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 Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 11:52 am
They had been patrolling together, and the night had been quiet; there had been two youma, and both had been quickly dusted at the force of the Zodiac Captain and her companion. It'd taken a while for them to learn to work around her desire to protect him, and his desire to protect her. They'd learned fast, though, and now it was almost easy to beat any monster that stood in their way into the ground.
But now it was Elke and Grayson walking down the sidewalk of a quiet neighborhood, hands intertwined. As usual, she was chattering away aimlessly; the topic under discussion right then was how much she was looking forward to meeting Grayson's new roommate, not in the least because that would mean it wouldn't be odd at all for her to sneak into Grayson's room and snuggle up with him. Paul could just assume that they were, um...
Well, um. Even though they weren't.
They turned the last corner before the house, and Elke stopped walking. The downstairs lights were on, which meant... She looked up to Grayson, the lack of blood under her olive skin turning her chalky pale. "This isn't good," she said. "We should..." She took a deep breath.
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 12:58 pm
The night was going smoothly. Had he been a more pessimistic man (and it was a little strange, wasn't it, that he wasn't, considering all the things that had happened to him in his nineteen years) he would have been waiting for the other shoe to drop on the entire walk home. As it was, he'd simply been enjoying himself, his girlfriend's hand snug against his palm, while they talked about everything and nothing. It was nice.
And then they rounded the corner and saw that the downstairs lights were on.
This wouldn't normally be any sort of issue, except it was the middle of the night and his parents worked very regular hours. They were always asleep at this time, and if they weren't asleep, they were just meandering downstairs for a cup of water or something and then back up -- they didn't turn the lights on and stay awake, not when they had work the next day. It was why it had been fairly safe to patrol during the week when he'd still lived at home, as they very rarely checked on the kids in the middle of the night without cause. The fact that it seemed the entire house was up, or at the very least his parents, meant that something had gone horribly wrong. Some kind of emergency, or... or they'd noticed Elke wasn't home and they'd assumed the worst.
Face drawn into worried lines, he gave her hand a squeeze. "Something's up," he said, using his free hand to check his pocket for his cell phone -- two missed calls -- uh oh. "... something is definitely up."
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 1:44 pm
"Someone," corrected Elke. Someones, probably their whole family. They were going to be in so much trouble, there was no good reason to be outside this late at night. They were going to think Elke was sneaking out and well, she was, but she wasn't being bad! As a matter of fact, she was being very, very good, and saving the world, and all kinds of things. Those monsters she and Grayson had killed, they could have killed people.
Her grip around his hand went viselike when she thought of an unforeseen complication. What if they wanted to send her back to France? She didn't want to leave! Everything was just starting to go right after being so wrong! They were making progress on the hunt for the Opal Crystal! If she went back now...
Well, obviously she'd step down as the Captain. So Serenade could pick someone nearer. You couldn't be a senshi over in France for a Princess in America! "I'm scared," she said after a minute. "But. Should we... show them?" She didn't like that their hand was being forced like this. Surely it would be better than being grounded, though?
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:21 pm
There was nothing to do except go inside and see what had happened. Until he heard from his parents what the situation was -- whether they were worried about Elke, or god forbid, something had happened to Tristan -- until they went inside and asked, they weren't going to know. Standing outside deliberating was only going to make things worse, and just make everyone more worried.
Still, when Elke admitted she was scared, he diverted his attention from the front door to her. He squeezed her hand, then brought it up to his mouth, kissing the back of it. "It'll be okay. We don't even know what's going on yet. It might not be bad at all," he said, but without much conviction.
But he put on a smile for her. "C'mon, sweetheart."
They went inside, and the first thing they saw was that Van had his back to them. His hip was cocked to one side, a hand pressed tight against the side of his head -- a hand holding a cellphone, Grayson realized, as his Pop's strained voice reached his ears. "--understand that I cannot file a police report, yes, but this is not like her and with all of the senshi activity lately--"
His stomach pitched, heart stumbled a little, as the door to the kitchen swung open and his father stepped through. Grayson favored his father heavily in looks from the dark curls straight to the deep violet eyes, but there was even more in the face, the expression of it; the blank relief that washed over his face, the temper that snapped into his eyes immediately on the heel of it. Van still hadn't turned, but Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezed, as he asked, "Where have you two been?"
Guilt churned in his chest, and he squeezed Elke's hand again, pulling her a little closer. "Dad, I can explain."
"And you'd better." Van was off the phone now, his dark brown eyes more hurt than reproachful, as Arthur gestured for them to seat themselves on the couch. "It is past three in the morning. You ought to have a very good excuse for what you are doing walking the streets at this hour."
Even standing there in his nightclothes, Arthur looked every inch the stern disciplinarian that he didn't like to be. It might have been hilarious under other circumstances, but as it was, Grayson just felt small.
"Dad, we-"
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:29 pm
Her stomach gave a lurch when she saw her Pop and heard him talking to the police. Not the good kind, the kind she liked, like when Grayson kissed her, but the nasty kind. It was that she was missing. It was all her fault! She should have--she didn't know, she'd gotten complacent and forgotten to make up a fake pillow-Elke to take her place--and now Dad and Pop had worried for all this time, who knew when they'd noticed she was gone...
Elke was ashamed, and she looked it, her shoulders hunched in and her free hand curled into a tight fist against her chest. She stayed standing, looked at Van and then to Arthur--and then back. Grayson was talking, but she couldn't clench her teeth against all the apologies anymore.
"We had to," she interrupted shrilly, "We have to, Dad--Pop--It's our duty, I'm really sorry, I'm really really sorry, please don't send me away, I don't want to go! But we have to! It's the only way to keep everyone safe, and we have to p-protect the Princess, and--" Elke tugged her hand free from Grayson's so she could cover her face. Somewhere in the deluge of words she'd started to cry--not little tears, either, but embarrassing, fat tears rolling down her skinny face. Anyone could tell she was terrified of being sent away. "Please, we really--we really had to, don't send me away, please, please..."
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:41 pm
"Elke--" Everything inside of him pulled toward his girlfriend, made him forget what he'd even been about to say to his parents, and he reached for her. He hated to see Elke cry, hated to see anyone cry, but Elke was the worst. His first instinct was to reach for her and wrap her up in his arms, where she'd be safe, and so his hands were up before he even thought about it.
But he was too slow. It was with surprise that his hands were knocked away, and swift annoyance followed after it when Arthur didn't even look at him. Half of what Elke had been saying couldn't even be understood, and for that he was a little grateful; the parts about protecting people, the Princess, would open up a lot of questions that he wasn't sure they were prepared to answer. But it seemed that at least some of it had gotten through to his father, and Arthur had his arms around Elke, now.
"Sssh, Elke." He ran his hands up and down her back, trying to subdue her deep, heavy sobs. "No one is sending you anywhere, except to bed, when we're finished here. We're worried, not angry."
Van had joined them now, reaching for Grayson's hand. Whereas Arthur's expressions were easy to read because they so readily resembled Grayson's, there were times, such as just then, when he had no idea what was going on in his Pop's mind.
"You didn't answer your phone," Van said, and from anyone else, there might have been an accusing note. With Pop, it was just a fact. "We were really worried."
Grayson sighed, and because Arthur was still trying to calm Elke, he wrapped his arms around his pop for a loose hug. "Sorry," he said, "We can explain, we just -- we didn't mean to make anyone worry."
He was scrambling to think of how he could explain this without revealing who they really were, both for his own protection and Elke's, when Van said simply, "We've lost you both, twice. We don't ever want to lose you again."
Grayson closed his eyes, ashamed. "Pop." Voice tight, a little strained, he said, "Pop, we're not going anywhere, we..."
We...?
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:52 pm
Elke calmed, slowly but surely. Worried, but not angry, and she kept whispering that she was so sorry to Arthur whenever she could get enough breath to do it. She wasn't sure if she was embarrassed or just sad to have worried them so much and then cried over it. Going to bed would be nice, she thought, but only after--
But how could they explain it? Was there a way to explain that the only reason neither of them could answer their phones because they didn't have them?
There was, she decided, only one way to explain. She took a few deep, shaky breaths and wiggled out of Arthur's arms. "Sorry, Grayson," she said after a moment, going to the bag she'd set on the floor and unearthing her henshin pen.
She felt sick. She felt... terrified. What if they did send her away? Being a senshi was a great deal different from being a juvenile delinquent. Her knuckles were white around her pen as she held it up over her head. "Virgo Eternal Power," she mouthed, "make-up." Then Elke was surrounded by a pillar of light, beautiful spring-green. When it faded, Soldier Virgo was standing there, her expression uncertain.
"We had a good reason," she said lamely, wrapping her arms around herself.
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:05 pm
It was quiet in the living room. Too quiet.
Arthur stared, and slowly, Grayson opened his eyes. He knew what she was going to do, but couldn't tell her to stop -- he had nothing to offer, nothing he could suggest that would explain better than this -- and that bothered him. He was supposed to be able to protect the people he loved and he was falling short, had no explanations, no tidy way to make this all fall into place; irrationally, he felt like he should have been able to prevent this somehow. But he hadn't been able to, and now Elke was going to henshin, and --
The light filled the living room, Elke transforming before their eyes. His parents stared, dumbfounded, seemingly unable to gather their thoughts into words. Well, that was fine.
He reached into the pocket of his Colts sweatshirt, his favorite one, and loosely curled his fingers around his own henshin pen. While they were distracted, he pulled it out, cast his eyes down as it rested in his palm.
Calmly, quietly, he said, "Leo Zodiac Power, make-up."
Light, brighter and more brilliant than even Elke's, flared all around him, set the tips of his hair afire as his parents glanced over and then winced at the sight of him. His silhouette was pure white for just a moment, then the light faded, though his clothing still seemed to hold a glow that looked slightly unnatural, superimposed somehow on the living room.
He took his mask off, slowly, pinching it between gloved fingers, and said, "We didn't choose this, but we can't -- won't -- turn our backs on it."
Arthur took a step, stopped, and shook his head. Disbelief was on his face, clear in the lines of it, when he murmured, "I don't recognize.." and shook his head again.
Frustrated, he looked to Van, and said, "It's his face, but... I don't recognize it like this."
Then, quietly, Van glanced between the two of them. "You're senshi? .. for how long?"
"Virgo?" Grayson asked, holding out a hand. He was never very good with dates, times.
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:20 pm
Questions in a minute. This first.
"I am Zodiac Captain Virgo, guardian and protector of Innocence," she said, lifting her chin high. Where Elke was meek, this girl--well, woman would be a better descriptor, for the way she held herself once Leo had appeared. Not quite regal, but there was something of a commanding presence about her she'd always lacked before. She slipped her hand into Leo's, then; she wished, childishly, that he would take off the gloves and hold her hand. But she wouldn't complain, not now, not when there was so much to explain.
She could do it, though. She was the Captain, and if she was grounded, then she couldn't lead. Couldn't help the Princess. Would be... useless. And that was something she just couldn't stand, so this was the best option. This way, too, she could... she could work, and keep them safer, by not having to hide.
Now she settled on the couch, spreading her skirt rather fussily. "...A while," she said. "I was first. In April... Two years ago." She remembered that time, remembering Leo and seeking him, looking so hard--and then the joy when she found him, when he was Grayson, when she was so happy the kind boy was Leo. The months of heartache were repaid by this, by finding him--even if for so long they'd lived like they were siblings, and only now realized that they were meant to be lovers.
Well, one day. For now, just loves.
Two years... Even before she'd died, then; and she knew, didn't she, what kind of questions that would give rise to. She owed Arthur and Van her honesty. They had trusted her with their hearts, hadn't they? Adopted her as her daughter.
She wanted to cry and beg them not to look at them that way. Instead, she sat there and tried to look as adult as she could. It was working... sort of. She bit her lip, dipped her head; tangled her free hand in her veil to drape that over the back of the couch. In a pleading tone, she said, "This is who I have always been. I was born inside this skin."
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:33 pm
His parents had slowly taken seats together, not holding hands, but sitting close so that their thighs brushed on the couch. The contact helped, Grayson thought; it had to, because sitting next to Virgo on the couch, her hand in his gloved one, helped keep him centered when all he really wanted to do was apologize to his parents and promise him that he wouldn't worry them anymore.
He couldn't make that promise, though. Especially now that they knew, they would be worried every single night. For the rest of their lives until the Negaverse was vanquished, they would worry. And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
"For two years," Van said, slowly. "This is... it's a little much to take in. Why?"
Their faces were confused but expectant, gazes passing between the two of them. Leo inhaled, exhaled.
"I'm your son -- but I'm not." This was the hard part, the worst part. "I'm Grayson, but... there's part of me that's Leo, too. I'm a soldier, a warrior..." He bit his lower lip, glanced aside.
How did you school your parents on thousands of years of celestial battle when you still didn't fully understand it yourself? When you only knew what you'd been told, what you could remember from cold, dark dreams and memories that pressed at the back of your skull?
"We fight monsters. The dark. Evil." It sounded so dramatic, so unbelievable. "The senshi part of us was born into us, predestined. So I suppose we've always been Virgo and Leo, we just weren't aware. And it isn't like anything else, it isn't like... a job. It's part of who you are. I can't just decide to not be Leo any more than I could decide to not be Grayson."
He fell silent again, feeling inadequate and lame.
Arthur was leaning forward, his hands clasped and dipping between his knees. "What does this mean, exactly," he asked. "What does it exactly mean that my son and daughter are... senshi. I'm afraid," he added, voice a little tight, "that you are going to have to give me a crash course."
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:27 pm
"We're born this way," she repeated, "I was always Virgo. Just as I was always Elke."
Her upgrade, the new power, had brought her a more complete understanding of the past. So this was her time to shine, her moment to help Leo like he'd always helped her. She could do this!
First, though, she pressed a kiss to the back of Leo's hand. It was meant to be part reassurance for him, part comfort for him. Things were fine. Everything would be fine. No one would ever know that they were senshi, except their parents. Maybe Tristan, one day. Where was he?...
Later.
First, there was explaining to do. She started with the past--with the beginning of everything, back in the Silver Millennium when they were pure soldiers and not civilians at all. It was bare bones--the basics, nothing more. They lived that long ago. They died. They were born again. Then Virgo awoke, first of them all--simply by luck, not by talent or skill or importance, just the luck of being near the Princess... And then, the important part.
"Leo mentioned an enemy. There is. They're called the Negaverse--they're the military-suited terrorists in the news. They kill people. They make monsters out of pure Chaos that only want to eat your--your soul." She placed a hand over her pendant for emphasis, her green eyes troubled. No one knew where youma came from, but she didn't want to make her fathers any more frightened than she already was. "Back then, there was just one of them... a man named Charonite. Much older than us... but I never actually saw him, besides that. He kidnapped the Princess, because what we stand for he can't abide. Because together, we were too powerful for them to defeat. Together, the Zodiacs are strong, but..."
She paused, plucked at the edging on her skirt. "But we weren't together. We were missing one of us. And... Charonite's trick worked. We..." Virgo choked up. The memory of that fire... But she wouldn't give it away. Her parents never had to know about their deaths. That they had been real. Instead, she cleared her throat and continued:
"Civilians, like you, don't have the strength required. You can defeat youma. I've seen it done. But it's harder for you than it is for us, because we have power--it's easier for Zodiac Guards than it is even for regular senshi, because this is what we were built for. To repel Chaos. To keep people safe. This is... our outpost. We have to patrol it, to keep people safe. We have to fight. To protect everyone."
She paused, looked from face to face to face; for the first time, appeared uncertain. "It means we will sometimes risk ourselves. But we are so much safer than humans. We heal faster. We are... faster. And stronger. And we have... magic. Is this making sense?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:45 pm
It wasn't, really, and that was obvious on their faces. They were trying, but it was past three and maybe there were parts of them that wanted to believe that it was all a bad dream, and they would wake up and life would be normal again. Their children wouldn't be magical defenders of the earth, fighting back chaos and housing souls that were thousands of years old. Leo could see the weariness in their faces, be sorry for it.
But there was nothing he could do about the fact that this was reality. There was no changing it, and there was certainly no going back anymore.
"This has to be a secret," he said, fingers twined casually with Virgo's, giving as much reassurance as he was taking. "And on that note... we need to power down. We're like beacons like this, magnets."
He closed his eyes and the henshin melted away, leaving Grayson sitting on the couch in the same pair of skinny jeans and Colts sweatshirt that he'd entered the house in. The light around him faded, leaving what appeared to be a normal young adult, an almost-peaceful looking man, holding his girlfriend's hand.
"We didn't want to hide it from you.. but the more people who know, the more people are in danger. But we've been selfish, too." He sighed. "It's late, though."
Arthur scrubbed his face, and Van nodded. "Everyone needs to go to bed. We'll talk about this more in the morning--" and just then, Tristan flung the front door open, looking supremely annoyed in his gingerbread man pajama bottoms and Meadowview sweatshirt.
He looked between all of them, managed a "Well thanks for letting me know." and stomped his way upstairs, muttering all the while. The door slammed.
Arthur rubbed his temples for what felt like the thousandth time that morning. "Elke. Bed. Grayson -- bed, Tristan's room."
His surprise and displeasure were immediately apparent, but he'd no sooner opened his mouth when Arthur talked over the top of him. "You are hardly going to sleep together after you snuck into the house at four in the morning, magic senshi warriors or not."
He closed his mouth, glowering a little.
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:20 pm
"We can tell you more in the morning," she said, chin still high--almost arrogantly. Very un-Elke. So was the almost unerring sense of command and charisma she had. It might have been imbued by her role. It might have been something she'd always had. It was definitely noticeable now.
The blonde, veiled Captain gave way to Elke just as the door slammed open; she looked towards the source of the noise, and tilted her head. Oh. Poor Tristan, he hadn't known... she should have texted. She frowned, passed her hand over her hair and then stood, hand still twined in Grayson's. Her unhappiness, like her boyfriend's, was palpable. The explanation made that fade a little, instead replaced with some kind of acceptance.
She nodded after a moment. "Night, Dad. Pop." A hesitation, as she squeezed Grayson's hand and then let go. Quickly, she crossed the room and hugged them both in turn. "I'm sorry," she said, "thank you for not sending me away... Good night." She smoothed her skirt and kissed Grayson goodnight, then headed up the stairs, losing layers as she went. Bedtime. ... Bedtime with no Grayson.
Sigh.
At least she wasn't grounded.
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