Chapter 5-Night Visitors
When Zoisite reached the village at nightfall, they had just begun closing the gates. It was a small, rustic-looking place–and it reminded Zoisite of his home. He stopped a young girl leading a cow home in the street to ask her where the nearest inn was. She brushed aside a curtain of silky brown hair with a blush and pointed out the humble little building to him. He smiled, thanked her for her help, and continued on his way.
The smile faded as he sighed wistfully. The girl's bashful, admiring smile reminded him painfully of Ami's...she had smiled a smile just like that when they had first met. The old innkeeper, Zecheriah, welcomed him hospitably. He asked for his name only out of curiosity, and Zoisite only hesitated for a minute before giving it to him.
He remembered how, in his childhood, an elderly great-uncle of his had owned an inn. Zoisite had worked there in his spare time, bringing in heavy buckets from the well and chopping firewood. In their small village, they had loved greeting visitors and hearing all the news and stories the travelers had to tell.
Zecheriah's long, gray beard swished amiably over the parchment he was writing on, recording Zoisite's name and his fee. Zoisite handed over the amount, which was a little lower than the price he expected. As Zecheriah hobbled up the hallway before him, Zoisite looked around, seeing ghosts in the shadows cast by flickering lantern light. To get his mind off the past, he asked, "How has business been, Master Zecheriah?"
"Just call me Zecheriah, lad. Not so bad, no use complaining. We've been getting more and more travelers in these parts, much more than usual in the past few months. They've been getting rowdier and rowdier. Time was that we wouldn't have allowed any roughs in the village. Trade's so poor that we have to let just about anyone in, now.
Last month, some strange, unshaven men came in and stayed a night. None of them took off their cloaks down here, and they wore gloves all the time. Never seen people like those before. Rude, they were, and dirty. They scared me niece Alayna, and now her parents worry about her being here."
His face brightened suddenly. "Alayna's a sweet child. Very good girl. She looks up to those sailor senshi in Crystal Tokyo, you know."
"Does she really? I didn't know they were well-known hereabouts," Zoisite commented neutrally. He felt concerned for the old innkeeper...it must be hard for the old man to be managing the inn without much help.
"Mmm..."
Just then, they intercepted a slim, shadowy figure clad in a dark cloak. The stranger was about to disappear down the curving stairwell when Zecheriah called out to her. "Kaliana!"
She turned around soundlessly, and her soft voice drew them closer. "Master Zecheriah, good evening," she greeted with a graceful bow. "I'm afraid I must be going now."
"Oh, please wait, Kaliana." Zecheriah puffed up to her with a rather toothless grin. "You must meet young Master Zoisite! He just came in, only around a half an hour after you did. Strange, isn't it? Haven't had any travelers for two weeks and the two of you come in on the same night!"
"It's a pleasure," Kaliana told him, her voice low and musical.
"The pleasure is all mine," he replied, instinctively falling into the suave tone he had adopted to charm courtiers in the palace. Jadeite, he recalled, had taught him while Nephrite watched in amusement.
A look of displeasure flickered over her face, and when he realized what he had done, he felt like digging his grave on the spot. He was not supposed to be flirting with strange women....especially not now, given his current circumstances.
Zecheriah didn't notice a thing and prattled on cheerfully. "Oh, my, I've forgotten my manners now. Zoisite, this is Miss Auriar. She's a beautiful young lady, isn't she?"
To Zoisite's surprise, Kaliana flushed a delicate rose pink before turning away abruptly. "I must go. Good evening, Master Zecheriah, Master...Zoisite."
She vanished like a wisp of smoke, and Zoisite was left with a fleeting impression of eyes that were the icy blue, almost white color of sunlit glaciers and some very long strands of hair of the same hue.
"She's modest, that one," he commented. "But she's a fighter. Must be from near the border–all these newfangled notions about women fighting are more than I can take."
Zoisite raised his eyebrows. "I see."
"Now, here's your room," Zecheriah said, hobbling forward with a grin that revealed a noticeable lack of teeth.
"Thank you very much, sir."
"Not at all, not at all...you'll join us for supper, won't you?"
He heard the old man's slow steps down the hall as Zecheriah whistled cheerfully. Zoisite looked around his room, which was pretty much what he had expected: a table and some chairs carved from rough wood, a dented metal basin for washing up, a cracked, dusty looking glass, and a moth-eaten mattress stuffed with corn husks. He shrugged carelessly and put all his traveling gear down before walking over to the window. It was latched shut, but he opened it to let in the cool night breeze...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zoisite did not see Kaliana Auriar at dinner, which was a quiet affair. He sat at the table with Zecheriah and his wife, obligingly answered their questions, and tried to avoid giving away his identity. He did tell them that the next day, he would set off towards Aesclin Harbor. Zecheriah pointed out a handy shortcut to him that would take him by some beautiful falls that the young folk liked to picnic by. Zoisite thanked him politely and marked his map accordingly.
Soon after dinner, he returned to his room. He reorganized his belongings, double-checking that he had all of the senshi's gifts to him. Jupiter's oak staff was leaning against the wall, and he laid the sword Endymion had given him on the table by his bed.
He blinked as a slim, leather bound volume fell out of his pack. He picked it up and flipped through it uncertainly, but it was empty. He was sure it hadn't been there before; he wondered what he was supposed to do with it. It was probably from Setsuna. Zoisite shrugged, retrieved a bottle of ink, and began writing. He didn't have anything better to do, and he figured that a record of his journey might be a good thing to have.
First he wrote the date, although his handwriting was not the elegant court scrawl he had perfected after years of living in Elysion. It was shaky, a little blotted, and hard to read–but he figured he would improve after more practice. The scratching of the quill halted as he pondered what to write. He copied down his clue and the translation, then his guess that it was Aesclin Harbor.
Have made it as far as the village of Carmela. Approximately two more days of traveling before I reach the harbor, have received advice on route by innkeeper Zecheriah. Mention of strange, cloaked visitors to inn the past few months. Met the acquaintance of a warrior woman by the name of Kaliana Auriar. Have also seen disturbing sight outside of Crystal Tokyo in the Boundary divide, questionable signs of a magical battle?
He left off on that unsettling note and replaced the journal in his knapsack. He had nothing else to do, so he blew out the branch of candles and climbed into bed. Within minutes, he had fallen into a deep sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was standing in a room with cream-colored walls before a bed awash silken blue sheets. His hands reached out of their own volition and pushed the dress off the woman's shoulders; it slid to the floor with a loud swish. He looked up into her eyes, blue as the ocean and fixed on his own. It was Ami, and his heart clenched painfully as she smiled at him.
"I love you," she told him, her voice sweet and clear.
She came closer, and the floorboards creaked. He looked down...weren't the floors in the Moon Palace tiled, not wooden?
A quiet "snick" was heard, and he saw that he had drawn his knife out of its sheath. Why had he done it? Why, why?
Ami moved closer and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him deeply. Again, his hands moved purposefully without direction from his mind. The knife plunged into her, and she fell limply against him, her eyes open and blank. A moment later, her body disappeared, and he was left with a pool of blood on the floor, the crimson staining his hands, his clothes, everything...
Zoisite jerked upright, breathing deeply–and then yelled in pain as fire burned all along his left side. Instinctively, he groped for his sword. It fell to the floor with a clatter, and his unseen assailant punched him hard in the head.
Zoisite rolled out of bed to the other side and was yanked upright by a new attacker. He kicked and lashed out wildly, trying to ignore the pounding in his head. When his captor let him go, he crumped to the ground, pressing his fingers against his side–they felt wet and sticky. He felt around desperately for his bags, which he had left on this side...where were Uranus's daggers...where were they?
All at once, he felt the leather of the hilts, and they rested securely in his hands. He forced himself upright, readying himself for the newest attack. The light of the moon was weak, and he could only see shadows swishing all about the room. He couldn't see how many there were...he couldn't see them coming at him...
Something nicked him on the arm, and he swung out blindly, cursing. Suddenly, the door swung open, and his room was filled with bright, blue-white light. Kaliana Auriar stood in the door wearing a sleeveless tunic over form-fitting trousers; her long hair was swept back into a high ponytail, and her ice-blue eyes were glowing slightly.
However, Zoisite didn't have much time to think about her presence, but he hoped she wasn't here to kill him. As his foe was distracted, he plunged his knife through the back of one–and leapt backwards in surprise when the figure exploded, spraying foul-smelling dust everyone. He fought his way across the room, trying to retrieve his sword, until he was distracted by a new flash of light...Kaliana was holding a ball of energy in her hands, and when she let it go, it engulfed two of them at once.
He paid for his inattention by being knocked to the ground, and a gleaming black sword hurtled towards him. Zoisite closed his eyes, waiting for the blow that would surely mean his death–and then a horrible screech met his ears. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Kaliana standing in front of him, having locked swords with the cloaked creature. She wrenched her sword away and plunged it into the creature's chest; he, too, turned to dust.
"Get up!" she ordered, spinning around to engage another one of the dark cloaks. "Have you forgotten all your training, Earth General?"
Zoisite picked up his own sword and began to help dispose of them, although he was beginning to feel lightheaded from blood loss... Just as Kaliana defeated the last shadow-thing, his vision began to swim with colors and misshapen blobs, and he passed out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm sorry," that intimate, slightly-familiar voice said by his ear as he swam towards consciousness, "I did not realize that you were wounded."
Something cold and astringent was pressed against his side, and he jerked awake with a muffled yell. Deft fingers took hold of his chin, forced his mouth open, and poured a glutinous liquid down his throat. Zoisite choked and spluttered, but the pain vanished and his vision cleared instantly: a number of candle were lit, he was still in his room, and there was no sign of the invaders...
Kaliana Auriar was standing before him, a curious expression on her face. "I hope you didn't mind that I used this," she said, indicating the kit Saturn had given him. "It was necessary to treat your injuries."
"Thank you, I think," he replied uncertainly. She nodded serenely and began bandaging the cut in his side. Zoisite shifted nervously, embarrassed that this woman he barely knew was seeing so much of his anatomy. "Um...thank you, also, for coming to my rescue. How did you know they were here?"
"I can feel their presence. It is dirty and vile."
"What were they?"
She looked at him then, her gaze amused. "Have you been dead so long that you have forgotten what youma are?"
Zoisite blinked in confusion. "Youma?"
"Well...that is a more modern name for them. Youma are paltry fighters, the lowest among the creatures of the dark–and the easiest to dispose of. You may recall Queen Beryl in the Silver Millennium, perhaps? They were her lackeys."
"No, I'm sorry."
Kaliana seated herself by his side, pushing aside his hair to look at the cut on his forehead. Although her words seemed cool and impersonal, her touch was quite gentle. "What do you remember of the Silver Millennium?"
"Not much," he said, embarrassed. "I remember some of my childhood...being a general and meeting the other Shittenou and Prince Endymion...the only other things I know are what I have been told." Then he frowned as a new thought occurred to him. "How did you know I was an Earth General?"
She smiled faintly. "I, like yourself, have traveled from Crystal Tokyo–in a roundabout manner. I work for their majesties, Neo-Queen Serenity and Neo-King Endymion. Currently, I have assignments outside the city."
"Did you have business in Carmela?"
"Mm. Yes, you could say that." Her smile was mysterious, like Pluto's, and tinged with hints of humor, sorrow, and shyness. He yawned, and she told him, "I've healed your injuries, and you should be fine by tomorrow morning, although you may find yourself tiring more easily."
"Is that why I'm tired now?"
"Yes."
Zoisite felt himself drifting off and managed to ask sleepily, "Why did you save me tonight?"
"Well....presumably, we're on the same side and fight for the same cause. Go to sleep, Zoisite. The youma will not return tonight."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the morning, he was awakened by the smell of something delectable. Kaliana was nowhere to be seen, and a steaming tray sat on the table. Zoisite got out of bed before he realized that he was not wearing any clothes–and his previously-absent nurse walked into the room. Both of them turned bright red, and she handed him his clothes before turning away. "I'm sorry, I thought you weren't awake yet."
Zoisite hastily scrambled into his clothes, and when she turned around again, she noticed that he was favoring his left side. With one touch from her glowing fingers, the stiffness faded. "It's harder to heal here than in Crystal Tokyo, which is why you may have noticed that everyone looks very healthy there. This is attributed to the influence of the Silver Crystal...it is more difficult the farther away I am from the city to use magic."
"You have magic?" he asked curiously as she motioned him to eat.
She nodded with a skeptical look on her face. "Don't you? I was under the impression that you had magic with living things....plants especially."
He looked away, his lips tight. "I believe it was taken away from me by the king and queen."
It was hard to tell what she was feeling when she said, "We don't always see eye-to-eye, the monarchs and myself. This is part of the reason why I'm traveling here instead of residing at court."
"There's a court?"
"Oh, yes. It's slightly reminiscent of the Lunar court, I'm told...I am not familiar with what the Terran court was like."
Zoisite nodded, his mouth full of eggs. When he had swallowed, he asked, "What is Crystal Tokyo's court like?"
Kaliana looked faintly surprised that he was interested in such things. "Well... like any other court, I suppose. Full of intrigue, scandals, and ambitious women and men competing for the favor of the rulers and their senshi."
"Have you met the senshi?"
"Several times. But I prefer the politics of the city and would rather not deal with those of the court."
After he had finished most of his meal, he inquired, "How do you know my name–and the circumstances of my exile?"
She said simply, "I am a servant of their majesties. They give me knowledge they feel is important to me, and I do what I must. Although, Zoisite, I would advise you to choose a different name to give to those who ask for it. It makes it easier for dark forces to track you down."
Zoisite blinked. "What would they want with me? I'm not–I'm not evil anymore, and I'm hardly important to the Neo-King and -Queen."
"Perhaps that blow on the head addled your thinking." She giggled at his shocked look. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. Your intellectual skills were well-known in the times of the Silver Millennium. I suggest you use them. You were reborn for a reason, Zoisite. Setsuna herself brought you to Serenity and Endymion, and the gods have forbidden them from killing you. You must have an important part to play in Earth's future, and it would be best if you kept yourself safe and traveled in anonymity."
He nodded absently. "You...know Setsuna? Were you alive during the Silver Millennium?"
Kaliana flushed and turned away. "I–it was a mistake to let you know. The senshi of Pluto and I are old friends."
"So that means you lived during the Silver Millennium?" Zoisite demanded.
"Yes."
"Did we know each other?"
"..."
"Did we know each other, Kaliana?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: And here we have the new character, Kaliana (Kay-lee-ah-na), whose nickname is Kalea. Zoisite is a little out of it still, but it's excusable after a millennia and more of death, ne? Thank you for reading and reviewing, everyone. I promise that the first test will come soon... I've been researching quite a bit for this fic ^.~
~Ice
A General's Journey
