A Story to Tell, from the pen of S. Meioh.
Dear,
My mind wanders as the pen flies over the page. It's been so long since
we last met, and so much as happened. How are you, how is life there, in Tokyo?
America is a wonderous place, although even I must admit that I stand out. I'm
not the type to be noticed, people look at me strangely, then just keep
walking. But they rarely see people with green hair; I suppose I should not be
suprised that they pause, if only for a moment.
I'm writing to you this day with yet another one of my stories. It's
amazing, how the neighbour's child keeps running over, asking to be told more.
She will pull up a chair and go over my notes that I scribble down in the day,
pleading for me to make a story about this one or that one. Yet my stories are
not contrived when she is here, but when I look at the old artifacts I've
collected. So, here is my newest one. Tell me what you think. (Yes, I've put
myself in the main role. I think it makes me feel closer to her!)
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
The sign above the corner store hung above the sidewalk, the garnet paint
beginning to chip away. I was watching it carefully this day. As it swayed in
the breeze, I could sense the change in the winds themselves, the time of
destiny had arrived.
I am the shop keeper here, I guard these old artifacts that I have wisked
away from the clever clutches of Time, in my little antiques shop. Although I
stand out here, in North America, few can guess my real purpose.
I have kept shops like these for nearly two centuries, trying to wait for
my role in Destiny to be played out. I look at an old candle holder and smile;
the years have been kind to me.
I am the watcher of Time, I guard it closly to my soul. I have awaited,
for the last two centuries, for the Second coming, for the time when I am to
lead two warriors into the battle, which has not yet begun.
***
It was more than a thousand years ago when everything took place. It had
been a day of hard battle. Queen Beryl had taken control of the Moon Kingdom,
but myself and my two powerful allies stood before the ruins of the Imperial
Palace, like gate keepers, refusing to let her pass. Although we were the last
living on the Moon, and had survived all the previous battles, when the
Princess had not, she still considered us little more than ants, ready to be
crushed under her feet. As she took her first step towards us with her armies,
I gave the signal. We each raised our weapons into the air, and with a purple
glow, the warrior of destruction was reawakened.
Beryl had no time to say anything as she brought down the Glaive, as the
Dimension we were in ended. It was Serenity who changed it all, our merciful
Queen, who let the ginzhuishou shine. She would send me to another, I was told.
She could not send the others. But if I went, I could awaken those like us. I
held Neptune and Uranus' hands as I began to dissapear; as the final wave of
purple light washed over the Moon. They're souls would be protected in my
Talisman, and would be given to those like them. The last I saw, though, was
Beryl and Metallia entering the light with me, despite Serenity's attempts to
hold them off.
***
For the first decade or so I had my doubts; perhaps she had sent me to a
non-kindred dimension, one without the people I sought. As senshi of Pluto, I
was a dimensional senshi, there was only one of me in any dimension. Because of
Beryl and Metallia's powers, they were singular-dimensional, meaning that only
one of each existed in the whole of the dimensions. They were meant to be only
my enemies, now the people in this dimension would have to deal with them too.
Fortunately, every world has its hidden warriors, and with the power of the
previous senshi by me, I would awaken them with new power. A small bell rang at
the front of the store. Looking up, I saw a cloud of white hair flying between
the shelves. Holding my breath for a moment, at the sheer disbelief that the
moment may have finally come, I said,
"Can I help you?" The hair looked up, then moved to where I could see the
head and body that accompanied it. Silver eyes, and a strong stance, I
recognized her immediately.
"Yes," she said, "I was wondering..." she shook herself. "I'm sorry. My
name is Haruka Tenoh, I was wondering if you have any weapons here."
"Weapons?" I raised an eyebrow, playing my part as it was intended.
"Yes... I'm trying to find a sword, actually..." she pulled out a sketch
of what I recognized to be the second Talisman, the Space Sword. I smiled.
"A weapon like that would be very expensive."
"Money is not an issue. Do you have anything, even remotely like it?"
"As a matter of fact..." I pushed aside a black curtain and returned with
a leather black case. She looked at it, and touched the lock.
"How much is it?"
"It's free, for anyone that can open it." She touched the lock again,
that brought her hand swiftly up, before slicing it down. The lock broke off.
Although I saw a small trickle of bloo drun from her fist, she said nothing.
Carefully, as if hope was too much to ask, she pulled open the case. The silver
sword in it drew her breath away.
"Thank you... how much?"
"I meant what I said. My name is Meioh Setsuna. Please, come back soon."
***
When the sun rose the second day and touched my eyes, I awoke. I had
fallen asleep on the pad of parchement paper I had been writing on; the other
four thousand pages were in the back. (It was a growing collection of my
accounts of what had happened since I arrived in this brave new world.) I made
haste to put them away, with dawn my next customer should come. She had always
loved the dawn, sitting out by the sea, playing the violin to the rising of the
sun... the bells rang a second time. I could only smile. How would I get these
two to meet, I wondered. It didn't matter, though. They were here. What more
could I want? A white corvett drove away, and the turqoise haired woman walked
in, her light hands gliding over the dusty shelves. Once again, I asked,
"May I help you?" she looked distant, continuing to wander her hands over
my merchandise, finally stopping at an old violin.
"Yes. How much is this?" I looked at the violin. It was test enough; this
was her.
"That, is fifty dollars." she quickly peeled the bills out of a black
wallet and handed them to me, taking the violin and beginning to leave, already
delicately touching the worn bow.
"Wait," I said, "There's something in your hair." Of course there wasn't,
but it was enough to stop her. The woman looked shocked, then asked,
"Is there a mirror I could use, for a moment?" I smiled,
"Yes. Give me a second." I went into the back, and returned with a
mirror, wrapped in white silk. Gingerly, she brushed the silk, slowly pulling
it away to reveal the gold statuette underneath, and the reflective surface of
the mirror.
"It's... the most beautiful one I've ever seen..." The morning sunlight
entered it and reflected onto the walls. She totally forgot about the whatever-
it-was in her hair; the mirror held her entranced.
"You may have it, if you want. But be warned, everything has its
consequences." She looked at me strangely, and I saw a faint glimmer of
udnerstanding beneath the confusion.
"Really, though. I must pay for this, I would pay any price..."
"No, please. Take it." She smiled, as if an idea were playing on her
lips. She walked out of the store, her hair trailing in an unseen breeze behind
her.
***
The next day I woke up to loud clanging outside my building. Unamused, I
marched out of the store, prepared to give a verbal bashing to whosoever DARED
to mess with my sleep. I pushed open the door, the bells jingling merrily. I
rested the urge to say, "Oh, just shut up," and continued on my way. Such
cheerfullness is unnecessary for this unearthly hour. I looked up in amazement.
There were three painters in white suits repainting my sign.
"What on earth are you doing up there?!" I demanded.
"We've been paid to repaint your store, mam."
"By who?!"
"Miss. Kaioh."
"Kaioh?"
"A woman with aqua-blue wavy hair? She said that you'd be pleased." I was
flustered. Miss. Kaioh... the woman from yesterday. With the mirror... she had
paid me back. I smiled.
"Would you tell her thank you for me? And tell her that I would be most
pleased if she would come over next Saturday... there's someone I think she'd
like to meet."
***
A motorcycle roared up to a screaming halt in front of my store two days
later. Covering my ears, waiting for the engine to die down, I felt the urge to
yell at Miss. Tenoh.
"Good morning, Setsuna," she said, walking in.
"Do you always drive that fast?"
"Yes."
"Can I help you?" she looked confused.
"Uh... no, I guess. I just wanted to come back." I could tell she
actually had no idea why she was here; it must have seemed as good a place as
any. "The sword's beautiful, I was wondering if you could tell me where it came
from." I smiled, putting down my pen and accoutning book.
"I can, actually. Do you have a minute?"
"Sure." I pulled out two cups.
"Coffee or coke?"
"Coke, actually. Thanks."
***
In a few minutes, Haruka had pulled up a stool and I began telling what
was, as close as I was willing to tell, about the sword.
"The sword was forged a long time ago, by a group of people very
interested in space and the planets. I found it in Europe. I know the legend of
this sword, if you would like to hear it." she took a sip of the coke and
nodded.
"Go on."
"It supposedly was onced owned by a warrior who called herself Uranus."
Haruka raised an eyebrow at the name. "She was a powerful warrior, like none
they had ever seen. A tomboy by nature, she would dress in men's clothing, the
only piece of jewlery she would adorn herself with would be a single gold hoop
earring." At this, Haruka began to finger her own piece of jewelery, that was,
of course, a hoop earring. I continued, "She was a guardian of the outer
reaches of this kingdom, whose name is now lost. They say that a sorcerress
crafted this sword, a sorcerres with hair as black as the darkest pitch, and
eyes so purple that they burned when they were seen. The sorceress made two
more objects like the sword, for two more warriors that came to her. Each of
these, she named Talisman, powerful weapons that could change the course of
history. Before she left for a distant land, the sorcerress visited each of
them. To each she told, that when the three objects were brought together, it
would bring a spell so powerful that it would end the kingdom as she returned
once more. Each was destined never to meet the others for many years, until..."
Haruka's eyes seemed glazed as she listened with intense intrest to her story,
"Until?"
"Until another sorceress appeared. She killed the prince and princess of
the kingdom, and the inner warriors that had guarded them. That was when these
three warriors met for the first time, and the effects were disasterous. They
each rose their Talisman's, and the sorceress reappeared, carrying a weapon of
her own. With a twirl of her hand, the sorceress let the blade of her weapon
fall, and a spell so powerful was cast so that the land tore itself apart; the
skies broke with lightning, and the forests caught fire. As the three warriors
lay dying, the sorcerress disapeared. In these fires, the other sorceress, the
one that killed the prince and princess perished with them. It was the Queen,
struggling to pull herself from the rubble, who gave them a promise to last
longer than any spell ever would; that they would find three people in the
future, who would guard the world should the murdering sorceress ever reappear.
And to these three new people the three objects would appear, and it would rest
upon them the fate, to save the world." Haruka drank slowly, smiling.
"Thank you, Setsuna. It is a wonderful tale." She put some change down
for the drink and winked. "Maybe I'll stop by again sometime."
"Maybe next Saturday?"
"Sure. Why not?"
***
Michiru drifted in like the ocean's wave to the store. She was
fashionably late, she thought, looking at her wrist watch. If you were going to
be fashionable anything, it had might as well be late. Setsuna smiled.
"Michiru!" she waved. There was a girl sitting at the counter, drinking
some coke with her. Michiru drew in a breath, I noticed, as Haruka turned her
head to greet the new visitor. As if in slow motion, both froze as they met the
other's eyes. I smiled a knowing smile. I knew that they had had dreams of one
another; in the past, Neptune had confided in me about this. The Talismans they
had been given had probably already began to awaken those memories. Each began
to blush.
"I..I'm, uh..." Haruka stumbled over her own words. I laughed and stood,
holding out my hands.
"Kaioh Michiru, this is Tenoh Haruka. Tenoh Haruka, this is Kaioh
Michiru." Haruka was still flustered.
"Uh... hi." Michiru smiled gently, the blush changing the colour of her
cheeks ever so slightly.
"Hello. Pleased to meet you." The two smiled at each other warmly.
***
We had sat talking for the better half of an hour before I gave up.
Michiru and Haruka were far to busy looking at each other to notice what I was
saying. Sighing, I pretended to finally notice the time.
"Oh! I have to go now! I'm so sorry, Michiru, Haruka, but," both stood
up.
"I've been here too late anyways," Haruka said, "Thank you, Setsuna, for
having me over." Michiru nodded.
"Yes, thank you." I looked over at Haruka.
"It's pretty cold out, and getting dark. You've parked your bike pretty
close, and it'll take Michiru's chauffer a while to get here. Why don't you
ride her home?" Haruka blushed.
"I... I,"
"If it's too much trouble, Haruka, don't worry about it."
"Would you like to ride with me home? I mean, have you ever been on a
motorcycle?"
"Not yet."
"No?"
"No."
"Well, there's a first time for everything!" Haruka put her arm around
Michiru's back and beginning walking with her out of the store. The two began
chatting as the door closed behind them, and the last thing I heard was the
musical laughter Michiru gave as Haruka blushed.
***
"May 19th, 1997." I painted onto the page. I wasn't actually painting,
but writing in more encounters about the days. Painting was how I felt about
writing, that it was as fine an art as any other in invention, that as I
brushed the ink across the page I was making a painting made of words, that I
was putting my life into a collage that people could understand.
"Michiru and Haruka have finally met. But tonight, I felt a blackness in
the earth, for Metallia has awakened. I was hoping that we would have longer,
that they would know each other better, be able to work together efficiently by
the time would come that I would reveal to them their hidden powers, locked
away in the Talismans. For Michiru, I regret most of all; how happy she would
be, just staying with Haruka. But she is the wind, and Michiru willl never
quite catch up to her without these coming days. I look over my words and
realize that I write as if our victory is assured; it isn't. It is quite
possible that Metallia will defeat us, if we cannot seal her away to Tokyo. I
saw Luna's equivalent last time I was in Tokyo. I stared into her eyes and
realised that I was wrong; more than just myself have come across. How many, I
can't tell. Maybe just Luna. I know that in her ensigna she has the power to
restore broken fragments of the soul. If Serenity imprisoned the memories of
the senshi in Luna... the others will awaken soon. I must make sure that the
seal is placed before then!!!"
"But for Michiru and Haruka, I am truly sorry. They never asked for this
fate."
"But I did. To fight on behalf of destiny, to fight for what I believe
in."
"I can only hope that in the end they will be able to forgive me for what
I must do."
***
Inside the orb, I gazed at Haruka and Michiru sitting together on the
beach. I felt a bit guilty about spying on them, for this would be the last
chance they could have together in a normal life. I was supriseed to find that
I was crying. Why was I suprised? I didn't know. These were my only friends in
the world, and I never wished to hurt them. Holding hands, the two had fought
peril against peril, had and their love had suprassed the forces of time and
spcae themselves. If ever two hearts were meant to be joined, surely, they were
it. Michiru's dress trailed gently across the sand, Haruka's denim jacket
wavered slightly in what I guessed to be a cold wind. I seemed to be rightl
Michiru appeared to have caught a chill, and Haruka warmed her by wrapping her
in her arms and jacket. Haruka and Michiru... the ocean and the sky. In the
orb, I saw Haruka suddenly stand up. Michiru followed. Haruka's vision had gone
periphreal, she was a hunter. I felt my eyebrow move as this sudden change of
events occured. Uranus had always had a nack for sensing danger... Every change
in the air was noticed, even the slightest sound caused her head to swing
warily around. I knew what this meant. Trouble.
***
I ran as fast as I could to the beach. I couldn't risk using my power,
not if this was something ordinary.
As it happened, it wasn't. The youma was dressed in red, long red and
blond streaked hair, violet eyes. It shot black energy at Haruka. I froze,
unable to watch.
Haruka pulled open her coat, jumping up. The youma turned it's blast, but
too late. The moonlight glinted off the sword's shining blade, and the youma
was blinded as the death blow descended from the skies.
***
Haruka pulled the sword back into her coat, holding Michiru tight to her.
"What was that?" I stepped out of the shadows.
"Setsuna?" Michiru asked, confused by my presence there, as well as the
fact the Key Staff was in my hand.
"A youma. From the Dark Kingdom. The Time has come."
"The time for what?!" Haruka demanded.
***
I began to float. Black ribbons appeared as did the garnet orb. By this
time, I suspect that Haruka and Michiru figured that they had enetered the
Twilight Zone, but they stoof. Haruka's sword began to glow, and Michiru's
mirror floated out of her purse.
"What... who are you?" Michiru asked. I looked at Haruka.
"One of the Three warriors." The mirror and sword formed a triangle as my
henshin finished. I lowered myself to the ground in full fuku.
"The story... wasn't a story?"
"It was not all exactly as I told you. But Beryl has returned, and the
world may soon be doomed."
"Why have you come to us?" The mirror and sword glowed. Michiru gazed
into the mirror, without touching it. The events that had transpired in the
Millenium flashed before her, and she buried herself in Harukas chest, crying.
"I have come to you to give you Destiny. To choose your path. To turn
your back and go on, or,"
"Or?"
"To fight to save the world. Together."
***
Haruka gazed at the sword. Michiru at the mirror, then she said,
"Everything has a price." I nodded.
"What will we have to do..."
"We have to place a seal on Beryl. To do this, we will need help. But I
can't do it alone. Choose, Haruka, Michiru. It is your right to go." Michiru
nodded, "No." Although her eyes were filled with tears, she gazed up at me.
"In all my dreams and nightmares, I have seen the past of the world your
from... and I can't let that happen. I'm no warrior, Setsuna. No herroine in a
fuku, or princess carrying a sacred Talisman. I am Michiru Kaioh, but if in any
way I can help... I will." Haruka nodded, holding Michiru even closer to her,
if that was even possible.
"My friends, I am sorry for getting you involved in this.." Haruka
silenced me, as she and Michiru reached out and touched the Talismans. With a
burst of light, Uranus and Neptune were before me.
"Let's get this over with."
***
I couldn't help but feel, as Uranus and Neptune stood before me, that
Haruka and Michiru were no longer there. These two asked nothing of me, but
seemed to know me forever. This, of course, was a bad sign. If Haruka and
Michiru weren't wiht Uranus and Neptune, the two souls would fade back into the
destroyed dimension completely. What I couldn't understand was why this was
happening. Even as I thought it, Uranus and Neptune quivered with a flash of
light, ribbons unraveling from their fuku's as they collapsed to the ground. As
I rushed up to them, the crumpled ribbons reformed into ordinary clothing.
Haruka groaned for a second, then was silent, as was Michiru. I felt rather
irritated with myself; of course this would be too much power and memory
overload for them to handle at once. I used my orb to teleport back to the
shop.
When Haruka came to, Michiru was still unconcious. I had put Haruka in a
recling chair and Michiru in an old rocker, I hoped that they would awaken
soon. Haruka blinked, twice.
"Pluto?" I handed her a cop of tea.
"Here. It'll do you good." Haruka put her hand to her head.
"No... Setsuna. I'm sorry... it feels like a dream... Your not Pluto,"
she opened one eye and stared at me, "Are you?"
"Yes. I'm afraid I am."
***
It took me awhile to explain to Haruka what was happening.
"So... the other senshi..."
"They'll be awakened by Luna, as soon as her memory is restored.
Apparently her soul came through at a time seperate from mine. In about a year,
Serenity will awaken, best guess." Haruka smelled the tea and cringed. "Drink,"
I said. She put the cup down.
"We're all caught up in this now... Michiru and I."
"You are these warriors. You have led the same lives. You are the only
two in this world capable of carrying the Talismans." Haruka touched the hilt
of the sword. The radio made a strange noise and I sat up, walking over to turn
it up.
"Tonight in the news, a mysterious series of earthquakes have begun to
move through Canada. This abnormal change in regular patterns have
seismologists frantically trying to find some rational explanation. As well,
strange weather reports of "black lightning" have been sighted in Washington,
D.C, within the last 24 hours, as well as various people appearing on the road
side unconcious, as if drained of all energy. We have put out a state of
emergency through upper United States and Canada, and are asking people to...."
the channel fizzled for a second, "Some are even calling these strange series
of events "The Beginning of the End." I turned off the radio.
"That's her, isn't it," Haruka said, "That's her, what we're up against.
Queen Metallia."
***
I can't tell you what happened to Michiru and Haruka for the next hour; I
left them alone to make their decision. My guilt was still strong for getting
involved, but I know, even as I talked to Haruka before, her determination was
getting stronger by the minute. I had still not told them everything though;
only that we had to seal Metallia. There were only two senshi capable of that
power; and neither had been awakened yet.
***
I pulled at my staff and henshined. Closing my eyes, I took a deep
breath. I had given Haruka and Michiru one hour to decide the path that they
would take. For better or worse, after I entered that room, I would go to
battle Metallia. Without them, I doubted that I would suceed. To my suprise, as
I walked in, Haruka and Michiru were chatting away, each taking a sip of their
drinks every few minutes. Michiru managed to finish laughing before looking at
me.
"So," Haruka said.
"So?"
"Are you ready to go?" Each stood up and drew out their Talismans. My
dear friends... thank you.
***
Uranus and Neptune looked strange under the garnet light of my orb.
"Where are we going, anyways?" Uranus asked. I was about to answer, but
Neptune stared into her mirror.
"To the center of the Earth." The orb sped up as the black shadows of the
earth surrounded us. Here, there was no light, save the garnet hue of the orb
itself. Uranus and Neptune's fingers touched as I looked below us, waiting for
the orb to fall into the open cavern where Metallia was waiting.
***
The orb finally fell through the last crust of earth, into a cavern
filled with snow. Neptune looked confused.
"How is this possible?"
"Metallia is making it like this."
"She's that strong?"
"This is hardly the limits of her capabilities." Uranus stepped forward
with her sword.
"How exactly ARE we suppose to imprison her?" A strange laughter came
from down the cavern, where a purple fog was beginning to form.
"When the three Talismans form a triangle we have the power to create
seals around life forms. Also, it can be used to release other lifeforms. So,
concetrate only on Metallia. Let no other memory of your past hamper you; it
could mean our doom."
"Great." Uranus said. Before us, the purple fog began to take form.
***
Uranus took the first advance. Holding the sword above her head, she
launched herself into the air, changing the trajectory of the blade so that it
pointed just in front of her feet, preparing to plunge it down. As she fell,
the sword did enter Metallia. Unfortunately, so did Uranus. I watched as
Neptune cried out for her. A second later, Uranus reappeared, purple vines
wrapped around her, crushing her in their death like grip. I could only watch
with horror as Uranus screamed.
"Pluto!" Neptune shouted, "What now?" I pointed with the staff to one
corner of the chamber.
"Run for that. Don't stop until I tell you, and don't look back. I'll
free Uranus! Now go!" Neptune nodded and ran for it, her heels clacking against
the icy floor.
"Dead... Scream!!!!" I shouted. The purple orb shout out of my staff,
slicing the vines of Metallia that had help Uranus. I nodded once to her and
she ran to the second corner.
"NOW!" I called out. Metallia looked around in confusion. Each of the
Talismans began to glow, each of us failing under the strain. Metallia bashed
about, screaming as the joined powers of the age-old weapons surrounded her.
Neptune was the first to realise that nothing was really happening.
"PLUTO! It isn't working!!!"
***
The winds that began to form in the chamber whipped my hair into my face,
making it hard to speak. I had prayed that it would not come to this.
"Do you remember, in the past, a soldier, in purple? Hair, black and
purple eyes that..." Uranus recognized the description from my story.
"She'll destroy us!"
"No... not with Metallia here! Without a host, she can't destroy this
dimension! Only one from this world can hold that power, the power of a senshi,
save the senshi of Time and Space! We have to summoun her! Concentrate!!!" The
other senshi's brows furrowed under the pressure.
"What... what good will this do?" Neptune called out over Metallia's
screams.
"If we can convince her... to help... she can add the fourth weapong to
the triangle! The Silence Glaive!" Even as I said it, the beams if light from
the Talismans began to broden. Where they met, above Metallia, near the top of
the cavern, Saturn's ghost appeared, carrying the final weapon of destruction,
the Silence Glaive.
***
I stared at Saturn's eyes, and she stared back. Uranus and Neptune were
still fighting to keep the Talisman's powers continuing, while I negotiated
telepathically with Saturn.
"Saturn... senshi of destruction. You must enter this reality!"
"I know this. I will."
"You must help us... to save the Princess!"
"Pluto, if I help you, my power will be to weak to find my host. I won't
be able to help you with the Princess when my time comes."
"I promise you, Saturn, that if you help us, I will find you the host you
seek! But you must help us! You must! It was your destiny to destroyed
Metallia! If you do not help us now, you failed in the past! SATURN!"
***
The bright light that came from the Glaive as Saturn entered our triangle
was blinding. The true power of the Outer System revealed, Metallia vanished
into the very walls of the cavern. Saturn continued glowing, then looked at me.
Uranus and Neptune had been flung against the wall. As the sheer power of
destruction beat down upon me, I too, slipped into unconciousness.
***
"Haruka," I called. Haruka's ghost appeared before me. We were standing
among the ruins of the Silver Millenium, created from my mind.
"What now?"
"You can't be a senshi, anymore, Haruka. You and Michiru will travel
together, with the Talismans. That is your destiny. To awaken on your own. You
have helped to imprison Metalli. For this, I owe you my thanks. When the Time
comes, your power will awaken once more."
"What about you? We still live here... and if we can't explain the
Talismans... then..."
"You'll still now me. I'm a shop keeper on South street." I winked at her
before a wave of purple light took her away.
***
"Michiru." I said. The senshi appeared before me, but not a senshi, a
beautiful woman in a white dress.
"I know, Setsuna." The mirror had already told her what would happen.
"Keep good care of her now, Michiru." She blushed, and we both smiled at
each other.
***
I awakened on a pad of paper. So, now everything is in place. Let the
battles come, I told myself. I took out a pencil crayon and added a bit of blue
to Uranus and Neptune's fukus. Throughout my book, I added in colour pictures I
had drawn. I had had more than enough time to learn how to draw, and saw few
better was to employ my talent. As I pulled out a deep purple pencil crayon, a
small gem on a necklace fell out before me. The Tairon crystal, something I
picked up a long time ago. There was a reason I had it now, though. I had a
promise to keep. Smiling, I stood up and hung it in the window display case,
the light of the dawning morning glinting freshly off of it.
***
"Honey, I look," a voice came from outside. The bells jingled and a man
and woman walked in. The woman had black hair done up in a pony tail, and
obviously quite pregnant. The man was smiling. His hair was lavender white,
with soft blue eyes. The woman put her head on his shoulder, and they smiled
warmly, both very much in love. A gold ring on the woman's ring finger made me
suspect that the couple had just recently married.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, that necklace... like a little firefly. How much is it?"
"Souichi!" said the woman. He put his finger to her lips.
"Keiko, it would look lovely on you."
"It would," I said. "For you, it's free." The man took the necklace and
thanked me, draping it over his wife's head, where it rested on her collar
bone. The couple kissed and began to leave.
"Thank you," he said. As the two were leaving, they bumped into Haruka
and Michiru, just walking in, hand in hand.
"Good morning, Setsuna," Michiru said. Haruka nodded. Michiru looked over
at the pile of papers.
"What's that?" she smiled at the sketches. "It's beautiful... they seem
somewhat familiar, though..." I grinned slightly.
"Nothing. Just a story I'm writing."
***
The old sign sways in the breeze again, and my hand plucks at the old bow
string. I can't help but wonder if there's more to these stories than even I
dare to dream, for I do see a woman touching bow to violin by the sea when I
close my eyes, and I do see the woman with the white hair, racing the skies.
Truly, no matter how fictional, these two souls are held close to my heart. I'm
planning on attending college when I get back to Tokyo. Perhaps I'll see you
there. Now, as the cold breeze sets in and gentle flakes of snow drift to the
Earth, and the light from an old candle gives a gentle soft haze to the paper
before me, I leave you with warm thoughts and best hopes for the future, come
what may. Write soon,
Your trusted friend,
Setsuna Meioh.
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