| |
"Come back here!" I shouted at my TV screen as I played Armored Core 3, a prized PlayStation 2 game of mine. Using my carefully made middleweight AC (Armored Core) named Venator (Latin for "hunter"), I was fighting in the arena against a particularly vexing opponent named Cypress. It had an annoying habit of literally boosting circles around me and firing its chain guns nonstop, overheating my AC and causing additional damage beyond gunfire. After three successive attempts to win, I saved my game and quit before I did something beyond pounding my fist into the left cushion of my couch. It was 12:00 in the afternoon.
"Next time Cypress, you will not win so easily." I muttered.
Getting into my shower, I turned it on hot enough to fog up the mirror in five minutes, a habit left over from America. As I showered, I verbally plotted my strategy to defeat that vexing AC.
"Maybe I should make a heavier AC with an emphasis on resisting shell damage and equip it with the grenade rifle and two ammo-increasing back parts. Then I should focus on aiming the best I can and equip a good left arm part in case Cypress wants to go toe-to-toe with me... I know it likes to do that." I thought out loud.
At Rei's temple, 1:45 p.m.
"Where is that guy? I want to test his skill with wooden swords!" Haruka mused as she paced about.
"Beats me... he's probably busy sleeping off another Gundam Wing marathon. What a slacker." Usagi answered.
"The pot calling the kettle black..." Rei muttered.
"What? I am WAY more active than he is!" Usagi countered while waving her fists.
"Yeah... if reading comic books and eating were Olympic events, you'd be world champion!" Rei added.
"Why don't you guys give me a BREAK?" Usagi whimpered as she began to cry.
"Oh great... she's crying again!" Darien thought to himself as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
In my apartment...
"Yes... my power is radiant!" I said triumphantly as I emerged from the shower and dried myself off. All of a sudden I heard a voice.
"Mortal..." I heard. Was I crossing the thin line between genius and insanity?
"Mortal!" I heard again.
"Wow... I really need to lay off the Starcraft. I think I hear the voice of the Zerg Overmind calling out to me... SPAWN MORE OVERLORDS!" I said spontaneously.
"MORTAL! THIS IS NO TIME FOR YOUR FOOLISH GAMES!" the voice thundered.
"You, as my vessel, are subject to my will! NOW PAY ATTENTION!" it all but screamed.
"I, the great Shinigami, have been in the bloodline of every male of your family ever since the days of your great-great-grandfather. I was passed to a strange one such as yourself and I question why that happened." it said.
"Yeah... you said it was genetic. Say, how did you survive the fall of the Moon Kingdom?" I asked.
"When Queen Serenity sent her daughter and the citizens to modern Earth, I was with you when you were transported. Truth be told, the way you humans live makes me wish I wish I were not sent back." it added.
"If you despised it so, how come Queen Serenity didn't remove you through purification like she did to my father?" I inquired.
"Hahahahahaha! She may have expelled me from your father, but I ALWAYS attach myself to the mind of the male offspring of your bloodline! That is how I came to reside within you!" it said between fits of laughter.
"I'm sure it's a laugh to you, but I don't care for your homicidal urges and getting ME to act them out!" I argued.
"Part of the deal, mortal. I give you great power, I get to see blood spilled. Besides, I know as much as you do that you enjoy the enhanced physical abilities I bestow upon you!" it proclaimed with an air of smugness.
"You got me. I do enjoy being able to perform all manner of acrobatics and feats of strength and endurance." I admitted in an embarrassed voice.
"You amuse me, mortal! And your interactions with that group of mortal females, especially the one you call Makoto, are most entertaining as well!" it said to me as it stifled laughter.
"Great... I have a homicidal voice in my head that makes fun of my interactions with girls... what more can I ask for?" I muttered.
Dressing in gray camouflage pants, a black short-sleeve t-shirt, and wearing combat boots my uncle sent me from an army surplus store in Georgia, I brushed my hair and hastily consumed a granola bar as the music of Iron Maiden's song Aces High blasted from my CD player.
"You listen to a strange style of music, mortal. What manner of noise is this?" Shinigami inquired.
"A British metal band called Iron Maiden. And what did YOU listen to?" I asked in an annoyed voice.
"The cries of people as I burned their villages, destroyed their way of life, and cut them down..." Shinigami said in a matter-of-fact way.
"You probably needed more hugs when you were little..." I muttered out loud.
Back at Rei's temple, 3:00 p.m.
"Where is he? I want to fight him before midnight!" Haruka said out loud as she paced back and forth.
"Yeah... he usually shows up by now!" Makoto said.
"Patience. He shall be here soon." Setsuna laconically mused.
"What are you, psychic?" Usagi asked.
"She is usually right when she says these sort of things." Michiru replied.
"But I thought Rei was psychic! I'm so confused!" Usagi screamed as she clutched her head.
"I read fire to learn the future, you dope." Rei stated with an exasperated sigh.
My apartment, 3:30 p.m.
"I'm going to find Makoto and the others. I need something to do anyway. Usagi's probably griping about me being a Gundam Wing addict, but addict is such an ugly word! I prefer the term frequent viewer!" I crowed.
"Heh heh heh! How amusing... but be careful mortal! Beware the one called Haruka..." Shinigami warned.
"Why?" I asked.
In response a flood of images entered my mind. Haruka as Sailor Uranus with her talisman the Space Sword drawn, me with my Moonlight Masamune drawn, and the two of us dueling in what appeared to be an arena much like the Roman Colosseum... what did it mean?
"It means that Sailor Uranus made attempts on your life in the days of the Moon Kingdom. With your great intelligence I thought you could put it together without my help." Shinigami huffed.
"Why would she try to kill me...? I never did anything to her... unless... My father! YOU!" I cried out.
"Exactly! Since your father and she clashed many times before your birth, she transferred her hatred of me and my previous vessel to the new one, meaning you. Unable to prevent your existence, she decided to end it instead. And she wasn't alone..." it counseled.
"Who else? Who else among the Senshi would have tried to kill me?" I thought again.
Another set of images rushed into my mind, but this time ones of a Senshi clad in a red uniform... Sailor Mars!
I mentally shouted "Sailor Mars!" and thought more. Why would she want me dead?
"Like Sailor Uranus, your father and she clashed. Unlike Sailor Uranus, she did not want you dead... she wanted to eliminate me. Unfortunately, every two centuries there comes a host that cannot have me extracted without dying." I heard.
"Let me guess... I was the one?" I asked.
"Precisely. To kill me she had to kill you too." came the laconic response.
I was shocked, saddened, and outraged at the same time. Shocked at this sudden revelation, saddened because Shinigami would always be a threat as long as I lived, and outraged that two Senshi would try to destroy me over the sins my father committed. Unknowingly clenching my hands into fists, I felt my face redden with anger as I thought about the confrontations I had with Haruka and Rei that fateful night. Those two always appeared to dislike me, and now I knew why.
"Avenge your outrage! Settle the score in blood! DO NOT LET A SINGLE ONE OF THEM LIVE!" I heard Shinigami order as I saw images of me in Shinigami form systematically destroying the Senshi by decapitation, impalement, and other sword techniques. I placed my foot upon the body of Sailor Uranus as I held my bloody blade above my head and laughed as I beheld the bodies of the fallen Senshi. I was mortified and tried to shake the images but Shinigami would not let the matter go.
"Kill them. Kill them all. You must kill them all so that you may live. Kill them all to ensure your right to exist! I DEMAND IT!" Shinigami screamed.
"I am not your slave!" I shouted in response.
"Such strong will... I cannot control you this time. But remember this... I will always be with you and I will always be watching. If the Senshi should ever turn on you, I will be waiting to fight them. When the time comes, I will show them no mercy." it admonished.
Realizing that this was as good a set of terms as I could currently get, I said "Very well. I acknowledge your terms."
"Good, good..." it said, seemingly pleased.
Trying to hide my anger, I set out for the temple at 4:30 p.m. My face was outwardly calm, but on the inside I was burning mad. I knew it was foolish to be mad about events that happened so long ago that they didn't know of, but I wrote it off as human nature. After all, something had to be up if they disliked me so much.
Keeping my hands firmly in my pockets, I walked down the streets while thinking over all that I had learned. About Shinigami's presence. About the Moon Kingdom. About Sailor Mars and Sailor Uranus. About the images of me gloating over the bodies of the Sailor Senshi.
Was it destiny? Was that my reason for being? As I thought about being a slave to destiny I got increasingly angry. I was not a slave to Shinigami and I was not going to be a slave to a predetermined fate, for I forged my own path in life. My profound philosophical thoughts were interrupted by the realization that I was falling to the ground and my face hurt.
Absorbed in thought, I had walked into a light pole! A traffic guard, two passing police officers and four young girls that looked to be Chibi-Usa's age laughed at me. Embarrassed, I picked myself up and quickened my pace towards the temple. Reaching my destination within twenty minutes of leaving my apartment, the time on my watch was 4:50 p.m.
"Might as well get my gameface on..." I said as I straightened my clothing and washed off my face in a temple water basin. Feeling about as confident as I was going to be, I walked into the temple courtyard and looked about for everyone.
"SQUEEEEEE! HE'S HERE!" a female voice screamed as I felt an impact on my back. I groaned as I hit the ground in three seconds, landing on my face. Feeling the weight come off of my back, I dusted myself off, cleaned my glasses, and stood up to see a smiling Minako.
"It's so good to see you again Jordan!" Minako said with a wide grin.
"I didn't know I was popular." I said.
"MINAKO, get away from him now!" I heard another female voice scream.
"Make me!" Minako replied as she firmly hugged me while jerking me about like a human shield.
"You asked for it!" I heard as a broom came sailing round end first and hit Minako's left arm on the elbow.
"OOOOOOOOOW! Why are you so mean?" Minako cried as she released me.
"Because HE'S MINE!" the voice shouted. Stepping from the temple doorway was Makoto. Behind her were Ami, Usagi, Rei, Setsuna, Michiru, and Darien.
"What an application of the Broom of Doom. It was worthy of a Spartan spear toss." I thought to myself.
"Get your own boyfriend!" Makoto shouted while waving a fist.
"Squee! But I like him too! I wanna be with him!" she screeched as she clung to me.
"Don't make me punch you in the head..." Makoto threatened.
Whimpering, Minako shuffled away like a scolded dog while Makoto walked up to me and gave me a bear hug that lifted me up and quite literally deflated me.
"Nice... to see... you too!" I coughed as I struggled for air.
"Oh... sorry!" Makoto said as she suddenly let me go. Hitting the ground for the third time in less than an hour, I just laid there until Makoto yanked me back up.
"Minako needs a boyfriend... she needs to leave you alone!" she said.
"What can I say? The ladies like me!" I said as I made a show of flexing my muscles.
"Men." Rei muttered with her hands on her hips.
"I know why you like Makoto!" Usagi squealed as she danced back and forth with impatience.
"Why is that?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Stifling giggles, she blurted "Because she has a BIG BUTT!"
I was speechless. I felt my jaw drop as she laughed and pointed at me. The others looked embarrassed, but Makoto had a look that called for blood.
"...Are you trying to get invited to my next barbeque?" I asked Usagi. I pictured myself roasting her over a roaring fire as she was tied to a metal pole.
"Sure... Makoto already has the buns!" she replied while snorting.
In my consternation I stood there as the situation rapidly deteriorated. Makoto poked me on the shoulder and I turned to face her. She gestured for me to lean over and I did.
"I have an idea. I'll hold her and you punch her teeth out... deal?" Makoto whispered.
"No. I'll hold her and you do the honors. Deal?" I offered.
"Deal!" she whispered as we shook hands.
"Umm... Usagi, you had better run..." Ami said as she nudged her shoulder. Usagi was too busy laughing maniacally to heed Ami's warning until it was nearly too late.
"Why... OMIGOD!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran from us.
Makoto chased her down like a lioness, grabbed Usagi's arms, pinned them behind her back, and walked her over to me.
"Hold her." Makoto growled.
Doing as I was told, Usagi screamed, cried and struggled as she babbled incoherent phrases and called for the others to help her.
"Sorry Usagi. You brought this upon yourself." Darien answered with one hand on his forehead.
"Keep it up you two. This is a good show!" Rei said while giving a thumbs up.
"Yeah! I'm with Rei!" Minako squealed.
"Normally violence isn't the answer. But in this case I can't stop watching." Ami mused.
"Guuuuuuuuuuuys!" Usagi whined.
"I'm gonna teach you a lesson!" Makoto screamed as she picked up the Broom Of Doom and readied a baseball swing towards her face. I braced for impact. Usagi started crying harder.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" poor Usagi wailed as she expected a blow, but the broom stopped short of her face. Receiving the signal to let her go, I let her crumple to the ground like a marionette with the strings cut.
"Next time you really should watch your mouth!" Makoto admonished.
All poor Usagi could do was nod and fight back tears.
Acting on an impulse, I started taking stock of the others. Feeling that something was amiss, I counted them and said their names.
"Darien, Makoto, Rei, Ami, Minako, Setsuna, Michiru... wait... Haruka!" I thought as my face went pale.
"What's wrong Jordan?" Makoto asked.
"Haruka's not here... where is she?" I asked.
As I asked I saw the others look at me. I didn't know what they wanted until I felt a chill go down my back.
As I realized what they meant, I heard a WHOOSH sound as a pair of hands materialized in the corners of my eyes.
"What the-! AAACK!" I sputtered as I felt something wrap around my neck and a choking sensation. My hands instinctively flew to my neck as I felt like I was being drawn towards the ground. As my my back bent, I saw short blond hair, blue eyes, and a smile. It was Haruka!
As she forced me into a sitting position, I choked for air as my arms flailed about. Feeling something unwind from around my neck, I lunged to my knees and breathed in hard as I heard laughter from behind me. Haruka walked in front of me with a small white box. As I looked closer, my eyes widened as I read the writing. It was a box of dental floss!
"What the? Dental floss?! This is creepy!" I thought.
"Nice to see you Jordan. Your will to live is strong." she said.
Recovering my breath, I saw the mortified expression of the others and thought about the words of Shinigami. Feeling a rush of adrenaline, I leaped to my feet, jabbed my right index finger at Haruka and shouted "Prepare yourself! You have just incurred my wrath!" I shouted.
"Riiiight... here you go!" she cheerfully said as Michiru handed her a wooden katana and handed another to me.
Grasping it instinctively, I walked ten paces from Haruka as she did the same. With our backs turned, she counted aloud.
"One... two... three..." I heard. Preparing myself mentally, I tried to calm myself.
"Four... five... six..." My efforts were not working. I could feel my blood pressure rising.
"Seven... eight... nine..." The countdown neared its conclusion. Steeling myself the best I could, I awaited the end of the countdown.
"Ten. Get ready!" Haruka chirped.
We rushed towards each other, she in a calculated charge and myself in the state of a raging bull.
Swinging fiercely, I aimed for her neck but missed as she ducked my attack and jumped to the side.
"Temper, temper!" She admonished like a grade school teacher, something that made me even more irritated.
"Do not lecture me!" I shouted. Blindly swinging my blade in rapid bursts, I heard the gasps of the audience as I did something that came naturally. Haruka jumped back and began to speak.
"I see you're using your immense talent to drive your blade. But do try and hit me..." she said without a trace of concern.
Standing up straight, I thought I heard Shinigami's voice as it said "Kill her... kill her now..."
Ignoring the voice, I focused my mind and energy, setting aside my rage and focusing on Haruka. Dashing towards her, I swung my blade in a neat arc that ended near Haruka's hand, which she pulled back in the knick of time.
"Impressive! Now you're making this worth my while!" Haruka said with approval.
Focusing on her, I matched my speed with hers and started to swing my blade rapidly. To my amazement and consternation, she blocked each blow. Stopping in my tracks, I considered my next move.
Feeling a blow on my sword, I backflipped as a thrust whooshed past my head. Landing on my feet, I heard a voice behind me.
"Never stand still!" Haruka shouted as I heard a strong downward swing aimed at my head. Rolling forward, I dodged it and jumped to my feet, parrying blows with my blade as Haruka chased me. I stole a gaze towards the group and could make out a few words.
"Wow! They're good!" Usagi said in admiration.
"They were rival masters of the blade in the days of the Moon Kingdom." Setsuna offered.
"Really?" Ami asked while looking her in the eyes.
"Yes. As the Guardian of Time, I witnessed many a duel between them. If there were more witnesses, it would be the stuff of legends." she answered.
Darien shuddered, possibly remembering my service at his side in the Moon Kingdom, possibly shaken by our displays of prowess occurring in front of him. Michiru looked concerned, possibly for Haruka, possibly for me. At any rate, Haruka and I battled back and forth without end.
All of a sudden, Makoto ran in between us and held out her arms, saying "Stop!"
Sensing an opportunity, Haruka slipped behind her and held the blade to Makoto's neck.
"Stop! Let her go!" Michiru shouted.
"That's enough!" Setsuna added.
"I have to test his resolve! I have to see what he does next! I must test his skill!" she screamed back.
Stopped in my tracks, I stared at the situation and tried desperately to think of something. Then I heard a familiar voice ring in my head.
"Let me handle this. Let me combine my power with your desire to save the mortal female Makoto." Shinigami implored.
"I can do this myself." I thought.
"You need my help. Look at her! Haruka holds your woman hostage in a mere game!" it shouted.
"But..." I thought.
Makoto cried out as Haruka grabbed her hair and jerked her head back. Seeing this meant that I had to act quickly, but how? I didn't want to call on Shinigami again...
"Use my power! Trust me!" Shinigami practically screamed.
Seeing Makoto harmed like that made my blood boil. I felt my blood pressure skyrocketing, my adrenaline pumping, and my vision shaking and... turning red? Was I turning into Shinigami?
"I am not giving you my full power. What I am giving you is enough, but keep this in mind. My power is governed by your emotions." it said.
"Very well..." I hastily thought before I felt myself reach the breaking point. Feeling a surge of power almost like that of the total transformation, I slowly looked at Haruka and Makoto.
"Let her go... NOW!" I screeched at Haruka.
"Make me..." She replied, unaware of what was about to happen.
As I charged her, she raised her blade in defense. Seeing this, I suddenly stopped and used the resulting sand cloud to aim a downward chop at Haruka's outstretched blade.
"DIE!" I shouted as I brought my blade down full force, shattering both our blades simultaneously. The tip of my sword had cleaved Haruka's in two while causing a massive crack to appear along mine, a sudden gust of wind breaking it into small pieces.
Thoroughly stunned, she dropped her handle and released Makoto as she backed up a few steps. Makoto quickly ran for cover as my power surge continued. Not giving my mark time to run, I hit Haruka with a massive punch to the stomach. I heard the air forcibly exit her lungs as she staggered backwards. Keeping up the pressure, I dashed towards her and hit her with a roundhouse kick to the head, which she blocked.
Quickly twirling myself into a leg sweep, I knocked Haruka's legs out from under her as she hit the ground with a thud. She rolled about, trying to get up. I saw a look of terror on her face as she scrambled to her feet. Thrusting my right hand outwards, I grabbed her around the neck and squeezed.
Everyone was startled by my display of swordsmanship, but my attack on Haruka jolted them to action. Darien, Makoto, and Setsuna rushed over to break my grip on Haruka's neck, but I refused to relinquish custody of my hated rival.
"She dies here! She dies today! She dies now!" Shinigami chanted.
Realizing that I had been deceived, I slowly let my quarry go, but not until I saw that her face had literally turned blue.
"Another close one Jordan!" Makoto said.
"It was fortunate that you let her go." Setsuna remarked in her typical laconic style.
"You went too far that time! It was a test of your skill as a swordsman! She had us set this up!" Rei shouted.
"What?!" I thought as I looked at the others. All of their faces confirmed my worst fear: what Rei said was true.
"The dental floss was a sick joke on my part. Usagi always said that you looked afraid that I was going to strangle you with dental floss." Haruka laughed.
All of a sudden flashing images of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Mars appeared. What Shinigami had said was no lie... they really did want to kill me during the Moon Kingdom days! Feeling disgusted beyond belief, I made no attempt to hide it. Turning away, I walked briskly away from the temple and towards the street. I felt a hand drop on my shoulder.
"What now! Is it not enough that I've been nearly strangled with dental floss and-" I stopped.
"Please calm down. Everything will be alright-" Darien said.
"Things will be alright?! You don't have someone trying to kill you with dental floss. You don't have to worry about killing your friends because of a voice in your head. You don't have to worry about a homicidal voice that can't be removed and is with you the rest of your life! You have no room to tell me things will be alright!" I shouted.
He shrank back, but unlike the match with Rei, I felt no remorse. Then it hit me... I was the equivalent of a runaway bull and I was trampling people in my blind rage. I was mentally shaken as a wave of remorse replaced the cold-blooded courage I had felt a moment earlier.
"Look what you did! Not only did you nearly kill Haruka, you shouted in Darien's face!" Rei screamed.
Feeling something inside snap, I walked towards her slowly like a tiger stalking its prey. Setsuna and Michiru withdrawing to either side of Rei, I looked Rei in the eye and said "I didn't know being a priestess gave you the right to judge others."
Without waiting for reply I turned around and walked away. I knew that I had taken a step down a dark path. About that I was not terribly concerned. What did concern me was whether I could return to where I was once I set out on the path of darkness. I had a feeling that I would have to rely on someone to save me. The ultimate question was: could I be saved?
|
Help Us Stop Plagiarism -
Nearly all works at PnP are original. However a few people choose to plagiarize.
To check, choose a phrase from the work, then either drag and drop to the search box or copy and paste.
click on search and works at Google will be shown which match. Just to be sure, please do this before
you recommend or rate the work highly...
|
 |
|
|
|
Select a Random Work
from Stories
|
|
Welcome !
