And here we are again! Greetings once more! ^_^
Anyway, I'm sure we all know by now just how much I crave C&C. I shall try
to keep these opening spiels of mine a trifle shorter than usual, as I'm
sending out so much at once.
On with the story! ^_^
_______________________________________________________
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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
OBLIGATORY LEGAL DISCLAIMER : None of these guys are mine. The Sailor
Senshi belong to DIC and Kodansha, while the Yoroiden are owned by
Sunrise and Graz Entertainment. Okay? So don't bother suing me. I'm a
student.
RONIN SUMMER : FLASHBACK
A Sailor Moon / Yoroiden Samurai Troopers cross-over
by Morgan Hudson (dataraven_659@excite.com)
Chapter Three : Fly Me To The Moon
The setting sun cast long shadows over the Hikawa Jinja as
a young man and woman entered through the gates, bringing with them a
small white feline. The man was dressed simply, in the black jacket,
white shirt, and black slacks of a boy's school uniform, his
spit-shined leather shoes slapping loudly on the flagstones of the
Jinja's staircase. His companion, a lithe blond haired girl, was
wearing the white blouse and navy skirt of a traditional female's
school uniform.
"Hurry up, Seiji!" The man said as he looked over his shoulder
at the girl running behind him. "Artemis and Luna won't have much time,
if we want to pull this off before Rei gets back from her date!"
"Hey," the girl panted, "don't blame ME! It's these stupid high
heels of yours! How the hell you Senshi even stand in these, let alone
fight, is beyond me!"
The man smirked and flipped back the thick tuft of blond hair
that insisted on dangling over his right eye. "Practice, practice, and
more practice. How the hell do YOU see anything with all this hair in
your face?"
"If this works, Minako," the girl responded, "you'll never need
to learn."
A black cat sat up from where it had been curled at the top of
the steps, contentedly basking in the last rays of sunlight. A golden
crescent moon marked its forehead, which gleamed slightly as it
glanced at the three.
"Are we ready to begin?"
"Yes, Luna." The white cat, Artemis, responded as he jumped out
of the man's arms and looked over at the two humans. "But we've got a
bit of a situation. Somehow, these two went and switched bodies again."
"Likely a side-effect," Luna answered as she turned and began
to lead the small party into the shrine, "and easily corrected. You
two do realise why this has happened, right?"
"Why, as a matter of fact... we don't." The girl answered
sheepishly. "Frankly, I've just chalked it up to my usual luck with
these things..."
"The reason," Artemis interrupted, "is that the two of you
share a psychic bond, forged back in the Moon Kingdom. Remember?"
"Oh, yeah," the man said, "I do kinda recall that... it was so
long ago, I must have forgotten all about it..."
"The bond is similar to that shared by Sailor Moon and Tuxedo
Kamen, but also different in many ways." Luna said, continuing the
explaination. "You see, Mamoru and Usagi were both sent forward by
Queen Serenity. They're both still from the Moon Kingdom, which is why
Mamoru was able to sense Usagi at all, and even then only after she
became Sailor Moon. Seiji, though, is from Earth. He may have been a
courtier in the Moon Kingdom in a previous life, but he died and was
reincarnated countless times since."
"Possibly," Artemis interjected, "as part of Kauso's plan. I
wouldn't be surprised if all of the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers have been
constantly reincarnated together for the sole purpose of donning their
destined armours if and when Arago returned. You have probably known
Shin, Touma, Shuu and Ryo for all of your many lives, Seiji no Korin."
"Man," the girl moaned, "you'd think if I'd been around for
all eternity, I could at least have gotten some better friends..."
"Regardless," Luna interjected, "the bond you two share should
have remained dormant, and would have if Seiji were not already
psychically active. His mental link to the Korin armour, as well as to
the other Troopers and Masho, lowered the usual barriers humans keep
in place. He unlocked the door, to use a metaphor, and when he first
entered Minako's mind with his powers, the bond pushed that door wide
open again."
"Once that happened," Artemis said, as Luna took a moment to
catch her breath, "the trouble began. You see, Minako still has the
mind of someone from the Moon Kingdom. Seiji's mind is that of a human,
and quite different from that of a Senshi. When you two got rebonded,
it was like taking two tuning forks of different frequencies and
placing them next to each other. As you became closer, your mental
frequencies began creating interference, which you experienced as
headaches. This body switching is basically a side-effect, as your
minds try to stabilize on their own. We need to fix that."
"Loverly," Seiji said sarcastically as he entered the bedroom
Luna had indicated, and lay down on the bed, tastefully arranging his
skirts. "So how exactly do you do this?"
"We have to send you back to the moment you forged the link,"
Luna explained as she hopped on the girl's chest. "Basically, we think
that once you remember the circumstances that caused the link to be
formed, you can at least maintain some level of control over it."
"Lie down next to Seiji, Minako," Artemis said, and the blond
man did so, letting the white cat jump onto his chest. "Do you have any
questions?"
"Just one... how long will this take?"
"For us? A few minutes, maybe an hour." Artemis shrugged. "For
you? We're not sure. After all, we don't know exactly when, why, or
even how your link was formed. We figured we'd just send you back
to the day after Venus first arrived in Serenity's castle. She couldn't
possibly have met Seiji before then."
"You'll both have to relive your lives, until the moment one
of you forges the link. Then, you'll remember who you really are, and
hopefully wake up." Luna added, as the crescent moon on her forehead
began to glow, and emitted a soft light.
"Wait a minute! Hopefully? Nobody said anything to me about
HOPEFULLY waking-" Seiji's voice trailed off, and the girl's eyes
drifted shut, an emerald kanji gleaming on her forehead.
Minako reached over and grasped the girl's hand. "Okay,
Artemis," she said calmly, "I'll see you in a minute, then. Hopefully,"
she added with a glance at the blond girl lying bext to her, "from
over there."
"Good luck, Minako," Artemis said, as the crescent moon on his
forehead began to glow. "And be careful!"
**********
Venus blinked, and rubbed her eyes. The rising sun streamed
vengefully through her windows, and straight into her eyes. For a
moment, she glanced around in confusion. Where was she? This wasn't
Magellan Castle! The sun was so small!
Rolling out of bed, she staggered to the bay windows and pulled
shut her curtains, turning and leaning against the cool marble wall.
NOW she remembered : this was the Moon, where she had come to be with
her Princess in this time of crisis.
A man's voice chuckled. "Slightly confused, Princess? Perhaps
you'd like some music to welcome you to a glorious new day?"
"Who?" She spun, and was briefly glad that she had fallen
asleep in her gown last night. A young man leaned against the far wall,
smirking as he strummed idly on the biwa he held. He was dressed
regally, in dark blue trousers and shirt, with a lighter blue and gold
baldric and a floppy, almost deliberately comedic beret whose long
feather drooped behind him in a dramatic arc.
"Just your friendly neighbourhood wake-up call!" He responded
with another annoying smirk. His brown hair was shoulder length, and
draped around his face, long bangs falling over his deep green eyes.
"I am but a wandering minstrel, sweet Venus, come to help you greet
the day."
"And your name, minstrel?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She
was pretty sure she had locked that door last night...
"Now that... is a secret!" The minstrel, as he claimed to be,
chuckled softly and opened the door to her chambers, wandering out into
the hall and strumming on his biwa. "Fly me to the Moon," he hummed as
he played, "and let me play among the stars... Good den, sweet Venus!
There are many other beauties to awaken! Truly, my job is filled with
difficulties..." He finally burst into full song as he rounded the
corner. "Let me know what spring is like, on Jupiter and Mars... In
other words : hold my hand..."
Venus sighed and shook her head. Without a doubt, that was one
of the strangest young men she had ever met. Shrugging it off, she
began to brush her hair. What should she do today? Certainly, the
Princess would wish to retire in the gardens on a day as beautiful as
today, but the Princess was a notoriously late sleeper. Perhaps she
could go to the libraries, and get a book, or practice that new sword
kata that the Captain of the Guard had been showing her...
**********
Strumming idly on his biwa, for in truth, he usually did
EVERYTHING both idly and at his leisure, the minstrel stopped next at
the doors of the beautiful Lady Mercury's chambers. With a gentle
smile, he reminded himself that the third time was the charm, and
easily picked the lock. Surely, ONE of these ladies wouldn't be awake
yet...
Unfortunately, Mercury was already up and dressed, sitting on
the balcony of her room and playing a game of chess with herself.
Glancing up as her door swung open, she smiled and rose from her seat.
"Dear cousin! How considerate of you, to take time out of your day to
visit me! I had no idea you were even here!"
"Which is why I came," he responded with a grin, and slung the
stringed instrument over his shoulder. "How fares your game, sweet
Mercury?"
"Oh, quite well. I think I may have me, but I don't know that
I have a plan. I should capture myself in twenty moves. How is my dear
uncle?"
"You've probably seen him more recently than I have." The young
man grinned proudly. "I fear I left home, and quite disgraced the old
Duke. I'm a minstrel, now! I always swore I'd make my own way in life,
and now I have!"
"Oh, my brave, talented cousin Arashi!" Mercury clapped
merrily. "Let us have a tune, then, Master Minstrel!"
"Actually," the lad said as he carefully restrung his biwa,
"I go by a different name now. People here call me Cye. And I would
be glad to play you a tune, my dear cousin."
**********
The Chief Scribe continued to bellow, as he did every morning,
and his many underlings were forced to race around like chickens with
their heads cut off, as THEY did every morning.
"Why," asked one of the younger scribes to his friend, as they
sorted and resorted scrolls on the history of Chocobo Ranching, "do we
have to do this? Every night, he makes us check and triple-check every
single scroll and tome and map in this entire library, and every
morning, we do it again. Does he think someone comes in and moves them
while we're sleeping?"
"You'd better watch your tongue, Sage, or he'll have it on a
keychain!" The other scribe warned, as he checked the date on one of
the scrolls. "Do green chocobos come before or after blue?"
"After blue, and before black or gold," Sage replied, nudging
his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "How about this map of
Figaro Castle? Where does that go?"
"Nobody ever seems to know for sure : it just keeps moving
around. Put it over by the technical blueprints for the Yggdrasil, and
behind the flight logs of the Highwind."
Sage shrugged. "Fair enough." Tucking the map under one arm, he
wandered across the bustling library and scaled one of the towering
ladders with grace born of long practice. To be a scribe, the saying
went, was to be two parts bookworm and one part monkey. With his free
hand he quickly stuffed the map into its new home and then kicked away
from the wall of books, riding the ladder as it swung over and clacked
into place on the opposite shelves. Reaching over, he plucked out a
tome and began to read as he swung back around the ladder, sitting on
the top rung.
"Hey," he shouted down to one of the other scribes, as they
wandered past below him, "any idea where The Advanced Guide to Monster
Calling goes?"
"Over in the Materia section!" The balding man answered, and
Sage cheerily dropped him the tome.
"Be a pal, and take it there, would you? Thanks!" Whistling
happily, Sage grabbed a second tome and glanced at the cover. "Hmmm...
The Magus Guide to Dark Matter. Guess that's okay where it was... The
Mazoku's Biggest Secrets Revealed... that goes over HERE, and the
Seven Steps to Dragon Slave goes over THERE... Care and feeding
of a Diablos..."
"Excuse me! Hey! You up there!"
Sage glanced around, then thought to look down. "Oh! Hello!"
Tucking the book under his arm, he stepped off of the ladder and
plummeted to the floor, landing with a thud and running a gloved hand
through his short blond hair. "How may we of the Court Library aid you
in your search for knowledge, weary traveller?"
The girl in question looked confused. "Uhm, I'm not exactly
a weary traveller..."
"Maybe not, but that's just something they always make us say."
Sage smiled and adjusted his glasses, which were slightly crooked after
his landing. "What do you want?"
The girl paused and looked at a slip of paper in her hand. She
was quite pretty, and Sage couldn't remember seeing her around before.
Probably new in town, he figured, and tried to look both helpful and
interested as he examined her. She had long blonde hair, nearly to her
knees, which drew his attention first. It was tied back in a thick
ponytail, and she was dressed in a loose white tunic and tight grey
pants, with leather boots reaching to her knees. To his surprise, she
also had a sword strapped to her waist. A girl, in the Royal Guard? He
shrugged. It could happen, he supposed, and other than nobility, the
Guard were the only people allowed weapons, in Serenity's court.
"Well, I was wondering if you had any books I could borrow."
Sage grinned. "I'm sorry," he joked, "we're all out of books.
Those things behind us are just cardboard props. What kind of books,
in particualar?"
"Well, can you suggest anything?" The girl pointed to the long,
hooded robe Sage was wearing, white with golden and red trim. "You ARE
a scribe, after all..."
"That may be so," Sage admitted, "but I am also something else.
Something which is far more important than a mere scribe..."
"What's that?"
"Lazy." Sage said with a grin, and plucked a book from the
nearest stack. "For you, though, I'll make an exception. Just don't
tell the Chief Scribe, or that slave driver will expect me to work
every single day. How about the biography of King Saigo the Eighth? I
think you'll like it : plenty of action, adventure, and romance. They
say he was caught in bed with twelve chambermaids by his wife and
lost the throne. She would have taken more, but he escaped out the
window and began living on the road as a bandit. It's a really good
read : I recommend it."
"Thanks." With a smile, the girl accepted the book he offered
her. "Er, I'm afraid I don't have a card, or any identification..."
Sage rolled his eyes. "Ah, who's going to miss one book out of
six hundred and twelve thousand, nine hundred and fifty-two? Take it,
enjoy it, and just make sure you give it back to ME when you're done.
My name's Sage, pleased to meet you."
"Well thank you, Sage! I guess I'll see you around, or
something." The girl smiled, and left.
"Yeah," Sage said with a goofy grin, "or something."
**********
Several hours later, Sage leaned against a fountain in the
massive gardens of the castle, and sighed. Another long and boring day
in the bowels of the library, he thought to himself, and nothing to
show for it. Well, one day...
"Heads up!" An arrow whirled through the air, and Sage quickly
ducked as it sunk deep into the statue of Serenity that adorned the
fountain. A young man hopped over the nearby hedge, his long blue hair
tied back and braided into a thick pigtail that whipped behind him as
he dashed over and quickly retrieved the wayward bolt. Noticing where
it had landed, he made a worried face and looked over at the blond boy
sitting nearby. "Er, Sage, old friend... you didn't see anything,
right?"
Sage grinned and shook his head. "Of course not, friend Rowen.
Although you might want to be a little more careful with that bow of
yours : at least a sword doesn't hurt people you can't see."
Rowen made a dismissive sound as he sat next to the blond boy.
"Swords! Swords are ugly things! They're heavy, and graceless, and
they reek of iron!" With a smile, he lifted the wooden bow he carried
and plucked at its string. "Now a bow... that's a weapon! Silent, fast,
made from the finest wood in Earth's forests... that's the weapon of
my mother's people!" He grinned, and made a point of flicking his long,
pointed ear with one finger.
"Well, it's a good thing Endymion didn't get his mother's ears,
like you did, or he NEVER would have caught the Princess!" Sage
responded with a grin, as he adjusted his glasses. "Honestly, Rowen,
being half-elf isn't necessarily something to be proud of."
"It's better than being all nothing, my little orphan friend!"
Rowen replied as he drew an arrow from the quiver hanging on his hip.
"Although, if it makes you so uncomfortable, I'll pull up my hood."
Whistling to himself, he nocked the arrow and pulled it back.
"Rowen, don't! You know you're going to end up hurting someone,
and it will probably be someone we know!"
"Pshaw!" Rowen replied as he lowered the bow and sneered at
Sage, "I'm in utter and complete control of my weapon at all times!"
Sniffing, he raised the bow and drew back the arrow again. "I'm just
checking to make sure that last shot didn't damage anything..."
Sage sighed. "Well," he said, after seeing his friend could not
be dissuaded, "another day as a scribe went down the drain. I just
know I can find my lineage, if I keep searching the family trees... I
wonder why my family didn't want me..."
"Who cares? We've been down this road before, Sage. Just
because the tests showed you have royal blood, it doesn't mean squat.
Whoever threw you out didn't want you as a baby, and I really don't
think they'd want you any more now." Rowen sniffed again, and his nose
twitched. "Man, what have they got growing around here? My eyes are
watering like crazy..."
"Still," Sage argued, "I might have been kidnapped, like King
Saigo the Eighth was when HE was a child. I might have a great destiny
just waiting for me out there!"
"Be a scribe. You're good at it!" Rowen shrugged and continued
to fiddle with his bow. "I mean, so I'm not a warrior, or a great
ruler like my big brother Endy. So what? I'm a hunter. Do you want my
advice? Just be a scribe." He drew back his bow again... and sneezed.
The arrow screamed into the bushes, and hit something with a
resounding THWOCK. "Uh-oh!"
Cye wandered into the clearing, pulling the arrow free from
where it was lodged in the thick bottom of his biwa. "Lose something,
Rowen, old chap?"
"Er, no." Rowen said with a large and insincere grin. "That
must have come from somebody ELSE'S bow..."
"Sure." Brushing back the feather that hung from his hat, Cye
at down and groaned. "So, has everybody had a nice, busy day? I've
been on wake-up call duty." He rubbed his head painfully. "You wouldn't
know it to look at her, but the Princess has very good aim with an
alarm clock..."
Rowen shrugged. "Maybe you should learn to duck, Cye."
Whistling absently, he reached down and drew an arrow from the quiver
hanging at his hip. Cye quickly reached over, grabbed the arrow, and
snapped it in half. Rowen pouted, and set down his bow.
"Anyway," Cye said softly, remembering the whole reason he had
tracked his friends down in the first place, "have you heard? It looks
like something big is going to happen. The Princesses of Venus,
Mercury, and Jupiter are all visiting the castle at the same time, and
Endymion is said to be on his way!"
"What do you think?" Rowen asked a little nervously, as he
fidgeted and tried not to reach for his bow. "Do you think big bro went
and tromped Queen Beryl, and we're going to have a huge victory party?"
"Well, there's definitely going to be a huge party," Sage said,
"because the annual costume ball is coming up in just a few weeks.
Maybe your brother's finally going to break down and marry the
Princess."
Rowen shrugged again. "Could be... Bro and I don't exactly talk
about girls, much. Or anything, much... we're not close. Probably
because I don't like him. Although that's his fault, the stuck-up
little prick."
Sage checked his watch. "Well, I guess I should be getting back
to the Library. That fat toad of a Master ought to have waddled off to
bed by now, and I can peruse the lineages at my leisure..."
**********
Sage was carefully making his way towards the back room of the
shadowy library when he overhead a voice. Wincing, he froze. Crap! He
could tell the tones of Chief Scribe Nezumi in his sleep, and if he
got caught in the library after hours, he was as good as dead.
"I don't understand! It was right here! I put it there myself!"
A second, deeper voice hissed in return. "Well, find it, old
man! Our Queen paid dearly for your loyalty, and we would find it quite
remiss if you were to prove unworthy of your price."
"Of... of course, Lord Kunzite! Whatever you say!"
Sage blinked. Kunzite? What was one of Endymion's generals
doing here in the castle? Shouldn't he be out with Endymion? Risking
a glance, he peered around the bookcase. There was Nezumi, on his
knees and surrounded by a pile of books, his red robes covered with
sweat stains as he tried to wipe the sheen of persperation off of his
bald head. A taller man in a gray uniform stood next to him, long
white hair falling down his back and blending with the snowy cape
that swirled around his ankles.
"Well?" The white haired man, Kunzite, asked impatiently.
"It was right here!" Nezumi answered, wringing his hands as
he bit his lip. "I hid the plans as the biography of King Saigo, where
it wouldn't be found! It had everything you would need : troop
deployments, guard shifts, even directions to the Princess' chambers!
I don't know what could have happened to it!"
Sage gulped and began to inch backwards. Whatever was going
on, he didn't want any part in it... he just had to get the book back
from that girl, and put it back before Nezumi started suspecting him
of taking it. Despite his best efforts to prevent it, his mind was
racing as he backed towards the door. Troop deployments? Guard shifts?
What the hells were Nezumi and this Kunzite guy INTO? None of his
business, he figured, and turned... just as a playing card flew into
the ground at his feet.
A young, masked man in a tuxedo leaned against the stacks
in front of Sage, idly shuffling a deck of cards in one hand. "So," he
said softly enough that only Sage would hear him, "it would seem that
someone has put a Jester in our deck. Lifting his other hand, he cut
the deck. "Well, my little Jester, shall we see what you're up to?" He
glanced at the card exposed. "Hmmm... the Queen of Stars. How very
ironic : she is my goal as well, although I somehow doubt we have the
same end in mind for her."
"Listen," Sage asked in a whisper. "I don't know what the hells
you're talking about. Why don't you just let me leave?"
"You can't leave now!" A shaft of Earthlight filtered through
a nearby window, and reflected off of the lenses of the other man's
mask. "I'm not done telling your fortune. Now, as you seek to aid the
Queen of Stars, you shall need help..." Again, he shuffled the deck
one-handed. "Ah! The Five of Swords..." He looked down, and saw that
the next card had been turned, and was also showing its face. "AND the
Queen of Hearts! Another thing we share, young Jester." His eybrow
raised ever so slightly. "But that may not be enough... you have stern
competition." He shuffled again, and drew a handful of cards. "The Four
Kings," he said simply, "as well as she they serve." The four cards
all slid together, and changed into a Queen of Swords. "And those that
serve THEM..." The one card shimmered, and slowly began to fan back
out into a full hand of five, with their backs to Sage.
"I honestly don't know what you mean," Sage tried again. "Can
I please just go?"
"You STAY," the man snarled, "until your fortune is read. Then
you may go... although how far is a matter for the cards to decide."
Angrily, he shuffled again. "Let's see your true face, young Jester : I
shall have no wild cards in my deck." He cut the deck and looked.
"The Knave of Hearts. You, my lad, are a thief, cursed with the skill
to make every woman yours... save the one you most desire." He glanced
again at the Queen he held. "She is not for either of us, Knave... not
in this lifetime." The card suddenly caught on fire and burnt to ashes
in his fingers. "But enough of that. Let us see your final fortune,
lad." Once more, he shuffled, and this time, fanned the deck for Sage
to pick from. "Choose your fate, young Knave."
Sage reached out and grabbed one of the innocent looking
cards, beginning to realise that he was probably never going to leave
the library again. This man was toying with him, like a cat with a
mouse. "The Ace of Swords," he said in a quavering voice, and showed
it to the other man.
"Ah..." The strange man smiled. "You WILL die, Knave, and very
soon..." Reaching out, he retrieved the card and tucked it in his
sleeve. "But not today. Go, before they discover you. Warn the Queen
of Hearts, if you feel you must."
Disbelievingly, and with a growing sense of relief, Sage began
to walk towards the door again. Halfway, he turned and glared at the
masked man. "Wait a minute... you claim to know so much about me...
who are you?"
"My card," the man said simply, throwing another of the
pasteboard projectiles at Sage as he faded from sight. Sage ducked, and
the card dug deep into the wall. With trembling fingers, he pulled it
free and left. Quickly and quietly, he raced out of the library and
didn't stop running until he was safely back in his chambers. Locking
the door, and then placing a chair under the knob, he sat on the edge
of his bed and worried.
"The Queen of Stars? Do they mean Serenity? The Four Kings,
and the Queen of Swords? Who are they?" He shivered. One thing was
clear : Nezumi and Kunzite must be up to something bad, if they needed
help from someone as freaky as that masked man. He lay down, and his
mind raced. What was in that book he gave the girl? Was the Queen of
Swords... Queen Beryl? That made sense, he figured. Nobody else would
have a good reason to attack Serenity.
Sage cursed. He needed that BOOK! If nothing else, he could try
to keep it from Nezumi, and at best it might tell him how to stop
them. The Five of Swords, and the Queen of Hearts... that stranger had
said they would help him, assuming he could find them in time. Who
WAS that masked man, anyway? Curious, Sage finally lifted the card
that had been thrown at him. The pattern on the back was as disturbing
as it had been on all the others : a field of laughing skulls, on a
black background. After a moment, he turned it over and stared at its
face.
It was an Ace of Hearts.
**********
To Be Continued...