Endymion Guardian of the Night
ACT 1
A ghost of his former self; he drifts and is much sought after by those seeking the core of love’s in-most secrets, shall he tell them to you, Shoujo? Go not to the haunted temple, its ramparts no longer sturdy, and rotting with age. If unworthy, the columns that support the stricken structure will fall upon you and you shall perish.
~/~
“What a load of bumpkin, Umino-san!” Kira stirred in her seat, tired of Umino’s preoccupation with ghost stories and summarily executed the last piece of pizza -- a vegetarian treat contaminated with garlic prawns and charcoal grilled chicken pieces.
“Aw, you don’t know what you’re missing, Ket and Sumaru-san are two of the coolest archaeologists in Tokyo, if not the whole of Japan…” Umino declared, waving the pamphlet from which he had just recited an obscure ancient story carved upon a lone tablet found in a temple dedicated to the unknown gods. He enjoyed reading aloud to his captive audience about those ancient ghosts that hovered, lurked and occupied other notable abandoned buildings, lakes and industrial estates as part of the ancient graveyard tour company, Kyushu Jejuna.
“Gomen Nasai, I meant no harm, Naru,” the young man declared, taking in the distraught expression on his fiancé’s face as she sat rigidly listening to the stories and fascinating banter on the subject.
Suddenly, the topic had jabbed Umino’s conscience. He had to put his foot in it once again, didn’t he. Even though Nephrite had long since passed into spirit, Umino still felt a little touchy around the topic of Nephrite and that equaled anything to do with death or spirits and the like around Naru. What was he thinking, and what planet was he on? Sure, it was ancient legends, monsters and such, but those Youma. Yeah, I am so tactless, I am supposed to love her, to be the one who is the so-called ‘thinker’ of our group besides Ami-chan. This, despite Naru’s assertions she was not grieving for the former General belied the expression on her pretty face. She had loved him and the guy held a special place in her heart. Like the daughter of Souichi -sama, Hotaru-chan -- now in her mid-teens – the subject of those loved ones having left this world had not immediately occurred to him until that moment. Stupid, I should have known, what if Kira has friends who died at the hands of the Youma and their overlords and those corrupted Senshi Sailor Moon and the others had dealt with, that Galaxia woman… he shook off the sense of shame and discontent, moving to damage control mode. “I should have known better, I am such a dope!” he bowed his head.
Then a soft warm hand touched his cheek and moist lips graced his eyelids. “Umino, its all right, I know you meant no offense, and besides, Nephrite is now long gone, maybe he has already been reborn, perhaps a baby boy, or girl in a loving home… Oh, I hope so. I need to overcome my discomfort about all this and we need to all move on. There were plenty of ghosts enough for the Juuban district to cope with. So, let’s go on that tour. Come on everyone. If I am ready to face the wild haunts of our otherworldly friends in those run-down old slums and buildings, parks, mountains and so on, we all should let our hair down and be Halloween night detectives, okay?”
Umino felt a little uneasy, but as he looked at the faces of old and new friends alike as they all sat in his ground floor apartment, he could see everyone agreed. Slapping his knees and releasing a deep breath he responded, “Okay, it’s a Friday night we’ll never forget. Good company, good food…and we’ll have a great time!” Umino smiled, as Usagi and Mamoru grinned at the enthusiastic young man.
ACT 2
Usagi’s Dream
I stood at my window, clad only in my nightie, my Odangos untied. I allow my bare legs to dangle out the window, my right foot pressed against the trunk of the tree outside my window. The faithful Oak Luna regularly uses between missions and as a bridge home; this house, where my heart finds peace and love with my family. It represents for me a place of normalcy, security, and love. Also, a link to the prefecture, Juuban, where I grew up with all those beautiful things that make me feel a sense of pride and euphoria. All this anchors me and reminds me of what I am fighting to defend from the more dangerous world of Youma and master villains. I am also a super heroine -- a reluctant super heroine I might add. I continue to sit at the base of the tree breathing in the sweet honeysuckle scented night air, its moist, maple syrupy elixir filling my lungs, a great comfort on a warm night such as this. I blink, stroke Luna and she talks to me, her words soothing as she takes me along with her back to her girlhood on the Moon. She remembers it all, the joys of Lunarian court life, the friendships with the girls, with me in my former life as Princess Serenity and I sigh. One millennium on and we still must stand against the darkness. I realize this perpetual narrative follows me through eternity, my constant companion.
Then my thoughts turn to my beloved Mamoru, Endymion or Tuxedo Kamen, my support. He is steadfast and always there for me, even when dark shadows have taken him from me, somehow his light always seeks me out, cutting through the shroud of dread. And as sure as night follows day, I am protected. But the night needs its villains as much as it needs the heroic amongst us, my task, to ensure the tides of destiny flow evenly. I am its witness as well as its mistress.
Luna admonished me for perching myself on the windowsill, yet she knew I was quite safe. Gripping the window frame, I surprise the ever-watchful Moon Cat guardian and myself by climbing out onto the tree, descending to the damp grass below -- its sweet scent assailing my nostrils as I walk upon the soft cushiony carpet of dark grass with dainty footsteps. Luna is at my side in an instant as I gaze up into the sky at the shimmering crescent and think of him.
Then, after closing my eyes and picturing my beloved Mamoru, I open my eyes again and look around me, no longer sure where I am, no longer in the garden. Luna was nowhere to be seen.
As my eyes adjusted to the strange light, two raven-haired girls in their late teens approached and gave me a cursory look before moving past me and entered the tiny corner shop. I was dumbfounded, I stood on a public street, in a place I didn’t recognize, in my negligee, staring into the window of a confection store. I was shocked to find a much younger face staring back at me. It was definitely me all right, but I looked as I did at sixteen. I then dropped my eyes and noticed the plushy bunny and a very large Easter egg on display, and as is my way, clapped my hand over my mouth at how kawaii it looked.
The woman behind the counter waved to me through the window and I raised a nervous hand and waved back with a silly grin on my face as the window mocked my obvious discomfort. I blushed as Mamoru walked into the shop and dragged me in by the hand as I shyly protested in his wake. I couldn’t believe it. This couldn’t be happening. There I was, sitting under the tree with Luna beside me. Then transported to this surreal location without any clue as to how I got here and who might be responsible. But Mamoru was with me and for now, until I could make any sense of this at lease, I would enjoy the moment.
“Usako, I thought I might find you here,” he said, smiling as he pulled me closer to him and I sighed contentedly.
“But Mamoru, how did—“ he kissed me suddenly and I turned a bright shade of red.
“The Ginzuishou, didn’t you know it is bringing you joy and comfort, the baby knows you miss her father and the crystal within her seeks to bring you and me together. I am more or less actually with you after a fashion. Look inside your heart and you will see the Kuristaru megami of the Ginzuishou smiling at you.”
“I see, so this is a dream and a vision, kind of like virtual reality?” I said as I closed my eyes and saw her, the crystal woman, all resplendent, draped in light. She wore a silver fuku, and smiling at me. I gasped in awe and reverence and opened my eyes. “I saw her. She’s beautiful. All this is awesome and I am really here after all?”
“You’ve got it, Odango Atama, so enjoy it – come on,” he urged me with another tug of the hand. “You look quite cute and if I may be so bold, sexy in your negligee.” He just stood there, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he chuckled melodically. I swatted him playfully as he squeezed my waist and we moved to the counter.
The milk chocolate egg was a meter long and almost as wide. Wrapped in red and silver foil, it looked delicious. I blushed profusely as Mamoru kissed me once again on the lips in full view of the woman and her customers, oddly oblivious of our display of affection. He broke the kiss and purchased the egg, the woman placed it in a carry bag with a long shoulder strap, and I slung it over my shoulder.
In a whisper I said, “Aragato, Mamoru… I am so lucky to have you…aishiteru.”
Suddenly, the scene shifts. I am alone once more, Mamoru nowhere to be seen. I see a dark-clad figure in a trench coat standing upon the threshold of a dilapidated shrine of some kind. Beside him, a little girl, shy and sweet with peppermint-tinted hair, falling in a luxuriant tumble to her knees, clinging to her garnet rod, the man is whispering something to her I cannot quite make out.
Funny, I kind of remember this scene, but from where and when I am not sure. One thing is certain though, it is a vision of princess Pluto as a girl, and the figure with her… her father I hazard a guess, but he could be anyone, so strange. Upon waking, I forget where I had seen that place before.
~/~
I woke with a shudder, clutching the blankets. Luna lifted her head, and stared at me for a moment before gliding towards me and climbed into the space between my raised knees and my chest, and snuggled up to me.
“Usagi, are you all right? I am guessing it’s those dreams again.”
“Yes Luna, but I know what they mean now. They’re nothing to worry about, as they're a gift from the Ginzuishou. Where is Mamoru?”
“He is at the hospital, he left over an hour ago, he didn’t have the heart to wake you, you need your sleep in your condition, young lady…,” the faithful cat said, gently pressing her nose against my pregnant belly.
“I dreamt I was sixteen again, it was amazing,” I told her, rubbing the tiredness from my eyes and blinking at the clock, then I groaned. “Prenatal exercise classes in an hour and a bit, I’m up for breakfast and a shower.”
“Okay, I will check your mail on the computer and respond as you are getting hundreds of these a week. Go have your shower, Usagi. I may be a cat, but I am still your guardian and a mother-to-be needs her support to be there for her, wouldn’t you agree?” Luna said, and chuckled as I affectionately ruffled the beautiful black cat’s head and ears.
ACT 3
It was Friday night. Everybody had turned up, even my beloved Naru. All were having a good time, laughing and talking animatedly. I was so glad we agreed to do this.
I arranged for the tour, blown away by the first site we visited, Kameido: an eastern suburb of ancient Edo, now called Tokyo. The shrine, the first of two we would visit that night was truly remarkable.
We respectfully bowed to the wayshower, a hooded enigma, his face unclear and his eyes almost glowing with a fiery mauve light, unnerving us a tad. But we put it down to tour theatrics and shrugged it off, made our ceremonial offerings and entered the Torii.
There, nothing we saw was in the slightest way without its unique beauty and mystery. I was grateful to Rei-chan for explaining the intricacies of Shinto practice and all were spellbound by the sights and sounds of this place and Rei’s expert discourse. The lantern bearers, carrying the traditional Ishidoro -- stone lanterns -- clad in cream robes with large pointed hoods obscuring their faces, walked in a solemn processional manner, flanking us as we approached the red granite terraces. These rising towards an ornate squat pink-marble shrine dedicated to the ancient Japanese river goddess, Benzaiten. The structure strategically set upon the banks of a tranquil river.
Rei shivered as she crossed the threshold, her eyes for a second becoming quite wide with what seemed alarm, but she shook off the feeling with a shrug and pressed on and we followed her inside the antechamber. The structure seemed far larger within than the external appearance had first indicated, but Rei broke my concentration with her sigh as she crossed the elaborately designed tiled floor to the incredible murals and she stood looking up at it in awe, as had we all.
“This is incredible… I think it must have been an Eshi, a master painter responsible for creating something as glorious as this. You know, it is said that in olden times that the Kintaro, child of the forest, was found by the mountain hag Yama-uba, who adopted and named him Kaido-maru. This is beautiful.”
Suddenly, a man in white ceremonial robes stepped silently into the chamber and bowed to us all. We returned the gesture and without a word, he motioned for us to follow. Rei tilted her head to the side, looking at me for a moment and I blinked and smiled then she moved towards the arch where the man had passed through and we followed and found ourselves standing in a far grander chamber. It was incredible, but how could such a vast chasm be housed in this place. I began to feel a little weird, but my musings on this topic were disrupted by a loud ‘gong’ and a troop of ancient dancers in masks covering their heads entered the chamber escorted by four beautiful girls in sheer gowns of soft cotton that fell a few inches above their knees.
Rei explained that Gigaku, the name of the ancient dance in which masks covering the entire head were worn was about to be performed, but she’d not seen any reenactment quite like this one.
In the hair of the four girls were woven Sakura blossoms and brightly colored necklaces of precious stones, these catching the light of the many lanterns set upon an array of black marble pedestals placed in a circular pattern around the room.
The girls, as Rei explained, wore a shift of a different color representing the four primary elements. These majestic figures stood at the corresponding cardinal points. Rei went onto explain that the dancers wearing the masks, eight in all, would place their sacred objects upon each pedestal to honor the Goddess as part of the rite we were witnessing.
Then the gong sounded again and another impressive woman in a silk gown, raven-black hair falling to the backs of her knees entered the room, her eyes hypnotic, her face pale and her teeth obsidian in the traditional fashion.
“She is the Odoriko, a dancing girl, forerunner of the geisha,” Rei explained, taking her place beside Usagi and Mamoru.
Suddenly, a new group entered the chamber. They were the classic musicians. Taking their places as we took our own, on large comfortable cushions, the dance began as the tendrils of smoke from Japanese incense emerged almost on cue from silver braziers upon the walls and we were drawn into a magical world of ancient music, song and dance -- Naru clasping my hand.
