| The 10th Warrior Chapter 4: The Crystal Ball |
| Makoto wished whole-heartedly that the other scouts were there. She looked at the glowing ball in her hand and leaned against the wall behind the apartment building. "What are you?" she asked, not really expecting an answer. However, she got one as the ball flashed and she found herself in a milky blue atmosphere. A shimmering white being, almost like an angel, appeared before her with a gentle smile. "I am Hoopu," said the entity in a soft voice. "Hope?" murmured Makoto. "You are very special, guardian of Jupiter, strongest of planets," said the spirit. "What do you mean?" asked Makoto, confused. "Let me show you," said the spirit, taking Makoto's hand. Another flash of gentle light and Makoto was floating in a field, watching a great battle. Then another flash and she saw nine balls. "Those are the armors worn by the Ronins and the Warlords," said the spirit. "What has that to do with me?" asked Makoto. "Watch, child," said the spirit. The man apparently responsible for the armors gathered the balls together and didn't notice as some shards of the armor that they'd come for vibrating. A moment later, they moved together and formed a crystal ball with wisps of white at its center. "It's the ball Setsuna gave me," said Makoto in surprise. "But, Setsuna said it was from Queen Serenity." The ball lay alone as time seemed to flash by suddenly. Then it slowed and a girl with brown hair, held in Usagi's favorite style, appeared in a flowing gown. She spied the ball and picked it up. "That's Queen Serenity's ancestor," said Hoopu. "She passed it on to her children till it reached the Queen. Serenity was wise and discovered the secret of the ball and listened to my counsel to give it to you." Once again, they were both in the light blue void, floating face to face. "You're the orb," said Makoto, understanding that much. Hoopu nodded sadly. "I am and I will not be complete till I am with the others once more. I am the virtue of Hope. I am linked to the other armors and they to me, even if they aren't aware of it." "What has that to do with me?" asked Makoto. "You are to bear me," said Hoopu with a tinkling laugh. "You will be the first to bear the Armor of Whirlwind, me." Makoto looked shocked. "I don't know if I can. I'm a Sailor Scout, not a warrior." "But you are," said Hoopu, still smiling. "Or I would not have chosen you." Makoto was silent, her mind taking in what she'd been told. "How do I call upon you?" she asked at last, with a small smile. Hoopu's face was one of love and she embraced Makoto. "Call upon me with the words..." Makoto's eyes fluttered open as she found herself in a strange bed. Hoopu was held in her hand so tight that her knuckles were white. "Where am I?" she murmured, sitting up. She winceed as her chest protested, but forced herself out of the bed. She stood on her feet for an unstable moment and then moved to an open door that revealed a bathroom. She entered it and moved to the sink and mirror. Putting Hoopu down gently, she looked at herself in the mirror. She had some small bruises, but she was otherwise all right. She lifted her shirt and saw she'd been bandaged around her ribs. "Good morning," said a cheerful voice. Makoto swung around, pushing her shirt down. She blushed, but relaxed somewhat at the sight of a young woman about Usagi's size. "Sage, Rowen, and Cye brought you," said the woman, and extended her hand. "My name is Mia Coji." Makoto smiled softly and shook her hand. "Makoto Kino." Mia's eyes strayed to the ball and Makoto picked it up instinctively. "It's okay. I won't try to take it," said Mia, with a sincere face. Makoto nodded silently. "Are you hungry? You've been out for two days." "Two days?" asked Makoto in surprise. "Yes. You lost a lot of blood," said Mia gravely. "You had a hunk of concrete implanted in your back." Makoto attempted to probe the area but winced and her hands moved to her chest. "You're still hurting," exclaimed Mia in concern, moving to Makoto before she could collapse in pain. "I'm okay," protested Makoto with a weak smile as she tried to straighten. "I'd like some food." Mia frowned. "I don't think you should go down. You could hurt yourself more." Makoto grinned. "It couldn't be worse than this." Mia looked doubtful. "Please. I'll need to use your phone, too. My friends are probably worried sick." Makoto could imagine what Haruka and Michiru were doing. Mia relented with a sigh and nod. "All right, but you will lean on me the entire way." "But..." "No buts," said Mia firmly. Makoto sighed, and submitted as Mia slung one of Makoto's arms over her shoulder. They walked to a second bathroom door that opened up into a hallway and she was led to some stairs. They walked down slowly and Makoto clutched Hoopu tightly as each step seemed to create a fire in her chest. Finally, they reached the bottom and Mia led Makoto towards a large doorway. "She's up and awake!" exclaimed someone in a different room they were passing. Mia and Makoto stopped and Makoto saw five young men in the room, a white tiger, and a little boy. Makoto recognized Sage, Rowen, and Cye, but not the other two. "How are you feeling?" asked Sage. "Fine," she lied habitually as she looked at the ball clenched in her free hand. She didn't see Mia shake he head or the guys look sympathetically at her. Her stomach rumbled audibly and she blushed. Mia chuckled lightly and steered her away from the room of guys and into a kitchen that was as clean as Makoto kept her own. "It's a nice kitchen," she praised as she sank into a seat at the table. Mia smiled. "Thank you. Cye keeps it very clean." "He's the cook of the group?" asked Makoto with a smile. Mia smiled. "We rotate. Ryo, Sage, and Kento are decent, and Rowen can't." Makoto smiled and then gazed down at Hoopu. "Which armor is it?" asked Mia. "Hoopu called herself the Armor of Whirlwind," answered Makoto. "She talked to me before I woke up here." She saw that Mia wanted to know more, but her stomach rumbled once more. "I'll get you some food," said Mia, getting up and walking to the fridge. Makoto now sat by herself in Mia's guestroom, looking out a window. She suspected that Mia was now telling the young men about Hoopu. ~Don't worry, child. They'll accept you.~ "It's not what I'm worried about," said Makoto aloud in answer. ~Why are you fretting them?~ "The others are all in America. I'm the only scout here, much more, I don't have any way to change into Sailor Jupiter because Kale destroyed my wand. The other scouts will probably try to come back, worried sick, and everything will be ruined for them." ~You are understandably worried. Place your hope in them.~ "I'll try," said Makoto, looking at the now glowing sphere. "I'm just glad I trained since fighting Galaxia." ~Your hope in life comes from security in what you know. You know how to fight and so you train harder and love life more dearly.~ "Am I always destined to fight? Will I ever be able to be a wife? To live a half-normal life?" asked Makoto sadly. ~I can't answer that. Only you can choose your destiny.~ Sage stood, listening to Makoto as she seemed to talk to herself. He knew better, however, as he saw the ball Mia said Makoto called Hoopu glowing. She somehow was hearing the ball speak. "But is destiny really ever a choice?" asked Makoto. "I can only live with the hopes of a better life." Sage's eyebrows arched as the kanji of hope glowed with a gentle white light on Makoto's forehead, causing a reflection of himself to appear on the window. Her green eyes widened in surprise as she turned and looked at him. "You were listening?" she asked in a voice filled with surprise and anger. Sage didn't know what to say. He'd been so captivated by her conversation, he'd not thought about how she'd feel about someone listening. Makoto was to her feet swiftly and moved gracefully over to him, her eyes blazing. "Well?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I..." he faded, feeling uncommonly flustered. Makoto gave a small growl right before she swung her fist, and made contact with her chin. He reeled back out of the room and against the wall in the hall. Inside, he saw Makoto clutch her chest in pain from the sudden movement. Not thinking about it, Sage went back in and gently helped Makoto to her bed. "Are you all right?" he asked in concern. Makoto wouldn't look at him. "I'm fine. Really." "Is this the first time you've been away from everyone?" asked Sage. Makoto tensed, and she looked at him hard, studying him. He met her piercing gaze with his own and they held a staring contest for a few moments before the ball clutched in Makoto's hand flashed a moment. Makoto sighed. "Yes, and no," she answered, looking away from him. "Since I became a scout, it's the first." "And no?" asked Sage. "When I was a lot younger, my parents were killed in a plane crash. I was on my own till I found out I was a scout. I've not really been away from my friends for two and a half years." Sage nodded in understanding. "How long have you been with the Ronins?" asked Makoto. "For a few months now," said Sage. "We didn't meet up till we first fought against Talpa's soldiers. Before that, I lived with my grandfather at his dojo." Makoto's eyes lit with interest. "A dojo? Where?" "Toyama," answered Sage, remembering that Makoto had been training. "That's where I began to learn to fight," said Makoto in surprise. "SO it was you!" said Sage, smiling genuinely. "You were always fighting with the older kids who picked on the younger ones." Makoto blushed. "It didn't do me much good. I got a bad reputation." "For defending smaller kids?" asked Sage incredulously. Makoto nodded. "I was kicked out of one school and at the new school, everyone was afraid of me till I met the other Inner Scouts." "Inner Scouts?" asked Sage. Makoto nodded and explained to him about the Inner, and Outer Scout relationship and about how she was now being accepted as a sort of outer scout. Sage listened to it with interest, and enjoyedd the way she always kept eye contact with him as she spoke, something that annoyed him with the others. Rowen had once told him that his eyes were unsettling. Mia came up the stairs with a tray of food, and paused in the doorway of the guestroom to see Makoto and Sage talking. She smiled and walked in with the food. "Mia!" said Makoto with a smile. "Thank you!" Mia smiled and put the tray down. She was glad Makoto was cheering up. She was even pleased to see Sage smiling so openly. Sage rarely smiled during conversations. He was normally very serious. "I brought you one more thing," said Mia, and pulled out her surprise. Makoto's face was pure bliss as she eagerly took the cordless phone from Mia. "Oh, thank you! Now I can call the others and tell them I'm fine!" Sage stood and kissed Makoto's hand. "Thanks for the conversation. Perhaps we can continue tomorrow?" Makoto blushed and nodded, "Sure." Mia hid a smile as Sage bowed and exited the room with a smile. "I've never seen Sage like that," said Mia. "He's so cute," said Makoto, slightly dreamy. "He's like my old boyfriend!" "Old boyfriend?" asked Mia, interested. Makoto blinked and then blushed. "Never mind." "No, please. What was he like?" asked Mia, sitting down beside her. Makoto's food was forgotten, as was the call to America, as Mia listened to Makoto tell her about her boyfriend she'd once known...TO BE CONTINUED |