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 Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:07 pm
Perpetual Motion[Aquarius + Medea] The jaded Aquarius meets a senshi with rose-colored glasses.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:10 pm
The Language of Flowers[Aquarius + Thraen] Two scholars talk about language and space, and have a stirring game of Marco Polo.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:12 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:14 pm
There was another report on TV about the eclipse phenomenon. Tara tried her best to ignore it as she ate her breakfast. Or rather, stirred it. This whole thing had her stomach unsettled, and eating was tough. All she could manage was the occasional bite when she could feel Kent watching her. Which seemed to be happening more and more these days. Watching, waiting for her to speak. He’d issued countless invitations for her to unburden herself, and she could tell he was disappointed that she’d refused them all.
But what could she say? ‘I was kidnapped by terrorists because I’m secretly a magic alien soldier. And I’m scared of them killing me again, because I’ve already died twice.’ That wouldn’t go over well. And then she’d have to go into the fact that she suspected the coma disease had magical origins. Oh, and she couldn’t forget that she’d missed Thanksgiving a couple of years ago because she’d been a cat at the time. And that her last hospital visit was courtesy of a giant monster that she probably could have beaten if she wasn’t being an idiot about it. None of her story made sense. There was no point in telling it, because Kent wouldn’t believe it.
Or would he? He’d always been understanding. That was what Tara was really afraid of. Not that he wouldn’t believe her, but that he would. Maybe because she was his sister. Or maybe because he was involved in this whole stupid war. If that was the case, did she want to know? It be her fault for getting him involved, as it was with Laney and Dana. Could she deal with the knowledge that she’d led one more person she cared about to what would almost certainly be an early demise?
No. Realistically, she couldn’t handle that. But at the same time, she knew that ignoring the truth, if that was the truth, wouldn’t make it go away.
She had done an okay job of cutting ties so far. Most people had drifted away from her on their own, when she’d stopped responding to phone calls and invitations. Yvette had been difficult, and it still hurt to think about her. But that had been an important step. Now the only people who she risked getting involved were Evie and Kent. Neither of whom she could tell to stay away from her. She lived with Kent, and besides that, he’d flip out if she tried telling him something like that. As for Evie, she was unwilling to damage their still-healing relationship again. It meant too much to Tara to be on speaking terms with her again. Besides, Dana would be looking out for her.
No, Tara decided. She had done the best she could without destroying her life more than it already was. Now she just had to be vigilant about maintaining the delicate status quo. Not something she was usually into doing, but considering the alternatives, it was the best choice she had.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:15 pm
It was dark already. Normally, Tara looked forward to winter, because longer nights meant more opportunities for stargazing. Now she was just unsettled. She hated patrolling after dark, and whatever was going on with the eclipse made her nervous. All she really wanted to do was go home, huddle under a blanket with a cup of cocoa, and watch something mindless on TV. Forget homework, forget responsibilities. Nobody would be hurt if she just took a personal day.
You took a personal year, you idiot, the guilty part of her brain chastised. You’ve used up all your senshi vacation days. And it’s not like you have anyone to spend time with, since you chased them all away.
That hurt, and she even put a hand to her chest. Tara was a social creature by nature. The months of keeping herself away from others had been bitterly difficult, even painful. But, as it usually was, her conscience was right. Even Kent wouldn’t be back from work yet. Nobody was waiting for her.
~*~
Tara was only half right. Kent wasn’t home yet, true enough, but he was waiting for her. He’d been waiting for her for half an hour, sitting on a bench near the HITS entrance, using the oldest trick in the book to keep her from noticing him. When he spotted her coming out, he folded his newspaper, but kept it in his hands, in case he needed to pull his disguise out again. Kent was many things, but he was not a ninja. He was clumsy in his attempt to follow Tara, occasionally losing her in the crowd, sometimes straying too close. If she hadn’t been distracted by her thoughts, she surely would have noticed him. But he was counting on her being distracted, and managed to stay on her tail.
Whatever was bothering her, Kent was going to find out. He’d given her ample opportunities to sort it out for herself. The next step was to figure out what was going on, ideally without letting her know he was doing so. So he followed, looking obvious to any onlookers, but staying off of Tara’s radar. She wouldn’t be expecting him, so she wouldn’t notice him. Or so he hoped.
For a while, it looked like she was just going home. Then she stopped in front of a store, apparently looking in the windows. Kent checked the awning for the name, and was only mildly surprised to see that it was a bakery. Had he waited out in the cold just to catch her on a cake run? Was that her big secret? Impossible; he knew all about her sweet tooth. Besides, that bakery looked closed. He just needed to be patient, and hope that she would show him what she was so scared of.
~*~
“I’m hungry,” Tara whined to herself. She couldn’t go on patrol on an empty stomach, and it had been hours since lunch. Suck it up, her inner voice commanded. Not that there was anything to suck up, or she would have long since eaten it. With a reluctant sigh, she paused at a bakery. It was already closed- or maybe closed for other reasons, she thought, glancing up at the sky briefly. The displays were still set out, though. Maybe just looking at the cakes would give her enough fuel to get through a little bit of monster bashing.
The treats in the window did look delicious, but they only held Tara’s attention for a moment. The darkened window acted as a mirror, and in it she could see Kent a short distance behind her. Was he off work already? What was he doing there? He couldn’t be allowed to notice her, or her chance of getting any ‘work’ done would plummet. And while part of her was longing for any excuse to get out of patrol, this wasn’t the sort of thing she had in mind. Having him in the area while she transformed would make her nervous. With her luck, she’d probably draw a youma right to him.
As if summoned by that thought, Tara caught a glimpse of another figure in the window. Another Kent, closing in on the first one. Which made no sense whatsoever. But there was no time to think about that. If this was some Negaverse trick- which it had to be, because everything was- then she wanted to deal with it before Kent got pulled into the quicksand of the war. As fast as she could, she ducked into the alley next to the bakery, squeezing behind a dumpster for added cover. Her henshin pen was in her pocket, and it took a moment for her gloved hand to pull it out. Then, all that was needed were the words.
“Aquarius Zodiac Power, Make-Up!”
~*~
Kent blinked. Tara had just been there a moment ago, staring longingly at cake. Now she was gone. All he’d done was look at his watch, and she’d vanished. How was that even possible? He took a few steps towards the bakery, wanting to find her without making his presence known. Then, when it became apparent that she clearly wasn’t there, the panic ratcheted up a few notches, and he stopped caring if she knew he was following her. When Tara disappeared, bad things happened. He was not about to let that happen on his watch.
First, the bakery. It really did look closed, but he pounded on the window, in case anyone was inside. Nobody answered, and Kent was about to look away, when he saw a blur behind him. Something- or someone- moving fast. He turned around just in time to see what looked like a dark blue head turn down a side street. “Tara?” The clothes, what little he could see of them, didn’t look at all familiar. And Tara wasn’t usually that fast, unless she was late for dinner on pizza night. But who else could it have been?
There was, of course, no answer to his call. Gritting his teeth- why couldn’t she make this easier on him?- he gave chase, hoping he wasn’t about to angrily demand an explanation from a total stranger.
~*~
It had been a close call. The thing, whatever it was, had been mere feet away from Kent before Aquarius had body-slammed it down another street. Now it was focused on her, which mean that she had time to focus on it. Or rather, him. Because he looked just like her brother, if Kent had just stepped out of a black-and-white movie. Or one of those really old television shows that he liked to watch. For a moment, she wondered if it really was Kent. Maybe he was doing some weird publicity stunt.
“Kill,” the not-Kent growled at her, and thoughts of him being the real thing vanished. This was definitely a fake. Who had been tracking her brother, and probably not to compliment him on his good looks. Aquarius took a deep breath and charged again, aiming at the fake’s stomach with one of her elbows. She had to aim high, since Kent was a tall guy. But not a particularly talented fighter, which was apparently a trait this clone shared, since her elbow connected solidly, allowing her to drive him into a wall.
The thing rasped, and Aquarius frowned. Youma weren’t usually this human. Unless they were undead victims of an organ ring, possibly. If she hadn’t seen the real Kent moments before, she would have been afraid for him. Now she was just angry at this thing. “What do you want?”
“Kill,” it repeated, struggling to get free. Aquarius jabbed with her elbow again, then used her shoulder to pin the fake to the wall. Not much of an answer. It either didn’t feel like elaborating, or wasn’t able to. If it was the latter, there wasn’t much she could do. If it was the former, though, then maybe all that was needed was some more persuasion. She reached up and pressed on the not-Kent’s throat. Enough to be painful, she figured, without cutting off air entirely. Not that these things necessarily needed to breathe, but better to play it safe. Or as safe as she could be, while confronting her brother’s evil twin.
~*~
The side street was short, but with a sharp curve. Kent jogged down it, towards the sounds of violence that he could hear further along. He couldn’t see what was happening, but he didn’t like what he could hear. If someone was hurting his sister, they were going to end up in the hospital this time, if he had anything to say about it. The mere thought made him speed up, racing towards the source of the noise.
He stopped almost as soon as he’d started. The street had reached a dead end. A few yards in front of him were two figures. Tara was nowhere to be seen, which simultaneously relieved Kent and worried him. He hated that he still didn’t know where she was, but at least she wasn’t caught up in this. Whatever ‘this’ was. If he had to guess, he’d say it was some sort of gang fight. The girl was wearing a costume that looked sort of like what the terrorists in the news wore. Not at all practical. Her blue hood was probably what’d he’d seen, and wrongfully assumed was Tara. The guy was wearing a fleece jacket and black pants, just like him. Boots too, black with prominent steel toes, which he wore on cold days in case of icy patches. Then Kent saw his face, and he froze. It was his face. He was fighting a terrorist. Only he wasn’t. Was he?
It was impossible to make sense out of the situation. All Kent could do was stand and gawk as the terrorist began to choke the guy who looked just like him. Which wasn’t something he could stand there and watch. “Hey, stop that!”
~*~
The fake Kent froze when it heard the voice. So did Aquarius. She recognized it without turning around. Which didn’t keep her from slowly turning her head so she could see Kent standing there. So much for slipping past him without him noticing her. She wondered how much he’d seen. Not her henshin, surely. But the rest? The fact that she was beating up his mysterious twin? How was he reacting to that?
For the briefest moment, their eyes met. Aquarius could see the confusion in them, so obvious that it nearly drowned everything else out. But not quite. Kent was scared and angry. Possibly with her. He’d told her to stop, after all. He probably thought that she was a terrorist, beating up some innocent guy. Who happened to look just like him, sans color. The knowledge that Kent was afraid, not just of the situation, but of her, made her pause. Her grip on the clone weakened with her resolve.
Which was just what not-Kent had been waiting for. It surged forward, brushing off Aquarius grip and shoving her aside. Now that its real target was there, it had no interest in anyone else.
~*~
To Kent’s great surprise, the terrorist actually did stop. She kept her hands on her victim, who Kent still had trouble focusing on, but she slowly turned to look at him. A further surprise was the fact that she didn’t look at all angry at being interrupted. She didn’t look violent at all, despite her pose indicating otherwise. It took him a minute to work it out, but she looked sad, almost scared. Had he misread the situation? Was this guy, his doppelganger, the aggressor here? Was the girl just trying to defend herself?
Why did she look so hurt when she looked at him? Did his accusation bother her that much?
Before he had a chance to reflect further, the situation changed. The guy pushed the girl away and charged at him. All Kent could get out was “I didn’t m-” before he was the one slammed against the wall, staring into his own eyes. Now that the other guy was this close, Kent could see that his face was totally grey and colorless. It was like someone had photocopied him, and sent the copy to attack him. But why? What had he done to earn this kind of attention?
“Kill,” said the copy, with what sounded like his voice. Too creepy. Kent fought to get away, but every opening he found was swiftly blocked. He was trapped.
~*~
Aquarius crawled out of the pile of boxes she’d landed in. They had broken her fall, but impeded her movement. Considering what was going on, she’d rather have taken the blow full-on if it meant getting to Kent’s side faster. As it was, she had to waste valuable seconds extracting herself from her cardboard prison and getting to her feet. By that time, her brother was already in the clutches of his evil twin. It was targeting him; Aquarius had just been a diversion. Now, she had no doubt it was planning to make good on its threat.
“Not while I’m around,” she muttered. The thought of attacking still worried her a bit- would Kent think she was a monster?- but there was no time to waste on her anxiety. As long as Kent was alive, he could think whatever he wanted to think about her. Not that he knew who she was. And that bothered her too, even though it was exactly the way she wanted it. The alternative was too horrible to even consider.
The clone raised its hand, and Aquarius saw her chance. “Energy Equivalence!” she yelled, placing her hand on the brick wall behind her. The weight settled on her immediately, slowing her pace, but she didn’t have far to go. One step, two, and then she was within reach. She drove her shoulder into the copy, shunting it aside. That would have been the moment to tell Kent to run, but the words wouldn’t come. She knew she was protected, and that he wouldn’t recognize her, and still she couldn’t say anything. All she could do was eliminate the threat, so that words wouldn’t be needed.
~*~
One moment, Kent was in the clutches of his doppelganger, fighting the hands that wrapped around his neck, seconds from having the life choked out of him. Apparently, the girl had given it ideas. Then, just as quickly, the copy was shoved away. Kent leaned back, massaging his throat, as he watched the girl clasp her hands together and drive them into his face. His face. That was so bizarre. Weirder still was the way the copy vanished, fading into nothingness as he watched. He suddenly felt exhausted, which he figured was because he’d nearly been strangled. That would make anyone a bit tired.
The girl was still there, staring at where his doppelganger had been a moment ago. Then she slowly let her hands drop and turned to face him. Her eyes were still sad, and afraid, as she studied him. Kent wanted to ask what the matter was, but he couldn’t speak just yet. If there was a problem- another enemy, an injury, or something worse- she would have to tell him about it.
But maddeningly, she simply stood there, staring at him. She didn’t attempt to give him any information. Just like someone else I know, he thought, annoyed with the situation. If this girl expected him to just walk away after being assaulted by someone who was basically him, she had another thing coming. And as soon as he was able to vocalize, she’d be getting an earful from him. In the meantime, he had to stop her from leaving, however he could.
He wasn’t the only one to have that thought. From out of nowhere, another hooded terrorist lookalike appeared, landing on the girl and pinning her to the ground.
~*~
Kent wasn’t scared now, not really, Aquarius realized as she looked at him. Still confused, of course, and there was his trademark frustration when he came up against a problem he couldn’t solve. If he hadn’t been gasping for air a moment ago, he’d probably be demanding an explanation. She needed to leave before that could happen.
She sensed the aura a split second before the attack came. Not soon enough to do anything other than register that something weird enough was nearby. Then came another figure, coming from above- the roof, probably- that drove her to the ground. Aquarius looked at her attacked. After what had happened, it should have surprised her less to see her own face looking back at her. It didn’t. She was totally freaked out by the person, or whatever it was, who was cackling at her discomfort.
Is this because I ran? Is the Cauldron trying again? And if it is, couldn’t it have chosen a less painful way of offing me?
That was as far as her brain got before the clone leaned in closer, putting its mouth right next to her ears, and its hand on the wall behind them. “Energy Equivalence,” it whispered, a maniacal grin on its face.
Aquarius’ eyes widened as her double took on the properties of the brick wall. Only her own power, still active, prevented her from being crushed underneath its weight. But she would run out of time soon, and then there would be nothing protecting her from the Aquarius-sized brick wall. She tried to move, but her body was still slowed by the extra mass. Dismissing her ability would increase her speed, but it would also leave her as flat as a pancake. And in terms of density, they were tied, and thus at a standstill.
All she could do was scream, as she wondered how much time she had left.
~*~
This was just too crazy for Kent to comprehend. First he came across a girl and his own doppelganger, the latter of which had tried to kill him. The girl had dispatched the clone somehow, but now had her own to contend with. Not that there seemed to be a whole lot of fighting going on. The girl in gray was just draped over the one who had saved him, and neither of them could move much.
The scream brought him back to his senses, and he knew he had to act. For an instant, Kent thought about leaving them to it. That thought was quickly dismissed. Even if he didn’t know what was going on, he knew that the girl was in trouble. Even if she hadn’t saved his life, he would have stepped in. Since she had, he really had to get in there and save her from herself, literally.
This was easier said than done. The clone was right on top of her, so it would be hard to separate them. Apologizing in his head in case this was a mistake, he kicked at the doppelganger, expecting his boots to do enough damage to get it to move. Instead, he just ended up with a sore foot. The copy didn’t even look up at him, still focused on the girl and laughing maniacally. What was this thing made of, rocks? How was he supposed to help, if he couldn’t even divert the attacker?
~*~
Why was Kent coming closer? The answer was obvious, and it warmed Aquarius’ heart even in her terror. He wanted to help. Of course he did, he was a nice guy. And maybe he wasn’t so scared of her after all. But there really wasn’t anything he could do, and by coming closer, he’d just be putting himself in harm’s way. She wanted to warn him off, but the pressure on her chest was overwhelming, and she couldn’t take a breath. Her vision swam as her brain began to shut down. Her energy was running out quickly. Soon her power would be gone, and so would she.
Sure enough, his attempt to separate them landed in failure. Any other time, seeing Kent hopping around, nursing his probably bruised toes, would have been hilarious. Now it just worried her more. Once she was dead, would her copy go after him? No, that couldn’t happen! She wouldn’t let it. But she didn’t have much to work with. She was equally matched with her opponent in every way, and in a bad position, with only a few seconds of juice left and nothing nearby that could help.
Or was there? Out of the corner of her eye, Aquarius saw Kent again. More specifically, his shoes. Steel-toed boots. Steel had to trump brick. Using the last bit of breath she had, she reached out one hand for Kent’s boot. The words almost caught in her throat, but she forced them out.
“Energy Equivalence!”
~*~
As if things weren’t confusing enough, what with terrorists, doppelgangers, and rock-solid people, the girl grabbed for his boot. Kent stopped hopping around. Then he stared at the girl, who seemed to get a second wind. At least, she was able to push her clone off of her and catch her breath. But that seemed to be the extent of her ability. All she could do get some distance, dragging her body along the ground. The clone was winded too, but not for long.
Kent didn’t know what he was doing; his body moved on its own. Later, when he was able to think, he knew that it didn’t matter. He would have done the same no matter what, using himself as a human shield, a wall between the girl and her copy. “No,” he said clearly, then coughed. His throat was still hurting, but this needed to be said. “You’ve done enough. Leave.”
The clone cocked its head, not convinced. Kent knew that as soon as it got to its feet, it would attack again. And despite his need to intervene, he wasn’t sure what he could do to stop it, heavy and solid as it was. There were even cracks in the sidewalk where the two terrorists had been struggling, for crying out loud. He was an engineer, not Don Diablos. What was he supposed to do in this situation?
Run, maybe.
It was a thought. Not one he listened to, instead opting to stay put and stare down the doppelganger, regardless of the consequences.
~*~
Success! Sort of. At least Aquarius was no longer in immediate danger. No broken bones or ruptured organs. Some bruising, sure, but that was no big deal compared to what she’d faced before. Her plan had worked, at least long enough to give her some space to recuperate and plan her next move.
The problem was that she was out of moves. Her magic was completely used up. Her body was still sore from being pressed like a panini. Even if she was able to wait for her evil twin’s magic to dissipate- assuming it would- she wasn’t sure she was capable of launching a proper offensive against someone of her own level. She wasn’t the best fighter even under the best circumstances. Now, she had nothing left to fight with. Any moment, her copy would come and finish what it had started.
As she took more deep breaths, her vision began to stabilize as well. She could see her clone, getting to its feet, readying another assault. And she could see Kent, standing between them, his arms spread wide. Even when he knew it was hopeless, he wouldn’t stand there and do nothing. It was touching, but it also twisted her heart and threatened to pull it apart. If he stayed there, he would be killed, and so would she. She hadn’t lasted this long just to be beaten by herself!
Glad to hear it, something in her mind said, but there was no time to focus on that now. Aquarius used the wall to support her as she stood up. Everything hurt, but that was to be expected. She could force herself to work through it, as long as she had a plan. With the straightforward options of magic and brute force out, she would need to get creative.
Aquarius smiled. The copy had already proven to be resourceful. Now, it was her turn to show it how a master worked.
~*~
“Come and get me!”
Kent paused his stare-off with the clone long enough to turn and stare at the girl. She was looking better, it was true, but not well enough to take on a brick wall. He wanted to warn her, to say that he would help. Anything was better than leaving her alone to face whatever monster that thing was.
Then the girl winked at him, and that shocked him enough to make him lose his train of thought. It was an oddly familiar gesture, and he wanted to ask about it. Not that it was a priority in their current situation. And before he could, she was gone, having jumped straight up into the air. Sure, the building next to them was short, just a couple of stories high. But it was impossible for anyone to leap to the top of it in a single bound. Or so he thought, as he watched her land on the roof.
His mouth open, he glanced back at the copy. Or he tried, but it had gone too, following the girl with the same unbelievable jumping ability. Now there really wasn’t anything that he could do, except watch and wait.
~*~
The wind on top of the building revived Aquarius a little. She took another deep breath and waited for her evil twin to follow her, sure that it would. She was not disappointed, though she did have to dodge a punch as soon as the copy landed. If it wanted to force a fight, she would need to do this quickly. Staying near the edge of the roof, she put up a fake guard, daring the clone to attack her. So it did.
Dodging was easier than attacking, though not by much. After a couple of missed punches, Aquarius found her strength flagging. Luckily, the clone was getting agitated. It drew closer to her as it readied a shoulder thrust. Aquarius waited until the last minute before stepping aside, kicking out behind her as she did. That was enough to send the copy over the edge of the roof. Not that the fall alone would damage it much.
This was going to hurt. Knowing that, Aquarius jumped off the roof right after her doppelganger, taking aim and slamming her feet into its back. The good news was that the clone couldn’t move. The bad news was that neither could she. When she landed, the shock traveled up her legs, and she sat down abruptly in the now-vacant space, as her copy flickered out of sight.
~*~
If he hadn’t seen it for himself, Kent wasn’t sure he would have believed it. Even after seeing it, he wasn’t sure he believed it. It was all just too much to take in. The girl seemed to feel that way too, since after her doppelganger faded away, she lay on the ground, breathing heavily. She showed no signs of getting up, and remained silent except for her gasps. Clearly she had no intention of explaining anything.
This would have been a good time to walk away. The danger seemed to have passed. Of course, he’d thought that before and been totally wrong. Considering the fact that he still had no idea what had just happened, he really couldn’t tell what he was supposed to expect. But the girl had dropped her guard, and he followed suit, not that he’d really had much of a guard to begin with. He’d been apprehensive of her at first, and still was, since she’d shown herself capable of superhuman feats. He had no doubt that she could break him in half, if she wanted to. But she had saved his life more than once in the past five minutes. That won out over his apprehension.
“Need a hand up?” he asked, offering one anyway. “It’s not a good idea to lie in the street.”
~*~
Incredible. After everything he’d seen, Kent was still trying to help her. Aquarius took his hand, which felt warm and safe, as it always had. She’d known her brother was courageous and noble, but part of her had always suspected that he was just like that with her, because she was his sister. Now she knew otherwise. Kent was a stand-up guy, period. The world needed more people like him.
And so, he could never be allowed to get involved with her, or this aspect of her life.
“Thank you,” she muttered, dropping the hand as soon as she could. She had no idea if her glamour extended to tactile sensations, and didn’t want to take any chances. Now was the time to leave, before he tried asking her questions that she didn’t want to answer. The last thing she wanted to do was figure out how to explain what had happened. Largely because she still wasn’t sure herself.
Kent moved in front of her before she could go. “Wait a sec. You owe me an explanation.”
She really did. For so much more than he knew. His words drove into the deeper problem: Tara had been hiding things from him for years. It was for his own good, but she had still been lying to him. She was about to lie to him again. And she would continue to do so for the foreseeable future. He deserved better than that, but he also deserved to live. He couldn’t have answers and life. The two were, she felt, mutually exclusive.
“I don’t know what’s going on.” That was at least partially true. “But in exchange for your help, let me give you a word of advice: forget what happened here today.” Her expression was pained as she spoke. “Getting involved with people like me will only hurt you.”
Without waiting for a response, she jumped up again, taking the roof-path so that he couldn’t follow her. If she hurried, she would be able to beat him home, and hide her injuries with blankets and bathrobes. He would never know the truth. And that was how it needed to be.
~*~
“Wait!” Kent shouted, not that it did any good. The girl was gone, and whatever answers he had hoped for had gone with her. He was left alone to make sense of the situation. Impossible. The situation made no sense whatsoever. All he had was a bunch of stuff that couldn’t have happened, that had happened. And he was supposed to forget it? That was even more impossible.
Getting involved with people like me will only hurt you.
Rather than being scared, Kent found the girl’s warning promising. ‘People like me’ implied that there were others out there who could give him the answers he needed. It probably would hurt, he acknowledged. But being left in the dark by everyone around him hurt far more. First Tara, now this girl. Did they think he couldn’t handle the truth? That he was some wimp who needed to be protected all the time?
Well, he’d had enough. Kent Kavanaugh was determined to solve the mysteries around him, and nobody was going to stop him.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:17 pm
A plate of pizza sat on the bed, next to Tara. She’d made some story about having homework, forgoing the usual family dinner chat for peace and quiet. Not that Kent would believe that she was working on homework, but maybe he was too shaken to notice her flimsy excuse.
He hadn’t looked shaken, though. Tired, certainly, but no more than he usually appeared after a hard day at work. He’d been cheery when he brought home the pizza, explaining that he felt they could use a treat. He was counting on her being too pleased with the treat to question it, and she hadn’t, because she knew the real reason behind it. In all likelihood, Kent was too exhausted from his ordeal to cook, and he knew better than to entrust the task to her. Even when he was tired and confused, he was still on the ball with the little details. That was something Tara could never manage.
He hadn’t mentioned the event to her. This made Tara a little bit nervous, but only a little. If he was a senshi or a knight, he would have transformed to fight the weird clone monsters. After all, he’d only seen Aquarius, not Tara. Changing in front of his sister would be awkward, but she had no doubts that he would have done so in front of a complete stranger, and a senshi to boot, if he had the ability. So logically, he had to be normal.
Tara let out a breath. All of her attempts to keep him out of the war hadn’t been for nothing, then. So far, so good.
That afternoon had been a pretty calamitous screw-up. It was probably the closest Kent had gotten to magical phenomena since the comas, or the fight with the snow queen. But the fact was that he had been exposed to magic before, and it didn’t seem to make him unduly curious. This was more personal, but in the end, it was the same sort of thing. Maybe he would think it was some sort of delusion. Or, if the media caught wind of it, he’d believe whatever excuse they cooked up. He’d take Aquarius’ advice, and forget it, just like he’d forgotten the rest. He was smart, he’d take the hint.
All in all, then, the whole debacle had actually been for the best. Tara could now assume with near certainty that Kent was just a regular guy, and despite a close encounter with a magic monster, she felt confident that he’d continue to remain so. Which was more than enough, really. Someone like him, helpful and kind even when he was scared, didn’t need to get involved in a deadly game. He did plenty of good as Kent Kavanaugh. All she had to do was keep him away from her, and the evil that she seemed to be a magnet for, and the rest would take care of itself.
As for the evil twins? Tara took a bite of her pizza as she thought about it, then shrugged. Did it really matter what they were? They were gone now. She chalked them up to ‘more reasons being a senshi sucks’ and sipped her cocoa. “If I tried to figure out the nature of everything that wanted to kill me,” she rationalized, “I’d be dead. Again.” As long as no more clones tried to murder her, she wasn’t going to worry about it. There were other things she had to do. Like not die. That took all her time and energy, and she still wasn’t very good at it. All the more reason to keep practicing, she decided, polishing off the pizza. Maybe then, she could start living again.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:19 pm
“You’ve been spending a lot of time out lately,” Kent commented.
Tara almost dropped her forkful of spaghetti, but managed to regain her composure quickly. Considering they had been talking about TV shows just a few seconds ago, this was a total change in topic. And not the sort of thing they usually discussed over dinner. “Mmm,” she grunted, stuffing the spaghetti in her mouth to avoid giving a proper reply.
“I hardly ever see you anymore, except at dinner. You’re not avoiding me, are you?”
Apparently, he wasn’t going to drop it. Tara carefully chewed and swallowed her mouthful, trying to think of something to tell Kent to get him off her back. “Of course not,” she said sharply once she could speak. “You were after me for ages to get out more. To live my life. Are you mad that you’re taking my advice?”
Kent shook his head. “Why would I give advice and ask you to ignore it? That’s not it at all.”
“Then why-”
“I’d be fine with you taking my advice, if I thought you actually were.” Now Kent was wearing one of his serious faces, and he put his utensils down so he could fold his arms. “I’ve spoken with some of your friends-”
“Are you spying on me?!” Tara sputtered.
“I wasn't the one to reach out to them. I ran into Yvette the other day.” Tara froze as Kent continued speaking. "She told me that she wasn't allowed to come over any more- that you wouldn't see her anymore. And she's not the only one." It looked like Kent was going to keep speaking, but he paused there, waiting for Tara to fill in the blank. She didn’t, which only made him frown even more. “Why are you lying to me?”
“I’m not-”
“You are, Tara! You’ve been lying to me for years. And I let you, because I didn’t want you to have to think about things that would only hurt you. Even when you stopped going to school, or disappeared for Thanksgiving weekend, I never pressured you. I wanted you to tell me the truth, in your own time. I’ve been patient, haven’t I? Well, haven’t I?”
Tara could only gape and nod. Kent had been frustrated with her before, but he’d never unleashed it in quite this manner.
“And yet you tell me nothing. It’s obvious that what I’m doing isn’t helping you, Tara. Maybe I’m even making it worse, by letting you run away from whatever’s bothering you. Maybe Mom and Dad had the right of it all along.”
“What does that mean?” Tara asked, her body tightening up. “You’re not going to send me back to them, are you?”
Kent shrugged and threw his hands up in the air. “Maybe? We’ve agreed that nothing is changing here. And something needs to change, Tara. You’re obviously not okay. If you’d be better off back home with them...”
“No!” Tara stood up abruptly, knocking her chair over in her haste. “This is my home, Kent. I won’t leave. Especially to have my head dissected like some specimen in a jar!”
That was an unusually vehement objection. Did that mean he was finally getting somewhere? “I don’t know why you’re so against getting help for your problems, Tara. As for this being your home, well, it doesn’t seem like you’re making use of whatever connections you have. Even if you’re not hiding in your room anymore- and I’m not convinced that you aren’t- you’re clearly not spending time with your friends. I think a change of scenery might do you some good.”
He was really going to do it. He was going to make her leave. Once, Tara might have welcomed the chance to put some space between her and an endless chain of youma battles. Now, the thought of not being able to make a difference terrified her. She would not let other innocent people take the blows that were meant for her. Not again.
“I am twenty years old, Kent.” Tara spoke through gritted teeth, her words barely audible. “I am an adult, capable of making my own decisions. If you don’t want me here, I’ll get a job, find my own place-”
“C’mon, Tara, I didn’t mean it like that-”
“- but I won’t leave Destiny City, and you can’t make me!” As if proving her statement, Tara turned and ran to her room, locking the door behind her. She could hear Kent following her, and then him knocking on the door. He would stop eventually, she knew that. But at that moment, despite her claims that she didn’t want to go anywhere, staying in her room was unbearable.
It took a matter of seconds for her to transform into Sailor Aquarius. Focusing on the song of her Outpost was a bit trickier, especially with Kent banging on the door, but once she managed to single it out, she mashed the “HOME” button on her senshiphone, leaving the world behind, if only for a while.
Seconds after she’d left, Kent unlocked the door to her room, using the key he’d promised to only use in case of emergency. Normally, he respected her privacy, but she was clearly unstable, apt to do something dangerous. Like vanish from a locked room.
He looked around the room slowly, checking under the desk, the bed, even the comically crowded closet. Tara was nowhere to be seen. The only door had been locked. The window was still locked- from the inside. It was the proverbial locked room murder mystery, except instead of murder, Tara had pulled off some kind of amazing escape. How had she done it? Did it have something to do with the phantoms that haunted her?
For the first time, Kent wondered if there was some truth to Tara’s claims that he wouldn’t believe the truth.
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:40 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:44 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:46 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:48 pm
Aquarius reappeared in her room. It was still quite early in the morning. Kent probably thought that she was sulking, which suited her just fine. She tucked the phone into her sash and took a deep breath, as she let her henshin melt away. Tara Kavanaugh was left, still fully clothed from the night before. That would never do. Quickly she yanked off her t-shirt and jeans, replacing them with a long nightshirt and flannel pants in a starry print, with little rocketships. She ran her fingers through her damp hair, working out the worst of the tangles. Her legs in particular still felt grungy from all the sand, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. Once Kent came in to wake her up, she could take a proper shower.
“I guess you could say I had a bath last night,” she joked to herself as she sat on the edge of her bed.
”Baths are for the purpose of cleansing oneself. There was no cleansing involved in that spill you took.” Aquarius leaned on the wall, tapping a poster with one finger. ”The Periodic Table of Elements. I could have used something like this. It’s far neater than the classification system I was stuck with.”
Tara shrieked, then immediately regretted it. Kent would be running in now, to make sure she was okay. But she wasn’t, clearly. “What the hell are you doing here?” she hissed, burying her face in her hands. “I left you at the Outpost!”
”I am you.” The stock response didn’t get any less infuriating with repetition. ”You’re here, ergo, I am here. I can’t guide you if I’m thousands of kilometers away. Not that that’s even possible, since I’m you.” He made it sound so obvious, which didn’t help either. For a moment, she wondered if punching him would hurt her as well.
“Tara?” There was Kent, at the door. She was too flabbergasted to answer, or to notice that he let himself in without needing to unlock the door. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
She looked at him, desperately wanting to tell him everything. So much had happened that he could never know about. She had been foolish to think it would be easy to mend their relationship, when she would be lying to him for the rest of her life. If there was a way to explain without explaining, someone would need to explain it to her. The situation was unbelievably complicated. The last thing she needed was further complications in the mix.
Said complication looked on, but didn’t speak. Tara wanted to ask Kent if he could see the ghost that was haunting her, but didn’t. If he could, he would have mentioned it. So either this was all in her head, or she was the only one who could see her past self. Or both.
“Tara?”
“I’m fine, Kent.” Yet another lie added to the pile. Tara was so far from fine that she needed a road map to get back. Or a ‘shining star to guide her,’ perhaps. Aquarius winked, giving her the courage to speak up. “It was another bad dream, that’s all.”
Kent noticed that Tara’s hair was wet, but didn’t bring it up. Just as he didn’t mention her mysterious disappearing act. It seemed that she hadn’t notice how easy his entrance had been, and while he didn’t touch on that for obvious reasons, he filed that information away as well. Gone were the days of him letting little details slide by. Now that he had an idea of how high the stakes were, he needed to keep track of everything. It was impossible to tell which detail could end up being the crucial clue he’d need.
He did sit next to her on the bed and put an arm around her in what he hoped was a comforting way. “Look,” he said, trying not to smile as she leaned against him. “Last night, we both let our frustration get the better of us. We said things we didn’t really mean. Right?” She nodded, and he took that as his cue to continue. “I know we’ve been fighting a lot lately, because we don’t always agree. And that’s okay. I mean, you being annoying is practically in your job description.” His reward for that statement was a light jab in the ribs, which tickled more than anything else. “And I can be a pain in the butt sometimes.”
“Sometimes?”
Her reward for that question was a light jab in the stomach. Tara laughed as Kent continued. “So let’s acknowledge that we’re going to fight, and agree not to let it get the better of us, okay? We’re both smart. If we put our heads together- instead of butting them- we can figure things out. Okay?”
”I like him,” Aquarius remarked. ”You clearly need a sensible influence. One you aren’t questioning the reality of, that is.” Was he mocking her there? Or just being truthful? So many of his words were delivered in a flat tone that it was hard to tell.
Not that it mattered, really. “I like him too.”
“What was that?” Kent asked.
“I like you too,” Tara said, this time directing her words at the real person in the room. “We’ve been through too much to sabotage it all by being jerks. So you’ve got yourself a deal.” She held out her hand, shaking vigorously when Kent clasped it in his own. It was as close to a win as he could expect, and more than he had hoped for, considering what had happened the night before.
She had no idea if she would be able to live up to her end of the bargain. If Kent insisted on leaving her with their parents, she would have to take drastic action. But in the meantime, if he wanted to make an effort, she was willing to meet him halfway for as long as she could.
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Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:51 pm
Making Rhymes of Yesterday[Aquarius + Zia] Confirmation that Aquarius isn't crazy is not easily forthcoming, even from someone who's seen it all.
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Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:54 pm
Once, dinnertime had been sacred. Back when Tara still lived with her parents, it was the one time of day when everyone was practically guaranteed to be at home. It was when everyone got caught up on each other's lives. Even though Tara and Kent tended to see more of each other, they had continued that tradition in Destiny City. It was so ingrained in her that when Aquarius was needed at the Surrounding, she still made sure to be home for dinner every day, without fail.
She still showed up most of the time, because to fail to do so would signal that something was wrong more clearly than any alarm. But there was very little talking. The wrong word could lead to another argument. What if Kent discovered the truth? What if he tried to send her back to their parents? Or insisted that she get some sort of therapy? There were far more bad outcomes than good ones, and silence seemed to be one of the few things she could do to enforce the status quo.
Not that the status quo was good, not anymore. Exidor sat in one of the chairs that they reserved for guests, watching Aquarius with one of his high-and-mighty expressions. He didn't approve of what she was doing. This was nothing new; since he'd shown up, he'd approved of very little. Everything she did was wrong. Small wonder that she was too exhausted to talk at dinnertime.
"More meatloaf?" Kent offered a plate to Tara, but she turned it down with a small shake of her head. She'd been eating less too. Smiling less. Sharing less. It couldn't have been any clearer that something was wrong. And though Kent had his suspicions, he couldn't confront her about it without proof. If he did, he could easily end up making things worse. Not that he thought things could get much worse than they were already. A Tara who didn't do or say anything wasn't really Tara anymore.
The timing had to be right. So he watched, and waited, and followed. And in the meantime, he did the best he could to keep things as normal as possible. Normal was non-threatening. If Tara decided to share something, it would be because she felt safe doing so. Now, what normal, non-threatening comment could he make next? "Almost time for finals, huh? Worried about them?"
Finals? Oh right, she had those, didn't she? "Not really," Tara mumbled, stirring her mashed potatoes. If she passed, she passed. If she failed, she failed. Funny, she remembered being a lot more anxious about her classes the last time around. Now their importance was minuscule in comparison to the tightrope act she performed, balancing on the thin line between human and senshi. At this point, she only went to school to keep up the charade.
Well, that conversation starter was a bust. Kent fished around for another one, desperate to get Tara talking about something, anything. "Have you started packing yet?"
There was silence, broken only by a harsh clatter as Tara dropped her fork onto her mostly-empty plate. It took her several seconds of deep breathing to regain enough of her composure to get out a single word: "Packing?"
"Yeah, heading back home." Why was she looking at him like that? Was it too soon to bring it up? "I know you're focused on studying now, but you don't want to leave it until the last minute."
Another series of clatters, this one from Tara shoving the table away in her effort to get up. Exidor stared at her, alarmed. Kent was merely puzzled. "You said you weren't sending be back there!" He promised that they would work things out together! And she'd done her part, playing the role of the normal schoolgirl. So why this, all of a sudden?
"What? I'm not sending you anywhere, Tara." Kent stood as well, in a far more composed fashion. "We're going together, just like always-"
"Sure, we're going together." Her mind was reeling with the possibilities, none of them good. What had changed his mind? What was waiting for her? "But you'll come back and I won't. You know they won't let me. Not if you're on their side. I thought you were on mine, Kent! You're supposed to be the one who gets it!"
At this point, Kent desperately wished he was the one who 'got it,' but he couldn't understand what had made Tara so upset. "Tara, listen. You have finals next week. And after that, what?" She was silent. Thinking about it, apparently, but no answer was coming. And that was truly bizarre. "You know, end of December, every year?" Still nothing, other than a blank stare. "Christmas, Tara. We go home for Christmas break. Then we come back. That's how it works every year, remember?"
It took several more moments for the puzzle pieces to fall into place. When they finally did, her mouth dropped open. Of course it was almost Christmas. It was so obvious, now that she thought about it. But she hadn't been. That was part of the real world, and she barely lived in that anymore. Not that Kent needed to know that. "Right... of course. I'm sorry, I didn't mean- it's just, I thought about our fight and I guess I thought- well, anyway, I'm sorry."
That was the lamest lack of an excuse ever, and both of them knew it. Tara picked up her plate and brought it to the kitchen before Kent could protest. "I've been busy with, uh, finals and stuff. Maybe I should lie down a bit." Without another word, she went to her room and shut the door.
Kent looked at the door, then at the plate she'd left on the kitchen counter. She'd eaten most of the meatloaf, but barely touched the mashed potatoes or green beans. And she hadn't asked about dessert. If she really was stressed about finals, eating poorly wasn't going to help. But she said she wasn't worried about them, and he believed that. There was something far more important bothering her, enough to make her forget obvious things like the impending holiday.
How much time did he have left to get to the bottom of things, before something irreparable happened?
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Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:54 pm
Tara's first birthday as a senshi had gone on as normal. And why wouldn't it? She was still young then, and inexperienced. She had no idea what she was in for. To her, everything was still new and exciting.
Actually, her first senshi birthday was spent dead, but that one didn't count, she decided. And the first one that counted had only been shared with her family and her one real friend at the time, who had been in a coma. By her next birthday, that friend had woken up, which was the one present that had really matterehad started to hate, and her last one was only notable because she had somehow graduated from high school, an event that seemed more magical than her senshi powers.
"And now we're back to this." She watched the digital clock on her phone count the seconds. "Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine..."
The clock changed to midnight. It was January 23rd again. Tara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was expecting to feel different, older or wiser or at least less hopeless. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again and let out her breath. Nothing had changed. She still felt scared and uncertain, like she was dangling from the top of a crevasse, and her fingers couldn't hold her for longer. And whatever was waiting for her at the bottom was even worse than the pain of hanging on.
"Felicitations to you, on this day of days."
And what did it say about her, that Exidor barely even disturbed her anymore? Tara looked over wearily to see her past self, or whatever he was, sitting at her desk. He looked like he had a board tied to his spine to keep it straight. "Don't you ever slouch?" she grumbled, plugging her phone in now that the countdown was done. "Or are you going to get on my case for that now, too?"
"One thing at a time. Slouching is the least of your problems."
Tara threw a pillow at him. He dodged, and it hit the wall behind him, dislodging one of the pins that kept her Periodic Table poster up. Something else for her to fix. "Can't you just leave me alone today? Even if it's just today? As a present for me?"
Exidor frowned. "I'm only here because you need me. My presence is a gift in itself."
"Can't you give me a gift certificate like everybody else? I don't have time to deal with your lectures today, Exidor. I'll be..." Tara trailed off. What would she be doing? She had cut ties with Yvette and most of the other people who mattered to her. Laney was busy. Her parents had to work, and wouldn't be visiting. Did the fact that it was her birthday matter to anyone other than her?
Did it even really matter to her?
"Exidor, tell me somthing. Did you celebrate your birthday?"
By this point, Exidor had gotten up and was standing next to the bed. He seemed surprised by the question, and gave it some thought before answering. "I had no birthday. Not as Aquarius. Instead, I had the day of my funeral, when I was sent to the Surrounding." Tara could vaguely remember the fact that Zodiacs were considered dead by their homeworlds, though she couldn't recall any specifics about the ceremony. Not that she particularly wanted to. "I didn't celebrate in the modern sense of the word," he went on, "with a party and such. I used the time to reaffirm my vows. It was a time for self-recflection, to assess what I had done during my tenure, and what I would do with the time I had left."
"Left?" But even as she asked, Tara realized that she knew the answer. Zodiacs weren't expected to live long. Had she already defied the odds, having as many birthdays as she'd had? Exidor looked like he was older than her, but it was impossible to tell. And she wasn't sure she wanted to know how old he'd been when he died. It would feel too much like a death sentence.
Even without that knowledge, she knew the numbers would catch up to her eventually.
"And what do you plan to do before that happens?"
It was a good question. One that Tara didn't have an answer for. "I'm going to sleep," she announced, turning over and pulling the covers up over her head. She still had nightmares, but even those were becoming preferable to the mess that was her waking life.
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 12:44 pm
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