a mental shrug, and Rei following curiously, I went back to the living quarters to open the package. The only clues I had at first were that it came from Grumps’s place in California. Though I had no idea what he sent me that required a huge four-foot long parcel.
Once I had the box open, though, I gave Rei a huge, sidelong grin, and asked, “So, you know of a place with a nice road that’s largely unused?”
#
I had to look on the Internet for what I wanted, but I found it quickly enough. And in thirty minutes... well, let’s just say that birds of a feather flock together. And skaters were no different.
The styles were different. The brands were a bit different as well. Also, there were a lot double-drop decks here. And from what I could see - lots of very technical riding, and not a lot of straight-up bombing. In fact, my Santa Cruz pintail deck was the only thing like it there. That alone garnered attention. The fact that Rei followed me there did the rest - the reputation as Queen of TA Academy was not without a following.
The weather was cold, and getting colder. So I was able to layer my good, heavy sweatshirt with my protective gear - carving gloves, elbow pads, knee pads, and helmet. No one approached me just yet, but they watched with interest.
“Are you sure about this?” asked Rei.
“I’m a bit rusty, but I’m sure. It should come back to me in no time. Besides, the real trick to this,” I said as I secured my helmet and made sure it was snug, “is knowing when to bail.”
And with that, I dropped my deck and was off.
The roads here are beautifully sloped, nicely surface, and perfectly twisty. I did a bit of short carving - short, sweeping turns - to get a feel for the road, but I found that the road was very smooth so I was starting to pick up speed very quickly. I pulled into a heel-side stand up slide, quickly pivoting my deck sideways and leaning back into my heels to slide the board. I didn’t want to do that too much or else I’d flat-spot the wheels - grinding them down in one area creating a literal flat-spot.
I pulled into the first turn, dipping myself into a Coleman Slide and dragging my slide-glove sheathed hands over the pavement. I had this road’s measure now, so I went ahead and bombed it for the next turn, slipping once again into a long and sweeping Coleman Slide and causing the natives to cheer.
That was short lived, though.
Right as I came out of the turn, a large, black saloon car braked into a power slide right in front of me. I was going too fast to bail out - my only hope was to slap my foot down on the pavement and do a foot-brake. It destroys the shoes if you do it enough, but it’s the fastest and safest way to stop. I still had too much momentum, though, and the side panels of the car came racing at me. At the last moment, I tried for a toe-side pendulum slide, putting my back to the car.
PONK!*
The shock of the impact jarred my guts... but aside from that, a brief self-check as I slowly got up revealed nothing worse than some bruising. What would have happened next might have involved me cursing out the driver for panicking like that.
Instead, a sent of strong hands picked me up, tossed me into the back seat, and the next thing I knew we were peeling out.
“Ah, not that your business is any of mine, but I do have friends that can make life difficult for you guys.”
“We’re from Public Security.”
I suddenly felt Rei’s warm and welcome fire blossom in my chest, and I looked over to the man next to me as I took off my slide gloves and fastened my seat belt.
“... My point still stands.”
Suddenly, the engine exploded, the hood covering it sent flying for parts unknown, and the car ground to a screeching halt. I had seen it coming and closed my eyes. The driver and his partner up front had not and were flash-blinded.
The next thing my seatmate knew was that my fingers were very painfully embedding in his neck, threatening to pry out his wind pipe.
“This is how we’re gonna do this. That gun you’re tickling? Pull it out nice and slow. Eject the magazine and work the action. Do it without trying to dislodge me or else I will crush your fucking larynx and you will die a slow and hideous death.”
The man glared at me, but otherwise did as I asked.
“Good. Now, open the door.”
The moment he did, I unbuckled myself and kicked the man out of the car. Suddenly, he found himself looking up Rei’s legs... and the orb of Celestial Fire she had primed and ready to go.
“Zii-kun,” said Rei, her voice a cold mockery of coyness. “You always find the most interesting playmates. Who is this slime and does he deserve to live?”
Right about then, more sedans arrived with black-suited men pouring out of them. Rei and I stepped back slowly, while I took off my pendant and handed it over to Rei for safe keeping. The black flames were quick in coming.
And suddenly, the man was pinned down by two of the black-suited agents and handcuffs affixed to his wrists. The man made no remarks - just a wide-eyed look of shock as the gravity of what had happened fell upon him with all the weight of the world.
“So,” said another Agent as he stepped around the developing morass. He spoke with perfect American English. “You’re the American known as Ezekiel Darkwood.”
“You’re only half right,” I replied with a nasty grin.
“Yes, the being known as Raven,” continued the man. “I had your BPRD dossier pulled. The one thing you have going for yourself is that, by all accounts, you do try to keep things quiet.”
I chuckled. “Oh, but fate always has different plans for us.”
The agent nodded. “Indeed. That man was one of my best men. I don’t know what came over him. You have my sincere apologies, Raven-sama, Darkwood-san. We had not intention of anything like this taking place.”
“And what exactly was supposed to happen?” snapped Rei in a testy sounding burst of Japanese while still wearing her Sailor Mars fuku.
The man gave Rei a mild look, as though he was not expecting her to understand English so well.
“We were planning on approaching Darkwood-san at a time when he was not agitated,” the Agent replied in Japanese. “You see, a situation has arisen, but the matter for the time being is classified.”
“Classified?” said Rei sharply.
“I apologize, but I have only been authorized to speak with Darkwood-san on the matter, Sailor Mars,” said the agent politely. “However, this situation should become abundantly transparent soon enough. Wait at home and keep the news turned on, you will see.”
“And what makes you think that I’m just going to scurry off to home like some obedient little housewife?” snarled Rei, the orb of Celestial Fire in her hand intensifying.
“Rei, a moment?” I asked suddenly.
Rei snapped a look at me, glowering, and then gave the Agent one last withering glare before she turned her nose at him and sauntered away so we could speak in private.
“What is it, Zeke,” she snapped testily. But then her tone became somewhat apologetic. “Or is it Raven-sama?”
“It pleases me that you have seen the error of your ways and seek to amend them,” came the Old Bird’s voice from my own mouth. “Worry not about respectful attitudes. As you can see from Zeke I do not tend to stand on ceremony. However, defy me at your own peril. Zeke may have denied me your soul, but I have other methods of making good on debts. Understood?”
Rei nodded her head, not exactly unafraid, but willing to face what was quickly becoming a new fear for her.
“Good. Now, my advice to you, my Priestess, is to let Zeke go alone for now. This is something I have set aside for him and him alone to deal with. Now, the pendant, please?”
Quickly, Rei handed it over and I fastened it around my neck once more, causing Raven’s presence to recede once more.I don’t know what I would have done without that thing.
“Is he telling the truth?” asked Rei with concern.
I sighed at that. “He can lie like a snake when he wants to, but that’s not often. Ravens are chatty creatures. They might distort things a bit, but that’s just to make it more interesting to talk about. They’d never tell a lie that could come back to bite them. At least, not consciously.”
“So he thinks he’s making your story more interesting by making me butt-out?” asked Rei. “Forgive me if I don’t find that encouraging.”
I shrugged. “I don’t blame you, but if you don’t do as he asks, then he’ll probably do something like curse you with misfortune.”
“What?”
“You know, bad luck. I know it sounds crazy but it’s true. I’ve actually made it happen before!”
“How?”
“Well, you know... let’s just say that this was before I got this pendant.”
“Ah,” replied Rei as she was enlightened.
#
Rei left, springing across rooftops so she could transform unseen. My longboard and gloves were collected and given to me as I was packed into one of the saloon cars and driven off with a police escort.
“So, now that we’re alone,” I said as I inspected the trucks on my board for damage, “you guys wanna tell me what this is about?”
There was a moment of tense silence before the lead agent spoke up.
“At around midnight, local time last night, several large objects measuring approximately four kilometers in length were detected entering stable orbits over the Earth.”
I looked over at the Agent and raised an eyebrow.
“Are you sure they aren’t Jyuraian in Origin?” I asked.
“How do you know that?” snapped the agent sharply.
“My girlfriend and intended-wife is Hino Rei, Great Grand-daughter of Prince Jyurai-Masaki Yosho.”
The agent subsided grudgingly at that. “Of course. At any rate, no, they are not Jyuraian. We have, in fact, been contacted by them. They call themselves the Invaders, and they claim to be here to take our world - by force if they must.”
I frowned thoughtfully at that. “They seem awfully polite about this. What’s the catch?”
“The catch is, Darkwood-san, that they have offered us a sporting chance - for a person of their choosing to face off against the reigning champion in their national past time: Tag.”
I was getting deja vu all over the place, but I still couldn’t place my finger on what this was. All I could do was ride this out and stay cagey.
“So why me then?” I asked.
The agent shrugged. “They never said. They only claimed that you were amongst the few viable contenders residing in Japan.”
“Residing in Japan?” I parroted back.
“Indeed. Perhaps once you meet Mr. Invader you’ll better understand why he was so selective.”
That would have been the start of a lull in the conversation, but right then there was a pronounced vibration in the vehicle. It took me a moment to place it, but the Agent blurted it out before I could.
“Earthquake! Stop the car!”
The driver had already been reacting and the car was stopped no sooner than the words had left the Agent’s mouth. Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash outside and the vehicle bounced violently, flinging me against my seat belt painfully and slamming me back into my plush seat.
“... Owwww,” I groaned.
It doesn’t matter who you are, folks. Car accidents fucking hurt.
A sudden memory came crawling to the forefront of my mind and then an irrational sense of claustrophobia overcame me. In barely a couple of seconds, I had practically ripped the seat belt off and shot out through the door like a startled cat, gasping for air as my heart hammered in my chest.
No fire.
No smell of burning flesh.
Although the engine compartment of the car was a smoldering ruin.
And standing up on top of that was something that just about made me fall over in surprise.
A gorgeous girl with a perfect hourglass figure. However, she was no Audrey Hepburn - this girl was voluptuous without being over-endowed in the slightest. And this was plain to see because of her outfit - a tiger-striped bikini that was made of actual fur, and a matching set of tiger-furred knee-high gogo boots.
But that was not the most surprising thing about her at all.
It was her hair! A huge, voluminous fall of barely-tamed hair that shone with a beautiful, rainbow-metallic iridescence that tended towards a deep forest-green hue. It was easy to miss the pair of smallish, stubby, yellow horns that barely peaked out from her mane.
She grinned at me with a cute, round face and baby-blue eyes as she said, in a adorably energetic and almost saccharine tone,
“Hiya! I’m the Invader, Lum, yeah! Are you my opponent, the American named Ezekiel Darkwood, huh?”
“Wha?” I said. Lum gave me an impatient look. She then took out something from behind her (hammerspace!?) and looked at it, at me, at it, and then at me again before she smiled broadly.
“You are him, yeah!” she beamed. “How’re you doing, huh?”
“Wait, you’re the one I have to go up against?” I asked.
“Yuppers!” announced Lum cheerefully.
“But... I thought your people wanted to conquer mine.”
Lum gave me a slightly annoyed look. “Well I don’t like being all evil and mean to people that don’t deserve it, nuh-uh! In fact, I read up all about you! You’ve had a pretty tough time, yeah? So I wanna be extra-nice to you, even if we gotta be on opposite sides. Don’t’cha think that’s better? Huh?”
I stopped and thought about it. It would be nice to play a more friendly game with someone who wasn’t out to eviscerate me just for existing like those blasted Droids that keep showing up. Granted the stakes of the game were pretty high, but Lum seemed like an alright person.
“What if I lose?” I asked.
Lum sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “There’s not much I can do about it. Daddy’s the one that makes the rules. I can at least make sure that you and your friends get treated fairly. That is, if you really are a nice person. I think that you’ll be okay, though.”
“But if you could change things, you would?”
Lum nodded her head vigorously. “Yeah-yeah! So many people get hurt because Daddy can’t keep all the other Warlords in line like he wants them to be, ya know? You see, Daddy is a nice person, too. He would never got Mama to marry him, don’tcha see?” And here she winked playfully at me. “Daddy tries his best to make things better, but he doesn’t really have a lot of power because of how our government is setup. The real power is in the Warlords themselves. Daddy just helps keep them organized so we don’t fight each other too much. Neat, huh?”
“Errr yeah, I guess.”
“So, why don’t we get going, yeah?” asked Lum as she finally jumped off the car.
“Ah, there’s a problem with that. You just trashed our ride.”
“Huh?” she replied in puzzlement as she turned to look where I was pointing. Suddenly, she flinched as though she just got whacked across the head. She then turned to me, a sickly smile on her face. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to not tell my daddy about this, maybe?”
“Sorry cute stuff,” I replied. “The Japanese Government I am certainly not. I can’t even vote here!”
Lum huffed in annoyance and I raised an eyebrow. It was startling that even when she was annoyed she was still cute.
Eventually, the replacement sedan came and we rode together in relative silence. Oddly enough, I could actually smell Lum inside the vehicle. Fortunately, though, it was not unpleasant. It was mint, cool and green, with just a touch of what must have been her own natural scent, and, oddly enough, ozone.
I don’t understand why but I caught myself looking at her several times. It was hard to resist! She was beautiful, for sure, but I knew in my heart that I had fallen in love with Rei. Why couldn’t I keep my eyes off this alien girl!?
Soon enough, we drove through the security gates at Yokosuka Naval Station and I at last had a distraction. Distant memories of my past life were awoken and the familiar sights began to wash over me. We drove past the Mountain, the peak of which was where the offices of Seventh Fleet were kept, past the new steam plant and the Fleet Rec Center, past the dock operations center with the last of the Naval Tugs owned and operated by the USN, past the berth of the USS Blue Ridge LCC 20 (The phrase ‘Let’s Continuous Clean for Twenty Hours!’ popped into my head at that!), and then a sudden left turn into one of the massive buildings in which Ship Repair Facilities worked their arcane arts at keeping these machines of war afloat.
We came to a stop and we were ushered out and through the massive workshop, which was eerily silent. Of course, we learned why as we turned a corner and I was suddenly confronted with the visage of Mr. Invader.
The man was, in just two words, sprockin’ HUGE.
He was like a mountain, sitting on a work bench and still tall enough for the second-level railings to be at eye-level with him. He could probably go toe-to-toe with Optimus Prime, and still maybe have steam left over to take on Megatron.
“DADDY!” cried out Lum happily as she jumped up, took FLIGHT! and glomped her father as best as she could.
“Ah! There’s my little girl!” Mr. Invader then regarded us all. “Thank you for bringing my wayward daughter back to me. I hope that she wasn’t too much trouble for you.”
I shrugged. “She only wrecked one car.”
“YOU SNITCH!” cried out Lum and suddenly I felt an intense desire to not be where I was standing.
Of course, I acted on it, and not a moment too soon as Lum did a very good impression of a Sith Lord casting lightning.
“That’s enough, now dear,” said Mr. Invader, a stern look on his face as he put a massive paw on her shoulder.
“Don’t feel too bad,” I said. “A friend of mine fried one before we met earlier today.” I didn’t mention that she was my girlfriend, as that would have tied Sailor Mars to Hino Rei... if they didn’t know about her already.
“HAH!” cried out Mr. Invader. “Interesting friends you have, kid.”
I shrugged again. “Mr. Invader, my entire life has been an exercise of the Ancient Chinese meaning of that word.”
“Oh, that old curse?” asked Mr. Invader. “‘May you live in interesting times’? Heh-heh, that one’s always been one of my favorites. And you seem to be in for interesting times, too! Seeing as you’ve managed to anger my little girl, here. Not that I mind, really.”
“DADDY!” cried out Lum, scandalized.
“Lum, you’ve grown too soft with all the boys that fawn over you. Especially that Rei character. How he ever got you to accept a marriage proposal is beyond me.”
“But I broke it off right away, ya know!” cried out Lum.
“Regardless, you’ve become spoiled where other men are concerned. And I’m glad this kid has the sense to throw something other than roses at your feet.”
“So, I take it this doesn’t happen very often?” I asked.
Mr. Invader barked out a laugh. “I wish! Every time a boy sees her it’s the same thing!”
“Well, I do admit, she is beautiful.” Lum’s glares softened somewhat at that. “But my grandmother always told me that there’s more to a woman than just a pretty face. There were some terrible girls in my school that bore that out.”
“Meanie,” snapped Lum and she stuck her tongue out at me. I almost laughed at how utterly adorable she was.
“Hmm,” murmured Mr. Invader thoughtfully. “Well, regardless, we need to get down to business here. I take it things have already been explained to you, kid?”
“Yes, Mr. Invader. I’ve been told that I’m to face off against Lum in a game of tag for the fate of my world.”
“You got it. Just to be safe, though, I’ll explain the rules. The game will last for one week, and the whole time you will be It. The only way for you to win is to grab Lum by her horns.”
“Why so long?” I asked.
Mr. Invader grinned. “My daughter is very difficult to catch.”
I didn’t have anything to say about that, so I just shrugged, causing Mr. Invader to laugh.
“I’ll tell you what, kid. Since you’re being such a great sport about all this, I’ll let you pick the venue. Any place you want, we’ll hold the game there.”
My eyebrows shot up at that. “Anywhere I want?”
“Anywhere!” confirmed the Oni jovially.
I thought about it for a moment, and then I remembered what it was like back home on the reservation.
I then smiled wickedly. “How about Monument Valley?”
#
There was a press conference, moderated heavily by a public relations person from the American Embassy. I stayed to answer all the questions that made it through moderation. Of course, the reason being that I wanted there to be little chance that someone would wish to ambush me.I discussed this matter with the PR person, and they confided in me that it would be best if I selected a reporter from a local press club to be my exclusive reporter - a little bit like how, in the comics, Lois Lane always got Superman’s exclusives.
Over the course of the press conference, one reporter came out on top as having the most questions that the moderators felt were relevant, and she was flagged out for me. While everyone else was packing it in, someone went and whispered in her ear, and shortly thereafter she and I were sitting down together, sipping at bottled waters.
Shoko Asami was an attractive woman who did not look at all like the twenty-nine years the dossier said she was. Her long, feathered hair was lightened to a medium ash blonde, and her eyes seemed to be caught somewhere between violet and blue, making me wonder if she had some Jyuraian in her as well. She wore a sea foam green blouse with a mandarin collar, and a teal-colored calf-length straight skirt, finished off with a set of stylish black high-heeled calf-height boots.
“You’re shorter than I thought you’d be,” said the reporter with a mildly teasing smile.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “And you look pretty damn good for being old enough to be my aunt.”
Shoko glowered at me for the back-handed compliment.
“Touche, Mr. Darkwood. You certainly have guts calling that out to my face, even if I was teasing you just now.”
“Miss Asami, if you tease me you had better be ready to get as good as you're giving. Besides, since I’ve had several someones go out of their way to try and kill me, the only woman’s ire I worry about anymore is my girlfriend’s.”
“Ah, so you do have a girlfriend then?” she asked, her eyes lighting up a bit.
“Yes, and that’s on record, too! The last thing I need is marriage proposals by the hundreds.”
Shoko smiled knowingly. “You do realize that’s not going to stop them all, right?”
I sighed at that. “Yes, I know. What bugs me the most is that most of those will be fathers or mothers trying to get me to marry into their family by foisting a daughter at me who’s way outside my age bracket.”
“I don’t think you’ll get too many of those,” said Shoko blithely, “but I won’t deny that people like that exist, as much as I wish they didn’t. So, do I get to know the name of the lucky girl?”
“Not yet. I need to speak with her on the matter. She catches enough trouble just being my girlfriend. I’d like to refrain from dumping any more in her lap.”
“Good,” said Shoko with a nod. “I’m glad to see someone like you being considerate of your girlfriend. She’s very fortunate to have you, I think.”
I snorted at that. “Well, she might disagree at first.”
Shoko barked a laugh. “I see! So it’s one of those relationships?”
“Kind of. She started out being so tsun-tsun that it wasn’t even funny, but now...” I simply shrugged.
Shoko laughed again in delight. “That bad, huh?”
“Honestly, I’m not surprised myself,” came a shockingly familiar voice. “After all, Zeke is special - you either come to love him or hate him.”
I snapped around and there she was: Teletha Testarossa in her Mithril duty-officer’s uniform, and with her was a wiry looking man, slightly scruffy with a neatly maintained five o’clock shadow, hiking boots, worn-in blue jeans, a black long-sleeved shirt and red vest with a myriad of pockets. Sitting at his hip was a camera bag hanging by the strap on his shoulder.
“And you are?” asked Shoko.
“Captain Teletha Testarosa,” she said as she offered a large, padded, manila envelope. “Congratulations, Miss Asami. You have been vetted.”
Shoko blinked in consternation as she accepted the envelope and began to work at the closure.
“By who?” she asked.
“By the paramilitary organization known as Mithril.” Teltha grinned as Shoko froze and gave Telly a wide-eyed look. “You should find everything you need to know inside there. It’s keyed to your thumb print. Mr. Nereo Sibilia, here, will be your assigned body guard. In addition to being proficient at protecting VIPs, he is also a highly skilled field photographer and he is even a member of the Paparazzi. I’ll leave you two to get acquainted while I speak with Zeke in private.”
Before anything else could happen, Teletha hooked my arm with her deceptive strength and dragged me away, not stopping until we were in a dark and isolated corner of the work shop. Once there, she let go, pulling a device out of her pocket and pushing the single button on it, causing a green indicator LED to light up.
“Alright, no one will be able to hear us now,” said Teletha as she set it on the floor next to us.
“Telly, not that I didn’t want to see you again,” I began, “but what are you doing here?”
Without another word, Teletha Testarosa reached up behind my head, pulled my face into hers, and suddenly she was kissing me. It was like before, only now the pangs of regret I had sensed the last time had been replaced with hunger and fire.
“I lost you once,” she gasped as she broke off the kiss. “Never again.”
Telly, wait!” I said, stopping her before she could kiss me again. “You do understand that I’m with Rei now, right?”
“Yes, and I don’t care,” she said, her breath hot and moist against my face. “I was with you first. I fell in love with you first! There! I said it! I have been in love with you all this time! Ever since I saw you after your accident. You looked at me with those eyes that you still have to this day and they stole my heart from me. I’d heard the fairy tales before about princes and princesses and love at first sight, but I never thought that could happen to me, especially when I was only five! Every time you look at me you make me feel so vulnerable, and yet I feel as though I really can change the world... and all I would need is your permission.”
Once more she lunged into me and I couldn’t really stop her. I was simply too shocked. Worse was that I was actually getting aroused by all this! Once I realized that I firmly pushed Teltha away, but not roughly.
“Telly, I can’t do this! Not only would it break Rei’s heart, she would probably kill you!” I didn’t add in the fact that she would likely kill me as well.
“She may be a Senshi,” said Teletha with an evil gleam in her eyes, “but I am a Whispered. And while we’ve been kissing, I have already concocted several tactics, methodologies, and strategies for dealing with her and her friends should they come between you and me.”
Oh fuck, I thought, because the last time I had seen that look in her eyes, one particularly nasty bully back on the Reservation had wound up buried up to his neck in his own back yard. I just counted myself lucky that she hadn’t gone with her original plan of staking him out over an anthill. I shuddered to think at what she could do with her Whispered abilities and the resources of a submersible amphibious assault ship at her disposal.
Shit. Fuck. Distraction. NOW!
“Telly, I know you want to be with me and everything, but don’t you have some important official business to be conducting?”
Teletha glowered at me and sighed. “Dammit, Zeke, you killjoy.” Teletha then stepped away and adopted a relaxed sort of parade-rest pose. “We have recieved special orders from the very top. Urzu Squadron is to assist you in preparing for the competition with the Invaders in any way we can. You have already been excused from classes for the next two weeks and your class mates will be picking up your homework assignments for you.”
I sighed at that myself. “Not doing things by halves, are we?”
“The fate of the world is at stake, Zeke. We’d be fools not to do all that we can. As it is, the world’s militaries are all preparing as quickly as they can for an all-out war, but we’re not holding out much hope that we can offer more than a token of resistance, even if we used nuclear weapons. The UN Military Council has already decided that the best they can do is hold out long enough for the Juraian’s main force to arrive. Aside from that, all our hopes ride on you, Zeke.”
“Fucking-A,” I grumbled. “I am never gonna hear the end of this, am I?”
Teletha shrugged. “We have public relations people doing what they can, Zeke. That is part of why we have Mr. Sibilia here. With his Paparazzi credentials and having an exclusive contract as your personal press photographer, you at least will not be hounded day and night. Mr. Sibilia will make arrangements with you on a monthly basis for scheduled and spontaneous photo ops and will work hand-in-hand with Miss Asami. Additionally, you get a ten percent cut on the sale of the photographs - a gratuity for your willing participation with the Paparazzi.
“So no, you probably won’t hear the end of this, ever. But how many people can honestly say that they’ve saved the world, Zeke? How many people can honestly say that they have saved us all?” Teletha then reached out and put her hand softly to the side of my face while looking at me imploringly. “How many people can say that they have saved me?”
I looked away from her in shame. “I didn’t act quickly enough.”
“Don’t say that,” said Teletha. “What happened to me at Blood Gulch was horrible. I won’t sugarcoat it for your sake. They werehired to come after you, but I was just an added treat to them. And in the end, after they had their way with me, they simply would have killed me and tossed me aside like a piece of trash. But you stopped that from happening. In fact, you not only stopped it, but you avenged me in such a way that the Elders felt that you were the Spirit’s Justice visited upon those men in human form. And they weren’t wrong, either. Raven gave you control, and along with it the rage to fuel that force.”
“Fine, so I saved your life,” I bit off harshly. “And what if that rage wasn’t provided by Raven? What if that’s the real me deep down inside?”
Teletha reached out once more, gently grasping my face in her hands and making me look at her.
“Then I am glad that your rage only comes out so you can defend the defenseless. I may have lost my virginity that day. But I gained my beloved Black Knight as well.”
Right then, I couldn’t help myself. I just had to hold Teletha - my trusted and beloved friend, Telly - in my arms.
“Raven’s stinking breath, Telly,” I murmured into her sweet smelling hair. “Why do you have to make this so hard on me.”
Teletha didn’t respond right away.
“You really do love her, don’t you?” she asked.
I let go of Teletha and looked her in the eyes. I opened my mouth, but she stopped me.
“But you love me as well, don’t you?”
I looked away in shame, because she’d hit the nail right on the head. I cared very much about both of them, but I could only really choose one over the other! Dammit all!
Teletha actually laughed. “Oh Zeke! That is so precious that you want both of us, but I suppose I’ll have to show you the folly of trying to satisfy more than one woman. After all, I am certain that I will be more than you can handle.”
“Hey!” I snapped as I rounded on her. “No games! It’s bad enough my life is one already. And I would have thought you’d respected me more than that.”
Teletha reared back as though she’d been struck, her surprised expression quickly and briefly followed up with a look of ‘Dear God what am I doing’.
“Alright,” said Teletha contritely as she composed herself. “I apologize, Zeke. I shouldn’t be making this into a game. But what am I supposed to do?”
I sighed at that. “Talk to Rei. Don’t antagonize her, but don’t be anything less than upfront with her. She has a bit of a short fuse, but she’s a good person nonetheless. She’ll hear you out if you’re not acting out.”
“What about you?” asked Teletha, giving me a somewhat cross look. I could tell that she thought I was just trying to pass the buck, but that was only half-true.
“I already know about how you feel, Telly. I just need to figure out how I’m going to deal with this, and part of that is knowing how Rei feels about you.”
Teletha sighed as my words sank in. “Alright then. But you had better understand that what you’re asking isn’t easy.”
I shook my head. “Nothing about love is ever easy.”

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