Note: I have nothing to do with Sailor Moon and its characters except to be a fan who enjoys the series and the movies very much. This story is my extrapolation of the storylines as received in North America. I apologize if this story doesn't quite fit into the Japanese series.
Jed looked around, unable to conceal the awe and delight he felt whenever he saw something he'd never seen before.
Darian doubted Jed could conceal his feelings, or even would if he could. In a way it was amusing: Jed was like a child, completely innocent of the world around him, and for him everything he saw was something never seen before, everything he felt and experienced was something new. He went around with wide eyes, staring at everything and anything that either he, Andrew, or Rita pointed out with an intensity that was startling.
On the other hand, though, it was also rather depressing. It was easy to forget that Jed was at least twenty years old, not counting the centuries he'd been imprisoned with the rest of the Negaverse in moon crystals. But he was that old, and Darian wondered sadly whether there had ever been any happiness, any joy in Jed's life, or if it had--like his own--been filled with hardship and loneliness.
"Darian!" Jed called, pointing across the plaza. "What is that?"
Darian smiled, pulling his thoughts back to the pleasures of the present. "That's Kaminarimon, the Gate of Thunder. If we go in there we'll get to see the temple, Sensoji, and the shrine, Asakusa Jinja. There are also some stalls where we can buy some souvenirs and some kiosks where we can get something to eat."
"But don't," Rita said. "Andrew and I are treating you two to lunch, so you don't want to spoil your appetites."
"On the other hand," Andrew said, "we could just eat lunch as we walk around." He smiled at Jed. "You should at least sample some of the food here."
Darian sighed. He was glad that Andrew liked Jed. As knowledgeable as he and Andrew were about Tokyo, Rita made a much better tour guide. As a result, she spent nearly as much time on Jed's arm as on Andrew's. Jed had seemed a little worried about it earlier on and had apologized to Andrew about it, but Andrew had just smiled and dropped back to walk beside Darian, for which Darian was glad. It gave him a chance to reaffirm their friendship, which had suffered during the problems with Nemesis and the Wiseman's machinations.
Now, though, Rita was on Andrew's arm and had been since they'd left the train station. As they approached the Gate of Thunder, though, she pulled away and moved up to walk beside Jed. From his position next to Andrew he heard her telling Jed about the gigantic red lantern that loomed overhead.
"Your cousin makes a good tourist," Andrew said.
It took Darian a moment to remember that they were passing Jed off as his cousin. He nodded. "It's a little surprising that he missed so much while he was looking for me."
"Not really," Andrew said. "People sometimes focus so intently on something that they ignore everything else. You're that way too sometimes."
Darian blinked. "Me?"
"Maybe you didn't realize it, but you were that way each time you tried to get that masked doll in the tuxedo from the crane game."
Darian started to laugh. "I haven't played that game in a while!"
Andrew laughed too, then sighed. "You haven't been in to the arcade in a while. I was wondering if I'd done something to make you angry with me. I know sometimes I don't think before I speak, especially when I've been moping about Rita being away."
Darian shook his head. "No, I should be apologizing to you," he said. "It's just that things kept coming up that kept me from visiting."
"Yeah, like that UFO," Andrew said.
Darian smiled briefly. Andrew was referring to the time-travelling craft Rubeus and the Four Sisters of the Negamoon had used to come back to the twentieth century. Its repeated appearances in the Tokyo skies had caused a rash of UFO sightings. "Don't forget that weird crystal thing that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of downtown," he said, remembering the dark crystal fortress Prince Diamond had used as his staging ground in the twentieth century.
Andrew shivered. "That was a really wild time," he said. Then he grinned. "I'm just glad you were okay," he said. "And I'm glad things are all right between us. I don't know where I'd be without my best friend to cheer me up when I'm missing Rita."
Darian felt himself flushing. "I'm glad, too. You're my one anchor to reality in this insane world." And he meant it. But because he felt uncomfortable even though he felt happy, he forced himself to smirk. "Even if you are a wet blanket at times."
Andrew laughed. "I guess I can be, can't I?" He clapped Darian on the shoulder. "Come on, we'd better catch up with Rita and Jed."
Darian sighed and let himself be propelled along. "You're sure you don't mind Jed spending so much time with Rita?" he asked.
Andrew nodded. "Jed's a good person," he said. "I could tell that right off, even though I was suspicious of him in the beginning. But I trust him, and I trust Rita."
Darian sighed again, but said nothing. Even though he knew Jed's history as Jedite, he, too, believed in Jed and trusted him. Jed was a good person.
He only hoped that, when the time came, he could convince Serena, Amy and Rei of the same thing.
* * *
Jed frowned. "Darian, why is there a statue of a dog in front of the station?"
"What?" Darian sounded distracted as he turned around. Jed realized belatedly that he was watching for Andrew and Rita. They'd gotten separated by the crowd when they'd caught the train to Shibuya.
Jed pointed. "Over there. I could understand if there were other statues nearby, but it seems to be by itself. Does it have some sort of political or religious significance?"
Darian laughed. "Oh, that's Hachiko."
"Hachiko?" To Jed it sounded like a person's name, but somehow it didn't seem to fit in with any of the other religious names he'd heard throughout the day: Buddha, Fudo-Myoo, Amaterasu, among others. "Is he another Shinto deity?"
Darian laughed. "No, Hachiko is the name of a dog who followed his master to Shibuya station every day and waited around until the man came back from work. He continued to come to Shibuya station for 11 more years even after his master died."
Jed blinked. "That's amazing! Eleven whole years?" It was difficult to imagine that anything could be so loyal. The Negaverse didn't count because Queen Beryl had ruled through intimidation and domination, not inspiration.
Darian nodded. "Now people use it as a landmark to meet their friends by. Sometimes they call it by name, sometimes they just refer to it as 'the dog statue.'"
Jed shook his head in amazement. "Well, hi, Darian!" a perky voice sang. "Fancy meeting you here!"
Jed turned and saw two young women accosting his friend in a very familiar way. Darian seemed to know them, but neither of them resembled his memories of the Moon Princess. He started toward them.
"Hi, Lita," Darian said, disengaging his arm from the taller of the two girls. "Hi, Mina."
"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" the blond one--Mina, Jed guessed--asked, glancing in his direction.
"Oh, sure," Darian said. He seemed upset by something, but Jed didn't know what. He gestured for Jed to come closer.
"Jed," Darian said, pointing to the blond girl, "this is Mina." He pointed at the brown-haired girl. "And this is Lita. Girls, this is my cousin, Jed," he continued, noticeably stressing the word "cousin" as he turned a fierce glare at first one girl, then the other. "He's visiting from Hokkaido."
Mina, the blond girl, laughed. "Is that the best story you could come up with, Darian?" she asked. "Your 'cousin'?"
The other girl, Lita, grinned. "You know, you don't look at all alike," she told Jed. "Not that you would, considering you're centuries older than Darian."
"Tell me, Jed," Mina chimed in, "how are the two of you related? Is it through your mothers or your fathers?"
Jed felt a wave of panic rising in him. These two girls somehow knew that he'd come from the Negaverse! His fear ebbed when he saw the angry and disgusted glare Darian was directing at Lita.
"Quit scaring him," Darian snapped, stepping in front of him. "How would you like it, Lita, if a perfect stranger suddenly identified you as the daughter of the king of the heavens? And Mina, how would you like it if someone you'd never met before deliberately compared you to the brightest star in the night sky?" Darian looked over his shoulder and winked.
Both girls looked worried, but the one named Lita stood her ground and glowered. "And what if I told your 'cousin' he was related to the royalty of Earth?"
"Ha!" Darian spat. "He already knows who I am!"
King of the heavens? Brightest star in the night sky? And this Lita knew Darian was the prince of Earth? Jed suddenly put it all together. "Now I understand!" he said, stepping out from behind Darian. He pointed at Lita. "You're Sailor Jupiter, aren't you?" He turned to Mina. "And you're Sailor Venus!"
Lita tried to hold onto her glower, but she tossed her head. "Well, you were bound to find out sooner or later," she said, suddenly indifferent.
"Lita!" the other girl said reprovingly. She stepped forward and held out her hand. "I'm sorry, Jed," she said. "We didn't mean to scare you, not really. I'm Mina."
The other girl turned and stuck her hand out as well. "I'm Lita."
Jed took both their hands in his and, remembering something he'd seen--somewhere, somewhen--he brought them up to his lips and kissed their backs. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Princess Venus and Princess Jupiter."
He was startled by the strange gazes the two girls turned on him. He knew he--and Darian and Andrew--had turned more than a few heads earlier during their outing, but this was the first time he'd had two of those turned heads right in front of him. It was a little scary.
"There you are!"
Everyone turned to see Andrew and Rita approaching from the station. "We were wondering what happened to you," Rita said. "The doors closed before--" She stopped as she saw the other girls. Her eyes focused on Lita. "Oh! I remember you," she said. "You asked me about studying bugs."
Lita shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, that's me. My name's Lita."
Rita smiled. "That's right. Lita." She turned to Darian. "I didn't know you two knew each other."
Darian grimaced. "Well, she's a friend of a friend, really." He winced when Lita punched him in the shoulder. "Ouch. Okay, she is a friend, but not a really close one." He ducked away before Lita could hit him again.
Jed couldn't help laughing. He'd never seen this sort of thing before, certainly not in the Negaverse.
"So, what are you all doing here?" Mina asked, distracting Lita from hitting Darian.
"We're showing Darian's cousin Jed some of the sights," Andrew said. "Have you met?"
"Oh, yes," Lita said, "Darian introduced us."
Jed, studying the two girls, suddenly came to a decision. "Say, would you two like to join us?" He ignored the black look Darian turned on him and looked instead at Rita and Andrew. "That is, if it's okay with you, Rita, Andrew."
"Sure, I don't mind," Andrew said.
"Well, I guess it's all right--" Rita started.
"I'm sure Mina and Lita can tell me a lot about Tokyo themselves," Jed said quickly. "And Darian can always fill in the gaps. This way I won't monopolize so much of your time."
"I don't mind, Jed," Andrew said.
Jed shook his head. "No, Andrew, this is Rita's first day back in Japan, and as glad and grateful as I am that the two of you gave it up to show me around, you deserve some time to yourselves." He smiled at them. "It wouldn't be nice of me to come between two of my new friends like that, right?" He could see that both of them were wavering.
Darian moved forward and turned them around, draping his arms over their shoulders. "Jed's right," he said, glancing from one to the other. "You deserve to enjoy each other without the rest of us hanging all over you."
Andrew shook his head. "We came to show Jed around."
"And you have," Darian said. "And you still can, but let Lita, Mina, and I do most of it. You and Rita can chip in if we get something wrong. That way you don't have to devote your entire time to us. Right?"
"Well, if you're sure it's okay, Darian," Rita said slowly.
Jed blinked as he felt hands catch hold of his arms. He looked down to see Mina latched firmly on to his right arm and Lita hooked tightly around his left.
"Sure it's okay," Darian was saying. "Besides, this way we form three couples. You can stay with Andrew, and Jed and I will--" He broke off as he caught sight of them.
Jed shrugged helplessly. "Darian, help!"
Darian scowled at them, but Jed could see the amusement in his eyes. "So I don't get an escort today?" he demanded.
Lita looked up. "Well, Darian, there's just this matter of competition from the moon princess of your dreams, you know?"
"You can't expect us to compete with a dream, can you?" Mina asked.
"Darian?" Jed asked, pleading now. He felt a little better when Rita slipped her free arm--her left one was curled around Andrew's elbow--around Darian's.
"Come on, Darian," she said, "let the girls have their fun. Besides, this way I'm the winner. They're competing over one handsome young man while I have two handsome young men escorting me through the city."
Jed felt Lita stiffen beside him. "Well, at least we're not old bags who need two men to hold them up," she called out.
"Lita!" Mina hissed. Jed winced as she inadvertently twisted his arm.
"Please, Rita, Lita," Jed said softly. "Let's not fight."
"I'm sorry, Jed," Rita said immediately. "But I had to stand up for Darian, you know."
"Hey, I like Darian just fine!" Lita said hotly. "I just didn't want to--"
Jed shook his left arm slightly to get her attention. "Lita, please," he said, trying to smile at her.
Her eyes immediately softened. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jed," she said sweetly. "I promise I won't fight with the old bag any more."
"Lita!"
"I'm sorry!"
Jed couldn't help laughing. "Lita, you're incorrigible!"
Lita frowned. "I thought you wanted me to stop teasing Rita," she said, confused.
Jed started laughing again, joined by everyone else. Lita laughed too, though she still looked confused.
Jed didn't have the heart to explain.
* * *
"Have Darian bring you down to the arcade sometime," Andrew said. "I have a feeling you'll be a good player."
"And remember," Rita said, "you're both having dinner with us Wednesday, right?"
Darian nodded. "Sure," he said. "See you later, you two!" He watched as they turned and headed off, Rita slipping her arm through Andrew's.
He sighed. "Well, Jed, I think it's about time we headed home ourselves," he said. "Have you had enough sightseeing for one day?"
Jed nodded. "I am a little tired," he admitted. "I'm not sure I can make it back to your apartment."
Darian laughed. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll make it back there somehow."
The two of them started down the street, both of them laden with some bags filled with souvenirs from the many places they'd gone to over the course of the day.
"Listen, Darian, thanks for buying all these things for me," Jed said. "I know it cost a lot."
"Don't worry about it," Darian said. "I might have to convince Lita to invite us over for dinner every other night, but it's no big thing. She always cooks more than she knows what to do with." He turned to his friend and grinned. "Besides, she really likes you." He grinned as Jed flushed.
"Really?" Jed asked. "I think she was only playing. By the way she kept looking at Andrew I think she would have preferred his arm over mine."
Darian laughed. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. Lita's just totally boy-crazy. Every good-looking guy she sees reminds her of her old boyfriend. She felt the same way when she saw you for the first time."
"Gee, I don't know whether to feel hurt or happy," Jed said.
Darian laughed again. "Anyway, Lita's had a big crush on Andrew for a while now, even though she knows he's with Rita. She moons over him all the time, and she flirts with him now and then, but it's never really anything serious. Besides, he thinks of most of the girls that like him as younger sisters. He has eyes only for Rita."
Jed sighed. "I'm glad he didn't mind me spending so much time with Rita," he said.
Darian shook his head. "Andrew trusts Rita," he said. "And he likes you and trusts you, too." He glanced at his friend. "He thinks you're a good person, and so do I. And even though they know you were once Jedite of the Negaverse, I think Lita and Mina trust you as well." He grinned. "Otherwise I don't think they would have been fighting over you as much as they did."
Jed flushed, but didn't say anything, instead starting down the street again. Darian laughed and followed.
"Darian," Jed said after a block or two, "Earth is a really beautiful place, isn't it?"
Darian studied his friend. "It is to me," he said. "Of course, as the Prince of the Earth I'm somewhat prejudiced in my judgment, but I like to think that I'm not the only one who thinks so. And remember, Jed, so far you've only seen the city of Tokyo. You haven't seen what the countryside is like yet."
Jed sighed. "I can't believe we wanted to destroy such beauty. That place that we saw from Tokyo Tower, the one with all the sakura--what was it called? It was really beautiful, that field of pinks and greens in the middle of the city."
Darian nodded. "Aoyama Reien. It's a cemetery, but it's still very picturesque. Of course, the effect is different when you're looking at it at ground-level, but it's still a very beautiful place."
When Jed didn't say anything, Darian shrugged and started to leave. He'd already gone a few steps before he noticed that Jed hadn't followed. He turned around. "Jed, what is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
For a moment, Jed remained silent. Then he sighed. "Darian, I know you don't like to remember it," he said softly, "but do you think there was any beauty in the Negaverse?"
Darian blinked. Jed was right, he didn't like to remember it, but it seemed important to Jed, so he forced himself to pay think back. Zoisite and Queen Beryl had been beautiful in their own cruel, malevolent ways, and there had been some places in Beryl's Earth headquarters that had been pretty at least. "A little, I think," he said. "Why do you ask?"
Jed shook his head. "I'm just wondering how anyone or anything with even a slight appreciation of beauty could seek to destroy other beautiful things. I don't know how I could have sought to destroy so much of this planet's beauty when I now realize how truly beautiful it is."
Darian sighed. "I can't answer that, Jed," he admitted. "The truth is that there are people living on this beautiful planet who can't see its beauty. Some of them see only how they can use the world to make money. Others see the world as something put there for them to use any way they desire, without any regard for the consequences." He shook his head and sighed. "But there are others, like you and me, who have seen the limited and wanting 'beauty' of another world and it has made us appreciate what we have here more than most. It's one of the reasons the Sailor Scouts and I fought so hard against the Negaverse and the evils that followed." He straightened and gazed steadily at Jed. "And there are people like Andrew and Rita who appreciate the world's beauty and are a part of that beauty themselves." Darian reached out and clapped Jed on the shoulder. "And now you have a chance to become part of the world's beauty yourself," he said solemnly.
Jed nodded, slowly at first, then vigorously. "Right!"
Darian stared at his friend, then grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away. You know, that's probably one of the reasons Malachite and I never got along. He kept using ordinary people in his plans to get the Imperium Silver Crystal, and those people were always individuals that contributed in some way to the beauty of the world. Figure skaters, teachers, people whose daily efforts could affect how people felt about the world."
"You know," Jed said, "you've only told me the general facts about what happened after Beryl sealed me away in crystal. Do you think you could tell me about some of the specific fights you and the Scouts had? Or maybe you could tell me about Nephlyte for a bit."
Darian nodded. For the rest of their trek back to his apartment they talked about nothing else but the rises and falls of the other three generals. There were gaps in his knowledge, of course, as he'd been either absent during particular confrontations or otherwise indisposed, but he did his best to give Jed everything he wanted to hear. And as he related tale after tale about battle after battle, he discovered that he had as much reason to feel proud as to feel guilty about his involvement with the Negaverse. He'd probably always feel guilty, but he thought he'd be able to sleep more comfortably at night.
They made it home without incident. Darian took a shower first, then turned down the bed for Jed while he waited for his friend to finish in the shower. Jed emerged in some pajamas Darian had bought for him the day before.
"Darian," he said softly.
"Yes?"
"I don't remember saying it before," Jed said softly, "but thanks. For everything. Without you I'd still be trapped in eternal sleep, being plagued by wild nightmares. I think I owe you more than just my life. I owe you my sanity and my soul."
Darian shifted uncomfortably. Then he swallowed and straightened. "Jed, it's like I said before. I think you're a good person, and I like and trust you, the same way Andrew does, the same way Rita and Lita and Mina do." He sighed and looked away. "I'm just glad I could help you."
"Darian," Jed said softly, sounding worried, "who couldn't you help?"
Darian sighed and shook his head. "Not now, Jed. Remind me later to tell you about someone named Sapphire." He sighed again, then shook himself out of his depression. "Anyway, we'd better get some sleep. We'll go out tomorrow and get you more clothes of your own. And tomorrow afternoon Lita, Mina, and the cats will be coming over here to discuss how to introduce you to the other Sailor Scouts."
Jed blinked. "Cats?"
Darian grimaced. "Sorry," he said. "Artemis and Luna. Artemis is Sailor Venus' guardian cat, and Luna is Sailor Moon's. They're both very intelligent, and between the six of us we should be able to come up with a good plan."
"I look forward to meeting them," Jed said. He started to open the blanket that lay folded on the sofa.
Darian frowned. "What are you doing?"
"I thought I'd sleep--"
Darian shook his head. "No, you sleep in my bed." He patted the couch. "I wouldn't inflict this thing even on Malachite."
"All the more reason I should sleep on the couch instead!" Jed protested. "I've put you out already--"
"You're sleeping in my bed," Darian said firmly, "and that's final." He took the blanket from Jed's hands and set himself stubbornly in front of the couch.
Jed sighed and turned to go to the bedroom. He stopped by the door. "Darian," he said.
"Yes?"
"Good night," Jed said. "And thanks. For everything."
"You're welcome," Darian said. He watched as Jed disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door. Then, sighing, he stretched himself out on the couch, wondering briefly how he could be so stupid as to give up the comfort of his own bed. Then he sighed. After everything he'd been through, Jed deserved a little pampering. Of course, if they ended up becoming housemates--or apartment-mates, as it were--then they'd have to think of something else.
As Darian started to drift to sleep, he pondered the possibility of he and Jed living together for a long time--maybe months, maybe years--and thought that it wasn't really such a bad idea. Neither of them ever needed to be lonely again.
No, it wasn't such a bad idea at all.
Get your own Free Home Page