|
|
~~~~((~~~((@ THE ROSE GARDEN @))~~~))~~~~
A fanfic by Chiba Mamoru, as re-told to Pandora
Diane Waldron
@))~~~))~~~~
"Mystery glows in
the rose bed, the secret is hidden in the rose." --Farid
ud-din Attar, 12th Century Persian poet.
CHAPTER 9: My
Odango Atama
================((=======((@
Part 3: All Aboard For The
Dark Kingdom?
===========((===================((@
So the next time I
ran into Odango, taking the bus on my way to Moto Azabu High
School, would you believe, I surprised her talking to her cat, of
all things?
"Luna, say something!" I heard Odango say to the little
black furball. Well, now I KNOW that Odango Atama is strange. And
I took advantage of the opportunity to tease her.
"Yeah, Luna, say something, why don't you? Whatsa matter,
`cat' got your tongue?" Yeah, I know. Not exactly sparkling
repartee, was it? Why, oh why, does that Odango always make me
say just the wrong thing?
"You AGAIN?" Says Blue Eyes. Yeah, me again, Odango.
The bad penny, turning up again.
"You're SO noisy, Odango Atama. Can I help it if I overhear
your little heart-to-heart talks with your furry friend there?
Hey, Sorr--reee, Ms. Luna, didn't mean to insult your Royal
Feline Majesty. What a glare your cat has, Odango. Wouldn't wanna
cross HER path!"
The weird thing is, both she and that black cat of hers looked very uncomfortable, as if I'd REALLY caught them talking together. But right after that, at the same time, I dragged out my student card to impress her. Hey, I'm not one of your junior high friends. I, Mamoru, go to an elite private high school, Moto Azabu High School, on scholarship. So there. Notice me, dammit. God, I was SO transparent, when I thought I was being SO clever.
Well, my student card did not impress the girl with the long blonde ponytails at all, much to my chagrin. [Hmmm...maybe I should try pulling those ponytails...no, that wouldn't quite get the results I was after. I thought better of that impulse.] What a strange, strange girl. She seemed far more uneasy about the fact that I was spying on her and her little black cat, than thrilled to know she was sharing her bus with someone from the prestigious Moto Azabu High School.
[Well, honestly, how was I to know that her parents had done nothing but constantly remind Usako how intelligent her classmate Umino was, and how poorly, she, Usako, was doing at school? How was I to know they kept nagging Usako to go out with the bright Umino and thus, improve her marks? How was I to know that hinting to her that I was intelligent was just about the worst approach I could have chosen? All right, I admit it. I am sometimes dense as a post. At least, I admit it.]
However, I don't give up that easily. I tried another gambit. I asked Odango if she'd heard about all the Grade 7's who had disappeared while taking this very bus route, the Sendai Hill bus route. This was THE hot story that week, after all.
Privately, I had found some of the reactions I'd overheard over the past week to be amusing, though I didn't tell Usako that. Although a lot of the students in our neighbourhood were either upset or scared about the string of disappearances, there were quite a few of them who were just plain excited about what was happening. Maybe some were hoping to be transported somewhere more interesting than school!
Some of the more daring ones,
the ones who enjoyed scaring themselves, were deliberately taking
this bus route, even though they didn't have to, and I could
overhear whispers and giggling...ooooh, we're gonna disappear if
we stay on this bus, snicker, snicker, snicker. The bus route was
beginning to turn into the equivalent of the "dark tunnel
ride" at a carnival, with giggling girls being clutched by
their would-be boyfriends...."Don't worry, honey, I won't
let you disappear!" the guys would say.
Secretly, though, I had a bad feeling that the destination might
be somewhere in the Dark Kingdom. That was the real reason why I
was taking Usagi's junior high route bus in the first place.
Well, it WAS the original reason, before I
got...errrr...distracted.
Ah, I'd finally aroused her interest. "So, you take this bus
route all the time with the junior high school students? What do
you know about these disappearances?" Sky blue eyes were
focussing on me with rivetted interest...now why was I starting
to forget what I was going to say?
Ummmm....let's see. What tack to take? Ahhh, yes, mysterious and
scary...that's the ticket. "Well, strange things happen on
this route," I tried to sound really ominous [I am, if I do
say so myself, very good at sounding ominous. I scare the heck
out of those youmas, I like to think]. "But I can keep you
company if you're scared,Odango." [Well, that line was
working well for some of the other guys, O.K.?]
That cat of hers gave me a dirty look. It's almost as if the cat
knew what I was up to. Me, up to something? Nah.
Odango has drawn herself up very stiff in her seat. [Oh-oh! Bad
move, Mamoru. Overplayed your hand a little there. Damn.]
"Arigatou. I can look after myself just fine." How warm
those sky blue eyes can look at you, and then how cold. So cold.
Whew! Did the temperature just drop in this bus, or what? I try
to think of something to say to recover the situation, but it's
too late. She's leaving. I messed up...AGAIN.
I hear the recorded bus announcement say, "Next stop, Sendai
Hilltop, and the Hikawa Shinto Shrine."
So Odango gets off the bus at the Sendai Hilltop stop, cat in her
arms. That little black cat is looking back at me over her
shoulder the whole way....with a baleful cat glare. But Odango?
She won't even turn around.
But then she does...but not at me. The cat seemed to tense and put a paw on Odango to get her attention, and they both turn to stare at a girl with long, long black hair, getting on the bus in the unmistakable uniform of that expensive private girls' school, the T.A. Academy.
The girl sees me at the back of the bus, and beams. "Mamoru-san! Hey, you doing anything tomorrow? Wanna meet me in the park?" It's that girl, Hino Rei, who I met the other day at karate class.
"Uhhhh, yeah, O.K." I
replied, hardly knowing what I'm saying. Hey, can't I sound a
little more enthusiastic than this? Let's try that
again..."Oh, yeah, sure, let's!" [Well, at least
somebody values my company, I think.]
The bus doors close, and the girl with the odangos and her eerie
black cat are gone. Why do I feel so...frustrated?
@))~~~))~~~~
[Usagi re-tells this part of the story:]
"This is where it happened. The buses all disappeared right at this stop," Luna informed Usagi. "See that girl there with the long black hair? She's the temple priestess at the Hikawa Shinto shrine. She may know something about the disappearances of those students. When she comes home tonight...follow her!"
"Anyway," Luna
continued, "she may be the Princess 
we've been seeking! Why, this priestess
is SO beautiful, just like a princess! Just look at her noble
complexion...her piety. There is no nobler work for a member of
royalty than labouring at a sacred shrine. And you must have
noticed how graceful she is, Usagi-chan, and she goes to a
private academy, too!"
"Yeah right, Luna!" Usagi, replied, sourly.
"Couldn't be less like me, could she? All right, if this is
our mission, this is our mission. But must you go on and on about
that priestess?"
"Usagi-chan, I've been sent here to be your guardian. Please
try to be more respectful." Luna snapped back.
"O.K., O.K.," Usagi sighed loudly.
"Oh, and Usagi-chan?"
"Yes, what now?" Usagi asked, resignedly.
"Something else I've been meaning to tell you. I don't think
you should talk so freely to that young man, Chiba Mamoru. He's a
suspicious character if ever I saw one. So I think you should
avoid him."
"Well, it's not like I'm trying to bump into him, Luna. HE
keeps bumping into me. But really, am I such a baby I can't be
trusted to talk to him, for heaven's sake? He annoys me, but
Luna, really. You can't tell me who I may and may not talk
to."
"Usagi-chan, you show an alarming tendency of developing a
certain..attitude with me."
"Attitude? What do you mean, attitude?" Usagi looked
indignant.
"Like the other night. It was good we made our new contact,
Sailor Mercury. She is the first of the Sailor Senshi [Soldiers]
who will help us in our mission. We must find the others. But all
you could talk about after we got home last night, was Tuxedo
Kamen. Now I don't know why he keeps showing up where we are, but
remember, Usagi-chan, you know nothing about him. He could very
well be the enemy. You let him take far, far too many liberties.
I know you don't like me to say this. But I have to warn you
about him."
Usagi turned a furious face on Luna. "He saved my life,
Luna! Why won't you trust him?"
"Did he, Usagi-chan? Or was that just a gesture designed to
make you let down your guard? How do you know what he's really
after?"
"Luna, I don't think I want to talk about this any more. You
depress me," and Usagi turned away.
"I...I depress you?" Luna looked non-plussed. She just
didn't have an answer prepared for that remark.
@))~~~))~~~~
That evening, after school, Luna and Usagi took a long look
around the temple and its surroundings, trying to get a feel for
the mysterious things which had happened here. But from out of
the sky, two black crows swooped down, attacking Usagi.
"Hey, stop that! Leave me alone!" yelled Usagi.
At the sound of her cries, the dark-haired girl came running out
of the temple. She was now wearing the traditional white and red
robe of the temple priestess. Pointing her finger at Usagi, she
called out, "You! I know about you! I've been warned by my
vision! You are going to bring me trouble! Something terrible is
going to happen at this sacred shrine, and you're connected with
it! But I won't let you! Evil spirit, begone!"
At these words, she held out a small slip of paper with writing
on it, and with a dramatic gesture, she threw it at Usagi. The
slip of paper landed right on Usagi's forehead, and with a groan,
Usagi fell to the ground.
The dark-haired girl ran forward, and as she reached the fallen
Usagi, she looked startled, and embarrassed. "Whaaat? It's
just a girl. I must have misinterpreted my vision." She
helped Usagi to her feet, and the two crows settled on each of
the girl's shoulders.
"I'm really sorry about the misunderstanding, and about my
pet crows dive-bombing you. But with everything happening around
here, you can understand me being just a little nervous about
strangers prowling the temple grounds, can't you? Just the same,
Phobos and Deimos don't usually attack people like that. You must
give off bad vibes, or something,"
"Thanks A LOT!" retorted Usagi.
The dark-haired girl coloured at that, "I'm sorry. You must
think me very rude. It's just my way with people. I don't always
realize how it comes out sounding, till after I've said it. But
please don't hold it against me. I'm Hino Rei. What's your name?
I've seen you around with that cat of yours. Do you take her
everywhere with you?"
"I guess it does seem a little...unusual." responded
Usagi, trying to think of a way to explain Luna. "Well,
actually, she's ummmm....she's my guardian cat! Yeah, ummmm,
she's an attack cat. So I bring her everywhere with me."
Luna, of course, looked disgusted at this explanation...so she
was to be described as a mere bodyguard, instead of her actual
status as Royal Advisor. How demeaning! Of course, Usagi
completely ignored her...she was very good at that.
"I'm Tsukino Usagi. This is really a lovely shrine you have
here. It must take a lot of work to keep it looking like this. I
know *I* couldn't do something like that."
Rei looked gratified. "Yes, you're right. I do have to work
so very, very hard. No one appreciates how hard I work. Certainly
not my grandpa. He just takes me for granted. But why don't you
come in and sit down? I'll put on some tea. It's the least I do
after that little mix-up. And I'll make sure Phobos and Deimos
know you are welcome here."
As she said the name of each bird, she stroked it gently.
"But don't let them too near that pretty brooch of yours.
Crows love snitching shiny stuff like that, and I don't know if
I've found all their hiding places on the temple grounds yet. You
wouldn't believe how many pieces of jewellery I've lost that
way."
Usagi looked alarmed, and clutched tight to her brooch.
"Naughty crows!" she called to Phobos and Demos,
"If you DARE to touch my brooch, in the name of the moon, I
WILL..." At that moment, Luna scratched her ankle.
"OWWWW!! Luna!!"
"In the name of the moon, you'll WHAT?" Rei asked,
eyeing Usagi suspiciously. "Just what are you going to do to
my poor crows?"
"A-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!" Usagi rubbed the back of her head in
embarrassment. "Oh, nothing, sorry, I meant nothing. It's
just that this brooch is very special. It's...ummm..it's a family
heirloom."
Rei's face, stormy for a moment, cleared. "Oh, I see, a
family heirloom. Of course, I understand," Then, looking
sad, she continued, "My mother died a long time ago, and my
Dad's away on business most of the time, so I treasure everything
they've given me, too. Now there's just me and my grandpa. And
really, I take more care of him now, though he likes to think he
takes care of me. I can't really talk to him about how I
feel."
She stared off into the distance, her eyes dark with remembered
pain. "I've been on my own for a long, long, time now.
Often, I tell my deepest feelings to the sacred fire." And
Rei gestured towards a wonderfully warm, roaring bonfire in front
of them. "But though sometimes, it sends me the answers I
seek, it's not like talking to a real person."
"I feel like that too," Usagi said, in between sipping
her green tea, which was piping hot and perfectly steeped.
"I can't talk to my mom or dad about some of the things I'm
going through right now. Sometimes, I'm so scared, and I wish I
had a real friend I could talk over these things with."
[Although, who COULD I ever talk to about being Sailor
Moon?...Luna isn't quite the same as another person,
either...although she tries, though, Usagi thought.]
Rei grinned. "Well, you can come back and talk to me,
anytime! Bring your cat too, if it makes you feel safer! Grandpa
says my temper scares some people...so maybe you NEED an attack
cat!" And Rei burst out giggling. Soon Usagi joined her.
Yes, that Rei certainly had an abrupt manner, but she knew right
away she could trust her...trust her with anything.
@))~~~))~~~~
The next morning, Ms. Haruna's class was abuzz with the news.
Umino, the class gossip, as usual, was bursting to tell Usagi the
latest--whether she wanted to hear it or not.
[Why do my parents like Umino so much? Usagi sighed to herself.
Sure, he gets great marks at school, but I don't like the way he
pokes into everybody's business the way he does. All he does is
talk, talk, talk. There's nothing to know about Umino. He's as
transparent as those glasses he wears. But Tuxedo Kamen,
now...there's a guy who's mysterious!]
"Usagi-san? Usagi-san? Are you O.K.?" Umino's thick
specs were just inches from Usagi's face, peering at her.
Noticing this, Usagi backed up two feet. "Yes, what is it
you simply must tell me, Umino?"
"Did you hear? Some more 7th graders went missing last
night! Why do you suppose it's always 7th graders? I'll bet it's
some really weird sick guy who goes looking for kids that age!
Hey, you want me to take you home tonight, Usagi-san? I wouldn't
want YOU to get kidnapped by some weirdo!"
"No, I DO NOT!" Usagi snapped. "I'm going on the
Sendai Hill bus to see my new friend Rei..and I don't wanna hear
about it! Go protect someone else, Umino!"
"Usagi-chan, you were very hard on him," Luna said when
they were alone.
"He won't leave me alone if I'm nice to him," Usagi
retorted. "And anyway, what do YOU know about guys,
Luna?" Luna looked very uncomfortable, and then looked away.
@))~~~))~~~~
[Chiba Mamoru continues his narrative:]
Moto Azabu High School let out early today, because there's a big
exam tomorrow, and they wanted all the students to study extra
hard...it's worth 25 % of the term mark. I'm not worried...I know
this subject very, very well. But I haven't been sleeping very
well lately, so I think I'll take the opportunity to grab a
nap..after I input some more data into my computer about the
Illusion Silver Crystal.
I've been trying to research crystals at the school library, but
I have a funny feeling I'm going about this all wrong. Nothing
I've learned at school has prepared me for this mission, it
seems. I'm in uncharted territory here...I feel so lost. And as
for finding the Princess...how does one find a Princess...will
she just turn up one day, wearing her shimmering white gown?
Absurd. Just absurd. Oh, I'm so tired. Let's switch off this
computer, I can hardly see the keyboard any more. And my
shoulders are getting stiff from sitting here. Time for that nap.
Maybe something will come to me in my dreams, who knows?
@))~~~))~~~~
I am dreaming again. There she is....her hair is all loose this
time, so long and golden, flowing over her shoulders in waves,
golden silk against the dazzling white of her gown. This time,
she takes my hands in both of hers. She looks so sad, I feel as
if my heart is going to break.
"You must find it for me...the Illusion Silver Crystal. Or I
can never be...or we can never be. There is so little time. And I
am so afraid...oh, I am afraid! Do not fail me...Endymion."
That name again. Is that name mine? But I will not remember the
name, once I awaken again. Sky blue eyes look deeply into
mine..they are somehow, so familiar....She breaks her hold on me
suddenly, and I feel as if my very soul were plummeting into an
abyss. She floats away like a wraith, but her warm hands in
mine...were so real. "No, No! Don't go! Please don't leave
me!" I hear myself cry. Don't leave me alone again. I can't
bear being alone any more.
But it is no use, these thoughts. I awake, as I always do, the
cold sting of tears on my cheeks. Who is she? Why does she come,
night after night, if she is only going to leave me again?
I try to shake myself out of these hopeless feelings. Why can't
you live in the here and now, Mamoru? Why worry about your
dreams? What about your reality? I get up then, and get a bottle
of juice from my fridge, and while I'm standing there sipping , I
take a look out of my window. I always have my blinds open so I
can see the street.
Such a great view I have, of downtown Tokyo...the hustle and
bustle outside reminds me, that I am never really alone...there
are lots of people out there. Nobody special in your life though,
is there? The inner voice says insistently. And I hear myself
reply defensively, Hey, wait a minute, I have friends! And that
girl I just met, Rei, she's nice....
And then my eyes fall on a girl running down the street, hurrying
to catch a bus..a girl with long golden ponytails. Her again.
Odango. Getting on the Sendai Hill bus. Wait a minute. I don't
like this. I have such bad, bad feelings all of a sudden. And
then...I don't remember anything after that....
@))~~~))~~~~
"Caw, caw!" A big crow just swooped past my ear. And
another one, diving at my head. Guess they don't like my top hat,
or something. My top hat? Yikes. I must be in the Tuxedo Kamen
outfit, again.
Now where the heck am I? O.K., where are those crows going?
Circling a building, a shrine..oh sure, I know this place. That's
the temple where Rei works, the Hikawa Shinto Shrine. So I know
exactly where I am. Who's that in the distance? A girl with long
golden ponytails, in a sailor-suited uniform. She's looking at a
bus...which is going the wrong way.
Something is very, very wrong about this, I can feel it. I see
the girl, from the back, throw something cylindrical into the
air. She shouts something, and suddenly someone totally different
is standing there. She tenses herself, as if to spring onto the
side of the bus. I find myself running, my heart pounding. I have
to get there..I have to help her.
As I get within range, I see that the girl has changed herself
into a very sharp looking airline stewardess, who is now hanging
off the side of the bus. Who was she...was that really Odango?
How did she manage to change her appearance like that? Sudden , I
realize a small black cat is scrambling to get hold of that
stewardess's very shapely leg, and getting nowhere. Cat? That
cat, Luna? So It WAS that girl, Odango.
Odango. She transformed right before my eyes, into that
stewardess.....I was so busy staring after her, I never noticed
the bus pulling away at high speed. The first thing I know, that
poor little cat, Luna, who couldn't get a hold of her mistress,
we flying. Luna landed straight in my arms, and I don't know who
was more uncomfortable about it, her or me.
I must confess, if someone was going to land in my arms, the cat
wasn't exactly who I had in mind. I was still watching the sailor
suit/stewardess, well, whoever she was...fascinating in any form
she chose to take, that's for sure. But as far as Luna wa
concerned, if it was a choice between landing in the arms of that
untrustworthy scoundrel, Tuxedo Kamen [who was probably the
enemy], or landing on the dirty Tokyo pavement, I won out, but
not by very much. She scrambled and almost clawed her way free,
the moment she could leave my care in a dignified fashion. A cat
values her dignity, and Luna is a very dignified cat.
Now what? Oh God...that bus is leaving the ground now, being
sucked into what looks like a big black hole in the sky. Odango
the disguise artist, flying buses, and now another, black hole
dimension. Curiouser and curiouser, I think Alice In Wonderland
said in a similar situation. All I need now is a White Rabbit to
run past, yelling, "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important
date!"
Wait a minute, here, I HAVE met a rabbit, in a white uniform,
anyway..that's what her real name, Usagi means...Rabbit. But it's
Tuxedo Kamen who is late for a very important date. I've missed
my bus, it seems. And though I do feel as if none of this is
real, that I'm not really here either, the fear I have right now
is very, very real. I have got to get to that
girl..Usagi...Odango. And I have no idea what to do about it.
The fear builds and builds in me. I feel strange, as if my body
were on fire. Have to get there...have to get there..I keep
repeating it, like a mantra. Suddenly, I feel very weak, and I
have to sit down on a nearby bench. My head is swimming. But I
can't black out now. Please, not now. She needs me.
@))~~~))~~~~
PLEASE GO TO: Part 4: Chasing
The White Rabbit
================================((=============================================((@
*Final note:* The title "The Rose Garden" in relation to Sailor Moon, and the fan fiction of this title, is legally copyright of Pandora Diane Waldron. If you wish to quote from it on a web site, or otherwise publish it, please ask permission of the author, by e-mailing pwaldron@idirect.com. If you use it on a web site without the author's permission, that constitutes copyright infringement. I have never said no to anyone yet, OK? Please e-mail me with your comments.
E-mail from our fans is the only *pay* we fanfic authors
receive for our hours of effort. So please e-mail me and tell me
a little about yourself, what city you live in, and your
interests. All of you are roses in MY garden, and I like to *see*
your colours.
=======================================================((====================((@
