RPG: "Heart of Ice"
Started By: Beruche
3/29/00
Players: Beruche, Zoisite, Lukene Knight, Guardian, Mamoru, Kunzite, Michiru
"Damn.... oh, DAMN!" Was her first reaction when she stared at her mirror in the morning. Beruche glared at her own reflection angrily, flinging a towel at the glassy surface. Her hair hung limply, cascading in wet strands about her shoulders. Angry blue eyes pierced into the mirror. With a deep, resigned sigh, she exited the bathroom, pulling the towel and wrapping it around her hair in angry, abrupt jerks. She padded across the living room, dressed in only a towel, and flopped down on the leather sofa. Picking up the remote control and fumbling through the channels lazily, she stopped upon a certain news channel. ".... mysterious crimes. It appears that the victim has been drained of all energy..." Looking up at the ceiling, Beruche's lips squeezed into a small pout. That's right. She must start soon. Her plan, that is. She had no doubt they would come and screw up her plans. But if she could at least get some energy out of it... Beruche straightened up, mentally going over her plan. Create a place for her to start collecting energy. Wait to see what happens, and then... Create friendship and brutally massacre the annoying senshi. They were like a pestilence, really, and a bad itch she couldn't get rid of, no matter where she was, and even what time she was in. She stood up, closing her eyes. Energy surrounded her; then a white tank top, black vest and skirt, complete with knee-high socks and then a pair of shoes. Beruche opened her eyes, then reached down to pick up a couple of books with the name "Aisuno Kasui" sketched on top. For now, she had to go to school. Wrinkling her nose, the nineteen-year-old college student headed out the apartment and for Tokyo University.
Michiru yawned. *Stupid attacks..why did it have to be so late last night..* she thought as she rested her eyes for a moment. *Still..that guy that saved me was cute...I wonder why he wouldn't stay long enough for me to get his phone number.*
Riona pulled at the straps of he bag. *Damned things keep slipping...* She turned into the Second Cup that was about a block away from the school and ordered a large hot chocolate and a chocolate fudge muffin. She found herself a table outside and sat down watching the people and cars head towards the school.
Kasui checked the directions to the University for the third time. She had always had the worst luck with directions. What was most infuriating above all things is when she teleports. Instead of ending up in one place, she'd envision someplace else and end up there. And it appeared that even as a 'normal' human, she still had trouble finding her way around. "Ah, finally," the white-haired woman muttered to herself as she gazed up at the sky. The University began to loom into view, and she quickened her pace. Suddenly, she paused by a cafe, sniffing the air with curiosity. The aroma of coffee and hot chocolate tantalized her senses and reminded her that she did not yet have breakfast. "Well, since I am here early..." Giving herself a shrug, Kasui entered the cafe and sat down on one of the stools by the counter. Ordering a hot steaming cup of coffee, she placed her books in the seat next to her and contented herself with observing the others.
A head poked out of the bedsheets as a yawn broke past the rosebud lips. One eye slid open reluctantly towards the dawning sun with a scowl. Brushing a kiss across the chest of his bedmate, Zoisite slunk towards the shower. Within moments, steam rolled out from under the closed door as the sakura attempted to convince the hot water into awakening him. This was absolutely the last time that he let Kunzite talk him into visiting his club on a school night. After all that alcohol, he couldn't even remember which male he eventually stumbled home with. Groaning at the hangover that was currently wracking his form, closed his bloodshot green eyes.
Kunzite dreamily reached out to his lover only to find a warm spot of empty air. Peeling open one eye, he hissed at the sunlight the poked through the curtains and quickly shut it again at the intrusive brightness. Rolling over onto his stomach, he buried his head under the pillow, but the steady sound of running water made him grow painfully aware that he needed to relieve his bladder. Stumbling out of bed to answer the call to nature, he stumbled about the unfamiliar rooms to the bathroom. Once finished with that, he eyed his reflection in the sink mirror, staring at disbelief at his hair. The long silver locks had been twisted into hundreds of tiny braids, each one ending held in place by tiny butterfly shaped hair clips. He blinked a couple of times, the chuckled hoarsely at the sight. His little Neko-chan had been busy last night while they were doing.. other things.
Darien chewed on a hangnail, his face pensive as he regarded his portable compy's blank screen. A rapidly cooling cup of coffee and a half eaten bagel shared the cafe table with several black and white photos and sheets of paper with scrawled handwriting. Three interviews before eight in the morning with another scheduled for nine. Added on to that was another one of his killer headaches accompanied by a nightmare, this one with the strangely-dressed girl with green hair and another monster, was enough to make him throw in the towel and become a monk. However, that would mean giving up Michiru and visits to Shinen Ran's place.... Nah, maybe he just needed to see Michiru and talk her into giving him another one of those massages that eased the headaches.
One hand extended out of the shower, grasping for an unmarked bottle of pills that sat on the little shelf above the sink. Popping two of the blackened pills inside into his mouth, Zoisite chewed methodically on them, tossing the bottle back out and into the sink. Things usually seemed better after that. Slinking out of the shower, he bumped Kunzite with one hip, staring up blankly at the other man's hair for a moment. Fingertips lifted to rub his eyes before he resumed staring in disbelief. Shaking his head with a giggle, he grinned sheepishly up at the now dredlocked man, lifting his head to press against Kunzite's shoulder as the sweet scent of opium drifted from his lips before becoming lost. "I think we got a little inventive last night, ne?" Wandering out into the bedroom, he seemed to still be reorienting himself with his surroundings. It was a daily procedure that few had ever seen or noticed, save perhaps Nephrite. Tugging on some clothing that was at least acceptable in school, Zoisite yawned softly, "Are you going to be teaching like that today? I'm sure the girls will love the butterflies..."
Kasui tossed the coins on the counter, nodding to the waiter as she slid off the stool. Time for her first class - math. Easy subject. She've always enjoyed beating the other math whizzes. The looks on their face when they've been 'defeated' - really, it was a riot. Cradling her books under one arm, she pushed the door open as her eyes wandered to another woman in the cafe. Brows furrowing in puzzlement, Kasui wondered why she felt something different about the girl, who seemed so intent on studying her surroundings. Shrugging it off quickly, the girl exited the building and headed for her first class. Finding her classroom as a little bit more difficult than she suspected. So many rooms, and nothing but primitive signs and maps to help. Holding a paper with the words 'Tokyo University' emblazoned boldly across the top, Kasui moved slowly down the hall, looking for the right room.
Michiru walked the halls in a daze. *Never again am I going to answer an emergency call at 3 am. Its just not human. We have knights, they should be doing all the midnight stuff, let us females get our beatuy sleep.* she thought as she entered her next class. *I think I'll skip this one today.* she thought as she turned and ran into another woman. "Sorry about that..didn't see you there." she said to the woman.
Kasui's expression turned to one of annoyance for a moment; then she paused, staring closely at Michiru's face. Even for the bags under her eyes, there was something different about this girl that made her pause. Especially the clear blue eyes. Unsure whether to like her to dislike her at the moment, Kasui nodded. "It's all right... probably my fault, anyway. I'm trying to find my way around here," she explained, looking apologetic.
Kunzite chuckled. "And how am I going to explain where all this hair came from? Kitsune has very short blonde hair. And then there's the senshi hiding in the classroom. Some may even recognize me even with the butterflies." He pulled off the butterflies, and untangled his hair with gentle, loving fingers. Then he duck his face under the facet and wandered back into the bedroom, his appearance changing into that of the student teacher, the short spiky blonde hair, the blue eyes, slightly shorter and more muscular than normal. He pulled on the same thing he wore last night, using a slight bit of energy to clean them, before grabbing Zoisite's hair in one hand and pulling him over for a deep kiss. "Now be a good boy," he whispered, once the kiss ended. "And I'll give you something good later on."
Zoisite purred in delight, lacing his arms about Kunzite's... now Kitsune's... waist as their lips met. Slender fingernails traced the other man's spine softly before drawing back to lift his jaden eyes to Kitsune's blue ones. "I can at least promise to be on time for your class. Does that qualify as good?" Nuzzling his cheek gently, Zoisite stepped away, tugging on his light jacket as he began to teleport away. It wouldn't do for one of the students to be seen strolling out of a teacher's house in the morning or having their car parked in front of it all night. Flashing back into being in his usual alley near the school, he wandered along towards the pit of hell that he was condemned to spend so many worthless hours a day in. With the last traces of opium melting across his numbed tongue, he was at least able to face it instead of screaming in fury and simply burning the place to the ground. Yawning, he pushed open the front door, on time for once it would seem.
~Yes it does, see you then Neko-chan~ Kitsune thought before teleporting himself to the Teacher's Lounge. At this time of day, the only person he'd expect to see in it was Nephrite in his human guise still suffering from his over indulgence the night before. Ignoring for a moment the scowling coach, he went to pour himself some coffee.
Michiru smiled. "Great..maybe you can help me find my friend in return." she said with a somewhat evil grin. "Now, lets see here..says you got Math first. Oh..thats gotta suck." she said.
Collecting up his books, Zoisite sighed. Chemistry. There was the hope there that the teacher would let them play with the *really* explosive combinations. He still could remember creating his own version of 'Pop Rocks'. Everytime even a breeze touched the little pebble like creations, they would explode in a loud snap. The rest of the day had been a torture for that poor man since he hadn't been able to move them either. Snickering to himself, Zoisite wandered into class and dropped in a seat.
"Not really," Kasui replied, her ice blue eyes unblinking. "Mathematics comes easily for me. Almost like second nature, I suppose. The most fundamental form of science, and the foundation of technology, how can you say that it 'sucks'?" She paused, remembering where she was. Back a couple of centuries, on primitive earth. Oops. She must've scared Michiru somewhat with her eccentricity. Shrugging quickly as if to dismiss her statement, she showed Michiru her schedule. "All right. Lead the way."
Michiru retained her natural smile. "I guess I've never seen the point of learning the Sin and Cosin of a number. I mean where is that going to help you in real life?" she asked as they walked down the halls.
"Well, they..." Kasui caught her, remember the time she was stuck in. Right. Not even anywhere near the 30th Century. "... I suppose not. In any case, math is fun for me. It comes easily." She walked next to Michiru, studying her surroundings, and finally stopped in front of a room. "Oh, here it is."
Michiru smiled. "Oh, guess I wasn't too much help anyways. Oh well...I hope you enjoy your cla..." she said and was stopepd by a scream down the hall. She turned to see a bunch of freshman having fun with females and water guns. "Oh wonderful. Better bookit sweetie, unless you want to be the finalist of a wet tee-shirt contest involuntarily." she muttered looking for a save way to get out without getting wet. She didn't mind showing off, but going back to school wet would be just plain annoying.
Zoisite grumbled as he walked out of class. It was only lunch, and he had already collected one detention slip. As if he'd ever be caught going to detention... However, chances were that it would earn him a lecture somewhere along the line. Sliding his backpack across one shoulder, he wandered towards the courtyard. Mind already on finding some nice quiet place to read or just indulge himself in a few daydreams, his emerald eyes took on a glaze, not noticing the world about him much if at all.
"Those are my classmates...? From the same grade...?" Kasui looked at the giggling girls with a distasteful grimace. How immature and annoying. And most of all, naive, thinking that the world was perfect and made just for them. They had no worries. Anger and jealousy suddenly flared inside her, then quickly replaced by an idea. *Hmm... if they have so much energy, they must make excellent drones...* Kasui turned to Michiru, a sweet smile on her face. "No, of course --" At the same moment, she bumped into another student heading the opposite direction. She stumbled 'accidentally' into the crowd of girls and ended up soaking wet. Kasui crumpled to her knees, bracing herself up with both hands and gave a loud cry of alarm. The water-fighting group gathered around her as Kasui kept her face lowered to the ground. "Are you all right?" She heard one of the girls ask in concern. Kasui smiled to herself. "Yeah, I guess... *Much better than you'll be.* Her eyes flashed an ice blue for a minute as she stared at the ground before getting up. A black crystal, small in size yet pulsing softly with dark energy, appeared briefly before embedding itself into the hard floor and out of sight. Kasui stood up. "Don't worry... I'll just go to the bathroom and dry up. I would suggest you all stay behind and clean up the mess you're making, though - someone else may slip." She faced Michiru, offering a weak smile. "I guess you were right in warning me," she said. "Care to join me on a trip to the restroom?" In a short while, the crystal will begin collecting energy from the freshmen, sapping them entirely dry of any strength. It was as good a time as any to start collecting energy.
Michiru smiled gently at her new friend. "Sure thing, and then we'll get them back, don't worry. Jerks like them deserve what they are about to get coming to them." she said with a twinkle in her eye.
~And what are you doing now, Zoisite? Watch out, you might run into someone if you're not careful.~ Kunzite's sending caught him right before the little sakura walked into Kitsune. Papers went flying and Kitune had to grab onto Zoisite's shoulder before he followed them.
Darien walked right into a spray of water. Sputtering curses, he went after one of the guys, catching him before he could get away and taking away his gun. Now armed for action, he looked for a target.
"Of course not. I won't worry. What comes around goes around," Kasui replied, holding back a smile. Yes, indeed. They will get what's coming to them. "But is that all you do for fun here? It's rather redundant, if you ask me." She turned her head to watch the group once more, wringing drops of water from her braid at the same time. Her eyes settled on a dark-haired man, rather tall and with dark blue eyes. Kasui's brow wrinkled into a frown. Where had she seen him before? He looked rather familiar, but she couldn't place him.
Zoisite blinked up at Kitsune, red flowing over his cheeks as he steadied himself. Being in mental conversation with your lover and then literally bumping into them provided a bit of a shock to the system. Leaning down to collect up his papers, Zoisite had to restrain himself from pressing a kiss to Kitsune's lips. "Gomen, Kitsune-sensei. I was on my way to do some work on that paper you assigned us on medieval times in England. I wasn't looking where I was going..."
"That's alright, we all have those kind of days," Kitsune replied. ~Sorry about that but I would have gone mad without touching you even if I had to do this way. I hope that it will keep me until later...~ He pulled away and grinned a little. "It's alright, no broken bones or bruises to speak of. What about you?"
Shades of red suffused Zoisite's pale features, an almost adoring expression overtaking his eyes before he banished it quickly away. This was school, and not the place for it with Nephrite lurking about, not to mention whatever other Dark Kingdom spies would be around. Sliding his fingertips against Kitsune's as he took the last of the papers, he smiled as cheerfully as he could, "I think I'm fine... I have to get to the library across the street, the one at the college. I *promise* not to be late for class, yes I know it's in an hour, not two. This paper is entirely too hard, Kitsune-sensei." ~Later is too long to wait in my opinion, but I will...~ he sighed mentally as he moved out the doors towards the university. Taking the last touch of the ice king, he pushed open the front door and stepped inside, only to pause at the sight of people collapsed. "Shimatta..." he muttered to himself, sliding his books onto the floor and taking another step forward. ~Nephrite... what in the name of the Gods of Darkness is going on?~ Leave it to him to suspect the ice king. "Hello?" he called out to the empty rooms. This entire thing gave him the creeps, his slender fingers clenching and unclenching as he stepped over some of the deadened looking freshmen. Only the slow rise and fall of their chests betrayed them being alive. A few waterguns lay on the floor, making the students look like kids caught unaware by naptime. Feeling the hair on the back of his neck try to stand up, Zoisite's gaze moved over the room. "Hello?"
Michiru smiled. "Oh there's more to do around here than dodge squirt guns." she said with a sigh. "Lets get you cleaned up and then we'll skip class. There's a small tea shop around the corner." she said.
Nephrite hated being disturbed. ~What is it Now, Zoisite!~ he sent back to the younger king. He had no clue what the little brat was complaining about now, but it better be good.
Kasui's eyes flew open. *Checkmate.* "Oh, gomen nasai, Michiru-san. I think I dropped my wallet on the ground when I fell. You go ahead - I'll meet you at the tea shop in an hour. I'll go clean up and meet you there, all right?" Giving Michiru a hasty wave, Kasui hurried down the hall and turned the corner. And literally disappeared. In the spacious auditorium-like room where Zoisite was, the lights flickered, and then suddenly went out. The fallen freshmen on the ground shook once convulsively, all at the same time. The door behind Zoisite closed. Slowly, a couple of them stood up, moaning, with pale face and unearthly, half-closed eyes. They moved toward Zoisite, reaching their arms out for him. Above the whole group, standing on the rows of seats on the top tier, a new girl stood in the shadows. arms crossed, pinkish lips turning up into a delighted smile. A black moon insignia glowed on her forehead. "Don't disrupt my plans!" Beruche chided almost sweetly in a whisper.
*Oh Hell* Zoisite thought as he began hastily backpedaling to escape the group. As the doors slammed shut behind him, fear started to creep into the koneko's heart. It was like a bad horror flick that he was caught in, the idiot hero wandering right into the attic or basement when he knew he shouldn't have. Shards of ice appeared in his hands as he lashed them towards the woman and one of the zombiefied students that seized his arm. "Get out of my territory," he snapped back as he twisted in the creature's grip, feeling another grapple onto his other side.
"You have got to be kidding me," Beruche retorted, sneering at the ice crystals. Thrusting one arm out at the shards, a freezing gust of pure snow and wind blew directly against Zoisite's attack, halting the crystals short on their tracks. They clattered to the ground, breaking into a million pieces. As the breeze died back down into nothing, the second oldest of the Akayashi Sisters turned her ice blue gaze upon Zoisite. The other human-zombies slowly surged forward, intending to hold the general back. "This is my territory. Three thousand years in the future, this should've been my land. My kingdom. You have no idea who you're dealing with. My quarrel isn't with you... but judging from your powers, you can probably help me. Where are the senshi?"
One thing that Nephrite had managed to get through Zoisite's thick skull was that his fury was one of his greatest weapons when harnessed. Growling with upset, he thrust himself forward and jerked backwards quickly. Shaking off the last of the hands reaching for him, his trademark katana seemed to spin itself out of thin air, the razor sharp edge lashing at the grabbing hands as he sprung backwards out of reach. Levitating himself above the crowd, he remained safely out of reach for the moment. Turning his poisonous green eyes onto Beruche, he restrained himself from unleashing his usual verbal retort of cursing at being told anything. "The senshi? Create a big enough explosion and they'll come running. And this is my territory. Mine and the Dark Kingdom's. In three thousand years it might be yours, but it's ours now. I suggest you make this easier on yourself..." Zoisite's almond shaped eyes narrowed, falling into thought. If he brought an ally to their side, then both Nephrite and Kunzite might be happy with him... not to mention Beryl-hime. "I have some friends that I think you should meet," he added with a faint grin full of malice. "You could say that we have some common goals."
Beruche raised an eyebrow. "First you threaten me, and now you're offering a truce? One could tell your social skills aren't exactly the best, but..." Cold eyes gazed into Zoisite's. "...that would depend on your 'friends'. Or rather, you friend's powers. After all, what is the point of me aiding you when you can give me nothing in return?"
Coach Sanjouin watched a fight break out in the gym. He sighed softly as he went over to break it up. He was stopped by a female teacher that had entered the gym. "Oh, there you are Sanjouin-san. I've been looking for you. I was hoping you could take this to your brother. He missed his class today and I wouldn't want him to get behind." she said with a smile. Sanjouin narrowed his eyes. He reached out to Zoisite. ~Skipping class again, Zoisite. You're really starting to make me look bad.~ he sent. He smiled his thanks to the teacher and took the work from her.
Kunzite packed up his stuff for the day and looked out the window, frowning in thought. Zoisite was taking too long. Leaving the files behind, he stepped outside his room and saw Nephrite talking with a female. Shaking his head a little at the star king's executives, he walked up to him and said, "Your little brother missed my class for the first time. Is he sick?"
~Well, I wouldn't have skipped class, but I had this run in with a zombie legion, and there's this white haired female that looks like she'd greatly enjoy pulling me to pieces in a painful manner. You might want to get here and check this out...~ Zoisite replied mentally as he eyed Beruche. He was going to have to bite the bullet on this one if he planned on getting them at least one ally. "Call it being trained for a lifetime of being wary and expecting everyone to be the senshi. Perhaps you would rather speak to Kunzite-sama... he is our leader after all."
~I'll be there as soon I cover your ass..~ Nephrite replied. "He was here earlier, but he could have gotten sick and gone home early, without telling me. I'll let you know tomorrow what happened. But for now I have to find out what's going on with my brother." He replied quickly. ~Kunzite, Zoi's gotten himself into a big mess again. We need to find him and get him out of there. Something about Zombies.~ Nephrite sent in a dry voice. He wasn't too happy with the student right now. He was suppose to be teaching him how NOT to get into trouble, not how to get into it.
"I hope he's feeling better in time for class tomorrow," Kunzite replied. "Just tell him that he has to read chapters three and four for tomorrow, okay?" Waving good bye, he started down the hallway. ~I'll meet you on top of the building in two minutes, Nephrite. Zoi's both of our responsibilities while on earth, and we cannot have him getting hurt during our watch.~
The wary, distrustful look never left Beruche's oval-shaped face, although a small amused smile began to crept up her face. "So, Kunzite. The 'evening stone' which fades in the light. Hardness: 6½ - 7, color pink, light pink, or light purple, with a vitreous luster. He certainly has an unusual name. I'm interested to meet this leader of yours. I trust he is powerful...? He better be. I will wait five minutes. If he fails to show, then afterwards..." The sister of ice stretched out one slender arm, ice and snow swirling around it in a small, furious whirl. Cold, shining blue eyes penetrated into Zoisite for a split second, the point cutting loud and clear between them. Just as abruptly she lowered her arm, and everything dissipated back into nothingness. "I will wait."
Zoisite arched a brow. She didn't frighten him overly... well, not that he was going to show. Inside, he was more than a bit afraid that he was going to be in trouble if she decided to cut him to pieces. A frozen Zoisite would not make a good wall decoration. Something about this icy woman put him off his balance, putting the same measure of awe in him that Kunzite generally did. Swallowing thickly, he managed a vicious smile on the surface. ~Kunzite-sama... Neffy-okami... she's going to make me frozen sushi if you two don't get in here to the University auditorium... now!~ Backing up a step, he kept his smile by sheer force of will. "Well, now... if he doesn't show, let's not go killing the messenger and all. I'd look terrible as an ice statue."
"Frozen Zoisite. That has a nice ring to it. Why don't we wait for a few minutes and let the little neko sweat." Nephrite suggested with a smug smile.
"Please," Kunzite drawled, giving Nephrite a dirty look. "I rather have Zoisite as a king than one of those up-starts like Argocite." Flicking his fingers at the thought like a maid shooing away dirt, he vanished leaving forst where he stood. A few moments later, an arctic blast of air and shimmering ice crystals herald his arrival to the University auditorium. He reformed hovering in the air, his face a cold mask and his arms crossed in a manner that implied both irritation and impatience.
Nephrite watched Kunzite go. "It was only a joke...geez, this guy needs to get the stick out of his..." he almost finished when he disappeared in a flash of amber light. He reappeared beside Kunzite with the same flash. "I was only kidding." he muttered.