“I can’t believe that you told him the truth about Ami, what would happen
if he was still part of the Negaverse, and some suspicious person had sent
him here to find things about her. I mean, what if now that he knows
we know that Ami still remembers, he goes around and tells that guy, that
Avarice person, they could end up killing her!” Rei yelled at Usagi
once Zoicite had left. She looked angry enough to jump across the
table and strangle her friend in front of the large crowd which had gathered
around them.
“What did you expect I do? I mean here he was practically on the
floor begging us to tell him what happened, how could I have just… stood
my ground and let him like that? Even if he was once our enemy once,
he was also our ally, he’s been through enough trying to remember her,
I can’t just crush him, he’s a person as well, we can’t forget that.”
It seemed that the Princess Serenity side of her had not vanished, and
the same strength of character that was so becoming as a ruler of a planet
remained as Usagi argued back.
“But you seem to have forgotten the fact that he also tried to kill us
a few times, and in case you didn’t notice, that wasn’t so long ago!”
Rei shot back.
“Hey, you two, calm down! Here, have a drink, and start breathing
the two of you, and talk, don’t try and kill each other in my café
okay?” Motoki wiped his hands and sat down in the booth with them,
leaning inwards as a showing of secrecy, he whispered, “so why is Tsuzuki
Asano suddenly this guy called Zoicite and having a history of killing
you guys?”
“Motoki-kun, try staying out of this?” Mamoru requested in a quiet tone.
“Hey,” he said in playful tone, “after having him nearly crush my neck,
the least that you owe me is some explanation!!”
They looked at him and sighed, sometimes they wondered if they were telling
him too much of their secret.
He stared at her as she left his study, staggering unsteadily, and Miyuki
coming to her side as she began to open the door… he had been shocked to
hear her give him such an ultimatum, that she would no longer be here.
Picking up his phone, he dialed to the medical wing to speak to the doctor
who had attended to Kimiko’s wounds. “Doctor?”
“Yes, your lordship, how may I help you?”
“You attended Lady Kimiko Akiru’s wounds, did you not?”
“Yes, your lordship, that is correct.”
“What was she wounded by?”
“Glass, your lordship.”
“Perhaps a mirror of some sort?”
“That is indeed a strong possibility your lordship.”
He hung up the phone and stared at the offending piece of instrument, then,
picking up his suit jacket, he ran out of the room.
Ami returned to her usual room instead of the depressing medical wing that
she was tired of, and began to feel terribly unsafe in. Locking the
door behind her to be alone, she fell on the floor and started to sob uncontrollably
over the new developments. Again there was the sense of confusion
that she was feeling so much of these days, if this was the test that Deus
had mentioned, she didn’t know whether she preferred the physical tests
that they usually had. Sitting on the ground cradling her knees,
she stared blankly at her surroundings as tears marred her vision, and
began to wet the white shirt that she had been wearing. The pain
in her body and back from her sitting position was all but forgotten as
the pain in her heart soared and stabbed at her body like invisible knives.
Looking for comfort and warmth she curled herself in a tighter ball, but
yelped slightly as the sudden pain struck through the whole of her back
pulling her body straight once again. Sighing, she felt her heart
pound with unusual ferocity, and the fluids in her brain rushing across
its channels, swaying each and every cell in the wrong direction causing
a dull pain inside her head.
Standing up, she walked towards her four-post bed and surveyed the sheets
and the quilt that lay there, untouched since she had been removed into
the Medical Wing. Feeling slightly cozier from the environment, she
took one deep breath and flopped onto her soft feather bed with her face
down. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to soar, flying from
the troubles that she had been facing, remembering once again the feeling
of skating, the cool wind that danced across her forehead as she slid across
the ice, and the soft tendrils of her hair which lightly brushed her ears.
As she continued to believe, she felt her soul lift from the depths of
despair which she had been imprisoned in for the past few hours, her heart
resuming its normal rhythm, and the wheels in her brain turning comfortably
instead of the rush that had been. Her body relaxed and sank into
the bed gently, the quilt encompassing the curves of her body, the warmth
was comforting, and she began to envisage herself as a fetus, surrounded
by the gentle silk of her mother’s womb. It seemed as though another
spirit had overtaken her body as a rejuvenated being entered when she opened
her eyes, shifting her head, she closed her eyes again to recapture the
moment, the moment of pure bliss, trust and confidence of her surroundings.
She was startled when a soft knocking echoed through the silent room, turning
her head, her eyes fixed on the door, “come in,” she commanded.
“I wanted to tell you that Miyuki’s family is safe.” Lord Takeuchi
began, “and I am also here to offer you two choices.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am offering you two choices on how you want your life to be,” he bit
his lip until it cracked and blood flowed freely, “that’s the best I can
do.”
Rei was tending to the fire prior to her readings, and the others (minus
Mamoru) tried there best to keep the silence that was reverberating in
their eardrums. They were here armed with the information that Zoicite
had been able to give them regarding the Negaverse, although it was only
a small sector, he assured them that it was representative of the whole
Kuriverse. He had advised them to go to Ami as soon as possible,
due to the unpredictable nature of the rulers of each sectors in their
showering of favor. Rei’s suspicions did not abate, and she had decided
to consult her most trustworthy guide before putting his advise into action.
With the nod of the head, Rei signaled for them to begin concentrating
on their task of imparting their powers to her. Together, not only
did they wish to see into another world, but also to avoid being caught
inside the web of created realities that Someieichi-kou had implanted into
the system that she relied on for information. Rei began to chant
softly in tones barely audible to the others in the room, in ancient lost
words and many indiscernible phrases, she began to conjure up spirits of
the other world to aid her search into a parallel world. Once she
managed to get the spirits’ attention, she began to ask the spirits in
her carefully trained courteous manner when begging for a favor.
The spirits were at first indignant at the pleading tones that Rei used,
but she did not waver from the civility that she was displaying, and continued
to implore with the same calmness. Finally, the haughty manner of
the spirits gave way to the incessant words, and they proffered the information
that she had wanted.
“Little one, I fear that I bring you
poor news regarding your friend, she is not faring well in the foreign
universe, her health is declining, and her hold on power is waning, if
she does not leave soon, she will not leave alive.”
Rei’s back stiffened at those words, as she thanked the spirits cordially
and ended their exchange. The spirits retreated into the spiritual
world via the passageway of the fire, leaving a trail of red behind, streaking
back into the sacred flames. She bowed as the last trail disappeared,
and touched her forehead onto the ground as a sign of the ultimate respect
and thanks. The coolness of the room disappeared the moment that
the spirits had left, and a dusk sunlight lit the room in a glow of orange
and purple which had been previously draped in a veil of greyness and shadows.
She turned around and faced the others, her form radiated serenity and
calmness as she pronounced the words in a measured and clipped tone, “we’re
not waiting anymore, this has to end today.”