It was one of those times that his brain wasn’t working, and he was just sitting there, staring into nothingnness. He wanted to be thinking of something, and he tried to think of something to think about, but because he was thinking that way, nothing else comes to mind. And, when something does come to mind, it’s always the thing he didn’t want to think about in the first place. So he ends up with a blank brain again. Every time that happens, he wanted to hit his head on the wall repeatedly. But, of course, if he did that, it won’t be a help to anybody, so he just tried hard to remain in his seat.
Kaji looked up from staring at the floor when he heard a soft knock. Glancing at the sleeping girl on the bed, he stood up from his chair and slightly opened the door. Cobalt blue eyes peeked through the crack.
“Yeah?”
“Hino,” Kamui said, “it’s 7 o’clock.”
“It is?” Kaji asked, glancing at his watch. “That’s OK, you guys should rest. I could—”
“Hino.” the black-haired boy interrupted. “You should get some rest. You’ve been here since last night.”
“I’m fine.”
Kamui sighed, scratching his hair. “Dude, you’ve been here for almost 10 stupid hours. You haven’t slept a wink and that chair’s uncomfortable. Just think: if the Roses suddenly attack us, don’t you think you’ll be needing energy?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to fall asleep, anyway…” Kaji muttered under his breath.
Kamui watched his maroon-haired leader look at the bed again. Man, he thought, he really has it bad for Aiko, doesn’t he?
“You worry too much, you know that?” he said. “This is Ai-chan. She’s not a weakling, you know.”
Kaji glanced at Kamui before looking back at the girl on the bed. “I know, but—” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence when Kamui pushed the door open, then practically shoved him out of the room.
“Dude. Sleep,” he said. “It’s good for your health.”
The protest died on Kaji’s lips as the black-haired Star closed the door in his face. He imagined that if Aiko wasn’t sleeping inside, the younger boy would have slammed it shut. And, of course, Kaji would’ve kicked it open.
“You don’t have to kick the door, you know. There’s always the doorknob.”
Kaji turned around to see Sara standing a few meters away from him.
“Man,” she said as she peered up at him. “Right now, you absolutely do NOT look like you’re seventeen. I’m thinking along the lines of seventy. Yow! Don’t frown like that, either. It makes you look even older.”
It’s already general knowledge that Kaji was the King of Counterattacks. But, given the fact that he was brain-dead right now, he only rolled his eyes as he started to walk away.
Sara blinked, then quickly followed him. “Hey, Kaji…”
“Yeah?”
“Isn’t your room that way?” she asked, pointing to the opposite direction.
“Yeah.”
“Aren’t you going to go there yet?”
“No.”
“So where are you going?”
“Dunno. The dojo maybe. Whatever’s left of it.”
Sara sighed. She knew several other stubborn people (her brother, to name one), but she had never known anyone as consistently obstinate as Kaji.
“HEY!” he exclaimed when he was suddenly jerked backwards as Sara pulled his arm, almost making him trip.
“You’re going to your room whether you like it or not,” she said authoritatively as she walked, towing Kaji. “And, no, I am not a middle-aged mother trapped in a body of a schoolgirl.”
“Sara—”
“You need rest, Kaji! Just—”
“Sara,” Kaji said, interrupting her, successfully wrenching his arm free. “Would ja let me be honest for one freakin’ second? I’m really, really, really, reallyreallyreally worried ’bout Aiko right now, ayt? ‘N’ if I’m not watching her as she recovers, I’m gonna get veeeeery stressed—”
“You mean you’re not stressed yet?”
“—and, lemme tell you: you do NOT want me stressed. I hafta to do somethin’, Sara, or else, I’m gonna go insane.”
“Want me to punch the daylights out of you so you could sleep?”
Kaji raked his fingers through his hair. “This is not a laughing matter, woman!”
“I’m not laughing!” she countered, almost crossing the line to anger, but not quite. “Kaji, I understand what you mean, but Oniichan’s right, you know. You really DO need to rest. Look, you’ve got eye bags already! Even if you have the will to stay up until Ai-chan wakes up, you’re already exhausted. You just don’t realize it, or even if you do, you don’t want to acknowledge it!” She paused as she heaved another sigh. “Just try to lie down, would you? We need your ‘killer kick’, as Oniichan always calls it, in case we have to fight the Roses today. And we also need your brain to work properly so we’ll have awesome strategies…”
For a moment, Kaji just studied the girl before him. Now that he looked at her, he realized that despite the smile that was almost always on her lips, she was obviously worried, too. Sara had always handled crises better than everybody else, and, standing beside her, Kaji looked like a total nervous wreck.
Not that he wasn’t a nervous wreck.
Kaji sighed, finally relenting. “Fine. I’ll give it a try…”
“Good.”
“Thanks, Sara…”
“Just doing my job.”
Kaji couldn’t help but chuckle. Ah, yes. Ten points to Smiley.
“Has Yuki gotten back, by the way?”
“Not yet.”
Kaji nodded, and made his way to his room. When he closed his door behind him, he released a tiny part of his stress with a heavy breath. Relax, Hino, he told himself. Relaaaaax.
After a quick bath, a change of clothes, and pulling the curtains to block out the morning sun, he laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, his mind wandering to a certain blue-haired, grey-eyed girl.
“She’s not a weakling, you know.”
No, she wasn’t a weakling, and he knew it. And now that he thought about it, (or maybe he knew, all along) that was the first thing he noticed about her, way back on the first day he saw her. The day of the race (odd that he and Aiko called it that…it’s not like it was the only race there is). True, she was pretty, but what made her radiant is the confidence in her eyes and the smile that told everyone that she was determined to win.
“If you keep treating me like a rookie, I’ll remain being one!” Aiko had yelled at him once. Ever since she was a new Star, she had been so eager and independent. And, even though there were a few times that her confidence faltered, all she needed was a slight push before she was back on her feet again. It was a fallacious generalization when she said she was ‘an utter failure’ on that frozen river during the Tokyo Skating Open. She had focused on the few times that she had slipped out of the hundreds of other times that she did well that year. It had been only natural that she would slip sometimes. She was, like all other Stars, still human. (Let the readers know that I didn’t narrate all the accounts of the Stars’ other defenses, seeing that they’re nothing out of the ordinary. But, perhaps, some other time, I’ll gladly relate some of them to you.)
Kaji was, admittedly, a very stubborn guy. There were countless times that Aiko told him to ‘let her go’. But the more she said that, the more he wanted to be her shield, to be the pillar that Ran had said that he was. It wasn’t that he was narcisstic; he didn’t wish Aiko’s world to revolve around him. He knew that she had a family, friends… She had Kamui, there’s no disregarding that. But, he wanted to at least be part of her life. A big part, if possible. And for a long time, if possible. He would gladly content himself with being her friend if she’ll let him, even though he’d rather that they were more than friends. Besides, she had already accepted him even though he hadn’t told her about his past apart from being a Star, didn’t she? That had to count for something, didn’t it?
-Or maybe she accepted you precisely because she doesn’t know about your past.-
No, that can’t be it. Aiko’s innately friendly. She doesn’t care—
-Exactly. Aiko’s friendly to everyone, so there’s nothing special in the way she treats you, is there?-
Sighing, Kaji pulled the covers over his head and closed his eyes. Whether or not the little voice in his head was right, he decided not to think about it too much anymore. It would just make him sick.
-People always leave you, anyway, Kaji. Get used to it. That’s just the way it is. Or have you already forgotten about that?-
At the back of his mind, he wished he did.
————–
Bells jingled to signal her entrance into Marty’s convenience store, making the man behind the counter look up and smile at her.
“Good morning, Yuki-chan!”
“Good morning…” Yuki replied with a smile. She went straight for the refrigirator and took out a water bottle.
“Flying solo today, I see.”
She shook her head as she paid for her water. “You have no idea how amazingly accurate you are, my friend.”
“Really? So…Had a nice jog?”
Yuki blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“Your jog. You look like you just came from one.”
When she still looked clueless, he jerked his head towards the mirror near the ceiling, originally intended for watching out for shoplifters. Yuki finally saw her own reflection, and, sure enough, she DID look like she had just finished jogging. Her pony-tailed hair was somewhat disheveled (but not enough to make her look bad), she was slightly sweaty, and what she was wearing could pass as a jogging outfit (it was pure coincidence). It was only then that she realized that she had been breathing a bit heavily, too.
“Oh. Right. Yeah, jogging. It was…OK.”
“Did you jog around the whole ward?”
“More like the whole city…” Yuki said absently.
“Huh? The whole—”
“No, no, I was kidding!” Yuki quickly said. “Well, I should be going…”
“Riiight…”
Yuki smiled, as she headed out the door. But then she did a double-take when she noticed the phone on the counter.
“Hey, may I use your phone?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” Yuki picked up the receiver and dialed the number that she had, by now, memorized. The phone rang on the other end. No one was picking up. Her worry starting to resurface, Yuki pushed the plunger and turned around. “Hey, Marty, may I use this to call a cellphone?”
“Sure thing.”
Yuki bit her lip and dialled another number. Like the previous one, the owner wasn’t picking up. Heaving a sigh, she put the receiver down.
“Thanks. How much do I pay for that?”
“For you, dear, nothing.”
Yuki laughed, then went for the door. “Thanks a bunch! I owe you one.”
“Yeah, you do… Hope you find your boyfriend!”
But Yuki didn’t hear his last sentence: she was already out the door, and was running for the nearest alley so she could turn unvisible again. But just as she turned around the corner, she bumped into someone, making her drop her water bottle. Thanks to her quick reflexes, though, she caught it right before it hit the ground.
“Oh! I’m sorry!” she exclaimed as she looked up. But, the moment she saw who she bumped into, though, she almost regretted apologizing.
Mitsukawa Kumiko stood there in all her royal brilliance. She was wearing a sundress that was most probably bought somewhere in Europe (maybe Milan, her parents’ favorite shopping place, so she says), and the precious stones on her bracelets tinkled when she lifted her hand to lower her sunglasses, allowing her amber eyes to examine Yuki from head to foot. And, because Yuki was almost kneeling down because of her water, add the fact that she wasn’t looking her best right now, it made her look like a servant bowing to a princess… Suddenly the blue-haired girl wanted the earth to swallow her alive.
“Well, well,” Kumiko said with a smirk. “If it isn’t the girl who fooled the judges at the Tokyo Open…”
Nah, it’d be MUCH better if the earth swallowed HER alive, not me. If only Kamui was here right now…
“Watch where your going, will you, Mizuno?”
Yuki frowned as she stood up straight. Much as she wanted to snap back at the girl, she knew she couldn’t, this time. Today, Yuki was really at fault for turning on a corner when she was running like that.
“It won’t happen again,” she said in a monotonous voice. “Now, if you excuse me, I’m—”
“You know,” Kumiko interrupted, blocking Yuki’s way, “Hikaru and I went out on a date last night.” As if emphasizing a point, she flipped her long, silky, bouncy, shampoo-commercial-model jet black hair over her shoulder. The straight line that was the Ice Maiden’s lips didn’t even twitch. “The walk home was pleasant, actually. It was a new moon, so the stars were visible, and the wind was cool, as well… It was quite perfect, I must say.”
“And you’re telling me this because…?”
“Well, I just thought I’d let you in on the news, so you know where you stand. That date won’t be the last, you see. I’m sure you know what this means,” Kumiko said, looking absolutely sympathetic that Yuki wanted to blanch. “I hate seeing a girl crying in front of a boy, darling, so I took the liberty to tell you this myself. At least, when ‘Karu-chan tells you, you’ll be prepared… Comprende?”
“‘Karu…-chan”?
“‘KARU-CHAN”?!
My goodness.
Yuki defeated the urge to roll her eyes, and smiled her most saccharine smile, instead. “Ah. How considerate of you, sempai.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Sempai, have you ever considered being a novelist?”
The sudden change of topic taking her by surprise, the older girl’s eyebrows furrowed. “A novelist?”
“Yes, I’m sure you’d make a really great one. You’re SO good at fabricating stories.”
Kumiko blinked. Taking the chance, Yuki brushed past her, flipping her hair over her shoulder in mock imitation. By the time the older girl had turned around and angrily yelled “YOU—!”, the Star was already unvisible, and had flown off, laughing. It was three seconds of amusement, seeing Kumiko’s jaw drop in realization, then contort in anger. But, now the fun was over. She flew as fast as she could, all the while looking for a certain boy’s ki as her eyes scanned the roads below.
After a minute, she reached her destination and started knocking on the door. No answer from anyone inside. She quickly went to the windows and peeked inside the house. No one was there. She flew up to the windows on the second floor and knocked loudly. Still no reply. Her jaw clenching, Yuki placed her palm on the window and concentrated… The water particles inside the room started to gather together to form ice. Then, she made the icicle push the white curtain aside so she could see inside the room.
As it was in the hundred times she had checked it within the past 24 hours, the room was empty. Yuki bit her lip. The nervousness she had pushed aside came back with a vengeance.
“Where ARE you, Hikaru?!”
————–
Everything was cold around her.
Although she knew shouldn’t, she felt like she wanted to stay wherever she was. She didn’t want to move, she didn’t want to think. Rest seemed so tempting…
She wanted to stay there forever.
Forever in the cold.
So cold…
“Mai!” came a vaguely familiar voice as a faint ray of light seemed to shine through her closed eyelids.
Who…?
“Mai, wake up!”
No, it wasn’t a just familiar…
“It’s just a dream, Mai! WAKE UP! It’s just a dream!”
She knew that voice…
“MAI!”
—0—
Her chocolate brown eyes snapped open as Mai jerked awake with a gasp. She blinked several times, trying to clear her vision. But everything was still a blur of white, brown and dark blue.
Maybe I’m in my room? she thought, her muscles relaxing slightly. But then, she froze again when her eyes finally focused.
The dark blue before her wasn’t her canopy…
“Mai?” came the voice again.
She blinked again, but the image before her didn’t change.
“Are you OK?”
“Ka… Kamui?” she asked weakly.
The black-haired boy nodded.
“Yeah…” he said.
Mai blinked again, but Kamui was still there. She raised her hand, wanting to make sure that her eyes (and her ears) weren’t deceiving her. When her fingertips touched his face, she gasped, pulling her hand back as if she was scalded, but Kamui caught it quickly.
“Mai, are you OK?” he repeated, worry never leaving his features.
“I…” she tried. “Wh…Where are we?”
A small smile slowly broke through Kamui’s lips. “We’re in your room, silly,” he said.
“We…We are? What time is it?”
“I think it’s about…8 am…”
“Oh… But… what’re you doing in my room?”
Kamui’s grin widened, but his eyebrows furrowed, as well. “You never asked me that before…”
Mai blinked. Looking up at Kamui, she suddenly realized that he looked…different… from what she remembered. He looked slightly older, and the way he looked down at h—
Wait. He’s looking DOWN at me?!
Mai’s eyebrows widened, only then realizing their position. She was lying down on her bed, and Kamui was (hopefully) sitting beside her, his one hand pinning her shoulder, while the other was holding her hand. As a result, he was leaning over her. With another gasp, she quickly sat up…
“OW!”
…bumping Kamui’s head in the process.
Mai bit her lip as she and Kamui both nursed their foreheads.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“It’s OK,” Kamui said, his face turning serious again. “For the gazilllionth time this morning, Mai…Are you OK?”
“I…I think so…”
But, truth be told, Mai was confused as hell. What on earth was going on? How come she couldn’t remember anything?
Kamui sighed. “Well… I guess I’m going to have to believe you… You don’t look too scared anymore.”
“Scared?” Mai asked in confusion.
Kamui nodded. “A few minutes ago, you were screaming in your sleep. Then, when you woke up, you looked like you didn’t even know me. You really worried me, you know…”
“Oh…”
“What were you dreaming about, anyway?”
“I…I can’t remember…” Mai said. Actually, she couldn’t remember anything. The last she remembered was—
“Oh my God!!!”
“What? What is it?”
“Aiko!” she exclaimed. “I can’t believe I forgot about Aiko!”
Mai threw the covers off herself — for a split-second, she was relieved to find that she was dressed decently — and jumped off the bed, attempting to fly to the window.
“MAI!”
She blinked in mid-air right before she hit the floor with a thud.
What on EARTH?!
“Mai, what’re you doing?” Kamui exclaimed as he helped her stand up. “You didn’t think you could fly, did you?”
Again, Mai froze. Wait a minute…
“And who’s Aiko?”
If possible, Mai froze even more as she stared at Kamui.
“Kamui… You’re not serious, are you?” But Kamui didn’t look like he was joking. “Kamui… Aiko’s… You know Aiko. She’s your best friend!”
Finally, Kamui laughed. “My best friend? What’re you talking about? You are my best friend.”
Mai opened her mouth, but the protest died on her lips when Kamui’s smile suddenly fell, his eyes focused behind her. Seeing the shocked look on his face, Mai whirled around, and, in the next instant, she felt all her blood drain from her face.
“A— Aiko?!”
The grey-eyed girl grinned. “Hello, Mai.”
————–
Kamui jerked awake when he heard a sharp gasp. He blinked several times until his eyes focused on the girl sitting on the bed. Even from where he sat, she was obviously tense, her shoulders heavily rising and falling as she took labored breaths, and her widely opened eyes clearly read panic and shock. They darted from left to right, but she didn’t seem to actually see anything.
“Ka…Kamui!” she exclaimed. “KAMUI!”
For a split-second, Kamui wanted to kick himself. What was he doing, just watching her when she was obviously distressed? He was on his feet in the next instant, crossing the room in two long strides.
“Aiko!” he called, just to make his presence known. She turned to him, and threw her arms around him the moment he was within reach.
“You’re OK…You’re OK…” she repeated over and over as she held on to him. “Oh my goodness, you’re OK…”
“Yeah, Aiko, I’m OK…” he told her. This scene was all-too-familiar, he thought. Sara had been having nightmares the past days, too. Kamui just hoped that, unlike his sister, Aiko would tell him what was wrong so he could help her.
“It was just a dream, Ai-chan… It’s not real…” he said as soothingly as he could. But instead of calming down, her arms tightened around him, and he heard a whimper escape her throat. “Ai-chan, it’s all right, it’s a dr—”
“Don’t say that,” she interrupted. “Please don’t say that…”
Kamui’s eyebrows furrowed, but he didn’t say anything as he waited for her to continue.
“Please,” she said, “please don’t tell me that it’s a dream… Because you already said that and you died… You died right in front of me…”
Kamui blinked. I what?!
“So, please… Please, just…”
“Aiko…” he said, pulling away. She wouldn’t let him, but he still firmly pushed her away. “Let me go for a sec, Ai-chan…” he told her as gently as he could. She finally released him, but she kept her head on his shoulder as if she didn’t want him to see her face… or perhaps the other way around.
“Look at me, Ai-chan… I’m here. I am not dead, OK? Do you understand me?”
“But…in my dream…”
Kamui allowed himself to smile. “Ah, we’re getting somewhere, see? Yes, it was in your dream. and now you’re awake. Or do you want me to pinch you to prove it?”
“You’re supposed to pinch yourself, stupid. And don’t make a joke out of this! In my dream, I—” she paused, her fingers involuntarily clenching his shirt, “I saw you, I heard you… You were there, Kamui! You convinced me that I was awake! You kept telling me that I had been dreaming, and I was so sure that it was real no matter how twisted everything was…”
“Twisted?”
“The room looked like it was a cross between my room on the Ground and the one in the palace—”
“You mean this one?”
“—and you and me and Oniichan and Yuki and Kaji attended the same school—”
“But we do attend the same school.”
“—and I couldn’t fly, and you weren’t a Star, and nobody was a Star, and you called me by my name, and you said you didn’t know Aiko and—”
“Whoa, whoa! Hold on a second…” Kamui interrupted her, taking her shoulders. “I was talking to you and called you by name, but I didn’t know Aiko? How’s that possible?”
Mai’s eyes widened, realizing what she had said. Although she was sure that it didn’t really matter now if the Stars knew about her true identity since they hadn’t wanted her dead in the first place, she didn’t feel like telling Kamui the whole story yet. For now, the show must go on.
“Breathe, Aiko, breathe.”
“Aiko”.
Mai felt relief flood through her. Hearing him call her ‘Aiko’ — only then did it register in her brain even though he had been repeating the name several times — seemed to assure her that she was, indeed, awake.
So this is really real… And that was really the dream… So Aiko didn’t kill Kamui… Aiko didn’t kill everyone…
She suddenly felt exhausted as her muscles relaxed. If Kamui hadn’t been holding her shoulders, she would have collapsed on the bed. But since he was, she crumpled into his arms again.
“I was so scared, Kamui…” she admitted. “I… I don’t want to see you die… Kamui, I don’t want you to die…”
Kamui pulled her closer to him, and Mai felt tears stinging her eyes again. Goodness. Must I be a crybaby?
“I’m not going to die. I’ll always be here. OK?”
“How can you be so sure? What if my dream was a premonition or something?” Mai frowned, pulling away, when Kamui chuckled. “Why’re you laughing?”
“Rule#2,” he said as he wiped her tear-stained cheek with his thumb. “Stars don’t die.”
Mai smiled as she gazed into his dark blue eyes, and, suddenly, everything else seemed to fade to nothing. She momentarily forgot the feeling of being betrayed when Youko had attacked her. She momentarily forgot the hurt that pierced her when she overheard the argument in the dojo. She momentarily forgot about Aiko… But then, she was roughly pulled back to reality at the sound of the door bursting open. Upon seeing who the newcomer was, Mai froze.
Oh, no…
Kaji felt a wave of dé ja vu wash over him. This had happened before, except it was the other way around. The first time, it was he who had been leaning in to kiss Aiko. Now, it was Kamui who was sharing an embrace with her.
Funny that Yuki was the reason for both ‘interruptions’.
“Uh…Sorry…”
Lame, Hino. VERY lame.
“Kaji…” she started as she sat up straight.
Oh, crap. Now I know how Toriyama felt.
Kaji, though, saw another difference. Whereas, before, Aiko had panicked and blurted out excuses, she was now looking at him apologetically, and she didn’t seem to have any plan of covering up whatever she and Kamui had been doing.
Well, Hino, that’s reality for ya.
“Yuki’s here, and Ran called a meeting,” Kaji said. “We should go on over to his office. But, if you’re not up to it, Rookie, I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“OK…”
With a nod, he stepped outside and closed the door behind him. He started to walk to Ran’s office, but when he passed by his room, Kaji stopped. After a moment’s thought, he went inside and locked the door. He leaned on it wearily as he looked up at the ceiling. What had possessed him to barge in her room, anyway?
Oh yeah. Because Yuki had come back with bad news.
Odd that all sense of urgency seemed to momentarily leave him.
“Dammit, Hino, snap out of it!” he yelled at himself as he not-too-violently banged his head on the door. He really was stubborn, wasn’t he? No matter how many times he thought he had resolved it with himself that he didn’t mean to Aiko as she meant to him, he still clung to the possibility that he had concluded wrong. He still held on to the way he read her actions before the Tokyo Skating Open.
Maybe that was it. Maybe everything was going his way. He shouldn’t have tried to kiss her; maybe he was rushing things.
Then again, maybe he really was just fooling himself.
Argh.
————–
Everyone was silent.
Seated in front of Ran’s desk, Mai was in the middle of the room, and she could observe everyone without moving anything but her eyes. Yuki was sitting on the chair across hers, looking absolutely exhausted and tremendously worried. Kamui was standing by the door, and, as he was from the moment he stepped in the room and saw Yuki, he looked pretty troubled. Sara was calmly seated on the sofa on the other side of the room, but definitely not her usual smiling self. Ran was standing by the window, his face hidden from everyone.
No one had spoken since she and Kamui had arrived.
Everyone turned to the door when it opened, revealing the maroon-haired Star. “Sorry, I had to take a detour,” he said with an apologetic smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He didn’t even glance at Mai as he closed the door and went to sit beside Sara.
“OK,” Ran started as he turned around. “Let’s begin.”
“Wait,” Mai spoke up. “Oniichan isn’t here yet… “
“Actually, he’s what this meeting is about,” Ran said, straight to the point. “Hikaru was taken by the Roses yesterday. No one sensed it because, technically, the attack was over. Hikaru saved a potential from being collected—”
“Are you sure it’s the Roses?” Mai interrupted. She didn’t care that almost everyone looked at her in bewilderment. Even though she knew that her friends were technically the enemy (and even though she had heard Fuu and Maya talking about Hikaru the previous night), she still had a hard time taking in the possibility that they had ‘taken’ someone.
“Well… It wasn’t exactly the Roses as the rest of you know them. It was Youko.”
Mai’s jaw dropped. Youko-san himself?!
“Is he— He’s not—” she stammered nervously.
“Don’t worry. Youko assured me that your brother is still alive.”
“Who’s Youko?” came Kamui’s voice.
“Youko,” Ran started, “is one of the two remaining people who has the power to permanently kill Elementals.” He paused, glancing at Mai. “If I’m not mistaken, you had a confrontation with him yesterday, correct?”
“He’s the one who did this to you?!” Kaji exclaimed angrily, standing up. “Ayt, I’m gonna go and kick his butt now.”
“Kaji, didn’t you hear what Sensei said?” Sara spoke up. “He can easily kill you—”
“I don’t care! If he at the very least laid a finger on Aiko, I’ll—”
“Yes, Kaji, you’re going to kick his butt,” Ran finished for him, “but you’re not doing it alone. You can’t handle it in spite of your being the strongest out of the Stars— Don’t even think of protesting, Kaji.”
Mai glanced at Kaji, who looked like he really was about to protest. His frown deepening, he crossed his arms and obeyed his Sensei.
“Tonight, we’re all going to go to the Roses’ palace,” Ran continued.
“All of us, Sensei? But— But look at Yuki! I mean, no offense, Yuki, but… look at her, Sensei! She’s stressed and exhausted and—”
“Kamui, in case you’ve forgotten, your sister is a Healer.”
“And what about Aiko?” Kaji spoke up again. “She just woke up from—”
“Kaji, if you care about Kazetenshi Aiko, you will not object.”
At this, Mai’s head snapped up, and found Ran looking at her in a strange way. It was the same look she got from him the first time she saw him. The look that seemed to tell her that Ran knew everything.
“Honestly, I don’t want to take all of you with me,” he said, turning to the other Stars, “I don’t know what waits for us at the Deathrose palace. Youko himself sent an invitation to me to go there tonight; that’s how I found out that he had taken Hikaru. I know we don’t have enough time to prepare properly, but I’m sure that with common sense, teamwork, and the will to fight, we stand a chance against a waiting enemy. Am I understood?”
There was a collected, determined “Hai.”
“Yuki, go with Sara and get yourself Healed. You have a few hours to rest. Kaji, Kamui, I suggest you both prepare without attempting to kill each other. We will all assemble at the main hall by sundown.” Ran looked at Mai before saying, “Stay here.”
Everyone nodded, and, a few moments later, Ran and Mai were left in his office.
“You really worried everyone when you arrived last night, you know that?” Ran told her with a small smile, “You and Youko must have fought for a while…”
“It was just a few minutes…”
“Ah. The man’s really powerful, isn’t he? Well, I’m glad to see that your ki has almost recovered fully. I’m going to Heal you a bit more in a few minutes… but I want to speak with you first, if it’s all right.”
“OK…”
Ran walked around the table to sit in the chair in front of her. “You may already know that I’m not one to tell someone everything that they want to know. Instead, I tell them what they need to know at that moment. There is an opportune time for everything, you see. When I feel that the time has come for me to reveal something, I disclose it without hesitation… Even so, I apologize for being so blunt earlier about your brother.”
“It’s all right. It’s best not to sugarcoat it, I suppose.”
“I’m glad you feel that way. That would mean I won’t need to apologize for asking a pretty straightforward question, now, do I?”
Mai only nodded, not quite knowing what to expect.
“How long have you been here, Mai?”
Time seemed to stop, and suddenly, the brown-eyed Rose couldn’t speak. She couldn’t even move. The question echoed in her brain several times as she just stared at the Blue Star Sensei. His ashen eyes were looking straight into her own, and there was not the slightest trace of comedy in them. It was a real, in-your-face, be-honest-with-me question.
“You were the one who gave that personality-altering speech last week, didn’t you?” he asked.
“You knew?” Mai breathed.
“I had a hunch. Was that the first time you encountered the Stars?”
Mai cleared her throat, trying to gather her thoughts. Goodness. Ran knew everything, didn’t he?
“I met Kamui first at a carnival several months ago,” she finally admitted. He was bound to know the details, anyway. Heck, maybe he already knew that, too. “After that, I met Aiko during the Skating Open, and then she and I accidentally switched places a couple of weeks ago. This switch… Well, this one isn’t accidental.”
“I see. And have you met your father? I heard he was away.”
“Yes, he’s out of the country. He won’t arrive till next week.”
Ran smiled. “Mai, I want you to know that I’m really relieved to see that you’re still OK… The last time I saw you, you were still a little kid! The five of you — Kamui, Sara, Hikaru, Aiko, and yourself — were running all over the place… Rieka once blamed me, saying I continuously Healed you so you won’t run out of energy, thus keeping her hands full!”
Ran laughed at the memory, and Mai couldn’t help but smile as well. “Really?”
“Yes… If only Rieka could see you now, too…” Just when the serious air was lifting again, Ran’s smile fell. “So…I’m guessing that, now that Youko had attacked you, it means you already know his side of the truth, correct?”
Mai nodded. “I’d like to know your side, though,” she said, “if it’s all right.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Is it really true that you and Youko-san are both of Kurobara? That you’re brothers?”
“Wow, he told you that?” Ran laughed again. “Yes, it’s true. Though he never acknowledges that ever since he disowned me when our father died. He blamed me for the War, and for Father’s death, I’m sure he told you that.”
“So why was there a War?”
“Well, in a way, I guess it was because of me. You see, even though I stayed loyal to my father when the Elementals split into two factions, I believed that it was not right for the Elementals to strip a person of his Seed without permission…” Ran stopped when he saw confusion taking over Mai’s features. He cocked his head, encouraging her to ask whatever she wanted to ask.
“Your father…? When the Elementals split…?” Mai echoed almost incoherently.
“Youko didn’t tell you? Zai was our father. You’ve heard of him, haven’t you?”
Mai’s eyes widened. “Zai was your father?! But wasn’t he the reason for the split?”
“Yes…”
“So, the split happened just recently? I thought it happened, like, a hundred years ago or something!”
Ran grinned in spite of the gravity of their topic. “Mai, maybe you haven’t noticed, but Youko and I haven’t aged a day since we turned 20. Or at least I was 20 then… That would make him… 23. Oh, no, wait. Twenty-four.”
“And when was that?”
“Several decades ago… I’ve lost count. Maybe 30 or so—”
“THIRTY DECADES?! So that makes you three hundred years old?!”
“Around that number, yes, I suppose so. It comes with being a Kurobara. I still have a choice not to stay young forever, though. I could still choose to grow old like a normal human being.”
Mai emitted a small “Oh…” as her brain absorbed that new knowledge. She had already noticed that Youko didn’t seem to grow old… But she hadn’t imagined that he really didn’t age at all, that he had been that way for three hundred years!
“The War was basically a huge misunderstanding,” Ran said, going to back to their original discussion. “Remember that I was a Rose before it happened. The leader of the Stars at that time was Gansei-sama. His daughter, Yume, was my friend. Even when the Elements had split into two factions, there were still a few, rare times when I would see her. A Rose named Shindou saw this, and told my father that I was planning to join the Stars. Although it wasn’t true that I had decided to switch sides, my father was disappointed with me, but he was furious at Gansei-sama, accusing him of using his daughter to ‘lure’ me.”
“And this was the start of the War?”
“Sort of. You see, Shindou had good intentions, originally. He had wanted to bring down both factions and start a new one because he didn’t want the Elementals to be split apart. But he said that it was because of Gansei-sama’s and my father’s pride that caused the split. Although he was right, in a way, his methods were wrong. Power corrupts, I’m sure you know that.
“Shindou eventually plotted to pit the two leaders against each other. Upon learning from Shindou about Yume and myself, my father went to confront Gansei-sama about it. But instead of a war erupting, the two leaders actually reached a conclusion after a long discussion. They decided that they should just let Stars and Roses mingle if they want to. Of course, Shindou wasn’t pleased. With his followers, they stole my father’s ki roses.”
“Ki roses?”
“When a Rose collects a person’s Seed, it turns into a black rose. Surely, you’ve seen one…”
Mai nodded, remembering the first time she had witnessed collection.
“Those ki roses can be used by an Elemental to increase his own power. It’s sort of like Healing. With enough roses, one could have the power of a Kurobara, maybe even more. It can get really really dangerous, so my father used to keep the roses inside a vault. Shindou’s followers broke into the vault, used the roses, and took matters into their own hands. That was the start of the War.”
“Then how come Youko-san blamed you?”
“Youko… Youko has always been protective of me. He was the first to know about me and Yume, actually. Like our father, he thought that Gansei-sama had used his daughter to get to me. So, he barged into the Star palace and challenged Gansei-sama to a duel in his own turf.” Ran paused, chuckling in spite of himself. “He was a lot like Kaji, now that I think about it. He was such a hothead then…”
Mai blinked. She just couldn’t imagine Youko being like Kaji. Even if that was 300 years ago, it was still hard to believe.
“Even though Youko was a Kurobara,” Ran continued, “he was still in the middle of hundreds of Stars. It didn’t take long before he was thrown into the prison cells. So, the whole time the War was going on, Youko was trying to get out of prison. But, as it was in the Rose palace, the locks are ki-sensitive. Youko was only able to get out when Gansei-sama finally fell. When he got to where we were…” Ran trailed off, a pained expression slowly taking over his features. He was suddenly sucked into his own memories, into one distinct memory that was so vivid, he felt as if he was right there in that spot at that very moment.
–0–
The sun had set. The sky was a mix of black, dark blue, and crimson, just as everything around him was. He saw his friends, as well as foes who had been friends for a time. They were all around him… His mind was fighting against his senses…
…refusing to accept what he was hearing… The deafening silence after a battle.
…refusing to accept what he was smelling… Blood.
…refusing to accept what he was seeing… Bodies strewn everywhere.
…refusing to accept what he was sensing… Not one single ki.
They were all around him. Dead around him. He wanted to scream. His fingers clenched the pink, blood-stained cloth in his hands.
“Not yet…” he found himself saying in a broken whisper. “Please don’t take her… Not yet…”
But he knew she was dying.
In his arms, Yume was dying.
–0–
“Ran-sama?”
Ran looked up at the sound of Mai’s voice. He found her brown eyes looking at him with concern.
“I lost you for a minute there…” she said. “Are you all right? You don’t have to continue if you don’t—”
“No,” Ran said quickly, turning his eyes to his hands again. “I need to clarify this… If not to Youko, then at least to you…”
Mai hesitated, but she nodded, anyways.
“When Youko finally got to the battle grounds… When he got to where we were, everyone — and I mean, everyone — was already dead. Except for me. Maybe it was shock. Or maybe it was Shindou’s lies finally getting to him. Either way, Youko believed that I killed everyone. Then again—… It’s just that… when I saw my father collapse, Gansei-sama fall, and finally… And finally…”
“Please… Not yet…”
“I just… snapped…” Ran heaved a tense sigh, as if that last word was the hardest thing to say. “I never wanted to kill, Mai…” he said in a suppressed voice. “I didn’t want Youko to misunderstand everything. I didn’t want him to hold a grudge. I didn’t want him to involve other people just to get revenge on me…”
Mai didn’t know what to say. So, in a way, it was true that Ran had ‘blindly lashed out’, as Youko had said. And Youko had also been right, that ‘perhaps he felt guilty’. Looking at the Blue Star Sensei, Mai knew for sure that Ran was mighty guilty. Although he knew that what had happened wasn’t entirely his fault, he’s obviously still angry at himself. For 300 years…
Mai remembered how fondly Aiko had spoken of Ran. That he was a teacher. A brother. An occassional clown. The Master who held the Blue Stars together despite their differences… She had said that he looked way too young for his maturity, authority, and wisdom. Right now, Mai saw none of that. His calm, sturdy, Ran-sensei-ish exterior was starting to crack, letting Mai see the lonely, lost younger brother that he had been. Mai suddenly wondered: if he was always the one being strong for the Stars… then who was being strong for him?
“Ran-sama,” Mai said, putting her hand on Ran’s clenched fist. When he looked up at her, she smiled. “When we go there tonight, we’re going to get Aiko and Oniichan, we’re going to free the Roses, and we’ll set things straight with Youko-san. Right?”
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then, he smiled gratefully.
“Right.”
————–
Next on Blue Star
As everyone prepares to confront Youko, the man has a few tricks up his sleeve, as well. What waits for the Stars as they finally enter the silver-haired Rose’s domain?
“Don’t die on me…”
Episode 25: Mask
————–
From the Author
WHEW! It’s done! Explanation Episode version 3 is finally finished! Sorry for torturing Kaji a bit right there… -ahem- Mitsukawa Kumiko’s a new character… Short as it may be, I had so much fun writing her exchange with Yuki (especially since this episode isn’t very happy). Do you guys rememeber Marty’s? That’s the convenience store in Kamui’s first defense (Episode 13: Prodigy). OK…I’m trying to write Episode 25, and I’m REALLY having a hard time at it… So, I don’t think I can update in two weeks like I have recently. Sorry. But still, check again after two weeks. Maybe I can get it done. Who knows.
Oooh, ooooh! The Blue Star website is FINALLY updated! Mwahahahaha. Character sketches are up. 
URL (without the spaces) — http : www . bluestarfic . tk
-sniff sniff- I’m so happy you guys loved the extra episode! You make me so happy
Review topics:
-I really really really need your opinions on Ran’s explanation. Loopholes, inconsistencies, and confusing parts.
- Ran himself: I realize that every time he appears in the story, his personality always changes. Hehe.
- Mai in this episode: She wasn’t…uh… pathetic after she woke up, was she?
- Kaji: Too depressed?
Clarification:
Ayt. Foxyfox is getting confused with the ages, so I figured I’d straighten it out for everyone At the start of the series:
14: Maya
15: Sara
16: Aiko, Kamui, Yuki, Mai, Kaori, Haruna, Midori, Rei
17: Hikaru
17?: Kaji
19: Fuu
20: Yuuji
I never clearly hinted how much older Yuuji and Fuu are than everybody else until the previous episode, though. If you notice, by Episode 17, a year had passed. Sorry, I’m not so good at weaving seasons into the story yet. Ehehe. Maybe I’ll release extra birthday and vacation episodes as omake… I dunno :Þ
Special Notes
Maggy d: Really? It had you in tears? It’s “way awesome”?! -super duper big smile- Thank you!!!
Brushfire: Yeah, I remember you! It’s great to know you’re still reading! I thought you gave up on me. About the Roses: I’m glad you pointed that out. I also realized that they had sort of disappeared in the middle of the series, so I understand that you can’t really picture them. Then again, maybe it’s because I updated rarely, so readers tend to forget details. I’ll do something about this. I’m just not sure what yet. You can visit the Blue Star website for the character descriptions.
Bentfender: Girl, tell me what happens when you do that ‘fiancée’ bit, ok? Someone asked me that once and I was totally tongue-tied. It was especially hard because I -didn’t- want the guy to be my fiancé. Friend, yeah, but boyfriend? NO. -ahem- Anyways… About your explanation, the reason I enjoyed it so much is that I was confusing myself when I was writing my plans for those three way back when BS was still unwritten. So…you kinda reminded me of me. Thanks for the suggestion on the character sketches. Yeah, I already listed their traits. It was the first thing I did after planning the general plot of the story. Hey, do you have your work online? Can I read ‘em? Hehe. Thanks again!
