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Episode 3: Honoo/Flames |
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“Shishiko!” a
girl with red-gold hair and orange eyes called to her sister, who was in
the bathroom. “You’ve been in there forever!” she emphasized her
point by pounding on the door several times, thoroughly ruffling the
sleeves of her long lab coat in the process.
“Hold your damn horses, Fushika!” Shishiko exclaimed. “I have to get ready to go.” She then proceeded to give her fluffy, mane-like orange hair a few more swipes with the brush and gaze into her own red eyes. Outside the bathroom, Fushika looked at her watch. “Well hurry up, will you! I have to go to my internship at Kanzaki Labs! I just got the position and I have to make a good impression on the regent!” 
“Toruno?” Tsukiko knocked on the back door of the astrology store, clutching a bouquet of wildflowers. The door opened of its own accord, and Tsukiko entered it like she had always done for the past ten years. There were only a few lamps lit to save electricity, because the Hoshio’s didn’t exactly have the healthiest income on earth. “Toruno?” she called out again, and opened his bedroom door. There he was, laid out on his bed with the covers tucked around him Kasumi’s diligent, sisterly work, obviously. He seemed to still be asleep from the hit that Oberon had dealt him the previous day. Walking over to his bed, Tsukiko put her freshly picked flowers on a small nightstand. “You brought me flowers?” he mumbled, and Tsukiko jumped, surprised but deliriously happy. “Your favorite ones! I found them along the road when I was walking to your house to check on you. I’ll probably skip the Perfectual Track Meet that Minna-Chan is going to,” she replied, and flopped down on the floor next to his bed. She reached out and fluffed his hair in a friendly manner. “I’m glad that that guy didn’t do any more damage to you. Your messed up enough as it is.” He smiled at the joke and turned to her. “Thanks for coming. I still feel dizzy from that blast. What did that guy want with blowing off the front door? It didn’t accomplish anything except cause cross ventilation.” Tsukiko laughed, folded her arms on the side of the bed, and put her head down on them for a better view of his face. “I need to tell you something,” she began. “That you won’t be able to come here as often as you used to?” he finished in that infuriatingly accurate way of his. A half nod from Tsukiko acknowledged his guess. “Why not?” Tsukiko buried her face in her folded arms. “I can’t tell you. I promised someone that I wouldn’t tell.” There was a short pause in the conversation. “Why don’t you go to the track meet, anyway? It sounds like fun, and I think I’ll manage the general business of being woozy and ill very easily without anyone watching over me.” “Are you sure? Isn’t there anything you need?” Toruno reached out and stroked her hair. “I’ll be fine. Kasumi takes good care of me even with the store open,” he reassured her, and settled back down into the folds of the bed. “Then . . . I guess I’ll see you later, Toruno,” Tsukiko waved goodbye and walked out of his room. The flowers she had brought him were still on the nightstand, he noticed, and reached out to touch one of them gently as he listened to her footsteps echo down the hallway and out the door. I can’t let him know about me, Tsukiko thought as she ran down the alleyway, away from the look she saw in Toruno’s eyes. I can’t let anyone know. They would all become targets as well as me. She stopped at the edge of a building to catch her breath. It’s best this way. I’m doing the right thing. . .
“And . . . and I’ll feed him and play with him and brush him and love him every day!” Kokoro pleaded with her parents on behalf of Cosma, who pretended to be an ordinary cat. Mrs. Kintsuchi smiled. “Well . . . if you promise to be really good,” she said. Kokoro nodded. Mr. Kintsuchi smiled. “That’s fine with me.” “Yay!” Kokoro jumped up and down, Cosma bouncing around in her grip. “Well, what’s his name?” Mrs. Kintsuchi asked her daughter. “His name is Cosma Celesti Ginmauastr,” Kokoro announced proudly. Her parents grinned. “Very creative,” they nodded in approval. Cosma sighed.
“Do you have any news on Izumi-Chan?” Tsukiko asked Momoko at the track match. “She’s been doing better, The doctors say that the blow to her head didn’t damage her brain, but she’s still out.” Tsukiko’s self-condemning thoughts were drowned out of her head by a sudden roar form the crowd. “Go Kiseki!” Kaze cheered a girl with short blue hair and bright green eyes on. She was already well ahead of all the other runners. Momoko and Tsukiko watched the girl run as Kaze leapt up and down. “Who’s Kiseki?” Momoko asked Tsukiko. Tsukiko shrugged. She seemed a bit withdrawn, Momoko noticed, but said nothing of it. Tsukiko liked to solve her problems without any help. “I don’t know, ask Kaze. She sure runs fast, though.” Kaze then sat down to explain. “Kiseki? She’s one of my friends from the Astrology Club.” “Ahhh,” said Momoko, “An astro nerd.” “We are not astro nerds!” Kaze protested, sticking her tongue out at Momoko. At that moment, Kiseki crossed the finish line, in first place. A boy with green eyes and darker blue hair than she had greeted her with an enthusiastic hug. “She’s one of the sweetest people I know,” Kaze said. Momoko jumped up. “Who’s the guy she’s with?” The aforementioned guy had his arm around her shoulder and was smiling with delight. Kaze looked at him for a minute. “I don’t know. He seems kind of familiar, though.” Momoko sighed. “I guess he has a girlfriend, then.” She slumped back down on the bleachers. “Don’t worry, Momoko-Chan, none of us has any boyfriend either,” Kaze said in a well-meant fashion. Of course, this comment brought longing sighs from her friend. Tsukiko stood up, pulled herself out of her pools of thoughts, and prepared to say something really encouraging to her friends when she was interrupted by a loud voice. “Phht! I come back all the way from Memphis, the crap hole of America, and you have the impertinence not to be home! Forget you!” “ELOKIN!” Everyone shouted at once. Running for a tall, lanky girl with green eyes and scruffy black hair soon commenced, and Elokin was knocked to the ground. “Meepsibus!” she screeched while trying to avoid being smothered. After a moment she made it to her feet, lugging up an overused overstuffed sack and replacing the garland of wildflowers that had amazingly not been crushed, back on her head. “I set up your room as soon as I got the letter,” Tsukiko began, happy now that Elokin was back in her life again. “And you get the old attic that Oba-Chan lived in before she went abroad.” “Are there any faeries?” she asked hopefully. Momoko looked blank. “Erm . . .” Kaze laughed. “There probably are,” she said, reassuring her. “Tsukiko does live on the outskirts of Tokyo in that big old house.” “And with all those flowers mom grows!” added Tsukiko. Momoko sighed, still refusing to believe in faeries. Elokin sure had her work cut out for her, and knowing this, she latched her arm around Kaze’s shoulder. “Man! This will be so cool!” she crowed, heading off to the Hateshinai residence and brandishing a giant purple stuffed dragon with little-bitty iridescent wings, Petey. Momoko skipped around behind the happy group. “When we get there, and Elokin is settled in, I’ll take you all to Kanzaki Labs to see what Hikari is working on!” Tsukiko bit her lip. She knew that she had scheduled a meeting with Cosma and Kokoro . . . but Elokin was in town . . . this meeting could be really important . . . “I’m not going to be able to go,” Kaze sounded apologetic. “I have to go to cram school today.” Tsukiko thought for a moment . . . yes, it was Saturday. Kaze had to go to cram school or risk upsetting her parents; a big risk for her since she had just gotten a new stepfather who seemed very strict. Tsukiko didn’t attend cram school, it was too much studying for her to bear without jumping out of the nearest window. And with Kaze leaving, how could she say no and let Momoko down? Besides, she thought she had earned a break from the daily grind and general psychological stress of being a Cosmos Senshi. Cosma would understand, she was sure of it . . . maybe. “Yoshi,” Tsukiko agreed.
Ganymede’s feet made a clicking noise as he paced across the blue marble floor, the sound bouncing off the thickly paned window of Chrysobera’s makeshift lab / lair. This kind work was very boring, but if it was for her sake . . . well, it was best not to think about her. Ganymede checked off a few boxes on his clipboard as he observed the still bodies of two people, enclosed in two of three glass chambers. “Oberon,” he muttered to himself, and made a small checkmark in the recovery box. “Only two more days before we can use you again. Lucky bastard.” He made a face at the comatose Oberon and walked over to the next case. “Telesto, I think it was,” he muttered to himself, tapping on it with his pen. “Hmm. We shouldn’t wake you up yet. Your services aren’t needed at this time.” Another checkmark and Ganymede came to the last case, an empty one. It was apparent that it hadn’t been used for much in a few weeks, the rumpled sheets were beginning to gather dust. Ganymede paused, observing this case for a moment. “I don’t think she’ll be needing this anymore,” he said, thinking out loud. Ganymede began to remove the musty sheets, shaking them out as he worked. There was a small plopping sound, and Ganymede looked to the floor to see what it was. His eyes widened, and he dropped the sheets in surprise. He knelt down carefully to pick up the torn photograph. In the picture was a woman with short cropped blond hair who appeared to be in an embrace, but the other was torn out of the picture. There was only her, smiling at the photographer playfully with half of someone’s arms wrapped around her. Ganymede quickly pocketed the photo before anyone could see it. He stood up, dusted himself off, and resumed his self-appointed task of cleaning the last, vacant glass case, albeit a bit shaken. After that, he resumed his task with less enthusiasm.
“Ja ne!” Kaze called after leaving the Hateshinai residence. Elokin had settled in quite nicely and was now on the roof making supposed faery mating calls. Kaze sighed and set off for her home, her nose buried in her favorite book, Brave New World. It was getting a little late, and the evening light shaded the words a bit. Kaze ignored this and concentrated harder on the words, not even thinking where she was going. She was just getting to the part where the Savage was throwing away everybody’s soma when . . . BAP! “Hey!” Kaze slammed into someone much taller than her. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going, you . . . you . . . !” she began, but stopped when she saw who she had run into. It was a young man with very dark black hair that hung in dark wisps over his face. He had the deepest brown eyes she had ever seen. YEOW! Kaze’s inner voices were going crazy. “You . . . what?” He asked her. “Um . . . you might get hurt!” “You should probably be the one who needs to watch where she’s going,” he sniffed. Kaze turned red. “Erm . . . I . . . ah . . . gomen ne!” He smiled. “That’s okay. I like that book too.” Then he stood and dusted himself off. He offered her his hand to help her up. She took his hand rather shakily. “I suppose I should see you home then?” He smiled at her. Just as Kaze was about to enthusiastically accept, they were interrupted by another voice. “Harassing young girls again, Katana-Chan?” A girl jumped in and disrupted the harmony of the moment. “Kakumei . . .” Katana seemed to be rather annoyed. The girl paid it no mind and fluffed her short black hair. “You’d better get out of here while you can, shoujo-chan. He becomes a werewolf at night.” “Um . . . okay . . .” she said, a bit taken back. “Katana . . . San, ne?” He nodded. “Inazuma Katana. And you might be?” “Yureru Kaze.” “Don’t forget me! After all we’ve meant to each other . . .” Kakumei began to get melodramatic. Katana grumbled and pointed at her. “Kurai Kakumei.” “Yup, that’s me. I hope Katana-Chan here didn’t molest you or anything!” Kakumei waved as Kaze walked off, dazed and confused. She looked back at Katana and beheld him yelling at Kakumei and chasing her around while wielding an old flowerpot. Kakumei was laughing loudly and running about when she stopped suddenly and ruffled his hair, much to his displeasure. “I wish I could have a relationship like that . . .” she said wistfully, and continued towards home.
“Cosma? Where are we going?” Kokoro inquired, skipping down the street at twilight. “I have to visit Izumi-Sama in the hospital tomorrow morning, and I don’t want to be late.” “We’re going to Tsukiko’s house for a meeting. We need to develop a strategy for finding the other Cosmos Senshi.” He sighed, mincing along and trying to avoid Kokoro’s more clumsy attempts at skipping. “You may not quite perceive what’s going on with who we’re fighting, but they are going to get stronger every day. Until all of us are gathered, we simply don’t stand a chance against their main force.” Kokoro stopped. “Who are we fighting, Cosma? I was just wondering.” Cosma stopped and locked eyes with the girl. “I don’t know who, Kokoro-Chan, but I do know that we have to stop them from achieving their goal at all costs.” Kokoro squatted down to the ground and asked another question. “What do they want?” Cosma flicked his ears and continued on his way. Kokoro scrambled to catch up with him. “I think that they somehow want to destroy our society,” Cosma finally answered after lengthy meditation. “Why would they want to do that? It’s so pretty and peaceful.” The golden haired child skipped along after Cosma, picking an occasional wildflower. “I don’t know,” admitted Cosma. “I probably know about as much of the situation as you do. Here we are,” He announced, and leapt up to Tsukiko’s windowsill, peering inside. “Um . . . Cosma?” “Hold on a moment. I’m waiting for her to open the window.” “Cosma, I don’t think anyone’s home.” “Hmm?” Cosma looked at Kokoro, who was holding up a rather crumpled note that read, Momoko-Chan took Elokin and me to see Kanzaki Labs. Gomen about the meeting! I really need a short break. –Tsukiko. Kokoro giggled. “No meeting today! Lets go play instead.” “No,” Cosma gritted his needle sharp teeth. “We were going to have this meeting, and we will, even if Tsukiko is an irresponsible . . . come on. We have to catch the 7:00 bus before it leaves.” And with that, Cosma took off with Kokoro close behind him.
“Ganymede?” Chrysobera was standing near her window and watching the movements of luminescent fish on the bottom of the sea. Ripples spread across her long blue hair as she brushed it out. “Hai, Chrysobera-Sama?” Ganymede stood in the shadowed doorway, his hand in his right pocket. Chrysobera set the brush down on a black lacquer dressing cabinet and leaned against the window. “Because the attack on that astrology store failed, and we can’t use the old entrance, you will try to get into the main lab in full force,” she turned around to look him in the eyes. “Failure is not an option. We need more supplies to continue living here. You will capture the AI device from the lab as well as all other necessary commodities.” Ganymede bowed. “May I ask why we need the AI device? . . . I’m sure it is in dilapidated condition after all these years . . .” Chrysobera’s normally emotionless eyes flashed and she clenched her fists in rage. “No. You may not,” she growled, and turned back to her window. Ganymede stood and turned to leave. “And one more thing.” In mid turn, he stopped. “If my Megami Unit is there, capture her as well.” In his pocket, Ganymede’s fingers tightened around the picture he still had with him.
“Sugoi! SugoiSugoiSugoiSugoiSugoiSugoiSugoi!” Tsukiko bounced gleefully from one computer to the next, feeling much better about herself, while Elokin followed her, whooping with glee. “So . . . you’re Yamino-Sama’s Goddaughter.” A vexed intern with red-gold hair tried to make conversation with Momoko to keep her mind off of the smoking piles of computer rubble she was envisioning. “Hai,” Momoko nodded. “I’m Ginga Momoko. What’s your name?” The intern smiled. “I’m Hinoyona Fushika. I just got this internship here for a while to study some of the work with artificial organs your Godmother is doing. Her work with robotics and artificial bodies is legenda ry in the medical field. Hey! Don’t touch that! It’s important!” Tsukiko typing something into a rather formidable looking computer and being egged on by Elokin diverted Fushika’s half-attention from Momoko for the moment. Suddenly, from the next room, there seemed to be some sort of roaring sound. Momoko turned in time to see a very pretty young woman with flashing red eyes and fluffy orange hair give a young man the beating of his life. Fushika abruptly broke her attention from the mischievous duo and ran into the other room. “Shishiko!” she hissed. “How many times do I have to tell you not to beat up any more helpless men!” Shishiko stopped in mid punch and the grateful lab worker crawled away as she put her hands on her hips defiantly. “He was hitting on me so I decided to return the favor physically!” she tossed her hair. “Anyone that bad looking has no right to try and flirt with someone like me!” As the two sisters continued to squabble, Momoko laughed and turned back towards Tsukiko and Elokin. Strangely enough, Tsukiko wasn’t in sight anymore, and Elokin was heading back to Momoko. “Tsukiko said she had to go to the bathroom,” Elokin explained. Petey nodded in agreement, or was made to nod. “Ah,” Momoko responded, leaning against the wall.
“Now then,” Cosma said, and leapt on to an old computer terminal. Tsukiko found something very interesting between her feet and managed to avoid Cosma’s piercing stare. “We need to discuss the current situation. First I’ll state the obvious: as of right now, we have only managed to beat the enemy with the element of surprise or with beginner’s luck.” “I’m sure I have some skill,” Tsukiko grumbled. Cosma flicked his tail. “If you would kindly show it by showing up for more meetings in the future . . .” “Do you have any idea what I just had to do? I just had to tell my oldest friend that I wouldn’t be able to see him as much as I used to.” “You can still see him, though. Being a Cosmos Senshi doesn’t take up all of your time,” Cosma said, as if explaining to a child. “You don’t understand. Less frequent visits don’t hurt me, its just that I couldn’t tell him why not. I hate hurting him. It kills me inside every time I see that look in his eyes.” Suddenly, Tsukiko felt a pressure around her waist, and she looked down to see Kokoro hugging her tightly. “But you can still see him, Tsukiko-Sama. We saved him. If we hadn’t been there, then what? If it were me, I would be happier having him alive and a little hurt that dead. That would hurt me even more.” “Kokoro . . .” Tsukiko was completely surprised at this little girl’s reasoning. “So cheer up! As long as we still fight whoever we are fighting, other people like Toruno and Izumi-Sama can live.” Smiling again, Tsukiko nodded and returned Kokoro’s hug. “You’re a wise little girl, Kokoro-Chan.” Cosma felt stupid. He should have realized . . . “Gomen nasai . . .” he muttered. Just then, there was an explosion outside and alarm sirens began to go off.
“Shishiko! Help me get everyone out of here! The explosion came from Storage Facility ZX19!” Fushika shouted to Shishiko over the sounds of the sirens. Everything was now colored an ominous red, the emergency lighting shade. “You heard her! Everyone move OUT!” Shishiko led a group of civilians out of the lab; Elokin and Momoko included among them. “What about Tsukiko-Chan!” Momoko exclaimed as she was being ushered out. “We’ll find her. GO!” Shishiko replied, and shoved her and Elokin out the door as it slammed shut. Only Fushika and Shishiko remained in the room, Fushika typing furiously away at the computer. “I’ve got to check for anyone else . . .” she muttered. The entire floor plan of Kanzaki Labs was displayed on the screen. Shishiko slided up next to her sister. “There’s . . .” she began, but was interrupted by her sister. “Wait . . . there’s someone in ZX19!” “I’m coming with you,” Shishiko said before Fushika could say what she was going to do next. Fushika nodded and tossed her sister a handgun. “I’ll go in first. If he’s dangerous, cover me.” “Yoshi.”
“We’re trapped! This door won’t open any more than it is,” Tsukiko said, pushing hard against the massive metal door they had come through originally. “Safety precautions of the lab, I guess,” Kokoro observed. “They didn’t come in handy this time. We’re trapped in here. Cosma, you can fit through; Over-ride the security measures and let us out so we can help,” Tsukiko ordered. Cosma nodded, although irritated at being issued an order from his own trainee, and slipped out through the small, cat sized crack. Once outside, he was able to look up and see a blinking control panel stationed just near the electronic locks for the doors. Shifting his eyes, he was able to spot several loose wires that sparked as they hung out of the electronic lock. He grinned as a sinister idea formed in his head. He always had a fondness for explosions . . . Tail twitching slightly, Cosma was able to claw his way up the rubber-like wall and up to his object of interest. He extended his claws, preparing to cross the wires and quickly jump away. “Tsukiko! Kokoro-Chan! Get back!” There was a small scuffle from inside the room, and Cosma crossed the wires. The resulting explosion echoed throughout the corridor, and the offending door was blasted to where it landed, 10 feet away, with a metallic thud. “Cosma! Cosma!” Kokoro yelled frantically as she darted from the room. “Where are you?” “Down here,” Cosma coughed. His fur was singed and his whiskers were two full inches shorter, but the look in his eyes was unmistakable triumph. “Good work, Cosma,” Tsukiko gave him a rakish grin as Kokoro bundled him up into her arms, muttering, ‘Thank goodness . . .’ Oddly enough, the pink color in their young instructor’s nose seemed to deepen as Kokoro carried on. “Shall we get on with it then?” Tsukiko motioned towards the main room in the lab. Cosma nodded. When they arrived in the main room, they noticed the retreating forms of two young women. “Wait! Can you feel it? Another one!” Cosma hissed. Tsukiko stood, considering for a moment, and then made a dash for the only computer monitor that was left on. She saw a large gathering of red dots that were pouring out of the lab’s entrance, two others heading down the third corridor, and another, single dot in a large, apparently sealed off room. Realization of what lay in that room hit Tsukiko like a cold wave. “Shit!” she swore under her breath. “They’re headed into a deathtrap! Only one of those two men could have caused that explosion,” she called audibly to the others. “Follow them!” Cosma ordered.
Amidst a large quantity of smoking rubble, Ganymede stood, protected from the noxious fumes that would have had him out in less than ten minutes. He glanced around the storage facility, searching. “She wouldn’t have destroyed it. It was her life’s work,” he muttered, fingering the photo that was still concealed in his pocket. He smiled at the thought of his old fiancée. “This brings back memories. God, I wish I could just see her face again. Or hear her voice . . .” Almost immediately after he had spoken, Ganymede shook his head to focus more at the task at hand. To think about her was useless, she was probably not even in Crystal Tokyo anymore. Now if I were her, where would I have hidden the worst thing I ever invented?
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