Name: Seishou Kouseinou
General Kunzite
Age: 16
Grade: 11
Guardian: Shippou, snake
Name: Kousei Kyosei
General Nephrite
Age: 15
Grade: 10
Guardian: Hokushin, eagle
Name: Tabiki Kasen
General Jadeite
Age: 15
Grade: 10
Guardian: Tansei, bird
Name: Kouseki Yosouya
General Zoicite
Age: 13
Grade: 10
Guardian: Erimakitokage/Tokage, lizard
Name: Chiba Mamoru
Age: 17
Grade: 12
Guardian: None
Chapter 4b-That Pales in Comparison to High School
Kyosei rolled over, he was searching for something...no, someone. And there had
been his friends with him, dressed in strange gray uniforms, but there had been
another mysterious figure, one dressed in black armor. But who was he searching
for again? Someone....a girl, he was sure of it, with brown hair. However, no
other features were present, not even her eyes, except two delicate rose
earrings in her ears. Frowning, he sat up and looked around his room, painted
dark blue and hung with glow-in-the-dark planets and stars that all his friends
teased him about. "Ow..." he moaned, putting a large hand up to feel his sore
ear. Peering around for the disturbance, the brown-haired boy glared at his pet
and said, "Hokushin-kun, stop that! I don't like getting up."
"Ohayo, sleepy-headed stargazer. Get up, or you'll be late to school again."
Grouchily, he groaned and dragged himself off, gathered the pieces of his dull
school uniform (every boy dressed alike, with the same clothes and
haircut-except him and Kouseinou, they had rebelled together against the hair,
both liked long hair not in a ponytail like Yosouya's), and slumped into the
bathroom. As the sound of running water through slightly-rusty pipes was heard,
he called, "Shin-kun, I hope you haven't taught Tansei-kun how to do that."
Shifting nervously from one foot to another, the eagle stretched magnificent
wings and asked, "Why not? I might have.....put the idea into his head. The bird
can formulate his own ideas, sometimes."
"Stop that, you sound like Souya-kun or Shippou-kun. Thank kami-sama that
Tokage-kun and Kouseinou-kun never do that. *gulp* Uh oh.....Kasen-kun is going
to kill me. He doesn't get up well in the morning."
"Neither do you......Prince Nephrite," added the eagle as the boy thundered
downstairs-ready for breakfast. Feeling stupid, he flew down the narrow hallway
and staircase, then waddled across the breakfast table. "Eat breakfast, young
one."
"I'm not that young. Besides, Tansei-kun told me your secret, none of you
'guardians' are much older than us," smirked Kyosei.
Screeching indignantly, he turned his back on the insolent boy and sniffed.
"Tansei-kun is going to be in big trouble, both from me and Kasen-kun. I am
definitely older than you."
"By a year," laughed his master. "Why are you so worried about age, anyway?"
"I can't tell you that." The bird turned back around and smelled a slice of
banana. "Hm...yummy. Stop packing your lunch and eat! Breakfast is important."
Rolling his navy blue eyes, he replied, "That's what my health teacher's always
telling me. Okay, okay. Off to school." He shoved a flaky Danish into his mouth,
called out a farewell with his mouthful, held open the door for his pet, who
promptly reminded him about the house key. Kyosei ducked back in, grabbed it,
and slammed the door. "I truly hate you and school sometimes."
~ * ~ * ~
"Konnichiwa, Kouseinou-kun," said Urawa Ryo. "I forgot, did we have any
homework from the kanji sensei last night?"
Nodding, the silver-haired boy replied, "Konnichiwa, Ryo-kun. Hai, those five
pages of exercises, writing, reading, and translating."
"Uh oh....*gulp*" The smaller student looked up at the six foot one giant next
to him, thinking of the best way to beg for homework. Both he and his best
friend despised cheating and copying, so he was in for a rough struggle.
Speaking of which......
"Ohayo, Kouseinou-kun! Oh....ohayo, Ryo-san," added Kouseki Yosouya slightly
coldly and awkwardly, detecting earlier that the brunette boy didn't like him
very much. At all, by precise definition.
The third party also noticed a distinct unfriendliness radiating towards the
small, skinny blonde but couldn't figure out why. "Ohayo, Souya-kun."
"Ohayo."
Luckily, Kasen always turned up at the right moments, his good-natured,
forgetful, and shining self. "Ohayo, minna! Anyone see Kyosei-kun? We've got a
game today, anyone going?"
"Gomen nasai, swimming."
"I can go," said Ryo.
"Gomen ne too, training again," said Kouseinou softly. He winced as his muscles
protested to any and all movements he attempted to make, bruised and exhausted.
"Aw....you two are no fun. See you there, Ryo-kun?"
"Hai. Look, minna, the bell's going to ring in two seconds, let's go. Ja!"
"JA!"
Slipping into his class, Kasen smiled innocently at his teacher, who tried to
look stern for a minute and failed, while all the females in the class started
sighing and whispering about how kawaii the strong yet short (5' 8" wasn't that
bad, he thought to himself consolingly) angel was. He shot them a winning grin
as well, causing many to clutch at their hearts and sigh again. Kyosei rolled
his eyes and thought about his strange and somehow recurring dreams. It was said
that no one dreamed the same thing twice in a row or more unless there was a
message from "other realms" being sent to you. That was what the stars told him,
and he had trusted them ever since he had met and been scared by their tinselly
voices just one year ago....
~ * ~ * ~
At the end of the day, Tabiki Kasen was waiting outside, rather impatiently,
for his friends Kyosei and Ryo. Three sneering upperclassmen, aged sixteen,
seventeen, or eighteen approached him, and the slightly-shorter blonde glared at
them threateningly and tried not to shrink away. He knew two of three, they were
also on the football team and extremely popular-if only their personalities
matched their reputations. The third boy was unknown to him but just as tall and
unfriendly-looking. Quickly, he hoped that he wasn't about to get beaten up and
scanned the schoolyard. Some scraggly trees, two or three bikes, teachers and
students's cars, two girls walking about ten feet away, three people in the
faraway tennis courts, and a passive and most likely benign shadow lounging
inside the glass doors of the school. *gulp* He was in big trouble all right...
Spitting out the words and saliva with them, the first said, "Konnichiwa,
Tabiki Kasen. Looking a bit lonely, aren't you."
"Hasn't got his twerpy little genius of a brother, dreamy Kousei Kyosei-that's
a life, guy's always taking about stars, or that idiotically silent Seishou-sama
with him, as he. Not that any of them can fight, of course. Especially Kouseki
Yosouya, who feels so special since he skipped two grades, he never says
anything to anyone! Stuck up, ne?"
"Don't talk that way about my brother."
"Oh, we forgot, are you ashamed of him having a different father than you?"
He clenched his fists, trying not to lose his temper while the third, the
unknown, just laughed and pulled out a box of cigarettes. Giving two to his
friends, he also retrieved a lighter from the dirty pocket of his muddy pants,
leering at the blonde all the time. "Hey, think it's time we introduced this
'innocent' to nicotine?"
"I don't want any, and I'm not an innocent, arigato."
"Sissy.'
"Coward."
"Go on, or are you afraid of finally being popular?"
"That's not what it takes to be popular, get away from me."
"There's no one to help to you around, is there?" Now the first one sneered and
shoved the end of the cigarette that had been in his mouth into Kasen's. He spit
it out, coughing and retching, glaring at them. Before he could get away, the
second one grabbed the shirt of his uniform and hung him there, smiling an
extremely unpleasant smile. "Come, just one smoke, and your kind new brothers
will leave you alone."
"Are you poor, sick idiots with nothing else to do, or is it just me?" he
asked, bright blue eyes burning angrily. "Get the hell away from me, or I swear,
kami-sama will punish your soul."
The third snickered and finally said, "Calling on the gods now?"
Getting tired of the teasing, the first whispered to his friend to hold the
smaller boy and punched him, resulting in a heavy nosebleed.
A heavily muscled arm appeared, attached to the matching giant arm and lifted
up the one dubbed Boy #2, the rescuer's second arm appeared and picked up the
first. #3, undoubtedly cowardly, filthy, and vile ran away after catching a
glimpse. "Konnichiwa, friends. Why don't we have a nice talk?"
Their eyes widened, and the two shook their heads frantically until their necks
cracked from the effort. "Iie, iie, Chiba-san, not necessary at all."
"Oh, I think it's necessary," said the new boy, shorter than them yet stronger.
It was his turn to smile and laugh unpleasantly. Twisting their arms with simple
movements that seemed to require no effort for him, he was careful to do it to
the point where they would hurt for several days after but not have broken arms.
Dropping them unceremoniously on the ground, he ordered, "Get out of here, and
if you ever come after Tabiki Kasen or his friends, I'll be sure to break your
arms and something else."
Running away as fast as they cold, they called, "Hai, hai. SAYONARA!!!"
"K-k-konnichiwa, Chiba-san, and arigato gozaimisu," stammered Kasen, turning
red and slightly afraid of the strong older boy. He quickly dug around for a
tissue, found none, and pinched his nose to stop the flow of blood.
He handed him a slightly-crumpled yet clean tissue. Tone friendly and smiling,
lighting up his dark features, he replied, "No problem, kojin (old friend).
Douitashimashite (you're welcome),but you can just call me Mamoru-kun. My full
name is Chiba Mamoru."
"H-h-hai, Mamoru-kun. Do I know you? You called me kojin....and you knew my
name," wondered Kasen, confused. He stared at his new "hero" for a moment,
taking in a deftly-chiseled face, somehow dark characteristics, black hair cut
into a popular style, and sapphire eyes that looked haunted, slightly blackish
when the sun shone a certain way. "AH! KUSO! SHIMATTA! CHIKUSHOU! I'm late to
practice, again! Arigato gozaimisu, Mamoru-kun, and ja ne!"
Without blinking an eye or twitching, Chiba Mamoru waved and grinned after the
small blond boy with the unique eyes, such a light shade of blue. Softly, to
himself, he whispered, "Nice vocabulary you have, Kasen-kun. Hai, I know you
well, Tabiki Kasen, my kojin. There were three others like you, I suppose you
don't recall. Ja ne, General Jadeite." After he had walked off, smiling
secretively to himself, two winged creatures took off from the branches of a
tree.
~ * ~ * ~
"SHIPPOU! Where are you?" called Hokushin, frantically searching for the leader
of the guardians. "Shoot, it looks like he went with Prince Kunzite to practice!
ERIMAKITOKAGE!"
The green lizard shot out of a nearby hollow in an oak tree and blinked at his
fellow guardians, saying, "Hello, Hokushin, Tansei. You're right, Shippou's in
Juuban, what's wrong?"
Ruffling agitated blue and red feathers, the bird snorted, "What's WRONG? I
think we
found Prince Endymion today. It wasn't good news. His face is all dark
and.....yucky. Not like it used to be, and his eyes are turning black. But
evidently, he remembers Prince Jadeite and nobly 'saved' him from some bullies.
Disgusting youths on Earth now."
"Times have changed after a thousand years. Tansei's right, Endymion is now
Chiba Mamoru. Do you think he's evil?"
"I wouldn't know, we haven't got any resources. He hasn't got a guardian, has
he?"
Chirping anxiously, Tansei shook his head. "Not as far as I remember, we took
care of the generals who in turn watched over the prince. He's older now,
though, I'd say a year or two older than Kunzite."
"How in the name of....nevermind, just how could the Prince of the Earth, heir
to the Terran throne, be possessed or evil?" asked the tiny reptile. "The land
itself is supposed to rise up and protect him if anything threatens him."
"I don't know, but I'd bet my guardianship on it. We'd better designate a
watch-out, he doesn't seem to be eager to hurt the generals, he might want them
on his side. Yes, that's what it looks like. But he seems powerful, evil,
ruthless......miserable. Scary. I'll go first," volunteered Hokushin and flew
off. Tansei gently scooped up his tiny fellow caretaker onto his back and
swooped off for Juuban with an unsettled Tokage for a passenger.
~ * ~ * ~
"Kouseinou-kun, concentrate. Keep your mind focused, if not your eyes. The best
warriors can and would fight with their eyes closed if needed. Now, once more
through this procedure," said the sensei, as stern and strict as the
silver-haired one was himself.
He nodded and zoomed in to the closest movements....a swoosh there, duck a
punch. Leg muscles shifting, jump aside. Chest shifting? Ah, somersault. Not
today, jump over now.
"Excellent!!" cried the instructor approvingly. "Kouseinou-kun, I didn't tell
you before, but there is a ritual in which one must become a 'true warrior.' I
think you are ready to leave me now, I planned this as our last fight. Your
strategy and technique is as good as mine, and you've already developed your own
unique style. It's time, after four years of hard training."
Staring slack-jawed, Kouseinou gulped. "S-s-sensei, I thought this took longer
than four years? The test?"
"You've done miraculously and reached for the heavens. The other masters and I
agree, it was as if you had this buried somewhere in your mind and just needed a
quick refresher. That was the first two years. The last two, I taught you how to
focus, learn some new tricks, and a few other things. You have accomplished
everything we can teach you here at Hikawa Temple, and it would be unwise to
pursue more training, you won't need anymore learning like this. You are
prepared now, Seishou Kouseinou. I'll give you one week, no lessons. Do some
exercises and stretch, think about. You don't want to face it, don't come back."
Stiffly, the white-haired man hugged his now former student tightly. "Ja ne,
Kouseinou-kun."
"Ja ne, sensei." Stepping outside and seeing that he still had another half
hour, he wondered what he was going to do. He knew Juuban fairly well now, but
the only place he was very familiar with was the Crown Arcade, stopping there
for drinks before. Changing into fresh clothes, Kouseinou stored his bag in his
"cubbyhole", something he hadn't had since his kindergarten years. "Konnichiwa,
Motoki-kun."
"Konnichiwa, Kouseinou-kun. You're early today, anything wrong?"
"No. Can I have...hm...a glass of fruit juice, onegai ."
Sliding it across the counter, the blonde sat down across from him and ruffled
short blond tresses. "Busy day here today, but I'm going to be off soon."
"Oh? Where to, if you don't mind me asking?" The Crown Arcade was a business
owned by Motoki's family, and they lived above the café/arcade.
Grinning, his green eyes sparkled as he replied, "Reika-chan and I have a date,
we're going to 'dinner and a movie.'"
"Sounds good, have a nice time."
"Arigato. Kouseinou-kun, do you have a girlfriend?"
Laughing half-heartedly and sounding hollow, the silver-haired boy downed the
glass of reddish juice and snorted. "Who would be my girlfriend? Iie,
Motoki-kun, I don't."
"Why not?"
The question startled him, and he sat thinking meditatively before answering.
"No one would want to, everyone says Seishou Kouseinou is known as stone.
Silent. Good looks, I'll have to admit, I suppose. Boring, nothing to say. Scary
and cold. There, good enough reasons?"
Slowly, Motoki replied, "I see Reika-chan now. No, they aren't good reasons.
You're a nice guy, and there are girls who will notice one day. Keep yourself
out of trouble, and someone will come along. Ja ne."
"Ja." 'Strange fellow. Queer, but undoubtedly an excellent guy.'
~ * ~ * ~
"No, no! Kouseki Yosouya! Where's your concentration? Next swim meet, we want
to show up our greatest rivals, Juuban district. Their greatest swimmer, this
year, is rumored to be a twelve year old girl. Don't be shown up! Two extra
laps!"
Halfheartedly, the tired blonde wrung out sopping blond curls and proceeded on
to his task. Swimming was fun, but with a team, things changed, and there was a
lot more pressure So Juuban district now boasted a girl, a twelve year old? He
thought his coach was being a bit too pompous, girls had the form to swim just
as well as boys. Seven years had passed he'd first learned how to swim at age
six, along with Kasen. One year later, he had passed on his meager experience to
one of the most kawaii little girls he had ever seen. Straining to remember,
short, silky blue hair and large pools of blue came into his mind as he lost
concentration and banged his head against one end of the concrete pool. Voices
ran about his head, screaming:
"Lifeguard! Someone get the lifeguard! The paramedics, too, call an ambulance."
"Kami-sama, what happened? Yosouya-kun never did that before."
"Has he got a concussion?"
"Everyone move away!!"
The strange and rushed sounds around him faded away until he saw nothing but
remembered everything.
Zoicite: He had grown up as Prince of the West, his brother the Prince of the
East, Jadeite. Ever since he could remember, he had always loved books. Books
and crystals, scrolls, information, magic, were all kinds of passions he sought
after. He also acquired a strange, quite intelligent lizard from the forest. He
named him Erimakitokage, frillnecked lizard. He lived with a regent that ruled
for him in his absence, and one day, he went to the palace to become a guard for
Prince Endymion, the heir to Elysion and all Earth. Jade had gone also, and they
had met two older boys: Nephrite and Kunzite. They become fast friends, and when
Beryl and Metallia began attacking their home, the five were sent to the Moon to
get help. He fell in love with the loveliest girl alive, in his opinion. She had
sapphires for eyes, except much warmer when the ice melted away, and the only
blue hair he had ever seen. Unfortunately, Earth was falling, and he needed to
return without proposing, no that he had any nerve. But he left her with a
promise: to return. He had been tortured until he gave in to the Negaverse, then
attacked the Moon Kingdom. Coldly and unemotionally, he had killed her as he had
always been known-systematic and lifeless, until he'd met the Princess of
Mercury. It was all over in a second for him as well when he reached down with
two blood-stained fingers to check if she had a pulse.
~ * ~ * ~
Tabiki Kasen was startled to feel flashes of pain running through him, his
breathing running short and head pounding. The coach noticed and pulled him out,
substituting a fresh player while the blonde sat down and clutched his head,
feeling dizzy. He spat out a greedy gulp of water when he saw his mother running
across the field, long, curly blond hair flying in the wind, blue eyes like his
glimmering. "Okaa-san?"
"Kasen-kun, we've got to go see your brother, they've taken him to the
hospital!" Giving the excuse to the coach, she dragged her dazed son to the car
and got in. "They said Souya-kun was swimming, hit his head on the edge of the
pool, and was taken to the hospital. Thank kami-sama he didn't drown."
"But....that's not like Souya-kun. He's been swimming for so long now."
"The doctors said that he won't wake up, the only thing I could do was to fetch
you. He's at the Juuban General Hospital now, it's said to have the best medical
treatment for head injuries like this." Tightly clutching her son's hand, Mrs.
Kouseki walked in the direction of Yosouya's room, high heels echoing dismally
and distractedly.
"Mrs. Kouseki?"
"Hai?"
The petite blue-haired woman now beside them said, "Konnichiwa, Mrs. Kouseki.
This must be your other son, Kasen. Konnichiwa. I'm Doctor Mizuno, who treated
your other son when he came in. Why don't we go and talk in my office for a
moment?" When the three had entered her office, she had smiled comfortingly.
Kasen immediately felt better with the slightly-worn chairs, smell of roasted
coffee, and many stacks of paper neatly piled around. "I'm afraid Yosouya-san
has a minor concussion, but, like I said, it isn't very bad. He should be waking
up very soon, a nurse will page us if he wakes up before I let you go see him."
"We can see him?" asked the blonde, startled.
"Of course! He's not in critical condition or a special case. Just a bit
unconscious, with a lump on his head. I would suggest telling him to stop
swimming for a month and go to regular check-ups every week or so. The coach has
told me this never happened before, to his knowledge, at least?"
"No, Souya-kun's been swimming since the age of six, I think," said Kasen,
answering for his mother. She nodded in agreement, verifying the statement.
"All right then, you can go to room 12A now, right down the hall. I'll be there
in a moment, just have to make a quick hall." When they left, she picked up the
phone and dialed her home phone. *ring, ring*
"Moshi moshi?"
"Konnichiwa, Ami-chan."
"Konnichiwa, okaa-san. Is anything wrong? Are we still able to go out for
dinner together?"
Frowning at the almost painful anxiety in her daughter's voice, Mrs. Mizuno
replied, "Of course, darling. I'm just running a bit late, do you think you
could meet me at the hospital, if it's not too much trouble?"
"Of course not. I'll be there soon, should I wait in your office?"
"Iie, I'm going to be in 12A until we leave. We have an unconscious young boy,
just two years older than you. Banged his head on the edge of a pool. It's not
very serious, but we'll have to wait until he wakes up, and I'll have to give
him another once-over. You remember the layout of the hospital?"
"I won't get lost, don't worry. Ja!"
"Ja!" With that, Mrs. Mizuno hung up the phone and smiled, walking down the her
patient's room.
Meanwhile, her also blue-haired daughter grabbed her purse, coat, keys, and
locked the door. Silently walking down the empty marble foyer, she got into the
also sparsely populated elevator, pressed the L button for "Lobby." When it
dinged, the trip stopped, the elevator lurched unpleasantly-as did her stomach,
she got out, and walked the many blocks to the hospital, the length seemingly
reduced from the hard senshi training she was going through. Before she went
into 12A, after greeting a few familiar doctors, secretaries, and nurses running
around, she took the chart out of its folder and looked at the name. "Kouseki
Yosouya....that sounds quite familiar, although I can't imagine why. Minor head
concussion? Well, okaa-san said it was alright to go in, so I will."
Dr. Mizuno, Mrs. Kouseki, and Tabiki Kasen looked up when the delicate
blue-haired girl entered. Blushing, she said, "Konnichiwa, Mrs. Kouseki,
erm....you must be her other son, and okaa-san."
She was comforted by a cheery smile from Kasen, who liked her manner.
"Konnichiwa, you must be Dr. Mizuno's daughter then. I'm Tabki Kasen."
"Nice to meet you." Ami sat down next to her mother and looked at the patient
on the bed, clearly defined by the crisp white sheets. Her analytical mind
noticed that whoever Kouseki Yosouya was, he hadn't moved an inch, none of the
covers were mussed. 'Hm....curly dirty-blond hair that's slightly damp, so it
must usually be blond. Eyes are closed, slightly sharp chin, high cheek bones,
probably quite a bit taller than me, but then again, everyone is. Long
fingers...extraordinarily long. I've always admired long fingers, perhaps
because you need them to be a doctor. Kami-sama....he looks like...the one who
taught he to get over a fear of water.....when I was five? Eight years ago, no
wonder I didn't remember. What was his name again? Kouseki Yosouya.....I
remember some, now. I called him Souya-kun, but then okaa-san and I moved to
Juuban. If he opened his eyes, I would know for sure.' Impulsively, she leaned
forward and took a slightly cold hand that was becoming steadily warmer and
jumped when his eyes DID flutter open to reveal serious green eyes. She let go
and jumped back, but no one really noticed, too busy fussing over the
now-conscious boy.
"Kami-sama.....what am I doing here?" Yosouya tried to sit up and looked around
the room. 'Hmm, yes. Okaa-san, an unfamiliar woman that looks
slightly....familiar, actually, Kasen-kun.' "Kasen-kun, what in the name of
kami-sama are you doing here? And where exactly am I? Did your game end?"
"Iie, actually yes by now. You're in the hospital, pleasant place, isn't it?"
"Um.....hai.....why?" His eyes roved around once more, and Yosouya nearly lost
consciousness when he noticed a small, slim figure in the shadows. 'Could it
be.....it looks so much like the shadow of the Princess of Mercury....that I
remember....just faintly.'
"Konnichiwa, Yosouya-san. I'm Doctor Mizuno, you managed to get yourself a mild
yet nasty concussion while swimming. I recommend a break from that particular
activity and a few others for four weeks and to see your doctor quite often. I
believe you live in Hokkaido?"
The near-silent Mrs. Kouseki smiled tearily and said, "Hai, we live in
Hokkaido."
"Konnichiwa, Doctor. Arigato. Excuse me, but who are you, in the corner?"
Shyly, flushing all the while, Ami stepped out into the light and said,
"Konnichiwa, Yosouya-san. My name is Mizuno Ami, and I'm Dr. Mizuno's daughter."
"Ami-chan?" Confused, everyone in the room stared at him, surprised at the
sudden familiarity from the usually aloof boy. "I remember you, it was eight
years ago, I think. Although it's not very clear anymore. I taught you to swim,
but then you left. Ah! That's why I seemed to know you, Dr. Mizuno," he said,
turning to the blue-haired woman. "You were waiting form Ami-chan one day to
take her to Juuban...." Frowning, he tried to recall everything. "And there was
a train....yes, a train. That was it. Gomen, I don't think I like hospitals very
much." Beaming ruefully and well-exhausted, he fell back asleep amidst many
strange looks, peaceably wandering through more memories.
~ * ~ * ~
Dispiritedly, Kouseinou wandered onto the grassy, dirty field and hoped he
wasn't too late to see his friend playing. Spotting a waving Ryo in the stands,
he hurried over. "Konnichiwa, Ryo-san. Is Kasen-kun on yet?"
"Konnichiwa, Kouseinou-san. He was on, but then he started looking like he was
in pain, so the coach took him off. His mother came and said Yosouya-san (here
entered a bitter note in his voice) was in the hospital in Juuban and took off
with him."
"Honto?"
"Honto," came the sour note again as the brown-haired junior refocused on the
field. "Hm...well, at least Hokkaido seems to be winning, must be a lucky
streak for the home team."
Frowning, he ran an impatient hand through long silver tresses. "Excuse me,
Ryo-san, but you don't seem to like Souya-kun very much. Perhaps I'd understand
if a grudge was built up for some reason, but you were a bit cold when you first
met."
"You don't remember, do you," stated Urawa Ryo flatly.
"Remember what?" Shrugging nonchalantly, the brunette pulled on the worn straps
of his backpack, climbed down from the bleachers, and left. A bit angry,
frustrated, and very confused, Kouseinou raced after him and pulled on his
sleeve to make his friend stop. "Matte! What's gotten into you? And what should
I remember? Did he ever do anything to you?"
"Nothing's gotten into me. You should remember a lot, but apparently, you
don't. I can't tell you anything until you do. And Kouseki Yosouya? Oh yes, he
did something to me." The boy's brown eyes glittered with a malice unseen and
unfitting for someone his age. "He took someone close to me. Very close. A
person I loved, dearly. Perhaps we shouldn't be good friends anymore,
Kouseinou-san. And when you remember what you must, we still might not be
friends. Go talk to your kojin, the one you're worried about. Yosouya-san is in
the hospital, remember? But he remember's, just today. Go ask him."
Staring after the obviously upset Ryo, his confused colleague wondered about
what he'd said. "I don't remember anything? And what could Souya-kun have
possibly done? From the tone of Ryo-san's voice, it sounds like he killed
someone. But Souya-kun would never do that-he's barely fourteen. All he cares
about were books." An unsettling suspicion was worming his way into his thoughts
until he squashed the doubts.
"Konnichiwa, Seishou Kouseinou. Interesting place for you to be, isn't it?
Right in the middle of the soccer field while everyone's watching the football
game?"
He turned suddenly, on his guard. A boy about his height, perhaps a bit
shorter, with black hair and dark, dark blue eyes that were almost as ebony
black as his hair was there. "Konnichiwa. Do I, by any chance, know you?"
"Of course you do, kojin. My name is Chiba Mamoru, and I hold the key to your
past. Also Tabiki Kasen's and Kousei Kyosei's."
"Yet not Souya-kun's?"
"No, he doesn't need my help. I can give you your's, if you like."
"What makes you think I'm missing my past?" asked Kouseinou defensively.
"Then why are you having dreams? Bothered by Urawa Ryo's words? Acting on your
guard now? You've always been striving for a goal you know you didn't set in
this life."
Reluctantly, the silver-haired one locked eyes with the raven-haired one. 'This
boy...he seems so familiar. I feel as if I should...bow? But not like in combat,
more of a sign of reverence and loyalty. How odd.' "All right, Chiba Mamoru.
Don't try enchantments, though."
Mamoru laughed and said, "I never knew you agreed in that, Kouseinou-kun. Here
we go then."
Kunzite: Having silver hair as a boy, Kunzite of the North had always hated
being teased but learned to keep quiet at a young age. Besides having a knack
for physical combat, he had a great talent in magic and was sent to Elysion to
be one of Endymion's four guards. Prince Endymion had become friends with him
and three other generals. It took him years to accomplish what he wanted, but
Kunzite still wasn't happy. He was alone in life, Jadeite and Nephrite always
had female company whether they wanted it or not, and Zoicite was perfectly
happy with his books. But one day, he traveled to the Moon Kingdom and snubbed
the Princess of Venus. Consequently, he had then fallen hard for her and
apologized. He proposed to her, but they weren't allowed to marry until both
their prince and princess did. One day, the word came to the Moon that Earth was
falling under Beryl and Metallia. He had traveled back and been defeated, then
helped in an invasion of the Earth's satellite. He fought the senshi of Venus,
who was the other half of his previous love. When she'd given him the fatal
blow, she had reverted back to princess form and cried tears. Tears oddly with
the same hue of gold, but the dying monster didn't care. He killed her, his last
opponent before death. Or perhaps, his last adversary was himself....
~ * ~ * ~
